Angels

Angels are all around us. They are in the birds singing in the trees. They are in the flowers that bloom. They are in the beauty of the sky. Most of all, they are in our hearts. Our loved ones will always be with us in our hearts. Our memories of them cannot be taken away. I visited the cemetery the other day and left more glass stones as a memory of the visit. My parents' lot is near the Jewish section of the Bonaventure Cemetery, in Savannah. We have noticed that little pebbles are often left on the Jewish tombstones to represent visits. So, my brother and I have taken on that tradition. He leaves pebbles. I purchased colored glass stones to leave. So last week, I put pink stones to represent all of the girls and blue or green stones to represent all of the boys. At first, I only put enough for the children and grandchildren. Then, I thought that the daughter and son in laws should also be added. So, there is one there for everybody in the family! My parents loved us all so much, that it was only right to put a stone to represent everyone.  So far, the stones have remained on top of the tombstone. There have only been a few that slid off during a rainstorm. Luckily, they are right there on the ground and can be put right back in place!

The little angel that I have been cross stitching is almost finished. I have everything on there except for the halo. That will need to be placed on after the other angels are in place. That is because there is a lot of outlining that needs to be done, first. The wings are made out of a shiny piece of ribbon. Sewing that in was interesting, but I did it! Can you see the silver in the wings? They are made from a shiny ribbon. This project is slow going, but it is fun. There are two more angels that go in the picture, but they will have to wait a while to be stitched. I may go on to do some other things for a while. The head may look sideways. That is because the hair from the angel on the right will be right up next to this one. The wings will all be together, too.

It feels like rain today. I rode 6 miles on my bike Saturday morning. It was hot, and I got worn out. As the hotter weather approaches, riding times will need to be done either in the early morning or at night. I rode at 10 on Saturday, and it was already hot. One day last week, I saw what I think was a bluebird. At first, it looked like a robin. There are many robins out and about these days. It looked different, though. Later that day, I saw a friend post a picture of a bluebird. That made me think that maybe the bird I saw in the park was a bluebird. I have looked for it every day since then, but it has not reappeared. There are some blue jays out, now. They just showed up this week. The cardinals are always here. The robins started coming out about a week ago.  The mockingbirds are out, too.

My granddaughter, age 5, came over the other day and was awed by my cross stitch pictures. "You sewed that?!", she said.  "Can I help you with the angel?"  So, I showed her a little kit that I purchased a few years ago and told her that she could start that one. It is called, "My First Stitch", and it is a picture that says, "Cutie Pie". She was all excited, and we started right in on it.  She got SIX whole stitches done, before she and my daughter had to leave. She didn't want to stop! Hopefully, she and my other granddaughter can share the task of making this cute picture and take it to hang up in their house. They both love creating things. My older granddaughter, age 8, is always making something out of anything!

I found a new YouTube channel to watch. It is two guys from Norway who post knitting shows. I do not knit, but I do enjoy visiting with these two guys. They are Arne & Carlos. They normally do a weekly episode all about knitting, and you can find their shows from this current time and back a few years.  Since the quarantine, they have been doing a daily show. I just love watching them. They took a cruise in February. Since they were out of their country during the last week of that month, they were put on a 14 day quarantine. They are both well, but this was something that their government imposed on all travelers. So, they are posting Monday - Friday to help other people get through all of this that is going on in the world today. Their kind manner is just so calming to the soul, that I really look forward to spending time with them every day.  There is also a post that they do sometimes about their dollhouse. They did one this weekend, and it was really heartwarming. If you have the time or the interest, check out Arne & Carlos on YouTube. Their Day 5 episode is really fun. They were getting some old knitting projects out of a bag, and more and more kept coming out. Carlos said, "It's like Mary Poppins in here." He wasn't even trying to be funny. I do enjoy them. They have a facebook page, a blog, and a shop, as well. Apparently, they used to be in the Textile Industry. They have written a book about knitting, and they design awesome patterns for knitters. Their weekly tutorials and knitting shows are very informative and interesting. These shows almost make me want to learn how to knit!

Take care of yourselves, and keep busy! 

Flower update and stitching

My cross stitch crafts have begun!  I started with a small pattern of a cardinal. I love the story about the cardinal being a family angel coming to visit. So, I put this little picture in a small frame and have it displayed on my little lighthouse table.  The snow is kind of invisible, since the fabric is white. It is along the branch and under the house!

Now, I am working on a pattern that I purchased quite a few years ago. It is a picture of three little angels. I have several knickknacks of these angels, as well as Christmas ornaments. I even sent Christmas cards of these angels for a few years. I love them. They are so sweet. So, the middle angel is where I began the project. In this picture, you can see the face and feet of the middle angel.

Today, I am going to post updated photos of the azaleas. I am also going to show last year's pictures of the same bushes. They were much fuller and stayed longer last year. This year, they wilted very quickly.

Here are the current pictures of this year's azaleas.































These same bushes were much fuller last year, as you can see.

We had a pretty fruit tree in bloom last year, too. That tree didn't make it this year, though.

Cakes

Cake decorating is a hobby of mine. My cakes are just for my family, though. Baking has always been fun for me. Chocolate chip cookies were my favorite things to make as a young person. Then, I started baking cakes. At first, the decorating was just a layer of icing and maybe an attempt at 'writing' happy birthday. Then, I found things to put on top of the cake. I finally started trying to make trim around the cakes. After many years of messes and triumphs, I decided to take a course at Michael's. Wow! I really learned a lot. The class was so much fun that I took all of the courses that Michael's offered. I especially enjoyed the one on making flowers. I loved that class, because Pansies were one of the featured decorations that we were taught. You know how I love Pansies!  This new skill allowed me to make a really nice cake for my aunt's birthday. I even used fondant on that one. I must say that her Pansy birthday cake is the prettiest cake that I have ever made. I have been searching my computer for pictures of some of my cakes. The thing about snapping so many digital pictures is that you never print them anymore!  I have many on disks from cameras that are still on the disks. I have more than that on phones that have never been printed. There are too many now to print!  So, I found some of the better cake designs and will share them in this post. I will spare you the ones that didn't turn out so well! Ha!

     

This picture is the only one that I could find of my Pansy cake. I know that I have more pictures of this cake. It was so pretty!

I made these two cakes for my daughter's first baby shower. The colors are not showing up too well. The pinks and yellows were brighter. I love the baby carriage. The words say,  "It's a girl!"




The rocking horse was fun 
to make. You can't tell in the
picture, but the mane was made
to look like real horse hair!





I really enjoyed making this cake. It was for Dora's second birthday. She had a cowgirl theme. The cake design has sunflowers and cow type patches made out of fondant. I also put black fondant on the white fondant name, so it would look like a cow pattern. Then, I twisted some brown fondant into a lasso for the trim around each layer. There is a glass cowboy boot on top, with yellow fondant stars.   
  

This cake was made for my son, when he graduated with a degree in Marine Science. He loves to go fishing! There is a diploma and a cap at the top. Then, I added the sleeping fisherman in the boat. Can you see the brown hat in the boat? He is asleep! haha I thought that was a funny touch to show that he was missing all of those fish!! I even used real string as the fishing line.

                                           
I made two cakes for the graduation. One was to represent his degree, and this one is a graduate. I put the colors of his college on there and added his honors tassels. 

My daughter asked for cupcakes one year, for my granddaughter's birthday. At that time, Maya the Bee was a favorite cartoon to watch around here, So, I made a bunch of little bumblebees to go on the cupcakes! They were fun to make. 








Here is a pirate and his pirate ship!  I enjoyed making these.

 This cake was made for Dora's baptism. I made the baptismal gown out of little white pearls. That part of the decoration took a very long time, because each bead had to be placed individually. A lot of them rolled off onto the floor! Ha! I also put shiny flakes all over the top of the cake, along with beads.  Her name has beads and sparkles inside of it.

This cake was made for my niece. It is supposed to show a tye-dyed effect.

 The airplane from the Disney movie was for my nephew. 







This car is from the Disney movie about Cars.









Here is a doll cake. It wasn't too hard to make.

ThPurple guitar just for fun

Toga Party time! 50th birthday cake for my brother.

 Easter Bunny

Violin and music notes. There is even a bow!

 I made this cake for myself. It was one of the first times that I tried making letters out of fondant. 

Fourth of July!!












These pictures are just of some of the cakes I have made over the years. There are many more pictures that I haven't yet found. I hope you enjoyed looking at them. 

Azaleas

     On my most recent bike ride, I took pictures of some of the azaleas in bloom around the neighborhood. They are all in different stages of growth. 
     I found a new blooming tree, also. It is a red bud tree, with pretty little purple flowers. The azaleas are all different shades of pink. Some are light pink, some are deep pink, and some are a reddish pink. 
     When the flowers are not in bloom, all you see are just big green bushes! If you didn't know they were azaleas, you might wonder why someone would have such bushes in their yard! When they are in bloom, there is nothing more beautiful. A full bush of azaleas is a wonder to behold. As soon as the bushes are full, I will post more pictures.

These pretty pinks are beginning to bloom.This bush will be completely full very soon!

Here is a little Redbud tree in a park.

This pretty little azalea is showing off some of our light pink colored azaleas.

Here is a pretty, pink Tulip tree. It is a late bloomer! Most of these trees have already bloomed and shed their flowers.

     
     These two azaleas are in mid-bloom. These two bushes are at my parents' house. They will be a glory to behold, when they are in full bloom. I could post a picture from last year to show you, but I am going to wait until they are finished blooming. Then, you can compare their looks.

     Today is a rainy day, so I do not think I will be getting out much. The dreary weather is not exactly helpful for anyone's mood. My eyes do not work well in the rain, for driving, so I guess I will be stuck at home today. I did open the front door to look out and get some visibility into the real world. I always open my blinds as soon as I get up every morning. I love the sunshine coming in through the windows. All of my lights and lamps are turned on, as well. There was sunshine earlier, but now it is dark and rainy. So, I am writing this blog post for comfort! 

     Perhaps I will do some baking. That always cheers me up. I also have a lot of cross stitch projects that I want to start. It has been 30 years since I "stitched" anything big, so I am looking forward to starting that again. There are two LED lamps that I can use, along with my tall floor lamp. So, I should be okay with lighting. I also purchased a nice magnifier to use that will help me see the patterns and the little squares on the fabric. When I get something started, I will post it on here.

     There is a big pot of homemade vegetable soup in my refrigerator calling my name, so I think that I will go heat up a bowlful and enjoy the morning. Have a great day!

Rainbows, Flowers, and Stitches

Hello,
  Today, I am going to show you my rainbows. Many years ago, my family lived on an Air Force Base in Germany. My mamma went to the Crystal Factory on one of her trips with the women of the church, and she brought back several crystals for us to put in our windows. I still have the one that she gave me, and I have a few others that I purchased through the years. These crystals create wonderful rainbows during the afternoon hours. Actually, they only show the rainbows at a certain time of the afternoon, usually between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. in the kitchen window at my house. That is the time that the sun is coming perfectly through the window to cast the beams through the crystals. 

     


The crystal on the left is the one from Germany. This crystal is around 50 years old. It is still wonderful. 

The crystal on the right is one that I bought at a craft fair about ten years ago. It works just as well as the one from Germany!




     My grandchildren LOVE the rainbows! When they were much younger, they tried to 'catch' them all. Now, they understand that they cannot catch them, but they enjoy running over to each one and 'putting' them on their face or their hands, etc. 
  
     Here is a picture that I took a few years ago of my oldest granddaughter with a rainbow on her nose!

The following pictures are of all of the rainbows that were beaming through the house a couple of weeks ago. Some are on the wall, some are on the floor, some are all the way into the next hallway, and some even went into another room! These rainbows are projected straight across from the window to the a wall/door of the kitchen.

These rainbows show how the extra facets of the crystal break up the rainbows and shoot them in a sideways direction into the breakfast room.

This beautiful, bright rainbow is on the wall right in front of the window.

This big, light colored rainbow is all the way out into the hallway.
The small one that looks like fire is in the closet of a bedroom that is pretty far away from the kitchen window! It is right next to the big, light one.


This view is of the same light colored rainbow, just a few minutes apart.

I love my rainbows, because they remind me so much of my sweet mamma and the wonderful, loving times that we shared together. My mamma was one of the most loving and giving people you could ever meet. I miss her so much.

  I also have some new pictures of my pansies, violas, and other porch flowers. They are thriving. 

This first picture is of one of the big planters with pansies, violas, and heather. My two heather plants have gone completely away multiple times, since the summer. There was nothing left of them but brittle, brown stems each time. I almost dug them up! Right now, they are in the best shape ever! They are just big, and blooming, and waving in the wind!

 

These Pansies are in the planter that the little squirrel loves. Some days, there is a big hole in the corner, where the squirrel has either hidden a pecan or come to retrieve a pecan. The bottom corner is bare of flowers, because that is where the squirrel puts his 'stash'.

The flowers don't seem to mind a bit!

Here is my pink geranium that has lived since the summer. It has gone away and come back multiple times! I decided to plant some violas and pansies in with it, so that the geranium peeks out at you! My other geranium did the same thing for a while. It finally went completely away, though, and I had to dig it up.

All of the flowers even survived the recent 'freeze' that we had one night. I took all of these pictures on the afternoon that the 'big freeze' was predicted. Thankfully, the temperature didn't get down as low as predicted. In Savannah, we do not get the type of 'freezes' that you get in more northern locations. 😃

Luckily, pansies are very strong and can endure the cold weather. The geraniums, heather, and violas also survived the cold night. This planter is on the far corner of the porch. The squirrel doesn't bother this one!

  

Here is my basket of violas! I also added a couple of pansies to it.

This big planter is the second big one on the porch. It is loaded with beautiful violas, intermingled with the pansies and heather. 

     Upon the recommendation of my 'stitchy' cousin, I have been watching YouTube videos on cross stitching. There is a channel called Flosstube that has all different types of cross stitch shows. I found a few that I enjoy, and I am watching those a lot! 

     There is one lady who does really intricate work. She is from Ukraine, but she lives somewhere else now. Some of her videos are in her native language, but she also does some in English. Even the ones in Russian are fun to watch, though, because her work is so marvelous. Her channel is called Cross Stitch with Luda. If you enjoy watching videos about cross stitching, I would recommend that you find her. 

     I also found two guys who are very entertaining. Their channel is called Married With Stitches. These two guys definitely put on a good show. They are so sweet and kind, and they love to cross stitch. They also dye a lot of fabrics. Their little trademark is to drink a new kind of tea in each session, to use a new cup each time, and to eat a new type of candy or snack in each session. They are so funny. Many people who watch them now send them things, such as homemade jelly, candy, crafts, etc. as gifts for them. 
     I just found a new video channel to watch. It is called Stitching Kitchn. (Yes, that is the correct spelling of kitchen.) The lady in the videos is really funny, while also being extremely helpful and instructional. 

  My cousin sent me a couple of simple patterns that will help me begin my cross stitch journey. It has been around 30 years since I did a lot of cross stitching. The main reason I stopped is that my eyes are not like they once were. Also, I was working a very high stress type of job and didn't have time to do anything for myself. It may take me a while to get back to my former skill level, however, I am determined to get started. I went out to the craft stores this weekend and got the thread and fabric that I will need to start the projects. That was a lot of fun, so I am on the way!
      Have a great day!