In The Garden With Miss Jean

Happy Birthday To Maggie!

2012-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

Oh, boy! I'm such a bad Scottie Mommy! This past Friday, January 20th was Maggie's 4th birthday and I totally forgot!!!! Bad Mommy!!!

I know I have posted this picture before but it's my favorite picture of Maggie. It's taken at the Painted Dessert while we were on vacation.

It's hard to believe that she is four years old already. It seems like just yesterday we got the call from a friend who said, "just come and look at her!" "She is sooooo sweet!" The rest is Scottie puppy history. We've had our ups and downs with her. She was quite the head strong destructive puppy. Our previous Scottie didn't do half the things Maggie did. But you know, that's what makes Maggie Maggie. She still acts like a puppy, playing with her toys ,chasing birds and guarding the house. Every evening, though, she settles down and while I watch television in bed she curls up at the end of the bed and waits patiently 'till I turn out the lights. Then it's Scottie snuggle, cuddle time!

Most every one who meets her falls in love with her. It makes me feel good to know that at the groomers she gets such wonderful care. I was watching the Dog Whisperer the other night and I couldn't help but think what a great trainer Caesar is. However, I do think he would have a few issues with Maggie. She barks, she jumps on people, she doesn't usually come when you call her. I guess I'll solve that problem by never having Caesar over!!!

Happy Birthday, Miss Maggie!!!! We love you so much!!

2012-01-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here in the central valley of California we don't get rain in the summer so the farmers have to either irrigate or use sprinklers. We've had virtually no rain this winter so the local farmers turned on the sprinklers the other morning. It was either for that or they did it because of the hard freeze we were expecting. Either way, the results were beautiful. This is what we woke up to down at the end of my street.

This may be no big deal for you all back in the mid-west and east coast, but to me it was just awesome. I've only seen this one other time in all the years I've lived here.

Thankfully, we're getting some rain out there tonight and have storms lined up for the next week. This is great news, especially for Reno, Nevada which has a huge fire threatening homes right now.

With the rains coming I think it will be the perfect time to stay indoors, drink hot cider, read some and get ready for quilt retreat which is coming up next month.

Take care....

Sans Photos

2012-01-15T11:25:00.001-08:00

I drove up the freeway about an hour yesterday to go out to lunch with my two sisters, my niece and my niece's daughter (I'd say great niece but that makes me sound really old! LOL!). We live just enough apart that we attempt to meet for lunch mid way to keep in touch. Mom was feeling under the weather so she stayed home and I drove alone. It was sunny and with the radio to keep me company it was a pleasant drive.

I promise I had my camera, all charged and ready to go. In the bottom of my purse. Left and forgotten! Bad blogger, bad! Lunch was great and the company even better. Lots of laughing and sharing. We definitely need to do this more.

Afterwards we all went on our separate ways and I took the opportunity to hit a couple quilt shops I've been wanting to visit. With the price of gasoline at what it is I try to make my trips worth while. I don't hop in the car and just run off as much as I used to.

Anyway, visiting the quilt shops was fun but interesting as well. The only purchase I made was a package of Little Genie Magic Bobbin Washers. I had seen them on a blog and thought I would give them a try. Hop over and read what they are for.

Back to the shops....At the first shop, where I made my purchase, I was greeted with a hello when I came in the door. After that "you're on your own!" I felt like I was intruding at someone else's party. There were lots of ladies in the shop who obviously all knew each other and the sales people and they were laughing and having a grand old time. "Hello! Is anybody back there?" At the second shop I didn't even get a hello. This shop recently changed owners who obviously didn't get the training memo on customer service.

Gosh, I wish sometimes I could open my own quilt shop (In the Garden With Miss Jean's Quilt Shop-may I help you?") I would clone some of the awesome quilt shops I've been to in my travels - California, Oregon, Washington,Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Alabama, to name a few - and make ALL of my customers feel welcome and special. In this economy it's the only way to stay in business.

Quilters: tell me about your experiences good and bad. What do you do when you experience bad service? I've been known to email the owner when it was really bad. Sound severe? She was really glad I did as she didn't know what was going on.

Football is on so I'm going to go make myself scarce. Denver lost yesterday and I just can't watch another game. *Disclaimer-I don't "like" football, but it was Denver and Tebow and you know....."

Have a restful Sunday and a wonderful week.

Just Humming Along in 2012

2012-01-01T15:48:00.001-08:00

Well, folks, how is 2012 treating you? So far so good? I've tried to keep busy today because I have heard that what you do on January 1st is what you do the entire year. So...... busy, busy, busy! I don't make resolutions other than resisting the urge to sky dive! I usually give that up for Lent as well and I'm not even Catholic! Just covering all the bases LOL! Seriously, I do try to think about what I would like to accomplish, things like getting organized, losing weight and quilting and gardening more.

This is a picture of a type of hummingbird we have here in California. I've not had much luck with hummingbird feeders but they love my flowers and are often seen in the back feasting on the fuchsias. An article I found said they can be found mostly during the warm seasons of spring and summer. Well, someone forgot to tell my little friend!

I can't remember if I have shown you picture of the hedge that goes up to my front door. I just love it! It's a Camellia Sasanqua called Apple Blossom and it starts to bloom in the winter near Christmas. Your garden variety camellias need shade but the sasanquas can take the sun so it was the perfect choice for some winter color. When nothing much else is blooming it puts out a riot of pink and white flowers that can be seen from down the street and a dusting of petals up to the front door. It has attracted a little hummingbird who has taken up residence amongst the branches and has been living there since summer.

In fact, when I went out this morning to get the Sunday paper it really startled me. It sleeps amongst the branches near the front and when I walk by it is jumps up and rushes off making the loudest little funny motor boat engine sound. Scared the be-jabbers out of me. I have tried to look to see if I can see a nest but so far haven't been able to see where she sleeps.

I've decided not to trim the hedge after the camellia finishes blooming like I usually do. I'm not sure when hummingbirds lay eggs and I would hate to harm any babies. I'll have to let the gardener know as well. So scraggly camellias it is! Worth it in my book.

So what are your plans for the new year? Do you make resolutions? Are you going to create a "bucket list" of goals or try to change a habit? Whatever it is I hope you are successful. One thing for sure I'm going to do is keep an eye out for my little friend.

Toodles!

Christmas Blessings

2011-12-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

From my family to yours, may you have the most Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Celebrating A Birthday

2011-12-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago today our family was able to celebrate a birth. Not just the birth of our Lord, but the birth of our Grandson, Samuel. He arrived on Christmas Eve to the joy and delight of us all.

Christmas day that year was so special. His big brother, Redmond, got all dressed up and we took him to the hospital to see his new little brother. We delayed our Christmas dinner and opening of presents until Samuel came home.

This child has turned into one of the most kind, sincere, funny and joyful little boys you would ever want to meet. He's considerate of others, is intuitive to what's going on around him and has wisdom beyond his years.

Happy Birthday, Samuel Paul. We love you so very much!

Christmas Cross Stitch

2011-12-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I would show you a Christmas cross stitch I did a few years back. I just love it! After it was completed and framed I sprayed it with glitter. I am not sure if it shows up, but it's all sparkly. That one little Scottie looks like she's smelling the gingerbread!

Before there were quilts In the Garden, there was cross stitch. I made quite a few but had to quit as I got older and my eyes got worse. I think I'm going to give it another shot, though. What with new glasses (tri-focals folks!) and great craft lighting, I think I can do it again. I have a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time so after the holidays I think I'll get it out and give it a try. Also, after the holidays, I'll show you some of the other non holiday cross stitch that I've done.

Have a great holiday week!

Toodles!!!

Abby

2011-12-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

This is my son's dog, Abby. You have seen her before playing with Maggie. They are best friends but Abby lives in Colorado and Maggie lives in California so they don't get to see each other very often. I had mentioned here that she is going to need a temporary home since my son who is in the Navy will be going overseas in the spring. It isn't practical for him to take her with him and he'll be gone for one to two years. We can't take her due to a number of reasons. I would if I could and it breaks my heart.

I am so happy to report that someone has stepped forward and is going to care for her as long as is needed!!!! This is a big relief for me. Son had talked about taking her, but putting her in the cargo hold of a plane for 12+ hours just didn't seem safe to me. So while he is off to his new station, Maggie will be headed to Arizona and soaking up the sun!!

This is a common issue that those in the military face when they are deployed or transferred to another country with plans on returning. What do they do with their pets who are family members in every sense of the word?

If you know someone in this situation and you have the means, please consider fostering the pets of military personnel. There are a number of agencies who coordinate this sort of thing. You can do an internet search for "military pet foster care programs" and check them out.

Thank you from this Navy Mom!

That time of the year

2011-12-09T11:41:00.001-08:00

Not much is getting done here In the Garden.

Just drinking lots of this...

...and this......

and using lots and lots of these!

All I have been able to do is sleep and read. I hope I get well soon. Places to go, people to see!!!

Stay healthy out there!

Stone Gable

2011-12-05T03:33:00.000-08:00

One of the most beautiful and well written blogs out there is Stone Gable. Yvonne has been such an inspiration to her readers with her recipes, decorating, gardening and most importantly, her faith. She has come to the decision to stop blogging.

Please stop on over and wish her well. She will be sorely missed!

What's in a name...

2011-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

No matter what you call her:

Maggie

Maggie Mae

Maggi-nator

Maggie Doodles

Maggie Poo

She is one spoiled - and loved - little dog!

Baking In the Garden

2011-11-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

Say, you were going to a party.

Say, you needed to bring cookies for a cookie exchange.

Say, you decided to make Pumpkin cookies.

Would you use the spice on the left or the spice on the right?

Need I say more?

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed!

Christmas Decorating.......

2011-11-29T15:55:00.001-08:00

.....Baby steps, little baby steps!!!

I don't want to catch a virus!

2011-11-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that my computer is in the shop again and I won't be able to post any new pictures till I get it back. I had to take it back to the shop to have Windows reinstalled and when I got it back I got to thinking that I hadn't seen Spybot running at all. When I called the shop and they told me how to check, it said the last time it had run all my virus protection programs was NEVER!!! EGADS!!! New hard drive, new system and no virus protection!?! Pulled the plug, took it in and FIX IT PLEASE!!!!!!

I hope to get it back soon. You just can't be too careful!

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving and a stress-free Black Friday.

Hugs!

Pulling the wool over our eyes!

2011-11-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

We saw such beautiful country on our recent trip. Breath taking scenery from rivers to mountains to prairie land. On our way home we took Highway 89 north to Salt Lake City on the recommendation of my blog friend, Anna. It was such a beautiful drive through a valley resplendent with mountains, old towns full of historical houses and buildings and lots and lots of ranches and farms. A little something for everyone. I have a feeling that they get lots of snow in the winter, but the people who live there are warm and friendly. I only wish we could have taken more time to explore the area.

As we were driving along the traffic slowed down and then stopped. At first we though there was road construction. Then we spotted the sheep. A local rancher was moving the herd from one field to another. At least that's what I think he was doing. All we could do was sit and watch the parade go by.

It was actually a nice break from all the traffic and "modernness" in which we live in. A little throw back to simpler times.

We live in an area of California that is agricultural and the cities are encroaching on the farm land. Sometimes you will be driving and get behind a piece of farm equipment on the road (Listen to International Harvester by Craig Morgan!) and you can't go around it. Some people get impatient I know, but I don't. I like to sit back and relax, take a deep breath and appreciate being out of the rat race even if it's just for a little bit of time. Besides, the farmers and ranchers were all here before we were!!!

Eating our way across America!

2011-11-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

All of our friends know that when Sweety and I travel it's all about the food! We do research before we go anywhere to make sure we hit all the local favorites. One of our favorite television shows is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We've been fortunate enough to be able to eat at quite a few of the restaurants that have been featured. Some great, some not so much!

On our recent trip to Denver we made a point to stop at the Bagel Deli which is a mere 20 minutes from our son's house!!! How lucky can you get? It was featured on the show and did not disappoint. It's a classic Jewish deli. If I lived close to it I would seriously have to join Jenny Craig!!!

It is not fancy and it sits to the back of a little strip mall, but don't let the outside fool you. They have awesome food and the most friendly help.

This is what I ordered. Egg salad and pastrami. I know it sounds weird, but Guy had it on the show so I thought I would give it a shot. All I can say is OMGOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was absolutely delicious - messy - but beyond awesome!!!!!

No, folks, this is not a Thanksgiving dinner for a family of four. It's Sweety's sandwich - pastrami, corned beef and brisket. Again, absolutely fabulous!!!!! If you are in the area, you must stop here. Just take an appetite!
In Salt Lake City we stopped at Ruth's Diner, a local favorite. It is a warm and friendly comfort food sort of place that again, was featured on Triple D. For an appetizer, they bring you a plate full of the biggest biscuits you have ever seen!!

It started to snow while we were there, which made it all that more beautiful!

Another stop we made in Salt Lake on our way back was Pat's BBQ. We didn't eat there but Sweety got an order of ribs to go. Our van smelled heavenly!!!

In Winnemucca, Nevada we stopped at The Griddle . It hasn't been on Triple D, but it should be. In fact, if it weren't so far from us, we'd be going there often. If you are driving through Nevada I highly recommend you stopping by. Great food, friendly employees, I give a 5 stars!

We ate at other restaurants along the way, naturally. We always stop at Cracker Barrel and I get the Chicken and Dumplings (hold me!) We stopped at a restaurant in Reno that will remain nameless that had been on Triple D that was terrible! Dirty, disgusting, cigarette smoke and terrible food. We stopped at Altitudes in Laramie, Wyoming which was wonderful!!!! I had the Turkey Havarti Panini and it was great. I don't remember what Sweety had as I was too busy stuffing my face!!

While at our son's we ate at our local favorites, Jim and Nick's for Bar-B-Que, Rosie's for breakfast (the best breakfast ANYWHERE!!) and The Village Inn (great food and free pie on Wednesdays).

We had to cut our trip short to get back to help out our daughter, so we were unable to go to some other restaurants in the Denver area that we had planned on trying. I'm hoping to make one more trip back there before our son leaves so I can go to them.

There were other restaurants we stopped at but it's starting to become one big calorie laden, fat, and carbohydrate haze! Aaaahhh, life is good!!! The only thing I can't figure out is why my jeans are tighter and the tires needed air put in them........ Hmmmm, what's up with that!?!

Thank you, Maggie

2011-11-18T09:13:00.001-08:00

Ever faithful, always watching over us....

Maggie's Excellent Adventure

2011-11-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

I got my computer back from the local "computer hospital" and I figured out how to download pictures again. I thought I would show you some of the pictures from our recent trip to Denver.

We took Maggie with us, naturally. The weather was going to be cool so there was no concern for her safety if we needed to make pit stops. She is sitting on our pillows (we always take our own) but went back and forth to her dog bed, as well. She doesn't look like it but she is in there safe and sound. First of all she has on a harness, not just a collar. Then she is attached to this which fastens into the seat belt latch. This prevents her from being hurt of running away in case of an accident, a sudden stop, or just opening the door. Using the harness is the key. If you just used a collar and stopped, your dog could get choked, or worse. She loves her little perch and travels so well. She is able to move around a little, see the sights and nap. See the cubby to the right with the water bottle in it? There is one on the other side that I filled with her dog food for snacking. Hubs kept an eye on her using the mirror in the visor a.k.a. "Maggie Cam".

She loves going to Denver to visit our son because she also gets to visit his dog, Abby. They get along so well and are a big help patrolling for squirrels and bunnies. (I'm going to be doing another post soon on Abby. She is going to need a temporary home while our son goes overseas again and I will be asking for help.)

Our son's yard is huge by California standards. Maggie just loves it. One of her favorite things to do is to sit waaaaaaaaay to the back at the top of the slope and survey all of the surroundings. She doesn't have that luxury here at home and I felt bad for her when we left.

On our way home we stopped at a wonderful rest stop in the canyon outside of Denver just before you get to Glenwood Springs on Highway 70. Maggie got really excited because she saw her first snake! I couldn't take a picture as I was trying to keep her away from it. Hubs said it could be poisonous (something about the shape of the head) so we didn't want to take any chances.

Maggie was really excited to see the Colorado River for the first time.

We walked down and she got to get a drink of clear, cool water.....

....and immediately peed! My apologies to the people who get their drinking water from the Colorado River!

We also stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats outside of Salt Lake City. They are beautiful! We tasted the water and it was way saltier than you can imagine.

I'm really proud of our little Maggie. She was absolutely no trouble on our trip. She's very patient in the morning at the motels while I get dressed so she can go outside. The best thing is she never gets car sick.

We stayed in the Larkspur Hotel Truckee, California on our last night coming home. Like the other motels we stayed in, they let you bring your dog but this establishment takes it a step further. They have a container of dog treats on the counter when you check in. They also give you a dog bowl, a dog chew toy and one of these to hook on the leash. What a great place to stay!!!

I'll post some more pictures of our trip soon. We ate at some amazing restaurants and you have got to see the food!!!

Holiday Magazine

2011-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

I don't do a lot of holiday decorating at my house. It has a lot to do with stress and having to figure out where to put all my regular stuff to put out the holiday decor. I don't like to rearrange furniture or nick nacks at all. Weird, I know, but there you are. I put something somewhere and there it stays. For years! I don't go out and purchase lots of holiday magazines because I figure I don't need the inspiration and magazines are getting expensive, anyway.

However, I do subscribe to a few magazines and was beyond thrilled when I found this in the mail box yesterday!

This is definitely a keeper and has the Maggie seal of approval!!!

Making Do

2011-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do when I'm feeling tired and stressed out is to take a nice long hot bubble bath.

I set the stage and get everything ready. A candle for atmosphere.

A good book to read and a tall glass of ice water.

A bath pillow to lean against.

Ah, the stage is set. Just one problem. I'm out of bubble bath. What shall I do?

Improvise! Works for me!!! It's a good thing I have grandchildren that come over and spend the night.

Happy Halloween....

2011-10-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

....from my front porch to yours!

Pumpkin Time

2011-10-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

I still can not figure out how to load new pictures onto my computer. So until I get the kinks worked out, I thought I'd post a picture from last year. This is Maggie making friends at a pumpkin patch up at Apple Hill, California.

Have a great fall weekend!

Computers!!!!

2011-10-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Before our vacation I had taken my computer in to be "fixed". Well, now, for some reason, my pictures are not down loading in the proper area and I can't post any of them. As soon as I can figure out what to do and fix it, I'l show you some of our vacation pictures.

In the meantime, I have my hands full with Sweety and my Mom having more skin cancer surgery.

It doesn't rain, it pours........

Give Away Winner (s) Announced!

2011-10-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to get back to normal around here after Sweety's fall. Normal as can be expected, at least. Sweety is feeling better, which may or may not be drug induced! LOL! But whatever works.

I thought I better draw the winning name for the giveaway of Carrie Nelson's book, A touch of Rosie Quilts before you all thought I had forgotten. So without further ado and with my own very scientific way of drawing the winner is:

KAREN from SHORT STORY LONG!!!
Woo Hoo!!! Karen: Send me an email with your address and I'll get this off to you ASAP!

I hit many quilt stores on our little trip and found Carrie's Schnibbles patterns in most, if not all, of them. So I thought, hey, why not have a second little giveaway of a schnibbles pattern! So.....the winner of the Schnibbles pattern, Ballet Slippers is..............

Linda of James-Linda
Linda, send me an email with your address and I'll send you the pattern. I hope you enjoy it!!!!

Thanks to all of you who entered and thank you especially for all of your wishes to hubs and I for a safe and wonderful trip to visit our son. I'll be posting pictures this week. Miss Maggie had some adventures and left her "mark".

We're Home!

2011-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

We're home from our road trip to Colorado. In all, I drove 3,612 miles in seven states and experienced snow, rain, sleet, wind and glorious sunny weather! Sweety, Maggie and I had a wonderful time visiting our son and hated to leave. I'll be posting pictures later this week.

I know I promised to draw a name for my give-away but that will have to wait a few days as well. As some of you are aware, my Sweety had a stroke 6 years ago and has some residual physical affects to his left side. We drove to our daughter's house yesterday to pick up the grandsons as she is out of town and we have to watch them the rest of the week. Well, Sweety got out of the car without his cane and proceeded to fall off her front porch - splat - onto the concrete driveway, face hitting the ground, blood everywhere and glasses scratched. Luckily, a nurse was across the street and came and helped while I dialed 911. They said he looked alright but that I may want him looked at. Off to the e.r. after getting the boys situated with my mom. Six hours later we were on our way home. Thankfully, nothing is broken, which is a big worry with his mobility problems. He hit his nose really bad and it is swollen and his eyes black and blue. It may need plastic surgery at a later date. He sprained his wrist and fingers of his "wonky" hand rather than his good hand which is a praise. He smashed his left knee and it is the size of a grapefruit. Miraculously, nothing was broken!!!! He just looks like he went 10 rounds with a boxer and lost! We got home and to bed at 2:00 a.m. and he's still zonked out on some really good meds!! This on the same day we get home from vacation. **I just got a call from an emergency room physician. They reviewed his cat scans again and feel that he may have a fracture in his left forearm after all and we will have to be taking him to an orthopedic doctor soon. Good grief!!!

A quilting friend of mine found out just last week that her husband had cancer and he passed away last night. So in the scheme of things I don't have anything to complain about. Please be in prayer for my friend Debbie and her family.

Like I said, I'll draw for my give-away later this week. In the meantime, I'm going to go take a nap.......

Blogging Break and a Giveaway!

2011-10-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sweety and I are hitting the road and are going to go to Colorado to visit our son. Yea!!!! I love him so much and I love Colorado so it's a win, win situation. We'll be back when we get back - oh the joys of retirement!! In the meantime I'll be AWOBL (Absent Without Blogging Leave).

I didn't make that one up. I stole it from Carrie over at Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. If you are a quilter, you know all about Carrie's wonderful company that produces patterns and books. Her collection of Schnibbles patterns are all the rage.

Tell me I am not the only person in the world that buys patterns and books only to find out that I have them at home. Please! Sad thing is how many times I've done it. Now I've done it again!!!

This time with Carrie's wonderful book, A Touch of Rosie. It's chock full of beautiful quilt patterns. Since I ordered it online, I can't return it so one of you lucky quilters out there will benefit by my mistake. Just leave a comment and let me know you would like to win the book. Pass the word around to all of your quilter friends. This book is a gem!!!

See ya when I see ya!!

***I'm sorry that I forgot to mention when I would draw a name to win the book! I'll do it when we return home from Colorado. Thanks for being patient!

With a Little Help From My Friends

2011-09-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

I need some help and what better place to go than to my blog friends out there! Sweety and I are planning on driving back to Denver to visit our son. He's going to be leaving for overseas again next year so we want to make another trip back to visit him.

We are trying to coordinate our trip with some things we are having to take care of here on the homefront. We'll either be going in October or November. We'll be driving up Highway 80 across Nevada and Utah, hitting Highway 15 south in Salt Lake City and then on over to Colorado on Highway 70.

I need some advise from all you Nevada, Utah and Colorado bloggers out there. Would it be better to try to go in October or November weather wise? I know that the weather is unpredictable, but generally speaking.

Also, what are the must see places to see, must stop at restaurants to go to?

Thanks so much!!! I know I can count on my blogging friends!!!!!

(and, yes, Maggie is going too!!!)

Make Someone's Day

2011-09-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have one of "those" days where, looking back, you should have just saved yourself a lot of trouble and stayed in bed? You know what I mean. Things go from bad to worse no matter what you do. You get up in the morning and BAM! Then another BAM, then another. Whoa, I didn't see that coming! BAM! Maybe it's best when bad things come in clusters. Do it all at once. Get it all over. OK, I can do this.......then BAM!!!!! Is it life? Is it cosmic payback? Is it Karma?

I had an idea for a blog post the other day so I'm going to write about it here today as I'm on the receiving end myself.

Do you ever feel something nudging you to pay someone a compliment and then shoo that thought away? Well, don't! Just jump in there and say it. I really feel that it is God's angels tapping you on the shoulder telling you that that person needs to hear it. We all need affirmation from time to time. A comment such as, "you look so good today!" "love that sweater!" "that was so nice of you to do." may be just what they need to hear. Life may have just thrown them a curve ball and that one little compliment is what they need to hold on to.

We never know what personal tragedies or just plain old bad days people are having to carry around just by looking at them. They may not look like a whimpering mess. They may appear to be the most put together person in the world. But.......tap, tap! Say it, tell her she's wonderful. Tell her you appreciate her. Tell her she looks good. Whatever has come into your mind. Just do it!

So, with that, thank you Anna from the bottom of my heart. You really made my day!!!

Dust

2011-09-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

To say that my dad was eccentric is an understatement. He came out of poverty from the hills of Kentucky and worked hard to improve his life, joined the army, served in World War II, worked at Kellogg's of Battle Creek, moved to California and went into business for himself. He flew private planes and doted on his grandchildren. That being said, he did have his idiosyncrasies. One of which was that he trusted no one. Nope, no one. I think in some way that's why I have an analytical brain. I don't take things for face value. I love a good mystery book or movie and try to figure out the solution before the ending. I always credit it to years of reading Nancy Drew but I know Dad has something to do with it as well.

Throughout my childhood I would sit in the back seat of our car with my two sisters listening to Dad say, "That car looks suspicious." He'd write the license plate number in the dust on the dash "just in case" he needed to do something with it. We'd sit in the back and roll our eyes, never daring to say anything to him. He never did anything with those numbers. Just added to them every time we went somewhere. Didn't everyone live like that!?!

I now live in the central valley of California, Almond orchard central. Every year at this time the almonds are harvested. Some nice person doesn't climb a ladder and pick those little nuts one by one by hand. Oh, no! A farm worker, like the one at the end of my street this morning, climbs on board a shaker. It's a devious piece of farm equipment that I swear was invented by Tim Burton, or in the least, could be in one of his movies.

It's driven up to the unsuspecting tree, it's long arms are wrapped around the trunk like a warm September hug, they turn on the motor and WHAM! A whole lot of shaking is going on!!!! The nuts fall to the ground and the contraption moves on to the next innocent little tree and this goes on, ad nauseam. The first time I saw one in action I was driving by in my car and I almost ran off the road and peed my pants laughing as it is quite comical to watch. After the nuts are all on the ground, another piece of farm equipment comes by and sweeps them up, deposits them via conveyor belt into a waiting truck where they are then taken to an almond place and processed. (You can tell by my professional vernacular that I am no farmer!)

One of the byproducts of the shaking is the dust. We have no rain here during the summer growing season so things are pretty dry, dusty and dirty. The dust is everywhere and they even have to put "low visibility" signs on the streets because it's downright dangerous at times to drive through it as you can't see a thing. It makes it's way down the streets and through the fields and into my little house and all over my furniture. I can dust one minute and it's back the next. It's a futile pursuit, but one I keep at because I have the misguided hope that at some point I will triumph!

During this time of year when the morning light is streaming into the house I can see the dust particles dancing in the air. You could write your name in the dust on my buffet in the dining room. Heck, you could write the Gettysburg Address on it! I just look at it and think of Dad and those license plate numbers on the dash.

M.I.A.

2011-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been missing in action! Actually, not much action has been going on here In The Garden but the same old, same old. Not getting things done, too much drudge work. Like I said, same old, same old.

I've been having computer problems as well. It started getting slower......and slower...... and slower. It kept hanging up and closing and basically driving me nuts. I took it in to our little town's local computer repair store. I love having a little shop locally that I can trust. They are awesome. I didn't have any viruses, thank goodness. They did put in a new hard drive and a new search engine. I went from Safari to Firefox. Most things are the same but I have a little tweaking to do. If you know me very well you know that I hate change so even a little change drives me nuts. Hmmmmmmmmmm.............

As soon as I get all settled I'll get you all catch up on what's been going on in my little corner of the world. In the meantime, give out hugs. They are free!!!

Out of the Darkness

2011-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, the thoughts of the nation, if not the world, will be on the events that happened on September 11, 2001. Our family did not lose a loved one in that terrible tragedy. However, we did lose someone earlier in that same year.

This is a picture of my nephew, Paul, the eldest son of my middle sister. Paul was so close to my husband and I when he was little and it was like he was our own child. He was especially close to my daughter. He was proud of his service in the United States Army and served during Desert Storm. Sadly, on a July day in 2001 when he was just 36 years old, for a reason we will never know, Paul took his own life. Our lives and our world would never quite be the same again.

In the years since he died, I have been so taken aback by the number of people that I have discovered that suicide has affected. It has been a friend, a co-worker, a nurse, a shop owner, the list goes on. Many have had someone in their family who saw, for a brief moment, no way out of their personal pain. They leave behind a legacy of grief and guilt. "Why didn't I know?" "What could I have done?" "If I had only....."

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 33,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater, nor their work more urgent. September 4th starts National Suicide Prevention week and culminates on September 10th with World Suicide Prevention day on September 10th. Through this organization, Out of the Darkness Walks are being held across the country to raise funds for research and education .

Why do they call it Out of the Darkness? For some, the pain and perceived shame is too difficult to talk about. We need to do all we can to support those around us who are hurting. We need tell those out there that see no "way out" that there is indeed a door of compassion and help they can reach for. We need to let those left behind know that there are others who know what they are going through and that they have our support and understanding.

This Saturday, September 10th, four generations of women in my family, including Paul's Mother, will participate in the Out of the Darkness Walk in Modesto to honor his memory. We covet your prayers during that day. I know it will be difficult for us all. If you see it in your heart to donate to this organization, please contact me via my email and I will give you the information needed to do so.

Thank you so much.

Labor Day

2011-09-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Maggie here. Mommy is taking the weekend off because it's Labor Day weekend. That makes no sense to me since shouldn't you "labor" on Labor Day? Humans! Anyway, she told me I had to work and earn my keep by writing this post. She was mumbling something about the price of dog food and grooming. I hope she goes and takes a nap soon so I can do the same thing.

I'm going to make this short and Scottie sweet. Everyone out there have a wonderful holiday weekend and be safe out there on the highways. And if there is a furry loved one in your family, tell them Maggie says hello!! Arooooooo!

PRAYERS NEEDED!

2011-08-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Please remember to keep all those in the path of Hurricane Irene in your prayers. My blog friend, Nancy, of Strawberry Mallard is one of those being evacuated from a home she just moved to. I'm sure there are more bloggers out there that you know, as well as family and friends that are going to be affected.

May the Lord keep them in His protective arms and send angels to calm their fears.

Public Service Announcement!

2011-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Unless you have been stranded on an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean you have heard about The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She has become a household name in the blog universe. She has published her life story, written a children's book and put together a wonderful cookbook. She's also currently working on a second cookbook. All this while home schooling her four adorable children, helping with the ranch, becoming an accomplished photographer and doing the occasional public appearance. Last year she had a "throwdown" with Chef Bobby Flay and she won!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Well, bloggers out there, Ree is going to have her very own cooking show on Food Network! All I can say is it's about time and good going to the folks at Food Network.

The show is slated to start this Saturday, August 27th. Check out the link to her show for more information and check your local listings for the time in your neck of the woods. Set your TIVO or Direct TV or sit in front of your television set until it comes on. This is going to be HUGE!!!

Good luck, Ree!!!!

*Disclaimer: The fact that I have on my bucket list to either meet Ree or win one of her many contests had nothing to do with my glowing report of her upcoming show. But if it helps..........

The Help

2011-08-22T04:16:00.000-07:00

Have you read IT? Have you seen IT? I think if anyone asked anyone on the planet that question right now they wouldn't even have to ask what they were talking about. Everyone knows it's all about The Help right now.

I started to read the book when it first came out. But after a nasty run in with our local librarian I was unable to finish it. (I won't go into the gory details. Just suffice it to say that I don't agree with their renewal policies.) At the time I didn't know what a classic, powerful book it was or I would have broken down and purchased it so I could finish it. In fact I think the only reason I even started to read it in the first place was because the main character's name is Skeeter and that's my husband's nick name. We don't call him anything else.

There hasn't been a time in the past two years that I haven't seen it somewhere either on book shelves, book club reader lists or on book review blogs. Then it was announced that it was being made into a movie and I knew that this was something special that I needed to look into.

My clever sister's (see previous post) friend is in town visiting and I suggested that we go see it. All I can say is WOW!!!! When was the last time you were in a theater where there was laughing, crying, clapping and cheering? This movie is not to be missed. Take your daughters, mothers, sisters, friends. Take the men in your life as well. They will love it, too! It is life altering.

After watching the movie, we walked across the street for lunch where we ate outside. While we were there a group of ladies came by, obviously on their way to see the film. They were all dressed in the period from the film, the early sixties. They looked like they were all on their way over to Hilly's house for bridge! I wish I would have run over and taken their pictures. It was adorable!!

I ran down to Target and bought the book as they had it on sale for $10! I'm going to snuggle down and read it soon.

Suffice it to say this book (and the movie) is a true phenomenon. Kathryn Stockett has done an exemplary job. The book should be on every school's must read list. It will go down as a modern classic.

So, what are you waiting for? Go. Go now. Read the book. Go see the movie. Let me know what you think!

One word of warning. When you go see the movie, take kleenex!!

My Clever Sister

2011-08-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I gave my sister a stack of decorator magazines one day. Shortly thereafter she called and asked if I had seen the pot rack in one of them. She had been wanting to hang a pot rack in her kitchen, but until she gets rid of the fluorescent light box "thingy" she really can't hang a regular one. Do you all know what I mean? A large rectangular box with plastic opaque panels hanging smack dab in the middle of the kitchen over the island? So dated. Anyway, she copied the magazine which is a perfect plan "B"! I actually like it better than her plan "A". Sadly, I don't know which magazine it was from to give credit where credit is due.

She went out and purchased a bronze shower curtain rod and hung it over her sink. She loves antiques, but also dark colors and more eclectic items than I do. Her home has turned out warm and inviting, with treasures everywhere you look.

Is this not the most clever thing you have ever seen? She's had lots of fun going out and finding items to hang from it.

See that old frying pan? That is a frying pan my mom used "out in the country" when we had our farm in the 1950's! Fried pork chops, country gravy, homemade biscuits. Sorry, I digress.....The wood handle is too wobbly to safely use the pan anymore so I gave it to her to christen the pot rack. The potato masher was our grandmother's. Something I also had tucked away. Although I treasured the pan and the masher, it made so much more sense to me to give them to her where they would be utilized rather than hidden.

Other items such as the strainer and the sifter have been found here and there. The dried lavender rounds out the affect along with the meat hooks

Like I said, isn't my sister clever?

*My daughter had an issue with a dated fluorescent light fixture in her kitchen and this is what she did. She took the "box" and the light fixture completely down. It left marks on the ceiling and the area was really too low to hang a fixture so she framed in a recessed rectangle, taping, texturing and painting it. She chose pretty hanging lights that she installed. It turned out great and she did it all herself!!! Proud mama here!!!

Sewing Seeds of Sunshine

2011-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

*A quick note: Maggie was in a photo contest (see side bar). The contest has ended and the newspaper will be announcing the finalists sometime this week. I'll keep you posted!

Every year I always say I'm going to grow more of my flowers from seed. However, when it's time to plant, I just go out and buy flats of flowers. This year was no different, except I did get a package of Teddy Bear Sunflower seeds. I've never grown sunflowers before so I thought I would start out small . I'm hooked! They are super easy to grow and this little variety can be grown in a pot.

This is as tall as this plant is going to get. It adds just the right little touch of sunshine for the garden. I'm not sure if this variety will give me sunflower seeds to eat, but I really don't care. They are so pretty just as they are.

If you click on the picture to enlarge it you will notice some holes in the leaves. I'm not one to do lots of spraying for insects. We do have a spray service but they don't spray the plants, just the ground.

This is how the flowers start out - as tight buds.

Then they start opening up. They would be pretty just like this but they have more to go....

Gorgeous!!!!!

Next year I'll plant these again, along with some regular size ones to put directly into the garden.

Aaaahhhhhhh......

2011-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

....I do love me some Scottie stuff!!!

Maggie's Spa Day

2011-08-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

" Mommy! You're here!!! Save me. Look what they have done to me!! "

"Get me out of here! "

"Oh, the utter humiliation!!! "

"Hold on there, Maggie! I have to pay. You look adorable! "
"Talk to the tail, Mommy! "

"Ok, Mommy! I've been patient enough! Get these off of me!!!!!!!"

(No Scotties were harmed in the making of this post!)

History In the Making...

2011-07-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

I love that Darius Rucker song, History In the Making. It's about being in love and making a life together - making memories. Making history. That's how I feel about quilts. Do all you quilters out there realize that when you make a quilt you are making history?

Sweetie and I went on a day trip a few weeks ago and I went antiquing at the shops there. In my favorite shop I spotted this beautiful basket quilt. I thought about it for a while (ok, 10 minutes) and then snatched it up. I have quite a nice collection of old quilts and I have a number of wedding ring quilts. What I didn't have was a basket quilt. When I redecorate the guest bedroom it's going to be soft yellows, blues and pink so this beauty needed to come to my house.

What I don't understand is how people can part with their families treasures. Not that I'm not glad that they do. I paid a mere $55 for this quilt. Knowing how merchandise is marked up, it was probably grabbed up at a yard sale or estate sale for $15 or $20. Now don't think I'm criticizing what antique stores charge. I know what they go through and the hours of work they put in to bring us all these lovely items to buy. I am not fond of garage sales and crowds and getting up at 5:00 a.m. to fight my way through only to have something snatched out from under me. No, I'll gladly pay a little extra and let them do it. Besides, $55 was a steal for this treasure.

She's hand pieced and hand quilted with the prettiest soft colors.

There is only one little area with any problems which doesn't bother me at all.

Have you ever taken a nap under an antique quilt? It's soft and dreamy and heavenly!!

This quilter was my kind of gal. She put in some dots to brighten it up, something I like to do.

I was just so ecstatic to see that the maker had embroidered an initial on it as this is rare to find. I have a quilt made by my Great Great Grandma Vernon and she embroidered "VV" on it for Virgil Vernon. So what does "R" stand for? Was it made by Rachael or Rhonda or Rose for her dowry? Was it made by Roberta in her older years to comfort her in her solitude? Since my favorite movie is Somewhere in Time, in my romantic mind I think the R stands for Richard. A quilt made for the love of a lifetime by Elise, while waiting for his return. History in the making....

Another Win

2011-07-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the other day I had won another give away. I was going to post about it earlier but blogger wasn't cooperating.

No, Maggie didn't bleach her hair! This is our darling little friend Becky from The Strawberry Mallard. Her mommy had a contest to celebrate Becky's one year "Gotcha" anniversary. All you had to do to win was be the ninth person to leave a comment. There were eight other comments when I saw it and as per usual, I was having a terrible time leaving a comment. I finally found out the solution at, of all places, Facebook.

So this is what arrived in the mail one day. I love to get packages in the mail, don't you? Even if I know what is in them. In this case, I didn't know. All the more fun!

Inside, the goodies were wrapped up in darling Scotch plaid paper. Apropos, don't you think?

Maggie and I were just thrilled! She got something and I got something!

This is the cutest little collar charm. Saying that Maggie is spoiled is almost redundant!! LOL!

The darling card is sitting on Mary Englebreit fabric. Who doesn't just love Mary Englebreit!!!!!

"Mommy, this looks like bubble gum but it doesn't smell like bubble gum!"

"Mommy! It's pink and I just love my new chew toy. Don't even think about trying to take it away from me."

Nancy: Maggie and I want to thank you so very much for the gifts. We are so very glad that through this wonderful world of blogging our paths have crossed and we have become friends.

ARROOOOO!!!

A Bee-utiful Prize!

2011-07-11T09:07:00.001-07:00

I'm so lucky! I won a give-away recently from the fabulous Penny at Comforts of Home!!! I'm sure you all "know" Penny and if you don't (where have you been?) run, don't walk, over to her blog and sit and visit for a while. She is so talented and such a kind and caring person. Did I say talented? Her give-away was a fabulous glass hand-crafted honey dipper!!

The quilt group I belong to is called The Busy Bees so I was doubly excited to win as I collect bee "stuff". Isn't it gorgeous!?! Notice the card it came with? Penny won a giveaway herself a few years back. It was a painting from a photograph that she sent in. You can read all about it here. So I feel like I won two prizes! I'm going to frame the little card and hang it in my sewing room when I get it redecorated.

One thing that I really appreciated about Penny's giveaway is that all I had to do was leave a comment. I didn't have to "follow" her, although I do. I didn't have to do a post on the giveaway, like her on Facebook, put a link to her blog on my side bar, email my second cousin twice removed in Michigan to go check it out or stand on my head while reciting the Gettysburg Address. Do you see what I'm getting at? Sometimes I don't enter drawings because I'm expected to jump through too many hoops to be entered. Just saying....

Until I can find the perfect glass honey jar I'm putting the dipper in my glass spooner with my collection of silver spoons.

My favorite spoons in this collection are my U.S. Navy spoons, being the proud Navy mom that I am!

Thanks Penny, I'll treasure my honey dipper for years!!!

(I actually won another giveaway but will post about that later this week. Each wonderful person deserves there time in the spotlight!)

Catching Up

2011-07-07T08:48:00.001-07:00

Hi, there, everyone! Maggie here. Mommy has asked me to help her catch up on her posting. She's been busy watching the grandsons and between that and the terrible heat we have been having here, she hasn't had the energy to do much of anything. What have I been doing, you ask? Part of the day I sit in front of the screen door and do my Scottie guard duty. When it gets too warm and Mommy puts the air conditioner on, I take long naps. Where is my favorite nap spot, you ask? Under one of the beds, of course. Nice and cool and private!!

Mommy and Daddy spent a day a few weeks back doing some errands up in Sacramento. It was too hot for them to take me along, so I stayed home and, er, napped! One of the stops they made was at a garden center they had never been to before. From all accounts, it was wonderful. Lots of perennials that Mommy doesn't see too often. The picture above is an artichoke that has been left to turn into a thistle.

I'm rather glad I stayed home or I would have met the nursery kitty. They were having a special Father's Day celebration that weekend so the nursery people thought it would be cute to dress her up. From what Mommy has said, that was one mad kitty. She wasn't too terribly happy at having to walk around looking like a court jester. She wouldn't even make eye contact with anyone! I'm sure if I had been there she would have been even more embarrassed.

After the nursery, they drove to a new quilt store that had opened. Mommy says you can read about it here. Mommy had met one of the owners when she worked at another quilt store in the area that has since closed (insert frowny face here).

The shop is new and still small but has so much great potential, mostly due to the fact that it is such a warm and friendly place to go! I wonder if they let dogs visit?

Here is Mommy's friend, Shirley, but everyone knows her as Gran. She even has a blog! Mommy thinks she is the sweetest person and wishes her and all the other owners the best luck in the world. They don't have their web site up and running yet, but the link she gave you has the address in Sacramento. Stop in and tell them hi and ask if they will let me come in next time.

Next Mommy and Daddy went to a couple of antique shops but forgot to take pictures. I think it was because Mommy was so excited about seeing an antique store that was that HUGE!!! After shopping they went out for lunch here, ate waaaaayyyy too , stopped at a used book store for Daddy and then came home. Where was I when they came home? Under the bed, of course.

Mommy will be back in a day or two. Something about her winning something bee-utiful! Excuse me while I go check the front yard and then go take a nap...........

Maggie out!

Fourth of July

2011-07-03T19:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday America!!!

Weekend

2011-06-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's going to be hot this weekend in Miss Jean's garden. Hubs and I are going to take a drive and then relax on Sunday.

You do the same, where ever you are. Enjoy your weekend!!!

In The Garden With Miss Jean

2011-06-13T06:17:00.000-07:00

I love my new garden shoes!!!

Yes, those are Laurel Burch socks. Quite the fashion statement, don't you think?

Out of the mouths of babes!

2011-06-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

My youngest grandson and I were watching America's Got Talent the other night. You have to understand that this show should be called Not All of America's Got Talent. It's great fun to watch, though. Especially with a nine year old.

There was one fellow on there this week that sang. He was not good. In fact, he was terrible. He explained before he started that he had been singing for 30 years. After he had finished (and had been buzzed off by the judges) my grandson turns to me and with the most serious deadpan look on his face says, "Well that's 30 years wasted!"

After watching the show for a while I turned to him and said, "I think I should audition to be on America's Got Talent! I could sing or dance!"

Ever the one not to want to hurt any one's feelings, he says, "I don't think so, Grandma. I think you should do something else."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Hmmmmmmmm. You should cook! You are good at cooking!"

"What should I cook?"

"Cupcakes, grandma, cupcakes! But that would be a cooking show, wouldn't it?"

"Yes it would. I could still sing or dance on America's Got Talent, though. I'll practice my singing for you." I start singing the first thing that pops into my mind:

"I love you
A bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck......"

He looks over at me with the most serious face and says, "Cooking, Grandma, cooking!"

The next day I walked up to him and started singing again. He just put his head down, put his hands on his head and said, "Oh, God!"

I love that little guy!!!!

Grandchildren are the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. For all of you who are grandparents you know what I'm talking about. For all of you who are about to become a grandparent (blog friend, you know who you are!), you have no idea how much fun you are about to have!

Have a great weekend! I'll be practicing my singing........

You say tomato, I say tomato!

2011-06-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: My sister went shopping and wandered in to an Ethan Allen store and found the chair of her dreams. I'll post pictures of it when it arrives.

Oh, and my followers are gone again! Hey Blogger! Is anybody back there!?! Now the followers are back. Must be a server malfunction of some sort.

My sister is looking for the perfect overstuffed chair to go in her tea/sitting room. She has marvelous antiques and even better taste in decorating. The chair has to be just right. Sort of like this darling chair I found a picture of while surfing the internet. Isn't it pretty!?! Pricey, but pretty.

She has asked me to ask all of you out there in blog land for help. Where do you get your furniture? Are there special stores to go to in your area? Do you buy via the internet? Hopefully she can find something in our area. We live in the central valley of California and are not adverse to driving a couple hours if need be.

She used to have a favorite store that had multiple locations in the bay area, including Livermore and Walnut Creek. It was called Blue Tomato. They had the most wonderful furniture that you could have custom covered and she was always able to find out just what she needed. Sadly, they have closed. She knows the city where the former owners live, but can't find them as she doesn't remember their names. If any of you have any idea on how to find them, we would appreciate it. She wants to see if they still have the names of some of their furniture distributors and then, hopefully, she could contact the distributors and find out where they sell their furniture through.

We all know how we want just the right things for our homes and I want her to be successful in finding what she needs.

Thanks bloggers!

Weekend Plans

2011-06-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a long, stressful couple weeks here in Miss Jean's garden. My mom has had to have surgery again for skin cancer. All I can say is stay out of the sun and/or use sun screen!!!! Also, with school being out we have started watching the grandson's again for the summer. I love the little guys so much but there is always that adjustment period. Whew, I'm tired.

This weekend I had plans to work In The Garden which is very relaxing to me. I've been doing lots of planting lately and I have lots more to do.

I was going to get these planted....

....along with these. See anything unusual?

Yep, it's raining! Raining hard!! On June 4th! In central valley California!!! So I think I'll have to go to plan "B", which may just include a nap. I think I like that idea!!!!!

I hope you all have a restful, rejuvenating weekend so we can start all over again on Monday.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Remembering those who have served, those who are serving, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can be free.

Missing you today, Aaron!! I'm so proud of the commitment you have made to serve our nation.

Blogger Help

2011-05-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling that Blogger has "burped" again. Remember all the problems we experienced a week or so ago? All of a sudden my followers are missing. I can't imagine everyone would up and "not follow" me anymore. My ego just couldn't handle that blow! Instead, I think something must have happened in the deep, dark, scary depths of blogger world. (insert scary organ music here.......)

Anyone else have anything strange going on with their blog?

On a different note, have a wonderful, safe and reflective Memorial Day weekend!

Feeding the Birds

2011-05-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

I thought you all would like to see my new little bird feeder. My friend's brother made the bases for us.

He took copper pipe (he's a plumber) and soldered a washer on the top. I found a sugar bowl that had a chip on it and glued it to the washer with glue. I used "Amazing E-6000" glue, but you can use epoxy as well. You could use any kind of old chippy piece of china you happen to have that will hold the bird seed. A cup and saucer, a tea pot, a small bowl, or even a platter would work just fine.

I think it turned out just darling!

The birds are already starting to enjoy lunching on fine china!

Mooooooooo!!

2011-05-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

One of my sisters lives less than an hour from my house in an area near the foothills that separate our valley and the bay area. There are only about 13 houses, all on one side of the street, and you have to go through the local golf course parking lot to get to the houses. It's off the beaten path with views of the valley and golf course grounds from one side of the house and grazing land from the other. I think it's just beautiful, although she does feel isolated at times. To me the only down side is the occasional rattle snake and tarantula that come wandering by. She's lucky to have cats that help with that problem!

This picture was taken just down the road from her place. As much rain as we have had this year you would think the hills would have stayed greener longer. In California the hills and fields are green in the winter and "gold" in the summer. Being a transplanted mid-westerner, I call a spade a spade - they are brown!!! Beautiful none the less, however. It's lambing season and there were lambs everywhere with mama sheep getting ready to give birth or having just given birth. I wish you could hear the baa's! It was amazing. Do you see the one little black sheep? There always seems to be at least one!!!

This is across the street from the houses on her street. Cattle graze the range land and get right up to the fence.

If I lived there I think I would sit out front and visit every time the cows came by.

They are not tame and if you start to get to close they back off.

This fella was eating the vines that are attached to the fence. When they eat the top foliage it causes the entire vine to fall down (see the vines on the right). Then the vines have to be pruned back so they can grow up the fence again.

All in all a very beautiful and interesting little spot to live! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Garden Tour

2011-05-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't realise that I had been m.i.a. for a week! Goodness, time flies when you are doing absolutely nothing but clean house, yard work, run errands, etc.. It seems that the entire country is being deluged with rain, and our little corner of the world is no different. May is usually dry in much warmer but it's been raining steady. My flowers are loving it, though. Too much, in fact. By now I have ripped out all my over-winter blooming pansies and replaced them with my summer annuals. I still have almost a dozen pots of pansies blooming their little faces off, defying me to dig them up! That's alright. There's always tomorrow or next week when it comes to gardening.

A couple Saturdays ago my sister and I went on a garden tour hosted by the garden club in a nearby city. They have one of the largest, most active garden clubs in the country, and their annual tour is a must-see for garden enthusiasts. This year they had, I believe, eight homes on the tour, which is self guided. So we hopped in Janice's car with our map and off we went. We had a wonderful time and saw some lovely gardens.

I used to think that I didn't want to go look at other peoples gardens. I figured that if they were good enough for a garden tour, I would be "jealous" and feel bad about mine. It turns out that that is so far off base I should be ashamed of myself. First, we're not supposed to be jealous of anyone about anything. It turns out that I am bombarded with wonderful inspiration and come home with a renewed energy to dig in and make my yard the best it can be. The one thing that always stands out follows one of my favorite sayings, "God is in the details!" Whether you have a little modest postage size garden or a huge, park-like setting, it's the details that make or break how it looks. Keeping it clean and picked up, trimmed and clipped doesn't take money, just time and pride.

Here are some pictures of the tour for you to enjoy. If there is a garden tour offered near you, jump on the chance to go. You won't be sorry!

Happy Spring!!

Tea Party Time!

2011-05-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have had the pleasure of making friends with bloggers I have met on-line. I've also had the extreme pleasure of actually meeting some of these friends in person. This happened to me again this past week or two ago. I don't know if you are familiar with Janeen over at ChaChaneen. I've been a follower for some time and have come to know her as a wonderful, kind, talented and fun person. She loves to have tea parties at her home, something I love to do as well.

On a yearly basis her church holds a tea for their Women's Ministry. Different ladies sponsor a table and decorate it. I had heard about it and asked if I could attend this year's tea. My friend Nikki and I ventured the hour trip over to meet Janeen and go to the tea. We had the best time!!! There were eleven tables all decorated and no two were alike. They were all absolutely amazing. I didn't get very good pictures of them all so if you go to the link here you can read more about it and see the other tables. The food was amazing!

Since it was to be held on April 30th, the day after THE wedding, Janeen decided her theme would be "A Royal Tea Table." She did everything perfect right down to the beautiful pink English china.

Each of the ladies at our table got an orchid to wear. Janeen also made little gift bags filled with chocolate coins for good luck, rose buds for love and a bag of Prince of Wales tea for remembrance. Tied on the top of the bag was an official wedding engagement picture of William and Kate. How cute is that?

She had jewels sprinkled all over the table along with little frames with different pictures of the happy couple. I wonder if they realised that half a world away we were celebrating along side them?

The theme of the day was Quiet Influence taken from I Peter 3:4 "Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in." Wonderful words of wisdom.

My friend Nikki with Janeen.

Miss Jean and Janeen

We had such a wonderful time!!! From the moment we walked up to the church door and Janeen came literally running out, all excited to meet us, to the farewell, happy that we had met a new friend we felt welcomed and loved. Thanks so much Janeen!! Love ya to pieces!!

My advise to all of you out there is if you get a chance to meet a blog friend in person, DO IT!!!

Petunias

2011-05-06T14:59:00.001-07:00

I've actually got about four posts that I need to do, but they all involve lots of pictures. I don't have time to do any of them today as I have to take the little guy to the doctor. Yes, grandson #2 is still sick. Better, but still not well

I thought I'd show you a quick picture of some petunias I planted in my old wheel barrow. Take a good look because I have horrible luck with petunias for some reason. Mine will not do well even though I care for them. Then I'll go to a gas station that has a neglected pot of them and they are doing fine! Go figure. I do hope these last at least through the fourth of July

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Home Sick

2011-05-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

One of the things I like so much about being retired is that I can help with my grandson's when my daughter needs it.

Our second grandson is home sick from school today. My daughter called me yesterday and asked me to pick him up at school for her. He was running a fever and looked so pitiful. The school nurse did say what a nice, polite little boy he is.

This is him when he was feeling better! I took him home and told him that if he needed to stay home from school the next day I would take care of him and pamper him. "What does pamper mean, Grandma?" "Well, it's like spoiling someone. Taking care of them and doing a lot of things to make them feel better." He smiled and just nodded his head.

Last night when my daughter decided it was best to keep him home from school today she told him that she would drop him off at Grandma's in the morning and that "she would pamper you." His eyes got real big and he said with a big grin on his face, "I know what that means!"

Yep, that's me. Lean, mean, pampering machine!!! Chicken soup in Toy Story shapes, ice cream bars (medicinal purposes only!), popsicles, jello, 7-up, apples with caramel dip. He's all tucked into our bed with lots of pillows and is watching his favorite television shows.

I'm really sorry the little guy is sick, but I'm loving having him here to take care of.

New Quilt Shop

2011-05-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about this little piece of information I'm going to share with you. There is a new quilt shop opening up in Sacramento, California!!!!! Woo Hoo!!! It's called The Fabric Garden and you can get the grand opening and address information here. One of the owners worked at a quilt shop in the area that closed. That was a sad day for Miss Jean as it was one of my favorite shops, even though it was an hour and a half from my house and I couldn't get up there as often as I wanted.

I can't wait to see what Gran and the rest of the ladies have at the shop. I'm going to be there bright and early on Thursday....."OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!"

New Quilting Tool

2011-04-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on getting on the "quilting tool tutorial band wagon." I'm not the most experienced or confident quilter. However, I thought I'd share something with you that is a really great quilting tool. I have to get a number of blocks finished, which involved flying geese. The method I'm using today is the tried and true sew two magic corners on a rectangle and voila! You are done. I do have these and plan on trying them when I have a few extra minutes. Like any self respecting quilter, I love gadgets. I am so impressed with the people who dream up these wonderful tools and techniques that make quilting so much more interesting, as well as easier.

I usually use a different tool to help me speed sew magic corners (and half square triangles), but alas, I couldn't find them. What does that say? My sewing room needs some serious organization! Anyway, I grabbed my Clearly Perfect Angles tool. I hadn't used it before so I was anxious to see how it worked.

You can purchase them from New Leaf Stitches. Their web site even has some awesome videos showing you exacty how to use them.

The thing I love about these is that they are acrylic and cling to your sewing table with no tape. They are thin so there is not "bump" and are completely repositional. You cut out a small area for your feed dogs and away you go.

You can chain stitch to your heart's content without having to pin. Just keep the point of your square on the middle line and ZOOM ZOOM!!!

See how flexible the material is? You can even leave them in place all the time while you are doing other sewing. They won't move or get in the way. How cool is that!!?!!

I have more than one sewing machine so I'm marking mine so I know which one goes with which machine. This one goes with my Bernina 1090 and my other one will go with my Bernina 440. Hey, I need to buy another for my Singer Featherweight!

Duck, duck.....

2011-04-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

I went towards the bay area the other day, away from the valley in California where I live. This is where I ended up.

There were beautiful flowers! This is Spanish Lavender. Our lavenders are not this far along yet.

Beautiful roses.....

Ponds with HUGE Koi Carp.....

Lots and lots of ducks. They were very tame and not afraid of people.

Since it's spring there were lots of mommy ducks with their babies. They are adorable.

This little fella was one of my favorites. He was not afraid of anything. He liked jumping from the rocks and exploring the pond by himself.

There were white swans....

...and black swans. So beautiful and graceful.

Water features and stautues...

... and even a guest wanting lunch.

Was this at a park? Was it a botanical garden? No, it's a shopping center in Danville, California! It's just beautiful. I wish we had something like this closer to home. But it's only an hour or so away so I want to go back.

I hope your day is as lovely as mine was.

Your prayers are needed...

2011-04-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for our troops that are in the Middle East. We just heard on the news that there has been a shooting at the Kabul airport. Eight of our troops were killed as well as one contractor, all shot by an Afghanistan military pilot. These were our sons, daughters, husbands, fathers, wives. My son has come home safely, but this still grieves me to my core.

Easter Blessings

2011-04-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

"At the breaking of the Easter dawn

may the Risen Saviour bless your home

with grace and peace from above,

with joy and laughter,

and with love

And when night is nigh,

and day is done

May He keep you safe from all harm."

Keeping An Eye on Things.....

2011-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so lucky to have a watch dog. I'm just not sure if she gets the entire watch dog "thing", though!

"Maggie! You're supposed to be outside patrolling, not lounging!"

"Mom, you do it your way, I'll do it mine!"

*The pictures over the bed are paint by numbers that my mom did years and years ago. The picture to the right is myself and my daughter, Dory, when she was just a little one. She's in the family picture in the previous post, far right. Time sure does fly by! The two darling embroidered pillows were made by Becky from Sweet Cottage Dreams.

*One of the commenters asked if I made the long pillow. Nope! That was a gift from Becky as well. Roselady, if you email me I can ask Becky if she made it or purchased it.

Welcome Home

2011-04-18T12:12:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we had a bar-b-que at our house with family and friends. Not only were we celebrating our son's return from deployment, but it was our daughter's birthday as well as our grandson's birthday two days previously. We had a blast with lots of great food and fun. My niece just took a cake decorating class and volunteered to bring dessert.

She made a strawberry cake for Dory and Redmond's birthday. She didn't know that strawberry was Redmond's favorite. Boy, was he happy!

She also made a chocolate cake complete with rolled fondant for Aaron's homecoming cake. Thanks, Jamie, you did an awesome job!

Here's the entire family. It's the first time we've all gotten together to take pictures like this. That's my Mom in the middle, along with her three children and their spouses as well as her five grandchildren and her five great grandchildren!

How cool is that?

If you are counting children in the picture, you come up with one extra. The little guy in the black shirt in front on the right is the cousin of a family friend. He was so excited to be there he wanted his picture taken as well. So we made him an honorary cousin! Welcome to the family, Jacob!!!

Also, you may wonder where Maggie is as she's not in the family picture. Every time we have a bar-b-que at our house she goes to the local kennel to play. She's a "flight risk" and with everyone going in and out all day I am so afraid she'll get out and be down the road and halfway to L.A. before we can catch her. So she misses all the fun, but I feel so much better not having to worry about her.

In The Garden....

2011-04-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Aahhh......

SPRING!!!

*The pictures are from my back yard except the beautiful white dogwood. Our local Kaiser Medical Center has an entire grove of them planted!! How amazing is that?

Decorating

2011-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

I was over at my sister, Janice's the other day and snapped a couple pictures. She has a beautiful home that is filled with wonderful antiques.

She collects hand mirrors and has them beautifully displayed...... in her hall bathroom! It's one of the prettiest bathrooms I've ever been in!

These are just so pretty.

The brown bottle on the left was made by one of her children in the 70's. Remember when we used to do those? Get a glass bottle and tear little pieces of masking tape and put them all over it. Then use brown shoe polish to make it look like old leather? Boy, that takes me back.

She has also started a nice little collection of vintage children's bowls.

This is a very old iron fireplace surround that is also in her bathroom. The little girl in the picture on the right is our mother.

I'll take more pictures of her home periodically to show you. She has quite a talent for staging little vignettes, although she doesn't think she does. Her home is amazing.

Maggie's In The House!

2011-04-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

If you haven't figured it out by now, my Maggie is one SLS (Spoiled Little Scottie)! I'm terrible at keeping her brushed so I take her to the groomers every other Tuesday for her "spa day." She gets bathed and brushed and all gussied up. Then about every six weeks she gets groomed. That way she doesn't get tangles, something Scotties have a tendency to do, which can hurt when they are combed out. We're fortunate to have such a wonderful pet groomer about a mile from our house. They have a huge grass lawn out back where the dogs can run and play and not have to be on hot cement in the summer. It's also where I board her when I need to. I take her down for play dates to get her out of the house when I get my carpets cleaned and it's only $10 for the day. She has also stayed there for a week when we were on vacation and she had just a wonderful time. Part of the day they let the dogs play behind the counter. Maggie has her regular set of peeps that she plays with and doesn't even miss me......sniff!!!

This is Amy her groomer. Some days I think she loves her more than she loves me.

This is how Maggie greets me when I go pick her up.

Maggie and her peeps.

These dogs are so happy and well loved. It's fun to see all the different breeds. But I do love my Scotties!!!

My Attempt At Making Bread

2011-04-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Note to self: When using the mixer, make sure it's turned off and not set to high before plugging it in. Especially if you have stuff in the bowl!

This picture does not even come close to showing all the bread dough that went flying all over the kitchen and myself. I'm still finding it places!!!

As soon as I make bread that actually turns out and doesn't destroy my kitchen I'll show you pictures.

My Trip

2011-03-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a rough week. When I got back from Denver, I brought the flu home with me. Then I threw my back out again and am just now feeling back to normal. I think a lot of it was the stress of travel and the whole "son home from deployment" thing. My sister, Janice, and I flew out a few days ahead of time and got the house ready, did some shopping, ate out, looked at houses and basically had a great time.

I'm sorry this picture isn't better. If you are meeting deployed military personnel at the airport you can get a gate pass to meet them right when they get off the plane. It was so very exciting and emotional! Denver International Airport is only about 20 minutes away from my son's house. It is a huge airport, and after a couple trips there, I have it down pat as to where to park and where to go inside.

This is a great retro-type diner in Aurora. Classic 50's with great food!

Janice and I were able to look around at houses. She and her husband are not sure where to retire to so we took the opportunity to see what the area had to offer. How would you like that view every day?

This is a picture of Southlands Shopping Center in Aurora. It's new but made to look like middle-America main street. It has wonderful shops and restaurants. Janice said if she lived near there she would go there every day just to power walk around (and maybe visit the candy shop)!

Another view looking towards the Rocky Mountains. This is just a couple minutes away from my son's house. Beautiful!

We even had snow a couple days. Of course, it was melted and gone by 11:00 a.m. every day but at least Janice was able to see it.

After Janice went home I did some shopping on my own. I was really sad to see this quilt shop closing. The owners are retiring and I wish them well. Luckily there were other shops in the area that I was able to visit.

This was my splurge for the trip. I bought an I-Touch and hubs loaded The Pioneer Woman's book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels on it for me to listen to. I do not absolutely know what I would have done without it!

We had beautiful scenery the entire way.

Enlarge this picture: See the little dots towards the left. I was looking at a map and when I glanced up there were three huge, magnificent moose! I couldn't get my camera up and on before we were past them. Drat!

Once we pulled into Reno, the problems started. California had a horrible snow storm just as we were arriving. After a couple attempts to continue on, and getting part way to Truckee, we were sent back to Reno. An avalanche had covered the track and the snow blower equipment and we couldn't go on. So Amtrak put us up at the Silver Legacy Hotel for the night. Course, by the time we checked in it was 3:30 a.m.. At 2:00 p.m. we boarded buses for the trip home. I don't think I have ever been so tired! I ate big breakfast because I had a feeling it might be my only meal for the day. I was right. I also had two candy bars and a bottle of water. If a train can't get through,why they thought a bus could is beyond me!

Snow, snow, snow!!!!

I sat right behind the driver so I had a bird's eye view of - snow!

Little bit scary here! What should have been a four hour trip, turned out to be an 8 1/2 hour trip. At one time we were stopped for almost an hour due to an accident. Our driver was awesome and I never really felt afraid. Although the fact that we were going over Donner Summit (as the Donner Party) didn't escape my mind. Once we got into Sacramento, Amtrak sent us all home in taxi-cabs. So rather than getting home at 6:25 p.m. on Sunday, I got home at around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Like I said, my I-Touch was a God send.

Now you know why I was so tired when I got home!!!

HOME!

2011-03-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

I'm home - I finally arrived home in the middle of the night on Tuesday morning. I brought a "special friend" home with me, the flu! (Yes, I had a flu shot!) When I'm feeling better I'll tell you all about my trip - meeting my son at the airport (YAY!), visiting Denver (YAY!) and my trip home (not so yay!)

Toodles.

Blog Break

2011-03-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

*A quick hello from Denver! My son got home from deployment safe and sound!!!! HURRAY!!! I'm having a wonderful and restful visit and will tell you all about it when I get home. Thank you for all of your prayers for Aaron's safety.

I'll be taking a blog break for a couple of weeks. My sister and I are flying to Denver on Wednesday so we can meet my son at the airport when he gets home from deployment! To say I'm excited is an understatement. Janice will be coming home next week and I'll stay until the next weekend. Then I'll be taking the train home.

When I get home I'll tell you all about our adventure! In the meantime I'll be able to stop in and check on my bloggy friends via my son's computer.

In the meantime, please take a look at my previous post and consider doing something to help our troops.

Thank you from this military Mom!!!!

Just One Star- A Military Mom Asking A Quilt Favor

2011-03-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

As you know, I love the military! My son has made a career out of serving our country in the Navy. I'll be greeting him at the airport on March 12th, flags waving and tears falling, as he comes home from deployment. My husband served in the Army, as did my dad, father-in-law, brother-in-law, nephew and uncle. I'm sure many of you have family member who serve or have served. Sadly, statistics show that only 1% of the country know anyone serving in the military at this time so information as to what you can do to help our troops doesn't always get directed to the American public.

We are of a generation that still remember how our country vilified our military personnel during the Viet Nam war. Somehow, the citizenry couldn't look past their own personal opinions to support the troops who were coming home, many of them wounded physically and mentally. It was, and is, still a national shame.

Thankfully, we have come to our senses and regardless of our beliefs, we know that these brave men and women need our support and encouragement.

I know that you may be aware of the Quilts for Valor organization. You make a quilt top and send it off to be quilted and then it is given to a service person who has been wounded. I also know that we as quilters are busy with our own quilt projects. Making an entire quilt top is not in the realm of possibility for most of us. Besides working on our own quilts, my little quilt group makes quilts to donate to cancer patients in need of a warm hug. The latest project calls for us each to make one block, which will be put together and saved for such a need.

Here is the favor. I just found out about an opportunity through Moda where we can help by making JUST ONE STAR - to make just one block!!!!! Their goal is to receive 1,800 blocks which they can turn into quilts and pass along to our troops. To me that is a do-able request! Click on the link to get the information. I learned about this just this morning over HERE so thank you Polly and Laurie for getting the word out. And thank you also to Lissa over at Moda United Notions for spearheading this endeavor!

Please consider doing this.

God bless you all and God Bless America!

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

2011-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

You know what they say. Treat yourself like you want others to treat you. So I treated myself to flowers yesterday. In all actuality, I have cut flowers somewhere in the house most of the time.

Usually in the master bathroom.

Then in the hall bathroom.

Often times on the dining room table. Lucky for me we have a Trader Joe's near our house. They always have an amazing assortment of flowers and I was able to buy three bunches of tulips and one bunch of iris for less than $20. In the summer, I can also go to our local farmer's market and get flowers rather inexpensively.

If you are feeling a little down, go get yourself some flowers and see how much better they make you feel!

Citrus Conundrum

2011-02-27T18:49:00.000-08:00

We have six miniature citrus trees in our yard. A kumquat, a pink variegated lemon, a meyer lemon, a eureka lemon, a satsuma mandarin and a rangpur lime. The pink lemon is still too young to be producing much fruit. I believe there is only one on the tree right now. The mandarins are all gone but we have lots of lemons an limes. See the little orange guys there? Those are actually limes. Crazy, I know, but limes they are.

What is crazy is that here in Northern California our citrus ripen in the winter. So in the heat of the summer when a tall cold glass of lemonade is in order what do we do? Go to the store and buy them. I told you it was crazy!

ATTENTION COLORADO BLOGGERS...

2011-02-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

.....I need your help. My sister and I are traveling to the Denver area next month. My son is coming home from deployment and we are going to meet him at the Denver airport, flags waving! Woo Hoo!!!!!!! This is going to be really exciting, to say the least.

Janice is going to be there for only a few days and we want to visit some local antique shops in the immediate Denver area if at all possible. When I was there last year I was only able to find one antique store. I know there has got to be more. If you could let me know where they are I'd really appreciate it.

After Janice leaves I'll visit with my son for a week and then take the train home like I did last year. I just love traveling by train and am really looking forward to it.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Retreat

2011-02-19T16:06:00.000-08:00

Finally, a few pictures from my quilting group's recent weekend retreat at the wonderful Silver Spur Christian Camp facility in the foothills near Tuolumne, California. I say few as I really thought I took more pictures than I did. On the last day everyone packed up so quickly that I was unable to take pictures of every one's finished, or mostly finished, projects.

As I mentioned last post I hurt my back from hauling all the luggage and sewing supplies.

This is my van filled with mine and my friend, Nikki's stuff. Just two people. I have no idea how to pack light, let alone get on an airplane and go to a quilt retreat across country. I'm sure the kitchen sink was in their. Mine and Nikki's kitchen sink!!

Nikki and I always arrive before everyone else to get things set up and then check in with the office staff. We were welcomed by some very special greeters when we pulled into the driveway.

In fact, I just sat for a while as they didn't seem the least bit anxious to move on or frightened of us in the least bit.

Nikki even got out of the car and took pictures. There were five deer all together since they were on private property with no hunting allowed, they were very trusting.

They hung around the perimeter of the house for most of the day. Later that day 260 high school students arrived at the main camp down the road and the deer made themselves scarce. I don't blame them!

It's always a tradition that the Narcissus are blooming at retreat time.

This is Silver Ridge, our home away from home. You can go to the previous post, click on the link and see more pictures inside. The top floor is bedrooms. The main floor is a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. The lower floor is bedrooms and bathrooms. If you look closely you can see a door on the left. That's the door to the workroom that was converted from the garage. The entire facility is just the best, most comfortable place you'd want to be. The food is brought up from the main facility and is the most delicious gourmet food you would ever want to eat. No boring camp food here! They even come at 6:30 a.m. and put the coffee on for us.

Everyone busy in the work room. There is room for eleven of us to sew, three cutting tables and two ironing boards. We also put cutting boards on the dining room table and set up another ironing board. At night if we don't want to sew, we can watch movies or read. If any of you are interested in holding retreats at Silver Spur using the Silver Ridge house, I'd be more than happy to help you with any advise you might need. I could even go with you!!!!!

One of the finished tops. Forgive me girls, but I can't remember who this belongs to.

There is always one over achiever in any group and this year it was Heather. Not only did she finish piecing a quilt top, but she machine quilted it AND bound it. To her credit, she wanted to get it finished as it is a gift for a sick friend.

Good going, Heather! I'm sure your friend will love it!

We usually bring little treats to share with everyone and Nikki brought every one the cutest little beeswax candle with a bee on it.

I made two little stuffed Scottie dogs using this pattern and made out of the cutest pink cowgirl fabric for Nikki's granddaughter. Pictures? Forgot! Then I worked on a block of the month for a charity project the group is doing. Pictures? Forgot! I did finish my Fat Quarter Shop Block of the Month quilt that I showed you after our November retreat at Lake Tahoe. I needed to add the last pieced border so all I need to do now is get it quilted. Pictures? What do you think?

Some retreats I get tons done. My personal best is finishing four tops that I had started. I didn't get as much done this time, but that's alright. I was able to relax, sew when I wanted to, eat as much as I wanted to, sit and watch movies and generally take it easy. I highly recommend it!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Whew!

2011-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm back from retreat! I'll do a post of some of my pictures in a day or two. On Thursday night last week I loaded my van. Friday morning I helped load more of my friend's stuff. Then we drove to the retreat. Unloaded all the stuff. Hauled our suitcases upstairs. Set up our sewing machines. Monday we hauled our stuff downstairs from our room and put it in the van. Then we hauled our sewing machines and other "stuff" into the van and drove home. I helped my friend take her stuff into her house, drove home and unloaded my stuff. Whew!

Tuesday morning I attempted to get a few things done around the house. Since it was Tuesday I drove Sweety to Target. Target Tuesday is a tradition in our household as that's the day new movies are released. I was standing in the back of the store and all of a sudden my back said something like, "you silly girl, just what were you thinking?" It seized up and I really didn't think I could walk to the front, let alone get to my car and drive home. I managed to do that and took two muscle relaxants and went to bed. I'm getting better and am slowly coming out of the muscle relaxant and pain killer induced fog.

The things we do just to have fun!!! Like I said, I'll post some pictures of our retreat soon.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

Laurie over at Buttons and Lace organized a Valentine's Day swap. I was so busy getting my gifts ready to mail and also getting ready for retreat, that I forgot that I had something coming for me!

Laurie from Fun With This and That sent me this wonderful package. The first thing I saw when I opened it was the beautiful card. She must know how I love quilts!

She made this darling decoration to attach to the package. Such a clever lady!

I can't believe all the goodies that were wrapped up! Candy, felt heart pin cushions that I'll add to my collection, a stained glass necklace that I have hanging in my sewing room window to catch the sun rays, a sparkly battery operated tea candle.

See the little charm on the right? The right side is a little picture of valentine heart candies. When I turned it over I just gasped! It is a little piece of vintage paper with a train schedule on it. Did she know I LOVE TRAINS!!!!?!!!!

The beautiful heart in the middle now has a special home in a basket of vintage plates I have in my bedroom. I'll take a picture of it next week when I get home.

Thank you Laura for all the care you took in putting together such a lovely gift. Thank you Laurie for organizing such a fun swap!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there.

Go hug someone you love!!!

Inspiration

2011-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready to go on my annual quilting retreat this weekend. This will be the tenth year that my quilt group and I have traveled to the foothills to the most peaceful retreat center you could ever want to go to. If you click on the link and go to "rent our facilities" and then "Silver Ridge" you'll see where we stay. We quilt in the room with the chairs. The center provides tables and chairs for us. We arrive at noon on Friday and leave after breakfast Monday. We quilt, eat, laugh, eat, read, eat, take walks, eat, watch movies, eat and have lots of fun. Did I mention the fabulous food? I'll have pictures to share when I return.

Because I'm a quilter I thought I would share this video. I never get as much quilting done as I want to or should. Something always gets in the way, excuses are made, time is wasted. Diane is an amazing lady and is such an inspiration. I'll think twice before making any excuses as to why I "can't" do something. She shows us that you can do what is in your heart, no matter what the circumstances. I have a feeling you'll see this video popping up all over blog land!

Peace

2011-02-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

My nephew passed away nine years ago and is buried up in the foothills at a cemetery with my father. His Mom, my sister Janice, and I try to go up and visit every year on his birthday so we went last week. It was a beautiful, sunny day, just a little chill in the air, blue skies, a few clouds, birds chirping.

For being a cemetery, it's really a lovely, peaceful place to visit. Although we know that Paul and Dad are not really there, we like to go say hi and remember all the good times we had with them. Then we wander around the grounds and look at the headstones, wonder about the ones that are buried there, straighten up pots of flowers that have fallen over, say a little prayer for the families.

Some of the headstones are magnificent, beautiful works of art.

Angels to watch over the children.

A beautiful Celtic cross.

Saints and their precious animals.

Eagles to remind us of God's strength.

If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?

2011-01-25T23:16:00.002-08:00

It has been foggy in the mornings, thick as pea soup, and a hazy gray for the rest of the day. Chilly! Sometimes we see no blue sky for days. Other days the sun peaks out and teases us for a few minutes before the mist rolls back in.

I love to wander the back yard to see what might be peeking around the corner. Spring annuals that are determined to break ground, so to speak, and bloom early. I love this particular shade of orange of the Iceland Poppy. Their petals are fine like crepe paper.

The man that mows my yard surprised me with this beautiful camellia for Christmas. It's a new variety called Buttermint. I can't wait to find just the perfect spot to plant it. Will it be in the ground? Will I find a pot to showcase it in?

Although I can't do much in the yard just yet, I can plan - and dream.

What are you dreaming about these dreary days?

I'm a Bad Plant Mommy!

2011-01-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Remember back in the 70's when we all had tons and tons of houseplants? This was one of my favorites, a Piggyback Plant. The botanical name is Tolmiea menziesii. I used to work in the retail nursery industry so botanical names are important to me, as are their care. You can see a picture of what they are supposed to look like here.

Oh, my goodness! Mine isn't looking very good. I forgot to water it. They have very fine leaves and dry out easily.

Drink up little fella!!! As soon as you look better I'll replant you into a bigger pot and take better care of you, I promise!

Do you still have lots of houseplants? What are your favorites?

Happy Birthday Maggie!!!!

2011-01-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that it's been nearly three years since we were fortunate to become Maggie's forever family.

She has gone from this...

And this...
And this....

And this...

And this....

To become the best dog anyone could ever hope to have! I am so glad that my friend Becky called me and said, "Jean, we're babysitting a puppy. Just come and look at her..."

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!

YOU ARE THE BEST DOG ANYONE COULD EVER HAVE!

WE LOVE YOU !!!

Adendum to previous post....

2011-01-18T09:43:00.001-08:00

I forgot a couple pictures of my bathroom in my previous post. I'm showing them only because I love, love, love old pictures. I'm not the kind of person to brag about what I have, I just thought you'd like to see them.

This one hangs over the tub. If you enlarge it you can see the bees buzzing around. The cup and saucer were my Great Grandma Balsley's and are very fine, translucent china. My grandsons have taken many baths in the bath tub and have always been very careful. Children will always live up to your expectations, I always say. *Golly! Looking at the picture, maybe there is some room on that wall to hang some more things. Hmmmmmm!!!!!

It's not a jetted tub, but big enough to draw a bubble bath, have a cup of tea, read a book and turn into a prune! My favorite thing to do when I've been working in the yard all day and I hurt all over.

Here's another picture of my bathroom counter. See the picture of the roses? I just love it. I feel so fortunate when I can find treasures like that. Especially when they don't cost much. The little silver clock was a gift from Sweety when I had surgery a few years back.

The plates are Bessie Pease Guttman prints. I collected them years ago. One of them looks like my daughter, Dory, did when she was little. I always told her that they were hers when she had a little girl. Two boys later I still have them!

One other thing I didn't show is the medicine cabinet. Standard track house medicine cabinet and I'd like to replace it one day. Hanging on it is a note our son left us years and years ago when he had been visiting. It just says, "Mom and Dad, I love you, Aaron" It's just a small piece of paper but I never, never take it down. He's deployed right now and it is a constant reminder to me that I have such a great son!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful and blessed week!

Thinking Ouside the Box

2011-01-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Amy, over at Four Sisters In A Cottage is always selling sweet antiques either through the internet or at her store in Iowa. I recently spotted the cutest little picture and I knew that I had to have it. I had no idea where I was going to hang it, but figured I'd worry about that later. It arrived and was indeed sweet as can be. It looked like it should hang in my master bathroom because of the colors and the other decorations I have in there but I'm getting short on wall space.

What's a girl to do? Well, I've been taught very well by my BFF and my sister to think outside the box, so that's exactly what I did.

A couple years ago we had the bathroom remodeled and a new window put in. I tied a silky ribbon to the wire on the back of the picture and hung it from the window handle. I think it looks darling! I usually always have flowers sitting on the window sill, courtesy of Trader Joe's and it makes such a cheery welcome as you enter the room.
The window still operates just fine. I don't have curtains on the window as the glass is frosted. I think it's called rain water and you can't see through it so it's nice and neat and clean.

Another item I wanted to hang in the bathroom was this blouse. My husband's Aunt Gina gave it to me years ago. It belonged to her mother and is from turn of the century San Francisco, complete with bone buttons. It's very delicate with pin tucks and eyelet lace and I treasure it so much. I bought a 3M hanger in nickle that matches our fixtures and hung it on the shower glass.

Here's another view of the bathroom. The color of the walls is called Grasslands by Kelly Moore Paints. I love that color so much that I have painted the living room, our bathroom and the master bedroom in it. It's a soft gray sage green and to me, is the perfect shade. Our next project is to strip the wallpaper in the hall bathroom and guest bedroom and have them painted. I am so tempted to paint them the same color, but I know I should try something else. I have gotten color help in the past from Penny and I will probably go with a color she has used.

This little guy was found at Home Goods and holds my bowl of potpourri. I love bunnies and have them all over the back yard so I thought he would look just fine inside the house.

Now just so you don't think that I have forgotten to put a Scottish Terrier in the bathroom, here he is!

Tell me, what have you done to "think outside the box" when decorating?

It "Depends" on your perspective.....

2011-01-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

*Disclaimer - No Scotties were harmed in the making of this post!"

You all know that, "I love my Scottie like I love my family!" The first person who tells me where that was a paraphrase from gets a $10.00 Starbucks card! No kidding! (*Note: my little mini-contest has been won by my good Scottie friend, Lynn at Rocky Creek Scotties. She correctly guessed Sarah Palin who said it on her show, Sarah Palin's Alaska! Good going and quick thinking, Lynn!!)

When you have animals, certain things are bound to happen.....

"Mommy, I am sooooo embarrassed. I can't believe you are telling everyone what I did. I'm going to hide my face in shame. On second thought, I think I'll just take a nap..."

Day before yesterday, my grandsons came over and as they often do, they sit on our bed and watch television. Little Samuel likes to eat his Top Ramen while he's watching his favorite shows (I know, I spoil them) and Maggie waits patiently hoping to get a scrap of something or at least is able to lick the bowl. Well she either got too excited or angry that she didn't get even a morsel, not even a crumb, er, noodle.

After the boys left I went in the bedroom and low and behold a giant wet spot on the bed, and it wasn't soup!!! Maggie!!!!!! Luckily it didn't go through to the sheets, but it did get on the chenille bedspread and the huge, fluffy comforter. Both are very heavy and I don't like to wash them at home, so yesterday I was off to the laundromat.

See the pink bedspread on the left and the comforter on the right? That translates to $10.50 for washing and drying!

Before I got there I stopped at Starbucks. The weather was overcast and cold and my breakfast sandwich and coffee hit the spot. Our little laundromat in town is not the most elegant place in town to spend the morning, but that's alright. I sat in the car and ate and read my latest book while the laundry was washing until it got too chilly. Then I went inside to finish things up.

All in all, I actually enjoyed myself. I could have a nice breakfast, read a book relax and not have to look at all the other things at home I needed to do. Not to say I want to make a habit of this. Maggie, do you hear me?......

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Latest Update

2011-01-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

My nephew is doing amazingly well! He is home and recovering from his surgery. They got the results of the biopsy back and it was Renal Cell Carsinoma, Stage 2, Grade 1. They believe that he has had it for about five years but had no symptoms. No chemotherapy or radiation is scheuled as they feel they got it all!!!!

We are all praising God because if he hadn't gotten ill with the other problem, they wouldn't have found the cancer in time to save his life. All the symptoms of the paralysis are going away.

Our entire family wants to thank each and every one of you for all of your kind wishes, notes of encouragement and mostly your prayers.

Update

2011-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

*More good news. It's Thursday morning here and Jimmy is being discharged from the hospital as I write this! Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and good biopsy results. Again, thank you to all of you and Praise the Lord!!!

I wanted to update all of you on my nephew's progress. He went through surgery just fine and is sitting and walking already. The tumor as well as the kidney has been removed and we are just waiting for the results of the biopsy from the surrounding area to come back. If there is any cancer found, the doctors feel they can go in and remove it and he'll be fine. Because of his other medical issue, he could have come out of the surgery paralyzed or unable to breathe on his own. So, needless to say, we are thrilled with his progress so far.

Continue to pray for his recovery and that no further cancer will be found. I sent my sister my blog link and she was just amazed and extremely grateful to you all for your prayers and kind words. She wanted me to thank each and every one of you. She's taking her phone up to the hospital today so she can show Jimmy as well. She's now a true believer that prayer works miracles. This has been very difficult for not only Jimmy, but his wife Marie and my sister, Judy, so please pray for them as well.

I thank you all for being there when we need you.

Prayer Request

2011-01-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

A quick note to ask all of you to be in prayer for my nephew, Jimmy. He had a sinus infection this past December that went into his spine some way or other. It left him with stroke like symptoms, paralysis to be exact, so he has had to deal with that. He is on the mend and regaining all use of his legs and arms. However, when they took an MRI to check him out they discovered one of his kidneys had cancer. He had no symptoms and didn't know he had it. He is praising God because if they hadn't been looking at the other problem, the doctors said the kidney cancer would have progressed to a terminal state.

He is having his kidney removed Tuesday, January 4th. Please pray that the cancer is localised and that it will all be removed when they take out the kidney. He is such a wonderful, Godly man and we love him so much.

Thank you for all of your prayers.

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T10:24:00.001-08:00

Did you have a fun New Year's Eve? We certainly did. We had friends over and after dinner we played a rousing game of London Rummy, which is a progressive rummy. It was a blast! I'm not naming names, but the person who won is typing...right...now! All this while watching three Scotties run around the house like a herd of ...Scotties! Back and forth! In and Out! Stopping to rest and then off they went again. It was so funny. Later in the evening Maggie kept looking at me like, "when can I go to bed, Mommy? I'm tired!" Finally Duhgall and Fiona curled up in a chair in the living room and Maggie literally went to bed. Did I take any pictures? Oh, no! That would have been too logical.

So, from Maggie and the rest of my family....

From our house to yours...We wish you a New Year filled with happiness, health and a promise of new beginnings.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

To all of my family and friends, I wish you blessings overflowing this holiday season.

May you experience the touch of God on this holy day and may the New Year bring you happiness and health.

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-24T10:27:00.001-08:00

Our special little Christmas Eve bundle of joy turns 9 years old today!!!!

Happy Birthday, Samuel!

Grandma and Grandpa love you so very much!!! Have a great day with more to come tomorrow!

Santa Paws Christmas Gift Exchange

2010-12-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hi there everyone! Maggie here. Mommy is letting me do a post today because I got something very special in the mail. Jazzi and her Mommy hosted a Santa Paws Christmas Pet Gift Exchange. Wasn't that the nicest thing? Everyone who said they wanted to participate (yes, I know big words!) were paired with a new friend. Guess who got my name? Mollie Jo from Kentucky! She is the sweetest little poodle and I hope we can be forever friends.

Here is my package! Wow, mail addressed to me!! Isn't that exciting?

What do I do now, Mommy? Open it? Oh, alright, but I may need help.

Something smells reeeeeaaaaallllyyyy good in here!!!!

A pink camouflage bag from Pet Smart! Someone thinks I'm smart!!!!!! Well, I am!

Poopy bags? Oh, how embarrasing! I need them, but embarrasing anyway. I promise not to "use" the neighbors lawns when we go on walks! We can "hide" the bags in that cute little pink holder!

This isn't Rudolph because it doesn't have a red nose and it's a girl. What is her name Mommy? Rhonda Reindeer? That has a nice ring to it.

A big rubber doughnut! Outa sight! I love doughnuts almost as much as mommy loves them. And a Christmas card with pictures! Awesome! Or should I say, Pawesome!!!

Plus a bag of the cutest peanut butter frosted cookies for dogs. Mommy said they smell good enough for her to even eat.

Thank you so much Mollie Jo. You knew just what I like! Thank you again Jazzi and Jazzi's Mommy for hosting such a fun event.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Tis the Season

2010-12-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

I certainly didn't mean to be gone so long between posts. I guess it's that time of year when the days just fly by while you are trying to do so many things. I still don't have my house completely decorated yet. Although, Sweety helped me with the kitchen last night. Good grief, just how many Christmas cookie jars does one person need? I've been able to go to a wonderful ladies tea with a fabulous speaker, dinner at a friends house and tour some beautiful homes decorated for the season. Right now, though, I'll show you what I did today.

Yep, that's Maggie and Santa. We drove into town so Maggie could tell him just what she wanted for Christmas. She promised she had been a good little girl Scottie and deserved to get a big package of her favorite treats from Trader Joe's.

Of course, terrorizing the cats waiting to be adopted and going potty on the carpet didn't win her any points with the big guy at all! So we'll just have to wait and see what she gets. But if you ask me, who can resist that little face?

Lights, Camera, Action!

2010-12-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

I have the same routine every morning:

a. Drag myself out of bed.

b. Let Maggie out.

c. Go get the newspaper.

d. Let Maggie in.

e. Give Maggie her "cookie".

f. Make myself a cup of tea.

g. Sit and read the newspaper.

h. Keep adjusting how I'm sitting to accommodate Maggie because she wants to sit with me.

i. Check the internet mail.

j. Check Facebook (so I can see how my son is).

k. Check my favorite blogs.

l. Start my day.

Same old same old...... except the other day! Maggie had finally settled down and gone to lay down in her favorite chair and I was sipping my tea and working on my Jumble puzzle in the paper. The lights flickered in the kitchen and when I looked up there was white wispy smoke coming out of one of the pot lights in the ceiling. I jumped up and turned out the lights, got a chair and took out the light bulb. Wow! Was I glad I happened to be sitting there!!!

The picture below is not very good. I guess I either need to get my camera's manual out and actually read it or get a new camera. The pictures have been bad as of late. Anyway, you can sorta see what happened. See the brown areas? It was starting to smolder. There is also a very bad acrid electrical smell. I've never had that happen to me before. Especially with these types of bulbs. I'm glad I got to it before it burst into flames.

All I can think of are the words to that Bette Midler song, "some body's watching us, from a distance!" Thank you, Lord, for being there for me that day.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T06:10:00.000-08:00

From our house to yours, may you have the most blessed and happiest of Thanksgivings.

A special prayer of Thanksgiving and safety for all of our military who sacrifice so very much for our freedoms. A special prayer for our son Aaron at this time. May he stay safe and come home to us soon. Miss Jean

Sweety

Maggie

Happy Birthday

2010-11-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone out there in blogger land. Today is the birthday of someone very, very special! Now I'm not giving away who it is but....... SHE has two Scotties who are related to my Maggie.....SHE is very talented....SHE has a great blog.......HER name might start with a B! I'm not giving away her age as I'm older than she is and then she would tell mine. Let's just say that she's the bestest friend anyone could ever have.

Happy Birthday Becky!!!!!!

(oops!)

RETREAT

2010-11-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

First of all I'd like to thank all of the get well wishes I received. I've been taking it easy and my back is getting better.

Two weekends ago the quilt group I belong to went on our annual Lake Tahoe Quilting Retreat. The family of one of the gals in the group has a condo that they generously let us use every year. It's about a three and a half hour drive from where I live and worth every mile! We usually car pool and caravan up. This year most of us left on Thursday morning with the intention of staying until Monday. We stopped for lunch in Truckee, California here. You may have seen this restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It was great!!!

This is the view from one of the balconies. See Lake Tahoe in the distance? Breath taking!

This is the same view a couple days later. We had quite a bit of snow. My car doors were frozen shut! By the time we were ready to come home the roads were plowed and safe for travel. Although I wouldn't have minded being snowed in for a week.

Our beautiful condo!

There were nine of us for this retreat and we had our sewing machines set up in the dining room and living room. When we get ready to go up there we make menus and go shopping in Tahoe City. We take turns cooking and cleaning the kitchen. Great food, great company, lots of laughs!!

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of every one's projects. This is a table-topper that Wanett made for Christmas. I can't wait to see it finished.

Beautiful colors!

Heather with one of her Christmas projects. She made two! (Yes, we hang around all day in our jammies!)

Another of Heather's wall hangings. Nanci made one just like it as well. See the kitchen in the background? Soup cooking in the crock pot. Yummmmm!

Marian's fall wall hanging. The backs of her projects always look just as pretty as the fronts.

Debbie made this for one of her grandsons.

Another of Debbie's projects. She is a speedy sewer!! Me, I"m sloooooooowwwwww.

I had this quilt finished and just needed to stitch down the binding. It was so relaxing to sit and do hand stitching with the snow falling and football on the television. Football!?! Yes, we have some football fans but they kept the sound low.

I worked on one of my Fat Quarter Shop block of the month projects and got the sashing strips sewn on. I just have to put on the outer border. I'm calling this project "The Pointless Wonder". Boy, am I out of practice!! Chopping off points and we won't even go into how messy the back looks. But once I get it finished and quilted, it'll be just fine. I worked on another quilt for my son but forgot to take a picture. It's a Chinese Coin pattern made with Civil War fabrics. I want to send it to him while he's deployed if he'll let me. I have to ask first 'cause guys are funny, he's an officer, and he may not want a "quilt from Mom" on his bed. If he doesn't want it sent to him, I'll save it for when he comes home! (Stay safe, Aaron!)

Now to show you the excitement we had. When you are up in the mountains, you always, always lock down your garbage. You always take any and all food and/or food scented items out of your car if you are there overnight. Why? Because of the BEARS! Someone in the complex had put their garbage in the dumpster but hadn't chained it shut. One morning Heather noticed that there was trash in the drive-way and we knew we had visitors in the night. As we watched from the safety of the condo, here they come again! Mama bear and her two cubs! We stayed inside and watched as they checked out the trash. Then they decided to leave and headed for the highway. When she got to the road, Mama looked both ways before crossing but the cubs just ran across. Typical!

See the car on the right? That's my van. Right next to that is the downstairs bedroom window where I was sleeping when the bears initially got into the garbage!!!!! Yikes!

After the bears had been gone for a while, Heather went down to clean up the garbage That's Cindy and Debbie standing guard. My question is, whose gonna guard the guards!!! That night as I was in bed I would hear a leaf rustle outside. "Bears!!!"

We all got lots done, had great food, laughed a lot and had a great time. Our next retreat is scheduled for February in the foothills near Sonora, California. Hopefully, this time, there won't be bears!!

We interrupt this message.....

2010-11-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry that I haven't posted for a while. I've done some really fun things the past two weekends and I can't wait to tell you about them. However, I have "thrown" out my back. It's something that happens once in a while and the past weekends attributed to it. Hopefully, I'll be better in a few days and I can show you what I did.

In the meantime, I'm laying low, watching television, reading and occasionally surfing my favorite blogs.

Take care!!!

Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

Today is Veteran's Day in the United States. It's the day that we honor those who have served in our military in times past. I want to also take this time to honor and thank those who continue to serve in our armed forces along with their families. They sacrifice a great deal so that we can remain a free nation.

A special thank you with immense pride to our son, Aaron, who has made a career in the military and is currently deployed.

God bless you all and keep you safe