Baby Charlotte turned two - can we call her baby Charlotte anymore? I don't think so! Little twin sisters "Baby A" and "Baby B" will be arriving sometime in August or early September;).
Our big news is that Kaela and Joe found a beautiful "forever" home in the area. They will move there in August. Yes the same month the babies are due! And then David and I are buying a townhome less than ten minutes from their home! We will move there in September. Much more on that later! It is quite small and a "bit of a fixer upper" but nothing we can't handle over time. In this insane sellers' market, we had to get real!
Meanwhile, I have a driver's license and a library card, so I'm all set and can call North Carolina home now, right?
It is a pleasure to be going to a library again after three years in Tokyo without one.
Elizabeth Berg is one of my favorite authors. I also love checking out cookbooks each time.
David and I went to a Van Gogh "immersive experience" the other day - I believe it has toured the country, or maybe there are multiple iterations of it happening simultaneously. It was educational and interactive, which was nice.... but
...we found it to be overpriced and disappointing, sort of a strip mall version of a real museum experience, with cheap blurry replicas of real art. Save your pennies and visit a real museum and see some original art, take an audio tour or better yet, a docent tour and experience art that way. And there is so much excellent free content online, from real museums featuring excellent images and videos.
Speaking of art... my feelings about tattoos have certainly evolved over the years.
When Noelle got her first tattoo (a Khalil Gibran quote about death - on her rib cage - her freshman year of art school), she FaceTimed us in Japan to show us, and I excused myself almost immediately to go have a good cry. LOLOLOL.
Ten years later..... I celebrate with her when she gets the tattoo she's been planning for so long, from a respected tattoo artist who accepted her proposal of concept and designed the tattoo. Each element holds meaning for Noelle. This was part one and took six hours:
Meanwhile I'm in nine patch heaven over here, working on the simple baby quilts. I finished quilting Baby B's quilt, will work on quilting Baby A's next.
xo
Cynthia
I suspect I am considerably older than you all, and yes tattoos were for sailors until I was 30-ish. Now all my kids have them and I am unconcerned. Piercings (other than ears) are another thing - the first time a kid showed me a piercing I vomited. Way to show Mom is hear to support you, eh? Thankfully mine seem to have aged out of that and there is no long term damage.
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Oh Joy Joy what great news on the home(s) front. What an exciting time later this summer. Your daughters tatoos' are incredible! very pretty and well done. My son is working on a sleeve. I'll share in my next post. We enjoyed reading your feelings about it. Very down to earth and real and I so appreciate that. xo
ReplyDeleteMachine cover? what's that, lolol
Such a cute mother/daughter photo. That is so exciting that your family will be close by when the babies come!! Plenty of "grandma time" and "grandma to the rescue" times. :)
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you had a disappointing experience at the Van Gogh immersion experience. I know there have been different iterations of it, but the one I attended was an inspiring and overwhelming experience.
With you on the "I don't get it" and "I feel old" stuff, but I can also let it be a non-issue at this point. My parents weren't thrilled that I wanted my ears pierced, back in the day, but they let me do it.
I'm with Barb--machine cover? What's that? LOL Maybe I need to try your version.
Great news on the home buying front for both you and your family! I’m sure you’re looking forward to feeling more settled. Love the fabrics you’re using for the baby quilts! I’m not a fan of large, very visible tattoos, but I strongly believe in being nonjudgmental and allowing folks to express themselves in ways they find meaningful as long as that doesn’t hurt someone else; my personal likes and dislikes matter not - it’s what your daughter thinks that counts!🙂
ReplyDeleteYou sound so happy to be home in the US and setting up life in NC. I hope daughter's move and twins arrival go smoothly, what a challenge!
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Charlotte is growing fast. She is adorable. So happy your family is moving close to you. I'm lucky to have 3 of my 4 kids close by. The tatoo is beautiful. It's good it she had it done by a professional. Hugs
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you have settled in your new home state. Sounds like it will be a while longer for your new home. Being close by and being able to help with the new babies will be a blessing for everyone. Don't quite get the tattoo thing, but then again, I imagine our parents didn't get a lot of stuff with us.
ReplyDeleteTWINS?! How exciting! It sounds like all is falling into place nicely. What an amazing tattoo!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful family news! So glad you will be nearby when your new grandbabies arrive! Love your sweet 9-patch baby quilts. Such pretty fabrics! Your daughter's tattoo is amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe Charlotte is 2! Goodness how time flies. She's just as cute as ever!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you and David will be living close to your daughter and her family. I imagine lots of baby snuffles and new mom getting lots of help.
I didn't realize a library was not available in Japan. Being without ours for the first months of the pandemic was horrible. I can hardly imagine three years without one!
Thank you for the second opinion on the Van Gogh exhibit. I'll pass.
My thinking on tattoos has not yet evolved as far as yours. I won't say more.
That's a beautiful quilt! You'll be ready before the babies arrive!
Congratulations on finding a permanent home , having your daughter’s family move to your area and settling down with a library card.
ReplyDeleteMany tattoo designs are spectacular and real pieces of art. Personally I’d much rather have the design on a T-shirt though so that I can change it every day!
I guess it is a matter of age! However what is more important is the person wearing the tattoo, and you will always love your daughter, with or without the tattoo.
Queenie
I have been absent from blogland for a while but just had to tell you how excited I am for you to have both girls nearby now. Maybe Tommy will someday settle there as well. I feel much the same way you do about tattoos, but I must say Noelle's is beautiful as a piece of art. Funny story - when my daughter was in college, she called and asked if she could have her tongue pierced. After a 20 minute rant, she asked, "well how about a belly button piercing?" to which I said, "Oh Sweetie, if I had your belly, I would pierce it too". Of course she had already done it and she knew exactly how I was going to react. Aren't we lucky to have wonderful children?!
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