Wilmington

Today was slated for yarn shopping. Now Jacksonville has like 3 great quilt stores but no real yarn shop. What's up with that? So I googled and found a yarn shop over in Wilmington which according to DSIL was 45 minutes away thru post. I wrote down all the directions cause I did not have access to a printer and I took my maps and headed out. It took a full hr just to get to Wilmington and an extra 30 minutes to navigate the last 5 miles. According to my on-line directions I had to turn 3 times on 3 different streets to get there. But in acuality all 3 streets were just one that changed names every time it took a little bend. But I did get there so all was good. Now the shop "The Quarter Stitch" was small but pleasant and the owner was very very nice. But the selection was kind of on the slim side for me. But then again I am pretty demanding of my yarn shops!! I did bring home 3 new balls of Opal sock yarn in the self patterning style cause I have not managed to learn to dye like that myself. I will be using them for the afghan and the left overs maybe will go into socks.

I stopped at a great grocery store called "Fresh Market" and bought some lunch stuff to take to the beach. This grocery store is like a gourmet healthy food market and I could have spent a lot more time and money in there if I had not wanted to spend a little time at the beach on the way home. But I grabbed and went on to Top Sail island which was between Wilmington and Camp Lejeune. This area is much more touristy than the beach here on base but that is to be expected. Still the beach was very nice. It is right out on the ocean instead of the bay like Onslow is so the waves were a bit bigger and the shells were different. I picked up a few new treasures, ate my lunch and headed on back to pick up the girls on schedule. I wouldn't mind getting back there again but am not sure if I want to do that this weekend or head to another part of the coast.

The girls did wake up a little grouchy this morning but it passed quite quickly. They actually asked to walk to school and on the way they saw a great turtle. Which got them going on a long winded "what if I had a turtle as a pet" story. They came up with ideas like a house with an inside pool filled with turtles, feeding the turtle bugs they find and bring home, ect. I kept trying to tell them how hard it was to take wild animals and make them pets but you know-sometimes kids just gotta imagine this stuff and grown ups should probably just shut up and enjoy the stories.

I did find out that even the best little girls in the world, ones who do their homework and chores without fussing, do well in school, gentle with animals and kind to people can still have their foibles. With Maddy & Kate it is food. They just are too picky. When I ask them what they want made for dinner all Katie can say is mashed potatos and all Maddy wants is salad!! I asked them what their mommy would make them for dinner and it was chicken nuggets and fries. But of course when I did make that they found reasons to not like them. Chicken was in strips not nuggets and Maddy had a headache. Oh well-I did not let them snack so maybe if they are a bit hungry tonight they will eat better tomorrow. I probably should take them to the commissary and let them pick out their own food and maybe then they will eat!!

Right now I sure wish I had a scanner. Katie the artist drew the best picture of animals in the rainforest this morning before school. She has quite the eye for detail. Her birds really look like the ones she intended them to be. I am going to ask her if this picture can come home with me to be for grandpa.

Maddy feels pretty good about herself right now as she got an invite to a summer program for really academically gifted kids. Now she probably won't get to go since it is clear across the state and quite expensive but she knew it was an honor to get the invitation. Yesterday in the car she kept spouting facts about things at us and I kept thinking she was a little bit too much like Cliff on Cheers!!

Not sure what I am doing tomorrow except for going to Maddy's school to see her play at 1p.m. Maybe go Lichen hunting in the woods tomorrow morning and in town shopping after that. They do have a Target, Barnes & Noble & Dick's sporting goods. All stores we don't have back home so it will be fun for me. And tonight I will hopefully get a good night's sleep without sharing the bed with 2 large furry dogs!!