nails did

During dance competition season, my Grandbaby and her little dance partners are not allowed to have painted nails. With the new season bearing down on us, she was anxious for one last fancy manicure while it was still permissible.
Usually she wants a painted design. This time she opted for sparkles. She picked out a hot pink undercoat with silver glitter on top.
The wait was a bit longer than usual but she passed the tine fairly happily, playing rock, paper scissors with her Granddad and Brave Temple Run on her Ipad.
In the end, she was quite happy with the results.

Road trip to T-town

With errands to run that required travel, we headed to Tulsa on Saturday. The things I intended to order on line I decided I needed to see in person. There were measurement issues and other particulars I couldn't get via computer. Besides, I was homesick to see my baby girl.
Thus,  we took off on an impromptu road trip about noon last Saturday. The grandbaby was done with dance rehearsal and was all too happy to pack her own bag (for the first time) when her mom gave permission for her to go with us.
She also brought along her new leopard print teddy bear, her favorite baby doll, a pillow, a blanket and a pair of sunglasses for the ride. It was a lot of gear for a single day trip and the Hub aka Granddad so noted. She was so good on the drive, though, he had to admit the gear was worth any bother.
She started out with her sunglasses in place, doll all hugged up, Disney music blaring.
She ended up with her baby doll all covered up resting on the pillow she'd brought, teddy bear hugged up. glasses on the top of her head watching "Frozen" on my IPad.
There was a time when she was not so good a traveler but now that she can occupy herself (and pack what she wants to be occupied with) she's good to go. Now so are we when she is along.

,

Brave

The weather has finally warmed enough for outside play in the evening. The grandbaby took full advantage of that last Friday night. She and her granddad puttered around the yard. He came back in with a mental to do list that he went over with me.
I am pretty sure his list is incomplete, though, given his obvious albeit precious distraction.
The grandbaby wanted to use a yard awning as a jungle gym and did. She was quite please with herself and brave, also, so long as her Granddad was within arms reach!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My girl loves the bookstore

She was such a good girl while we did errands that we rewarded our Grandbaby with a trip to her favorite bookstore. She likes it because there is a children's area where there are murals and benches. Usually, that area is where she roosts but not this time. This time, she found a cozy corner and staked it out for long, long minutes. It was, non coincidentally, the area where the Disney Princess books were shelved. Deciding which one she wanted took a while.  You can tell by her expression in the picture that she enjoyed the selection process. Or maybe she was happy to still be wearing the dress she picked out.

the Bucket List of a 6 year old

Speaking of bucket lists...
My grandbaby is six but already has one.
It is not particularly long but it is impressive.

1. New York City
 She is a big fan of musicals, most recently of "Annie." She loves dance and theatre. Her sister has been twice to the Big Apple.
2. New Orleans.
She's been real excited of late to talk about Louisiana since her Granddad is a Louisianan born and bred. She's been to the north part of his home state but never to the Big Easy. Nawlins' has been on her list since she first watched Disney's "Princess and the Frog."



It tickles me that travel is what she is most interested in. There are so many places I would love to take her or have her take me.
There was travel discussion between the grandbaby and her friend Lexi  recently. Lexi, it seems, agrees on the New York part but she also wants to go to Paris.

Morgan Freeman is not dead!

A good while back, as I was blogging about my bucket list, I ended with an RIP salutation to the actor Morgan Freeman. I recently heard his name and thought, "wait, he passed... didn't he?!" Turns out, no, he did not!
 Shame on me. Every job I've ever had required me to check facts. In this case I did not. It would have been easy enough.

from Wikipedia:
Morgan Freeman^[2] (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven,Glory, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Along Came a Spider, The Dark Knight trilogy,March of the Penguins and The Lego Movie. He is known for his distinctively smooth, deep voice. He got his first break as part of the cast of The Electric Company.

There was a serious car accident:
Freeman was injured in an automobile accident near Ruleville, Mississippi, on the night of August 3, 2008. The vehicle in which he was traveling, a 1997 Nissan Maxima, left the highway and flipped over several times. He and a female passenger, Demaris Meyer, were rescued from the vehicle using the "Jaws of Life". Freeman was taken via medical helicopter to The Regional Medical Center (The Med) hospital in Memphis.^[28][29] Police ruled out alcohol as a factor in the crash.^[30] Freeman was coherent following the crash, as he joked with a photographer about taking his picture at the scene.^[31] His left shoulder, arm, and elbow were broken in the crash, and he had surgery on August 5, 2008. Doctors operated for four hours to repair nerve damage in his shoulder and arm.^[32] On CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight he stated that he is left handed but cannot move the fingers of his left hand. He wears a compression glove to protect against blood pooling due to non-movement. His publicist announced he was expected to make a full recovery

Maybe that's where the notion came from. 
Seriously.
Mark Twain said 'The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.'
In this case, my report was worse than exaggerated. It was altogether false.
My humblest apologies all around.

Spring Break

I suppose I should have taken some time off for Spring Break. It rather sneaked up on me. It's still cold outside. I wore a coat to work today.
My baby is home for a few days but is doing school work and work work from home. My grandbaby keeps such a busy schedule that I have to plan ahead to spend time with her these days.
They have decided to go to the Children's Museum today. I wish I was going with them. Alas, I should have taken some time off for Spring break.
The temperature is warming up. The sun is out. The wind seems to have died down. I noticed these things walked back to the office after lunch. I saw pictures on Facebook as I was waiting for my meal of folks fishing and picnicking.
There is a new baby in the family who I have not yet seen.
 There is a kite at my house, just waiting to be flown. There is more than a little Spring cleaning to be done.
Why, oh why, did I not take some time off for Spring break?

Some time, anyway...

Yesterday I finally reached the top of the small mountain of work I've been laboring under. Outside, the sun was shining. A fine Spring day beckoned after an inordinately long winter. I was unable to resist and given the yearning to be with my family an hour and a half away seeing (to) a new baby and his mama recuperating from surgery I did not.
That my baby daughter was able to accompany me made it all the more a perfect time to take that time I lamented in my post written just earlier this week.
We stopped and picked up a teddy bear for the baby, something I've done more any number of nephews over the years. (Nieces get baby dolls.)

I had an important meeting with this handsome gentleman
 yesterday.  I had been waiting a while  to make his acquaintance.

That, a pot of shamrocks (baby was born on St. Patrick's Day) and a quick lunch and we were ready for some time with some of our favorite folk. Our baby was a little jaudiced and was under the requisite lighting when we arrived. Before long, his Nana, was able to spring him for a bit and give us the chance to get our hands on him.
I held my first nephew more than 30 years ago but holding this one had no less impact on me. Like that adage says, "When they put him in my arms he slipped into my heart."
We stayed until we felt intrusive and then spent some time looking for some things for the new season, including short sleeved shirts for the Hub and an Easter dress for the baby daughter.
It was a fine, fine day.
And although I didn't schedule any time off for Spring break, I got to take some time anyway.
Today, savoring the time I find myself feeling very blessed!

and then she remembered...

I blogged earlier this week that my grandbaby was so intent on the perfect execution of certain dance maneuvers that she forgot her to put on the facial expressions that gain dancers extra  competition points (or so I am told.)

Well I was wrong. This morning on Facebook, this photo of the grandbaby showed up and lo and behold, her face shows great expression. I am going to assume it's purposeful. And of course, I think it's darling...

and speaking of facials...

...here's a couple of them for you!

Can you tell these pretty girls are dancers with lots and lots and lots of practice making stage faces for competition?!

journaling

From the time I was in junior high I was an avid journaler.  A lot of my friends kept a diary and I did too, from time to time. But adding doodles and actual illustrations, etc. was really more my style.
Perhaps that is why scrapbooking appeals to me so much now. I do a lot of that and have since I became a grandmother (before that I did old school pasting of clippings and articles onto open pages and that not very often or very well.)
When a friend gave me a scrapbook/journal for my birthday I was delighted. As I see it, it is the best of both worlds. My past and present colliding in a good way. I got one for the grandbaby and she and I are all about common projects once again.
Good stuff! I love it!

she nailed it

When my grandbaby first started talking about practicing her "six o'clock" I wasn't sure what she was talking about.

A while back I blogged about "facials" and how in the world of dance they are a whole different thing than what I have known them to be. And so it is with "six o'clock."
To me, six o'clock comes twice a day, though I try to personally see the latter on the clock rather than the former. Turns out, six o'clock in dance parlance is a one of a couple of dance moves,  that require a great deal of flexibility and obvious skill.
And practice. My girl practiced. Every time she thought of it, she practiced her "six o'clock."

On Saturday I was witness to the fruits of her labor. To put it simply, she nailed it.
She was intent. It was intense. She forgot all about doing her facials. But she nailed it. She is only 6 and a half.
Her grandmother sees amazing potential. Don't you?!

practice makes perfect

That a couple of six year olds have the coordination and motivation to practice hour upon hour for dance competition surprises to no end. My grandbaby and her duos partner have put in lots of time at their dance studio preparing for spring competitions. It is a joy to want them improve, as they have virtually every time I have watched them. Both are long limbed and the lyrical dance they are performing to a song called "Womderland" is a really beautiful thing to behold.
The judges at last Saturday's competition thought so, too, if the awards we hauled home are an indication that they were likewise impressed by the efforts of these little girls!

competition time

It's that time again and we were all front and center to watch our little dancer perform on Saturday. I've already posted pictures of hr on stage and at practice in the studio but couldn't resist sharing these pix of her on competition day with a couple of proud grandpas and a grandma. The other grandma was passing out bottles of water and clementines in the dressing room when we snapped these pix. I'll endeavor to get her in the next set we take.

i found another one

This pin from Pinterest (have I mentioned here how much I LOVE Pinterest?!) is too good not to share.as it turns out, I am not the only one who was named for Bobby Pins! I suddenly feel (somewhat) better!

yielding to Spring

This morning the ground is covered with ice and snow. The wind chill is below zero.  Still, I know Spring has come.
Old man winter has long arms. So much so that he has reached into March. But he can't fool me. His reign is over. I have glimpsed the face of the new baby Spring and she is beautiful.

She is pushed her advantage. Even now, as the early daffodils put through only to bow their heads, briefly, to the cold and ice and snow.

I wrote a note and posted it as my status on Facebook. It reads:

Dear Baby Spring. Your time has come. This is your moment. We are getting up a whole hour early in anticipation of your arrival (that and Daylight Savings Time)... Show yourself, please. In person. Snippets, peeks, ultrasounds will no longer work for us! Sincerely, the adoring fans.

I will completely understand her taking Spring break off and given old man winter one last hurrah but it's time...

no its past time for her to come into her own.

bobby pins

This is the story of how I learned the origins of my name.
 Today I was talking on the phone to my Mom. We are discussing the impending arrival of a new baby in the family and exactly when that might be. I wonder, out loud, if today might be the day.
"What is today," asked she.
"It is Thursday," said I.
"Thursday, Thursday... how does that poem go about the days of the week?" she says.
Realizing she is talking of what I've always called "Monday's Child" and I recite it as I learned it long ago. (she may even be the one who taught it to me.)

Mondays child is fair of face, 
Tuesdays child is full of grace, 
Wednesdays child is full of woe, 
Thursdays child has far to go, 
Fridays child is loving and giving, 
Saturdays child works hard for his living, 
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day 
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

"I've always liked that poem because that's where I got my name, isn't it," I asked her.
"Oh, no. You were named after bobby pins," she says.
Bobby pins?
Bobby pins?
In my mind I am picturing her sitting at her dressing table, a package of bobby pins in front of her saying, to herself "yes, that will do for a baby name."
Bobby pins?

I am not sure how I went for all these years thinking I was named for a poem when it was really after bobby pins. Still, I guess I should be glad I wasn't named "Prell" or "Aqua Net."

tomato love

My middle sister loves tomatoes.  As a child she was allergic to them.

When she was a child, the story goes, that she would follow Daddy to the vegetable garden and there she would consume copious amount of tomatoes, right from the vine. She would walk into the house with red welts all the way around her mouth and Mother would know immediately their source.  She also knew that Daddy likely could not bear to tell his sweet, easy-going middle daughter no to something she loved so much.
She would eat them straight off the vine. In those days pesticides were not commonly used. As I recall, in my parents and grandparents' gardens, we shared the bounty of each harvest with natures creatures without giving it much thought.

I have never seen anyone eat tomatoes like grapes or apples until now. My grandbaby does the same thing. She loves, loves, loves tomatoes. And while I make her wash them- whether they come from the garden or the store, she will eat them just the way her "Aunt Kitty" always has.
Do you suppose it could be genetic, this love of tomatoes?

thunder snow

I've never seen nor heard of such a thing a Thunder sleet or Thunder snow but that's what we had this weekend. There is a an actual such thing. I looked it up for my own edification and yours! Here's what I learned:

From Wikipedia:
Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunder snowstorm, is an unusual kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. It typically falls in regions of strong upward motion within the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone. Thermodynamically, it is not different from any other type of thunderstorms but the top of the cumulonimbus is usually quite low. As well as snow,graupel or hail falls.

From Channel 4 in Oklahoma City:

Oklahoma has seen quite a weather phenomenon in the last 24 hours. Residents have seen rain, thunder sleet, snow, ice and even a swarm of earthquakes.The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed five earthquakes within the last 24 hours.

• Magnitude 2.8 southwest of Guthrie
• Magnitude 2.6 northeast of Stillwater
• Magnitude 2.9 southwest of Cherokee
• Magnitude 3.2 south of McCord
• Magnitude 2.8 south of McCord

So far, no damage has been reported.

from channel 6: in TULSA

A mix of winter weather conditions was felt in much of Oklahoma Sunday as March roared in like a lion. Oklahomans e

xperienced all types of freezing precipitation during the day including thundersleet and thundersnow, thanks to the strength of the storm system moving through.
"One of the more interesting aspects of this winter weather event is the precipitation type and the occurrence of thunder with the sleet, snow, freezing rain, and even hail that we have been experiencing from time to time through the day Sunday," WARN Team Meteorologist Dick Faurot said.Faurot said the temperature and moisture content of air layers varied greatly, causing the thunder to boom as sleet and snow fell. A shallow layer that was well below freezing and saturated with moisture was topped by a layer of drier air that was about 40 degrees Farenheit.So the rain froze as it fell through the Arctic air closer to the surface, but there was enough energy and lift to create thunderstorms up above the shallow layer of Arctic air.That translated into "thundersleet" and "thundersnow.""It is this vertical distribution of temperature and moisture that is most difficult to forecast as a difference of just a few hundred feet in the elevation of the freezing line can make a huge difference regarding whether we get sleet, freezing rain, snow, or some combination," Faurot said in his weather blog.The sleet and freezing rain transitioned to snow overnight as the system made its way east.

The dangerously cold temperatures will take a few days to warm up, but spring-like weather is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday.


When I first heard the term I thought they were talking about  something to do with the basketball team, the OKC Thunder. I really think the team's promotion people should take note! The weather may even be rooting for them.

red knits

A very sweet lady in our community recently made the grandbaby a red knit hat and hand warmers plus a matching hat for her baby doll. To say she is thrilled about them is an understatement.

They came to her, after the same sweet lady made her a doll blanket at Christmastime. The blanket, actually, was commissioned. The grandbaby kept telling me her baby was cold and needed a warm blanket. I went looking for one but without success. That is when "Miss Peggy" came through in spades. The blanket was just the thing. The hats and gloves are, too, only she didn't know she needed them until she put them on. Getting them off her for her bath might be a challenge!

how much we can fit into one Saturday

Iced in!

I did not have to go into work today because of the weather.
I had a while day, unexpectedly wide open.
I was thrilled to have the time to finish up some projects I've had in the works for a while.
First I have finished smocking a day gown for a friend's grandbaby.
Then I finished a quilted nap pillow for a co worker's birthday.
I did some some journaling. Then I scrapbooked a while.
I clean out emails
I  sewed a little more: this time on a quilted duvet cover. There are two I Spy quilts cut out and ready to sew but I am rather sewed out just now.
I've almost finished reading a long unfinished  biography
I am a huge proponent of solitude.
I don't get much of it so you would think I would be relishing the one-on-one time the weather outside today has afforded me.
Strangely, uncharacteristically, I am not.
I am marking the time until my husband, whose job required him to be out and about whatever the weather, returns home. Maybe some of it is my concern for his safety. Certainly I am looking forward to his company.
But it occurs to me that I have not enjoyed alone time the way I usually do. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the weather!

spring chicks

In the town where I lived as a child and where I now live, once again, there is a feed store that sells baby chicks from the windows. The arrival of these babies have always marked the coming of Spring for me. My sisters and I would beg our paternal grandpa to take us to see the fuzzy little chicks running around under large warming lights. We would stand there, peeking through the glass, ooing and ahhing at the sight of them. It was something of a ritual for us.
When my children were small and we would visit my grandparents in the Spring, I would drag everyone out to see the baby chicks in the window.  This year, though, it wasn't me doing the dragging or begging. My grandbaby squealed with glee as we drove past the feed store on the way to the dry cleaners nearby while we were out doing errands on a recent Saturday.
"Stop Grandad. I want to see in the window," she said. She didn't have to beg. He made the block and pulled in. She didn't have to drag him out to look at the baby chicks with her. He went pretty willingly, as my Grandpa ultimately did. It was fun to watch them watch the chicks. To do so was rather like watching my past connect demonstrably to my present.