Monthly Archives: April 2015

One Day at a Time

You just have to take one day at a time or things get out of hand.  If I take the time to think about tomorrow, I start getting tired because today is not finished yet.  One day passes after another and suddenly you look up and a week, a month, a year has passed and you wonder where it went.   Time is going faster.  I truly believe it is.  What do you think?

I am blessed that my days are full.  I have something to look forward to and work to accomplish.  What would life be without work?  Work is invigorating.   I love work.  I learned a good  work ethic from my mother and father who were certainly not afraid to work.

We are having more new windows installed this Spring.   Today the contractor came and nothing was happening so I went outside and the contractor was looking at windows that were not going to fit.  I felt for him.  His day was not starting out very well, but I just knew it would all work out.  They were special order windows, too, so he was worried that the lumberyard would not take them back.  I told him I would pray for him.   He left and later in the morning he came back with a smile upon his face.  The lumberyard had taken them back and ordered the larger windows and gave us the discount we had gotten on the first windows.   Anyway, we got one window replaced in our livingroom and tomorrow they are replacing one in my shop.  We only have seven more windows to replace.  Next year.  This old house may get done one day.  I tell David we are sure making a nice house for the next owners.

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This is the first sunrise I have seen in a long time.  I am a late sleeper and miss these beautiful scenes.  I had to get up to let the contractors in so up I got.

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Remember last post I told about the lady who sent me all the material?  There were pieces like this already made for a large Dresden Plate.

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Piles of pieces for Dresden Plate blocks.

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Such cute fabric.

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This fabric had chickens on it.  Yay.  I will cut some of my fabric and put it with her fabric and make a Dresden Plate quilt.  But first, I have three other quilts I have to finish.  I am trying to get some of my quilts done.  Quilts that have been laying around for months and some even years.  I also am making doll quilts to use up my little pieces of fabric.  I may sell some, I don’t know.  Just love piecing them and all the cute fabrics I am using in them.

The garden is looking so pretty.  Every morning there are new surprises.

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The flowering crabapple is glorious.

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I can see it from my front window.

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Or sitting on my front porch.  See the lilac bush?  It is loaded with lilacs and smells heavenly.

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A new snowball bush I planted on the north side of the porch.

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Planted three azaleas like these.

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I looked out my back door and saw what looked like a little tree, but it’s really a columbine.  Don’t know how it grew like this, but it is interesting.

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Can’t you almost smell these right from the screen?

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I bring in big bouquets of these and the house smells so good!

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The azalea that I didn’t think would grow here.

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Isn’t God good?  Look at this beautiful bunch of lilacs.

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This little solar hen lights the garden at night.

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Meanwhile, Molly sits in her chair and guards the backyard.

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No one gets this seat but her.  I love this dog.  She is getting sweeter every day.  Not as many Tasmanian Devil antics where she would suddenly start biting.  She loves being with me. And I love being with her.  I love just sitting and petting her.  I knew she would make a good companion.   David and I saw a huge Mastiff at Rural King yesterday.  I just saw it out of the corner of my eye and jumped and David laughed.  I thought someone was leading a pony through Rural King.  I pet her and she was so gentle.  “This is my next dog,” I told David who I had told only a few months ago that Molly would be our last big dog.  Ha.  I knew that wouldn’t last long.

Here’s to new windows, quilting, Spring bouquets and sweet dogs.  Bye.

 

You Meet the Nicest People

I have traveled in just about every state in our union except for Hawaii and Rhode Island and David thinks we have been through Rhode Island, but I must have blinked.  In all our travels we have met some nice people.  Helpful people.  Friendly people.  No state holds a corner on the market for friendly people.

During our visit to North Carolina I got to meet a friend of my sister-in-law’s.  She is a quilter. She showed me several of her quilts.  She also showed me a quilt block she had had trouble making.

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This one.  With all the points that have to come together it reminds me of Lemoyne Star, a block I have never mastered in all my years of quilting.  I even taught classes on the Lemoyne Star block and my students could make it better than I could.   For some reason I could never get the points to come together neatly.   It shouldn’t be that hard, but it is for me.

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I have a feeling these points are going to be the death of me!  Arrgh.  But I am going to try it.

Today I got this pattern in the mail from Jan, my sister-in-law’s friend.  I was so surprised.  And not  only this pattern, but she sent me this….

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A box crammed with pieces of fabric of all colors.  Christmas!!!   Thank you, thank you, Jan.  This was so nice of you.  But now I am going to obsess about making that block come out right.  The block comes from this block of the month quilt. Wait, I just noticed the pieces were cut for a large Dresden plate quilt with some already pieced!!!!  And patterns for a large Dresden Plate block.   I will have to retake my pictures and show you what she sent me.  What a treat.   Wow, am I blessed.

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This would be a gorgeous quilt to make. The block pattern I got goes in this quilt. Do you see it?

Flowers are everywhere in my garden now.  It never fails to amaze me how there can be no leaves on trees one day and no flowers and the next day it’s like there has been an explosion overnight and there is color once again after a long season of grays and browns.

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Foggy mornings usually mean it’s going to be a sun shiny day.

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Absolutely love redbuds.  Saw so many of these in the North Carolina mountains.  Like they had been planted, but were actually growing in the wild.  Well, I know who planted them.

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Daffodils of all colors.  I can never get enough of these.

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My little magnolia that I protected from the builders last Spring while our new porch was being built.   I was so afraid it would not survive all the activity around it, but it did, and is so pretty.  I bought another one to plant in another part of the garden this year.

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This particular magnolia bloomed a couple of times last year.

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I told my North Carolina relatives we couldn’t grow azaleas here in Indiana, but I guess I was wrong because this azalea lived through a pretty bad winter and is blooming profusely now.  I planted three more this week.   I want my garden to look like those gardens I saw in North Carolina.   Some of those azaleas there were probably decades old.

Hope you are enjoying Spring where you are.  It goes so quickly which is why it is so special.

Here’s to nice people,  Spring flowers and surprises in the mail.  Bye.

 

 

 

Driving Miss Crazy Part Two

It’s been a wonderful week of family, sightseeing, eating good food, laughing, relaxing and just having an all around good time.  David and I have spent a few days in Wilmington, North Carolina.  We went to see these people.

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David’s brother and sister-in-law and their son and his family.  We had the pleasure of having these children visit our house last Summer.

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This little girl is a free spirit and makes me smile.

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And this little boy happy to show his missing tooth.  Just like my grandson.

We had fun with them one night shooting at cups with nerf bullets and knocking the cups down. Of course, it got out of hand and several shots hit some of us accidently on purpose!

David and I also went to North Carolina to see the azaleas during the Azalea festival in Wilmington.  Wilmington was dressed in the most beautiful flowers all over the city.  We took tours through the gardens and through some houses.  I will just let you look at the beauty that is Wilmington.

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These were everywhere.

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Pretty girls in pretty hoop skirts in every garden.

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This was someone’s back yard.  A really wonderful place to entertain.

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Someone had a lab and had this statue in their garden.  I got to pet the real lab. I missed mine.

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There are beautiful houses everywhere.  Wouldn’t you just like to walk up these steps and move right into this house?  The flowers were gorgeous. Well, maybe the occupants might have something to say about that!

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Loved this house.  It has a very unusual porch ceiling like the ribs of a ship.

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I’m a sucker for lace curtains at the window.  So pretty.

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Another house we went through.  It was so cute.

 

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Historical houses everywhere.  They really take pride in keeping their old houses well kept.

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Azaleas were not the only flowers blooming.

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Even some of the sidewalks were unique.

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There was a street fair going on also and I think this man was trying to sell everything!

I even saw a woman leading a llama down the street while walking.  I thought I was on Mulberry Street.

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If I had to live in a city, Wilmington would be high on my list.  It’s Savannah without the commercialism and heavy traffic.   Don’t take me wrong.  I love Savannah and have been there a few times, but Wilmington rates right up there with it.

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We had to go to the beach.  The first time we went, Terry, my sister-in-law and I sat bundled up in blankets sitting in chairs trying not to freeze.   The wind was blowing and it was cold.  We didn’t stay too long that day.  Then another day David and I went by ourselves to a beach north of Wilmington and found it much warmer and the beach was so nice to walk on.

While David did this….

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I did this…..

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Then we walked a couple of miles on the beach.  It was so nice.

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For some reason quilts and fabric always manage to be incorporated into any trip we take. This time I met a friend of my sister-in-law’s who was a quilter and she brought over some of her quilts to see.  I loved this one.

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This floral one was bright and cheerful.

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I especially loved this one.  I like how the black and white fabric sets off the bright spokes in the fans.   I want to make one of these.  When you meet someone who likes to quilt, it is like you have met a kindred spirit.  Talking quilts always makes me happy.  I did not buy one yard of fabric this trip.  I had to make myself stay out of quilt shops as I am trying so hard to finish up several projects before I buy one more yard of fabric. Believe me, it was hard.  Even when I wasn’t looking for them, quilt shops would appear.

I am so looking forward to seeing my dogs and chicks.  Molly had surgery while we were gone and I am sure she is ready to come home.  It’s been fun, but back to reality.  I am actually looking forward to planting my garden.  My brother-in-law already has most of his garden planted but he also has a palm tree in his front yard.  It’s still too cold to plant most things in our state.  But boy, have I been inspired by all I have seen.

Here’s to azaleas, old houses and fun with family.  Bye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving Miss Crazy Part One

I love to travel.  I don’t like long car rides or flying so that is a dilemma when one wants to get from one place to another.  I don’t like interstate driving or destination driving like we did the last couple of days.  Destination driving, according to David is getting from one place to another as quickly as possible with as few stops as possible.  We don’t usually travel like that. When we travel, we usually stop several times at quilt shops or antique stores or just to get out and walk around.  We only stopped once in a little town called Clinton to go through some antique stores.  I was so glad to get to our destination.  David’s brother’s house.  Then I was too tired to visit for very long, but we will see him and our sister-in-law several times.  Going to the beach with them one day. Can’t wait.

Anyway, as we destination drove we passed so many interesting things we could have stopped to see.  Carl Sandburg’s house for one.   Carl Sandburg was the poet I believe who read a poem at President Kennedy’s inauguration years ago. Or was it Robert Frost?  I would have loved to have seen his house.  I bet it was really interesting.

Later, as we drove, we passed an old house and David said, “That’s a neat, old house.”  “Yes,” I replied.  “Kind of looks like what Carl Sandburg’s house might have looked like if  we had actually seen it.  “Colonel Sander’s house?” David asked.  “Carl Sandburg’s!”  I said, giggling.

We have lots of interesting conversations like that.  Like when I asked David, “Do you ever wonder why you married me?”  “No,” he said.  Then, “Do you ever regret marrying me?”  “Why?” he replied.  “Are you an ax murderer or something?”     Not yet.

Or the conversation that went like this.  I was watching the car in front of us and I asked David, “If you saw a hand sticking out of the place where the tail lights should be, would you take the car’s license plate number and follow it?”   “What are you talking about?” asked David.  “You mean to tell me you would not get the license plate number and follow that car if it had someone’s hand sticking out the tail light area?”  “Where did this come from?” asked David.  “You know all those murder shows I watch on ID where the woman is in the trunk of a car and sometimes one of them has the forethought to break out the tail light and wave her hand and gets noticed and someone calls the police? Are you telling me you would not call 911 and follow that car and get the license plate number?  You know that guy does not have good plans for that woman.”  “In that case, yes I would,” David says.  Conversation closed.

Driving with David can be exciting like when he drove from the left lane across two other lanes to get to an exit and realized it was the wrong exit.  It was serendipitous though, as we ended up on streets lined with pink azaleas, white dogwood and purple wisteria.  Mentioning these we have seen a lot of beauty the last couple of days.

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Spanish moss.  It makes me thing of romantic stories.

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Dogwood trees everywhere.

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Azaleas.  We cannot grow these well in our state.  At least not like this.

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Big southern homes with big porches or verandas as they may call them.

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David does all the driving because I am too interested in looking at everything. And besides, we would actually like to arrive at our destination and alive!

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Finally arrived in this state, but we took a wrong highway and ended up in this state.

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Then we saw these and thought we were in England.

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But we finally got back on track.

Driving along David shouts out “Pee Dee!”  I say, “What?”  “P-E-E D-E-E,” he spells for me.  “The name of a river we just crossed.”  “Oh,” I replied.  “I thought it was something you have to do.”

On a serious note, we passed a funeral procession kind of like the one in “American Sniper” with flags hanging across the street and motorcyclist after motorcyclist with flags on the backs of their bikes roaring down the highway.  Must have been a military funeral or someone important.  Police stopped all traffic and people stood on the side of the road with their hands over their hearts.  In a day of light, and laughter and fun we were reminded that death comes to all of us.  That a person’s passing is serious business and I pray all are prepared.

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Going through this tunnel reminded me of the light at the end of the tunnel some people say they see in near death experiences.  David’s driving did not make me see this.  He is actually the safest driver I know even after the incident with the semi who tried to run us off the road.  See Miss Garmin hanging there in the window?  She laughed and laughed when David took the wrong exit.  I have a love hate relationship with Miss Garmin although she has found all our destinations for us pretty well, but don’t tell her because she might get the big head.

Here’s to travels and the things we see.   Bye.

 

 

Easter

Easter came early this year.  I feel like we just got over Christmas.  But, Easter is my favorite holiday for so many reasons.   The main reason is that we celebrate the risen Christ who died for every one of us on the cross.  He arose the third day.  Many saw Him after he arose and many saw him ascend into heaven. He is coming back one day, you know.  He is coming to gather His church and set the world aright.  He can come back for you, too, if you believe in Him and ask Him into your life.

Easter means Easter bunnies and eggs and baskets and candy.  Easter eggs are a symbol of the new life we receive when we accept Christ into our lives.  I don’t know where the Easter bunny came from.  It’s a fun time for children.  After church, where we had a wonderful cantata performed, we came home and had dinner with family.   We had Kentucky fried chicken because I was too lazy to fry my own, scalloped potatoes, home grown corn, biscuits that I made myself, a wonderful salad my son-in-law prepared, cake and cupcakes.  It was good.

The kids were so excited about the Easter egg hunt.  There were 150 eggs hidden all over the yard, some with candy and some with slips of paper they could redeem for dollar bills.

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David had to guard the door before the hunt.  See those faces?  They are already looking for the eggs.

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Then they were let loose and the hunt began.

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Our granddaughter looked so pretty in her floral dress.

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One of my grandsons in his fedora.  He’s an old spirit in a young body.  And he really looks cute in hats.

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This young ‘un can hunt eggs so quickly.   He soon had a bag full.

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Afterwards we opened eggs to see how much money everyone received.  They all did pretty well.

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My granddaughter with her money.

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Our handsome grandson.  He is growing too fast.

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Our youngest grandson lost another tooth playing with his cousin.

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David enjoyed sitting on the front porch visiting with everyone. Our new front porch has become a wonderful place to gather.

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We even had a bunny for the day.

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Uh, we had another bunny also.  This boy is so much fun to be around.

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Hope you had a blessed Easter.  He is alive!  Bye.