More Grandson Tales

Chopped leaves and shredded paper (Carbon)? Check

Today FaceBook reminded me of a post from five years ago.  Sounds like I had good intentions of writing a little story about Gavin and composting.  Funny, I never got around to it.  Better late than never, I've decided to copy and paste my FaceBook post into this space and share the pictures I took on that day, too.  

The time she flies too quickly!

Here's the original post:

"I still want to write a blog about this entire 'Babka & Gavin Adventure.' Gavin and I had such a good time doing so many different things in such a short period. But when Gavin turned to me out of the blue and declared. "Let's make compost now," I wish I could share how I felt. The idea came from him, not me. But he sure picked the right Babka for this topic! Thank you, Tarajean, for allowing Gavin to have his own personal 'compost bowl' in your kitchen and the bucket and bag of chopped leaves and shredded paper in your back yard :-) Can't wait for warmer weather to start doing it's magic!"

Green' kitchen waste (Nitrogen)? Check

Bucket has drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and now just needs to be set outdoors for Oxygen and allow Mother Nature to run her course.

Gavin told me, "no meat and no mayonnaise." He is so right. And we went into the laundry room and found Babka's dryer lint to add to this batch of compost, too!

Bragging on Grandchildren

Gavin's awards

So, do we get a pass when we brag on our grandchildren? Everybody does it.  It's a given that our grandchildren are the best and brightest.  I've been pondering quite awhile now the many wonderful  traits my grandson, Gavin, possesses.  And it's high time I write down some of the stories that compile our wonderful relationship.  Sadly, I've forgotten more than I will ever remember.  All the more reason to start sharing some of these anecdotes.  Some day, Gavin might enjoy reading these remembrances about who he was as a child.  And specifically, who he is to this Grandmother.

In no specific order, just here and there, stories. About Gavin.  And how he changes my world by being a part of it.

Last spring, at the end of Gavin's 4th grade year, the school held an awards ceremony.  Unable to attend the event, Gavin played Master of Ceremonies and treated me to a one-on-one display of his many school-year achievements.  It made me so proud and happy for this young man who is able to walk in the world and be so positive.  His love for learning is infectious and his open manner and cheerful disposition can always put a smile on my face.  Such a gift to all of us who love him.

Gavin's Artwork

Self Portrait, Gavin Lee Warren, 10 yrs. old

Sexagenarian

Funny how the advent of a birthday brings on extra thinking, above and beyond the norm. A little like taking a pulse.  How am I?  How do I feel about this? Where am I going? What have I accomplished? What would I like to do with my remaining time here on planet Earth? Some of this sounds like big idea stuff when spoken out loud or written here on the white page. But now that it's escaped the just thinking phase, best see if I can find some worthy answers and set some goals for the remainder of my sexagenarian decade.

The thought of this next birthday makes me a little giddy, without the threat of a hangover. Not a landmark one but special nevertheless. I've arrived!  But where is that exactly? It's definitely nowhere I could have ever predicted back when I began my adult journey.

Married for 31 years to my knight in shining armor...two children grown up and living full-on adventures of their very own...being around to watch my 10-year-old grandson thrive and achieve...most of my friends and family living far and wide...still eager to self-educate, seek new challenges,  forge new connections, and most recently, looking for new creative outlets.  Never did I think I would be able to sum up my most precious parts with such brevity.

Grateful for this opportunity to think and ponder my existence, I am excited about turning 63 and celebrating each day ahead as it unfolds.  Happy Birthday to me.

Happy Birthday to my big (little) brother, Christopher!

Dear Christopher,

I know, I know.  You are younger than I am. But for whatever reason I always think of you as my big brother.  This is a good thing.

Happy Birthday to you, Christopher.  Today it's all about you, all day long!!  Enjoy and Celebrate and know that you are loved and missed.

I've always liked this slide show of photos I put together for your 50th birthday.  It still holds up pretty well....and if you hang on until the end, you'll notice I updated a couple of frames/collages with some current photos I snagged from your FaceBook page. Hope you don't mind but thought you'd appreciate the revised updates.

Life is a highway....

Love you, brother,

Kimberly

Veterans Day

 Verklempt, that’s me. On Veterans Day, there are so many people to thank and a multitude of memories to be contemplated. First and foremost I want to thank the people closest to me who have served our great country. Jeff Ylitalo, Abram Ylitalo, Christopher B. Lewis, Dad, Cameron Ylitalo, Les-Barb Francisco-Cayko, Korena, and Frank Rosco (RIP).

Our neighborhood magazine, South Tulsa Living, asked if they could interview Jeff and write a piece for their November issue, honoring veterans. Jeff is by nature a quiet man and not much for pounding his own chest or beating his own drum (you get my drift). A humble guy. And I love him for it. I’m so glad he agreed to be interviewed. And the photos (apart from the large Apache helicopter photograph, which I snagged from the web) are all from our personal library of pictures. Thank you, Jill VanTrease, for your wordsmithing, and South Tulsa Living for the honor.

with gratitude and more,

Kimberly

CLICK HERE to read original article in PDF format.

God is the master of perfect

It started with a pot lid. No Captain America shield on hand?  No problem. Use what you have at the ready and transform everyday, ordinary items into whatever you need them to be.  This is how Gavin handled the challenge of the Avenger's shield.  His fanciful imagination filled in for the item he didn't have.

The pot lid may have been where this play-date started but I couldn't leave it there.  Gavin's resourcefulness triggered my own ideas about shields, protection, magic and how to use materials I have on hand to create a shield of Gavin's very own.  Couldn't think of a better way to spend time with my Captain America.

The photos from this project speak for themselves.  Using some very basic materials pulled from the recycle bin (plastic oatmeal lid and hummus container) and a couple of brads, we were off and running.  Next, a bunch of colored card stock cut and layered for the emblem. We were just in time for 'saving the world' and doing battle with our enemies.  After putting it all together, I decided to laminate the paper layers so that it would stand up to any water hazards. 

Funny little story while Gavin and I were copying the design of Captain America's shield (found on the internet). We had cut all the circles and at the end I traced and cut a white star.  As Gavin and I were gluing the layers of paper together, I noticed that my star was not the same size in relation to the circles as the original design I was copying from and I said, "Darn! The star is supposed to fit inside the blue circle."  And Gavin said, "I'm fine with that."  And then he said, "God is the master of perfect."  Out of the mouths of babes.

This project was something Gavin and I did together over four months ago.  Since then, Gavin has turned six, Jeff has finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, I spent over a month in Idaho visiting family and friends (patiently awaiting this inconvenient stress fracture in my foot to heal)  and now we arrive at autumn, October and catapult to the end of another year.  Gavin spent the night here at the house last night. We've moved beyond pot lid shields to playing with large sticks (found in the yard) fashioned into swords.  Here's to many more years of creative imagining.  I'm in!

Gavin's 6th Birthday Celebration!!

Today you are you!

That is truer than true!

There is no one alive

who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

Click HERE to view video on YouTube and share the link!

Bird Feeder Ornament

It was such a good project in theory.  What's not to love about making a bird feeder mobile to hang outdoors in winter?  Gavin was up for it and I had all the supplies at the ready last Saturday morning. 

Needing sustenance for brain and body, we had breakfast first and logged about an hour of Tom and Jerry cartoons, one of Gavin's current favorites.  Gavin changed out of his pajamas while I gathered together everything we would need to assemble these birdie treats.  We were ready and excited to get started.

Just a side note here having nothing to do with this nature craft project.  But did you notice how I said "Gavin got changed out of his pajamas?"  Well, this is a big deal.  He's been dressing himself for awhile now, but I still marvel at how we've moved from 'dressing Gavin,' to "helping Gavin get dressed," to "Gavin getting himself dressed.  I hear Life's clock ticking in my head as I write.

I'd never seen a sweet gum tree pod until I moved to Fort Campbell, KY.  Fascinated by them, I went around our neighborhood, gathering them up for some unknown future project. Ended up using them like 'shipping popcorn' in all my Christmas boxes that year. My friend, LJ, calls them 'alien pine cones.' Since that time I've seen many a sweet gum tree.  My neighbor here on 101st Place has one, right across the street and so I was able to gather some for this project.  Peanut Butter is always on hand and black sunflower seeds, too.  Check! 

I was the designated 'peanut butter spreader onner.'  Gavin was the official 'pod dipper' and then back to me for tying onto the hanger.  Mine was most definitely the messier of the steps.  Gavin shot some video footage of me and asked some very astute questions as the interviewer. 

    

  

It was a very cold day and Gavin was happy to stay indoors. I donned my boots and went outside to hang our new feeder in the maple tree.  

I was so excited when only minutes after Gavin was picked up by his Mom, a male and female cardinal dropped in to check out the 'thing-a-ma-bob-doo-hickie' hanging in their tree.. Check it out was all they did, never attempting to alight on the pods or hang from the twine to get at the seed. Turns out you can lead a bird to the seed but you can't make them eat.

A week has passed and the pods are still hanging in the tree, a little more worse for the wear. This bird feeder may not have resulted in what we hoped for initially but in the end I got what I wanted. Time well-spent with Gavin.  I'm thinking this is the most desirable outcome.

Such a fun sleep-over

We never have to look hard for things to do together.  Gavin loves working on new projects. Sometimes we finish up things we began the last time he was at the castle house.  Other times, I'll have a plan for a new activity before Gavin comes over and that plan will morph into a completely different adventure.  And sometimes we even have projects we've talked about doing like hand sewing a burlap pirate booty pouch or whipping up some home made pasta, a la Great Aunt Jessica, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Gavin and I usually make regular runs up to the studio to get art supplies. We typically bring everything downstairs and work at the dining room table. Sometimes Hempi joins in the fun, like the last two times Gavin was here and we all worked on origami.  Usually, we make at least five to ten 'studio runs' in the course of a weekend. And I always ask, "Gavin, would you like to run up to the studio with me to get more 'stuff?'  Most of the time, Gavin is out of the chair before I finish the question. Each time we're upstairs, I show Gavin another art tool or gadget.  Gavin is getting familiar with where I keep my treasures.

This last weekend, we ended up in the studio for one of our projects.  Only right that it was a 'drawing activity.' Such a lovely turn of events, too.  It started innocently enough.  I invited Gavin to come up to the studio to see a surprise.  The surprise was a desk.  The desk his Mom and Dad gave me after they decided they no longer had a use for it.  And now, the same desk Gavin was used to seeing in his house, was in the "Castle House" studio.

When Gavin saw it, his face lit up.  The next thing he did was ask for some paper and colored marking pens.  Arranging them on the desk just so, he took a seat and began making the place his own.  Gavin said, 'this drawing is going to be for you, Ba'ka.'  

Together, we spent the next hour, drawing and working at our separate desks.  Time spent in the studio is usually good for me. But this was a first for Gavin and I.  Staying in the studio to work on something together and apart.  Each in our own creative space.

The next morning, we went back into the studio, this time because Gavin asked me to make a copy of his original work of art.  I love mixing art and technology! And especially when I can share my knowledge with this 5-year-old.  Little does he know that in another 5 to 10 years, his tech-savvy abilities will far surpass all of mine and I will never catch up.  We proceeded to scan and copy Gavin's artwork, do another drawing, more scanning, convert art into note card art and then write notes in the new cards for special people in our lives.

Gavin 's Art Note Card

Learning to draw using the Wacom tablet.

I love Gavin Quotes.  This was one of my favorites:  Gavin: "I'm going to need a lot more paper."  I smiled and replied, "Well, that's easy. I have a lot of paper."  And Gavin, making my whole weekend said, "You are the master."  *heartfelt sigh

South Tulsa Living Magazine

                            

Eleven-Mile Reservoir

Such a thrill to see my photos and copy in print.  In a real magazine.  My head doth swell.  Now I can understand better why Jeff continues to be the editor of Errorscope magazine (way to go, honey! CONECA is lucky to have you as their editor and wordsmith).  It's an amazing feeling to see our own words 'in print' where others will get to read them.  Heady stuff for this newbie columnist.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I have been asked to join South Tulsa Living (a social newsletter for our area neighborhoods) writing staff. The folks who work at the magazine thought my "Living Green" stuff would be a good addition.  I'm honored and happy to provide a monthly 'tip, challenge, recipe' on a multi-layered subject about living a greener life.  Not an expert, by any stretch, but a more enthusiastic practitioner you would be hard-pressed to find.   My first "Living Green...one change at a time" column will appear in April's issue.  Not yet written, the bits and threads of ideas are already flowing.  Home-made laundry detergent, anyone? 

So, what is this head swelling escapade I spoke of at the beginning of this post? My first column hasn't even been written yet.  Candy Trenary, (Area Director/Publisher of South Tulsa Living) saw a few photos I posted on FaceBook.  She asked if I would be willing to submit and write a short piece about our recent trip to Colorado.   I was willing. Those photos and my few paragraphs of text  appeared in this month's issue of the magazine.  This is what makes me so high on myself today.

Cooler heads will prevail eventually.  But I am going to ride this air current of loveliness for as long as I can. In the meantime, thank you, Candy, for inviting me to join you guys.  Thank you, Terri (Terri Jeffers, Editor, South Tulsa Living). 

You want it when?

Click here to read the text portion of the Colorado Road Trip, submitted to the magazine.

Breckenridge Ski Resort, CO

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat...

Jeff and I packed up the household goods and set out for our first military duty station in the summer of 1988.  El Paso, Texas, or bust!  It was difficult leaving our family and friends.  But this was to be our new adventure and we were up for the challenge.  I never realized when we left Idaho, just how much about our lives would change.

Over the years, we created our very own holiday traditions, best suited to our nomadic ways.  We didn't have a lot of extra money for traveling, so we stayed close to home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  These habits have shaped our current traditions and now are at the heart of how we celebrate the season.

Now, with our children grown and a grandchild in our midst, we gladly leave behind some of our old ways to make room for new traditions. One of my favorite new traditions is inviting grandson, Gavin, over to the 'castle house' so he can help decorate the tree.  We make hot chocolate, start a fire in the hearth, play selections from John Denver and the Muppets Christmas songs and adorn the tree with our memorable collection of ornaments. 

On Christmas Eve we will join Tarajean, Paul and Gavin over at Ann and Joe's for a lovely dinner. On Christmas morning, Jeff and I will enjoy coffee and raise our cups in a toast to our loved ones and those who cannot be with us on this blessed day. Then we'll head over to the Warren family home to exchange gifts, partake in a tasty brunch, and be a part of their family Christmas tradition.