2015 Update-Invite-Valentine Wishes

I know I’ve been delinquent in keeping up with my blog. Sorry about that.  It certainly is not from lack of wanting to update you all.

My last update was just before Halloween.  I posted a couple of Halloween photos on my Facebook page of Princess Leia & my storm trooper.

For those that want the short version of our life in addition to school/work & daily stuff:

November: Sutter’s Fort Stuff (all of us), Tanning hide (Leah-some Scott), Thanksgiving, mourning death of loved one

December: Sewing (Jill), Drawing for hire (Leah), Tumbling (Nolan), Lots of Inspecting (Scott) , Celebrating Birthday & Christmas

January: Sutter’s Fort Stuff (all of us), Drawing for hire (Leah), Sewing (Jill), Selected for Rescue Fire District Board (Scott), Field Trips (Leah, Nolan, Jill, Chris-Mema), Lots of outdoors time due to spring weather (All)

February:  Sutter’s Fort Stuff (all), Fashion show (Leah & Jill), Drawing for hire (Leah) Travelling to bay area (Jill & Scott), Birthday (Jill), Travelling to Costa Mesa (all) Mock Sutter’s Fort Day (all)

Upcoming in March:  Sutter’s Fort ELP day-March 10th 

More details:

Other than a training in South Lake Tahoe in early November, we’ve not been travelling much.  We’ve all been blessed with decent health except for minor colds just after Christmas.  

November was filled with typical daily family stuff, schooling the kids, fleshing a hide (Leah), parent training at Sutter’s Fort, American Heritage & Trail Life events/meetings, sewing costume accessories for Sutter’s Fort, turkey hunting & prep, Thanksgiving with family in Sparks and lamenting the death of Scott’s Great Aunt Alice as well as the upcoming death of a dear family friend.  November ended in a somber tone.

 The benefit of schooling year round allowed us to take December off from “formal school”.  The hide Leah was tanning was “stored” for December, which gave her time to concentrate on her new career J  (WARNING-MOMMY BRAG MOMENT COMING) She’s been hired to illustrate a children’s book for a local author.  During a visit to a local craft fair we met a local author who owns a small publishing company with her daughter. They mentioned that authors are often  looking for artists.  Which of course led to a discussion about Leah.  In early December Leah, Chris & I met with the owners; armed with a portfolio of Leah’s drawings, and they were very impressed.  They also “interviewed” her by having her draw a few items on demand & sent her away with a few ideas to draw for a book that one of the owners had written.  A contract was signed a few weeks later & viola…Leah has a job!  The goal is for the book to be published this spring.  I’ll keep you posted.  It is for a children’s chapter book and the drawings will be similar to “pencil drawings”.

While Leah was drawing, Nolan was going stir crazy with our “unusual” wet weather in California for the month of Decembe,r but luckily was able to get some of his energy out during his short duration gymnastics class.  Of course he also tried out the new moves in our tiny house.  Luckily nothing was broken during the month of December (in the house or on the boy) J  Scott was gone most days, all day long with all the rain that was desperately needed (and still is).

I spent my days reading books with Leah and Nolan and sewing.  And some more sewing, and even more sewing.   At the end of December I had sewn 5 little girls’ purses, 3 fabric crayon holders, 1 toy car holder, and 1 apron for Christmas gifts for our nieces & nephews. 

 

 

 

 

 And I also sewed 4 petticoats, 4 sleeve extenders, and 2 bonnets for our Sutter's Fort Costumes.   During the month of sewing frenzy,  I learned that I really like to sew! Practice makes perfect right...therefore I still need lots of practice

 I've also added sewing to Leah’s school curriculum and she had her first lesson in February sewing bags for one of the 1840’s toys that Scott & Nolan & Grandpa Rene made for the trade store at Sutter’s Fort.

The entire family participated this year in the Placerville parade with the Donate Life Float.  Nolan and I rode the float while Leah & Scott walked behind and handed out candy to the onlookers.  The rain held out until the end of the parade thankfully and we all had a great time and look forward to attending it again next year. 

We also had the opportunity to help out at a Toy's for Tot's distribution center with our Trail Life & AHG troops and definitely want to add that to our Christmas "To-do" list again next year.  Last but certainly not the least…December brought the celebration of Leah’s 10^th birthday .  We took Leah and a friend to the Crocker Art museum and a late lunch for her birthday celebration.  She's growing up too fast.  And  the month also included some great Christmas celebrations with family and friends.   

I can honestly say our family has been immersed in Sutter’s Fort projects since November.  If we’re not prepping for tasks due at the Large group meetings (all family), then I’m helping Leah prep for her Small group meetings. (Leah & I)  In addition to that, Scott & Nolan have been making some “period” toys out of manzanita which involve some whittling and lessons for Nolan in pocket knife safety.  Scott also came up with a wooden tic-tac-toe game that Grandpa Rene became involved with making.  Grandpa Rene gave Nolan lessons on using a drill press as they drilled the holes for the pegs which were more whittled Manzanita.  (This is the toy Leah sewed the bags for.)

There is also the sewing I’ve been working on for our costumes as well as the cloth napkins and cloth drawstring bags.  And then of course there is the hide.  This has been Leah’s project for Sutter’s Fort for her small group, but we’ll also be using it as a project for our SCOPE (Sacramento Christian Organization of Parent Educators) Project Fair in March and we are still figuring out a way to utilize it for one of her American Heritage Girls troop badge.  The hide itself is pretty much done.  Just a little more softening and Leah deciding what she wants to use it for. 

In January, in addition to our Sutter’s Fort tasks, Scott applied & was selected to sit on the Rescue Fire Department Board of Directors.  This is an elected office so if he chooses to continue, he’ll be on the ballot in Rescue next November!  J  He was selected to replace a current board member who stepped down, which is why it didn’t become a special election.

The kids, Chris & I travelled to Santa Rosa for a SCOPE field trip at the Charles Schulz Museum that included a cartooning class.  It was a lot of fun but too short & we decided another trip needs to be scheduled to tour more of the museum as well as perhaps hit the Mission in Sonoma.

Since January was bone dry and much like spring weather, there was a lot of outdoor time for the kids as well.  Many of Leah’s hide task were able to be moved outside in warm sunshine and Nolan practiced his basketball skills since Dad set up a basketball area near the play structure.  Lots of outdoor PE going on in January:

February was going to slow down (or so I thought) however soon after I turned the calendar page, the empty boxes began to fill up.  So far, Leah had a slumber party with one of her dear friends we’ve known since the girls were 11 month old!  The slumber party was a belated 10^th birthday slumber party for each girl, who were born 3 days apart! 

On February 6^th, Leah and I participated in a fashion show put on by the American Heart Association event for “Wear Red Day” to kick off CHD awareness week.  The boys came to cheer us on, as well as my Aunt Joanne & her friend Cathy-who braved the torrential rain we FINALLY received after 45 days.  So Leah and I basically had our chauffeur (Scott) and our personal photographer (Aunt Joanne)…and we felt like celebrities.  And with all the cameras’ flashes, we got a taste of the paparazzi frenzy. 

Then there have been doctor appointments, Sutter Fort Meetings and travel for trainings.  I finally found the time to catch up for this blog while the kids visit Grammy, Aunt Susan & Grandpa for a couple of days and Scott and I travel to the bay area for a training. 

Saturday, February 14^th, I’ll celebrate 42 years here on earth.  Feels kind of surreal really...I recall after the transplant being told by some medical professionals that if I made it to 40 it would be impressive.  Thankfully medical innovations and medication for transplants has continued to evolve and improve.  According to the Journal of the American Heart Association the survival rate after 10 years is …well really it doesn’t matter.  I don’t follow those and based on the fact that my need for transplant was more related to the pediatric patients than the adult patients, I’ll surmise my survival will be quite different.  And truly, it’s in God’s hands and I don’t think it has anything to do with what I do or don’t do.  I’m not the most complacent patient and certainly not the best at keeping “in shape”,  (Don’t worry Lisa-I’ll be ready for September!),  but I do listen to my body and what it’s “telling” me.  My only dilemma now is making the time to follow through with a few minor issues it’s beginning to prod me with.

Next week we’ll be travelling to Costa Mesa for more training and taking the kids.  I’m hoping to visit a Mission or two, perhaps the beach (weather permitting), and we will also get to visit some family while in the area.

The month of February will end with our Mock Sutter’s Fort Day…which will be followed up with less than 2 weeks later: our Sutter’s Fort ELP day.  The culmination of all our hard work will come to fruition on March 10^th.  You are all invited to come and see us in action, though I will warn you that we will be in FULL CHARACTER that day and the Thorne’s will no longer exist so we might not respond to our current names.  Our fort names will be as follows:

Scott – James Griffith  (Attending outdoor fires)

Nolan – James Griffith Jr.  (helping Pa, perhaps attending school & other fort activities with younger siblings)

Jill – Elizabeth Griffith (Bakery)

Chris – Elizabeth Martin (Weaving)

Leah – Mary Griffith  (newly arrived emigrant-will be travelling with other emigrants around the fort to learn the different tasks performed at the fort) 

Somehow the four of us lucked out in choosing & receiving the names of an entire family, however Leah (as a participant child) will be a newly arriving emigrant to the fort & will have the privilege of riding from Old Sacramento to the Fort in a covered wagon.  We will be receiving a schedule for the day & will have a time the wagon will be arriving.  I do believe the fort doesn’t open to visitors until 10 am.  I hope to send and official invitation from our Sacramento Area Homeschool group soon.

In the meantime here is a preview of Mary Griffith & the hide she tanned.  This was her final presentation for her small group last Friday and with James Griffith Jr. on Saturday presenting to Gram GG & Grandpa Rene :

We desperately need rain here in California, but please pray for NO RAIN on March 10^th as I think our fort experience will be more pleasant if we are dry.

Our family sends it love & gratitude for your faithful friendship on this Valentine’s Day!  And we also send our gratitude and humble respect to my donor’s family for National Donor Day as well!