June 2019

*** I, too, am getting attacked by SPAM, so I am changing my comment section to owner approval before posting ***


I'm telling you folks, TIME IS A'Flying!!

I can't believe June is almost over; yikes!

I had all three of my girls for a couple weeks... it was so much fun!  The little girls played so well together and I was amazed at how grown up they have become.  

They asked for matching night gowns early during the visit.  They wore these gowns almost 24/7; I had to make them give them up from time to time for laundry services.

I think these girls could be BFF's if they lived closer together.  I do hope that they will grow up to know each other and be able to spend more time together.

They gave Grandma dancing lessons.

They helped Papa wash the little car.  

Kathy Schmitz design

There hasn't been much sewing go on these days.  I have picked up a little hand stitching and am enjoying a few stitches here and there.   

It's hot here in NC, so I am definitely spending most of my time indoors.  I can't believe I ever used to lay out to tan, in the hot backyard in the eastern NC humidity, back when I was a teenager! I can hardly stand to walk to the mailbox  these days!  

February 2019

I haven't posted since November!  Where does the time go and how does it move so quickly?

Our grands with their great granddaddy

The kids were here for Christmas.  We had a great time!

I got a new back splash for Christmas.  I love it!!

 It's amazing how much prettier the kitchen looks with the back splash.

Christmas gift to myself... made by a friend of mine.  This hangs in my freshly painted dining room.

Still thrifting..... a $3 pioneer woman jar is now my kitchen night light.

I found this paper towel holder for $5.  Isn't it so cute?  See the price it sold for on ebay… I'm keeping mine.

This little fellow had eye surgery to remove growths that were covering his eyes.  Look at those  new puppy dog eyes!!  (recovery was tough!!)  This old guy turned 12 years old in February.

My sis in law celebrated a big birthday in January.  She had requested a quilt for her 60th birthday.  I bought this kit from Craftsy and put it together for her.

I continue to facetime with this little girl every day.  Oh! how I wish she lived closer!!  I wish all my grandkids were just next door!

Her mommy is a hair dresser and she knows a lot of hair dresser "talk".   She cracks me up when we "play" hair dresser on face time.

And... I'm sewing.  This quilt is being made for Annabelle's 4th birthday, coming up in March.  Her mommy requested it for her new bed.  I'm itching to do some hand stitching, so I'll be happy to finish this and to get away from the sewing machine soon.

Ok, we are up to date..... carry on.  Happy 2019 everyone!

Slow Stitching

Our little corner of eastern NC survived Hurricane Florence, but our nearby neighbors did not fare so well.  We were without power for five days, but that was the extent of our discomfort.

I did some slow stitching through the hurricane, which I have thoroughly enjoyed doing for the past few weeks.

It had been awhile since I did any hand quilting with regular quilting thread.  I had to redevelop a callous on my underneath finger, (ouch) but I had forgotten just how relaxing hand quilting can be.

This was the first time I had tried out my Barnett's quilting hoop that I had recently purchased from eBay.  I can't even tell you how much I love this hoop; it is very lightweight and easy to maneuver.  I'm so  glad I bought it.

This quilt panel is also an eBay find that I had purchased sometime back.  I don't know for sure, but I think it may be a poly/cotton blend.  It "needled" so easily and was a pleasure to stitch.

Here it is, almost finished.  I have one corner and one side of  binding left to  hand sew  today.   I used the same  backing fabric for the binding and I just love the pop of blue in this quilt.  Of course, this quilt is going to a little girl baby, but I think the mom will appreciate it not being "too pink".

**I am linking up to Kathy's Quilts to share for slow stitching Sunday.  It is always fun to see what others are working on with their needle and threads.  Click on her link to see lots of pretty projects in progress.

This quilt is being made for my sweet veterinarian, who is also a family friend  My kids grew up playing with Dr. Natalie and her siblings, so it's extra special to now have her as doctor for my fur babies.

Speaking of which:

Sweet Pea (11 years old)

This has been one sick little girl for the past few days.  We don't know why, but she got extremely sick a few days after the hurricane.  The vet said she had seen lots of animals who had ingested bad water after the hurricane, but we don't think that is the case here.  We had a visiting toad frog on the back porch, whom I lwas allowing to live here, because I did not know they were toxic to animals and it had been so long since I had seen one.  We are wondering if she may have eaten it, as she is our little hunter.  Normal liver values (ALP) for dogs are less than 200.  My girl's was over 900.   Dr. Natalie gave her some fluids and medication and sent her home.

It was touch and go for about 24 hours and I really thought we might lose her.  She was breathing rapidly and puffing her cheeks with respirations.  She couldn't stand and would barely open her eyes.

She still isn't well, but this is her this morning.  She has eaten a little boiled chicken and is drinking water again, so we are hoping she has made a turn for the better.  I never knew having fur babies could be so heart breaking!  I do love them, so.

Leaving you with two photo's of my sweet granddaughters.  This is Annabelle.

This is Brinley Kate and her mommy, Ashley.  They have started dressing alike on Sunday's sometimes, which I find quite adorable!

I hope all is well in your world.  What are you working on?

A Busy May

Spring seems to have finally arrived and life has gotten busy. 

First beach trip done (kite)

We aren't having a garden this year, but we did set out three tomato plants and harvested a few asparagus stalks from our asparagus bed.  I plan to enjoy my dad's garden harvest this year.  He lives alone and has plenty for everyone.

This little girl had her vet visit and the vet recommended not removing her fat tumor.  She did perform a biopsy on it, so we know it's not cancer.  She's getting stiff and achy in her old age, but she can still tree a squirrel !  She's 11 years old now.

Brinley Kate

I visited with this little girl and her brothers for a couple of days.  We celebrated her 4th birthday on Saturday.  Grandma took her to get "birthday nails" on Friday and she wanted rainbow nails.  They are growing up quickly!!

Nursing home yo yo quilt

I had not visited the place I had worked in over two years, and I got a chance to stop by for a little visit.  We weren't allowed to have phones in the building when we worked, so I finally got a chance to take a picture of one of my favorite things there.  One of our patients made this yo yo quilt years ago and donated it to the activities department for auction.  The nursing home owner made the highest bid and had it framed and hung on the wall where this patient resided.  It has always been special to me.

This little girl's daddy built her a tree swing and she's been having a lot of fun.  She's growing up quickly too.  Grandma hopes to make a visit to TN to visit with her soon.

I brought out an old quilt top to work on and put it in my pvc frame for some hand stitching.  I could not seem to find a comfortable way to quilt, so I moved it to a hoop.

Slowly, but surely, I'm getting a little big stitch quilting done.  I made all these hexie flowers when my children were little ones.  Of course, I dreamed of a "real" grandmother's flower garden quilt, but this is the best it will get.  :-))

Here's one side of my sewing room since I rearranged the whole mess.  I like sewing better on this end of the room and hope to spend more time in there. I love having a whole room just for my fun stuff.

Good bye for now.... that' s me and Chandler in the caboose.... we took a train ride for Brinley's birthday party.  I have to get busy cleaning, because these same kids are coming to stay with me this weekend, while their Mama and Daddy go out on a big fishing boat.  Two weeks in a row!!!!!  I'm so excited to see them so soon.  Have a great week!

Goodbye Summer and Vitamin D

Chandler Tate

It's August already and what a fast summer this  has been.

 As an empty nester and a retiree, my favorite time to visit the beach is after school starts back,  I like empty beaches so beach season will just be beginning for me.  I have to start working on my tan.   Not really, but I do think it's important to store up Vit D for the winter.  More and more people are becoming Vit D deficient, and I really think it's because they aren't spending enough time in the sunlight.  Doctors don't seem to mention that to their patients... they just prescribe a pill.  And yes, Vit D can be stored in our bodies for extended periods.  I think it's important to help  prevent depression that frequently comes with winter days to come.

Brinley Kate

Will's kids came for their last visit before school starts back.  They were able to get plenty of Vit D while they were here.

Avery

That's about all I've got.  I'm looking forward to the fall weather and finally getting some things done.  

One last thing:  this is why we didn't have tomatoes this year.

Can you see the tomato thief?

A month of grandbabies

Grandma's surprise

A few weeks ago, I planted myself on the couch to take my daily afternoon nap.  Hubby was at work so I knew I had plenty of time for an uninterrupted nap.  I had only been down for a few minutes when I heard the front door open (I thought I had locked it).  I yelled "are you home already?"  I heard the sweet voice of my TN daughter saying "We are! and we are here for two weeks!"  What a great surprise!  I had no idea and they arrived just before Mother's Day.... my April and my Annabelle.  I had not seen them since Christmas, so it was just the most perfect Mother's Day surprise.

It was so cute because Annabelle (now 2 years old) sensed all the excitement in the room, and she danced around and shouted excitement with us!

Then after this little guy graduated from preschool, he called me on the phone one day to let me know he was out of school for summer vacation.  (he is my facetime buddy) He wanted to know if he could spend a week with Grandma.  Of course!! His mom drove for 1.5 hours and I drove for 1.5 hours and we met in Raleigh, so I could bring this precious sweetie home with me for the week.  Papa took us out on the boat, which was really fun.

Before the week was over with Chandler, this big guy called me to tell me he would be out of school later that week.  He wanted to know if he could come home with me when we brought Chandler back to Raleigh the next week.  Of course!!  So I had another fun week with another sweet soul.  

Taken at Chan's  preschool graduation

The little girl in the pink dress (Brinley Kate) hasn't had her turn yet, as her family is heading to the beach this week.  But soon will be her turn to come stay with Grandma and Papa for a few days.

Grandma was actually thankful for the break, because as much fun as it was, Grandma was exhausted!!  God knew what he was doing when he made raising children a young woman's job.  ha ha

Fishing at granddaddy's pond

Supper the first night he was here!

Annabelle left her little pool here, they all enjoyed it!

Mother's Day

Its been a great summer so far!

Christmas Quilts

When I found out my grandsons were still using their baby quilts, I knew I had to spring into action to make new quilts. Chandler's baby quilt barely covered his 4 year old body.

So I finished them both before Christmas, using mostly scraps from other projects. These are large enough, they should last for awhile as they grow. Both boys were happy with their new quilts. 

A Week With Our Boys

Our sweet little grandsons, Avery and Chandler, came to spend a week with us last month.  It was a fun filled week and such a pleasure to see how grown up our boys have become.  They are ages 6 and 4 ... and Grandma had forgotten just how much energy little boys can have!!

Avery and Chandler

a fun day of fishing

My daddy has a sweet pond, where the fish are ALWAYS biting!

Avery, Great Granddaddy, Papa, and Chandler

It was a fun week.  Little sister, Brinley, cried because she could not come along for this trip.  Next time, sweet baby girl, I promise!!!