the remaking of a kitchen

we had another project too......memory wire bracelets for all the cousins. liz was my main helper with ashley, megan and zach pitching in to assist. i brought the wire and beads from home, an initial for each cousin, plus lady bugs, star and peace sign beads as well as other assorted ones from my stash and some wooden beads that belonged to mom.....who was the grandmother and great grandmother of the gang there. it was quite a project, but eventually everyone ended up with a bracelet and the photos depict them showing their arms with pride!

Labels: bracelets, ft rob, mcgrew cousins

i put off posting about this until siena had received her blanket and then i forgot to post at all! when we were at ft rob for the family reunion i wanted to have a project for the cousins that would be a present for sarah's and david's baby. i had an idea and asked kari for advice and mother of elementary school kids that she is - she knew all about it. i wanted to do handprints and she told me about the fabric to use and the paint to buy and to use a brush for painting hands rather than squishing them into the paint. she was a huge help when we made the prints too. it was fun, everyone getting their print on the white knit fabric....all at one sitting except for kelsey who was helping out the golfers. we got her later and she got the middle spot. when i got back home i sewed the backing a pink knit with stars to the white so it all fit together.
now siena has her blanket and she will always know that her little mcgrew cousins loved her and were excited to meet her!

Labels: blanket, fabric painting, handprints, kari, mcgrew cousins

yesterday was our anniversary and we went to tejas for dinner in celebration of 46 years. 46 years seems like an amazingly high number! we toasted eachother and started making plans for the next 46. egads! we had a wonderful meal....don had his favorite flank steak fajitas and i tried something new: halibut filet wrapped in toasted potatoes. truly lovely all around.
i talked to friend yesterday and she said they were having a reception in september to celebrate their 50th, and other friends mentioned our joining them on the oregon coast for their 50th next year! i guess we are getting into that era. good grief. i can hardly believe it!
it's been a pretty good 46 and we are lucky to still enjoy doing things together. like today when we took old paint and yard chemicals as well as batteries, old florescent bulbs and some computer things to the toxic recycling site and then took a carload of used clothing, shoes, old suitcases etc to the arc center. we are so good. :)

Labels: 46th anniversary, recycling, tejas

oh my, i am so far behind on things. i finally have a connector from camera to computer so photos are possible. i am missing seeing david, sarah and siena. it was so easy when we were in berkeley and now we are far away again. we have seen their photos of her and realize she is growing rapidly (as well she should!) there have been some skype calls and making use of the snapshot feature i have a couple of new photos that i took. i also have a new desktop picture of a sweet little girl. :)
it has been busy since our return...just catching up, weeding the gardens repeatedly and doing a bit of cooking. i dug out my ice cream maker and have made fresh strawberry ice cream twice. tonight we had it on blueberry pie. oh my goodness, and the health benefits! yay! we had it for dessert after enjoying a salade nicoise.
i finished a little pink sweater and have been beading some new earrings. i am gathering together the pieces to take to the grand hand for the botanical show that begins on the 8th. i have several collars, a few bracelets and some pins to display. hopefully something will come of that exposure! i was also interviewed for the friends of the library newsletter which turned out to be lots of fun. i am enjoying some extra volunteering there this summer. just shelving some books and helping with some early evening programming. there is less staff so i like to think that doing a few things is helpful.
our friend tom comes to visit next weekend, and that is always good for a few laughs! he has promised that he will have lots of new stories to entertain us. the opening is the same weekend of his visit, but he will be busy at an art fair, so we will manage!
the photos are of sarah cutting out butterflies to go over siena's changing table, one of sarah and david as we waiting for the all clear outside the doctor's office the day before sarah's labor began. the fire alarm was clanging as we arrived! the others are of the view outside the birthing room window and the rainbow that magically appeared simultaneously with siena! the others are sweet photos of sarah and david and sarah and siena shortly after her birth. what an amazing experience to share that!

Labels: beading, gallery, library, sarah and david, siena, volunteering

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidsilver/sets/72157621333651857/
the above should direct one to some lovely pictures of siena taken by her proud daddy david. she is very sweet.....we are all quite taken with her. we feel very lucky to get to see her every day when we have dinner with her parents. her grandmother sandy came to visit on wednesday and she was as enchanted as we are. we got to sneak away for some gelato for a quick visit and of course siena was the main topic. when i get home i will be posting some photos that i have on my camera but am unable to download without the proper connection.
i think that last night siena slept a little better and she seemed to be napping for longer periods while we were at their house this evening. she is getting the hang of being out in the world. it's pretty amazing to consider what a shock it must be to leave that cushy home in a mommy's belly and immediately have to deal with a loud and strange world. she is a good eater which was proved today when they visited the pediatrician's office and discovered she has gained back 4 ounces of the 8 she lost since birth. what a champ!!
we are leaving on saturday and will really miss getting to see sarah, david and siena on a daily basis. it's been such a treat to be here with them both before and after siena's arrival. i suspect we will be making frequent use of skype and the webcams so we can keep up with siena's activities!

Labels: good eater, napping, siena, skype, webcams

we shopped and i started dinner, changed the bedding and washed the sheets before sarah, david and siena got home yesterday. we greeted everyone and then left them to take naps and returned a couple of hours later to finish making dinner and eat it all. everyone seems to have recovered their appetites, and siena probably never lost hers. she is a little darling, and is not afraid to let everyone know when she needs attention.
i got to hold her for just a minute....not nearly long enough of course. sarah just called and we are going over there in a bit....either to cook or order in some food. tomorrow baba sandy will get to meet siena.....a girl at last in that family. a grandchild at last in ours!
we took a drive along hwy 1 to pt reyes station today. had oyster poboys for lunch...one of my all time faves! they are so scrumptiously good.

Labels: dinner, grandparenthood, sandy, sarah and david, siena

little siena malia arrived 7-11 at 8:23 pm. her mom sarah was pretty amazing throughout a long long labor. siena weighs 7# and is just a nice sized bundle for her parents to hold and love. it was the coolest thing in the world to be in the room with sarah and david and see the whole birthing process unfold and make them parents and us grandparents. we like this new role.
we are giving s and d a break and not visiting them at the hospital. they deserve a break after a week fraught with various anxieties and loss of sleep. the fam of three come home this evening, and we may see them at that point or perhaps wait til tomorrow. i am wishing to hold that little girl!

Labels: grandparenthood, sarah and david, siena

we have been in california since june 27th living in a little second floor berkeley apartment on college avenue. it's about 8 blocks from sarah and david and we can walk over there which we have done a couple of times. we have usually driven as we have a project at their house. we have been painting a bookshelf for siena's room. the housing is done and in place and looks pretty cute. the project today is to complete the shelves which means putting a coat of paint on all sides of each shelf and allowing a couple of hours drying time before we flip sides. the room is shaping up to be just right. the little kid will like it!
sarah and david have fed us numerous meals in their backyard. it's a lovely shaded area with comfy chairs around a sizeable table. david is doing great with grilling the meats and stir fried greens fresh from the garden often make an appearance. we have had a couple of salads with part of those greens coming from the garden! cali living is ok. i marvel at the things that grow outside with ease here.
one evening, friends michael and louise invited us for dinner, so the four of us joined them and had a lovely meal and a great visit. amazing that they live so very close. they next day we saw louise walking by with a couple of grocery bags in hand. amazing.
we have had lots of visits about babies and moms and the whole shebang. it's been a lovely bonding time. i love that we are welcome and they make us feel useful, well for painting of course, but for support and love too. very nice as we await.

Labels: california, great fresh food, louise and michael, sarah and david