Displaced Yooper

Good Morning Sunshine!!

2011-06-26T09:45:00.001-05:00

Headed to church, but first off to show off those blues! I am so proud of him I could bust! Thank you Lord for this young man, I pray your greatest blessings on him, amen.

Yard sale finds and some flowers

2011-06-11T11:59:00.008-05:00

A little dance purse made by Elgin American, complete with initials. It is a little black purse with a pocket holding a little comb and then the metal compact with powder and puff, still in tact. Blush and puff, still in tact. The lipstick is empty, but the mechanism still works. The mirror is broken and gone, but there is a compartment behind it for other stuff.

This little dance purse is made by F& B. It holds coins, a clip for bills, a mirrored compartment and then one more for other stuff.

The decoration on top is beautiful!

This little flapper purse is crocheted, wooden beads and silver metal (not sure what it is) This purse is completely in tact, no issues - amazing! Even the rings that the chain runs through have a pretty design on them.

This is the most unusual - all metal. The cap closes over the expanding top.

Isn't that the most unusual mechanism! The purse is in excellent condition except for the wear on the metal finish. Beautiful!

Hydrangeas and Poppies.

Scenes from my garden...

2011-06-08T17:32:00.007-05:00

First some greens, hostas and grass

Followed by clematis

Sure wish I could remember the name of this plant?!

Sweet Pansies!

Blanket Flower

Roses: Climbing

Tea

Nearly Wild

Yellow Columbine

My first Hydrangea bloom

Red Hot Poker

Hope you enjoyed the tour, I am loving the spring flowers, not so much the buffalo gnats and cicadas, though!

Poppies and Cicadas (ewww)!

2011-05-22T07:52:00.002-05:00

Can't get this image to turn!!! You can see the Cicadas on the tree, they are 13 year Cicadas, they do no harm, these little guys were laid as eggs 13 years ago, now coming up out of the ground to mature and mate, lay eggs and die.

I know this picture is gross, but this is one coming out of his shell (molting), yes they have red eyes. The birds are feasting on these little critters.

Another image I uploaded wrong, sorry. Love this climbing rose bush.

Poppies, little ballerina dancing in the wind.

Look like crepe paper.

A whole troop of them. Have a great Sunday... go to church!

Red Silk ribbon rose and a couple drop cloth pillows.

2011-05-20T07:29:00.006-05:00

I took the wire out of one side, singed the edges (see my post from yesterday) and used my trusty hot glue gun.

It's a little more than 4 inches across.

And an antique glass button for the middle.

I love drop cloth fabric, I used a graphic from Graphics Fairy and then I used a zig zag stitch to sew on cotton cording that is usually covered for welting, talk about cheap!

Blue Ruffles, brown silk and a drop cloth fabric rose to finish off the second one.

How cute (and inexpensive) is that!

Silk Ribbon Rose Pins

2011-05-19T07:35:00.002-05:00

I removed the wire from one side of the ribbon and just gathered and hot glued it as I went around. I then glued it to a felt circle, and glued a pin back to it. A few beads added to the center and Voila!

On the brown rose, I removed the wire from one side of the ribbon and singed the edges with a candle.

Easy Peasy, as they say - yet beautiful!

Thursday's gardenview

2011-05-19T07:18:00.001-05:00

Mostly green today, I love spring!

2011-05-13T12:43:00.001-05:00

Scenes from my garden this morning...

2011-05-12T12:51:00.000-05:00

Thank you Lord for the beauty of your creation!

Painted Dresser, Still in process

2011-04-02T09:50:00.003-05:00

Still no hardware, I may have to paint and use what was on it if I don't find something I like better.

I really like the painted finish

Painted Dresser, preview

2011-04-02T09:17:00.002-05:00

When Nick left for the Air Force, it left his room available for the guest room, I will post pictures of the room when it is completely done. This dresser and the nightstand have been in the bedroom for years, so I decided to jump into the painted furniture pool and try it.

It is solid wood and well made.

I should have taken the picture with the drawers in, but too late they were already on the floor. I primed it all with Kilz and then painted it a robins egg blue. I then used a dry brush with Oyster white, antiqued it and then finished it off with Poly.

I still don't have the hardware on, finished pictures to follow!

White mantle and a touch of red

2011-03-10T07:48:00.002-06:00

My sister sent me this a couple years ago, a reminder to me to allow God to work in me and through me, that's where true joy comes from.

A little garden angel, a Christmas gift from a friend a few years ago.

This picture hung over my parents bed when I was growing up, I have 2 older sisters and we always said it was the three of us! February is over, but red hearts and flowers are always in season! My oldest sister made the rousched and felted hearts! A mantle mixed with items from people I love!

Cute little oval frames and a phone call from USAF Basic Training!

2011-03-07T07:12:00.002-06:00

I bought these matching oval pictures at an antique mall in Indiana on the way home from Louisville, last month. I just love the frames, they are about 10 inches tall!

The detail is so cute!

Excuse the blurrrr, this one has a small amount of damage. I am looking for just the right pics or art to put in them. I got a phone call last night from Nick, basic training is going ok, he loves the physical training, but he was already fit, the 4:45 revelle, no so much. He sounded good, really would like some letters, and he is counting down the days until this is over! It was so good to hear his voice, he sounded great!

Felt & fabric roses

2011-03-04T07:27:00.002-06:00

I got a little crazy making these roses, but then used them to decorate!

An end and a new beginning!

2011-02-25T09:29:00.008-06:00

Well this is it, the last one is out the door...kids that is. This is our grandson Nick, almost 20 years old, he has lived with us most of his life. On Monday I sent him off to basic training in San Antonio Texas. Air Force, same as his uncle (17 years so far), grandfather and great-grandfather (30 years). He was so excited to begin this new step in his life. He called me after he arrived at the San Antonio airport, at the command of his new best friends (TI), and he did not sound so excited, a little dejected maybe, "It's already started.", he said without emotion, where did all that excitement go? Last night he called to give me his address, he had exactly 5 minutes to talk, someone was constantly yelling in the background (maybe a TI), and he gave me specific instructions not to mail anything to him! Odd request since he just gave me an address... seems anything received is used against them and is confiscated (Chris , his uncle, told me that) It was good to hear his voice, even though he really did not sound very happy, "I'm getting used to it", he said. Hear are a few pictures of him growing up:

At Madame Trouseaus wax museum in London, 2004, our trip to Europe and to visit Chris and family when they were stationed in England.

Second Christmas!

This is one of my favorite pictures of him, in my very weedy garden in the backyard when he was about 4 years old. My time flies! Did I teach him everything he needs to know? Does he really know how much I love him, or how proud I am of him? Have I showed him how to trust God, did he see Christ in me? I have a million questions, and some fears, but it is too late. I have used the time I had with him, I prayed over him, ALOT!!!, I have shared my heart and all God has given me, my time is up. We will spend time together again, but it will never be the same. He is on his own, he must find out for himself, God is trustworthy, and His desire is to be glorified in his life. He will never be alone, the Holy Spirit resides in him, he trusted Christ when he was 10 years old. I will trust Him to the Father, and look forward to seeing what wonderful things He will do in and thru him. I Love You Nick!

Life is hard!

2011-02-12T11:16:00.002-06:00

As my profile says I am a "50 something", not a spring chicken, so I have been around the block a few times (enough cliches for you?). I heard from someone I love today that is going through a hard place, words seem meaningless, wish I lived close enough to pull up a chair and just listen. If you know someone who needs an ear, not a word, just an ear, go listen. Life is hard. When Jesus needed to He would go to the Father, many times it tells of him "going apart", taking time to talk to someone who cared. Be that someone, listen, love, let them know you are there for them, not to try to fix it, just to listen.

New Cabinet - what to do?

2011-02-12T10:30:00.001-06:00

I have always been a natural wood person, but I am thinking this would look really good painted, I love the detail on the doors.

Flower detail

2011-02-12T10:28:00.002-06:00

Isn't this pretty

Hardware

2011-02-12T10:26:00.003-06:00

A little rusty, but they fit the look, I am assuming they are original.

Felt roses and drop cloth fabric roses

2011-02-12T10:02:00.001-06:00

Felt Roses, I love these, I have seen wreaths, head bands, all kinds of things made with them.

We were watching TV last night and I just got my felt, scissors and a needle and thread. Before you know it I had a bunch. I don't know what I will do with them, but I sure enjoyed making them and aren't they pretty.

These fabric roses are made out of more of the left over drop cloth fabric, I am sure they will probably end up on pillows, or maybe on a picture, I don't know... any ideas?

Voila, Drop cloth Slipcovered wing back chair!

2011-02-07T10:19:00.005-06:00

And a pillow made from the left over fabric, I just love the results!

I am very please how it turned out, the best part is, when it gets dirty, right into the washer, and when I am tired of it, off it comes!

Piping, and more piping and more piping, I thought it would never end!

And a little pleated skirt to finish it off! And here it is with another pillow made from the leftovers and some old crocheted lace!

Drop cloth slip cover!

2011-02-07T10:15:00.002-06:00

This wingback chair was my moms, and I love it! I have seen a million drop cloth slipcovers out in blogland and decided to give it a try to update this chair. I marched on over (ok, I drove) to our local Home Depot and purchased a 6x9 cloth (which was not quite big enough, I had to send my grandson to get another). Brought it home, threw it in the washer, added some soap and bleach and waited for it to get done. Out of the dryer, voila, slipcover fabric!

I measured the rough dimensions of each part and cut fabric in rectangles, then put them on the chair and pinned around them, I saw in one blog where they used a pencil to draw around them on the fabric, this would have been quicker. I had alread gone to my local Wallyworld to pick up cotton cording for the trim and had cut yards and yards of the fabric to cover it (no, I did not cut it on the bias, I may be sorry for that after I wash it the first time, we'll see.)

It took me most of a day (making homemade ham and beans in between stitching). Stay tuned for the finished product.

Old Bowl Collection

2011-02-07T09:39:00.000-06:00

Some of the bowls I love!

Old Bowls!

2011-02-07T09:28:00.000-06:00

The large brown banded bowl was my mothers, I love to make bread in it!

The green swirled bowl is Watt pottery , I picked up at a flea market

The Brown swirled one is just cute and the tan one is Mason Cash. I just love bowls!

Old Bowls, Part 2 - I love them!

2011-02-07T09:25:00.001-06:00

Stacks of them,

Large ones too!

Old bowls, Part 1

2011-02-07T09:14:00.001-06:00

Chippy and small

Browns and whites,

Stacked,

Colors too, I love them all!

Dinosaur Squares Quilt and the new brother!

2011-02-04T07:45:00.000-06:00

I bought this fabric on Sisters Weekend in Wisconsin and saw a large quilt using this pattern, I decided what size I wanted my quilt to be and pared down the squares to match. It turned out so cute! And Josiah loves it!

Isaiah and Josiah

Micah and Josiah They love being big brothers and are very helpful for mom, well as helpful as 4 year old twins can be! There is no greater joy than being a Grandmother, I now have 8 grandchildren, and I love it! There are some perks to getting old!!

Quilt as you go tablerunner

2011-02-02T17:45:00.000-06:00

I made this super fast and easy tablerunner from a pattern at Diary of a Quilter .com blog. Extremely easy and fast!

More pillows!

2011-02-02T17:35:00.001-06:00

I made the "B" pillow a few weeks ago (I got the "B" clip art from The Graphics Fairy Blogspot), I made the striped pillow, 2 in fact, today.

Old button collage

2011-02-02T17:28:00.000-06:00

I painted these frames and made the button collages a few weeks ago, just thought I would show you.

New pillow for my chair.

2011-02-02T17:23:00.000-06:00

Antique crocheted lace and an old button!

Almost 17"

2011-02-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

I got out on the streets today, but did not have my camera, what a mess! There is ALOT of snow!!

Play Day!

2011-02-02T07:51:00.002-06:00

We are under a state of emergency, the National Guard has been called out and my office is closed! So I have a PLAY DAY! I am going to sew and craft, check back to see what I did.

2011-02-02T07:42:00.000-06:00

Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T07:41:00.000-06:00

Well, here are some pics.

Happy New Year

2011-01-14T15:23:00.002-06:00

It has been a long time since I have posted, I got on Facebook and that was the end of this! But I am back! 2011, a new year, new opportunities, let's see what this year holds.

Scenes from my garden

2009-06-16T06:43:00.003-05:00

The hand off!

2009-06-14T17:33:00.000-05:00

Facebook Christopher DeWitt's Photos - Misc. Stuff

The graduate

2009-06-13T17:48:00.003-05:00

Photos by Christopher aka Dewitt Photos

New purse

2009-05-11T19:10:00.001-05:00

I sort of edited this pattern by quilting the fabric first, adding piping and a stone zipper pull, but isn't it cute!!

Going to prom

2009-05-11T18:54:00.000-05:00

He's a senior, about to turn 18 and he is STYLING!!!

The boys were here for a visit!

2009-05-11T18:38:00.002-05:00

Dan and April took a couple days to themselves and went to Chicago, we got the boys!!!

This is a slideshow of our trip to Africa

2009-04-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

Africa pictures

2009-03-28T11:03:00.001-05:00

We will be sharing in church about our trip to Africa on Sunday April 12, as soon as I get all the pics sorted out and put together I will upload a slide show here. Thanks for being patient, I can't wait to share with you all the blessing the Lord allowed us to be a part of!

The daffodils are blooming!

2009-03-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

Of course it is going to snow tonight - they are saying 3-5"!!!!

A new 'do' and Louisville

2009-03-20T18:27:00.002-05:00

While I was in Africa Nick got his hair buzzed - doesn't he look great!! We are in Louisville for the weekend, we have not seen the kids since December! I think the twins have grown a foot!

Visions of Africa

2009-03-05T07:21:00.002-06:00

We left home at 8:00 am on the 19th and 32 hours later arrived in Conakry, Guinea, Africa. We traveled 5 hours by car to Kamsar and then traveled 2 1/2 hours on this long boat to the villages. The first picture is the chief of Binari village, the second picture is just some of the children that followed us everywhere and the third picture is the long boat we traveled in on the Atlantic ocean to arrive at the villages. We were escorted off the long boat into a hollowed out canoe to the shore so we did not have to walk in the water. I will add more photos and more info later. Just wanted you to know we are safe and well, the time was well spent, we arrived in the villages on Monday and left on the boat on Thursday. We left Conakry to fly home on the 27th and arrived home on the 28th.

Gone to Africa!

2009-02-18T18:31:00.003-06:00

Here we go - we leave here at 8:00 tomorrow morning, and the trip begins! If you read the itinerary you noticed we will be in Paris for 7 hours on Friday, depending on how it goes, meaning how we deal with the french language, we may hop on a train and do some sightseeing. Pictures to follow! But at 3:10pm Illinois time, on Friday we will land in Africa. We belong to the Lord, we are following His call, in His time, with His purpose - and we are looking forward to the blessings. Many pictures and stories to follow!

African Itinerary

2009-02-13T13:07:00.002-06:00

Here is our itinerary for next week. If you click on it, it will enlarge then you can right click on it and save it to your computer to print out. Thanks for praying for us - I am sure I will have alot to share when we get back. Love to all!!!

The True Heros

2009-01-30T17:29:00.004-06:00

I got a phone call this week from my oldest son, he just got orders, he will go to Iraq in the fall, he was in Afganistan 2 years ago. Yesterday, my neice left her less than 1 year old baby to go off and prepare for war. She will be in training for a couple of months in California and Wisconsin and then on to Iraq for 15 months (this is her second tour there) she will miss her daughters 1st and 2nd birthday. Thanks Liz, don't think it goes unnoticed - I get it, so do many others. Thanks Chris, I know how hard it is for you to leave your family, your reason for breathing in and out everyday. You are my heroes. Following is an article by Ben Stein - one of those high faluting guys that always has the "right answer" - sounds to me like he has learned some things along the way. The article will take a couple minutes to read, but it is worth it, all the way to the end.================================================================= Even if you don't like Ben Stein, this is worth the read. Ben Stein's Last Column... For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called 'Monday Night At Morton's.' (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to be frequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now, Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life. Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time. Ben Stein's Last Column... ============================================ How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World? As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonlineFINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.. It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again. Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to. How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails. They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit , Iraq . He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world. A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad . He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him. A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordinance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded.. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad . The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists. We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die. I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject. There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards. Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them. But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms. This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York . I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human. Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. By Ben Stein

Africa!

2009-01-22T20:34:00.004-06:00

Well, finally we will be off to Africa! We are headed to Guinea, in North West Africa. We were planning to go last spring, but we were prevented by paperwork not being processed in time, but not this year! We have our passports, our visas, our shots and we are excited! If you look at the map on the top of the blog you will see Conakry, we will fly from St Louis to Chicago to Paris to Conakry. We will travel by car to Kamsar and then get in a boat and out into the ocean unto the Baga people. Pray the Lord will guide each step, each word, and that His Spirit will touch the hearts of these dear people who desperately need Him. I have a feeling, I will be the one most changed!!

2 weeks down.

2009-01-17T08:03:00.002-06:00

Well I just finished my second week in my new job, I like it! Huge change from the hospital, slower pace, calm setting - lots to learn, and I'm still working on the bookkeeping skills, but I think I will have it down before long. This old dog can learn a few new tricks! The winter chill is going to let up today, we are going to get out of the single digits and teens. But it is still just gray, no snow.

New year - new job!

2009-01-05T06:55:00.002-06:00

Well, after 20 years in healthcare, 17 years at our local hospital, I have made a move! The Administrative Assistant (secretary) at the church we are attending decided to retire after 31.5 years (wow!). I was approached to see if I would be interested in applying, I was kind of in shock, what - no - I worked at the hospital, not the church. I started praying about it, what does God have to say? I weighed all the pros and cons: 17 years seniority, good pay, 4 weeks vacation, not to mention I was working part time - 2 or 3 10 hour days a week. The pros - ....... Well there are a million pros, but not weighed out against the worldly list I have of cons. God reminded me that I had been asked to work at every workplace I had been at in the last 25 years. 25 years ago, the pastor at the church we were attending asked me to come and work in the church office to replace a retiring secretary. I later moved to work in the school office within that church and was there 5 years. When I decided to leave that position, my good friend Dr Fox, a surgeon, asked me to come work for him - as a surgical assistant, a job he would teach me to do. I worked for him for 3 years and quit because of some things going on at home. Several months later I received a phone call from the manager in the surgery department to ask me if I would be interested in working for them. That was 17 years ago. I moved to 2 different positions in that time, finally arriving at my part time position. Then out of the blue - an invitation... God has something new in store for me. So here I go, my first day of the new job - I'll let you know how it goes, I am looking forward to the blessings in store!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T18:30:00.003-06:00

The fire is burning, Christmas music is playing and we are thanking the Lord for the real Reason for this season. May God Bless you all and may 2009 be especially blessed!

Chris and family Xmas card

2008-12-12T11:35:00.002-06:00

Isn't this great!

Vietnam!

2008-12-04T15:30:00.001-06:00

Dan and April are on a mission trip to Vietnam, they are now about 3 hours into an almost 16 hour flight to Hong Kong, then on to Vietnam. They will be there until the 13th, returning to Louisville on the 14th. We have the twins until then, pray for them to be fruitful, and for the boys to do well, while separated from them.

Pillow heads!

2008-12-01T07:36:00.001-06:00

This is our version of the Coneheads!!

A frosty November morning in Illinois

2008-11-26T09:07:00.001-06:00

In the mountains

2008-11-26T07:53:00.004-06:00

Chris and family hiking at the Garden of the gods in their new home state of Colorado

Slide show

2008-11-23T15:26:00.000-06:00

My son the photographer!

2008-11-19T07:46:00.003-06:00

One of Chris's photos from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Don't you love the cool effects?

And here is the photographer himself, I stole this picture off his facebook - isn't he handsome!! I wonder who took the pictures?

Seed pods

2008-11-11T16:09:00.004-06:00

The rain is falling, the trees are close to bare, winter is upon us. I got out the other day and snapped some pictures of these seed pods. Click on the image to enlarge it, they are really intricate works of art! This is the whole purpose for the plant, the flowers are beautiful, but the plants whole goal is to reproduce itself, so it is storing up its energy to produce seeds. These are all from different clematis plants around my yard, these feathery looking clusters will seperate and be carried away on the wind, to settle in a different place, and if a bird does not devour it, it will sink into the ground and next year it will be a new vine, growing toward the sun, giving off a beautiful display of flowers and then the final goal to produce seeds! Reminds me of myself, given life from the Son, allowing Him to make me beautiful from the inside out, with the goal to show forth Him so others will come to know Him, planting seeds as I go.

Fire!

2008-11-08T14:38:00.000-06:00

This is my first fire of the season, I made a big pot of ham and beans and yeast cornbread (a new recipe I found) and we enjoyed it all! I spent the other part of the morning cleaning out my closet and dresser of my summer clothes, they are put in the top of the closet until spring - bring on the sweaters!!!

Quilting!

2008-11-05T09:29:00.002-06:00

These are all the blocks for my Underground Railroad Quilt, now I just have to put it all together!

Just sat down and played this morning with this Poinsetta Wreath block, not sure what I will do with it, maybe add 2 more and make a runner, we'll see.

I feel loved, my birthday was last Friday and received numerous cards, gifts, phone calls and many well wishes for a good day and year - thanks everyone!

New link

2008-11-03T19:10:00.001-06:00

I posted the wrong link for the pictures, try this: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1486308106#/album.php?aid=2006414&id=1486308106 Just copy and paste.

Fall in Illinois

2008-11-03T07:27:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we spent the day traveling down along the Illinois River to the place where it and the Missouri River converge into the Mississippi River. We stopped at Pere Marquette State Park and then onto a little town named Grafton - this little town of 650 people (according to the sign) was bumper to bumper traffic, all the restaurants had long line as well. Check out all the pics at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30094117&l=06e4c&id=1486308106 have a great Monday!

Cassie and Daphne

2008-10-31T13:19:00.002-05:00

Their 2008 Jack - o - Lantern and a gingerbread haunted house - isn't that cool!!!

Goblins

2008-10-31T09:48:00.000-05:00

Uncle Fester (????), She devil, the Cereal killer and little Frankenstien - Too much fun! Happy Halloween

The good little witch!

2008-10-31T09:47:00.001-05:00

Priscilla said she did not want face make-up because she is a good witch!

Fall Pics

2008-10-29T17:04:00.003-05:00

Today was a perfect fall day, sunny and a bit cool - in the 50's, so I visited 2 different parks here. The first pictures show the architecture of a small gazebo in Community park, followed by a picture of a larger Gazebo ( I accidently got them out of order when I loaded them) The larger gazebo has been the scene of many a wedding in this town! The picture of the small gazebo appears later.

Larger Gazebo

Smaller Gazebo

The Canada Goose population has grown in recent days!!

New family pics from Dan and family

2008-10-27T07:04:00.004-05:00

Franklin St in Louisville

Way too cute for words!

Too sweet!

2 years old!

2008-10-18T20:13:00.002-05:00

Dad worked on the bedroom accessories, mom made the cupcakes - how cute is all this! His Grandma and Grandpa Eaton bought the new Kitchen/grill - that was a real hit!! I made them pillows with snaps, buttons, zippers, velcro and lots of pockets filled with toys for them to learn to do their fasteners! How 'bout them cupcakes, April worked all morning on them for the Jungle theme - they were adorable and delicious too!

Jack'o lanterns

2008-10-13T07:11:00.000-05:00

Here is their finished product!

Kim is here..

2008-10-13T07:08:00.000-05:00

Kim came to visit for the weekend, the kids have a long weekend due to the Columbus Day holiday. I bought pumpkins for carving, so here they are! Of course Paul , (Nicks friend since they were 3), spent the majority of the weekend with us too.

Fall scenes

2008-10-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

Fall is falling! Everything is giving their last bit of energy to finish the season!

Monkshood

2008-10-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

My Monkshood is blooming, that truly means the end of summer is here!

Blanket Flower

2008-10-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

I planted this Blanket Flower from seed in the spring, the flowers are similar to the coneflower, but you can see in the end it is a ball shape, the plant did very well as you can see from the size, hopefully it will winter well and I'll watch it grow again next summer.

New Christmas Fabric

2008-10-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

I bought this Christmas fabric in a quilt store in Shreveport when I was visiting the kids, I am looking for a pattern, anybody have any cool new patterns they would suggest? All but one of the fabrics are part of Nancy Halvorsens "12 Days of Christmas' collection, the one with the little trees is from Diane Knott "Dear Santa"

Nick and his date, Brooke, homecoming 2008

2008-10-05T16:37:00.001-05:00

What a good looking guy!

And a good looking couple!

Those Nasturtiums!

2008-10-03T13:39:00.003-05:00

They come in many different colors

The Bees love them, they smell like roses!

And they have absolutely taken over!

They will grow and bloom all summer, but when the cooler temps come, they just take off. I have found them climbing up shrub, they will sprawl across the lawn, it really is a sight to behold, and they smell divine. Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life!

Caylee

2008-09-26T12:43:00.003-05:00

Caylee had a list of things she wanted us to do together, and we have finished most of them. Last night I made breaded chicken for supper and she made a fruit salad for dessert. Also we made this really cool book bag for her! She has had almost every minute planned out, and we have had a blast!!

Jordan's game!

2008-09-25T10:11:00.003-05:00

I came to Bossier City, Louisiana on Sunday to stay with Caylee and Jordan while Chris and Jen flew out to Colorado Springs to look for a house. They sold their house and closed on Monday, so now they are preparing for the move. They called today and said they have narrowed it down to 2 houses, and asked for prayer to choose the right one. I knonw the Lord will lead them exactly where He wants them to be. I am really enjoying spending time with them. I helped Chris with a photo shoot Monday night for a restaurant here in town. It was all still life of their sandwich, salad and dessert products. Their specialty dessert is called the "Humphrey Bogart" It is frozen yogurt with honey, granola and 3 different fresh fruits of your choice, and it is delicious!!! If Chris passes on any of the pics I will post them. It was so nice to spend time with him doing what he is loving doing!! A mom just misses time with her son and cherishes when she can spend a little time in his world.

So as they are gone I am filling in and enjoying every minute of it!!

Jordan is in 7th grade and decided to play football this year, as you can see he is number 12. He got to play, he is closest to us in the front line. They were the guests, and as you can see, THEY WON!!! He is growing up so fast - I just can't believe it!! He has been very helpful all week, and Caylee had a list of activites for us to do, we are slowly getting each item checked off. Last night we had a dance off, I taught her some really cool moves, like the Jerk, the Swim, the Monkey and the Twist - she said she already knew that one, she taught me a few moves of her own. I watched Jordan, but would not even think of trying his moves - he moves way to fast and I am sure I would trip over my feet or put my back out!

Daphnes learning pillow

2008-09-23T14:56:00.003-05:00

Daphne turns 2 on Friday!!! This pillow will help her learn to do all the closures and the zipper on the front opens to a big pocket for her stuff

Dew Drops

2008-09-18T08:58:00.005-05:00

Click on the photos to enlarge, they really look cool!

God creates the best art!

Prayer request

2008-09-17T09:36:00.003-05:00

Daphne at Chuck E Cheese for Cassies 8th Birthday party

John called yesterday to share some news from a doctors appointment for Daphne. They have been concerned for some time about Daphne's speech development, they have taken her for hearing tests, which appeared normal, so they went on to a child development appointment. At the appointment they did a Childhood Development Assessment and they are of the opinion she may be autistic. There is more testing to be done so they are not saying this is a diagnosis, but rather an opinion from the assessment. They are setting up several different therapies in the home for her to start as they continue the testing. They are sending an interpreter with each of the therapists for Tania, so that is great. Please pray for Tania and John as they work through this and as they further test her. Pray God will bring support into their life in the form of Christian women and men that can be an encouragement to Tania and John. Thank you.

Dad and his boys

2008-09-14T18:10:00.002-05:00

A 40th birthday party!

2008-09-14T07:01:00.003-05:00

Wendell's brother in law turned 40 and Becky had a surprise party!

Complete with..... a cake!

And an "old fart mobile" That really had the sound effects!

They live in Dale Indiana which is 1 hour from Louisville, so of course we had to spend the night with the boys (and their parents)

What handsome men!!! Hope you all are staying safe during this hurricaine weekend, we are receiving a ton of rain, we had over 2 inches on Thursday and that was before the hurrcaine made landfall. Be safe!

My cookbook cupboard

2008-09-10T20:29:00.003-05:00

I have been looking for a cupboard to hold all my cookbooks, recipes and some of my old bowls. I have looked and looked, but no luck. I found this cabinet on clearance at Shopko marked down from $179.99 to $79.99. It is solid wood, not fake stuff, so I thought "I can make that look like I want" - so what do you think?

The metal recipe box was our "craft item" over Christmas - Jen, April and I each made one and they turned out so cute!

I have plenty of room and a little to spare for growth.

Another loss.....

2008-09-10T09:05:00.001-05:00

This is my cousin, what a good and loving man, I will miss him. John C. Baraona
JOHN C. BARAONA, age 61. Founder of local dry-cleaner and community leader. Former Revere School Board Member, Cuyahoga Valley Career Center Board Member, Cose Board, Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Ohio Dry-Cleaner of the year, Fairlawn Chamber Citizen of the year and member of many Cleveland and Akron area Chamber of Commerce. Preceded in death by his wife Jane (nee McAllister). Loving son of Charles (deceased) and Josephine (nee Scopilliti); Cherished father of Elizabeth Long (Jason), Katie, Annie and Maggie; grandfather of Kylie Jane (deceased), Andrew John and Thomas Warren Long; brother of Roseann Valus (John), Charlene Valvoda (Ken), James Baraona (Lisa) and Sandy Baraona; uncle of 19 and great uncle of 20; Godfather to 13. Friend to many, loved by all. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Victor Church, 3435 Everett Rd., Richfield, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, at 10 a.m., where friends will be RECEIVED FROM 9 A.M. UNTIL TIME OF SERVICE. (PLEASE MEET AT CHURCH). Family will receive friends at A. NOSEK & SONS, GERBER-McCREERY FUNERAL HOME, 8150 BRECKSVILLE RD., THURSDAY, 6 - 9 P.M. AND FRIDAY 2 - 4 AND 6 - 8 P.M. The family suggests donations to the John and Jane Baraona Memorial Fund c/o FirstMerit Bank.

Fall Table Runner

2008-09-06T14:38:00.002-05:00

I took squares from 2 different quilt projects from my latest American Patchwork and Quilting magazine and made a fall table runner - turned out cute don't you think?

Shots from my garden this morning

2008-09-05T12:58:00.001-05:00

It is cloudy, misty and a bit chilly, I think fall is in the air!

Weather change

2008-09-05T08:03:00.004-05:00

It had been in the 90"s, but the past 2 days it has been in the 60's!!! Yesterday it rained the entire day, when I dumped the rain gauge this morning it had 2.4" of rain - we were already way ahead of average, now we are REALLLY above average.. we are 20" above last year and 10 inches above the normal. It has been good for the trees and shrubs to have the ground saturated to a greater depth.

That is very apparent by these pictures!

An unexpected vistor!

2008-08-27T07:38:00.002-05:00

If you look closely you will see the eyes peering up above the water - click on the picture to enlarge it.

I have never seen a frog in my yard, we are not near a creek or pond or anything, I was shocked!!

A strange view in the sky.

I am reading a book on the apostle Paul, about his conversion experience. He was persecuting Christians, I mean like, arresting, beating and killing them! He got permission from the authorities to go to a town about 100 miles north of where he lived to persecute the believers there, but on the road his trip was interrupted by an unexpected visitor - the Lord!! He was knocked to the ground, blinded by The Light and he heard the voice of Jesus Christ ask, "Why are you persecuting Me?" He came to the realization in a second that Jesus was real and ALIVE, that in trying to irradicate the believers, he was really trying to irradicate Jesus. The rest is history , he became a believer and his ministry is documented in the new testament, he wrote the majority of the books, as letters to the churches. Isn't it the same with most of us, we refuse to believe, belittle those who do and finally come to the realization it is God we are trying to pretend is not there, working in our heart, prodding us, calling us to Himself. My unexpected vistor and a strange sight in the sky reminded me of that this morning. I am so glad God never gave up on me, I finally, just like Paul acknowledged who He was and recognized He was just what I needed! Thanks God!

25 things about me...

2008-08-24T16:13:00.002-05:00

I checked out my friend Jessica's blog today and she had posted 25 things about herself, she was following suit of 2 other friends who blog about their children with the diagnosis of RTS. Meeting the needs of their affected children takes up most of their days and nights, so I am sure it is a good exercise to remember or remind yourself about some things about YOU! Well, my kids are grown, and I am not all consumed with their needs, but I decided to see if I could come up with 25 things, I am challenging all you other bloggers out there to try it!!

I am Italian, my mother was a first generation American, both of her parents came through Ellis Island from Sciliy as teenagers.
My geneaology has been traced back on my fathers side to a distant relative that was an Earl in England, and another distant relative that was on the Mayflower!
I love sweets, particularly chocolate, but I am not to picky any sweet will do most of the time.
Ok - this is harder than I thought... I graduated from Marquette Sr High School in Marquette Michigan in 1972, moved to Illinois in 1974 and have been here ever since.
I do not like my profile and told Wendell when I die I would like him to have them turn my head slightly to the right so it will not be toooo bad.
I like the color of my skin, I tan easily.
I love being a mom, it was my goal in life.
My favorite subject in school was math - although I have to say I don't remember much about it now.
I think I am smart, when I applied for my current job, my boss asked me why she should hire me and I told her I was smart and could quickly learn anything I needed to do. I got the job.
I have a bad habit of skimming whatever I am reading and just getting the gist of it and not all the nuances.
I am getting into this now! I love to quilt, but hate repeating the same thing over and over, so I will do different parts when I get tired of one thing, maybe not in the order I am supposed to.
I work best under pressure, if I have alot of time on my hands I cannot decide what to do, but if I only have a small amount of time I can quickly decide what I want to squeeze into it!
I love to spend time in nature and if there is one thing I would like to learn to do well and spend time doing, it would be kayaking in the U.P. I have done a little, but would love to really get into it.
One of my major frustrations is watching people screw up their kids, most parents have no idea the effect their behavior has on their children. What is amazing is to watch the same children overcome that and become successful adults!
Ok, one more frustration and then I will get off the negative ... why do people think anyone should live up to their expectations, why can't we just accept the fact that we are all different, we all have weaknesses and strengths, we all succeed and fail, mostly we are trying to get through this thing called life, ...so lets just accept each other in the place that we and they are in and help each other along... what a nice thought!
I am surprised when people like me.
Most people think I am strong, but I am not.. however, I belong to the One who is and my goal is to allow Him to be strong in me.
One of my most favorite recent days was spending time laying on a blanket with my 22 mo old twin grandsons, watching the clouds and birds and an occasional airplane. spending time with them is a real lesson in "passing time", not spending time, or wasting time, but just enjoying the moment, playing in the sprinkler, having a picnic in the shade of a tree, or watching the clouds..... passing time.
I love to cook, on occasion I will fix a real gourmet dinner for Wendell, 6 courses, complete with the sorbet in between the courses .. sometimes we even dress up as if we are going out to a fancy place.
I have always thought of myself as adventurous, maybe I am not as much so as I get older, DID I JUST SAY THAT!!!! I must be losing it, I am not old, maybe it is true I am aging, but certainly not old!!
My idea of a perfect day is to be surrounded by my family, (husband, children, grandchildren, siblings) no matter what we are doing.
I love lobster, I would love to go to Maine and eat if fresh!
I wish I would have gone to college. I moved out when I was a senior in high school and it really was not an option to me at the time, of course I could have done it later, ... but I didn't.
One of the rules I try to live by in life is to make choices I will be happy I made. I don't want to look back at my life with a bunch of "I wish I would haves..." I think alot of us would do better if we stopped and thought about the long term affects of a decision before we decide what to do. It is quite easy to "react", however it usually is not the wisest decision. I want to look back at the difficult times and say "I am glad I....", whatever it was. Ok I am getting philisophical here (and I know I spelled that wrong!) so it is good the next is the last one.
OK , so what is the last thing.... I don't mind being alone, but I am afraid of the dark.

So there it is.. 25 things about me.

Happy Birthday to my oldest son!

2008-08-19T19:52:00.005-05:00

You always had a smile!

How cute is this?!

whooops!

Getting more handsome all the time!

Senior year

Celebrating the big day with Nathan and the Dads.

Beginning the next phase of your life

One of my most favorite pictures

This is a beautiful picture, happy birthday to you both, 33 years!! Chris I remember so well when we found out I was pregnant - we were so excited! Your father picked your name, he had picked it out years before we were even married. He wanted a son named Christopher Lee! You were born several weeks early, weighing in at 5lbs 7oz. We were just sitting down to supper, I was talking to my mom on the phone and my water broke. We called the doctor, he asked if I was having contractions, I said, "no", he said, "you will and when you do - come in". Your father went to bed and about midnight I woke him and up and told him it was time to go to the hospital. My brother Al was visiting, him and your dad's sister Sharon babysat Tania for us. You were a difficult labor, you were turned posterior, like you wanted to come through my tail bone, so I was not dialating. The nurse just thought I was a wuss and said I had a long time to go. I kept telling her I knew what it felt like and it would not be long, she left the room and turned off the light, she did not even call the doctor to let him know we were there! Finally all at once you turned and got into position and I went from 1 to 10 in one fell swoop!!! Boy was that nurse surprised, she was scrambling, trying to get me ready and call the doctor! Dr Dohner came in in his pajamas, she slipped a gown over them and he walked up and caught you! You spent a night in the incubator, but you were healthy and strong, so no problems! You nursed well and put on weight quickly. You were a very happy baby, always smiling! You were always sure of yourself, smart and a quick learner. You did very well in school, and got great report cards with very little effort. I was not surprised you followed your fathers footsteps into the Air Force, he was your hero. I am so glad you made the career change within the Air Force a few years ago and are doing something you love, and are very good at!! I remember the night you got saved. You had went forward in Sunday school, because Jimmy did, but you knew it was not right. The Lord convicted you and you came into the living room one night in tears, afraid you would not go to heaven, your Dad talked with you and you prayed to receive Christ, hallelujah!!! The Lord has proved faithful in your life, as we have seen Jen and Jordan come to know Him and Caylee as she seeks Him. You have made me so proud, your talent, your strength and your desire to serve the Lord. You ARE my Favorite (oldest) Son! And then to top it all off you chose a wonderful wife! Truly I could not have chosen better for you, I love you Jen, Happy Birthday to you too! I love you Chris, Happy Birthday!

Sewing again!

2008-08-19T19:05:00.004-05:00

We had the twins from last Wednesday until Sunday, Dan was speaking near Chicago and April went with him, so we were the lucky babysitters!! We had a great time with the boys, but I have to admit it was nice to sleep through the night Sunday night after they got back. They left about 4:00 Monday and are home safe and sound. April and I stopped by the Sewing center in town and I picked up this pattern yesterday morning, so this afternoon I sat down to sew! I thought I would like the smaller bag (and I do), but it was not quite big enough for my stuff, (it is about 11.5" square), so I made the larger one also. They have pockets all around the inside, and I made one just the right size for my cell phone.

I used decorator fabric for the outside which is a little sturdier, I actually got this fabric at Walmart - I love the colors.

I learned how to put on magnetic snaps, which I had never done before.

Here is the pattern, it is by Amy Butler.

More Mackinaw pics

2008-08-15T13:25:00.006-05:00

Macinaw Island

2008-08-12T07:08:00.004-05:00

On the top of the world, oh no, on the way to the island. Island harbor light Here we go! The Grand Hotel Porch The Grand Hotel flower shop A topiary on the lawn

Some more candid shots. Can you name where they were taken?

2008-08-07T18:16:00.003-05:00

5 out of 6

2008-08-05T07:32:00.001-05:00

We are missing Al, hopefully someday we will have a complete picture!

It was great to visit with everyone!