What's Happening

I store rubber bands by hanging them on a door knob in our kitchen.

Tom had added a few to the collection.

Dinner last night!

Zucchini Boats! 

Thanks Betsy for the idea.

They were sooo good.

Learning...

As part of my theme for this year,

I learned how to quilt, 

by making one!

 My friend Anita, is a professional Quilter.

She showed me dozens, of her handmade,
 beautiful quilts.
Each one was more gorgeous than the next!

(She is also a blogger, Bloomin' Workshop)

Inspiration hit me hard, when I was given some material.

I LEARNED a lot.
 Patience was on top of the list.
(that and having a good pair of scissors!!) 
And what a thrill it was
when some corners of the squares, matched.
You'd think, I 'd had won the lottery.

 I have much more to learn,
but I'm finding it's fun to learn and see results.

Now, I admire all quilters.

It's hard work!

Tom is the recipient of my first, lap, quilt.

~~~~~~~**~~~~~~

PS; If any of my kids read this,
I would really like a nice pair of sewing scissors
for Christmas!!!

Summer Rain

 Sitting inside this morning,

listening to the thunder and rain,

watching for the next bolt of lighting.

Good old summer rain storm to 

freshen up the flowers and water 

the lawns.

Again, I'm content!

Fashion Show With Hats

I have missed this little guy!

While on vacation I didn't get my Trey Day!

But I'm back!

 Trey and his dog Cooper have a special relationship.

Cooper loves the attention and Trey has a playmate.

Snack time with hat and stick.

Trey will be turning two years old

 at the end of next month!

I am so blessed to have one-on-one time

 with him every Tuesday!

Vacation Time

Time away is always fun.

This time it was, the BEST!

Tom and I planned our visit to Idaho,

  (where the grand kids live) 

for the annual Chick Fil-A,

Cow Day.

I don't know who was more excited,

Tom or the kids!

We all wore our homemade outfits 

and received a free breakfast!

Next day we went for a boat ride on

Lucky Peak Lake

It was really hot out!
We all got in and swam around.
The water was so refreshing.

Tom had fun teaching 

Lulu and Levi how to float.

What a fun time!

But the best part of the vacation
was Silas.

Look at him!

Silas is strong, active, healthy, and HAPPY!
Can you tell he had open heart surgery
just three months ago?

Time with our grandchildren also goes too fast.

It's always so hard to leave.

My girlfriend, since I was 3 years old, now lives in Idaho!

Can you guess who we visited on the way home?

Didi!

They built a beautiful home on a lake
and we had a great time,

talking, laughing, talking, eating, talking, swimming, talking, boating, and TALKING!

Didi's dog entertained us non-stop with 

water tricks.

Lucy got brave enough to go out on the dock 

all by herself, one morning.

It was before anyone else was up, except me!

On our way home we ran into a wild fire, out break.

We got stuck on a bridge, with backups for miles.

The temperature was hot!

Praise God, we didn't have to wait very long.

Then the next night,
 Tom and I went to the
Ringo Star Concert.

It has been a wonderful and happy week for me!

                   Now, it's back to laundry,

                                                       cooking.

                                                                    and cleaning.

I'm content!

Music To My Ears

 This is my violin.

There are many stories about this violin.

 #1. 

My great, great grandfather 

made this violin out of a

 shingle from a house and some furniture.

The history is written inside.

The date is 1897.

#2

I played this violin from 4th grade to 9th grade.
I wasn't very good, in fact I was last chair every year.

In the 4th grade I was excited to just get
 out of class for music lessons.
In Junior High, I was so embarrassed to be
carrying home my homemade violin case.
I would leave it in my locker and
didn't practice very often.

During performances at school.
 I would flip the bow over to the wood.
All I had to do was make sure my bow
was going the same way as everyone else.
It wouldn't make a sound!


#3
 I met my life, long friend, while in Junior High.
She is still a great friend and we have had many laughs
about our days in music class.
She sat in front of me and I would poke her
with my bow to get her attention, which was a lot!

#4
Kimmy and Lulu are going to be taking violin lessons.
Imagine my surprise when Kimmy asked me if she could have my old violin.

I cried!
My old violin will now have a NEW LIFE!

Amen!