Marking time

School recommences Wednesday.

We've watched a lot of movies.

Laura's explanation of sci-fi and horror movies finally sank in.

"They're not real, Gramma!"

Among others, I've now watched The Mummy and 2012.

Tonight we're queuing up Harvey and The African Queen. 

Laura spend a day shadowing at Elements Gallery, the porcelain studio in town.

She came home with a spoon rest and an invitation to come back.

I got the wonderful little man there. He's an egg separator.

We had egg separating issues when we baked cookies.

I once made 500 single bed quilt tops for my sister to quilt for shelters.

Emily moved out, and we made a sewing room

I asked Jan if she needed more tops.

Yes, she was down to the last three old tops to quilt.

I now have a layout artist, and a supervisor.

We've made quite a few. I'm not keeping track this time.

Laura irons them, too, which I am unable to do.

Jan used to iron them.

Win-win.

 And, I played cards with the Methodists today.

I keep my back to the refreshment table.

Those thumbprint cookies were really tempting, though.

And Wednesday I must get serious about closing 2016 and tidying up for the auditors. I did continue my unbroken streak of distributing W-2's and 1099's before the end of 2016.

That's thirteen years in a row.

Which means, three years and three months to go.

Laura tips her hand

Waiting for Laura, after school, to drop her at art class.

Beautiful day, far too cold.

This is a school art project I've heard much about.

Illuminated manuscript, on finest brown wrapping paper.

Laura used a quilt pattern as the letter background,

framed it out with snakes, and lots of grass.

Pretty good.

This was my Christmas present, presented rolled up, 

so it's held down by sewing weights in order to take the picture.

We bought a frame tonight.

When I went in to retrieve Laura tonight,

Mrs. P wondered if I'd seen the bracelet, 

Laura's assignment over her two week vacation to draw something of her own.

No, I had not.

"In future," Mrs. P said, if Laura says there is something she can't do,

I'l just say 'Remember the bracelet?'"

Next week Mrs. P is going to show her how to mount pictures and protect them with tissue.

Good idea. The portfolio grows.

Grade A

It has been grey all week, with cardinals for relief. Not gloomy, however.

Laura's last classes have been Clementines.

Next time they will mount them.

I took a picture in Mrs. P's kitchen, but it was blurry, so I went into her room for a better picture.

It's the same, without the smiling face.

Laura, in her jazz attire.

The jazz ensemble did several numbers during the concert Wednesday.

I couldn't go this year; I had to go to work.

There's another concert the end of January. Pictures will be taken.

Emily, who smiles on command.

Just waiting for Grandma to end the photo shoot so she could sit in the top row of the bleachers and listen to the concert.

I do recall last year I swore I would never again sit in the bleachers for anything.

You know who showed up to weave, just as I sat down to work on the red towels.

He is crossing the two inch wide breast beam.

You can see where he struck off cross country and got his foot out of the quicksand before I could say anything.

He did disturb the fell line a bit.

It's been a decent week.

Grade A.

Rambling…

The bathroom is down to twos and threes, from sixes and sevens. Even worse than sleeping in the guest room and traipsing down and upstairs for a toilet a couple of days has been finding the baskets my heart desired for my storage shelves. The first set became too wide when door trim was added. 

The second set was returned when I learned it is necessary to inquire which dimension is which, shopping online. Length, width and height are interchangeable, I found; set two was returned, set three is being shipped.

The faithful old toilet brush, veteran of almost thirty years cleaning, did not reappear when the renovation was complete. Inquiries returned blank stares, so I shopped tonight for a new one. When did toilet plungers and toilet brushes become a combo? One base, two handles. Pop it open and one handle belongs to a plunger, the other the brush.

I stood in the aisle sadly surveying the display of brush, plunger combo packs. Suddenly in the back, almost behind the mop display, a single handle. I pulled it and found a brush, not a plunger. Granted one must open a little door to transfer the business end to the toilet; nevertheless, bonanza, and less than half the price.

Sitting here I realize I missed one item on my mental shopping list. Coffee filters. My monitor is liberally splattered with coffee. You know why. I read it can be dabbed away with a coffee filter dampened with distilled water. We’ll see, when I remember the filters.

I had an hour around town tonight, returning the nine inch deep and ten inch wide baskets, shopping, because Laura’s art teacher is up and teaching, although only two of her old students. The hip replacement was extra complicated and Mrs. P won’t be back in her upstairs, downtown studio until next year.  We went to her home, an hour’s walk from Laura’s school.

Laura’s art assignment over the next two weeks; turn her sketch of two fried eggs into a color portrait of two fried eggs.  The yolks are orange yellow, she explained on the way home; the whites are really grey white, but with crispy brown edges. I like mine over easy, with many little crispy brown circles looking back, but hers already are sunny side up.

A house in town. The ivy makes this tree seem to have leaves, but look at the bare branches beyond the flag pole. We expect winter by Wednesday.

Art lessons

I was early to pick up Laura today,

and look what I found.

As she's just not done (I was told), and as 

Mrs. P will be off for three weeks, getting a new hip,

Laura took a Laura's eye picture of her composition,

to finish at home.

Mrs. P is as old as my daughters, more or less.

Perhaps they would be back at it in three weeks.

I wonder if I could.

Hooray for Mrs. P!

Laura is thriving.

Fashion board

Let's see what I remember from Laura's presentation.

She has designed a line of clothing under her label, Double L.

It's directed toward single women in the 19 year old range, college graduates.

She thinks her line might be carried at The Gap.

On this board you see her label, a sketch and a color rendition.

The accessories might include the silver drop earrings,

the bangles and a large beaded necklace. 

The little bag on the right is blue leather, with a fabric outside pocket.

The dress is the swirly blue fabric, with black stripes.

The little silver buckle is a design feature on the back.

And the model is wearing the blue shoes Laura designed.

This afternoon she and her classmate took their boards to three women's clothing stores on Main Street,

The Grey Colt, The Gap and I don't remember the third.

Their work was warmly received.

The fashion boards are on display for the next Art on Main Street.

What's Laura doing this week?

Laura's week has been behind this door.

Up these stairs.

Each morning I've dropped her at the bottom of the hill,

And find she's to the top and around the corner 

before I get there in the car.

This morning I got lucky!

I took the little camera when I went to pick her up tonight.

Yes, up and up and up.

And sat down to wait, as class is not over.

The "reveal" is tomorrow.

Hint--after years of struggling, yesterday she learned to draw a face.

I don't have to tell you which is which.