Catching up long enough to say “see ya later”

Nothing much very blogworthy has been going on here at Chez Nana. 

I spent some time in the sewing room … I have all my four patches sewn together and into rows.  I’ve got two borders done and am piecing together the other two.  Once I get the coping strip cut and sewn together, it’ll be time to piece the top together.

I’ll get back into the sewing room this afternoon to repair T#4’s Rapunzel gown.  She loves all things Disney princess and was quite adamant that I repair that gown so she can wear it to Disney. 

We had an early Mother’s Day and birthday party for T#2 on Sunday. 

T#3 lost his first tooth yesterday. 

We got 4+” of rain over the weekend (with more rain coming Thursday and Friday).  DH stopped by the garden Saturday morning and reported that there was standing water in our garden.    We’re praying that we won’t have to replant when we get back at the end of the month.

We leave Thursday morning, and we’re now down to crunch time on planning and packing, which doesn’t leave much time for blogging.  And I certainly don’t expect to have time to blog while we’re gone … I imagine that it will be go, go, go while in the Orlando area followed up by resting and relaxing on the Gulf.  I. Can. Not. Wait! 

Garden Update

Finally!  We got our garden planted!  After days of waiting through rains and then waiting for the ground to dry, we were finally able to get it worked up and get everything planted … except our tomatoes which we don’t intend to plant just yet.  Normally, we’d wait until Mother’s Day, but we’ll be gone then.  We may try to get them in before we leave … but if we can’t, we’ll wait and plant them when we get back. 


In the left forefront, we planted sweet corn; in the left rear there are our tepees for our pole beans.  In the right forefront, there is a small area of onions, then zucchini; our tomatoes will go in the right rear.


We planted some onions a week or so ago, and they’re coming up already.  We plan to eat them as green onions, so we planted some more today so they won’t all be ready to eat at the same time.  We’ll plant another batch when we get back.

I got an SOS from DD yesterday.  T#3 was fussing with his eyes all day, but when they went to the park, they were really giving him fits … enough that he was crying … while part of the problem was his constant rubbing (even though Mama kept cautioning him not to rub his eyes), there was obviously something going on.  DD suspected seasonal allergies, but she needed to be available if she needed to make a trip to the doctor that afternoon or the ER later that evening.  She called me to watch the other Ts and get the bigger two to swim team practice.  Thankfully, a dose of Benadryl, some eye drops and a good long nap gave T#3 enough relief.  As I was leaving (after dropping T#1, T#2 and T#4 off after practice), T#2 presented me with a gift of a small bouquet of Johnny Jump-ups.    Turns out that she pulled up a bit of the roots, so when I got home, I planted my bouquet … hopefully I’ll have some Johnny Jump-ups in with my creeping phlox.  And I’ll get to enjoy that bouquet for many years … and whenever I see the Johnny Jump-up, I’ll remember the sweet girl who gave me that gift.
 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

Guess what!  It’s Wednesday again!  And you know what that means … it’s time for the Hodgepodge! 

 

1.  This week's Hodgepodge is Volume 123.  What's something you've done recently that was as easy as 1-2-3?

I made Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken with stir fry veggies for dinner last night … easy peasy.  I wish I could say that the Ts enjoyed it as much as DH and I did. 

 

2.  The Wednesday Hodgepodge also happens to fall on the first day of May ...what is something you may do this month?

We may get our garden planted before we leave next week … the ground has finally dried out enough to start working.  But the rains will return tomorrow.  It looks like the next 36 hours may very well be our only opportunity to get the garden planted before we leave.  Otherwise, we’ll be planting when we return (and praying that we don’t get an early summer like we did last year). 

 

3. The Englishman Horace Walpole is credited as saying, "The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think"  How do you see it?

I agree for the most part.  Those who feel are especially impacted by all the pain and sorrow of this world, thus to them this world is a tragedy.  There are those who are more impervious to this world’s trials … those who don’t feel.  I’m just not sure that I would classify them as those who think, and I’m not sure that I would say that those not pained by this world view it as a comedy.  Perhaps I’m overthinking this (ya think? ).

 

4.  May is National Hamburger Month...how often do you eat a burger? What are your must-haves when it comes to burgers?  I assume you vegetarians won't be celebrating so tell us what you'd like instead?

I don’t have burgers too often … and I’m not sure why.  I love a good burger.  I’m generally not too fussy about my burgers, but I do prefer them cooked at home out on the grill (and not too well done, which is why I prefer them at home). 

 

5. Pansies, petunias, geraniums, impatiens...of the four mentioned, which is your favorite in a patio pot? Will there be pots on your patio this spring? (Or whenever spring comes to your part of the globe?) Who does the gardening at your house?

My favorite is impatiens, but I won’t be having any on my deck this year as there’s not enough shade on our deck for impatiens.  And I certainly intend to have flowers on our deck, but it will be late spring when we get them.  I generally don’t put flowers out on the deck until after Mother’s Day … but this year we’ll be in Florida on Mother’s Day.  So mine won’t get out until Memorial Day … hope there are still flowers at the nursery.  I do the deck gardening … all other gardening is a joint project.

6. When did you last (literally or figuratively) shout "Mayday, Mayday!"

I cannot remember … I know I have, but I just cannot remember a specific time.

7.  Say farewell to your April in ten words or less.

April, you were a tease … and I won’t miss you!  (Whew! Just made the 10-word limit! )

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

We had the Ts over yesterday.    After dinner, mama and daddy came over … we did a little more trip planning and we watched the Blues game (they won in VERY exciting fashion in overtime).   

The Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend has passed by in the blink of an eye. 

Most of Friday was spent at DD’s … Mama had to take T#1 over to Cardinal Glennon for some bloodwork that morning, and we had a friendly Monsters Inc. Run competition that afternoon.

source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/04/monsters-inc-run

I got home that afternoon just in time to get ready for the baseball game.  The forecast was for rain and chilly temperatures, so I layered on the clothing … remember, I have zero tolerance for cold.  We were spared the rain but not the cold.  Even with a long-sleeved t-shirt, a hoodie and a winter jacket, I was *cold*.    But the Cardinals won 9-1, so it was a good night. 

Saturday was a lazy day here at Chez Nana.  We had a sports doubleheader … the Cardinals finished up their afternoon game just minutes before the Blues started their evening game … the Cardinals lost (badly) while the Blues won.  I was able to get almost 4 of the 13 rows of T#4’s new quilt put together.

Sunday was a long, busy but absolutely fantastic day.  For Christmas, DD gave me a promise of a “girls day out” together … and Sunday was our “girls day out”.  We started with a massage, had lunch, did a little shopping for our upcoming trip, had a mani/pedi, had dinner and did a little more shopping.  We left DD’s house at 9:45AM and returned 12 hours later … exhausted but happy.      

A Little of This, A Lot of Nothing

 

I only have a little this morning … a little blogworthy material and a little time to post before my day begins. 

 

I’ve gotten a good 2/3 of the four patches put together for T#4’s quilt.  Here are the unpressed blocks so far (you can click on the picture to get a larger image).

I had planned to finish the four patches today, but DD needs to take T#1 over to Cardinal Glennon Hospital for some bloodwork this morning … and Nana will be watching the littles. I can always sew tomorrow. 

 

DH was given tickets to the baseball game this evening.  This will be the view from our seats.

source: www.stlcardinals.com 

They may not be the best seats in the house, but the price certainly makes up for that.    Now if the rain can just hold off.

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It’s Hump Day, and that means it’s time for some Hodgepodge!  Why don’t you play along?  Just click on the button above to link up. 
1. April showers bring May flowers...what have you been showered with this month?
Rain … we’ve had ~7.5 inches of rain so far, with more in the forecast.  We’ve got rivers threatening to overflow their banks already … hard to tell what will happen if we get much more rain.

2. What is the nature of compassion?  Is it learned or innate?  Can compassion be learned?  If you're a parent is this something you've purposely sought to instill in your children, and if so how?
Yes and yes.    I believe that a certain level of compassion is innate … some people (like my daughter) are just naturally compassionate while others have to learn to be compassionate.  As a mother, teaching my daughter to be compassionate was not something that I felt that I had to teach … if anything, she has taught me to be more compassionate.

3. Do you prefer to watch romantic comedy or romantic drama...or are you rolling your eyes saying bring on the action flicks?
I prefer romantic drama over romantic comedy … slightly.  I have pretty eclectic tastes when it comes to movies … well, except for horror films and most sci-fi films. 

4.  It's April which means baseball season is officially upon us here in the US of A. Humphrey Bogart is quoted as saying "A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz." Agree or Disagree?
Oh, I definitely agree.  But then you all know that I’m a big Cardinals fan.  And I’m really more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, so an evening at the Ritz is not something that’s high up on my bucket list.   

5. What's something in your community or city that needs fixing or improving?
Our village needs a grocery store.  There are 8,000+ residents and not a single grocery store.  Granted, the nearby large towns (small cities?) have several grocery stores to choose from and granted, it’s only about 6 miles to either one of those two towns.  But it would be nice to be able to pick up a gallon of milk or a needed ingredient for dinner without having to drive 20-30 minutes (round-trip). 

6. Share a song you enjoy that mentions flowers or a specific flower in its title.
Boy, I’m drawing a blank here. 

7. April 22nd is Earth Day...do you believe there's life on other planets?  That wasn't the question you were expecting was it?
Scripture tells us that God creates the heavens and the earth … plural on heavens and singular on earth.  I’m thinking that there’s a reason why, so I’d have to say “no” … to both questions.   

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We are now 15 days away from leaving for 2 weeks in Florida. 

What Can I Do?

When we took my dad back home last week after his visit to the ophthalmologist, he asked if I’d like one of the quilts my mom made.  I said “yes” so fast, I swore it made his head spin.    I have a quilt that my paternal grandmother made and several that my MIL made … and now I finally have a quilt that my mom made.

We looked at the quilts, and I chose the appliqued butterfly quilt.  He said that it was his favorite, and while I’m not a fan of those old appliqued quilts, my mom liked them … and they remind me of her.  So choosing this one was kind of like getting the best of both of my parents. 


I didn’t open up the quilt before choosing it, but I did notice a little fraying of the outer border … I thought it would be easy enough to add binding that would cover the fraying. 


Unfortunately, I opened the quilt up when I got home … and noticed that the fraying is  more extensive than I originally thought.  There’s fraying in the top row of blocks, too (that darker gray is actually the batting showing through).


My first thought was “what in the world can I do???”  But after some thought, it appears that my two choices are to keep the quilt as is or to remove the top row of blocks and then re-bind the quilt.  Neither choice is a perfect one, and while removing the top row of blocks and re-binding the quilt won’t restore it to usable or even display condition, it will at least get it close enough so I (and eventually DD) can cherish this memento of my mom.  So that is what I think I will do.