March Enters As a Lamb, Daughter #3 Has a Birthday, and Little Chipmunk Lives!

 

Spring has arrived early with temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's. Steve was away for two weeks and the time flew right by. I spent the entire first week on the new sewing machine (yet unnamed). It was a pure joy to create this and that. One evening, late in the week I sat down to watch a program and my right foot ached so, I could barely walk. I could not think how I injured it. The next morning when I sat back down at the machine I realized immediately that I had strained it by pushing on the pedal all week. I laughed it off. I will have to see about adjusting the fit of that pedal. 

Claire and Daniel took the boys on a cruise and Mari came up to spend the week in Virginia. She spent part of the week with her cousins and part with me. On Wednesday we went downtown and browsed the little shops. Then we went to Too Many Books and to Mellow Mushroom for lunch. It was a lovely afternoon and so fun to have one-on-one time with Mari. Usually Mari is fairly quiet but she chatted about all of her goings on and it was wonderful. On Friday we baked a birthday cake for Audrey following this recipe. It was an amazing cake and so delicious! Mari made the cake and I made the frosting. We did add a seedless strawberry jam between the layers. Audrey, Jared, Violet, Tess and Blake all came for dinner the next day. It was so mild outside, it reminded me of the week before Christmas when Cheslea's family was here and we were outside all day long. The kids took a walk, folded oragami, we all played Apples to Apples and ate food. The cake was a big hit and there was enough to send some home with each family. 

I sure do love this girl!

 

 

 Lastly, we finally had a sighting of our little chipmunk this week. We knew where it's winter burrow was and hoped it was fairing well all these months. After seeing it daily last summer and fall, it was strange to have it disappear the winter. I decided today to call it Charlie. Our grandson Charlie told me he was sad that I was alone (with Steve having been away and now out for the day) and how he wished he could keep me company but he lives too far away. I told him the chipmunk was keeping me company and making me smile and so I would name it Charlie.