Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Happenings at our House...

We have had a very busy spring and there seems to always be something on the go here. I thought I'd post a few photos from the last couple of weeks.

We hosted a bridal shower here for my soon-to-be daughter-in-law. The bride's sister and friends did a beautiful job decorating with teapots, roses, beloved books, and cute chalkboards lettered with quotes from books and songs.


We have been enjoying roses from the garden. I love to cut and bring them inside to enjoy!
Timothy and Jessica have been working on a bed they are refinishing.

I have planted some flower pots for the wedding.
The kids are continuing with their riding lessons.
I finished the knitted baby blanket for Angela and Crandon's little one (who seems to be reluctant to make an appearance).
This pretty swallowtail showed up on the patio the other day!
Naomi and I turned out 16 dozen cookies this morning. Some will fill lunch boxes over the next couple of weeks, some will be enjoyed for afternoon snacking and some will be in the freezer for company arriving in a few weeks!
Pretty silverware (the disposable kind) all bundled for the upcoming wedding!
Check back in a day or two for Lucas's big debut!






Monday, May 20, 2013

Chenille Baby Blanket

As each of the grandbabies have come along I have made blankets for them. Mostly I have made knitted ones, but I have also made a minky blanket and a quilt (with some help). This time I came across instructions for making a hand cut chenille blanket. It looked intriguing and was something I'd never done, so decided to take it on as a project for Angela's upcoming little one.

I chose a dotted print for the backing. It is a soft butter yellow with dots of aqua, red, brown and green. The colors are all in the vintage hues that Angela likes. Next I selected three solid color flannels, yellow, white and aqua, to coordinate with the print, and lastly decided on aqua satin binding to finish the edges.

The process involved layering the three flannels on top of the backing and then machine stitching rows every 1/2 inch on the diagonal. Stitching on the diagonal grain is very important in order for the chenille to fray properly.

When the whole blanket was stitched, I cut the three layers of flannel between the rows of stitching, being very careful not to cut the backing fabric.


 Next I straightened and trimmed the sides and finished the edges with my satin binding.




Now was the exciting part, I put the blanket through a wash and dry cycle and ... voila! It is now a chenille blanket. I especially love the way all 3 of the flannel colors appear in the rows of chenille.

"Chenille" is apparently the French word for caterpillar - a very fitting name I think!

It is a weighty blanket and very textured. I'm imagining it will make a great play blanket for the floor.

Now we just need a little one to lay on it! Soon, I'm guessing!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dad...

A handsome young man of 21,
and 60 years later, still a handsome, distinguished man!
Happy Birthday, Dad!

Monday, May 13, 2013

So Sweet...


One tired little boy at the end of a long warm day, and one happy grandma...
Does it get any better than this?

Monday, May 6, 2013

Three Years Ago...

Three years ago today I had the wonderful privilege of becoming a grandma for the first time! Our beautiful granddaughter, Miss M. entered our lives.
Miss M. always has a sparkle in her eyes, she loves to talk and loves to read books. She loves to play dress-up with her Aunt Naomi. She is a strong willed, independent, "do it myself" little girl that wears her poor mommy out some days!
I can't believe that she is already 3 years old; I look forward to seeing what God has for her life! She will always have a special spot in this grandma's heart!

Happy Birthday Beautiful Girl!


Liberty's Birthday

April 23 is a celebrated day at our house. It is Liberty's Birthday, marked with a special dinner, dessert and even a few presents. Liberty is Naomi's very beautiful German made 18 inch doll purchased from Vision Forum several years ago. She is a well dressed doll thanks to a big sister who is a talented seamstress.(You can check out some of her custom wardrobe here http://www.angeladawndesigns.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=27)
As soon as Naomi received Liberty she chose April 23 as her birth date and we have celebrated her birthday ever since. This year Liberty received a cute jacket (a newborn size from the thrift store), a pair of mittens (snipped from a souvenir key chain brought home from Canada) and colorful hair-ties from the dollar store!
While some of the family members, like big brothers in particular, roll their eyes at this annual event, I am trying to cherish these last vestiges of childhood. Having watched two daughters grow up already, I know that the days of dolly birthday parties will soon be long gone!

So...Happy Birthday, Liberty!