I know a few of you have mentioned to me that you have checked my blog and it's still in Memoriam for Rocky...well, it's time to move on! Not that I've been mourning this entire time, though we still miss him terribly. It's just not the same around here without our doggy!
We have had a busy July starting with the first week when two of my grandsons, D and J came to visit! We enjoyed having them so much and they seemed to have quite a good time, too! They brought their bikes and rode them up and down the lane a thousand times, helped Grandpa with chores and just generally had fun as all boys do in the summertime.
A few days later all the crew came to take them home. What a van full! Six adorable little urchins!
A few days later all the crew came to take them home. What a van full! Six adorable little urchins!
And then their Mom and Dad, of course! We'll soon be having another little one in our family as I'm sure you can tell! M is doing great and is a model mom. B is the best of dads, too!
We have such a good time when we are all together. I'm so thankful for a family that loves one another!
After their visit, DH and I were off to visit my sister and B-I-L in AL. (Of course, I forgot the camera!)We had a great time down there, but it sure was hot and muggy! We spent most of our time in doors in the sewing room working on quilts and a table runner I had started as well as a purse I needed help with. The guys spent their time looking for a car to replace one of our older ones. And, PTL, we found one! I just love it!
It's a 2001 Impala LS and is in pristine condition! Inside and out!
Thanks, M, for helping us find such a great car!! Well, on our way home from Alabama, we stopped at a really nice fruit stand/BBQ restaurant/gift shop called Peach Park in Clanton, AL. We bought some yummy peaches and I have since made cobbler and pie from them. There are a few left but I'm sure we'll finish them off soon. It's just not summer without peach pie!
This week, I had tons of peppers coming in from the garden, but the tomatoes weren't ready yet so DH went to the Farmer's Market and bought tomatoes. I made some pretty tasty salsa that has quite a kick! The peppers, especially the hot bananas really gave their all for it! They were even hotter than the jalapenos this year. We enjoyed it the other night on our Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas.
Other than the day I canned salsa, I've been quilting. The cherry table runner is finished now and in use. I used the pattern found on The Happy Zombie's blog. It is a great pattern and easy to follow. I love the 30's retro prints as they are so happy and colorful. You can see that I'm new at machine applique when you see my cherries! They are a little large for the space, I think! This is the runner before quilting...
Here it is at home on my kitchen table. Isn't it happy looking? It just makes me smile when I come into the kitchen first thing in the morning for my cup of coffee...:)
As you can see from the close up, my appliques is still in "novice" stage!
But, I still love it! It is a gift to myself and my little wobbly table that is now feeling dressed and cheery!!
Of course, once finished with that, I had to move on down my list of quilting projects to the next one waiting. The baby quilt for another "new addition" that will be coming soon to our family. My oldest son, B and his wife J are expecting a little one in November! Big brother E is so-o-o excited! We now hear, after the recent ultrasound that we will be having a girl! But, B said that E was "supposed" to be a girl, too....so, guess we'll just wait and see! As far as the quilt goes, it won't matter because I've chosen a nursery rhyme panel to make it from. I've really had some "hair-pullin'" moments with it because I just couldn't find a quilt pattern that suited me. So, novice that I am, I decided to make up my own! Which of course, gets me into unknown territory as far as measurements, block sizes, yardage, etc. But, I always have been the type of person to just wing it, and once again, that side of my personality kicked in and off I went! (pictures coming soon) I think I spend more time in prayer that way...asking for the Lord's guidance and wisdom to help me figure stuff out. He's also blessed me with an engineer for a husband so Friday when I was all frustrated and strung out about what to do with this quilt, DH came up to my sewing room and helped me figure block sizes and pattern plans. Not that I went with all his ideas, but his input really helped me, and talking it out helped me to think more clearly as well.
This week, I had tons of peppers coming in from the garden, but the tomatoes weren't ready yet so DH went to the Farmer's Market and bought tomatoes. I made some pretty tasty salsa that has quite a kick! The peppers, especially the hot bananas really gave their all for it! They were even hotter than the jalapenos this year. We enjoyed it the other night on our Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas.Other than the day I canned salsa, I've been quilting. The cherry table runner is finished now and in use. I used the pattern found on The Happy Zombie's blog. It is a great pattern and easy to follow. I love the 30's retro prints as they are so happy and colorful. You can see that I'm new at machine applique when you see my cherries! They are a little large for the space, I think! This is the runner before quilting...
Here it is at home on my kitchen table. Isn't it happy looking? It just makes me smile when I come into the kitchen first thing in the morning for my cup of coffee...:) As you can see from the close up, my appliques is still in "novice" stage!But, I still love it! It is a gift to myself and my little wobbly table that is now feeling dressed and cheery!!Of course, once finished with that, I had to move on down my list of quilting projects to the next one waiting. The baby quilt for another "new addition" that will be coming soon to our family. My oldest son, B and his wife J are expecting a little one in November! Big brother E is so-o-o excited! We now hear, after the recent ultrasound that we will be having a girl! But, B said that E was "supposed" to be a girl, too....so, guess we'll just wait and see! As far as the quilt goes, it won't matter because I've chosen a nursery rhyme panel to make it from. I've really had some "hair-pullin'" moments with it because I just couldn't find a quilt pattern that suited me. So, novice that I am, I decided to make up my own! Which of course, gets me into unknown territory as far as measurements, block sizes, yardage, etc. But, I always have been the type of person to just wing it, and once again, that side of my personality kicked in and off I went! (pictures coming soon) I think I spend more time in prayer that way...asking for the Lord's guidance and wisdom to help me figure stuff out. He's also blessed me with an engineer for a husband so Friday when I was all frustrated and strung out about what to do with this quilt, DH came up to my sewing room and helped me figure block sizes and pattern plans. Not that I went with all his ideas, but his input really helped me, and talking it out helped me to think more clearly as well. This part of my marriage is so endearing to me. My husband, especially since he's retired, has really become my best friend. We talk everything in our lives over with each other and truly respect one another's opinions, even though we are, generally speaking, total opposites. God has brought us together in such a way (knowing our personalities from before the womb), that we are like "iron sharpening iron" even in our mundane everyday lives. (Prov. 27:17) His thoughts and input are always for my good (even when I can't see it and want to do things 'MY' way), usually I find that it ends upthat his way is the better one!
In my relaxing hours this week, I watched a most interesting docu-movie/reality show that had been on PBS a while back. I got it at Netflix and it was called Frontier House.
The families were part of a living history experiment and went back to the Montana Territory as homesteaders in 1883. Boy, watching that really makes you appreciate our modern day conveniences! But, in another way, it was so sad...I watched a woman totally de-masculate her husband and raise herself up as head of the household. She did not realize what she was doing to him, I don't think, but you could see the pain in his eyes as she derided him in front of the children for all his shortcomings. Of course she was very capable and did have strong opinions...but she could have made her point in such a kinder and gentler way. The thing that hurt me most was she proclaimed to be a Christian...she just didn't see or understand the role a Christian woman has in the home and what it means to honor your husband. This show was so interesting to me as I saw the toll that modern life takes on the family. These people living in the 1880's needed to depend on one another to survive, they saw a reason and a purpose for living in unity and grew to respect the world that God created, and saw the harshness and the reality of living without. And yet, living without caused them to appreciate the little things we so easily take for granted in our day and age. When these families came back to the 21st century, they found that they missed the closeness, they missed the fulfillment that they had found in such things as chopping wood to keep the fire going that would heat the room and bake the bread...they missed the dependence that they had on one another and you could see them seeking to once more find purpose in their existence. The major thing that was left out of the docu-movie was anything spiritual or Biblical. I can't imagine going through something like that and not having God's Word to help me through it! Possibly these people did, but it was not shown at all. I would encourage anyone to watch it though as it is extremely interesting. I have ordered a similar one for this week called 1900 House. Can't wait to "experience" this family!
The families were part of a living history experiment and went back to the Montana Territory as homesteaders in 1883. Boy, watching that really makes you appreciate our modern day conveniences! But, in another way, it was so sad...I watched a woman totally de-masculate her husband and raise herself up as head of the household. She did not realize what she was doing to him, I don't think, but you could see the pain in his eyes as she derided him in front of the children for all his shortcomings. Of course she was very capable and did have strong opinions...but she could have made her point in such a kinder and gentler way. The thing that hurt me most was she proclaimed to be a Christian...she just didn't see or understand the role a Christian woman has in the home and what it means to honor your husband. This show was so interesting to me as I saw the toll that modern life takes on the family. These people living in the 1880's needed to depend on one another to survive, they saw a reason and a purpose for living in unity and grew to respect the world that God created, and saw the harshness and the reality of living without. And yet, living without caused them to appreciate the little things we so easily take for granted in our day and age. When these families came back to the 21st century, they found that they missed the closeness, they missed the fulfillment that they had found in such things as chopping wood to keep the fire going that would heat the room and bake the bread...they missed the dependence that they had on one another and you could see them seeking to once more find purpose in their existence. The major thing that was left out of the docu-movie was anything spiritual or Biblical. I can't imagine going through something like that and not having God's Word to help me through it! Possibly these people did, but it was not shown at all. I would encourage anyone to watch it though as it is extremely interesting. I have ordered a similar one for this week called 1900 House. Can't wait to "experience" this family!
1 comments:
Hey Mom, I love your table runner! It's so cute. I dig the retro-ness. I know might be pretty far down the list as far as your quilting projects go, but I'm looking forward to it! Have a great week. I love you!
Bethany
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