Winter Move-In

JP chose Friday, the 18th, to move back to college.  Very, very smart in hindsight!  To start with the weather was quite mild for January and the men even got warm hauling loads with temps just hitting 40′ F that day.

On the way to town….

Our hopeful plans all panned out like Moses parting the Red Sea!  Perfect parking outside the door for JP, great parking for us near the textbook center, NO ONE in line at the textbook center so we parents continued through to help JP find the right books (only students allowed past this point 🙂 ), perfect parking for our car right by JP’s.  Smooth as glass!

This textbook center had a million aisles and went on F O R E V E R!!  So extra thankful it was near EMPTY!  It took JP  1 1/2 hours for the fall semester books!   We do like that this university has a book rental fee, max of $71 per semester, so we don’t have the run-around of buying used online and trying to resell them later.  Even getting a fine for water damage is better than playing “Let’s Make a Deal” twice a year!

After getting all his books and lab books, sold at the bookstore we think because of one time use and usually compiled by the prof, we also found our perfect parking spot.  For the first trip in, I found the women’s bathroom in the lobby and waited for them to come back for load 2 from the warmth of inside.  Made note to self to never choose those lobby chairs for more than a 2 minute sit.  Stupidly hard but padded chairs.  The circles show my men.  Sorta.

This trip I went to the room with them.  I hung some clothes while they got another load and I made his bed… top bunk of course!   And kept cozy in the room.  They were down to tshirts when all was said & done.   🙂

Gotta love those perfect parking places, sunshine and no snow!

We had early supper together and headed home leaving JP his computer et al to set-up.  His suite mates didn’t return until Sunday but other friends were on the floor so he was fine.

His spring semester classes include Calc 2 and Chemistry.  Words I know but shh… I barely passed high school Chemistry. Other classes are Circuit Modeling 1 and Engineering Mechanics-Statics.  I have no idea what those mean!  🙂

The first day of  “Spring” semester gave him an actual temperature of -2′ F with a wind chill of -18′ F at 9 a.m. and an expected high of 9′ F that day!   To head to class he goes up the steep hill on the street, you are only seeing 1/2 of it, and then down to the class buildings.  Either way had to have been terribly cold wind.

But I love how happy he is there, he enjoys concerts, campus activities, has lots of friends, enjoys his Engineering Department profs, AND HE HAD A 4.0 GPA  last semester!!!!  ♥

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Game ON!

My mom & SIL have now been introduced to January’s “The Blind Leading the Blind” Game.  🙂

The long story is that when I was out in early Dec to see my parents, mom asked if I’d fix a seam in one of her black skirts.  Sure and I made sure I packed black thread.  Upon further review of the skirt, it was one that I had made!  Gasp!!  Coming apart?  No!!  😦   However, it was not the seam coming apart but the fabric wearing out.   I guess she likes the skirt.

I hoped that at home, I’d find the original pattern with my notes on it for her and whip up another one.  No such luck.  I believe in one of those barely noticed purges, the garment patterns for adults were purged.  Mom had retired and “didn’t need any more suits” (she said) and the styles of the other clothes are hopefully not coming back.  However, this little black skirt was a classic.  And was also gone.

I looked online for the right pattern as she is most comfortable with the skirts without separate waistbands but just a facing for the top edge.  I found…. ONE.   Of course, it took trips to 2 different stores to find it during sale week but a pattern for $1 is worth it.

I found fabrics in the stash to make practice skirts but have yet to find a good black for a nice skirt so plan to shop online for something “suit”-able.  🙂

Last week, I made a skirt from a brown fine plaid.

I left it all inside out and gave her several side seams that are just basted in so that she & SIL can let them in or out as needed.

I even put the zipper in inside out so that the fittings are easier than “digging” for that zipper tab on the wrong side.

The box also included the instructions for the skirt and a fleece jacket in baby chick pale yellow.  I know the 2 don’t really go together but the jacket was a last minute idea.  Well, the idea came after the skirt need.  They don’t have to work so hard at fitting on the jacket but I might have to work harder at making it work later.

A bag of “medicine” was also included, AKA Dove chocolates in Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl in Dark Chocolate.  These are to be administered to  a) she who stands still for fittings, b) she who was drafted & unasked to help with fittings and loves dark chocolate, c) for the others wandering the house so they don’t get grouchy, OR d) for the first one to open the box and steal them all!

Hopefully, this ‘through the mail fittings’ idea works and Mom gets some new clothes made just for her!

And then I think that I should be finding a suit jacket pattern that would work well with the new skirt and work on fitting that to her as well.  Because really one black is only like the other black in a coloring box, right?

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Cousins Christmas Dinners

It was fun to see a photo of Phil’s cousin and all his children & grands gathered for their Christmas (I think on 12/29) that I requested we have a photo shoot this time too when we gathered on 12/30.   Actually, Phil’s cousin is only a few years younger than Phil’s dad so we are closer in age to the 1st cousins, once-removed.

US:

Phil’s parents in the middle with our side on the far right and his sister and family on the far left.

THEM:

Phil’s cousin is on the far right of the couch, with his wife and their 2 children.  The daughter-in-law and son-in-law and the grandkids are in front & behind.

The curly hair comes from their grandmother and is most evident in our daughter and his daughter and her girls.  There is one other male cousin to carry the name between these 2 but I’ve only seen him twice as he lives in TX.  I think he just has a daughter.

(L will probably pick a fight with me the next time we see each other as he goes by “Mike”, not his given name that we all use.  🙂  He is funny.)

Phil’s dad and L’s dad and one other brother were all raised here on the family farm.  Only Phil’s dad stayed here to farm.

Both L & Phil had 1 son to carry the name and L’s son has 1 son.  L & his wife are only about 45 mins away but we sure don’t see them much with all of us having grown children that we hog over their holiday visits.  But it is always fun to gather for family parties or the random spotting of them while out shopping.

Sometimes I think not using all their names makes this more confusing.  Sorry!

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