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.