Mom in a tree

 While spending time at my parent's house I was looking for a picture for something I want to post later.  I never found the picture I was looking for, but I came across this picture of my mom climbing a tree.  It is a very blurry picture, or maybe the scanning made it blurry, but after posting about teaching the girls how to climb trees I just hand to include this.  Mom is the one on the left.

Random Thoughts, A Great Blog, and A Commercial

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe............

I am not that woman!  First of all, my entire body would never fit into a shoe no matter the size, much less my entire family, and I didn't know what to do before I started having children, so I certainly can't blame them!  I am surrounded by children, always have been, and even when I don't know what to do I consider them a blessing.  My life has been enriched greatly by all of the children in my life.  I hope that in some way I have enriched theirs as well.  I am feeling rich today, rich in the relationships of my life.  Thanks for indulging me in my sentimentality.

Changing gears here, I found an amazing site this morning I want to share with you.  I'm linking you to one page of the site, but browse around and check out the various articles, there is a lot of great stuff there!  I haven't read it all yet, but am trying to let my brain marinate in what I have read so maybe the flavor will stick.  I particularly relate to The Mild Manifesto, but I could never have put how I felt into words.     

Okay, now the commercial:  My mom has been telling me what a prevention using a saline solution every day is for a long time.  On a recent trip to the Dr.  with one of my grandchildren the Dr. suggested saline drops to help her get over her cold more quickly.  I told him that I used Simply Saline everyday, and he said that if everyone did this 85% of his patients,  wouldn't need his services.  I am in no way affiliated with this product or company, but I thought with all of the sickness going around this might be a tip some of you would appreciate. 

Our Growing Family and Doll Quilts

No pictures today.  There is much going on here, my dad had back surgery and is doing well.  My son and his wife found out today that their new baby will be a boy!  I can't wait to get my hands on that little bugger!  I am so very excited!!

I have several sewing projects in mind, Christmas things I so hope to do, but my time is slipping through my fingers!  I also had the neatest idea for a repurposed apron, if it turns out I'd like to do a tutorial on it.  We'll see how it goes.  

One of the Christmas ideas I have is to make doll quilts for each of the girls with a book themed doll quilt and give them the book along with the quilt.  I know there is Pokey Little Puppy material and A Very Hungry Caterpillar, and I think I will do these.  I'd also like to do Little Red Riding Hood, and maybe Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Red Hen.  If anyone has  other suggestions or pattern ideas I'd love to hear it!

The Cutest Apron Ever and Tree Climbing

My friend from Atlanta sent me the the neatest apron I have ever seen!  She bought it while teaching school in Okinawa, Japan in the 1960's. I love the detail on the appliquéd pocket and the adorable embroidered  face!  I love to use my aprons, but I will only use this one when I am absolutely sure I won't mess it up.  Who am I kidding, that would mean I'd never use it and it's just too pretty to be stuffed in a drawer!  I need another wall just to hang pretty aprons on don't you think?

The kids enjoyed spending some time outside today.  

Sweet Cheeks sat on her little tractor and one of the chickens came up to visit her and she kept saying, "No, no bac bac, (her interpretation of a chicken sound) no no! 

I spent part of this afternoon teaching a couple of my grandchildren to climb trees.  I loved climbing trees as a kid.  We had so much fun!

October Fun

I'm sorrry for the lapse in blogging.  I've been busy with other things, like putting up pear butter, and pear preserves, checking out yard and estate sales with my daughter-in-law, celebrating birthdays with family, taking the grandkids to the fair, and camping.  We've been 

having so much fun and are hopefully making memories.  

While camping we do most of our cooking on Dutch Ovens.  This trip we made chicken and rice, meat loaf, biscuits, and cobbler in them.  Our other foods we made on a little camp stove.  I'm always looking for new Dutch oven recipes.  I hope to make a pineapple upside-down cake next time in one.

On these excursions Little Buddha is always trying to find new ways to bring the comforts of home to the experience.  This time he was determined to 

build us a shower equipped with hot water.  It may be funny looking, but it surely felt good!  

His water heating apparatus resembles a moonshining still.  I never thought I would enjoy a shower out of doors, but it was so refreshing that I'd love to have one at home, if we lived a little further out in the boon docks that is! 

There is an old fireplace on the land where we camp.  You can walk through the area that used to be someone's home.  It always makes me wonder who the people were who lived here, and gives me a hauntingly sad, yet somewhat romantic  feeling.