Hi everyone,
I wanted to mention Laura’s comment before I forgot… the white sleeve ruffles on Felicity’s dress ARE the same Batiste fabric as the “cut on the bias” ruffled collar. I was looking for a pretty LACE I could use around the neckline. The sleeve edges were a straight cut and with a little bit of spray starch, I was able to get them to fold under and sew them pretty neatly. The reason I didn’t hem the edges of the bias-cut neck ruffle, was… by stitching the edge of a piece cut on the bias, it would tend to ruffle just a bit and I didn’t want it to look like a lettuce edge… I hope that makes sense… I personally think it looks very dainty and less bulky without being hemmed.
This picture isn’t of a lace trim, but I think you can get the idea.
As far as Felicity’s dress, I only managed to get the snaps on the back… it wasn’t much different looking that what you saw on Friday so I opted to wait until I had more done before I showed it again.
Saturday, I was outside and took some pictures of things in our yard… This is my happy part of the post!
The Dinner Plate Hibiscus is in FULL bloom and VERY bright hot pink! Every day it opens these big beautiful flowers and then by night they close up, but the next day NEW ones open up…
The Morning Glories have reached the top of the trellis and I saw one long vine reaching toward the Hibiscus…
The area back by the garden containers is the brightest and most colorful part of our yard.
My hubby painted a large concrete planter the other day… it was down low on the ground and he did the best he could. He was having trouble finding the color, “Terra Cotta” spray paint and thought this color might work… It was called Cinnamon something. It shows off the Marigolds nicely, but I’m not quite sure on the color of the pot.
Moving back behind the courtyard, you can see his tomato plants and his one cucumber plant.
You can also see 3 trees he found at a farm store here in town. They were 75% off… a Japanese Maple, a White Flowering Cherry tree, and a Weeping Cherry tree… (My mom used to have a Weeping Cherry tree by the corner of her house and we loved it.)
While I was outside, the “girls” thought I was bringing them something, so they all gathered around to see what I was doing.
Now, a sad part… our big Gum tree that I see every time I look out my kitchen window, and the one we had to have the big branches trimmed off last year, had a tiny little, what looked like a spot down at the bottom. It actually looked like a 3″ arched door a little mouse. My hubby saw it too and went to take closer look. It definitely wasn’t a little mouse’s door. He tapped it with his shoe and look what happened…
It goes pretty far back in the tree trunk and is full of Carpenter Ants… They don’t eat the wood from the tree, but carve it out to make their nests…
It’s not that far from our house and they tunnel underground, so we CERTAINLY don’t want them getting anywhere near our house.
The tree isn’t my favorite… all those gum balls that fall off it are a real pain, but I truly hate to see that tree die from ants gnawing it to death.
…and now the saddest part of my post.
Jean and Bithar are moving to Omaha, Nebraska. They are keeping their house and plan to rent it out, but because of the Visa issue with Haitians in the U.S. without Green Cards, they risked being deported. They have been here 11 years, and she has worked so hard becoming an RN…(She was a Neonatal nurse in Haiti) but no one has ever offered help obtaining a Green Card for them until a hospital in Omaha said they would if she would come work for them for 2, or maybe 3 years. So, she had to take the job. So, while I know it won’t be forever, it’s going to seem like it when they leave. Here is a picture of their family telling a little bit about what they will be doing, and thanking everyone for their love.
I took a double batch of Corn Casserole to them about a week and a half ago, and she told me it was SOOOOO Delicious! Then she told me her kids asked her why, when she made it, it didn’t taste like Jeanne’s? SO… Wednesday, I am taking all the stuff over to her house and we are going to make Corn Casserole together, so she can see exactly how I do it! I think it’s just in how long she bakes it… but we’ll see.
Memories being made over Corn Casserole… who would have guessed! :o)
Thanks everyone,
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
First of all, thank you everyone for all the lovely comments on my pictures last Friday. I think I have answered everyone; if I neglected to answer a question, please let me know!
Jeanne, your yard looks so nice, with all the growing things! Your dinner-plate hibiscus is, as always, outstanding. The tomatoes and cukes are coming along nicely, too. But, oh, what a shame about the carpenter ants!! I guess if it had to happen, better in a tree that is more or less of a “nuisance” (those gumballs) than somewhere else. I hope taking the tree down will take care of the problem. You certainly don’t want those ants nibbling at your house!
Oh, dear, the news about Jean and Bithar is rather sad, but with a bit of happy, too, in that she will finally get that green card she needs. My goodness, those children have grown! Thank you for sharing a picture of this lovely family we have gotten to know thru you.
I think showing her how you make your corn casserole is a great idea. Sometimes we do little things when we’re making something that we don’t always remember to write down. Or it might be our measuring cups are a little different, or one oven is a bit hotter than another. There are quite a few variables!
Anyway, I wish them well in their move. Are they leaving in the near future?
What a beautiful backyard you have, Jeanne! Everything looks so healthy and vibrant,…….except for that Sweet Gum tree! What a shame for it to be the ants breakfast, lunch and dinner, but if it has to be one tree, that one will not be missed when it comes to sweeping up gum balls! We had ours removed years ago, and I do not miss it at all!
George’s veggies look wonderful! Will you be making Amish pickles? About the container that George painted, being kind of orangish, maybe tone it down with a black or brown wash to “age” it a bit, so that it will blend in better with everything else.
I have been wondering about Bithar and her family lately. I kept forgetting to ask about them, but then I figured no news was good news. Now this news is good in a way, but it will be sad to see them go so far away. At least it’s not Haiti! I always thought it strange to hear the country pronounced Haitee, because we have a town in southeast Missouri with the same name and it is pronounced Hay-tie with a long “i. What a nice picture of the family! Everyone is so nicely dressed and look well behaved! I wish them all the luck in the world!
Me again! As I was looking at pictures of your yard, I see that the fountain has a whiteish chalk wash on it. Maybe that instead of a darker wash on the planter that I mentioned above.
Another fun thing concerning how we in Missouri pronounce towns, we have a New Madrid here in the bootheel. It is pronounced New MAA-drid, not Ma-DRID as the city in Spain is pronounced.
And excuse me, our Haiti is spelled with a “y” in the middle of the word! Hayti! I think you, Jeanne, would know about that, since you live around that area.
Lots going on, Jeanne! I am so glad to hear that Bithar and her lovely family will be able to get a green card. I have thought about them and am so happy to hear this although I know y’all will miss them. I love the photo you sent.
Your yard is so lovely, especially the Hibiscus, one of my favorites. I have to put mine in pots so I can put them in the green house in the winter. They are all ready to bloom and we are leaving tomorrow. I hope there will still be some to see when we get back. I love George’s pots, trees and vegies. When we lived in FL I had a big garden, the squirrels loved the corn. The ants look awful! I would think there would be something you could spray or put on them to get rid of them?
We are taking our computers with us so I will try to keep up with the blog when I can. I will also try to get some photos good enough to send y’all when I get back. The weather does not sound good right now, though.
Safe and happy travels, Sissy ❤️
I am in 100% agreement with you regarding the batiste ruffle. It is lovely, Felicity’s dress is coming along.
Your property looks excellent, I love the gardens, your gorgeous show off Hibiscus🌺!! It looks so happy! All of the gardening looks exceptional. Both of you have really put a lot of work into everything. The girls look so happy, kind of like a mob of fan girls to see you!
I love those large potted planters!
I am kind of sad that Bithar and Jean, and those amazing kiddos are leaving but I am VERY happy that they are progressing with possibilities! She has the skills, and Omaha needs them! It is great they can rent out their house. I feel very hopeful for all of them and those gorgeous kids.
Jeanne, I hope both of you are feeling good. I hope the weather has been tolerable for you, your gardens are lush!
We had thick grey sky all week-end and one rain deluge yesterday morning, and sprinkles here and there.
This week is going to be a challenge. Thank you Dear God for air conditioning. I do not like freezing cold air conditioning but 74 is a nice relief when the temps outside are roasting. This week we are supposed to be very hot here in Northern Virginia. This is okay, I will hide inside my house and only go out if necessary.
The old house has been painted. It looks great for selling but wow, that “Agreeable Grey” paint color is a dismal color, in my opinion. They painted the closets with a nicer lighter color, kind of like the flat beige house builders use.
Okay, Jeanne, these ants are a problem. Oh my. I suppose you could not get a tree guy out there to treat it. YES those gum balls are horrible – except for kids doing crafts. That tree must be huge.
Rex and I were at the old house, removing all of the window screens from every single window.
The ones in good shape we lined up in the basement. The ones with tears, we took with us to be repaired. We were leaving and OOOPS we forgot the laundry room. We were hot sweaty and removing some of these screens was challenging. Okay, I opened the window, and in flooded a zillion of those gigantic black ants. Akkk. I shut the window and we procured the shop vac from the garage. Went back at the screen removal and vacuumed ants and shut the window. WOW. How long have they been living there?
So, hubbs went back and nuked the area with Raid.
I think just for security we will have an exterminator come out and treat the whole exterior.
I can not tell you how much $$ we have put into getting this house in sufficiently very good state, but it has to be done. -> “a lotta dollars” for sure. I refuse to sell a junky house.
I will end here. I hope all of you have some sunshine, I am missing it here. We are to get rain this morning, then perhaps sunshine this afternoon.
It is summer! 💦🌼🌹🌻🕶️🕸️🌾🌞🔥🌨️⛱️⛲️🌹
OH!! enjoy your Corny Casserole time with Bithar!
Give her and her family a big hug from all of us sofa sisters.
I know she will keep in touch!
Wow, I hope you can get the ant problem and Jeanne and George too. We had some on our car ramp digging up in the cracks between the cement. I sprayed the ants all along the crack and they seem to be gone. I hope y’all can get yours away.
thank you Sissy. I figure since we are selling the house…. we should just have the whole outside treated so any inspections will not reveal any more surprises. I am super glad you got those horrible gross insects decimated!!
I know why they chose Agreeable Grey. It is an extremely popular color. I know several people who chose it when they repainted. Personally, white white is my color for everything. 🙂
Well first, I am so thankful that your Hattian friends aren’t being deported. When I heard on the news recently that they might be, I cringed. Having a job waiting in Omaha, and the fact her new employer can help with the green card issue is tops. They need nurses so much. everywhere. But, so sad to hear that they are leaving your area. It will be quite an adventure for them. I wish them all the best and have so enjoyed seeing their family flourish. I couldn’t believe the photo of the kids. They look so grown up. 🙂
Jeanne and George’s yard is such a showpiece. Very jealous every time I see George’s barrels of perfect veggies. Ours, still trying to reach the next bar on the wooden cages. As to the pot, I think I would prefer granite gray to give it more of an old world look, but maybe the current color will age. Absolutely love the chick pic. Those hens are adorable. And, sorry the tree has ants, but good choice on their part. I am so not a fan of liquid amber trees. We still have four across the front at the other house. When the tree guys were there cutting, it was all I could do to not ask they to take them all out, but other person likes them for what reason I have no idea. Next cutting round, they will go. I hope that you can do something to rid the tree and ground of the ants so they don’t want to taste your place next. The new trees look wonderful and what a bargain. Funny, but we visited a tree nursery yesterday. Found several that look promising, but haven’t decided yet on replacements for the ones we had to remove. We were hoping that they would also do digging and moving trees, but they don’t. So, we would have to get a contractor to pick up the trees, dig, and plant. It looks like we’re back to square one. We don’t really want to have to hire a contractor. So, we’ll see what others have done. 🙂
Hope that everyone had a nice weekend. We warmed up with no help from the weather people who had predicted rain which did not appear at all. I understand that those in the government department who were tossed from their jobs have banded together and formed a great new weather resource that will help everyone with weather predictions. I’m going to check it out.
Here’s where to check out the new service.
The new independent climate and weather resource created by former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees is called Climate.us .Launched after federal job cuts and the redirection of the original Climate.gov platform , the initiative provides a public sanctuary for climate data and visual dashboards.
Many people think Boulder, CO, is wonderful, but my wonderful neighbor, Mary Catherine, loved Omaha. It’s on a river and gets humid, but things grow there, like at Linda’s botanical garden. Also, anyplace that can get that family green cards has got to be ok.
Something here (the connection is pretty tenuous) reminded me of a piece of history I sent to my other favorite blog:
History may or may not teach lessons, but it sometimes leaves messages.
This is from Godfrey of Cambrai, Prior of Winchester, addressed to Matilda, Queen of England and wife of William the Conqueror: “The King dominated his enemies with arms, and you, Matilda, dominated them with peace. And your peace turned out to be far more efficient than war.”
This was not flattery by which Godfrey hoped to gain, it was a tribute to the deceased queen, from whom he could expect nothing, but it was surely also meant as advice to those of us living in the future.
I love thinking of how amazed Godfrey would be to think that nearly 1000 years after he wrote them (c. 1084), people (women who can read! and write!) are still finding them relevant, both for the nation and in our personal lives.
Perhaps it’s Bithar finding a way to keep her family out of harm’s way — and she can stay connected through this blog. Perhaps it’s Omaha, finding a way to help its citizens and Bithar’s family. Peaceful solutions are efficient as well as good.
Thanks, Jeanne, for the explanation on Felicity’s collar. It truly looks lovely. My original concern was it would fray as I didn’t know it was cut on the bias. It does look very dainty.
Yes, I recall the lettuce edged tees. My daughter had a few as a child.
What a beautiful hibiscus and I absolutely love morning glories (“Heavenly Blue” being my favorite).
Sorry that you are losing your tree. I always called them sweet gums and only learned the name Liquid Ambar recently. I guess I’m odd that I like them very much. Their multicolor leaves and even the balls make cute natural decorations in a tree. I’ve also spray painted some.
My neighbor has one and loves it. They just attach a bag-like metal scoop to their lawnmower and Voilà, all picked up.
Even though Bithar’s family has to move, by keeping their house they will be able to return and now they have found a way to stay here.
Good morning
Jeannie, I am sorry that Bithar and Jean are leaving but happy that they are not being deported and have a pathway to stay. I had wondered how they were doing so glad of the update.
I love the photos of your garden Your hibiscus is beautiful and Georges tomatoes and cucumbers look wonderful. The chickens are so cute, very curious. I am so sorry about the tree. As far as I know we don’t have any destructive ants here, Are they the same as termites? They are a huge problem in Australia but we don’t have those here either. We sometimes get the little ants in the house and I do kill them but let them be outside, they don’t do any damage really.
We lost the football and the players are on their way home. Maybe next time. We won the cricket (against England) though, so that is a bonus. We, in fact, won the series 2-1. Fun fact, both coaches (of England and NZ) and both captains are Kiwis!
I have nearly finished the first small quilt I am making with the blocks my SIL gave me. I sent the photo of the crossroads quilt to Jeanne, did you get it? There is no comparison with this one and the queen sized one. I think the batting is a bit lighter as well so not as heavy trying to manipulate it. I do not know how people quilt big quilts on a small machine!
It is coffee morning so must go have a lovely day everyone, it is 4C here and going up to 10C but sunny so that is always a bonus. Stay cool
Jeanne, George’s plants look so healthy. So organized too. It’s too bad about the tree. Those ants are creepy. I can’t believe they actually eat or chew on the wood?? Weird. Hope you can get the tree down soon.
Thank you for sharing the pictures of Bither and Gene and children. It is sad that they’re leaving but it’s good and it’s important that Bither is getting her green card through her work. I can’t believe how their beautiful children have grown! They are all so sweet. Please tell them, one of your readers, among others wish them the best!
It’ll be nice if Bithar sees how you make the corn dish. I’m sure it’ll be made a lot as time goes by.
I spelled Bithar’s name wrong twice. I apologize.