Summer Sewing

Since it's so hot outside, I've spent a few hours in my cool sewing room this summer.  I made this cute little monkey blanket using a kit from JoAnn's.  I used a half-off coupon to get it at a good price and it was so easy to put together.  It made a great shower gift for a recent baby shower I attended.

   Next, I took some of the leftover flannel and made a matching burp cloth.  I purchased a little onesie and embroidered it with a monkey and the baby's name. 

   In addition, I made these little toddler bibs. Each one just takes an 18" square of fabric and a washcloth.  I think they will be great for baby Jonah when he's a little older.

   Then I made a pair of ruffled bloomers for little Emma's six month photo shoot.  These are my very unprofessional photos of her wearing them.  I plan on making a matching onesie for her to wear with them.

  I love the matching big bow her mama made!

   I'm also working on a two-piece outfit for Lilly.  Hopefully, I'll finish it up next week.  But, if this heat wave continues much longer I may just have to make another trip to the fabric store!

Thankful Thursday-Students of God's Word

   This summer we are having a Bible Bowl study from the book of Esther.  While it has required many hours of preparation on my part, I'm thankful for ten little five-to-seven year-olds who show up every Sunday night to study from God's Word!
   Here's a closer view of what they are learning...

Wordless Wednesday - Ouch!

Anniversary Weekend

   Yes, I know it's been a ver-r-r-y long time since I've posted anything on my blog, but it's been a ver-r-r-y busy summer so far!  So my next few posts will be all about our summer activities.

   Mickey and I recently celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary with a trip to Granbury, TX.  This was our second trip to Granbury, a quaint little town located on Lake Granbury, just south of Ft. Worth.

   Since we both love staying in bed & breakfasts, we reserved a room at the Pomegranate Inn & Cottages, a few blocks off the town square.  It's always a little scary to reserve something sight unseen, but this B& B didn't disappoint.  It was so cute and not so overdone with "fluff" that Mickey would feel uncomfortable. Here's a few pictures of the inn and courtyard....

I loved this old live oak tree that provided a canopy over the whole courtyard...

 

  This was the interior of our little cottage...

   After we had dinner at Babe's restaurant, we attended a musical at the Granbury Opera House.  "Smoke on the Mountain" was playing and it was so entertaining!  It's an off-Broadway production about the musical Sanders family playing gospel music and giving their "testimonies" in the Mt. Pleasant Baptist church in Mt. Pleasant, NC.  The audience participated as the "congregation" and the whole thing was  hilarious.  This show alone was worth the trip to Granbury!  What talented young performers!

 

   On Saturday, after a big breakfast at the Pomegranate Inn, we walked around the town sqare area.  Mickey enjoyed several bookstores and antique gun displays while I found a quilt shop and a couple of  interesting boutiques. 

   This little quilt was up near the ceiling in the quilt shop, but caught my eye.  I would love to be able to make something like this.  I can't even imagine the hours it took.  It was so high up it was hard to get a picture of it, but if you look closely, you can see that it has little miniature dresses on it, each one very detailed....

   Wouldn't if make a great gift for a little baby girl?

   Granbury also has a gorgeous old courthouse in the middle of the square.  I loved the clock tower.  The whole building is under renovation at the present,  but it makes a perfect centerpiece for the downtown area.

 

It was a great, relaxing weekend even in the Texas heat!



Wordless Wednesday - A Miracle at Googoo's!

A first!  All three grands were asleep at the same time!...

And yes, Michael is in a hammock........but I'll save that story for another post! :)

Wordless Wednesday

I always feel safer with a grandson "packin' heat in the backseat"!

Friday Family & Friends - Emma's Homecoming

  I have spent the past two weeks at my daughter's helping with the new baby.  Of course, I kept my camera handy to document Emma's homecoming and Michael's excitement of having a new sister. 
   To welcome them home, Michael wanted to make a sign.  His original idea was to make a huge banner and have them drive through it on the driveway.  Since the weather was in the teens, I vetoed that one and suggested he do something on a smaller scale...

After the sign was ready, he decided to wait by the window and watch for them.  Of course, no one ever gets dismissed from the hospital quickly, so he waited...............

And waited...........

And, after several phone calls to them, they finally arrived...

He was so glad to see his mom.........

But the first thing he did was hold that baby sister...

What a lucky little girl she is to come home to so much love!  Welcome home, little Emma!

Happy "Birth"day, Emma Faith!

   Our newest grandchild was born this morning at 10:00 a.m..  Thanks to my youngest daughter, who came and stayed with the other two grands, I got to be there for the birth.  Here are a few pictures taken right after Emma was born. 

 Emma weighed in at a dainty 6 lbs., 1 oz and looks a lot like her older brother and sister.

 And here she is with her proud mommy and daddy.

 Thanks to everyone for all the prayers offered on Emma's behalf.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers during the next few months as we watch and wait, knowing that she might possibly have the same condition as her sister.  We know that whatever the outcome, our God is in control and that little Emma will be a blessing to this family.  Welcome to the world, sweet Emma Faith!

Wordless Wednesday - The Fisherman

As a boy grows, so does his tackle box!

Tasty Tuesday - Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup

Yesterday, I made this wonderful chicken tortilla soup and wanted to share it with you.  It tastes a lot like On The Border's recipe!
These are the ingredients you'll need:

3 uncooked,boneless chicken breasts, cut up in thin strips
8 cups of chicken broth ( 2 quarts) I use fat-free broth.
3/4 cup of uncooked regular, long-grained white rice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can (11 oz.) Mexican-style corn
1 cup chunky salsa
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
fresh zucchini
crisp tortilla strips

I realize those aren't zucchini squash, but this is all I could find at Walmart. I'm not really sure what they're called, but they tasted just like zucchini.  Here's a picture after I got all my ingredients measured and cut up.  Aren't the colors pretty?

Step 1: Spray a saucepot with vegetable cooking spray and heat it for one minute.  Add cut up chicken and cook until white, stirring often.

Step 2:  Add the broth, rice, squash and cumin.  Stir well and heat to a boil.  Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

Step 3:  Stir in corn, salsa, cilantro and lime juice.  Heat until desired temperature and you are ready to serve!

Add some tortilla strips and cheese.  Yum-m-m!  Just perfect for a winter evening!



Family & Friends- "Blogger" Friends

   One of the fun things about blogging is meeting lovely people from all over  the country.  One of those sweet bloggers, Valerie, sent a package this past week to my oldest daughter.  Valerie lives in Georgia and her blog, Life's Little Garden, is a delight to read!
   Last spring, Valerie announced on her blog that she would like to do some random acts of kindness (RAK's) for three people who were complete strangers.  She encouraged her readers to send in the names and stories of someone they knew who could use a little encouragement in their lives.  I decided to send in my oldest daughter's name and told Valerie of how Lilly, my granddaughter, was born with many disabilities and how Mendy lovingly cares for her each day.
   A few weeks later, I received word that Mendy had been chosen to receive a RAK and this week I got to present her with Valerie's gift!

Valerie sent Mendy a real sweet letter telling her how she was chosen and why Valerie was sending the gift.

The gift was a beautiful quilt made by Val's dad!  You might remember the story I wrote about "my granny quilt" last year.  Even though Granny has passed away, her son is now quilting and selling his quilts on Val's blog. 

  

I know Mendy and her children will spend many hours snuggled up under this comfy quilt! Thank you again, Valerie, for your "random act of kindness"!

Sewing With Children and Grandchildren - Making a Tissue Holder

Teaching a child or grandchild to sew can be lots of fun if you choose the right project.  When selecting that first machine sewing project, try to choose one that:

• gives the opportunity to just sew some straight seams
• can be finished in one session
• is something useful that can be enjoyed or shared with others

This simple tutorial for a tissue holder meets the criteria above and can be made from any fabric scraps you might have on hand.  Once mastered, these make great little gifts to share with family and friends!

Making a Tissue Holder:

Step 1:  Choose a colorful fabric and cut a piece that measures 6" x 9".

Step 2:  Cut a piece of lining fabric the same size.  This could be a coordinating color, the same fabric or a solid color lining fabric like I used.

Step 3:  Placing the right sides of the fabric together, sew the two pieces together with a 5/8" seam, on the two short sides of the rectangle. (Use a 5/8" seam on all seams in this tutorial.)



Step 4:  Turn right side out and press the sewn seams.

Step 5: Bring the sewn, pressed sides together, meeting in the middle of your fabric. Pin in place.

Step 6:  Sew the ends, reinforcing where the pieces meet in the middle.

Step 7:  Turn to the right side and insert a package of Kleenexes. (Leave the plastic cover on your Kleenexes)

And that's how easy it is to make a tissue holder!  I embroidered an initial on mine before sewing it together, but they are cute plain, with ric-rac, buttons or any scraps of trim you might have on hand.