Artful Saturday

On Saturday, Violet came with me and Sue to our long-awaited trip to Descanso Gardens. I was here once a few years ago, but this time, we were going specifically for an art exhibit featuring a piece by our mutual friend. Look at this amazing, huge flowering camellia! There were a variety of camellias, all in beautiful bloom.

The exhibits and gardens were fantastic. This exhibit showed flowers that glowed in the dark when in water. 

Here was the exhibit that drew us to La Canada Flintridge, about a half hour away. I love that Violet wanted to come!

And here was one of Qiana's watercolors. 

 

And we later had a lovely lunch in nearby Montrose at a cafe I've enjoyed with other friends.

That night, we went to Cora's high school for her One Acts presentation. 

She was in a short piece called Whisky Sour, by the same local writer who penned the airplane pilot scene she was in a year ago.

In this one, she played a liquor store clerk and her friend Lucas played a young teen trying to buy alcohol.

In her second scene, she played the ghost in Hamlet. It was a comedy, of a high school production of the classic, and the ghost has stagefright - until the very end, when Cora ended up giving a masterful monologue. 

Art and Nature

We had an artsy weekend, with two art galleries and an orchestral performance. 

On Friday night, I was on my way to take Violet to the opening of an art exhibit at City Hall, when Cora called to say she was ready to be picked up from D&D. So, Cora got to go too, and after, we went to the mall to spend some free reward dollars at Loft and get Chick Fil A. 

On Saturday evening, Stace and I took Violet to an art gallery in Newhall, with a lovely grand opening of an exhibit called 661, featuring local subject matter. Here, you can see Vi looking at a piece with Vasquez Rocks.

 

Later Saturday evening, Stace and I went to a neat candlelit performance by four strings musicians, playing pieces from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. My friend Christina, along with Cami and Melanie, joined us, on her birthday.

Sunday was a rainy day. We wished Dean a happy birthday and got his opinion on our room project. In the evening, Stace and I watched the classic All About Eve.

On Monday, after Cora had her vocal lesson, we went to Runway Fashion Exchange to look for clothing for her upcoming Shakespeare piece. Luckily, we found all we were looking for - brown leather pants that fit her perfectly, and some awesome tall brown leather boots.

On Tuesday, Violet and I found a new hiking trail near her school, or at least one we haven't used in a number of years. 

This is Wildwood Canyon, and it's in the general neighborhood where we used to live in our condo. 

It was a glorious morning!

Changing Violet's school situation seems like the right move. She is much more content, and she loves taking nature walks with me for her PE log. Also this week, she had her last appointment with Paula, a counselor I knew from our church. She has more tools in her toolbox to deal with anxiety now.

Tidbits

We had a long weekend for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, so on the Monday, we hiked at Rivendale, near Towsley Canyon, with Colleen and Liana.

Over the weekend, Stace took care of rats in the attic, and Cora played D&D twice, once at Logan's house and once at Jay's, her new school friend.

We also looked again at windows and paint colors for our eventual project in Violet's room.

On Tuesdays, Violet has a long break between her Placerita classes, so we had "cooking class" at Auntie Mel's house. Melanie had wanted to make fancy ramen with Violet to spend some time with her. Ellie helped cook, too!

How amazing do these look?! That's perfectly cooked pork belly, along with the veggies and eggs.

We had enough leftover to feed Stace and Cora that evening! After dinner, Stace and I watched the Maltese Falcon. Since watching some old Christmas movies, we've gotten into watching classic films. 

Cora is working on a new theatre-related project - creating her own leather(ish) corset for an outfit for a MacBeth scene she'll be in soon. 

Yes, she could just buy one, but she was ready for a new project. We got out her old sewing machine, and as she ran into some trouble, Stace and Winston worked together to fix it.

More "I can hold two cats at the same time" fun!
 

Week in Review

 

My mom got an assortment of Christmassy cat toys, and Seb adopted this little red ball as his very own. So funny! There were other balls, and Winston definitely has his favorite toys, but THIS red ball is the one Seb looks for. And, he will play! Running, batting the ball, etc. So great to see him active.

Meanwhile, this little guy loves food so much. So, so much. He wants whatever we are eating, and is very interested in the dishwasher because he knows he might lick food from plates and utensils.

I'm trying to be sure we get photos of us holding both of them at the same time, while we can. We most often have to grab them both when we're trying to feed Sebastian, and they are trying to get his weight-control kibble from him.

Seb, likewise, loves to try to eat their kitten food when we forget to put it back up high when they're through. It's a constant struggle.

Happiness is waking up with two kittens to cuddle!

On Thursday, Violet didn't have to go to Placerita because her classes weren't meeting - weird minimum day schedule. So, she had the idea of heading to Castaic Lake after we dropped off Cora, so we could take photos.

Later Thursday, Vi and I went to lunch at a new place called the SCV Hub, where many small restaurants maintain kitchens in the back. My friend Liz is working there, so I caught up with her. Vi had some yummy dumplings, and my stromboli was delicious and huge! I had some for lunch and shared the rest with the family at dinner!

And on Friday, during Violet's hour off school, we went to Quigley for a walk and did the hilltop walk. So pretty, also cold.

Later, my friend Jenn came over to play with the kittens, and Ellie came over as well for a few hours. She loves the kittens. We also worked on writing letters.

End of Christmas Break

 Stace took Thursday off to come with me and Winston to Winston's neutering appointment at a clinic in Simi Valley that specializes in low-cost sterilizations for animal rescues. (See below video on talkative Winston in the car!)

While we waited for him to be ready for pickup, we went to the Camarillo Outlets and did some shopping for my birthday, and got a couple of sweaters. We also had lunch at a Cracker Barrel for the first time.

Once back in SClarita, we took Violet on a nature walk at Mentryville, and then went to Lowes to look at windows for her room. (Cora was at D&D.)

On Friday, Stace was at work and I met up with my dear  friend Kelly. We hadn't caught up in months, so we enjoyed doing some shopping and getting coffee together.

Saturday morning, we returned to Golden Valley Ranch, with Violet, and this time did a full-on 4-mile hike that took nearly two hours. The views were so, so lovely.

We treated ourselves to brunch after the hike at a local place called Neighbarista. In the evening, we watched The Sound of Music and worked on our latest bird puzzle.

On Sunday, after church, we put away the Christmas decorations and in the evening, I went to a musical performance. It's called Gift of Song, and it's a fundraiser for an arts charity. I knew several people taking part - years ago, Melanie used to sing in it, too. 

And that's all, folks, for Christmas break! A fresh start and new school semester begins this week.

Lisa's 45th Birthday

 I had a very nice birthday, with a sushi lunch with my sister, and dinner out with Stace, Violet, and our close friends. 

Melanie wanted to treat me to her favorite sushi spot, where she takes Ellie for a treat. We also went to the nearby Americana at Brand shopping center, and enjoyed the Christmas decor, music and fountain show.

Ellie is at that sweet stage where birthdays are a big deal, and she was happy to celebrate with me.

We continued our afternoon together with a trip to Costco.

That evening, we met up with Colleen, Rigo and the kids at Lucille's, the barbecue place at the mall. 

Cora was not there, as I'd told her she could go to D&D before we'd made any real dinner plans. We have separate family birthday plans coming up in a few days with my parents, and she'll come to that.

I had a yummy Moscow mule drink, and a chocolate cake with singing.

As birthdays help us slow down and reflect, I'm very thankful to God for my life and my people! 

Kitty Love

Oh, these two!! They are the cutest. 

Seb has been playing more! Sometimes, he even plays with the kittens. (Here, he was running around and then being crazy with the tree skirt, while the kittens were also running with him.)

Stace replaced the screen in our patio door, and he put in an entirely new front screen door, because Seb had created cat flaps in both. We hadn't minded before, but the change was now essential. Thankful for Stace's ability!

Violet is giving them a treat that is like a yogurt tube. Seb didn't like it, but OH MY GOODNESS, the kittens love it. And Winston is insane about it. He really is crazy about his wet food and treats! He yells so loudly, climbs our legs, etc. And he tries to steal Evie's food, so it's best to feed them their wet food in separate rooms.

Tell me you have a kitten without telling me...

Evie was really a fan of stealing puzzle pieces and chewing on them.

They also love playing around doors, one on either side, with paws underneath. Also, Evie likes playing in the girls bathroom, behind the door, batting toys around the room. Funny girl. 

New Year's Day 2024

 Our New Year's Eve was pretty low-key. My parents came over for nibbles, and we all got tired and the girls went off and did their own things, so Mom and Dad left before the actual New Year was struck. 

Stace and I didn't even officially stay up all the way - I happened to be awake, but in bed, reading. But, that meant we were in better spirits to take a New Year hike. We went to a new-to-us spot, the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space, which is a little further east from Placerita Nature Center.

It was a gorgeous, gorgeous setting and day.

Later on New Year's Day, the family all came over to celebrate Ellie's 4th birthday! She was so cute, entering the house in her 4-year-old glory, in a princess dress and birthday hat.

Cora brought Seb out, as he still generally hides with others here, so she could gently pet him.

Melanie brought over a homemade lasagna, and it was delicious. She also brought birthday balloons, and included me. 

After Mel, Nick and Ellie went home, we played a card game with my Mom and Dad.