photo shoot . . .

Sawyer's daddy is a photographer. He does terrific work -- really terrific work! He works with another photographer and they're known as Something Beautiful. Yesterday he called me to see if they could come up to the camp and do a photo shoot with Sawyer. Uh, YEAH!

First, though, I took a picture of Sawyer in his quilt! Yay!

He's saying, "I love it, Grandma, thank you!" :)

Then we loaded up and headed down to the lower field to take some photos. It was evidently a great spot, where the afternoon light was perfect for picture-taking.

James had already taken all his props to the spot. I particularly like the picture frame. He took the above picture. Sawyer does such a good job posing! I took the rest of the photos I've posted here with my little Canon.

This boy always has something in his mouth!! He was so cute, trying to grab the grass and get it to his mouth before mommy could stop him!

And I can't believe how strong he is -- sitting there just as happy as can be!

He'd spotted his mommy -- he was ready for some mommy-loving!

I think the series of photos they took in the trunk were my favorite! Chubby cheeks and just happy. Plus, the colors were so much fun -- the mustard, orange and brown!

The whole 'sitting in a trunk' thing was pretty cool, too -- and I really think Sawyer had the most fun in the trunk! They took some where he was sitting on a little chair, holding a book -- but he kept standing up. Every time he stood, Kim had to run over and grab him before he fell. It was the oddest thing watching him go from standing to sitting like that! He's so precocious -- I'm betting he's an early walker.

Still working on the Secret Pal thingie -- but it's cute, oh so cute!

:)

lazy saturday . . .

It's absolutely lovely today -- I have the windows open to let in the most glorious autumn breeze!

Todd's on shift, so after making a run to the post office and securing the camp after the RA group left, I pulled out one of the new books I got for my birthday. Actually, my dear friend gave me a gift certificate to Patches & Stitches for my birthday, and I spent it last week! I got two Art to Heart pattern books. I really like their stuff. The books always have a nice variety of projects (from simple to more intricate), clear, easy-to-follow instructions, and good templates. The two I got were Tidings and Easy Does It For Autumn.

Anyway, I pulled out the Autumn book and started perusing the pages. There are so MANY cute and relatively simple projects in this book! One in particular caught my eye . . . it's just darling . . . I have the fabric already . . . let's DO it!

Aren't these guys cute? And then pair them with this group . . .

Just a teaser, for now. If it turns out nicely, it'll definitely be a Secret Pal gift!

I'd love to spend the afternoon working on this project, but I got a call from my son (whom I love even more), and they want to come up to the camp and take pictures of Sawyer and spend some time with me!! How lucky can a girl get? Plus, I hear that Sawyer is saying "Daa-daa" now! Can't wait!!!

And can you guess what kind of pictures will be on tomorrow's blog?

Life is GOOD!

:)

happy birthday to ME!

And what a great weekend it's been! It started when Friday's mail arrived, and with it, my own copy of EQ7!!! One of my darling sisters had read my blog in August, when I'd talked about wanting Electric Quilt, and she ordered it for me! I was so excited -- it kinda made it hard to focus on work for the rest of the day!

On Friday evening, I got to spend some sweet grandma time with Sawyer. James and Kim were headed out and so I got to sub for a bit! Sawyer loves his daddy ...

We had a nice evening, Sawyer and me. We played, and went for a walk outside, ate dinner, and took a bath, before heading to bed. He's such a good boy and so personable! I told him that he would get to celebrate my birthday with me, for the first time!

"You're how old, Grandma?!?!"

Saturday I loaded EQ7 on my computer and played around with it. The first thing I did was recreate the Christmas table topper Pat had done for me. This program is definitely right up my alley!!

I finished up the candy corn wreath for my Secret Pal. It turned out so cute! Joc saw it and wants me to make one for her, too. I sprayed it real well so that it can be saved and used over and over. I hope my SP just loves it!

It looked pretty good hanging on *my* door! Hehehe . . .

We had campers in the camp on Friday and Saturday night. It was a nice group of young adults. They seemed to enjoy the outdoors and I certainly enjoyed hearing their laughter and especially smelling their campfires! That's one of my most favorite smells -- especially in autumn!

When I came in late on Friday, I rode to the pavilion to see if they were still there. They'd already gone up to the camp, but they'd left all their food in boxes, sitting on the picnic tables. I knew that the coons would have a huge party and the group wouldn't have any usable marshmallows the next day, so I took the golf cart and headed up to the campground. They were grateful for the warning. Saturday morning, two of the girls said they'd seen raccoons watching them from a tree limb! Probably the coons were wondering where their easy marks had gone.

Today, after church, our kids all came up here for a cookout/birthday party! We set up under the pavilion and Todd, my darling husband, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs!

There were some brats in there too!

Joc made my cake -- chocolate on chocolate -- from SCRATCH! And it was delicious, too!!

Pay no attention to those candles . . . what's in an age, anyway?? LOL!

Sawyer didn't have any birthday cake, but he did have a little bit of vanilla ice cream!

He liked it very nicely, to say the least! He's so darling -- he just gets passed from one set of willing arms to the next. Although his mommy's arms are his favorite!

By the end of the afternoon, he had this glazed look in his eyes -- I'm sure he fell asleep about two seconds after getting into the car!

Even Uncle Jason got some Sawyer time in this afternoon! Jason is practicing for February!

It was a sweet birthday celebration; there's nothing better than time spent with my family!

L'Chaim!

:)

glue gun monday!

Monday was the epitome of a beautiful October day. It was sunny and clear, with enough of a crisp nip in the air to keep you mindful that cold is coming! Sweater weather! This truly kicks off my favorite time of the year -- from now until the end of December!

Todd & I headed to town early, had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and then headed to the Madison Baptist Association to have our picture taken for the directory. We also ran some other errands -- bank, Tractor Supply for bird seed, and Hunter Road for slippers -- before heading back to the camp. The weather was perfect and traffic was light because all the schools are out for fall break.

To that end, my daughter (the teacher) and I celebrated by meeting up at Emma's Tea Room for lunch. And my sweet girl brought me a pretty ceramic pumpkin! It totally went with my outfit, so the proprietor, Rebekah, insisted that I hold it in the picture.

My beautiful daughter is twenty-one weeks pregnant and just found out last week that she's going to have a BOY!! She's very excited, as is this grandma! Another grandson for me! I'm *so* very blessed!!!

After lunch, we made a trip to Hobby Lobby. I love that place! I could have spent a LOT of money there, but RV living makes that rather pointless, so I restrained myself to this darling little thing . . .

It rather perfectly goes with our whole "living in a campground' way of life!

From there, we headed over to Earth Fare. We had planned to go one Saturday in May, but the day before we were supposed to go, I had the wreck. It's a nice store -- fairly similar to our favorite Whole Foods Market, in Nashville! I can see it getting more traffic from the two of us! She did mention that it would make sense for us to coordinate our menus, so that we could shop & split. Since we're both cooking for two, it makes sense!

While I was there, I purchased an apple and a pear. When I finally got home, I made a yummy apple & pear tart for Todd & I. It seemed like the perfect fall dessert.

After dinner that evening I got out my trusty hot glue gun and finally started on the candy corn wreath for my Secret Pal. My sister gave me that hot glue gun AGES ago for my birthday, and it's the best one I've ever worked with. It's cordless, so I can remove it from the base and not be hampered by a pesky cord. It's been a while since I'd used it -- I forget how much fun they are!

I used a round, straw wreath form, instead of the styrofoam form (which has squared edges). I have to admit it made the placement of the corn a little more difficult, but I like the look better.

I'll hang it outside on Friday, once the candy corn has had time to get good & stale, and I'll spray the whole thing with a preserving spray. Once that's dry, I'll but the black ribbon on it and it'll be ready for delivery.

While I was playing with Jocelyn, Todd gathered up some acorns for me. I figured while I already had the glue gun out, I'd use those and some tiny pine cones I'd collected from Hunter Road to make something fallish.

Isn't it nice the way nature supplies such great crafting materials??

These little pine cones are really darling. And they look like flowers, when you look down on them!

Just playing around with things I had, I fashioned a cute napkin ring holder. Cute, huh? Worth making a second, I think. It was super easy -- it's just ribbon wrapped around a section of sleeve cut from a paper towel cardboard. I hot glued the ribbon in place, and added the decorations I wanted. Super simple, but pretty cute.

Finally, I was going through my fall pdf files, and stumbled across this little guy that I'd found in Martha Stewart's Living magazine. I haven't finished cutting him out, but you get the gist. It's a favor holder -- you fill the log with chocolates or nuts or candy. Since I'm using them more for decor than for favors, I'll fill 'em with pea gravel. I just thought they were really cute!

Happy Fall, ya'll!

:)

candy corn . . .

One of the MANY things I really like about autumn is candy corn. And not necessarily to eat, but because it just looks so - fun! It's orange, yellow, and white -- happy colors! And it's triangular -- happy shape! It makes great turkey beaks, nicely fills a clear glass candle votive, and, evidently, makes a great wreath, too!

I happened upon the latest Woman's Day on the newsstand this week, and this was their cover photo:

Cute, non? And since my Secret Pal *loves* candy corn, I figure this may be my next project AND secret pal gift! I'll post pictures when I've finished.

Instructions are easy and can be found on the Woman's Day site, HERE.

They also had great instructions for preserving the candy corn and/or the finished wreath HERE!

Bon appetit...errr...Happy crafting!

:)

waxing clean . . .

So while in the grocery store the other day, as I perused the magazine aisle (cuz I'm a sucker for that aisle), I stumbled upon a new healthy eating magazine . . . Clean Eating. I hesitated for just a second, with my hand hovering mid-air, and then I gave in and picked it up and started paging through it. And then I put it in my cart. :) I was intrigued with some of the claims on the cover like, Easiest Breads You'll Ever Make (Skip the Bread Maker) p.57 and Low-Cal, Low-Sodium Minestrone Soup with Quinoa p.40, to name a few. So I got it and took it home and really went through it. And I have to admit, it was worth the $5.99 newsstand price. Some interesting articles and lots of yummy-sounding, healthy, and inexpensive recipes that aren't so full of bizarre and strange ingredients that I've never heard of or have to spend a small fortune on, or have to drive to India to find. You know what I mean . . . like cooking one of Martha Stewart's recipes! (Who I love dearly; I'm just sayin.)

Oh. And I do know you can't drive from Alabama to India.

Anyway, I was *really* captivated by the Minestrone (about which I think I posted a blurb on Saturday) which was featured on the cover, so I pushed up my sleeves and made it. And it was quite good, and pretty, too! This is a before Parmesan shot.

And this is the cornbread I made to go with it. Cornbread is so good. It's so bad for you and probably cancelled out all the good I was doing with the Minestrone, but it's so yummy and perfect for a cold winter's meal . . .

I prefer to cook cornbread in an iron skillet, but I don't have one small enough for two people, and I refuse to make a full recipe of cornbread to accomodate the skillet method. I just need to purchase a 4" or 6" skillet!

The after Parmesan shot. Wasn't that a pretty table? And yes, those are vitamins that you see at each place! :)

I also flipped to page 57 (the breads page) where a recipe for Apple Drop Biscuits caught my eye. They were made with oat flour and spelt, two flours I'd not worked with before. They sounded good (the biscuits), but I didn't want to invest money in the flour. Interestingly enough, there was a section of different flours and how to use then, to vary from the normal white/wheat flours. It also talked about milling your own flour from oats, or whatever, so I thought I might give it a try, using the steel cut oats I had on hand. The first attempt with my food processor (which I've never been impressed with) was an epic fail. But then I remembered reading about people using their coffee grinders to grind things like nutmeg and whatever, so I pulled it out and put the steel cut oats in it. *Perfect.* I was so pleased! So I used the oat flour and then for the spelt, I substituted a mix of pecan meal and wheat flour. They were very good!

Needless to say, when I stopped in the grocery store this weekend, I noticed that a new issue of Clean Eating was out. It went home with me, too. :)

These were my reveal gifts from my secret pal, April. Oh, along with the Hancock's gift card. Wasn't she sweet?!?!



And finally, here's a quick glimpse of Sawyer's baby quilt. I still have to cut the vertical orange strips and then sew all the strips together. Kim has the bumper pads and the crib skirt done already. It's going to be so cute! I've decided I'll tie off the polka-dot squares with a small orange satin ribbon, and then I'll quilt an "S" in each of the striped squares. I got some beautiful rich chocolate brown flannel to back it with. I'm so excited!

Let the week begin!

:)

sunday, sunday . . .

We sang one of my favorite praise songs in church this morning; How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise. The first line, "There is an endless song, echoes in my soul, I hear the music ring," completely captures it for me. Our worship team sang it as the special, and I know that the depth of the meaning of the words I sang were reflected by the smile on my face. :)

I finally found out who my Secret Pal had been . . . April! She gave me a really cute Vera Bradley set with a note pad/mouse, note cards, and a purse photo album (perfect for grandbaby photos), a gift card to Hancock's (!!!!!) and four baby-blue print fat quarters! Yay! She was a good secret pal and I enjoyed the round. I really enjoyed being a secret pal, and was happy Wanda (my recipient), was happy. *sigh* Happiness abounds!

Todd and I got home this afternoon and had leftover Minestrone soup that I made for dinner last night. I made it from a recipe out of a new magazine I found, Clean Eating. It was super good last night, and even better this afternoon; especially since it meant I didn't have to do any cooking. I popped it in the microwave for a simple reheat and lunch was served!

We then did something we've not done since we moved out here in early November. We took the coveted Sunday afternoon nap. I didn't realize how long it had been. In fact, I think this was the first time we've had an afternoon nap since we've been here! It would have been even better if poor Todd had not had to drive all the way back to church for a late afternoon meeting, but c'est la vie. It was a productive meeting, so I am not going to complain (especially since I'm not even the one who had to go)!

After dinner I worked one more strip of the baby quilt I'm working on. Tomorrow (Sew Freely Monday -- because I don't have to go to work) I'll finish that one up and start piecing the other baby quilt I'm working on. So many young women having babies in my life! It makes me smile.

The only detriment to a Sunday afternoon nap is that I'm not always really sleepy when it's time for bed. But Todd has already headed back, and he's on shift tomorrow, so I need to make the most of my cuddle time!

Buenos noches!

:)

secret pals . . .

One thing that I have learned in being a secret pal is that it's not in the getting, it's in the giving. It makes me think of the scripture that talks about not lending, but giving without an expectation of getting it back. I have learned to take such incredible joy in giving, that whether or not there's something on the table for me doesn't matter. If there's nothing there, no biggie. If there is, pleasant surprise.

That being said, this week is a biggie week! It's the last Sunday before Halloween, so I wanted this week's gift to be *loads* of fun!!! I'd gotten a really cute copper pumpkin at Cracker Barrel, along with some of the creamy pumpkin candies (like candy corn, only pumpkins). I'd also gotten a pink John Deere tee-shirt. Yesterday at Two Friends (one of my favorite all-time gift shops), I got a really cool candle holder--it was frosted on the outside, and purple tinted on the inside, with silver bats! Inside that I tucked some scented votive candles. Then last night, I got the idea to make an applique pumpkin -- just a little sumpin'-sumpin' that was hand-crafted. Nothing extravagant. I'd picked up lots of really beautiful orange batik fat quarters at our quilt show, so I pulled those out and played around until I found a combination I liked. I zipped it out and rolled it up and put in the mix, and topped the whole thing off with some Hershey's Treasures. Add a cute little homemade card and some black tissue paper, and voila! It's a pretty cute little gift, if I do say so myself!

This is my first attempt to outline iron-on applique with a zig-zag stitch on the machine. I am really pleased with the results! I was going to quilt it on the machine, but I still don't have the guts to do anything but straight lines!

I tried to arrange the gold "Treasures" so that they poked through in the eyes, nose, and mouth holes! Glimmer of gold -- like a lit pumpkin!

I played around with the words for the poem for a while. I wanted it to be fun, but still make a point about what we're really about. God!

It's hard to read in the photo, so I'll reprint it:

Cauldron boil and cauldron bubble . . .
Halloween can be full of trouble!
But you little lamb, must not despair
The wickedness that fills the air;
For you are a child of the most High God!
He comforts and protects with His staff & rod.
And though mischief-making fills the land,
Nothing can pluck you from His hand.

Psalm 23:4 & John 10:29

The main thing is, I hope it brings a smile to my pal's face!

We're watching Alabama Tide vs. the Volunteers. I put some pork in the crock pot, and we'll have BBQ sandwiches and fries for dinner. At 5:30 we'll head over to Lighthouse for a benefit singing for HAP!

All in all, a lovely, quiet Saturday!

:)

nearly there . . . !

Yes! This day is nearly done (at least, the work portion of it is) and then there's only Friday left! Once Friday is put to bed, then it's SATURDAY! And not just any Saturday, I feel compelled to remind you, but the SATURDAY that my husband whisks me away for a fun get-away to destinations unknown! He's been very, very tight-lipped about this whole weekend. Clues are not really forthcoming and I can't even pump my children for info, because he's either (a) not told them a thing or (b) convinced them that they couldn't share *any* news with me! My inclination is that they don't know. What will this weekend bring?!?! All I know is that it's overnight, we're going to church somewhere different, and I need to dress appropriately for the weather. Are you as excited as I am?!? What a birthday this has been -- never ending! I *love* it! :)

I purchased a gift for my S.P. today. She's a Bama fan, so I got her some ear jewelry and a cool cup. Two Friends, the store from which I purchased it, gift wraps, so I let them!! They wrapped it in the hound's tooth tissue and tied it with a red (crimson) ribbon -- very cute! Here's a picture.

Here's also a picture of where I work. Or at least, where I sit, where I work. Why? Because I can. You can definitely tell it's me -- my pictures of flowers, my lady having tea, and my "D". Plus in the corner you can see the snowmen James welded me! (Not to mention my purse. LOL!) Yeah, I work in an iron shop, but I'm still all girlie!

We still haven't heard anything on Camp Macoba. Todd was supposed to meet with the committee today, but due to circumstances, they couldn't meet. We continue to pray and rest in the hand of God! You know, as badly as I want an answer and want resolution, I also am learning to be content to wait, and realizing that the waiting is part of God's plan too.

Tonight I'm off to the guild meeting. I'm looking forward to it -- dinner first with a group of the girls. Should be fun!

Ciao!

:)

happy birthday to ME! :)

Yes, that today is my birthday *does* explain why this kicks off my favorite time of the year! :)

Lots of pictures today, because I've been a big slacker this week and have not be an active poster. It wasn't for a lack of things to share, but because I was so busy *doing* those things! You know, my blog conundrum.

First, here are the pictures of my annual fall "fun" for my mom. I finally got it finished *and* got it in the mail. Geez. You'd think procrastinator was my middle name!

I think it turned out really well, if I do say so myself! Now I've got two more sets to do -- one for Joc and one for Kim! Hopefully I'll finish 'em before October ends! At least I won't have to mail them! *grin* Below is the table topper along with the tea towel. The annual squirrel -- gotta get it in!

After I got that off in the mail (along with the Grand Hands quilt), I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Lots of options. Like . . . .

New Tea Time magazine! Yum -- doesn't it look like fun? The bagger at the grocery store looked at the cover and asked if I was going to make that cake. I told him I sure was going to *read* about making that cake! :) And look at the pretty cardinals on the tea pot! My favorite! Well, if not the magazine, then . . .

Did I mention I'd won another contest?? Yes, I'm pretty sure I did. Part of the winnings arrived yesterday -- this book is GORGEOUS!!! I love it! The pictures are simply wonderful. What I really like is that a lot of the quilts have a very traditional feel, but the fabrics give them new life! Just downright beautiful. Oh but wait -- while I'm on the subject on winning, I did get an e-mail on Friday that I'd won the TGIF Giveaway (the link is on my sidebar). Can you believe it?!?!?! I'm quite excited about this win, too -- it's a darling little accessory kit from Ruby Jane's Retro Fabrics. I was just tickled! What fun. Hmmmm, there's also . . .

A charm pack easy-peasy baby quilt . . . it's laid out, I just need to pin and sew. Actually, I there's way too much I should be doing in this room. I'll save this room for my "sew freely monday"! Perhaps . . .

My darling mom and dad sent me a nice little happy birthday check -- fun money! I turned around and ordered a couple of DVDs that I felt needed to join my collection. Lucky me, they arrived in today's mail! Lots to choose from! Oooh--but first . . . .

Tomorrow is time for another Secret Pal gift! Sticking with the idea that packaging is half the fun of a gift, I hot glued leaf cutouts all over the top of a piece of cardboard, then added the Autumn Angel and lots of Hershey's miniatures! After wrapping it in cellophane, I hot glued a couple more leaves on the outside and voila! I hope it's a happy. So, what will it be . . .

At first glance, this sure doesn't not look like it could possibly be my activity of choice, but . . .

That turns into this! Isn't it pretty? It's a flowering tea -- white peach tea, to be precise. My friend, Jennifer, gave me the flowering tea and the clear pot for my birfday! What a fun happy! So I thought to myself, self, let's make a fun pot of tea to go with whatever it is you decide on! So I did! Then I thought to myself, self, let's go all the way with this tea thing. So I did!

I made the tea tray out of a gold picture frame (LOL -- but not today -- a while back!). I picked a pretty fabric and topped it with a crocheted doily of my grandma's. Then I screwed in the handles and put felt pads on the four corners underneath. Isn't it sweet? The creamer and sugar bowl go with the teapot the kids got me for Mother's Day -- I *love* it! The cup and saucer set is really special to me. I've given one to my daughter, and one to my daughter-in-law. And I'll give a set to every girl grandchild that comes along, too. That way, we can think of each other whenever we have a quiet minute to sit down and have a nice cup of tea; no matter the distance between us physically! LOL---and check out my pumpkin-topped sugar cubes! I had splenda in the sugar bowl, but the cubes were so darling, I wanted to include them! I don't know why I didn't just use 'em -- I ate 'em anyway! It's okay, it's my birfday. :)

So, I brought my tea service into the living room, set the tray on the couch beside me, turned the tv on to the Alabama game (and muted it) and put Hocus Pocus into the laptop. Yes. I vegged. It was a cool, grey day -- the perfect kind for doing exactly what I ended up doing. Curling up on the couch and watching old movies, with a pot of tea. Bliss.

Oh . . . and I made dinner for a family at church for tomorrow; white bean chili and pumpkin topped brownie bites. Cute little things! And I finished scanning all my magazine clippings into pdf files! Hooooray! And I tidied the house (because the kids are coming over after church tomorrow to celebrate with me). I think that's it. Oh yeah -- and I played on facebook. Alot!

Finally, for posterity, here's a self-portrait of me on my forty-seventh.

Life is good.

:)