The Art of Slowing Down

Moving slowly is not something that I can normally accomplish. I am learning, though. After being in the teaching profession for over thirty years, I was used to running, rushing, and doing everything at a very quick pace - at home and at work. I am now in my second year of retirement, and I am doing a little better about not rushing so much. I am finally being able to sit down sometimes when I eat. Well, breakfast is usually a little relaxed. Lunch is still up in the air. At that time of the day, the rushing is mostly in full force. I normally fix a sandwich and eat while moving through the house. I am not sure why, though. Daily household chores that were done in a running mode are now slowed down to a slow jog. It is hard to realize that I actually have time to do things around here without rushing. I was used to doing everything in one day, usually on Saturday morning, in between writing lesson plans. Now, I can do things a little bit every day. Even a trip to the grocery store can now be slower paced. I enjoy walking up and down each aisle looking at things. The past two weeks have been spent getting ready for Christmas. I bought a new tree at Hobby Lobby and got it put up. Then this weekend, all of my decorations were brought down from the attic. It has taken all week to get the things out and put up around the living room. I am not finished, yet, but everything is out and ready to be put somewhere. Getting started before Thanksgiving is not something that I have ever done before. I am moving slowly at this activity. There were years when I only had one day to get it all done! That would wear me out! Luckily, I cleaned out all of my tote boxes last year and threw away all of the old broken pieces and things that were not really in good condition. So, I didn't have to go through all of that stuff this year. That saved a lot of time. I still try to ride my bike every day, weather permitting. My cousin and I go pretty far sometimes. We rode over 7 miles the other day. It was really cold and windy that day, but we made it! We have found some pecan trees on our ride, so we pick up nice pecans sometimes. We see lemon trees and orange trees some places, too. We also found a grapefruit tree on our ride. This yard also has a big pecan tree. One day, the lady of that house told us that we could get as many grapefruit and pecans as we wanted. She was raking up a lot of pecans that day. The guy across the street from her has a pecan tree, too, and he told us that we could also get pecans from his tree. Pecans are very expensive in the stores, so it is nice to be able to get some fresh ones on our ride. I have two pecan trees at my house, too. This year is the first year that they are big enough and ripe enough to eat! YES! Once I get things more organized around this house, I will be able to slow down even more. After so many years of teaching, I have accumulated tons of books and supplies. The house is pretty much overrun with those items. Once I have the time to get through all of those things and get them out of here, then things will be easier to organize. I do not want to throw away all of those things. Maybe I can find some organization that might be able to use them. A lot of money has been spent over the years to purchase my teaching supplies. I just do not want to throw it all away. Speaking of moving slowly, this post has been slow in getting written. I started it a few weeks ago. Each time that I start writing, I feel as though I get off of the topic. I probably did that today, too, but I am going to try to finish writing it. The weather today is supposed to be rather cold - well cold for Savannah! We do not have snow or anything like that, but the temperature is supposed to be in the 30's. Hopefully, I will get out a bit today and get a few things that I need. Do you ever go to the store and buy all sorts of things, get home, and realize that you forgot the one or two things that you actually went to buy? HA! I do that a lot! So, I will go out today and try to remember the one thing at Publix that I needed for banana pudding, and then something else at another store. So, slowing down is nice. It is so nice that I actually make more than one trip to get things that I need! HA! Is that the art of slowing down, or is that the reality of getting older and being forgetful?? Whichever it is, I can handle actually having the time to return to places to get what I need. Take it easy today, and have a great day!!

My Little Barista

My little 6 year old granddaughter surprised me the other day. I was at my daughter's house one morning to take their little dog home to them. I had been keeping him while they were out of town. My granddaughter stepped up to the coffee maker and proceeded to make her mom a cup of coffee. She was very businesslike. She got the perfect cup, turned on the coffee maker, got the K-cup, and pushed the correct button for the size of coffee that her mom wanted to have. Then, she got the cream and sugar. She very precisely measured out the correct amount of sugar, poured in the right amount of cream, stirred it all up, and took it to her mom. Then ever so professionally she asked, "Grandma, would you like me to make you a cup of coffee? I can make tea, too." I just about fell over! She was just too, too cute! I told her that I already had my coffee for the day. She seemed disappointed, so I asked her if she had any decaffinated tea. She did, so I let her make me a perfect cup of hot tea! She was very happy! My tea tasted very good, too!! So, I now have my very own, personal barista!!

Friendships

This week, I had the opportunity to visit with two of my friends. In today's world, that type of visit hasn't been happening. Friday, I drove down to the beach to see my friend from Tennessee. She and her husband came down to Tybee for a week. I haven't seen them in about two years. We took a nice, long walk on the beach and caught up with our families and just enjoyed being together. A few years ago when they came down, one of our hurricanes made it so they had to turn right around and go back to Tennessee. So we didn't get to visit. Yesteterday, I was able to visit with another friend whom I haven't seen since before the quarantine. She came by my house, and we just sat and talked together for a good little while. These two visits might seem plain and simple, but they were very important to me. Having friends is important, and having true , close friendships is even better!

Morning bike rides, Bible study at the lake, and Reading on the beach

Early morning bike rides are the best. Riding in the morning gives me a great start to my day. I actually went to the beach one day this week and just sat there for a couple of hours reading a short story. I haven't been to the beach all summer. Uh oh...It is September, not summer! oh well... Sometimes in the afternoon, I take a car ride over to the city lake and read my Bible study books. I just sit in the car, open all of the windows, enjoy the breeze, and read. There is a calming feeling about sitting there and studying. These things may not seem very exciting, but these small activities help to keep me grounded.

Jasmine all around

Jasmine is so pretty with its delicate white blossoms hanging over fences and in trees. The beautiful scent of the jasmine flowers is just awesome. This year, there are many beautiful little jasmine vines hanging over my back fence and on my garage. Each year, I have seen these vines all over the neighborhood, but they have never been in my yard. This year, I have a lot of jasmine. Each morning, I bring some inside to make the living room have a bit of outside beauty, not to mention a sweet, soft aroma. The flowers do not last too long inside, but they are pretty just the same. Sometimes, they will dry in the vase. Then, I can have a nice dried arrangement for another time. Jasmine, jasmine all around...I am glad that some finally came around! Each day now, I am going outside and bringing in fresh jasmine to put in the vase on my lighthouse table.

This picture is of the jasmine that is all over the side fence.

In this picture, you can see the jasmine going up over the top of the fence.

Jasmine loves to climb trees! It is just beautiful!!

I need to hurry up and get more jasmine to bring inside, because it is starting to go away. I hope that more will come back, after this first batch is gone. It is so pretty! Have a great day!

Old Movies, Toll house Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Bewitched

This weekend, I found a really fun movie. It is called "Fitzwilly", and it stars Dick Van Dyke. Actually, there are a lot of famous actors in this film. I call it a mild mannered Oceans 11 movie, because the characters do a lot of smooth cons. They do not hurt anyone with the cons, though. Dick Van Dyke is a butler to an older lady who thinks she is still a millionaire. Actually, she is penniless. So, her loving staff  "pull off" numerous cons and thefts to keep her living in the manner to which she has been accustomed. The movie is really good. You must pay careful attention to what is going on, or you might miss things! 

Today, I found an old Fred Astaire movie called "Royal Wedding". The movie is about a brother and sister dance team who get a performance job in London, which just so happens to be taking place at the same time as a royal wedding. This movie is also the one in which Fred Astaire has the famous scene where he dances with a hat stand. There is also a famous scene where he dances on the walls and the ceiling. His dances are awesome. I read that he was such a good dancer, that he had to continually find younger and younger female partners to keep up with him! He was 52 years old in this movie, and he moved like a youngster. Jane Powell was in this movie, playing his sister. She was around 22 years old at the time. So, she was 22 and played the dance partner sister of a 52 year old. HA! I kept thinking that she and her voice seemed familiar. Then, I realized that she is the actress who played in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. That movie is one of our all-time family favorites! As I always do when watching movies, I started using the computer to research all of the actors. I knew who some of the people were, but I did not recognize the woman who played the love interest of Fred Astaire. When I looked up the movie, I found out that her name was Sarah Churchill. She was a famous British dancer/actress. Guess who her father was!! If you guessed Winston Churchill, then you are correct. How about that!

Cookie dough - I bought some Toll House Cookie dough (in a roll) a couple of weeks ago, and it went away very quickly. Then, I could only find the kind that is in a package that is divided into little squares. Well let me tell you this. The square dough is not as good as the dough in a big roll! I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought FOUR rolls. Can you believe it! So, I made a batch last night and another batch today. I am on a cookie kick, I suppose. The dough tastes really good, though - especially raw! haha

After one of my YouTube flosstube videos stopped today, there was an icon for the pilot episode of Bewitched. I am not sure why this tv episode showed up in the middle of a bunch of cross stitch videos, but I clicked on it anyway. It was so funny. This show is the one where the two meet, court, and marry. Endora is introduced in this one, as well. Also, Darrin's old girlfriend is in this episode and tries to make Samantha look bad. Uh oh...that was not a good thing to do! HA! Samantha taught her a lesson or two really fast! hahahaha

Movies and television shows in the present age are just not as good as the old ones. Maybe that is why so many movies these days are just remakes of old movies! The writers nowadays cannot write decent movies, and the producers cannot find any decent movies to make!! HAHA!

Have a great night, and watch some good, old fashioned, feel good movies!!

Mamma Redbird - Cardinal

On my bike ride today, I saw a pretty mamma cardinal flitting around some bushes. She hopped from one little branch to another. She didn't fly. She hopped. She is hiding in the one on the right. Can you see her?

It was interesting to watch her move from branch to branch. I took several pictures of her, using the zoom part of the phone camera, but they did not turn out too 'zoomy'. I wish that I had set it on video, so that I could show her doing that. The flitting from one branch to another was really fascinating.

My cousin said that the bird was probably protecting her babies. We could hear little squeaks in the bushes, but we never saw the little ones. She must have been trying to distract us, with her hopping, so that we would not bother her babies. 

Mamma bird was smart! She fooled me!

My cousin said that the bird was probably protecting her babies. We could hear little squeaks in the bushes, but we never saw the little ones. She must have been trying to distract us, with her hopping, so that we would not bother her babies. Mamma bird was smart! She fooled me!

Crepe Myrtles, Birthdays, Rides, and Old Movie Favorites

    This morning, my cousin and I took an early bike ride. We thought that we would miss the extreme heat  by going out in the morning, rather than the late afternoon. Yesterday, the heat was way up. The 'feels like' weather was over 100 degrees. This morning, it was supposed to be 82, but it felt like 95. So, I suppose that is better than feeling over 100!


We rode 5 1/2 miles! We saw a lot of pretty crepe myrtle trees blooming today.
There are trees of all colors.

We saw white, light pink, deep pink, and mid-pink all over every street. I took a few pictures to show.

There are two big myrtle trees in my backyard, along with a pretty mimosa.

The mimosa has bloomed once already, but there are pretty flowers trying to peek out again.

    My awesome granddaughter turned 6 years old yesterday! She requested a rainbow cake several months ago. She knew exactly how she wanted it, too. It had to be a chocolate, three-layered, rainbow cake. Then, she described each layer. I asked her to draw it for me, because I knew that I would forget by June. So, I finally got a description and wrote it into the notes section of my phone. Layer 1 - Straight lines, just straight rainbow lines (she said while demonstrating straight with her hands).
Layer 2 - Curved rainbow lines
Layer 3 - Curved big rainbows and LOTS of Rainbow dots EVERYWHERE!!!! (with a big hand and arm movement to dramatically show 'everywhere)!

 

Ruby and Dora helped me bake the cakes the other day. I made a feeble attempt to decorate yesterday. At first, I got really upset. I could not make a straight line to save me!  So, I decided to make them all a bit wavy. That way, no one would know the difference!  I made the icing a bit too loose, so the lines on the second layer would not attach well. I waited a while and then tried again. Finally, I got the second layer kind of curvy and wavy, with the rainbow colors. Red is a hard color to make in any type of icing, but the other colors all turned out well.


The third layer was the easiest, because it was a perfect size to just make a big rainbow on top. Luckily, I remembered about the "dots all over the place!" and started putting them all over the top and the sides. Those dots saved the day! They really made a difference in the look of the cake.
If you don't look too closely, you won't see the mistakes! Ruby and Dora loved it, so that is all that matters!!

    With the virus thing going on, my daughter decided not to have a regular party. Instead, she asked everyone to do a drive-by party. So, the family members each rode by with birthday signs and said happy birthday. Ruby loved it. She said it was the best birthday ever!  She didn't even realize that there was no real party. However, the grandparents got to have cake and ice cream later in the evening. That was nice! Here is my sign!

   

 I found a neat channel on YouTube this morning. It is a channel by Josh Gad, who has gotten together the casts of some of my favorite movies for reunions on Zoom. The shows are called, "Reunited Apart', and they are really good. I watched the cast of Ghostbusters, Splash, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Back to the Future. Each of the shows is an homage to the producer named John Huges, who always made 'feel-good' movies. The actors said that his movies always left you feeling good, which is much different from most of the movies of today. They also said that he always treated young people well in their depictions and actions, which they stated is a lot different from how young people are portrayed today. Each show is also created to raise money for a specific charity that is directly related to the current pandemic. The first one that I watched was Ferris Bueller. Here is the link. You can find the other shows once you get on the site of Josh Gad.

Reunited  Apart = Ferris Bueller's Day Off
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOaa3Znh75w

I have one big cross stitch project that I am anxious to start. It is a piece called "Shakespeare's Fairies", and it is called a Mirabilia. The designer is a woman named Nora Corbett. All of her Mirabilia patterns are very big, so I have a large task ahead of me. She also designs smaller pieces, and they are simply called Nora Corbett designs. One of these days, I might just be able to post a picture of the project. As for now, I will just show you a picture of what it 'will' look like one day. However, I am using either a pink fabric or a light, moss green fabric, rather than the dark green that you see in this picture.

    Teddy went home Sunday. I took one more picture of him, before I took him home. He had taken over these two little toys while he was here. One is a very old Care Bear, and the other one is a Starfish. Sunday afternoon, he put them both on this chair and then sat with them. So, I just had to take them home with him. He is still playing with them at home! I wonder if he misses me! haha

  Have a great day!

     

Summertime

  Summertime is officially here. What does that mean in today's world? Well, there are people who are going about as though nothing has changed, and they have been doing that all along. There are people like me who are very timid when it comes to going out or doing much of anything outside of the home. Then, there are those people in the middle who do a little bit outside the home but also stay inside most of the time. I shake my head when I see pictures of people out on beaches and on grand vacations acting like nothing has changed. Maybe it is okay to go out and about. As for me, a vacation isn't such an important thing. Of course, I am a lot different than a many people. So, I am content to stay home, ride my bike, and cross stitch. 

  I made progress on my three angels, even though I only work on it every now and then. The angels are completed, but the back-stitching/outlining is not finished. I also need to stitch the halos. Those will be the last part, though. The gold thread is real thin, and it needs to be the last part that is done. I did finish one bicycle. I made a green one for my cousin and a pink one for me. The pink one will be finished, when I stitch the spokes. I am not sure if I will outline it, though. The green one has the outlines and is finished. 

 

This piece was fun to stitch. The picture was taken before I finished the outlines and trimmed off the extra fabric. 

This little piece is one that I made for my granddaughters. I tried teaching them how to cross stitch with this little pattern. Each one made about six stitches on it, and they were thrilled! However, they were finished at six stitches!  I will try again with them at a later time.  I could try a stamped cross stitch pattern for them. That might be easier than having to count the squares!

After making the green bike, I felt more comfortable stitching this one with different colors. The green bike used all of the called for colors. I chose the bright pink for this bike, because it looks like my tricycle. Yes, I ride a tricycle. It is really fun to ride. I can go as slow or as fast as I want to go. Plus, I can stop and 'smell the roses' without getting off the bike! haha I also added different colors for the flowers, made more flowers, and changed the blackbird to a redbird. I made my own style of french knots for the flowers, but I think they are pretty. I sound like I kind of know what I am doing now. HA! The bike will look a lot different, once the gray spokes are added. 

  

 This little angel project is truly a labor of love. I have several figurines of these three angels. For several years, I sent out Christmas cards with these little angels on them. I just love them! I am sorry about the quality of the picture, but I just wanted to share it. The outlines on the sleeves and hands are finished. I did a little bit of outlining on the hair and face of the left angel. It is the most complete angel. The angel on the right has her toes crossed and her eyes opened. Once I have the outlines on her feet, you will be able to see the crossed toes! She is the mischievous one! 

  The wings are made of a shiny, silver ribbon. They are hard to see in the picture. I did outline them with the called for blue thread, but you cannot see the outlines. The heads of these angels took a long time to stitch - hours and hours for just one head of yellow hair! The outlines of the hands were difficult, because I had to stitch over the threads that were in there already. I had to rip out, or frog, those outlines many times. I think that is why I keep putting this one away and resting from it! Other than the outlines and the halos, the angels are complete. Yippee!

  Our weather has been kind of nice. Yes, it gets hot here in the summer. However, the sunshine is really nice. I do like riding my bike on a bright sunshiny day, even if it means that I am also riding in the severe heat! Of course, the summer storms have also arrived. We have storms almost every day now. The grass is really green, though!

  I am puppy-sitting this weekend. That is because my children are some of those people who decided to go out on the road and take a trip. I will simply pray that they are all going to be okay.  I have the little tiny dog that belongs to my granddaughters. He is a cutie pie, that is for sure! He is usually very fluffy, much like a teddy bear. As a matter of fact, they are often called the Teddy Bear dog. Thus, our little one received the name of Teddy. He got a haircut a couple of weeks ago, and his fur is growing back. It is not all fluffy and fuzzy, though. He looks kind of like a short hair dog right now. It will get curly again soon! My daughter got him from a friend whose neighbor's dog 'accidentally' had puppies. A toy poodle and a shih tzu got together and  produced a litter of tiny puppies. We didn't know it at the time, but there are breeders who put those two types of dogs together, call them a Shi-Poo, and sell them for lots of money. The blend of the two dogs supposedly creates a hypoallergenic dog, due to the low shedding of fur. These dogs are also excellent pets. So, my daughter got a free, normally expensive, love filled breed of dog! He is a joy to their whole family. 

                               Here is a picture of a baby ShiPoo. He looks just like a teddy bear! 

  Teddy is one year old now, but he is still small. He and I took a ride in the car yesterday, just to get out and about. I didn't want to go on a bike ride and leave the dog at home alone for too long, so the two of us went on my normal bike route in the car!  Teddy usually has very fluffy curls, curls, and more curls! He got a haircut a few weeks ago. You can see some of his curls coming back on his face, though. When his fur is cut, more of the white shows on him than the brown. I think he enjoyed the ride. 😍

I am not sure what type of adventure to two of us will have today. It would be nice if I still had my cat crate for him. I could put him in my bike basket. I think he would enjoy riding around outside!

Have a great Saturday!

Venturing Out

Well......I did it! I finally got out and went to a store. Today was the first time that I went to a store, since the beginning of March. I got out early and went to Publix. I stayed for one hour! Oh my goodness! I haven't had such a full cart in a very, very long time. My children have been shopping for me. They have been very good about doing that for me. I knew it was about time that I ventured out, though. So, I got up early and hit the store at 8 a.m. Then, I left there at 9 a.m. I went through every aisle to see what I might want or need. Yes, I had a list. I didn't really use it, since it was on my phone, and my phone was in my pocket!
     Did I buy too much? Yes. Did I buy things that I needed? Yes. Did I buy a few things that I did not need? Yes!  It did feel good to go, but I am still shaking from the experience. Really, I am. When I got home, I cleaned everything. Then, I put it all away. That activity right there was enough to wear me out!  Plus, it is really hot here and the sweat was rolling down my face!
     I was going to attempt to go to the gas station, but I figured that I had done enough for one day. However, I decided to take a trip to the bank. It is right down the street. I had a check to deposit that I didn't think would work through a mobile deposit. That trip took a while, waiting in the drive-through line, but at least I was in my car. I did have to touch the container that goes from you to the bank, though, twice! I had plenty of clorox wipes to use, though. So other than shaking pretty hard from nerves right now, I am okay.
     Luckily, Publix had some ham sandwich meat and the snack that I like, so I made a good sandwich for lunch and ate that with some fresh, new cheetos! HA! They were out of some things, though. At least it wasn't as bare as it was in early March!
     There is another trip that I really need to make but am frightened of taking. It is a trip to a small lab for blood work. The little lab is inside the medical building that is attached to the hospital. I know it will be okay, but that trip will be for another day. I need to get over today's journey, first. I will admit that after finishing both trips, I took a long shower and washed my hair! I am not sure why I think I had germs, but doing that sure helped me to feel a tad better about the whole ordeal.
     I got a package yesterday from 123 Stitch, so I was like a kid at Christmas! I ordered three new cross stitch kits and a few little stitching tools. I also started back working on my three angels. The first day, it took me an hour to do two lines! I am not sure what happened to me, but I just could not get it right. I tried working on another part of it Monday, and I got the feet done on the third angel. Yesterday, I got some of the face and hands done. I am not sure why, but I keep having to take out a lot of what I stitch. I guess it is just hard to concentrate sometimes. Since I am on the third angel, I am getting excited. After she is finished, there will be a lot of backstitching/outlining to do. That will be fine. I can keep up with that, without getting lost or having to count the little squares!
     My new charts are pretty. I also found a site where I can download PDF patterns, so that is fun. I bought a few Christmas things to do. They look fun, and I am excited about starting those.
     Well, I need to stop for today. I hope that  you are all doing well.
Have a great day!!
   
     

Meanderings

Meandering - following a winding course

    I think that my brain is meandering a lot these days! That is nothing new, however! My brain is known for doing a lot of that!
    In these days of staying home and not going anywhere, I imagine that everyone is experiencing a lot of mind meanderings.

    So...What can a person do to keep their mind occupied?

     I often think about women of the past and how they must have kept themselves busy. Women were not allowed to work or go outside of the home most of the time. In old pictures, stories, or movies, you often see them sitting at a big hoop or frame doing embroidery of some kind. The concentration of counting and focusing on patterns would have easily kept one's mind from wandering into unwanted thoughts. I cannot imagine how they could just be content to sit there day after day doing things like that. Perhaps they weren't, though. Plus, that type of life is all that they knew. Of course, they had many responsibilities around their homes to keep them busy. Many women had large families of children to keep them occupied. I am not sure why I think about the women of the past so much, but I do. I feel for them and what they must have gone through on a daily basis. Of course, we cannot really know how things were. We can only imagine.

    I suppose that living in a very old city prompts many of my thoughts. I see such large houses with high, steep stairs in downtown Savannah, that I also wonder how so many people could actually climb up so many stairs to get to the main part of the home. Men or women of a particular age or physical limitation would have tremendous difficulty getting in and out of one of those houses. This thought also makes me think that many people were just stuck in their homes unable to get out, really. Then, there are the people who lived 'out in the country'. These women had hard lives, as they had much to do outside on their farms and inside their homes. Have you ever read a book about the early women who moved west? I often think about the stories of the Kansas dust storms and wind storms and how the people were so overcome with fear and terror. The women in those areas had to be extra strong just to survive each day, both mentally and physically.

     Books were not always readily available to the everyday person, in these older times. The Bible was the biggest source of literature for most people. There are plenty of stories in the Bible to keep one busy! When reading about history, you find that a lot of people used the Bible to teach their family or other people how to read. Pen and paper were in short supply, as well. Mail delivery was not available everywhere. Of course, there were no telephones or other ways like that of personal contact. Telegrams/telegraphs were only in certain places. Can you imagine being far, far away from your family and not being able to have any contact for months or years? The women of the past had to be SO strong! Women are strong, in general, even today. Just look at what it takes for a child to come into this world - through a woman. Of course, many women in the days of old did not survive childbirth. If they did, they faced years of pregnancies and multiple birth experiences. I am just in awe of women in general, but especially of women of the past. How about you?

     Today, we have many things to keep us distracted. We have the major things like television and the internet, which can be good or bad. It depends on how you use these two things as to whether they are good for you or bad for  you. For me, social media is also used in short supply. I choose to stay away from the news or shows that are sad, scary, or mean. I need happiness and joy. I need good thoughts going in my brain. So, I stay away from those being negative, loud, or mean. My cousin 'introduced' me to the wonder of  YouTube cross stitch shows, and I am enjoying picking and choosing which types of informative or entertaining things to watch on there. My daughter and son-in-law have always found many neat things on YouTube for my grandchildren to watch. They do not have cable tv, so little informative, instructional shows are entertaining for them. A major fun thing to watch is a show about dominoes being laid out in very ornate patterns that, when 'let go', can make all sorts of interesting things happen. You should find some and watch them. They are amazing!
 
     I mentioned in previous posts that I have taken up cross stitching again. I was doing really well for a while. It has been a few weeks, though, since I have taken up my needle!  I am in two Bible studies, so the readings for those are taking up a lot of my time. I must admit that the readings are most enjoyable. I have read parts of the Bible that I am sure have been read before, but I am seeing them all in a new light and with a new understanding. These scriptures and stories are what I need right now to keep me grounded.
   
     One of my studies is about a book called "Duty or Delight", by Tammie Head. This book is awesome, and it is just what I need right now. I am blessed by my personal study and by meeting with my small group via Zoom once a week.  My other study is the Disciple I Bible study that was created through the Methodist church. This study is a year long, deep study of the Bible. There are now three more Disciple studies: Disciple II, III, and IV.  The saying - Growing Old isn't for Sissies - can be altered for a Disciple study. A Disciple study isn't for sissies!  It takes a great commitment for almost an entire year of deep reading and study on your own, and then meeting together with your small group once a week to come together and discuss the Scriptures.  The sessions are meant to be 2 1/2 hours long each week. However, my group started out as a Sunday School class. So, we were doing a lot of work in 45 minutes. Now that we are meeting on Zoom at night, we are able to meet for a longer period of time and really delve deeply into the study as it was originally intended.

     My grandchildren are a blessing. It is really wonderful to see their awesome little faces and smiles each time I visit. They are just awesome! I have a new, one month old grand nephew that I love to see! So, these little ones bring much needed joy and happiness to an "old" lady!!

     My bike riding adventures are still happening. My cousin and I ride every day. We go at least 4 miles a day, and sometimes we go 6 miles. My saying is:  WE GO SLOW, BUT WE GO!!  As a matter of fact, we are about to go for a ride in a few minutes. She just called me to say that it is going to rain later today, so we better get out and ride now!  So, I will bid you adieu and get ready for another awesome day of bike riding on my pink, three wheeled bike!! 

    Have a great day!

     

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow bush

Have you ever heard of, or seen, a Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Bush?  I had never heard of one, until the other day. There is one around the corner from me. It is so pretty!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

There are actually 3 different colors of flowers in this bush/tree. 

There are purple, white, and light purple flowers in this wonderful creation of God.  

After posting this picture on my facebook page, I found out that this plant is toxic to dogs and cats. It is strange that something so beautiful could also be something harmful. The birds don't seem to mind. They were flying in and out the whole time I was there!

I also found out that lots of people either have these trees, have seen these trees, or have little plants around their homes. I thought that I found something new and different! HA!

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.