Are ya keepin' warm?

It was a bit warmer today .... still cold & glad that I could stay inside once I got the chores done. I keep a bird feeder in a tree out back & I know birds are eating it as I do have to refill from time to time but I don't usually see the birds! Today....I noticed there were all kinds out there! Apparently they are camera shy but I did manage to get this one. So pretty! That's the most color I've seen around my yard for some time now....well, besides my chickens!
So what's goin' on in your world this week?

Baby it's cold outside.....

We are under a winter weather advisory. We got a bit of snow over the weekend but nothin' major, but they are calling for a nice wintery mix tonight! John came in yesterday afternoon so I ran my errands today after taking him back to the truck. I am looking forward to being able to stay in for a couple days now! I've been stitchin' up a storm....I have several little stitcheries I plan to finish into something tomorrow. Until then, maybe I'll stitch up another little somethin' while I'm watchin' on tv this evening.

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Remember Boots? He was so small when he was brought here....well, here he is now! This was taken umm...yesterday morning. Well this morning, Briar was on his way out for school when he glanced down at the pond below the house & there was Boots...sprawled out on the ice! He was fine! Just couldn't get off the ice! Briar took care of him though and got him off safely! Thank goodness the ice was so thick where he was at & he wasn't out there too far...poor lil' guy! He's doing just fine now! He's sure become my buddy & I've never been a horse person....I enjoy watchin' them but I've not been on one in over 20 years!

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Well, I'm off to do a little bit of readin' then I think it's hot tea time...I bought some wonderful vanilla bean tea a few weeks ago...Mmm...just the thing for an evening such as this!

Have a wonderful evening...stay warm!

He asked...she said yes!

This is our oldest, Ely & his g'friend Liz...I can now call her his fiance' & our future daughter-in-law! He got her a promise ring Christmas of 2007 after dating for just over a year. Well, he proposed last night & she said yes. They have yet to set a date & get a ring but they are engaged!

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Wow... I got kinda lengthy there yesterday, huh?! How's your weekend been? After spending two days working at home...which felt wonderful by the way, I finally had to go to town today for errands that just couldn't wait...my chickens thank me since chicken feed was at the top of the list!

I rented movies again this weekend so will spend much time curled up next to the fire & stitchin'!

Oh and by the way...

Shanda...your apron is on the way!

Blondie...still waiting to hear from you! I need your mailing info to send you yours!! Just drop me an email jehess4@sbcglobal.net

Have a warm & wonderful weekend!

Look what I found...

Once again, while digging thru things trying to find one thing, I've come across something else that I had forgotten about. Not an unfinished project but some old newspaper clipping from back in the day....like ranging from 1934-1936. These are from the Kansas City Star newspaper....I don't remember where I got them. When I had my shop, I had such a range of things I had several people bring things to me they didn't have a use for & thought I might. Well these were definitely keepers!

Oh but what to do with them. I've had these for years...just kept in a folder tucked away. I would like to put them together in a way to be able to take them out and look at them without the risk of further damage. Can you tell what patterns are there? Let's see...

Kansas Trouble..."originated in Civil War days..from the troubled days of early Kansas history, when a pioneer woman pieced this block & sent it to her New England home."

Old-Fashioned String Quilt..."may be made on the sewing machine if desired or by hand. It utilizes long scraps & may be made of silk, wool, or cotton. Contributed by quilt fan Irene Neff, Pomona, MO"

Jacob's Ladder pattern..."gift from Miss Evelyn Baster, a quilt fan"

Lover's Lane..."sent to the Star by Mrs. Ida M. Kuhlman, Concordia, MO"

This is the kind of stuff that used to help fill the pages of our newpapers. Now there are tons of magazines to choose from to buy basically the same patterns much of the time....giving an old pattern a new twist &/or a new name.

These are two Friendship Quilt patterns also in the mix...as well as a page from an old Farm Journal....remember that magazine? I remember my folks getting that magazine...but by then they'd moved on to a recipe page. I couldn't find a date anywhere on that one.

Speaking of Friendship Quilts....as stated on one of the clippings,"This type of name quilt is made wherever quilters gather. This quilt has a center space for names. Every pieced quilt should have a date embroidered on it" .

My mil gave me the above pictured quilt. It was made by the West Point Sewing Club, which included her mother & other family members. One quilter included the year '1942' with her signature.

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It's been a great...productive week for me! I'm on my second day of staying home!! Wednesday, I had a "gurl day" with my sil, Sheila and 4 yr old niece we call "Miz B". We stopped for lunch at a nearby restraunt. There wasn't but a couple other people in there & a couple fella's walk in. One asks if they accept charge cards. yes, says the waitress so he says he's buyin' lunch! So, jokingly, Sheila & I were like "yea!!...he's buyin' lunch for everybody!"...so that brought on a little exchange of words...all in fun! We're sitting there eating our lunch when the waitress brings over a piece of chocolate cream pie for B. It's from the credit card guy at the next table! LOL...So we finish our lunch and go to pay but the waitress tells us our lunch was paid for by CC guy! WHAT?!! Get out!!! Sure enough...of course they were long gone so we couldn't thank him. What a guy!

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I spent later that afternoon working away in my sewing room. I'd found a crow pattern I'd long been looking for! So I sewed up a couple of them & some cats! I spent the evening stuffing!

Yesterday, I finished ALL of them up!! YEA! That's what can happen when motivation and time strike at the same time!!

I need to go rummaging and find a few more things to tuck in their pockets! This was a pattern by TN Ridge Primitives.

I don't recall the designer of this crow, but her was a featured free pattern in an older Country Marketplace. While her recommened base was an old bobbin, I put these on a vine broom & tagged him with "hearthside gatherings".

They will all find their way to the mercantile but probably not til next week so until then I hope to stay in this creative mode & get lots more done! I get to stay in again today....since I let the fireplace go out night before last since it was to be SO warm yesterday, I'll be getting that started back up so I can stitch by the fire! I love that fireplace...pain that it is...all the work involved...I don't have to do the cuttin' and choppin' of wood but I do pack it in and keep the fire going. It's a much warmer heat than gas...not to mention cheaper!

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I'm going to work on some stitchery today & baby sister is coming for dinner & a movie tonight!

Have a GREAT day!!

And the winner is....

....or should I say, the winners are......

Blondie and Shanda!

So girls...email me ( jehess4@sbcglobal.net ) your mailing info and I'll pop these little babies into an evelope and send them out to you by weeks end! The green ones I had started are done!! I hope you like!!

I also had two brown towels and if you saw the pic, I'd gotten a piece of coffee fabric to go with. I think I've decided to just let them go. I'll give the towels to my sister who's got a chocolate theme in her kitchen and I'll use the fabric in another project. Something quilted maybe?

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I also want to let you all know that Erik will be going home tomorrow!! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!

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I hope you're having a great day!

Meet Erik..Weekend Ramblin'... What's a girl to do?

I want to thank you all for your prayers and concern for our nephew, Erik, who is at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. You know, common sense tells you that it would be a big hospital, but I'm here to tell ya...that is one big hospital! They're sure takin' care of our boy! We went to St.L on Friday evening when Briar and his g'friend Calli got out of school, grabbed a room then went to see him on Saturday. He seemed to be having a good day. They'll be running another test on him Tuesday and if the numbers are good, he may get to come home this week!
Continued prayers....they will be moving to St.Louis as the time for a transplant gets closer.
This hospital has a hotel, Applebees, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, McD's & DQ either in the hospital or on it's campus. We walked all the way to the Starbucks only to find they're not open on a Saturday. WHAT?! Like we don't drink coffee on Saturday? So we walked to the Applebees for a late lunch! Can you tell I had not been to this hospital before? It's nice to know that there is a hotel right there so that when the time comes, we can book a room right there rather than possibly be across town.

We finally headed for home Saturday evening...stoppin' off of course at the Bass Pro and the Nike outlet store on the way!

I spent Sunday at home, cookin' & piddlin' a bit in my sewing room....the guys worked outside most of the day then we had friends over for supper.

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What's a girl to do?

When she's so overwhelmed with unfinished projects and a cupboard full of supplies that she can't just pick up one thing to work on? She goes shopping for more!! LOL

I had to take John to his truck so I took a different route home than what I normally do when he leaves the truck at that particular shop. I knew I had to hit a Wal Mart sometime today so I opted for the smaller town than to make my way to one of the three in the larger town. But anyways....

I stopped at WM and got the must-haves then went by a quilt shop. This shop is wonderful...in way of what they sell and how they put it together! I cannot even guess how many bolts of fabric this place has...it's almost overwhelming! If you don't want to over spend, you really need to go in there with a particular project in mind. I was going mostly because I hadn't been there for quite some time and I was really wanting to check out their punchneedle patterns...which, you will see in the photo that I found one plus a little quilt wall hanging pattern. I'm hoping that buying a new punch needle pattern will motivate me to try that new cameo needle!! I also grabbed a remnant bag of fabrics...didn't count how many are in there but there's alot! The little blobs there in the middle are balls of wool roving. Nope, I don't do needle felting, I thought this might inspire me to make a couple of dolls...this wool makes for some really neat doll hair!

While I enjoy looking at all the fabrics and patterns.....I'm always disappointed, so to speak, when I leave. You see, when you own &/or work in a place such as this, I think the way you communicate with the people who come in the door really matters. This particular store has an upstairs where the wool and punchin' patterns are, the gal working that dept was wonderful...making sure I was doing okay and we made idle chit chat....once back downstairs, not once was I ever asked if I was finding everything okay or if they could assist in anyway, not even a greeting...not when I came in...not while meandering...before deciding it was time to check out, the only thing one of the two said to me was, as I was checking out some fabrics in a basket on the counter..."those belong to other people"...or somesuch...like AH! DON'T TOUCH THAT!! Well excuse the *&^%% out of me! And you know, that might be the last I ever buy from that shop. This is not the first time I'd ever been there...I always buy something...I get the same treatment each time I go in there and I think I've had my fill...I'd rather give my business to a shop with a more friendly atmosphere.

Okay....enough on that! I was going to stop in to another little shop that sells a mix of everything...I usually find some little antique ditty's there...but they were closed! I passed up the scrapbooking store....I knew I'd only find more supplies there so I was a good girl and headed for home!

Hope you're havin' a great Monday!!

UFO's...(& a give-away)

Fireplace is kickin', in my jammies & robe early and I've settled down with a cup of hot tea. As much as I like my coffee, I do enjoy a nice cup of hot tea on some evenings.
I spent today cleaning out a couple closets. Not that I could throw out much of it, mostly rearranging/organizing from it all just getting tossed in there or taken out haphazzardly. The photos below are of UnFinished Objects! And some of them I didn't even start ...but grateful to have them!
These are handpieced quilt pieces...given to me by my Mom...someone had passed them on to her so she passed them to me! Hmm...don't even remember how long I've had them! They will make into a nice quilt one of these days! Lots of color...and no machine used in these...handstitched! I'm not a quilter so I think I'll need some guidance on making them into blocks.
This one is a quilt that my mil started several years ago...."it came with the house" is what I say about items she passed along to me while going thru things for the move. Everything is there to finish it except the batting...it looks simple enough and not much more to go!
This one my Mom started....and actually, I think I was just supposed to see how it would fit on my bed then send it back for her to finish but for some reason I still have it? I love patchwork!

These next two are of applique'd quilt blocks...a set for fall, a set for winter. These are from a swap with a group I used to be in! Hmm...like my new Christmas counted x-stitch patterns, if I start work on them now do you think I'll have them ready to display by fall?

And remember the aprons I told you about awhile back? Yep...here they are!

I won't even show you the cupboard I've not been thru yet that is sure to have a few nekked doll bodies in it! Or the unfinished dress I started for myself and the shirt cut out w/pattern pieces still pinned to it that I started for John. I don't know how many years it's been since I started either of them! Please tell me I'm not the only one who has this problem?!! And why do I/we let this happen?

Okay...I need some motivation to finish some of this stuff! Drop me a line...tell me about your ufo's and what you do for motivation to get them finished! I'll pop all the names who post a comment to this post in a hat and draw a name out for one of these aprons I'm GOING to get finished sometime over the next few days! Let's see....today is the 14th...I'll draw one week from today...on the 21st!

I did find some other treasures tucked away in those closets but I'll share them with you another day!

I hope you are having a GREAT week & keeping warm! It's supposed to get to -1 tonight! I just might curl up next to that fireplace to sleep tonight!

Good Night...C.

Saturday Ramblin's...

What a week it has been! After I made my last post on Wednesday, I received a call that they'd admitted my dad to the hospital for an irregular heartbeat. He'd been to a regular dr appt that morning and when the dr listened to his heart, he picked up on it. He told him that he couldn't make him go but he needed to be in the hospital. If not, he could suffer a heart attack or even a stroke. So once at the hospital, they hooked him up, ran some test...by Thursday afternoon, they were satisfied that the meds had got his heartbeat back in sync so they let him go home Thursday evening.

My sister went back to the doctor on Thursday as well. She is cancer free....no treatments of any kind! Praise God for He is Good! Next step is recontructive surgery.

Now, our nephew Erik has been sent to a hospital in St Louis to get him back on the lung transplant list. He's been in the hospital for over a month now & just when they think he's well enough to go home they'll run a test and show he's not. So they sent him to St. Louis last night. Continued thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.

About a month ago, I mentioned a cousin being in an auto accident...I talked with her sil yesterday, she's been home for awhile now.....walking on crutches but doing well.

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I hope you are having a nice weekend! I picked up a few movies for the weekend. I watched 'The Duchess' last night. It just infuriates me when they expect a wife to have a son...like she has control over that?! ARGH!!! And the way they will take in a mistress and make no secret of it! Oh I don't think so!

It's cloudy and there are snow flurries today, so I'm going to stay in near the fireplace & watch a couple more movies....AFTER I do a few chores & do some sewing room work....then....

I have so many things I could be working on while watching movies I don't know which one to work on...

Maybe drag my scrapbooking things out there to work on? I've GOT to get these photos into books before I completely lose track of them all! I did at least get them sorted into envelopes and labeled so I know what they are and what book to put them in! I have everything from old black & whites to bike trips taken last fall to our 2008 Christmas pics! I've slowly been getting our bikes, blues & bbq trip pics cropped and ready to scrap...

Maybe I'll bring out that new Cameo punch needle I got before Christmas that I've not had or taken the time to try out!! Or I could even work on a stitchery I started a year ago...why did I leave the most tedious part til last? And I have two new Christmas counted cross stitch patterns...maybe if I start them now I'll get them finished for Christmas 2009?
And there's always the baskets of y2k charm squishies that need put together....umm...that will wait for another day! Really...what's the rush anyways? I've only had them since 1999 & 2000! There are enough squares in each basket to make a 2000 piece quilt and then some! One basket is 2-1/2" & the other basket is 3" squares.

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Tomorrow is church...I played hookie last week so better get myself back there this week! It's our annual congregational meeting/luncheon then we'll be taking down the tree/greens as well.

I suppose I've spent enough time sittin' here at this thing this mornin'.....hope you all have a warm & wonderful day!

Grandma's Hands...

I've received this many times thru email but, just a few days ago, I received it with a photo attached that I was not able to save because of the file type, but what a NEAT idea. By the time I received it, it had already been forwarded many times so I don't know who the photo belonged to. Anyways, it was a photo of just hands.....five generations from 90 something to a young child. What neat scrapbook pages both of these writings would make with a photo of Grandma in her apron.....or a "hands" photo of the women/girls in your family!

Since I shared "Grandma's Apron" with you, I thought I'd share "Grandma's Hands" with you too!

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GRANDMA'S HANDS

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench.
She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.

When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the
longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her
at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and
looked at me and smiled. 'Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she
said in a clear, strong voice

'I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here
staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I
explained to her.

'Have you ever looked at your hands,' she asked. 'I mean really
looked at your hands?'

I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them
over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at
my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

'Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have
served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled
shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to
reach out and grab and embrace life.

'They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the
floor.

They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my
mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled
on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off
to war.

'They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were
uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated
with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone
special.

They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I
buried my parents and spouse.

'They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and
shook in fists of anger when I didn't understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the
rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried
and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works
real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to
fold in prayer.

'These hands are the mark of where I've been and the ruggedness of life.

But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out
and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to
His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of
Christ.'

I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God
reached out and took my grandma's hands and led her home..

When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my
children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and
caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my
face.
-- Author Unknown
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Take a moment and just look at your hands. Look at the hands of your Mother...your Grandmother.....

Will you ever look at them the same way again?

Grandma's Apron...

Good Morning! This is the last day of sleeping in and I have to wake up before 6! Ugh! Didn't have to, for some reason I just woke up! Tomorrow morning it's back to setting that alarm clock!
I'd posted this on my old blog but thought it was worth sharing again. I do not know the author...one of those little ditty's that get's posted or passed around on forums & emails.


Grandma's Apron
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, from pie dough, cake or biscuit flour, but along with that, it served well as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out children's dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying in eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished hatching in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.And when the weather was cold, our grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, while bent over the hot wood stove, preparing the next meal for her family.

No air conditioning then!Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen, wrapped in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of homegrown vegetables. After the peas and butter beans had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust off in a matter of seconds. Remarkable!

When supper was finished, Grandma always walked out onto the big porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields for supper time.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that big "ol'-time apron" that served so many purposes, and all of us so well.....

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Arpons have sure been the rage of late.....almost as much as handbags! This is a pic of a couple simple aprons I made awhile back...just made 'em for me to wear around here...nothin' fancy....made with handtowels and small pieces of fabric. I have the makin's for a few more...a couple started I do believe...one of these days I'll get 'em finished.

These are aprons made by g'ma's. The one on the left was made my John's g'ma Halterman and the one on the right was made by my g'ma Summers. I don't wear them...I either display them or keep them put away.

I remember my g'ma Prewitt always wearing an apron...it's was just part of her everyday dress. I wear them...especially if I have alot of cookin' / bakin' to do... I sometimes forget then end up with flour all down my front! I wonder whatever happened to all of g'mas aprons....I need to remember to ask my aunts.

So do you wear an apron? Do you make aprons? What's your favorite style of apron? There are so many styles...but I prefer the simpler aprons....much like a chef's...but it must have a pocket or two! Too handy...keeps kitchen shears close, cell phone, kleenex....you name it!

Hmm...maybe this post will inspire me to finish those aprons I have started!

Have a wonderful day!!

Wishing you many blessings in 2009!

I hope you had a fun and safe new years eve and day! It was a quiet one for us. Briar's girlfriend had all four of her wisdom teeth taken out on the 30th so they hung out her for most of the evening....John didn't get home til 9 and going out to pick him up was the extent of my going out!

New Year morning, the three of us went out for breakfast then picked up a few things at the store. The guys spent the day working on our pick up to get it back in wood haulin' order...and I guess that's how Briar plans to spend the day...back in the woods. I actually think he's missed that! We had some friends and family over for supper last night...we ate...visited...watched tv...we ate... Ely & Jayson picked the guitars...we ate...and played the gamewave! LOL That's a cross between the regular game systems and board games!

January 2nd...back to business today! I brought home a little homework and I need to run a couple errands today and finish up the laundry. I THINK that's my plan for the day.

Did you make any new year resolutions? I don't make them...it's like settin' myself up for failure. I just take each day as it comes and be thankful for it. The best I can do is set my goals for the day and what gets done gets done and what doesn't will be there for another day. I sometimes find out that what I thought was so important to make the list for one days wasn't so important after all.

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Well, before I could get that post finished and published, my time was interrupted so it was saved to come back to later in the day but as you can see, that didn't happen. Yesterday, once I got back from my errands, the notion hit to take down the tree and decorations. Whew! I didn't even get that done before we decided to go out for dinner. It ended up being a full evening and the rest had to wait til today. I'm still working but decided it was time for a break with a glass of iced tea!

Really nothin' much to talk about today. Just thought I'd finish what I started to post yesterday. Hope you all are off to a wonderful 2009!! Have a great weekend!