Family Christmas 2013

What joy there is in family gatherings!! We eat too much, spend too much, but there is never too much love!

Our family is blessed beyond measure and so thankful to our Heavenly Father for all his mercy and love! Our children and grandchildren give us more happiness than words could ever express.

Photos are hard to get these days with Klaire twisting out of our laps, and LMW being too busy playing to stop and smile for the camera, but we persevered and got a few nice ones I think.

Great grandparents were excited to get a little sugar from both of the kids.

And three generations of Winston men.

One with LeLe too.

Camera hiccuped on this one, but I edited as best I could.

These photos are precious because Pappaw has Alzheimer's. He may not even remember who the kids are by next Christmas, but we pray and rely on God.

I pray God's blessing on you and your families on Christmas and for the coming year.

Merry Christmas!!

Sharing a Story of Survival

I was approached by a beautiful young woman, asking if I would be so kind as to share her story of cancer survival. After watching her video, and learning her story, I am very glad to do so. Her name is Heather, and she is a survivor of Mesothelioma.

I've seen the commercials about it, and somehow got the idea that it is always fatal. Heather proved that wrong! Please take a moment to view her video. It's not long, but it is informative and inspirational.
The link is here. I thank you and I'm sure Heather does too.

God bless.
B

Got Milk?

This time of year, every time the weather man mentions the word snow (or ice) the whole state begins to panic and make a bread and milk run to Walmart. When I lived in the north, people barely noticed the snow. Here, they freak out at the mention of it. It's so hilarious.

My husband was getting things together last night, in case it really did happen, and LMW grabbed one of the flashlights to play with. He insisted on getting inside my closet and closing the door.

Before I knew what was happening, all my shoes were scattered and the shelves taken apart and re-positioned.

I sat on the floor, with the doors closed and watched as he continued to move things around to suit him. He repeatedly mentioned, "Getting comfterbul", but I don't see how he could be in this mess. The child is definitely entertaining!

As for the snow and ice apocalypse....well, it seems to have arrived north of me. I'm still ok for the time being.  As a facebook friend mentioned, in my mind's eye, I can see people sitting around their fireplace with a glass of milk and a slice of bread, totally content. Got milk?

Thanksgiving 2013

I know...I've been MIA for some time now. Can't help it. Life is busy and full, and no time to actually blog about it. I do have a few pictures of our family Thanksgiving gathering. We had it early to accommodate in-laws and out-laws.

Me, LeLe, my mother-in-law, K and Little Miss Klaire.

The whole gang.
I'm bummed that my camera malfunctioned on several of our takes. I hope to have a new one by Christmas. Gotta get those family times on record you know!!

Have a great thanksgiving everyone! Praise be to God! The giver of all good gifts!!

Last of the Season

Tonight and tomorrow night a freeze is expected. So, this is the last hurrah for my little blooming flowers. I thought I'd take a shot of them before they fall prey to the biting temperatures.
I cut the last two bloomers of my hydrangea bush and added two that are just a tad older but still beautiful. It's so sad to see them dry up and become brown blobs.

Here are my pretty petunias and some mums. The mums may survive, but I doubt the others do. You can see all the dead leaves that have been blowing up.

And finally, my geraniums and ivy.

 Geraniums always remind me of when I was a child. When I was about 10 years old, my father was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California. We lived in base housing and there were geraniums everywhere. Every time I see and smell them, it takes me back to that time. I can't say it was a great memory, as that particular phase in our lives did not inspire fond memories for the most part, but it does remind me of that time and my mother's love for flowers. I often wish I had her green thumb!

Being on my front porch, these may hold out a little longer, but I didn't want to take any chances and miss an opportunity to capture them.

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da....

Life goes on bra.... La La how the life goes on.  Anyone remember that Beatles song?? That's what I thought of when I realized I haven't posted here in a month. Life just goes on and on and gets in the way of sitting down to type something out. It's much easier to just post what I'm doing on The Seam Rippers.  Let's see....

I have some of the items on my to-do list marked off.
Cute clothes for Klaire, a few shirts for LMW, paintings done.
(These can be seen on the other blog)

Class reunion organized and implemented. We won't mention what year....

Grandkids are growing too fast!

Having fun in the cool crisp fall air with chalk.

Beginning to use Santa as a behavioral tool. (wink)

Deer season approaching and the men in my family being totally distracted.

Family gatherings to be planned.

Fall parties and friendly visits to look forward to.

The folks in Washington are playing nice for the time being, so my daughter was able to go back to work. Yee Haw!!

God is good. Life is good.

Rant (Edited)

Ok, Debbie Downer here. Gonna rant a bit...

Ever have one of those months when you had plans of getting things accomplished and things just kept getting in the way? Well, that's me. Right. Now.

First, I took on more than I should have as projects and set myself up for major stress.
Then, after having done so, my sewing machine died.
Mother-in-law gave me hers and it needed repair.
Had it fixed, and it broke somewhere else.
Bought a vintage Kenmore and it won't work without special needles.
Bought a vintage Mid-State and it's so gunked up, I'm afraid to use it until I have time to clean it up.
Bought brand spanking new Janome. Big bucks that we really didn't have to spend. Nothing. But. Trouble. With. It.
Tension is wacky. Tried and tried to figure it out. Moved dials, cleaned out bobbin area, even tightened the little tiny screw in the bobbin housing. Still jacked up.

I really wanted to love my new fancy machine. Truth is, I don't like it near as well as the cheap Brother that just died. Only got three years out of it, but the first two years were awesome. I expected to be so in love with the Janome, that I'm terribly disappointed.

Called the supplier and told them everything and now I have to take it back and let them look at it. I expect them to tell me nothing is wrong. Operator error. Must be your thread. Must have some link or thread fiber in there. You messed it up when you tightened the screw. You have the wrong foot on. You have it on the wrong settings. I mean, there are countless things they could say. But bottom line is, I'm not happy with it.

Sooo, here's hoping that tomorrow by this time, I will have a fixed and well working machine. Of some kind.

I had such high hopes. Now I'm soooo behind that I'm beginning to fret that I will have to go back on my word. I don't like doing that! I've always heard that life is what happens while you are making other plans. I do believe God is in control. I'm just having a hard time relinquishing it to Him.

Ok, I'm done. I'll keep you posted.

Edited:
I traded the Janome for a Brother SB7500. They were pretty nice about the whole thing even though they wouldn't refund my money. The 7500 will also embroider and monogram, so I am pumped about that. I hope and pray I made a good choice and time will tell. Thanks for suffering through this wailing and gnashing of teeth. :P

A Touch of Fall

I'm in the autumn mode, as many of you probably are. This morning, the air turned crisp and cool and I had to get out my fall decorations. I don't do a lot of it, not nearly the amount I do at Christmas, but I like to add a little touch of fall around the place.

A few weeks ago, I saw this on Pinterest and decided I want to try to do something similar.

I scoured the flea markets for a rooster I could feel comfortable buying. Every time I found one I liked, it was from $25.00 to $65.00 and that just wasn't in my budget. Low and behold...yesterday....my birthday...I found this lovely little man for $12.00. I grabbed him up with my birthday money.

I got out the rest of my supplies...

 and went to work. This is what I finished with.

I love it!!

Yes, that's the table that still needs refinishing.... It's still on my to-do-list...But in the meantime, my rooster is enjoying his view.

I also found a wonderful solid wood drop leaf table that I brought home to use for a cutting table. Needs some work, but when I get her fixed up, I'll share the before and after with you.

Happy Fall Y'All!!

Out of the Ordinary August

I would have to say that this has been the most usual August I can remember. It's been jam packed with ups and downs and fun and the not so fun.

First, SR retired. And what a joyous day that was!! He wanted to take a little trip, so we drove up to Branson, as I've mentioned in a previous post. I came home with two vintage sewing machines and some fun stuff.

The following week I gave him a little family party to celebrate his freedom and all my children were here. It was the first time since Mother's Day that both my grandbabies were here.

I can't believe how fast these two have grown!

It was quite the day and we all enjoyed it immensely.

I got behind on my sewing due to the trip and the food poisoning I experienced as soon as we arrived home. Not fun, but I lived.  Then....my sewing machine died. This is what it looks like now....

 It wasn't worth saving, so we gave LMW a screw driver and let him go to work on it.

Then we made it into a warehouse and loading dock. He has had a lot of fun with this thing. (And don't be alarmed, I assure you it wasn't worth repairing and it couldn't be used as it was.)

My mother-in-law and her sister both gave me their vintage Kenmore machines, but there were a few little things that needed tweaking on them before I could really sew with them. So, SR and I went to the nearest Janome dealer and scoped out the stock. I was excited and a little sick when we came home with this bad girl...

I'm still not comfortable about spending that much money, but SR assures me it's worth it. We left MIL's machine to be tweaked, and just yesterday picked it up. It sews so sweetly that I used it as much as I did the Janome yesterday. I had a marathon sewing day to try to catch up.

So, it's the last day of August and September begins on the morrow. I hope it's a bit more relaxed than August was. It's been a whirl wind summer for me and that is highly unusual!

Up and Down, Here and There

It's been quite a ride the last week and a half....

Last Thursday, SR and I headed out for Branson, Missouri to browse the flea markets and just get away. We drove up through Greenbriar, which is a mecca for flea markets, but we decided to only stop a few places and we'd stop at others on the way back. Good call because I kept finding things I wanted and I didn't want my money to run out before we reached our destination!

Three days of walking through shops was hard on this old gal, but worth every bit of it. I came back Saturday with lots of treasures.

A quilt rack with shelf, vintage decorative items, a wonderful vintage rotary phone and some classic albums for my LeLe. I also bought two vintage sewing machines.

Aren't they beauties?!!! They work too! (Although they need some tweaking and cleaning) I paid less than $100.00 for the pair, and just today at the LQS, I saw machines similar to these displayed for $300.00 each.
SCORE!!

Saturday night, I realized I also brought home something I didn't plan on....food poisoning. Here it is Wednesday and I'm still dealing with it. Not fun. But it will pass eventually.

Today, my sweet mother in law sent me her 30+ year old Kenmore machine and cabinet. BE STILL MY HEART!!  She is so good to me! Look at that group of accessories that came with it. Two boxes full. Man Oh Man!!

The quilt in the lower left corner was made by SR's great grandmother.

The reason for my sudden interest in all these machines is that for one, my three year old Brother bit the dust. Just talked to the repair man and it is going to cost me more than half of what I paid for it to get it fixed. No thank you. I don't need it now. Yay me!! Second, my good friend Y has really been encouraging me to get an older machine because they are made so much better and work so well.

I'm still working to get my sewing room just like I want. It's almost there. I'm way behind on my sewing due to being away, being sick, and being without a machine. I have some catching up to do!!!

The Final Countdown!

Well folks, next week is my husband's last at work. He is RETIRING!! Woo Hoo. We can hardly wait. For 30+ years he has worked at the railroad in a neighboring city and had a 60 mile round trip drive five days a week.  Everyone keeps asking him what he's going to do with all his free time and he is insistent that he is going to ENJOY doing NOTHING!! And if I know my husband....and I do of course....I believe that! He's the most laid back, restful, piddling kinda guy I've ever known. Give him his remote and recliner and he's a happy camper.

He does plan to spend time taking LMW to the deer camp and other places that guys go.

LMW decided his "Tow Mater" needed a little body work. Future mechanic in the making???

And he says WE will be doing some traveling. As a matter of fact, the week after his retirement we are running up to Branson for a couple of days. We love to browse flea markets and antique stores and just drive through the winding highways of North Arkansas.

We will be able to run up and see our Little Klaire more often too.

In other news, I'm redoing my craft/sewing room and am excited about it all. It's going to take a little time due to the cost, but when it's finished, I think I'll have a wonderful set up. I can't wait!!!  Life is GOOD!!

Summertime

July 21, 2013
Summer
Hot
Dry
Blah

That's kind of how I feel in a nutshell. No particular reason, just Summertime Blahs. Not blues, cause I'm not unhappy at all. I'm kind of in a slump though.

The sunburn I received at the lake has bothered me not a little. Still have about four bad spots, but by tomorrow they should be my old self.

Can't seem to really focus on any one thing in particular. I'm working here and there on projects but have no real pressure to finish them. I do however, expect to receive quilt blocks from the ladies who donated them for the Moore OK tornado victims. Sometime this week I will be getting enough blocks for two quilts. I will square them up, sash them and quilt them. Then I will send them on their merry way. That should get me focused and moving again.

We finally received an inch and a half of rain this afternoon after not getting a drop since early June. What a blessing!!!

I decided to make a stand/cover for my new tablet pc. Found the tutorial, quilted some really cool Jason Yenter fabric and put the thing together. About half way through, I realized it wasn't a cover, it was just a stand. Harrumph!! At least it's something I can use, but I'll have to begin again with a different fabric now. :/ I want something that will protect it as well as hold it up. I've made one before, don't know how I messed up. There you go, Summer Blah. Ha!!

I have some things going on this week that don't involve sewing, but after that, I'm going to give myself a good stern lecture and get back to work. I have a LOT to do!!!

New Experiences

Lately I've been doing things I either have never done, or haven't done in longer than this poor brain can remember. First off is that I attended a quilt show  for the very first time.

It was held in Hot Springs and was very enjoyable and I will elaborate on the other blog. 

Second, I purchased a tablet pc. Man!! This thing is awesome. There are only a few things it won't do, and I have my trusty desktop for that. I'd been saving money to purchase a monogram/embroidery machine, but when my laptop's wireless capabilities died, I figured the tablet was more practical. I'll use it every day, and the other only occasionally. This is what I bought. 

ASUS MeMO Pad Smart ME301T-A1-BL 10.1-Inch 16 GB Tablet

Third, a very strange thing is happening to me....I'm not obsessed by quilting right now. Oh now, don't get me wrong, I still LOVE IT, but I seem to be in a slump. I have projects waiting on me and I keep putting them off for short little paper piecing blocks. Strange and unusual.

Fourth, my husband is retiring next month. We've never been at home together for any length of time in all the 36 years of our marriage. It will be a new experience for sure, but we have plans to play with the grandchildren and do a little in-state traveling.

Fifth, my sister and I are going to drive over to Lake DeGray one day this week, just the two of us and spend the day. 

I've not had the pleasure of doing that without children or a group. Should be a little more relaxing. 

Sixth and final, I'm behind on my favorite blog reading. I have just been so busy with other things that I haven't taken the time to actually sit down and read them. I'll catch up though!!

So, there you have my new experiences. Nothing earth shattering, but fun for me. 

Summertime And The Living Is Easy....?

Actually, not so much.

LMW had his tonsils out June 28th. Poor baby is still in a lot of pain. Now this child has a pretty high tolerance for pain, but when he spends several hours crying because he hurts, you know it's bad. I'm praying that yesterday was the worst and it will be downhill from here.

I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to post the rest of my vacation pictures.

This is my yard.

A mole we can't seem to catch.

Even when we see him digging up and we grab the shovel. How he moves from that one spot so quickly is beyond me. Finally had to resort to a trap. I'll let you know how that works.

It's not all bad though.

LMW and my great nephew made friends with my sister's horse. Too hot and too many horseflies to actually try to ride him.

I'm on week two of my new walking regime. Clothes aren't feeling quite so tight.

I finally finished a major sewing project and I'm very relieved about that!

This little lady is growing like a weed! Just look at that face!

 It's the FOURTH OF JULY and we live in a free country!! God bless the USA!!