Sometimes Change Requires Sacrifices

The change that I speak of, is the color I am using in my decorating. I have gone through the peach stage, which I was in, what seems like, forever. It became a thing with Pop,telling everyone that if something was peach, I would buy it.That did seem to be true for many years.I even had those ruffly curtains made for my home,back when they were the IN thing.That was many years ago, when we were still living the original, single wide mobile home that was on the property when Pop purchased the land in 1978.

Pictured here is Pop,on the far left,his daughter,Carmen,Jerry Hackleback,a good friend of Pop's who has since passed on, and the boy Carmen was engaged to for five years, but ended up breaking up with.

Nevertheless, I had been in the mauve stage,until lately. Now I am in the cranberry/green stage.That brings me to the resaon for this post. I have these two little crocheted rugs that I adore. Of all the rugs I have made over the years, I have given them all away,but these two.

They have served me well, but now I have decided to crochet myself one in cranberry. The only piece of fabric I could find,without purchasing  a piece,was a cranberry flat sheet which was part of a set of bed linens.I have so many bed linens, it did not hurt so bad to use it,so I have ripped it up into narrow strips and am making my new rug. I can't wait to see the finished product.

I know I will adore it just as much, if not more than my two other favorites.

Pop Cooks Christmas Breakfast

I definitely want to mention that Pop cooked our Christmas breakfast and even invited a few neighbors to join us. He is such a ham. He loves to show off his talents whenever possible. He use to cook breakfast quite often, years ago. Mostly when the kids were home, and we had the younger daughter for the weekend.He would cook the whole nine yards when he cooked for them. Biscuits, gravy,eggs, bacon, ham,or sausage. And if we had country ham, he would make Red-Eye Gravy like he made for our Christmas breakfast this year.

His cousin,Rusty, from Steamboat,Colorado,sent us a Country Ham for Christmas this year, so he wanted to show off his talents in the cooking department once more. I think he did that mainly because his daughter was commenting just the night before that her husband is an excellent helpmate when it comes to cooking, but she didn't think I had any help from Dad in that area any more.That really gets to him when folks think he doesn't help me. He takes care of the Man-Chores around the property, but I usually end up working right along side of him,but for some reason, household chores,in his mind, are for women only.He had a decent reputation for keeping the household running smoothly when he was divorced, but once I came into the picture, all of his abilities to do household chores went out the window.But he still likes to tell me HOW to do many things in the house,as if to say I am not doing it right.

He did an excellent job with the Christmas breakfast. I did a little more decorating of the tables while he did his thing with the meal. A couple of neighbors and their grown son came by to share our meal. They had their Christmas the night before,as did we, with the kids, so Christmas day is open and free for us to go and do as we please.Sometimes we have a big meal of our own, but with the kids being grown and married now, we usually go to one of their homes for our big meal.

We had had a nice family meal at our home for several family members a few days before Christmas. I was a little sick with a "bug" of some sort, so I got Mom to come by and help me. I suffered through it, but I sure didn't feel like entertaining company. I kept myself medicated enough to get the meal all prepared and the evening didn't turn out so bad.We had 3 people invited to begin with, but Pop being the party animal he is, he called 2 other couples to join in the meal. Only one of the 2 extra couples came,but still it was a bit much to prepare for that many, with me being sick. We, women are a different breed though. We can get things done somehow, even if we are sick as a dog,and would rather be in bed.

Waste Not! Want Not!

Waste Not! Want Not! is a good motto,  anytime of the year.This particular motto comes to my mind every Christmas Season, although it should be practiced daily. I feel if you teach your little ones from the get go, they will carry this motto with them, throughout their lifetime.Of course, there is always the exception to the rule.Those who will not.

So many children are bored to tears when and if they do not have a computer game of some kind in their hands,every minute,or some one tending to their every beck and call. It saddens me to see such children, and I am so sorry to say that my two Grandchildren and growing up to be in this very category. My only prayer is that they grow out of it,and soon.Nothing saddens me more than being around a person who is constantly complaining they are bored,when there is so much to do in this great big glorious world we live in.Most women of my day and age,can tell you that they can see something to do, every minute of every day. It may not always be what you want to do, but we can still see that it is there waiting for someone to do it.Then there are the things we see daily, that we would love to do, if only we had the time.

This particular craft is one of those projects that I love to do when I have time.So many times in a day, I run across some tiny little thing that is really good for nothing at all, but simply too pretty to throw away. I end of putting it in a box somewhere,usually among lots of similar items I have stumbled across in the past. Then one day, when I have a few minutes, I get out my handy dandy glue gun and go to work. I make these tiny arrangements that can be used for different occasions. Christmas time is a wonderful time to use up a lot of these tiny jewels.As you can see here, I have a tiny assortment of items, but stored away in boxes somewhere are thousands of other similar tidbits just waiting to be assembled and used.Making name tags at Christmastime is a good way to move lots of tiny bits and pieces out of the house. I wonder lots of times,after giving a gift, with my special tags on them, if they throw out the tags. That gives me a pain in my stomach to think anyone would toss out something so pretty,but it happens. Not everyone saves everything,like I do,thank goodness,but hopefully, they will pass it on to someone else on a gift or the like.

Wallah! My tag.There are so many variations one could come up with. I love assembling these tags from all the remnants that have fallen to the bottom of the Christmas decoration storage boxes. You know the bits and pieces that have fallen off and end up in the bottom of the box after you have set out all of the decorations for the season.Isn't it great to come up with something so pretty and useful from nothing. Now all I need to do is punch my hole and add a ribbon and my names to the tags and it's on it's way(out of my house).

I ended up giving one little tag,neatly labeled and tied to a red dish cloth, to a childhood friend the other night at the viewing of her Mother, at the funeral home.It was so pretty on the red cloth.Even her husband commented on it. Linda said it was so pretty, she was tempted to wear it as a corsage.That made me feel so good that they liked it.

Today is Monday, the 26th, and I have decided to complete this post that I started last week.

 I spoke to Mom early this morning. She was feeling poorly, so since I felt she had caught the "bug" from me, I felt I needed to go and spend the day with her. I arrived to find she had only slept crooked and was aching more than usual. She puttered around and worked out the kinks, while I busied myself making a few more of the cute little tags to be attached to the dish cloths I had made for her to hand out to her close friends. Mom has always tried to make handmade gifts herself  for her friends, but she is no longer able to do so. Since I had accumulated several of my little dish cloths I had been making, I decided to donate them to her to use as her gifts. We borrowed the neighbor's glue gun, since I had not planned ahead to make the tags.It just happened on the spur of the moment.I managed to complete several and even delivered a few of them for her. It really cheered her up that I had come to spend the day.She seems to get more depressed each day, and we are seeing signs of dementia more and more.We must watch her more closely than usual nowadays, and her neighbors and church friends keep a close watch on her for us,too. Today,when she complained about being such a burden to everyone, I told her it takes a whole community to help care for an aging parent,kinda like it takes a village to raise a child.It makes them feel good, too, to know they are helping watch out for her.One never knows when it might be you, needing help with your parent or loved one.

Happy Holidays to all of my Blogger friends.

33 years today

Look what I found awaiting me on my return home from spending time with Mom today.

I have been a bit sick with the "bug" that's making it's way around the family, so we had decided we wouldn't do anything special for our anniversary today. At least that was the plan when I left to take Mom home.

 We had a Christmas meal of sorts yesterday evening,with several family members attending, so I had gone to get Mom to come and be with us(and help me since I was poorly).Pop had made the plan, before I realized I had the bug. I only hope I didn't pass the "bug" on the them.We were up early, although that is normal for Mom,and by early, I mean 1-2:00 am.She took her pain meds and ate a snack,we talked awhile, then we went to the living room where it was more comfortable, and fell asleep again.Thank Heavens for that, because with me being sick on top of having no sleep, I was feeling pretty rough.We both,took our regular regimen of supplements and started cooking for the big meal.You'd have thought we were feeding Fort Knox.I have never seen so much food for 8 people, but I wanted to have a nice meal, since I don't get to entertain that much anymore.

The meal went really well,even though I could not taste a thing. I wasn't even sure the food would be fit to eat,since everything I sampled tasted alike.Everyone bragged on the meal being really good, but what else did I expect them to say. They were to polite to have said anything else. I packed up several small containers of the left overs to send home with Mom, and we ate some of them when we were ready for lunch, and it all tasted fine, so I guess it was my taste buds that were messed up by the "bug".That was a relief to know it all tasted as I had planned.I was really nervous about even serving the meal to company since it all tasted the same to me while I was preparing it.I hated to call the meal off,after Pop had planned it, and was so excited about having them all over. It's never a good idea to cook for company while you're sick, but in this case, all went well,and everyone seemed to enjoy their evening.Hopefully, I'll be over this "bug"by Christmas day, but then some of the other family members may have it by then. Carmen and Leah have it now,too. Rhonda just got over it.It's been rough for a few days, but I guess we'll all get through it.

Happy Holidays!

A Good Day to Bake A Cake

I don't do much baking any more,for several reasons. Pop has sugar, the ingredients are too expensive, and we sure don't need the extra calories. But today, I was craving a good old pound cake. Especially if I could get it to turn out like a dear friend of mine use to make. She has passed on now, many years ago, and I don't remember her recipe, but I thought I'd try one time to cook up something as close to her recipe as I could.

After I made it, I think I remember her using French Vanilla instant pudding in it, which I had forgotten.I do remember that her gas oven cooked much slower than our more modern ovens, so I turned my oven down to 300 degrees.Hers took an entire hour,so I set my timer for 1 hour. I mixed my box of yellow cake mix,2 eggs,8 ounces of cream cheese and about 1/4 stick of butter. That was as close as I could remember.I probably should have used the pudding mix and 1 more egg. I'll try that next time.

I remember her cake having the cream cheese marbled throughout the cake when it was sliced.The cake, when sliced, was nearly as firm as cheese.The icing was a mere powdered sugar and milk glaze.The cake was heavenly. I could eat a whole cake by myself.

My cake was a bit more crumbly than hers, but it did have a bit of marbling throughout. That was from mixing it with a fork instead an electric mixer.That seems to be the key to getting the marbling effect, which I loved.That is what made it so special to me.

I'll not give up on geting it a bit closer to Ma's recipe,even though the cake I made today is delicious. I only hope company drops in to help eat it,although I'm sure I don't really need any help.If my brother,Jr., were close I could share it with him,since it is his birthday today.Happy Birthday, Jr.

Decorating for Pennies.

 This is my quilt that I have been working on so much lately. I still have a little more to do to it, but I can wait until after the holidays to finish it. I do enjoy looking at it, as my sister,Vicki, said I would. That's why I have placed it in the living room,for now.I already see things I want to do differently with my next quilt, and I may make a few changes on this one, if time allows.I feel I am gradually learning more and more about this quilting thing as I go along.It does truly get in your blood.

 I found this set of Salt and Perrer shakers when Mom and I were spending a couple of days together this week. I couldn't resist buying them.They may have been $1.00 or so. I use a lot of cranberry, so they go good with my other furnishings.

I found these two pillows for $1.00 each. They match my rugs and curtains pretty close.The good thing about them is not only that they were cheap, there were two other pillow covers on the pillows inside. One set was a quilted set of pillow covers which I have washed and will use as a starting point on a new quilt.They are beautiful quilted covers,too.Navy and cranberry.

I have many more things to tell about, but the funeral home calls. Another friend has left us.We will be visiting with family for a few minutes this afternoon, then off to Leah's belated Birthday Party. She turned 11 on the 15th, but she,too, had to attend the funeral of her father's last living Aunt, in Ohio this week.This Christmas will be a sad one for many of our friends and family.Our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.

Let It Snow!

There'll be Snowflakes at my house for Christmas, regardless of what the weatherman says.

I ran across a red and white spread which I had crocheted many years ago, and stuck it in a drawer,never to be finished or used,so I decided to ravel it out and make something useful from the materials.I had been making dish cloths of yarn, and needed a few more red ones since they are so cheery and bright for the Holidays.That's when I stumbled across the unfinished spread.As I was unraveling the white, I found that I had used something other than yarn.It seems that I had used a stretchy fabric that holds a bed pad snug to the mattress.I had cut it into real narrow strips, and it worked up like yarn. Nevertheless, I unraveled it, and and proceeded to make a few Snowflake Coasters. What a neat idea. Now that is something that will definitely get used on a daily basis this winter. This is one example of a neat idea that produced a usable product from reclaimed materials. Now that's my kind of project.

My Mother's Daughter

It has no rhyme nor reason...just a nice warm and cozy quilt.

You'd have to see some of my mother's quilting to know what I mean.We are not quilters per se' like my sister Vicki, of My Favorite Things, or my Grandmother, who has long since passed on. Now they are what I consider quilters.They don't use a sewing machine for anything,when they quilt. It is all done on their fingers, and it is picture perfect in every aspect of the quilt they are making.That type of quilting is considered a dying art. Nowadays, with all of the modern machines and quilting tools, folks are making some amazingly fabulous quilts,but the time consuming finger work seems to have been lost, for the most part.I'm sure there are still a few die hard quilters left in the world, that choose to quilt the old way, and their works of art are the true jewels,if you are lucky enough to find one and then afford to purchase it.

My Mother and myself, are quilters of a different sort. We make quilts to use up fabric, and to have a nice warm quilt for sleeping or maybe,just snuggling up in front of the TV,or simply for giving as a gift.It's just a nice gesture to give a small child, or anyone for that matter, a quaint or primitive type little quilt to call their own.Quaint or primitive being the optimum word here.Quaint or primitive are, in my opinion, very similar.They are made in an old time fashion. Design and color coordination was never given a thought, for most. Things were made out of necessity.No buying and matching fabric to make an specific pattern.You just used up whatever you had and could spare.

As I get older, I see why and how my Mother has come to love bright colors. I started on this little experimental quilt, with the intention of using up an old blanket(for batting) and lots of my remnants of pretty fabric.That's my way of downsizing or clearing out clutter. My clutter, for the most part,is my supplies for my crafts.We won't mention all the extra dishes, books, and knick-knacks.No let's not go there.That'll be another post for another day.

I started out with the plan to sew one piece at a time, onto this old blanket. I got around 3 sides, and it was shaping up so nicely, I decided it wasn't going together fast enough,so now I am sewing a strip of fabric pieces together,adding a divider strip,then attaching it to the blanket. I felt I needed a divider strip since the blocks were randomly placed and not perfectly aligned.That was mine and Mom's reasoning anyway. It's turning out to be prettier and more appealing to me, than I had ever imagined.  I am enjoying the making of this simple quilt tremendously.I was using up a lavender sheet that I no longer needed,for the strips, and it set the quilt off so well, I did go and purchase a yard of similar fabric to finish the remainder of the quilt.I am so glad that I did. It is turning out wonderfully.I hope to finish it this winter, and if all goes well, I will post more about it later.

I am learning more and more from my quilting adventures and endeavors. It seems I learn a new and better way to do or even not to do something, each time I work on my quilt. Maybe that's how good quilters get to be so good. Practice makes perfect. Maybe, if I keep at it, I can be as good a quilter as my Sister,Vicki,and Grandmother.And as good a quilter as my six year old Grandson,thinks I am.Remember, in one of my post, I had written how John said,"Meemaw,You sure are a good quilter."Yes, John,with a little more practice,hopefully, one day, I will be a good quilter.

Thanks for the Wonderful Accolades.

Vicki, the Thanks go to you for the wonderful piece you posted regarding our frugal and talented family.I have never been able to figure out why our family is as it is in that respect. We have many problems in our lineage, but we have lots of talented individuals in so many different fields,too.Our family could never afford all the expensive education as some families experienced, but we were talented and gifted beyond belief in so many other ways.We have all been a hard working bunch, and I know Mom gets a lot of credit for pushing us the way she did, although at times we felt she pushed too much, too hard, and too long. I think to this day, that is why I detest laziness. We were never allowed to be lazy.We had to be doing something beneficial, every minute of the day.At least, it seemed that way at the time. Many times, I think Mom had such a harsh upbringing, that she felt we deserved no better.Not the typical way of thinking, but that's the way it seemed to me as a child.It seemed as though she lived by the philosophy,"Don't make the road ahead easier for your children,but instead, prepare them for the rough road ahead."I know that is a good philosophy, but how did she know just how rough the road would be? She was evidently preparing us for a hell of a rough road ahead.And I guess that is why we are all the tough, strong,and hard working individuals that we are today.

Being a hardworking farm family meant there was never enough money at the end of the month.Dad did operate a bulldozer for many years, and made a wonderful name for himself doing so,all over the county.A name that makes me proud to say "That was my Daddy". He was a well known and respected figure in his lifetime. I hear he was a rowdy youngster, and did some things that were not exactly up to par, in the eyes of many, in his youth,(and possibly in his older years,too) but who hasn't.He made a decent living for his family and seen to it that we always had a home that was our own.That was worth a lot. In my lifetime, I have seen many families who had to move from pillar to post to keep a roof over their heads,because the landlords kicked them out for non payment of rent.That never ever happened to our family.We may have had a leaky roof at times, and no indoor plumbing, or water, but we were warm and well fed the entire time.Sometimes I think living as we did, is part of what made us stronger. We were not lavished with everything we ever wanted.Children nowadays don't know when a holiday arrives. They have been allowed any and everything they could possibly want, by their parents.Young parents of this generation never had it rough, so they have no concept themselves, as to the damage they are doing to their offspring.It is my opinion that a constant supply of unnecessary material things,lavished upon a child,does not help them to become a well adjusted,solid,dependable,and desirable person for the trials they will face in the future.

I have received so many kind words in my life time for the fact that I am a hard worker and a desirable help mate for any life partner. I have heard the same words used in regards to my siblings.Those are wonderful words to hear, but sad that folks feel the need to express that to you.So many people have been through multiple marriages,etc., only to find, their partner has no knowledge of how to function in a grown up life situation. They were never taught the basics of a human existence and how they were to function and interact with a helpmate, in their grown up lives.There were some aspects of our raising that were not the most accepted and approved way of dealing with problems,but we survived and are an extra strong bunch of people for it.I hope, that we, as grown ups today, can only analyze our upbringing and learn from the mistakes of our parents,in order to mold our children into individuals,as well prepared, if not more so,for their future.Raising a child or a family is a hard job, and there are no manuals.Some have tried,only to be proven wrong,so we're on our own, to get the job done to the best of our knowledge and abilities.It truly does "take a village to raise a child".A sound,solid and productive child anyway.Not one who will grow up and depend on the government for their entire life.Someone, somewhere is picking up the tab.

"My Whatever Jars"

I posted on one of my other blogs today.

http://letmeshowyousawn48.blogspot.com/

Our Thanksgiving Day



Mine and Theirs

I usually like to take something to occupy my hands where ever I go, just in case. I am one of those people who gets antsy if my hands are idle. I knew when I went to Mom's for Thanksgiving Dinner, that I would be sitting idle for a few hours, so I bought something to do.Of course, we socialized while there, but I don't smoke, and I don't drink that much coffee, which is what most folks do while they are sitting and socializing. I sew or crochet or something of that nature. This particular day, I brought the materials needed for a primitive angel. I had bought the one on the right, during one of my trips to the local consignment shops,to use as a  pattern.It looked simple enough and it might be after I get the hang of it, but that first one was a bit nerve wrecking. I did have a little help from my two year old,great nephew,Braydon.You know how they love to help at that age.

Braydon and my Mom

Braydon is not only a good helper, he is a Ham when it comes to picture taking. He wanted me to get several different shots of him in different poses.That's Mom in the background,waiting for the crowd to gather,bringing in all the food.

Rita and her daughter,Cindy,Braydon's mother, spent the night at Mom's, so they were busy cooking their foods for the day. Everyone else would bring their food contribution when they arrived.We had plenty of food by the time the meal was ready to begin.

                                   
We had a wonderful day for our Thanksgiving gathering. 
   Lots of good food and fellowship with family.

A Special Gift from a Special Niece

Thanks Beverly, for your thoughtfulness. I love the goodies you have sent. What a surprise.

 I came home from visiting with Mom,Rita, and Mary, yesterday,while we did some last minute preparations for our Thanksgiving Dinner at Mom's big house, and did not find any mail in the box. Quite strange for us. We always have something in the box, even if it is junk mail. Nevertheless, later in the day, a young neighbor stopped by for our monthly craft night, and when she arrived at the door, there was my mail. And a package from Beverly. How nice. It included two sets of the little salt and pepper shakers. She knew I had been looking for a specific type.Also, included was a picture frame with the title of my blog on it, two snapshots of herself and her new hubby,and a little note from her. I do love getting packages in the mail. Thanks Beverly. You are so sweet for thinking of your Aunt Susie.Love you bunches!!!!!

For the Family

I have a lot going on here lately, so I haven't had time to blog, but I know there are several family members who check daily for some news from my neck of the woods. I have several projects started, and we have had to stop for a funeral. Then,too,Mom has had a few minor issues that required a little more time.Supposedly, she was hearing voices and some one knocking on her door and walls of her apartment. We have decided it was simply her dreaming, and hearing the wind chimes hit the outside wall in the bad wind we had been having. She called me, all upset,in tears, thinking she needed a psychiatrist.I think we have her calmed down a bit regarding that episode anyway,for now. Presently, she has a head and chest cold. That,alone,can be a serious problem for some one in her age bracket and current situation.One or two of the family make it their business to stop in daily to keep things in check with her.

 Hopefully, things have slowed down a bit  to where I can get my business back on track soon. Here are a few of the projects I am working on lately.

This is a bed I made for the pets.Lily,Lucky,and Minnie,so I can't really call it a dog bed. The two cats take turns using it,too.The picture on the board is my Barn Quilt Board. I have not decided whether to put it back up on the garage or hang it in the basement. I have been doing so decorating down there, and I may try using it on one of the concrete walls. It's hard to hang regular pictures,etc.on that wall. It is another work in progress.

These are a couple of my signs. I love making signs. I have many more in the works. Lots of them are for the holidays.They are much quicker and easier, but I have lots more ideas in mind,too.

This is one of the candles I am making. I have collected pine cones,nuts,etc. for these little centerpieces, all summer. I will do a little more tweaking to it before I'm done, but I love doing this sort of thing. The candle itself is made from a wooden rod, then painted. I need to add a wick and some dripping wax before it's completed.I am considering using tiny burnt out Christmas light bulbs for the flame instead of a wick.They won't be able to light up.That may turn into another project in the future. Making an actual light up candle from these same components .

I collect these types of baskets to hold various supplies. This one I painted recently to hold SOME of my pin cushion supplies.I have so many,especially after I bought those 3 pillows topped the little puff balls.They are working out nicely for using in my pin cushions projects.

This is one project I keep pushing to the side. I bought this spread several years ago. It survived the house fire,somewhat. I washed it, and the fire had weakened it in places, so I need to mend it, if I can. I paid $4 for it initially, which was a steal, but much more than I normally pay for cutsy items. It was starched and ironed and looked so pretty when I first got it. Hopefully, I can restore it to it's original appearance.

I'm trying my hand at wooden ornaments. Not sure just yet how I will finish them.Paint,decoupage,wax. I haven't got that far with my plan for them.

This is the dresser I purchased lately. It has a matching chest of drawers. I bought it to refinish and use in my craft/bedroom for crafting supplies. I plan to paint the bed and chest I am presently using in that room now, the same color, and hopefully it will blend in with the rest of the craft room furnishings.We don't have that much sleep over company, but if and when we do, it will come in handy..

Here are 3 more projects in the works.

Another rug started. I'm into burgundy nowadays.

I have  several of these little houses cut out,ready for assembly. Last year I made several in a Thanksgiving and Fall theme,but I may try a couple in a Christmas or Winter theme this time.

The little board and chicken wire pieces. That is an idea I came up with that never got to fruition.It is going to be the picture of a chicken behind the wire,which I will frame with rope or something kinda farmy.(new word)No set plan.I usually plan it as I go.

So now you see why I have not been blogging for a spell. I have really spent too much time on the computer this morning, but I wanted to let you know what the hold up was. It's so unlike me, not to blog daily or at least every other day..

I plugged my ears and closed my eyes while Pop pulled the trigger.

From this......

To this.

How do other folks stand to kill their animals for household meat? It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but as I got into the job at hand, of plucking and gutting the two roosters, I felt myself go numb to the fact that we had raised them from chicks,mere eggs even.Kind of an out-of-body experience, I reckon. It's something folks have been doing since the beginning of time,I suppose. Some animals,I hope, have been out on the earth to use in that way. For what other purpose or reason could there be for them being here. But I get to thinking about their thoughts as they see the end is near. Do they think about things like we do as humans. I think dogs do. One can almost sense the thoughts of their pets,whether it be happiness, or sadness,over our presence, our scolding, or our praise.Do chickens not feel those same things.That's the part that worries me when the time comes for them to serve the purpose for which they were intended.Meat for the table.There must be a better way.

Something Is Growing on Me

Yes, it's the Primitive Decor. I love looking through the booths more and more. I am finding new ideas all the while to come home and try.Yesterday, my sister,Rita and I had an opportunity to browse through one of the consignment shops, and I got lots of ideas.My crafts never look as neat n professional as a lot of the ones I see, but it is such fun to see how close I can get to an item I saw and liked.Last night when I got home, I decided to try my hand at making a few tea towels. I had already been working with tea towels anyway.

They had so many neat ideas,I plan to try more,if only to set out on display occasionally. I have the one I bought for a pattern hanging on one of my little cabinets in the kitchen now. Away from the stove and sink area, so it won't get used.It's too pretty to use.

I can never get mine this neat, but I keep trying.

I saw many more neat things. I am anxious to try my hand at making some of them.

Another Eerie Coincidence

This is Saturday, and my sister,Vicki,of "My Favorite Things" was allowed to go home today, after having back surgery on the 10th. She must be doing really good. It's unimaginable to get to go home that soon after such a tedious surgery.I hope she gets back to blogging soon, although I know her life will be quite different for a few weeks.We're all wishing her a speedy recovery,especially Mom.She was so looking forward to Vicki coming to recuperate at her home.
Vicki and I both appreciate all of the kind words regarding her surgery and recovery.

The eerie coincidence I refer to is the ironing board Vicki had posted in one of her latest blogs. I,too, have fell heir to a similar ironing board, only mine was a gift from a friend.I am not into collecting such things, but I felt it was so quaint and unusual, it would be a nice piece to display and use as well.That's the kind of collectibles I have around my home.Things with a purpose that I can actually use.

underside of ironing board

top side of ironing board

There were no markings on mine only a few handwritten notations. SOLD J R Pierce and what looks like it might say pd.100.Don't know if Mr. Pierce paid $1.00 or $100.00. Either way, I am assuming he or she passed away, and their dwelling and it's contents was leveled to make way for some one to plant crops. Nevertheless, the ironing board found a nice home with me.I will put it on display along side  of my old time quilting frame when I begin remodeling my basement.I have been in the remodeling mood lately ever since visiting a local Elementary School that was converted to a Peddler's type mall containing several rooms of Primitive displays.I returned home that day with so many great ideas circulating in my head. I only hope I can pull them off in my remodeling attempts.Decorating has never been one of my strong suits, but I'm anxious to give it a try.My style is more of an eclectic style,but I do want to try using some of the ideas I saw that day.I am so excited about this venture,regardless of how it turns out. I am a trial and error kind of girl, and I feel I can live with whatever evolves from my experiment.If all goes well, you may see pictures later.

My Sister,Vicki,Had Back Surgery Today.

My Sister,Vicki,of My Favorite Things"had back surgery today. I see she took time to blog last night. I don't know that my nerves would have held up for that if I was scheduled for such a procedure.

Her daughter,Becky called and emailed the family a couple of times today with updates on her Mom. We received this email about an hour or two after the surgery was completed.

Vicki is pretty much out of it. The surgery was a success but she is receiving iv pain meds until tomorrow at 6am. They cleaned up the area, removed a disc and fused the vertebrae with 4 screws and 2 rods. She is lying on her back now but must move in the bed periodically to eliminate stiff muscles. There is a drain coming from her surgical site to catch any fluid build up. They just took her off oxygen assistance which is standard here. She is sleeping a lot and is required to today. Tomorrow, the therapy people will come by and NOT give therapy as I was told but instead assess her mobility and balance to determine if she is safe to go home. She could leave the hospital as soon as tomorrow if she can move and take a few stairs. Once home, she will have to get up (with assistance) and walk short distances 4 times a day until she works up to a mile. She needs to reach the mile goal by her follow up appt. I will be helping the nurses get her up and down to the bathroom tonight and hopefully, she will be able to walk the hallway tonight. I'll keep you posted if anything changes.
Becky




Becky said she would  keep us posted on Vicki's condition .She and her sister,Beverly, will be taking turns staying with their Mom while she is in the hospital.

We are all wishing her the best and a speedy recovery.She is in our thoughts and prayers.

A Sleepless Night

                                 

Isn't it amazing what one can accomplish during a sleepless night?

 I spent the better portion of my day yesterday working in Mom's yard,mowing,bagging and picking up leaves.That's always been my sister,Rita's job, but she is having a few medical issues for awhile, so I decided to help her out with the leaves. I have a mower with a bagger on it, and it is so nice when it comes to picking up leaves. I have always kept that kind of mower since I am into building better soil anyway. I use the leaves in that process. Most of the time, I dump the leaves into the chicken pen where they scratch and turn them daily into rich black compost. And then when I need rich dirt, I take my leaf rake and my handy dandy home made dirt sifter into the pen and collect all of the "black gold" I need. But back to my topic.Pop went along and helped me which is rare when I go to Mom's, but he took the opportunity to fill the 4-wheel drive truck up with gas and give it a good washing while we were in town. You know our rule. Never go to town without several tasks in mind.We came home and noticed our yard was filled with leaves once again,although I had just cleaned it the day before.Needless to say, I jumped on the mower once more, and cleaned my own yard. The adrenalin was evidently surging in my veins, so when I finished the yard, I decided we needed to clear the pile of cedar slabs out of the driveway. A friend of ours,who had been taking in the festivities at Hodgensville's Lincoln Days,had thought of us, and brought us the slabs for kindling.Another friend had built a cabin of sorts,for the Lincoln Days festivities, and when the day was done, he planned to burn the slabs, but our 1st friend intervened, and loaded them on his truck to bring to us to use as kindling. Now wasn't that thoughtful of him?Nevertheless the slabs had been laying there, in the way,but who could complain. We just never took time to move them.They were not quite cured yet,so Pop decided to hold them over for awhile. He and I loaded them onto the old 73 Ford, then drove them to our holding lot for such,and Pop used Ole Rose to lift them out of the truck bed with a chain. Thank goodness,we didn't have to handle each and every slab again.We had laid the chain across the truck bed,then piled the slabs on top of the chain, then wrapped the chain around the slab pile when we were done.Then Pop had only to hook to the chain, and lift them out of the truck bed with the forks on the tractor.Pop said we could have used the forks to move the entire pile in the beginning, but we needed the exercise, plus I don't trust Pop using Ole Rose and those big forks that close to power lines,water lines,building,etc.He's always been pretty careful, but with his age now,I worry much more about such things. Sometimes ,things just happen, and you end up with more damage than good.
I guess all the work we did, had worn me out to where I went to bed too early, and slept my usual 4 hours,then I was wide awake for the rest of the night.I figure I'll pay, later in the day,but what the heck.I'm retired. I'll take a nap.
Since I couldn't sleep, I washed a few dishes,a load of clothes, and made a pincushion.And Oh yes. I wrote up this blog entry.
My original plan was to write about how I had incorporated one of my little "puff balls" into my pincushion.If you remember, I had got 3 pillows at an auction last week,which had the faces covered with little stuffed balls.

I thought perhaps, I could use them somehow, and I have figured out how to use them in my pin cushions,yet still assemble them in the way,using all of the same components.My little rolls of wool fabric,my bottle caps,my pretty fabric scraps, and now the little "puff balls".After completely assembling the pincushion,I only need to add a ribbon to hide the seam around the middle,and it will be complete.The little pink pincushion with the flowery top, in the picture above, is the one I just finished.
I have been working with my wood projects and paints here lately,but I decided to pull out my pincushions once more.I do love making them and that shouldn't disturb Pop.I have a sleepy headed side kick close beside me as I work,also in the picture above.Lilly is turning out to be a wonderful pet, and although we still shed a few tears once in awhile over loosing our beloved Sarah,Lily has brought us a lot of comfort and joy.

We're Adjusting!

We are not real sure if Lily is part Shih-Tzu or Chihuahua, but the Jack Russel part is evident.She is super hyper,but I have found that if you will play with her or let her run all she wants for a spell,and all of her other needs are satisfied, she will sleep away most of the day.She definitely is Meemaw's dog for now. We have been working with her on toilet training, and that is going good.And we have taken her for a ride in one of the trucks.That went good. Then we took her for a ride on the 4-wheeler. Not so good at first, with only Pop, but when I went along, sitting behind Pop,with Lily snuggled up in my jacket,that went much better.I think the noise frightens her more than anything.Once she learns the noise won't hurt her,she may get to the point where she will ride with Pop alone.That's our goal.That was one of the things he and Sarah loved to do.We are presently dickering with a neighbor on buying some of the woods around us, and that would be a wonderful place for us all to roam and play. If we are able to get the property,we'd still have to keep her on a leash because of all the sink holes.(There's no guarantee just yet, that we can get any part of the woods,but we're still hoping it works out.Land is out of sight right now,so we're not getting our hopes up to high.)

Pop killed a tiny snake last week, and it's remains had dried up in the driveway.You guessed it. Lily found it, and brought it indoors. Pop had a fit. He hates snakes. I can see Lily is going to be a lot like Sarah in that respect,too. Anything stinky or dead, she had to eat it or wallow in it.Yuk!

The two grandchildren were disappointed that Lily would not warm up to them like she has me, but it took a little time for even me to win her over.The kids are a bit too pushy and hyper themselves.You need to ease yourself onto a new pet. Most likely, they will come around on their own. Many times, more so when you ignore them.Lily is warming up to the two cats. Minnie,more than Lucky, but Lucky, too, is softening up to her a bit.It just takes time,like us getting over the pain of loosing Sarah.Both daughters said they felt a lighter mood in our household,with the presence of the new dog. I think we can feel it,too. Lily will never replace Sarah in our hearts and memories,but she is an adorable pet and we will find a special place in our hearts for her as well.It is my guess that she is here to stay.

Fall has fell!

With the cool and windy days of late, I have been spending much more time indoors. I go out to mow and bag up a few leaves occasionally,I tend to the chickens, I walk the new dog.The usual stuff,but for the most part I get to play. I cut up a lot of my wood pieces this morning into more manageable sizes,so while I was doing that, I figured it would be a good time to try my hand at making a new sign. I try to make lots of them during the winter. A friend of mine dropped by one night here lately, and was telling me how she makes crafts all year, then sets up at one of the surrounding Community Days, and has real good luck at selling her crafts.I have always thought about trying that, but never really done it. I usually end up giving mine away as gifts,which works out nicely,too.I have enjoyed making the craft and ,hopefully, they enjoy receiving them.

Hopefully, this is one of the many signs I will be making as the colder weather sets in.I love making signs about as much as I do matching up my fabrics for my many little projects.I get to use my sketching, my various styles of lettering and my quotes.What could be more fun?

Trial Run with Lily!

This is Lilly. No,she is definitely nothing like our Sarah,as we are finding out, but she was loaned to us,by our niece's son and his wife.This young couple have only been married a few years, and they now have a 2 year old daughter,so they stopped by for a short visit while Trick or Treating last night.Folks are a lot more cautious these days about letting their kids venture out too far, with all the bad thing happening to kids nowadays.Families bunch up now and watch their kids incessantly.The world is no longer a safe place for children to venture out very far unattended,but I'm sure most parents would not allow them to do so any way.

Nevertheless, while Amanda was here with her daughter,Savannah,we discussed the loss of our pet,Sarah.Amanda said she had a new dog, for only a couple of days now, but she could already see, it was not working out like they had planned. She was desperate to find it a new home.Lilly is a three month old Jack Russell and Shitzu-Tzu mix.

Pop and I have been mulling over the possibility of getting another dog. Not to take Sarah's place,because that would never be possible in a million years, but to ease the pain somewhat, by getting our minds on something other than Sarah. Since her death, on the 24th, our every move and thought evolved around the loss of Sarah,and that is definitely, not good.Crying, grieving, and mourning over a loss of any kind can make you physically sick,after awhile, if you let it. Pop is some better, but he still looses it at times.He has been keeping busy, helping the neighbors put new windows in a house right up the lane from us.He has gotten acquainted with these folks only in the last year, even though both of our families have been in this area for the entire time we have lived here.Thirty three years for us and longer for their family.Pop simply loves spending time with them when they come to the country. They all live in Louisville. Their farm,which is huge, is a get-away more or less for the past several generations. The older family members have long since turned the farm  over to the younger ones, and the entire farm has grown up badly in the last 30 plus years.Lately they have hired bulldozers to come in and clear the most of the farm and they are now leasing a big portion of it to big farmers for raising crops,and now, they have begun doing some restoration on the houses on the property.Pop enjoys their company and they his,so it has been a great help in keeping his mind off of the loss of Sarah.

I have tried to do a little research on the two breeds in Lily's lineage. I know all of the research in the world will not tell you how this pet will blend with us and our family, but at least we will have a general idea of what to expect of this particular breed.The rest will depend on how we work with her and how much time we put into training her to adjust to us and our lifestyle as well as us to hers.

There is so much information out there on dogs,I have only copied a few lines on each breed.

The Shih-Tzu is an alert and spunky little dog. Happy and hardy, endowed with loads of character. They are royally dignified, courageous and sometimes arrogant. This breed does well with polite, careful children. The gentle loyal Shih-Tzu makes friends easily and although obstinate can respond well to consistent patient training.


The Jack Russell Terrier is a cheerful, merry, devoted, and loving dog.  Spirited and obedient, yet absolutely fearless.  Careful and amusing, he enjoys games and playing with toys.  Stable Jack's are friendly and generally kind to children. Children should be taught not to tease or hit the dog.  They are intelligent, and if you let them take an inch, they can become willful and determined to take a mile. 


Lily may be a little more spunky than we are use to, but at the moment,she is quietly sleeping on the bed beside me,as I post today.Maybe this trial will work out for us after all.Pop says he will continue to look for a dog that fits him more closely to the fit he had with Sarah. I can only wish him the best in his search, but I know down deep,it will never happen.

Filling the Void

I've neglected posting for a few days,since loosing our special companion,Sarah. Of all the pets we have lost in our 33 years together, this has hurt the most. We had Dixie for much much longer, but she was getting really old and we were expecting to loose her at any time. That's only natural,but Sarah was only 4 and she was a house dog. That alone makes a big difference.She slept with us, she ate with us, she went on most vacations with us.She was a constant comfort and companion.Every minute of every day.No sleeping outdoors in the heat or cold. No long days at the end of a chain with little attention. Everyone loved Sarah and if you ever showed her your love, it was returned tenfold.

Pop had her with him just about every minute of every day. There were a few times he would take her along in the new truck, but most of the time he would drive one of the other vehicles just so she could go along.If it was necessary to use the new truck, he would leave her in his "pouting room" where the temperature was always controlled, but she was never chained out in the yard somewhere, in the hot sun or the cold.She always knew she could not go, if he took the new truck, so she would head to her bed,Pop's recliner.That's why Pop is having so much trouble using his "pouting room" yet.When Pop would return in the new truck, he would always make up for leaving her behind, by taking her for a ride on the 4-wheeler or in one of the other trucks.Every morning,after breakfast,she would watch Pop to see which pair of boots he would put on. If they were his everyday boots, she was jumping with joy. She knew she would be going with him. If they were his shiny boots, she would lie on the sofa with her head hung down. She knew that meant she could not go.There are so many things that Sarah would do, that made her seem almost human.She had only one weakness,which in most cases, for a dog,was a great quality,but for our household pet, it was a indeed a bad thing.She was a hunting dog, with the best nose in the world,and to a hunting dog, the instinct to hunt wins out over anything else.That is what cost her her life.Pop had taken her for a ride down the lane, which he did on many occasions. Most days their daily excursion would be through the woods behind our property or on our property.But this day, he had gone down the lane to visit with neighbors or simply take in the beauty of the outdoors.Pop loves the outdoors. They had parked in a vacant lot that had been cleared of undergrowth several years ago, but the owner decided not to build there. The wooded lot is sitting there vacant now.While they were stopped, taking in the view,Sarah spotted a squirrel across the road in another neighbor's yard.She  was after the squirrel before Pop realized he had let go of her collar.He always kept a collar on her for just that reason.When she went for a ride in his truck,she wanted her head and body,out the window as far as she could stretch. Usually one of her hind feet would be in Pop's pocket,she was so far out the window,but he always had her by the collar.This was only on our lane he would allow her to do that.When it came to the big roads,she knew she would have to get down in the seat beside of Pop.She was content with that.

Pop said he heard a couple of cars coming, about the time Sarah leaped off the 4-wheeler,and they were moving fast. He said he started screaming as loud as he could for her to stop, but the hunting instinct was too strong. She ran out in front of one of the cars. I doubt the driver ever saw Pop sitting there in the vacant lot. They didn't stop. Pop said he was so terrified at Sarah being hit, he never even looked up to see who it might be or what kind of car it was. It didn't matter at that moment. Only getting to Sarah was important. Pop said she took a couple of breaths ,then she was gone. If there is anything good about this case, it was that. She didn't linger on in suffering.It was quick.She was gone.But now the void of not having her is almost unbearable.We know,this too,will pass,as does any other heart breaking event,but it hurts so bad now.

We will always remember......

 On October 26,2011,we lost,Sarah, our beloved friend and companion.