Oliver's Blessing

12 August 2012

We all got to be together for one more day (after the beach reunion) as we gathered in Fuquay-Varina, NC for the blessing of baby Oliver at the Fuquay Ward on Sunday. What a sweet occasion! Mike was able to join us at church, and for the meal afterward at Susy's, so it was nice to have one more member of our family there, as well.

Susy and Todd and their sweet family (Lily, Claire and Oliver.)

Fun Times at the Beach Reunion

Aug 4 – 11, 2012

We had a great week at Ocean Isle Beach, NC! Lots of yummy food and plenty of relaxing as well as some fun games and activities.

Our first evening there we strolled over to the beach and enjoyed a few minutes of rolling waves and ocean breezes. Travis brought a kite that flew very well, but I didn't get pics of that.
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Unfortunately, after all the kids went to bed that night, Lucy fell off the top bunk onto a tile floor and ended up spending the night at the Brunswick Novant Medical Center, nearby. After some exams and a CT scan, they said she had a closed skull fracture. Fortunately, the fracture will heal on it's own and she just had a swollen, black eye to show for it. Travis stayed with her until she was able to be released the next morning.
The rest of us went to sacrament meeting in the Shallotte Ward Sunday morning, and Laura was able to collect Lucy and Travis from the hospital right after that. (It was fun, and unexpected, to see some people we knew at Church!)

This is Lucy in the CT Scanner.

Here she is in her nightgown at the hospital.

She bounced back pretty quickly, though, and still had a good time on the beach.
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We all played "Name that Ancestor" at our first combined meal Sunday evening, with some table-top cards I made. Each stand up-card had a photo of someone from Bob's family on one side and someone from my family on the other. It was fun to look at them, talk about them, and discover some family resemblances. Later we had Family Home Evening, with cookies and milk for treats.
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Monday, we enjoyed our first full day of hanging out at the beach. Then, for dinner, we went to the Giggling MacKerel, on the OIB inlet by the bridge—and enjoyed some local seafood.

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On Tuesday, Heather and I cooked for Taco night at the house and after dinner, everyone competed in the first-ever Crensh-Olympic Games! Laura was in charge of this activity. She divided us into three teams and gave each team a clue card. We had to figure out where to go based on the different clues, then drive to each location and find what she'd hidden. It was lots of fun (and, we discovered how SERIOUSLY competitive some family members are!) After we'd collected all the items, we met at the beach and held team competitions using the things we'd found. There was something suitable for every age. (i.e. Every team included someone who was age 2, or under. That group competed to see who could pull all the tissues out of a box the fastest.) In another game, one "Olympian" from each team had to tie an empty tissue box around his/her waist, fill it with ping pong balls, then shake their bodies to see who could get all the balls out fastest. After the first three competitions, it was getting dark, so we held the last two challenges back at the house.

For one of those final challenges, one team member wore a shower cap covered in whipped cream while someone else threw Cheese Curls at his/her head. Whoever got the most curls to stick, in a set amount of time, won. Sophia didn't mind having the cheese curls tossed at her.
Each of the three competitors for every event was awarded a gold-, silver-, or bronze-like medal for their efforts.
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On Wednesday we drove to Myrtle Beach, SC and visited the aquarium and other Broadway-at-the-Beach sites. Most of us had lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. They had a guy making some awesome balloon animals, so the kids got some of those. Then, we visited Wee R Sweetz to buy some great salt-water taffy. Finally, on the way out, we took some silly pics at Tiki Jims!

John, Susy and Laura made a fabulous Lasagna dinner after we got back to OIB and we had a fun Family Talent Night. Heather coordinated everything and made a program for the evening's entertainment. Several of the children danced or did gymnastics; Bob and I did a silly pantomine of me painting his picture while he hammed it up; Susy and Todd did a skit with Lily that was hilarious. Lily and Todd where behind a sheet with Lily's head and Todd's arms sticking out. Lots of laughs! (Our kids used to do this kind of thing a lot when we lived in Indiana.); Amanda amazed everyone with her round-off and tumbling skills; John demonstrated how to properly dice an onion; Laura played the "Penny Flute" — her Penny, that is. (She held her and blew on her.); Travis showed his "directing" skills; and, Mark played guitar while he and Heather sang. (Then, Mark was carried away by ants!) Such remarkable talent our family members have!!
How I regret not having my camera with me! I only have a pic I took of the painting I did ahead of time for my skit with Bob. It's called "Papaw at the Beach"

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Susy helped coordinate family pictures and Thursday morning we got up bright and early for photos on the beach. We had rain off-and-on for most of the week and this turned out to be the best time to do them. Most of the pics we took with our digital cameras, but the one of the whole group I did with my old film camera on a tripod, set for time-delay. The down side was that I had to click it, then run like crazy to get in the picture in time. After about the third one, some people nearby started cheering and clapping every time I made the dash for the pic. We ended up with some good shots, though.

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On Friday, some of the family went to the beach again, and John, Amanda, Abby, Bob and I drove to the end of our street to play miniature golf. Of course, I'd never brag, but, I WON! Afterward, we met up with Heather and Mark at the Causeway Gourmet cafe for lunch. Great food!

We wrapped up our final day with ice cream sundaes in the evening.
And, by 10 am, Saturday, we were all on our way back to Wake County, NC.

We really missed two of our sons and our three oldest grandkids, who couldn't be with us this week. Hoping it works out that everyone can be together for a future family reunion.

Beach Reunion Time!

 Welcome to Ocean Isle Beach

 Canal House, Ocean Isle Beach, NC

3 August 2012

WE GO, WE GO, we go, we go, we go, we go . . .
At last! Tomorrow we head to the beach for our Crenshaw Family Reunion! Sadly two of our sons and three of our grandchildren won't be with us, though we wish, wish, wish they could be.
Looking forward to a fun week, though, filled with children, grandchildren, sand, sea and the relaxing sound of ocean waves. There'll be family time, books to read, food to eat, and games and activities to enjoy. Can hardly wait.

Making Progress. . .

17 July 2012

I'm so excited to finally have the shelves up in my craft room. The flat-packed pieces have been sitting here for weeks. I finally assembled them and, on Saturday, Bob helped me put on the doors and secure them to the wall. Getting that room in order is still a work in progress — but, it's almost there.
One of the first things I did after moving in a couple of years ago was paint this room, and hang some curtains. But, then, it got piled full of boxes and stuff and, though usable, has actually been kind of a mess until now. Makes me feel very happy to have some organization in that room, at last!

A Busy Month

5 July 2012

Besides welcoming our beautiful, new grandson in early June, there have been lots of other good things happening during the past month.

I learned the basic ins-and-outs of rock climbing at a local climbing facility called Sportrock. Now, I know, and have practiced, the seven hand holds and the three foot positions of rock climbing. This is something that was on my bucket list and I didn't know whether I'd like it or not. But, I found I really liked the challenge of it, and how my body felt from the effort. It seemed more invigorating than most exercise routines. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone to climb with, so I don't see myself doing more. But, I'm glad I took the classes I did, and learned the basics.

I also sewed up a costume for one of our cute young women at church. The youth are participating in a big regional youth conference this year that involves kids from all over northern Virginia, and they're all performing in a huge production. Kim didn't have anyone who could sew her costume, so I offered to do it. She's such a sweet girl, and really smart and talented. I loved doing it for her.

I don't have a photo from the evening, but, we enjoyed going to the outdoor theater at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on June 29th for a production of Pirates of Penzance. (Laura and Travis gave us the tickets for Christmas) It was a great cast and a lively performance! Really fun. And, to make the night even more memorable, just as we were leaving, a fierce wind and lightning storm came up. We huddled under the shelter of the concession buildings' overhang (along with a few hundred others) — until the winds died down and the rain let up — before making our soggy dash for the car. The drive home was slow going. Many lights were out along the way and there were trees down all over the roads. We were glad when we were safe at home. Unfortunately, some of the people in the area we drove through didn't have power for several days afterward.

On a brighter note, I'm very excited that I'm FINALLY taking a watercolor class from Catherine Hillis. I've been trying to get into a class of hers for over a year. It seems like the minute one of her classes is listed, it fills up. I'm SO happy I was able to get into this one! We've only had one class so far, but I know I'll learn a lot. (Years ago I tried to take a watercolor class, but had to drop it after only one session because of other things going on in my life at the time. So, I'm excited to try again) The photo above is one the instructor painted — it's definitely not mine. :-)

Look at all these beautiful veggies sitting on my kitchen counter! We signed up to receive 20 weeks of deliveries from a CSA farm in the area, and have enjoyed having all of this organically-grown produce. After I cleaned these, I just had to take a picture!
For the 4th of July, I cooked patty pan squash for the first time ever, along with preparing most of the other farm-fresh veggies pictured here. I added some of the yellow squash and zucchini to the patty pan squash and cooked them up with butter, sliced onion and a little salt and pepper. Then, I made a big pot of fresh green beans with new potatoes. I also roasted some turnips and a little fennel, and, made a marinated salad of cucumbers, onion, and tomato. Delicious! We did grill a little meat, but the veggies were the star of the show. 

Oliver is Here!

Susy with her "babies": Lily, Claire and Oliver

Me and Oliver

Oliver — hard to believe he wasn't even one day old when this was taken

20 June 2012

Our newest grandchild, Oliver Reed Estes, was born at 2:24 p.m. on Monday, June 11, 2012. He weighed 9 lbs. 5 oz. and was 22.5" long. And, he's adorable! What a sweet baby — and what a sweet family! I was glad I could be there for the first week of his life, helping out with the children and also a little cooking and cleaning. 

We now have 12 grandchildren — 10 granddaughters and 2 grandsons. Each as precious as the other. LOVE them all!!

MY NEW BERNINA

6 June 2012
I can't believe I'm just now posting about my brand new Bernina 730 sewing machine!
I got it in May, right after I returned from a visit to see my mother in Missouri. It's amazing, and I'm loving how much it can do. It not only sews fabulously, it's also an embroidery machine.
Since Susy's having her baby boy very soon, I just embroidered a couple of burp cloths and receiving blankets for her. (See photos above)
For years and years I found myself frustrated with some aspects of sewing and I finally realized it was because I was trying to do things with my old machines they were never designed to do. This machine does it all!! I'm so lucky to have one!
And, I have plans for lots more sewing to come!! I told Bob that someone sat down and thought of everything you could possibly want a sewing machine to do and then they designed this. I'm in heaven. :-)