Curve balls from God

This will be a short post.  I have another post coming on a topic of complete physical and frivolous nature - skiing! Love it!

In the meantime, many things in recent days (hmmm, months perhaps!) remind me that we aren't meant to get too comfortable.  There is much movement in our small world.  And while we are so very concerned with what is affecting us in the here and now, the bigger picture is seen by an almighty and all-powerful God.

Question I leave you with this evening ( I am supposed to be in bed but B is out of town so.....):

Do we really trust Him to be Almighty and All-powerful?

'Cause He is.  And we need to let Him be.

I'm not very good at it.  I desire to be.   But pray for all those making hard decisions and those being compassionate and those waiting for the waiting to be complete.

Good Night with love to all.

Happy New Year..........

Happy New Year from Mendocino!

 

What's that you say?

 

I'm a little late?

 

Why, yes, yes I am!  But I'm here and I have pretty, pretty pictures so you'll forgive me.  Made it back in less than a month - not too bad I think as we continue to "clean up" from the holidays, being gone and back to school and activities with full force.

 

All the visitors had left and I spent New Years Day taking down the Christmas tree and all the decor that came with the season - the house now looks quite plain.  The family agrees that it looks better with all the greenery and baubles.  However, I cannot live with permanent dust catchers and will strive for a decorative look that does not require reindeer and green boughs wrapped on every railing.

 

The next day we headed off to Mendocino to spend the rest of the Christmas break with my "since we've been 13 yrs old" friend and her family.  Her husband spent Jr High/High School years living there and it's a place they enjoy.

 

We decided - we enjoy it to. 

 

Mendocino the town is not what I remembered from a long ago camping trip up the Northern Coast of CA prior to kiddos.  It is a very small, Victorian era town that sits on a point.  The cliffs that extend out from where the town is situated are called the Headlands - where J used to run for gym during High School.  We were in awe a little at the thought of living there as a kid - one had to create their own fun - good or bad.  Outside of Fort Bragg, there's not much in the way of 'civilization' out there.  I mean, our cell phones hardly worked at all except when in town!  I could get used to that....

 

Most people hear about Mendocino and think "P-t (marij-ana) capital of the US."  That would be the reputation for the county - it gets its name from the tiny little town.  The county itself is very large and most of it uninhabited/hard to get to places.  That, combined with the climate, lends itself to this controversial 'crop' of which we did not see nor encounter during our visit.  I can head over to Berkeley if needed and buy from the store.....NOT!  Girlfriend and I are still on record as being of the few individuals from the 80's who never tried the stuff. 

 

The drive to Mendocino?  Not easy.  You are either on Highway 1 winding along up the coast or you have to take the few roads from 101 that cross over - all of them through redwood forests (beautiful!) on, again!, winding roads.  We took an alternate route home which was more windy than the route there.  Stopped midway for Rachel (not fully sick but close) but have to admit that even I who tends to have no problem with roads was a bit tired of the curves.

 

Each family had rented a house - we thought we were next to each other but found we were separated by a few coves.  Just north of town in the Point Cabrillo area.  We picked up the keys in town, got some groceries and headed to our home for 4 days.  This was the view that greeted us:

 

 

Can you believe we left to go to our real home at the end?  What a wonderful way to start out and we enjoyed every single moment of being on the edge of the Pacific.  We had a mix of days - sunny, cloudy and a little drizzly.  It was all good.  Including our first sunset:



 

 

We headed over to Van Damme State Park which starts along the coast where Little River runs into the Pacific and winds around the interior Redwood forest.  So many cool things grow in Redwood forests: moss, ferns, all kind of fungi and - redwoods. S is demonstrating the proper way to take pic's of mushrooms growing on the side of a dead redwood:

 

So I had to take a picture too.  I love it!

 

 

Here we girls are walking across the bridge courtesy of photographer B (S's son) - he and Rachel share a B-day (different years) and while they may not always care for it, there are times we discuss the similar traits of our Aug. -- babies.  This picture is missing a VIP - S (S's daughter) - who stayed at home as her arthritis was flared up.  It s-cks to be 18 and live with this disease.  Always praying that relief is around the corner.  And do we have enough S's to go around?  Do I look short?  I think I'm starting to look short....

 

 

OK - so B is really, really into skateboarding.  It's pretty much the focus of his life and not in a negative way - he's really good at it.  Competes and has won cash and product prizes, etc....  So I laugh when he says that we need to bond over skating because I won't be on a skateboard anymore - ever.  That time passed about 25 years ago.  So we enjoy discussing camera's and photography and messing around with pictures.  He was shooting film only this trip so was being very cautious.  I'm still learning on my new SLR so played around a bit with the shutter speed.  We both groused about not having a tripod when we should - so much to carry.....  This pic didn't turn out too bad:

 

 

Girlies on the beach:

 

Another incredible, yet different sunset:

 

Another state park, Russian Gulch:

 

Pretty hard to keep them on the ground if there are rock walls to climb:

Playing with the camera and all the art in nature items:

 

 

Hanging out on the deck in the incredible sunshine watching whales migrate by (saw them every day), the surf crash and a bit of reading:

 

 

Our last morning looking at the Point Cabrillo lighthouse included some heavy surf - pounding waves.  The sea can be absolutely mesmerizing.  This is Northern California on the coast.  Take a look at a map and see how much space is between San Francisco and Eureka (northern CA city before Oregon).  It's a lot of coastline and much of it is inaccesible - reminds you that not everything is at the tip of your fingers.  Not even in CA.  I like that.

 

 

We're definitely going to do this again!  And a huge Thank You to our friends (especially J) for sharing this place with us!

 

Music, Music and Merry Christmas!

I must say, it's been a full month.  Jam packed with visiting, shopping, ballet, musical arts, sickness, wrapping and cooking.  I keep wondering what I've missed amongst all the activity.  Just today I thought "hmmm, I never picked up that prescription at the pharmacy" - that I called in on December 13th!  Fortunately they didn't pull it off the shelf and I can pick it up tomorrow. 

 

We've had and hosted dinners with friends - those who are CA natives and the group of us that were together as Expats in Switzerland and now find ourselves all in the Bay Area. 

 

We also made a trip to Fresno to see lovely Bella the Ballerina in the Nutcracker.  Last year she was recovering from a dislocated knee and previous years we were, of course, out of the country.  This was my first opportunity to see her perform in it live and she did a beautiful job - what a joy to watch the development of children you've known since birth grow into intelligent, talented and kind individuals.  She's just one of several young people we will enjoy during the holidays ( her brothers, Bart's niece, S & B and of course the family cousins).

 

In between all this, Bart came down with the current bug and then I caught a strain of it.  Unfortunately it hasn't been one of those "fast moving" viruses and it still is hanging on to me at 2 weeks - just slow to depart.  Sometimes I think the 24 hour flu would be preferable.  In fact, yes, it would be. :)  Not exactly what one wishes for at Christmas.  In spite of it all, I was still able to sing for Christmas services - God answers prayer!

 

We've enjoyed a lot of good music this month - not mine!  Rachel had an Orchestra performance at school mid-December - full Orchestra as well as Strings.  They did a fantastic job and we were also impressed with the Jazz and Symphonic bands.  The following week she had two nights of Choral concerts.  Her High School boasts (yes, it can boast) a wonderful vocal music program.  The director travels overseas with a choir every other year and they consistently rank top in the State in choral competition.

 

Rachel is in the Mixed/Womens Chorus which is made up exclusively of Freshman.  Sophomores thru Seniors participate in three other additional choirs, all of which require audition for performance.  In all, there are approximately 130- 150 students in the program.  As we are Boosters, we are in the drawing for the special reserved seats and VIOLA!, we got the coveted seats for the Christmas concert as presented by Kendra below:

 

I've tried and tried to download my short video of "Carol of the Bells" or "Silent Night" when all 4 choirs plus approximately 50 alumni were surrounding the theatre but it just doesn't work - not sure what to do with Blogger half the time nowdays.  It was beautiful.  My regret is I didn't get an extra ticket in time to include my dad - both nights were sell-outs.  Here is Rachel in the Mixed Chorus - she's a 1st Alto - front row, second from the right:

 

So after school was out and dinner parties were had and church was done - there was wrapping to do.  Because while sick Mrs. Claus was able to finish shopping, sick Mrs. Claus never quite got to the wrapping.  Sick Mrs. Claus had wonderful Santa who helped - Santa wrapped and Mrs. Claus decorated and labeled.  Teamwork at it's finest. 

 

Christmas Eve was lovely - Dad arrived, we went to Christmas services, drove around to look at lights and then sat down to watch Bourne Legacy - cause that says Christmas??!!! 

 This was Eiger's first Christmas and we had to buy a stocking.  He immediately pulled it out of the Petco bag and took it into his crate.  How did he know?  He enjoyed the bully stick and new toy that came in it the morning of Christmas.

 As we did with our previous hound, Max, we let Eiger play a bit with the wrapping paper.  Once he found he was allowed to pull at the paper, he helped Rachel "unwrap" a present - not exactly what we intended by at least nothing was damaged.......

So we had a lovely quiet day and most of all enjoyed the thought of Emmanuel - God with us.  Because that's what it really is all about.

At this point, we have been enjoying a quick visit from Bart's sister and niece out from Germany and on their way to Southern CA.  Then we take off for the family cabin and some more Christmas there and then after New Years, some fun with friends - more on that later.

I hope you've all had a beautiful Christmas celebrating the occasion of our Saviour's birth.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year in case I don't make it back here before then.........

Thanksgiving Month

What can I say?  I will use the term "yes, I have a blog" loosely.  Perhaps in the New Year, a new era of blogging in CA?  We shall see, we shall see....

 

I have a month of Thankful pictures to share.  November has been full of visitors and I am so thankful to have our friends and family.  I have to say, we very much miss other friends and family as well.  It's still a transition - felt far away from many while in Switzerland and now feel far away from many in California.  There is no perfect solution is there?  Thankful for the internet and blogs and yes, even Facebook.  Thank you Mr. Zuckerman.  I think.  We'll see.

 

Thankful for friends who came from Fresno to share Veterans Day weekend: good food, laughter and a Forty-Niners game (tied!).  While the crew below was at the game, the moms and Mr. N (5 yrs) headed out for a beautiful afternoon at the Oakland Zoo.

These guys?  Thankful that Jack tolerates Eiger.  Eiger seems to have sense enough not to bother him too much.  Above you see Eiger trying to engage Jack in play but will get a smack down for his efforts.  Good for the big dog to get told off by the little ones to keep them in check occasionally.  Below?  A snack in the offering: 

Thankful for dear friends who travel from Sacramento area and squish together on our comfy couch.  Long story but Eiger's crate sits where another 'seat' should be and then of course, Bart has 'his' chair.  Love these faces.

 

Thankful for Dad/Grandpa Olson who likes and keeps old cars and lets me drive them.  Love driving down the road in a Riviera (he has 2 or 3?) - feel the horsepower.  Girls enjoy it and love tinkering around their place in Minnesota.  Of course this was taken in August - not a fan of Northern MN come winter......

Thankful for cows that occasionally graze by the house.  It's not Switzerland and they don't wear bells but I like all the animals that wander by our place.

Thankful for family that came for Thanksgiving (sister Kris's family, mom & J and dad) and once again, squished onto a couch for sharing.  Note - Eiger likes to be where the people are.

 

 Thankful for cousins big and small who enjoy each other, take care of each other and say "cheese" for the camera.  True towheads, those little ones.

 Thankful for my girlies who are getting so grown up and who we love so much.  Proud of them for their diligence at school, their willingness to try new things and their love for each other.

 Thankful for my husband.  This picture may not appear perfect to you but it is to me.  There aren't many "natural" pictures of Bart and I and here, we're laughing trying to get 'ready' for a picture.  That's one of the reasons I love him - he makes me laugh.  Yes girls, sometimes I'm laughing very hard on the inside but you will never see it because I'm trying to be a good mom and your dad is, well, funny whether appropriate or not!  He's a good man and I'm thankful for him:

Happy Thanksgiving November to all!

We're not into Halloween but.....

We're not into Halloween but we do like to dress up! Since we returned to CA, we've had the good fortune to attend the family Halloween party hosted at my cousins (maternal) house in West Sacramento. We had attended the first party oh, so long ago, left the State and returned last year for the 10th Anniversary of this entertaining, family gathering complete with great food - thanks J & M.
 
It's a lot of fun to see the creative costumes that arrive and as J so nicely states on the invite: "appropriate costume attire." This would hail back to the day when many of them didn't have kids yet and it could be a little crazy. :)

We weren't able to pull off our original idea last year as we were still 'fresh off the overseas flight' and I didn't have a sewing machine yet. So this year we proved that the Swiss Family Olson does indeed exist:

For the record:  I did not make Bart or Rachel's costumes.  I ordered them from an website as: 1) I was not about to make his Lederhosen 2) Bart's is a costume version since real Lederhosen, whether in Europe or the States, costs approximately $250 - $300 for the pants/shorts/hosen alone 3) Of course, I did not start working on any of this until October for to do so beforehand takes considerable foresight of which I'm lacking in this current season of life 4) Lack of foresight means no sleep if one is making three Dirndls vs two and 5) I only had trim for two dresses which I originally bought it in Germany with the girls in mind.   Oh - and these are pretty much standard German/Austrian folkwear which translates to the Swiss German just fine.

This was my dining room for the last part of October.  I have to admit, we spend good money on a table and chairs so that we can do school and sewing projects in this room.  I guess putting up a long folding table with padded, folding chairs and a tablecloth would have served just as well.  Don't tell Bart!  We need more people to come over for dinner........

Many thoughts flew through my head as this was the first time I was sewing a garment(s) in several years - last project was also a costume.  Sewing for the house or repairs/hems tend to be my regular projects.  I sewed my first garment (sewing lingo :)  ) in 3rd grade I believe.  A pair of ugly shorts with an elastic waistband.  But I wore them proudly.  During the eighties I sewed a lot.  Going to a school that required dresses everyday and a small clothing budget pushed me along.  Then college came and big shirts were the rage so my roommate and I would get clearance material and go to work - many times with buttons fastened underneath by safety pins because we were in too much a rush to do buttonholes.  Don't tell my mom!

I was lucky - my mom and I had the type of relationship that works well for teacher/student.  She was able to teach me to sew, ski, waterski and climb.  These are things I've not personally passed down to the girls because 'they don't listen to me.'  I've learned not to be frustrated or take it personally.  My mom at various points had teachers for my sisters on the above because they didn't want to learn from her either.

Recently, my sister Deb got a machine and while Mom was in HI for her grandchilren fix, she was teaching her to use it.  I'm told that I missed out on a lot of laughter and giggles.  As Mom relayed all the things Deb was finding out about using a machine, I thought of my 2 years in Home Economics and all the things that will not be taught to High Schoolers because in CA, these classes don't exist anymore.  Although I already knew how to sew, my teacher made a point to teach us the name of the machine parts and why certain stitches or techniques were used.  She also assured me that when I ironed the first seam of my Junior Banquet dress that I had not ruined it - it was red taffeta and taffeta "changes color" with heat and returns when cooled.  Oh - and the importance of proper iron temperatures with various fabrics.  Not that I melted a blouse in high school.  Not me.

Home Ec also taught me a lot about cooking.  Not that it taught me to be a good cook but the science of it.  For instance, why did those pumpkin blueberry muffins turn out flat and gooey?  Ah yes, seems the baking soda was forgotten.  And egg whites bind ingredients and ..... oh so many things.

Learning to read patterns was also great training for life in other areas:  reading directions for toy or furniture assembly.  Life necessities!

Here's a weird techy sewing thing that you won't care about if you don't sew:  the patterns I got for the Dirndls came with seam allowances that were between 1/4" and 1/2."  I had to really watch for which were which on different parts of the garment.  I was taught with a standard 5/8" seam allowance for everything unless specifically stated differently on the pattern.   Is it like this on all patterns now or just specialty?  Maybe I'll be inspired to sew something else and find out!

I took a picture of this because I found it amusing in my quirky little way.  I did not look at the supply requirements for the patterns and  realized I needed binding tape for the sleeve elastic of the blouses.  I was sure I had some somewhere and lo, and behold, dug some out of my stash.  As I unwrapped it, I wondered in looking at the packaging how old it was at a cost of $1.30.  The manufacturer's date on the back is ------1986!  So this is seam tape I bought with a discount coupon at the local fabric store around the block from the college dorms.  Waiting to be used all these years....

I also needed bias tape for the neck edging of the blouses. Ummmm, the bias tape I had was also from 1986. Being cotton, it was no longer white white and I found myself in the irritating predicament of making my own bias tape edging out of the blouse fabric so it would match.  I have never had to do that - ever!!!  Ta Da - it came out perfect.  Because of what I still remember from Home Ec and my Mom - grains, biases, nap, etc...  The pin cushion and seam ripper above - remnants of my early sewing purchases I've not lost.  The pin cushion is 30+ years old - a souvenir from our 8th grade class trip to San Francisco.  It's still in great shape and if you need one, they're still selling them in Chinatown.

Seewwww, that's what I've been doing lately.  Sorry, couldn't resist.

My mom will be happy to know that I did complete the topstiching on both Dirndles even though the goofy pattern didn't require it.  But I elected to machine hem vs hand.  And Kendra's is a bit loose on her as she continues to grow and grow and want to be able to wear it in the future.

So you will see the buttons.

With snaps underneath vs safety pins.

And no buttonholes.  Sorry Mom.