Pre-Thanksgiving Visit

I had the most wonderful weekend in I.F.! Melinda and Danny picked me up Wednesday evening and we went back for Book Club at Misty's. Her house is beautifully different than most houses in the neighborhood, with a wide open plan based on angled walls and unexpected built ins and huge windows. Book Club was as interesting and enlivening as it usually is, based on Misty's pick, Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan. We learned that Tan's best book is The Joy Luck Club, or at least the one most highly recommended. Thurs. afternoon, Melinda took the two girls and me to Michael's, for a couple of hours of looking. It was so crowded! They have much better merchandise than they used to have, and I enjoyed looking around at one quarter of the store. : ) They have caught the vision of KandCo products (hallelujah!), and I bought some of their magnificent diecuts for $3.99 (but with 50% off coupon, so $2). And something else for the same price, but I forget what. Melinda also gave me some of their diecuts that she had leftover from some invitation making. Woohoo! (Not 'Woot!' - that's just annoying.) The kids have been waking up at night since the time change. They also wake up around 6 a.m., so Melinda hasn't been getting much sleep and Alaina's been tired and cranky and Emme is tired and teething, so they changed Tristan's bedroom while I was there. Now he's downstairs in the little area by Alex's bedroom. I think he thinks it's cool, with his little rug and bed and so on. Now he and Alaina won't keep each other up or wake each other. I hope it works out! So far, so good. Friday night Kattie and Haley and Hunter and Linda and Ben and Josh (Ben and Josh left later that evening) came over and we visited and at tatertot casserole and salad, and Kattie brought leftover Halloween candy and Haley brought hot cocoa, and we visited and sewed circle/scrunchie barrettes and watched Young Victoria, which everyone liked. Kattie and Haley and Hunter stayed the night, and Haley missed lots of sleep watching so that Hunter didn't wake up. They left the next a.m., and we all agreed that it had been so enjoyable! (Megan, we talked about wishing you were there with us! But we enjoyed the candy for you. ; ) Saturday, in the later afternoon (after I dozed all day), Justin went with Danny and Mel's family and me to Sam's Club, where we tasted as much food as possible and wandered around. I got a summer sausage and the Campbell/Cripe household stocked up a little on groceries. I enjoyed that a bunch. Afterwards, Justin drove me home. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had Leto with me, inside the house or cars, the whole time. Even tho it was inconvenient to the Campbell's, they were very patient and everyone liked the fact that I could stay longer with Leto there with me. We took his bin of dog food with us, and he was so good with the kids. He went on a couple of rides/walks with Melinda and Linda, and he had a ball doing that sort of thing. He also liked being outside with Alex, or with Danny and Melinda while they raked leaves. Leto went on a walk with Linda at night, delivering something to a neighbor. How fun for him! And Linda probably felt safer with him along. Justin, Leto, and I rode back to our house in Danny and Melinda's Crown Victoria, which was a cop car. It rode so smoothly, and I loved the experience. So, thank you all for helping Leto and I have such an enjoyable outing, for visiting with us and plowing through the inconveniences and taking us to stores and fixing meals and cleaning up and hauling me in and out of houses and cars and watching a great movie together. It was good for me and for us! And thank you to my readers, too! Happy Thanksgiving time! xoxoxo xoxoxo