ANOTHER BABY ON THE WAY

Back when I was teaching,

 I featured my Art Assistant Alyssa Olea often. 

First as my Ceramics student, 

then T.A.,

and she actually came back after she graduated High School

and assisted me a few days a week as her second job 

while putting herself thru college.  

I featured her wedding to her High School sweetheart Lucien Morales 

here

but what I haven't shared yet is that they are pregnant.

The baby is due soon in December and for her shower I gifted her a baby sweater

 I had knit several years in this post.

Back when I posted about it I thought it was destined for my step daughter Julie,

but she seems to only produce boys and she and hubby have decided NO more.

And since my daughter Dani had a boy I thought it was time to let it fly away.

The original post of it is much brighter and nicer if you are interested. 

So anyways, 

 I'm super excited to see this on her little girl.

Probably won't be till later in 2024 as it is for a 3 month old or so.

I'll keep you updated when I receive that pix. 

Besides the yummy Noro yarn I used from Japan, 

my favorite part of the sweater were the antique buttons

 from my husbands mothe 's button box.

Her family called her Cappy. 

I never got to meet Cappy but her son tells me she sewed all her own clothes 

and was quite the fashion plate and as well as a character.

I love that !

HOLIDAY BLESSINGS

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

There is so much to be Thankful for on this home front with the birth of our grandson and Jim and Inars continued good health and recovery. 

Once again thanks to all of you who have emailed, and asked about the baby.

 Is he here yet?

Oh my, YES!!

Little guy Easton arrived on October 11 at 12:15 a.m., 4 weeks early, but weighing in already at 6 pds. 1oz. and 19 inches long.  My daughter Dani had a very easy delivery once she asked for that epidural, and was able to push him out in less then 15 minutes.  I had the extreme pleasure of watching him being born, a brand new experience for me, and mom and dad wanted me to cut his cord.  They didn't want a glimpse of any of that down there.  LOLOL

How lucky for me!!

First time Easton is meeting mommy and daddy.

Tiny but perfect in everyway, he has brought a whole new HUGE love to our family.  I have never felt this kind of joy before, and if I miss over 2 days of not seeing, holding and sniffing him, I need an Easton fix.

Luckily he is only 20 minutes away.

All cleaned up after his birth!

Dad taking charge right away.

Damn I love that!!!!

Meeting Grandma Deb and Grandpa Inars (my ex) for the first time.

Snuggling with mom

on the same day of Easton's birth in the afternoon, 

with tons of visitors popping in and out of the hospital room.  

Check out how large those newborn clothes are on him.

I was such a scared and timid mother with my first born Zach,

 never having babysat and knowing next to nothing about babies 

(no Google or Instagram at that time).

My mother was close by my side for a good week

as I was so overwhelmed.

 But Easton's mom and dad have taken to it like bees to honey.  

They aren't lowering their voices, the dogs are barking,

 and those loud noises don't seem to bother Little E at all. 

 

Day two of E's life and he's ready to leave the hospital.

They get the parents in and out quickly these days.

And what a cutie he is, so tiny in that big car seat!

In a lot of his pix you will see his right hand on his face.

His fingers are extra long and his feet are big for one so small.

Humm, baseball player like dad?  

First day home and in his crib.

You can see how even though he is stretched out here his clothes are just too big.

 So off to the store and a few preemie outfits found.

Home in his room with mom in their rocker for the first time.

Because so many women are pumping and have excess milk these days,

 it's really nice that the hospital

 gives the parents enough donated breast milk until mom's comes in.

I have no recollection of that when I left the hospital.

Easton sleeps thru everything,

I just can't get over that.

And he is such a good baby, 

so far he only cries when he is getting his diaper or clothes changed.

  

He thrives in very noisy places

 like watching his daddy play his weekly night baseball games,

 or watching dad bowl each week with the guys.

Just sleeps right thru everything and never makes a peep.

Dan takes him everywhere,

even going with mom to get her toes done

(she can actually she them again, haha!)

 Of course he loves being held,

swaddled,

 is a hearty burper and pooper, 

and really enjoys his stroller buggy rides with this grandma! 

 And to top it off,

he loves a party. 

On his 2nd day home he was off to a family party with his dads side of the family, meeting his cousins, uncles, aunts and great grandma Irene.

Step grandpa, Pop pop, fell in love with the little guy instantly

and is looking a bit like Jay Leno here.

It is so fun seeing the wonder on everyone's face as they meet Easton

or hold him.

I keep wondering what he will call me. 

 I'm kind of hoping for Mimi,

 that is what Jim's grandsons call me.  

Or maybe he will come up with a special sounding name.  

It's all good.

My son and daughter-n-law came up from L.A. in the Valley,

 brand new Auntie and Uncle,

to meet Easton and spend an afternoon with him and the new parentals.

His doggos are so over the moon in love with him,

 Granger, Tatum, and Kepler.

Kitty Lily is still not so sure.

Here are two of them on their way home from grandpas

 to met the baby for the first time.  

It was such a delight to watch that. 

 Just stretched my heart even more. 

 The dogs went crazy happy when they saw him 

and all wanted to give him sniffs and kisses.  

 Tatum has identified herself as his second momma in charge of many kisses,

 as well as face and neck clean up of any milk that has escaped 

down his chin and around his neck.  

Granger and Kepler are his constant companions and watchdogs 

who follow mom and dad from room to room with him

or lay by the bassinette while he naps. 

Mom,

 who gained 40 pds and worked out everyday while pregnant,

has lost 30 of it already,

 but shared with me today that she's struggling with those last 10.

I told her not to worry, 

she looks amazing and it will eventually come off.

And she is already back at the gym which is great for me because I get to babysit.

Dad had 3 weeks off but went back to work last week.

The minute he walks in the door he goes straight to the little guy

and smothers him with love and kisses.

Honestly I have never seen a dad take to a baby the way he does.

Just warms my heart.

These are two of my favorite photos so far in his bacon and egg preemie outfit.

In the top one my daughter captured one of his very first smiles.

The bottom is fresh out of the bath with his hair still slightly wet

and ready for bed.

I've gotten to watch a few of his bath videos and they melt my heart.

We continue to pray for our country and the peoples of the world, 

and are hoping peace will come soon for the many war torn countries.

  These are heartbreaking times for so many, 

so this year we are extra thankful and am feeling so very blessed 

to be here safe and snug in our beautiful community and home.

Wishing all a wonderful Holiday Season and Peace on Earth.

MY BABY IS HAVING A BABY

Dani and Aaron's birth announcement

I've been over the moon for several months now 

since I found out my daughter Dani is pregnant.

She is a bit more then half way baked now 

and due on her brother's birthday in November.

Dani, my ex Inars, and Zach on Father's dad

And on the 4th of Julie her boyfriend Aaron proposed to her,

 so we are having the wedding next week.

Seems like it's all going so fast.

It also seems like I've been waiting for this forever,

and it's a dream come true.

And I've been creating and collecting baby goodies 

since before my son was born 34 years ago,

so you can imagine what she will have to choose from. 

My son and his wife are still vacillating about whether they want to have a child.

Of course I'm hoping that this baby, 

when "he" comes,

 will push them over that edge.

And yes,

its a BOY!

He has been doing acrobatics in her tummy 

since the first time we all saw him at her sonogram.

He is super active, 

and I'm pretty sure he is going to give her a run for her money

Ha ha!

All of us couldn't be more delighted to welcome

Easton Dexter David to our family.

I'm gonna be a grandma

Woot woot!!!!!!

My heart is full.

ITS A DOGS WORLD HERE

This 4th was especially hard on 2 of our pups.

Our dog Sophie above,

  hiding in garage under Jim's desk with his sweater covering her.

She never came out till it was time to go to bed at 3:00a.m.

And below we have one of Danielle's pups,

Miss Tatum,

 who is a huge scarrdy cat.

Danie was at a party so my ex, son, Jim and I babysat her.

She felt safest last night in my son's arms with her protective & snug sweater on.

We had an unusually loud night full of locals firing off their fireworks

from about 8 till after midnight.

Maybe because of the full moon,

not sure why,

 but it was pretty awful for the dogs.

Our poor babies.

STILL HERE

4th of July Rose at cabin this week

Lost a window pane in this years snowfall.

I think I'll break them all out, looks way better.

Ha!

Happy 4th all!

Don't give up on me,

I'll return hopefully this week with lots of news.

A LONG TIME COMING

SELF-PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

mixed media

Haven't posted artwork from my ex-students in a while,

but these pieces have been on my mind since 2017-2018.

These works are by 3 of the most talented kiddos I ever worked with.

All High School seniors in 2018.

The assignment was to do a Self-Portrait 

in any 2-D medium they felt most comfortable in.

Each final work is truly remarkable

and I'm thrilled I finally got around to showcasing them.

This was their last assignment of the year for me.

We begin with Sarah Oh,

a young woman headed off to art school

 (she might have graduated by now),

accepted into Art Center in Pasadena.

Over the years and even after she graduated from Whitney,

we kept in touch and I continued to show off her pieces.

Sarah excelled in both the 2-D and 3-D realms.

Sadly over Covid we lost touch.

If you put Sarah's name in my search engine you can she most all her pieces 

for me and beyond.

First of all,

I love where Sarah chose to work from,

the classroom floor.

Here she was able to prop up a piece of mirror as well as her canvas.

She created her portrait in Acrylics.

What I just noticed for the first time in this photo below

 is she has reversed her image from what she is seeing in the mirror.

Or maybe it just seems so in the photograph.

Not sure??

When Sarah was in my classes,

she frequently brought over top her main subjects images of animals,

a secondary content for the viewer to ponder.

What I find so visually appealing about her Portrait 

are the harsh cast shadows she put in.

I love that she chose to use violet and blue/gray tones.

And that she chose a canvas that was more vertically inclined than most.

An exceptional work Sarah.

I miss you and hope you are doing amazing things!

One of my favorite things about all 3 of these works are the close-ups.

I love to see the brushstrokes, color mixing & blending, plus the fine details.

Here are Tiffany Chen and Mary Kim.

Just look at the concentrated focus one needs 

to pull off something this difficult.

Both girls worked from current photographs.

Interesting that Mary chose to prop hers up 

while Tiffany laid hers on the table.

What do I recommend?

Usually by propping up your photo helps the image from distorting

and keeps it looking more 3-D.

By laying it down sometime shapes can become distorted.

But I've always believed in letting the kids choose what works best for them.

I only did 2 self-portraits in my lifetime,

one in Pencil (from a mirror in college) and one in Acrylic 

(from my High School photograph).

I hated the subject matter,

ha ha,

and completing them was like pulling teeth.

But I did because I was being graded on both.

Mary,

like Sarah,

 chose to deepen her shadows with warm tones that are so rich.

And I adore her color choices for the background blanket.

The aqua compliments her warm skin tones.

Mary is also working in Acrylic, 

but you can see her style is so much different than Sarah's.

Mary has watered down her paint so that it almost comes off as Watercolor.

Acrylic can be a very versatile medium.

Just lovely Mary!

And we end with Tiffany.

In her photo,

the lens of the camera caught an additional image in its refection.

Tiffany could have left it out,

but I'm so glad she chose to keep it.

Like Sarah,

she has chosen to give the viewer a real treat.

But I know it had to be killer hard to deal with.

But in most all Tiffany's works she does love to challenge herself,

always pushing to be her very best.

Tiffany has an incredible work ethic and headed to Art Center as well.

Couldn't be prouder!!

Of course the close up is amazing to see.

If you look closely you will note that she has chosen to bring Colored Pencils 

over top the Watercolor to help with the cast shadows.

This also brings delicious texture to her portrait.

Another superb piece!

As I look back at these girls and their Portraits,

I know I was very blessed to work with such incredible talent.

What a wonderful job I had,

to love going to work everyday to this.

I still miss it so much.

Special Note:

I looked for all 3 girls on LinkedIn and found 2.

Both Tiffany and Sarah graduated with top honors from Art Center in 2022,

and are now Illustrators and Motion Designers.

Wow!!!

One proud teacher!

PAST DUE

I've been meaning to post some of my dear friends knitwear for ages now,

but if you follow this blog

 you know I've not been present a whole lot lately. 

So many wonderful distractions that I can't wait to post 

now that I have permission.

Hee hee!

In the meantime, 

Whitney High Science Teacher Aileen Perry

has been joining me for almost 4 years now this June or July,

coming faithfully every Tuesday night learning so many of the fiber arts.

But the one she enjoys the most is knitting.

She has now reached the point that she can take on any pattern and figure it out.

With circulars, double pointed or just plain old knitting needles.

She has made so many delightful gifts for family, friends and co-workers.

The list is long.

Here are a few recent ones.

The gorgeous pair of socks above, and the spectacular lap blanket below.

I'm so proud and thrilled for her.

She has even gotten to the point where she can modify the pattern

 as she did in this blanket

 to add even more pattern changes and interest then it called for.

On her recent trip to Alamitos Bay Yarn Co. in Long Beach Ca.,

she shot me a pix of her latest purchase from Red Fish Dye Works.

This is a company that dyes their own yarns

 and their colors are so rich and beautiful.

I wonder what she will create next?

Stay turned!

THE BIG SNOW OF 2023

So it all started like this

while walking the dog and picking up her poop next a palm tree.

What's this?

Snow???

No way!

In my lifetime it's only snowed in Southern California 2 other times 

that I can think of,

the non mountainous areas that is.

And as we kept walking more came down,

on roof tops and parked cars.

Such a novelty,

and our pup Sophie loved it!

We had heard it was going to snow in our mountains

 but had no idea it was going to come down to us here in Anaheim Hills.

We are anywhere between 410 to 745 feet in elevation.

So I texted our neighbor Rebecca who lives below our cabin 

and she said it was snowing like she's never seen before!

She is a fifty something Army veteran 

who grew up in Crestline

 and said she had never seen it snowing so hard there.

Crestline is at 5000 feet,

the lowest elevation of all the mountain towns in So.Cal.,

but apparently the hardest hit.

Luckily she had she son there with her.

She said she heard trees falling and branches breaking.

Thank goodness her home survived.

The next day on the TV news channels, 

we heard that our only grocery store,

Goodwin and Sons in Crestline,

 had it's entire roof collapse.

Another store,

 our only hardware store's roof collapsed as well.

Oh no!!

And the roads were blocked and no one could get in or out.

It took Rebecca and her grown son

3 days to shovel themselves out of their front door

to get to their car.

And it was completely buried in snow.

But still no one could drive their cars 

because there was even too much snow for the plows.

She measured her snowdrift at over 6ft. tall.

So many were stuck with no food, heat, medicines or mail service.

Rebecca could not get her medicines.

I think they were eventually helicoptered in.

Goodwin Market in 1946

Goodwin and Sons in 2023 before the Big Storm came in

Ariel view of  it's collapsed roof

Demolition began after most of the snow melted

For days after the storm and collapse,

Goodwin and Sons,

Crestline's family owned grocery since 1946,

 was giving away undamaged food and other necessities for free

to anyone who could get into town.

This was an all in one store,

 complete with not only groceries,

but an old time soda fountain and candy shop, fishing supplies, gift shop,

mountain gear and house hold necessities.

I can't even image the cost of all they lost in this disaster.

Townsfolk were distributing the freebies to neighbors who couldn't get into town.

Our dear friend Chris,

 who lives up in Crestline full time,

knew the storm was coming so he went down the mountain to Costco

and bought $400 worth of food for himself the day before it started.

Thank goodness because 2 of his close neighbors were without heat or food.

They were barely able to walk thru the snow to get to his cabin

and he invited them to stay in his one bedroom place.

So for two weeks he feed them

and he said they watched a lot of movies.

Couldn't do much of anything else.

Chris loves to entertain.

He grew up in his parent's Victorian Bed & Breakfast in Seattle Washington,

and helped run the place for years.

Meanwhile,

back at our little cabin...

Driveway in front of our cabin and big lump of snow on the right is our Jeep

a week after the Big Storm when Rebecca was able to walk up to our cabin 

she took these pictures for us.

My little art studio with a wall of snow against window

Zach with little sis Danielle

Of course my own children were living it up in Mammoth,

a popular ski resort for Southern Californians.

Picture above was a couple of weeks before the Big Snow hit.

And this pix was taken during the storm.

My son and his wife drove thru the blizzard to ski that weekend.

Crazy kids!

When they got done skiing 

and went to find their car it was completely hidden in the snow.

Ha ha!

A good month and a half  later Jim and I finally ventured up 

to try to start our Jeep.

We were really surprised that the soft top hadn't buckled as well.

But it was sopping wet inside.

YUCK!

We did a bit of shoveling so we could back it up and get the battery going again.

But of course it was deader then a doornail.

 We also noticed right away that the yard was a total disaster.

Many downed trees and large branches,

but my dear Camellias survived with their buds ready to open.

How about that?.

Thank goodness there were no leeks inside the place.

Just the pilot light inside had blown out.

An easy fix.

But then we had another revolting development.

When we headed into town for a new battery,

we had a bit of a misstep,

more like a slip and slide into a 6 foot snowbank

 with Jims classic Mustang Convertible,

his boy toy.

Yes another accident!

I wasn't driving,

thank goodness,

 and I had on my seatbelt.

Can't say the same for my significant other.

Some of us don't learn our lessons.

And it was an expensive one.

We had to be towed all the way back to Orange County 

and it was $12 a mile.

Let's see,

with tax it came out to about $450.

Yep.

With an overweight 40 lb. pup in our lap between us,

we squished into the cab of the tow truck.

It was quite a picture.

Sadly our Insurance Co. won't pay to repair this gorgeous car 

that my husband has taken such loving care of.

It was going to cost them too much so they are totaling it 

and giving us a bit above Kelly Blue book for it.

Jim had just put in a brand new engine last year.

I thought he was going to cry.

Oh yea,

and then this happened a couple of days later.

We went back up with our one remaining vehicle,

my VW convertible,

to put in a new battery in the Jeep, 

but that made no difference.

The starter was frozen or something so AAA to the rescue again!

When it rains it pours that's for sure!

And hear we are today,

back to our bedroom community of Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills, 

looking into the distance at our beloved mountains.

 This one is the San Gabriel Range and Mt. Baldy.

P.S.  Went to cabin again today to pick up our repaired Jeep.

It was just some loose wiring.

Probably a little critter climbed up to shelter itself from the storm.