To Maga's House We Go

Buck got three days off in a row for New Year's, which was great! It gave us a chance to drive up to my mom's and finish the final basement room that needed clearing out. We also dropped off birthday gifts for my sister's December crew, and mom gave the kids their gifts from her . . . a sea of boxes and giant luggage . . . nice!!







Gabby made Maga a special memory bear from one of Dad's shirts. He looked pretty proud getting to ride up in the front seat on his first ever car trip :)



After eating some lunch, we went to work on the basement room. A lot of it was books my dad had collected during his seminary and ministry years. There was plenty to donate :) But Gabby is interested in Greek, so she found a treasure-trove of resources to continue her studies. Buck also brought back a bunch of commentaries for our pastor, and he considers these solid gold. In actual financial finds, there was a grocery store gift certificate (who knows from when!) that the grocery store honored when mom took it in! Also a Panera card with enough money for lunch on it :) Found a few of my brother's old parking tickets from his university days, and a savings bond that I'm really glad Graysen (who couldn't do basement work) didn't accidentally shred. Brother Bob took care of burning off all the remaining items from the trailer a few days later. Yay, teamwork!


The other project mom wanted completed was getting rid of old paint. Many cans dried themselves up, so helpful of them, but the rest she wanted spilled out on a tarp on the floor to dry (the water-based ones anyway). That was my job. It was fun doing something my mom wouldn't have let me do when I was a kid, ha! She even jumped in and helped me :)





Buck and Gabby got the railing back on the basement stairs for the first time in . . . 15 years? It was a good day of accomplishment. 



Mom took us out to enjoy Mexican food for dinner, and then sent us home with the Escalade. Once we get it fixed up a bit (which Buck and the boys have already been working on, swapping wiper blades, cleaning headlamps, popping out a dent that made the front door squeak, buffing out some of the white paint that matches the church Dad hit in California . . . you know, little things like that :), it will be a good car for winter-driving and for the kids. Oh, the car crew also got the back seat working again, and we ordered seat covers for the front seats (which are losing their stuffing). Buck is taking it in on Monday to figure out why the check engine light is on, and the starter is all kinds of sluggish--but hey, it has heat! Win :)