A green one

A green red scarf!!!

I was reading the OFA site and they also accept green, black,and blue colors among other "manly" colors.

This one is medium thyme, which is actually an olive green type color.

It's Red Heart yarn and it is 75 inches long by 6.5 inches wide.

A little longer than normal but I am sure that's ok.

Thankful Thursday

It's been so hot and humid here this week.

My boy is taking swim lessons and doing very well with it. He's having lots of fun too.

My husband has taken some time off work this week.

And my daughter is doing well.

And my mom is home from her knee replacement surgery and doing very well.

I am indeed thankful.

This week I am thankful for:

* a healthy family
* God's grace
* sunshine
* the smell of my flower gardens
* my two dogs

God is good indeed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 147:1
1 Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

Lamentations 3:22
22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Matthew 12:37
37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Two months.........

It's been two long months since we lost our Otis.

We all miss him.

His brother Louie is still sad. He is eating and drinking but he is sad.

He's not the same without his buddy.

Hummingbird moth

My husband took this picture yesterday afternoon.

We get this visitor to our gardens every year, and they love the Bee Balm too.

It looks similar to a hummingbird but it has antenna and it is a moth.

Baker street

This song came out in 1978 and it's always been a favorite of mine.

It brings back a lot of memories.

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty.

Winding your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day, you’ll drink the night away
And forget about everything.

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It’s got so many people but it’s got no soul
And it’s taken you so long to find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything.

You used to think that it was so easy,
You used to say that it was so easy
But you’re tryin’, you’re tryin’ now.
Another year and then you’d be happy
Just one more year and then you’d be happy
But you’re cryin’, you’re cryin’ now.

Way down the street there’s a light in his place
He opens the door, he’s got that look on his face
And he asks you where you’ve been, you tell him who you’ve seen
And you talk about anything.

He’s got this dream about buyin’ some land
He’s gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he’ll settle down, in some quiet little town
And forget about everything.

But you know he’ll always keep movin’
You know he’s never gonna stop movin’
Cause he’s rollin’, he’s the rollin’ stone.
And when you wake up it’s a new morning
The sun is shining, it’s a new morning
But you’re going, you’re going home.

Painted stones

A few years ago my husband came home from a garage sale with these painted stones.

They have all sorts of things painted on them. Animals, faces, zodiac signs. There are other things too.

He thought our son would like them.

They are right outside in the rocks in the garden except they are weather beaten now.

Our boy would play with them occasionally, and put them in my purse or pocket.

They are unique and it is fun to see them when I walk up to the house.

Something old......

I found this yesterday.

I always knew where it was, sort of.

It was somewhere in my roll top desk.

It's old. I got it in 1980 when I was in the Army.

And it's small. Small enough to fit in my purse or pocket.

I wonder if they still give out bibles these days??
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Matthew 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Sunday song

Rescue by Jared Anderson

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other name by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

This world has nothing for me
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me

I will follow You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Another red scarf

I finished this one today.

It's made with Homespun yarn and the color is Candy Apple.

This one is 5 and 1/2 inches wide and 67 inches long.

Bee Balm

This is the Bee balm in our front yard.

It's a perennial so it comes up every year.

The Hummingbirds love it and so do the Bumblebees!

My son loves watching the bumblebees in the yard.

It adds such a burst of color to the yard. Behind it you can see the trumpet vines too.

Garden

Another picture of the garden. It's doing well.

Lots of tomatoes and peppers.

This is one of the green peppers. It is huge! I gave another one to my brother.

My husband and I have been talking recently about expanding the garden next year.

I think we are going to!

I will have more space to grow some different veggies and still grow all the tomatoes and peppers,

We'll have lots of work to do in the spring for the new garden!

Remember these??

April blankets

There was a charity I was going to send them to but it didn't work out.

Now someone on my crochet board is donating blankets to an NICU where her son spent time when he was born.

So, the blankets are going there. I am sending them off tomorrow.

Thankful Thursday

It's the middle of summer, hot muggy days.
I am thankful for much today.

* seeing my veggie garden grow
* seeing my mom progress with her knee rehab
* seeing my children together
* for my husband, who is a hard worker and good provider
* for being home with my boy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 32:10-11
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

July blanket

Another green blanket.

This one is for a little baby boy.

It's made with Homespun yarn. I used two strands to make it.

It is 31 inches wide and 45 inches long.

Christmas in July......

Not really.

But we recently had a dollar tree open in my town. A dollar for a skein of cotton yarn is great!

I love dollar stores. It's great for getting cards, tissue paper, gift bags etc.

And YARN!!!!!

I got these three skeins of cotton yarn there too.

It's Christmas colors and I will probably make dish cloths for gifts.

Matt harding dancing around the world.

This is the coolest video.

Listen to the music too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Peter 2:9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Mom update

My mom is doing very well with her re hab.

We go to see her about every other day.

She should be coming home soon.

Then we can do this all over again this winter for her other knee!!!

A Rose.......

This is a rose and a bud.

It's the last remaining Rose flower and bud that I have.

Fourteen years ago my husband planted about 5 Rose shrubs on the side of our house.

They didn't do well there and over the years they have all died off but this one plant.

Actually nothing does well on that side of our house.

This year I get two flowers out of the shrub!

Sunday song

Thank You Lord
by Don Moen

I come before you today
And there's just one thing that I want to say
Thank you lord
Thank you lord
For all you've given to me
For all the blessings that I cannot see
Thank you lord
Thank you lord

With a grateful heart
With a song of praise
With an outstretch arm
I will bless your name
Thank you lord
I just wanna thank you lord
Thank you lord
I just wanna thank you lord
Thank you lord

For all you've done in my life
You took my darkness and gave me your light
Thank you lord
Thank you lord
You took my sin and my shame
You took my sickness and healed all my pain
Thank you lord
Thank you lord
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 86:12
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

Summer blooms

I took this picture this morning of Grandma's Trumpet Vines.

They are blooming now and they are beautiful. The hummingbirds love them too!!

Another red scarf.....

I finished this one last night.

It is 6.5 inches wide by 69 inches long.

I used Red Heart Burgundy this time. One skein again.

July 18.............

Today is my daughters birthday. And mine too. I had my daughter on my own birthday!

She was born 6 weeks early though. Otherwise she might have been born on my sweet grandma's birthday.

This is a picture of her when she was about two weeks old.

Yes, I made her a bed in my bed because I wanted her near me. She slept well in the big bed. Back when I had my baby, the nurses told me to lay her on her tummy to go to sleep!!

She is no longer a baby, but an adult into her 20's. Her little brother adores her too.

Happy Birthday............

Happy Birthday today dear Daughter!!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:
* good, safe food
* God's grace
* air conditioning
* friends
* my mom
* good doctors

There is much to be thankful for on any day. I am blessed indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 7:16
16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”

Psalm 119:2

2 Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!

Baby bird rescue

Yesterday we were gone for a while.

Apparently a juvenile Robin got caught in our garage.

My husband tried several times to get it out of the garage. The bird kept flying up to the rafters.

He finally climbed a ladder and actually grab the bird and threw it out of the garage.

That's when we grabbed the camera and got some pictures and watched the bird for awhile.

The bird sat in the tree for quite some time. I could see it's beak open and it was panting. It periodically would fly up to a higher branch.

It finally flew away, cooled off I hope. It is hot in the garage!!

In the above picture you can see the bird in the middle of the picture. It's back is toward us.

Never been unloved

I heard this song for the first time today and really liked it.

Michael W Smith sings it.

Never been unloved

I have been unfaithful
I have been unworthy
I have been unrighteous
And I have been unmerciful

I have been unreachable
I have been unteachable
I have been unwilling
And I have been undesirable

And sometimes I have been unwise
I've been undone by what I'm unsure of
But because of You
And all that You went through
I know that I have never been unloved

I have been unbroken
I have been unmended
I have been uneasy
And I've been unapproachable

I've been unemotional
I've been unexceptional
I've been undecided
And I have been unqualified

Unaware
I have been unfair
I've been unfit for blessings from above
But even I can see
The sacrifice You made for me
To show that I have never been unloved

It's because of You
And all that You went through
I know that I have never been unloved

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John 3:14-19
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Red scarf

Here is the first red scarf!!!!

It's made with Red Heart yarn and it's Cherry Red.

It is 8 inches by 67 inches and I used one skein of seven ounce yarn!

I'm excited to make more scarves!!

My Mom

Today my mom, who is 80 yrs old, had knee surgery. I was very apprehensive about it for some reason, but it all went very well.

I will visit her tomorrow to see how she is doing.

I am thankful it all went well today.

My sister in law was there at the hospital with me and we got a chance to chat for about three hours. I enjoyed that very much and she said she did too!

She also taught me how to do Soduku!!

ETA: Saw mom this morning ( Tuesday) and she is doing well. She was even up walking!

Wednesday--Mom is going to rehab tomorrow!! She is doing great. Has a bit more pain today.

Sunday song

Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Julia W. Howe

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal”;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally …let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 96:13
before the LORD.For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.

Revelation 22:20
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

RIP Tony Snow

Tony Snow died today.

He worked as press secretary for President Bush and also worked for the first President Bush.

His mom died of colon cancer in 1973.

Colon cancer is what killed Tony too.

Here is the wikipedia page for him.

Tony Snow wiki page

July blanket

I just finished this blanket last night. It is folded in the picture.

It is 32 inches by 36 inches, so almost a square.

It is made with 14 ounces of Bernat baby cotton yarn and 14 ounces of white. I hold the two strands together and it makes a firmer/heavier blanket. I love the cotton for baby blankets because they are so soft and warm for babies.

On a related note, last year I came across a site called Orphan Foundation of America. (it's listed on the sidebar under sites for donations)

The foundation delivers red scarves made by volunteers to orphaned/foster children that are in college.

I found the site too late to donate for last year since they take donations to give out September through October. But this year I plan on making several scarves. Red is one of my favorite colors too.

I will post a picture when I am ready to send the scarves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Seven things again

I sent all this to my friend yesterday for her garage sale. She's having this garage sale to raise money for her 3 day walk for breast cancer. I hope she meets her goal.
She told me a lot of people had donated a lot of stuff for her garage sale!!

My husband actually dropped this batch off for me.

There was also a breast pump in this batch, I just didn't get a picture of it because my son was playing with the box.

Thankful Thursday

Today is going to be a beautiful summer day. I am thankful for the seasons.
I look around and see God's handiwork in everything blooming and growing and in the birds. So many birds. And they start singing long before the sun comes up.
But there are no birds singing in the winter so it is a welcome annoyance.

Today I am Thankful for all the above mentioned things and for these:
* vegetable and flower gardens
* trumpet vines
* my son and daughter
* my husband
* my memories from younger days
* God's grace

I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful summer days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark 8:36
36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Trumpet Vines

Flower buds--they wil bloom at the end of July through August.


The stalk of Grandma's Vine.


Grandma's Trumpet Vine.



This is a very special Trumpet Vine. It came from my Grandma's yard about 12 years ago.

My grandma and great grandma lived in this house for about 60 years. My mom remembers the trumpet vine from many years ago, and I always remembered the vine because it has pretty flowers.

My husband and I were at my grandma's house about 12 years ago visiting. The huge trumpet vine that you see above with the big roots was attached to grandma's wood pole for her clothes line. The pole was rotted and grandma said we could have the vine.

We struggled to dig deep enough to get the roots but managed to accomplish this.

We wrapped the root ball in burlap and dirt and hauled it home.

We also managed to get some smaller vines from around her yard.

Today, this is the big vine in all it's glory.

It hasn't blossomed yet--that will happen in a few weeks and it will be beautiful.

We have many of grandma's Trumpet vines around the yard and the hummingbirds love them as much as I do.

I'm thankful we had the opportunity to get these vines and bring them home.

Seven Things

These are some toys and other miscellaneous stuff that I am donating to a friend for her garage sale.

It's mostly baby toys that my son has long outgrown but they toys are still useful and in great shape.

Firefly Ballet.....

Or lightening bugs as I used to call them when I was young.

I hadn't seen lightening bugs for years until a few years ago.

I was looking outside one summer night and lo and behold there were fireflies out in the yard dancing their ballet!!

What a surprise!! I told my husband about them but he wasn't as excited as I was.

When I was young, we would go to my Grandma's house for family reunions. She lived in a tiny house on a big lot and one memory was taking a jar and catching fireflies with my cousins.

It is a fond memory and it brings back pleasant memories of family get togethers.

So the other night I looked outside, hoping to see fireflies, and I did!!

July Blanket

This is my first July afghan even though I started it in June.

I have been trying for days to finish it and I finally did.

It's made with Homespun Mardi Gras. It's very.....colorful.

This one is a bit bigger than what I normally make but i had leftover yarn from last time. It's 36 x 51.

I've made an afghan with this color before too.

The stitch is a simple shell stitch that's easy to work. And it makes a nice blanket.

Sunday song

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.

America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Galatians 6:9
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

A baby Falcon

This juvenile Peregrine Falcon was spotted on my husbands work site today. There are a lot of falcons near and at his work. He sent me this picture.

They aren't good flyers at first, so they'll sometimes land somewhere that Mom can keep an eye on them and feed them.

My husband said that this baby was on a walk way and some of the people tried to get near the baby. He said that mama "yelled" at them and they stepped back.

Apparently they aren't good at flying in the beginning and rest often, sometimes in unfortunate places like this baby.

Things to remember...

TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER
====== ====================

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still.
God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day - it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments.
Life moves too fast so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it;
otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again.
Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage.
The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking.
Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.
Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read. I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Independence day

July 4, 1776 was the day chosen as my country's Independence day.

I find it interesting that it is now celebrated with fireworks and parades etc.

In 1781, it was the first time Independence day was recognized as a celebration and 1791 was the first recorded use of the term "Independence day"

I am glad I live in this country. I have visited other countries and am thankful for the USA.

I have fond memories of this day. One of them is spending the summer with my aunt and uncle and cousins in New Jersey and going to the shore watching fireworks on the beach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We find freedom when we find God; we lose it when we lose Him.

-- Paul E. Scherer

Thankful Thursday

Today i am thankful for:
*city parks
*t-ball
*my sweet little boy
*friends and family
*clean, cold water
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

One Word

I got this from Bethany at Raindrops&rainbows


1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your significant other? John

3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? sweet
5. Your father? gone
6. Your favorite thing? yarn
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? school

10. The room you’re in? living
11. Your church? busy
12. Your fear? loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? learning
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not?
16. Muffins? banana
17. One of your wish list items? books
18. Where you grew up? Minnesota
19. The last thing you did? crochet
20. What are you wearing? T-shirt
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? dogs
23. Your computer? desktop
24. Your life? content
25. Your mood? melancholy
26. Missing someone? aunt
27. Your car? Honda
28. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
29. Favorite store? Book
30. Your summer? busy
31. Like(love) someone? family
32. Your favorite color? purple
33. Last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? today
35. Who will repost this? unknown

Garden in July

Here's the garden picture for this month.

It's really doing well and I can hardly wait for tomatoes!!

I checked on the carrots and they were still tiny and there are peppers now!!

July 1

Today is my Moms 80th birthday.

We all saw her on Sunday and gave mom her cards and gifts.

It's hard to believe she is 80!!!!

Today my son and I are having lunch with Mom.