Scenic Route

Just when I thought my sewing space in the loft was perfectly brilliant--the beautiful trees, the birds, the clouds--I improved upon it!  We had a boat anchor in the basement:  an absolutely HUGE desk we bought at Costco 10 years ago (isn't everything  huge at Costco?) that I have tried to give away for a year.  It simply would not fit in any interested party's space --and I don't do Craig's List because of the Strangers in My House Thing.  ...but I kept thinking it would make an amazing sewing space, but got arguments from all. Well, recently, I asked my son-in-law and his dad to help me move it up 2 flights of stairs and assemble it.  (OK, I mostly watched and carried up the small parts.)  They graciously obliged (with minimal grunting and Christian cussin' :)...and, yes! It is  amazing!  We scooted the Mongolian ger furniture around and here are the results: Yep, every surface you see in the above picture is   one unit!  ...

I recently made a quick trip to Spokane to see Jana & Ben and Hannah and Abby and Elijah and Julia and Andreas :)  It's taken much longer to blog this than intended as I brought home more than hugs and kisses:  sniffles and sneezes.  I really think I'm becoming allergic to flying. Anyway, the day after I landed was Grandparent's Day and Elijah invited me to his special program at school where I got to see his class and everything.  We enjoyed a yummy lunch afterward.  The whole weekend was grand:  we worked on ( and  finished!) a great puzzle, watched "Nanny McPhee Returns" (with popcorn) and Julia treated me to an impromptu Irish step dance--though she insisted on wearing her new shoes, which cramped her twinkle toes a bit.  Oh!  ...and we had a Girl's Day Out and went shopping for complete Easter outfits:  dresses, shoes, hats, the works.  Followed by lunch of course. --Repeated with the Girlsies in Denver :D

We just finished celebrating Natalie's 6th birthday--beginning with the family dinner on her actual birthday and ending with a bash with peers at the local ice skating rink (Natalie loved skating, Layla hated it, and Kelby went with me to scope out the hunky hockey dudes ;) By the end of the weekend the family (the other grandparents came to town for the festivities) was pooped and I could see signs that Natalie's siblings were a bit done with Natalie's birthday.  I think the pictures speak for themselves, so I'm going to let them: --oh! Except to point out that the art goodies were from Papa & I--and I made that little jumper :)  --oh!  and the videos are for you, Papa. A Myer tradition carries on:  pizzas in individual cast iron

I am  a nester.  Always have been.  I take such joy in creating Home.  These days that drive centers around creating a space that is Calm  & Clean &  Colorful.  I am currently finding much joy in feeling just a bit rooted--some predictability in routine and relationships.  While sewing for one of my Munchkins (such a joy in itself!) I looked up in my sewing loft and saw an amazing skyline.  Just another element of Home I do not take for granted.  Notice the Nest perched in the tree :) The dilemma?   The Hearth and The Horizon.  The siren call of the World.  The Globe.  The Foreign.  I have always been a Traveler at heart.   How  can one be a Nester and  a Traveler?  Good question.  My personal dilemma. So, while happily sewing this evening, I was totally captivated by Rick Steve's episode on Croatia.  SIGH.  Croatia has been on my heart for 2 years  (...

That's the all-purpose greeting, toast, war cry, etc., in Fiji where Randy and I just met for a wonderful 10 days.  10-11 hours from LA and same from Seoul.  Perfect!  Except for the 10-11 hour flight, ugh, making a total of 20 hours of travel for me and more than that for Randy as he had to spend about 24 hours in Seoul before heading back to Mongolia.  Enough whining!  It was a glorious time.  We snorkeled (and lunched on that itty bitty island that surely must disappear at high tide), we tried the local Kava served in wooden bowls, we para sailed (check out the 92-year-old champ who was with us--he got a standing ovation from our boat :), enjoyed amazing sunsets and sunrises--but mostly we did a lot of mouth breathing by the ocean and pools.  ...and, I love palm trees almost as much as I do camels.  They have a personality all their own and when they wave in the breeze I am always reminded of Isaiah 55:12   And all the trees of t...