Nana's Toy Box: October 2009

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted, well, actually I can. We've had a lot going on this past month including a trip to Denver, strange work schedules, the kids moving in (a saga in itself) and a visitor this week! I have accomplished some projects, although not near as many as I would have liked.
Mark and I flew to Denver to perform our babysitting duty and it was so wonderful to have both kids recognize us with excitement as we came down the terminal! Sophie has changed so much, talks well and we understood about 90% of what she said; Ayla translated the other 10%! Nana, Pops, Ayla, Sophie, and their parents all survived the adventure! We had no blood, no police, and we actually remembered to feed them correctly and on time! During our visit to Denver, Jacqueline and Jeff started their journey to CA and started it with a bang. A phone call at 1:30 in the morning from a hysterical Jeff informed us that they had rolled their truck in Louisiana. Jacqueline and Jeff faired better than the truck did although Jacq was transported to the ER for stitches in both her head and her elbow. Arranging the logistics of their continued trip proved easier than we thought and we appreciate Jeff's parents stepping up to the plate to help. They are in CA, safe and sound, their belongings arrived this past week via freight. Jacqueline has already landed two part time jobs and continues to look for full time work. She was always such a hard worker! I love having my daughter home! Jeff continues to look for work and hopefully he will find something soon. I've been sewing on my days off, intent on making the girls some outfits for Halloween. I ended up making more twirly skirts than just theirs and hopefully will get some orders for Christmas! I absolutely love the candy corn outfit I made Ayla and apparently, she does too! I had some custom orders to do and got those finished and shipped. I know I have to concentrate on building my inventory before the Christmas crunch hits!
Mark's stepmom, Nancy stopped to see us on her way to New Zealand and will fly to LA this evening to continue her journey. We loved having her here, I tried to glean some wine education from her and at least I now know what shaped glasses are for what color wine! We drove to Bodega Bay one day and enjoyed the view of the Pacific Ocean with her and then yesterday we took a trip to the City, enjoying lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and a walk through China Town.