My Wonderful Life

boxes are arriving!

As each of you post/email me about your haul I'll add links to this post. I'd do a Mr Linky thing, but he and I haven't been speaking to each other, and as he owes me an apology I'm not breaking the silence first!



Here's Lori's post on her stuff.

Sara sent me an email saying
"Oh, I got my box of yarn! I love the colors! I'll have to use them all together to make something---I haven't decided what yet. And, yes, I did wonder what the heck the wooden sticks were for! If you know, let me in on the secret!"

Does anyone remember knitted or crocheted purses/bags where you have 2 semicircles of wood at the top, each about 8-10" long, one for the front and another for the back of the purse, there are slits in each end of the wood for the knitted/crocheted handle to be threaded through? I'm trying to find a pattern or a pic of a purse made with these and can't.


Diane posted about her boxes here!

And here's ellen's post!


I'm soo very glad that this stuff has become YOURS to figure out uses and arrange storage for!


As for me, here's my stash in it's new home.


The row of tubs to the far left with the green handles is all grandmother's stuff. As well as that blue topped box on the floor.

There's a couple of very small boxes in Sugars' closet that have quilts in progress from her and then this basket of odds and ends. I took the little stuff I need to send here and there off the top. But inside this basket is MORE THREAD!!





a finished and starched handmade crocheted lace collar....too bad folks don't wear these anymore as this is really beautiful.



And assorted crocheted odds and ends that some day I'll figure out what to do with.

putting off the post originally planned for today due to Pops' urgent prayer request.




Emergency Prayer Request

Good Evening fellow bloggers and followers.

I have an Emergency Prayer request.

I received a text from Jacob at 1203 hours this afternoon. He knows I get out of church around 1200 hours. When I saw the time I knew it was important. I called immediately. As best as has been determined at this point one of his fellow soldiers that he has kept in contact with since Basic Training and AIT was seriously injured yesterday. It seems he was involved in a secondary IED attack while going out on a rapid response to a primary IED attack. He received numerous shrapnel wounds on the left side of his body and face. He was talking and we are hoping no brain damage occurred. It appears the IED was packed with ball bearings which cause severe damage when traveling at explosive speeds.

Please put in your prayers and pass it on to your friends the complete and full recovery of Specialist Monte "Ike" Lesh.

Thank you so very, very much and Jacob thanks you also.

Pops

"Cain't get no respect!" ~~ or privacy.




Competition around here for the one and only computer is almost as fierce as the competition is for the one and only TV.




This is out of Grandmother's boxes. It's POLYESTER, and hemmed all the way around. All I can figure is that it's a tablecloth....

but it's a bit wild!

I may do a tablescape/table settings picture with it like ellen does each week...all I can think of to go with a wild polyester tablecloth is those super cheap white paper plates and a pyramid of dixie cups for a centerpiece. What do you think?

just a note to say that I'm putting together a post linking to all the posts folks have put up about their part of grandmother's stuff. A couple folks told me they won't be able to post till Monday, so my linky post won't go up till Tuesday to give most everyone who wants time to post!

When there's only one???

So, today Subvet took the boys to the water park and left Sugars with me because she has a rash that's probably viral and we decided NOT to share!

I took her for a walk around the block since it was just us and <95 degrees out so far. We talked and pointed and listened and had ourselves a great time.

And for the FIRST time I stopped and thought, so this is what it's like to only have one kiddo. WOW.

See, Sugars is now almost 28 months....by the time Sonshine was 28 months Gator was a year old....by the time Gator was 28 months Sugars was 4 months old. WHOA.

Now, granted I don't have a big family like Lisa or Sherry,....but still. I've never had JUST a two year old.


It was different........




and




wellll




kinda boring to tell ya the truth.


Good thing the boys'll be back in an hour or two, huh?

Created by Mrs 4444, Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, "Heard" items, and other small gems and put them together in a Friday Fragments post.



I don't know when she became so fastidious

to eat the just the sprinkles off the top of a DONUT HOLE!!




According to Adrienne, "you can't kill a daylily"...she must be right! Look at this:



Happy Man = sorting sockets.

So I think I told ya that last Saturday we went to my Dad and stepmom's house for burgers and dogs and fun.


The new header picture was taken in her breakfast nook right after herding them all back inside for a drink...hence the flushed faces! :-)

Here are some more pics from the day.


Her backyard shares a fence with a fella's small ranch/farm. He has an unsocial donkey, a horse with asthma (oh he sounded so sick!) and a miniature horse that came over to visit after the batteries had died on my camera (sigh)

and 2 Texas Longhorns.




Momma cow is "Sarah" and baby boy is "Bevo"...as named by the owner's grandkids.



POP QUIZ!
Who knows where the kids got the name Bevo???

Hint: I spent a goodly portion of my college years yelling "Bevo for Breakfast!!"

So here we are feeding the cow and the baby bull.










I think I also told y'all that Subvet had to CARRY Sugars inside KICKING AND SCREAMING to eat! She wanted to spend the rest of the year out here talking to the cows and horses!!


Mimi's sunflowers were too tall for Sonshine to reach!!



Here is my attempt to get the traditional group picture in front of the garden...sigh, maybe next spring.





Here are the boys snuggling up on the sofa, quite worn out from the outside fun.





The quilt Mimi put over them is one I made for her 50th birthday. The boys loved it because every other intersecting seam has a button or charm sewn on.

After 4 hours at Grandad and Mimi's house we piled in the car to go to Mass....we were on the road approximately 3.5 minutes before all 3 kids were sound asleep!! (so much for Mass.....)

Adrienne posted about making drapes without sewing. And I promised her I'd tell how I made curtains out of sheets.


I love starting with a pretty sheet to make curtains because most of the sewing is already done for you!



I like to pick ones like this purple curtain that have a pretty edge or piping on the top of the sheet. Then this becomes the bottom of the curtain! This was originally one of two curtains for a double window. After we moved I folded the sheet over several times, sewed the pocket for the rod and this now fits the small door window in our bedroom. Having it folded several thicknesses adds for better light filtering as this window faces west.


In one apartment we had an entire wall of 7 foot windows. To cover these I made these curtains...two of which now "hide" our laundry/water heater area from our dining area.


These started life as flannel sheets.


Fold over the top of the curtain so that it's the right length for your window, then sew TWO seams. The first about 1/2-1" from the fold and the other about 1 1/2-3" below the first depending on the width of your curtain rod. This makes the pocket for the curtain rod.

What's the difference between sheets on a rod and curtains??
The ruffle you made by putting that first seam 1/2" or so below the fold! Honestly, without that little ruffle it looks like sheets on a rod...with it they look like curtains. Just remember when measuring how far down to fold the sheet that your curtain will hang at that first seam not at the fold, so add that extra 1/2-1" in your measurements.



Now, because I'm a sap. I also added a bit of lace at the bottom of these sheets.




And there you have it, easy peasy curtains!

And if you go here you can see what Stephanie did with some old sheets to make her curtains!

I am a ...

ROSE

Luscious and passionate, you represent the most classic form of love -- one that is strong, constant, and always young. You are the quintessential messenger for both the living and the dead, and your incredibly profound desire to make others feel good hides your potential bite: the thorns that keep anyone from getting closer than they should

I'd rather be home.

It's true.

I have no reason to complain about work tonight as so far things have been going swimmmingly...I'd just rather be home.

The good news is that they haven't blocked my internet access as of yet!

So I thought I'd answer some of the questions that are piling up.

For starters that header pic was taken at my Dad's house Saturday. We went over there to enjoy a Father's day BBQ of hot dogs and hamburgers. I've always loved their kitchen! This is the "breakfast nook". More pictures of the trip will be forthcoming after my 3 night stint of work when I can upload them. :-) Dad's house backs up to a farm/ranch that currently houses a donkey, a wheezy horse (poor guy) a miniature horse and mamma and baby longhorns. We had a lot of fun feeding the cows and talking to the horses...especially Sugars who screamed bloody murder when it was time to eat and had to literally be drug away kicking and screaming.

Jungle Mom, try taking over the counter prenatal vitamins!

Diane: bated breath - Breathing that is subdued because of some emotion or difficulty. you could sit on pins and needles if you'd prefer.

Steph, I don't know when they'll get there. Some of the boxes were shipped priority mail in the flat rate boxes, others were shipped regular, so they will probably arrive in a trickle. And don't ask me who got how many boxes...I didn't keep track.

Pops, it's a bunny's purple raincoat. I'll try to remember to take a picture of it and it's owner here soon....later in the week. It's the same raincoat he decided to wrap his "flower" in here.

Harry, alas, no records. All of those would have been claimed by one of my aunts. I only got the scraps that no one else wanted. (I'm the only one who sews anymore)

I'm not sure about those rose cuttings. It's been so hot out that I'm having a hard time keeping their soil moist. I sure hope that they live...but if not I'll just get more from my aunt.

I'll try to take a pic of my newly relocated stash. Hubby didn't want it to all go back in Sugars' closet so he lovingly gave me the space under his workbench in the garage. I've gotten all of grandmother's stuff that I kept sorted into plastic tubs and stored away. Well except for one box. I didn't quite buy enough tubs! I put the tubs/boxes containing works in progress in her closet and everything else outside. For the record, I just hate storing things in cardboard boxes. I think the cardboard attracts bugs and critters! I need to go and get some plastic tubs for our Christmas tree and decorations. But, for now, I'm enjoying the happiness of another project completed!!

I decided that since I had 6 weeks off work I would eschew all things work related.

I would not:

wear scrubs
wear my tennis shoes
wear my watch
stay up all night
eat at 1AM instead of with the family


I also decided along these same lines I would not cut my fingernails. Years ago I remember having long fingernails without any effort and I wondered how they would grow if left completely alone.

Well, tonight's the time to go back to work so I must cut my fingernails. I'm glad to see them go honestly, they'd gotten so long they were in my way all the time! But I was a good blogger and took pictures first!




oh and that one short one I sliced off while trying to chop an onion a week ago.

There you have it. How long can my nails get in 6 weeks without any filing, polish or other attention.

have a good day y'all.

aka

And They'rrrrrrrre Off!


:-)

took two trips through the line and a hand cart I borrowed from the lady at the counter but I did it!

All those boxes are in the mail and coming soon to a mailbox near YOU!!

Remember:

If I've done it right, when you get your box you should find the following.

A) something that will make you laugh
B) something you will throw away (because I couldn't)
C) something you will use and enjoy
D) something that you will look at and say "WHAT THE HECK??!!"

Please don't hesitate to follow through with B, and if you feel so inclined I'd love to see posts showing which item fell into each category for you.

alright now kids, go and wait patiently by your mailboxes.

That's it!

I'm done. I have those three boxes nearest to the camera left to tape down for shipping and then address and send!

off to the right behind that pole is the pile that I'm keeping. Minus a few things that I need to use to fill up that diaper box for Nancy, so far it just has the patterns in it. The two boxes in the far back are for my mom. and the rest is getting sent to you folks!

YIPPEE!!

over to the right you can see the project that Subvet has been working on around all my boxes and stuff. He's in the process of stripping and restaining our deck...he's gonna be soooo glad to have these boxes out of his way!!


Y'all enjoy!

This is what's left to be sorted....except that bundt cake box has the denim scraps in it so it doesn't need sorting.

I got too tired to take pics of the rest but know that your boxes are getting full.

And for those of you who have mentioned being worried about the postage.

I got flat rate boxes from the post office knowing that the fabric would end up being heavy and please know that giving this stuff to y'all is something that I want to do. I am very happy to know that the fabric and stuff won't sit in my garage for the next 20 years! (it can sit in YOURS!!)

If I've done it right, when you get your box you should find the following.

A) something that will make you laugh
B) something you will throw away (because I couldn't)
C) something you will use and enjoy
D) something that you will look at and say "WHAT THE HECK??!!"

Please don't hesitate to follow through with B, and if you feel so inclined I'd love to see posts showing which item fell into each category for you.

I may take tomorrow off from sorting...I'm getting worn out. But I do think that I'll have the boxes ready to mail sometime next week.

Now, who'd like to adopt these orphans??
The double knit fabric and blue netting have found homes.



small basket of patterns, these are classic styles and some 80s-ish that would be fine if you forego the shoulder pads (can I tell you how many stray single shoulder pads I have thrown away!!??) The sizes on these patterns are all either 18-22 or 20-24 women's. They've been used but Grandmother told me LONG ago that instead of cutting through the pattern she would fold the pattern on the cutting line so that she kept all the sizes. Woman had more patience than I do!



This is one of those packaged projects from long ago. You use it to make a quilted pillow or pillow cover. It is a parrott sitting in a tree, blow the pic up if it's hard to see. It has already been attached to batting that's still in fairly good shape. you just attach whatever fabric you wanted to use to the other side of the batting, quilt on the lines through all layers (it says can be hand or machine quilted) and then attach to a pillow or make a cover out of it using your fabric as the topside and the pattern would then be inside the pillow. Did that make sense? It's hard to explain but would make a beautiful pillow or wallhanging.




Next we have about 1/2 box of bottom weight sturdy denim scraps. If you patch jeans or want a heavy quilt this would be perfect for you.

As of Tuesday afternoon, here's where I stand.



This is the pile I'm keeping so far...I may go back through it again later.





This is the pile I'm giving away...do you see a box with your name on it?





This is the trash pile





and this is what's left to sort...

can you tell that I"ve done anything?

Caution!

Sorting in progress....





Now, there are several things that I'd rather not throw away but am unsure who would actually like to have them.


These are:





small basket of patterns, these are classic styles and some 80s-ish that would be fine if you forego the shoulder pads (can I tell you how many stray single shoulder pads I have thrown away!!??) The sizes on these patterns are all either 18-22 or 20-24 women's. They've been used but Grandmother told me LONG ago that instead of cutting through the pattern she would fold the pattern on the cutting line so that she kept all the sizes. Woman had more patience than I do!



This is one of those packaged projects from long ago. You use it to make a quilted pillow or pillow cover. It is a parrott sitting in a tree, blow the pic up if it's hard to see. It has already been attached to batting that's still in fairly good shape. you just attach whatever fabric you wanted to use to the other side of the batting, quilt on the lines through all layers (it says can be hand or machine quilted) and then attach to a pillow or make a cover out of it using your fabric as the topside and the pattern would then be inside the pillow. Did that make sense? It's hard to explain but would make a beautiful pillow or wallhanging.




Next we have about 1/2 box of bottom weight sturdy denim scraps. If you patch jeans or want a heavy quilt this would be perfect for you.





enough blue netting to strangle a herd of cattle!! Perfect for princess dresses, tutus, bride's maid dresses, or craft projects.


Now, if you'd like any of these items to find a home in your box then PLEASE let me know!!! This stuff HAS to find a good home or it will become landfill.

I Kid You Not. Subvet is BESIDE HIMSELF with all this clutter around here!!


I have also found quite a bit of Tshirt fabric, sweatshirt fabric (royal blue), bottomweight fabric, and tons of double knits in all manner of prints and solids.

Again, if this appeals to you or ANYONE YOU KNOW then please let me know!



Now, anyone remember these??






Check out the warning and ingredients on this!




Who can guess what this is???




And my Tyler Roses bloomed yesterday!!!



This last one is my all time favorite type of rose.

It is called a Peace Rose.


I leave you in peace as I head back outside to work on the next stack of boxes!