dianegclark

Scott and I have been trying to add some additional adventure and fun into our lives. Recently, we went to Uncorked Inspiration for a paint and sip.

Of course, we decided to start with one of the headrest paintings they do, the bee and honeycomb. Neither Scott or I have much experience with painting but we both have artistic moms and our kids seem to also have inherited the gene. This worked out super well for Scott and not so much for me, although we both came out with paintings we are proud of and an interest in doing more painting. Scott has now ordered paints and canvasses and brushes and we look forward to doing more at home.

We donned our aprons and sat down at our already prepared space complete with canvass, paints, water, brushes, paper towels and an easel. The room was full with about 12 or more people set up to paint bees.

Neal Wollenberg, our friend and the artist who did the mural at the coffee shop, jumped right into instructing us and modeling. It wasn’t long before Scott was in the zone and I was frustrated. Neal patiently helped me, at times taking over to make a correction on my painting and other times offering encouragement. Doing new things can bring me anxiety and it comes out as grumpiness. I shut down a couple times but pushed through.

Our paintings came out pretty great. They sat on the table at home for quite a while and I had a friend admire them who is fond of bees so I was happy to gift my painting to her.

Next time I paint, I hope to take on some easier designs. Scott absolutely loved this and as soon as we find time, we will be painting more together.

What a beautiful weekend. My heart is full. I went to Newton Friday as Hannah and her family came and I wanted to see the Leah’s kids meet Baby June. Then Saturday we all met up at Lake Wabaunsee to spend the day. Saturday night we stayed here with Leah and Hannah and their families then Sunday we all met up at Joel and Kayla’s in KC. Yesterday we all met in Newton and we took Mom to see everyone. We had amazing food all weekend, also, Leah made curry and naan Friday, Larry made ribs and fixings Saturday, Sunday Kayla and Joel made homemade soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and then we had yummy subs at Leah’s Monday. A wonderful whirlwind and my heart is full. All I did was order Shuttle but that makes the kids happy, too.

Some memories that stand out: When I arrived in Newton Friday, reluctant hugger Henry gave me a running all fours hug. All the kids met Baby June but Henry shied out of holding her. Then when she was sitting with me, he came over and touched her and ran to his mom, “Mama, I touched Baby June’s hand!”

A few minutes later, I was holding June sitting on the floor and Eleanor was looking at her. I asked if she wanted to give her a hug and she threw herself at her and pulled her into a head lock hug. It was so sweet. Junie was a bit overwhelmed.

When I left Newton on Friday, Eleanor popped her head up from the stairs and said all on her own, “I love you Mamaw!”

Saturday at the lake was a blast. We all played in the water basically all day. Eleanor eventually also got in and Baby June gave it a try, too.

Sunday we stayed inside due to the heat but played and played and relaxed. Yesterday was conversation and more pictures.

Emmet 6, Henry 4, Eleanor not quite 2

I haven’t posted about visits to Newton in awhile. I hadn’t seen the kids in what seemed like forever, which is anything over two weeks, so even though we plan to see them next weekend, I made the trip up.

I arrived earlier than expected so when I pulled into the driveway, there were no little faces at the window or door like there usually is. I greeted Leah and Eleanor, who takes a little bit to warm up to me, and Moose in the kitchen. Eleanor pulled her little mushroom stool up to the island so she could stand on it and see over. The boys were downstairs playing Mario Cart and they made an appearance at the top of the stairs to invite me down. I reached for Eleanor and she reached her little arms up to allow me to lift her. Melt my Grandma heart. She took me in her room and we played with her dollies. She handed me hats to put on them and said “hat” clearly each time. She has a stuffed skunk in her crib she calls “stinky”. So cute!

I played a little Mario Cart with the boys with Eleanor scrunched up beside me. I love watching their little faces while they play. The announce when they eat or fireball someone with such enthusiasm. Emmet carefully explains to me what is happening. They celebrate everyone’s wins.

We gathered for lunch at the table. Emmet and Henry kept getting up to take turns running as fast as they could to show me that “apples make you fast, Gramma.” Leah kept encouraging them to eat their pizza and Mac and cheese to fill their tummies and make them strong. Emmet announced that “Mac and cheese make you bounce” so he got up to demonstrate that. Eleanor stuffed a bunch of food in her little cheeks and handed food back and forth with Leah.

On the way back down the stairs, Eleanor pointed at Emmet and said his name clearly then at herself and said, “Eleanor”, her mouth carefully in a big O to make the OR very clear. It was precious. I asked her who I am and she said “Mama” but she says it different than when she is talking about Leah. Later she had a different sound and sometimes she says Grandma fairly clearly.

While Eleanor napped, the boys and I played the Mario board game they created and then we played a very active and noisy game of soccer with Emmet as the goalie and Henry and I on the same team. Henry hugged me enthusiastically every time he or I got a good shot or a goal. I love his hugs especially because they are earned, not given at hello or goodbye.

After quiet time, Leah sun screened up the kids, Moose licking it off and lots of giggling and squirming ensued. I helped put Eleanor’s precious blue swimsuit and little y elbow sandals and then we piled in the car, Emmet and Henry can snap their own car seat buckles. Emmet chatted the whole way to the pool and as we passed below the interstate, he said we were in the “magic tunnel to Hesston.”

We put on the kids’ floaties and got in the baby pool. The kids giggled and splashed and grinned the entire time. Emmet practiced his back floating and Eleanor had to imitate him, complete with closed eyes. All three swam to me with their little arms out. Eleanor loved the kite that someone was flying nearby and kept pointing it out. Eleanor got cold periodically and would come sit with me on the patio chairs, wrapped in her little towel. She sat calmly and just watched people.

After swim time, we had to get ice cream so decided to go downtown to Prairy. Of course we had to make a quick trip by my favorite boutique and Etcetera shop. We got our ice cream and buckled back in and went home. We enjoyed our ice cream and then I took a shower. I forgot my towel and called for Leah. Emmet came to the door. “You need help, Grandma?” He ran upstairs and got my towel then waited for me right outside the door.

We finished with a game of Pigsty while Henry cried it out in his room as he wanted to play a different game. Sometimes as an adult, I feel the way he did and wish I could let it out like that.

I decided to head home for dinner and the evening with Scott. Eleanor hugged me goodbye and said “Bye Namma” or something like that loudly a bunch of times. Emmet walked me to the door, thanked me for coming, and closed my car door. He stood in the driveway and watched me pull out.

I love them so much.

So I strarted on the bathroom and kitchen. I painted the ceilings and put in the floor, baseboards, and tile. I added the toilet, tub and sink then found a lid to use for the mirror and a button for the light fixture. I used the glue gun to get the shelf and mirror to stick. Oh, and I cut rugs from an old washcloth. I don’t love it but it’ll do.

I did a little research on Pinterest and then amazon for furniture and wallpaper and flooring. I was quickly overwhelmed. So I ended up ordering bathroom flooring, kitchen flooring, and tile for the bathroom wall and kitchen backsplash.

Then I ordered a kitchen. It has arrived along with the flooring but the tile has not arrived and the kitchen island and stools have not arrived. I also ordered a shelf for the bathroom but I need to find a mirror.

Next, I went to Ace Hardware and bought tiny paint samples of five colors from the Magnolia collection (Joanna Gaines) and a white paint to use for the baseboards.

I have repaired the roof shingles using the extras that came with the house. This was not easy. I should probably warn anyone following that I am not a perfectionist. I could repaint the trim on the house but houses are dirty and have Bettina. So I”m leaving it. There was some siding coming loose and I glued some of it and used paper clips to secure them while it dried but I can’t figure out how to do ones in the middle.

I painted the little removable wall that is the bathroom door and painted the bathroom side pink and the hallway side green. I also painted the back hallway wall green. I wasn’t brave enough to paint the side hallway walls yet because I haven’t chosen the floor. To keep from being overwhelmed, I have decided to go more or less one or two rooms at a time. That will help spread out the costs also.

I have glued down the bathroom floor but I’m waiting to get the tiling before doing anymore painting or wallpapering because i want to see how it looks. I will wait to get the tiling to start the kitchen, also, but I may go ahead and put down the floor.

I had Scott cut the ends of the small pop cycle sticks that I’ll use for the baseboards and I have painted them white. I noticed that the ceiling may need something. Painted while? I don’t know.

I took the week off and went to Denver to help with baby June. Hannah suffered through her illness without grandma help as I had clients and she was contagious. So we both looked forward to our week together. I was able to cook and clean and watch sweet June while she went for a mani pedi and a haircut and color. Kent watched her while we shopped some. Mostly I changed diapers and burped her and then I got to spend hours holding her while Hannah did other things or rested. Kent was able to go to work at the office while i was there.

June had her first outing (other than for doctor appointments). Hannah and i took her to the Denver Botanical gardens. She seemed unimpressed.

I enjoyed every moment, spoiling Hannah and baby June. June is a chill baby. She grunts and groans when she needs to burb or toot or poo then settles right down. She is very very snuggly. I couldn’t believe how much attention she pays to books when you read to her. There were moments every day that she woke up and gazed up at me curiously. She liked to look around the room, also. She’s still so tiny, in newborn clothes and diapers, her 0-3 months are still just a title too big.

It’s a small, sporty Lexus SUV. Officially a 2019 Lexus UX 200, certified Lexus pre owned with 12,000 miles. It’s white with black interior and all the bells and whistles. I wasn’t planning to get a new car. But I did. I love it.

My favorite features so far are: A back up screen. I’ve never had one. Love it. The cruise control automatically slows down when you are 6 cars lengths behind the car in front of you so you don’t have to turn it on or off or brake. You just signal and move over. AND you don’t have to look! The lights on the mirrors light up if there is anything in your blind spot. So you just look in the mirror instead of turning around!

The screen also shows everything that is on my phone. I see the GPS and music and texts when they come in. It’s all hands free. I can have Siri read the texts to me, text back, make and receive calls, all hands free!

Yesterday I discovered a new, perhaps my favorite feature. The brights come on automatically and turn off automatically! Yep. I love this. Love it.

The only drawback is teaching Wilson to jump into the back. It’s the right size and he likes it once he’s in but it’s just a bit taller than he’s used to. He’ll get it.

Did I mention that I made the deal and qualified for the car and am making the payments all on my own? It’s my car. Yep. My car.

New discoveries: lane correction. The car literally stays between the lines! I just have to relax my hand on the wheel and it drives itself.

About a month ago, Leah bought a beautiful tiny dollhouse for Eleanor and started fixing it up. In true Leah style, this quickly became a creative outlet for Leah and her creativity shown. She posts the most amazing pictures and ideas and her dollhouse is perfect.

Leah found a dollhouse on buy/sell/trade here in Manhattan and told me I needed to buy it and start a new hobby fixing it up for my grands. I am not as creative or artistic as Leah but I took up the challenge and purchased it.

I went over to look and was enamored. It is much larger than the one Leah bought. It was owned by a lady who’d had it since childhood and had all boys so they’d lugged it all over and were ready to part with it. It was dirty and dusty and damaged, set up in their garage. The dollhouse wouldn’t fit in my car so the nice couple put it in their suv and followed me home. It sat in the front room for a week while we went to Denver to have baby June.

Today I started the project. Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby and eventually found the dollhouse section. It was overwhelming. I took pics and bought some flooring, an exacto knife, wood glue, and some potential wallpaper.

This morning I cleaned the house, laid everything out for pictures, and began doing some glue repairs to the windows, siding and roofing. It is tedious and intimidating but I am jumping in there. I am excited and have much trepidation so I will continue to research and make small attempts. I know its going to be so fun and cool to do the project, see the results AND provide hours and hours of enjoyment to my sweet Grandbabies. Apparently Henry is quite into Eleanor’s and Eleanor hasn’t seen hers yet.

As I was almost home, 6 1/2 hours or so into my drive, I got a very emotional call from Hannah. At their second baby check up, the nurse noticed June’s flaccid body and was concerned. The pediatrician made the decision to readmit June to the hospital for observation.

I was floored. Hannah was scared, of course. I called Dawn, Kent’s mom, who had also left for her drive home, and she was turning around to go back. She was 4 hours into her drive. I was relieved and torn. I wanted to be there but I had six appointments with clients the next day along with Homestead group with a new girl, clients to see on Friday, and I was exhausted, emotionally, mentally and physically. It is hard to recognize our human limitations but it is necessary.

Hannah updated us in the evening. The Pediatrician there assured them that June was not in danger. Her reflexes had been normal all along so they felt it wasn’t neurological.

The update the next day was even more comforting. They felt this was a reflex, a vagal response to feeding. After the speech/language assessment (shout out to our SLP’s—a lot of people don’t realize the expertise they hold in feeding/swallowing/tongue/throat…), they had an explanation and several solutions. With some minor adjustments to the breastfeeding, June stopped having the episodes and she was feeding well. Hannah’s milk came in fully which was a relief to all. They did decide, however, to keep June a second night under the lights to help her jaundice and eliminate more of the sleepiness.

When I told my Mom all this, her reaction was hilarious. She noted that though baby June is chill, she is also a bit of a drama queen, so like her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

June, Hannah and Kent are back home and doing very well. All of the challenges of having a newborn continue, of course, but everyone is healthy and happy.

Sunday night in Denver on the way to Hannah’s house from the hospital, my old reliable loved Lexus started acting up. Scott tried to drive it later and we had to push it back into the driveway. So Monday morning when it was time for Scott and Leah to leave to go back to Kansas, I was shocked when he told me they were taking the Lexus. He said it was back to normal.

A half hour later, he called and said, “Come rescue us, it broke down and it is smoking and we are not in a good place on the interstate.” I zipped to pick them up and we had the car towed to a place in Aurora that said they couldn’t look at it for at least a week. I took a Lyft back to Hannah’s and Scott and Leah took off for Kansas in the Rav.

The next day while comtemplating a plane ride or rental car home, I called the Lexus dealer who said they’d look at the car the same day and had it towed over there. I looked online and called Scott and said, “I want to buy a new car. I’ll buy it myself.” To my surprise, he said for me to check into it.

So I did some research and made some calls and filled out some forms and Tuesday afternoon Dawn gave me a ride to the Lexus dealer. I looked at the one I picked out and another one then text drove the one I liked and started making a deal. My Lexus hadn’t been looked at as promised. I was given two offers, one with the trade in value of my fixed car and one with a trade in value with the unknown. I asked for more and got it. Then the service department called and I could tell it was going to be expensive, a water pump and maybe the alternator, so I felt like I got a good deal. I qualified for the loan all by myself.

After doing all the paperwork and cleaning out the old car, I was told that the engine head was cracked so I did indeed make a good deal.

I bought the cutest little white SUV with all the bells and whistles. At first I was overwhelmed but after driving it home today, I love it. It has so many safety features and a whole computer that displays the GPS and phone and reads texts to me and plays music and makes calls and texts.

I’m pretty proud of it.