I found this quilt the other day. I LOVE it. Everything about it.
Isn't it beautiful? This is exactly, colors, patterns and all, what I want for our bedroom. I so wish I could quilt.
I've been toying lately with trying to learn, but I don't know that I would be any good whatsoever at it. I can barely sew a straight line as it is! We saw another quilt last week at the fair that I instantly fell in love with as well. I was so tempted to take the woman's name who made it and call. See if I could buy it. Or take lessons. But I chickened out.
Maybe I should just try to bat my eyelashes at someone more talented than I and send them lots of pictures of that lovely yellow and gray quilt...I think that MAY be a more productive way to get it!
So, we aren't doing pre-school this year. I had a really hard time deciding. Both sides had pros / cons and up until last weekend, I was still undecided. Which, considering the date, is not cool. I had far more reservations about it than I felt good, so I took it as a sign and decided no.
I hate these decisions where there isn't an obvious right/wrong. I hate that so much of parenting is such a blind jump into the abyss, hoping for the best. I like to think that I'm making the right decision for him, this round, but...maybe I didn't. Maybe this was the right thing for me and I am just hoping it's the right decision for him as well. Maybe it would be better to have him in a preschool. Maybe not having any structure before kindergarten is a mistake. Maybe it will turn out to be nothing. That's what I'm assuming...it will be nothing at all and he'll start school and take to it like a fish in water.
But, mostly, I'm feeling pretty relieved, actually. I'm looking forward to one last unscheduled year before Sammy leaves. One last "no where to be at any particular time" kind of year.
Seriously. I'm totally looking forward to it. Very much.
I try really hard, every year, to avoid the Mindset List published by Beloit College. Hard to do while I worked in higher ed and still, somehow, difficult. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. I don't know. What I DO know is this year, the list is aimed at kids who were born in 1992. 92. You know, the year I graduated from high school and started my own college career. Esh. Harsh.
However, reading over the list makes me feel better. Most of it, I either do or can relate to or still has no significance to me. #13 makes me laugh (only because I remember the debate and all of my college friends laughing like them...). #28 I would deem wrong. Right? Isn't that just...code? Certainly if you pointed to your wrist to an 18 year old, they would understand, right? Hmmm. And, well, #46. *shudder* That one hurts the most!
But everything else? Eh. It's moo. And I think that's a great thing. Especially this year. The year people BORN in 92 go to college. Cushions the blow a bit!
So, last week, during a cool period (40s! At night!) our A/C broke. Once it started heating up, I couldn't get in contact with our regular guy and by the time the next day rolled around and it was REALLY hot, I was hot and hysterical. We finally called him at home and he came out first thing the next day. Two hours and lots of trying later, it was fixed. Much rejoicing ensued (not to mention, I love how cheap he is...he really should start charging more!). It worked beautifully all day Wednesday and Thursday. We didn't try to turn it on on Friday until just before leaving for the concert and...same thing. Totally broken. Yay. Just before the weekend. Saturday wasn't bad. Techniques learned in Oregon about using windows to our advantage and it didn't get above 76* in here. But Sunday. Oi. It was hot.
Isaac checked the one thing he told us to check, should it go out again, and nothing. So we camped out downstairs on Sunday, miserable and not wanting to cook, Sammy hating that we had all the blinds drawn. It got up to 80* inside at the hottest point of the day, but that's it. And enough! Call was put in first thing Monday morning. He came by Monday afternoon to look again. He marched straight upstairs, opened the attic, fixed something and BOOM! There it was. (hee!) Something about wires spliced and insulated and untaped and then, all fixed, 20 minutes later. And...didn't charge us a thing. Even though he had to fix something completely different this time, he still classified it as the same problem. Seriously. Great guy.
I've learned something from this. For all my talking about wanting to use the A/C the least amount possible, I do not do well when it's broken. And this is even living in a place that isn't THAT hot and in a place that cools down every night (we use nearly all our blankets all the time at night) and knowing how to keep our house naturally cool and I'm still a wuss. Sigh. I clearly have a long ways to go. And it was definitely weighing on Sammy. The heat, the dark from having the blinds drawn (not that the blinds drawn did it, it was the constant yelling of the mommy to "turn out the light AND keep the blinds closed" that was doing it!). We are clearly A/C kind of people.
And the fix is just in time. We're in for 90+ degree weather this week and I'm wanting something other than cold cereal for dinner!
Friday night, Isaac and I took off for a lovely mellow (and I mean munchie inducing mellow...smell totally reminded me of Oregon. Hee!) evening under the stars. Jack Johnson was in town and, as you all know how I love him, we added him to our personal summer concert series. Could NOT have been better. Well. That's not true, but JACK could not have been better. I'd heard only great things about his concerts and it was not a let down.
We had good seats - about 1/2 way back at the ampitheater, on the aisle - right in the center. Good view.
And let's discuss something right off. He is not an ugly man. At all. Just in case you were wondering. I mean, I didn't get a SUPER up close look, or anything, but still. He's every bit as pretty as you expect him to be.
I had been reading several articles on the downturn in summer concerts this year (economy and what not), but that was DEFINITELY not evident for this one. The venue looked close to sold out - a couple of reserved seating rows were empty, but the General Admission lawn was PACKED and, up where we were, there were only a smattering of empty seats. It was well attended. And the crowd was just so much different than I imagined. Mostly couples our age, some families. A lot of girls who forgot their clothes.
We had the very unfortunate opportunity to be sitting behind the BIGGEST douche of all the land. I assumed he would get worse the drunker he got, but no. My mistake. He stayed steadily and equally douchey, drunk or sober. I mean less drunk. Interesting... Good thing he only really disrupted my view once, because...
Sigh. Highlights were Sitting, Waiting, Wishing and Bubble Toes (which was awesome). I loved hearing Better Together and Do You Remember (forgotten lyrics, started over and all...). I made sure to pick up the MOST awesome concert tee for Sammy and snag some video of Banana Pancakes for him to watch when we got home (he was THRILLED). And, of course, video of Isaac's favorite song of the night...: (the joker, steve miller...)
We were exhausted driving home, but happy. It was a beautiful, breezy evening under the stars (and my allergies stayed in check for most of it!). After skipping date nights for quite awhile, it was the perfect way to make up for it!
