Family Fun

We packed Friday full. Krista and BreAnne had the day off.

Our PLAN was to get Arielle's driver's license, get the car registered and open a credit union account. It was a good plan. Unfortunately, we forgot an important detail. She needs proof of her ADDRESS to do any of those things.  Their move-in date is contingent on the owners moving out, which is contingent on bank appraisers and so.....we didn't have a renter's agreement. Not to fear - we can order something on Amazon, have it shipped to Arielle and they will count it as proof of residency.  BUT we didn't get any of the business done on Friday. This means we had an extra day to "weelax."

Krista picked up food at a deli, we picked up Mom and Dad and we went to Armitage park. It was a great plan. It wasn't crowded, the river was relaxing....Bre met us....all in all an enjoyable day.

Bre and Me

Dad and Mom

Bocce Ball

 While they played, Mom  and I enjoyed a walk along the river. We found this bridge. 1887 - fun to think that Gram's would have been a girl and passed this way - when this bridge was here.

Izaak got off work. We met him for dinner. Then the kids, Michael and I went to a park to watch Krista talk about nutrition to a gathered group. She's the one in front leading exercises.  After the talk we watched Princess Bride in the park. It was GREAT, FREE fun!  

We didn't get home until 11:00 p.m.  It was short night before it was time to begin Saturday's adventures.

Traveling Day

Trips usually begin with high spirits  - I'd love to say this one was no different - but it was a bit different. Knowing we'd be coming home without Arielle put a slight damper on the trip.

 

Michael drove the van (packed nearly full as seen below) and Arielle followed in his commuter - which we gave her. 

 

 We took the back two seats out of the van - and the first one  - and an idea was born. The kids liked the extra leg room. We'll have much more storage room in the back without the seats. Maybe it's the answer to, "HOW do we take 5 bikes with us on the road?".  Nolan suggested we make a table to fit where the front seat usually fits in. What a great idea. He and Michael can brainstorm it, build it.....and when it's installed they'll be able to do some school work, watch school DVDS and such from the table.

Stacia and Nolan rode with Arielle.  Stacia shared her seat with bikes and such poking through from the trunk. LOL

We got to Oregon in good time and set up the trailer at Will and Sherri's. We always love visiting with them and staying at their home ensures that happens.  After we set up, we went to visit with Mom and Dad. Krista met up with us and we eventually met BreZaak at the food court in the mall.  Ah - it's so fun to have Gherkins gathering.

Family Night

Arielle asked if we could do s'mores tonight. We had a casual dinner and enjoyed sitting around the charcoal talking  (NO OPEN FIRE - FULL BUCKET OF WATER NEARBY AND DOUSED THE COALS WHEN DONE). The weather cooperated by cooling down.....

 

Stacia serenaded us while we waited....

Arielle chose this evening to share deep thoughts with us......the top of Michael's head looks like the batman logo.....

 

Michael was appreciative of this observation. 

Now, I need to go pack for tomorrow. With this job looming, I realize a great perk to full time RVing....I won't have to PACK before we TRAVEL.

She's Really Moving Out

I made a deliberate choice to wear waterproof mascara. Today is the last day of summer PWOC - which means it really is my last PWOC Bible study (though I do have one more mentor group meeting)..... It was a sweet time this a.m. and I didn't even cry as we prayed, or when I was asked about Arielle.

Back at home Michael and the kids had moved stacks of boxes to the garage in staging areas. I feel much better about the house without towers of boxes everywhere.

Nolan and Arielle got another year of school books sorted through.

We delivered Yuuki to the kennel. Arielle wanted two shelves from our room and in the process of moving them, I found this picture.  It was taken at a Mother Daughter Tea at Elmendorf....and I was instantly back to those days with all three girls at home....the time has gone in a blink of an eye...and that littlest sister is moving out.

I was immediately filled with a sense of gratitude God blessed us with "one more girl" and she promises me that she will "NEVER leave you and Dad."  The tears started....but I need to press on....

This girl is ready to press on

 Arielle warmed my heart and made me laugh. I had stashed my wedding veil (which the girls have used for dress up for the past two years) into the donation box.  I found it in one of her boxes - she said she wanted it. O.K.  This is the back of the van - with seats out......

 

 

And THIS is all the stuff that still needs to go in. 

The older two are about to begin Japanese lessons. We still need to pack for our trip to OR and we need to run to a store to buy a couple of things - which we may do in Eugene. We shall see. It's going to be a long night.

The Magic of Tidying Up

This is my house y'all! I'm having about 50 people house guests in a bit - o.k. maybe 15 - but STILL...I should be cleaning not desperately looking for the Magic of Tidying Up to manifest in  my home. I've started the book by Marie Kondo and I AM enjoying it. I especially like "hearing the Japanese culture" in the book - because I AM supposed to be in Machida this week. ::snort:: I figure now is a good time for me to "do it all at once."  This is taking way longer than I expected (where DOES all this stuff come from in 2 years) - so I'm glad I am right here - though my leaking eyes haven't quite gotten the message.


And THIS is the CLEAN area - library and upstairs hall are WAY worse

 

The boys went through all the "toys" and decided they really don't need them any longer. I do believe Eyeore and a rubber dinosaur will go into storage....

I continued to pull things out and off the walls that the older Gherkins have tagged as things they would like. I've got a staging area in the garage for the Gherkins, homeschool, and donations. We continued to fill a couple more "donate boxes" which we don't think the Gherkins will want, but still have some good use in them.

The kids love to play dress up and produce plays - we have quite a few costumes. I can't see them fitting in the trailer....and I'm sure they won't fit the kids when we get things out of storage. I'm not sure what we're going to do with them - so I laundered them and we'll decide later.

I had visions of Arielle and I being able to get through the school shelves after lunch.  Our school cycles through four segments of history  - over and over. The kids hit each segment as a grammar, dialectic and rhetoric student. We no longer need the lower grammar material.  Our plan was to go through the books, pull out the ones that are lower grammar. Go through the year plans and pick out the books we want to use, mark each one with the year, week and level. We would also decide which extra books we need to keep (from our Sonlight days), put each year of books in it's own tub and get rid of the rest. I decided to take photos of the grammar books and put them in the homeschool album I'm creating to offer to locals.

One shelf per year

These are the books Stacia and Zander need for Tapestry next year. This does not include science, language arts, math etc. The white binders are teacher's manuals - each year plan gives lesson plans for K - 12th grade so I can easily keep us all on the same page at our own level. We only sorted one year this afternoon. ::sigh:: I need to finish the school stuff while Arielle is here. She's a huge help.

This thing is HEAVY. I can't budge it. Yes, I know they now sell digital teacher's manuals. The problem is that my set is copyrighted in 2003 and so the books are from THEN....the digital ones have newer books and I don't want to have to buy all new books. Yes, that's right - I've used the same core for 12 years - you can do that with classic, living literature. It's paid for itself.

Ms. Kondo, in her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, instructs one to pick up each item and decide if it brings joy.  If it does, you keep it. If it doesn't you thank it for bringing joy to your life at one time and release it to go bring joy to another.  Sounds good.....in the end you are surrounded by things you LOVE and the things you don't love are not cluttering your home. Sounds fairly easy and good....it worked well as I went through the China hutch, the junk drawers, the desk, the kitchen....then  we hit the bookshelves.

"Nero, thank you for bringing me hours of reading pleasure and joy. I no longer need you (I am fixin to go buy the whole set on kindle if I get desperate ::snort::). I release you to go bring joy to other readers." Into the box he went....along with Tamar Myers, Dr. Seuss, I Can Read Books and host of Children's books.

And again, "I release you to the recycling bin - you are far too battered to bring joy to another."

 

I tried. Hard. These simply would not be released. Too many happy childhood memories to release.

 

What's THIS? Ah - it appears that things can jump right out of boxes!!!! The two books from above  are not in a box and are in a waiting area while the discussion goes on. We HAVE Lord of the Rings in two electronic formats - but Nolan loves the maps in this one which has pages falling out. The dinosaur book is signed by Duanne Gish for BreAnne and Krista - and held together with PACKING TAPE!

Arielle rescued "Amelia Bedelia," Complete "Winnie the Pooh" works,  and all the "Land of Barely There" books.  By this time the whole family was gathered around the shelves in the library. I knew this would be tough. We went from 13 floor to ceiling shelves in TX to 7 when we moved to Japan.  Now we need to go further - but I've promised we can keep the ones that mean something to the kids - that they may want at a later date....

I explained the Magic of Decluttering via the Kondo method.....but they didn't get quite as excited as I had hoped.

I was reminded that books are friends and you can't just go around stuffing them in boxes. I explained that if you RELEASE them you might be able to do just that - I've not gotten that far in the book; but it makes sense that relationships could clutter one's life.. ::snort::

Look what I caught him doing - checking the selection in the give away box. 

Long days - lots of mess - small progress. It's good to retire when you get to be our age - I'm quite sure we had more stamina 20 years ago.

Olaf the Blanket

Arielle wanted to make an Olaf blanket for her new room.  We found a Youtube video and followed the directions....sewed it up like a big pillowcase.  

 

We started this project on Friday.  I packed "Arielle's" pink blanket today while she was at church. This caused a bit of alarm. I decided to finish this today while she napped so she'd have one to replace the pink one tonight.  Sort of reminded me of driving all over town to find the one certain brand of binkie. ::snort::

 

I am INSIDE the big pillow, trying to get the batting in place....there has to be an easier way.

 

The men jumped in to help.

 

It was like magic - she woke up and the blanket was done. 

 

Near the beginning of this project, I thought I should let each child pick their own material for a blanket for the trailer....somewhere in the middle of the project, I decided there was NO WAY I was doing this again. Now that it's over - it's possible. IF I can find another  Youtube that shows an easier way to handle the batting....and AFTER I figure out how to make the t-shirt quilt. 

Busy Saturday

We got a lot done this Saturday!  A quick look at the calendar shows things are going to start moving fast around here.  Retirement ceremony...4 weeks.

Much of the day was defined by - BOXES.  Michael was our hero when he brought home a van load of boxes from the Well's family.

The girls and I got out early! Stacia and I were thrilled when Arielle asked if she could come with us. her typical stance is that Saturday's are for sleeping in - but this is her last one at home as a "child."  We went to the Farmer's Market. Yum. My favorite buy was basil - which led to fresh VEGAN pesto (no dairy or oil). As I made the pesto, I thought about the garlic pesto fries at our favorite stop in Grass Valley.  I love them - but always get a headache (cheese in pesto) and they swim in oil. I remembered Ed saying I could make them at home - I did and they were good. I'll have to post a recipe later.  After the Farmer's Market we went to Linda's Soda Shop for breakfast. Arielle thinks we need to open one like this. 

Michael went to the office to take care of a few late-breaking things that he needed to tend to. Yes, he is on leave. We took this leave knowing it would be the way to carve out time to take care of things we consider priority - retirement, moving Arielle, preparing for movers here at home.

Stacia lounged - she's ill. The rest of us packed. Arielle and Nolan worked on her things. Zander and I went through drawers, cupboards and hutches. We packed some things to donate, took photos of others to see if the kids want them and placed others back ready for the packers to pack for storage.  The china hutch was my big project. Anything that is not from another country, Michael, my Mom or the kids is now slated to find a new home.....

We hit the linen cupboard and the only tablecloths that stayed are from the Philippines, Hungary, Kuwait, Turkey, Afghanistan, Korea or Japan. Zander quipped, "I see what it takes to make the cut around here." ::snort::

We made some finds....like these yellow slips of paper....

 

Ah - evidence of the wheeling and dealing from a Gherkin cut-throat game of Monopoly!

 

I was happy to find THIS - I was going to order some for the trailer.

 

I finally got rid of two cassette carriers and all but a few cassettes. Michael had the same at his office - not sure what he did.

 

I kept these.

Yep, much done and much more to do. LOL