Lilly Pulitzer Fabric Score

Lilly, Sweet Lilly... How I love you so.

I didn't actually find Lilly Pulitzer yardage, but I found 4 pieces of clothing at a garage sale. They wanted $20 but all I had was $17.00. They didn't want to go down, but I guess they knew I would love it more than anyone else and finally gave it to me.  I win!

I bought them thinking I would cut them up and make a small doll quilt for my niece for Christmas, but now I can't bring myself to cut. I want it all to myself. Like the Seagulls in "Finding Nemo" ...mine mine mine mine MINE!!!

I always buy thrifted clothing, especially vintage clothing, thinking I'm going to use it for fabric, then end up wearing it instead. The good thing (or sad thing) about the 4 pieces of clothing is they are size 4 and 6 and....um....that's not my size. Shux! (Who is a size 4 anyway!?!? Grrrrrr).  So off they go to my Lilly Hoard Box, waiting for the mood to strike.

Aren't they delicious? I can't stop looking at them.

Get off my stuff

For my art projects, I keep a bag of tiny pieces of paper which I can't throw away.

 

Pooh loves this bag. He climbs up and lies in it. Something about plastic and paper is so much squishy fun!!!

I gently placed him back on the floor. I move the bag to an uncomfortable place, trying to make it look less inviting. 8 seconds later, he climbs back up and snuggles into the cozy nesting spot.

AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

GET OFF MY STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm super annoyed and aggravated by this time, ready to punch a kitty...(not really). I'm trying to think of the most evil, the most cruel, the most vengeful retaliation I could quickly come up with.....

All I could think of was to tickle him with scraps of paper. THERE! That will show him! It will drive him nuts and he will leave me alone and keep his nasty fur off my stuff.

Oy vey! Forget it. You stay here, and I WILL MOVE. You win.

(You can see in the last picture, he is REALLY bothered. He rolls over and blinks at me...then goes back to sleep).

 

 

 

 

Gross Dog that I love so much.

So why do dogs like to drink dirty water? Ewwww.... It just grosses me out when she tries to help load the dishwasher. I know she thinks she's helping me, but my gag reflex is weak.

I would say we found and rescued her, but the truth is, she found and rescued us. 
 

 

SPAY AND NEUTER. RESCUE THE DEFENSELESS AND HOMELESS!!!
With today's economy, shelters are full as people can't afford their pets any more or they are abandoning them as they are having to leave their homes.


"RESCUE POEM"
Arlene Pace
September 18, 1998

Once I was a lonely dog,
Just looking for a home.
I had no place to go,
No one to call my own.
I wandered up and down the streets,
in rain in heat and snow.
I ate what ever I could find,
I was always on the go.
My skin would itch, my feet were sore,
My body ached with pain.
And no one stopped to give a pat
Or a gently say my name.
I never saw a loving glance,
I was always on the run.
For people thought that hurting me
was really lots of fun.
And then one day I heard a voice
So gentle, kind and sweet,
And arms so soft reached down to me
And took me off my feet.
No one again will hurt you
Was whispered in my ear.
You’ll have a home to call your own
where you will know no fear
You will be dry, you will be warm,
you’ll have enough to eat
And rest assured that when you sleep,
your dreams will all be sweet.
I was afraid I must admit,
I’ve lived so long in fear.
I can’t remember when I let
A human come so near.
And as she tended to my wounds
And bathed and brushed my fur
She told me ‘bout the rescue group
And what it meant to her.
She said, We are a circle,
A line that never ends.
And in the center there is you
protected by new friends.

Children's love notes

I was digging through some stuff and this turned up. I thought it was so sweet and funny. Don't you just love finding old surprises from your kids? I think my daughter made this card for me years ago. I can tell it's her handwriting.

My son is (was) a great little artist and drew dozens of pictures everyday for years and I would find them all over the house. I miss that.

Kinda sad when your little ones grow up. You miss all the little things they used to do.

It's ok I guess....*sigh*.... Now I'll just enjoy all the NEW little things with my BIG kids. They don't fit in my lap any more, but they're still just as sweet.

If you like the little magnets, they are from my friend, the most amazing artist and human being. Here is one of her websites. Journal Junk

You can buy her collage sheets of her "inchie" work on etsy. Lia's Collage Sheets

Hot Spot Decorating Tutorial

Take your most noticeable Hot Spot in your house, throw a bunch of crap up there, and hope it all works. If it works, leave it there. If it isn't working, give it two weeks, then move it around again.

 

You'll get the hang of it.

I love helping people, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

 

Hooches and Smugs!

Choose Joy all my little Lovelies!!!

Be blessed, Count your Blessings, Bless others.

Friends Forever

"And summer's lease hath all too short a date." ~ William Shakespeare

These are Allyson's best friends/neighbors.

They were all friends when they were little.

They are still friends now.

 

It makes me happy to see their loyalty and unconditional love they have for each other. They don't have to be anyone but "themselves" for each other. That's the way friendships should be. You love the person for who they are and don't ask them to be anyone else. My heart is joyful witnessing how these little girls have become women...who still care for one another.



"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." ~Ada Louise Huxtable

Vintage Strawberry Collection

I finally unpacked my box of strawberry things. 

A lot of it is mine and other things I inherited from my mother-in-law.

I've been collecting strawberries since I was in the 8th grade and eating them since I was a baby. :) 

They are my absolute most favorite food....in my whole entire life.

You can visit the Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, plus it's just a gorgeous blog to mark as one of your favorites. :)

(PS: I know my Jonah Salt and Pepper shaker isn't really a strawberry...LOL...I love him so, so much

 and he's on the same shelf. It seemed cruel to leave him out).

Be blessed.
Choose Joy Today.
Hooches and smugs
((((((group hugs)))))))

"Waitress" and Blueberry Pie

What did you do this weekend?
Did you stay out of the heat or did you go out and play in it?
I worked on a rag rug...oh so cute. It's white, aqua and red to go with my kitchen.

We ate blueberry pie and napped with cats.

That's about it.

We have a good life, don't we?

What greater gift than the love of a cat? ~Charles Dickens

 

Did you see "Waitress "?

 Allyson and I love that movie. She invents pies and gives them great names now.

This cream cheese blueberry pie was named

"This Is So Much Better Than Math Homework Pie"

"Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie, gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle.  Baby don't be blue, gonna make for you, gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle.  Gonna make a pie from heaven above, gonna be filled with strawberry love.  Baby don't you cry, gonna make a pie, and hold you forever in the middle of my heart"

If you want to sign up for  Amazon Prime  now, 

you can Instantly watch Waitress

for $2.99.

Do it!! You'll LOVE it.

Cat and the Sewing Machine

Pooh and Me on a really bad day.

 

For the love of all that is good and holy......

 

LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

 

((((((((((((((GROUP HUGS))))))))))))))))

Choose Joy!

Be blessed and have a good weekend....woooooo Doggy!!!

Baby Carolina Wrens Leave the Nest

Our babies left their nest. 

Aren't they beautiful? 

The parents stayed with them for a day or two until we finally lost sight of them, 

teaching them to fly in the thicket behind our house. 

We watched the parents build the nest and take care of the eggs, and babies for weeks.  

Now they leave us.  :(

It was a sweet thing to witness.

One of the most precious things I've ever seen!

Thank you for visiting.  

I hope you'll follow my blog.

Please leave a comment and say hello.

What birds are visiting you this season?

Be blessed and Be a blessing.  

Jonah Salt and Pepper Shaker

You may or may not know I have a Jonah.    My husband and I wanted a Hebrew Bible name for our son, but wanted something different.   We watched "Sleepless in Seattle"...we both looked at each other and at the same time said..."JONAH"....that's it!!!

Great Golden Digger Wasp

I think my 2nd favorite part of homeschooling all these years has been our nature studies (read alouds are #1). You never know when fascinating nature will be delivered to your home or yard. You've got to be flexible and relaxed enough to drop everything to enjoy the observation process, live in the moment, take time to smell the roses, or in our case this week...take time to watch the Great Golden Digger Wasp work her little persistent heart out. She's beautiful and she is AMAZING!!
Cumulatively I think we've all spent hours this week watching her. She chose to build her nursery a few feet from the porch so we could sit in the shade and admire her work ethic. She. Never. Stops. I wish I had that much energy as a mother. Nothing much seems to bother her. She's very content focusing only on her work. She noticed me once and turned to look at me (gave me the evil eye, she did) but went right back to work.
She goes down in her hole forward, but exits backing up with a perfect dirt ball with her. She piles them up neatly behind her landing strip. :) We saw her take down 3 green grasshoppers which she will lay her egg in.
Be kind to beneficial insects. These wasps are non aggressive and will keep your grasshopper population down, plus they pollinate. Let the good guys live. :)
I tried to get some good pictures for you. I did the best I could. To obtain perfect pictures would have involved lying in the dirt and I wasn't in the mood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Charlotte Mason says: All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him; for every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.54 )
Children should be encouraged to watch, patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragon-fly, and whatever of larger growth comes in their way.
(Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.57

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Golden Digger Wasp info
Wish this was better focused, but I can't believe I caught this shot. I was so excited to witness this. (poor grasshoppa)

  See her backing up? We would make "Beep Beep Beep" backing up sounds to cheer her along. Had to be there I guess. LOL It was funny when it happened. :)
Here she comes with a handful of dirt rolled up in a tidy little ball




Psalm 50:10-11: “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hill, and all that moves in the field is mine.” Blessings to you!

Group Hugs!!

Hooches and Smugs



Children Rejoicing for the Lord

 Click on the Link to read more Word Filled Wednesday

One of the sweet, tender moments of childhood. Captured is their gregarious, joyful spirit, playing in the backyard without a care in the world. Whenever my mind or heart isn't focused, I look at these pictures of my niece and nephew and am reminded of where my heart needs to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Be happy and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16
  Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise. Psalm 33:3
  “And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.” 2 Samuel 6:14


"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." Psalm 30:11

  "But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.
Psalm 5:11

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalms 30:12

"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." Luke 18:15-17

Grandma's Moss Roses

My Mother-in-law had planters around her pool full of flowers every summer. She liked to grow Moss Roses. We got one of her vintage planters, which I just love, except it has a nice big crack down the side of it. Oh well. It's still pretty and usable. Now mind you, it came to our house empty...just a plain old pot with a crack. I put one of the plants we received from her funeral in it, but it died this winter (ok, I probably killed it...ugh). If you want a house plant to live, don't give it to me. :)

It's been on the back porch this spring...just a pot with dirt...sitting there waiting for me to do something with it. A few weeks ago, something started growing in it. I thought it was a weed, although a pretty little weed and decided to let it grow to see what it would turn out to be.

Low and behold, I went outside Mother's Day morning and found a Moss Rose in bloom. Holy Cow...ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Mother's Day...of all the days of the year, it could bloom, it bloomed on Mother's Day?!!! The more I thought about it, the more impressed I was. I decided she came to see us, to tell us she loved us. Logically, she probably didn't...it was just God showing us a sweet bit of grace and tender love on this special, yet difficult day.

The facts are that the pot came to our home empty and out of no where, a year and a half later, a Moss Rose bloomed on Mother's Day. I figure maybe a seed was trapped in the crack or something and finally took root. Who knows....but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. It was the sweetest thing that has happened to us in a long time.

 

I don't believe in coincidences.

Home from College

They move out - they move back in. They move out - they move back in.
Girl Child has returned from her first year in college. Um, sure she was only 30 minutes away but what's that to a Mother? She might as well be on Mars - cause she's my baby and the home was missing her light and presence. We're all going to enjoy the "friendship" she brings to our family. She's a delightful companion to have in your life. And did I mention she's a hard worker? We're kinda like tag-team home makers. Maybe that's not healthy, but she's been such a big help (a God send...thank God for my good daughter!!!!) to me all these years since my back was ruined 4 years ago in a fender bender. I'm so proud of the woman she has become...she's such a wonderful, happy, witty, faithful joy in our life.
3 months with her, then she'll move back out - hopefully to move back in, again and again....cuz it's gonna be hard to let her go. Awwww...as I type this, I hear her foot steps over head just waking up...what a sweet sound to hear the feet of your child creaking across the floor upstairs...   I just read this page on my Kindle, a free Grace Livingston Hill download, and it made me smile at this familiar feeling. The context is a Presbyterian minister watching his just returned daughter sweeping the front porch:   "...as he wrote an article..... he was more keenly alive to the song on the lips of his child, who had but lately returned from college life in one of the great universities for women. He smiled as he wrote, and a light came in his deep thoughtful eyes. She had gone and come, and she was still unspoiled, mentally, physically, or spiritually. That was a great deal to have kept out of life in these days of unbelief. He had been almost afraid to hope she would come back the same." "The City of Fire", 1922

Just thought it was interesting that parents were worried about the same things for their daughters back in 1922. As Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun.

 

Hooches and Smugs

(((group hug)))