Family Love

Lily is a girl of many talents; she can manage two babes at once. Here you see Oxford on top, and Cambridge on bottom:
Or she can pull a switch, as when Cambridge needed attention:

Lots of love to go around:

Now, lest you think Lily is the only one with talent, while these photos were taken, Forget-me-not was managing dinner for two two-year-olds, a three-year-old, and a five-year-old. I think it's a win-win for me. Couldn't have hand-picked better mommies for my grandbabies!

Yesterday, MacGuyver and his girlfriend Tiny Dancer came into town for the weekend. They have moved this week from NYC to Indy, only two hours away. It is going to be so, so nice. Violet is also in town for the weekend. It was a Noisy Day yesterday, with all of the catching up going on. Alvin Fernald, MacGuyver, Johnny Tremain, and Rocky Balboa had a great workout playing basketball. Lots of dirt and sweat. Today I'm looking for a Quieter Day. I wonder if I can find it anywhere around here?

I'll let you know...

I'm a Winner, too!

I received an Excellent Blog award from my new friend Ruthie . She is a wonderful blogger from Colorado. Be sure and visit and see not only her great photos, but she is running a China series of stories. She was born in China to missionary parents. I just love reading those stories, of her being the "little white girl" with the parents who loved to tell the people about the Lord.

I'm honored that Ruthie has chosen me! Now, as soon as I can figure out how to copy the graphic, I'll be glad to pass it along!

Alvin's a Winner!

At our homeschool fair last week, Lily put Alvin Fernald's and Blackeyed Susan's names in for a chance to win a prize package from a local radio station. We got the call today that Alvin had won!

Besides two cds, he received a beach towel, radio station t-shirt, earbuds, picture frame, bumper stickers, rubber-band bracelets, and, last but certainly not least, a two-pound bag of Twizzlers!

Coming Out of the Cave...

...or a Coma. Some four-letter word beginning with the letter C.

As in a Cold.

A Massive, Sleep for Eighteen Hours one day, followed by two more days on the couch...Cold.

"Upper Respiratory Infection," they call it. But sometimes, it takes your eyes (swollen so badly you can't read), *and* your brain (tried to blog one day, couldn't make the keyboard work).

No remedies touched it. This one just had to be Waited Out.

I've conquered it, but its dregs remain. I figure I'm now at about 60% full-strength. Maybe 70%.

but...

Charming is off on Sunday and Monday, and we're cooking out. So, the Good News is that, by then, I should be pretty good. So, I'm considering it a blessing that it happened this week. I missed a couple of beautiful days outside, but the weekend looks great--mid-seventies and sunny.

So, all in all, nothin' to complain about.

Now, back to housework and schoolwork!

Priceless

Electric guitar: $179.00:

Amp: $99.00:

Adaptor for HEADPHONES:$2.99 PRICELESS $2.99 (sorry, I guess it's only Priceless to Mommy...):

Day Alvin has been waiting for "Forever":

Priceless.

Congratulations, Alvin. You've been diligent in your music studies, and you deserve it!

Now, where did I put that bottle of ibuprofen?

Busy This Week

I finished a bridal shower gift for my nephew's soon-to-be-wife. Isn't this Alexander Henry print cute, cute, cute?
I finished a couple of tea towels to match...

...and two knitted dishcloths, the green one with a "pear" design, and the yellow one with an "apple":

Might as well set up housekeeping in luxurious style, I say!

I also finished a summer purse for moi. I've been sewing hobo bags for Blackeyed Susan's friends for weeks--now it was my turn. Another Alexander Henry fabric--pink goldfinches:

Inside, I have green confetti dots, and cuter-than-cute China Dolls (yep, another A. Henry):

I used McCall's 5599, view C.

Now, to begin the daunting job of transferring purse stuff. I'm one of those whose purses are registered with the FBI as Lethal Weapons. Heavy as dirt, but...I will probably have what you need if you need it. Dental floss? Extra buttons? Five lipsticks? (I'm a Lipstick Girl.)

I'll let you know when I come up for air.

Mother's Day

My darling Alvin Fernald planned a surprise cake for me for Mother's Day. (he just forgot to take the photo until after he cut the cake, and put my piece on a plate.) It is decorated in my favorite color, green:It was waiting for me after my yummy nap on Sunday. (since Charming had to work, a nap was my Plan for the Day.) This explained why I heard Alvin rummaging around his room at 3 am on Saturday night. He had called Charming at work, and asked him to pick up the fixin's at the 24-hour grocery after he got off work. They had just been delivered to his bedroom by his Dad.

Did I tell you it was yummy?

It was.

Magic on the Porch

Yesterday, the weather was perfect to have the grandbabies over for some playtime. I got to sit on the porch with my newest two, Cambridge (on the left, one month) and Oxford (two months):
Oh, I just *know* you want a close-up:

Here is Pop-pop, reading a book to Laura Carrot, Blueberry, and Sweet Pea:

Junior Asparagus was fascinated with a pillbug, which 'round these parts, we call a roly-poly:

I had a wonderful visit with the mommies, Lily and Forget-me-not, as well. Johnny Tremain, who works as a teacher at the public school a block away from our home, walked over for lunch. What a treat!

The *only* problem when you have a magic-on-the-porch kind of day, is that your To-Do list becomes a Still-To-Do list. But, my mom always said that your T0-Do list is never, ever a Completely-Done list, and she always chose the "better part" when it came to grandbabies. A great example for me to follow...

Finished!

I finished the binding on this quilt! This is "number 5 of five" quilts in a two-year project, which I began in January '07. Sixteen months is all it took.

These five quilts are gifts for this Christmas. Now I have to wait seven months before I can see them opened by their recipients.

It's gonna be a long summer.