Elizabeth's Home

Merry Christmas for the 4th time!

2011-12-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

The kids had 4 Christmas celebrations this year...... with their uncle, aunt, & cousin, with their dad on Christmas Eve (it's my blog so I don't have to post pictures if I don't want to! LOL), with me on Christmas morning, & their grandparents & other aunt on Christmas afternoon! You'd think they'd get tired of opening gifts but they did just fine. :-D

From Martha to Aunt Becca - a violin ornament!

Grandpa gave all the kids harmonicas - thanks a lot, Dad!!! :-D

The boys gave ties to Grandpa.

Grandma bought this new holiday outfit for Martha's doll Nancy..... but the elephant tried it on first!

The boys chose beads & had me make necklaces & fobs for their grandma & aunt. This necklace was from Peter to Aunt Becca.

David's fobs for Aunt Becca.

Martha wove this little coaster almost all by herself!

Aunt Becca gave the kids fleece blankets..... David used his & Peter's & took a "nap" on the floor!

Both boys received matching sweatshirt & hoodie sets!

Grandpa hamming it up for the camera. :-)

This gift has a story behind it....... I'd admired these Thomas train sets at Hobby Lobby for quite a while. Last spring, I was there with my friends Anna & Elisabeth, and we saw this set on clearance - around 1/3 of the original price. I called Mom and told her about it, & she sent money to pay for it. I figured if I bought it there in Oklahoma, she wouldn't have to ship it at Christmas time. Instead, I ended up moving it 1,000 miles to North Carolina!

David's gift to Grandma......

...... and Peter's gift to her.

The larger Thomas is the new HO-scale set..... the boys had put the smaller magnetic train set on the table so I took a picture of both.

Peter playing with the Thomas train set.

And I believe that completes Christmas 2011! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas & have a Happy New Year!

-- Elizabeth

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning with the kids...... so much fun!

Peter opens gifts from his siblings.....

David opens his gift from Peter - a wooden police car & a Percy train for their set.

Aw...... how sweet!!!!!

The complete "Kit" series from American Girl!

Peter's books were about fire trucks......

..... and David's books were about policemen.

Peter gave Martha a huge velvet-art coloring set!

I gave Peter a Thomas the Tank Engine video that he LOVES! They already have it almost memorized!

David wanted a video about presidents that we'd gotten from the library in Oklahoma City, so I bought it for him.

Dollhouse stuff for the dollhouse that Martha "inherited" from her aunt..... the one that I assembled when I was a teen-ager. Maybe sometime I'll post pictures of it for you, as long as you remember that I made it around 20 years ago and my skills have (hopefully) improved since then. :-D

This is a set of 4 crafts to paint & assemble - birdhouse, plane, racecar, & bird feeder. Now I just have to remember to help him make them!

Goofy Peter!!!

An Addy quilt from American Girl - it was SO cute and while I *could* make one similar, it would be very hard to make it as cute as theirs, so I figured I'd just buy it this time. :-D

Nancy likes her new quilt!

David opening his BIG gift!

A guitar just like he wanted!!!

Peter's main request was for a scooter - so he was thrilled to get one!

We had our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then headed to church for the single service at 11 AM. In my next post, I'll share pictures from exchanging gifts with my parents & sister on Christmas afternoon.

-- Elizabeth

Our Tannenbaum

2011-12-26T10:36:00.003-05:00

There wasn't space in the moving truck for our Christmas tree, so we had to leave it behind in Oklahoma City. I'd been sorta wanting a new one anyway, so it worked out okay! The kids & I visited 4 different stores to find our favorite tree, and chose one from Wal-Mart. It was the best combination of height & width & price - and we LOVE it! We had room for all of our ornaments, and even some space left over!

Lucy continued her saga by refusing to stay on the tree no matter what I tried. I ended up putting a hook in the ceiling & tying her up there with beading thread!! Her wings broke off a couple of years ago so she's a wingless angel, but she's still pretty. :-)

On Christmas Eve I did a "photo shoot" of our tree. I love the way the tree reflects in the window in this picture!

A church friend let us get some holly from his tree, so I got to decorate my first mantle with real holly!

Stockings stocked on Christmas Eve & ready for the next morning!!! This was the first year we had a chimney to hang the stockings by with care. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Kids' Photo

2011-12-23T13:29:00.008-05:00

Becca took this photo of the kids after church one day. It just so happened they were all wearing cream or yellow clothing, so it looks like I planned it that way!

Are they cute or what?!

-- Elizabeth

Christmas Visitors

2011-12-20T12:20:00.001-05:00

James had a 4-day weekend in mid-December, so they came up to NC for a quick visit! "Grandma" was happy because she got to watch Lily enjoy her first Christmas.

McAdenville - again! This was my 3rd visit this December!! *I* took both of these pictures. Go me! LOL It helps a lot if you take your tripod with you for such low-light photos.

Lily riding in her stroller & enjoying the lights. :-)

Becca took this picture of Martha by tree-light. The boys chose to stay home with "Grandpa," so no photos of them this time.

We acted out the Christmas story - an old family tradition! Dad was the reader, & he got to hold "Baby Jesus" until the proper time in the story.

James & Sara were Joseph & Mary..... "Joseph" picked out this costume himself! Wow!! LOL

Lily kept trying to figure out WHO that strange creature was!

Martha was the angel, speaking to......

..... Peter the shepherd! I thought the wrapping paper cane was really creative!

Mom was King Herod, & David was the wise man.

Wise Man David giving his gifts.

After the Christmas story play, we exchanged gifts. It was a lot of fun watching Lily open our gifts to her on her first Christmas!!!

Martha loves this bag because it's from a store called Justice. Her friend "Jessica" is crazy about Justice, so now Martha is, too!

-- Elizabeth

While Shepherds Watched

2011-12-13T14:48:00.020-05:00

On Sunday, December 11, Martha & Peter sang in the children's program, "While Shepherds Watched." David sang with the younger group of 2 through 5-year-olds.

My sister Becca took these photos. I took video. It's nice when we can split up the memory-keeping like that!

The younger kids' program.......

David is in the center, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, & burgundy tie.

From Away in a Manger - "Bless all the dear children, In Thy tender care!"

The older kids' program was longer.

They had some simple acting - this man was their choir director as well as the main shepherd.

Martha & her friend "Jessica"

Peter was on the front row, so he was really easy to see!

-- Elizabeth

McAdenville - times TWO!

2011-12-12T12:55:00.002-05:00

The town of McAdenville, North Carolina, goes all-out for Christmas. When I was growing up, we visited McAdenville every December. Since getting married in 1999, I've only been able to visit during December one year, in 2005. Oklahoma has lights displays, but they're "cutesy" displays..... I've missed McAdenville's classy & elegant decorations!

The children & I enjoyed visiting McAdenville twice in one week! Monday evening, we met Dad & Mom & Becca there. Saturday evening, we met up with a few of my friends for McAdenville & then supper at Ryan's.

Monday evening's visit with my family..... I took the lake picture, & my sister took the rest.

Here I present an extremely rare photo subject..... me! I'm usually behind the camera, so rarely end up on this side of one........ we climbed INSIDE this tree for this photo!

Saturday's visit to McAdenville - my friend Rachel came with her girls, and Rachel's sister Laura came as well. Rachel's youngest daughter isn't much into "group" photos but she really was there. :-)

Laura, Rachel, & the girls..... sorry for the blurry picture! My camera doesn't auto-focus well when it's this dark.

After meeting up with some other friends, we walked around & looked at the lights, then went to Ryan's for supper. Here Jenn takes an iPhone picture of Martha!

Martha & Jenn.....

Martha playing "crocodile" with Jason!

My kids love playing with Sarah's kids, E & E. Their dad Sheldon is also in this photo.

Jenn, Stephanie, Sarah, & me...... WHAT? Multiple photos of me in ONE post?!

The whole group..... Jenn, Martha, Stephanie & Jason, me (and David & Peter in front), Sarah & Sheldon & their kids. We stayed until 10 PM talking and having a great time!!!

-- Elizabeth

Christmas Parade

2011-12-06T17:44:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned on my previous post, we took "Jessica" to the local Christmas parade with us. We had a great time - and got so much candy that our pockets were overflowing! Next year we're taking bags with us to hold it all!!

Jessica's grandma came to the parade with us. Here we're waiting for the parade to start..... "Grandma" is in the black coat - the white-jacket kid is a random stranger - and the kids are on the ground in age order! Jessica, Martha, Peter, & David.

Color guard to start the parade!

This fall, I could hear this marching band practicing from my house. It was SO great to hear them in person..... and *feel* the bass as the drummers marched past!!!

There were a bunch of cool old cars in the parade. I just shared some of the highlights. :-)

Our church's float - my sister is in the very center of the photo, wearing a black skirt & red jacket. They handed out bags of candy.

Another shot of our church's float - I was too busy saying "hi" to people + trying to video.... couldn't also get good photos at the same time. :-)

Cool Scottish group!!!

Probably the most adorable entry in the parade..... SO cute!

Back at her house, Jessica posed for me in front of their Christmas tree. I **love** this tree! Someday I'm going to have a white tree with white lights & mostly blue ornaments..... in other words, as much like this one as I can! I don't remember what was so funny, but obviously Jessica thought it was hilarious as she's laughing at me. :-)

-- Elizabeth

November misc.

2011-12-02T10:01:00.005-05:00

Just a few random pictures from November, and we'll be done with the month!

About a month ago, Mom had the idea of buying a play set for the children for Christmas. Dad was reluctant to purchase something so complicated to assemble...... so when he noticed a nice play set at a house in our neighborhood, with no other "kid" paraphernalia around, he stopped & asked the owners if they were interested in selling it. They were! He was happy because not only was it MUCH cheaper, but it was already assembled! He just had to take it apart enough to get it on his trailer & around the corner to our house.

My monkey Peter climbing a tree.......

Trying out the swing set while Grandpa & Peter work on the slide!

2011 has been the year for bikes around here! Martha got her first bike through Freecycle in July. In October, I bought a bike for Peter through Craigslist. In early November, Martha's friend..... oh, what shall I call her? I think I'll call her "Jessica." That's a pretty name with the same first letter as her first name. So, Martha's friend "Jessica" got a new bike for her birthday. She gave her smaller bike to Martha. It's an 18" so it's 2" taller than her first bike. From the grin on her face, I'd say she likes it! :-)

Meanwhile, after a couple of weeks riding a bike with training wheels, Peter started riding Martha's first bike without training wheels...... so he "adopted" that bike, leaving "his" bike to be David's!

I still need to get a photo of all 3 children on their bikes.... I'll try to do that soon!

An impromptu "play date" with "Jessica" on a Sunday afternoon led to playing in the leaves at my parents' house...... such a simple pastime but so fun!

Introducing "Jessica!" I'm sure you'll be seeing more of her in the weeks to come. I'm so happy that Martha has a friend, and one that lives relatively close to us, or does every other weekend. :-) We're taking her to a parade tomorrow so I'm sure she'll get in at least a few photos!

Rolling down the hill into the leaf pile...... I always say that Sunday clothes are the best choice for such an activity. ;-) We picked off *most* of the leaves before we went back to church for the evening service! :-D

-- Elizabeth

My Non-Birthday Questionnaire!

2011-11-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

Peter decided to "interview" me today, similar to what I've done for them for their birthdays! I'll see if I can remember all of his questions......

What I say most often to "us" kids: Careful! (It's true........ I'm always cautioning them to be careful! LOL)

Favorite restaurant: Asian Buffet

What I want the most: To be happy

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite job: Computers

Favorite fruit: Strawberry

Favorite thing in our house: Laptop (specifically my BRAND NEW LAPTOP that I've had a whole week & a half!!!)

Favorite song: "When I Fall in Love," as sung by Nat King Cole

Favorite sport: Baseball, 2nd favorite is football

Favorite room in our house: Sewing room

Favorite pet: Cat

Favorite store: Hobby Lobby

Favorite subject (of conversation): My children

Favorite car: Chevy Camaro (he didn't have to ask this one.... he already knew! LOL)

Favorite instrument: Flute

I thought it was so sweet that he just randomly decided to do this for me today! He's a sweetie...... guess I'll keep him! LOL

-- Elizabeth

Giving Thanks

2011-11-28T09:29:00.036-05:00

Thanksgiving 2011...... so many things for which to be thankful! Food photos were taken by my sister, Becca.

The star of the show...... turkey!

Italian Herb bread, freshly made at home in my bread-maker - yum!!!

Mashed potatoes..... more yum!

Family tradition of Scalloped Corn Supreme casserole.

And of course - we can't forget the drinks! Dr Pepper is my favorite, and Martha likes the local beverage Cheerwine.

Guests for dinner were Dad, Mom, & Becca - the first year I've celebrated Thanksgiving with them since 1999!

Becca helped make Apple Crisp for dessert. Still more yum!!

A favorite family tradition is to pass around an album page, or in recent years, a blank white piece of paper, and writing down things for which we're thankful. In the current era of digital scrapbooking, I scan the paper into the computer & add embellishments to complete the page. Here is the unembellished page from this year..... I took out the children's names but everything else is untouched. My "thanks" are green, David's are yellow, and Martha's and Peter's both look burgundy but in real life they're different shades...... and I think you can tell their handwritings apart. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Happy Birthday to Peter!

2011-11-24T13:24:00.002-05:00

Peter had 4 days of birthday celebrations..... on Friday, "Grandpa" took him to visit his dad at his apartment, & they had pizza, Peter's favorite food. On Saturday, Peter & I went on a "date" to a Chinese restaurant - I let him choose any restaurant he wanted & that's what he chose! Sunday he opened gifts from me & his siblings, and enjoyed a birthday lunch of more pizza at my parents' house. Monday was his official "party" - a trip to a large park with 2 of his friends from church, and of course cupcakes!

Gifts from me & Martha & David.......

Blue Angels play set!

Eating his "candy" gifts......

..... Angry Birds toys!

Sunday afternoon at my parents' house..... this birthday banner is the same one they used for Martha's & my birthdays..... slightly girly but who cares?! :-D

Cupcakes!

McDonald's - Aunt Becca bought a Happy Meal for him!

His dad gave him a Lego set for his birthday. He assembled the whole thing himself! Yay for instructions that don't require reading. :-)

Monday afternoon at Martha Rivers Park in Gastonia!

His friends Z......

..... and J, and their sister H, met us at the park.

Z, H, J, Martha, David.... and Peter in the "whale's" mouth!

More cupcakes! It was too windy to light the candles & have them stay lit..... so he pretended to blow them out. :-)

David's cupcakey face......

That was a lot of pictures all in one post, so congratulations if you made it through all of that! LOL

-- Elizabeth

Florida trip: The Rest

2011-11-22T09:43:00.002-05:00

Before I share pictures from Peter's birthday, I need to finish posting the Florida trip photos! Too much fun in too short a time makes it hard for the blogger to keep up. :-D *

Again, most of these photos were taken by my sister.

And, to start us off, one that Becca took of the 3 kids riding in the back seat of the rented minivan! David's obviously in a silly-face-for-photos phase these days.

Kids' first visit to Florida!

Stop at the American Girl store north of Atlanta, Georgia!

Martha loves this $150 piano..... no, her doll's not getting one anytime soon!!!!!

Holiday mini dolls in honor of AG's 25th anniversary...... now I want to collect these, too! Trying to resist & just stick with collecting the "normal" mini dolls..... but these are SO cute!

Speaking of mini dolls, I added one of the newest dolls, Cecile, to my collection. (In the photo above, she's in the bottom row, 2nd from the right, in a red dress with black trim.) Cecile & her friend Marie-Grace lived in New Orleans, & their stories start in 1863. Or is it 1853? I'll have to ask Martha..... she can keep this kind of thing straight!

Meanwhile, "Grandpa" took the boys upstairs in the mall to visit this merry-go-round.

Moving on...... the kids' first visit to Alabama! Note the setting sun..... our "welcome to Florida" picture had to wait until the way home, as it was dark when we arrived in Florida. :-)

Princess Lily turned 9 months old while we were there, and Becca did a little photo shoot of her that morning!

I love the weird expression on her face - SO cute! :-D

Playing at Uncle James & Aunt Sara's house - this wheelbarrow was a huge hit! Notice all the SAND...... it's hard for them to grow grass in their yard because there's so much sand. Both in Oklahoma & North Carolina, the soil is too thick & clay-like, so we have to loosen it up. Surely somewhere between the two, the soil is the perfect mix of sand & clay?!

I got to meet up with my friend Coral & her sister Heather at a Chick-Fil-A in Pensacola. Coral & Heather live in Missouri. I live in North Carolina. We met in Florida...... you ask, how?? They had just spent a week at Disneyworld, & were driving back home. Coral went to college in Pensacola, so they were spending the night with a friend there & took enough time to visit with me! We talked and talked and talked and talked and...... well, eventually we got tired & had to leave, so we had a CfA worker take our picture to commemorate the event. :-)

These photos go with the beach post...... after we got home & everyone changed out of their wet & salty clothes, James made Apple Betty treats in their fireplace - yum!!!

Heading home..... the road we used in & out of Florida was a 2-lane highway, so just after crossing the state line into Alabama, Dad turned around & parked near this sign. I love how Peter is hanging on to the back of the sign!!!

Across the street was this cotton field, so we hurried over there so the children could pick cotton..... I'd always pictured cotton as a Carolina-Georgia thing, but apparently it grows well in this part of Florida, too, as there were cotton fields everywhere!

Most of the cotton had already been harvested, so we "gleaned" a few pieces as souvenirs.... I plan to make a small pillow & use the cotton as stuffing!

Almost forgot...... the Saturday that we were there, we all dressed in blue & posed for a "clan" photo!

Left to right: James holding Lily, Becca, Sara, Dad, Mom, me - and in front, David, Peter, & Martha.

-- Elizabeth

* And this is with pre-dating the posts....... so I look like I'm keeping up better than I am....... I promise that soon I'll have posts with accurate dates again! LOL I blame it all on moving 1,000 miles! Wonder how much longer I can keep using that excuse?!

Peter's Birthday Questionnaire

2011-11-19T13:11:00.000-05:00

Peter is our family's last birthday of the year. He'll turn 7 tomorrow, but since that's a Sunday & Sundays are busy with church, I'm posting his questionnaire a day early. :-)

What is your favorite color? I have a lot of favorite colors! I like black, red, yellow, any bright color!

What is your favorite food? Pizza

What is your favorite animal? Porcupine, then we go into all these leopards, lions, tigers, and mountain lions.

What is your favorite TV show? Andy Griffith

What is your favorite movie? Thomas the Tank Engine

What kind of music do you like? Not too wild, a little bit of rhythm, but not much.

What are you really good at? Cutting. (Mom's note: he means with scissors, and he really is good at it!)

What are you not so good at? Making food.

Who are your best friends? Dallen, Ethan, Mason, Daniel, Jeremiah, & Zachariah.

What is your favorite thing to do at home? Drinking Cheerwine.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I wanna carve wood.

If you had a lot of money, what do you think you would buy? I think I would buy A 16-floor house!

What is the best thing about your mom? She's good at sewing.

Tell me something that is really funny: A commercial - there's a car on these rocks, and then the 2nd car comes in & crashes into the top car on the rocks, and then all the rocks fall down on the car that crashed into the top car. (Mom's note: I'm not sure if this really is a commercial he saw, or if it was a dream! Doesn't sound familiar to me.)

What is your favorite thing to wear? I like wearing a gun. (Mom's note: a TOY gun, of course!!!)

What makes you cry? When people hurt me.

What does love mean? It means like, you love them and you wish they could be your friend, and eventually they are your friend.

What are you afraid of? I'm afraid of - this is a dream but you can go ahead and write this down - I was outside, and the dog next door was in the woods - I stepped on a fence, and I knocked the fence over, and the dog bit me on the wrist.

What is something Mom always says to you? My Mom always says, "No, you can't have Cheerwine now!"

What makes Mom happy? When I pour a cup of Dr Pepper for her. (Mom's note: which he then proceeded to do an hour or so later! And yes, it made me happy. :-) )

What is your favorite toy? I think I like my bike best.

What do you like to sleep with -- doll, blanket, etc? I like to sleep with Roy, but he's lost. I always sleep with Tawny.

At what age do you become an adult? I think just about 19.

What is something that makes our family special? That we have a 2-floor house.

How would the world be different if animals could talk? Much, much difference!

If you grew up to be famous, what would you want to be famous for? For some song.

What is the hardest thing about being a kid? That you aren't too strong.

If you were a teacher and the kids in your class wouldn't listen, what would you do? I would say, "Listen up, everybody!"

Where is your favorite place in the world? I think I might want to go to the state capitol.

If you could travel back in time 3 years and visit your younger self, what would you say? I would sit on my chair, and I would hum. (Mom's note: his favorite thing to do is rock in our platform rocker & hum to himself, so apparently his 4-year-old self liked the same thing! LOL)

What word describes you? Strong!

If you could make one rule that everyone else in the world had to follow, what would it be? That everybody would have to make food for me when I wanted it!

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, November part 1

2011-11-18T12:02:00.074-05:00

Even in November, there are still flowers blooming around the area.... one of the advantages of living in a relatively mild climate! This unidentified flower is teeny-tiny and oh-so-cute. It was growing as a weed in my back yard.

My neighbor's Dianthus - it was dusk and I didn't have a tripod with me, so it was hard to get a really good ambient-light picture.

Pretty rose spotted at a Denny's in Georgia on our way to Florida - thanks to this photo challenge, I notice things like this now instead of just walking past!

From flowers to foliage..... 'tis that time of year, after all!

Or you can just enjoy fake Dogwoods all year long, like the Georgia Welcome Center!

I love this necklace..... this photo doesn't do justice to the sparkly beads but they are GORGEOUS! This was supposed to be for sale on my Flutterby Stitches Etsy site, but I think I might end up keeping it because it's too breath-taking to part with. :-D

I found this cute "Shabby Chic" roses frame at a small bazaar - I think at the end of the year, I'll print off some of my favorite "Pastel & Pretty Pictures" to put in this frame - there are about 5 photo openings in total.

I bought this adorable pincushion somewhere..... I can't remember now if it was at the same bazaar where I found the photo frame, or if it was at the quilt show!

At the aforementioned bazaar, a friend of mine was able to rent a table. She suggested I send along some beaded items - so I quickly made some fobs & some more necklaces. The only thing that sold was my purple beaded bookmark, so after the bazaar, I did a little photo shoot with the fobs & a very obliging tree in my back yard. :-)

I hesitate to even share this picture..... these were some of my earliest "quilting" attempts. I put quilting in quotes because these are appliqued with a very loose zig-zag stitch, with lots of raw edges showing, and they're not even quilted!. I made them into pillows..... and my mom still has them! I borrowed them for this photo. :-) I'd estimate these were made around 1990 to 1992, so I would've been around 12 to 14. Mom taught me how to sew clothing, but I was a self-taught quilter, as I taught myself from books.

This cute little Noah's Ark was on my niece's dress. Martha loves elephants, so someday I'll make a ribbon elephant like this one on something or other..... in all my spare time, of course!

This doily was spotted at my sister's house - it was made by her mother-in-law, if I remember the story correctly.

An interesting plant in my sister's yard in Florida. I have no clue what it is but it was pretty!

I bought this pottery in Moscow, Russia, in 1996. Someday I'm going to have a whole collection of blue & white pottery...... but these will always be the highlights of my collection! When I got married 12 years ago, this teapot inspired my teapots decorating theme in my kitchen..... all 3 of the kitchens I've had so far! This is yet another benefit of my Pastel & Pretty Pictures challenge..... to notice the everyday prettiness around me & take the time to photograph it as nicely as I'm able. (BTW, thanks to Martha for holding up the backdrop cloth for me!)

-- Elizabeth

Florida trip: Beach

2011-11-17T21:27:00.002-05:00

Most of the photos in this post are actually MINE. Some of the kid photos are Becca's, but I took all of the "scenery" ones. Aren't you proud of me? :-D

The Monday of our visit, Sara took us to Navarre Beach, in the Pensacola area of Florida. The water here is the Gulf of Mexico..... not quite the Atlantic Ocean but still a whole bunch of salty water!

This is a bad photo.... I took it through the window of the van as we were driving past, but at least I got a shot that included palm trees! For some reason I never got around to getting a *good* photo of a palm tree while we were down there, & if that's not the icon of the beach life, I don't know what is. Oh, well, this shot will have to do for now!

James & Sara's nieces A & K came with us to the beach. A is Martha's age, & K is Peter's age. A & Martha really hit it off when they were both flower girls in James & Sara's wedding last year - in August of this year, A & K's family moved from Michigan to Florida, so we got to see them again!

David was petrified of the water, so he was much happier sitting in this guard shack or whatever it is. I love his pitiful little wave here.... so cute. ;-) He did eventually get down & collect some shells, staying well away from the water except for a few seconds which I'll share later.

Martha & Peter loved the water!

I got David out of the shack long enough for this photo.....

Peter running the waves!

Little Lily will grow up thinking the beach is normal! :-D She looks a little worried because it was quite chilly & windy out there.

Now for some scenery shots......

David found this perfect little shell on the beach!

I scared about 10 years off the kid's life by having him dip his feet in some waves. He made it through a couple of waves without having a heart attack. ;-) I guess Mom's assurances that it's okay aren't enough to alleviate the fear!

LOVE this photo of sunset..... this is completely unedited. This is how my camera shot it. I just wish a camera could capture the GLOW of the sky! I guess this one will have to do for now. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Florida trip: Blue Angels

2011-11-16T19:53:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: Most of the photos in this post were taken by my sister, Rebecca, of RJ Photography. It's too much work to credit every one of her photos so just assume that if they look awesome, she took them. ;-) I was Official Videographer, & she was Official Photographer, so that's another reason to assume that most of these are her photos.

We visited my sister in Florida in mid-November. We got there just in time to attend a Blue Angels show at their home naval base on Veterans Day. (For non-American readers, that's November 11, a day we remember all veterans of all wars.)

Kid pix first...... I took a few of these but can't remember now which ones. :-) If they're super-cute, assume I took it, okay?! It's my blog, so it's my rules! LOL

My niece Lily tried on my OU Sooners hat..... for all of 2 seconds..... :-)

I think David likes the air show!!!

Cool sky-writers before the show!

Folded wings on this plane! I wish I knew my military planes better, because this is a cool one, whatever it is!

WAY COOL wall of fire!

Peter's favorite part of the show was the jet truck..... he wants to drive one when he's a grown-up. I guess the Navy's recruitment program is working!

The jet truck racing an airplane......

The Blue Angels jets 1-4 taking off..... look at the heat waves behind them!!!

18" clearance between wings & cockpits....... what STUNNING precision!

Yes, they're flying in formation..... with 2 of them upside down......

I ***hated*** this trick! 2 jets flying AT each other at incredibly high speeds. At the last second, they'd each turn & pass each other. Every time my stomach flip-flopped because it looked like they were going to collide. They never did, so I guess the trick wasn't as scary as I thought it was. :-D

Delta formation!!!!

Delta break-away - totally way cool! (Help, I'm running out of superlative adjectives!!!)

Becca, Dad, my brother-in-law James, & I stayed for the night show. They started the show with skydivers, including this awe-inspiring flag one!

The jet truck looks even cooler at night.......

The Blue Angels planes didn't fly after dark, but other planes did, with sparklers, fireworks, and just all-around awesomeness. Becca didn't get a good photo, but the VERY BEST was the trick helicopter.... spinning in circles, with sparklers everywhere, shooting fireworks out of the helicopter..... all while holding an American flag. AWE-SOME.

The evening ended with fireworks.

If you EVER have a chance to attend a Blue Angels show, you MUST attend. If they offer a night show, STAY FOR IT. They make you proud to be an American!!!

-- Elizabeth

Wheels......

2011-11-03T15:21:00.001-04:00

October was an interesting month...... we had some work done on our car that involved pulling the engine out! The mechanic called me when he had the engine out, & Becca took us to visit our pitiful-looking car......

If my car ran on little-boy-energy, would that be cheaper than gasoline?!

Martha holds our new axle!

Peter got his own set of wheels in October...... I found this 16" bike on Craiglist for $15!

David clowning around while I had the camera out. :-)

Peter on his bike, & Martha on hers - later that evening, Peter got his own helmet so he didn't have to borrow his sister's PINK one. :-D

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, October part 2

2011-11-02T11:02:00.022-04:00

Spotted in Brattonsville...... SO pretty!

I bought this bowl & the vase from a vendor in Brattonsville. Now I can think of Brattonsville every time I see them!

Fall Azalea...... I love Azaleas so much that I *have* to grow some like these someday!

These roses are growing in MY back yard! They're so small & delicate and gorgeous.

More flowers from my back yard - these came with the house so it's a good thing I like them! :-)

Love these fall Daisies, also growing my back yard!

These Dianthus blooms were spotted at my neighbor's house.

-- Elizabeth

Brattonsville

2011-10-26T15:33:00.002-04:00

On October 22, we attended a Civil War reenactment in Brattonsville, South Carolina. Since there never was an actual battle in that town, the reenactors did a generic battle.

The kids enjoyed walking around the camps and talking to the soldiers.

Artillery demonstration - this is an ACTUAL CIVIL WAR CANNON. It was buried behind an AME Zion church in Chester, SC, for almost 150 years, and discovered about a decade ago when the church was adding on to their building. There were 4 cannon buried there, and this is the only one that is shootable.

My sister Becca in her period-correct outfit!

The battle!!!!! The mean old Yankees shoot their cannons......

The "good guys," aka the Confederates......

I thought Peter especially would be bothered by all the noise, but as you can see, he really got into the spirit of the battle!

The other 2 didn't mind it, either, but kept their ears covered, especially for the artillery barrages.

Confederate musket line

Uh, oh, here come those Yanks!!! (Sadly, the Yanks won the battle. Maybe next year we'll win!)

I found my sister..... who stepped out of 1861 long enough to take pictures with her own cannon.... or Canon!

After the battle, all of the troops gathered for a salute.... unfortunately my memory card was full do I didn't get a photo of the actual shooting!

What a fun day, and we're now looking forward to attending our next Civil War reenactment!

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, October part 1

2011-10-17T12:21:00.032-04:00

October 3 would've been our 12th anniversary..... rather than spend the week moping about how the marriage turned out, I decided to make it a fun week & have a craft extravaganza! My "extravaganza" wasn't as extravagant as I'd thought, but I still had fun making some projects just because I could! I also bought a movie, went out to eat with the kids, & anything else that would make me feel "pampered." I have a cross-stitch & Hardanger project to share some other time, once it's finished. :-)

This crocheted heart was fast & fun to make. I had the idea to photograph this on a real rose bush just for fun!

Knitted hat in my favorite pastel color scheme.

I made this blue & cream necklace for myself - as you may already know, blue is my favorite color, & combined with cream, it's even better!

Closer-up of an afghan that I saw at the County Fair..... I want to make one like this someday!

Pansies that I bought & planted by my driveway......

Flowers spotted at a restaurant.....

We spent a couple of hours playing at our neighbors' house, where I spotted this log from a tree they'd just cut down - it's shaped like a heart!

Crocheted hotpad belonging to my parents. It's simple but I liked the colors so I photographed it!

That's all for now, folks! Some of this month's Pastel & Pretty Pictures are already blogged elsewhere so I didn't want to duplicate.

-- Elizabeth

Fall Foliage Frolic

2011-10-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist an alliteration. :-) On October 12, we visited a nearby walking trail with my sister Becca to capture some fall color. As a professional photographer with an arsenal of lenses, she got better pictures than I did...... but I'm sharing my pictures, not hers. :-) Most of the pictures of the children were taken by her, but all of the foliage pictures are mine.

Fall in North Carolina lasts a lot longer than it does in Oklahoma. There are more trees here, for one thing, and the fall color lasts for weeks as the trees take turns putting on their show. Readers of this blog would know that my favorite colors are pastels, yet I love the bright colors of fall! Spring is still my favorite season, but fall isn't bad, either. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Quilt show!

2011-10-08T10:24:00.052-04:00

To finish off our 3-event week, Martha & I met our friend Joan at a quilt show in Shelby, NC. It was a small show, but as Joan said - a quilt show is a quilt show!

Joan, Martha, & Nancy

Quilting detail of the above quilt - amazing!

David likes guitars right now, so when he saw this picture he decided it was his favorite!

Martha liked this one because it has an elephant in it!

I love this one.... the detailed applique, and the gorgeous pastel fabric in the border. :-)

This one is small enough that I could possibly make one like it sometime in my life! LOL

Such perfect, precise piecing! I'm pretty sure this is paper foundation piecing.

Fish quilt - this would be cute in my upstairs bathroom with its "bath toys" theme.

Detail of a large quilt. I don't have the patience to make a large quilt that's all the same, but I love the look!

Not "my" colors, but look at all the work that went into this one!!!!

When the pink-and-brown color combination became popular, I didn't really like it, but the color scheme has grown on me, and I love it now!

Pretty Morning Glories quilt.... they're some of my favorite flowers, but I have so many "favorites" that it would be hard to choose my most favorite. MG do come in a beautiful blue, and blue is my favorite color, so they're high on my "love" list!

Another detail of a large quilt. To help cut down on the total number of pix in this post, I'm not including the overall pix of some of these quilts, as the detail shots show the quilt better. I love the 1930's prints in this one.

Again, not "my" colors, but beautiful piecing work! I'd love to see this one made in pastels....... it's another smaller one so maybe someday I'll make one like it in "my" colors.

A simple but pretty blue & white quilt.

Martha & Nancy in front of an amazing Log Cabin star quilt.

Simple neutral color scheme - so peaceful & pretty!

This one is really cute - I like flowers, and I like blue, and I like "samplers," so what's *not* to love in this one?

This Log Cabin quilt was hung over a window so the overall picture looked really weird, but this detail shot gives you an idea of how pretty it was! I like the pieced border, and the pink-and-green color scheme.

Someday I'm going to make a Star of Bethlehem quilt like this, but in pastels of course!

Black-and-white quilts are my thing, but this one is really cute!!

Love the colored centers in the flowers...... just a little "pop" of color!

Simple quilt, but look at the eyelet binding treatment.......

Colors are darker than I like, but this is a good way to show off large-scale print fabrics

Another one that I'm going to have to make sometime..... especially now that I have my very own sewing room with plenty of wall space!

Cute cardinal quilt......

Hope you enjoyed this virtual quilt show as much as we enjoyed the real one! I always leave these shows inspired to work on quilts. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Cotton Ginning Days

2011-10-07T10:07:00.000-04:00

Talk about a crazy-busy week...... County Fair on Wednesday, "Cotton Ginning Days" on Friday, & a quilt show on Saturday...... we'll worry about the quilt show later.

"Cotton Ginning Days" is a local - well, I don't even know what to call it. "Festival" sounds too high-falutin', "show" or "fair" aren't quite accurate, so whatever. :-) They have a cotton gin that they run & demonstrate, a bunch of old tractors sitting around, some vendors selling goods from local honey to handmade jewelry to Confederate flags!

Look at all that beautiful, freshly-ginned cotton...... I was able to pick up enough scraps from the floor to stuff a small pillow sometime!

The cotton gin itself - at least some if not all of it is original to the 1920's.

Peter checking out an old car......

I can't WAIT until this kid gets his driver's license..... yikes...... :-D

A really old fire truck!

My sister Becca did an impromptu photo shoot with the kids. Most of the pictures below were taken by her. It was pure coincidence that both of my boys were wearing yellow shirts, but they did match the John Deere tractors nicely!

Yes, David is shorter than this tractor's wheel.

"Grandpa" & Peter especially enjoyed the old tractors.

Photos of Saturday's quilt show coming soon..... maybe! :-) Counting my pictures & Becca's, I have literally hundreds to sort through from this one week's events. I'll try to get them posted soon!

-- Elizabeth

Vintage Valentine block 1

2011-10-06T09:11:00.029-04:00

I've admired this quilt for years........

Vintage Valentine, designed by Verna Mosquera - a 72x72" masterpiece of applique!

(Photo not taken by me...... shared here to show how beautiful this thing is going to be when it's done!!!)

When we were in Franklin, NC, in August, Mom & I visited a quilt store. When I admired the above quilt (or one similar to it) on the wall of the store, and explained that it's a "Block of the Month," Mom decided to buy it for me for my birthday!!!

I know what you're thinking...... I need another huge, long-term, fiddly hand-applique project like I need another hole in my head....... but this one is TOO pretty and it's a birthday gift!!! I hope to keep up with 1 block each month but I often get behind on such things around Christmas time, so we'll see how well that works. :-) The fabrics are included with the monthly block pattern.

For now, enjoy block 1.......

Closer view of the birds.....

I can't WAIT to get block 2 & make it! I'll try to update this blog whenever I get a new block done. And yes, I know there are several other in-progress quilts that I promised to share my progress.... someday I'll get back to working on those, too! :-)

-- Elizabeth

County Fair

2011-10-05T16:44:00.015-04:00

My sister took the kids & me to the County Fair on October 5. It's hard not to compare it to the Oklahoma State Fair that is more familiar..... but it's really not "fair" to compare a county-level fair with a state-level one. It did make me miss the bigness of the Oklahoma one, though. :-/ That said, let's move on to the pictures from the fun day we had in spite of it being small!

BTW, some of these photos are by me, some are by my sister.

David is very impressed with this saddle!

Peter shows how huge the watermelon is......

Handwork displays...... resisting urge to compare to the Oklahoma State Fair........ oh, well, at least this blue & white afghan was GORGEOUS! I'm going to make one like this someday!!

We spent a lot of time in this Beekeepers' Cabin...... for some reason it just fascinated the kids.

Martha checking out the bees.....

The queen is marked with a dot.

Random but cute photo of Peter!

Animals!

David worked up enough courage to pet this camel!

Martha & Peter weren't afraid, so they got to pet lots of animals, like this cute goat!

My favorite car - a Chevy Camaro! I'd like mine to be dark gray, preferably with tinted windows. Maybe someday. :-D

Yum - funnel cake time!!!

I didn't enter anything in the fair, because I wanted to attend it once to see how they do things. I'm hopeful that next year I'll have some stuff done to enter...... and the competition doesn't seem very stiff so I might have a decent chance of winning ribbons. :-)

-- Elizabeth

September

2011-10-04T14:57:00.041-04:00

September started out with a fun "play date" at the Gateway Trail with my friend Rachel & her girls!

Aw, sweet brothers moment......

The children enjoyed climbing on the rocks while the grown-ups talked.

Little L getting a drink from the water fountain...... quite a challenging task for such a little girl!

SO cute!!!

This sword belonged to my dad's dad when he attended the Citadel in the late 1930's or early 1940's. I really should find out when he attended there! It was before World War II. He would've graduated as an officer but was rejected from active duty because of his color blindness & asthma. This was his dress sword, so it's not sharp. David was fascinated with it, so I took him out in my parents' back yard for a quick photo shoot!

Helping Grandpa install the new dishwasher - yay for not having to wash dishes by hand anymore!!! There's nothing like being without a dishwasher for a couple of weeks to make you REALLY appreciate having one..... Martha is especially glad since dishes are her "job." :-) She used to dislike emptying the dishwasher but now she's glad she doesn't have to hand-wash dishes!

The children enjoyed watching Grandpa's watermelon grow this summer - and when it was ripe, they enjoyed eating it!

Peter and some of his favorite stuffed animals!

Over the last few years, each time we've visited North Carolina, I've taken Martha to an awesomely huge fabric store called Mary Jo's Cloth Store. Now that we live here, it's a fairly frequent stop for us..... and this day I happened to have the boys with me as well. This was their first visit to Mary Jo's, so to commemorate the event, I let each child choose a yard of fabric - Martha chose a jungle scene because it has elephants, Peter chose fabric with tools & lawn mowers, & David chose bowling fabric. We happened to see Mary Jo herself, and she agreed to pose for a photo!

A family at church moved into a furnished house at the end of September, and gave away many of their possessions from their old apartment - including this piano! Martha has taken a couple of years of piano lessons, but hadn't been able to this year because we didn't have a piano for practice. Now we do!!! It's old, & needs tuning, but it's OURS and it was FREE! Here, Martha tries it out while it's still on Grandpa's trailer....

Grandpa takes a turn while Peter climbs on the trailer.....

Peter helping jack up the trailer hitch so the trailer will stay steady while we unload the piano!

David gets to try out the piano at its new home in our living room!

I'll finish up with a couple of random pictures of David...... he's such a nut in front of a camera!

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, September part 2

2011-10-02T18:36:00.038-04:00

I helped my sister make this bracelet using photos from her trip to Italy in June. We printed the pictures, set them in these bezels with resin, and used red, clear ("white"), & green beads to make the bracelet.

Pretty juxtaposition of foliage textures & colors.....

I need to get some of these pink Geraniums next year!! They're SO beautiful!

The yellow Mums were a birthday gift from David. I bought the purple & white Mums to make it a trio!

Bookmark made for my friend Joan.

These flowers looked bluer in person..... true blue is a very rare color in the flower world, but these come quite close to being true blue!

The next 2 photos are weeds that I thought were pretty!

A friend sent a set of 5 canisters to me...... proving that it sometimes pays to chime in on Facebook posts because your friend might decide to take your joking comment seriously and send some really cool stuff to you!!!!!

I bought this quilt for $2 at a garage sale a few weeks ago. It's old, has stains, & is torn in lots of places....... but it's pretty! Since I don't have have a sentimental attachment to this quilt, I'm thinking about cutting it up to make teddy bears, ornaments, or other small projects. I love the look of projects made with old quilts but hate to cut up an old quilt...... but this one *is* in pretty bad shape so maybe I wouldn't feel so bad about cutting it up! :-) For now, I'm enjoying it, tears & stains & all!

This is an antique Grandmother's Flower Garden that "ex" bought for me a few years ago. It's hard to show scale in photos like this..... but each hexagon is about half an inch across. Each "flower" has 7 hexagons, and there are 19 "flowers" in each "cluster," for a total of 133 hexagons...... and there are 12 of these "clusters" in the quilt, PLUS single flowers at the sashing intersections! The amount of work in this quilt is AMAZING!!! It's all hand-pieced (except for the long straight sections of the sashings) and hand-quilted.

At our new church's missions conference, one of the missionary wives was selling jewelry to raise money for a project for their church in Africa, an orphanage, or something like that. (I apologize for my bad memory!!) I bought these from her...... they're made from plastic beads, not glass, but they're pretty anyway. :-)

That's all for now, folks!

-- Elizabeth

Missions Conference #2 of 2011

2011-09-26T11:33:00.007-04:00

That can happen when you change churches mid-year...... we attended two Missions Conferences this year! One in March in Oklahoma (no photos because the kids didn't dress up in costumes or sing) and another in September here in North Carolina. For the NC conference, all 3 of the children got to dress up in costumes & sing a song in church!

Martha used her Russian costume from Missions Conference 2010, which is really impressive because we actually FOUND all the parts even though we'd just moved!!! The headpiece was AWOL for a while but Martha found it just in time to wear it that evening.

Peter chose Germany, and was SO cute!!! Their dad's side of the family really is German, so he has that Aryan look to him anyway..... and the German outfit just made him adorable!!! I'm surprised he was willing to wear flowers on his chest-piece & hat, but he agreed. I machine-embroidered the chest-piece, whatever it's called. :-) I used purchased trim on the hat & suspenders.

David chose Cherokee Indian for his costume. I bought the tomahawk & feathers, and made the rest of his costume. This one is special since we just moved away from Oklahoma, where "Indians" are very common, and also because we have a teeny-tiny bit of Cherokee blood. I am 1/128 Cherokee, which makes my kids 1/256 Cherokee..... told you it was a teeny-tiny bit! :-)

This is supposed to be his "scary warrior" face...... not sure he pulled it off....... LOL!

Paper/cardboard flags to carry.

Singing in church - Peter is on the far left, Martha right in front of the pulpit, with David right in front of her. Small church, small children's choir. Quite different from our old church!

Martha made flags for the dolls - Sara Elizabeth had the Indian dress from way back, & my sister made the Italian gondolier outfit for Nancy & gave it to Martha for her birthday.

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, September part 1

2011-09-19T09:19:00.035-04:00

I'll start off with more flower pictures....... what can I say? I love flowers, and this P&PP challenge has made me notice them more! :-)

I love these 3-toned flowers. They have some at my bank, and at a walking trail near my house. I need to find out what they are, and grow some at my house!! They have yellow, light pink, and dark pink flowers all in the same cluster. EDIT: They're Lantanas - thanks, Margaret & Susie!

More Petunias - love this color!

When we moved to this house, there were 2 rose bushes growing in pots in my new back yard. We moved in after the spring bloom season, so I thought I'd have to wait until next year to find out what color they are. SURPRISE! In early September, one of the bushes bloomed with these delicate light pink roses!!!! This was the first bloom - now the bush is covered with them. (I should take a picture of the whole thing before they die off for the winter, shouldn't I?!) Each rose is no more than 2" across, probably closer to 1.5". SO cute and SO pretty!

This "Butterfly" Bush is very attractive to the bees as well!

I love these Impatiens in front of the variegated foliage!

A new friend of mine from the church here let us come over and see her flowers. This Hibiscus so artistically put one of its blooms in the bird bath for me!!

My sister-in-law & I are doing a craft swap. She's an artist, and her "thing" is to paint wonderfully detailed pictures on turkey feathers! Turkey farms are very common in Minnesota, and that's all I'll say on the subject. ;-) I will point out that their state bird is the loon, so loons & turkeys....... :-D Moving on - Deb painted roses on a large feather for me, and on a smaller one for Martha. Isn't this GORGEOUS???? I still need to get a good picture of the whole thing so you can see the pretty framing - I wanted this photo to show the actual painting. She tied a ribbon around the "stalk" of the feather.

I've found a new sub-hobby to my beading hobby.... making my own charms with bezels & resin! If you're really observant and/or have a ton of time on your hands, you can find all of these photos in my Pastel & Pretty Pictures blog posts. Hint: start with about March or April since that's when the flowers started blooming. :-)

Tropical Depression Lee came through our area in early September. These were the clouds the next day - look at the BLUE of that sky, with the white fluffy clouds in contrast! I didn't "doctor" up this photo at all, and if anything, the sky was bluer than it appears in this photo.

This was the cake that Martha & my sister Becca decorated for my birthday. It was the prettiest birthday cake I've had in a long time!!! That was Sunday, September 11. (Yes, my birthday really is on 9-11!)

Friday, September 16 was Martha's birthday. Among her gifts was this cute "Breakfast in Bed" set by American Girl. She'd been wanting it for a while, and was thrilled when Grandma bought it for her! I used Becca's camera to take this picture - it was after dark by then so the only light was from the overhead fixture.... I think it turned out pretty well considering! :-)

-- Elizabeth

Martha's 9th Birthday

2011-09-17T13:29:00.027-04:00

Happy birthday to Martha!!!

Opening presents from her brothers & from me......

A Goldfinch that she named Sing-Song.

Her very own sewing basket, lined with printed fabric & stocked with basic sewing supplies.

Birthday dinner at my parents' house...... does this banner look familiar? It might if you read the post about my birthday on Sunday! :-)

Helping Grandpa decorate her own cupcakes.....

9 candles...... my baby girl is growing up. :-/

Gifts from her grandparents & aunt!

She's been wanting this "Breakfast in Bed" set for quite a while, & was thrilled that Grandma ordered it for her!

She received a toy sewing machine - she needs practice but I think she'll be able to actually use it to make a few things!

Today, her friend Rachel came over to spend the day, and brought her American Girl "Bitty Twins," Jacob & Jenny, to play with Nancy & "Aunt Becca's" doll who lives at our house for now.

Rachel made party hats for Nancy, Jacob, & Jenny - how adorably CUTE!!!!

-- Elizabeth

Martha's Birthday Questionnaire

2011-09-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

I did this for David's birthday in June, and now it's Martha's turn!

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite food? Fiesta Tortilla Stack

What is your favorite animal? Elephant!

What is your favorite TV show? Andy Griffith & Hogan's Heroes

What is your favorite movie? Sound of Music

What kind of music do you like? Orchestra

What are you really good at? Driving my mother nuts! Helping Mom cook.

What are you not so good at? Being kind to my brothers.

Who are your best friends? Rachel P, Laura G, Elizabeth C

What is your favorite thing to do at home? Read a book, playing outside, playing with Nancy (her American Girl doll)

What do you want to do when you grow up? Whatever God calls me to do! I'd like to be a Mommy and a missionary, and work at Chick-Fil-A.

If you had a lot of money, what do you think you would buy? Cheerwine, and stuff from American Girl!

What is the best thing about your mom? When she tells me I can have a cup of Cheerwine!

Tell me something that is really funny: Andy Griffith!

What is your favorite thing to wear? Skirts, shirts, & dresses

What makes you cry? When I do wrong.

What does love mean? When you truly love somebody, it means you give them gifts or surprises, or things like that.

What are you afraid of? Bears, black snakes in our back yard!

What is something Mom always says to you? Bedtime!

What makes Mom happy? When I cook lunch for her!

What is your favorite toy? I don't know, I have a lot of favorites! I think Nancy.

What do you like to sleep with -- doll, blanket, etc? Most nights I sleep with just Ruth. (Pillow Pet elephant)

At what age do you become an adult? 21

If you could change one rule in our house, what would it be? That we could have a snack anytime we want!

What is something that makes our family special? We go to church every church service.

How would the world be different if animals could talk? It would be very different, because my pet elephant could talk! When I'm a grown-up, I'm going to move to India where I can have a pet elephant!

What is the hardest thing about being a kid? You have to go to bed early.

If you were a teacher and the kids in your class wouldn't listen, what would you do? Put them in the principal's office.

Where is your favorite place in the world? Grandma's house!

And that is Martha in a nutshell!

-- Elizabeth

My Birthday

2011-09-12T10:08:00.017-04:00

This was my first birthday since my 22nd that I got to celebrate with my parents & sister. My birthday was on a Sunday (yes, I really was born on 9-11!) so we had lunch at my parents' house like we do most Sundays.

Martha & my dad & sister had worked together to make a cake for me..... probably the fanciest birthday cake I've ever had! If you're tempted to count the candles..... I'll save you the trouble - there are 34!

My boys holding a "Happy Birthday" banner across my parents' hearth - SO cute!

My gifts from my parents & children! Mom gave me a subscription to the "Vintage Valentine" block of the month - but I'll wait to blog about that when I get the first block done!

Martha & I have birthdays in the same calendar week this year - mine was yesterday/Sunday, & hers is Friday!

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, August part 2

2011-09-03T11:07:00.052-04:00

To finish up August, here are my "Pastel & Pretty Pictures" from the last half of the month.

Love this light & lacy foliage.....

A bee & a butterfly enjoy the nectar from this bush!

I love variegated flowers like this Petunia!

If anyone knows what these are, please leave a comment! They're growing by my carport in nearly-full shade.

I carry my DSLR camera in my purse all the time, so anytime I see something photo-worthy, like these flowers at Taco Bell, I can get a picture! Unfortunately the flowers were pretty small, I didn't have my zoom lens with me, & I was shooting from my car with the engine running..... so sorry the flowers are a bit blurry!

This Crepe Myrtle is at my parents' house.... I need to grow some Crepe Myrtles at my house!!

Beautiful Autumn Crocus at my friend's house..... I need to plant some of these, too!

This candle was in the chapel at the church were the children's program was held (see previous post) and it was so pretty that I just had to take a picture!

Love this tiny/cute photo charm! I made it into a fob & have it on my purse.

I helped my sister make this charm necklace - when she wears the necklace & the bracelet we made later, she has charms representing most of her interests! This necklace has charms for football, hats (cowboy hat in this case), Celtic stuff, puzzles, London which represents all the travels she's done, photography, music, Route 66, technology (it's an MP3 player), and R for her initial, a flower (she likes "bright and gaudy" things, and Gerbera daisies are among her favorites), an eagle (to represent her interest in Presidents, history, the Civil War, and assorted Americana!), & an apple (she's a member of that cult called Mac lovers). Whew, that's a lot of charms! She bought the supplies, arranged the charms, helped put the jump rings on the charms, and assemble the drop bead sets. It turned out so cute that I think I shall have to make one of my own!

I bought this heart charm the last time I went to "my" Hobby Lobby store #7 in Oklahoma City. In August I made it into a bookmark for myself. It's pretty and reminds me of many happy shopping hours, and my friends/store employees Paula, Dorothy, Eva, & Betty.

Yes, I'm still working on the 2010 ornaments...... every year, I make an ornament for my mom, 2 sisters, 3 children.... and this year, will also make an ornament for my niece. For 2010, I decided to make an ornament for myself as well, because this Christmas tree was too pretty to pass up! The dots outlining the tree are where I'll sew the tree to the backing to finish it into a usable ornament - but I'm waiting until I get the boys' ornaments embroidered and then I'll finish all of our ornaments at the same time. Martha's ornament can be seen in my P&PP July part 2 post.

During Lily's visit, we did a photo shoot. My sister Becca got some *really* good pictures, but since Pastel & Pretty Pictures are supposed to be ones that *I* take, I had to choose one of mine! Lily loved the necklace I happened to be wearing that night, so I let her play with it to keep her happier for the photo shoot. She was very confused when we put it around her neck. :-)

-- Elizabeth

Children's Program

2011-08-29T15:57:00.023-04:00

Last week, my children attended a children's program run by my sister and her friend. They had "themes" each night, and any kid who dressed up to match the theme got a prize.

Western night - photos taken by my sister Rebecca.....

For Historical Night, Becca made Civil War t-shirts for the boys. Peter was General Lee of the Confederates, & David was Becca's favorite General Chamberlain of the Yanks. (He wasn't a general during his most famous battle of Gettysburg, but was promoted later in the war.)

Martha's dress was borrowed from Becca's friend's family, and the bonnet belongs to Becca. I was going for the old-fashioned no-smile portraits of the era, so that's why she looks "grumpy!" You'd be grumpy, too, if you had to sit perfectly still for a 5-second exposure time..... fortunately modern digital cameras take much faster pictures so she didn't really have to sit still that long. :-)

General "Peter" Lee shooting a stick from behind a big tree!

General "David" Chamberlain with his stick-rifle by the other tree.....

Hand-to-hand combat with their guns..... or did their guns just turn into swords? Imagination is a beautiful thing!

50's Night - Aunt Becca made these cute poodle skirts!

The children with the week's teacher, "Mr. Richard." He flew in from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be the story-teller for the week.

-- Elizabeth

Photo Shoot

2011-08-26T10:50:00.017-04:00

After attempting to sort through literally hundreds of photos..... probably closer to 1,000.... I decided to take the easy route and just share these 2 photos that my sister Becca took while our niece Lily was in town! I still need to sort through the rest of the photos sometime, but not today. :-D

Lily's Official Six-Month Portrait......

Four Cousins.......

In case you can't tell, that's in age order: Martha, Peter, David, & Lily! I find it very difficult to get 3 children to look semi-happy at the same time, and adding a 4th child - and an infant at that - and you've got a recipe for insanity if your goal is a perfect photo!! Becca said she PhotoShopped this one together from 4 different pictures, so don't feel jealous that she got such a perfect picture..... she didn't. :-D

-- Elizabeth

Carowinds

2011-08-25T14:37:00.001-04:00

On August 16, Martha got to visit Carowinds for the first time! She went with my sisters and brother-in-law, as well as 2 church friends. I'm not a roller-coasters person, plus I knew the boys would be too scared and/or small to ride most of the rides, so I kept them at home. Obviously, these photos were taken by someone who was there - either my sisters, or their friends, or random strangers. :-) I can't offer many explanations since I don't know what most of this stuff is! Our family used to visit Carowinds each summer, but that was many years ago and I'm sure much has changed.

Susie, Rachel, Becca, Martha, James, & Sara - remember what they're wearing and I won't have to label each photo! :-)

Carowinds is built on the North Carolina-South Carolina line. The state line is a definite photo op...... you can be in 2 places at once!

-- Elizabeth

Lily's Visit

2011-08-24T12:44:00.003-04:00

Lily brought her parents to North Carolina so her dad could be in his brother's wedding. Lily's family stayed a total of 2 weeks, and Grandma loved every second of it! My sister Becca took the opportunity for a cousins photo shoot..... there are literally HUNDREDS of photos that I need to sort through before I can share them with you! For now, here are some snapshots of my children and Lily during their visit......

Peter continues to love babies - here he is holding Lily. (Hasn't she grown SO much since their family visited us in Oklahoma in March?!)

Grandpa likes to play with babies.... he gets down on their level and growls at them or tickles them or whatever he has to do to make them giggle!

My sisters playing a violin duet at church.

I'll try to work on sorting out photos and share some more in the next few days.

-- Elizabeth

Franklin, NC

2011-08-22T11:53:00.035-04:00

On August 2, we drove to Franklin, North Carolina, so that Mom and I could attend a training course on the Drake Client Write-Up (book-keeping) software. Dad and the children came along - Martha wears contacts and still doesn't know how to put them in herself, so I needed to do that for her. Dad did school with the children at the hotel while Mom & I attended the 3-day training course.

Franklin is in the beautiful North Carolina mountains. If I'd had more time, I could've taken hundreds of photos of the spectacular views..... but we'll let these few suffice. :-)

I love gazebos, and was thrilled to find this one in the back parking lot of our hotel!

The children enjoyed the window seats in the hotel rooms, taking turns sleeping on the window seat for the three nights we were there.

Next to our hotel was a fun entertainment center. Dad took the children there one afternoon and let them play some of the games, and after supper on Thursday night I walked through with the children and they showed me all of their favorites. Peter loved this motorcycle ride!

The children posing with rifles at some shooting games.

Martha "driving" on Route 66..... made us homesick for Oklahoma. :-)

Safari ride - with an elephant, of course! Martha is still crazy about elephants!

David "shooting" the screen.

Peter "chambering" his pistol.

David all comfy in his backhoe.... note that his feet are resting up on the dashboard!

We had a fun trip, and Mom & I learned a lot about the software! Now Mom's business just needs some customers so I can do book-keeping work from home with the software...... :-)

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, August part 1

2011-08-18T18:19:00.001-04:00

While we were in Franklin, North Carolina, Mom and I visited a quilt store. These are the fabrics I bought there. The cherries fabric was for Martha, to add to the blue fabrics she's collecting for a quilt. The pink kitties are for the 1930's quilt that I haven't worked on in way too long! The flowers/pottery fabric was just because it was beautiful!!

I found these flowers growing by my back yard fence. They're so delicate and pretty! Maybe I'm weird, but I like some weeds. :-)

True confessions time..... I got way behind on my "Pastel & Pretty Pictures" this summer. The next few flower pictures were all taken the same day, in a new church friend's back yard. She has some *beautiful* flowers as you can tell!!!

I love the colors on these blue flowers....

An unusual fall-blooming Gardenia.

I spotted these beads at Hobby Lobby one day and instantly fell head-over-heels in love!!!! I love the delicate and perfect loops on the beads. I used one of them to make a necklace - and while I do plan to use the rest in necklaces, for now I love just looking at them!!

I made this necklace for my next-younger sister's birthday. She likes "dark and gloomy" colors, so I tried to make her necklace "dark and gloomy" for her! This charm is too beautiful, though....... it's darker than my favorite palette, but I still plan to make a necklace like this for myself! The picture doesn't do it justice - the background of the blue flower is a sparkly gold!

This is the first of the wire-wrapped beads made into a necklace. This one is for sale over at my Etsy site, but until it sells, I enjoy wearing it! I almost hope it doesn't sell, because then I could keep it for myself. ;-)

Another necklace that's for sale at my Etsy site, and another that is so pretty I wouldn't be heart-broken if it never sells. Then again, go ahead and buy it..... I can always make another one for myself! :-D

I promise, this blog post wasn't intended to be an ad for Flutterby Stitches, but this bookmark is also for sale over at Etsy! This one features blue beads and a pretty heart charm. Love it!! I did make a pink bookmark for myself already, but I'll have to photograph & share it later.

Finally, a necklace that's NOT for sale..... because it's already sold!! My friend Kate in Oklahoma requested this one. Yes, it's very similar to one I made for myself this spring. She saw it in my Facebook photos and decided she wanted one for herself. :-)

This butterfly keeps hanging around my house! I photographed it on two different days. First in the bush.....

......and then on the driveway. I often see this one - or a twin thereof - flying around my driveway, carport, porch, & yard. SO beautiful! If anyone knows what kind of butterfly this is, please leave a comment to tell me!

July Misc

2011-08-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Catching up on July with some random pictures from the month.

Martha is thrilled to be living in the land of Cheerwine! (A cherry-flavored soda made in North Carolina.) She fell in love with Cheerwine at Pops 66 in Oklahoma, but now we can buy it by the 2-liter and drink it all the time!!

In July, Cheerwine & Krispy Kreme teamed up to make Cheerwine-filled donuts!

Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A.... we drove down to Gaffney, SC, where my sister works. She helped us with the costumes, and we all enjoyed our free lunches!

After lunch, we went bowling together. Peter changed to different pants but the rest of us were still cows. :-)

I think she's happy! It doesn't look like she got any pins - either that or she got them all and it already re-set!

David would PUSH his ball down the lane..... it took FOREVER to get to the end!!!

Peter getting ready to throw his ball down the lane!

My mom spotted this bike on Freecycle and was able to get it for Martha! She's been wanting a bike for months, and is so thrilled to have one of her very own! It's a little small for her, but at least it's a bike!!

Peter helping Grandpa cook lunch.... I love how the apron is a few sizes too big for him - so cute!!

My sister took the next few photos on a rainy day in early July. Oklahoma's had a very hot & dry summer, and even though we were only there for a month or two of it, we've enjoyed the rain here!

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, July part 2

2011-08-13T17:58:00.001-04:00

Flower pot that is too pretty to leave outside in the weather...... I might end up using this inside somehow!

Necklace that belongs to my sister. Most of necklaces in this post are ones that belong to her, and that I didn't make. I wish I could make necklaces this pretty!! :-)

Picture frame - this one happens to hold a picture of Martha, but the pretty flowers on the frame itself are what I wanted to share.

I bought this pretty hand-embroidered dresser scarf at an antique store. I love flowers, and I love blue, and I especially love hand-embroidered pieces!! This is currently displayed in my living room.

Pretty painted bucket that my mom bought for me as a "welcome home" gift - it was loaded up with fun goodies (like beads, pretty notepads, and a quilting book) and waiting for me when we arrived at our new house!

Bracelet that belongs to my sister. It's a little "bright" but I love the flowers on the beads, and the little metal caps on each side of each bead.

Another pretty flower pot...... I love the "cracked" look to this one. Hobby Lobby sold these last year, and after admiring them most of the summer, I finally bought a couple. I'm so glad I did, because although they were semi-expensive (don't worry.... I got them on sale for 50% off!) they are SO pretty that it was worth it!

I bought this dresser scarf the same day I bought the blue-hearts one, above. I have this one decorating a bookshelf in my sewing room. The picture quality isn't the best, but here it is anyway! :-)

My other sister - not the one that lives here in NC and has all the cool jewelry - stitched this Kleenex cover for me several years ago. It is SO beautiful, and the amount of time she spent on it is *amazing.* I never thought to photograph it until now, so I'm glad this 365-picture challenge made me "notice" it and take a picture!

More jewelry owned by my youngest sister. This is a matching necklace & bracelet set. I should start making bracelets and see how well those would sell!

Detail from my daughter's Christmas ornament...... from 2010...... the ornaments that aren't quite done yet......... oh, well, I'm still counting them for 2010 because that's when I planned/purchased/started them! :-)

Another necklace/bracelet set owned by my sister. I *love* the blues in this set! I must make a set with a similar feel for myself someday!!

The "apex trim" on my new house. SO pretty!! This is just one of the details that makes this house look like a doll house!

FINALLY - a necklace that I made! My sister likes "bright and gaudy" colors (she calls them "bright and happy") so I made this necklace for her.

Mom paid for a 3-day training course for herself and me in Franklin, North Carolina, so we could learn how to use the book-keeping software she purchased for her new business. This gazebo was behind our hotel.

That's it for the July Pastel & Pretty pictures..... now on to August! :-)

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, July part 1

2011-08-11T14:15:00.000-04:00

This first picture was a very impromptu shot. Before we left for church our first Wednesday night in North Carolina, I turned on the floodlights so I'd feel safer coming home if it was dark. We got home just before it was completely dark, but the lights of the house were shining so beautifully that I just had to get a picture! There is still some junk in the yard from unloading the truck that morning, and the front screen door isn't back on its hinges yet, but I love this photo!!

This Hydrangea was in beautiful bloom when we arrived in North Carolina. This plant only had this one bloom, and now it's died off for the year. Hopefully it'll come back next year, but if it doesn't, at least I have a nice photo!

Octagon window on the side of the front porch..... LOVE IT!

Beautiful white Lilies beside my front sidewalk.

Daylily.... I can't remember where this one was, but I know it wasn't at my house or my parents' house!

My mom bought this "patriotic" Petunia mix, and has them planted beside the driveway. The "blues" are more purple than blue, but we'll pretend like they're patriotic anyway!!

These little flowers are growing beside my front porch. I'd love to know what they are - I haven't had time to look them up in any of my gardening books.

Detail of my front porch..... LOVE the porch!!!!!

Pretty flower growing at my parents' house - it's so tiny that this photo is pretty much life-sized!

This Morning Glory is growing on one of the trees beside "my" creek.

This is my new neighbors' lantern. I'm thinking I need one just like it!!

Neighbors' bush..... it was so humid that day that apparently the fog between my camera & the bush made the picture grayed out! My lens was clean..... I'd already wiped the condensation off of it..... so we'll just pretend like this picture is ethereal instead of foggy!!!!

One of the ferns that hangs on my front porch. Have I mentioned yet that I love my new front porch?!

Dandelions..... my favorite weed!

Martha found this pitcher & embroidered table scarf at an antique store in Gastonia. I love the combination of the two, plus they remind us of a fun day of shopping with "Grandma" and "Aunt Becca!"

That's all for now. I do have some more "Pastel & Pretty Pictures" to share in the next couple of days as I attempt to get caught up again! Moving takes a lot of time.... and it's also difficult to keep up with one's blog when one doesn't have Internet at one's house for almost 2 weeks. Those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them!!

-- Elizabeth

Peter the Tooth-Less

2011-08-02T11:22:00.029-04:00

Any mother of at least 2 children will tell you that each child has a distinct personality. Peter has always been my independent one, a very intense little guy. One way he's showed his independence was by reaching milestones when I wasn't in the room.

He took his first crawling "step" (defined as being up on all 4's with his tummy not touching the ground) while we were visiting his Minnesota grandparents. I was on a walk with my sister-in-law & niece. When we got back, we were informed with great excitement that he had crawled.

His first real step was when we were visiting the other grandparents in North Carolina. My friend had recently given birth to a micro-preemie.... I believe she weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. I was in Mom's office talking to Rachel on the phone when I heard cheering from the living room. I rushed in to see what had happened, and was told that Peter had just taken his first step from holding onto a chair, toward Grandpa!

Fast-forward about 5 1/2 years. The little rascal is now 6 1/2, with a VERY loose tooth. We arrived at our new home in North Carolina on Tuesday, July 5. The next Sunday, we went to Dad & Mom's house for lunch - it's so much fun to live close enough to family that we can have a weekly tradition like that! Because of table space, we split into 2 groups of 4 people for the meal. I was finishing my meal in the dining room when Peter came in from the kitchen, saying something about eating cauliflower and swallowing it. The "it" turned out to be his loose tooth! We never did find the tooth so he really must have swallowed it with his lunch! And yes, it was THAT loose that it could come out with any pain at all! His permanent tooth was peeking out less than a week later so it must've helped push the baby tooth out. :-)

Here's the cute little guy with his tooth-less grin!

If that isn't the cutest smile you've seen in a while, then I don't know what is! :-)

The other middle tooth on the lower jaw is loose, but just barely. One of his upper center teeth might possibly be slightly loose, but it will be with him for a while longer. When you have a child this age, you don't go anywhere without a Ziploc bag (although that isn't necessary if the child swallows the tooth!) and a paper towel. :-)

-- Elizabeth

A Moving Experience, Part 3

2011-08-01T11:33:00.021-04:00

Now for pictures of UNloading the truck........

The car trunk, packed full!

The truck, packed much more fuller!!! (Who cares about proper English?!)

"Pastor Bru" & Tammy.... since her hands are empty, we'll assume she's on her way back to the truck for another load! :-)

The man with the goatee is Vic, but I'm afraid I don't know the young man's name yet. :-)

Our unloading help..... Vic, Kevin, & Jim are on the left end, with some young folks whose names I may or may not know. :-) There's a Rachel & a Maya in there, and one of the little boys is Jeremiah. I'm sure I'll learn the other names over time..... in such a tiny church, it doesn't take too long to learn all the names. Tammy, Dad, & "Pastor Bru" are on the end.

"Show me how tired you are!"

Some of the young folks relaxing on the porch swing after unloading the truck.

Wow, I have my work cut out for me!!!! The living room...... cozy, huh?!

Martha's room...........

The boys' room..............

My sewing room..... YIKES!

The kitchen......... the wooden thing in front is the table on its side.

I like to call this decorating style Early American Cardboard Box!!!! Almost 4 weeks later, things look a lot better around here, but I'm not quite ready to take "after" pictures to share with all of you. :-) Maybe I'll be ready for those in another week or so.

-- Elizabeth

A Moving Experience, Part 2

2011-07-31T14:03:00.057-04:00

Here's the second installment of the move from Oklahoma to North Carolina. The children & I attended church at Southwest on Sunday morning, July 3. Our closest friends the "L's" came over to say good-bye, and ended up staying to help finish loading the truck and do the last-minute house cleaning. Anthony also came back.... I guess we didn't work him hard enough on Saturday so he came back for more?! :-) All of those friends were a HUGE blessing, even though the L's did sing a couple of "good-bye" songs that made us all cry.

We left Oklahoma City around 4 PM..... later than we'd intended, but that's the way it goes sometimes! We got to Arkansas around 7, and to our hotel in Brinkley at 11 PM. I drove the car, with Mom & the children. Dad drove the truck, and my husband rode with him. We car folks didn't try too hard to keep up with the truck, but we did meet up with them at welcome centers & restaurants along the way. The children climbed in the truck at a truck stop & posed for this photo......

Welcome to Arkansas!

Arkansas had a perfectly picturesque sign at their Welcome Center!

Monday was July 4 - we drove from Brinkley, AR, to Cookeville, TN. "Welcome to Tennessee" - over the Mississippi River!

Of course we had to stop & visit the Tennessee Welcome Center on the River. The bridge in this photo is the I-40 bridge that we just drove over! Martha had her camera out to get some photos, too.

I think I already shared this one in my Pastel & Pretty Pictures, but here it is again in context. :-)

The children in front of the Mississippi...... I made sure we all had patriotic clothes to wear on the 4th. Peter chose an embroidery design for me to put on a t-shirt, but I ran out of time & didn't get it done. :-( Poor guy, he had to wear a solid blue shirt instead of patriotic.

Last year when we drove to North Carolina for my sister's wedding, David wouldn't go anywhere NEAR the water. Look at how brave he was this year!!!! Martha, Peter, & I took off our sandals and waded in the very shallowest edge of the river.

This watermelon half was just floating around the boat ramp!

Peter's feet near the top of the photo, then Martha's, then mine. The Mississippi is on the left side of the photo...... or at least a very tiny part of the Mississippi!

Tennessee didn't have a cute picturesque "welcome," so we made do with this Memphis egg. (Why an egg?!)

Lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Memphis. Mom & Martha were the black checkers.....

Dad & David were the red checkers. They were about to get jumped no matter what move they made, when the lady called our name for our table..... saved by the bell!

This huge pink elephant is across the street from our hotel in Cookeville, Tennessee, where we stopped for the night on July 4-5.

Now some assorted pictures of the travelers..... "Tawny" the dog didn't always hang his head out the window, but when Peter did this at a gas station, it was so cute - just like a real dog!

Martha had to do Tawny out the window, too..... anyway, here are the travelers!

Martha - just hanging out in the car! What else could she do while buckled in?! :-)

Two precious boys napping..... oh blissful moments! LOL

Mom helped the children make a chain, with loops for every 50 miles, plus a white loop for each hotel. The children took turns tearing off the loops. We used scrap paper, thus the odd snippet of letters showing up in the photo! The paper chain was such a great idea - it helped us all see the progress we were making along the way.

Welcome to North Carolina!!!!!!

Posing by the sign at the NC Welcome Center..... this is now our home state!

"Paul" the snow leopard watching the scenery through the mountains. :-)

Exploring the back yard at OUR NEW HOUSE!!!! The truck arrived around 4 PM - we had to make a few extra bathroom stops along the way so we took longer....... the opposite of what I'd expected! I was sure the truck would be very slow over the mountains and that we'd get way ahead of them. :-) We arrived at 6. That's my sister Becca in the B.R.I.G.H.T. skirt. :-) They're looking down at the creek that runs beside our house.

Swing in the back yard..... so peaceful!

Peter climbing one of the trees in the back yard!

I have one more "moving" post...... so much work to be captured in just 3 little blog posts!

-- Elizabeth

A Moving Experience, Part 1

2011-07-30T11:01:00.000-04:00

I think I'll make 3 blog posts out of our recent move from Oklahoma to North Carolina. Today is installment 1.... which just happens to be from the CURRENT MONTH! We loaded the truck on July 2, and today is July 30! :-)

We got a call from Budget on Friday that they didn't have a truck for us to use. (What is the point of a RESERVATION if it means they don't RESERVE your truck for you?????) Panic time....... we ended up going with Penske & paying twice what we were going to pay for the Budget truck...... but at least we had a truck. Here's the 26' Penske truck in our old back yard.

Playing in the mostly-empty truck!

Gary kept asking me to take his picture to prove that he was really working! He wasn't working *this* hard..... he hammed it up for the photo. :-D

Don (burgundy shirt) is Truck-Loader Extraordinaire!!!! In spite of needing to lead a choir practice that afternoon, he stayed long enough to get the front half of the truck PACKED.... look at that solid wall of boxes behind him!

Our truck-loading crew - Dad on the left, then Don, R.B., Gary, Gene, Sam, Anthony, & David.

About half-way through the loading process.....

The boys were sitting so cutely on a side table that I had to take this photo!

Sam helping load the truck.

After the guys left, Dad & the children & I worked on some of the smaller misc. stuff.

Two blog posts from now, I'll share the picture of the truck that we took just before we started unloading it. There was a little bit of air space left at the back of the truck - but not much!!!! It's a good thing we had a 26' Penske instead of a 24' Budget.... we used almost every inch of that extra 2 feet of space.

-- Elizabeth

Pastel & Pretty Pictures, June part 2

2011-07-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

I'm still staying busy with unpacking, and have to confess that I haven't been keeping up with daily photos. :-/ Every so often I do catch up, but part of the point of this 365-day challenge was to take a photo *every day.* Maybe next year will be better.... surely I won't move *again* within the next year!! (If I do have to move again, instead of packing & then unpacking boxes, I'm just going to load the thing on a truck & move the whole house. We'll just have to watch out for bridges!)

Last visit to the Myriad Gardens - the children & I walked through the Myriad the day before we loaded the moving truck. We had to pick up "Grandpa" (my dad) from the Greyhound station, which is just a block or so from the Myriad. I got this photo of the beautiful new fountain. You have to compose your picture carefully to avoid the construction fences still beside the fountain. The Myriad is going to be beautiful when it's all finished. Maybe someday I'll get to go back & visit & see it in its final form.

Flower pictures from the Myriad..... hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to get back into the routine of *daily* pictures instead of all these catch-up shots!

The water in the background of this photo is the Mississippi River. The next few photos are of flowers spotted at rest areas & welcome centers along our route from Oklahoma to North Carolina.

I'm finishing up this post with the patriotic necklaces that I made for Martha & me to wear to church on the 3rd, and on the 4th while we were traveling to NC. The shorter one is hers, as you might guess. :-) This is another not-pastel but hopefully pretty picture!

-- Elizabeth

Quilt Show June 24, Part 3

2011-07-17T14:32:00.031-04:00

Now for the final installment of quilt show pictures!

The piecing on this is quite simple, but the applique just adds so much! The applique is very simple, too, and there aren't even any embroidered vines or other fancy stuff. The "prairie point" edging really sets it off.

More hand-embroidered vintage flower blocks. Love them!!!

Hand-embroidered vintage butterfly blocks..... I love butterflies & I love blue!

Cute embroidered Sunbonnet Sue blocks. I warned you that I'm on a hand-embroidery & hand-applique kick right now!

Wow... I think this was machine applique, but it's still WOW!!!

"Forgotten Farms"

This is the Round Barn in Arcadia, OK.... I've been inside it!!! It's just down the road from Pops, on Route 66.

This lattice quilt was neat. The floral fabric is gorgeous!

I love this patriotic sampler. I have some patriotic fabrics, so I just may have to work on my American sampler now that I'm inspired by this one!

Beautiful baskets!

This was pretty much our favorite quilt in the whole show. The blocks are vintage hankies - so simple yet so pretty! I love the "Dresden Plate" border, too.

Did I already share this picture, or does it just look familiar?! I like the variety of baskets - without spending a lot of time studying each block, I'm pretty sure that no two baskets are alike.

Another quilt with 1930's fabrics..... simple but pretty!

And that is the end of the quilt show for this time. This quilt show is held every other year. The chances of my visiting Oklahoma exactly 2 years from now are pretty slim, so this could very well have been my last Central Oklahoma Quilt Guild's show. :-( It's a great show - with lots of quilts, with a great variety of colors & styles. There's a little bit of everything for people to enjoy. Of course I shared the "pastel & pretty" quilts, and the cute ones, but there are also the "dark & gloomy" or "bright & gaudy" quilts, plus some abstract modern art ones for those who like such things. Hopefully I can find something similar to this in North Carolina.... if not, I just might have to plan a visit back to Oklahoma in 2 years! :-)

-- Elizabeth