Happy New Year!

The new year is upon us--day 3 that is. I didn't make any specific new year's resolutions--that way I can't break any of them. I do have a lot I want to do this year, but I always have a lot I want to do. We spent New Year's Eve at home. My brother and his wife joined us. So did Nikki, Matt and sons, Sarah and Tyler and Nancy and the girls. We ate, played cards and just spent time together. It was pretty quiet. Sam and Charlie spent the night with us so their parents could go spend time with some friends. Sarah left early too. In fact, our party was over by 11:00 p.m. No hangovers for us.

I have been catching up on some of my knitting. It is too cold to go out and do anything, so sitting at home with my knitting is very nice. I finished some socks and am working on the second sock of another pair I started a while ago.

Tomorrow it is back to work--I dread the walk from my car to my building. It is very cold and it isn't likely to warm up any time soon. You can bet I will dress for the weather--lots of layers too.

So, here is wishing you a

Happy New Year

with health, happiness,

and lots of family and friends

to surround you in

2010!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas day is almost here. We are bracing ourselves for a big winter storm--ice, rain, snow--just in time for Christmas day. I am praying that my children make it home safely. Michelle is scheduled to fly in from Denver tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Nikki and Matt are scheduled to fly home today from their trip in Mexico. Their 2 sons have been staying with Grandpa and I. Grandpa has to go to work everyday, so Charlie, Sam and I  have spent the days playing games, watching Sam try to get where he wants to go by rolling everywhere and just generally having fun. Steve and I enjoy having the grandchildren here and love being grandparents. Of course we have to deal with the diaper changing, potty training, feeding and bathing. But reading stories and laughing with them more than makes up for the daily drills.

As you can see in the photo at the left, Sam enjoys his meals. We wear almost as much as we eat. He is a mover which makes it hard to hit his mouth every time.

Charlie and I went with Aunt Nancy and cousins, Emily and Kirsten, to drive through a holiday light display called "Holly Jolly Lights". All the proceeds go to the Make a Wish foundation. There was a long line of traffic--took us over an hour just to get to the point where you pay for your ticket in. Then we sat in the line another 20 minutes or more. We were just creeping along until we finally got to the spot where the light displays began. Kirsten slept through part of it. Charlie didn't. He was very chatty the whole way. I was glad that Grandpa stayed home with Sam. It ended up being a late night.

Frosting cookies at Grandma's house!

The best part is eating the broken ones. That is a rule you know. If it breaks, you eat it right away--at least that is Grandma's rule.

This year I got to attend Charlie's first Christmas program. His daycare had a holiday show and the children learned a lot of songs. They performed very well. Charlie was great the first half of the show. You can see he is happy when he was singing and holding the butterfly.

The mood changed quickly however. The children left the stage and put on some little costumes. I am not sure what happened, but the second half of the performance was not a happy one for Charlie. Although he didn't cry outloud, he had a very sad look on his face and didn't sing the songs. It was pretty typical behavior for a 3 year old.

Not a happy cowboy!

Even giving a present to his mom didn't bring a smile to his face.

Although I haven't been able to spend time with my other grandson, Kalub, this week, we did get to take care of him a couple of weeks ago. He was thrilled looking at the ornaments on our Christmas tree. He had fun finding Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Tigger.

 He is growing up so quickly too. He is talking a lot more and loves to come and play with Charlie and Grandpa. The first question he asked when he arrives is "Where papa? Where Charlie?"

Dinner time!

Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
May all your wishes come true!

The Steinbronns

Trying out Voice Thread

The above slide show has sound. Click on the arrow to move to the next photo. The first photo has two commentaries because I wasn't sure that I actually recorded anything, but apparently I did. One photo doesn't have any recording on it. Oh well. It was easy to put the photos in and do the recording. But next time I will make sure my email isn't running in the background--which is why you will hear a "ding" in one of the slides. Oops.
Voice Threads is the program. Very easy, very fun to use.

Awesome

The weather is colder--had a few flakes on the yard and deck yesterday morning. It was pretty and it melted before the day was over. That is the kind of snow to have. I spent the day cleaning again. I know, it is not in my nature to get so organized. But I now have a spare bedroom with an actual bed in it. Of course it has a McQueen pillowcase on the pillow for the grandsons. When Charlie saw it, all he could say was "Cool"--out of the mouths of a 3 year old. Now to tackle the sewing room. I would show you before and after pictures, but it would be embarrassing.

Nikki gave me photos of the boys. They are so cute!!!


Sam is almost 6 months old. He smiles very easily, has the most amazing laugh and wants to be where all the action is. He talks very loudly--according to his Dad, all the time. He is delightful. See his two bottom teeth in the photo?

Charlie just turned 3 last month. I guess when this photo was taken, he wouldn't smile without his tongue stuck out. Oh well. His mother will think it is adorable in about 15 more years. Grandma thinks it is cute right now. He is a busy boy and really likes to come to Grandma's house. That is perfectly fine with me.

Isn't this a precious photo? No one has to encourage Charlie to show his love for his little brother. He is so proud to be the big brother and is very loving and caring.

Here is my other precious grandson, Kalub. He is such a happy boy--he makes friends with everyone. His smile just draws people to him.

I love this photo of Kalub with Aunt Sarah's dog, Marshall. Right now Kalub seems to be in control of this puppy. But in a few months, the tables may be turned. Marshall is a growing lab.

Thanks for letting me brag.

Pillowcase Dresses

Have you seen, or heard, about dresses for little girls made from pillowcases? They are darling and I need help sewing some for a lady to take with her to Honduras on December 1, 2009.

If you know of anyone who would like to donate pillowcases--they don't have to be new, but should be in good condition--double-fold bias tape (it takes 2 yards per dress), ric-rack for trim, elastic (1/2-inch wide--12" per dress), I would like to hear from you. Donations can be sent to my home address. Email me (drgrandma@gmail.com) if you would like to make a donation and I will send you my address.

Here is the link about Pillowcase Dresses 4 Uganda. One of the churches mentioned is Community Church of Joy (Phoenix, AZ) where my brother and sister-in-law attend. Audrey e-mailed me to request help with sewing the dresses to send to Honduras. Of course I love to sew so I am happy to help. I am organizing a sewing night at my church's craft night to get some dresses ready to send. Here is a link for the pillowcase dress pattern.

My personal goal for this project is 100 dresses. Can you help? I need pillowcases!!! To reach this goal (I would like to have more than 100 dresses to send) I would need to sew 10-12 dresses per week--between now and Thanksgiving. It is possible to reach, and surpass, this goal. Help me spread the word, send me materials and of course prayers are always welcome.

The Birthday Boy--Kalub

The Birthday Boy--Kalub
Originally uploaded by Peggy Steinbronn

Today is Kalub's 2nd birthday! We celebrated with some family and friends on Sunday. The theme of the party was Nemo. Kalub was so excited about it. When he got up from his nap, the party decorations transformed his world into Nemo's. He had a wonderful time.

Click here for more photos.

Vacation in the mountains

The vacation in the mountains was an adventure, to say the least. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger! More on that later...





Peggy Steinbronn

July

I seemed to have "lost" a couple of months. Sam was born and there were many other things to do. I have spent the last several weeks going through the accumulated "stuff" in the house and garage of the last, almost, 23 years of living here. It has taken almost all my free time and the help of my husband, a daughter, my son, and a very good friend to plow through it all. It is certainly not finished, but at least now it is more manageable. We gave away a lot and put the rest in a rented dumpster. The dumpster was full to the top when it was hauled away. It is a good feeling to have some space back and to have things a little more organized--except now I can't find things. I am trying to stay on top of it so that it doesn't get in that kind of shape again.

The grandsons are growing by leaps and bounds. I actually made Sam laugh out loud last night. We will be spending some time with the kids this 4th of July and that always makes me happy. The parade, the carnival, a cookout, games and the fireworks will fill the day. I am so glad we have Sunday to rest up. The only little one missing from our family activities will be Kalub. He and his mom will be in Minnesota visiting the other grandparents.

I am always surprised that my children expect a certain kind of celebration for July 4th. The way we spent the day while they were growing up really does mean a lot to them and they want to continue the "tradition". Michelle is driving home from Denver and will arrive sometime today. Michael will also be back from taking Kristi and Kalub up north so that he can spend the 4th with us. We will have the usual kinds of foods--cook some meat on the grill, potato salad, rhubarb pie (homemade with the rhubarb from mom's garden), and other side dishes that everyone else will bring to share. The afternoon will be spent playing bocce ball, croquet, ladders, and corn hole. Corn hole is a beanbag toss game. At the end of the day everyone will migrate to our house and we will sit in the driveway, eat popcorn, drink lemonade and watch the fireworks. I am sure we will let the kids have some sparklers to end the evening.

It is always a good time. I am just amazed that the 4th of July came so quickly this summer. I guess with all the cleaning, throwing out stuff, etc. the time just flew by. It seems that the lazy days of summer are few and far between. When does it "slow" down? I need to make time to relax and enjoy.

A Poem in Your Pocket

April is National Poetry month. And so, tomorrow, April 30th, is "Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day". You are encouraged to carry a poem in your pocket and share it with someone. To acknowledge National Poetry month, I have written a poem about Samuel--also in honor of his birth. He will be 2 weeks old on April 30th.


The poem is written in the style of an *acroustic. I am sure it could be improved, but I am satisfied with it--for now anyway. If you click on the image, it should open in a new browser window and it may be a little easier to read.

*Acrostic poems are simple poems in which each the first letter of each line forms a word or phrase (vertically). An acrostic poem can describe the subject or even tells a brief story about it.

One Week Old

Sam is a week old today. Both he and his brother are doing well. So is Mom and Dad--although they are tired. I did not get to help out as much as I had hoped because of a nasty sinus infection. I am on medication, but am still coughing a lot and sound like I have a head full. Most of my energy has been zapped out of me.

I was able to take Charlie for the afternoon yesterday. We went out to lunch, played, read stories and took a nap. Both Charlie and Grandma fell to sleep for a couple of hours. When we got up, Grandpa was home. Mom and Dad and Sam came over. I have added some photos taken at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Charlie is so good to Sam. He doesn't mind the attention Sam gets and seems quite concerned when Sam is crying. He is a great big brother.

Content in Grandma's arms


Having a chat with Grandpa

Happy 3rd Annniversary to Michael and Kristi. They celebrated their 3rd anniversary on Wednesday, April 22nd. It is hard to believe it was only three years ago that we were in Minnesota having a wedding. So much has happened in such a short time--some good, some bad. But we have a lot of fond memories to keep us going and many blessings in our lives.

Mom and Samuel

The big event finally happened. Nikki, Matt, and Charlie have welcomed a new little boy into their family--Samuel David Fitzgerald. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 6 oz, was 21 inches long. He was born at 1:07 p.m. on April 16, 2009. Nikki and Matt chose to have a home delivery. Her labor began around 11 a.m. and a couple hours later Sam appeared. Both mother and baby are doing very well. Charlie happened to be at daycare while this was happening. He came home to a new little brother. He calls him baby Sam. He seems to like the baby but was more interested in his new big wheel and the cars and car mat I made for him. Charlie spent last night at Grandma and Grandpa's so mom and dad could concentrate on the new baby.

Samuel David
taken at 6:15 p.m. April 16, 2009

Grandpa and Sam

Charlie and his new car play mat

I will take more pictures of Charlie and Sam today and post as soon as I can. We are so thrilled. Sam is so cute! And Nikki was so relaxed after giving birth at home. Her mid-wife will check up on them today.

April Week-End

"Hoppy" Easter! It promises to be a beautiful week-end in Iowa. The sun is shining and it should get up to about 60 degrees today. We are still waiting for the baby to appear. Nikki is so ready--she is having a hard time playing the waiting game now that it is so close.

My excitement for the morning was a small fire on the stove. Nothing was damaged and it was easily extinguished--the reason for opening the windows even though it is only 44 degrees right now. I had put the water on to boil some eggs for Easter. I did not realize that there was something in the burner's drip pan. When I turned around there were flames. I took the pot off the burner and tried to use the lid of the pan to snuff it out, but that didn't work. So, I opened the cupboard and grabbed the salt shaker. I poured salt on it and that extinguished the flames. When the burner cools, I will clean up the smoke, etc. Steve is at work, so I am glad I don't have to tell him that he has to come and clean up a fire mess from our house. The dog and I were the only ones home and the dog was safe outside. The eggs are boiling now.

Charlie came over to visit. His mom and dad had some things to do, so Grandma got to have him for the rest of the day. We went to Great-Aunt Nancy's house to dye Easter eggs with the girls. He thought it was pretty fun!

Watch the slideshow of photos.

Kalub was not able to participate in the egg dying as he was in Minnesota with his mom and dad, visiting relatives there. Maybe next year....


I have discovered that there is something called "laminated" cotton fabric. I am now on a mission to find some. It would make great bibs, aprons, messy mats, tote bags, etc. I think it is kind of expensive, but what isn't now days! I have so many things to make--if only there was more time.

With Easter comes the promise of new life. Maybe today the newest little Fitzgerald will appear. Easter means hope!

Easter's on Its Way!

I was very busy over the week-end getting some things ready for some special little ones--and some older, special children as well. Although it is April, it still feels like winter--got a little snow on Sunday. It will be melted soon! I am hopeful that this was the last flake of winter this season. We haven't made any specific plans for the Easter holiday. We are waiting for baby to arrive--but you know how a baby can be--in their own time. I will certainly update this when Fitzgerald grandchild #2 arrives.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

Created with Wordl.

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/717210/Dr._Grandma_Says

Where are the months going? I don't know when February flew by and March marched right past me without even stopping. It is now April and we are still fighting to see spring arrive. Winter keeps coming back to annoy us.

The above image was created with a web program called Wordl. Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. It has a lot of choices for fonts, colors, and layouts. It was fun to "play" with it.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Grandchild # 3--baby #2 for Nikki and Matt and sibling #1 for Charlie. I can hardly stand the waiting. I keep making more things for the baby, for Charlie for when the baby arrives--it is getting out of control. What fun!

February, 2009

The boys, rocking out at Grandma and Grandpa's.

(Notice the "hat tree" in background-formerly used as a cane.)

It is still winter--of course, it's Iowa. We received a hefty 7 inches of snow in about 3 hours on Friday. It was heavy and wet. There were lots of accidents in Des Moines. Fortunately none of my children and husband were involved. They were all safe. I checked on each of them. But the sun is shining and some of it has melted.

How did you spend Valentine's Day? Steve and I had both grandsons for the evening. It was great. They are both so cute. Charlie is talking up a storm. He was trying to teach Kalub how to say "Grandma" at dinner. Kalub gave it a valiant effort. I gave them each a sock monkey for Valentine's Day, so they spent some time throwing them in the air.


At bedtime, I took Steve and Kalub to his house and dropped them off. Steve was in charge of staying with Kalub and getting him to sleep in his own bed. I took Charlie to his house for bath, stories and bedtime. Unfortunately he was not completely in bed when his parents got home. I don't think his mom was too happy that he wasn't asleep yet (it was 10 p.m.), but I told her it was "Grandma's privilege". He was too cute when he saw her, so she couldn't stay mad for too long at either of us. He is still my little "cheerleader/coach" when I go up or down the stairs. He told me last night to "be careful Grandma. Don't fall".

I have been sewing things for the new baby's room. So far I have made:

2 window treatments
crib skirt
2 crib sheets
4 throw type pillows
1 pillow case for the long body pillow

Still to do:

Memo board (the one with the ribbon that you tuck things into)
Crib quilt

And there is still plenty of time left to get it done before the big day! When it is complete, I will take pictures and post here.

Nikki is now going to the doctor every 2 weeks--so the time is getting short. She told me last night that this baby is making her very uncomfortable--like there is no more room for it to grow--she feels stretched to the limit. Maybe the baby will come early. They all take their time.

I have been released from the doctor's care. No restrictions, no cane or crutches. Every day I feel a little stronger and am able to walk more. The right foot has some numbness in the area where the plate and screws were inserted, but that is not a major issue. It is good to be back at it again. I can't tell you how much I missed being able to sit down and sew...and spend time in a fabric store. Heaven!!

January 2009

Yes--it is dang cold! Yes--there are several inches of snow on the ground. But life goes on and we endure. I am now wearing real shoes (not the size I used to wear) and walking with a cane--one of those canes that has four little "feet". It is more for balance than anything. Every day gets a little better. The cold makes my foot ache--the one with the metal in it. But it is not unbearable--after all I did give birth to four children. Still no dancing!

I am back at work but am limited to not walking much, sitting down to do my job, etc. I will see the doctor in February. Probably there will be another round of x-rays and hopefully he will release me. Everything in good time.

I am helping Nikki get the new baby's room ready. She and Matt picked a color scheme and Matt spent the week-end painting. Nikki and I got the fabrics and I have a long list of things to sew: window treatments for 2 windows, a crib skirt, a crib sheet, pillows for the chair, basket liners, a crib quilt, and a memo board. As usual, Nikki is panicking--she thinks I won't get it all done in time. I reminded her about sewing prom dresses. I always managed to get it done in time for prom and it looked store bought and fit her perfectly. This too shall be done in time for the little one.

I am not sure what reaction Charlie will have to his new brother or sister. I don't think he quite understands it all yet. He will be a great big brother. He plays pretty well with Kalub and Kalub loves to be with him. I love spending time with both grandsons and take any chance I can to be with them. The housework can wait.

The holidays were all a blur. I did not get to shop so my contribution was knitted items. While I was recovering at home I knit the following:

• 8 pairs of socks
• 2 sweater vests
• 1 scarf
• 1 hat

All were finished in time and wrapped for the gift exchange on Christmas day. Michelle flew home on Christmas Eve and stayed through the week-end. The only disappointment was we did not get to spend time with Steve's brothers and sisters. The day we were to meet them, the weather was very nasty--the whole state was covered in ice. We had to stay home. It was not worth risking anyone's lives to make the trip. We will meet up with them all in June when our nephew, Chris (Steve's sister Diane's son) gets married in Wisconsin. That will be a better time of year to take a trip.

My hopes for the New Year: a better economy, healthy bones, and lots of family time.

Wish I Could Dance!

The surgery happened and it has been 2+ weeks of recovery. I am still not able to dance much (oh, I didn't really dance before). The weather is cold, snow is on the ground and there has been a little ice. Not really great for someone with 2 broken limbs on crutches.

Of course on the day I was scheduled to see the Doctor, we had rain which then turned to ice and snow. My husband made sure the steps and sidewalk was clear of snow and ice so I could get to the car--it was still a little bit scary. I did not get the doctor's report I was hoping for. I still have to wear the boot on the left foot. They did take the stitches out of the right foot, and I can put a little weight on it--the heel only. So, I am still at home pretty much immobile.

I am feeling a little bit of cabin fever. It is exhausting to get up and down the stairs. I spend a lot of time on the computer or knitting. I have knit 6 pairs of socks in the last 2 to 3 weeks. Guess what some in my family are getting for Christmas.

Update

Surgery is scheduled for Monday, November 17th.

I will have outpatient surgery on the right foot. The doctor says it will take about a half-hour for the procedure. He will put a plate and pins into the side of my right foot. I will be off of it for at least a week. He will re-evaluate at the end of the week.

I hate being so immobile. We take a lot of things for granted. I can't even carry a cup of coffee to my favorite chair. It takes me a lot longer to get things done and there are many things I cannot do at all. I am tired all the time--guess that is my body trying to slow me down so it can heal.

But what I really, really hate, is that I cannot take care of my grandsons. I always enjoy my "alone" time with each of them. That isn't happening right now.

I have been trying to knit more, but that isn't even going as well as when I am healthy and alert. This too shall pass. In a few weeks I will be back to walking on both limbs. Hopefully my strength and stamina will also return.

My trials and tribulations are nothing compared to others who have to live with this kind of thing everyday of their lives. Mine is temporary and for that I am truly thankful. So, I will quit whining about it. At least I can still use my hands.

Out of My Control

It has been a while since my last blog post. Many things have happened. I have run into a block with my grandson's sweater vest and I just can't seem to get past it. The vest pattern itself was so easy to knit up, but the neck edging is causing a great disturbance in my life--I just can't seem to get it right and now I have frogged it so many times that I am afraid the neck edging will be too stretched. AGGGGHHHH! And I have another one started for my other grandson but I am afraid to move on. Helpppp!!!!!!!!!!

There are several other things that have rocked my world.
Part One:
We were preparing to go on vacation--a lovely trip to the island of St. Maarten with 2 of my daughters, one grandson, and my brother and sister-in-law. We had been planning this trip for months and were really looking forward to getting away. It was also going to be the first time my husband has ever traveled out of the country. Wouldn't you know, the day before we were to leave, they came to install the bay window in our living room and wanted to install the other windows and doors while we were gone. We had ordered them a couple of months earlier. I tried to talk them into waiting until we got back, but the danger was the weather was so nice right now and could change quickly where we live. So, they were to proceed with the project. Our twenty-two year old daughter would be staying at our house with the dog, so she would have to enlist the help of our son to get things ready for the workers.

Part two of this story:

While getting ready for the trip, I went to the basement to finish some laundry that I needed in order to finish packing--we were leaving the next day to drive to Chicago to meet everyone and catch the flight to St. Maarten. As I was bouncing down the steps, I thought I was at the bottom, but wasn't. I missed the last step and hit the floor. I knew that was not good. I sat there for a few minutes trying to let the pain subside. I then managed to get to the washing machine and switch out the loads, then hobbled back upstairs, took some IBProfin, put ice in a baggy, sat down, put my feet up with the ice bag on my left ankle. I called my daughter (she is a chiropractor) and she came and took me to her office. She x-rayed my left ankle and it was broken. So we went to the ER and checked in at 6 p.m. We finally saw a doctor a 8 p.m. who suggested I go to an orthopedic doctor as soon as possible. The ER doctor called the orthopedic doctor and pleaded my case. We managed to see the ortho doctor at 7:45 a.m. the next morning. He confirmed the broken ankle and said I would not have to have surgery and could go on the trip in one of those black boots with all the velcro. Then he looked at my right foot which was very swollen, bruised and hurt a lot. More x-rays and he came back and said it was also broken. He wanted to do surgery on it. I managed to talk him into waiting, put it in a surgical shoe, and walked out on crutches.

So--2 hours later we were in our van, driving to Chicago in order to fly out the next morning. I went on the trip with two broken limbs. It was not the trip I had envisioned and I didn't get to do as many things as I wanted to do. I did however have plenty of time to sit in the sunshine, read, and knit. I think I spent more time planning on what to take to knit than I did on what I was going to take to wear. I did not have to take any shoes on the trip so I had more room in my suitcase for knitting treasures.

I hope to go back to St. Maarten someday with two limbs that can walk normally. It would be fun to do the trip as a healthy, energetic person.

Part three of this story:
There is more to this story. The trip was not without hassle and adventure--unrelated to my physical state. So, watch here for the rest of the story.

We got home from the trip to a house with all new windows and doors and no window coverings. I am unable to do anything since I have two broken limbs and am not used to sitting and directing people. Waiting for others to move into action is very stressful for me. I am not good at it. I am the take-charge, get it done now person. I need to pray a lot--for patience.

October

I have had the pleasure of attending a conference in Long Beach, CA for the past 4 days. The weather is gorgeous and it has been a good conference. I even got to walk down to the ocean and walk the "boardwalk". But reality hits--heading home late this afternoon. Hopefully the temperatures at home won't be a big deal. It has been in the 90's here. I know I won't see those temperatures when I get home. I am ready to go home. I really, really miss the grandsons.

The oldest daughter is moving on with her life. She will stop at home on her way to her new life in Denver, CO. She is excited about the new location-hopefully she is excited about the new job as well. I am excited for her too.

The countdown begins---2 weeks from today we will be on our way to St. Martin!