It really unhinges a blog when you take a week, drop a two-day holiday in the middle of it,  add a weekend on the end of it, garnish it with three generations of family, and slip an order for a new doll in between it all while waiting for news from Germany of the arrival of a new great-grandson.
First of all, photos of the family. Hans, and his son Ian flew over on the morning of New Year's Eve, bringing Han's wife Carol and Conner, Ian's son. Here is Ian, taller than ever before, and his son, Conner deep in Lego kits.

Hans still looks like the little boy I remember him being. It is so amazing to hear him talking about the boat business in numbers I cannot comprehend and to know he is my child - or at least that ornery little brother who bugged his sisters.

Carol handled everything so beautifully that I was completely astounded. She and I need a good talk without the guys listening to every word.

At least Conner got to see whales "in our front yard" and that made his day. He is a great kid to take on trips and is so well-behaved!

 Everything is calm today and all is in order, yet I cannot settle down to work in the studio. Well, it is very cold in there because there were three days without heat so the urge to stay in the house is overwhelming. I have compromised by bringing Annie, the new doll headed for Florida, into the house in an attempt to finalize her. I have her clothes spread all around my chair and yet I want to crochet. My interior self knows babies are to be worked on in the studio, not the living room anymore. I really want to work on Annie as I love that work the most but the cold has herded me inside. So I whine and walk in circles. By tomorrow the studio should be warm again and Annie and I will have our day together and my blog will be caught up until we get new baby pictures from overseas.