The Evolution of our Christmas Tree

Outside our dining room window is a big tree. this year we put a squirrel feeder there so we have something fun to watch while having morning coffee, There is Mr/Mrs squirrel on top of the feeder eating a piece of corn.

Down on the ground next to the tree is a bunny cleaning up the pieces of corn that the squirrels have dropped. This all takes place about 10 feet from our house. If we talk while having coffee, they hear us and run away.

If you look really close, you can see Mr/Mrs squirrel in the big glass jar having breakfast. Sometimes when the corn is all gone, they will sit in the jar when the sun is out and sun themselves. They are so fun to watch.

Here is a bunny under the feeder on the tree...he seems to be waiting for more corn to fall as the squirrels go in and out of the feeder above him. You can see the corn on the ground in my flowerbed that the squirrels have dropped.

Gee, it seems like just yesterday the trees were in beautiful color, where did the time go. Soon, less than a month away it will be Christmas.
All those shoppers out there, trying to find all the bargains and all the decorations going up, and the menus being planned out.
But even though all those things are happening, all the parties, and time together with friend's and relatives are being planned. How many people are really focused on the real meaning of Christmas. It is not the food, or the decorations, or the shopping for just the right gift or the times spent together, It is the celebration of Jesus Birth!

Do you take time out from your celebrating to sit down and read the story of Jesus birth?
Start a new tradition this year......read the story.
Not sure where it is.........
You will find it in the book of Luke. Luke 2:

Twas the Month before Christmas

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday'.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holiday!
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

CHRISTMAS 2011

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods --merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!
It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificatesfrom your local American hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates. Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open. How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy? Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day. My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or movie at your home town theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands. Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy, paper delivery person or babysitter a nice BIG tip. Remember our citizens serving in the military. Those families need you.Besides saying "Thank You" there are hundreds of ways to express your graditude and appreciation.You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition. Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussiongroups -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other,and isn't that what Christmas is about? If nothing else, print this and post it so others will be inspired.

I bought this fabric, because it just screamed FALL. Then I could not bring myself to cut it up into pieces for a quilt or wall hanging, so I make placemats out of it. I kept the fabric in one piece so I could enjoy all the beautiful color, and just made simple placemats.
Then I decided that my tea pot needed a cozy, and since I mainly drink hot tea in the fall and winter, the fabric was just right for that as well. I made the cozy using 3 layers of fabric, the fall fabric, a layer of Insul-bright, and a layer of pre- quilted fabric for the lining.
Works great! My tea stays hot a long time in my ceramic tea pot.
I also made some gingerbread potholders, but those have not been turned and finished yet. I wanted to get this fall leaf set done and in my kitchen. Took about 40 minutes to make the 2 placemats and the tea cozy...nice fun project.

Thought For Today

My Eternal Home
Revelations 21 & 22

Fall Is really here

Today I finished getting the yard and gardens ready for winter...It looks so desolate out there with all the decorations and lawn ornaments put away till spring. All the shrubs are covered, my rose bush is encased in a rose cone....
I am not sure if we have had "indian summer" yet. But if not I got everything done, before I am trying to do it in the snow!
SNOW......as much as I like the pretty white fluffy stuff I hope not to see it for at least 6 weeks yet.
Half of the trees still have leaves on them yet, some have not even turned to their spectacular fall colors as yet!
I really do not want to give up my afternoon reading in the sun, but since the temps are now in the 50'I will stay inside and read.

Thought For Today

The final Judgement- Revelations 20:7-15

I am so far behind in the things I need to get done, so I guess I will be staying up all night tonight just to get even. I figure if I sew all night I will be caught up to where I should have been by Friday.
I got this far behind, by taking a few road trips that were not really in my schedule. BUT, sometimes you just have to change the schedule around a bit to do the things that make you happy.
All work and no fun...does not make life grand either.

WET PANTS

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a
nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of
a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and
the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his
heart is going to stop because he cannot
possibly imagine how this has happened. It's
never happened before, and he knows that when
the boys find out he will never hear the end of
it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak
to him again as long as he lives. The boy
believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his
head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this
is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes
from now I'm dead meat. 'He looks up
from his prayer and here comes the teacher with
a look in her eyes that says he has been
discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him,
a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is
filled with water. Susie trips in front of the
teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water
in the boy's lap. The boy
pretends to be angry, but all the while is
saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule,
the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher
rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts
to put on while his pants dry out. All the other
children are on their hands and knees cleaning
up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.
But as life would have it, the ridicule that
should have been his has been transferred to
someone else - Susie. She tries to
help, but they tell her to get out. You've done
enough, you klutz!' Finally, at
the end of the day, as they are waiting for the
bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers,
'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie
whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around
us to do good..
Remember.....Just going to
church doesn't make you a Christian any more
than standing in your garage makes you a
car.
Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times
right now, but God is getting ready to bless you
in a way that only He can. Keep the
faith.

Thought For Today - Impacting Someone's Life

Praying with Impact Colossians 1: 7-14
Every life brought into this world is going to spend eternity somewhere......
Psalms 66:18 - A Clean Heart
1 John 5: 14-15 - Believe

Thought For The Day

You reap what you sow Galatians 6:1-9

Funny For The Day

I don't want to brag or make anyone jealous or anything,
but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.

Was busy making a few things over the last few weeks.

Some days are better than others........

Did you ever notice just when you think things are finally going great something unexpected happens, and you just have to start all over again.
I have concluded that there are so many things I do not understand, and probably never will, not in this life anyway....But that is no reason to give up...just have to keep on plodding along.....

" This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalms 118:24

Thought for Today - The Law In One Sentence

Galatians 5:14

Thought for Today

1 Peter 5-8

When I Stand......................

‎"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'."
-- Erma Bombeck

Thought for Today - Our Victory in Christ

Romans 8:28-39

Things to Keep

I read this somewhere, and thought it was worth repeating...........

I grew up with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away..

I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things.. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress..

Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.. S o... while we have it..... it's best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken......... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true. for marriage....... and old cars..... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents..... and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.
Some things

we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special........ and so, we keep them close!

Sunsets

PEACE IS SEEING A SUNSET AND KNOWING WHO TO THANK.

Hot Humid and Stormy

Well I waited a long time but summer has finally got here. Now the temperatures are well into the 90's and have even reached 100. I love the heat, but don't like the storms that seems to be going along with all this nice warm weather.
I was so cold last winter that I told myself that no matter how hot it got this summer I was not going to complain...it is easier to get cool than to get warm, and it is hard to sew with mittens on in the winter.

Thought For Today - We are all one in Christ

Galatians 3:28

Light House

Finally got the light house stained and attached to the stump. BUT I now notice that even though I have stained the light house a light blue, it blends right in with the twilight ( light lavender) of the house. I think the next time I am using a can of black outdoor paint I will add some accents, like maybe paint the edge just under the "light" black, and add a door and maybe some windows. What do you think? Do you think that will add to it, or should I just leave well enough alone?

Now here I was thinking all these years that water was the only thing that did not have any calories........ guess I was wrong, now we have diet water! I am wondering if next they will be telling us that there are also calories in the air we breath....

I was not going to go on a fall fishing trip, but since the spring one did not go as planned, I think we will have a go at it again in Sept. But this time it will only be for one week. If it rains all week I am going fishing anyway...well maybe I won't got if it is lightening out...but otherwise I am going no matter what!
Now that I am really far behind in my sewing I have to work extra hard to catch up. If I stay up and sew all night for a couple nights I can maybe catch up a bit...But the next 2 days will be devoted to cleaning...
Tuesday is supposed to be the day with the longest daylight, so maybe I will just stay up all night on Tuesday and sew....

Vacation?

Some vacations are better than others....
This year was not good. Reading 2 books in 3 days means I was stuck in the cabin, while the weather outside made it impossible to do anything else. The only thing biting were the mosquitoes!
Let's see, it rained, hailed, lots of thunder and lightening, it was cold! We had 52 mph winds one day, and white caps on a 108 acre lake!
Woke up one morning with no electric, the storm the night before, blew down a tree on the transformer....
The usual boat traffic for Memorial Day was non-existent...it was 45 degrees! Who knows what the water temp was. There was one tuber out on the lake, we saw 2 people on jet skies, but one pass on the lake and they were gone...guess it was too cold for them too!
Of course a vacation is never complete unless on of us ends up in the Emergency Room, this year it was my turn....
After 6 days of a 15 day vacation, I had had enough and packed up and we came home! We never even got the boat off the trailer.....
Maybe next time will be better.....

How many rods and reels do you have to have to have too many? This is

half of my collection. I think I am done now....well at least until I see another one I can not live without... You don't want to see my collection of lures.......those got out of hand years ago....Which reminds me, I really do need one more. I have one I love, but want it in another color.....Have to see if they make it in the color I want...

These little owls are so darn cute I just can't seem to stop making them! I am telling myself this is the last one! This one is no longer residing in my house, but has flown to a friends house.

REMEMBRANCE

Never give up on a dream, dreams can come true!

Never give up on a dream no matter how slim the odds of success are. Dreams can come true!
I have spent almost 50 years searching for my birth Mom and against all odds, I managed to find her, and she was still sharp as a tack at 87 years old.
I got 1 year, 9 months and 25 days to get to know her, we only exchanged letters until October of 2010, when she called me and I finally heard my Mom's voice. It was a miracle!
After she consented to let me call her, we had long chats and got to know each other.
We discovered that we both loved ice cream, and we both loved to read mysteries.
We both liked Christmas trees that went to the ceiling, though she liked to put garland on hers and I liked to put tinsel on mine.
We both liked Ketchup on fries, and mayo on fish.
Like me she could not just sit in front of the TV and had to be doing something, she liked to crochet and knit, and I like to sew.
She doesn't like fishing, and it is one of my passions. Neither of us can swim.
She does not like to sit on the lawn, because of all the crawly things that can be there. I don't mind sitting on the grass.
She told me she had 7 children.
And today I met them!
I wished it had been under different circumstances.
Today I went to my Mom's funeral.
I would have loved to have the opportunity to meet my Mom while she was still alive, but that was not meant to be.
I discovered she has a wonderful family, and today they welcomed me in to it!
I have lost my Mom, but I have gained brothers and sisters...Something I have never had.
I can't wait to get to know them all.......

More Owls

Remember the cute little owl pincushions that I was making, well now those little owls should never have been left alone........now there are 2 more! Introducing the twins! They were a bit harder to make than the bigger ones, but they were fun as well....
I was even thinking that they would make cute stuffed animals if I were to enlarge the original pattern about 250%. But I have too much to do right now to explore that option at the moment.....

Closet secret bag

This was a little pattern my granddaughter and I designed using a plastic coat hanger and a large piece of paper. The paper was used to draw out the pattern, which was then pinned to the fabric. I know it is a bit hard to see, but she added a zipper to the front of the bag. This time her zipper went in perfectly. Her sewing is getting so good soon she will be able to sew whatever she likes.
This little bag will hang in her closet, to hold all those things little girls like to keep to themselves.

EASTER

HE IS RISEN!

I have decided that I want to make a few sets of these days of the week towels, but am not sure if I want to do them in colors, or all in one color. So I am asking what you think I should do If I do them in colors, I am thinking of changing the days of the week to black and the dog to dark brown. Any comments?

Finished the rest of the dog head towels, this is all I am going to do for now. I have other stuff that has to be done. I want these for a June Fair I signed up for. Now I am working on days of the week towels, I want to do them on unbleached muslin, if I could just figure out how big to make them. If anyone has any ideas, I would love to hear them.

On the front of the book mark I used a medium brown. The person I am sending it to likes fall colors, especially brown. but does not like orange or purple. I think it is interesting the way the bobbin color shows through like a shadow from the back. The only thing I did not like about the bookmark pattern is the size. I think it is a bit wide for a book mark if you are reading a paper back. It is 3 inches by 6-1/2 inches. I would have preferred it to be skinnier. Outside of that it turned out pretty good.

I have been doing some experimenting with the free standing lace, this time I used a variegated thread in the bobbin, just to see how that would look. I put a piece of white fine tulle in between 2 pieces of regular solvy, since that is all I have. It worked quite well and did not tear away from the hoop at all. Probably because I put the tulle in the middle.

This is the latest in my learning how to do FSL embroidery. This is a 3D butterfly done in variegated thread. I wanted to see how it would look if instead of doing the "veins" of the wings in one color and the "edging " in another , if I would just do the whole thing in the variegated thread. I used mother of pearl organza for the "fabric" inside the wings. I just put the organza between two pieces of wss, and then when it was done trimmed close to the edges, and soaked out the wss. When I have some time I will do it again doing it the way the design states to do it.
This one is already being used for the decoration on a birthday present, and will be going to it's new home sometime this week.

Finished the Free Standing Lace 3D dragon fly. I will be making this into a pin. Really liked the way this turned out. When I have some time I am going to try to make a 3D butterfly. These are much easier to do than I thought they were.

Now that I have been working on making friends with my embroidery machine I have gotten a few towels done. These I will be taking to the craft fairs with me this coming summer and fall.

While I was getting my other sewing done yesterday, I was stitching out the sides and bottom of the first Free Standing Lace Bowl I have ever made. I am not sure if I will make another one or not. It turned out fine, but not sure I can find a use for it. I don't need to have a bunch of them sitting around that I have no idea what to do with. This one being my first

I will find a nice place for.

So far I like the Free Standing Lace ornaments the best.

I have not used my embroidery machine this much since I got it in 2006. But I will be using it now!

There is no way you can make just one of these, they seem to grow on you. This one sits next to my computer guarding it from the cat. Each one seems to have it's own personality...Thanks Sadie for sending me the link to this little cutie.

My first attempt at free standing lace. I think they will be so nice in the Easter cards I will be sending out this year.

My embroidery machine and I are bonding....

Gee, here it is March already. Seems like it was just the beginning of the new year, I have so much to finish, and time just seems to be slipping away. I am learning a new skill, making free standing lace on the embroidery machine. It is being taught on a yahoo group I am on. Very much fun and very interesting. The "class" will last the whole month of March. I have started to look for patterns to use in the class.
I think my embroidery machine and I are becoming friends.

This cute little candle mat was made by a talented 11 year old sewing student. Her first attempt to lean to do pleating.

I have had this pattern a long time, but just could never seem to find time to do it. I think the pattern is from a blog somewhere, got the link from a friend, then lost it then found it again, and decided I better make it before I lose the pattern I printed out. This year I plan to make some of the patterns I have found here and there that at the time I really thought were cute...Need to stop saving more and start doing the ones I have. Since I have had a lot of requests for this pattern I am including the location of the blog I got it from...So here you go

http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/2008/11/abraham-owl.html

Finally dusted off the embroidery machine, and decorated a fleece throw for a family member for her birthday. It was difficult to arrange the throw so you could see all the corners.
I picked snowmen and flakes, because she lives in Florida, and it has been getting a bit chilly there lately, chilly by their standards any way. And I figured she has enough stuff with tropical scenes on it. She used to live in Wisconsin, so she remembers the snow...

Isn't it pretty....

One of the things I like to do while sitting in front of the TV or just sitting, is Crewel Embroidery. It is fun and relaxing. I like working with floss too, but yarn is sometimes a fun change. After completing all the blocks, I put them into a wallhanging. Now to find a place to hang it...I seem to be running out of walls....

My Cricut was lonely with no cartridges, so here is a picture of the 9 I have so far, my friend has at least 9 too. They are all different and we plan to share them back and forth.
I had used the Jasmine one to make the Christmas tags. Which of course I did not think to take pictures of and they are now all gone. Have not had any time to play with it again..but will try to squeeze some play time in soon.