Sweet Sue Sews

Where have I been?

2011-08-28T22:59:00.006-04:00

Haven't been on here in soooo long, can't call myself a blogger anymore but I would like to get back to it a bit, maybe not on a day to day basis but lots more than once in awhile. Since May 2010 life has been full, 4 new grandchildren were born, 3 baby boys in 2010 and a new baby girl born in May 2011. My blog was about sewing something I really love and named it Sweet Sue Sews not because I am sweet but because that is what my Dad called me when I was a little girl. I started out by following some blogs and then decided to start one myself. Well it isn't fair to acquire some followers and then just disappear like I did although I really do miss all the sweet, creative people who I came upon so . . . I am going to try to get back to it, no promises, life is full, just like the blog I need to get back to unfinished quilt tops and get some a smocked dress made for baby Helen age 3 months and a Halloween costume made for Andrew age 1. Can't be a slacker on those commitments and don't want to be a slacker here. Thank you for reading! See you soon!

May . . . . well I think it is, but it is cold!

2010-05-10T10:27:00.021-04:00

I have neglected my blog for so long that I apologize to any of you who take the time to read it. There hasn't been a specific reason, I guess I was just doing other things and got busy with those things. I have taken the time to read blogs I enjoy myself, but not to write on here.

Back in March we celebrated our oldest granddaughter's 5th birthday. We got Joy an American girl doll for her birthday so I got to sew clothes for her doll. That was a lot of fun!
I told Joy that 5 years old was old enough to take good care of her new dolly and she thought so too. She named her Farrah. As you can see Joy had long brown hair and bangs just like Farrah.

A flannel nightgown

Some blue jeans, these photographed kinda funny but they are made from denim leftover from some old jeans.

A birthday dress, I made one similar for Joy, the birthday girl.

And a little sundress, it was fun to pull out lots of tiny trims and fabric pieces to make these. Many thanks to my sister Anne who picks up trims, laces, buttons, and rick rack from thrift shops for me. I have quite a collection now.

One other thing I got to sew was a costume for a production of Alice and Wonderland that was put on by a local middle school. I was assigned the Queen of Hearts. The costume came out okay but I really didn't like the fabric I worked with to make it, it of course was not the nice cottons I am used to but some polyester fabrics that were appropriate for the queen.
The women in charge of costumes decorated it with hearts and made it ready for the play.

Recently I finished this skirt for my granddaughter Trinity. It is a Pink Fig pattern and great way to use leftover quilt scraps to make something pretty.

Now with summer on its' way I turn my time to flowers and veggies and trying to do my best at that. The weather here in upstate NY has been beautiful this spring until last week and this week where we have been set back to cold temperatures and non-stop wind. Our beautiful lake which usually looks like a mirror is covered with white caps because the wind is blowing so hard. So I need to be patient and wait to plant some things I'd like to plant in the garden. I guess I can always sew!!!

I also have two pregnant daughters and my daughter-in-law who are pregnant. That is always on my mind as I love to sew for new babies and I to be there to help the new Moms with meals or by being there physically to help. Courtney is due very soon and Megan mid summer and Katie in the early fall so the summer will be busy with preparations I am sure.
These beautiful young women left to right are Kate & Lacey(my daughter Courtney's sister-in-laws on her husbands side), my daughter Courtney due on May 26th, Katie (my daughter-in-law) due September 23rd and Megan my daughter due on July 19th. This picture was snapped at a Sprinkle for Courtney which I guess is the newest word for a little shower that was given to Courtney back in April, so funny that they are all pregnant at the same time!

We just finished celebrating our grandson Jason's 3rd birthday and our granddaughter Grace's first birthday. They were both as sweet as could be and we had fun together as a family.

I made this shirt for Jason from a wonderful pattern that I recently bought. It is from the Scientific Seamstress . You can make this shirt for boys or girls and there are many ways to change it up depending on which way you run the panels and the fabrics that you choose. I found this great fabric with the airplanes in a Almost One of a Kind Quilt Shop in Ballston Spa, NY last fall I believe, I have been holding onto it for something special. If you are looking for different fabrics they had lots of those.

For Grace I made a little peasant dress from the Miss Madeline pattern. Once again this is a very versatile pattern that can be made many ways. I sewed her a little scarf to go with it.

Mother's Day was a lovely day spent going to church with our son Patrick, Katie and their sweet Leanora and then out to breakfast. Mother's Day is such an emotional day for me each year as I miss my own mother so much and wish she was still here. There are so many things that I would love to share with her. Of course she is safe in the hands of God so there is much to be thankful for! Now that I have two daughters who are Moms and two daughter-in-laws who are Moms I cannot but love watching them raise and care for their children. That is the a great gift to a Mom when you get to see that.

Well today is Monday, a beginning to this week at home and as always I have lots of sewing projects I would like to get to but there are always household things I would like to take care of, life is so full, how can anyone ever be bored. I hope to get back to keeping up with this blog better so once again I am sorry for being gone so long.

Rosemarie is safe we believe . . .

2010-01-24T14:58:00.005-05:00

Compassion International has posted on their blog a list of the centers that were affected by earthquake. There have been 100 deaths among these centers and many, many injuries. Rosemarie's center was not listed so I am assuming she is safe, but of course we are praying still for all of the people of Haiti. Compassion said they would contact each sponsor so I will wait sorrowing for those that have lost their sponsored child. I want to continue to be mindful of all that my family and I have and look to help more with Haiti in the future.

No news on our Compassion child . . .

2010-01-17T23:16:00.002-05:00

My husband and I have supported a little girl named Rosemarie for about 5 years now, she just had her 10th birthday this month. Compassion is doing the best they can to try and let us know what is going on in Haiti as far as everyone's sponsored children. There are 65,000 children in Haiti who are sponsored through Compassion, and when I read that so many of the staff there have been affected by the earthquake and have lost family members themselves it is a heart wrenching situation. Rosemarie did not live in Port-au-Prince but we have no information as of this time as to her safety. I have read that even those that live away from where the earthquake occurred are not okay because the transport of food to them will be impossible. Please pray for Rosemarie and I will post news as I receive it. Thank you very much.

Winter is here and all the fun that comes with it . . . .

2009-12-22T18:00:00.013-05:00

I guess it is official, yesterday was the first official day of winter. We love winter here in Northville, we love the snow, we are so happy when the ground is covered and the lake is frozen. The lake we live on is quite large, 29 miles long and 5 miles wide at the widest point so that is a lot of water to freeze solid enough so that it is safe enough to walk on and snowmobile on. My husband and I have not taken up snowmobiling yet or sledding as those that really do it call it but we do enjoy watching them buzzing by on the lake, just not yet, pretty soon the lake will be safe. We have been having weather in the single digits for the last week, really cold and down below zero at night so it will be frozen soon.

The picture above was taken by my brother-in-law Carl during the first real snow that we had and the first weekend of December. We invited my sister Anne and her husband Carl, my brother Barry and his wife Colleen and my sister-in-law Linda and her husband David to spend the weekend up here in the frozen north. I was so surprised when they all responded quickly that they would like to come. I thought everyone would be too busy getting ready for Christmas. What a fun weekend we had of resting, eating, laughing, talking and more talking truly catching up on each other's families. It had been so long since we had been together mostly due to the busyness of life. They came on Friday and stayed until late afternoon on Sunday and truthfully I hated to see them go. Carl took lots of pictures for us to enjoy.

The road leading up to our house, we live down a dirt road.

We girls having a giggle and me making a really strange face, sorry about that!

The guys posing outdoors for us.

Carl was walking around the hot tub taking pictures, I figure this one was safe to post. We all have suits on but not something we love to be photographed in.

Katie,Patrick and Courtney came by to share their kids with their aunts and uncles, they see so little of them that it was special. Anne and Carl brought gingerbread house kits for each of my children to build with their children. Thank you, that was so thoughtful!

Patrick read to the girls Lea Jeanne and Annabelle, they love the books!

Our tree is a little too big this year, I don't do well at estimating size when the tree is outdoors.

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Thank You . . . .

2009-11-11T10:43:00.005-05:00

It's been an emotional week looking at the lives of the people at Fort Hood and at all that our soldiers go through. One was even pregrant with her first child. Another said they love being a soldier so much that he didn't even need the paycheck. The stories of how some of those that died had just put in for another 6 years of duty even though they had wives and children at home, it is easy to see they believe the cause for which they are working even though each day they are in harms' way. I just want to say thank you, which sure doesn't seem like enough. My God bless those who serve and protect them and bring them home again.

Two and half months behind . . .

2009-10-29T12:53:00.014-04:00

I've never been good at keeping up my blog but this is really the longest I have gone without a post. My husband and I moved this summer and I think trying to get things organized and getting rid of a lot of things has kept us busy. Our family has grown so quickly in the past four and a half years since Joy Courtney our first granddaughter was born, now there are seven grandchildren. We are a close family and celebrating all those birthdays, holidays and special occasions keeps us busy and on the road a lot. I still sew as much as I can but not as much as I would like, which would be about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week if I could! So I will try to review back over the last couple months and share a couple of things I've made.
This is the first onesie dress I have made. Looked it up on lots of blogs and kinda combined their construction ideas. Got this idea of strips of different fabrics from here. Lila has wonderful directions on her blog. I love how it turned out and I think she looked so cute in it. It's fun because you can embellish it, I added a yo yo at the waist, and I added eyelet lace to the bottom (thanks Anne!!). My sister has been picking up so many yards of lace, rick rack, buttons, etc. etc. etc. at Thrift shoppes for me. It is so hard to find quality notions like this nowadays, so few stores have them anymore. Since my husband and I have permanently moved to a rural area this is such a great help to me.

We spent Halloween weekend out in Massachusetts with my son and daughter-in-law and grandkids Jason and Grace. Everyone is growing so fast and Jason is almost 2 1/2 now and Grace is almost 6 months!! Snapped the picture above on Sunday while she was waiting patiently in her crib. I think she looks so cute in her onesie dress.
Here she is with Mommy, she is always full of smiles.
Grace Elizabeth was sporting her Yankee outfit for the World Series when we got there, getting to know her Papa here. She thought he kinda looked like her Daddy.
Our Halloween was lots of fun, we attended a party in the morning and did some Trick or Treating in the evening and ended the day with a delicious dinner that Holly made and a visit with some friends of theirs.
Jason was a Boston Bruins Hockey player, splint on his finger, black eye and all.
Grace was a little skeleton, so cute.
Dad was a Blue Man, which brought him a best costume prize for a dinner date with Holly his Hippie Chick.
Walt and I dragged out the old cap and gowns to get in the spirit although after this pic we took them off, they were hot! Oh and both were Walt's from two different Master Degrees, I don't want to take claim for that!

Our granddaughter Leanora Jeanne will be turning one on Saturday so I decided I would sew her a little patchwork skirt. I went together quickly but was a lot of stitching. I still enjoyed making it and decided to embellish it with more yo yos. For the pattern click here. It is Pink Fig pattern.

I'll have to try and get a picture of her in it and post it later.

Well I am not really caught up on all we have done this summer and fall but it has been a lot of family time and not so much sewing. I will be back to the sewing soon, just getting ready to start sandwiching a quilt I started last summer and my mind is swimming with all the things I'd like to sew.

Just want to give credit for the great pic above to Cathy Tarantelli!

2009-08-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

A wonderful morning in the kayaks . .

2009-08-17T22:33:00.011-04:00

Last friday we loaded up our kayaks and headed to the Kungamuk River in Speculator. For all of you Camp of the Woods folk this river connects to the Sacandaga River which connects to Lake Pleasant, just under this bridge. It is another amazingly peaceful spot.

This duck was very brave and kept hanging around, I think it was looking for some breadcrumbs or something. I had nothing with me!

Each water lily is so perfect, I kept thinking just take a couple, what would it hurt, but I didn't because it would be less for others to enjoy and they are just so beautiful among the lily pads.
I love that quote from John Burroughs, "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order". And from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "In the woods we return to reason and Faith". Stepping away from the busyness of life can recharge my soul.

The purple flower behind the lily pads is called pickerel weed, it's purple and was pretty! If you want to learn a lot about wild flower visit Adirondack Naturalist. Ellen Rathbone is terrific!

Do you see the autumn colors on the trees in the foreground of the taller trees!!! I always wanted to get a nice cloud reflecting in the water pic and the water was just so still so I was able to.

The sun was super hot as you can tell by our squinting! We kayaked a long way and then back and we were both so hungry after the 3 hours in the kayaks.
Not crazy about pictures of me, one leg up, one leg down, like a little kid, very hot and sweaty here. When we got in Walt's closed up truck the interior temp said 109 degrees, phew that was something until it cooled down. What a great day! I urge everyone to try to kayak this body of water if you enjoy the quiet. A fellow kayaker went by and he said, I wish I was at work! We all laughed!

A visit to White Pine Camp . . .

2009-08-17T18:07:00.011-04:00

It has been such a busy summer, but a good one. God has blessed us with lots of rain for the garden, maybe a little too much but still we have had wonderful days and evenings enjoying the beauty of the Adirondacks. Walt and I are very interested in the Great Camps of the Adirondacks, there are very few left. We were privileged to spend a couple nights at White Pine Camp and we loved it! A Great Camp is not what most people would think of with the word camp. Instead they are compounds of many buildings built by the wealthy back in the early 1900's. The architects of the time were greatly influenced by the sloping low roofs of homes in Japan. The building behind Walt says "Presidents" on it because this is where President Coolidge, his wife Grace and one of their sons spent the summer of 1926. They had lost one of their sons and it is said Coolidge was greatly affected by that. It was called the Summer White House is just amazing to us because this compound is located near the top of the Adirondack Park which is a section of NY State the size of the state of Massachusetts.
The picture below is a rock garden fashioned by Frederic Heutte, White Pine's gardener in the mid-1920s and it is presently kept up by visiting garden clubs. The picture doesn't do it justice because you cannot experience the serenity of this lovely place in the middle of the woods without being there.

Walt and I stayed in Guides the name given to our little cabin which was once quarters for the servants. It has been maintained but a kitchen has been added. It is outfitted with lovely rustic, comfortable furniture. Unfortunately my camera wasn't working while we were there so these pictures were taken with a disposable camera. I had a lovely nap here on a cool afternoon with the down comforter pulled over me, it is hard to believe now that we are having such warm days.
The building below is called the Great Room and it houses a large comfortable community room full of books and a immense stone fireplace. We had permission to have a fire there as we did not have a fireplace in our cabin. We did have a lovely propane stove however. It also has an attached porch. The immense type of pines that surround this building even grow through the roof of other buildings. This causes difficulty in the care of those buildings but is something to see. It is amazing to think that many of these trees were here when Calvin Coolidge walked the grounds.
This is Guides, our cabin, we had a shared porch with the next cabin but our neighbors weren't really around so we cooked breakfast and enjoyed it on the porch, with coffee and a good book, I could have stayed there for hours. Each cabin has so much privacy because of the many plantings nearby. When we arrived our host said he would help us unload our car and then asked us to park in an area away from the cabins in the tradition of how guests were greeted, helped to unload and made to feel at home in the day of the Great Camp.
The grounds are beautiful. This is looking down some steps to one of the boat houses.
Down past this boat house is a restored bridge that leads to a little island that has a tea house. You cross another restored stone bridge to get there and reach a place of peace and solitude. Wild roses grew on the island, how lovely that was.
Another view of the boat house, this one needs foundation work we were told but was fully outfitted with canoes, kayaks and a rowboat to use. Walt and I enjoyed a lovely canoe ride on Osgood Pond. No power boats allowed here!
We enjoyed a nature walk with a very knowledgeable man named Ed Kanze, a Naturalist, who has traveled the world but settled nearby to the area where White Pine Camp is located, to raise his family. We chatted afterward and it turned out that his grandfather was once the mayor of the town we now live in, such a small world.

It's been a month and more . . . .

2009-07-20T13:17:00.025-04:00

I am not much of a blogger not having posted in over a month. My only excuse is Summer!!! I love the summer and being outside which means I just don't hang around my computer as much. There has been a lot of complaining and belly aching going on around our area this summer. We have had rain, and more rain and still lots more rain. The temperatures have been cooler too than normal so that adds to the constant question by people of when will summer get here? Because of that the garden is growing slowly and not so well as other summers and my flowers have not done as well. But still I love the summer, and time spent with family. I love watching mama bluebird fly in and out of the house feeding her new babies that make quite a lot of noise when they are hungry. I love looking at the the lake and mountains in the early morning when there is hardly a ripple on the lake and it is all reflected. I love watching the black clouds rush across the sky as a thunder storm approaches and then marveling at the enormous bolts of lightning that are soon to appear. It's 80 degrees today which seems just right to me and the sun is shining so I am having a hard time completing this without looking out the window. Summer is indeed here, and I hope everyone is finding time for rest and rejuvenation.

Here is the garden a month ago, looking pretty sad, not growing much.

Here it is a month later, so it is growing! The tomatoes are smaller than they should be but there is still time.

July 4th was fun in Northville, it has such a small town atmosphere with so many old victorian and farm style houses, lots of history here. We saw a parade, and a jazz band and ate fried dough and kettle corn and watched a fabulous firework show! It was amazing to part of something that felt like it could only be found in America!
We've had quite a few visitors but I am guilty of not getting all the photos I would like, but that just means that we were having fun.Courtney and Annabelle check out the tiniest frog.
Newest granddaughter Grace gave me a smile and then stuck out her tongue, so cute.
Niece Molly's baby Joe Joe (they told me they call him that) came for his first visit. I am so disappointed to don't have pictures of his sisters, they were very busy playing outside. I did get to chat with big sisters Sara and Anna more than usual when all the cousins are there together so that was really special.Molly's hubby Matt takes a turn with Baby Grace, he was very focused on something he was reading and is such a pro with baby holding.
We are blessed to have Leanora and her Mom and Dad close by so she has been quite the beach bunny this summer, what a sweetie she is!
Jason, Jr. and his Mom Holly. Holly is busy with Grace these days but always has time for Jason too! Jason was already to kayak with his Dad.
My husband, my son Jason and his son Jason, what were they looking at?
Grace took some good naps out under the beach umbrella, here she kicks those feet! So amazing, only two months old!
And my friend Michael and his wife Kate came to visit with their sweet little girl Lily, she and Annabelle got along great! Sorry I didn't get a picture of Kate too. I think I am nervous using my camera around the water, I need to get over that.

And somewhere in all of this I squeezed in some sewing. This little outfit is called Adoree and is from Australian Smocking and Embroidery magazine.

This was my first attempt at shadow embroidery and scalloping the edges of the garment. Once again I just love my Aurora sewing machine for those scallops, it is fun to keep learning something new.

Changes old and new . . .

2009-06-11T06:30:00.016-04:00

A new quilt for Grace.

Almost a month has gone by since I last wrote anything on here. I feel like I have been so busy. In that time I have done a little sewing, making this quilt as a gift for our newest granddaughter Grace. I used the pinks and blues from Moda's Snippets line and also added some Aunt Grace's reproduction prints from the 1930's. I had bought those in San Diego on our trip at Rosie's Calico Cupboard, an extremely large and well stocked quilt shop. I was just waiting for the baby to be born so I could decide how to use them. I used the directions from Moda Bakeshop and it was really fun to make. My daughter Courtney and daughter-in-law Katie both mentioned that they thought Grace would enjoy playing with the prairie points once she was old enough. I thought the prairie points were cute and that is the first time I have used them on a quilt, didn't even think about the play factor. I am getting a little better with the free motion quilting the more I do it, just love the crinkled look of the quilt after it is washed. I mistakenly ordered a layer cake when the directions called for a charm pack so I just cut the squares and really didn't have any waste so that was fine. Plus I still have lots of layer cake squares waiting for my next project, I am sure there will be one before long. Of course I need to get smocking a little dress for my new granddaughter.

I spent most of a week out at Jason and Holly's house and enjoyed my time with Jason, Jr. and Baby Grace.
Don't know that she will be a finger sucker, just asked my son to snap this pic because she looked so cute.
Nothing like snuggling with a newborn is there?

This was a visit with Jason to a nursery school sort of program he takes part in once a week, he loves it. Of course we also spent a morning at the Children's Discovery Museum once again.

In the midst of all this busyness I took a job at a diner waiting tables and counter for two days a week. The owner is a friend and she needed help so I decided to give it a try and if two weeks is a try that was what it was and then I told her it wasn't working out. I need to be able to go to see the kids and garden and SEW!! I felt badly leaving so quickly but this restaurant was so busy that I went home just exhausted, never mind the stress factor!! Thank you Jackie for the opportunity, sorry I couldn't keep up!

Just 18 days after Grace was born my niece Katie gave birth to a sweet baby girl, Amelia. This is her fourth daughter, she is following in the footsteps of her Mom and Dad, Audrey and John who also had four daughters. Here is a picture of the happy family. Following her labor through e-mails is so exciting, we find out the news so quickly and we hear wherever we live. We were so thankful for the safe delivery of this little one.

This past week my husband and I have been moving out of our home of 26 years as we moving to our home on the lake. The commute will be longer for my husband to the work so that is our only drawback but we are ready to live in one place and are looking for more rest and relaxation as the care of the two houses was getting to be just too much. My son and his father-in-law helped us and now most of our stuff is in the garage at the lake waiting to be sorted through. And it will wait as I go through it box by box at my pace. I want to enjoy our summer, they are pretty short here in upstate New York. Plus the grandchildren are growing so fast, we need time to enjoy them. Leanora is sitting up and so close to crawling, what a dear she is.
Leanora is just so happy and inquisitive at this age.

The good news is that my daughter Courtney, husband Adam and dear little Annabelle are moving into our family home. Her daughter will have the bedroom she had as a child. May God bless their family as he has blessed ours in this house. We had trials and tribulations as do all families but we do have so many wonderful, special times too. Courtney certainly knows how to make a house a home so before long they will be settled and enjoying their new home.
Annabelle and Mickey were watching Dora the Explorer together.

As I sit here looking out the window here at the lake I just saw a baby deer running after its' mother, possibly the smallest deer I have ever seen. They saw me and would not stick around long enough for a photo. As I continue to enjoy the bluebird nesting on our tree, the view of the lake and the mountains I once again realize how very thankful I am for all that God has given to my husband and I over the years, how he has protected each of my children and now my grandchildren, thanks be to God.

A whirlwind of a couple weeks, but life is very special . . .

2009-05-15T13:36:00.029-04:00

May continued to be a busy month especially in the last two weeks. We held our garage sale. It was a lot of fun, met a lot of great people, unloaded lots of "stuff" and just plain enjoyed the day. My daughter-in-law Katie made three kinds of cookies and I made one kind and some muffins and we sold most of them (people get hungry when they go garage saleing). Katie also made two pies, the first one was a strawberry rhubarb and it sold in seconds and the other apple crumb went later in the day, so we didn't get to eat any of it, hehe. I sold some of my tote bags and burp cloths but all in all people were not looking to buy handmade things.

My son Patrick exhibited his Adirondack furniture that he has been building with his father-in-law Joe, and people would pause and tell him how much they loved it, but once again they were looking for the 25 cent deal.

The weekend after the garage sale we traveled to Maryland to celebrate the dedication of our granddaughter Trinity.
What a sweetie she is!
I think my daughter Megan, her Mommy and she look so much alike.
She was happy to have her shoes off afterward to wiggle her toes in the grass. Trinity Rose will be 1 year old in June and she is getting ready to walk.
Big sisters Tessa and Joy loved running around the putting green. I was suprised they didn't mind at the golf course but the owners just smiled. What is it about kids and wide open spaces, they loved it. Jeff wore his pink tie for his special day with all his girls.
Our daughter made the trip to Maryland with us, her husband Adam had to work so it was nice Annabelle and she could travel with us.
Dad and his beautiful daughters!

We took advantage of the beautiful though windy day to get some pictures out on the putting green. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at a golf course.

My husband and son-in-law Jeff spent Saturday building a great swingset for the three girls Joy, Tessa and Trinity and on Sunday we celebrated Trinity and Mother's Day. It was a wonderful weekend!
The swingset was a big hit as is obvious by this picture.
Courtney's daughter Annabelle also loved the swingset, just love how cute she looks in her popsicle dress.

No sooner were we back home and not quite settled in when we got the call that Holly was in labor and Jason and she were on their way to the hospital. We are praising God for a much easier delivery than her first for Holly (not that any is easy) and a brand new granddaughter Grace Elizabeth. What a sweetie she is and the first meeting between big brother Jason,Jr. and Grace was beautiful. It was so neat the way Jason wanted to hold the baby so much. My daughter Courtney was also there to visit with us and her daughter Annabelle who is not even two years old loved her chances at holding the baby.
First picture of Mom, Dad and Grace Elizabeth after she was born.
Jason, Jr. came to meet his baby sister.Jason giggled when asked if he'd like to kiss her. He is very serious about holding her that's for sure. I got a kick out of how still he was because this is one busy guy, but when it came to holding his sister and sat very still.

We think she is quite the beauty.
Courtney and Annabelle came along, I think Aunt Courtney is smitten.
Annabelle decided she too loved her baby cousin although she did not let go of a balloon that she was clutching, so funny.

Nana and Papa couldn't wait to get their hands on sweet sleepy Grace Elizabeth.
So now we are back home for awhile and the list is a mile long of things I would like to accomplish. My garden for one is waiting to be planted, I know that might sound crazy to you girls who live down south but it is only safe to plant things like tomatoes at the end of May.

In the meantime I am trying to finish some UFO's. The first is a stacked coins quilt, that was pinned and waiting for me for at least a month or more.

It was fun to make and I think the white sashing really shows off the other colors. The teddy bear fabric is from Timeless Treasures and is just adorable. I was a little undecided about the binding, and went back and forth between the blue and the polka dot but the polka dots won out because I loved how it looked with the backing.

A little stitching . . .

2009-05-01T13:12:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I had such fun pulling out scraps and making some pillows. I've had these yo yos for years and never quite used them for their intended purpose. I do like them on this little pillow. There are a lot more where these came from.
These fabrics are pieces left over from pants for my granddaughters, two tote bags and a Kaffe Fassett print that after I bought it I wasn't sure if I liked it, it kind of glows. But now that I used a piece and mixed it in with other pillows I do like it.
Then I made some sugar cube pin cushions, the idea comes from the Moda Bakeshop. I didn't have the moda fabric so I used scraps but will probably get some in the future. They are quick and fun to make while watching tv. Speaking of Moda Bakeshop, it is full of adorable ideas, and they are posting new ones often using their charm packs, jelly rolls, honey buns, etc.Speaking of baking I need to do some right now so I'd better run.

Big brother turns two, well almost . . .

2009-05-01T12:51:00.003-04:00

My grandson Jason who will be two on May 9th was celebrated a little early this year because his Mom Holly is due with #2 on May 12th. Getting the family together can be difficult but my daughter Megan drove a long way with her 3 daughters to be there.

Megan said lets get a family pic and her daughter Joy, age 4 jumped in, it is so cute I think. We took another without her but I just love how happily she popped into the picture.

My son Jason put this cake together, Holly baked many cakes and Jason did the assembly and the artwork that turned it into a dump truck, the theme was Construction Friends, it was really cute.

Trinity and Leanora are five months apart, I'm sure they'll grow to be buddies.
Tessa and Annabelle always end up side by side. It's pretty special having six grandchildren 6 months old to 4 years old and with a new one due soon we are so excited!

A wonderful trip away . . .

2009-04-28T16:26:00.012-04:00

Our family has had a lot going on for the last year so my husband and I decided to steal a little time for ourselves and head out to San Diego. We had a great time, rented a convertible to enjoy the gorgeous weather while driving and knocked off everything on our list. We saw all sorts of architecture, lovely terrain, flowers and trees and enjoyed fish tacos, a new treat for us. We traveled north to wine country and had a dinner cruise one evening. I even went to a quilt store and bought some fabric to bring home (sewing is always with me).

We stayed on Shelter Island very near to San Diego and on the bay so we had a lot to see. The first night we took a walk out on a pier and met up with these pelicans. They were really large.

The view from our hotel was pretty fabulous as was the constant stream of boats of every size and color. It was very impressive seeing the military vehicles go by.

San Diego is home port to the air craft carriers the Nimitz and the Ronald Reagan. I believe this is the Nimitz. These vehicles are protected so I couldn't get very close to take a picture.

We learned of a scenic ride along the coast so of course we couldn't miss that. The statue behind Walt is of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the man who in the 1500's sailed into the San Diego area from Portugal. They presented the statue to California.

The Star of India, a beautiful square rigger still used to this day and there is no engine on board.

HMS Surprise, used by Russell Crowe in the movie Master and Commander

A picture of downtown as the sun was setting and we were on the deck of a dinner cruise.

The Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island

Old Town, site of the original San Diego, before it was built on the bay. A nice change to visit here and see historical buildings and visit cute little shops.

We had a lovely vacation and did so much more and found lots of relaxing time in between. Walt and I are looking forward to more vacations for the two of us in the future.

March was a busy month and now it is gone with the wind . . .

2009-04-04T13:50:00.008-04:00

In the middle of March we got down to Maryland for a few days to help celebrate Joy's birthday, 4 years old. I got to spend time with each child quite a bit and that is always what I need. Below are numerous pictures from our visit and a trip to Ikea. That place is so kid friendly it was an easy place to visit, starting with feeding them lunch.

We had lots of fun. I got two out of three girls in their new dresses. They are a little big but will be great this summer. Hard to photograph these girls, they are always moving.

On to Chuckie Cheese for Joy's party. I was honestly not sure I would enjoy Chuckie Cheese but the party was run so well by the employees, and all the moms and dads stay so all is very safe. I think the kids had a blast.

It was a lot of fun and then the party at home was great. Joy was so sweet opening her gifts and so appreciative. The biggest squeal came with the bicycle!

Whoops I put this picture on twice, sorry. I am leaving it, been fighting with blogger and lost the whole post once so it's staying, hehe.

We did get over to see Miss Leanora when we got home, what a cutie, she has the prettiest blue eyes which I never seem able to capture, the photos often come out with red eye. I have tried to fix them here.

The rest of this month has been filled with sewing. We are having a garage sale the first weekend in May and I thought I would attempt to sell some of my creations also. Mostly I want to get rid of clutter that has filled our house.

Pincushions in flowerpots, they wer fun to make with all the different trims I have stashed away. Now I know why I keep every little piece of ribbon and lace.

Embellished bibs from Ikea, I just love this fabric from Alexander Henry it is called Smiles Around the World. I don't think it is being made anymore, I bought it off of Ebay.

Lots of tissue cozies, once again, those scraps come in handy.

Doll quilts, practice for my attempt at free motion quilting.
Some embroidered sachets with balsam needles inside, they smell just like the Adirondacks.

And there has been a little more sewing for the grandkids. I made the cap and shirt for Jason, I have been wanting to for such a long time. I made the hat out of jeans, felt good about recycling and the denim is so soft.

The cap is the Eddie Cap from Mushroom Villagers Blog. Can't wait to try another, maybe some for the girls in something more feminine.

Last but not least a dress and bonnett for Leanora, I think I have to admit my fingers are tired.

Where have I been and what have I been doing ???

2009-03-10T16:58:00.008-04:00

We had a wonderful visit with our four children, their spouses and our 6 3/4 grandchildren in February. But once that visit was over and everyone had gone home I was resolved to get some sewing done and so I did. The pictures below are four dresses that I smocked and sewed and my fingers have tough spots now from pushing the needle through to prove it. I decided that I can't decide what I love most, hand sewing or machine sewing so I think I am just going to love both. My Bernina makes the machine sewing so much easier and the people at Australian Smocking and Embroidery magazine make the smocking possible. It is a fabulous publication and I was brave this time and didn't just try to make the easiest dress, I ventured into lots of piping and new hand stitches, one being the cast on flowers which are picture on the pink flowered dress. They were tough so I really need to practice to make them better and there were colonial knots on the blue and yellow flowered dress. The other challenge was the ribbon run under the smocking on the bright pink dress. That was tricky!! The ribbon kept folding over on me and I was getting frustrated but I kept at it. The finished product is not perfect but once again it was a learning experience. Having 5 granddaughters is definitely motivating for me. It is so much fun to make such pretty things. I am anxious to get back to quilting, I want to practice free motion quilting with my stitch regulator but I need to make another dress or outfit as there are four here, not five. Also I am encourage any hand sewers to get yourself an Ott light, what a great product, I feel like I can see the tiniest stitches with it by my side to light my work. I told my husband the other night that between my wonderful Amanda Jane pleater and my Ott light that I am one lucky girl and of course he just laughed! All these tools make it easier and possible to enjoy smocking and sewing.

A Belated Valentine Meme

2009-02-17T20:40:00.007-05:00

I saw this on A New Chelsea Morning and thought it would be fun to borrow it and fill in my own answers.

It's all about me and my Valentine the love of my life....

♥ How long have you been together?
We will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary on June 22nd, but our first date was February 28th 40 years ago. I was only 16 years old.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
About 6 months I believe.

♥ Who asked who out?
Walt asked me out but it took many phone calls before he got the nerve.

♥ How old are each of you?
We are both 56.

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most?
Unfortunately both sides of our family live out of state so we don't get together very often. My husbands family suffered a tragedy in August of 2007 when their house burned to the ground and two of their children died. With the loss of our precious niece and nephew we have followed this difficult time with about 3 gatherings of all of my husbands family. I would love to see my siblings more. Everyone has busy lives.

We do love when we have special family occasions so we can all be together, our niece Erin was married 1 year and a few months ago, that was a wonderful family time alos.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Yes, we have four, Jason 33, Megan 31, Courtney 28 and Patrick 25.

♥ What about pets?
No pets right now, we had a dog for about 15 years but we had to put him down sadly a couple years ago. He wasn't a well behaved dog so I don't know why we loved him but we did.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
No, my husband went to Roselle Catholic High School, a private school for boys only at the time, and I went to Abraham Clark High School in the town of Roselle. We met at a dance at his high school because they welcomed girls in for their dances.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
Walt is from Cranford, NJ and I am from Roselle, NJ. Our towns were about 2 miles apart.

♥ Who is the smartest?
My husband by far, he is the one I go to for many answers and if you asked my kids they would say, Mom always said, Ask your Dad.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
I think I may be more sensitive but he is definitely a sensitive person also.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We have lots of favorites but one is local diner called Four Corners Diner, we know the owners and many of the people that work there so when we eat there it is like visiting caring family.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
We went to Hawaii over two years ago now, that would be our longest trip although we have also been to Ireland and Alaska.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Hmmm, probably me but neither of us get too mad too often, injustice gets me down, when I see people treat others poorly.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I am the chief cook but occasionally Walt cooks fried or poached eggs.

♥ Who is the neat freak?
Well I guess neither of us, but I hang up lots of coats that don't seem to make it to hangers or hooks. But I really don't mind. I don't like muddy shoes walking in on the carpet.

♥ Where was your first date?
It was to a high school play, I was very nervous.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
He has the bigger family, so many aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I do, he is very thoughtful that way.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
It varies every year. Our oldest grandchild is not four just yet and we have 6 going on 7 so there have been many changes. Our children need to be with their spouses families too and spend time in their own homes. Every year it's different.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Pretty quick for me, I adored him from the time I met him.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
He is definitely better with the technical side, I love the internet, too much so I think.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
He always drives.

An ongoing quilt and a little handsewing . . .

2009-02-09T16:02:00.008-05:00

Since my last post I was sick for about a week. I had a cough that wouldn't stop and some aches and chills so I mostly stayed home and layed low. I did a little sewing working on this quilt. It is a Happy Hour design by Terry Atkinson, the blocks are simple but it seems like it took me forever to cut them out. When it is done it will be a queen sized quilt and I think I will be keeping it. Right now I have 11 rows of 9 block sewn together but it has been put on the back burner because my sewing machine went in for a checkup. When we bought it last April they said to bring it in 6 months and so I went way beyond that. There never seems like a good time to give up my sewing machine. They said it would take 7-10 days so I will just have to be patient. Guess I will have to clean house or cook. I really do need to do that so I will.

In the meantime I am still itching to make things so over the weekend I made a doll quilt, my first and made it all by hand. Don't look close, my hand quilting isn't very good. Still, it was a lot of fun to make.

Our weekend visit and a little more sewing . . . .

2009-01-27T21:23:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful weekend visiting our son Jason, his wife Holly and Jason, Jr. We haven't been out to their house in a long time and we were anxious to be with them. Our grandson is growing so fast and loves puzzles. He even stopped to put these pieces on his riding toy.

Oh he made me laugh walking around with his hands in his pants pockets, like a little old man.

He loves to paint too, he has so much fun playing, he never stops.

While we were away, I finished up another blanket for Lifesavers Ministry and plan to take these onesies that I decorated and burp cloths over to our church on Sunday. I hope some sweet new baby enjoys them.

A sweet little jacket, a little bread and a grandson . . . .

2009-01-22T22:05:00.015-05:00

Oh I really am having fun sewing this week. I finally got around to working on a little jacket for Leanora from this pattern. A while back I had made some pants for Tessa and Joy from this pattern, also by Jackie Clarke. If you click on this link take a stroll through the gallery on Farmhouse Fabrics, such delightful childrens' clothes. The service from this store based in South Carolina is amazing. Use them and you will be very pleased. While I am at it I should also mention Karen Faylor, another great place for an online order, especially if you like to smock. Karen is another wonderful person to talk to, she is very helpful. I think I should make up a list for the side of my page with the online stores that I like to use. The customer service you get online is truly personal.

I have been making lots of burp cloths, some as gifts, a few to sell and so I have accumulated lots of flannel along with scraps left over from the blankets I have been making for LifeSavers Ministry. I lined it with minky so it is so soft. Minky is a little slippery but so cuddly soft. This was smooth minky, without the bumps so it worked perfectly. Not that you couldn't use the bumpy minky. It really is great to use some of these many scraps that I hang onto, some I thought were too small for anything but between repairing the quilt and making this jacket it has been fun to see how well things that I already have go together. Maybe I will post a picture later of LJ (that's what her Mommy calls her sometimes), wearing it, if she isn't already too big. She is growing so fast!

In addition to sewing I have gone bread machine crazy. My daughter Megan gave the machine to my husband years ago and I never used it, if it did get used it would be because I would pick up a mix in the store for Walt and he would make us some bread. Well he brought it up to the lake and after Christmas I went soup and bread making crazy. So far I have made cinnamon raisin, corn bread, regular white bread, old fashioned buttermilk and honey wheat! I never knew how easy it was, five minutes is all it takes to put all the ingredients in! I guess you are all wondering where I have been since the 1990's but I am afraid that the bread machine was just gathering dust since then, sorry Megan. There are recipes all over the web (have I mentioned we lost the book that came with it) but one of my favorite places for a recipe is here.

I am really flying high tonight because my husband and I are heading out tomorrow to see the little man pictured below, just 20 months and already on ice skates. Oh by the way, I think he does wear a helmet when he skates too. I have really missed him and can't wait to see him. Have a great weekend, I know I will.
Jason, Nana and Papa will see you soon and we can have a date with something Melissa and Doug!

Patching, fixing and lots of zigzag stitching . . .

2009-01-20T21:28:00.007-05:00

Today was the inauguration of course and I really wanted to leave the tv on and listen but I can't sit on the sofa all day. So I finally dragged out an old quilt that was done in sort of a crazy quilt style by someone in my husband's family. Some thought that his aunt had made it years ago. Well it was falling apart and frayed in many places with some pieces missing so I went to work on it for many hours with the tv on in the background. It turned out pretty well and can now be used as a throw or a coverlet or it might even be big enough for a twin bed.

Last week Joann's was having a sale on patterns, $1 each so I stocked up. One of the patterns was a vintage yo yo clown from Simplicity's archives. I worked a long time on this but am not completely happy. I think his head is too small, if I make another the next one will have a bigger head. Anyway it was fun to make from my huge stash of various fabrics.

A little stitchin', a little crocheting . . .

2009-01-15T13:46:00.007-05:00

A new year and January usually gets me itching to make things but where to begin, my mind races with all the ideas out there. I am interested in helping this ministry so I thought I would begin by making some receiving blankets with crocheted edges and some burp cloths to go with them. They have such pretty yarn to put on the edges so they are fun to make.

I've always wanted to make this pincushion. It's from Heather Bailey, although she wasn't given credit here. It was also fun to sew, think I will try some more.

Oh boy, what's next . . .

2009-01-10T14:47:00.007-05:00

I received gifts of fabric for Christmas and got some on sale too, lots to make, just have to decide what it will be and then settle down and do it.
Maybe more of these , or maybe I will try this, who knows, there are so many ideas out there. I made one of these for Christmas and would like to make another. They certainly are enjoyable to make, and there is even a hat to match.

A study in brrrrr. . . .

2009-01-10T12:45:00.006-05:00

We live in upstate New York, in the area called the southern Adirondacks so we are pretty familiar with snow and ice but we are not always guaranteed a snowy, freezing winter but this year we are having just that. The beauty of it all is astounding to me sometimes and I know many people don't like winter. If you click on the first picture you can see an ice shanty out on the lake, that's something I don't think I would enjoy. I have to wear my winter boots and a scarf, hat and sometimes many layers of clothes when we go out. But the beauty of all as I look out the windows towards the lake and the mountains makes it worth it to me. I took the icicle pictures quickly before my husband knocked them down. The lines in the snow are from the wind whcih is very still today but was so crazy on thursday. Everyday is different up here. As for today more snow is expected, maybe even 8 inches but for now the sun is still out, it will begin later. I am curious to hear what bloggers west of us got this time. Our church is always open, our pastor lives in walking distance so he says we will always have Sunday services. Of course he also said people that are uneasy shouldn't drive to church if the roads are bad. My husband is never uneasy so we can always get there.

Birthday celebration and creativity . . .

2009-01-10T12:38:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Courtney's birthday on Thursday night at Court and Adam's house. Adam made chicken parmesan and got Courtney's request of a Carvel ice cream cake. Annabelle pretty much wanted to eat everyone's cake, she was pretty funny.

Annabelle was very tired but very happy nevertheless, she is such a friendly little girl

Katie surprised Courtney with a beautiful pear pincushion that she made herself, isn't it pretty? She also gave her some new pins to use with it. So happy to see my daughter-in-law sewing. Courtney enjoys it too. Those babies just don't give them much free time to do it.

Before . . . . . . and After

2009-01-07T19:49:00.007-05:00

Well, we tried to take a picture of some very tired grandchildren in their Christmas Jammies, you can see how it went.

Then we added their Mommies and it was a whole different story. Can't say that I blame them.

Left to right our daughter Megan with Trinity, Tessa and Joy, our daughter Courtney with Annabelle, our daughter-in-law Katie with Leanora and our daughter-in-law Holly with Jason. Holly is also pregnant and due in May with her second baby. Got the ladies in their jammies too, hope they didn't mind. We had just finished a monkey bread and the kids had opened piles of presents, lots of toys and cute clothes. We had our celebration in a lovely house that was rented for us by my sister and brother-in-law while we visited them. It was a little crazy all at once, but I guess it will always be that way from now on. As long as I get to see my kids I'm happy. I actually slept in that morning, very weird because when the kids and grandkids are around I am usually awake just waiting for the first peep out of the first one so I can kidnap them from their parents. But I did sleep in, due to exhaustion I guess and got up to the coffee made, and the monkey bread coming out of the oven, what a treat for me. Thank you Holly, Jason and Courtney for doing that and Megan and Jeff for bringing all the stuff we needed for breakfast!!

I did quite a bit of sewing this Christmas, making play crowns out of felt for all the grandkids and royal robes for the three oldest. Jason wasn't thrilled, he is a little young to understand dress up and he is a guy after all. But I think Joy and Tessa will enjoy them. They will look better with some Disney Princess gowns to go with them I think, and those are home in their closets.
Annabelle put hers on later, for New Years Eve I believe.

** After posting this I realized I never gave credit where credit was due for the crowns. You have to go to http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2008/09/32-felt-birthday-crown-tutorial.html to see her beautiful crowns. This where I got the idea and the pattern.

****PLEASE NOTE: My oldest son is quite the cut-up and he has some plastic "funny" teeth in, in some of these pictures. They are not his teeth!!!

His Name shall be called Wonderful . . .

2008-12-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

Luke 2:1-7

Wishing all bloggers and their families and friends out there a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Something fun . . .

2008-12-06T09:30:00.006-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8yQLbMtPFA

They won't let me embed the video but you can go see it on youtube, have fun!

Some things different . . .

2008-12-04T20:03:00.016-05:00

One of my favorite Christian Bands is Jars of Clay, I have so many favorites. Anyway, I am on their mailing list that tells tour information, etc., etc. (Why is it that they never tour around here!!!) Charlie Lowell, one of the members of the band has started a blog that will run up until Christmas.

Here is what Charlie said, "Every day from November 30 through December 25th I will post a new Advent/Christmas poem by various poets and authors. I always love the idea of Advent- waiting and anticipating the Coming of the Christ-child, but December ends up being one of the busiest and most manic months of the year. So this is my attempt to slow down a little bit, and use these poems as a tool to be aware and thoughtfully "wait". It may or may not be your thing, but i hope you'll pop in and check it out. I promise it won't get too weird.

His blog is www.adventpoetry.blogspot.com.

I like his idea of slowing down during this time up until Christmas. Jars of Clay made me aware of Blood Water Mission which you can read about below.

Okay, on the other hand I wanted to share a video from www.adventcospiracy.org.

My sister-in-law posted it and I really liked it. Lately, the way we overdo at Christmas has been on my mind so much. I have been sewing a lot and the tv has been droning in the background and I have heard way too much of the news. I guess sometimes I blindly ignore it because it is all so bad. Anyway besides reading that one child in Africa dies every minute I heard that in Zimbawe the age expectancy is 34 for women, 37 for men. They have NO clean water is what they said on the news!!! If you'd like to help there are many ways.

Here are some.
http://www.bellsforwells.com/ Buy earring for $10, $8 of it goes to building wells in Africa.

www.Bloodwatermission.com Trying to build 1000 wells in Africa, they are up to 340 since 2004!

http://www.water.cc/ Living Water International

From http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

"People are dying from the lack of clean water. In fact, it's the leading cause of death in under resourced countries. 1.8 million people die every year from water born illnesses. That includes 3,900 children a day. The solution to this problem is directly beneath our feet. Drilling a fresh water well is a relatively inexpensive, yet permanent solution to this epidemic. $10 will give a child clean water for life. That's not an estimate. It's a fact. And here's another fact: Solving this water problem once and for all will cost about $10 billion. Not bad considering Americans spent $450 billion on Christmas last year."

To see the Advent Conspiracy video go to the web page for one that is not cut off.

Okay well that's it for me for tonight. Think about it, $1 can help.

Annabelle turns One and a lovely weekend . . .

2008-12-01T09:05:00.011-05:00

Our granddaughter had her first birthday yesterday, how quickly the year flies by!! She had a wonderful party and was just as sweet as she always is and so happy. I think she just loved smiling at the crowd of people that were there. Annabelle has many relatives on both sides of the family so it was lots of fun for her. Her favorite thing was the balloons, in fact she fell asleep clutching one last night.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately my granddaughter Tessa became ill on Jeff and Meg's trip north so we missed out on seeing them which was a giant disappointment. But after also having a flat tire on their way north they turned around and went home and that is where they needed to be to get Tessa feeling better.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the others and Jason, Jr., Annabelle and Leanora were here a lot so that was great.
Jason posed for me in new Christmas jammies right in the middle of a Super Mario race. He wasn't really playing, just thought he was.

It was a restful weekend, lots of fires in the woodstove, one breakfast and lunch out, watching movies, too much eating, and playing scrabble. Well now it is over and onto Christmas, I love Thanksgiving so much, I hate to see it go!

Giving Thanks . . . . .

2008-11-27T07:20:00.005-05:00

My youngest son Patrick asked me a question the other day. He said Mom, how do you feel now that all your children are married. I told him, I felt good, really good, and the more I think about it, it is because I am at peace with the choice of spouses that my children have made. I dearly love Holly, Jeff, Adam and Katie. I know I am not their Mom but I feel like I am.

Holly is very thoughtful, she never misses a thing that would make me happy and is always coming up with ideas for gifts and just plain ways to take note of my feelings. She is crazy about my son Jason which is a really good thing. She cooks all his favorite foods which keeps him running marathons quite often. She is not afraid to get in there and try whatever new sport or adventure they find as a family. She is a wonderful mother to my only grandson and life is just a ball for him, in large part because Holly makes it so much fun for him. Jason is one lucky fellow to have found Holly for his wife.

Jeff is a gentleman, would never let me carry a suitcase or step through a door before me, and what a dishwasher and vacuumer he is, always ready to help clean up quickly at a family party. He has even cleaned my bathrooms. He does all this without being asked. Jeff loves football so he adds another dimension to our family gatherings with his enthusiasm over football or whatever sport may be on the tube. He is a great dad to his three little daughters. They are so excited when he comes home from work every day. He often comes in the door with a bouquet of flowers in his arms for Megan. Their relationship grew while they were an ocean apart but I am so glad it did. Megan is truly blessed to have Jeff.

Adam is helpful in every situation, jumping up to give my husband help with whatever he needs done. He is kind and so funny that he is always finding ways to make me laugh knowing just how to poke at me. His little soon to be one year old daughter smiles at the sound of his voice. He was a natural expert dad from day one and Annabelle is a delight as a result. He has a dangerous job and lays his life on the line every day so I always tuck an extra prayer of safety over him. Courtney and he had a long dating relationship before they were married but they held on to their commitment through distance. I know that Courtney is truly blessed to have Adam.

Katie is sweet and easy to be around, always cooking up a storm and bestowing gifts of baked goods on us for no particular reason, just that she is thoughtful that way. She and I have known each other for years but this past summer we had a special bonding time. I got to teach her some sewing, and she taught me some cooking (I always ask her questions). Katie and Patrick had some ups and downs on their way to where they are now (guess we all do) but out of it all I see growth, maturity and their love in the way they treat each other, thinking of the other first. It is a joy to watch them with their 3 week old daughter. Patrick is a lucky feller to have Katie.

I am sure I missed a lot of lovely things that I could have said about each one but I am going to tuck those in my heart and keep them for myself, how's that for selfish on Thanksgiving Day?? So this year I am thankful for family once more but I thank God for the bonus sons and daughters that we have! Amen, Praise the Lord!

Katie has a birthday . . .

2008-11-19T10:42:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Katie's birthday. Doesn't she look beautiful and the baby was only 11 days old!!! I am so happy for them, things with Leanora are going so well.

Katie's Mom made an amazing dinner of leg of lamb, mashed potatoes, and spinach. I made a tossed salad and a birthday cake, chocolate of course.

My daughter-in-law is a marvelous cook with baking her specialty so I was intimadated making her cake. One layer stuck in the pan and it didn't rise as much as I would have liked but it tasted good so that was okay.

That baby is so sweet and they are one happy family. Pat has been off work for a week and they have had a great bonding time. While he was off he painted the diningroom. It is coming together and I love the green they chose.

The baby kept smiling in her sleep so I had to take this picture.

Katie's Mom just loved snuggling with the baby, well we all did of course.

Some fixin' and a tutorial

2008-11-15T13:59:00.014-05:00

I tried the new dress on Annabelle yesterday. Turns out it didn't fit her so well, I was a little disappointed but I decided to be brave and fix it. I added sash type ties to the back which pulled it in and now I think it will fit better plus it really is cuter.

I also made a little hat. I don't think she will keep it on but maybe we can distract her for a second and take a picture.

I don't know how many times I have heard people say they can't tie a bow so I thought I would post my very first tutorial on how I do just that. Hope it helps!

Criss cross the ties, left over right.

Bring the left tie under and place it out of the way.

Bring the tie which is now on the left up and pinch a loop facing to the right.

Bring the tie down that was out of the way over the loop.

Bring it under and pull a loop out to the left.

Adjust the loops and ta da! Gorgeous bow.

Growing fast . . .

2008-11-14T10:14:00.003-05:00

I don't think I have posted a good picture of Miss Trinity Rose in awhile. My daughter sent me this picture this morning and I loved it. Trinity is 5 months old, those five months went by very quickly! Leanora and she should be buddies being only 5 months apart. I can't wait to see her in a couple weeks, so I can have a proper conversation with her and get lots of smiles in return.

Baby, baby, baby . . .

2008-11-13T13:03:00.003-05:00

Here is Leanora Jeanne at just five days old. Katie's Dad took this picture yesterday. Mom, Dad and baby are doing great and it's easy to see when you look at this picture.

As an add-on I just got back from visiting Katie and Leanora Jeanne. Katie let me cuddle her while I was there and I don't think the words cuddly or snuggly are good enough to describe the feeling when you hold a baby so sweet and so new. I brought Pat and Katie some oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies that I had just baked, but I got the better part of the bargain. I sure love her a lot already!

A little Christmas sewing . . .

2008-11-13T10:53:00.005-05:00

Ah, a day sewing always makes me feel alive, guess I've said that many times before. Today is cold and it is pouring rain so today may be another day to sew. Glad it's rain and not snow. I heard Buffalo had 10 inches earlier this week, a little too soon for me. Since we are four hours east of Buffalo I'm not sure what happens to the snow between there and here but I am just not ready yet. I will be after Thanksgiving. We usually go and get our Christmas tree that weekend and not having too much snow on the ground makes it a little easier walking, of course having snow on the ground puts everyone in the "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas mood".

Anyway I made this dress for Annabelle, not sure if Mom and Dad will like it, or if it will fit perfectly, but the joy of making it makes it all worthwhile to me.

This is the first time I put piping on a collar! Those of you that do it all the time are probably saying big deal, and truly it was not very hard to do. After I sewed the piping on I just used the stitching line from it to follow for the other side of the collar, it was easy! I also made some pantaloons out of the white, I think I will make regular panties too so they can have a choice.

My lovely Bernina is past due for its' 6 month checkup, when we bought it we were lectured about not doing that and here we are past due. Since this is the time of year that I just love to sew some gifts I can't give it up!! Not now. But maybe after Christmas. Maybe I will send my husband it with it to the store, they won't holler at him, he,he,he.

She's here!!!

2008-11-08T00:47:00.008-05:00

Leanora Jeanne Fitzgerald was born on Friday, November 7 at 9:21 p.m. weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long. Katie had a very long labor getting to the hospital about 8:20 a.m. She was very tired because labor began at 1 a.m. the night before, but she did a marvelous job and we are grateful to God for this precious gift. When Patrick came out to the waiting room to tell us, he cried "She's born!!" It was so special I cannot describe it.

Patiently awaiting the little baby . . .

2008-11-06T11:36:00.004-05:00

I have had two of these babystrology.com things going on my blog because I think they are fun, that is until you go past the due date that the doctor gives you. My daughter-in-law Katie is one day past and now it says 1 week and 1 day and not really sure where that comes from. Anyway I was going to take it off and then I thought everyone will think the baby is here, which she is not quite yet. Katie is doing well, is calm and patient, probably more so than the rest of the family so I am thankful for that. Please pray that this continues for her until she goes into labor and then you can pray for a gentle delivery. Thanks so much. The picture above is of Katie and her lovely Mom who looks way too young to be a Grandmother. This will be the first for their family so they are all very excited and I am excited for them too. Will keep everyone posted as I have more news to share.

Lacey's Blanket, . . so soft

2008-11-01T12:47:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the quilt/blanket that Courtney created for Lacey, her sister-in-law, due to have a baby in January. It is so soft, made of all flannel, and minky with a binding made of all the flannels, pieced together. This was Courtney's first try at handsewing and she did a fine job. The new baby whose room is chocolate brown and blue polka dots is going to love it!

Okay so just one more Halloween Picture . . . .

2008-11-01T10:59:00.003-04:00

Walt and I got to spend the trick or treating hours over at my daughter Courtney's house, unfortunately Daddy had to work but Lil' Angel Annabelle had lots of fun on her first Halloween as lots and lots of kids came to her house. It started about 3 pm and when I left at 7:45 p.m. Courtney had to shut out her lights because she had gone through all of her candy and some of ours that we brought over. It was a beautiful day and every child that came was sweet and said thank you, it was a really nice Halloween.

Halloween Cuties . . . .

2008-10-30T09:49:00.004-04:00

Holly, Megan and Courtney dressed the kids up for us last weekend so we could all see them. Such a funny group.

Itching to get sewing . . .

2008-10-30T09:28:00.007-04:00

Life has been so busy for us with the house, the wedding, etc., etc. Now that things are calming down and now that I have actually had 8 hours of sleep last night I am itching to sew. I didn't sleep much up until the wedding so I was in a state of tired, I don't sew well when too tired. The one thing about not sleeping is it gives me time for praying, so the time awake is not wasted.

Anyway on the way back from Maryland at the beginning of October my husband and I stopped at IKEA so I could buy some fabric.

The fabrics are so much fun. The striped on is from my garage sale hunting son and daughter-in-law, I must have ten yards of that. I love the big prints of the IKEA fabrics, maybe I will make tote bags or some other kind of bags or . . .

My friend Jean from my work gave me this fabulous apron book, no reason, just her thoughtful way of living, giving gifts for no reason. She also sent along two beautiful books for the new baby soon to be born. Thank you Jean!!!

Before I start all this sewing however I need to embroider names on Megan's family's Christmas stockings, and fix a snap on Jason, Jr.'s pants and finish a Christmas stocking that was cross stitched for Jason by an aunt but she didn't feel she could assemble it. There are always things to do and sew.

I wish I had passed on my sewing genes to my daughters. Megan says she can't but I know she can, she is just busy with 3 little ones. Courtney has started to make quilts and is getting braver. Recently she made a baby quilt for her sister-in-law. I taught her how to sew on a binding and she did a fabulous job. She learned that she enjoys handsewing too which she really has never done. I feel like it is therapy sometimes and she now knows how I feel.

Sunny Days make all the difference . . .

2008-10-29T17:02:00.008-04:00

Our son Patrick has been painting this house for quite awhile. He has started a painting business and has become very interested in "Painted Ladies", a victorian house painted in many colors. I snapped the after pictures today and unfortunately it is a very gray day so the true colors don't shine through, the house is very lavender now and shines like a gem. All work is not done, but they have made a lot of progress. Painting six colors is a tricky task. I think we see white, two lavenders, blue, and two pinks. If you click on the picture you can see the colors much better. A sunny day would have meant he would have been painting and you would see how truly pretty the house now is, a sunny day makes a difference.

All moved in . . . .

2008-10-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

Sunday was a busy day. Our children left one family by one family, which is always the sad part after such a wonderful weekend. We hate to see them go not knowing when we will be together again. This year it will be soon, so that made it easier. Many will be here for Thanksgiving or the day afterward. It's such a long trip for Meg and Jeff and their 3 girls, they are the ones that I feel badly for but I anxiously await their return along with Jason and Holly and Jason,Jr. Of course before then the new baby will be born, what an exciting fall this has been.

So once everyone left that needed to go the rest started to get a second wind and we started packing up the cars and trucks with kitchen stuff, clothes and Charlie the cat who was ready to go, he was really neglected by all of us the day of the wedding, we were just so busy.

So now Pat and Katie are moved in and starting to really unpack. A shower curtain has been hung, the baby's room put in order, it is so cute, and the refrigerator is installed in the kitchen. There are many little things to be done and they will be, one by one but it is now a home not just a house. Katie will be able to cook there now and they will be able to bring their baby home there. I will pray that God will bless their home.

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Fitzgerald . . .

2008-10-27T07:34:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful wedding on Saturday at our house on the lake. Right threatened and happened most of the day but I had asked God for time without rain to have the ceremony and he answered our prayers. It was beautiful and the weekend was just so special all around.

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-10-15T06:17:00.002-04:00

Shenandoah Costume GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!
The creator over at Grosgain has made such a beautiful dress. I love the colors, the fabrics, the trims, and to think she will give it away. This would fit my granddaughter Joy and would be prettier than all the Disney Princesses put together. Hope I win!

October weekend . . .

2008-10-13T09:20:00.008-04:00

I attended two baby showers, one for my daughter's sister-in-law, and the other for Katie. Katie received this very interesting gift, can you tell what it is a first glance? This was done by a friend from Canada I believe.
Annabelle made a new friend, her name is Emma Rose and she was six months old and very sweet.
I made Katie a wall hanging for the baby's room using some of the theme colors. Katie and Patrick love kittys and I knew this one wouldn't be any trouble for them.

The weather was amazing over the weekend and the moon was almost full. Went out to look at the sunset and caught the moon rising over my shoulder.

The Adirondack chairs will have to be put away soon, they are very old and seem to need a new replacement board each year. They don't do well in the snow. We actually leave some plastic ones out to sit down and put our snowshoes on.

I love that time of day when all the trees look black. Ah autumn, don't you love it, I do?

A Wedding in the Works . . .

2008-10-07T12:52:00.005-04:00

So much is going on in our family this month that my heart feels like it is going to beat right out of my chest sometimes. My son Patrick and his fiancee Katie will be married here at the lake on October 25th. We are also working to purchase a house that they will rent from us and fix up, care for and nurture their new family in. I'll have to take another picture without my car in it!

There is a lot of excitement about it and lots of decorating ideas. Hope they let me stitch some curtains,I love doing that. It is a cute house with lots of potential, we just need to get our hands on it, hopefully the closing will be soon.

My cup runneth over . . .

2008-10-07T12:31:00.008-04:00

Just went out to check the garden since I have been away a week, thought the veggies were done, but there was a gift of tomatoes and broccoli. Oh don't want to forget the peppers also, although small still useable, I find it funny that they are growing now, they are such a hot weather plant and they are producing now while they just sat there all summer. The tomatoes will have to ripen indoors but there were so many left I was thrilled and the broccolli doesn't want to quit. Need to take the garden fence down and when I do the deer arrive quickly.

This is October and it is always the month that when I am at the lake I walk around outside on a beautiful October day with the blue sky and changing trees and sing, "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the world thy hands has made,". It's a good thing I am by myself because it is definately a joy noise but I can't help myself.

Ah Smocking . . . .

2008-10-07T12:00:00.005-04:00

One of my great loves is English smocking, up there with sewing, embroidery, quilting, crocheting . . .what it comes down to is I just love to hand sew I guess. Well for the last month or so I have been doing quite a bit of sewing but some has been for Katie so I had to keep it secret, now I get to show you girls and get back a bit to being a sewing blog not just a Nana blog, hehe. Below is a dress I made for granchild #6, can't wait to meet her. This is the first thing I have pintucked (on the sleeves and bodice) with my new double needle and pintucking attachment, can't wait to do more. So much to sew,so little time.

Home again, home again . . . .

2008-10-06T07:24:00.005-04:00

I am back from my week in Maryland with my daughter's family. I had a great time with all of them, was very busy but of course loved it. I got to bond with Trinity which was really great for me, haven't seen her too much since she was born. When we are with all of the family she is passed around and cuddled by all but this was my chance to have her to myself (except of course when she was with her Mommy and Daddy). She is a sweet and easy baby who smiles readily and at the age of not quite four months thinks she can just try to sit up, she doesn't really but she lifts up her head and back when you hold her and in her car seat.

I had a great time with the big sisters Joy and Tessa too. We played, laughed, sang and read lots of books. It was a special time for me.
My daughter is healing well, I am so thankful for that. Of course I have inconvenienced them with the fender bender but fortunately their car will be ready on Tuesday, phew!

Fabulous Five . . . . Grandkids

2008-10-03T18:18:00.006-04:00

Jason,Jr., Annabelle, Joy, Tessa, and Trinity taken by Megan and given to us this past weekend. Thanks so much! I of course love it! If you are family and have seen it already I'm sorry, and the non-family bloggers, I hope you enjoy it! But then again all faithful bloggers are family. By the way, this is how Jason and Holly revealed to us that they are pregnant, they added a couple sticker (baby stickers) on the glass of the frame (one to represent Pat and Katie's and one to surprise us and represent theirs).

Blog Award from a Sweet Person . . .

2008-10-03T07:32:00.004-04:00

Rosemarie gave me this award. I am very touched. Rosemarie is a sweet young Mom with lovely twin girls. She likes a lot of the stuff I like especially blogging. If you want to read a fun blog go there. Thank you Rosemarie!

Busy, busy, busy . . . .

2008-10-01T23:20:00.016-04:00

As I wrote last week we had a wonderful trip to New York City to see a Broadway show. My brother-in-law Christian did the organizing and the trip was enjoyed by all.

This is Christian up front on the bus, you can tell by his smile how excited he was for all of us.

This is my niece Tara and my son Jason.

This is myself, my sister-in-laws, Peggy and Audrey,who is the amazing photographer.

This is my daughter-in-law Holly holding our newest member Joseph.

This is my granddaughter Joy and Maura, Tara's daughter dressed as Glinda.

My sister-in-law Audrey took all these fabulous photos. I wish I could post every one that she took, they are so great. Please go use the link to see more of these pictures. You will also enjoy a visit to Audrey's blog at any time to see great photos.

While we were at Christian's house my children took my husband and I aside to give us a gift of a photo of all five of my grandchildren. Little did we know that our son Jason and his wife Holly wanted to also tell our family that their second baby is on the way, we were all so excited, they surprised me this time around for sure. They are parents to Jason, Jr. who is almost 17 months old and now in May they will have another baby. I need to change my profile on this blog!!!

The next morning we had a lovely time showering Katie with gifts for the new baby.

The day was so special from the devotion Holly, Megan and Courtney shared to the yummy food, beautiful gifts, etc. It was really something! I hope Katie felt loved, I think she did. Family came from many directions and as always I didn't get to chat enough with everyone. I am so thankful for each of these relatives, I hope they know how much it means to me as a Mom.

While this was going on the men in the family showered my son Patrick at a nearby restaurant in a manner of speaking. They gave him a surprise Tool Party. Patrick has started a painting business and they gave him many tools of the trade plus lots of other great tools and some other gag gifts. I think Patrick was very touched by the special time with all the guys in the family.

Now I am down in Maryland where I have been since Sunday night. Our daughter Megan had knee surgery on Wednesday and I have been here to help where I can with some care of their children Joy, Tessa and Trinity, and to do some housework and cooking. I have also been trying to help Megan with her care too. It has been a busy time but I am so thankful to be here to help. Unfortunately earlier today I backed their car into a neighbor's car that was parked adjacent from their driveway. I am embarrassed and feel so bad that they will have to have their car repaired (hope their insurance doesn't go up!) The neighbor was more than gracious and now she is also going to have to take her car in to be repaired. This was kinda a bummer after all the great things that have been going on lately.

Can ya stand it???

2008-09-26T15:34:00.002-04:00

My daughter Courtney told me recently she was taking her daughter to get her picture taken, she had delayed it due to a scratch on her face, and waiting for it to heal. I remember that kind of thing when my kids were little, a bruise the day they were visiting grandma or a bump on the head, a black eye, you name it, any of those things that make you feel like, "What kind of Mom am I?" Of course the truth is Grandmas just love their grandkids so much that they see past those little things to the cute little turned up nose, the beautiful eyes, the sweet little face. So I posted the picture above, I love it and think Annabelle looks like a angel, just look at that little mouth, so sweet! Scratch, what scratch???

Broadway Bound . . .

2008-09-25T09:20:00.002-04:00

On Saturday about 30 people in the Fitzgerald Family will be off to Broadway to see the play Wicked. Going to a Broadway play together became a family tradition after my husband's Mom passed away as something we did in memory of her. She loved NY City and Broadway shows. It has become more difficult as the family has grown but Walter's brother Christian organizes the whole night for us. We take a chartered bus into NY City from his house in NJ and have dinner at a restaurant of his choosing. Chris always finds us a good one! Then we go to the play and afterwards we stop in Greenwich Village for ice cream. It has gotten more difficult as the generations have expanded so not everyone is able to attend but we do our best. This year my daughter Megan and her husband Jeff are going to stay back at Christian's house and help watch babies, including their own and our niece Molly has a newborn son and a two year old daughter she needs to care for. Our niece Erin and her hubby Corey recently moved to Singapore so they will not be able to be with us. This is our first Mom's Night in 4 years and Walter's Dad was with us at the last one, we will miss him also! The baby shower is the next day at Christian's house where we will be joined by some of my extended family, we are truly blessed!

Didn't fall off the earth. . . .

2008-09-25T09:00:00.006-04:00

Been really busy lately and with so much going on, (some I can post,some I cannot, surprises, surprises). One thing I have busy with is refurbishing the rocker above, we picked up at a garage sale. (Katie's colors for the babies room are black and white like the fabric, white with black polka dots and pink, really cool!)

We are giving my soon-to-be daughter-in-law Katie a shower on Sunday so I cannot reveal all of what I have been up to. Not only that but Katie comes to our house often and so I am always hiding things, hehe. Actually our family is giving her shower this weekend and in two weeks her family is giving her a shower so some of the secrets will continue.

Katie and Patrick, have gotten engaged and are pretty much glowing these days when they are not tired from work and pregnancy. They only have one childbirth class left and then one child first aid class! The time is starting to fly! If that is not enough and it really is, my husband and I are in the process of purchasing a sweet little old house which Pat and Katie intend to rent from us. I don't think I have ever said, "Could ya hurry?" to lawyers, house inspectors, etc. etc. as much as I have lately. They all say yes but life is a little laid back up her at the lake and I am not sure they know what hurry means.

We would like to see Patrick and Katie settled by the time the baby comes. That gives us about 40 days!!! Oh did I leave one detail out, Patrick and Katie will be married on October 25th, at our lakehouse, a date which was possible for every one of the four parents, one grandparent, 7 siblings, 3 spouses of siblings, and 5 grandchildren to be there. The wedding will be small with just our two families, but lovely I am sure. Katie is very organized where that is concerned so that helps immensely. It is very close to Katie's due date so we will pray they make it to their wedding, October 26th is a great day to go into labor! So in the month of October there will be a bit of extreme makeover things done to the house to make it wonderful and cozy for this family to be. (Anyone want to help?)

Afterward I may return to normalcy on this blog with more pictures and less chatter. As I sit here typing this we are going to have another beautiful day in the Adirondacks, the leaves are changing, this blog is definitely due for a picture!!!

Enjoying the last days of summer . . .

2008-09-11T11:53:00.003-04:00

The weather is gorgeous, chilly at night (great for sleeping) but when the sun comes up and out it is warm and beautiful. The lake was glistening in my eyes yesterday as I tried to sew, couldn't stop looking at it. Most of the flowers in my yard are still pretty although some have faded as has some of the garden. I took some pictures yesterday and thought I would share, I will save the sewing ones for later.

An award was sent my way . . . .

2008-09-10T16:12:00.009-04:00

Valerie at Life's Little Garden gave me this award. Thank you so much Valerie!!!

It certainly makes me feel special. I wish I kept up with my blog as well as Valerie does but I will keep trying. Stop by and see Valerie's blog because it is so special and will give a lift to your day.

And now my nominees:
Audrey
Rose
Erin

Here's how it works.

(1) You put the logo on your blog if you are nominated copying it from the one who nominated you.
(2) Link the person you received your award from.
(3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs ( I don't know that many yet so I nominated those that I visit often).
(4) Their blogs are linked on mine.
(5) I sent a message to these people on their blogs to let them know I nominated them.

A day trip up North . . . .

2008-09-07T23:30:00.002-04:00

Walt and I took a ride up to Blue Mountain Lake to the Adirondack Museum. What a beautiful place, perennials blooming everywhere (all have little signs to tell you what they are). The Rustic Furniture Fair was going on and so that was an added treat, getting to see all of that beautiful furniture. Those that construct it are just getting more creative all the time. I took this picture of Walt out front in the big chair, thought he looked funny.

While Walt was inside reading about logging I was enjoying the beautiful day and wandering around to see if anything was new. I found a gorgeous lean-to all decked out with bright curtains, a fisherman's platform tent, another place where I could while away many hours and a beautiful garden fence as was once used in the early 1900's around the gardens in the Adirondacks.

New Every Morning . . . . .

2008-08-28T22:15:00.006-04:00

In sharing her feelings about the loss of her cousins a year ago my daughter Courtney sited her morning glories as a reminder of these Bible verses:
Lamentations 3:22-23
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

I hadn't seen her morning glories yet and stopped by the other morning, they are so beautiful. So of course I had to take a picture.

David, Suzanne and Griffin come to town . . . .

2008-08-28T09:52:00.004-04:00

David Chen and his family live in California now. Jason and he get together occasionally when Jason and Holly go out to California. I haven't seen them since they were married in Hawaii.
Jason, Holly, Jason,Jr., David and Griffin
Laura, Dan, & Anna Scales, included in this shot along with Suzanne, David's wife
Walt and David catching up

Trinity . . .

2008-08-28T08:44:00.003-04:00

I was uploading some pictures and came upon this video of Trinity that refused to load previously. If you would like to watch it is only 52 seconds, but 52 seconds of sweetness.

Ah summer returns . . . .

2008-08-21T23:59:00.014-04:00

Jason, Holly and Jason, Jr. were at the lake today, along with Courtney and Annabelle. Katie came up for awhile also. It was a nice day. My husband Walter was off from work so we just enjoyed the day. Got some cute pics of the grandkids. While we were in Maryland we got to celebrate Tessa's birthday, here are some shots from that fun visit with my daughter Megan's family.

And the new baby, Trinity Rose with Megan.

a special time

2008-08-20T08:19:00.006-04:00

We are back home, having spent the weekend and a couple more days in Maryland and at the Jersey shore. In Maryland we celebrated granddaughter Tessa's 2nd birthday and then traveled to Eastern Shore of Maryland to the land where the house was located where we lost Maggie and Kennedy. There many people gathered and we sang Amazing Grace, then we tossed flowers into the Miles River and planted a tree in their memories. It was a lovely, almost silent gathering but one that honored them.

Then we traveled to the beach and the immediate family gathered with a few friends and spent the day sitting together closely on the beach. Here there were more memories shared, another quiet remembrance.

That evening a close family friend, (all close friends are family aren't they?)made a Thanksgiving Dinner at her home for all of us, saying comfort food was what needed and she right. At this dinner my nephew Michael prayed a prayer that warmed our hearts, thank you Michael. My daughter Courtney shared a writing she had done, and I am going to share it here with you in hopes that it may help you in one way or another.

From Courtney:

Hi All,my dear family chock full of great people, people I love so much,

This morning, I spent time doing devotions, thinking, praying, reflecting, and I just thought it might be nice have an email chain of sharing.

Sharing how this past year has affected us, how losing Kennedy and Maggie and Christine has affected us, things we've learned, things we've yet to sort out, memories, thoughts, and so on.

Thinking of precious Joseph Matthew makes me think of celebration. We have a new life in our family worth celebrating and there's a joy there in that Bonaventura household that holds contentment, as they experience a miracle. I remember that feeling when Annabelle was born - there was an awe in this house and a love that I'd never known before. Becoming a parent has grown in me a love, a boundless love that pours out, that bubbles up, that overflows when she smiles at me standing in her exersaucer at this very moment. I fell in love with her and I fell in Adam all over again. As Uncle Matt has said in his email, "We are here but for the moment and are entitled to nothing, not even our next breath. We should enjoy all we are given for the time we are given it. It is enough." Uncle Matt, your thoughts brought to mind the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, which expresses the same thought, the same truth. We are here for a short time, and are not entitled to our next breath, and so with this day, I want to love all of you as much as I can.

I want to celebrate a brave family, a family that has loved very much this year through pain. I want to celebrate Kennedy and Maggie and Christine's lives with memories, joy, and love.

Recently, Meg, Jeff, and I (and the kids of course) were in the car, and I said that when I go, I want you to get together and do something fun - laugh, and just love each other like crazy. I know Ken and Mags would want that too.

There's still that pit inside me, there's tears that come to my eyes so fast (at this moment), and there's a hurt that's never gonna go away.

So I've learned this year to hold hands with sorrow and hope at the same time. While there is an undeniable sadness, I cannot deny the hope I know exists.

I've made an effort to do as Uncle Matt suggested in another email, to call up old friends and to embrace each other, whether its running into someone in the supermarket and taking the time to chat, or picking up the phone to call a friend even though I know I might have to get off because of Annabelle. I've learned to embrace those I meet in passing, like I wished I had the chance to do with Christine. I learned to go easier on people, while driving, when someone cuts in line in front of me, when a sales associate is rude, because I know that I don't know the day they've had or the pain in their lives.

I've learned to smile like Maggie smiled for the camera - big and wide and beautiful. She made funny faces, big smiles, wore hats, I know you know what I mean. The pictures of Maggie are full of life. That smile ran deep. So I try to smile bigger too.

I've learned to embrace the environment like Ken. I thought I did before and I did, but man, I think of Ken all day long with every yobaby yogurt container that gets recycled. It sounds trite, but truly, "be the change you want to see," whether, its in nature, or its in a relationship. Go for a hike. Sit on a rock on the lake (things i've tried). In the stillness, I've tried to become a better person for the company I encounter. Be the change you want to see, and I'd add, I've opened myself to the change God wants to do in me.

I've learned to choose joy. I love the story about Ken waking up and telling his roommate that its a great day to be alive. I can't tell you how many times I've been given that thought upon waking, and chose to go with it. And when crap creeps its way into the day, I've learned "it doesn't matter". (Thank you for that challenge Uncle Matt).

I cannot separate my faith from all of this, from all of life. I can't say that I'm not confused about some things right now or that I don't have questions, but there's a hope that won't leave me, and I know where it comes from. As God accompanies me on my journey on earth, I want Him to know I've embraced what He has given me daily, in my family, my friends, my home, my place in life, in the daisies in the backyard. I try to begin my day with time with God. I pour it all out to Him, my fears, my questions, my frustration, the things in life I just don't get, my pain, and my gratitude and my love. I'm honest with Him. Otherwise, I get bogged down under it all. I'm someone who carries emotion, burdens, worries on my back, and I have to cast my cares on Him or else, ask Adam, its not pretty. I know we all might not share the same faith, but I'm just sharing me in the hope that I will be loved for who I am, as we love Ken and Maggie for all they were, and continue to be for us. I want to love you all for all that are.

I love morning glories, one my favorite flowers. More of these blue flowers open on my fence everyday. I love them because they remind me of God's mercy, new every morning, a fresh start to the day, a new opportunity to live a little better, and love better.

All these thoughts are a mish mosh, but I guess I felt led to share. I guess I've just been thinking about Ken and Maggie, about Joseph Matthew, about Annabelle, about you all, about peace and harmony, and Eden, about Heaven, about love and life and on and on, so it goes.

Love,
Court

Sorrow and Hope . . . .but Remembering and Celebrating . . .

2008-08-15T13:14:00.010-04:00

Pretty much stealing that title from e-mails that other family members have written. Last year this weekend our family lost our wonderful nephew Kennedy age 20 and our beautiful niece Maggie age 18 in a terrible house fire that happened at their home. I can't really go into all the details here but it has been a year of much sadness, a whole lot of healing and hope. Many people have been here for our whole extended family and this support, the prayers of so many, and just doing what we think these two wonderful young people would want us to do, has helped us go on.

Kennedy believed in taking care of our environment and he believed each day was a great day to be alive! It was easy to "go green" with Kennedy on our minds, and many of us planted a tree in his memory. Ours is called an Autumn Blaze maple and it is planted at our lake house. I get to see it every day so he comes to mind every day also. I am much better at recycling and composting and just doing my little part to take care of the environment around me because of Kennedy.

Maggie had a zest for life and a smile that would knock you out and lift your spirits just at the sight of her. I think of her daily also because she just gave so much to me with her warmth and love. I miss them both. This weekend our family will gather, please send your prayer our way, I think we will need it.

Maggie is at the center of this picture with Kennedy at the far right.
Also pictured are sisters Bernadette and Clara, and brother Garrett.

Thanks . . .

2008-08-13T10:16:00.003-04:00

I just want to say thank you to those of you that stop by my blog. I know everyone has a busy life and I just appreciate that you peek at my pictures, read my family stuff, say a prayer for my family members. Your kind words and love is felt from wherever in the country you live. I also want to thank you for your blogs. I retired from my job about a year ago and at first I think I was a bit lonely missing my wonderful co-workers. Your blogs gave me new friends because bloggers are friendly and honest sharing the good and the not so good. I love being at the lake as much as I have been because to me it is a gift from God completely, the views, the peace and the visits from family and friends seem so much more special there. Also at the lake last summer is where blogging began, first as a lurker, then a commenter and then starting my very own blog. Your blogs give me daily inspiration with your wit, your ideas, your families, your creations! So thank you all!! God has blessed me more than I will ever know.

2008-08-12T11:43:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Joseph Matthew is here . . .

2008-08-09T23:25:00.003-04:00

A wonderful baby boy was born safely yesterday. Here is Joseph Matthew with his Mom, Dad, and two sisters. We are so thankful for this wonderful new baby.

exciting day, keeping busy . . .

2008-08-08T14:10:00.011-04:00

My niece Molly is in labor right now, so if you can, please say a prayer for a safe delivery of her third baby. We don't know what she is having so that will be a surprise!

While we are waiting my son Patrick's girlfriend Katie has been stitching and I have been baking. Katie did a fabulous job, she hadn't sewn since 8th grade and so was a little uneasy but I think she was a natural. She did a great job picking out fabrics too, the red one is from Tina Givens, I love it, especially paired with the dotty fabric.

Yummy blueberry scones and zucchini bread! Did I say before how much I love the summer?

Katie and I found it hard to concentrate on our projects because this sweet little humming kept coming by and sitting on the little perch of the feeder, what a cutie!

doing a little birthday sewing . . .

2008-08-05T11:07:00.011-04:00

Tessa will be turning 2 soon, what a cutie she is. I just love her little voice, her sweet little smile and I just love seeing and chatting with her. She talks so well and is a little monkey who loves to climb, so we have to keep our eye on her. While many little girls love princesses she is taken with Tinkerbell. So I made her a little quilt with some Tinkerbell fabric that she can drag around the house. Hope she likes it!! Love you Tessa, Happy Birthday!!!

This was my first attempt at free motion quilting, a little tricky and not a perfect first try but it is just the beginning because I know I will be trying it again. I used the BSR2 setting on my Bernina and some quilting gloves, that was a big help.

dumpr.net

2008-07-31T23:41:00.003-04:00

Just some fun I had with www.dumpr.net, go there and check it out yourself.

Art Museum by dumpr.net

Looks like Annabelle found her way into a museum!

dumpr.net

2008-07-31T23:35:00.002-04:00

Created with dumpr.net - fun with your photos

Whose skinny fingers got in the way of this cute picture of Joy and Tessa playing in the lake?

dumpr.net

2008-07-31T23:29:00.002-04:00

Created with dumpr.net - fun with your photos

Our grandson Jason will grow up to solve many puzzles if he turns out to be just like his Dad.

dumpr.net

2008-07-31T23:17:00.001-04:00

Museum by dumpr.net

Yes indeed, my granddaughter Trinity Rose is a work of art, she's beautiful.

I need summer to slow down . . .

2008-07-22T12:16:00.009-04:00

I keep hearing ads for back to school shopping!!! I can't stand it, it is still July, July not August and definitely not September. Last week was pretty great, Walt took vacation and we headed up to Inlet. We had a lovely relaxing time.

more sewing . . . . .

2008-07-22T12:00:00.006-04:00

The first tote was made with fabric that John toted up from Florida, ha,ha! It really is nice but I noticed when I was done that I couldn't find the fox that the hunters were seeking. Then I found him on the strap, thought that was cool.

I am pretty unhappy with these pictures, the totes are so much prettier up close, gotta find a new spot for photos. Anyway, I am making these in hopes of selling a few, anyone interested?

cardboard testimony . . . . enjoy

2008-07-10T18:30:00.000-04:00

garage sale find . . . .

2008-07-10T06:29:00.003-04:00

My son Jason and my dil Holly love to peruse garage sales. They sent us a great baby/toddler life jacket (like new) and a bag of buttons, look at the price, what a deal and I will put them to good use. I love the ones with the knot and the one with the swirl, they look so vintage. I'm not sure, they may not even be old but I do like them. I've asked Jason to be on the lookout for sewing stuff when he goes to these sales, bet he didn't know how excited I would be.

two posts today . . .

2008-07-09T18:21:00.016-04:00

Okay, so I haven't been blogging much, I have been sewing, a lot, making this and that. Just went out to wander around the yard and snap some pics. I get stiff sitting too long and the breeze coming off the lake is refreshing. It has been really humid and my joints ache, that is no fun but the garden is.
The first one is Snow on the Mountain, my brother Barry gave it to me, it is prolific but pretty. This second picture is blurry sorry, gotta hold that camera still! The next planter my sister gave me last summer, very Adirondacky.

I love the way the dark tobacco vine contrasts with the coleus and the impatiens, so pretty, some of my favorites.

Whoops don't know why Joy's tile is turned but I think Jason, Jr. and Trinity need to hurry on over to the ceramic store, j/k. I do love these because they are all very sweet.

Decided to try pink nasturiums this year. I love nasturiums! They seem so old fashioned and dear to me. Not many flowers yet, you can only see one above. I heard they like it on the dry side.

The raspberries are doing okay, just year two, I keep picking them and eating them. But the sugar snap peas are bursting and there will be many!

The lettuce, salad bowl, so pretty and the basil, smells so good and the onions, still growing. The lettuce isn't going to last much longer, it is getting too hot out.

Ah the yellow crookneck and the zucchini! Can't wait, especially if Katie is around to cook the zucchini, she made some this past weekend with fresh breadcrumbs, etc., so delish.

Will ya look at all the flowers on the green beans, they have just started to produce and there will be lots, hope I can give some away. Green beans are my favorite veggie, love em raw or cooked, crunchy or overcooked, just plain love em!

it was a long holiday weekend . . . .

2008-07-09T17:42:00.011-04:00

But it was a good one. The weather was spectacular, each day better then the next so no complaints here. We didn't go to the fireworks on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night but we did watch our neighbors shows which were quite amazing. Where do people get all those fireworks and isn't it expensive? Because we have a panoramic view we could see fireworks in many directions, it was quite a show. We tried out our new free standing fire ring that Meg and Jeff gave Walt for Father's Day and it was a success, our smores came out just right.

Courtney, Annabelle, Patrick and Katie were here quite a bit, unfortunately Adam had to work. But he was here Thursday and on Sunday afternoon for awhile, which made his ride to work pretty long, thanks for coming Adam.

We also went to the 4th of July parade in Northville, a first for us and it was fun. Sacandaga Park, where Pat lived for the last year had their own float so we went along to see them. Their theme was Elvis lives and there were many Elvis' on board.

On Saturday night we went back to Northville to see the Christian band Unspoken, they were fabulous, got a cd. They also did the Praise music in church on Sunday, hope they come back next year! Annabelle had her first ride in the boat and first wearing of a life jacket, no protests and she fell right to sleep. Walt, Courtney and I went to the fireworks Sunday night by boat, it was fun, but honestly, I almost fell asleep after the busy weekend. The finale woke me up.

Megan will be shocked to know we didn't go out for ice cream until Sunday night, now that is truly amazing for this group. But Katie made this gorgeous cake.

It was red velvet with real whipped cream and fresh strawberries and blueberries, delish. I had it for breakfast on Monday!

This is Henry, Court and Adam's friend's baby, I guess Annabelle and he have an arranged marriage but I think Annabelle is thinking, can I have my boat back please? His Mom brought him up to visit on Sunday.

Katie brought Connor up on Sunday, he is 2 1/2 years old and such a cutie. She has cared for Connor since he was an infant while his Mom works. He renamed the Great Sacandaga Lake to Pat's lake, and justifiably so don't ya think? He is pretty crazy about Pat.

Courtney lost her wallet in Northville while we were at the concert or the parade, we are not sure but happily someone turned it in to the police. I'm thinking she may have lost it at the concert. Thank you Lord. It was a great weekend.

Ah the 4th is almost here . . . . .

2008-07-03T12:50:00.002-04:00

Our lakehouse is in a tiny Adirondack town so we still have a Grand Union Supermarket, there are not many left. So this morning I hurried in to town to purchase some plastic Adirondack chairs, not the kind I prefer, love old wooden ones but I saw a deal yesterday on some so I thought I could supplement what we have. So anyway, didn't buy them yesterday and today there were only 3 left!!! I wanted 6, oh dear, I was dissapointed but it was my fault so I bought the three, crammed them in my car and started home. As I was driving I was noticing the American flags everywhere and decided to ride around town and take some pictures of how they were displayed. Thus the slideshow above, enjoy it and enjoy your Fourth of July with your friends and family. We have fireworks displays here every day starting tonight so I am sure we will catch some. There is also a parade, maybe we will head into town and watch it.

getting out in the mountains . . .

2008-06-23T07:13:00.009-04:00

DH and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary this weekend. So we just used that as a nice excuse to get out for one our treks around the Adirondacks. We started out by driving up to Newcomb and visited here. I wish I had taken a picture of their butterfly and hummingbird gardens, just beautiful! I hope to plant something similar at the lakehouse, ah someday! Anyway we walked a trail and it was beautiful, could hear the bullfrogs, saw a chipmunk, heard lots of birds but just enjoyed the quiet.

Unfortunately it started to pour, and there was lots of thunder and lightning so we finished our hike and headed back to the visitor center. Next we headed off to Long Lake and Hoss's. There are so many great books there, keeps us both busy for quite awhile. I got an awesome pair of Minnetonka sandals, half price. I am always the bargain shopper. They have a tree growing right through the store.

After an ice cream cone we headed down to the lake and walked around and planted ourselves in rocking chairs on the porch of the Adirondack Hotel , a turn of the century hotel (or is it Hotel Adirondack) where we sipped a cool beverage. We poked our heads inside and a young woman said feel free to wander around and so we did. All the doors were open to the rooms upstairs that were not occupied. Many were decorated with victorian furniture with handmade quilts on the beds, very pretty. This picture is from 1930.

We sat there and watched one of those little sightseeing planes take off on the lake, pretty cool. I was too chicken to go up (what with the storms in the area and all), actually I was just too chicken.

It was very idyllic so it was a little hard to get up and leave but we did.

We met up with this guy first however. Walt said it is a snapping turtle and he didn't look any friendlier than the alligators that we saw in Florida so we steered clear of it.

We drove on to Inlet, NY which is beyond Blue Mountain Lake and Raquette Lake, both beautiful lakes. We stopped in at the Kirsty's Red Dog Tavern and had dinner. We have been there before and it measured up to be just as good this time around. It's off the beaten track a little so if you every in the area ask for directions.

We then headed on to home arriving there around 10 p.m. after many miles on back roads. We almost ran out of gas because almost all gas stations in the rural parts of NY are closed by 9 p.m. but we drove until we found one, phew. It was a great day! In fact we have decided to head back to the area in July and spend a couple nights so we can explore some more. We even made reservations here which is so unlike us, but we decided to go for it!

Trinity Rose is here . . .

2008-06-19T07:52:00.002-04:00

Our 5th grandchild is here and we are so happy. Had to add a picture, all went very well for Megan, not saying it was easy because after all labor is just that, labor but it was not too long for her. She was born at six p.m. and home by 10 p.m. God is so good.

getting very excited . . .

2008-06-11T23:21:00.001-04:00

Our daughter Megan Joy is having her third baby next Tuesday, June 17th. Megan goes to midwives and has her babies at a birthing center. You ask how is that different? She doesn't have any drugs administered and the baby is delivered on a regular bed in a room that is furnished as a bedroom. The only problem is that Tessa Hope her second came very quickly, in a matter of minutes, and her first Joy Courtney came quicker than expected. There is some concern that she will not make it to the center to have the assistance of the midwife. So on Tuesday they will naturally induce labor and Trinity Rose will be here. So we are all very excited and praying for Megan, and Trinity's safe entrance into this world. Please pray for Megan and Jeff, her husband, thank you.

phew, home again, home again . . .

2008-06-01T19:16:00.007-04:00

My husband and I spent friday and saturday driving all over the place to 10 quilt shops! It was a shop hop and it was fun for a lot of reasons. I know you are probably thinking, how could this man go to all those shops? He must be a saint, (he is). He was my driver and at each shop he was able to take some time to grab a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, and sit and read while I browsed.

We played a game as we went, each shop choosing a movie and giving us trivia questions to go along with that theme. In Woodstock the employees were all dressed as Nuns, and it was a bit startling as you turned a corner and there was a woman or a man dressed as a nun. Can you guess the movie?

At the Quiltbug in Esperance the Movie was It's a Wonderful Life, one of my dear husband's favorites. As we had a cup of coffee and chatted it was playing in the background, much to our surprise in Chinese!

The shop in Lee, MA chose the movie Mash. They had an medical tent set up outside their shop. We probably clocked over 300 miles on our car and I know you must think we are crazy with the price of gas but we got to see some beautiful areas of NY and Massachusetts as our GPS took us down back roads. Chatham, NY is gorgeous with rolling hills and the Berkshire Mountains and the town of Red Hook has not one but two coffee shops. While in Massachusetts we stopped to have lunch here and even sat in a rocking chair on their massive porch for a few moments until we continued on.

The last shop Adirondack Quilts is housed in Glens Falls, NY in a building that once housed a shirt making factory. There are 3 floors in that old building with lots of art galleries for so many different mediums. Each shop was different, had a character of its' own and it was amazing to see a variety of fabrics as we went with very little repetition. Some I may never get back to but many of them I know I will keep in mind if I am ever in their neck of the woods, if just to see some of the lovely employees and shop owners that we chatted with along the way!

So now I will have lots of projects ahead, I may need to pick up some things but I think I should put a freeze on my spending for awhile.

back to sewing . . .

2008-05-20T09:19:00.005-04:00

With lots of other things to do yesterday I went up in my sewing room last night and kept at it until I finished a quilt which I plan to give to my new granddaughter who is due at the end of June. The colors are bright and the back is soft, I used flannel so I think it should be useful. It was not the best job of having the corners of the squares meet but everytime I make another quilt I feel like I learn more.

Found out recently that my youngest son's girlfriend is pregnant. When they find out what they will be having I will be sewing for him/her I am sure, can't wait!

I still need to finish my quilt top from my attempt at Crazy Mom Quilts quilt along. Don't know if I will ever finish it at as a quilt, just would like to get the quilt top finished.

I am anxious to start sewing some purses, totes, supermarket bags, whatever I can attempt in that category. I can't fall asleep some nights thinking of all the things I'd like to try.

Sorry about the bad picture, shadows, etc.

wonderful two weeks . . .

2008-05-19T12:07:00.012-04:00

First I got to babysit for my grandson Jason out in Massachusetts for 4 days. He and I had a lot of fun getting to know each other better. He is such a happy baby and now 1 years old. The weather was beautiful so we went outside quite a bit and he really enjoyed his new wagon which his Mom found at a garage sale.

While at was at my son's I snapped a picture of his 1955 truck, I just love it. This is my DH, daughter and son-in-law enjoying the beautiful day we had for my grandson's birthday.

a very special day . . .

Then I was home for two days and off on the road again for my son-in-law's college graduation in Maryland, very proud of him, it is hard to finish college while working full-time and being a great husband and dad. My daughter and he are expecting baby #3 at the end of June. What a great time for our family, so happy for them.

Hmm, now I need to get back to sewing or is it gardening I should be doing, maybe both, weed pulling is like therapy to me anyway, hehe. Do you notice how housecleaning never seems to make the list, oh well.

finally . . .

2008-05-04T08:25:00.007-04:00

Here is my quilt top from quilting 101 that I have been attending on Monday mornings for six weeks. I actually went for 5 weeks and doubled up last week because I am going out of town this afternoon. Anyway, it was definitely a learning experience and through the mistakes I made I will be better equipped for my next project. Later we will have a finishing class to add batting, the back, quilting and lastly binding but at least the top is done. It will be a wall hanging and possibly hang in our lake house. I also added a picture of the teacher's sample that we followed, she used batiks, so pretty. I will miss the women from the class, it was fun to encourage and help each other, but I have a feeling many of us will be back for other classes.

If you click you can see the fabrics better, but please excuse the yucky walls in the background. Our bedroom is almost empty because I stripped the wallpaper that we put up 25 years ago now. Now my 25 year old son will soon be painting it if I can ever choose a color. DH is holding the top for me, right in the middle of packing for a conference in Houston.

And the teacher's quilt . . .

With all the ott lights on in the room this picture is somewhat washed out so you can't see the true colors and the quilting, bummer.

garage sale find

2008-05-03T17:18:00.005-04:00

Our little town at the lake had a townwide garage sale today. I think there was less for sale because it was rainy and cool but I got a deal. All of this paper ribbon for $2. I am sure I will use most of it on gifts or cards.

Not a very good blogger

2008-04-29T17:17:00.016-04:00

I really wanted to start a blog, but I also really wanted to paint my bedroom, and sew, and sew some more and then work on my garden, etc., etc., etc. My daughter said to me, "Mom, maybe you should cut something out". Of course she is correct but I just don't know what because I love some of those things so much. Getting called back into work has really thrown me for a loop because that has cut into my time quite a bit! Hmmm. That's the other factor, my daughter and her beautiful baby girl Annabelle. Courtney, Annabelle and I have started taking a long walk together once a week, don't want to cut that out either, it is too special. Last week we were walking and it was junk up week around here, everyone cleans out their garages and basements and puts it all at the edge of the road and then the town comes by to pick it up. While we were walking a found a wonderful basket, it will be perfect to collect vegetables this summer.

I am also not a very good blogger because Valerie tagged me and I failed miserably, really don't know who else to tag because I am so new at this, don't know many bloggers, just read a lot of them.

Valerie my six word meme is "Love makes my world go round." So sorry it took me so long to post that. That should have been easy, the love of my Lord Jesus Christ and that of my husband and my family is what makes my world what it is, pretty terrific.

My son Jason and my daughter-in-law Holly took my grandson Jason to his first baseball game, looks like he enjoyed his nap on Daddy.

Last night I made a little shirt for him. I love the fabric with the little turtles or honu as they are called in Hawaii, so cute. I think the fabric is from Timeless Treasures.I am going to his house for a week to babysit starting on Sunday and then at the end of the week our family will gather to celebrate his first birthday. This will be special for me because I don't get to spend much time with him. Hope he gets to know me well and isn't shy of me. I plan to take lots of walks with him in the stroller, hope the weather is good. The other reason I am sewing like crazy is because my husband bought me a very special birthday gift. This will be the last sewing machine I ever get, I will never need another. The only thing this doesn't do is cook dinner for us. I think I am going to attempt some knits or terry cloths, some things that I have always avoided.

I have been sewing up a storm with it, mostly kids clothes, they are so fast it is instant gratification.

For Tessa, and for Joy, little dresses.

more sewing for kids

2008-04-21T09:03:00.000-04:00

Spring means cute little outfits for babies. I find it hard to sew now because I want to be outside. With the windows open and the breeze blowing the curtains it was fine to be inside. This is a gift for a friend, my favorite part is the pockets, love the tie through them. Always love making the bloomers because they always look so cute on babies. This picture looks dark but if you click on it you can see it better.

I have more projects ahead, I decided to cut them out all at once over the weekend, which is my least favorite part, but the fun part, the sewing is ahead.

I have quilting class this morning, can't wait! I always feel a little dumb in class, seem to make mistakes, but I keep my seam ripper handy.

Life Can Be Sooo Busy

2008-04-12T08:57:00.000-04:00

I am retired but was asked to substitute at work this week. It was funny being back after a year off. I was dreading it, sure that I would not be able to remember things and that they had changed procedures since I left. However, as soon as my fingers hit the keyboard the dust bunnies in my brain shook loose and I was okay. Sure I had to ask some questions, but not too many, what a relief.

Of course I had just started taking wallpaper down in my bedroom after it was up there for about 25 years so I was determined to finish that task. Scraping my way through it at 6:30 in the morning wasn't fun, but it is off! Now to choose a paint color.

It seems like most of the blogs I visit are showing spring flowers these days, even summer flowers, it is killing me because where I live we get a taste of Spring and then just like that I am back to sitting under the afghan on the couch trying to keep warm and it's April!!! Okay, I have lived here for 25 years so I should be used to this by now but oh well. So here is a picture of a poor little daffodil in my garden trying to grow but shivering in the cold rain. I'm still waiting for a dry day to start cleaning up the garden.

So with the chilly weather comes bootie crocheting, boy are these fun and fast and so cute on my granddaughter. My daughter put them on over those little stay on socks and the booties stay put that way. I know at least five young women who are pregnant right now so the booties make great gifts along with those wonderful burp cloths.

I have also been busy sewing, my favorite thing to do. I finally got around to making this dress, from the directions here. I picked up the shirt at the Salvation Army for $3 and I can't wait to see it on one of my granddaughters, hope it fits.

The back, made from the front of the men's shirt.

And the front, my husband said what kind a man would wear a shirt like that?? He, he, such a man comment!

I knew I'd find a use for all those yo yos that I made years ago, they look so sweet on kids clothes.

I'm a lucky girl

2008-03-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

Recently my daughter-in-law Holly told me about Freecycle. If you are not familiar with it, it consists of a bulletin board where people offer things for free. If you sign up you can also have the daily postings sent to your e-mail. That's what I do, looking to see what people are giving away. Then I notice recently that it's okay to post Wanted requests. So I posted Wanted:Quilting Fabrics and I had two responses. One woman had a box of scraps for me and the other had a bag of fabric. Some of the fabric isn't usuable by me, but most of it is fun! I'll have to post a picture!

The other reason that I am lucky(blessed actually) is that I started a quilting class yesterday, my first one. It is a beginner class and I thought that was a good place to start. I am taking it at The Joyful Quilter in Glenville. The teacher is super, she is so laid back and patient. I have been sewing since I was a child so I thought it would be a snap, but I made two fixable mistakes yesterday, guess I am not such a smarty pants after all. Well now I need to finish my homework and I am looking forward to next week. That's my biggest problem, no patience, can't wait to get onto the next part. We are making a quilt sampler, a wall hanging, a great way to learn I think.

Last night I cleaned up my sewing room, wish I had taken a before picture so you can see just how bad it was!!! I told myself, no sewing til you clean up your room!! Now I will actually be able to find things. Still I am impatient to try everything, I think it may be reading all the wonderful blogs out there, there are so many wonderful tutorials. And now Sew Mama Sew is going to have a contest and there will be more, can't wait.

2008-03-26T09:54:00.000-04:00

My friend is retiring from her job so I had to sew her something, well not really but any excuse to sew is a good one. So I made her this bag and an eyeglass case and well why not add a change purse. This was really fun, I hope to make more of these bags, they are just so perky. The directions are from the Happy Hour Quilt booklet. It took such a small amount of fabric to produce all three.

2008-03-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

Phew, back to sewing this morning. Doctor's appointments and other things I had to do last week kind of filled up the week. I always feel like something is missing when I don't get to sew. Today I have been sewing some burp cloths thanks to Barbara and her great idea to use pre-fold diapers. I have left the trim off and just used some decorative stitching along the edge. They are fun to make because you have a pile befor you know it. My daughter's friends are all having boys thus my choices of fabric but I have made them before in pinks and added the trim. I think next I will make some of those for my daughter who will be having a baby girl in June.

2008-03-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Here is Annabelle modeling her bonnet, isn't she beautiful? We think so!