Weekend Wrap-Up

 

Ok, ok,  I know it’s Thursday … a little late for a weekend wrap-up.  After all, in just a few days, it’ll be time for another wrap-up.  But I posted our trip update on Tuesday and Hodgepodge on Wednesday … so that left Thursday for the weekend wrap-up. 

 

Our weekend started with our return from our trip to Florida.  It felt so good to be back home … even if that meant endless loads of laundry.  ha! 

 

Our Saturday was busy.  In the morning, DH and I went over to DD’s to check on her kitties and mow their grass.  T#1 gave me explicit instructions to send him a picture of his kitty so he’d know that she was ok … how could I refuse that heartfelt request?  It took a little doing as his kitty is a little skittish and would scurry off if I got too close. 

Mission accomplished!

 

My original plans were to spend the afternoon in the sewing room, but DH suggested we get over to the garden before the rains came in.

 

Alas, our garden didn’t fare too well during our absence. The teepees for our pole beans all fell over during the storms. Only half of our beans and zucchini came up, and none of our corn came up. We replanted corn and zucchini and put in our tomato plants. We plan to go back once the rains move out and replant our green beans.

Our zucchini

Our tomatoes (1 early girl, 2 yellow tomatoes, and 2 big boys)

Our green beans

 

I was able to spend a good chunk of Sunday in the sewing room, and by Monday I had finished the quilt top … or so I thought.

(that corner doesn’t look square … but trust me, it really is … and for some reason the colors in this photo are a little more intense than they are in real life … the colors in the other two pictures are more accurate)

As I was piecing the outer border, I noticed a “boo boo” in two of the corner blocks … see the green in the corner block right next to the green in the border (below)?  My first inclination was that I would just live with it, but after I was done and spending some time really looking at the quilt, I decided that I just wasn’t happy with that … and ripped out the corner blocks.  I’ll sew up four more corner blocks with colors that won’t “conflict” with the adjoining border … then prepare my quilt sandwich and get started on the hand quilting.   

 

It was a productive weekend … pretty close to perfect in my little world. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

 

Ahhhh, it feels so good to get back to Hodgepodging.  If you want to join in, just click on the button above.

 

1. What question do you often ask yourself?

What was it that I was looking for? 

2. Do you grow roses? What's your favorite color of rose?  Ever been given a dozen roses?  Where was the prettiest rose or rose garden you remember seeing?

I have some pink knockout roses along the west side of our house … I love them!  They are so easy – they just need a liberal “hair cut” in the late winter/early spring, and they provide beautiful flowers all summer long. 

My favorite color of rose is probably pink, although I do love the pretty peachy pink rose, too.  DH has sent a dozen roses … and while I love getting them, the frugal side of me thinks that the money could be put to better use.  I always enjoy seeing the rose garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens (and speaking of, I think it’s high time DH and I get over for to MoBot a visit).   

3. Do you read the freshness dates on grocery store products?  Will you use eggs past their 'use by' date?  Take medication that's expired? Buy a dented can?

I do check the dates on grocery store products.  I prefer to err on the side of caution and not use products after their “use by” or expiration dates.  Ditto on dented cans.

4. Should athletes be role models?

No.  While there are plenty of athletes who are worthy of being role models, unfortunately there are just way too many who are not.  In my perfect world, teachers and parents would be role models.

5. Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first explorers to reach the top of Mt. Everest on this date (May 29) back in 1953. What's something you hope to achieve in your lifetime?

I’d like to see my grandchildren grow up to become Godly men and women. 

6. What would you do if you had twenty acres of land and the money to develop it any way you choose?

I’d like to build a large multi-family house … with a separate living area for DD and her family and one for DH and me … with a large common area.  And since I’m dreaming, I might as well dream for a large pool out back and for this 20 acres to be beachfront as well. 

7. If I invite you to a party with a 7 PM start time, what time will I actually see you there?

7:02PM.  Early enough to be considered “on time” but not so early as to be the first one there. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve started the hand quilting on T#4’s quilt.  I could literallly feel my body relax as I picked up that needle and started running it through the quilt sandwich.  Ahhhhhhh

 

It Was the Trip of a Lifetime

 

DH and I left a day early, and our first stop of the trip was Paducah.  And no trip to Paducah is complete without a trip to Hancock’s of Paducah … a warehouse packed full of quilting fabrics and supplies. 

This is just a small portion of the fabrics available.  And of course, no trip to Hancock’s of Paducah would be complete without a purchase. 

 

After we finished up at Hancock’s, we drove down to see the Land Between the Lakes.  DH has been wanting to see Kentucky Lake and the dam, so I figured that if he could “endure” Hancock’s, I could surely “endure” the Land Between the Lakes.  And I have to admit that the Lake and the dam were pretty impressive (I’m not sure that DH could say the same thing about Hancock’s ).

 

We hit the road in earnest Friday morning and after an overnight stop south of Atlanta, we got to our house in Kissimmee Saturday afternoon. 

 

We spent the first 8 days in the Kissimmee/Orlando area, visiting Legoland and Disney.  Since I’m not a fan of park rides, Legoland didn’t hold much appeal, but I was especially enthralled with all the miniatures at Legoland’s Miniland.

Notice the visitor at the Jefferson Memorial

 

My primary job at Disney was watching T#4 while everyone else rode the roller coasters … no Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain for me!  Lest you think I did nothing but watch everyone else have fun, I did ride the kiddie rides (Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, etc.).   I also rode the Dumbo ride but have to confess that it pushed my park ride limits (fear of heights).  Ha! 

 

Seriously, I had a fabulous time watching the littles enjoy Disney … and I marveled at the Main Street Electrical Parade and the fireworks afterwards.  I also enjoyed our day at Epcot, especially our lunch which consisted of samples of each country’s cuisine.  

T#4 waving to the princesses

 

There was no better way to end our Disney days than with pool time; I certainly could get used to having a pool right out my back door. 

 

After our 8 days in Kissimmee/Orlando, we made our way to the beach.

 

We had a little time to kill before we could have access to our condo, so we drove up to Clearwater for lunch at Five Guys (my first time – but it won’t be my last).  We noticed this on their bulletin board – obviously we weren’t their first visitors from SW Illinois!

 

The next 4 days were spent on the beach.

Coral found on one of our walks along the beach

An early-morning runner carrying the Christian flag

T#4 wanted to get up close and personal with a heron (forgive the blurry photo)

The sand castle we all built the day before

(Don’t forget to click on the pictures for full-size views).

 

If I thought having a pool right outside the back door was fantastic, it paled in comparison to having the beach right outside the back door!  Absolutely FABULOUS!

 

We all packed up Thursday morning, after 14 days together (pure bliss!) … DD and her family heading off to Chattanooga to spend a few days with DSIL’s sister, DH and I heading back home.    As much as we enjoyed Legoland, Disney and the beach, the best part of the trip was the time spent with DD and her family   … and I’m really missing them.   

It’s good to be home

 

Look what greeted us on our return home yesterday.

 

Unfortunately our lilacs bloomed while we were gone, but thankfully the rest of our spring-blooming plants were kind enough to wait until we got home. 

 

I have a trip recap in the works, but it will be an abbreviated recap.  It was a very active trip, so I didn’t get a lot of pictures taken. 

 

We haven’t been out to our garden yet … I expect that we’ll drive by today after we go check on DD’s kitties. 

 

I hope to get back to the sewing room this afternoon … I’ve missed my time with needle and thread.

 

As we enjoy this Memorial Day weekend, let us never forget the sacrifices made for our freedom.

Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.  ~ Harry S Truman

 

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).