It's too quiet here!

This is tricky. Jessie and the Crowsjays left on Saturday evening, their van (Horn's) packed to the rafters. Jonathan and the third generation of Midwest Barrette's left on Sunday afternoon. The only ones left here are the old people and the 2 dogs.

It was a very fun, chaotic Christmas and I cherish the fact that 4 generations of my family could be together and interact lovingly with a great deal of laughter. The food was nonstop, as was the noise. I still think I can hear a baby crying, although years after the fact, I still think I can hear someone calling "mom" in public places. Gram says that's true for all mothers no matter how old or far removed they are.

We did a 5s (declutter) of my basement/family room on Saturday at the insistence of Jonathan and Jessie. What a team! John took a full pickup truck to Good Will this AM and said 3 people unloaded their trucks before he could finish his. Jonathan's hearts desire beside time with Erin is that we clean out the closet in Brendan's room and set up cubbies for my yarn stash. Jessie says the amount I have "FRIGHTENS" her.

California, Here I Come!

We went to California and it was definitely not a good time to go. John was busy, I was busy and we tried to get out of it...it was amazing! We did absolutely nothing but rest and relax. No calls, well, maybe a few. Of course the Red Sox did their best to ruin the time, but we were able to work through that. Our big trip was the Bower Museum where we saw the Terra Cotta Warriors an exhibit from China.

No way!

I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last posting. The length of the in-between times make the reading fairly interesting, since I've forgotten what I've written and it's new news to me.

We've just returned from the (OC), Orange County, California. All the women young and old have long, straight hair. They're all thin and wear skinny, tight black pants with Patagonia or Northface tops. They don't like bright colors either...I think it's because the sun is so bright. Most people seem to drive Mercedes, BMWs, Lexus, or Audi. Mercedes seems to be the favorite. The poor people drive Cadillacs and Lincolns with Obama/Biden stickers on the bumpers.

They knew we were outsiders immediately since we have higher BMIs and wear plaid. The Busch Garden cap was probably the clincher. John and I went out immediately to Nordstrom's Rack and purchased new athletic shoes in neutral colors (not white). He didn't bring any and my feet grew from an Adidas 10 to an Asics 11 in one month. New Balance seemed popular, but they didn't have any in womens size 11 for me and the corresponding men's size was too wide.

A frightening insight for me is that I've shrunk from 5'7" to around 5'6" if I push it and my feet have grown from a 9.5 to an 11.0 since I've married. Interestingly enough most of that has been in the past few years. Who would have thought menopause causes your feet to grow. I just praise God that Jonathan is a man.

Not often enough

Apparently I don't do this very often. This has been a very short summer filled with family and lots of irritations and accomplishments. Just finished getting the house painted (except for the front door). There's a partial deck off the sunroom. We figured out that it's a deck attached to a deck. John and the boys and Steve from Ohio worked on it while I was in Kansas City. (trip # 3). It was a surprise and a group effort. Grampa McLean from Waponeta designed it but checked with his engineer friends to make sure it's safe. It's cantilevered for support. When you bounce on it the sunroom shakes. John assures me that it will hold, and we had our entire small group stand out on it last nite to check. Jerri had to hold on the house too, since she's afraid of things without railings but was a good sport and made a strong effort until Stan started bouncing on the edge and drove her back into the kitchen.

Leaving town

It's over, at least for this week, we're getting ready to head out to SC to meet Rose and Uncle Joe on Sunday. A little golf, a little phalaxing and it's all good.
It was a delight to leave out of office on the computer and redirect the voicemails. I feel like I'm living incognito.

Finally Here!

The past few weeks have been soooo busy. I flew out to Kansas City for Jessie's C-section which never happened, the baby flipped earlier in the week. So I flew home on Monday afternoon. It was a wonderful time for us though, the visit, not the flight. I got to have time with my daughter and grandson. Liam is such a special little boy and it was easy to open my heart to him a little more each day I was with him.

Anyway, Eli Coltman Crow finally arrived on 4/11/08. He weighed 8-10 and Uncle Brendan thinks he looks like Vic Damone. He's much cuter than that and we're delighted to have him here. Mom and son are doing well.

It's Easter Sunday! Early this year and the earliest date for Easter since 1913. (Interesting fact) We had a weekend at the Lafayette Barrette's this Easter. We had a really nice time and had "Raclette" for dinner courtesy of the Crows. Apparently they got a new set and gave Jonathan and Erin their first one.

Papa and Gramma had the opportunity to hear their firstborn teach a Sunday School class on authority this AM. He probably is an expert since he bucked ours frequently, not horribly, just frequently. It was special to be there and Jonathan did an excellent job; seems very comfortable in the role of teacher. I think he likes to get up in front of a crowd.

A wonderful surprise was that Brendan and Melissa joined us for dinner. I was reminded once again how the Lord has blessed us. It was amazing seeing all of the Indiana Barrettes at the same table enjoying each other's company. Our pleasure was pinched a little knowing that Jessie, Jon and Liam could not be with us. Fortunately they are joining their friends for dinner tonite.

Hurry Up!

I need to finish something. John's OOT until Friday. I feel like I'm running in cement. I really do need to get something done so I can move on to the next project. I keep buying yarn and thinking grand schemes that almost never happen.

Starting the first sleeve of the CPH. Class is next Tuesday not tonite. So I'm thinking I'll go in and work on Meredith's coat of many colors to try and finish it up by the weekend. She'll enjoy wearing it next week if the weather remains chilly. Yay, off tomorrow, and Friday also. What could be better...

Crow Clan News and Pics: Gramma & Emma's Visit

Crow Clan News and Pics: Gramma & Emma's Visit