Absolute zero.
I spent Friday painting some of the new things I’d like to get into the shop for the start of December. My work opportunities this week are sharply curtailed due to the Holiday. Saturday, I knew Ty was bringing the kids over to hang out while their mom is in Sodak, adding to their herd of horses.
Black Friday sales come in all shapes and sizes.
Saturday was sunny but cold. The kids got here after lunch and played together while the men set up a smoker on the deck and got the ribs for dinner going. They did their cooking chores before heading out for a day of manly-sporty fun. Babalouie went with his dad and his Coachie to the UST football game and then into the gym for a team shoot-around.
While they were off doing those boring things, Babydoll and I baked peanut butter kiss cookies. We watched Snow White and the 7 Dorfs and then Bean came over. She and Babydoll played all afternoon without butting heads. They love to play together but they are both very strong willed (some would say ‘bossy’ but I’m don’t) young ladies, which usually leads to battle of some sort. Without Nanners here to act as the social lubricant, I was quite impressed that they never asked me to arbitrate. They admired the Christmas tree Josie and I had put up, which caused me some hair raising moments but nothing was broken.
While they played in the living room, I relit the front steps. I moved the disappointing solar lights to the lilac bush and wrapped the new railings in 400 multi colored mini lights. They look fabulous!
By the time Babalouie returned with the men, the back yard smelled delicious and the girls had discovered my old checkers/Chinese checkers set, along with a mancala game. Add to all that the dice from several old Yahtzee games and they had marbles, stones, men and dice galore! The three of them made up some game that involved all the little pieces. As of Monday morning, only ten of the mancala stones are still missing.
Bean went home before we had dinner, having had a lovely afternoon.
We sat down for ribs together and said grace. As is their custom, Ty asked each of his kids to name one thing they were thankful for before we began to eat.
Babalouie went first. When asked what he was thankful for, he yelled “FOOTBALL!”
I was next but before I was able to say “grandkids,” Babalouie yelled “No, BASKETBALL!”
What a lucky boy: not being able to decide upon one thing for which to be most thankful!
After dinner, the kids and I snuggled on the porch and watched Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Babydoll really liked it. Babalouie thought there wasn’t enough sports.
He’s right. There were hardly any sports at all.
I got a few hours of painting in on Sunday, between church and our plans. Josie and I had promised Katie we’d help her decorate her house.
Oh, Saturday morning, before the kids arrived, Josie was going to take the van to get the oil changed. That’s when she discovered that some time between Wednesday night and Saturday morning (I hadn’t driven it in two days), something had smashed the back driver’s side window. the pane held until the car moved. As she pulled away from the curb, she heard the glass shatter into the car.
I’ve had the oversized arm chair I bought for Katie in the back of the van for three weeks. None of the glass got on the chair but it was tricky cleaning it all up. We got 99% of the glass rubble out of the car then taped a garbage bag over the hole. The oil did not get changed.
But we did finally deliver that chair to Katie!
We got to her house around 3:30 Sunday afternoon. We cleaned all the paint supplies out of the nursery. Adam had put together one of the cribs. We figured out how to place both cribs in the room. It’s not a giant bedroom but there’s room for two cribs, the large dresser/changing table Katie found, the armchair and a yet to be found book case. The carpet and light fixture Katie ordered the last time I’d been up there had been delivered and installed. The room is gorgeous. There’s still a few things to be done but we’re getting there.
While Josie and Katie were tidying up the nursery, I lit the tree. Katie only had four strings of lights, which I didn’t think was going to be nearly enough. Lighting is key for a Christmas tree. Apparently I never taught Katie how to light: Josie is the one I passed that skill on to.
In the interest of full disclosure: Mary Jeanne taught me to do it properly. She had a friend who’s mom worked in a holiday store back in the early 90s who showed her why the trees in store displays always look better than the one’s at home: it’s the lights.
But you need more than four strings.
“It’s fine.” Katie said. “Take the string of cool whites and go up the middle of the tree, then take the three strings of warm whites and put them on the outside. They’re long. It’ll work.”
She was right!
I ran the tiny cool white right up the trunk and used the three warm strings on the outside. The warm lights have larger bulbs (not the retro “Christmas Story” size but about twice as big as the little ones) and the string of 100 was long enough to cover the whole tree. I really like the mix of sizes.
Naturally, stringing four sets of lights doesn’t take nearly as much time or work as 14 strings (thanks, Josie!) so I was done in about a half an hour. Then we hung the ornaments. Adam came home in time to help. He put up the stockings.
While Katie and I were hanging the curtain rods in the nursery, Adam and Josie hauled the arm chair out of the van and into the room. The furniture all fits and the room doesn’t even look crowded!
Then we left Adam at home and joined Zack at the cinema to see Arrival, of which we’d all heard really good things!
Eight thumbs down.
It wasn’t just that the movie was stupid, we can all get on board with stupid but the movie was boring. Unremittingly boring. Yes, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all but who needs big, ugly aliens to learn that? Boo.
We need to make another pilgrimage to the fabric warehouse and a couple of afternoons with the sewing machine and the babies’ room will be ready for them. They are going to assume they’re princesses when they see what a gorgeous room they have. Of course, since they’re Katie’s daughters, they were going to assume that anyway.
Actually, Katie never thought she was a Princess. Long before she could even talk, she was certain she was Empress of the World.
No one has ever been able to convince her otherwise.
But they’re on their way.