No Matter How Small the Project

It's still called "sewing." ;-)

Mug rug for Nancy

Siggy squares for a quilting retreat (COF) in Branson MO.

PS Pool is clearing up!!!  Sam ordered new filters which he'll install next week sometime.  I decided our pool brush was too soft so bought a firmer brush today and it's knocking the last of the algae off.  Gotta get the swimsuit dusted off! 

Pool Update

The pool is FINALLY starting to look pretty!  The water is blue - just a bit murky - but we can SEE THE BOTTOM!  Woot!  Woot!  There's still some algae growing in 2 or 3 areas close to the top of the water.  Sam's been diligent about the daily maintenance as "prescribed" by the pool chemist at the place in Longview.  Maybe...MAYBE...we can be in it sometime next week. :D

I made a batch of pimento cheese this evening.  I always share with Da Judge. She's always doing nice things for me.  AND she really likes my pimento cheese. For the recipe, scroll down the right tool bar - "Labels" - and look for "Pimento Cheese."

Not much going on around here.  Sam has been fighting a losing battle with the swimming pool.  It's still green with algae growing on the walls.  Saturday a week ago, Carol and I were going to Longview, so I filled a fruit jar with pool water and took it to a pool place.  Came home with instructions on what to do.  Sam didn't have all the required chemicals so took another sample along on Monday and talked to the manager himself.  He's been diligently working on it this past week and the walls are clearing up a little...but it was so far gone we may not even get to dunk our toe in it before cold weather starts.

He decided to order new filters (old ones are 10 years old) which should arrive Thursday.

We did celebrate our 15th anniversary. Sam would not tell me where we were going to eat, but I knew not to dress for a night club...we don't go dining and dancing...besides, we don't have night clubs around here, we have beer joints. :D

When he headed east, I was pretty sure we were headed to Lamache's in Jefferson.  But he stopped at Wildflower Restaurant in Hughes Springs - a diner.  A diner I'm not that fond of.  I looked at him with a WTH look and he started laughing as he pulled through the parking lot and back to the highway.

I had Chicken Diavolo and he had Shrimp Pesto...at Lamache's.  DELICIOUS!

Generation Gap - It's Just a Slip

I have a few slips that shrunk during storage - whistle...whistle...whistle...

When Jonathan, Sarah, and the girlies were visiting, I asked Jonathan if Sarah wore slips?  He replied that only old women wore slips.

Yes.  I gave him "THE LOOK"!!!  I'm seriously considering writing him out of my will.

Today, after church, Sam and I went to Mt. Pleasant to Catfish King.  A man and his almost 18-year old daughter were sitting at the table next to us.  She got up to talk to more of their family sitting at another table.  I caught Dad's eye, and told him that she needs to tug her hem down.  Yep...dress hem was stuck where it wouldn't have been had she had on a slip.

So...just because young women do not wear slips any more...does not mean that they shouldn't! 


And while I'm on the subject of undergarments - why-oh-why are you buying your thongs two sizes too small? (I purposefully did not try to find a photo to go with this paragraph!) When you wear a clingy dress or tight pair of slacks, do you want to know what it looks like to an "old" woman?  A sanitary napkin belt.  Yep.  Just dated myself.  For you younger people, do a search.  I'll not give you the specifics here.


But for modesty's sake, please purchase your garments and undergarments in correct sizes.

Harmony with Ducky's catch out of my pond. (Ducky is what the girlies call my son, Jonathan.)

In addition to frying fresh pond-caught fish, I made popsicles!  The first batch was banana-blueberry made with Cabot Greek yogurt, a dash of vanilla, and finished off with some milk.

Fill to within 1/2" of the top.

I have learned - the hard way - to not snap the covers down.  The pops are hard enough to unmold without having to snap the covers off.  I just set them in place... I next made a batch of apple-craisin pops.  THESE are delicious too!

The girlies are on a queen-size air mattress on the floor of my sewing room.  I heard a thump and investigated.  LOL  Serenity (on the left) is half on/half off the mattress.  Kaylee is laying on top of Harmony's head.  This was a sight to see!

We are on antennae.  We have found that it doesn't matter if you have 20 channels or 1,020 - you watch only a few of the channels available.  Before digital TV signals, at least when you had a weak signal, you still had a picture of some sort.  Since digital TV, this is what you get when the signal is weak - then it goes off completely.  Yep...when you've got a signal, you have a pretty picture.  No signal...NADA!!!  My husband thinks I'm silly because I'd rather have a picture to watch - even if it's not sharp and clear.  HELLOOOOOOO!!!

Deer in the Meadow

Three deer in a neighbor's meadow - on the way to work Friday morning.

Sam made a "skirt" for Shirley Anne. :D How about an extension table for my Singer Featherweight...  I need to make a carry case for the table so that I can carry it to quilting retreats.

The reverse side.

Wedding Bells

Best wishes to Sam's baby brother and his new wife - Terry and Sherri.

Cain ready for the wedding.

A good family photo.

Erin holding Cain...John holding Colt.

The men of the family.

Granny and Colt having a good time.

Actually, Granny was just about wore out before the evening was over.  The wedding was in Sam's sister's dance hall near Bay City.  Big space.  Colt had the 400 mile trip the night before and then was penned up in a hotel suite.  He had gone with his dad to eat lunch with Uncle Terry, but that just wasn't enough of a break.  Prior to our stopping by their hotel to lead them to the hall, we found that Colt had ripped all the diaper wipes out of the box and had strewn them all over the suite.  He had also managed to get to the microwave, open the door, and drop the glass turntable on the floor - and it broke.  

That little boy ran all over the hall! I tried my best to keep up with him.  Over to the pool tables to show him how the cue ball gets dropped in a pocket...run to the end to see it magically appear.  Grab it, drop it in another pocket.  WOW!  HOW COOL IS THAT?!  Repeat...over and over and over again.


Run over and disappear behind the six feet tall speakers where all the speakers, amps, and only the sound man knows what else are plugged in.  And guess what?!  BLUE LIGHTS!  Colts little fingers were just itching to push the blue lighted buttons.  I would have to remind him that those weren't Colt's lights and he couldn't touch them.  Whew...


Round and round and round he ran. 


I had a blast!

More Than Father's Day

My crepe myrtles in full bloom!

Rains bring beautiful clouds.

A ladle?  You give me a crummy ladle?

AHA! Revenge of the tourists on safari! Self-basting pygmies!  bwahahaha

I just bought that swim suit!  I can't get it wet!!

Taking a quick spin to dry off. :D

Isabel riding with Pawpaw.

Aw.  Isabel with Granny's little rocking chair.

Cain's quilt which I quilted on Shirley Anne, my "new Featherweight."  We delivered it today.

Great Aunt Carol holding Cain for the first time.

A field of sunflowers on Highway 82 between Paris and Sherman.

We saw them on the way to Sherman.

Sam was nice and stopped on the way home.

Okay folks. I've seen others complain about photos turning the wrong way.  This is the first time it has happened to me.  I had them in the correct orientation on my computer.  Now you know that I never turn my camera the same way twice., ;-)

New Cutting Table

Isn't it gorgeous?!  

I saw a similar cutting table online 3 or so years ago.  But it was larger than I needed and would not fit my space. 

Since Sam was building a woodworking shop at the time...I printed the photo for him. 

He drafted the pattern, bought some red oak lumber and red oak faced plywood (said he wouldn't work with the plywood again!) 

And started it.

It took awhile. 

I LOVE IT!