Whine and Song: November 2007

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Is this what they mean by "side by side"?

It's in the house!

And plugged in.

And so is the old fridge, the chest freezer, and the ''kegerator".

Oh, and the armoire is still there too.

Sloooooowwww progress...

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Arrrggghhh!

Of all times to run short of my blood pressure medicine...
Here's my kitchen.

My front yard...

And my brand new, Kenmore Elite, stainless steel refrigerator.

...which wasn't here when I got home. This can only mean that Mike is driving all over the county with my fridge in tow. Question: why didn't he use the moving blankets so it wouldn't get scratched?? Why didn't they just carry it in this morning?

Oh, and to backtrack. The armoire in the kitchen is there because it was on the truck needed to haul the fridge. It's supposed to go upstairs, but if all the groaning I heard when it was moved inside is any indication, I doubt that that will happen. The dirt pile is a project to raise the levels of dirt around the base of the house. One of these days. Then we'll pour a new sidewalk. Uh huh, one of these days.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

No leftovers...

...the worst thing about not having Thanksgiving at home. We did have a good time at LSOP though. Everyone brought in food and we juggled it through the tiny microwave so it was at least lukewarm..
Here's Erin starting the line.

The fam was all there except for Steve and Jesse :( Sean and Megan drove in from Denver. Here's Cheryl and Gary (he's going gray!) Then, Patrick T., Mike, Mom, Pat, Luci, and Nancy. Finally, Mom and Jim.

And we can't forget the kiddies. They are playing "Pin the feather on the turkey". Michelle, Grace, Caroline and Jack are ready to play. Maureen's not sure.

Then there's the babies... Kevin, Emilie and Kate were in Quincy, but Luci and Madeline made it to their first Thanksgiving. Hi, Madeline and Great Grandma!

This is 16 day old Luci (H)Ellen.
On Friday, Michelle and Patrick invited us to a room at the hotel at Crown Center to watch the lighting of the Mayor's Christmas tree. Lots of singing and speeches (that we couldn't hear) preceded it, but hey, Patrick had delish appetizers!
Once it came on, there were lots of oohs and aahs from the girls.

Maureen and Caroline in the middle, Michelle behind.

And Fireworks! That's a Christmas tradition, right?!

Afterwards we had dinner with Bob and Connie.

What a great weekend!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Thanksgiving plans

Ok, we have a plan. And it's 10 days before Thanksgiving. It's going to be an LSOP party. They have a dining room that should accommodate all of us. Not much of a kitchen, but if everything is brought in ready to go, we'll be good. We're asking everyone to chip in, which means there will be a ton of food. Don't forget your take-home containers for leftovers!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Ageism!!

According to the Josephine magazine in the St. Joe News-Press, "Conversation Stoppers for Thanksgiving Dinner" include: "When did Grandma get her own web site?"

Kate's First Babysitters

Little Katie, who is five months old, hadn't been out of mom's sight until last night. Kev and Emilie left Gpa and Gma in charge.

Shortly after they left, I changed Kate's diaper. She did not like it one bit, and started howling. She cried for about 3 minutes and fell asleep. I think it was an avoidance technique; anyhow, she slept for 30 minutes, then woke up and needed entertainment. We tried toys, her play pad, looking in the mirror, walking around bouncing, tummy time, sitting on the couch and reading the BabiesRUs catalog. That she liked.

Grandpa tried his hand at keeping Kate happy...

...but it didn't last long...

So, another bottle, and more sleep. She was out cold, and after holding her for about 45 minutes, I tried to put her in bed. Oops! No way! So we rocked and she went right back to sleep. Kev and Em arrived and we tried to put her in bed again. Again, wide awake, but now so happy to see them that she wanted to get up and visit for awhile.

Grandbaby #7!

Tuesday, Nov. 6, was little Luci Ellen's debut. She weighed in at 8#4oz. Pat and Angie think they got a "mellow one" this time. She's a doll. We visited Wednesday night. On Tuesday, I was with Grace and Jack at home. The word came from Daddy about 6:30. They were so excited they didn't know what to do, so they ran around the house and Grace jumped off an ottoman and banged her cheek. We went from laughter to tears pretty quick.

Gracie loves her new sister. So do Grandma and Grandpa!

Jack's going to show Luci how to make glove balloons.

She's so tired!

Angie unwrapped her to wake her up for a meal.

Grace had a hard time leaving mama that night. But Mom and baby went home Thursday.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

FIRE!

Mike had his annual combine fire this week. All it takes is a little bit of oil or grease and some chaff to set it off. He tried to put it out with his usual fire extinguisher, Coke, and a jug of tea. When that didn't knock it down, he drove the burning machine up towards the road, while the flames shot up around the cab. Pretty exciting, huh?
Nah, it's routine. He was upset he had to use a real fire extinguisher to knock the blaze down. Why? It costs money to refill!!
He came away with an inch long blister on his hand, and several days of work to get it running again.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

It's Holiday Baking Time!

More sad news

Rita's husband, John Muller, passed away this week. Poor Rita has lost a sister and a husband in one week's time. Here is the obituary:
Article published Nov 2, 2007 John Parker Muller
John Parker Muller, 96, of Salinas, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007, at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital.
He was born June 17, 1911, in Salinas. Mr. Muller's parents were the founders of the first mortuary in the Salinas Valley.
Until his death, Mr. Muller actively practiced law, as a sole practitioner in Salinas. He was a graduate of Salinas High School. He was a graduate of University of California (A.B., 1933) and Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, (LL.B., 1936). After he was admitted to the California State Bar in 1936, he went to work for Charles Rosendale, attorney at law. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate Generals Department, in the Central Pacific Theater, and thereafter, was discharged as a major.
He was preceded in death by his parents, H.V. Muller and Nellie K. Muller; and brothers, Ralph C. Muller and W.H. (Hank) Muller.
Military service: He served in the U.S. Army.
Memberships: Mr. Muller was an active member of the California State Bar Association for 71 years. In 2006, he was recognized by the Supreme Court of California and the State Bar of California, in honor of Mr. Muller's 95th birthday and his 70 years of service as a member of the State Bar of California. Mr. Muller was an honorary lifetime member of Knights of Columbus Salinas Council No. 1948, where he was a fourth-degree member and served as the Grand Knight for 1940-1941. He was also a member of Salinas Elks Lodge No. 614 for 71 years and served as the Grand Exalted Ruler from 1947 to 1948. He was a member of the Monterey County Historical Society and Sacred Heart Altar and Rosary Society.
Survivors: Wife of 49 years, Rita A. Muller; niece, Barbara L. Fontes; and numerous grand-nephews and grand-nieces.
Visitation: 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, at Whitehurst Muller Funeral Service, 41 E. Alisal St., Salinas.
Rosary: 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, at Whitehurst Muller Funeral Service.
Mass: 12:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, corner of West Market and Stone streets, Salinas.
Burial: Garden of Memories Cemetery, 768 Abbott St., Salinas.
Memorials: Donations may be made to donor's favorite charity.
Arrangements: Whitehurst Muller Funeral Service, 424-2263.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Jack O' Awesome!

Last night the sidewalk connosieurs and the teenagers-who-are-too-old-to-trick-or-treat-but-do-it-anyway all agreed my pumpkin was the bomb. They called it "cool", "awesome" and "great". Yep. It was.

Whine and Song