I’m trying hard not to be sad. Summer is ending, autumn is in the air and the days grow shorter.
The grandkids are going back to school and they’re all a year older. The oldest, 12, sounds like a 16 year old, our only granddaughter is getting more beautiful, the middle child, 9, is anxious to get to the double digits. He’ll be 10 in September. The youngest will be a 1st grader and no longer needs to be picked up from school. Life will go on.
Our summer was a whirlwind of activities.
Pre-summer we took the grandkids to Sacramento and they had lots of fun being together. The train museum is a must if you visit.
Then we had a girls only weekend, my granddaughter, my youngest daughter, and myself. We drove tho Morro Bay and were welcomed with some beautiful weather. It was fun and relaxing.
The beach was littered with sand dollars and tiny little crabs hiding under the sand.
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My grandkids think this is a great treat and so simple to do.
I just freeze some Kool- Aid pouches. When they’re frozen you let them sit out for a while so that they can soften just a bit, enough to be eaten with a spoon, just like a snow cone.
The kids eat the frozen treat right out of the pouch, I ate it from a fancy cup.♥
Growing up in the 50’s and being very poor, Kool- Aid was the drink of choice. We loved all the colors (flavors). Yes, it is nothing but colored sugar water, but hey, we grew up ok, so please don’t judge.
My brother and I had to work in the fields in the summer to earn enough money for our school clothes. Our mom always made our lunch and always put Kool- Aid in for us.
Mom would get a pail and line it with newspapers and put some ice in, then more newspapers and more ice along with a glass jar full of our favorite flavor, covered with more newspapers.
We didn’t have an ice chest or a thermos, so this was our way of getting a cold drink.
At lunch time my brother and I would sit down under the grapevines to have our taquitos (burritos) and ice cold Kool- Aid. We were in heaven at lunch time, but then, back to reality, to work in the hot, dry Fresno heat until our Dad picked us up at 4:30.
When we arrived back home, our Mom had dinner and more Kool-Aid waiting for us. It was so good to be home, after being in the sun all day long.
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A few of years ago I was going to donate a cork bulletin board to Goodwill, but then an idea popped into my head.
Why not decoupage my grandkids photos on the board doing different activities?
I painted some green on the bottom half of the board for grass and the top with blue for the sky and added a few clouds. I chose some pictures, cut out the silhouette, and proceeded to use Mod Podge to glue the pictures on.
There was just one problem. I have 4 grandkids and only 3 were on the board.
I have been promising my youngest that I would put him on and time just got away from me.
Tomorrow I will surprise him with the addition.
If you’re artistic you could probably add flowers, pets, trees. Maybe on the next one I can try to be artistic.
Although I did add a kite and a balloon using scrapbook paper and some gold cord using the Mod Podge to glue them on.
A few hints when you decoupage:
1. Apply the Mod Podge to the back of the photo and then position it where you would like to have it and then proceed to cover the top using a brush. The Mod Podge shows up white, but will dry clear.
2. Use craft paints for the board.
3. Let dry completely before touching.
I do want to mention that I used copies of the pictures, not the actual pictures.
This could be given as a gift as well, maybe showing fun that was had at a party.
Just have fun doing it!♥♥♥♥
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I’m sure we have all seen these three words on decorative plaques. I finally bought one and put it in the eating area of our kitchen, so that each day I can read it and put those words into action.
We all have problems, sadness , worries, and have felt unloved many times. If we dwell on these negative things our lives become the things we think.
We feel alone.
Hubby accuses me of living in “The World of Disney” but hey, if it keeps me going, then I’m in there for the length of my precious time. I have had many heartbreaking reality visits, so it’s nice to be able to escape at times. If anyone cares to join me there is plenty of room.
So, taking a cue from this, we did have love, and laughed with our family at a Giants game in San Francisco this past weekend. We missed our son and daughter-in-law because of illness, but we had all our grand kids to keep us laughing.
In this picture our youngest daughter is not in the photo with us because she was the photographer.
We cheered, we clapped, we sang, but the Giants still lost.
And I also live for my garden and my sewing.♥♥♥
My Moss roses are looking good!
And then I always have new projects that I enjoy making. This one is for my youngest daughter who likes purples, blues with a touch of black. The blocks are 12″ by 12″.
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Hola, hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day. Mine was spent with our kids and grandkids and turned out very lovely. In the afternoon we just relaxed in our peaceful back yard. We sat quietly for periods of time, just listening to the breeze, enjoying the coolness. Every once in a while my daughter would say “Jake, stop that!” Jakey keeps us alert.
Yes, this is the new senorita.
I had mentioned to my daughter that I wanted to get a mannequin head a few months ago for my crafting.
So on Sunday as I started to open my Mother’s Day gift from her,she gently grabbed it back and said,”Wait Mom, you have to do this in order.” So the first box I opened was a hat, but she said I had to give it back to her. Now that confused me even more, I then opened the oddly shaped object wrapped in tissue and out she came.
She is a beauty even without hair
My daughter had included the hat so that we could see what the senorita looked like with it on, because of her baldness.
Now I’m ready to design (make) hats, scarves, and necklaces for my new friend.♥♥♥
.
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This weekend was another one of those busy ones.
We managed an estate auction and yes, we bought “stuff”. According to hubby it is “good stuff”. This was our very first one, quite interesting.
Another birthday party, our only granddaughter is a big “11”. Here they are doing a family tradition of sorts. We do treasure hunts. They hunt for their party favors and the big kids (our grown children) write the clues. They’ve gotten quite imaginative in their clues.
In the process of doing these hunts, the little kids have learned to use a compass, so now they know their directions. They’ve learned to solve their clues as a group, helping each other.
Here they are searching for their next clue.
This would be great for adults as well. Maybe searching for a bottle of wine, or a gift certificate, would sweeten the hunt.
But now it’s time to get busy and start sewing. My sister-in-law has asked me to make her an apron and I need your help.
I’ve pinned some aprons on my mannequin (Dorita) and can’t decide which one to make her.
This one will be made from a recycled denim skirt with one pocket in the middle and trimmed with strawberry themed fabric.
The next one will be made from dish towels and trimmed with turquoise fabric and another dish towel that looks like a bow attached to the front for wiping your hands.
They will look somewhat like the pictures, but I might change it up a little.
Please let me know in you comments, which you like. Your opinion is greatly appreciated.♥♥♥
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Well I finally was able to work on my quilt. So here’s a peek at what I have accomplished.
Here’s another view with the grandkids holding it up for me so that I could get the picture taken.
All I need is to sew the binding down, and then the project will be completed.
Last year my granddaughter wanted to learn to sew.
She decided on a quilt, so I made it simple enough for her to try her hand at it.
It was made up of squares.
Many weeks later, she finally finished the quilt top. She did get frustrated at times, but did not give up. We were so proud of her.
Hope this will inspire some of you to give quilting a try.♥♥♥
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In May it will be one year since I retired.
Yes, I did retire because hubby was going to have back surgery , so I knew I would be very busy being a nurse for a few months.
Recovery has been going as expected and he’ getting along much better but still is under his doctor’s care.
So why haven’t I had time for the things I want to do? Maybe my time management skills are lacking in discipline.
This past week was such a time taker.
Doctor visits, preparing for Easter, cleaning house, shopping for groceries and fun shopping, watering my garden, going to the movies with hubby. We had company over the weekend, coloring eggs with the grand kids, had all the kids over for Easter Sunday . We ate, we played, had a treasure hunt, played softball, and argued with hubby.
The grandkids found their Easter treasure chest.
Such a busy week.
Well, on second thought, I guess I am using my time for things that I love doing and things that I have to do.♥♥♥
My family keeps me going, in a good way!
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I have finished some projects.
First of all, my grandsons projects were so easy to do. I made them some pillow cases with some of their favorite characters. Pillow cases aren’t such a creative idea, but I figured they would enjoy laying their little heads on Angry Birds and Lightning Mcqueen.
You don’t even need to use a pattern, just take one of your old pillow cases and take the measurements and add on a 5/8 seam allowance for the side seam and leave about 5 inches for the hem. I used just a touch over 1 yard of material for each one. Super fast and super easy!
This is a great project for mothers doing a room makeover. It’s always fun to add your own touches.
Little girls would love a girly pillow case.
I’ve also been experimenting with clutch purses. The pattern I used was a kwick sew pattern which only has 2 pieces, and it was super easy as well. This clutch purse would be great for going out on a date and it’s easy enough to make several to go with different outfits!
The pattern gives you a choice of a finished seam or using a zig zag stitch to finish the edges. It does call for a serged edge, but I don’t have a serger, so I used a zig zag stitch. I’m still working on little handles and closures.
These are just practice ones, till I can make that perfect one.
In the future I hope to start an Etsy shop so I’m trying to find my little niche.
Have a sewful day.♥♥♥
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Every morning when I walk down my garden path, I’m sure to find a new surprise.
First there was a freshly showered upon rose that was waiting to be seen. I’m always excited as the roses show their first bloom.
On another day, I really was surprised to find this one. Miss Iris decided to make her appearance, and I didn’t even know I had planted her.
Now on to my new project for my grandsons.
Hubby and I have 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. And because it’s always so much easier to shop and sew for our granddaughter, our grandsons get left out sometimes.
But now it is their turn to receive a sewing surprise.
I found a little stash of fabric for boys.
I can’t say what I’m making, because my daughter and daughter-in-law read my blog, sometimes. I’m excited that I thought of something I could make for them and hope they will be excited when they receive it.♥♥
Mi casita, mi ranchito 
