Marriage, Maps and Miracles

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I believe in miracles. Yes, I do. I have seen them happen in my life. I believe God is working one in me right now. I know I left you hanging in my last blog, but I really didn’t have much I could tell. But now I can tell a little and as things progress, I will tell you it all.

For quite some time I have been feeling tired. Not so tired I couldn’t function, but every thing seemed like a chore to me. I would do something, and then have to sit down. Painting our new bathroom was an obstacle I almost didn’t get over. But I did it.

Anyway, about a month ago it got really bad. Just walking around in the yard tired me out and I would have to rest. I knew something was wrong. Nothing hurt, I just felt tired. Finally, I called he doctor. He was either sick or on vacation so his office sent me to the hospital. I thought I would be there for an hour or two. It turned into five hours of test after test. Finally the ER doctor came in and said it looked like I had heart failure. Well, that threw me for a loop. I was to see my family doctor and I did. He told me it was a treatable disease and prescribed water pills. I guess heart failure is caused by water on your lungs and the pills get rid of the excess water in your body. “You will lose weight,” my doctor told me. There is a rainbow in every storm, I guess! So I was taking the pills and not feeling much better so he sent me for another test and to a cardiologist. Today I met with her and after talking to her, she says my heart is in good shape except for a slightly widening of the aorta. So now I am going in for more tests the end of the month. Surprisingly, today I had a lot of energy and for the first time I went shopping without getting winded and I worked out in the yard and felt pretty good. Maybe those pills are finally working. I also lost eight pounds. I feel like a miracle is happening in my body. Thank you for all your prayers. They do work and I did feel them covering me. I’m not one to talk about my health, but this was something I felt like sharing because I wanted people to pray for me. Thank you so much.

But on to better things. About two weeks ago we attended my niece’s wedding. She is my baby brother’s little girl. Several family members I hadn’t seen for months, if not years, attended and I got to visit with them all. It was so much fun.

My baby brother. He cleans up pretty good.

My oldest son. He cleans up pretty good too and is getting quite distinguished looking.

My nephew, my sister’s oldest boy. Oh, I could tell you funny stories about him when he was growing up. One time we were coming back from Cincinnati with him and our two boys and daughter in the back seat and they were making up jokes all the way and laughing like hyenas. I still think of that and laugh to myself. That’s his wife next to him. They are remodeling a big old house that I really want to see one day. They live near Cincinnati now.

Then there was David. I must say he looked rather sexy in his freshly ironed white shirt and new black slacks. And these sun glasses. Well, they just perfected the look. Everyone got sun glasses with the bride and groom’s names and wedding date on them.

The wedding was outdoors by a lake with a stringed quartet playing. It was beautiful, but it was very hot that day.

Here comes the bride. She was beautiful. She is getting her masters in geology. Following in her daddy’s footsteps because he was a geologist and did surveying for oil in Central America years ago. Wading in swamps with huge snakes in them. Better him than me!

The vows. Oh, how I pray this marriage will last fifty years or more like David and mine has.

The bride’s dress was so pretty, even in the back.

Another brother and his wife and another niece. The decorations had a woodsy, earthy look. Each table was named for a national park.

Yummy, sweet food on the table.

The cake was made to look like a geode rock. It was very delicious. I got the very last piece.

Cupcakes that I didn’t get to try.

And cookies in the same theme that were also very good.

The bride and father’s dance. I don’t think I have seen my brother this happy for a long time. It was truly a sweet picture.

Cutting the cake and I am so glad they didn’t smear the cake in each other’s faces like I have seen happen at some weddings. They carefully fed each other bites from forks.

Love was in the air. This is my nephew who lives in Germany and his girl friend. Another wedding could be in the offing sometime in the future.

Ah, young love. You have to enjoy it.

Two gorgeous and sweet people. I loved seeing my nephew. It’s been years.

Now there was another story going on that weekend. My other niece, my brother’s oldest child decided to get married the very next day while her brother was home from Germany. My brother and sister-in-law had about two weeks to plan and orchestrate a second wedding and reception. Whew!

This is the other young couple. Sadly, David and I could not stay over for that wedding as we had to drive home because I was having tests the next day. So sad. I hope I see pictures. I really, really hated missing this wedding. The bride is a veterinarian of large animals. I have very talented relatives.

So the day after the wedding we drove home along less than busy highways as we do not like driving the interstate all that well and besides, you find things you never would find on the freeway.

Like the town that honored its veterans with their pictures on posts all along the highway.

I think they did this for Memorial day.

The veteran’s name and what war he or she fought in on flags.

So many young people lost to war. There were many of these along the street.

We were driving on fumes to find a gas station and we found one and while David was filling the tank, I looked over and I saw a cute, little garden shop right next door. Serendipity!

Let’s go inside.

Birdhouses and garden paraphernalia everywhere.

I was so in awe of how much stuff was packed into such a little store.

The owner’s husband handcrafts these wonderful birdhouses and I bought this one.

Even the curtains were so cute.

Fairy gardens everywhere inside and out.

I could see me getting caught up in another hobby really quickly. I think I will just look this time.

So much fun to look at, though.

The tallest, thickest stemmed zinnias I have ever seen. I got their name and might try to raise these next year.

This is the sweet lady who owns the shop. I told her I was putting her on my blog and she was okay with that. I will go back one day. A wonderful find. I bought a few other things there, some Christmas presents.

Driving on home we passed through the town of Greensburg which is famous for the tree growing out of its court house.

I was wondering if this is the original tree, but David said he imagined it had been planted several times through the decades. I suppose he is right, but I like to think the same little tree has grown there year after year.

And now to chickens. My little chicks are almost full-grown chickens now.

Miss Mary Foster is so pretty.

I think her feathers look like a stained glass window. She has a crooked little leg and hops around with the other chickens.

I have a tender spot in my heart for her. She’s a little trooper.

The chickens love their grass. I let them eat it down and then take it out and regrow it and feed it to them over and over. A good way for them to get their greens.

Yes, they do love it.

I could go on and on. I have several things to write about. Our bathroom still is not finished. The lumber yard messed up getting the hole cut out for the sink so it will be another two weeks or more before they get the new one in. I have been washing my hands in the tub for weeks now and will be so glad to have a sink upstairs again. When it is all finished, I will show you some pictures. I really love what I used for towel hangers. Oh, and here’s where maps come in. I was looking for drawer liners for the bathroom cabinet and could not find any I liked and then I thought of all the National Geographic magazines I had with maps in them. Hmmm, I think those would make good drawer liners. So I looked in my old magazines which I have kept for years. National Geographic always had the most amazing maps in them. I wonder if they still do.

Okay, this map of Italy was just too beautiful to cut up. But I cut six drawer liners from maps and I love the way they look.

So, here’s to health, because it really is fragile and to young love and wonderful garden shops and maps! Bye.

Why I Haven’t Written for a While

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Things are happening right now beyond my control. Some are good. Some not so good. I really don’t like reading blogs that give a hint of disaster and then don’t continue telling what they are talking about. Just suffice it to say, when I find out some things, I will tell you all what has been happening with me.

It’s not horrific and I’m not dying or anything. At least, not today. Just some issues I am having to deal with that are taking my time and energy.

That’s not to say we haven’t been having some good times. We went to a wedding this past weekend and I got to see several relatives I have not seen in months, if not years. We also came across a wonderful little gardening shop on the way home. I’ve got lots of pictures and lots to tell. Just one thing. If you are a praying person, say a little prayer for me. God will hear you and know what I need. I could use it right now. I’ll feel your prayers. Believe me. I’ll be blogging again soon. Bye.

The Color Purple

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My garden changes almost weekly, it seems. In the Spring the first flowers to bloom are the daffodils in bright yellows and pinks. Now we are in the purple faze of the garden.

I think these are flowers that came back from wild seeds I planted last year. Dame’s rocket or phlox, I’m not sure.

Clematis on our back deck. It was floundering on the back of my shop so we moved it last year and is thanking us with all these blooms this year.

Salvia and Irises. Two of my favorite flowers for needing very little care.

Not all my irises are purple. This picture does not do this beauty justice.

Irises come back every year prettier than ever and they seem to double in size. I have to divided these clumps this year.

Dogs grow in my garden too. Molly Marshmallow is free to roam all through my flowers. I call the back garden the dogs’ garden. Surprisingly, my flowers are none the worse for wear with the dogs rooting through them for moles.

Yes, Molly, that’s why you always have a bone to chew so you won’t chew my flowers!

Last week my upstairs bathroom looked like this.

Now it’s beginning to take shape. The quartz cabinet top and new faucet still need to be installed. But, I get to take my tub baths again. Oh, how I missed them.

Love these new lights. They are so bright I told the contractor I could get a tan while in my bathroom.

Just wanted to share a wonderful book I just finished, The Practice House by Laura McNeal. I hated for it to end. It tells about the dust bowl in the 1930’s and one family’s troubles and triumphs during that time. It’s also about an immigrant from Scotland who becomes an important part of this family in more ways than one. I got it free on Kindle Unlimited. I love Kindle Unlimited. I have read books by authors I might not have ever read if I had to buy every book and I have found some pretty good authors. I don’t know how they make money on their books by being on Kindle Unlimited, but I am glad they are.

This weekend is Mother’s Day. My children and I are not getting together this weekend, but are planning a trip to Cincinnati. I have noticed on Mother’s Day, the restaurants are all so busy and you have to wait for seats and I thought we could celebrate another day. After all, every day should be mother’s day. We should show respect and love our mothers every day. I miss my mother even though she has been gone many years. We never stop needing our mothers. Some days I wish I could talk to her and get her opinion on something. I know I will see her one day and look forward to that. I hope she knows I am sorry for all the problems I caused her when I was a teen-ager. I was sort of a rebellious child and gave her a few grey hairs while I was growing up, but I always knew she loved me. God bless you, Mom. I miss you. Happy Mother’s Day.

If you have a mother, have lost your mother, been a mother or had someone who mothered you, Happy Mother’s Day. Bye.

To Curse or Not to Curse, That is the Question

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I just came from reading a blog about Stephen Colbert and his vile tirade against President Trump and the affect of cursing on society.

I grew up in a family where my father cursed quite often, especially when he was working on a tractor and something would go wrong. His cursing stopped the day He became a Christian and was saved by Jesus Christ. I never heard him say another curse word. My mother very occasionally said the S word when she was exceedingly distraught. But cursing was not the norm in my family and still is not. But now, in our society, cursing has become the norm. Words one would never have heard in polite society are regularly used by women as well as men. Some people think it’s hip and quite cool to spew out vile words with gusto no matter who is around, children or women or men who don’t curse.

I find that cursing becoming the norm is a very sad thing about today’s society. Many young people can barely carry on a conversation as it is and then to add curse words into a sentence pretty much makes them uncommunicable. There are thousands of words in the English language that can be used to carry on a conversation. Beautiful words that can express someone’s meaning without being crass or vile.

When I go to a movie, I want to hear conversations that are uplifting or intelligent. I don’t want to be a captive to having to listen to curse words spewing out of people’s mouths every other sentence. Imagine Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn speaking like some of the actors and actresses do today. I don’t think people would think as much of them if they had. The actresses I hear today can be as vile as the men and I think that makes them look worse than the men. They call it “edgy,” but I call it unnecessary.

I find it abhorrent that women think cursing is proper. But I also find it abhorrent that men and teen-agers do also. When I see a pretty girl and then I hear curse words coming from her mouth, she doesn’t look nearly as pretty to me any longer. Girls that curse usually end up with men who do also and I wonder how men who curse regularly treat their women. It’s just a thought.

So back to Stephen Colbert. He hates President Trump. So many think what he said on his show was funny and cool and mainstream and how everyone feels. They are wrong. Millions of us out here believe he was vile and sounded unintelligent and was very disrespectful of our president. If a so-called comedian like Stephen Colbert had said the same vile things about President Obama, the same people who are laughing now would think it was wrong. I would think it was wrong then, too. I hope we can get back to civil discourse and intelligent conversation once again. Notice where the vileness is coming from and steer clear of it. We don’t need that in our society. We all need to be uplifted and we all need to speak to one another with civil tongues.

And that is my preaching for today. Bye.

A Trip With My Fairy Godmother

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A week ago last Sunday my fairy godmother, also known as Shannon, asked me if I would like to go to the Trump rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Although I had several things I had planned for that weekend, everything went out the window when I got the chance to see my president.

So, a week ago Friday we set out to drive the nine hours to Harrisburg. Through Ohio, a tip of West Virginian and through the beautiful state of Pennsylvania, which is dotted all over with charming little towns and farms. We talked the whole way.

The first night it was dark when we got to our motel and drove up the hill to it, but we could not find the entrance. We found a restaurant. We drove around and around in what seemed like a maze, and finally found the entrance to the motel. We got our room and got ready for bed. I think we were asleep almost before our heads hit the pillows. We saw the sign the next morning that directed us to the motel entrance. We had missed it last night in the dark.

Next morning we were up bright and early, ate breakfast and continued on our drive. We arrived at our motel, checked in and went to find the coliseum in which the rally was to be held. We were parked a way in the Netherlands, despite the fact there were parking spaces much closer to the front door of the coliseum. We got into a line that wove around the parking lot and out into the street. It looked like about a mile long or longer.

At one time the sky looked ominous, but it never rained.

We talked to the people around us and everyone seemed very happy to be there.

Of course there were Trump signs everywhere.

And Trump vans.

This is my fairy godmother, Shannon. Thank you for making one of my dreams come true. See the parking lot? We are walking from the Netherlands. Probably about a half mile just to get to the line.

There was a band playing and all kinds of things for sale. I bought a red hat. Shannon bought a pink one.

There was a Trump impersonator who was really rather good.

This lady was in front of us and wanted a picture with the impersonator. He was being interviewed by a news show and she got to be on the interview. Lucky lady!

From the back he looks exactly like Trump.

I don’t know what this guy was selling, but his whole spiel was about the nice cardboard he was using. He made us laugh.

Finally, after an hour and a half, we got to the door. Secret servicemen and women were checking everyone’s bags. I panicked for a second when I remembered I had eyebrow tweezers in my purse. One time while in a line to go up the Washington monument in D.C., my purse was checked and the lady who was checking found my eyebrow tweezers and told me they were not allowed up in the monument and she took them. I told the man who was checking my purse I had tweezers inside and he said, “Well, take them out.” I was so nervous, but I found them and he said I could keep them, but my friend had a tiny knife that was on her keychain taken away. She had forgotten all about it. We walked through a metal detector and we were finally inside!

When we first sat down this is what we saw. People gathering around the stage.

Every seat was getting filled. Don’t ever allow the media to say few people show up for these rallies. I have been there. They are packed.

Even up in the peanut gallery or the nosebleed seats as some like to call them

All Americans were represented. Men, women, children, teen-agers, all races and happy to be there. Little girls dressed in red, white and blue with sequined red shoes. Red, white and blue everywhere. Americana at its best.

The media was all set up. To report the truth, I hope.

Everyone who wanted one was given a sign.

Signs were everywhere.

Then the dignitaries began to arrive. Excitement rose.

Kellyann Conway, President Trump’s spokeswoman was autographing signs.

Flags abounded everywhere.

We were not supposed to bring our own signs, but some people got them in anyway.

A prayer was said, the pledge of allegiance recited and the national anthem was sung.

Then there were several speeches.

Men in blue subdued an over zealous man. Ha.

Vice President, Mike Pence gave a speech and introduced the president.

Then the man himself appeared and pandemonium broke out. You would have thought a rock star had appeared.

People crowded toward the dais.

Then President Trump began to speak. Without notes. Without a teleprompter. Everyone listened carefully. Then at the end he read a poem called, “The Snake.” It’s about a kind woman who took in a poor, sickly snake and nursed it to health and then to thank her, it turned around and bit her. It’s kind of an analogy of people who we allow into our country and then proceed to bomb us and terrorize us. It’s happening all over the world where people don’t appreciate the country that allows them in, Sad, but true. President Trump wants to protect us from those people.

I know some of you do not like President Trump. There have been several presidents I was not happy with, the last one being the worst one we have ever had, in my opinion, but he is our president and should be respected at least for the office he holds. We are blessed to live in a country where we can vote in our leaders, unlike those countries with dictators who never get a say. I have voted in every election since I was able to vote and will continue until the day I die. It’s a great privilege we have. It’s actually not a right put in the Constitution. So never take it for granted. Someone may come along one day and want to take that right away.

Then all too soon it was over.

President Trump left.

It was one of the best times I have ever had.

Then we all filed back out into the night. It was a long day, but worth every second of it. I would do it again. I have seen two presidents now. The other one was president Reagan who I saw in a motorcade in New Orleans one Summer day when we were vacationing there.

I hope you get to see a president some day. Bye.

I Am Tired

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Had a perfectly wonderful weekend and I will tell you about it as soon as I get the pictures uploaded. And I do have a ton of pictures.

I haven’t stopped for a breath since last Friday. Usually when I go away for a few days, I have a day to unwind before going on, but not this week. The contractors come VERY early in the morning which means I have to be up to let them in. There has been pounding and banging going on continuously and now a fan is running all day and all night to dry the new dry wall they put up.

Add to that I am painting all the woodwork for the bathroom so I have been working on that the past couple of days. Sometimes when I hire someone to work on our house, I feel like I end up working almost as hard as they do! I also have a barn door I am staining to replace a closet door. It’s a big door and needs several coats of pre-stain, stain and polyurethane.

We also decided to move the chicks back with the hens this week which involved cleaning my shop because the dander and dust from the chicks was horrible. Now they are still in their cage, but in the big coop to get the other chickens use to them. I found my little lame chick, Miss Mary Foster, sitting on the roost the other day. I was so happy for her because with her bad leg, I never thought she would be able to roost with the other birds. Go, Miss Mary Foster!

I still have not planted my flower pots even though I have had the flowers for two weeks. Plus I have tomatoes and pumpkins to plant. I have rhubarb to cut to make rhubarb crunch. It’s going to rain the next few days, so I won’t be doing much work outside. So much to do and so little time.

We had a Bible conference this week at church and I got to hear a couple of the speakers. Tonight, my neck, that I hurt a few weeks back, was really hurting so I laid down with a heating pad and fell asleep and David fell asleep in his Lazyboy and we missed church. I felt bad about it, but I guess we both really needed the rest.

Next post there will be pictures, I promise and I will tell you about the fun weekend I had. Just a warning. It’s sort of political, so if you steer clear of politics, you may not want to read my next post. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. But I had a great time. My fairy godmother made the weekend possible. I have her picture, too.

I hope it’s sunny where you are and have a wonderful day. Bye.

Discombobulated

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I like the word discombobulate. It is a great descriptive word for what I am feeling right now. We are in the midst of remodeling our upstairs bathroom and it looked like this after yesterday’s demolition.

Some interesting wallpaper was behind the paint.

When I first saw this, I thought it was a tiled wall, but it’s tile wallpaper.

Then there was this floral wallpaper. I have seen this same wallpaper during other remodeling in this old house.

Whenever we are in the middle of a renovation, I get, well, discombobulated. Frustrated. Disconcerted. The whole house is in a turmoil. I don’t know what to do with myself. I know it will all get done. I know I will love the end result, but right now, I feel, unnerved.

Add to that I am going on a trip I had not been planning a week ago. A friend asked me to go somewhere with her nine hours away, which will involve two overnight stays in motels. I am excited about it, but as with everything in my life, everything comes at once. David and I had planned to go to a lacrosse game one of our grandsons was playing in and the next day go to see my sister and brother-in-law for a visit. Plus, our church is having a special week of Bible conference starting Sunday, which I was looking forward to and will miss one night. All this is happening on the same weekend. But I chose to go on this trip and I will be telling you about it soon.

I hear them pounding on the walls upstairs and I am thinking I need to get ready for my trip, so I hope you all have a nice weekend. Bye.

Calm Before the Storm

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We have lived in our old house for almost 40 years now and there has hardly been a year where we have not done something to it like removing wallpaper, putting up wallpaper, removing wallpaper, painting, stripping woodwork, replacing woodwork, putting down tile floors, removing tile floors, ripping out old floors, putting down new wood floors, replacing windows, adding a bedroom and bathroom/laundry room, putting on a deck, ripping down the deck, building a bigger deck, building a brand new front porch(which, to this date, is our most favorite thing we have ever done to this house) and multiple paintings of every room in the house. David says our walls are at least one inch thicker because of all the paint I have slapped on them for the last 40 years. One year, when our children still lived at home and the neighborhood kids would come over, one little girl asked me one time, “Are you always painting?” I had to confess to her that I love to paint and yes, I was always painting something.

Well, we think we are almost done remodeling. This year we are completely gutting the upstairs bathroom except for the big, old tub, which I love to soak in and having new walls put up, new wiring, new light fixtures, new plumbing, new cabinet and sink, faucets and new flooring put in. We are also finishing up getting all our windows replaced. It has taken several years, but they will be done this year. Yippee! Except for our hall window which I love because it slides up into the wall and they cannot find one like it to replace it, so it’s staying.

So today I cleaned the downstairs really well because I know for the next few weeks, my house is going to be tracked in, dust will fall as the plaster walls come out and total chaos will reign for a time. I’m not good with chaos, but thankfully our contractor is not one of those who takes his time doing a job. He comes in, keeps his men working until the job is complete. At least he has in the past and I have no reason to think he has changed. David has said we have him on retainer because he has worked on our house so much. We still have one bathroom to go and I don’t know if we will get that done this year. He and his men are very nice to work with and are very respectful of other’s property. I worry about my tub getting scratched, but I have been assured they will lay something in it to protect it. All the tilework around the tub is going to be replaced. I have wanted to have that done for years. No amount of scrubbing can make that tile look good, so brand new, sparkling white tile is going up around my old tub and my old tub will be so thankful! And after all the dust has settled and everything is done I will repaint the bathroom myself. I have the colors all picked out We purchased this really big, old mirror to place above the cabinet. Now I am wondering if I really want to see that much of me when I get out of the bathtub! Right now we just have a little medicine cabinet in the wall. One I am going to keep because it is vintage. Probably put in the bathroom in the 1950’s.

So, here are pictures of the bathroom as it is now. A very nondescript little room. But it has served its purpose well for these last few decades. I have bathed my children and grandchildren in the big, old tub. I have waited impatiently outside its door for teen-agers to get done doing whatever teen-agers take forever to do. I have been so sick in this bathroom, I’ve wanted to die. I have spent hours soaking in the tub. I like showers, but a good soak in a bathroom is bliss to me, especially when my muscles are screaming in pain, which they seem to do more often these days. Yes, it’s been a good little bathroom and deserves to be remodeled and brought into the twenty-first century. Or as far into the twenty-first century as I am willing to go.

The tub. One would think I would have prettied things up a little before taking this picture, but, well, this is how the bathroom looks most of the time. I am planning to be neater in the new bathroom.

We did replace the commode years ago. The old one had been there since the 1950’s. But we are getting a newer, more high tech one. Thank you for looking at my toilet. I am sure it’s been the highlight of your day!

Yes, we are keeping this little drawer by the bathtub which has absolutely nothing in it. And, yes, I do buy shampoo a lot and don’t use up the bottles.

I love this corner cabinet, but there is nothing you can do with this corner with it there. So, it’s going. I’m going to look at antique stores for a storage cabinet of some kind to replace it. Who knows what I will find in the dark, back corners of this cupboard when I take everything out. It kind of makes me sad it’s going. Is that crazy, or what? I tend to hold onto things. Does anyone want a nice corner cabinet? Let me know before next Wednesday.

I painted this bathroom several times. The last time was many years ago and my, then, daughter-in-law put the wallpaper border up for me. I have always loved this wallpaper. I will be sad to see that go too. I still am friends with my daughter-in-love although she is not technically related to me any longer. And she is a great mother to my grandchildren.

So, I will be taking pictures of the remodel. I hope I won’t be screaming in agony as the old bathroom goes. Who gets attached to a bathroom, anyway? There is a lot of history between me and this bathroom. And the people who live in our house down the road will be glad that the bathroom doesn’t date to the 1950’s. I hope that won’t happen for a long time. Bye.

Easter Celebration

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We had a lovely Easter this year. The weather wasn’t, but the rest of the day was. It poured rain Sunday morning right before we went to church. Then while in church, the sun came out. Our choir sang an amazing cantata which touched me deeply. There were a lot of people in church. There were two baptisms and one little girl went forward to make a profession of faith. She is the pastor’s granddaughter, so I know it was a special time for him.

After church we rushed home where some family were already there waiting for us as church ran a little long. We had a delicious meal of ham, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, homemade rolls, corn, salad, potato salad, strawberries and for dessert, chocolate pie, banana cream pie and lemon meringue pie. I hadn’t made pies in a long time, but these were a success and today there is only one piece left.

We visited for a while, but the children were excited about hunting Easter eggs so finally we told them it was time. There were about 200 eggs hidden, some with pieces of paper with dollar signs on them to turn in for dollar bills and some with smiley faces on them to turn in for candy.

We made them pose for pictures which was like herding a bunch of cats.

Could not keep their hands off each other.

Finally, a picture we liked. Although they still all were not looking at the camera.

A picture of our beautiful daughter. I have never written this on my blog, but she has MS. She is the bravest woman I know how she handles this horrible disease. She works almost every day and raises her two boys. I don’t know how she does it, but she took them to the zoo the other day without help. She does have a little scooter that she runs around on and that helps. If you have MS or know someone who suffers from it, you know it’s a very unpredictable disease and people who have it are in pain a lot of the time. Anyway, I am proud of her and I pray every day for a cure for this horrible disease that affects so many people. I thank God she has a husband who is very supportive of her and loves her and tries to make her life easier if she will let him!

Anyway, we finally let the kids go and they were all over the yard like a mouse on cheese and soon they were bringing their eggs up to be counted. Everyone got some money and lots of candy.

David was the banker. This is our granddaughter. She asked me how long she got to hunt Easter eggs before she was too old. I told her eighteen when she is an adult. She will be eighteen next year. It broke her heart that she was getting too old to hunt Easter eggs. It broke my heart, too, because she was just a baby yesterday.

She got her money this year, though and was happy about it.

Her brother, who I always tell him he looks like my dad, and his winnings.

David and I saved dollars all year for this day and it’s worth the smiles.

Smiles?

Our oldest grandson. He’s about six feet tall and weighs one hundred and eighty-five pounds and is a tremendous athlete, lacrosse being his favorite sport. He’s fifteen.

After all the eggs were counted, there were still five left with dollar signs in them that hadn’t been found so out they all went again and scoured the yard until they found them all. I know there is still an egg or two out there in the yard somewhere. Just recently I found one from last year.

It was a fun day and the weather became just gorgeous in the afternoon. The garden was at its perfection. After everyone left to go home, it poured down rain again.

Oh, I wish you could smell these lilacs. They perfume the entire front garden. We cut several bouquets for us and some for the kids to take home with them.

This has certainly been a beautiful Spring. It lasts such a short time so I take lots of pictures I can look at in the dead of Winter to remind me the garden will come back again next year.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter. Bye.

The People in My Shop and Other Things of Interest(for me anyway)

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This past week I got some people who arrived in my shop. They are pretty quiet people. They don’t exercise much. They just kind of stand there and wait around. For what, I don’t know. They didn’t have any clothes to wear so I have been trying to come up with things to cover them.

They meet me at the door. No hello. No nothing.

They stand by my work table and watch me work on my projects. Gee, I wish they’d put some clothes on.

I finally threw some lace tablecloths over a couple of them and I thought it looked kind of nice. Maybe I could dress them as brides with flowers and everything.

Or I could take some Modge Podge and make them into patchwork people.

I have hundreds of these two and a half inch blocks I could Modge Podge all over the people. I could even Modge Podge old maps on them. There are so many ideas to dress these people up.

Whatever I do, these people are probably here to stay for a while. Actually, where David works they were going to throw out these dress forms and I offered to take a few off their hands. I got five of them. I could have gotten lots more, but there is only so much room in my shop. I have all kinds of ideas for them to dress up my shop with these people. I am going to do some major cleaning and painting and redoing this year and David is going to build me a large table where I can pin my quilts for quilting. I want a shabby chic look because that is the look I am fascinated with at the moment. Throughout the years, my decorating style has changed drastically. I loved the country look, the primitive look, and right now our house has an eclectic look. Every room has its own theme. Maybe I will dress one like a policeman and set her in front of a window. I could have a police station theme! There are so many things I could do.

I have chickens in my shop too. Six little girls I am raising for my daughter although now I am becoming attached to them.

This is Shannon. I thought she was a Buff Orpington, but she isn’t.

These are her wings. They look like angel wings.

There is also cute little Mary Foster who is a Golden Laced Wyndotte. She has a hurt leg so I think I will have to keep her because she would go to a certain death at my daughter’s house. The chickens over there live dangerous lives with dogs and raccoons trying to get them. Just when they think they have built a better chicken cage, the animals figure out how to get in. I don’t know how many chickens they have tried to raise. Right now the ones they have are hanging in there so I’m hoping for the best.

Speaking of chickens…..

This is the chicken quilt I wrote about a couple of blogs ago. The one I got a blue ribbon on at the county fair. I always wondered what the judges thought about all those fried eggs on it.

I hand appliqued every one of those eggs onto the quilt.

It was such a fun quilt to make, I may have to make another without the fried eggs.

The pattern came from this book I have had for decades.

I got this in the mail today.

Self striping yarn. Yippee!

Some more.

Stroll gradient yarn. Not exactly striping just a gradual change in colors.

Love these colors.

And I am loving this yarn. I can’t wait to get started, but I have a pair to finish first. David and I cannot figure out how to get into this yarn to find the end. I always let David find the start because I always get into a tangled mess, but this one has him wondering. I am sure he will figure it out. I have never bought yarn like this.

Spring has burst out all over our front garden. I wish Spring would last for months. It’s been so cold and windy, it’s been too cold to sit outside and look at it.

I love Flowering Quince.

I love you too, Molly. This picture makes it look like Molly is a giant or I am a very tiny person. And it looks like she has goatee.

David and I found a new antique store. At least it’s new for us. It’s called The Happy Nest. I got a few things there and saw a whole lot more I would like to have.

I found some fabric at very good prices.

I found this cute chalk ware bunny and chick for five dollars. I bought a book about the pilgrims and the crossing of the Mayflower to the new world. It looks really interesting.

These will be added to my bunny and chick collection. These are some chalk ware bunnies I have had for years. That little house has a tiny bunny in the garden.

I cannot believe it is only one week before Easter. My bunnies are ready for it. I am ready for it. We have about two hundred eggs for the grandkids to hunt. In some will be little papers with dollar signs and they turn them in for money and the rest have smiley face papers that they will turn in for candy. Last year it was a big success so hope they will enjoy it again this year. We have an added surprise for them, but I won’t tell it here.

I love Easter. The real meaning and the fun part too. We will attend church and then we will have a big dinner and somebody will jump in the pool(it’s really looking good now) and we will enjoy the grandkids. The day before, our church puts on a big Easter egg hunt and I am taking two of our grandboys to it.

I hope you have a blessed Easter. He is Risen indeed. Bye.

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Snicklefritz

So glad you came. Come sit a spell and read about the tale of my life.

Marriage, Maps and Miracles

Why I Haven’t Written for a While

The Color Purple

To Curse or Not to Curse, That is the Question

A Trip With My Fairy Godmother

I Am Tired

Discombobulated

Calm Before the Storm

Easter Celebration

The People in My Shop and Other Things of Interest(for me anyway)