Hi everyone,
I did go into my sewing room today, but just looked around at what I had been working on at the beginning of July… I couldn’t quite figure out what I had planned to do next, but one of these days I will. I just can’t and don’t have time right at the moment.
When I was out taking care of the hens this morning, I had to take a peek at the baby wrens in their nest in the tomato plant. They are growing, but the momma bird was chirping in the nearby tree, so I took one quick picture and got away from her nest. I did see where something had been pecking on a tomato that was right next to the nest. I’m not sure if momma wren was feeding it to her babies or perhaps the babies had pecked at it. Maybe I can get a picture of it the next time.
I have gotten some pictures from Laura, Jan Smith and Linda Gronvall and will share them this week. Thank you all for helping me out during this time.
I received some welcome pictures from Anne, down in New Zealand and today is her day to shine!
This is what she said about her pictures…
This is Kai, who is the birthday girl and sitting next to her is Ashley, who is 15 years old. The teapot is really cute, the couple who own the cafe buy all their crockery from thrift shops and when it gets broken, they use the pieces to decorate plant pots.
The guy is Seb, our visitor from Australia. Jono didn’t come, he doesn’t like any of that kind of food.
The food was delicious. I don’t like mayo or chutney so I was given a cake stand just for me! I don’t really like avocado either but I did try it. I was right, I don’t like it. I really don’t understand what there is to like about it, it doesn’t taste of anything.
Anyway, that was Kai’s 21st. Her real name is Caitlin Rose which she hates so she calls herself Kai. Such a shame I love her name.
Thank you Anne,
Your pictures of the food looks so yummy and I LOVE how they served it on those 3 tiered trays! Very unique!
Thanks everyone,
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Those baby birdies are growing up fast!
Anne, thank you so much for sharing pictures. What a wonderful tea party that looks to be! That tea pot is adorable!! Everything looks delicious!! (I’m with you on the avocado, though. π€’ I think they’re disgusting! Taste as well as texture. I know lots of people love them, and I know they’re supposed to be good for you, but it’s a big NO from this corner!!)
It’s so nice to put faces with names, too.
The smoke from the Spokane fires has left our Seattle area, and the firefighters are finally starting to get control of the fires. Last I heard, the one threatening my friend’s farm is now 43% contained, so that is good news. Our state needs rain badly, though (I know, hard to believe for Washington, which is known for it’s very long “rainy season”), but none in the forecast so far.
Jeanne, I’m glad to hear you’ve at least been IN your sewing room! That alone is a good thing. When I hurt my back several years ago, I couldn’t stand for any length of time, much less go in and sew or iron or anything. When I finally got back in there, even for just a few minutes, it felt So Good!!
Oh, now I see I have to fill in my email addy and name again….
Charlotte, I am glad to hear some good news towards the fire. I hope some rain will finally come in.
Jeanne, the birdies won’t be long in their nest, I wonder if they like the tomatoes.
I know you would like to get back to work in your sewing room, and that things could be back to normal for you and George. How I pray about that. I also hope you are getting some help.
Our day is the usual, going to the Y and then to the grocery store, come home and get some things done in the house, etc, etc, etc. We have been having some rain which is good. Will check y’all out later.
Jeanne, looks like the momma bird knew what she was doing, making a nest in your tomatoes! She built her house right next to the grocery store!π€£
Anne, what a delight to see what you have been up to! That looks like a cute place to eat, and the teapot is adorable! What pretty settings and even china and silverware, not to mention the cute tablecloth, which pulls it all together!
I love the name Caitlin Rose! I am not a fan of nicknames at all and feel that what your name is, is what you should be called! Apparently, not everybody feels that way!
I am certainly NOT with you on avocados, because I love them!! I love slicing them and putting them in salads, plus other things. The texture is creamy, whatβs not to like? However, right now they are kind of expensive at the grocery store, so I have not been buying them, but I really do miss having them on hand.
The weather report here is HOT! It is not fun doing anything outside, so we are staying in. We are supposed to get a shower this morning, but will it happen? So many times it just goes above us or below us or just fizzles out before getting here.
Hopefully we will get a little something to cool things off.
Happy Monday dear ones. Good morning to all.
Jeanne, I hope your and George’s week-end was comfortable and smooth.
You know we are praying for both of you.
Do you like crewel work or needle point? I have a box of projects over here that my mom collected, She was always buying cute hand sewing things. I should look through and see if I can find something for you.
The baby birds are growing and I just love this stage in their growth. There are a lot of youtube videos of blue bird boxes, and the babies always look so cute and silly.
Anne! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful party for Kai. (I agree about names but people own that name …. whateverz) I just adore these “etagΓ¨res” three tiered serving trays. What a beautiful restaurant. This is really a great place for a party. I just adore this idea, and the food is beautifully arranged so fancy! I wonder if they use “the good china” for special parties π Thank you for sharing these photos. Anne, of course you look so beautiful π
Well, what news for today. (I will try to update my flickr page with my latest sewing progress.) It was roasting hot all week-end and humid too. KittyPrincess loves the screened in porch so much. She is out there almost all day. Rex and I stay inside with air conditioning. We do go out and sit with her, when she begs us to come out. We stay out a little while with her until we feel nauseous and sweaty.
I cleaned the house and sewed all week-end. I made progress on some of my hundreds of projects. Even though the A/C has been adjusted upstairs to keep the upstairs at temperature, I have brought my current sewing to the dining room table and there it is kind of an explosive mess but I can keep an eye on Princess on HER porch.
I am sad to hear about all of the forest fires all over the place. This is so damaging and devastating. We are having hot dry days here in Northern Virginia.
I hope all of you have a nice relaxing enjoyable day. Jeanne, you and George are surrounded in prayer. I hope you are getting a lot of help from your Church family.
The baby birds are getting their feathers! So neat! Your tomatoes look delicious!
The tea party looks so fun! I think I would like to try a piece of chocolate cake and the sandwich.
Please pray for my Grandma Lucille. She is in the process of dying right now. She turned 99 on June 28th. Thank you so much!!
I will be praying for your grandmother, Karen. That is so sad to hear, and I hope she has a peaceful and holy death. She certainly did have a long life, so be grateful for that.ππ»
Yes, a peaceful and holy death! Thank you so much for your prayers!
Absolutely, Karen. Prayers for all of you.
I hope you can be near her, tell her you love her.
talk about beautiful things of the good life, flowers, blue sky,
love, green trees. All created by God
Thank you for all of your prayers, Rosemary!
So sorry to hear youβre losing your grandma, Iβm praying for an easy passing for her. Love to you and your family.
Thank you so much, Dorothy! <3
Oh, so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope that you have been able to talk with her as I’m sure that she has led an interesting life. Thinking of you.
Thank you, Joy!
Prayers for your grandmother and you, Karen. I’m so sorry you are losing her, but, wow, you were blessed to have her for so very long.
Thanks a lot, Laura! Yes, we were blessed.
Praying for your Grandma Lucille and your whole family. What a blessing to have had her for so many years. I often wished my grandmother could have lived longer and met my kids and grandkids. It would have been fun to share all that with her.
Thank you, Barbara! I am so sorry you didn’t get to have your grandmother meet your children and your grandchildren! That must have been hard.
Oh, Karen, Your dear grandmother is in my prayers. I miss mine so much, and know how hard it will be to miss her. I hope she will have
an easy way to go.
Thanks so much, Sissy!
Grandmothers are such lovely things to have. One of mine was dressy and independent (“Just say ‘yes, dear,’ to bossy children, and then do what you intended to.” The other was homey — squirrels came to the back window every morning for cornbread or biscuits. She made one or the other every morning for 80 years. They both loved to dance and neither was over 5′ tall. Both lived to be 94.
π
Here it is dawn, and we have a foggy morning. We so love the slightly cool weather. Leaves are coming down everywhere too, so early fall is here.
How fun to see Anne’s, great pics. I really like Kai and Ashley’s styling. And a belated happy day to Kai. Love her nick name. Middle grand just started back to school, and I always check to see what she’s wearing. She is thirteen and in 8th grade. She wore the first day, a very short denim skirt with rather ragged no hem with white tennies. Can’t remember the top. Seems to be the norm here.
Kai’s birthday lunch/tea looks delicious. How fun. And as to avocados, as a kid, they were not for me, but now, I absolutely love guacamole on anything Mexican, and a few creamy slices on a chicken wrap sandwich are a delight. π But I would never eat avocados by themselves. I consider them more of a garnish. Thanks so much for sharing the pics today Anne and Jeanne.
Still trying to figure out how the belts work on my latest RRed Lance’s outfit. I can’t seem to get his sword situated like in his photos. But, I’ll take another look and try again if I have time today. Then, maybe a pic is in order. No sewing going here at all. I should get to it, but the outdoors is so much more appealing right now. Yesterday, I was working by the deck toward the fountain I developed some years back. It’s very small. I wish that I had a pic of how it used to look because now, all the rocks that I so carefully placed have been moved. I had them so that water would flow from the top and cascade down into the tiny pool below. I think that it looked pretty realistic. But, other person managed to knock most of it over at some point, so I’m back to square one. I’ve been very careful and slow about clearing around the area because of a possible yellowjacket nest. But, yesterday, I didn’t see any, fortunately, so just disturbed a lot of spiders and other insects. I’m not sure that the pump still works or not. I know that it is there under foliage somewhere.
Have a wonderful day everyone. π
yes, watch out for those bee stings. I would love to see the results of the rocks when you have it all together again.
And, the new dolls all dressed!
Yes, I need to get on both. π
Do you have any Mori Lolli dolls? I have one and a new one has just come out and she is adorable. Her name is Maureen. Just curious.
I haven’t bought any Mori dolls yet. I keep seeing pics and they are very intriguing. Love those big eyes. What size doll are they similar to? Curious.
They had me at the eyes. They are 28 cm or 11 inches. About the size of the L’il Dreamers.
The other one I have is Fairy Tale Adventures Alice.
Joy, I know what you mean about school clothes. I just saw a photo of my Nieces daughter who is starting 9th grade. She had some kind of dark long sleeved jacket thing that went halfway down to her knees. I remember when girls had to wear clothes no shorter than their knees! I am wondering how my same age granddaughter will show up wearing, she will be in 9th grade too.
Very interesting to compare teenage styles isn’t it? As I remember, in HS, we were supposed to have skirts below the knee, even at dances I think. But, as song leaders, our group always managed to roll up the skirts for our performances. π I worked for the dean of girls and she never said anything about it. Have no idea about the shorts length at school now. I’m sure that has changed from when I was still teaching and it was supposed to be fingertip length when standing.
I remember that rolling up the skirts thing. I didn’t do it much but my friends did. My legs were so short that if I rolled my skirt you’d see my underwear. I envied my friends with longer legs, although there weren’t many with long legs back then. Sean took the kids back-to-school shopping Saturday since Dionne is out of town. I wish I had been a fly on the wall. Five-year old Azure and his dad had a hard time agreeing on shoes until Skyy found a pair of Minecraft shoes that matched Azure’s backpack. He will be going to a Charter school so his uniform is khaki pants or shorts and the school shirt. But Jaiden will be going to regular high school this year (freshman) and she and dad could not agree on anything. He wanted to dress her like a girl and she seemed to be more inclined to want to dress like Skyy. Her mom doesn’t help since her dad hadn’t a clue how to dress his daughter and Dionne tends to not want more for Jaiden. Finally David told her to get on Amazon and see what she could find. They went to Amazon for shoes since their usual shoe store didn’t seem to be discounting anything this year.
I would love to know how she ended up dressing for the first day? I’m sure that it was just fine. π
The baby birds are so sweet. We have nests, too, but way up in the arbor vitae or trees where I can’t possibly get a picture this year.
What a fun birthday party! I hope Kai had a happy day! Caitlin Rose is a lovely name. That is my preferred spelling of Caitlin as it in the true Irish or Scottish Gaelic.
The treats on the tiered stands look good. I like mayo and avocado is good as well like a farnish on a salad. I absolutely love them made into guacamole. YUM, delicious!!
Huge thunderstorm last night and again this morning. Porch kitties smartly waited it out on the front porch. We desperately needed rain so in was wonderful and refreshing.
Well, one whole line of my comment disappeared.
I was wonderful to see you Anne, and How fun you got you very own three tiered stand.
I see I also created a new word – “Farnish”! πΉπ€£π€£π€£ It means fabulously fun garnish.
Caitlin should definitely be spelled with a “C”. Gaelic languages did not have a sibilant “c” so a “c” would have a “k” sound. But spelling it with a “k” would make it Germanic and Cailtlin is definitely not a Germanic name.
Anne, what a wonderful birthday party for Kai. A Big Happy Birthday to her. The food looks amazing and the teapot is adorable. I love the name Caitlin Rose. I’ll have to remember that if I need a name for a doll. I’m running out of ideas. I loved the poem from Friday. I printed out two copies. One for me and one for my massage therapist who needs some TLC himself right now.
Jeanne, your wren babies are so cute. And you’re lucky if you only lose one tomato to the birds. They damaged nearly all of our larger tomatoes. It was made worse because Sean and David were out of town so much and I couldn’t get down there to pick them.
As for Avocados, I love them and guacamole is David’s meal of choice at our local restaurant. They are very healthy and help keep his cholesterol in check.
No rain here. As one of my sofa sisters lamented, it seems to go south or north of us or dissipate before it gets here. I was so excited the other day when I heard thunder close by. I checked my phone and the storm was coming straight our way – and then it wasn’t. Bummer! We need rain if only to cool us down some. One of the areas near Houston that had rain the other day was actually in the 70s all day. In the 70s in August. What’s not to like about that?!
Barbara, your rain is like ours has had! So many times we have been diving home in a delouse and found our home area dry as a bone. We have had some rain the last 2 days, not enough but it helps. I hope you get some soon.
Anne I have loved your photos, they made me hungry, though. The food looks delicious and such a nice group for the birthday girl. Thank you and Jeanne for sharing them.
Anne, you’ll be lucky if we don’t hire a plane and come for lunch. I’m one of the many fans of that teapot.
As for clothes, we started it in about 1968. I’m always pleased that the following generations were cleaner than mine, but mine was always moving or demonstrating. I remember dress codes in college, but by grad school, administrators were just glad that most of us were covered.
My cousin’s husband always referred to people who looked like my classmates as “dirty hippies.” Once, when I had to babysit his kids and be on campus, I took the kids to the hill for ice cream. The boy had the voice of a foghorn and kept demanding, as we passed various people, “Hey, Marilyn, is that a dirty hippie?” I would say, “I think that’s a nice hippie.” At the ice cream store, a hippie held the door for us, and my nephew bellowed, “Hey, Marilyn, is that a nice hippie?” I assured him that it was, and the nice hippie smiled nicely at all of us.
Linda, to go back to Friday/Saturday (for me), I love the photos. mothers do all that in January here. They have to buy school uniforms as well, which do have a length rule for the girls. In the winter the girls’ skirts are often down to the ankles (warmer that way). when she was in year11 she read the rules for school uniform and there was no gender attached to any of the rules. by this time Jono had left school so Kai wore his uniform of long trousers, white shirt and tie! She started a trend, now quite a few of the girls do the same.
I loved Molly’s room though I can’t imagine setting it up under a table. My bedroom had a bed in it, I guess I had drawers of some kind I can’t remember, and that is about all. I had a rug but the rest of the floor was lino, so very cold. This was right after the war and we were very much lower working class!
Charlotte, I don’t very often meet anyone who doesn’t like avocado, people look at me funny when I say I don’t. Though the first time I had it was at my brother’s house years ago and Gill had served it up on a starter salad. I tried it and said it was a ‘nothing’ thing, tasteless and my nephew, who was a teenager at the time, said I’m with you Auntie. I think he is the only one I know who agrees with me so now there are three! I have tried it twice and still don’t like it.
Karen, I will pray for your Grandmother. My friend has a sister-in-law who is 85 and has terminal cancer. Her husband (Marg’s brother) died several years ago and Joy is ready to go so we have been praying for an easy death for her. How lovely to have had her for so long. My maternal grandmother died when I was 9 and my dad’s mother saw me as the cuckoo in the nest. She treated me OK but we never had a really warm relationship. I never knew my father’s mother, I didn’t even know my brother till we were in our 70’s and our father had died around the same time as my mother.
Thank you everyone for the nice comments on the photos. Actually Kai’s name is really Caitlyn but when she was about 9 she said it wasn’t the right way to spell it and changed it to the correct way. Although Kai is quite a common name these days (even Donald Trump’s granddaughter is called Kai) in MΔori, kai means food so it isn’t commonly used as a name here!!!.
The restaurant do mostly reserve the ‘good’ china for the high teas and they have it displayed in a glass cabinet. If you just order tea they will give it to you in a china cup.
I went to my Alice class on Saturday. I had joined 7 rows of ten blocks with QAYG and was feeling very clever then one of the others told me, inadvertently, that I had done them all the wrong width. I had done a 1 inch sashing instead of a 1/2 inch. If I had really preferred the 1 inch I might have worked around it but I preferred the smaller size anyway so I spent two days unpicking all the sewing I had done and then pressing out the creases. Fortunately I had been quilting with big stitches so it was relatively easy to unpick. After coffee this morning I will trim them all smaller. At least the mistake was the right way. I would have been really angry with myself if they were all too small! That will teach me to read the instructions.
It is coffee morning so time to get ready. Have a lovely day everyone, stay safe.
Oh, so sorry about the size mishap, but glad it was fixable. Loved your pics.
having to fix the sashing was annoying but yes, agree, at least you just had to cut away fabric. whew. I have been doing a lot of piecing and have to keep checking the measurements carefully. ππ
Thank you so much for your prayers for my Grandma. She is still with us, I believe, but she slept a lot today. I will pray for your Joy.