Texas Grandsons - Days 13&14

20th - We can no longer put off finishing the quilt.  Out to the studio to make binding and put it on.  Jon is really lacking confidence in this part so I help quite a bit.  It is also laundry day so while I am hand stitching the binding down, Jon and I sit and talk and do laundry.  The quilt is soon finished and he is one happy young man.  Outside for pictures!

The arts district is having a block party this afternoon/evening and we have decided that it sounds like a fun time so once we have all the chores done, that is where we are off to.  First stop is the DMA and Jon instantly wants to go to the hands on area to see what he can create.  One of the supplies for today is twist ties and as he grabs a handful, we leave him to do his thing and check out a few of the exhibits.

When we return I discover that he is creating a scorpion.  What a talented young man.  I am jealous.

When he finishes with it, we walk over to the Crow Collection of Asian Art to see what is going on there.  First up:  a dragon dance and drummers.

We stay and watch for awhile and also check out the project stalls here.  An ink blot painting gets made and left in the corner to dry (eternally as we forget to go back and retrieve it).

Jon finds a station where he can work on a pagoda project.

We walk around the Nasher Sculpture Garden and over to Klyde Warren Park before calling it done.  As we are driving home, the back seat is lit up with glow sticks that Jon has twisted and turned into various patterns.  Nice day.

21st - This is our last morning with Jon.  We are returning him to Jen today - meeting in Hillsboro.  Once we have everything packed, I ask if he wants to make a pillow to match his quilt and he is all excited at that idea.  Back to the studio.  I give him the strips he started sewing before we changed the pattern and he cuts it to size, cuts a back and sews them together.  After it is turned, he gets to play in the "fluff" to stuff it.  The last step is to hand-stitch the opening closed and I give him a needle and thread.  In no time he is busily stitching away.

We are out here a total of about 45 minutes and he is all smiles with his new pillow.  Of course he is a smartie pants and shows the back until I catch on

and make him take a second picture.  Now he is silly.  Ah, I love my grandson and have so enjoyed our time with him this last week and a half.  I hope we get to do this again soon.

It is now time to drive.

Texas Grandsons - Days 11&12

18th - We are doing NOTHING today.  It is just one of those days.  Jon and I sit in the den and watch Back to the Future 2 then Jon wants to make brownies and since I am sore and not moving well, Grandpa suggests he do just that.  I take up a post at the table and supervise with my eyes this time.  It is and box mix and pretty hard to screw up -- he does just fine and as soon as they go into the oven, he joins me at the table to lick his spoon and bowl clean.  Who doesn't remember doing that same thing as a kid?  I loved doing it and my favorite by far was my mom's coffee cake batter.  Oh yum.

They look delicious and he can't wait to cut into them -- Grandpa first I say.

"Now you can settle in and enjoy."

The rest of the day is seriously laid back.  We finish the puzzle, Jon watches multiple episodes of Dr. Who and then he and Grandpa make a trip to Frys to look around.  Nice calm day and much needed after all the busy ones.

19th - Sleepy Jon --- he doesn't crawl out of bed until 1 -- too much Dr. Who last night.  Once he is up, we make a trip Half Price Books and he finds a book to read on his upcoming drive to Montana.  After dinner, we watch Back to the Future III to finish out the series and then Jon and Grandpa settle in for some games on the computer for the rest of the evening.  Another VERY quiet day.

Texas Grandsons - Days 9&10

16th - We are back out to the studio this morning so that a quilt top can get finished.  He knows that with each seam, the sewing time is getting shorter and shorter while the quilt gets larger.  Soon, it is finished!  He is so excited and I am pretty proud of him as well.

Back to the studio and we find the perfect backing and Jon is soon busily sewing away making a back to fit his quilt - it is obviously too big but that is not a problem.

That is enough sewing for one day and we are back to work on the puzzle.  It is coming along well and should be finished soon.  Yep, it's a quilting one and I haven't decided yet if I want to save and frame it for the studio.  Decisions, decisions.

After a short time, Mister decides that the car needs a bath and he and Jon are soon at it.  Actually, getting wet does not sound all that bad today.  It could be quite refreshing.

We finish out the day with cocktails (Shirley Temple), an annoyed look, and some Legos while watching Dr. Who.  What more could he ask for?

We are running out of days -- tomorrow must work on quilt some more or it won't be finished in time.

17th - Mister is off to help his mom today so as soon as breakfast is over Jon and I walk down to the store in the hopes of finding a "perm" kit for his hair.  We are very unsuccessful though and return home empty handed.  Instead, we get to work on making his quilt sandwich and putting it on the frame for tying.  He wants more of a comforter feel so we use 3 layers of polyester batting to get the "fluff" he is asking for.

My baby frames are not quite large enough so we go out to the garage and grab two longer sides and then attach canvas to them with a staple gun.  The next step is for Jon to pin his back to the frame on opposite sides.

Once that is accomplished, we use the two longer boards from my baby frames and build a square in the den, using chairs and clamps.  We finish pinning the back on and then put the batting on top, ending with the quilt top and pinning it on as well.

It is now time for a lesson in tying and soon we are busy making knots everywhere.  Mister returns and we are almost finished and able to take the quilt off the frame.  We can walk again instead of crawling everywhere.

There are a few "fixes" to make where the yarn bunched up underneath and Jon sets to work on those while Mister makes sure that all the staples we put into the frames are solid and will not snag anything.  Jon and I make a second trip to the store for dinner.  Salmon!  Doesn't that sound good?  I sure think so.

When we get home, Mister tells us that there might be enough wind for flying kites so we hurry, grab the kites, and head for Flag Pole Hill.  Please let it work.  In no time, Grandpa has the kite on it's way up and doing a few tricks.

Jon's turn

Once the wind dies down, we return home for a wonderful dinner and then settle in to watch "Back to the Future" -- apparently Jon has not seen it and doesn't get our jokes about it.  Time to educate him.

Peach Check Week 11 1/2

Yesterday Mister found these:  GRRRRR

There are still some on the tree today and they are larger than a golf ball now.  Please let the animals stay away.

Texas Grandsons - Days 7&8

14th - I am the first one up this morning and there is a church garage sale down the road so I walk down (without any money, naturally) and find 10 100% cotton men's shirts for $.25 each.  I also spot a sewing machines but let it pass.  After asking the cashier to give me a few minutes to get the money, I walk back to the house and grab some cash.  I pick up my shirts and make a stop at another neighborhood sale where I find a quilt batting for $1.00.  This is a great start to my day.  People are starting to wake when I get back home and we decide to go to farmer's market and then the zoo.  This will be a full day.  Jon and I walk down to the sale as he wants to look around as well.  He finds a mattress pad that he wants and soon Mister is picking us up and we are off to the market.  They are making changes at the market and you can no longer park under the sheds.  YES!  This has been my chief complaint since arriving in Dallas.  It is so much nicer now.  AND more festive.

On the way back to the house, Mister spots an estate sale in the neighborhood and we make a pit stop.  Jon has not been to one before and is surprised when we tell him that everything in the house is for sale.  Mister finds a vacuum attachment that he can use while working on the sewing machines and I spot some bobbins.  We also grab some puzzles for us and his mom.  Heading back home, we put the food away and relax for awhile.  I get all the shirts washed and dried so they are ready to cut up.  Our trip to the zoo today will be in the afternoon as we are staying later for concert.  This is new so I hope we actually see some animals this late in the day.

It is zoo time.  I honestly think I could come here each day and see new things and not get tired of it.  Today, after seeing the Lemurs and hearing them scream at each other, we head for the Savannah for the predator encounter.  They are working with lions today and it is amazing to me just how beautiful these animals are.  So majestic and graceful.  It is not any wonder why they are called "king of the jungle."

The giraffes are not interested in any food today and are just standing back watching us as we watch them.  I know what I am thinking, but what about them?

As we leave the Savannah, Jon decides that he does need to get on the elephants.  Well, that means a picture for sure.  He chooses the baby one and is soon mugging it up.

Our next stop is the encounter stage and porcupines.  What a cool little creature.  From there we head into the back side of the Gorilla trail.  We are going to go backwards and hopefully we will have a good day in here.

We stop in the aviary and I have to tell you, I could have sat here all day watching the Taveta Golden Weavers build their nests.  The entire aviary is buzzing with activity as these birds go about their annual chore.  The nests are built with a small hole in the underside --- fascinating as I am so very curious as to how the eggs stay put.  Additionally, are they not oh so beautiful?

We arrive at the chimpanzee exhibit and I still have not been able to see the new little one.  Today is different.  The chimps are moving and playing with each other, with the teenage one actually being chastised by dad and a chase ensuing.  Pretty entertaining stuff.  However, high in the trees Mister spots mom and baby.  Very cool.

Moving on, we come to the gorillas and I am astounded.  There are 3 of them today!  In all of our trips here, we have not ever seen more than one although I know there are about 1/2 dozen in the enclosure.  Oh fun!

As we walk to the other end of the habitat, the other 3 are out as well.  I can't believe it.  Perhaps late in the day is not so bad after all.

It is time to head over to the other side of the zoo for the concert.  I am looking forward to sitting down in the shade an relaxing for a bit.  It's been a great afternoon so far.

We sit back and enjoy Brave Combo for awhile, while eating empanadas and having a cool drink.  Nice way to end the day.

15th - It's a sew day!  Jon and I head out to the studio and he starts in on his strips while I de-bone my shirts from yesterday.  It doesn't take long for me to realize that the pattern we selected will not work and so --- re-vamp.  We switch to a strip quilt and he gets started on creating his VERY long piece of 175 strips sewn end to end.  Once that is accomplished, he starts sewing the long strip together.  This will take awhile.

As he sews, I work on my own project, sewing blocks while he is ironing.  It works out pretty well and I have a sizable stack in no time.

The evening is spent working on our puzzle and then I set Jon up in bed for a Dr. Who marathon.  I am off to bed.