Found!

Found on the floor next to my side of the bed:

From the library: The Street of the City by Grace Livingston Hill
A New Name (also by GLH)
Winter in Thrush Green by Miss Read
The Christmas Mouse (by Miss Read)
The Cross-Country Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini (love this series)
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (working my way through the Newbery winners)

To go to Goodwill: A Room of My Own by Ann Tatlock
Stories to Enjoy--Literary Heritage Series
Junior Girl Scout Book ca. 1963

I picked the first two books up at a thrift store. The first one was a good story, set in the Depression. I just know I will never read it again, so off it goes. The second book is the "short story" book I had in school in seventh or eighth grade. Almost all the stories are depressing, though. Maybe they wanted to "expose" us to a new level of stories with unhappy people and unhappy endings. The Girl Scout book (from a library sale) was the edition I used, but after looking through it, I don't really see a use for it for myself or my family.

From Blackeyed Susan's bookshelf: Mystery on Cobbett's Island--Trixie Belden
Nancy Drew--Secret of Red Gate Farm
The Bungalow Mystery
The Clue in the Diary
Anne Emery--Married on Wednesday
Rosamond du Jardin--Wedding in the Family

Susan is reading through the original fifteen Trixie Belden books. I read a couple of Nancy Drew's every year for myself--a couple of years ago, my older sister bought a set of six to read on airplanes. Fun! The other two are residing on Susan's bookshelf until Violet gets a place of her own (she is a dorm rector at a university). She has quite a collection of 40's and 50's teen-girl novels. I have enjoyed sharing these books from my girlhood with my two older girls. Violet's favorite author is du Jardin--Forget-me-not's is Anne Emery. I love Lenora Mattingly Weber's "Beany Malone" series m'self!

From my Grace Livingston hill bookshelf (four shelves full!):
Brentwood
The Gold Shoe
Re-Creations

Finally, my Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. I read this once a year to keep me motivated. AND my One Year Bible, which I have faithfully (so far) kept up-to-date!

Why? might you ask, are all these things not-put-away? I'm afraid this is a pretty constant state for my bedtime reading. I mean, if it is 11:30 at night and I finish a book, who wants to get out of bed to put it away? And somehow, the little book fairies seem to push them under the side of the bed by morning...

Friends, this is Nineteen Books I have not put away. But, today is a New Day, and since I filed our taxes yesterday, and it looks like we will have enough coming back for a New Mattress (oh, frabjous day! Callou, callay!), this was a Decluttering Job that was calling my name.

I wish I could say that there will never again be nineteen already-read books near- and under-my-bed, but my Charming says that it is silly to make promises with my mouth that my personality won't keep. I always have Hope, though...

edited to add: Lest you think that I never read anything with "tooth," the stuff I read in my bed is almost always Froth (exception: the One Year Bible, of course!). Somehow I feel that I need to be sitting up while reading "real stuff." The exception was John Adams by McCullough, 600+ pages, which I did read at bedtimes.

New Project

I've started (yet again) another quilt top. The good news is, is that this is three-of-three I wanted to do this year. I will still have to quilt all three, but at least I can put away the sewing machine! So here is "Manchester"--the pattern calls for the snowball and nine-patch blocks to be on point:
...but I'm not sure but that I will like them in a straight-set better:

For my grandbaby Blueberry's birthday (which was a couple of days ago) I wanted to make a fabric barn-bag with animals, which I had made for Alvin Fernald's first birthday. But I am *still* looking for the pattern. We did give him a gift my kids loved--a small rubbermaid food container filled with milk jug caps of all different colors. We used these for "counters" in early math years, but I found the children loved to divide them into colors, make flowers with them, etc. I begged different colors from friends who used different brands or %'s of milk, juice, etc. and there was quite a variety. The gift was an instant hit, as Blueberry discovered that he could take them out of the box one-by-one and drop them on the floor! Ah, it was a great day!

On "my other blog," (see sidebar) I blogged about my brother's news that he has leukemia. I am strangely not worried (partly because the doctor told him it was very treatable and he has a good chance for full recovery), I think because, as I have lived these 50+ years, I have seen the Lord be ever, Ever, EVER faithful. *He* is in charge, and that is a good place for me to rest.

Blueberry Birthday Love

Our dear little Blueberry is One today! He came six weeks early, and still weighed in at nearly six pounds. He has added twenty more to his avoirdupois, but even better is watching him grow! I can't say it enough, Grandbabies Are Da' Bomb!!!

Sweet-Heart

Happy Valentine's Day to my beloved Charming!

(to make your own candy heart, go here.)

Everybody Safe at Home

Well, we are in the middle of a blizzard here. It's really kind of unbelievable, considering that November and December were filled with rain and higher temps. than normal. We finally got frigid temperatures a couple of weeks ago, and had a few inches of snow on the ground. But this is the Real Deal. The tv station breaks in every hour for a weather update. I watched as the different little towns called Snow Emergencies. For the first time since 1999, the malls closed, and so Joe Hardy got to come home early. Charming had to be at work this morning at 5am, and really thought he might be able to close the restaurant early. They may be closed by now, but the word came down that they want to try to open on time tomorrow. So he came home to get two days' worth of clothes, and headed back up to a hotel right behind the restaurant where he works. My final cubbie who had been at work is now safe at home for the night. So I am a happy mama.

The word is that the bulk of the snow and wind will be from 7pm to 1am, so we aren't finished yet. How grateful I am for a warm house with plenty to eat and wear. Since Charming isn't going to be home, my sewing machine may be running. My telephone seems to have been on duty non-stop today, including my Daddy, who called seven or eight times to check up on the various happenings with everyone. I'm also grateful that he is safe in the nursing home, with oxygen, meds, food, and heat.

Praying for all who have to be out in the storm--the snowplows, police, hospital workers, tv station folks, etc. And that everyone else will reach home safely, and bed down for the night warmly!

I'm Satisfied

A few days ago, I posted about my finished blue and yellow quilt top, then decided maybe it needed a border. I found this fabric in my stash:
Here it is, a little closer up. It looks like Blue Willow china: There. Now it's Done.

Things I love

My grandmother's 1977 Kenmore, my "work-horse." So many projects, so many memories...
The machine on which I learned to sew--a 1915 Singer treadle, later electrified. My neighbor likes to say "electrocuted." My mother bought this used when she married in 1941:

My little $5 ebay beauty, a 1955 Singer model 99:

This one will go to Lily, after I find a table for it.

Eventually I suppose I will have a Featherweight, that "gold medal" of quilters, but I love having my mother's and grandmother's machines.

What do you use?

Finally here!

Go Colts!!

This football game is Big News here in the town where Tony Dunghe said that the game *should* be played because it is halfway between Chicago and Indy. I don't think there was a schoolchild standing at the bus stop on Friday that was not wearing a jersey. Restaurants were full of entire families wearing jerseys. Bakeries with displays on one side of blue/white cupcakes, and blue/orange on the other. The Midwest Super Bowl is here!

I am really not sure how this game got to be such a huge event. In the early years it wasn't, I know. We all know the thing about the advertising--2 1/2 million for 30 seconds. Huge parties with food that rivals wedding receptions. Somebody, somewhere decided that this should be the Biggie.

Sometimes I wonder just what Laura Ingalls (as a little girl) would think of the world in which we live. Sometimes it is when I am driving down a superhighway at 70 mph. Other times it is when sitting on a beach in the summertime. And then, today...

Andy Griffith had a stand-up routine called "What is was, was football." He described the game as one who had never heard of football, and indeed didn't know it was a game. How they ran down a field with some kind of object, hitting each other, and then kicking it, and the people cheering and all. You can read the text of his monologue here. Just click on the link "see it here."

Well, we are not having, nor are we attending, any "Big Bash." Pizza, salsa-and-chips, and Hershey bars will do, here at home, quietly. There will be some discussion if some of the commercials are especially bawdy. We are definitely Colts people here, but 'da Bears is not a bad second choice.

By the way, *I* don't have a jersey. Football is not my "life." But I may pull out my blue sweater to wear....

Finished Top! (well, almost)

I finished the blue-and-yellow quilt top last night:
Here is a close-up of four special squares. It is a "family" story--Charming's sister wanted to play the French horn in the school band, but her mother did not have the money to buy an instrument. She did find a used one for $100, but even that price was prohibitive. Enter the neighbor farmer, who, not knowing the need, asked the five children to "pick pickles" for him. He would pay them...$100!

I've been collecting these fabrics for about five years. I was able to find (clockwise from top left) a French horn, cucumbers, jar-of-pickles, and money fabric with $100 bills. This was so fun, and I had a hard time waiting to make the top. But this is one of three quilts that I decided I wanted to make in 2007. It's a marvel to me that it is February 2nd, and I have two tops done already!

I laid out the top to photograph this morning, and now I'm kind of wavering on the "it's done" theory. I think I may want to add a yellow border, oh, about three inches wide. That may make it look more finished. What do you think?

With these two quilt tops done (of course, they need Quilting, as well!) I am actually doing two projects that have been sitting around for...years. Love the Finish What You Have concept.

Well, tonight, Alvin Fernald and Blackeyed Susan are going to the Winter Jam concert. Five bands *and* a George Bush impersonator for $10. Aunt Robin is going to take them for me, so that Charming and I can have a quiet evening at home. I probably won't blog about *that...*

Blue and Yellow WIP

Well, I did it! I left the "random" pieces alone, and actually sewed them in squares. It "went against my better nature," as my Mother used to say, but I was determined:
Here they are, laid with their alternate plain squares:

Mmmm, those blue squares look so...dark. (Bright?) But I certainly don't want the entire quilt to look as light as the patched squares.

The public schools are enjoying their first snow day of the school year. It snowed quite a bit, and Blackeyed Susan is out of town with her sister. Alvin Fernald is calling a friend to tag-team for shoveling. He is eating a hearty oatmeal breakfast now, with the promise of hot cocoa after working. Then to the playing!

Help from a "random" source

After my blue-and-yellow fiasco of last week (see post below), I decided to use a simpler pattern, made of squares and rectangles. I spent some free time Saturday cutting pieces. The 2 1/2-inch squares will be in diagonal chains across the top, and I wanted them to be in Random Order. So, I enlisted the help of Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot:
They alternated, blue and yellow, giving Grandma squares. It took a while for them to get the hang of "just one square":

Here, Junior has it *DOWN,* baby:

I am not very good at "random." I can take a pile of squares and put them in what *I* consider "random order," meaning that there is not a particular order to them. However, I would not let two of the same item lie next to each other, when, if they are truly "random," that could easily happen. Think of throwing a handful of jacks--clusters could easily happen, as well colors happening together.

I have tried to do "absolute randomness" before--putting squares in a paper bag and pulling them out one by one. But I have never been able to leave well enough alone, and ended up Orchestrating Order. Guess that's the linear thinker in me. I should leave it to Charming the Spatial Thinker Guy, but he wasn't around. So I threw myself on my grandbabies' mercy, to help Grandma out of her dilemma.

Tonight I will work on some squares, and will post pictures of my Random Creations.

If I can leave the darn things alone.

Six Weird Things Meme

I've seen this meme all around, and everyone who does it ends by saying, "I tag anyone who wants to do it." I guess that is because it's a little more difficult to find those "weird" things that we are willing to share. Well, here goes for me...

1. I like the smell of skunk. I would just let the car window stay down when we "come across" one in the summertime, except my family wouldn't let me. Maybe someday I'll find one when I'm alone in the car...

2. I went to funeral homes a lot when I was a child. We had lots of great-aunts and such that died, and my parents thought it was "just a part of life" to take your children. When I was eight, my five-year old sister died, and Mother knew we would be at the funeral home late, so she asked my seven-year old brother and me to take a nap. Several times she came to the bottom of the stairs and yelled at us. Finally, she said, "if you aren't asleep in five minutes, you can't go to the funeral home tonight!" We flipped over to the wall, and that was the last anyone heard of us for an hour...The threat of not being able to go to the funeral home made us shape up pronto! A tad warped, there...

3. All the way through school, I memorized at my fellow (girl) students shoes, so that when I was in the rest room, I could tell who was beside me on either side, by identifying their shoes. This went on clear through high school, by which time you would think I'd have better things to do. For a reference point for my younger readers, I grew up in a time where you had Church Shoes, School Shoes, and Tennis Shoes, so basically you wore the same pair every day.

4. My fingerprints are on file at the FBI. When I was in seventh grade, my brother had a rare disease that was being studied at the National Institutes of Health. The doctors wanted to study the three normal siblings, so we went for a week to be "guinea pigs." Because it was a government facility, they fingerprinted us. While I was there, I found what I wanted to study in college--Medical Technology, by asking questions at the laboratories on every floor of the hospital, where they were doing research. I later learned that the FBI was established for one purpose--to be a repository for fingerprints (the newest technology at the time).

5. I love to mix my food. You know, like mashed potatoes/meat loaf/corn. I mix it all before I start to eat it. Even with steak, I will load a piece of steak, a bite of potato, and a bite of broccoli on my fork before I eat it. I have children who not only don't mix their food, but have to have it completely separated on their plates. I saw them spring from my loins, so I know they are mine, but...

6. I rode on the Wabash Cannonball when I was four years old, before it stopped running. All I remember of the ride was standing up on my seat and seeing the man behind me snoring, and my mother telling me it was rude to stare at people. The seats were velvet and had white antimassacars on them. The trip was twenty-five miles long. To hear a clip from the folksong "Wabash Cannonball," click http://www.emusic.com/album/10591/10591702.html">here.

Well, now you know a few "weird" things about me. Although, if you know me, it's ALL weird, isn't it?

Bit off a little more than I could chew...

Good grief, Charlie Brown.

You can see from a post earlier this week that I finished a quilt top. It went together oh-so-easily and oh-so-quickly, I was inspired to get out another project to fiddle with during the Colts/Patriots game last evening.

This project has been sitting around for about five years now. I collected blue and yellow fabrics, and had decided on a two-different-square design. The alternating squares would make a nice secondary design when placed next to each other.

Before you read how it all turned out, check out a former post, found here. You will find out that I am not the neatest crayon in the box. I have always been this way, and have not yet figured out how to correct the situation. That is exactly why my Quilting Motto is:

Finished is Better than Perfect.

My first problem came up when I cut out pieces for Square A, and then followed the instructions for Square B. I could not figure out why I had cut pieces out all the wrong size. I quit this square after two rows:
So I re-drafted the pattern, using colored pencils to indicate which fabrics were which. I then cut out pieces for Square A, and proceeded to put together Square A. (works so much better that way...)

What a disaster! If the pieces don't meet at the corners, they are warped and stretchy. That middle piece is supposed to be a *square*, people, not something that looks like it went through the room with the fun house mirrors. And it doesn't even lie flat--looks more like the Star-Spangled Banner waving in the breeze.

Good grief.

And then I got to thinking, Why in the World did you choose a pattern with squares with forty-two pieces in them? Okay, maybe for a wedding quilt or an heirloom quilt. But this is not the case. This is Obviously a case of "looked good on paper five years ago."

I'm going to look for a pattern with, like, Squares and Rectangles or something.

By the way, this "messy" thing doesn't end with fabric. Maybe someday I'll tell you about how, after 31 years of marriage, I still can't make a decent egg or pancake.

It's not a pretty story....

It's About Time

We woke up to the first measurable snow of the season. Now, rain we have had up to our ears, and a couple of "dustings" of snow. But never so much as to have to brush off your car:
I'm dreaming of a White Christmas?

By the footprints, about 2 inches so far...

This has been an unusual winter here in Indi*na. For instance, the "blizzard of '78" winter, we had 120 inches. Usually 30-50 inches would be expected. Well, we are up to...Two....

I'm nursing a sore throat, and Charming has to work today, so I am sitting here alone at nine am--everyone else is asleep. Certainly not a "normal" Sunday morning! Isn't it a beautiful thought that I won't "miss" God because I am not going to "His house" today? I can worship Him here, and He is Here with me. What a God we serve!!

Cookie Time

It's Girl Scout cookie time! I picked up two boxes the other night. The little girls wanted me to try their New! Lemon! (somethings), but I got some "default" cookies instead--the peanut butter sandwich ones, and the always lovable Thin Mints.

This will not be the last time this season that we will purchase cookies. I didn't get the shortbread kind yet, and I can't let the season pass without those! But purchasing cookies led me to reminisce about past Cookie experiences.

Cookies are three-fifty a box nowadays, and contain about, oh, fourteen cookies. When *I* was selling cookies, they were fifty cents a box, and the thin mints had three rows of cookies, not two. There were only about four kinds, the peanut butter sandwich ones being a *new* variety while I was in Scouts. The shortbread cookies were called "Sugar Shortbread" in my day--of course, these were the days of Post Sugar Crisp and Kellogg's Sugar Pops cereal--now we think that if we don't put "sugar" in the title, people won't know that there is sugar in the product. Later the shortbread cookies were called "trefoils" and now I think they are just called Shortbread. For some reason, Thin Mints has never gone through a name change.

I remember being little and sharing a room with my sister, six years older than I. She had had a good selling season, and when her cookies were delivered, she kept them in our room until she could make her deliveries. I somehow got the idea that if I took just one cookie out of a box, no one would know the difference. About fourteen boxes later, I was found out. I don't know what happened to the cookies; probably my father went with her to explain to neighbors what had happened. Sure seemed like an okay idea at the time....

Girl Scouting has gone through other changes, as well. I picked up two old GS manuals at a used library sale. One was my sister's manual, ca. 1953, and the other was the one I used, ca. 1963. Looking through them, I notice the theme was to develop character in order to be a good citizen. By the time my oldest daughter was in Scouts (mid-80's), the emphasis was on becoming a "global" citizen, and no mention was made about being a good homemaker.

But some things never change. Mmmm, Thin Mints. Gotta be my favorite.

Halfway Down the Long and Winding Road

Well, I have finished the top to my Long and Winding Road quilt. I am really diggin' the colors! I just love when the finished project looks as good as it did in my head!
This quilt is for a gift, and the recipient was a huge Mickey Mouse fan, growing up. I found this fabric for the backing on the $2.00 clearance table:

I have a goal to spend no more than $2.00/yard for backing fabrics for quilts. I have a big rubbermaid bin full of 5-7 yard lengths which I have purchased for $2 or less. Some of them I bought purposefully, with a particular project in mind. Others, like the $1/yard print of allover celery stalks with ladybugs crawling over them, were just too cute to pass up.

I get the love for "novelty" fabrics from my Grandma. She made me a quilt one time, whose backing was the same fabric that was inside my tennis shoes, and said Sneak-ease all over. For Johnny Tremain and Lily's wedding quilt, I got $1/yard that said How Do I Love Thee Let Me Count the Ways all over it. MacGuyver has a quilt with Monopoly Man fabric on the back that I bought for $0.78/yard. It's a fun treasure hunt!

Turning a corner...

Don't you love it when one of your children disappears, then calls you up to see a "secret"? Alvin Fernald was looking in his footlocker for something, and decided to pull out all his soldiers. I let him keep them up for three days (the advantage of having only two children left at home, is that they are able to have their own rooms!), and he took these pictures as a remembrance.

First, the Cowboys and Indians:

Next, Gettysburg is played out here. Alvin just bought a new PS2 game of The History Channel's Civil War:

Finally, one side of WWII. It looks like the green guys in the back have yet to be set up at the time the photo was taken:

I really should have taken a picture after they had been put away. Kudos to Alvin--he is on a neat streak about his room, and Mom is lovin' it.

I will let you know when I decide how I want to quilt my L. & W. R. project. I love hand-quilting, but am not a fancy quilter. You may have read here before about my Quilt Motto--Finished is Better than Perfect...

Well begun...but not half done....yet.

I spent the last few evenings cutting out pieces for a new quilt project:
The squares are made in four quadrants:

Here is the finished square. You may notice that the two green triangles in the upper right quadrant are not correctly placed. That is the one thing I don't like about doing quilts with triangle pieces--I seem to make a lot of those kind of boo-boos, and spend an inordinate amount of time ripping out...

I did fix it, and now have twenty-four more squares to go. The quilt will be called The Long and Winding Road. It just feels good to be doing a new project.

I'm Dreaming of a White Schoolday...

Well, we have only had a couple of "spits" of snow this season. We were talking about the people in Denver, who have been Walloped by three huge storms already. Alvin Fernald wrote this very quickly yesterday:

If I were [homebound] in a blizzard, I would...

Drink A LOT of hot chocolate, play the PS2 I got for Christmas, read a good book, watch some tv, play computer, play some guitar, draw, play G.I. Joes, and sit/lie down.

That's what I would do during a blizzard.

He evidently forgot to insert "shovel the walks."

Look at Me!!!!

You paid attention during 97% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Hey, not a bad score for being out of high school almost 34 years!! By the way, I thought this quiz was very fun, having a well-rounded assortment of questions. Try it!!

Oh, and by the way, I had Blackeyed Susan and Alvin Fernald take the grammar quiz below, and both of them got 100% My mother (who could still diagram a sentence at age 70), would be proud!! I know I am...

Grammar Goody

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

I need to have Alvin Fernald and Blackeyed Susan take this test. Just thirteen questions, but it really shows you if you have a command of apostrophes.

We had a good day yesterday. Alvin and Susan cleaned their rooms up to Grade A condition. A nice way to get ready for back-to-schooltime next week. I spent some time decluttering and organizing. This is Charming's day off--he is already meeting his guitar buddy Greg at Starbucks. Today is also the day the tree goes out the door to the park for recycling. I put decorations away last evening while our dear Notre Dame was getting stomped in the Sugar Bowl...

Scrabble Reigns

Aah, Scrabble. The game of kings. Okay, so that's chess, but it *should* be Scrabble.

I am a third-generation Scrabble player. I played with my grandma when I was young, and with my Mom the rest of her life. Right now I am playing a game or two almost every day with Forget-me-not over coffee. Junior Asparagus takes an old set with a few letters missing, and fills the table with three-letter words. Grooming that fifth generation--it's a "good thing."

I own a number of copies of the game. One year, my family bought one, spray-painted the box and the backside of the board gold, and "autographed" it with Grace Livingston Hill's name. The "GLH" edition. A little poetic license there--Scrabble came out in 1948, and Grace died in 1947. I have noticed that the new games seem "cheaper" (what *new thing* isn't more cheaply made than its predecessor?), so I pick up a vintage game whenever I can. That way, if a letter or two is missing, I take it from the game I give to the grandkids. Now I have my Mother's game, possibly one of the originals. Fer sure the rules are--they say No Slang Allowed--new games have no such rule.

Mom and I played a "relaxed" game. We'd pull out our seven letters, and whoever had a better word would go first. 'Long about the third turn in a row you had all vowels, she'd let you put a couple tiles back in the pool, to try to get consonants. Someone tried to tell me once that you could only use the dictionary to challenge a spelling. What is that? Half of the fun of the game is learning new words you didn't even know existed.

A few high points of my career: I hit one of those "double triples"--hitting two red squares on a single turn. Too bad most of the letters were one-pointers; the score was hardly impressive. Joe Hardy decided that a "good" game is one where you hit 300 points; a 400 point games is excellent. I've done that several times. Forget-me-not had one a couple of weeks ago--her score was 135 after three turns, and kept that up the rest of the game. A few weeks ago, I had a seven-letter word for my first turn AND my final turn.

Need a seven-letter word, but have three "i's" on your plate? I played the word "initials" and accomplished that. I love the fact that "raise" means to build up, and "raze" means to tear down. By the way, you can add an "e" to that word--razee: a ship made smaller by the removal of the top deck. (I loved the definition so much that I memorized it.) Also love the word Quire--twenty-four or twenty-five sheets of paper. 24 OR 25? What, did they have an argument about it with international repercussions, so they compromised? It's in the dictionary, folks--look it up.

I am not a "tournament" player; they look 'way too serious, and not like they have fun. Fun is the number one rule. I will have the "ultimate fun" when I am finally able to play my favorite word--oviposit. Haven't accomplished that one, yet. Have played my second-favorite word--husband. (little lovey hearts floating in air while I think about him)

Finally, for your viewing pleasure, Joe Hardy's biggest coup. He played the word "onyx" for ninety points. NINETY points for a four-letter word. I'm telling you, we are Scrabble fiends here...

A Goodly Beginning

From my One Year Bible, for January 1st:

"The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight;

for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair."

Proverbs 1:1-3, NIV

Red Lipstick

I don't understand the fashion of the last few years, to put a "nude-ish" color on your lips. I watch the "makeover" shows (e.g. "What Not to Wear?"), and they do a great job with the clothes and the makeup until...the lips. "We're going to put a light, transparent gloss on your lips." Which (in my humble opinion) makes them disappear into the rest of the face.

My own lips have a problem. They have almost no natural color (thus, "disappear" into my face without some assistance). So Lipstick has been my close and b*som friend since junior high. Oh, I tried the Frosty Glosses (they came in a bottle with a roll-on top)--they made my lips look swollen and colorless, kind of like a mutant jellyfish. I didn't even buy my senior photos because of this disastrous mistake.

I do very well with Color. Not frost, not "matte," just Cream. But there is Another Issue. Lipstick does not look the same on my lips as it does in the tube. If I see someone wearing a color I think would look good on me, I can't just go out and buy the same thing they are wearing. It is a long and arduous process to find a color that will replicate that "look" for me.

Violet, Forget-me-not, and I played a game one day. We each put on the same lipstick to see how it would look on us. I wish I had taken a photo--couldn't be more different. And I was the "winner" in the Looks Least Like the Color in the Tube division.

There are only a few colors that I can wear. I do mauve-y pink (I can also do Watermelon, but it has been years since I've found one I can wear), mocha, and Red. Ahh, Red. I can wear both the cranberry-blue kind, and the Tomato Red, 1940's kind. Not so many of us can carry that off. And there is something different about Red, as opposed to other colors. Call it Sassy. Call it Confident. Hey, you have to be confident to wear Red. Red says Look at Me.

I have always said that if stranded on a deserted island, I would need: 1. my Bible (of course), and 2. Red Lipstick. My list always stops there. I find it difficult to go on after talking about Red.

No doubt about it, Red is Fabulous. To see the Fabulous Power of Red, look down at Tuesday's post, at the Christmas Eve picture. Then ask yourself, don't you need some Red lipstick?

Red Shoes

About ten years ago, when Blackeyed Susan was three, I made her an Easter dress in a style that was then very popular--the bodice was white with navy polka dots; the skirt was navy with white polka dots, and it had a wide red ribbon sash. I picked up two pairs of shoes that spring--matching white and red patent leather Mary Janes.

When I finished the dress, I showed it to my 75-year old mother. She was always so ready to praise any sewing project I made. Then I pulled out The Red Shoes.

She gasped.

"Ohh!" she cried. "These are wonderful. I remember a pair of red shoes I had when I was a girl. Every girl needs a pair of red shoes. Red says Happy!"

Isn't she right? I currently own two pair of red shoes. One is an extremely useful pair of wine-red (cordovan) leather Mary Janes. I was lucky enough to get these $80 shoes for $29.00. I've had them for three years, and I wear them with both jumpers and pants. They are my *go to* shoes for winter.

My other pair is a pair of Naturalizer sandals. The store displayed them in black and brown. I tried on the brown pair, and had just about settled on them when the clerk said, "These also come in Red."

The word was electric. Little fireworks, complete with American flags, accompanied that little three-letter word. Of course, there was no decision to make then. Red it was.

If you don't own a pair of red shoes, you need to. If not this winter, get them in the spring. It will make a difference in your attitude!

Whew!!

I promised pictures of some of my crafty gifts. I realize that they are not as complicated and exquisite as many of the things I've seen around blogland in the last few weeks. But here they are, anyway.
I made six "useful" scarves for my five sons and one son-in-love:
For my five girls (daughters, daughter-in-love, and MacGuyver's lovely girlfriend), I made fun, funky scarves from fun yarns:

I made Sweet Pea a little lambkin from Mrs. Turkey Feathers site. I like the delicate colors.

For Blueberry, I made a dolly with red flannel pjs in a pillow-bed of his own. It's from a commercial pattern:

It's a two-faced doll--this is the "asleep" side:

Flannel pj pants for six, ready to go:

(I have made up to sixteen pairs in a season, but did scarves this year)

Christmas Eve picture, tho' the grandbabies have been long asleep at this time:

Christmas morning, and what do I find under my tree? but a 25-pound Blueberry with a green bow (my favorite color!):

Lots of noise, wrapping paper, and bows later, we stowed our treasures and five of our children made our way to the nursing home to see my Daddy:

The others plan to see him today or tomorrow.

This morning, Violet has made her way home, and MacGuyver and his lovely are making their way back to New York. Charming is back to work, and I am considering making my way to Wal-mart for the after-Christmas sale. I have avoided this the past two years, but now my wrapping paper stash is about exhausted. But Alvin (who got a Playstation II for Christmas) needs a memory card to save his games, and is pushing to get it TO-DAY.

We'll see. It's nice to not be partying today. This Christmas was four big days long, and Mommy is tired. The house is pretty quiet, and I Like It...

Christmas Surprise

We were so excited when we found out that MacGuyver was coming home for Christmas! He moved to NYC in June, to begin a big adventure. I have never gone six months without seeing one of my children before, so it was a Big Thing for Mommy. He was scheduled to come in tonight (Saturday) about 5 pm... ...but showed up Last Night about 7 pm!! Screams of joy, especially from little bro and sis Alvin Fernald and Blackeyed Susan! Me? I just couldn't get enough kissing!

Violet is in town now, too, for the holiday. All eight of my children and four grandbabes will be together for Christmas Eve and Day. There is no better present in the world, except for the One that started it all:

"Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift."

Have a blessed, blessed Christmas holiday with your families!

Party Time

This weekend was Charming's family Christmas parties. Saturday night was our biannual shindig thrown by my dear mother-in-love. The theme was "Glitter." I loaned dear m-i-l the tiara that Forget-me-not wore at her wedding. It is "real" rhinestones:
You may notice that Mom is wearing a banner that says "Miss Cassopolis 1953." I decided that we needed to bring back the Glory Days, and made her a new banner. Miss Darl was a reluctant beauty queen--she is known as the jeans-wearin', goin' fishin', tool-totin' Grandma. Her mother asked her to enter the contest. She showed up for practice in jeans, and they sent her home to put on a skirt. (so-o-o 1953, isn't it?)She borrowed a formal for the event, and her comment is, "if I had known I would win, I'd have bought a new one myself!"
You may notice my daughter Violet on the right. (Charming's only brother is in the middle.) This party has always been for Darl's own children and spouses. When Violet was about 14, she asked Grandma when she would be old enough to come to the adult party--Grandma said, "never!" It is her one thing with her own children. So Violet (who had borrowed *my* rhinestones to wear in a wedding) took the opportunity to bring my "glitter" directly to the party, to see the mysterious happenings. We made her leave after appetizers....

but I did take the opportunity to get a fabulous photo of Violet with her Daddy.

A great time was had by all. Food, music, conversation--what it's all about. I made little recipe books of some family recipes hand-picked by Darl to give as gifts. Now we all have the recipes for some of the legendary dishes. Some of the recipes were really old, though, as you would expect. One recipe called for "a large lump of butter." Another called for "some cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt," and many of them had no instructions at all. Thank goodness I've been cooking for awhile, or I'd have been lost.

Sunday morning, Charming's dad and wife had a brunch for the entire family. I saw Violet again, and this time she was allowed to stay! I got to see my brand-new grand-niece. This new generation (of my grandchildren and grand-nieces and nephews) is going to be different of that of my children and their cousins. In that generation, only six of twenty-one are girls; 15 boys. The newest generation has nine so far, and it is 5 girls/4 boys already. Four of this generation were born this year--our family is growing!

After supper tonight, my grandkids are coming over to make cut-out cookies. I've just finished the dough, and put it in to chill. Then I'm off to take Alvin Fernald to finish shopping--I finished last week, and took Blackeyed Susan yesterday to finish hers. YEAH!! Then all I have to do is a grocery run, 'long about Friday. Oh yeah, there's All That Wrapping to Finish, Too.

Have a blessed day, doing whatever preparations you are doing today. May the Lord prepare our hearts as well, for this blessed celebration!

"No Peeking!"

I have been very, very busy, working on projects for Christmas presents. I so-so-so want to show them all to you! But alas, some of the recipients are my faithful blog-readers, so I cannot. Instead, for your viewing pleasure, I'll share some pics of a visit last week from my four favorite grandbabies.

Here is Sweet Pea, sitting beside Grandma:
Blackeyed Susan caught Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot doing one of their favorite things, watching an episode of Veggies:

Then there is Blueberry. He's quite intellectual. You can tell this because he is such a "voracious" reader:

I am pretty excited about where I am at, with two weeks to go. I have to finish one knitting project, and do another small one. One more craft project, and pj pants for the babies, and I will be done!

Hope your week is fruitful, and blessed as we await the celebration of the birth of our Saviour!

Getting Back to It

This is the Monday after Thanksgiving, so of course we should be back to doing school here. I must admit, if we did we'd be "flying by the seat of our pants." I think I'll take a cue from Mrs. Copper's Wife, who extends her Thanksgiving break until tomorrow. We can take a "home ec" day--clean up the last of the *casual housekeeping* that happens over a holiday, take up the rest of the autumn decorations, and maybe drag up the Christmas things. We won't be getting a tree until later in the week--Charming is working a seven-day stretch over the holiday and won't be off until Wednesday.

Everybody is blogging about how they brought out the Christmas music this weekend. I take a lot of flak from my family because *I* start listening on September 1st. I started that tradition when I was a teenager, and put on the music while making gifts for my friends. The idea is that I am crafting or sewing while the music plays. But, as usual, I leave most of the gift-making for December, crunching it in-between all the other things that are going on...but, I do love the music!

Four weeks from today is Christmas Day, so I think one of the tasks I will set myself to do today is to list all of the things that need done. Maybe then I can organize them into "weeks," and check them off as I do them.

I am determined to take things slowly and enjoy the holiday. My normal modus operandi is to do all the things that *say Christmas* to me, and then about 9:30 Christmas morning, crash and burn. My Charming has been trying to help me avoid this for thirty years now. He has, so far, failed in his efforts.

Maybe I should listen to him this year.

All the Time in the World

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

From The Common Room.

I'd love to see Dorothy at Fine Distraction and Mrs. Plain and Simple take this!

Happy Birthday, Alvin Fernald!

Well, my baby turns twelve today. One of those bittersweet things where I tear up at the mention of the word "baby." But so excited for Alvin, because I remember turning twelve. You don't have to worry about where the food is coming from, and your Mom understands that you need plenty of it. You can style your own hair and choose your own clothes. Your bicycle will take you anywhere you need to go--to the corner grocery for a candy bar, or to the baseball diamond at the park.

Alvin is not a small dude. But then, he was 10 lbs. 5 1/2 oz. at birth. Charming thinks it's silly that I tack on that 1/2 oz. But he didn't have to birth the child. We called Alvin our Magnum Opus--our Great Work. I guess we decided to go out with a bang....

Alvin is hoping that Notre Dame will take note of his birthday and beat USC tonight. Until then, the day is his, and a beautiful day it will be. Sunny and 68 degrees.

Have a wonderful day, baby, while Mommy sits by with her box of kleenex....

Amen, sister

Queen Shenaynay, as she does so often, says it better than I could myself. Check out her Random Thanks post.

And now, for something A Little Different...

The Survey of the Equuschick by way of Mother Auma .
A little while back, the Equuschick published her Very Own Survey. (Here are Mama Squirrel's, Firefly's and Thicket Dweller's responses.)
*A- Favourite Animals: Chickens. I stayed up all one night in college to monitor a hatching horde.
*B- Favourite Bad Habit: (You know, that one that you like too much to even try to break. You like being addicted.) Napping. Love it, love it, love it.
*C- Favourite Cookie: Most anything, warm out of the oven.
D- Favourite Drink: Dr. Pepper.
*E-Favourite Egg Style: Over easy, on buttered toast, and at the first bite you need to s*ck out all the yolk.
*F- Five Favourite Fiction Books: (Having been driven nearly insane with surveys that limited your selection of favourite books to Exactly One of Any Kind, The Equuschick is broadening the topic. Still difficult, but not quite as miserable.) Ooh, difficult. Lost Horizon, Random Harvest, Mrs. Mike, anything Grace Livingston Hill, Miss Read. (another day I might choose others!)
*G-Favourite Gadget: Rotary cutter and mat for quilting.
*H- Favourite Hymn: It is Well with My Soul
I- Favourite Ice Cream- Swiss chocolate almond
J- Favourite Jam: (other than a bluegrass or folk music jam...) Elderberry
*K-Favourite Kid's Books: I think this is more difficult than the fiction question. (by no means an exhaustive list:) Winnie-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter, Little House, Mike Mulligan, Caps for Sale (anything Captain Kangaroo used to read on his show...)
*L-Favourite Love Song- "Handpicked for Me, written by my Charming ("I could see it in your eyes, when I told you [that I loved you] there was no surprise"), "Beautiful" by Gordon Lightfoot, "How Can I Tell You" by Cat Stevens
*M-Favourite Memories: This would probably be never-ending if I actually answered completely. Just a few: sleeping on a train, Charming and I watching our two toddlers sleep beside us on mattresses one night before we moved, looking down the street where we live when it snows--looks exactly like "Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls!", wrestling on my bed with Alvin Fernald when he was three--"Mommy, this is the best day of my LIFE!!", hugging Violet before she went to high school, realizing I had her home for only four more years, watching my four grandchilren's births, watching my children sing "Castle on a Cloud." on and on...maybe I'll make a regular post about "favorite memories..."
"N-Favourite Nonfiction Books: Hmm. The Bible. A Charlotte Mason Companion. For the Family's Sake. Flower books and Bird books. Quilt Books, always.
*O-Favourite Operatic Song: The Rabbit of Seville (Bugs Bunny.) Musical Hamlet (Gilligan's Island.)
P-Favourite Piece of Music at the moment: Handel's Messiah. Jackie Gleason Christmas.
Q-Quiet Spot: Watching Lake Michigan--I don't live there, but my father-in-law does.
R-Favourite Reading when you're sick: Grace Livingston Hill.
*S-Favourite Song that you want played at your funeral: (Obligatory weird question, sorry. It isn't a real survey if it doesn't have at least one very strange question.) Not sure at this point.
*T-Favourite Task: Probably laundry. Love to see the folded stuff go to their "homes."
*U- Favourite Ugly Animal: (Can you think of a better question for u?) Hippo. I don't know if it is my favorite, but it is the one I always think of when I ask God, "what were You thinking?"
*V-Favourite Vintage Book: The Complete Book of Sewing by Constance Talbot. It was my mother's sewing book (c. 1940's) and I read it cover-to-cover several times growing up.
*W-Favourite Writing of C.S Lewis: The Chronicles, tho' I love the non-fiction, too. He is just way-smarter than I.
*X-Favourite Word That Starts with X, Because The Equuschick Couldn't think of Any But xylophone: My son had a friend of Greek extraction whose name was Xrisanthi (pronouncing the X as in the name for Christ in Greek--Chi Ro--making the pronunciation Chris-on-thee).
Y-Favorite Yellow Wildflower: Honeysuckle.
*Z-Favourite Zoo: We have a fabulous zoo here--the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. It is too large to go through in one visit, with African, Australian, Rain Forest exhibits as well as normal zoo animals. I could never figure out, though, why it has no bears.

There you have it. Thank you, Equuschick, for something "a little different."

Back in the Saddle

Charming and I were able to get away last weekend, for the first time in four years. Let me tell you, that is entirely too long to go without a long weekend away. We traveled to Louisville to help friends celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. So I missed blogging about Armistice Day, and other things I wanted to.

Before we left last week, I was able to finish Blackeyed Susan's hobo bag. She wanted it finished before she goes to two concerts in December:
I went a little crazy, putting together funky fabrics on the inside. But I didn't want to buy anything else new:

Alvin Fernald made cookies before we left, and wanted me to include this picture. It was such a big deal, because this batch made Exactly 60 Cookies, like the recipe indicated:

You've got to love the Pampered Chef medium cookie scoop.

A couple of months ago, I fell flat on both knees. They didn't hurt to begin with, but of course, I knew they would eventually. They were acting up for a couple of weeks now, so I went to the chiropractor. He said that I really didn't injure them, just "irritated" what was already going on. Which is, (sigh) The Beginnings of Arthritis. I knew I was in trouble when the first thing he asked me was my age. Blessedly, he has a supplement (think glucosamine) that helps regenerate cartilage tissue.

Since I didn't get to post on Saturday about Armistice Day (my father called it that long after "Veteran's Day" came into common usage), I read my daughter's entry (see Fine Distraction on my sidebar). I love how she thinks about WWI, and how most Americans don't consider its importance. I can still hear my father tell us every year, how the armistice was to commence "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month." Kind of like Election Day--"the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November"--so Election Day can never be November 1st.

Who makes up these things?

Fun Voting

I'll walk to vote this morning, as I have for fourteen years. Gotta love it when the polling place is in a church a block away! I'll take Blackeyed Susan and Alvin Fernald, as I have since they were old enough to walk with me. I want them to know that voting is important, and is a God-given privilege.

In 2000, the year that President Bush ran the first time, we had a unique situation. Don Quixote and Joe Hardy were living at home, not yet moved out on their own. Violet lived in an upstairs apartment of a house across the street from us. Johnny Tremain and Forget-me-not were at college, Johnny just seven blocks away, and Forget-me-not an hour away. But their "official residence" was still here at home. So for seven of us in the same family, we voted in the same precinct. So I gathered the troops and asked them if we could all walk over "as a family," and vote together. Forget' wasn't too happy--we had to drive down to get her the night before, and then get her back to campus for a nine o'clock class. Charming and Violet had to be to work at eight. MacGuyver (17) also had to be at school then. So this meant that we would troop on over to the church at six-thirty. A.M. (insert Groans and Complaints.)

I called the newspaper to send a reporter. I mean, they always had "man-on-the-street" articles on Election Day. He met us at the church, and asked us who we would vote for. I gave him my Mother's standard answer. This she gave us, unsolicited, every Election Day growing up. "Now, when I married your father, I promised to Obey him. But there is one thing that even he can't ask me to do. When I get into the voting booth, it is between Me and God. Alone. This is what it means to have the right to vote." I had already told my children this story...a "few" times, so they chuckled at the reporter's efforts to solicit our decisions.

After we voted (all ten of us went, even the three that couldn't vote--hey, they could be Patriotic as well!), we took pictures in the foyer of the church, and went home to begin our days, with Susan and Alvin and me driving Forget-me-not back to college, and McDonald's on the way home. A very, very special day that few families get to share.

Now we are scattered to the four winds, although Johnny and Lily live four blocks away, so they still vote at the church. My plan may have to change a little. Lily called to say she is bringing the littles over this morning (because it is raining), and Susan will watch them while we girls vote. Or maybe Susan and Alvin and the babes can walk with us, and we'll all go together. We'll have to see. Voting with Lily would be another Fun Voting Experience!

Monday, Monday

Only time for a short post this morning. I am taking Don Quixote to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to renew his expired photo ID. Our state has a new law that you must show a picture ID in order to vote. In typical Asperger's style, he finally noticed on Saturday that his ID was expired. The BMV is ordinarily closed on Mondays, but since tomorrow is Election Day...

I just made a trip there last week, as I had lost my license. Standing 35 minutes in line, and another 20 to finish my business--well, under an hour is considered doing well at the BMV. But I told Don that I wouldn't wait with him (told him to bring a book, I'm thinking two hours today). He can call me on the cellphone when he's done.

I finished a cool, hip, trendy bag for Blackeyed Susan this weekend. (picture will be added later.) I wasn't going to do it before Christmas, but she is going to two concerts (one out-of-town) in December, and likes to carry the camera/water bottle/cds to be autographed/etc. A purse just isn't big enough. I also finished tying one of the Princess quilts for the two grand-girlies. Just need the binding on that one, and tie and bind the other one. That's two Big projects done.

I'm reading The_No._1_Ladies_Detective_Agency by Alexander_McCall_Smith. It was recommended by a blogger somewhere, and my Violet said, Yes, by all means, it's great! I *thought* she said, "it's set in Botswana, but soon you'll forget it's set in Africa, because the story is so great." Well, you certainly can't forget it's set in Africa--the names, the food (fried worms as "treats"), getting a snake caught in your engine, and slicing it in two with the fan blades to get it loose--so maybe I heard her wrong. It *is* a good story, but I'm not sure I'll read the others. I'm way too "white bread"--and I say that unapologetically. I say, there's nothing wrong with lovin' my *own* subculture, right? And in so many ways, I take after my mother, who described herself as Not Adventurous. She hadn't ever eaten a TACO, for goodness' sake, until she was 80 years old. She didn't think she'd like it. One time Dad and Mother came for supper and I made tacos. I asked her how she liked them, and she said, Well, now I can say I have eaten them. I'm not Very Adventurous. (dot, dot, dot. Can I have a peanut-butter sandwich now?)

So I'm not an Adventurous reader. I like to read, but find myself in ruts. In fact, being a Not Adventurous person in any manner at all (like dear old Mum) there are a lot of ruts in my life. But hey, ruts are easy to run in. Dear Charming has all the adventure I'd ever desire in any one lifetime.

Turning a corner...
Yesterday at church, we had our "retired" pastor pray for tomorrow's elections. He prayed "Thy will be done," and I thought, "of course" His will will be done. The Scriptures say that He is in charge of who governs us, and that no one can govern us without His permission. I guess that explains the rest of Pastor Douglas's prayer: "Give us the leaders You desire us to have, so that we may learn what You want us to learn." That, my friends, could be "ouchy."

Remember to Vote tomorrow. It is important.