Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Tuesday-11:45am

Good Morning!  Grab a cuppa.  I have a week's worth of pictures to show you...and a video!  ;)
I happened to be awake for a couple of hours at dawn one of the days I was so sick last week...
...and caught this gorgeous sunrise.
You only have a few minutes...
...and the wild display is gone.
Karma's been thrilled to have her own spot on her own chair again.  [She even stayed put in her bed (pretending to be invisible) the entire time McFamily was here on Sunday.]
My FriXion pen and highlighter sets actually came last Monday but I never even made it down to the mail until Wednesday, so you know how sick I was.
They have a new home (along with my Sharpie Pens that don't bleed through) in one of the cool pots Leah made for me in her pottery class.
I was just starting to feel more human so I had to experiment with them, of course.  I grabbed some scratch paper (will try better paper later) and used the blue FriXion pen and all the highlighters.
They really do erase well.  I could have even done a more thorough job.
Then I took the hair dryer I use for drying art pages...and they basically did kind of disappear.  The darker highlighters showed more.  I was still sick so I didn't have the patience to do this for very long, either--LOL!
Then I stuck the paper into the freezer for just a few minutes and they were already coming back!  Pretty cool!!
But the purple highlighter is worthless as a highlighter because it is so dark I can't even read through it.  The blue one is almost too dark, too.  The other four lighter ones work great though.
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On Friday...a most amazing thing!  All four big packages from Amazon this month actually arrived on the same day.  Two from FedEx and two that UPS dumped off at the post office.
My new sewing machine arrived and the carrying case!
 Haven't even taken it out of the box yet, though.  Leah told me to wait until they tried to stabilize my poor table.
Ian's toys came!  This is a musical soft toy that can be hung above him or it can sit on the ground.  It can either play single notes or songs.  The flowers light up when you touch them and they play!  Really cool!  Ian loved it!  Doesn't know how to hit/poke the flowers yet to get it to play but Dagan and I entertained him for some time with it.
And a teething toy.
Okay--I ordered a "pour over" cup because I could have fresh coffee over at Dagan and Leah's any time I wanted instead of hauling a big thermos back and forth.  I only heard about this technique online a few weeks ago.
This one is a Melitta cup and came with a few sample filters.
I bought a new red thermos cup, too, to keep over at their place, right?
Well, the cup is slightly malformed on the bottom.  Not enough to send it back but enough to make it slightly tippy.  Fine for me here, but I wouldn't be comfortable using it around a toddler.  So the new red cup stays here with me--TaDa!!  
And I am so totally won over by "pour over" coffee...well, it surprised me how much better it tastes.  Of course, when you have a very old, crusty coffee pot that doesn't even want to clean well anymore (but it still works so how can a person get rid of it, you know?) it probably tastes especially fresh and clean and delightful.  I am totally won over!!  I haven't brewed a pot of coffee since my first pour over cup.  No lie!
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 McFamily was here on Sunday and did so much for me!  But first, I have to show you!!  Gramma got to give Ian a bottle!!  They finally sent Leah the right breast pump.  Ian isn't sure about this bottle business.  It took a little convincing, but he finally went along with the craziness.  (This was only his third time taking a bottle.)
"This makes no sense at all.  Mom is standing right over there.  This is just wrong.  How can this be?"
After he finally settled into it, he was fascinated by the fact that he could look all around while he was eating.  New experiences, eh?  LOL!
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Leah's idea for stabilizing the table will work!!  When they left...here's the dismantled table upended...
...chairs everywhere...and a Karma realizing she didn't have to be invisible anymore.  [She was super stiff from hiding in the exact same position for like four hours--LOL!  She could hardly get out of her bed.  I could totally relate.]
They got the keyboard drawer on the desk.  I am so glad I changed my mind.  This works perfectly as tuck-away storage for my planner!!  
The floor is slanted on that side of the room and the two shims they had didn't get the desk high enough to keep the file drawer from sliding open.  They have some more shims someplace, they said.  After they locate them, they will come back and tilt it back some more.  Meanwhile I still have to keep something in front of the file drawer to keep it shut.
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I had mostly emptied the hutch so they could move the desk about.
So, Monday/yesterday...I could get better pics of the table base.
We discovered that both the base legs are cracked in multiple places.  See the three smaller cracks on this base leg?
Well, the other one with the huge crack also had two or three other smaller cracks.  This is the metal strapping thing that Leah is using to tighten around the base once they got the brace legs off.  This was a two-man job, for sure.
I didn't get a before on this bad one with the big crack, but it is obviously better already...and it can still be tightened up a little more, too.
The plan is to put one strap above and one below those holes where the brace legs will bolt back on.
It will be so nice to have my craft table back!  Well, it will mostly be a sewing table for a while, eh?  ;)  We're hoping this will keep her held together for years to come.  And I am banned from moving her by myself.  She will always have to be lifted up and set down to be moved...never hip pushed about ever again.  I promised.
I got everything back in the hutch.  
 I do so love my new desk!  Like I have said, it has more storage than my bigger one did.  More cubby holes and shelves and...I just love it.  Moreso than I ever expected I would.  Oh, and I love my old desk chair with the arms removed.  (Karma doesn't--at all--because you know how she likes to sit sideways in chairs with her front feet over the chair arms.)
I'm also crazy about my new, slightly unstable, red thermal mug!  All you ladies over at T-Stands For Tuesday will now be seeing a lot of this new beauty.  ;) ;)

I know...with the colored thermos cups that the red color can wear, chip, or peel...but I just love it!  I'll have to be extra kind to her.
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Dagan's out of town for work this week, so the table won't be put together before he's back.  I plan a visit with Leah and Ian tonight after Caroline leaves.  Two weeks was just so long!
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I shall leave you with the video Leah took of Ian at 3 months (a couple weeks ago).  She helped me figure out how to get a video from her drop box to my youtube when she was here, too--so we're all set from now on.  I LOVE this video.  This is the happy little guy sitting in his bumbo seat who has stolen our hearts.  


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Happy Tuesday!!
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"If it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there are hearts"  
Leo Tolstoy

28 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

so nice to see YOU with ian! and love that karma dared to stay out in the open (in her bed) while mcfamily visited.

hope your table can be made sturdy again. :)

Linda Kunsman said...

I am so glad to hear you are feeling so much better-almost sounds like you had a flu. But what a really gorgeous sunrise you were able to capture! With all your new things to enjoy along with your new set up I can see you'll be quite busy-creatively - specially with such a great new mug and set up to enjoy the coffee break:) Thanks also for sharing that adorable vid of Ian. Happy T day!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What an eventful week. I hope you feel better.

I've never heard of those hilighters before, but I agree the purple one is too dark.

Glad Leah came up with a way to secure the table. It would be hard to replace it. And I bet you'll be sewing up a storm soon, too.

Thanks for sharing your week with us for T this Tuesday. That new red coffee container is super, albeit a bit wobbly!

Nancy said...

Oh my gosh, that's one cute Grandson you've got--nice picture with him too :)
Your sunrise photo is gorgeous! I really like your new desk area, it's perfect.
Glad you're feeling better, Happy T Day :)

Divers and Sundry said...

I'm glad you're feeling some better. :)

My pour over coffee maker is plastic, but someday I want a ceramic one like you have. It's so convenient, isn't it! Not really any harder than that "instant" stuff, but world's better.

Robyn said...

one can never have too many pens. I have "pour overs" from the 70's we called them Militta's.
glad you are feeling some better.
baby therapy works wonders!

Anonymous said...

I have never seen you before!! I pictured you with short hair. What a pleasant surprise.

:-)

P.S. Baby is cute too.

DJan said...

Ian has stolen the hearts of many, like ME! What a cutie he is. I loved the video so much. Thanks, Rita for sharing your beautiful grandchild with me. :-)

AliceKay said...

Love that pic of you feeding Ian. :) I can see the pride and joy in your face. Babies are little miracles, aren't they? The video at the end is the sweetest thing. Sweet little boy with a great big smile and a cute little laugh. :)

Your sunrises are like my sunsets. They come and go so quickly that you wonder how the sky can change so fast like that. Your sunrise shots are beautiful.

I hope the new sewing machine works well for you. I've never had one...don't like to sew. lol I manage to sew buttons back onto shirts, or fix a tear now and then, but that's about it. When my older sister was a young teen, she ran a sewing machine needle right thru her finger. Maybe that's why I've never liked to sew. lol

Thanks for sharing your pictures and video of Ian. He is a cutie pie. :)

Janie Junebug said...

I'm glad you feel better.

Love,
Janie

Anonymous said...

Ian is SO cute--you can't help but giggle & smile along with him!!

ChicagoLady said...

I think his first words will be "Hi there cutie pie!" LOL

Boy he does love the sound of your voice!

creatorme said...

Glad you are feeling better. What a cutie pie you've got there. And what fun new things you were showing. I have not seen highlighters that can be erased. Very interesting. And that pour over thingie ... lol wow. I'll have to google that.
Happy T-Day!

~*~Patty S said...

Oh little Ian is such a darling fellow and so happy too!
That was one glorious sunrise you captured.
We still have our ceramic Melitta pour over as they called it back in the day and you are so right about it making a nice cuppa java!
Cool erasable markers...
Happy Day after T Day Rita
oxo

Krisha said...

Ian is such a happy baby, love to hear babies laugh, so thanks for sharing the video. His new toys will keep him fascinated for quite a while too.

Glad to hear you are starting to feel better.

Belated Happy T-day to you and Karma

Friko said...

So that’s what you look like, handsome lady.

Ian is a bonny boy but is he saying there at the end “enough with all the photography, it’s food I want”?

And Karma, should she maybe go on a diet?

PS: the snow isn’t now is it?

Shelly said...

Oh, he is beautiful! What joy in your household! And Miss Karma looks like she's enjoying things as well~

Anonymous said...

Hope you're feeling better now! What lovely sunrise photos.

Intense Guy said...

Awww.. Ian is such a happy little boy!! Gosh has it been over three months since he was born already?!??!?

Your table repairs look like just the thing!!! I hope it holds up for as long as you want it!

And I hope you get the new sewing machine working in short order (read the instructions, anyone? We don't need no stinkin' directions!!!)

:)

Hilary said...

Lots going on in your neck of the woods. Always fun to get your new stuff set up. And VERY nice to see a photo of your and your smiling face. Ian is a hoot.. his laughter is so infectious. Good stuff all around.

Serena Lewis said...

I love when babies give their happy squeals...Ian is so cute! Lovely pic of you with him too!

Well done to Leah for her idea on fixing your desk!

I've never heard of those type of drip filters before....not much use for me any more as it's been nearly three weeks since I've given up coffee.

Brother used to be a good and reliable brand of sewing machine so, hopefully, they are still that way. I used to have a Brother Overlocker (I think it's called Serger in the States) and I loved it!

Great that Ian loved his new toy. :) My Frixion pens look a bit different to yours. If you go to my last blog post, some are shown in the images I uploaded.

Spectacular sunrise!

Have a wonderful weekend....xo

Donna said...

He is adorable Rita :)

Dianne said...

such fun developments over at your place. I was wondering why the drip coffee in front of the coffee maker when I scanned the photos, but now I understand. brilliant! Gorgeous sunrise photos too...hope you are feeling much better and have a great week! ♥

andi filante said...

I agree! It's so nice to see a photo of you! (I pictured you with short hair, too.) :) And what a sweet video of Ian! Glad you're feeling better.

-andi

Queenie Jeannie said...

So much goodness in one blog post!!! Looks like you are busy and happy, and feeling better, so that makes me happy! You are so blessed to get in that Grandma time in in person. Wishing I could, so get in some extra snuggles for me too, OK? Big hugs and I hope you have a great week ahead!

TammyV said...

well, for someone who has been sick, you have been very busy! Those sunrise shots are amazing! absolutely gorgeous. And I am so taken with these pens...I think I must have some for gdaughter who will love them I am sure. Thanks for that tip! You are really putting together such a lovely space for your art! And love that picture of you - you look so happy (but of course, is there anything better than being a Nana?) Do hope you are resting and taking care of yourself in amongst all of this! Even now...not too much too fast (as my Mom always cautioned me - I never listened!)

Neesie said...

Trying to catch up so this is a just a flying visit but had to stop to leave you a note... Great to see YOU and how special for you to be giving Ian his bottle ;D
Gorgeous!
xoxo

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

You look great with Ian; and he looks totally content and curious in your arms. Wonderful photo!