Moving Right Along with Kelly

Playing Around with some new brushes

2012-01-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

Finally some time to play! I got an artist care package from my bro this week, including some super sweet new brushes. I've been busy at work... and then have been working on bringing order to the chaos in my life (cleaning house). Thanks to Martin Luther for some time to play!

First I needed to find something fun to paint. I love magazines, because someone has already arranged things artistically and taken a photo. I pulled out one of my magazines and focused on the bunch of flowers in this cover:

Although admonished early on by my mother to never show the origin of an idea or painting, I am including this so that you can see that ideas can come from all sorts of places, including magazine shots. Because I am "the artist" I can include as much or as little detail from the original photo as I choose.

I made a sketch of what I wanted to paint using a Pilot drawing pen, sort of a sharpie with a fine point. I used my sketch book, which is large, has ok paper, but not really true watercolor paper. No paper magic here! This means I won't be able to truly abuse the paper by scrubbing or lifting. This also means that I won't be able to saturate the paper with water beforehand in the big areas to get a more even application of color. Nope, it's rather like the painting with watercolors that we did back in the fifth grade:

I don't always sketch in pen, because it gives the final painting a "coloring book" feel to it, but when I am doing a group of studies, I often include one done in even heavier pen to block out the main shapes.

Here are my brushed and paintbox. I know, most watercolorists have bigger palettes, but I like to keep it small and portable. I put dabs of similar paint in the corners of the pans, so each 1/2pan has about four or five colors to offer and then there are the dabs in the corners of the mixing areas. The new brushes are black handled. One golden scepter (green handle) is included for comparison:

Ok, I know, I know... I will take the Christmas tablecloth off the dining room table TODAY!

The first color is laid down:

I think that the final leaves will be more mono-chromatic. I was playing with the different greens.

Background color is added:

Adding the blue background color really makes the white flowers 'pop'.

Painting progresses:

More definition to the leaves and the bottom background. I'm not satisfied with the print of the leaves on the background print, but I was surprised that the thicker new brushes come to a point thin enough to provide the violet line on the background print.

...and more:

Of the three flowers I like the one in the foreground the best. The one on the right, eh! If I was using better paper I would lift it and start over! ::laugh::: But hey, it's just playing around, right?

Now I am a point where I need to let it rest and dry before I can add more detail.

Post Christmas

2011-12-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

What's in your Moleskine?

Here's a painting from a sketch that I made while waiting at Center for Spiritual Enlightenment. The altar is off to the side of the sanctuary and there were beautiful hollyhocks in the arrangement. I used a new paintbrush and was surprised by it's wetness capacity.

A painting of the pinecone cup on top of the brown cappucino cup on the kitchen table:

An unfinished painting of a creche porcelain box sitting on top of the cookie cooler on the kitchen table. Everything gets jumbled up when you are busy making cookies and preparing for Christmas!

From my mixed media sketchbook: a sanguine charcoal drawing of our Christmas tree:

A sketch of the gourds left over from Thanksgiving:

Sharing my sketch journal (Thanksgiving weekend)

2011-11-27T01:11:00.001-08:00

My sketch Journal....
I usually start by drawing something in my life, then painting it and writing a little something. I started doing something like this in Colorado and found a nice sketchbook that follows this philosophy. Only one problem, the magic of the paper.... well, the paper is not watercolor paper, needless-to-say, it not the best solution. It's ok, but not fantastic!!

Thanksgiving pumpkins: our post dinner art project

Our China Cabinet: true love at first sight

At the kitchen table, teacup on top of salsa

Diet cola... mmmmmmnnn!

you know how much I love a cup with a saucer!

a new coffeemaker to replace the Breville...

So glad to be feeling better after be sick for so long!

Shell Painting

2011-11-18T13:19:00.001-08:00

I bet you've grown awful tired of the pears!
Finally some time to paint... and energy to do so!
I have had about four weeks of an awful cold. It would get somewhat better, then come again full force. It sure upped my gratitude quotient! Now I am so grateful to wake up with energy and glad to be able to go to work and... well everything!

Just before she went back to Colorado for a month, my momma gave me this beautiful shell where she had planted a couple of succulents. It sits on my kitchen shelf and radiates pink loving kindness.

Here is a pencil sketch on drawing paper:

and a better painting of it:
This is the LAST sheet of a book of watercolor paper. I find that first and last sheets are particularly auspicious. Don't worry, I have tons more paper, but this one is now destined to the bookshelf... a tiny time capsule of 2011.

As we cruise into Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the blessings of paint, water, paper, pencil, ink, air, and time.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

2011-10-22T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope it's been another great week for everyone.
I had a week where my health was "on-edge"... you know the feeling. You come home over-tired and can't really think about what you want to cook for dinner. You end up eating something dodgy and watching really stupid television programs. On Thursday, I could feel my nose and eyes start to run something fierce. I made it home and tumbled into bed... full-fledged cold upon rising on Friday. So, I've spent the major part of the weekend in bed, reading and sleeping, drinking copious amounts of fluids and not really missing "the real world". This afternoon, I pried myself out of bed and went out for a real lunch. Feeling blessed by such a warm and generous afternoon, I sat out on the patio and painted for awhile. Here are the results:

I laugh at this one. My brother and I are always have esoteric talks about "the magic of the paper" and such... the paper clearly took over in this painting, I'm not sure if it was magic..

Here is a left-over from last week: Three pears at different times of the day... I was playing with a sheet of "samples" from Daniel Smith. They sell you a paper with little dabs of paint and of course you fall in love with them and buy a whole tube. Chrinochrome violet is the name of this background purple... I've put it on my "buy" list!

I have a sitting buddha on my fence, just off the patio. I can't see his detail, so I tend to paint his shape:
The Mexican Sage has just started to recover from the firm whacking that Rez gave them at the end of the summer. The flowers are starting to reappear to the delight of the two hummingbirds who both think they own this patch:

A blue cup and a mineola tangergine. What could be more perfect for an afternoon? The background is one of those paints that Pat sent me for my birthday:
Ok, you know how much I love pears! Here is the tangerine and the pear... Wait until the gourds appear at the grocery store!

Thank you for walking through this week's painting with me. I hope next week will be Wonderful!

Sunday, October16, 2011

2011-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

I hope you are not tired of pears!
I did some painting before church today...
and the pear was joined by an orange.
I like to think of them as sitting in companionable meditation together:

Pardon my fingers, I still haven't found the battery charger for the camera, so I am having to take photos using the internal camera on my computer. Here the pear and the orange sit, but the orange is showing off his label:

The orange sits behind the pear like a glowing sunset, peaceful, yet colorful. You can tell that I am enjoying the watercolors that my brother sent me for my birthday! Wow! The yellow is bright and the watercolors are almost sticky with pigment:

Here is a slightly larger pear with some surface and details:

Finally a Chance to Play!

2011-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Pat got me so most delicious new Daniel Smith watercolors for my birthday. I have been wanting to paint with them something fierce, but it has been a busy two weeks (like you wouldn't believe!! --but busy good, if you know what I mean!

Today I finally got a chance to break out the paper and the paints... drawing, sketching...

drawing, sketching...

...and finally painting a little bit!!

I love October pears, they are truly gifts from God. They are sweet beyond belief and they let us know that it is time to get ready for Winter (which is full of it's own gifts!). I was going to paint two pears, but one of them didn't make it to the patio... mmmmm! I brought out another espresso cup to sketch... it has a delicate blue flower incorporated in an art deco pattern. Mom and I found this cup in an antique store in Salinas when we visited Steinbeck's Museum (a very worthwhile trip).

Sweet Thoughts: October 1, 2011 sketchbook

2011-10-01T12:43:00.001-07:00

A most beautiful day today...
great to sit out on the patio and sketch:

Just a warning: I have cakes on my mind today,
not just because my birthday is sneaking up on me,
but because I volunteered to be the cake baker for our sunshine club at work
-- yes, everyone deserves a cake on their birthday!
Here's a strange fact: three people in our little school were born on the same day!
Just like me, Mary Lou Bilbao and Keith Brown!
cake obsession rears it's sweet head:

Did I mention CHOCOLATE cake?!

As a break from cake, Zaybel is performing his kitty yoga
quite spectacular the way he twists to get that last burr from between his toes!

...and I am still working on my series of petroglyphs,
these are from the wall between Moonflower Canyon and Birthing Rock:

Here's hoping that you are having a spectacular October day...

Love you, Kelly

Bonus Post: Some Summer Paintings

2011-09-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

While cleaning some in the office, I ran across a watercolor book that I used this summer and it had some paintings from this summer. I share them with you:

Inspired from the petroglyph wall in Moab:

A larger "Jumbo Lake" from up on Grand Mesa:

A wildflower sketch from my day trip to Land's End:

Ahhhh! Good times this summer! I got word that Mom and Dad and Mikie Sue and Camieh drove out to Sego Canyon and enjoyed the petroglyphs there. I'm so glad that they got to see that area that really blew my mind. There are SO MANY petroglyphs there, from three different eras... spectacular!

Espresso Cup Friday

2011-09-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a lonnnnng week,
not what I would can especially hard,
but I've been fighting a cold:
you know the drill
sore throat, stuffy nose, lack of energy
I don't drink coffee at home during the week,
which makes it all the sweeter when I can have espresso
in my bright orange cup.
I pulled it out to the patio to do some painting:

the blue handles of my paint brush
and the colors of my paintbox drew my interest:

the Buddha statue on the fence
cast a long shadow
a study in contrasts
beige against the weathered grey wood.

Finally, the sketches in my copy of Ellen Grace O'Brien's
"Live in the Soul: 90 Blessings in 90 Days: How to Live in the Soul"
These are my days fifty-six and fifty-seven:

I hope that your week was spectacular!
I was home sick on Tuesday
and on Wednesday I brought posole, cornbread and chocolate cake
as my contribution for the monthly teacher luncheon.
You'd be surprised at how motivating food is!
Thursday I went to check out San Jose State's Communicative Disorders Department
and was immediately brought back to the days of "clinic" and "clients" and professors!
Some things never change!
Mom and Dad are still in Colorado,
I talked to them yesterday and they seem to be enjoying themselves!
Happy Friday!

Moleskine Japanese fold album 9/18/2011

2011-09-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

This week in my sketchbook:

Here is a sketch of one of my students reading:

My ipad allows me to look at stills from video.
One of my students is quite the reader, but needs absolute concentration.
I am a firm believer that everything in life depends on how you hold your mouth!

This summer's work:
I have always admired the Japanese Fold Moleskine,
but never had a project worthy of buying it

until this summer's adventure:

Jumbo Lake

Mount Garfield

Land's End

Sego Canyon

The Monitor and Merrimac

Moonflower Canyon

The road to Moab

The road to birthing rock

I really love this little book
and intend to finish it with some other vistas.
One drawback is that it is not watercolor paper,
so some of the "magic" of watercolor is lost.

Painting on the patio: 9/2/2011

2011-09-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

I spent some good time in my vacation painting and I am determined to continue to draw daily and paint at least once a week.

Here are two studies that I painted of "home":

The first, a composition of lemonade glass, ink bottle, sketchbook, and pencil:

The second is the fence and cedars that line our patio:

I found this technique of using the sharpie-drawn studies to block out some of the shapes and values before attempting a more delicate rendering.

Well, that's it for now!

your Kelly

Opera at the Ballpark!

2010-09-25T13:23:00.001-07:00

Opera the the AT&T Park, 2010
How can you beat Aida?
You can't.
Don't even try!

Luckily, this year, Camieh and I took the train from Mountain View.
We got to the ballpark in time to use our early-entrance tickets.
It was a good thing, too, because there was definitely more people this year than last.
Do you think that this increased attendance is due to the warm weather or because people are grooving on opera in unusual places, such as movie theaters?

We got great seats! Because we got there early, we had plenty of room. The harvest moon was low between and over the palm trees. The weather was balmy and smell of garlic fries wafted through the ballpark.

We ate garlic fries and popcorn. Camieh came with her Giants regalia, making a costume change halfway through to her "Opera at the Ballpark" long-sleeve tee-shirt. The line for the bathroom was humongous, but ok, sometime you just have to wait in line.

The opera was gorgeous. I loved the way that a huge puppet-like elephant carried Radames onto the stage during the procession. All the voices were strong and exceptional. It was a truly magical evening.

The ride home started with a long wait at the train station, but we managed to get seats for the ride back to Mountain View, but not together. I sat next to Amit Sawhney (he gave me his card). He was not in SF for opera, but for San Francisco Cocktail Week. He had been at a venue that was highlighting pisco, a peruvian alcohol. It was an interesting ride home.

Because we caught the last train, we got to Mountain View at about 1am.... My goodness! A night at the OP-ER-AH!!! (at the ball park!)

In the Therapy Room: How the Disney Princess Commute to Work

2010-09-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

One of my clients is REALLY in the Disney Princesses.
She can name everyone of them... which she does,
then she asks for the "car". She stuffs them into the car and picks Julie to drive:

Cindy(rella) likes it b/c she can grab a few winks on the way:

Everytime we do this, I have to stiffle the giggles...
this is serious work for the young lady!

So much fun!

Tea at SFMOMA - sculpture garden

2010-09-19T19:33:00.001-07:00

After remembering our ancestors at CSE today,
my sister and I decided to head to San Francisco and hit an art museum.

Lucky for me, we picked SFMOMA. My sis brought me in on a guest ticket
and we saw two AMAZING exhibitions (Calder to Warhol and New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape).

I hadn't been to the rooftop garden yet, so we decided to have tea there.
Mikie had the tea tisane (lemon and basil):

and I had a cafe mocha (and ice cream sandwich):

I had to try the coffee, b/c it is Blue Bottle (a SF premium coffee house that I have only heard about in whispered voices before).

Coffee was great, snacks were perfect. It was a wonderful day.

My Disneyland Playlist

2010-09-13T13:51:00.001-07:00

Friday 9/10/2010
World of Color Disney Diet Coke Party:

Soarin' over California (2x)
World of Color Special Show
Paradise Pier Dance Party

Saturday 9/11/2010

Annual Passport (!) photo
Lunch at Blue Bayou
Big Thunder Railway
Pirates of the C.
Mr. Toad
Peter Pan
Tea Cups
Small World
(Churros and Coffee at the Castle)
Space Blasters
Space Mountain
Captain EO (We're Goin' in!)

Stayed at the Tropicana Hotel which allowed us to walk back at the end of evening....

Sunday we drove back to our respective realities :*

Morning in the Shrine Garden

2010-08-23T10:41:00.001-07:00

Recent additions to the Shrine Garden:

two hanging baskets, planted with petunias, basil and strawberries:

adding the elements of sight, smell and taste to my meditation space

a lovely lady lurks in the shade of the morning glory vine:

Buddha holds a celtic cross stone as well as the new rose scented incense:

The view from my meditation chair:

My friends, you are welcome to spend some time in the Shrine Garden. I am trying to keep it watered with gray water and planning now for the winter months when the morning glories are gone.

Little by little, this space is growing in it's peacefulness.

Love, Kellyann

Some More Reading at Esther Cottage

2010-08-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Displaced Persons, a novel

This books follows in the footsteps of four young persons who came of age following the holocaust. As they grow and marry and have children, this novel explores the loves and families that they lost, the loves and families that they later formed and how the experience of survivorhood shaped their future lives.

Coming to America gave them the foundation for lives that could heal, but none forgot their experiences that made each of them survivors. Haunted by those seminal backgrounds, they never really connect to their children. They want to shield their children from the horrors of hunger and separation that formed them before they were parents, but then could never understand the carefree natures of the children.

I found this book to be very different and in some way more haunting than other books about survivors. The characters were young and basically unformed when they experienced the years of war and then diaspora. Coming of age as a person without family and separated from loved ones made them view the world very differently. Writing a book separated from the event by 60 years makes a strong and subtle footprint on this book.

Some Reading at Esther Cottage

2010-08-06T13:10:00.001-07:00

From Abbington Press: Charlotte Figg Takes over Paradise

While this book seems somewhat simplistic, it caught hold of my imagination and I found it to be a galloping read throughout.

After the death of her Fuller Brush Salesman husband, Charlotte Figg decides on a whim to sell her house and move into a trailer in a trailer park called Paradise. The people that she meets are unusual, but end up creating a family where Charlotte is empowered to start a woman's softball team. Along the way, she realizes that she now has the freedom to become who she wants to be, rather than the woman her husband or mother wanted.

Carried by her concern for the wife of the park's superintendent, Charlotte attempts to change the abusive man. Instead, she finds herself bullied and frustrated. It is through the actions of others that she realizes that she must accept what she cannot change. Then the birth of a baby on second base, a violent storm and a fire change everything.

Yes, there are acts of nature. Yes, there are warm and kind people. This is a book that I would reccomend to anyone that is looking for a good read.

News from Esther Drive: Garden Beauty Shots

2010-07-18T10:15:00.001-07:00

Hey there, happy campers!

The kitty of the khalhi and I welcome you to another round of garden beauty shots. It's not that we have such a beautiful backyard, it's that growing plants can be such a miraculous adventure!

Rez and his dad bought a grape arbor for the backyard, which got planted out by the spigot.

I'm so glad he caged it, those things can be dangerous!!

Here's the fig forest:

As you can see, they are growing by leaps and bounds.
We ate the first ripe fig from tree #1 (Kadota), I would have taken a picture, but I was too busy peeling the fig and stuffing it in my mouth. Diagnosis: light flesh with a mauve to purple center, sweet and delicious!

The pumpkins continue to grow:

I have three heavy pumpkins now, or at least two and something I think is a pumpkin. The last one is a little lighter green and might be a squash. I planted them all pretty close together, so we'll have to wait for the final motion from our judges.

Here is a show of my raised bed with Baba in the far left:

Yes, we finally have a little red showing in our tomato crop!

That red is the presence of lycopene. I can hardly wait until we have general ripeness! I did manage to leave them on the vine for another day... I'm not promising anything about tomorrow!

Here is our cucumber crop:

Mom gave me the sprouts in a top ramen cup a month or so ago. It's brother has about five tiny cucumber on it! It loves to sit next to the strawberry plants and gossip (cucumbers are very gossipy!).

Our entire pomegranate crop has dwindled to this:

You have to admit, it's pretty amazing to see a pomegranate being formed from a flower!

On the way out, be sure to let the the sunny smiles of the morning glories put you in a superior mood:

I hope your day is filled with amazing things.
Love you, love you, love you!!

Kellyann

Summertime Toys

2010-07-11T11:38:00.001-07:00

This summer has brought a few toys my direction.

The first, a 3+hp blender has been lots of fun.
Able to run faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to crush just about anything into a power, the Blendtec blender keeps count of the number of times it has been used. In the four weeks I have owned it, I have used it 102 times!

One of it's specialties is the green smoothie. Basically it takes anything you drop in plus ice and alittle liquid and pulverizes it into a milkshake. This morning I made a banana/chocolate/peanutbutter/dandylion green smoothie. I mostly use a little more healthful ingrediants, but I was curious about the addition of chocolate to dandylions (it was pretty darn good! - like a giant green banana Reese's Peanut Butter Cup).

I've also made soups and ice creams. You can tell I am really enjoying using it.

I had been asking people all Spring if I should get a Blendtec or a Vitamix, and finally decided on the Blendtec. I checked online to what Costco was demonstrating it in the area and went to a demonstration. I had been watching the Will it Blend? series on YouTube, so I knew it was powerful. I really enjoyed watching the demonstration ala Slicer/Dicer-at-the-Fair style. At the end of the demonstration, I picked out my color (black) and drove home.

Inside the box was a recipe book and a dvd. I love the recipe book, but haven't touched the dvd. Hmmmmmnnn.... what does that tell you about my learning style? Then I just started tossing things in and blending them up! Yee-haw!!

Two other toys that have found their way to my door via Woot.com are Mr. Kindle and Ms Nano. The nano came first. I noticed my brother-in-law's nano and was in serious lust (for the Nano) afterwards... what's not to love? It plays music and videos, has a video camera and a radio. It's about the size of a pack of chewing gum and bright pink!! I only wish that it had a way to hang around my neck. One of the best parts is that I can use it when I am writing, but don't want to hear all the "other sounds" that playing itunes with the computer would bring.

The Kindle was a splurge. Woot! was accummulated by Amazon and they offered the Kindle at a price that met my price-point. I have to say that one of the things I LOVE about the Kindle is that a subscription to the local daily paper is $5.50 a month and I don't have to walk out to the driveway in my robe to pick it up. It is effortlessly sent to my kindle through Amazonian technology. I have found a few free-book sites and am chewing my way through some Jane Austen (Who doesn't love Emma?). I have also bought a subscription to The New Yorker (and yes, it does come with some cartoons). I love it's slick appearance and the way it will read to me, if my eyes get tired. The text-to-speech voices are very good and you can speed them up or slow them down, and choose a male or female voice.

Well... I hope that you getting a toy or two to brighten up your summerlives!

Love you, love you, love you!

Kellyann Brown

Outings with my 'rents (two of my favorite playmates)

2010-07-10T17:27:00.001-07:00

The Alameda County Fair is always fun! They have a great live entertainment selection and we can usually find something that everyone can enjoy. This year we went to hear Crystal Gayle sing. Personally, I thought she was everything and all that. She came out and was friendly, glittery and she had a great backup band.

She was quite the headliner. They made us file in line all the way back to the Youth Arts Building and back in order to get a seat. I was afraid that we wouldn't get seats, but lo and behold, we were about 2/3rds of the way up in the middle -- not in the shade, but decent seats to see the show. Luckily, I had everyone lather up with SPF 50 before we started out... so no sunburn!

Part of the fun of the Fair is trying out new and unusual or old and familiar foods. After the concert, Mom headed for a corndog, Pat bought fish tacos and Dad decided on one of those cinnamon buns with both frosting and nuts. While I was waiting with Dad in line, I spied my "Fair Food" splurge:

Yep, chocolate dipped bacon-on-a-stick! Mmmmmmmm! It was pretty good too! What's not to like: salty, sweet and on-a-stick!

We cruised the textile arts building to check out the quilts and then the photography. Everything was of high quality - No surprise there!
My particular favorite was a Chicken quilt:

This showed beautiful and unique applique:

Chickens were so intricately detailed!

This Friday, Mom and Dad and I went up to The City to see the Impressionist Exhibit of paintings from the D'Orsay. Needless to say, it was a really great exhibit. It was nice to see some familiar friends among the paintings - ones that I had stood in front of during my time in Paris, and some ones that I had not seen. It appears that they are renovating the D'Orsay, so they have sent their paintings along for traveling exhibits. That was very nice of them. Another set will appear in September, San Francisco is the only city to have both sets.

The exhibit was really well staged. The walls were dark red, dark grey, or enlarged photos of the streets and sites of Paris in the 1870's. Of course this got me to thinking about what I could do with my photo-enlarger program!

After the exhibit and some dangerous time in the gift shop, we went to the museum cafeteria for a late tea/dinner.

Mom and Dad had a chicken salad that looked delicious:

and Dad managed to snag a wonderful napolianic dessert of the sweetest kind!

The museum is open late on Fridays and they put on a live show of some sort of another. We saw (or rather heard) Ms. Litz Plummer, an excellent mezzo soprano that lit up the air around her!

There was a dance troupe as well, called Velocity Circus, which featured young gymnasts, ballet pas de deux, Thai ballet and can can dancers. Of course, my dad LOVED the can-can dancers!

The Friday Night live show really added to the value of our exhibit tix and was well worth the trek up to the city.

Well, since I am not doing a whole lot of traveling this summer, I am finding wonderful things to do with my best playmates: my 'rents!

Here's hoping that your summer is full of wonderful adventures!
Love you, love you, love you,

Kellyann

Have you ever wondered?

2010-07-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what you website would look like in another language?
Google Translator will help you with that picture!

Here is a screen shot of my page translated into farsi.
They have a plethora of languages to choose from... how about Turkish?
It's a fun way to see yourself in a different light :)

I hope you are all experiencing self-efficacy (you can tell I have been reading waaaay too much Bandura!).

with love,

Kellyann

Garden Beauty Shots

2010-06-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

I took my camera out this afternoon when I watered my acreage ::smile:::
thought that maybe you would like to see an update of growth at the Esther Cottage.
The fig forrest is going along well. People often ask me why I planted them so close together. I tell them because I want to sit under their shade and have four different types of figs fall into my mouth! Now there's a picture! Figs are starting to make the markets. Two days ago at Whole Foods Market a strawberry basket was 4.99! (of course they were organic and super infused with something or another). I guess I will have to wait for the fig forrest harvest.

I have a punk .. or rather the start of a pumpkin is poking its way out from under the mass of overgrowth between the tomato plants and pumpkin's giant leaves! The fellow looks relieved to make it out alive!

There's plenty of undergrowth as you can see! Having just watching "My Friend, Totoro", I was impressed by the life underneathe the leaves. Do you think there is a cat bus there?

Here is an overview of my bed and the figs behind it.

Rez's mom and dad are down for the week + and they have brought starting for their bed (the raised bed next to mine).

I know that as a gardener, you do some initial work, but it is the universe that grows and nourishes the plants. The smell of growing tomatoes is a pungent, unique smell that attaches itself to homegrown tomatoes. Somehow the supermarket has managed to erase it from their tomatoes. Something about that smell is both awakening and exciting! Probably something to do with our cellular memory. I have plenty of green tomatoes, but no red ones so far. If the weather holds as hot as it has been so far this summer, red tomatoes are just a few days away!

Here's wishing the optimism that planting a garden provides!
Love you,

Kellyann

Summertime...and the livin' is easy!

2010-06-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

Heigh Ho, happy campers! I know things have been buzzing around here, probably at your house too!!

We had a great Father's Day barbeque with THREE fathers there! That would be Ken, Hassan and Bobby. We made skewers of chicken and veggies on the grill, and then Reza made his world famous CORN! The food was good, the company relaxed and the weather was perfect... just like everyone thinks California is like on a good day!

Rez and I stayed up late on the Thursday before Toy Story 3 came out so that we could go to the midnight show and see it in 3D with three hundred other fanatic, many of whom were high school students!

It was a good show, something for everyone... a little romance, a lot of adventure and a whole bunch of great TOYS!!

Speaking of toys, this is my new one:

It's a Blendtec blender that will pulverize the sH** out of anything it comes in contact with! My favorite trick is to watch it make almond milk from almonds, water, honey and ice. Amazing! In this picture it appears that I am making soup from cherry tomatoes, spinach, carrots, onion, soup mix, taco seasonings and water. The centrifical force heats it up, so it is warm or hot soup from the blender! Wow! How cool!! I have been making green smoothies for breakfast, green and healthy!! This afternoon, I made apricot smoothies for Rez and his mom and dad using the apricots from our tree. Now, how cool is THAT?!

Well, almost cooler than that was catching the Mrs. Grossman's Sticker yearly sticker sale in Petaluma. I had never been to the factory, so that was a double treat for me!

The warehouse sale was crowded with lots of good buys and lots of nice buyers!

After the sale, my intrepid gang and I went to Occidental for lunch at the Union Hotel... (omg, those raviolis were spectacular!) and a walk around Armstrong Grove out of Guerneville. We had a nice drive... beautiful weather for walking around the redwoods!

Lately, Rez's project has been to mount the satellite dish so that his mom and dad can watch persian television while they are at the Esther House. He has been working on this project quite diligently. Here he is the master of his domain:

Here is the wide view of his project:

Can you see the large screen in the bushes that he checks as he turns the satellite?

Well, here's hoping that all of your projects are successful!
Love you, love you, love you!!

Kellyann

Garden News

2010-06-12T19:16:00.001-07:00

The Orchard you ordered has arrived:

I came home the other day and found a huge box on the front porch. My first reaction was, "What has Reza ordered NOW?!" because it did resemble the box that the large screen came in several years ago. But no, this was the cherry orchard and the fig forest that I ordered from RainTree Nursery up in Washington.

I ordered three cherry trees and as you can see, they came in good order:

I have their bare roots sitting in a tub of water until I can dig some holes.

One is so happy to be here, it has put on some cherry blossoms!

Three fig trees of different colors and temperments were also shipped in the same package. Here they sit, also ready to be planted:

Cherry season is almost over here at the Esther Cottage, with a few, very ripe cherries still hanging around. I can't believe we ever thought that this cherry might be a Rannier, I guess that they tasted so good with just a blush and we were unable to wait!

A few volunteer morning glories have poked themselves out to the ground near the side fence and I gave them a string ladder to climb. Of course, both my dad and my brother warned me about the scourge of morning glories, but they remind me of the little house I lived in during my Turlock years. I planted morning glories surrounding the porch, giving myself a shady room for those long, hot Turlock afternoons!

The apricots along the driveway are starting to ripen, but don't let this photo fool you, they are dead green on the side away from the camera. They are huge, though, and it looks like the three trees will ripen at different times, giving us weeks of apricots (those that escaped Papa's "thinning"):

The tomatoes are looking good, dontcha think? I am allowing the flowers to stay on, so we should have some tomatoes to eat in about ten days:

...or sooner, if this plant has anything to say about it:

Anyway, it's been great showing you all the new stuff around the garden, but it's still blessed hot, so I will chill out on the porch and try and find a cool breeze:

and enjoy the smell of the gardena:

Wishing you cool breezes and warm, soft summer evenings,
love you, Kellyann

The Last Week of School!

2010-06-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

Strange things are happening in the SPEECH office!
I pulled a card from the Cheryl Richardson deck:

Yep, "dance!" Hey! I'm dancing as fast as I can!

I was just "horsing around" whe I made this blowup for the talent show stage!

You know, I paid 5 bucks for the software, I have to get my money's worth out of it.
Linda Babcock showed me this foam insulation stuff that really works great!
It comes in sheets of 4x8' . Now I know my jeep's bed is 3 1/2 by 5 feet.

And yes, certain potatoheads have been showing up:

Must be JUNE!!!

Hope your June is going well!

Love you, Kellyann

News from Esther Drive: Backyard

2010-05-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

We've had a couple of beautiful days here. After so much rain, it is really nice to feel the warmth of San Jose's early Summer. This morning, I sat out under the patio and read:

The cherry orchard (one tree, but how many trees do you need to make an orchard?) is producing nicely. It's a little hard to share with the birds, but there is enough for everyone:

The backyard garden is coming along. I've caged the wild tomatoes and the pumpkin is really putting on foliage:

Yesterday we went to Lowe's and Reza bought me a Gardena tree. The blooms smell so nice, we just have to figure out where to put it! I have decided to start a fig orchard along the back fence. So far I have one fig, but I have a few on order from Raintree Nursery.

This fig is so happy to be here, it has sprouted several new figs. These are the green figs, Kendota. I can hardly wait to plant a mission fig and a brown turkey. A veritable fig forrest! Who doesn't LOVE figs?!

Here's hoping that the change from Spring to Fall brings you joy and happiness (and cherries!)
Love you,
Kellyann

A Fond Farewell

2010-05-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

About forty people gathered to wish farewell to my Uncle Dave - David George. It soon became apparent that funerals are for the living and not for the person being remembered. Everyone had their memories of Uncle Dave - as a parent, a brother, a co-worker, a fellow church member, an uncle, a grandfather, a friend. Everyone sat and listened to one of his church elders talk about Uncle Dave and his knowledge of him. I sat and thought of the Uncle Dave that I knew: warm and creative, a person who knew how to have fun and spread cheer.

Mostly, we would see Uncle Dave and Aunt Ruthie at family gathering around holidays. He would bring his piano and play Christmas tunes, delve into the competition of the moment (a prime example was the Easter Hat contest, in which he demanded a recount) and contribute his awesome creativity. The high point of every Christmas gift exchange was to see what Uncle Dave had made. Over the years, I can still remember the year he made a clock out of movie reel tins... and of course there was the guitar made out of a cigar box that cause a certain Persian feud that has lasted fifteen years.

Uncle Dave had a fantastic sense of humor. He was the master of the quiet pun, that he would insert to the running conversation of his wife, Ruth. He could also tell a tale that was both poignant and funny at the same time.

I see now that he and my own father were of similar ages, but Uncle Dave was spy, while my own Dad was solidly in motion. Uncle Dave had the ability to have the appearance of folded springy motion. As he walked, there was a slightly springy motion.

Uncle Dave had a depth of knowledge in areas that caught his interest. He had a love for ephemera, pianos, film, cameras, puzzles of all kinds, radios, electronics, and of course, printing presses. If you were showing him something, he would take it into his hands with a gentle, excitement. His mind was open and interested in new things as long as I knew him.

One of the interesting parts of the funeral was the photos of Uncle Dave as a young man. The pictures of him at Western State College revealed a good-looking man with a handsome smile. Together with Ruth's contrasting dark hair/eyes and light skin, their children were handsome and their grandchildren are beautiful women. Their five great-grandchildren (all boys) are handsome too, with the look of their grandparents evident in all of them.

So, are funerals a farewell? In this case, I suppose that it was meant to be, but when someone still lives vibrantly in your mind, how can they be gone? When you stumble across their newsletters and find a note on a post-it on your desk, there is that moment of unreality. And then you realize that they are as alive as you keep you them in your heart.

Easter Sunday - Soggy, but funn!

2010-04-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hey! I hope your Easter Sunday was a good day.

Here, big clouds rolled overhead, dispelling the need for picnics and egg hunts.

I gave the parents a choice of four activities, telling them to pick a number between one and four...

They chose the movie option. Yeah!
We went to the cinemas on Bascom Ave. and saw "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo". Mom and I have read the book, which is an excellent read, btw. The movie was excellent... maybe even better than the book. They did an excellent job of casting for this picture, and they tied together the complexities of the book. Dad was a little confused at the end, but I'm not sure that was because of the movie... it was a complex book and it was a complex movie... in Swedish with English subtitles. There are part of the book/movie that are violent and graphic, they did a good job of dealing with that.

After the movie, we went to Buca di Bepo, just around the corner from the movie theater.

We enjoyed the festive atmosphere and the food was delish.

It was a good Easter, not the usual traditional picnic and egg hunt, but good, nonetheless.

I hope your Easter was as fun and refreshing,
Love, Kellyann

Thank You, Lockheed-Marten

2010-03-31T15:49:00.001-07:00

Family Day at Great America was a success!
We took Maman and Baba to the picnic:

Which, as you can see was generous and tasty:

Ok, I must admit,
we each had THREE ice creams
(but in our defense, it was a very warm day):

While we didn't go on this screamer:

We did go on the Carousel, which was fun.
Rez and I went on the Star Tower, which was gentle and exciting...
great to see San Jose from a high distance!

I decided to buy a season pass
when the water park opens up in May, that will be fun to cool down in the afternoon.

Thank you, Lockheed Martin
for being our host, we had a great time!

Love, Kellyann

Soleh Noh Morborack (Happy New Year!)

2010-03-24T23:09:00.001-07:00

Happy Persian New Year!

This is the first year we have had a haf-seen, or a table display of seven elements that start with the sound /s/ -- including two pretty goldfish.

BTW, Rez has named our new friend Mahi and Mahi.
(mahi is the word for fish in Farsi)

After calling everyone around the world, Mom, Dad, Rez and I went to Fresh Choice for lunch:

Then we went for a walk in the Los Altos hills. The weather was stunning!

The next day, Rez's cousin, Ashkhan was invited for lunch, so I did a little cooking:

It was a good way to start the New Year!
I hope your weekend was an auspicious start to Spring!

Love, Kellyann

Watsonville Quilt Show

2010-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Mom, MSBK and I went to the quilt show in Watsonville.
We had a great time! There was a quilt auction, lunch, and tons of quilts to see.
Although I have declared "No quilts until the dissertation is finished", it was still fun to see what everyone else in the quilting world is doing.

Here are some photos:
The featured artist was a crazy quilt maker. We had an opportunity to talk with her. I was fascinated by this little quilt that had actual rock on it (she told me how to do that!):

The latest of her beautiful crazy quilts:

Since the latest quilt I am working on is an applique quilt, I am stunned by the beauty of this smaller quilt. Just gorgeous:

And of course, I have a soft spot in my heart for falling leaves. This one was done in all batique fabrics:

This quilt was made using strips of fabric from the salvages. This was a HUGE quilt. I 'm sure that person had been saving salvages for years!

Here's hoping that your Spring day is good and happy.
I am sending you all a hug! Love, Kellyann

View from the kitchen sink: chicken and polenta lunch

2010-03-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today we had a great lunch.
This is important, because we have a little less free time this week.
We both had to work on Friday. We are heading up to San Pablo house to bring back the bed.

I have been craving polenta lately. I made a pot of it on Wednesday, and the sack was sitting there today. I looked up baked polenta recipes online and found a way to start the polenta on the stovetop and then tranfer it to the oven to finish cooking.

Here is the cost of our delicious lunch:

salad:
.25 lettuce
.25 mixed green bean salad
.12 cheese
.25 4 cut up asparagus (c0oked)

Chicken:
.50 (1) skinless thigh (baked in the oven)

Polenta:
.30 (1) serving of polenta
.25 leftover tomato sauce (warmed) from a can used previously for pizza

.30 soda from a two-liter bottle of Diet Rite (no caffeine) Cola
---------
1.92 total for a pretty great lunch

1.42 if I had just had water and ice

:::smile:::

I hope you had a great lunch today!
love you, love you, love you!! -Kellyann

Finished and Still Reading

2010-03-06T16:46:00.001-08:00

Still Reading:

This book is taking forever, but it is fascinating. A psychiatrist is fascinated by a client who is arrested trying to molest a painting in the National Gallery. There is plenty of depth to this book, which includes a simultaneous story involving impressionist painters of the 1800's.

I love the cover. Anything to do with Leda and the Swan (Zeus in disguise) intrigues me. I found this image all over Rome.

Just Finished:

Ok, it wasn't just the cover that intrigued me. You know that I love to travel, but I also enjoy reading about travel, even those travelogs that don't turn out well. This is one of those. Two Girls, who know each other only slightly, head off for a backpacking trip, starting in Asia and immediately experience culture shock. One girl has a serious mental meltdown and the other is at a loss with how to deal with it. This was fun reading, although when I travel, I am rarely homesick or sick at all, but I can see how it happens.

I am really loving my new public library!

I hope all of your books are absorbing and edifying!
Love you, Kellyann

Hard Times

2010-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

"Now, what I want is, facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!" - C. Dickens

I am reading Dickens' "Hard Times" in the car. I love hearing books on tape while driving around, doing errands, waiting at stop signs. Sometimes, when listening to NPR, I go a little nuts, because the news is often so bad or they pick some little piece of news to its infinity (such as water rights and the court process, which I'm sure is very important, but on a Thursday night, with a day full of making little mouths behave, this is the last thing you can use to focus your attention.)

I don't generally like reading Dickens, but in an audio book, he is very entertaining. Take, for instance the paragraph above, which is the opening paragraph of the book. It is funny to me, but it is funny-sad too, because that is the exact educational philosophy of many people. It seems that sometimes people want education to be put in a nice little box that can be measured and weighed and categorized. They want that, but they also want creative thinkers and people who will think great thoughts and design new products. New products and great thought will not be produced by students who are fed only facts and have sentimentality and wonder beaten out of them.

One of the reasons that I like Victorian books is that they vocabulary is so rich and varied. They use words like attachment, continence, and honorable. They make value judgments about their characters and they have a good, although usually slow plot.

I found this book on cds at the public library. Yeah for the public library! I might just "read" more Dickens if they are all as good as this one!

Randomness and Television

2010-02-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, if you get the chance, watch "Prince Among Slaves" a true story of a Prince who is captured and sent to Natchez on slave ships and his forty years as a slave on a cotton plantation.

A story of grace under pressure, this movie chronicles Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori and his struggle for freedom for himself and his family. I had not planned to watch this movie, but was drawn into it while flipping the channels after "Perry Mason". I found this film to be enlightening and redemptive. Something about the historical nature and the realities of the world touched me.

For those of you with Netflix, this isn't available on watch it now, but you can order it delivered. It was an hour well-spent, thinking about the largest forced migration and the continuing effects on our country.

I hope this is a blessed day for you!
Love, Kellyann

Reading is such a blessing: A Thank You to all my teachers

2010-02-17T13:49:00.001-08:00

After a recent post about the books I had just read, my reader asked how I chose my books. I don't think I choose books, I think that they choose me. Of course, I read everything and anything... and that is especially true when I have a few days away from the disciplines of work and organized study. I am very lucky to have a library that will allow me to request books from other libraries and from lists of new books and from lists of popular books. I can request up to ten books at a time and I make good use of this service (Thank you, library!). I also go to bookstores and write down the names of books that interest me. The library itself just puts books out for me to graze through. The hardest thing is limiting the number of books I bring home. Here is last week's books, going back to the library, some read, some partially read:

I might not return this book until Monday, I am still leafing through it:

Here is the book that our church is reading. The lastest series of talks given by the leader is on this book:

How precious is the ability to read! I realize how important that skill is when I am trapped somewhere with only aural imput. Reading excites me and calms me, informs me and entertains me. It provides a platform of interest for my mother and me. I wish to take a moment to silently thank all the teachers (including my sister, who taught me to read my first word: "exit") who helped me to learn to read or furthered my understanding along that path. Thank you!

I send a warm hug to all my friends and friend to be on this warm and sunny and blessed Wednesday!

Love,
Kellyann

A Couple of Good Books

2010-02-13T17:57:00.001-08:00

President's Week could not have come at a better time!
Thank goodness we limped in as we did...

I took today (Saturday) off and just relaxed around the house,
trying out a few new things, listening to a couple of new cds borrowed from the library and read a couple of new library books:

Noah's Compass by Ann Tyler

If you've read anything by Ann Tyler before, you've come to expect her quirkey, not-so-perfect characters that harbor jealousies and smallness, but eventually seek out the perfection of family relationships. In this latest book, Ann presents us with a 60 year-old teacher who has never really synced with his family, but now has the luxury of time to do so. After a break-in leaves him with some memory loss, he is fascinated by a person he meets at a neurologist's office. The women who surround the main character continue to baffle him as he moves forward in his life. Ann Tyler is a great writer who makes you care about the people in her books. This was well worth waiting for from the library.

Local Girl Makes History: Exploring Northern California's Kitsch Monuments by Dana Frank

If you have always wondered about The Cats in Los Gatos, The Pulgas Water Temple, The Cave Train in Santa Cruz or Big Basin, this is the book for you. The author (clearly someone who lives up in the Santa Cruz mountains) evidences a real curiosity about life around her and shows her doggedness in research by chasing down information on these four places, dear to the hearts of locals. I was particularly impressed by her treatment of the The Cats statues in Los Gatos and the people that made them. I had passed by them frequently when growing up and always wondered what their story was and how they came to being. I guess I always thought they were like big lion statues that you can buy from garden supply stores, but after reading their story, I have found that they are more than I orginally thought. For one thing, they are not the same! The couple that had them built were famous poets, with a thirty year age difference! Oh, and there's more, but you will just have to read the book! Another library find, well worth taking home for a low-energy weekend.

I hope you are enjoying some restful and/or fun February time!
Love, love, love,

Kellyann

Blessed be

2010-02-07T23:03:00.000-08:00

Walking the labyrinth today
I felt so happy and peaceful.
Breathing and walking the path which becomes a metaphor for so much in our lives.

I love that while walking the turns of the labyrinth,
you dip toward the center and then are swept away
back and forth, we weave and breathe,
watching our feet, watching the sky,
the path takes you in and leads you away
do you have preference for twisty times or for long stretches
there are both
and then, suddenly, you are enveloped by the circle
this is your goal?
or was the prize in the process?

I wish you abundance in your every moment
may you be embraced by those around you.
Love, Kellyann

Executive Chef: Making the most of your dollar

2010-01-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

Feeding a family of four adults can be costly,
but your executive chef hasn't turned to dumpster diving quit yet.
I did, however, find a cheaper way to buy fruits and vegetables: The Flea Market

With two of our family heavily into juicing, those fruits and veggies can really add up,
but the local flea market offers an alternative for those high prices. With it's 50 cents a pound tomatoes and 20 cents a pound oranges (25 cents for blood oranges), this is a good way to stretch that food budget. The two pineapples were 2.00 each. The bananas were a little splurge as were the pomellos (3 for two dollars). The cauliflower was a real bargain at one dollar. Can you guess the total of the total on the table (scroll down for the answer)?

Ok, they are not organic and on the whole, the take is pretty basic, but we just paid our first double house mortgage (Meadowlark and Esther houses), so we are looking to economize wherever we can!
One thing, though, about flea markets:

Don't look the water buffalo in the eyes, could start a stampede!

(answer: 23 dollars)

Hope your day is going better than this water buffalo's day!

Love, love, love,
Kellyann

Glad to be Feeling Better

2010-01-15T09:04:00.001-08:00

Here I am, sitting in the yellow kitchen,
wearing the new nightgown that my mom made me for Christmas:

My mom makes my sisters and I (if we are lucky) one flannel nightgown a year.
There is just nothing like it.
Sometimes you just can't wait to get home and get in one!
::smile:::

I don't know if my mother realizes how much my sister and I love these nightgowns.
Maybe, we tell her how much we love them constantly.
This year, we got to pick our own fabric. We went on a field trip to Joann's fabric.
There were three rows of flannel, probably about a hundred and fifty flannels to choose from.. it was hard to make up our minds!

I just had the BEST omlette with the BEST cup of cappucino!
I hope your day starts out as well!

Go well!
Love,
Kellyann

Tea and sympathy

2010-01-09T14:17:00.001-08:00

I'm feeling a little better today...
this intestinal bug has laid me low!

Tea instead of coffee,
nothing too solid
nothing too spicy

Of course a cheery tea pot
and a cuppa...
always lifts the spirits!

Hope your day is going well!
Love, Kelly

The house is coming together

2010-01-04T22:23:00.001-08:00

Yep, it's getting less like camping and more like California living every day!

We now how table and chairs in the dining room...

Some friends from my office came to sit on the window sill (+Christmas cards):

The bathroom is starting to take shape. Dr. R. installed some functional and pretty glass shelves and put together an IKEA unit for extra storage:

Today it was back to school. You know what that means... getting up, taking a shower, making breakfast, out the door!!

I hope your day was a good one, beloveds!
your, Kellyann

The View from the Dining Room

2010-01-02T10:47:00.001-08:00

It's been a pretty busy week +some here on Esther Drive.

Before Christmas, I took my parents to see the Festival of Lights in Los Gatos. That was really fun. Basically it's a drive through Vasona Lake Park in the dark, with your car lights off, going from light feature to light feature. Some are simple, some are complex. We went to the local Chinese restaurant for some warm soup and a few appetizers.

Christmas was spent over in Merced, enjoying the hospitality of my brother, Pat and his wife, Sue. It was a mellow, low-key Christmas with lots of food and fun. I was in charge of a dessert and I brought the chocolate (+ fruit, etc.) and Camie brought her chocolate fountain. That was a pretty amazing, fun thing to do!

We went to the Capitol Flea Market (Dr. R., his mom, his dad, me) and found an inexpensive way to shop for vegetables. Yesterday I found out that it costs only a quarter to enter the flea market on Fridays! What a bargain!

Dr. R. and I saw two films during these last two weeks: Avatar (in 3-d) and Sherlock Holmes. We enjoyed both movies, but were very impressed by the visual effects of Avatar. We are starting to know our neighborhood theater, which is just off Winchester.

Dr. R. went up with the u-haul and came back with the table and chairs plus the dresser from our bedroom. We made a trip to IKEA and came back with another porch chair, glass shelves for the bathroom, a side dresser for Mom and Dad's bedroom, and a unit for the bathroom. Reza put everything together and it looks great! He also fixed the espresso machine, which means we can enjoy "real" coffee again!

I met a couple of female relatives at Peet's in Los Gatos and actually ran into someone that I KNOW! :::grin::: maybe I am becoming part of my community. It was good to see Jeannie and find out what was happening during her Winter Break!

We celebrated New Year's with lots of food and drink. We taught Mom and Dad Karimi how to play SPOONS, which was fun. The boys in that family are pretty kind, so Rez or his dad would make sure that his mom got a spoon and take the letter themselves rather than make someone else get it. At midnight, their were fireworks out in the neighborhood. Not just sparklers, but booming, then light-up-the-sky fireworks. Dr. R.'s sister, Massemeh called and wished us all a "Soleh no maborach" (Happy New Year).

I hope your New Year is a happy one.
with love and good wishes,

Kellyann

The View from the kitchen window...

2009-12-18T10:29:00.001-08:00

It's been a pretty busy week here on Esther Drive.

Monday, Don came and installed the washer and started on the dryer. The dryer required alot of work because mine is gas and the previous owners had electrical. Don ran a gas line to the dryer and changed the electrical outlet from 220 to 110. He finished up that job and started installing the garbage disposal last night. He aims to finish that installation job this afternoon.

Tuesday, I took a Costco chicken over to Mom and Dad's for dinner. We made broccoli and New Orleans brussell sprouts as side dishes. After dinner some BrownKorbels came by and we sat in Mom and Dad's living room and enjoyed their Christmas tree. Mom and Dad did a good job of decorating the tree! Unfortunately, the living room doesn't have a clock and I looked down at my watch and discovered it was 11:30! OMG! ::Laugh::: and on a school night too! :::Grin::: Fortunately, the Esther Drive house is only a half hour away from Morgan Hill!

Wednesday, I had my friends Catharine and Linda from school over for tea. It was nice to get away from school and enjoy a little nosh in the kitchen. It is fun to show people around the new house! A female relative came over as well and we had a good time also at the kitchen table.

Yesterday was my last day of school. The kiddos gave me lots of little gifts. I gave most of my kiddos holiday pencils and holiday erasers. That may sound a little chintzy, but hey! I have over forty students ranging from preschool to fourteen years old! :::smile::: they all seemed pleased to pick out a pencil and an eraser.

Today I have to go to Staples because I am completely out of paper. Can you believe it?! The crazy thing is that I know I have a crate of paper up in the Meadowlark house! I have to go visit my friends at Comcast... I can't believe how difficult it has been to get the service disconnected from the Loveshack!

Here's a kiss and a hug and a wish for a pleasant day for everyone!
LOVE, Kellyann