A birthday party!

We gained an hour this morning. Silly practice! We follow the US, as we are dependent upon them for trade.

 

Joseph Brian is having a birthday in 12 days. He recently had his quarterly PSA test, and all is good. He uses hand warmers to get his veins flowing better. They last hours, but take a while to warm up. 

His PSA remains at 0.008 and we continue to watch and wait. This is good news.

The girls were coming over for a sleepover, Papa couldn't make it. Heaven knows the month is only going to get busier for all! 

It was a PD day on Friday, and I had a text from Isabelle. She is such a sweetie. I hope you get a giggle from this!

I had a couple of things planned. We have to clean out the craft dresser. They just are getting older, and their time is much more limited. They found some loot to take home, and we cleaned out the drawers. 

Grampa was ready. He surprised the girls with temporary tattoos, after rolling up his shirtsleeves!Jut for a moment, they believed!

The girls were suitably impressed!

My poor bear is falling apart. Grampa found a bear mask. It works pretty well on Isabelle, although bear is leaking sawdust. 

Bear looks pretty good.

We had fun. Isabelle set the table, and folded napkins. I made my famous meatloaf, and Caitlin had made the cake.

The girls had iced it. I found two #1s and a #4. Izzy decided that if she tilted the #1 it looked like a #7! The dinosaur is spewing sprinkles. Very creative.

No blowing, he used a postcard.

After presents, we moved to the living room. The plan was to watch Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Caitlin had rented the Donny Osmond version from YouTube, so we Chromecast it on the TV and had a good laugh. Caitlin had performed this in 1995 at her high school. She knew a lot of the songs, all these years later. 

What is really fun, is that the drama teacher directing the show, Perry, directed the show in 1995. Josephine is going to work on AV, and there were encouraging words suggesting Isabelle be in the chorus. (Which is what her Momma did.) 

Jos and her girlfriend are designing the advertising poster for the school this afternoon. 

Perry was both my sons' mentor in later high school productions, as all three of my children attended this high school. Here are Jesse (my middle child) and his brother in Pirates of Penzance. This is a photo of the picture, but you get the idea.

Perry and Jesse have kept up a fast friendship. Although, Jesse switched from acting professionally to being a Wealth Estate Manager in Vancouver. At this point, Perry doesn't know that Josephine is related to Jesse! It's rather fun. The show has been cast, and rehearsals are ongoing. 

When we were ready for bed, Nutmeg took her usual place in the guest room. This is where Caitlin was to sleep – and she is allergic to cats! I'd cleaned and removed Nutmeg's bed. She was hustled out.

It was a fun day.

🎂 The Party!

 The kids have only been home since Aug. 11. They are easing into the last of their kitchen renovations, which are coming along. The painting is being done, now, plus some fine touches.

We had two postcards arrive from their trip to New Zealand last week. They take sticky address labels for family, and fire them off during the trip.

While they were there in New Zealand, they spotted an ad. JL found it, and we watched. The little kid looked like Isabelle when she was younger! Don't you agree?! 

🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁

While my post on Summer SAD hit home for many, we found a project for motivation. The kids came over for a visit. It was Caitlin's birthday last Wednesday, and we planned a party. My regular morning show, Your Morning, did a segment on Loot Bags.

a segment on Loot Bags

 I was inspired. JB took the lead, though. He went shopping, we'd brainstormed a few things, but he went all in.

I covered the loot bags with a towel, and put a sign on it!

🎂 I'd made 'crazy cake', AKA cockeyed cake, from Peg Bracken's 1960 cookbook: flour, baking soda, sugar, cooking oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. (No eggs, yeast or dairy, which hubby cannot have!) Instead of baking it in an 8 x 8 pan, I divided the batter and baked it in a pie plate, and a smaller glass dish. I glued them together with strawberry jam. The icing was from Bracken's book: 2 c. icing sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, evaporated milk (or cream) until it is the correct consistency. I popped on tons of sprinkles, to cover up my icing issues, next candles, and a tiara!

I posted this on the family photostream, although the 'cookies' was a lie! Everyone knew that, though. Caitlin made the pasta salad.

They arrived for dinner after work. JL did the chicken on the BBQ for us. 

The girls fired up the cake candles, and we hoped for the best! Now, the joke has been that when Josephine turned 15, I mistakenly kept thinking she was 16. We have held to that tradition, having bought a number 4 and a 5 for the cake. Laughter ensued. Caitlin is only 44!

🎁 The kids brought us a lovely package from New Zealand. Jean, you are amazing. Thank you so much. They had so much fun meeting you! 

Our two families visited the Kiwi Gardens show back in June, prior to their trip. Caitlin hooted out loud when she saw this bird. Also, the Cheshire Cat tickled her fancy. JB drove me back to the show the next day, Sunday, and we bought them both. I sat on this secret since then. It was tough!

 

Saturday morning, we watched the soccer game together.

We said our goodbyes! They have to get ready for their summer camp which begins today at 3 p.m. It was the same camp Caitlin attended back in the day. We took goodbye photos. Isabelle just had a snazzy haircut! 

They had to share the back seat with Caitlin's bird. I suggested she call it Matilda. JL carefully strapped her in, but took up the one seat.

They are at camp for a week. Home a week, and then school begins again! 

The kids were here!

 It was a fun weekend. The kids arrived Saturday afternoon, while JB and I were trying to barricade the  deck. Watching for Fred groundhog, and closing the gap while he was out from under his hidey hole. (P.S. We failed: See yesterday's post!) 

Friday JB had picked up 5 bunches of asparagus for me. Some for dinner, some to pickle. It never occured to me that you should have smaller spears. I took out as many small ones as I could, and pickled two jars. 

Caitlin brought me a beautiful yellow petunia hanging basket. 

📲 I took this ↑photo with my phone. I've been working on mastering it. Caitlin was giving me a primer on my phone. She has the same one. I wanted to use my voice ("Say Cheese!"), and Siri would do that for me. I was training the phone, repeating phrases, and I realized we are an Apple family. I turned on Caitlin's photo app, and turned on JB's Siri on his iPad. Our voices are all very similar. Josephine can do make Siri work on Caitlin's phone, as well. 

JL had a nap, while JB and we girls watch Jeopardy Masters, which he'd taped all week. Izzy and I blew up their mattress, and retaped the hole. I think we need a new one. It deflated over the afternoon. I ordered a new one. They are marvellous. Ours dates back to 2021, during the height of COVID Gramma Camp, and it served us well. The girls are coming back next weekend, the long weekend.

 

Isabelle took a walkabout with Grampa, they were looking at the tree damage. These are their favourite climbing trees.

What a lovely visit they had! She is as tall as her older sister, now.

Isabelle & Grampa walkies from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

JL was the chef, he is excellent, and we had two lovely pork tenderloins, marinated in citrus. I cooked up two bunches of asparagus in the frypan, and JL roasted some small potatoes.

It was Isabelle's birthday last weekend. For dessert, Grampa bought us a cake, and we had a party. Grampa used his special dragon's head lighter! Isabelle has always been a fan of dragons.

Ever since I made the mistake over Josephine's 16th 15th birthday, it has been a running joke. Isabelle was 13 last weekend. We had giggles.

Grampa wrote this lovely message for our Izzy. She is loved. 

Sunday morning, Cinnamon decided it was time for attention at 5:30 a.m. He began by sharpening his claws on my wicker-framed mirror. Next, he climbed to the top of it. It is NOT attached to the wall, as it is the wrong size. I tried, but couldn't attach it to the door. 

 

JL made us some lovely buns with chocolate inside for breakfast! 

Goodbyes were said. Off they went home to get ready for another busy week! 

🐍 A couple of days ago, I went down to the dock and found two water snakes making out. It's too bad it wasn't when Josephine was here, as she loves reptiles and amphibians! They took off into the water.

snakes from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.