My misadventures with 2 of our grandkids...

We now have 5 grandkids (2 here near us and 3 over the hill in Temecula).  We don't see the Temecula clan more than once a month, but I drive the 5 year old to kindergarten every morning from daycare and I pick her up Wednesday afternoons when she has an early release day.   We've been to 4 different libraries here in our desert, the local nursery, to Whole Foods (twice), to Gelson's for watermelon (when it was in season), to the car wash (she LOVED IT), and to the Children's Discovery Museum in Rancho Mirage.   This week it was a trip to COSTCO because Nana needed birdseed and coffee.   She pranced and danced all around and people thought she was "adorable".  (Yeah, if they only knew...)   Oh, and we went to the local park too because I had to kill 2 hours until I had to go BACK to daycare and pick up the 2 year old brother...

ANYWAY, she had to try out EVERY SINGLE piece of playground equipment at the park.   Then, she spied the roses as we were leaving and she had to smell EVERY SINGLE ONE.   Then I heard her say, "Nana, come see this BUG!"  By that time, I was exhausted from trying to keep up with her.   So, I shuffled off and yup...there was a beautiful mantis on one of the yellow rose bushes!   It was... HUGE!   So, we had a little lesson about mantises.   It's always good to have a life lesson, eh?

So, this morning she asked, "Is Papa going with us to the Wildlights tonight (at the Living Desert)"?????   HUH?   Um, no.   Papa doesn't care for that kind of thing.   He would prefer to stay home, crank up the portable heater until the house is 90 degrees, and wrap himself up in a blanket.  So, NO, he isn't going.   I told her, "um, no...Papa isn't coming" to which she replied, "Why not?"

Because he is old and tired and CRANKY (and that's what I told her).   So, of course, she asked, "Is he older than YOU?"     (aaaahhhhh...the frankness of 5 year olds)...Yes, by 2 years, but he acts like it is 10.

I need to get him on Vitamin D so that I DO NOT have to suffer him through another winter of SAD (seasonal something disorder) (not enough sunlight)...

In the meantime, Miss Ellie went skipping to school this morning...

Later...
YES!    Our local mountains have SNOW this morning.   I haven't uploaded my photos yet, but I'll do that later.
~Cheryl Ann

Sunflowers~ Our World Tuesday~ November 21, 2018

I forgot to post these, so I'll do so now.   I think we could all use some sunny sunflowers!   I took these photos when the kindergarten granddaughter went on her field trip to Oak Glen.   These are at the Wildlands Conservatory property, right next door to the Los Rios/Riley's Farm apple ranch.

As I went walking up the walkway, I met a woman who had been hiking up in the hills and she remarked, "I just saw a bear up there!"    Oh, my!

Our World Tuesday for November 21, 2018.   To visit OWT, please go to this link:     http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

7 p.m.? WHO stays awake until 7 p.m?

Al, over at Travel with the Bayfield Bunch, wrote about going to bed around 7 p.m. here:

http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2018/11/im-as-tall-as-you-are-now-she-said.html

7 pm?   Who stays up that late?

Hubby and I ate dinner at 5:20 last night.   We ordered chicken tenders and fries from GrubHub and they delivered it within 30 minutes.  We watched 2 episodes of Narcos, 2 of The Last Kingdom, and by that time, I was half asleep.   We still have Sunday's episode of Outlander to watch...maybe tonight. 

The dog and I usually konk out by 8 p.m., although with the time change, it is now 7 p.m.   It's DARK.   It's dark and colder.  And, I can't keep my eyes open much beyond 7 p.m. so when I have to babysit the grand kids until 9:00, I give them their bath and put the 2 year old TO SLEEP by 7:00.   The kindergarten kid usually konks out about 8 p.m. (fortunately)...

I sold 3 journals yesterday, including the writer's journal, which sold within 30 minutes of my posting it on YouTube and ETSY!   YAY!~  I'm going to need that money for my new glasses which I'm going to have to get at COSTCO because I have to pass the eye exam for my drivers' license before my birthday in February.   Has anybody purchased eyeglasses at COSTCO?   I HAVE to do this because I no longer have insurance and I'm NOT driving to Mexico.   HA!~  I may not be allowed back into the US!!!!   Who knows?   Things are so weird right now...

Anyway, please let me know if you have purchased glasses at COSTCO.   I'm going in there next month for the eye exam and glasses...

THANKS!

~Cheryl Ann~

From the mouths of babes...

Miss Ellie, who is now 5 1/2 and in kindergarten, can be quite profound some days.   We have some heavy and serious discussions in the car in the morning during our 7 minute ride from her daycare to her school.

One morning it was this:

"Nana"...

"Yes, Ellie"....

"Is Ripley dead?"   (Ripley was our 11 year old black lab who passed in May)...

"Yes, honey."

"Was she old?"

"Yes, honey."

"ARE YOU OLD?"

...hummm....this is going to take some thinking...

"Not as old as Ripley in human years." (Ripley would have been 77)

"Are you going to die, Nana?"

....oh, the heavy thinking going on here...

"Someday, honey..."

"WHEN?"

(Like she's in a hurry to get rid of me?)

"Well, not today, and hopefully not tomorrow..."

"Like my fish Goldilocks?"   (her goldfish who was found one morning floating in her bowl, upside down...)

"Yes, honey..."

Then it was on to nursery rhymes.

Such are our morning conversations.   I should write a book:  "Conversations with Miss Ellie"...

She CAN be adorable, like when she says, "Nana, I LOVE YOU!"

Awwww.......

I'm thankful for my Thanksgiving break!

I now have 9 days of peace & quiet, since "Miss Ellie" doesn't have to go to school ALL NEXT WEEK!   Thank goodness for Thanksgiving break!   Now I can make coffee and eat my breakfast whenever I want!   And, I won't be losing 90 minutes every morning transporting her to school!   Whoo, whoo!   I'm ready to PARTY!

Not really....sigh...

Grandpa is driving to Temecula for our grandson's last baseball game and I'm staying home with the dog.  It is too exhausting to have to take HIM to the game, walk him, supervise him (he wants to chase every ball that comes over the back stop!)...besides, I was babysitting all afternoon yesterday and until 8 p.m. last night and I'm TIRED (and cranky!)

So, I'll stay home and rest and have some QUIET TIME!   I may even tackle a few piles of stuff out in the living room!   :-)

So, until next time...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

(Miss Ellie in her Pilgrim hat she made at school)...and her music box for SHARE DAY!

SMOKE in our valley

So, as I was driving the kindergarten grand daughter, Miss Ellie, to school this morning (which I do EVERY school morning), I noticed streaks of smoke across the eastern portion of our sky.   It must be smoke from the Fontana/Rialto fire (which I forget the name of...).   How sad to see.  It seems the big fires are now about 35-50% contained and northern California should get some rainfall by Thanksgiving. 

I went to my local WalMart supercenter this morning and asked if they were collecting items for the fire victims.   They said, "NO, just our valley".   They have a drive for the needy here in our valley.  Hmmm...don't the fire victims need items, too?   I think I'll just make a donation to the Red Cross.

Not much going on here.  We don't go anywhere.   Gasoline costs too much.   It was up to $3.89 and $3.99 here, but now it seems to be down to $3.69.   I filled up my car at Sam's Club and paid $3.29 a gallon and saved $6.00 from what I previously paid at our nearby Shell.   Driving Miss Ellie to school every day, I have to fill up my car once a week and, believe me, I keep an eye on gasoline prices!   YIKES!

Just a couple of photos from a few years ago.   I haven't been up to the horses for a month and I doubt I'll get up there until everyone is off school next week.

 Fall leaves up in Garner Valley from a couple of years ago...

Fall leaves up at the ranch from a few years ago.   I haven't seen the leaves yet this year.   That's my gelding, Sunni...

Papers, fabric, lace....oh my!

I usually stay home every day now after taking THE MISS ELLIE to kindergarten.   However, Wednesdays are farmers' market days and I do enjoy walking around the Palm Desert one.   I was sent out last week to purchase the "Beekeeper special" honey that is a mixture of blends and which is supposed to help one's allergies.   Our daughter wanted a bottle of it.   So, off I went.

Tuesdays, after dropping off the kindergartener, I usually stop by Gelsons and get my 10% "locals" discount.   I can only afford to shop there once a week now.  I pick up a pack of beef knuckle bones (usually 2) for the dog and that keeps him busy for a week.   Their produce (I buy organic) is beautiful, so I head over there for lettuce, onions, even zucchini.   They have stuff that the farmers' market doesn't carry too.  And, then I go home.

So, I made 4 Christmas journals and now I'm making 2 boho (Bohemian) style ones.   Maybe even 3...one is a straight boho, one a music themed boho, and the last one will be a writing boho.  I've got piles of fabric and lace all over my table and my sewing machine went through 2 bobbins on Friday!   I need to fill up 5 more!

I DID take time to watch the first 2 episodes of "The Romanoffs".   The first one takes place in Paris and I'm going to watch it again.   I didn't really care for the 2nd one.   It is in Amazon. 

Then yesterday I spent 3 hours catching up on "Outlander" because season 4 starts tonight and I wanted to be caught up.   Phew!   I'm... EXHAUSTED!

Let's see...oh, the puppy jumped up on the bed, turned on our light, and knocked down an old journal (#11) that I made last fall and tore it apart.   I didn't even know he was chewing on it.   So, there goes that one...sigh...I threw what was left of it away.

Not much else doing on.   Here are some pics of my recent journal covers and their insides sticking out all over the place!   I even made a Gertrude Bell journal for sale in my ETSY shop:   https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertsandBeyond?ref=pr_shop_more

 This is my Bohemian one.   I absolutely LOVE all the threads and fabric!

 This one is called "Postcards"...more of a travel theme.

 This is my Gertrude Bell one.   I made it for a journal making challenge.   We were ONLY allowed to use certain items (4 were given and we got to choose 4 more)....It was called a "deserted island" challenge.   I chose Bell because, to me, she is an absolutely fascinating historical figure.   It is in my ETSY shop.

A side view of the "Postcards" one...

If you ever wish to view my You Tube channel with my journals, here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/deserthorses5    I make a video for every journal I make.   It helps me keep a record and I can also see my progress as a journal maker.

Until next time!
~~~~~Cheryl Ann~~~~~