9/16/11 Goodbye Summer Fun!

I keep forgetting I have this post of the last of my Summer Pics (BTW...Fall has officially arrived...we have 'almost record' lows today...39 degrees this morning...brrr).  Here's the last few weeks...

We celebrated DD's 24th birthday (her BF in the background).

BTW, the next week, DS2 passed his 'tuba scales' test. 

Then we had DH's sister and her family here and they moved my nephew into his dorm the next day for his freshman year at Pitt.  We met them for dinner later at one of our favorite places downtown; Church Brew Works (The microbrewery/restaurant is in an old church).  Here we are looking goofy as we try to take a pic of ourselves on the way out (at least I'm getting better at those arm-length pics and got our heads in the shot this time LOL).

A few days later, we went to Columbus for Labor Day weekend.  The boys went to the football game (The cool weather suddenly changed and it was 110 degrees on the field!).  Yes, we're still very ashamed at what happened with some players/coach, but we'll always be fans, it's our school (and I feel so sorry for all those boys, not involved, that are still playing here).

DH (AKA 'Mr. Finding Things') found a reasonable deal on Craig's List (an antique store in Columbus) for me...I've been looking for years for a barrister bookcase (the kind that lawyers used that have a glass door for each shelf that retracts to the top...in other words, I didn't want to have to dust these) for DS1's bedroom to put one of my collections in.  Problem...when I unpacked all my little eBay boxes of these, the shelves were stuffed, and there's a few that don't fit (time to add some shelves!).  Yes, I have a (OK, 'another') collection of old little German wooden toys (remember, DH grew up on the Army base in Germany...umm, no, only a tiny set of these were from his parents place...yes, I know...I have a collecting addiction).  I'm just planning on being the best grandma ever someday! 

 

My middle sis (was teaching; elementary) got a new job for her school district this year as a curriculum teacher (OK, not sure what the title is, but she now 'teaches the teachers' and works with them to implement new curriculum initiatives).  I'm so proud of her and I needed just the right gift to give her.  You may recall, she went through a lot this past year there...let's just call it 'the-year-of-job-interviews-from-Hell'!  Through it all she kept her head held high, and chose the path that was always best for the district...in other words, she wouldn't let this 'process improvement' sister go in there and fix all the fatal flaws in their processes (OK, 'give them a piece of my mind'!).  I'll remind you that during all this, she gave me the 'Rules of the Red Rubber Ball' book...to support and teach me (I told you she's the best!).  Here's that blog post HERE.

So, I decided for my gift that I'd make something that would make her smile while reminding her of how she got herself there, for her new office.  OK, this is one of those creative ideas that sounded (in my mind) way neater, and easier, than it turned out.  I found some funny pics of her and blew them up.  Then I went out and bought a red rubber ball...yes they still sell those old-school kickball's.  Then I cut (STOP RIGHT THERE and let me tell you how thick these balls actually are...this took MANY hours and failed attempts) the ball into the message from the book and put it all together in a frame.  She loved it. 

We found a few more flea market finds and I now have the first two in my 'mismatched chairs' for the new/old kitchen table.  Who knew it would be so hard to find one chair at a time (sets seem to be the going item)...

And last weekend we met DD and BF for a victorian home tour downtown and lunch after (another arm-length pic...my chin goes up with my arm apparently)...hot, but so fun!