Progress, Small but Noticable

Last night I managed to quilt around the stars on my 1999 Friendship Stars quilt, not much progress, but I can now say I did sew in the month of June-yeehaw!!! I still need to quilt the borders then finish with binding and label.

The blocks for this quilt are from a swap I did with a group of ladies from a list I was on all those years ago. As I stitched around each star I remembered ladies whom I am no longer in contact with and laughed at some fun times years ago. I had totally planned for this to be a WTIL donation, and I think it will be...but once done I will hang it in the livingroom to enjoy just a bit longer before passing it on.

Picture will be posted after binding and label are complete.

OH NO, How did that happen???

Tomorrow is the end of the month,

I have not sewn a stitch all month...

headed into My Creative Mind

right this very second...

can't let another month go by

without some progress....

check for details right here, later.

Hold your babies tight, no matter their age

PFC Thomas "Tommy" Tucker went to school with my nephew. He was a year behind AJ but they played together and grew up together...that is how it is in small town America. Everybody knows everybody and when one hurts everyone else hurts too.

I spoke with my sister after Tommy came up missing, I spoke with her again this evening. The town is banning together, drawing comfort from each other.

This picture is of the lights illuminating a row of flags outside the Tuckers' home Monday evening. The family is holed up inside, the sherriff's dept has been guarding the house, protecting their privacy.

Tonight hold your children tight, call them if they are not where you can see them. Life is too precious and we don't always remember that until we hear about families like the Tucker's, the Menchaca's, the Babineau's and many other families who are dealing with such tragic loss.

Sorry, just being a gma...but this is too cute

Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video SharingKatieBug dancing with the crew at California Adventures Block Party.She's the cute one in the pink shirt and white hat. The rest are cuties too, just not wearing a pink shirt and white hat! The giggling you hear in various parts is Angela. Oh it is so good to see your adult children relaxing and throughly enjoying themselves without the everyday pressures of life.

I take it back....

....I had assumed someone had helped themselves to my freshly filled gas tank, but have sense found out that the instrument panel fuse blew in my dad's van. Relief washed over me, then was replaced by shame...why did I think the worst of others? Partly because there have been gas thieves in our community. None-the-less, I did accuse an unnamed, faceless person of stealing and it just did not happen.

Today has been a very productive day, not in MCM, but in the yard. Got up early and watered my baskets, enjoying the growth and color. Then enjoyed some time on the deck while the air was warming up. Our Koi are getting more and more active with the sun warming up thier little home, I could sit for hours and watch as they dart around chasing and being chased.

Ed has not been feeling well lately (currently dealing with a disk issue) but he did come out and sit with me while we enjoyed a cup of coffee. Last wknd we purchased a new pond kit, which would require digging a 90 gallon hole in the yard. Nothing he could do with a bad back so it has been sitting there getting moved around abit so we could decided just how we wanted it placed. Today I decided it has been shifted and twisted and adjusted enough. It was where we wanted it and the next step was to get that hole dug and get it in the ground and filled with water so we could add Koi in a couple of months. But again, Ed isn't up for it and there is no way I could do it...so, I called our oldest grandson, Rex to the rescue!

First he mowed the lawn for his grampa and then he started to dig...and dig...and dig...oh my goodness that boy just dug and dug and dug. In 2 hrs time he had the lawn cut and the hole just about right. Not bad for a 13 yr! thanks Rex, you are the greatest! I am afraid if we had had to wait until Ed was up to it, it would not have gotten done until August or September....it was higher on my priority list than on his.

While he was digging, I baked an Oregon 4 Berry Pie. (Blackberries, Marionberries, Huckleberries and Boysenberries) Not sure what is going on, but I have been spending more time in the kitchen lately....I think I must be ill!

As for MCM...well, I wasn't in there today, but I am working up to it, I promise. I was looking for a quilt related pic to post...just to prove I AM a quilter...but ran across these pics taken at a quilt retreat (there is the connection). Each year at camp I would put a surprise at everyone's work spot, never a note of who did it, but they all knew it was me. These are Martha Stewart Slippers. My niece, Mandy, and I made 38 pr of these slippers...and as was our tradition, waited until everyone had gone to bed (well past 2 am) and then put a pair of these where each person had their machine. Some people found surprises in there slippers. Oh do I wish we had been up to hear the laughter! For the most part, they went over well...much laughing and giggling...but there were a few who did not see the humor! Oh well...WE thought it was funny. Here is the ditty we printed up and attached to each pair:

Benefits of using these "Pad-About" Slippers:

a. Soft and Hygienic

b. Non-slip grip strips on the soles

c. Built-in deodorant feature - keeps feet smelling fresh

d. No more bending over to mop up spills

e. Disposable, biodegradable and environmentally safe

f . Three convenient sizes: Regular, Light and Get out the Sand Bags!

URGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Well, it is probably happening all over everywhere...but last night it happened to us.

Yesterday I filled my dad's vehicle up, $49.50. This morning it is empty. GRRRRR!!!! Frustration! Our vehicles have locking gas caps, but this vehicle belonged to my dad and I am only driving it so we can show it around with a "for sale" sign in it (can't sell it while it is sitting in storage!). I guess when I get into town we will be shelling out for a locking cap for this vehicle as well....GRRRR! Double GRRRRR!

On a quilty note....I think I am almost ready to get back into My Creative Mind. It has been a long dry spell for me, I tend to go in spurts, but this time I have given myself permission to not feel guilty about not sewing, which has taken alot of pressure off me. For me that is huge!!! So, other than ironing each morning I have spent little to no time in MCM for months. Now I hope to get back to it. I really wanted to get the kitchen walls decorated and our bedroom painted/decorated before I ventured back to the sewing machine but I think I will get Niles' TATW cut out and get that done, it should be a quick little quilt, enough to get my mind back into quilt mode. It is always helpful for me to see progress, if I can get Niles' quilt done and get a few of the tops Nancy sent quilted and bound I should be back on track soon!

Here's another pic of our vacation...let me know when you tire of them and I promise to quit boring you to tears. This is my bestest of all bestest buds, Franki. This pic was taken just prior to our designated "cry time." We allow ourselves cry time whenever we have to say "see you later" at the end of a visit. She lives in San Diego and we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we need to, want to, or can. We are so thankful for email and unlimited minutes on our cell phones, otherwise our husbands would be broke from airline tickets and long distant phone charges. Franki's oldest daughter, Molly, had her graduation party while we were in San Diego. We asked her if she wanted us at graduation or her party...she choose the party and we had a blast. Franki and I got up early preparing for the party and stayed up waaaay too late cleaning up the pool house and putting away the leftover food but it was worth every minute of laughing, crying and being amazed at what teenagers do to have fun (all good-clean fun!). This year Franki and I are going to get a bonus visit as they will be traveling through Oregon on their family vacation, headed to Canada in August.

OK, enough is enough....gotta get ready for Tristan's last baseball game.

Blessings in my life today:

Warm air on my skin

My son helping me with a computer issue

Beautiful hanging baskets full of color

My funny cat...keeping us in stitches

More Mexico Pics

Kids are the same all over the world

I am always so amazed by their innocence when they live in such harsh conditions

Yessica loves the IIWII quiltThis little guy was hilarious...he was more than willing to hold Niles for a quick pic

The school building is behind him...you can see the pile of scrap lumber and etc that has been stacked to the side of the building. They are still in the process of getting walls up and a roof on.

This one room house was built by AMOR Ministries. Concrete floor (hand mixed in a tub then hand spread), 2x4 frame covered with plywood then wrapped with chicken wire and then is covered in stucco. There is a window space made into the house and a door space, not all homes get an actual window and door, some just use whatever they can find to cover that area. It takes a group of volunteers 3-4 days to build one of these homes. Most of the homes in this community were built of scrap fiberglass sheets, old fence sections, pallets...pretty much anything they can get their hands on, AMOR hopes to do alot more building in this community, wouldn't it be wonderful for each family to have an AMOR built home!!!. Glass windows and doors are a major luxuary. No flush toilets...anywhere, just a bano out back. No running water, just a 50 gallon water container that is filled by a water truck that travels all over, there is a charge for water something like $3-5. Electricity is also a luxuary, those that do have it have a single bare wire running from the power pole to thier home...lots of times those bare wires run across the streets and through their yards. Most cooking and washing is done outside.

Hopefully my son got better pics, as usual I get caught up in loving on the kids and forget that I have a camera with me. Ryan had his camera out and was snapping some shots as well, hopefully they are different than what Lydia and I took.

What an incredibly lazy day!

Yesterday we worked in the yard all day, I fell asleep at 9 p.m.!!! This morning I got up early to prepare for church and the days events. Hubby woke at 6:30 poured his first cup of coffee, drank half of it and said he was too tired to do anything! So back to bed he went, I switched gears and did some housework and then headed into town to see my mother.

Momma wasn't feeling too well either so I only stayed long enough to talk with the nurse and see to a few things that I felt needed dealt with NOW not later! UGH Parenting the parent, not for the faint of heart!

Ran to Wally World and took care of a few things there, then headed home - - on Sunday I am NEVER home from seeing my mother until 3-4 in the afternoon....today I was home by 1:30, a whole day to do what I wanted. Hubby was working in the yard, getting the stepping stones set in the courtyard, thank you dear! So, I decided I would lay down for a quick nap but did not wake up until 4:30...my day was shot! My "TO DO" list for this wknd still has more to be done than what was accomplished but I am not going to let it bother me, there is always tomorrow, right?

Here are a few more pics from our trip:

This is one of my favorite vacation pictures, KatieBug and Gpa. She would walk beside Grampa, holding on to his hand. Two peas in a pod those two are. A couple of times she managed to wiggle her way up onto his lap and get a free ride.

While waiting to get on Splash Moutain, Niles decided to check this little tree house to see if any of his relatives were home. No one answered the door so we can only assume they were off on adventures of thier own. Niles enjoyed his ride on Splash Mountain, Rex held on to him real tight.

Blessings in my life:

Caring grandchildren who think of others first

A nursing staff who do not think like administrative staff

Our Koi who are getting friendlier and showing off their colors

Beautiful blooming waterlilies ,heavy many unopened blossoms

Waking from an afternoon nap to the sounds of:

*Praise and Worship music

*Children playing

*Birds singing

*Neighbors visiting across the fence

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

and right now I have more pictures than words...just too tired to think after our trip...so here are a few pictures to share with you.... more later


Katie's face is just priceless in this pic. Those two little ones have quilts that Katie did, her first 2 quilts ever! She was thrilled to give them away.


This is one of Cher's quilts.


The love of my life, Ed...our youngest son, Ryan...granddaughter, Kaitlyn and myself