The Blackburn Digest

I took one of my favorite T-shirts out of the closet a few days ago, looked at it, and then put it back on its hanger. The shirt is black, with white lettering proclaiming “I’m Blogging This”. I haven’t written a blog entry since late-March, and need to re-earn that T-shirt! (So much for “Blog 365″!)

A passing glance at what has been happening in my world since the last post:

- I have *started the ball rolling* on the hideously expensive dental surgery which will (I hope!) end my on-going war with my upper dentures! Oh, it fits fine - it’s just that the palate plate and my over-developed gag reflex (coupled with the ever-present Texas allergens) are making making me miserable:( This will be a long-term project, since it involves consultations, scans, impressions, more scans, evaluations and more consultations before the actual surgery.

Sara’s first birthday was celebrated at a park near her home, with both sets of grandparents, lots of aunts & uncles and a host of cousins. We all had a great time (especially Sara, when she was allowed to grab a handful of her birthday cake! LOL!)

The weather was clear and sunny, with enough of a breeze to keep us cool. That breeze is the reason Sara & I are both sporting the “wind-swept look” in hairdos;)

Miss Sara likes the steamer trunk/coffe table! She did many laps around it today, checking out the pound-sound, peek-ability factor, texture, etc. She seemed to notice the greater freedom of movement she has, too - that makes this grandmom feel good! We still keep an eye on her, of course, but now she’s not endangered every time she decides to sit down next to the coffee table or crawl near it! Did I say crawl? She’s rocket-powered, now!!

Now that Grand-Daughter Sara is becoming very mobile, our family room coffee table is becoming very dangerous! It has too many wrought-iron curlicues to crawl into, sit up under or bang little knees on. I know DD doesn’t want us going out and buying a new table, but I really hate having to restrict the little one’s play-and-explore area. She ought to be able to crawl over and see what the adults are doing without one of them whisking her back to her play-mat!

Last night, I had an Ah-Hah moment! We’ve had a huge 49″ high, 30 ” wide, 30″ deep, old-fashioned steamer trunk (the virtually indestructible kind with several drawers on one side and a generously sized hanging rod on the other) for many years. (Think “Joe & The Volcano”, without the pricy leather.) It has held miniature-making supplies, sewing patterns and fabric . . .just about everything. For the past several years, it has been a part of the odd “decor” in our living room, sitting half-open between our dentist & barber chairs. What if I close it up, turn it on its side and move it into place where the wrought-iron menace is now?