Saturday's Stuff

Yay!  It's the weekend!  I know, I know ... I'm retired, so EVERY day is a weekend day, right?  Well, it's true ... but old "habits" die hard after spending 30+ years so I'm still relishing the weekends. And I'm looking forward to this weekend.  I've got plenty planned ... all good stuff.

I'm hoping to finally be able to get some quilting done today.  I had planned to quilt on Wednesday & Thursday, but DD needed my help ... and helping DD with the Ts always wins out over quilting (or anything else!).  ;-)  I watched the 3 bigger Ts while Mama had to take T#4 to the pediatrician ... Wednesday for the initial visit (diagnosis: double ear infections - bad ones) and Thursday for a follow-up visit (the Motrin wasn't bringing the fever down - she had to have antibiotic via injection).  And yesterday, I was invited to join DD & the 4 Ts on a Christmas wishlist trip to Toys R Us.  It turned out to be a CRAZY evening, but like always, ANY time with DD & the Ts is a GOOD time! 

Yesterday DH bought the materials for a jigsaw puzzle construction tray, and with the help of our friend/neighbor John, he put it together.  I'll paint it and then put the felt pads on the under side.  What's a puzzle construction tray, you ask?  It's a sheet of MDF with shallow moldings tacked along the top edges (to keep the pieces from sliding off the MDF).  It's an easy way to convert your table to a puzzle table ... without sacrificing being able to use your table for its intended purposes (like eating ha!) for the days weeks it might take to finish a puzzle.  If we need the table, we'll just pick up the tray (with puzzle pieces on it - the molding will keep the pieces from sliding off) and carry it to another room (or slide it under the bed if we need the table for a longer period of time). We cut the MDF about 2 inches wider and longer than our table (44"x62"); we like to work the bigger puzzles, so this will give us plenty of room to lay out the puzzle along with the unused pieces.  I saw this on someone's blog ... I wish I could remember whose blog it was!  I'd love to give her credit.  I have a photo that I snagged from that blog post (so I could show DH what I was talking about); I'd insert it here so I could show you all what I'm talking about, but because I don't know who to ask, I don't have permission.  :-(  If the you're the blogger, please let me know ... I'd LOVE to give you credit!  My sister sent us a 2000-piece puzzle, and I'm itching to get started on it, so I'm going to do my best to get this tray done this weekend!  ;-)  If I can remember (don't forget: I have CRA ha!), I'll post a picture of my finished product, if anyone's interested.

I'm going to try a new recipe this evening and make a pot of white chili tomorrow.  Fall-like weather has definitely returned, and it's time for fall foods!  I LOVE fall!

Flashback Friday - Halloween version

I'm joining in with Linda at Mocha with Linda on her discussion of Halloween - now and then.


What  was Halloween like when you were growing up? Did your family participate? If not, was there a substitute activity? 

Back in the dark ages when I was a kid, Halloween wasn't the least bit controversial.  Everyone dressed up and went door to door seeking treats, especially in Small Town America where I grew up.  There were no problems with eating any/all the candy we collected.  Life was different back in the day.   

Did your school or church have a fall festival or carnival? Were there stipulations regarding costumes? What sorts of activities did they have? 

I don't remember my school having a fall festival or carnival ... but we did wear our costumes to school on Halloween.  Remember, this was back in the dark ages (50+ years ago), so there wouldn't have been any need to have any requirements or prohibitions regarding costumes.  I don't remember much other than the trick or treating ... hey, things haven't changed much in 50+ years ... it was (and is) all about the candy!    

What about Halloween parties? Have you ever bobbed for apples or been on a hayride? What are your memories of "haunted houses"? (I'm not referring to the ultra-scary, secular ones, just the fun kid ones, with bowls of grapes and cold spaghetti!)

I don't remember ever attending a Halloween party or done a haunted house.  When I was a kid, dressing up for school and going trick or treating was pretty much the extent of the Halloween celebration.  Hey, holidays in general back in the dark ages weren't the BIG. DEALS that they are these days, and Halloween was no exception.  Halloween, in terms of holidays, was a minor holiday.  

And as an adult, Halloween is still a minor holiday ... its appeal has been watching DD getting dressed up in her costumes ... and now my Halloween fun is seeing the Ts dressed up in their costumes and treating them (to some toys, books, etc. ... they get enough candy elsewhere).  So for me, Halloween isn't really an adult's holiday.  

If you went trick-or-treating, what were the rules, both for trick-or-treating and for candy consumption? What types of costumes did you wear? Were they store-bought or homemade? Did you carve a jack-o-lantern? 

The only rule my sister and I would have had would have was to stay together and watch out for cars (our house was in a part of town where there were no sidewalks).  Yes, we went out trick or treating with no parental supervision.  Shocking, I know.  But remember ... I grew up in Small Town America back in a safer, gentler time.  We knew our neighbors for blocks around, but it wouldn't have mattered ... at Halloween, every house was fair game so we hit them all up.  The one house that I always wanted to make sure that we hit was Mrs. Skinner's house ... she gave out popcorn balls, which I always loved!  The only other rule that that we had was for candy consumption -- no eating it up that evening and only a few pieces at a time.

Thanks to my CRA, I can't remember any of my costumes, although I do remember that no costume was complete without a mask.  The mask made the costume ... you could get away with a substandard costume if you had the right mask.  And these masks ... they were plastic, with teeny-tiny slits for eyes (even if we didn't need a parental unit to accompany us for safety reasons, we certainly did to guide us ... those slits for the eyes were just about worthless ha!).  I'm certain that my costumes were homemade (everything else was!); I'm not even sure if the stores carried costumes back in the day.  More than likely, we cobbled something together from what we already had ... our clothes, any dress-up clothes, sheets, etc.  But our masks were always storebought.  And Halloween wasn't complete with a jack-o-lantern.  I'm sure that my mom did all the handling of the knife; I remember scraping out the "guts" with my hands, being oddly fascinated by the texture. 
      

And the most important question: Do you like candy corn? What is your favorite (and least favorite!) Halloween candy?

I really don't care all that much for candy corn ... I'm not that big of a fan of candy in general, but the ones I have trouble resisting would be Baby Ruth, Snickers, Bit o Honey, and M&Ms.  I prefer the minis ... they satisfy my urge to snack or nibble.   

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for: 

• time with the Ts ... had an awesome time with the 3 bigger Ts yesterday ... even though the reason for the time with them was because Mama had to take T#4 to the pediatrician ... she's got bad ear infections in both ears, the poor little thing.  When I dropped off the bigger Ts late yesterday afternoon, all poor little T#4 would do was whimper.  Praying that the antibiotic will get her to feeling better soon. <3    
• fall ... the weather, the color, the anticipation of Thanksgiving
• a gas fireplace with blower ... so I can take the chill off without having to turn on the furnace
• our church's Trunk or Treat program last night ... there were a LOT of kids!
• time to be able to do the things I love doing ... being available to watch the Ts when DD needs some help, being able to quilt 
• that my God is a God of second chances and is generous with His grace 
• my hubby ... any man who puts up with my idiosyncracies is a keeper!  ;-)
• neighbors who have become good friends
• those of you who visit this blog ... with all the truly interesting/enlightening/entertaining blogs out there, that even one reader visits here regularly is humbling and gratifying

As I mentioned, I had the 3 bigger Ts yesterday.  I had the camera out and caught a couple of pictures of them.

Show and Tell

My friend (and neighbor) Lois and I belong to a quilt guild and a needlework guild.  My favorite part of the meetings is "Show and Tell" ... where everyone gets up and shows off their latest finished quilt/project.  It's mostly "show", but there's usually a little bit of "tell".  As much as I enjoy seeing the finished project, I wish we could hear a little more about it and about the quilter.

Today we're having "Show and Tell" here on ENBFH (Empty Nest but Full Heart) with plenty of "tell".  ;-)

As most of you know, I'm a quilter.  I started quilting when my paternal grandmother gave each of her grandkids a pieced quilt top.  My mom insisted that I help her with the quilting ... since the finished quilt would be mine.  I really don't remember very much about quilting that quilt (I was 18 and no doubt thought that I was way too busy to spend time quilting).  Nevertheless, I loved that quilt ... and used it until it fell apart.

Fast forward to 1982 when, on a whim, I decided to make DD a quilt. I've always sewn (I'm no seamstress, but I sewed a lot of my clothes through high school and a lot of DD's clothes when she was little), so I figured how hard could it be to make a quilt?  I made a log cabin quilt, using the barn raising setting.  I made a couple of other quilts in the mid-1980's and discovered counted cross stitching.  For the next 10+ years, I preferred counted cross stitching because I could frame them myself and have pretty wall art that I had made myself ... and because I could finish the project a whole lot more quickly than I could finish a quilt.  No patience here ... I'm all about the instant gratification!  ha!

When my DD announced that she was pregnant with T#1, I just had to make a baby quilt.  When he was moved from the crib to a "big boy bed" in anticipation of the arrival of T#2, I had to make him a "big boy quilt" ... and thus I rediscovered my love of quilting.  I've made each of the Ts a baby quilt, and I've made big boy/girl quilts for T#1, T#2, and T#3 (I've got the fabric for T#4).

Speaking of T#3's big boy quilt, I finished it earlier this month.  I did straight stitching, down the middle of each strip ... to accentuate the zig-zag piecing.

Now I'm working on another quilt, one for DSIL.  I've been reporting on it the last couple of weeks, and I thought I ought to share a picture of it in progress.

The top picture is the quilt top (I use a 16" lap hoop); the bottom picture is a picture of the back (which gives a better picture of the quilting pattern I'm using).

Like I mentioned, a big girl quilt for T#4 is next on my agenda.  After I've finished it, I'm definitely going to make a quilt for DH & me.  Of all the quilts I've made (from start to finish), not a single one has been for myself.  I've got the fabric for that one, too.  ;-)

This afternoon DH & I removed our old desks from the office and are in the initial stages of setting up a sewing area.

Imagine, if you will, the ironing board gone, a wider table, storage bins to the right of the table (for my stash and my supplies) and a bulletin board on the wall above the table.  Ok, it'll never be like the professionals have (or even my friend/neighbor Lois), but it certainly beats using the kitchen table or a table taking up a good third of the space in the living room.  I've been wanting to do this for some time ... and I finally just declared to DH that today was the day.  ;-)

The Simple Woman's Daybook for Today - Monday, October 25

It's been a while since I've done a Simple Woman's Daybook post ... and since there's nothing especially blogworthy going on right now, I thought I'd do a SWD.  ;-)

Outside my window... the sun is shining and it's warming up.  Everything seems to be fresh and clean, thanks to almost an inch and a half of rain last night. 

I am thinking... that it's starting to get stuffy in here ... might be time to open the slider. 

I am thankful for... time with the Ts this weekend. 

From the kitchen... breakfast dishes are in the sink, today's newspaper and the crockpot are on the island.

I am wearing... a Pensacola T-shirt, jeans and my Lands End slippers (I'm not even sure they qualify as slippers, since they've got a vinyl sole and can be worn outside). 

I am creating... a quilt for DSIL; I'm still working on it ... and will be for quite a while so don't expect much change in this topic.  ;-)  I do have half the blocks quilted, so I'm definitely making progress.  Am I going to make my (self-imposed) Christmas deadline?  I think so; I chose a nice quilting stencil for the outer border ... interesting without being so complicated that it will take months to quilt.  At least I hope so!  ha!  

 
I am going... to let the dogs out for a potty break as soon as I get this posted.

I am hoping... that we don't have to wait so long for the next rain (it's been over a month since our last rain).   

I am hearing... an airplane flying over (our house is in one of the flight paths for Lambert; fortunately, we're far enough away that the noise isn't an issue).

Around the house... laundry needs to be finished ... I started a load yesterday, but I didn't even get it to the dryer.  The furniture needs to be dusted (but I think I'm going to quilt instead ha!).  T#4's high chair needs to go back downstairs.   

One of my favorite things... a day with nothing planned (other than the quick trip to the bank, which I have already done). 

A few plans for the rest of the week/weekend… Wednesday is Trunk and Treat at church; I'll decorate the van ... sort of.  I am NOT creative; I can do "creative" stuff (cross stitching, quilting, etc.) as long as I have a pattern/directions/guidance.  But coming up with creative stuff on my own ... nope.  So I'll probably just toss in a couple of small hay bales, a couple of mums (which I will give to DD since she's wanting to plant some mums in her yard), a couple of small pumpkins and call it decorated.  ha!  I know I won't win the car-decorating contest, but who cares?  The kids certainly aren't; it's all about the candy for them!  ha!

The World Series begins on Wednesday; we'll miss the first few innings (due to the aforementioned Trunk and Treat).  I guess I'll be rooting for the Rangers since they've never made it to the World Series.  If my Cardinals don't make it, I like to cheer for the underdog or the team who's waited the longest to get to the World Series.  (EXCEPT for the Cubs and the Red Sox.  Sorry ... just gotta root against the Cubs ... what kind of Cardinals fan would I be if I didn't?  And I've still got a sour taste in my mouth from the 2004 World Series to be able to root for the Red Sox.)

Other than that, I don't think there's a whole lot on the agenda for this week.

In closing, I'd like to share a new song that I heard on the radio on my way back home from my quick trip to the bank.  It's called I Am New by Jason Gray.  The lyrics are what really "grabbed" me about this. 

Now I won’t deny
The worst you could say about me
But I’m not defined
By mistakes that I’ve made
Because God says of me
I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I’m dearly loved
I am new
Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe
I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I’m dearly loved
I am new
Too long I have lived
In the shadows of shame
Believing that there
Was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn’t see me the way that I do
He doesn’t see me the way that I do

I have to confess that I struggle with low self-esteem, and God used this song to remind me that not only am I not defined by the mistakes I've made (and I certainly needed to be reminded of that) nor am I defined by the way I see myself ... I'm definitely not defined by the way others see me/define me.  Thank you, Lord, for that reminder!  :-)

This weekend I ...

• watched the Ts along with the other grandma on Friday night while mama & daddy went to the hockey game

• watched T#1 and T#2 play their last soccer games of the fall season

• celebrated T#4's first birthday (her birthday was the 15th, but her party was Saturday afternoon/evening)

• attended church ... and actually got to be in worship this morning ;-)

• prepared a pot roast in the crockpot

• did a little quilting while watching Gladiator (I love those epic movies, new and old)

• enjoyed some rain (even if it wasn't quite enough)

• missed having baseball to watch tonight

If you want to share what went on in your neck of the woods over the weekend, head on over to Becky's.

Saturday's Stuff

I went to bed last night with THE. WORST. headache - ever (and trust me, I've had headaches) ... and of course, I woke up with that same headache this morning.  Plus I woke up with a bad-dream hangover.  :-(  Thankfully the headache lifted while at the soccer fields this morning - T#1 and T#2 had their last games of the season.  They both played well, and even though it was windy and a little chilly, it was fun watching them play.  Unfortunately, when I got back home, the headache was back.  We spent the evening at DD's for T#4's first birthday party; we've been home about an hour ... and guess what:  no headache!!!  Scientific proof that grandkids are the antidote for killer headaches?  In my world, YES!!!  ha!

I took T#3's big boy quilt to him yesterday.  Mom & Dad are pleased with it ... T#3 is still too young to appreciate it; hope he does when he's older.  ;-)

Speaking of quilts, I gave DH a "deadline" for creating a sewing space in the room we used to use for an office.  When we moved here, we had two desktop computers that we used, so we made one of the bedrooms an office.  We put in two desks and a daybed (for the Ts).  Since then, we've gone wireless (laptops), so those desks are not being used.  I have a 5' folding table that I set up in the great room when I need to sew ... it works, but not all that well ... it's a pain to have to go downstairs to get the sewing machine and lug it upstairs, drag the folding table out of storage, etc., etc., etc.  It'd be so much more convenient if I could have an area up here ... yet out of the way.  I'd like to replace the two desks with a long table ... plenty of space for my cutting mat and plenty of space for my sewing machine.  I can't wait to get a sewing space!

It was a busy, busy Saturday ... I'm going to go crash for a little while before going to bed.

You and Your Spouse - Day Three

Kim's doing a series on "you and your significant other".  On Monday the topic was how how did you and your significant other meet? and how did you know he was the one?  Wednesday's topic was how did your significant other propose? and did you pick out your ring?

Today the topic is:

Day 3
Is marriage all that you thought it was going to be and how long have you been married?

What do you see for your future as a couple?? 

We'll be married 23 years this December.  

Is our marriage all that I thought it would be?  Yes.  No.  Seriously.  Our marriage has been all I had hoped ... and more.  He has been my Prince.

And yet there are times when our marriage hasn't been quite all I'd hoped for.  When my Prince has been a frog.

Sometimes, yes, he has disappointed me ... and sometimes I have expected too much. We've learned (yes, sometimes the hard way) that marriage isn't a fairy tale, where magically we live "happily ever after".  A good marriage is a journey, not a destination.  And it's hard work ... but I'm here to tell you that the rewards are so worth it.  ;-) 

Our future?  We'll continue to work together on this journey.  And we'll also love on our littles, travel, and enjoy this life we have together. 

Random Dozen - Co-Lid style

Wednesdays are usually Random Dozen days, but when Linda posted on Monday that she wasn't going to be able to post her Random Dozen this week, I thought "no biggy" as I'd planned to post  Day Two of Kim's series You and Your Significant Other.  But it turns out that Linda got an assist from her friend Linda at Mocha with Linda.  So yay!  We're going to have Random Dozen this week after all .... on Thursday, instead of Wednesday.  Thankfully, we don't "need to be more... *flexible.*"  (Quick ... what movie is that line from?)  And now, on to this week's Random Dozen.

1. Do you prefer to read the book or see the movie?
I prefer to read the book.  Movies almost never do justice to the stories, and in order to make a movie from the book, way too much has to be edited out.

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas is my favorite holiday ... in part because of all the wonderful holiday traditions we have with Christmas (baking cookies, decorating, getting together with family and friends).  But mostly because Christmas is a celebration of God meeting our greatest need by sending us His Son.

3. Which do you like better - the mountains or the beach?
Oh,  this is totally a no-brainer!  Love, love, love the beach!!!!!!  While the mountains are certainly beautiful and while I enjoyed our trip to the Rockies this past June more than I thought I would, if I could only choose one, it would HAVE to be the beach!  There's something so soothing about hearing the waves hitting the shore, there's the access to fresh seafood, there's sun and sand ... what's not to love?  ;-)

4. If money were no consideration, what vehicle would you drive?
Well, it would have to seat 7, as I have 4 littles to transport (and car seats take up an amazing amount of space).  I guess I'd choose some big honkin' SUV.  To be honest, cars are not my thing; as long as the car starts when I want it to, has a radio, automatic transmission, AC/heating and seats 7, I'm good to go.  So I'm not familiar with the various 7-passenger SUVs on the market.  But I'd pick one of them, I guess.

5. What is your favorite cold-weather beverage?
Diet Coke.  It doesn't matter whether it's cold weather or hot ... it's Diet Coke for me.  I'm not a fan of hot drinks, so I just stick to my Diet Coke.

6. How do you communicate most often with your friends: phone, email, text, face-to-face, or Facebook?
Email or Facebook.  Most of the people I communicate with are too far away or way too busy ... so email and Facebook are a quick, easy and convenient way to communicate.

7. How do you receive your mail? Mailbox on the porch, at the end of the driveway, down the street, or post office box?
Mailbox at the end of the driveway.  It's not the mailbox I'd choose ... it's the one required by our subdivision covenants.  But it serves its purpose.

8. Of the four basic personality types - sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, and choleric - which is your strongest? Which is your least evident?
I'm not sure which is my strongest.  I have some melancholic traits ("A melancholic is also often a perfectionist. They are often self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is sometimes they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others.") and some phlegmatic ("They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change.")  I guess I'd say that I'm mostly melancholic.

I'm most definitely NOT sanguine (People of a sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be quite loud. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when pursuing a new hobby, interest is lost quickly when it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy.)

9. What do you miss the most about being 20?
Nothing.  I was 20 when I married my ex ... so my 20's weren't exactly my best years.  ha! 

10. How long from the time you get up, does it take you to get ready to walk out the door in the morning?
Normally, it takes a couple of hours for me to just get up and get going.  But if I need to get up and get going right away (like on Sunday morning to go to church), I can be ready in a little more than an hour (time to shower, do my hair, get dressed, make the bed, and fix/eat breakfast); if I REALLY had to, I could probably do it in an hour ... but if it's not an emergency, I don't move that fast in the morning (and if it truly were an emergency, I probably would end up throwing on some clothes, running a comb through my hair and calling it good ha!).

11. Who handles the car maintenance and pays the bills in your family?
DH handles all things car-related and I pay the bills.  It's worked for 23 years, so I guess we'll continue for the next 23 years (if the Lord gives us another 23 years together).

12. For those in the US, how many states have you visited? For those outside the US, how many provinces/other countries have you visited?
I've been to 23 states (Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, South Carolina, Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee, Arkansas); I didn't realize that I've been to so many states.  A couple of them weren't my ultimate destination (New Mexico - where we had a layover en route to Tucson; Arkansas - where we stopped for lunch en route to Mississippi; North Carolina - where we stopped for lunch en route to South Carolina), but since it was more than simply passing through (we got out of the car), I'm going to count those states.  ;-)

I have been to Mexico ... back in 1972, I went to Tucson, AZ with my parents and youngest sister.  We drove down to Nogales where we crossed the border, did a little street shopping, had lunch and then returned back to Tucson that evening.

But we've got big plans to add even more states to that list ... but you can be pretty sure that they'll be states with beaches (see #3).  ha!

If you want to play along, just click on the Random Dozen icon at the top of this post.

You and Your Spouse - Day Two

Remember, Kim's doing a meme on "you and your significant other".  On Monday the topic was how how did you and your significant other meet? and how did you know he was the one?  Today our topic is:

Day 1
How did your significant other propose?

and

Did you pick out your ring?

If you remember, DH & I fell in love during the 1987 Cardinals' run to the playoffs.

On October 24, the Cardinals were leading the Twins 3 games to 2; the Cardinals only had to win 1 of the 2 remaining games to become World Champions.  Game 5 was that afternoon, so DH & I made a date to watch the game ... but DH suggested that we get together for lunch before the game with dinner somewhere nice after the game.

He dropped by the house and gave me a card and a small package -- inside was a small diamond set on a simple gold chain.  I was sure that this would be it -- a proposal!!!  But nope, not yet.  Off to lunch we went.  The Cardinals lost (but we were sure that they'd win game 7), so we weren't too disappointed.  Dinner was at the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant, which overlooked the runways at Lambert; other the a disappointing loss by the Cardinals, it was a good day ... one that neither of us wanted to end, so DH took the long way back to my house.

We were sitting in the car, in my driveway ... when he popped the question.  I was so surprised, so happy, so excited that I couldn't speak ... I could only hug him, crying and nodding my head "yes".

A little later, he shared that his original intention was to wait to ask me after the Cardinals won the World Series; over the years (up to 2006, anyway) I always teased him that it was a good thing that he didn't because we would have had to wait a looooooooooooooooong time!  ha!

The following week we went on the search of a ring.  I would have been happy with just nice matching wedding bands, but he was insistent that I have a proper engagement ring ... so that's what we got.  I did get to select the stone and the setting (a marquis stone in a simple, standard setting).

Friday will be Day Three - Is marriage all that you thought it was going to be and how long have you been married? What do you see for your future as a couple?  Now there are some thought-provoking questions.  ;-)  If you'd like to play along, just visit Kim at Kimberly's Korner.

Road trip!

This morning, my neighbor and friend Lois and I hit the road to go to Hannibal, MO.

We're both quilters ... and our excuse reason to go to Hannibal was to visit the highly-recommended Hickory Stick Quilt Shop.  They had a lot of beautiful fabrics and completed quilts on display. 

We both got some fabric for an upcoming Hearts n Hands quilt guild workshop although they didn't carry any of the notions that we needed for the workshop.  All in all, it was a productive trip.  But I still prefer the local quilt shops.

After we checked out the Hickory Stick, we strolled up and down Main Street; we checked out some small shops, including the Mark Twain Museum.   Before hitting the road to return back to our neck of the woods, we stopped for lunch at Breadeaux Pizza.

Since we "struck out" on the quilting notions, we decided to stop at the local Jackman's on our way back home; it was a little out of the way, but we found everything we needed and saved 10% thanks to our quilt guild membership.  I found more of the water-soluble marking pens that work well on the quilt I'm currently quilting, so since I was saving 10%, I decided to stock up.  Unfortunately, DH told me that Wal-Mart carries those pens for half the price I paid at Jackman's.  :-(  However, Wal-Mart is out of them; so I asked DH just how much am I really saving if the item I want isn't in stock?  ha!

I had just enough time, after getting home, to go for a walk with the dogs and start dinner.  Our TNT guild meets tonight, and I'm going to take T#3's big boy quilt to "show and tell".  It's going to be a long day ... but it's always a good day when it's spent with a friend.  ;-)  And we're already planning a future quilt shop road trip.  ;-)

You and Your Spouse - Day One

One of the benefits of memes is that when I click on the links of the others who are participating in the meme, I get to discover a lot of new blogs ... AND get some great ideas and discover new memes for when I am running dry in the idea department!  ha!

Since I didn't have a clue what to post today and since this sounds like a fun meme,I'm going to join in with Kim's meme:  You and Your Significant Other.  Today's topic is:

Day 1
How did you and your significant other meet?
How did you know he was the one? 

DH & I were co-workers at a company where I started my accounting career (right out of college -- but I was a non-traditional student ... I had just turned 30 and was a single mom).  Well, we were sort of co-workers.  I was the accounting manager at an auto dealership, and he was the accounting manager for the parent company and several other subsidiaries; my office was in town, and his was in a small town about 10 miles north.  So, we spent a fair amount of time on the phone, discussing work matters and occasionally he'd stop by our office to pick up/drop off paperwork, forms, etc.

I was definitely NOT interested in him ... he was definitely NOT my type -- AT. ALL.  Some of my co-workers would tease about hooking us up, but I was adamant that he was NOT my type.  But God had other ideas.  ha!  It turns out that DH is a big Cardinals fan (as am I), so when he would call on work-related matters, we'd always manage to chat about the Cardinals.  After a year or two of that, I realized that even though I still insisted that he wasn't my type, I could acknowledge that he was a nice guy (the kiss of death, right?).  Fast forward another couple of years to 1985, and our Cardinals were going to the playoffs; turns out DH had 1/4 share in 4 season tickets ... and back in the day, that meant a total of 8 playoff tickets for each home game, 2 of which were DH's.  So when a co-worker suggested to DH that he ought to take me to a playoff game, he asked if I'd like to go (I'd never been to a playoff game and had never dreamed that I'd EVER be able to go!).  I believe I said "yes" so fast that it would make your head spin!  (I remember telling a friend that I believed that I would have gone with Atilla the Hun if that was how I could get to a playoff game!).

This was most definitely NOT a date, although DH still insists that it was ... I covered the parking and bought my own hot dog & soda, for crying out loud!  It was NOT a date!  Especially since there were no other offers to go to a game or a movie or anything for another two years, although the phone calls became more frequent (I see it now, looking back in hindsight; since they always started with work-related discussions, I was clueless that there was anything behind our conversations other than business) ... until 1987 when he asked me to be his date at a Cardinals game in mid-August.  This time, he followed up with another date and another date and dropped the pretense of calling me for business-related purposes.

By the end of September, I knew that things were getting serious ... although we were both very cautious since we'd both been hurt - badly, very badly - in previous relationships.  It was about that time that I realized that if I were honest with myself, I'd have to admit that I loved him; I remember telling a friend that while we had never mentioned the future, I would say "yes" if he asked me to marry him. 

Wednesday's topic is going to be: How did he propose? Did you pick out your ring?  If you want to join in the fun, click on over to Kimberly's Korner and share!  I can't wait to read everyone else's love story.  ;-)

This weekend I ...

• enjoyed Captain Hog's BBQ Friday evening without having to take too long a break from quilting ... the fries weren't as crispy as normal, but they were still good (and I learned a trick to get them crispy again for next time!)  

• took my dad to watch T#1 and T#2 play soccer Saturday morning; T#1's team won their first game this season!
• prepared baked ziti to be taken to a young family from church who had a baby last week (doubled the recipe so that there would be some for us) 

• watched the Blues lose in a shoot-out to Dallas Saturday night :-(
• attended Sunday School and spent the worship hour in the baby nursery (filling in for a no-show - no problem because that gave me some snuggle time with T#4)
• got to spend Sunday afternoon with T#1 and T#2, who were both pretty crabby this afternoon :-(
• finalized plans for a Tuesday road trip to the quilt shop in Hannibal, MO with my friend/neighbor Lois

• enjoyed a caramel apple from Bobby's this evening

• watched plenty of playoff baseball

It was a fairly busy, but good, weekend ... with an even busier week ahead.  There were some alarm-clock wake-ups this weekend, and I'm running out of steam now ... hope y'all had a great weekend.

Saturday's Stuff

Today's post will be a bit of a mish-mash of unrelated thoughts.

I almost passed on yesterday's Flashback Friday.  Thanks, all, for the grace-filled comments to that post.  God used those comments to remind me that the past is past ... that the important thing is to learn from the mistakes of the past and to glorify Him in every circumstance.

Today T#1 and T#2 have soccer games - T#1's game starts at 11:00 and T#2's game starts at 11:30.  Hate it when they overlap like that ... and it's only going to get worse because T#3 says he wants to play next year.

Tomorrow, we'll have all four Ts here while mama & daddy go to a Rams game.  It'll be fun, even though T#3 and T#4 should be napping most all of the time that they're here.  Maybe I'll run to Target to find a nice board game that T#1, T#2 and I can play while the T#3 & T#4 nap.  

I'm making good progress on DSIL's quilt.  I have quilted 13 blocks and am halfway through the 14th; there are 72 blocks, so in 4 days of quilting, that's pretty good progress.  I'm pleased overall with how it's looking.  I hope to be able to get some quilting done today, since I doubt if I'll get any quilting done tomorrow.  ha!

Indian summer is definitely over.  It was a chilly 35 when I got up this morning; fall is definitely back.

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

Flashback Friday - Show Me the Money Edition

How was money handled in your family when you were growing up? Were your parents savers or spenders? What are examples of ways they saved or splurged? Who paid the bills? What, if anything, did they teach you about money? Did you have an allowance? Whether received as an allowance or through other means such as gifts, when you had your "own" money, were there restrictions on how you spent it? Were you paid for making certain grades on your report card? Did your parents tithe or give money to the church on a regular basis? What about other charities? How old were you when you got your first checking account or credit card? How has the way you were raised impacted your handling of financial issues today?

As I was growing up, my parents (like most everyone who grew up during the Great Depression) were savers, frugal almost to the point of being miserly (although nothing compared to their later years) ... so I thought we were poor.  Little did I know.  ha!  Money (particularly budgeting and living within our means) was never discussed when I was growing up ... as a result, I had to learn some valuable lessons about money the hard way and much later than I should have.  :-(  

I am not sure who paid the bills during my childhood; when I was an adult, my mom paid their bills, so I suspect that she did when I was growing.  Like I said, money was never discussed while I lived at home, and like most younger kids, I was oblivious to such adult things as bill paying.  I don't believe that my parents gave money to any charities, let alone the church; generosity wasn't often exhibited.  

I was 16 when I got my first job ... and that was when my mom declared that I needed to open a checking account.  I didn't get my first credit card until I was in my late 20's; back in the day, credit cards were rarely used and not nearly as widely available.

I wish I could say that how I was raised had a positive impact on how I handled money during my adult years, but unfortunately it didn't.  In fact, it probably had the opposite effect ... because I grew up having to do without or make do, I "overcompensated" as an adult.  Budgeting and living within my means were totally foreign concepts to me.  After all, if there wasn't quite enough money to pay for what I wanted/needed that month, there was always the credit card, right?  :-(  Thankfully, I never got myself into the kind of credit card trouble that plagues so many today; I had the one bank card with a fairly modest credit limit ... but still I never managed to get/keep the card paid off.  I don't even want to think about how much I've had to pay, over the years, in interest on credit card debt; I'm just thankful that the lesson was finally learned -- better late than never.

Odd one out and other musings

I'm feeling a little out of sorts in my spirit today ... I am feeling like I just don't "fit in" anywhere, particularly at church.  I'm in the seniors age group, but I just do not fit in with that group.  At the risk of stereotyping them, they are just too curmudgeonly for me to feel like I fit in.  Life is too short and God is too good to be so grumpy/negative so much of the time.  Obviously, I don't really fit in with the younger group, since I'm an empty nester/grandparent/retired.  I have plenty of acquaintances who I can call my friends, but my soul is yearning for a really good, deep friendship.  Maybe I'm spoiled because I had that kind of friend ... emphasis on "had".  For some reason, 5-6 years ago she ended the friendship (rather abruptly, I might add) ... and has kept the relationship at the casual acquaintance level since.  So since then, my soul has a large empty spot that I yearn to fill.  Has anyone else gone through a fairly extended season like this?  Any advice, encouragement or words of wisdom would be appreciated.  ;-)

Sorry to start this post in such a depressing manner ... time to get to something less depressing.  ;-)

My quilting of DSIL's quilt is coming along fairly nicely; it's going to take about twice as long to quilt it as I'd hoped because I've doubled the amount of quilting in each block.  But I think it looks better, so it's worth it.  I've got 4 blocks completely quilted and 2 blocks half done ... in 2 partial days.  That's not bad.  If I can maintain that pace, I'll have the blocks quilted in less than a month.  But I know that I am not going to be able to maintain that pace, so my goal is to have it done by Christmas.  That ought to be doable unless I go overboard on quilting the outer border (5 1/2" wide); I'd like to do some kind of feather-y cable pattern (note to self:  run to Jackman's to find a quilting stencil for the border) ... that kind of quilting will take a while to do.  But I'm going to try for Christmas ... we'll see how it goes.  Man, this quilt is HEAVY ... I'm a little concerned that the batting might be too heavy, resulting in too warm a quilt (from someone who's chronically COLD, that's an odd concept, since quilts can never be too warm in my world ha!).  But DSIL is Mr. Hot Box, so I don't want the quilt to be too warm.  I'm using Warm and Natural batting; the description says People in Hawaii and southern states love its versatility!  Heavy enough for cold winter's nights, but light enough to snuggle up with when there is a slight chill in the air.  so let's hope that the heaviness is just from the size (it's a queen-sized quilt with a LOT more excess backing and batting).

I need to run to JoAnn's in the next couple of days; I need to get some felt yardage ... hopefully they'll have some really heavy duty felt.  If not, maybe Hobby Lobby, which isn't that far from JoAnn's.  I've been "commissioned" to make T#3's Halloween costume ... a red M&M.  I want really heavy duty felt so we won't have to stuff the M&M ... so it'll keep its shape.  Jackman's isn't all that far from JoAnn's either, so I see a bit of a road trip in my future (note to self:  don't forget to ask for the quilt guild discount).  ;-)

Fall is back ... cooler temperatures.  No rain yet (we could use some).  I love, love, love this time of year.  Cooler temperatures and lovely colors ... what's not to love?
No, that's not my tree ... yet.  It's a red sunset maple, and we do have one in our back yard.  Ours was planted last year, so it's not that big yet (although it is showing a little of that beautiful color this fall).


DH has gone to a coin show in St. Charles (about an hour away) with John, next-door neighbor/friend.  It's kind of nice to have the house to myself.  Seeing the sunshine coming in through the dirty, dirty glass on our doors tells me that I ought to get up and go wash windows/doors.  I think I'll just go quilt instead.  ha!


Have a blessed day, y'all!

Totally Random Eleven

 

What?  Only eleven??? 

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)
No, it's actually "fox paw" -- LOL.  I have words I continually mispronounce, such as coupon (I pronounce it "cue-pon"; it should be "coo-pon" as my family gloatingly reminds me). 

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")
Hate them!  I'm a grammaticaster - with OCD - which requires me to spell out EVERY. SINGLE. WORD I type ... and agonize over misspellings, typos, punctuation errors and texting shortcuts (mine or anyone else's).

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.
Lucky for you (and for me) I no longer have a scanner (exchanged our printer/scanner/copier for a wireless printer; we got it for a mere song; of course, part of the reason it was so cheap was because it only prints).  Anywho, back to the question at hand, I cannot scan my high school picture, and your eyes will thank you.  I graduated in 1969, but because I grew up in a small, uber-conservative rural town in the Midwest, my picture featured the mile-high teased hair and semi "cat's eyes" glasses.  No hippies allowed in my home town! And back in the day, senior pictures were not the big deal that they are these days.  Pictures were taken each year of high school for inclusion in the yearbook; the senior pictures were no different, other than the seniors' pictures published in the yearbook were bigger than the freshmen's, sophomores', and juniors' pictures. 

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.
I never attended a high school homecoming.  Back in my day, homecoming was definitely NOT what it is now.  The emphasis was on the football game ... with the dance afterward not much more than an afterthought.  My high school years weren't the best 4 years of my life (they'll give a run for the money for the worst 4 years of my life, but that's another story), so I didn't attend homecoming.  And I attended college as a single mom on a commuter campus -- no homecoming, and even if there had been, I wouldn't have attended. 

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"
If you had asked me 5 years ago, I would have said "sunsets", but today my answer is "sunrises".  Is it possible that a former night owl can become a morning person??  I love that sunsets tease us with colorful skies ... and suddenly, the sun is up.  I love the newness and promise of another day that a sunrise heralds.  Here's a sunrise from my favorite location:  Hilton Head Island.  

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"
I'd like to take a cruise from Seattle to Alaska, visit Alaska, and return by train (dome car) through the Canadian Rockies.  I'd also like to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame.  And I've got quite a list of places I'd like to travel to (Cape Cod, coast of Maine, the Outer Banks to name a few).

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"
First, let me say that I do not believe in reincarnation.  But for the sake of playing along ;-), I'd like to come back as a dog.  For the most part, dogs are treated as well as, if not better, than humans.  (I'll spare y'all the soap box.)  Here's our Abby, napping on the couch.  She was just a pup at the time, but she still sleeps on the couch, with her head on a throw pillow. 

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.
Hmmmm, 10 years ago we had all survived the Y2K scare, and terrorists hadn't attacked the US.  At a personal level, I was still working (at the Foundation; I was desperate to leave there, totally unaware of how much uglier things would get ... before getting better again).  None of the Ts had been born, and all 4 parentals were still living.  We were still living on Grant Dr.  It was a good time, but now is so much better. 

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?
I don't think so - I certainly try not to.  However, if the discussion is with DH (and isn't contentious), I will when once again I'm proven right (as I always am LOL).

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"
Caramel apples!!!  Yummy!  I prefer the caramel apples from Bobby's Frozen Custard here ... hand dipped (twice) and rolled in chopped pecans (just say NO to peanuts on caramel apples!).  

12. From Linda's 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)
Now this is a stumper.  I even "cheated" to see what others had to say, but nothing "clicked".  I thought at the Ingalls family from Little House on the Prairie, but man, it was too hard back in the 1800's -- and no computers, no indoor plumbing, no Diet Coke.  Sorry - got nothing here.

As always, this is fun ... and if you'd like to join along, just click on the icon at the top of this post.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for Today - October 12

FOR TODAY ... Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Outside my window... the forecast rain is not anywhere in sight, in spite of the partly cloudy skies; I do hope we get that rain ... and plenty of it; we need it.

I am thinking... that I'd better get up and going; I don't want to fritter away my day.  DH & I both had sleepless nights Sunday evening, so we slept in this morning and are getting an awfully slow start to the day. 

I am thankful for... neighbors who have become friends. 

From the kitchen... breakfast dishes are in the sink, yesterday's & today's newspapers are on the island.   

I am wearing...my usual:  River Otter's T, pants, sweatshirt.

I am creating... a quilt for DSIL; I'm still working on it ... and will be for quite a while so don't expect much change in this topic ;-)

I am going... to the quilt guild meeting tonight with my friend/neighbor Lois.  I'm taking T#3's "big boy quilt" for "show and tell."  I need to get a good photo of that before I give it to T#3.  I don't have many pictures of the quilts that I've made ... and certainly none really "staged" to show them off.  :-(

I am hoping... that we get the rain that's in the forecast.   

I am hearing... bricklayers back to work on the house across the street and Toby (our golden retriever) panting as she lies on the floor at my feet

Around the house... laundry still needs to be done; I started a load yesterday, but I didn't even get it to the dryer.  <sigh>  I thought that with a first-floor laundry room just steps off the kitchen, I'd stay caught up on laundry -- after all, I'm only doing laundry for the two of us.  <sigh>  

One of my favorite things... open windows ... not only do we save $ on our electric & gas bills, but there's just nothing quite like fresh air gently blowing in. 

A few plans for the rest of the week/weekend… tonight is quilt guild meeting, tomorrow night is our Sunday School class's turn to prepare the meal for WWF, Friday is T#4's first birthday and Captain Hog's BBQ at the Gun Club

I think today's post is going to be a shorter one ... like I mentioned earlier, we got a late start to the day, the kitchen is a wreck, and I'd like to get started on the quilting of DSIL's quilt.   

The Simple Woman's Daybook For Today - October 11

FOR TODAY ... Monday, October 11, 2010

Outside my window... the sun is shining again, and it's going to get warm again; gosh, I sound like a broken record - but I can't complain.  I love this weather (although we definitely need some rain -- our yard and our newly-planted dog wood need it).

I am thinking... that I'd better get to JoAnn's in the next couple of days so I still have time to order 2 yds. of red felt if JoAnn's doesn't carry it (surely they do!!!!).  He wants to be a red M&M; I found instructions on how to make an M&M costume online - seems easy enough.  

I am thankful for... my sweet hubby; it's too easy to focus on the little negatives but to be honest, there are waaaaaaaaaaay more positives that I need to focus on.  Besides, it's not like I'm not without my flaws - after all, I'm still a work-in-progress.  LOL

From the kitchen... breakfast dishes are in the sink.  I may be a morning person, what with getting up earlier than I would have imagined pre-retirement and with enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning hours, but that doesn't mean that I get moving very quickly.  It takes me a good couple of hours to get dressed and get busy. 

I am wearing...my usual:  River Otter's T, pants, sweatshirt; I'm trying to determine if I ought to wear shorts or long pants today; I guess I'll go with the pants since it's liable to be on the chilly side in the church building this evening

I am creating... a quilt for DSIL; I'm still working on it ... and will be for quite a while so don't expect much change in this topic ;-)

I am going... talk to my friend/neighbor Lois about a road trip to the quilt shop in Hannibal, MO

I am hoping... to fix my cutting error on border #1 on DSIL's quilt, add the outer border and start basting.  We'll have to go to the church building where I can grab an empty classroom, push together enough tables to create a large enough working area where I can lay out my backing, my batting and my quilt top to baste the layers together.  As much as I want to get the quilt ready to start quilting *NOW*, I'm going to wait to do that this evening as I don't want to miss the Blues game (on TV) this afternoon.

I am hearing... bricklayers and roofers working on the house across the street

Around the house...the clothes hamper is starting to overflow - I need to do laundry (but first, I might need to fold the laundry that's overflowing in the clothes basket in the laundry room).  I don't mind doing the laundry - it's finishing the job that seems to be the problem.  :-o

One of my favorite things... caramel apples.  I'll definitely stop at Bobby's on my way home from basting my quilt to get one.

A few plans for the rest of the week/weekend… tomorrow night is quilt guild, Wednesday night is our Sunday School class's turn to prepare the meal for WWF, Friday is T#4's first birthday and Captain Hog's BBQ at the Gun Club

I can't begin to describe just how much contentment I've been feeling the last several weeks; when I stop to soak it all in, I'm just about moved to tears.  God is so good ... I pray that I never take Him or His blessings for granted. 

This weekend I ...

• got a lot of work done on DSIL's quilt, including cutting the first border from 3 1/2" to 1" - AFTER the wider border was already sewn on (I'm not going to mention that I cut it too narrow on the first 12-15" I cut  :-o )
• watched the baseball playoffs
• got to spend a good chunk of time with the Ts, including a trip to the GC Fire Station's open house (good times for T#3 who loves fire trucks and ambliances aka ambulances)

 

• watched the Blues win their season opener (yay! it's hockey season!)

• worked in the baby nursery at church - during Sunday School AND during worship (got some T#4 snuggles)
• noticed the the leaves are starting to turn - even in our yard!

• enjoyed our gorgeous weather

It was a wonderful weekend ... doesn't get much better than this.  Thankfully, I don't lament the end of a good weekend ... every day is the weekend now that I'm retired.

Hopefully your weekend was just as wonderful ... and if you'd like to play along, just click on the image at the top of this post.

The Simple Woman's Daybook For Today - October 10

FOR TODAY ... Sunday, October 10, 2010

Today is 10-10-10, something that won't happen again in 100 years.  Here's what's going on in my world today. 

Outside my window... the sun is shining, and it's getting warm; yep, we're in the middle of Indian summer

I am thinking... how happy I am to be at home this afternoon, with nothing much to do except whatever I would like to do ... yes, I do believe I could easily become a hermit (except for needing a T's fix LOL)

I am thankful for... the opportunity to help DD with the T's yesterday (even if they wore me out!)

From the kitchen... Sunday paper & laptops on the counter, breakfast & lunch dishes in the sink - gotta tackle this kitchen before I go work on that quilt!

I am wearing... Disney T, shorts and flip flops (told you - we're in the middle of Indian summer!! LOL)

I am creating... a quilt for DSIL; I'm still working on it ... and will be for quite a while so don't expect much change in this topic ;-)

I am going... to add the borders to DSIL's quilt today so I can baste it tomorrow so I can start quilting!  I have to admit that I am a little apprehensive about the borders, as I've only done a border once ... and didn't do it the right way.  :-o 

I am hoping... that we were able to get Abby's (our black Lab) antibiotics started soon enough so we won't have to have any more surprises in the doggy beds; TMI?

I am hearing... Toby (our golden) getting a drink of water and the neighbor's windmill turning with the breeze (where's my can of WD40? LOL)

Around the house... windows are all open and a nice breeze is blowing in

One of my favorite things... windows open and breeze blowing in (no $$ to SW Electric and lots of fresh air!)

A few plans for the rest of the week/weekend… working on the borders on DSIL's quilt, the 4:00 family conference call this afternoon, more baseball playoffs, getting caught up on laundry ... that ought to be enough for one day!  Gotta pace myself, dontcha know?

The Simple Woman's Daybook For Today - October 9

FOR TODAY ... Saturday, October 9, 2010

Outside my window... the sun is finally up and it's pretty chilly now -- but it's going to get up to the upper 80's this afternoon; yep, this is definitely Indian summer

I am thinking... how much I like mornings; is it possible to go from being a night owl to a morning person? 

I am thankful for... an end to all the projects around the house (although I've got a couple up my sleeve - thankfully, they don't require too much manual labor)

From the kitchen... dishes ready to come out of the dishwasher

I am wearing... sweats and another sweatshirt over the top

I am creating... a quilt for DSIL; I'm still working on it ... and will be for quite a while so don't expect much change in this topic ;-)

I am going... to have the T's here in a couple of hours  YAY!!!!!  A couple of months ago, DD asked me to hold this day to watch the kiddos while she attended a shower.  Thanks to my full-blown case of CRA (Can't Remember Anything), I forgot all about it - of course; thankfully our lives are so boring that we had nothing on our schedules for this weekend, so it looks like I remembered all long.  Good save, Nana! 

I am hoping... to be able to get all the blocks pieced together on DSIL's quilt today

I am hearing... the dogs having breakfast and DH unloading the dishwasher (yeah, he's a keeper) - should I change my response to "From the kitchen"? 

Around the house... sewing area baby-proofed, since T#4 is walking now

One of my favorite things... having the T's here, hanging with DD & the T's, working on a quilt, watching hockey (ok, ok - I know that's more than one, it's my blog and if I want to bend the rules, I will - I'm SUCH a rebel - NOT! LOL)

A few plans for the rest of the week/weekend… I mentioned yesterday that I wasn't crazy enough to think that my free schedule for the weekend would stay that way (see "I am going").  LOL  

So far there nothing planned for the rest of the weekend (but stay tuned, it could change) - other than hockey on TV tonight (can't wait to watch it in hi-def) and working on the quilt (I'd like to get it basted and ready to quilt on Monday -- hey, it could happen!  LOL).

Yesterday was just the lazy day I had hoped for ... after 14 hours over 2 days spent staining that deck; that was a lot more work/time than I thought it would be.  Silly me - I thought we could get it done in one day if we put our minds to it.  Maybe if we were 30 years younger.  But since we're not (thankfully), I have already told DH that next time, we're hiring the job out!  The only thing I did yesterday was work on DSIL's quilt ... but that was too much fun to count as work. 

Flashback Friday - Puzzles and Games Edition

Did you play many games when you were growing up? What were they? (Include outside games as well as board & card games.) Who did you generally play with? Did your entire family play games or just the kids? Were there any traditional games your family always played? What were your favorites? Are they still around today? What about puzzles? Was that a popular pastime at your house? Were puzzles saved for holidays or did you do them any time? Were they set out for anyone to work or just one person?

Growing up, my family always played games, particularly board games.  

We loved playing Scrabble; we still laugh about my youngest sister who didn't recognize "door" when it was played.  She pronounced it "do-er" and contested it; we still laugh about it.

We also enjoyed Boggle, too.  One of my fondest memories of my mom was when she'd say "new perspective" and turn the letter rack 90 degrees; it was amazing how many more words we could find by getting a "new perspective" on the letters.  

Yahtzee was another favorite; I remember my mom & dad laying a blanket on the table and putting a kleenex in the bottom of the cup to muffle the sounds so they could play after we kids went to bed.

We also played a lot of ping pong.  I have lots of memories ... of our dogs trying to retrieve the balls, of taunts of "belly on the table!" when someone was standing too close to the table to connect with a particularly hard-hit shot, of trying to finagle our much-used (read: decrepit) table so it wouldn't fall apart mid-game.

It wasn't until after all three of us girls grew up and moved out that we began to play Rook; we still play it to this day.  I remember that my mom rarely ever bid ... unless she had all the 14's and 10's and about 8-9 of one color that she would name as trump; any time she bid, we'd all know that she had a stellar hand!   

We worked a lot of jigsaw puzzles.  My mom would always tap a piece that she placed and murmur "mmm hmmm" ... naturally we all picked up on that, and I still find myself doing it today.  I remember my youngest sister always taking a piece and slipping it into her pocket so she would have the "honor" of placing the last piece.  Our family's love of puzzles has been passed down to T#3; I've always had wooden puzzles for the T's to play with, and T#3 is the only one who's really been into puzzles.  DH & I enjoy puzzles; we've started a tradition of buying a puzzle as a memento of our trips.  

I'm glad that DD has a cabinet full of various board and card games for the T's.  While the Wii is their game of choice, I'm glad that she has some fun, traditional games for their family; I'd hate to see games (and memories) like these become a thing of the past.

What a fun Flashback Friday this has been!  If you want to play along, just click on the image at the top of the post.