Well, Hello There!

Have you been wondering where I had got to? Do I still have any readers left? I wonder...
I have written a couple of posts, you know. Rather good ones, too, if i do say so myself. Problem is, when I wrote them, I had a rather iffy internet connection and consequently, lost them both. It made me rather annoyed, and therefore put me off of posting for a bit. But, for better or for worse, I am back. For the minute, anyway.

So, what has been going on, you ask? Well, plenty.

To begin with, we made a sojourn to California to see my maternal grandparents. They are lovely, hysterical people who live on a farm with no animals save a couple of dogs, a kitty and a myriad of spiders. I do not like the spiders. The dogs and the kitty are fine.
We drove first to Los Angeles so I could purchase fabric for my next big project. I will discuss that in a bit. The drive from here to St. George was without incident and we made good time. The Small One behaved herself in the car and we were pleased and had high hopes for the remainder of the drive. Said hopes were cruelly dashed just out of Vegas. Sigh. As we left Vegas, the traffic slowed, and slowed some more. All told, the 9 hour trip turned into 15 painful hours in the minivan. (My mom's, not mine. I don't drive a minivan). Never drive to LA on a Sunday, it is one looooong traffic jam. In the end, our average speed out of Las Vegas was a whopping 28 mph, and I am not kidding.

We arrived in LA, to our lovely hotel in Chinatown, which, I am fairly sure, made my parent rather nervous. But, it was a decent hotel, not too expensive and right close to the fabric district, which was our destination the next morning.

Off we went, bought loads of fabric for the upcoming endeavor and then headed off to some small town north of LA to see my aunt, whom we have not seen for nigh unto 30 years. That was a bit awkward, but there you go. Probably won't see her for another 20-30 years.

From there, we drove up to a small town near Salinas for our yearly visit with the grandfolks. Ah, my grandparents. They are A-1, first class rednecks. Awesome, I tell you. They live on a farm, as previously mentioned, but said farm is not occupied by crops and animals, but instead by outbuildings and...stuff. They are packrats of the highest order, having lived during the Great Depression and been very poor besides. The buildings are full of spiders, which don't bother my grandparents, but sure do bother me! As my grandma says, just smush 'em with a stick and they won't bother you none. Except the very act of "smushing" bothers me. Ewwww.

We stayed a week at the grandparents and enjoyed ourselves nicely. They love The Small One, she entertains them nicely. After a week there, one is rather ready to come home. The grandparents are old and deaf. The TV is always blaring so they can hear it and they keep the house VERY warm. I had a perma headache the entire time, but, you know, that is alright.

After that? Well, mostly just working. I have a decent amount of custom work right now, keeps me busy. Plus, trying to get the patterns done, so I can get the samples done for my new website. Cross your fingers that it works!

The Small One continues to amuse and delight with her witticisms. Here is an exchange I had with her a week or so ago.

She and I were standing in my small bathroom as I got ready for church. She was just messing about and I was doing my hair. Suddenly, plunk! She was on the floor. She whimpered and whined, but I could tell she wasn't hurt, so I told her to get up and quit being a baby. (hehe). She got up, dusted her wee bum off and walked around to the other side of me. I looked down to find her pointing her finger at me with a stern look on her face. "Tawa?" she says. I knew I was in trouble. Yes, Small One? "You push me?" No, Small One, I did not push you. A long pause while she continues to point her finger and stare sternly at me. Then..."Okay." The finger came slowly down and she walked out. I feared for myself. She was ready to put the smackdown on!

Then, a few days ago, I was cleaning house and singing a song. The Small One evidently does not appreciate my musical talents because she kept telling me to stop and be quiet, but I refused. Finally, she came up to me, got her finger out again, pointed it at me and said, Mamma, you need a panks? I asked her why I needed a spank and she told me I was being very naughty and needed to stop. So I did.

The Small One, bless her, loves to be naked, as may have previously mentioned. Yesterday, after she went potty, she neglected to put her pants back on. She trotted out the back door into the yard to play and I asked her what she was doing. "I naken!" she answered. I told her I was aware of that as I could see her bare bum, but she ignored me. When she came back in for a minute, I picked her up to discover her bum was a bit damp. I asked her if she had peed and she answered yes! So, I asked her where (not really wanting to know the answer) and she got down, walked to the door and pointed out. "Right there!" She says. I guess she figured she was naken, she might as well! When she started talking to the neighbors through the fence, The Man of the House made her put her pants back on. We do have limits.