A Day Out

For at least part of the day, our lunch and shopping trip on Friday was sunny and beautiful. Not that warm, but lovely to be down by the water and walking around town. La Jolla is filled with specialty shops, galleries, and restaurants, always something interesting to see. We lunched at one of the hotel restaurants, enjoying the view from the terrace. From where we sat we could see both the ocean and the pretty little garden planted with red and white cyclamen. I have a few of these plants in my yard, but they always die off in the summer heat and reappear in the winter.

Today will be a quiet day, but I think I am ready for one. Yesterday Diane hosted our annual family Christmas get together and gift exchange. Lots of laughter and even MORE delicious food. This holiday season has been especially busy with family and friends, but I have loved every minute of it. We will have one more gathering on New Year's Eve and then it's back to work (and the diet!).

Memories and new beginnings

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but Christmas comes in a close second. Some of my friends are cutting back on the holiday decorations, but I still enjoy getting out all of the traditional things and making little displays around the house. A couple of years ago I got a pre-lit pencil tree, and it makes things much simpler. We still use the handmade and special ornaments, including some little stuffed ones my mom made for us when the kids were just babies. I also use the tree skirt she made something like 25 years ago. Holding these things in my hands, I think about how she made them with love, and I spend a little time remembering. She has been gone 15 years and I still miss her every day.
How I treasure the things she made with her own hands!

Thank you friends for your support during our "empty nest" transition. Sooner than expected, we are getting used to the quiet around the house. We have talked to Andy several times since he left. Here is part of his first update, sent last week: "... Living in a city is much different. We have probably walked at least 10 miles since we arrived. Once you get used to the steep inclines, it's not a bad way to get around. The next step is figuring out the BART and the MUNI. For me, that begins a bit later today.Hopefully next week we find us both employed, and living in a sublet. Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to afford actual food. For now, one can dream. I will type another update shortly.Much love to everyone in San Diego... "

That "actual food" remark left me laughing. Believe me, they won't starve, especially since they emptied the pantry before they left. Since this early message, both boys have begun working and Andy is loving his job. They have found an apartment to sublet for a few months while they look around for something more long term. Every time we talk, he is just bursting with excitement. How can I not be happy?

Fall and a Time of Transition

The mulberry trees are finally turning yellow and the sky is that intense blue you see in the fall.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, lots of good food and family time. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and we were happy that everything went well.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we had our annual "girls shopping day", and that was fun, if exhausting. I am not a shopper, but I like being with all the women in the family and I love the socializing, especially the lunches.

On Saturday we said goodbye to our son Andy as he set off for San Francisco. He has lived away from home before, but never this far away. The house seems too big and empty and we miss him already. It is not just that he is gone, it's also all the noise and activity of his friends coming and going. We always seemed to have a lot of young people around. It was sometimes difficult to have an adult child living at home, but now it seems too quiet. Still, it really is time for him to be out on his own.
It looks like he will be working for this non-profit political action group. There is not much money in this kind of work, but he wants to try and make a difference. "Be the change you want to see in the world". I am so proud of him and so worried for him at the same time. So I say a prayer and breathe. Just breathe.

To make this quilt related, on Thursday I will get my courthouse steps quilt back from my friend Barbara, just in time to bind it for our Christmas quilt exchange. Barbara does a beautiful job with her longarm, and I usually have her do my larger quilts. I do my own "art" pieces but give most everything else to Barbara. In exchange for some fabric I sent a while back, Debra is making a lovely quilt label for the back. I'm excited to finish this one, and can't wait for our Christmas party.

Amy's Baby Shower

On Saturday I hosted a baby shower for my neice Amy. Here you see the centerpiece we made. Every decoration is useful, as is the "cake" itself.

Here are my lovely guests. (I took this picture, so I am not in it.) I had loads of help from my SILs Jane and Judy and my other neices Carrie and Colleen. All I had to do was clean and decorate since Judy and Jane prepared the food. It was a lot like having a catering service, except better.

This was the most touching gift. The pretty little sweater and booties were made by great grandma Clara as a gift for Barb when Amy was born. Here, Amy's mother Barb passes it on for Clara's great great grandchild to use. It is still lovely and soft and in wonderful condition. Barb also prepared a beautiful gift basket full of baby things. The basket itself was originally a gift from Amy's grandma Adelene. I'm sure they both were with us in spirit that day. I loved that Barb thought to do these very special things.

Here are the tables set and ready for the guests. You can see all the little "baby baskets" we made for serving lunch. Besides the chips and salad cup, we had a chicken salad wrap tucked into the basket.

Dessert was coconut cupcakes made from scratch. Delicious! The little pacifier decorations on top were not edible, so we had to warn our guests to remove them. As far as I know, nobody ate one by mistake.