I seem to be stuck in a rut. This happens once in awhile. I don’t want to stitch. I don’t want to crochet. I can’t think of anymore signs I want to paint. I’m in need of a good book or series to read. I have this desire to be doing something but I just can’t put my finger on what it is I want to be doing. I know this will pass. It always does. I just wish I could figure out what it is I have a “need” to be doing!
Drew is not stuck in a rut – he stays busy from sun up to sun down. We have dinosaur families all over the house right now!
Joe will be home today. Hurray! He’s been gone since Monday. We have t-ball tonight and we’re camping with Dad and Mom at Belva Deer starting today through Sunday. Then Monday and Tuesday will see Joe, Eric and I in Iowa City for college orientation. Not sure I’m ready for that but it’s coming whether I’m ready or not! The University of Iowa. A big place. Scary to me but Eric is looking forward to it. It will be fun to get a closer look at the college. Then three t-ball games next week to end up the season and it should be nice and quiet around here for awhile. I’m definitely ready for that.
He made what he calls a “spikey ball” today. Pretty cool!
It’s always nice to get back into our routine after a long weekend. Although holiday weekends are lots and lots of fun, there’s something to be said for the regular day to day routine of living.
My peony bush has finally bloomed and it is beautiful! I’ve never seen so many blooms on this bush. I have four other bushes I planted last year. They came up this year but are small and aren’t blooming. I hope they do better next year. Five bushes blooming would be so pretty!
Waiting patiently for his first time at bat.
Drew had his first t-ball game. It was held in Parnell. The game was to start at 5:30 but after some kind of mix up they ended up not playing until 6:30. At least they didn’t just send us home. We were willing to wait an hour and get the game in and not have to come back some other time. They don’t keep score, everyone gets to bat and everyone goes out on the field. It was pretty comical to watch and the boys all had fun. We stopped in North English on the way home for ice cream. Next game is Friday in Williamsburg. We just might have to stop in North English again on our way home – they have great ice cream!
He had no idea what he was doing behind the plate. He never got off his knees! He said it was fun though!
For some reason this evening it feels like it’s been a long week and it’s only Wednesday. That’s usually how I feel when Joe is gone. The first day or two are fine and then I’m just ready for him to be home. Friday can’t come soon enough!
It rained today. A lot. Drew’s class trip was today and they were supposed to visit the county park today and I volunteered to go along but that was canceled. They still got to see how pizzas were made at the Pizza Ranch and enjoy pizza for lunch, visit the Public Library, go bowling and then ice cream at the local ice cream shop. All done in between the rain drops! I helped at the bowing alley and they had lots of fun and were so well behaved!
In between running Drew to school, running into the bowling alley, then running back into town to pick Drew up from school, I managed to get the kitchen and bathroom painted. It helped that I didn’t go to Belva Deer this morning and t-ball practice was canceled this evening. Next I want to paint my kitchen cupboards. That will be a major project. And I don’t plan on starting that until after school is out. Just too much to do to jump into that right now.
So tonight, since it’s chilly and rainy outside and Drew and I are both tired, it’s a good night to snuggle up under a blanket with Drew and stitch. And what am I stitching? Chickens of course! If I have chickens outside I might as well have them inside too!
My new bowl – this is not a good picture. The bowl is white and blue. I’m not sure what to display in it yet. I stuck this pinkeep in it for now!
My favorite antique store is closing. Suitcases is located in an old two story house in town that I always enjoy visiting. It’s run by the mother of one of my old classmates and she’s getting to the point where she just can’t keep at it anymore. It’s always a joy to visit. There’s always a group of women (and sometimes a man or two!) visiting Barb for coffee and the best times are when she is unloading boxes. I could sit and listen to them all day talk about the antiques Barb is setting out and reminiscing about them. The memories of old – things that before long will be long forgotten. I also enjoy visiting with Barb’s daughter Missy. She’s a sweet person and we visit about this and that.
I hadn’t stopped in for quite some time. If I don’t visit – I don’t spend money but when I saw they were having a closing out sale I knew I’d better stop in. They are hoping to be done by the end of May and with the What Cheer Flea Market coming the first weekend in May I knew I’d better stop by. The flea market draws people from far and wide and they stop in the local antique stores on their way to What Cheer. Some of the vendors will even buy things to sell at the flea market. That’s another fun place to visit – the What Cheer Flea Market. It is amazing!
My haul from today:
One small frame to be filled with a something stitched. I’ll have to dig into my stash of finishes. I will swap the old cross stitch picture into the other frame that’s hiding behind it. The one it’s in needs some TLC. Two small ironstone creamers. A nice blue bowl – I love the design on the rim. A small blue and white bowl. (It’s hard for me to pass up anything blue!) A beautiful smaller wooden bowl with a favorite prim shade of blue bottom and my favorite – two old rag rugs. They are much brighter in the picture than they really are. They will be perfect on each side of our bed. How nice in the winter not to step onto the cold floor. And not pictured – an old copy of the book Black Beauty. I’m slowly starting to collect old books and this is one that I loved to read when I was a little girl.
I hate to see this store closing. I hate that Barb is getting to the point that she can’t keep it going. There’s just something about an antique store that draws me in and makes me feel at home and this one especially. It’s a special place and will be missed.
The weather here has not been very nice. Today it’s chilly, windy, and rainy. It doesn’t look like things are going to be improving any time sson either. Drew checked last night and Miss Mindy has moved her kittens. I’m hoping she’s found a dryer, warmer spot. The spot up by the house was pretty exposed to the weather. Not good for those little ones. We’ll have to keep an eye on mama and see where she’s spending all of her time if we want to find them again.
Well, I think I’ll run to town to buy paint. I haven’t painted the walls in this old house for quite a few years and it’s definitely time for an update. I’ve joined a couple of Facebook groups that showcase prim and country style homes and have been getting a lot of inspiration. It’s fun to see how others decorate. There are some beautiful homes out there. Mine doesn’t come close to comparing but that’s okay. It’s my home and I’m content.
Its been slow going on this one – a lot of frogging for some reason. But it hasn’t upset me in the least – I just remind myself to choose joy and enjoy the process!
I fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it. It’s by Lori Rippey. She designs the most beautiful prim patterns. This one has really been a joy to stitch! It definitely is a choice and I’ve learned through the years that no matter what, you can choose joy and your life will always be better for it!
Besides the obvious things that bring me joy, God and family being right up there at the top, these are a few of the things that are bringing me joy right now:
The Bleeding Hearts are blooming. A spring favorite that brings me joy.A worn out Pierre – five whole days of having Drew home is hard on a cat!A new prim finish. There is something about the feel of pulling that needle through cloth that brings joy. And horses and flowers and old prim frames. Pure joy.The newest book in the Bellingwood Series – just waiting for me to open it up and jump in! Do I read it now or wait three months for the next installment? I love having more than one to read so I can visit Bellingwood longer!My turquoise and red dish cloth and hot pad. I find joy in using the things that I’ve made. These are headed out to the camper!Candles and some splashes of blue – for some reason burning candles right now brings me joy and the color blue has always brought me joy!My wonderful husband surprised me yesterday afternoon – he asked if I was ready for the camper to come home. Oh joy! Of course I was ready. I’m always ready for the camper to come home! So off to Pella we went on a road trip to get the camper. There probably wont be any camping in our future until after graduation but at least I can start getting this baby ready. Our second home!
And now I’m off to take care of the chickens. Another thing that’s bringing joy to my life right now!
The older I get the less I decorate for the holidays. I might be just a tad bit lazy. It’s fun to decorate but not so fun putting everything away again. I do have a few things scattered around the house for Easter this year. My bunnies, my dad’s childhood decorations, and some of my cross stitch pin keeps. After taking the pictures I see that I have more scattered around then I thought I did!
After making the Spring pinkeep I decided to make one for the little boys for their Easter baskets. I love the little chicks fluttering around under the wheelbarrow!
We had a beautiful spring day here today! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the temperature was in the low 60’s. Normally I consider that the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold, but I didn’t spend much time outside. For some reason, I have been so cold the last few days. Chilled to the bone cold. I did open up a couple of windows this afternoon to let some fresh air in but if I’m not up and busy, I have to sit under a blanket and I’m still cold. I hope I’m not coming down with anything. We had a nice surprise at supper again tonight. Aaron showed up unannounced. He didn’t stay long but it was nice to have all three boys at the supper table! Tomorrow it’s supposed to get up to 73 and sunshine. We have a soccer game in the morning and then I plan to spend the rest of the day outside working on flower beds. Even if I am cold! I want to enjoy the day as it’s supposed to cool down again and rain most of next week. Since April showers bring May flowers we should have lots and lots of flowers next month!
After such a busy weekend it’s nice to have a quiet week. We haven’t done much of anything this week. Joe has been busy with work. The boys are gone to school every day and I’ve been getting the house back in order. It never fails, when we have busy days the house becomes a mess. Laundry and picking up – that’s my week so far and that’s fine with me. Drew starts soccer tomorrow night, prom and birthdays next month and graduation in May. Busy days ahead. I need to enjoy these quiet peaceful days as they will be few and far between in the coming months.
I realized the other day that Pierre is getting fat and lazy! He still runs around and wreaks havoc once in awhile but he’s spending more of his time sleeping. He likes it here on the couch in the mornings (when Drew isn’t around!) and then gravitates to Drew’s bed in the afternoons. He likes to curl up in blankets if he can. He comes to life though when Drew is around – he will lie in wait for him and then attack. The life of a cat!
I love my tea mat. I even found Grandma Ward’s teapot to sit beside it. I love this teapot and need to keep it out on display more. I have so many things of hers and I love to keep them out around the house to remind me of her.
My new stitch is Harvest of Plenty by Tammy Black of Scattered Seed Samplers. After getting started on it I remembered why I had put this one in my someday pile. I love the design, the fabric, the colors and I love anything with an alphabet. But the alphabet on this is stitched one over one and I find that so challenging. My eyes just don’t work like they used to and it can be a struggle to stitch something so tiny. But I love the way it looks and I’m up for a challenge so I will keep plugging along. When I get it finished I will have a beautiful sampler ready to display this fall!
Sweet prim bunny mounted on an antique oil can and little Easter cupboard tuck – both made by me years ago.
The kids didn’t have school today due to parent teacher conferences. A good day to run to Walmart. We don’t go very often but once in awhile there’s just something I need and Walmart is the place to go. I like going on a week day too – there’s a lot less shoppers around! Another reason I like to go to Walmart – I get the boys in the van with me and it’s a great place to connect! I’ve driven to Oskaloosa or Ottumwa many times throughout the years for a “necessary” trip to Walmart or Fareway to get one or the other of the kids to open up and talk. There’s just something about being alone in a vehicle with a nice long drive ahead of us to get them to connect. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe because I’m driving and so can’t really look at them. Or there’s nothing else to do and no distractions to speak of. Whatever it is, it works. I let Eric sleep in a little then got him up and away we went. A quick trip for chia seeds – definitely something that can’t be bought in town. Drew put his headphones on and watched The Land Before Time and Eric and I had a nice conversation. It was nice to connect with him. He’s 18 and it seems like he’s never home anymore. I miss talking to him. I learned a lot – what his plans are for prom. What’s going on with some of his friends. How he feels about President Trump and the state of our country. He’s a smart kid with very definite opinions of his own. I miss spending time with him! And we got home and he was off – heading to Iowa City with friends. I cherish the times I’ve had in the van with my kids and connecting with them!
Beautiful fresh eggs from the farm!
When we got home I discovered the neighbor had dropped off some eggs. They have chickens and I love to see them out in their pasture. Once in awhile they cross the road and wander around our yard. They are so pretty and they are fun to watch. I love fresh eggs. There’s nothing better and there’s no comparison to store bought eggs. One thing I miss about working for the city – there was a local Amish man that made his rounds on Fridays selling eggs. I so appreciate Colleen dropping off these eggs today. I’ll have to do something for her – maybe drop off a couple crochet dishcloths to show my appreciation!
These strawberries are the reason for needing to get chia seeds. The high school Student Council sold these and Eric brought some home. We had some for supper last night – they were so good – and I’m going to try making Crock Pot Sugar-Free Strawberry Chia Jam. It sounds good and easy. I sure hope it works! Then a strawberry pie to use up the remaining strawberries. I’m hoping to plant some strawberries this year. There’s nothing better than fresh strawberries straight from the garden – unless it’s tomatoes of course!
The older I get the less I decorate for the holidays. I might be just a tad bit lazy. It’s fun to decorate but not so fun putting everything away again. I do have a few things scattered around the house for Easter this year. My bunnies, my dad’s childhood decorations, and some of my cross stitch pin keeps. After taking the pictures I see that I have more scattered around then I thought I did!
