This is a Good Place

Thanks to a friend at John's work, we stayed in a sweet little condo in Dewey.  Deserted off-season beach, beautiful full moon over the calm water, sunrise from a warm upstairs room looking out at the ocean.  Very relaxing and nice to get a weekend date, just us.  Cream of crab soup, crabs, lots of cheese.  Crayon drawing on the table waiting for crabs.  And 3 different thrift store shopping for sister missionary clothes for Suzanna!  (Wearing my altered tiger-t-shirt cut in half and sewn onto a sweat shirt front=easy project.)

Another place to add to the Max's ashes memorial.  Good place to remember him, honor him, tell him how we are feeling, how much we miss him.

NYC Marathon Trip

Julie Babcock & Luanna, some super nice policeman, and the 45,000 runners coming over the bridge on the far right...

The difference b/w phone camera (apple in NY) and above (my Dean camera) is clearly obvious...

Cake celebrating Alzheimer team running.  David kindly inlucded us (and our spouses, just in case) on the list for the swanky reception after the race.

One of my favorite things I saw on the subway, super crowded, older Latino couple, her hand in his pocket.

Luanna is a lot of fun to hang out with!  Giggly sister making me laugh. Julie is calm and good at navigating and full of complements and kind words.

Eating out day before race, teryaki burgers...

Beautiful, smart doctor-in-training daughter of my cousin was super kind and has a great single's ward we went to Sunday early.  In our jeans and "Knit & Run" t-shirts.  We were made to feel very welcomed.

View from Kellie's place.

enJOY burgers (north of Kellie) gave us playing cards with our receipts, called out the card when our food was ready (and we turned in cards to be reused, clever, clever and good food).

Sunday after Church we subway-ed to Queens to catch the racers at the half-way point.  David went by so fast that we went north on the subway to chase him, caught him with minutes to spare at Duke Ellington memorial.

Picture below is in Queens, roof of an LDS celebrity...

Famous person spotting:  When David was teaching people to finger knit in the park with Lion Brand yarn (lovely, lovely yarn.  David is a spokesman for them, official promoter) Julie met Kristy Glass and worked out an invite to her apartment to watch the race.  This is her rocking chair.  She calls it "Yarn Bombing" and I was delighted! She is an amazing person, has a sweet family, and a home that is filled with the Spirit and lots of love & cool color!  We helped make a sign for her friend SHAY running right near David.  Sam has been a big fan of Shay for years, and was impressed with the networking.

Kristy has 3 children now, works as an actress, runs, and so does her husband.

David finished under 4 hours, which met his goal.  AND he finished knitting this scarf early in the race WITH LETTERS!  I am so proud of him and it was wonderful to be there and be supportive of his achievement!

Steampunked Kilts: Trunk or Treat

 

Sam & Roxie's kilts are 8 yards and 5 yards, fully pleated in back.  John and mine are quickly done, costume only, not even the right tartan, but close.  Roxie's is not quite Davidson clan, but she loves green and blue and it was in my fabric stash, conveniently.

I decorated our car trunk with silk flowers hung #56 tags, and the red satiny quilt (from Luanna) and the 56 days left sign:  Christmas countdown.  We won one of the trunk decorating prizes!  Scariest?

People, friends, have asked me this week how I am doing, really doing, and they made time to listen.  I have gotten teary-eyed and mushy and choked up and realized how much I am still grieving for Maxwell's loss.  I miss him, and still feel really sad.  It makes sense to me now the year of mourning in Victorian times, family wearing black, or at least black armbands in remembrance of their lost one.

   It has been easy to escape reading books and not having to "think" or "feel" or to stay busy, really busy, or get involved in serving someone else so I don't think about being sad.

One listening friend said, "I don't know how you are doing it, even waking up and getting out of bed."  

Holidays are sad, since we use them as gathering, food celebrating, and remembering.  Max was a blue-body suit man last year.  He asked me to mend his suit where it had ripped a little at the neck.  I fixed it but didn't get it back to him, he said he didn't need it until Halloween.  Every time I see Suzu in her matching suit, I think it would have been a fun picture/video of them together.  Regret un-photos=times you wish you had photographed, but too late.

 

Dealing with stress and grief--besides drinking more water, getting outside once a day, not eating sugar, reading scriptures on my own, doing something unexpected and nice for someone else at least once a week, and everyday being nice to myself (hot shower) and giving myself a complement--saying something out loud while looking in the mirror.  Something about me that I like and is real and true (not just something I do well, but an attribute describing who I am, inside.  Kind of like the pep-talk in "The Help" that the maid gives her boss's daughter "You is kind, you is smart, you is important").

 

And yes, our garage now has burnt orange diamonds, for Halloween.

Because I am a visionary woman.  I like to see changing colors in my environment.  The autumn trees are gorgeous and inspiring and I like to savor colors like flavors for my eyes.  (Haha, now I am laughing at myself.)

Projects & Portraits

#recycled_tshirt project:  cut an animal t-shirt in half, sew to front of hoodie or jacket.  Because of stretch and not enough pins, (PIN MORE THAN I DO IF YOU CARE) his nose is slightly UN-aligned.  But I love colors: brown jacket someone gave me that had some stains on front & clearance t-shirt I never would have worn.  This I will wear.

 More recycled t-shirt projects:  simple circle necklaces, hand sewn, using neck ribbing or bottom hem, or sometimes sleeve hem as ribbons to tie around neck.  They help make shirts modest without wearing another layer underneath.

Sam before his first group date!  He turned 16 this summer, and he and Alan from seminary class went bowling with 2 girls from stake!

Meet The Mormons

We took the family to see the film, "Meet the Mormons."  Really liked it!  Hoping it is available to buy for Christmas neighbor gifts this holiday!

Wet out to lunch afterwards, got a free mini pumpkin because we ordered big BBQ sampler at Famous Dave's. 

The screen shot was from work, required training.  Thought it was well worded.

Kilts instead of Quilts this week!

The combined stake LDS youth dance tonight is a costume dance:  come as a family history member.

So I made Sam a kilt.  It took a very long time, but I am excited about making more!

I had some Stewart Royal wool in my stash, thinking I would make something for our son, Stewart someday...Researched the process, started trying it on Sam to see how big to make the pleats...

And I have learned all kinds of new vocabulary, pleating to the sett, fells, stetting the pleats so they don't fall down, and the goal to have no stepping of the pattern in the back, just smooth, horizontal lines.  LOVE how the plaid changes when it is pleated, almost looks like a different pattern in the back.  Pleats only in the back, smooth front aprons overlapping, held down (just top layer) by kilt pin.

My favorite helpful website was USA Kilts , just 1.5 hours away in PA.  So I took a road trip to buy "hose" and they just happened to have a used pair of guilles brouges in the right size for super cheap.  I think the shoes are my favorite part!  Criss-crossed up the calves.  And the flashes-the ribbon pennant garters--ok to match tartan in solid colors or use tartan fabric (gauche to mix tartans, hmmm). 

The staff was super helpful, gave me a HUGE sample of Davidson tartan to take home, which Roxie is in love with. 

I made a sporran  from a Goodwill purse, fur trimmed and held on by ribbon.

Yes, he wore shorts underneath.  He looked confident, happy, ready for the dance!

More Photos (because Deb asked!)

I am standing here with 4 moms who also lost children, plus sheriff office guys and organizer.

Roxie is third person in from right side.