Another Precious Birthday

I am very blessed with grandchildren!  Sunday we enjoyed celebrating another birthday of a precious granddaughter.  She had so much fun!  It was so adorable to watch her pushing her babies around in her stroller.  Oh, how I wish I could freeze their joy, wonder, and innocence and keep it alive forever.  Since I can't I'll just have to settle for hanging on tightly to each moment I have with them at this stage of life. Isn't the doll cake her mom baked great!

Note to self:

I am going to try again to live more in the present.  My mom used to tell me, “Honey, don’t wish your life away.”  And, of course, as mothers tend to be, she was right.  Each day has its gifts.  When I was growing up I’d wish whole years away, now it’s just little bits of time.  I’m too hilltop to wish years away anymore, but I still catch myself saying, “as soon as I finish this, maybe I’ll have time for that.”  Instead of enjoying the process of whatever it is this present moment holds.  Some moments I want to savor, like the innocent stage of childhood where my grandchildren reside.  Other times, like cleaning house or waiting in line, I just want to be over so I can get back to the good stuff.  However, I’m learning more and more each moment has its gift, something to learn, something to watch for.  Happiness can be chosen even when we aren’t doing the thing we most enjoy.  So here lies my pep-talk to myself:  Enjoy each one, cause there’s no do overs with time.  “Whatever your hands find to do do it with all thy might,”  and may I add with a happy heart.

Great Gifts!!!!

I've got to show you all the most wonderful gift my sister-in-law and her friend, (of course she's my friend now too!)  made for me.  Isn't it beautiful???  I haven't found the right shams to go with it yet, so I draped a lovely scarf a friend from Turkey sent me over my pillows.  They go pretty nicely together don't you think?  

Our friend sent me home with various other treasures, to many to list out.  I have to share a picture of this one with you.  It is a darling tea set, you'll notice the creamer got turned around, that's because my precious little granddaughter was visiting me and it was just too much of a temptation for her.  I didn't notice when I was taking the pictures, but after I loaded them up I did.  Now look at that angelic little face, do you see the slight hint of mischief in those eyes?

       


There has been so much going on lately things have slipped by without me blogging about them. So now I'm going to try to catch up.  Before the wedding  I went to Atlanta to visit my sister-in-law.  She and her friend were going to a quilt hop.  I had never heard of any such animal, but I knew it involved fabric and fun so of course I was game.  Anytime we get together we have a blast whatever we do.  Our niece met us, which greatly multiplied our fun.  She has never sewn before, but like me was game for adventure, so she met us on the second day.  The hop involved several stores around the Atlanta area, nine I think.  Anyway, there was an overall theme of "The Magic of Childhood"  you can read all about it here.  Each shop had a theme within that theme:  A Day on the Farm, Fairy-tales, The Circus, Saturday Morning Cartoons etc.  You received a passport at the first shop you visited, each shop stamped your passport, and after you visited  all of the stores you turned in your passport which was entered for some fabulous prizes.  Beautiful quilts were on display at each of these shops and little gifts were given to each person as they got their passports stamped.  Each shop had a different feel and flavor and of course the quilting bug bit both my niece and myself very hard!  She had plans to go home and buy a sewing machine, and I started purchasing fabric at the first shop.  It was so much fun, I can't wait to do it again. I made a great new friend, enjoyed the time with family I don't get to see often enough, and I have so many new ideas in my head it actually hurts.   Here are pictures taken on various days of the hop.  Bet you can't tell which was the last day?  

Okay, I'm going to post two post today, because I can't figure out how to move my pictures around and they all come out in crazy fashion, who knows where they'll be and I want to break them up so there is more to come......

Camping Trip

I spent a lovely weekend camping with some of my family.  We enjoyed the many wildflowers that were blooming and the pleasant weather of spring.  We cooked simple meals on a grill my hubby rigged up with rocks and a few sticks of wood, and other things we cooked in the Dutch oven.  Nothing taste quite as good as food cooked and eaten out of doors.  We sat around the fire in the evenings and listened to the creek gurgling, the whippoorwills calling, and the sound of a distant train.  

Forgive the placement of the pictures.  I can't figure how to make them go where I want them.

My middle brother and his wife

my parents

Hubby

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter day.  We all attended services at our various churches, then met together at my parent's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt. We had a time trying to get the children to pose with Gran for a picture, well, we simply couldn't get them to all cooperate at the same time.  So we took the picture anyway.  

I finally am posting the owl I made from the pattern in the book I found (earlier post) at the thrift store.  

It was all made from various scraps of material I had from other projects.  My little granddaughters love it, although one of them calls it a penguin.   Okay, I can see how she gets that.  

The floral material is some left over from my grandmother's stash.  She passed away several years ago and my mother saved a lot of her material.  She shared some with me and this is a scrap from one of those pieces.  I used more of this piece to make this blouse.   

My son and his beautiful new family

If you have followed my blog at all you have seen my gorgeous daughter and her adorable family.  Now it is time for you to meet my son and his new family.  Not only have I gained a beautiful new daughter-in-law, but two more wonderful grandchildren.  They had a country wedding and the photographer Tiffany Coker from Avant Images did an amazing job.  These are just a few of the pictures from their wedding that she is sharing at her blog.  Check it out!  We can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.  She has us waiting with baited breath for more.  Our friends keep telling us they have only seen pictures like this in bridal magazines.  Thank you Tiffany for recording this precious day in such an artistic and beautiful way.  

Beautiful Wedding

I'm sorry I haven't posted lately.  I've been rather wrapped up with m son's wedding.  It was a whirlwind of preparation and celebration.  He married a lovely girl who brought two adorable children into our family with her.  If you'd like to see some beautiful pictures check out their photographer's blog and scroll down to Carrie and Jimmy and share a little bit of our joy.  Here is the link:  http://www.avantimagesblog.net/