• A rainy Sunday…

    June 24, 2013 / 2 Comments

    On Sunday morning, I awoke to the sound of pouring rain with thunder and lightning accompanying it…and the realization that my umbrella was in my car.  Of course, my car is across the tarmac and in my garage.  Thankfully, before it was time to leave for church,  the rain turned into a drizzle.  After living in Oregon for 5 years, I could handle a drizzle.

    My daughter and her husband volunteer once a month in my four year old grandson’s class during the worship service.  (In the photo below, he’s sitting next to the little boy in the blue shirt.  You can barely see the edge of his face).  So, yesterday, I decided to try the worship service for the “older folks” who enjoy more of a traditional venue in music.  My daughter quipped that I would be the “youngest” person in there.  I wasn’t.  I was surprised to find that they were serving a wide array of breakfast choices.  I tried a couple of them – which were delicious.  I enjoyed the music but was disappointed to see that instead of a “worship team” there was one young woman leading the singing (at a much slower tempo than the songs called for).  I wasn’t sure if she thought the “old folks” couldn’t keep up or if she had not grown up singing the hymns.  I told my daughter that they didn’t sing my “favorite” hymns…she laughed and replied that it isn’t a “request line”!  She’s so funny.

    In the end, I decided that I missed the energy of the contemporary service.  In a perfect world, they would include my favorite hymns from time to time along with the contemporary music:  Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Amazing Grace, Be Thou My Vision – to name a few.  But I do enjoy the upbeat, vibrant music in the contemporary service as well.  I confess the hymns make me homesick…homesick for an earlier time and place.

    The day ended up being a sunny Sunday.  Any Sunday which starts with worship is wonderful…

    Below:  my daughter and her husband teaching small group during the worship service.

    The “Traditions” service is held in the Chapel.  I think the stained glass windows there are beautiful.

     

     

    I love to sew and each of my granddaughters was wearing something that I had made yesterday…

    My oldest granddaughter is wearing a top and skirt made from a Simplicity pattern:  #9001.  The fabric is wonderful – a soft, high-quality twill.  The top has covered buttons.  She likes it!  I love the fact that, unlike her Grandmom, she has broad beautiful shoulders!  I think swimming in competition contributes to that.

     

     

    I also made this dress which my nine year old granddaughter is wearing when I was living in Oregon!  I purchased the fabric at a wonderful quilt store there.  She loves the pattern, so I need to remember which one I used!  I have six (soon to be seven) granddaughters, so I need to sew a lot!

  • Summer days…

    June 13, 2013 / 7 Comments

    The past few weeks have been busy ones – leaving little time to blog about it…but it’s time to catch up now.  The photos below were taken a few weeks ago on the last day of school and the weekend after.  We went to a nearby park while we waited for the time to pick up my oldest grandchild from class.  WE climbed a rock wall (I still have the bruise on my leg to prove it!), went down the slide several times and climbed on the gym set.  The only thing I absolutely could not accomplish were the hand-over-hand monkey bars!  Clearly, I no longer have the upper body strength.  My daughter captured it all on film but I am so not going to share those!  No doubt, she will blackmail me with them when I am eventually old and refusing to give up my car keys!  😉

    Below:  At their house, my grandsons enjoying an old but still fun game – Mario!

    Below:  At the park the day classes officially ended for the Summer…

    My sweet granddog, Kiana, is also glad for Summer days.  She’s a Hungaria Vizla…

    The first weekend after school ended (although my daughter’s children homeschool some year round), my granddaughters came over for a sleepover.  We cooked a delicious supper (they’re great helpers) and made a delicious JELLY ROLL with strawberry jam!  They took some home to share.  I have plans to teach them how to bake several different things over the summer and will post the recipes as we go.

    Below:  at my apartment, creating stretchy, adorable bracelets out of gum wrappers!

    Below:  Enjoying spending time at Grandmom’s apartment…reading on the porch.

  • Fluff and feathers in the nest…

    May 21, 2013 / 2 Comments

    Mama Bird has been sitting faithfully on her nest for weeks now.  She tolerates me as I sweep the porch or water my flowers.  She will even sit still on her nest and look steadily at me as I talk softly to her from inside the screened door next to her nest.

    Today, she flew away for a few minutes and I took the opportunity to check on the progress.  I found my stepladder and climbed gently up there – fearful that any minute I would be pecked on the back of the head.  It was impossible to get high enough to see into the nest (I’m only 5’3″) so I raised up the camera and captured the photos.

    There they were – little balls of fluff and furry feathers all hatched out!  It’s a very small nest, so it’s difficult to tell how many are in there.  I only see two beaks but there could be more hidden beneath these two.

    As someone once reminded me, I love baby everything…even baby finches!

    Click photos to enlarge to see if you can tell how many there are…

  • Porch dreams come true…

    May 7, 2013 / 10 Comments

    My daughter and her two youngest surprised me this morning with a beautiful delivery…an early Mother’s Day present from her and her family and her “baby brother” and his sweet wife and daughter!  As she kept carrying everything up the stairs to my apartment, I was amazed and ever so grateful!  A beautiful wicker settee, wonderful outdoor pillows, two lovely ferns, tons of gorgeous flowers and hummingbird nectar and an angel hummingbird feeder sculpted by one of my very favorites:  Jim Shore!

    I will look for a small companion table and a side chair to go with this delightful setting, along with two small, cheap tables to hold the ferns.  It is so exciting!

    I swept the porch (including the popcorn that I had fed MamaBird who is sitting on her nest above the porch lamp) and it is looking great!  I have told MamaBird to hurry up and hatch those eggs so she and the little fledglings can be on their way!  I want to curl up on the settee with the sweet pillows and read a good book in peace…

    Note:  If you recall, I wrote about my “porch dreams” here.  My daughter had already purchased everything when I wrote that but, at the time, I was sick with a bad cold and contagious and they couldn’t come over.  She said that she worried that I would have preferred two rockers but, to be honest, this settee is a better idea by far!  I love it all!!! 

     

    I love the angel hummingbird feeder by Jim Shore! All I need now is a hook to hang it from the porch roof. I almost hate to put her outside but I will…and will enjoy hummingbirds all Summer!

     

  • Porch dreams…

    May 2, 2013 / 6 Comments

    By now, I thought there would be two white rocking chairs and a table on my porch…along with lots of flowers and a couple of healthy green ferns.  Maybe a colorful grapevine wreath on the wall.  All through the endless winter with so much snow, I dreamed of Spring.  Now, it is Spring.  It is May 2nd and it is pouring snow…and 36 degrees!  What is wrong with this picture?  Don’t tell me.  I already know.

    It is supposed to look that this…well, okay, maybe not quite like this.

    Instead, there is an icy floor…

    and two birds who have taken up residence and are making a mess…

    and, obviously, walls that need cleaning.

    I have my first terrible cold in I don’t know when and it is Spring!  

    I had plans to sew and catch up on things but I just don’t feel like it…

    so I think I will simply relax. 

    Supposedly, colds last for one week or seven days…

    at least I hope that’s all. 

    So, in the meantime, I have a good book to finish.

      I will listen to the birdsong coming from the icy porch…

    and hang on until next Tuesday when it is supposed to be 71 degrees!

  • Look who moved in…

    April 29, 2013 / 3 Comments

    It only took them one week to build a home and move in – right on my porch!  You know, the porch I was looking forward to using after I buy a couple of chairs and a table.  I was in Dallas last week enjoying a wonderful visit with my son and his family (next post) and these two little birds took advantage of my absence to move in!  As I sit at my desk beside the sliding glass door leading to the porch, they are not intimidated at all.

    I’m not sure what type of birds these are (maybe finches?) but the male is definitely colorful.  I haven’t ventured to the nest yet to see if there are eggs in it.  Anyone recognize these little critters?

    I’ll be patient for a little while, but I really want to use my porch, guys!

    Mr. Colorful with his dowdy wife.  Paying their rent with lots of song…

    They should be in the construction business…they built this home in one week. 

    Unfortunately, it’s on my porch!