Granddaughter Madison told me they are studying Italy in her class, and that she needed an Italian outfit to wear. She showed me a picture that she and her teacher had found on the internet. The long skirt with ruffle around the bottom reminded me of a tablecloth I have (remember those 3-legged small round wooden tables with the floor-length tablecloths from the 70s/80s?). Anyway, I showed her what I had, she loved it and proceeded to dance around holding it up to her waist. We cut a hole in the middle, added some elastic, and she was set. Next she needed an apron, so she and Sarah looked through my fabric stash and found something they liked - look, this one is already hemmed! - (it was a curtain in a former life). I am glad that Madison doesn't mind what her outfit is made out of, she is very practical, but I am reminded of Gone With the Wind, when Scarlet pulled the drapes off the wall to make a new dress… 
We enjoyed the band concert, here are the 7th graders patiently waiting their turn to perform. Our nephew Jesse was recognized for all of the hours of extra work and practice he put in to audition for the honor band. Jesse plays the saxophone, and always puts a lot of effort into anything he is involved in. Way to go Jesse!We got to see family members and friends we hadn't seen in a while. Buddy talked with the president of New Horizon's Bank, the one he built a couple of years ago.
This week has been unsettling with the new roof installation, construction folks climbing overhead. The house has been shaken and pounded on, creating more dust than usual. My office is upstairs and at times I have felt like I am at the dentist, with the loud drilling and hammering. On a lighter note, I heard someone in the living room below, and peeked over the balcony in time to hear him say 'It's not coming through on this side!" a good thing… The crew is surprisingly neat, at the end of every day they put away all their stuff and pick up any debris or trash they might have caused, hauling it off daily on their way home.
I was remembering Buddy's parents, how whenever anyone would be working at or near their house, they would be so hospitable. The Sears repairman would always come near noon because he knew Inez would make fried chicken for him, and Felton even took snacks and cold iced tea to the prisoners who were working on the road. Since I had some extra time, and I had been wanting to try an old recipe from my childhood, I gathered the necessary ingredients and tools and made some cookie bars for the roofing crew. I would say that cookie gun and recipe card both qualify as vintage.We received our email reminder/invitation/signup sheet for our annual holiday family gathering at the old homeplace at Tumbling Waters, now occupied by niece Heidi. Looking forward to the traditions of family and fellowship on Christmas Eve.
I work at home, online, and had the unexpected day off Thursday, because of my computer being down. I told my predicament to my boss, who said two others were also out, one with mono, and the other with a sick horse (note to self - mono and sick horse excuses already used). She suggested getting a backup computer (possibly a laptop), loaded with all the software needed to work, in case my computer goes down again. A good idea, I guess, especially from her viewpoint, and I admit, I have thought of doing this. But the occasional unexpected day off is kinda nice…
We submitted a picture of our waterfalls to the Georgia Geocaching Association for the 2007 calendar. A lot of pictures were submitted, members voted, and ours was one of the selections! The calendar goes to press soon, cool!
Our neighbors up the road happen to be kin (Buddy's sister Sue and her husband Alan), and have their own business. They deserve our thanks for all their help, anytime I want to ship something, I just drop it off next door, UPS picks up daily. Or if I need copies made (like the recent Christmas letter), no problem, no charge! So thanks y'all for everything! Sue and Alan are former educators, and are creators of Muggins Math, check it out!
While I am plugging products, an old friend of the family (sorry, Jim I didn't mean you were old) has a new book out, When Roles Reverse. Jim Comer is a wonderful writer and speaker, and his latest book is about caring for his elderly parents. It combines his great humor with practical advice on parenting your parents, and can be found at Amazon.
Small town perks - We went to pick up my computer at the shop - "I don't have a bill on it yet, the next time you are in town, just stop by and we will settle up then."
After pouring a 4' wide concrete sidewalk at work, Buddy needed to get from one side to the other, and forgetting that he is no longer the agile teenager, he proceeded to try to jump it. The good news is he didn't mess up the concrete, made it over, but the bad news is he hit the ground wrong, went tumbling, and ended up with a sprained ankle.
Never a dull moment around here…
