Friday, July 31, 2015

Hook me up...

Getting ready for some fun days to finish up an Afghan I started a bit ago. This is a favorite of mine. I made a small one for a dear friend's baby granddaughter. This one is MINE...  I fell for it when I saw it on a blog, Hopscotch Lane. 

Don't you love the colors? It's inspired by the very popular and charming English designer Kath Kidston. My heart just jumped when I spied it because it just screamed my sweet grandmothers names. Both of them crocheted. Both loved color. My little gramma, Mom's mother, loved pink, green, and reds. She had pink KITCHEN with pink enamel cabinets and a deep red linoleum... It was awesome. The colors make me think of summer bounty and Ma, my other grandmother... Sunflower yellow, pansy pink, vegetable mater reds and corn stalk greens, sky blue haze. But then again it's very *gingerbread house* friendly for Christmas... Very *conversation hearts* for Valentine's... And Easter... Well, yes.  A bunny could live in this world.

I learned to crochet at a very young age and have done quite a bit as a young person. It surprised me that I'd stopped about twenty years ago. When I feel stressed, it's just the very best therapy. Needless to say, I dragged it out a few days ago since the past few have been rather off kilter... How dependent we have become on our air conditioners.

Tomorrow is August 1st.. Today is the last blue moon until 2018. Bevier Homecoming is next week. My car will start but won't run without my foot on the gas...  I'm convincing Mom finally to let me convert the dining room to my bedroom because I'm never going back downstairs again. Or I might capture my dad's room except it's so far in the other end of the house... My nocturnal lifestyle might clash with my mama's up before dawn thing... Dunno...

I have one afghan nearly finished in blues and greens. I ordered some stylecraft yarn from England for a Tuscan one... Lots of happy hooking ahead.

Have a great weekend.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Color My World

A few days of true summer, and per the usual, no air conditioner. My son rescued us with window units, but my little room is warm, no window units but a nice fan.

I hope they locate and install a new mother board, whatever that is..and it would be neat if that didn't cost a fortune.

In the meantime, I'm soaking up the colors of my tree from Santa's Workshop.. The changes in my spirit can echo the color, or I might switch it to correspond to me... Either way,I love the way the room changes, based on the light...

Sunday, July 19, 2015

The Ark

It has been raining almost like 40 days and 40 nights. My cookout for today has had to change its plans to a cook in.

So one quick phone call to one of my really good friends netted me a whole bunch of ideas for ways to make our steaks just as juicy and wonderful inside as they would have been if we could have "Bobby Flayed" them on the grill.

That's the magical part about friends... they always seem to have a good idea to push you forward or just something wonderful to make your life feel just a little more tolerable. Reading your blogs also does that.  This has been an unusual week in blogland. I just want to give a little shout out to all my blog sisters. I honestly can't imagine not knowing you gals.... and yet we've never really met.

Thank you for all your posts.. all the times you look around and think, "What can I write about today ?"---"Oh, this looks like fun. I'll share it.." You never know how much your flowers, your  pretty arrangements,  your table full of goodness means to someone else. Thank you, thank you.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Being Wrong. Being Honest. Being Myself.

I'm told by dear Tessa (Here There be Musing, on my side bar) that our blogs are our blogs. That we can write in them as we see fit. We can decorate them for the holidays in the middle of summer. We have the right to be ourselves here, if not everywhere. I hope that is true because I have some honesty afoot in this post.

I'll start with the fact that I have been watching movies. Good, sometimes heart wrenching movies. I was wrong. I cannot boycott and avoid all sad movies because then I do not get to see some of the best films Hollywood has to offer. Somehow the pain I felt when my friends passed away so long ago, when my grandmother died, and then when my father left this earth... that pain was so excruciating that I decided to avoid all avoidable pain I could. I still do not advocate some of the rank and file sad movies that are created solely to be maudlin. However, I've been enjoying a few really good ones that bring a tear. I was wrong. To be honest, I didn't shed too many. I loved the First and Second installments of the Very Best Exotic Marigold Hotels. There was a joy amidst just a reality bit of sorrow there, and it caused me to suddenly remember the great truths that tell us we cannot have one without the other. If I isolate myself from all sadness, I do not think I'm able to enjoy the happiness. Certainly that old dead feeling I've had for years isn't either one. It shocks me to realize I have developed a certain acquired and pretentious apathy. That certainly isn't the real me.

But the reality is for certain tonight as I rented Woman in Gold. What a classic. Helen Mirren is a treasure, and the whole movie is truly good. I did cry, but I didn't crumble into mists of sadness never to return as I feared. Anyway. Life is like that. Ours so far here in America has never called us to deal with the atrocities like the Holocaust. However, we have all faced personal sadness, loss, unfairness, and fear.



So, watch that movie. It's so worth it all. There. Not a politically correct statement because if you hate it, then you will have to hunt me down and beat me senseless because I steered you wrong. Silliness.




Finally. I have purchased something I didn't ever really want to buy. It sits in the shadows tonight, a gleaming monstrosity of truth right smack in the middle of my bedroom, no my dining room where I sleep. You see, for the past twelve years I have lived most of my life from an office chair. I roll around on it, tearing up the linoleums and hauling, cleaning, cooking, taking care of mother. I didn't have to admit my handicap as much when I had my life safe in office chairs. I'd been a teacher for 37 years, so I've done my time in office chairs anyway. I just simply can't seem to get ahead of the arthritis. Not that I've truly tried except for glorified Ibuprofen. I've tried to blog about other interpretations of my life, resplendent with the parts of the whole that seemed to make me whole myself. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

Finally, I bought it. Amazon. Good old Amazon. A big old burgundy rollator walker with a seat so that I can go places that don't readily have a seat. It's not ideal. The seat is too tall. The wheels are wild and crazy. It ain't sexy. It ain't Miss Carefree run through the wildflowers. Even though I don't do sexy or run through wildflowers, my spirit did. My spirit is having trouble with this.  It's just not "ME." ... or the me I believe myself to be. But I have it. My plan is to gradually get accustomed to it so it doesn't seem so loudy and gawdy...  That happened with the cane I use...  I don't feel even remotely 61. My mind takes me places I visit in my dreams, and I avoid things I don't like. I plan to continue that method of living in my happy place. Only I do plan to watch better movies now and then. Still no children dying, no dogs or pets...  No old sad people like in The Notebook... And no dying beauties with one last love like Autumn in New York... And I still don't think I'll watch Titanic. I never have. You see, I hope I'm not giving anything away, but THE BOAT SINKS.



It's 3:30 a.m., so it's time to get some sleep. Tomorrow, Katie Scarlett, is another day in Tara. I do declare, that awful riding whip has ruined my hands when I forgot to wear my gloves.




Whimsy and Hugs!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Negotiations

Well it is the hot season. Temperatures rise, the heat index is high, and the air conditioner runs all day.

So it is a very good time for negotiating something very important with my mother. I'm negotiating the first day that she can tolerate it for me to put up autumn decorations. So far I've got her to September first, but I'm gunning for August 20th. Ha.ha

Meanwhile I took a little trip through Macon Lake... just to see the pretty summer skies...

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

I Used to Think. ..

When I was a teenager, I always thought that I would never ever ever ever get old. I thought that I would stay in sync with all the new trends , and I would love the new music, and I would never become that crazy older lady that just fusses about stuff. And for the most part whether I have agreed with things or not, I have just remembered that vow and kept my mouth shut.

But when I saw these for sale in the swap shop on my local Facebook page, I just had to laugh , and my age just had to come out, and I just had to wonder what in the world "What in the name of all that is holy has this world come to?"

Read the description..... just took the tags off..... never worn..... what in the world would my grandmother have thought? Oh, my gosh... I guess I'd better laugh because it's silly to cry over pants like these.

Have a good day.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Independence Day

Just waiting on evening so we can drive to Moberly and watch the big fireworks display over the Lake. My mom is going, too! And my son. Yay! Think we might do a little picnic from a drive- through in the car if that works for everyone. It has been a super slow holiday with little happening here. I keep thinking I should be making a traditional Watermelon basket, preparing the side dishes and getting an eye on the charcoal. It's just that kind of preparation that used to be my mainstay on this holiday. I love, love, love holidays. It seems such a shock to do something mundane on the day. I thought my son was going to help me clean, but I hadn't asked him when he announced he was in a clean mode at his house. Far be it from me to stop any of that going on! haha..  My clutter has been there since Valentine's Day when the plumblers dragged out a lot of boxes to get to a leak. I think it can wait. It's in my old downstairs bedroom that I no longer use. Most people come in the new ramp and don't use that door any more, so...  another week or two until it gets "presentable." I hope.

I used my Martha Stewart glitter to accent these prints of antique postcards. I am a glitter fanatic. Truly.


A friend of ours gave us this Jim Shore Lady Liberty Angel. She is a fierce one. I love the way she protects her freedoms. Think I should leave her out right now because ... Well, I'll let you guys fill in that blank for yourselves. I'm never one to force my politics. And maybe that's what's wrong with things. We all are so insipid timid sweet about it.  Dunno.


Dining room is Independence Central right now. It's so much fun to decorate the table and the little sideboard table. Everyone pretty much comes in here because it is on the way to the Powder Room!  HAHA..


I had every intention of leaving the Fourth decorations in their tub this year. It got later and later, and I was just treading water and trying to clean up the little messes everywhere. Suddenly I just couldn't do it. They were so darn loud in the closet. They hollered stuff like, "Why did you collect us, anyway? We are tired of this box. Play us or Trade us." Silly holiday stuff like that. So the other day I decided to just tuck them around. It didn't take all that long. Why I resisted until the 2nd of July? That's Ms. Procrastination for you.


I made the sparkly card, and the little bracelet is a genuine wooden treasure bought for me by my son years and years ago at the Dollar Store. I wear it at least once a year, and it still has the original elastic. Not too bad, I'd say. The cobalt bauble is new, but I know my daddy would adore it. Tucked inside the cream pitcher is a full moon chart. We have two listed for July. This little chart was a small token at a visitation of a dear friend of mine, a fellow moon lover. My Nellie.


The "snow" globe is for my daddy years ago. I love the way it picks up the reflections of the patriotic tablecloth. It has long been a dream of mine to see the Statue of Liberty. I have such a love for the way she graces the harbor.


This little Miss Liberty was lovingly stitched for me by my sister/cousin. I love the way she sparkles in this primitive redwork. She sits today on our dining room table in the midst of the celebrations.
Let Freedom Ring, she sings.


Happy Fourth of July!


My gramma made the bicentennial quilt in the basket for my mom in 1976.


Happy little Jim Shore Mickey Mouses * Mice?* celebrate on our mantel. My good friend gives Jim Shore goodies to my mother, who adores his work.




Let Freedom Ring!

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Christmas in July

Today was Christmas in July on QVC.  Mom and I really look forward to seeing one particular seller, Valerie Parr Hill. We like Angel Smedley of Quacker Factory, too. I swore I wouldn't ever get wrapped up with anything like that, but when one never EVER gets out to go shopping, it is fun to have it brought before our very eyes. Valerie sells beautiful items.



I decided to really bring on the Christmas today, so Mom woke up to our holiday china setting the table and a centerpiece of a Snowman. It was fun to see her reaction and it set the pace for a fun day of "window shopping." We didn't buy very much at all, which is always good.


Watching my own special window tonight as we are again in a Tornado Watch zone and a severe storm warning area. What a summer. Have a nice week. Hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July where you are.





Whimsy and Hugs!