More gifts came in the mail!

Yesterday I got a package from my daughter in the mail!  She always sends the neatest things.....take a look and see if you don't agree...........
I love these old style potato mashers.  They do a better job than my kitchen aide and I don't dirty as many dishes

 I guess I'll be the sheriff in my home town.....my daughter said I've always been the sheriff...rustlin' up the bad guys! LOL!  And just in case I hurt myself doing it I've got some official cowboy bandaids to take care of my "owies"!

She's out of school for the summer now and she and the boys have been scouring some garage sales.  I think they found some real "treasures"!  She knows I used to read the Bobbsey Twins when I was a little girl. 

Maybe I'll read this to the boys when they come this summer.  It looks like a good one!

Look at these awesome buttons (like I don't have enough....can anyone really have enough buttons?)  I about fainted thinking she had spent that amount on buttons but she assured me she only paid .25 per card...whew!  She is THE BEST garage sale shopper although all my children are as I dragged them with me all those years ago. LOL!  They learned from a master! Ha! Ha!

And look at these wool threads on their original vintage cards.....LOVE!!!!

Do I not have the sweetest daughter in the whole wide world?  I think so and that's all that matters.
Thank you dear daughter!
Yesterday was Walmart in the morning and it was garbage day and I proudly took out 4 bags full!  Normally I'm a one-bagger but cleaning out I could definitely tell that progress was made this past week.  I was going to take Mr. Peeps to the vet but by the time I got home and put everything away the storm clouds were moving in so I decided to wait.  Plus, I was tired.  I got everything put away and cleaned up the house and made a rustic pizza for supper. 
This time it was provolone, pepperoni, leftover cauliflower and some mozzarella.  I used a Martha White pizza crust mix I had in the cupboard.  I am trying to use up food I have from cupboards and freezer.

Today there is more cleaning out of the middle bedroom, bills to pay and I have leftover apricot filling so I need to make more dough for the fold overs.  I need to finish middle bedroom clean out this week and pack one box a day to stay on schedule for my move.  I guess I better get going!
Happy Trails!  

YOP Week #50

Oh my!  Only 2 more weeks until this year of projects is over!  I can't believe this year went by so fast!   I am all about "finishing", packing and clearing out but I managed to work on a few things this week.
 My Hudson Bay socks are coming along beautifully and looking just like I hoped they would......

 I also "finished" hand tying Uriah's quilt and today I'll remove the basting pins then it will be on to the binding which I will have to research as it has been a while.  I started out using a tapestry needle and it broke and was difficult to use and hard on my hands using DK weight yarn so I switched to a chenille needle and that was much easier and faster in the long run.

Since I plan on moving this year, I will probably stick to finishing all my past YOP projects but then I was going through some books to pack or get rid of and I came across this old book.......

I thought for sure the patterns would be outdated and not anything I would care for much but was I ever wrong!  You know how I love blankets and moving up North I am going to need them for sure! LOL!  So you might be seeing some of these on my list for next year........
here's a combo of crochet, knitting and wool squares....everything I love!

I love this medallion granny square.........

a granny square doll blanket......

a sampler knitted blanket.  I love these types of blankets...........

A log cabin crocheted blanket....LOVE!

another granny square pattern.....you can never have enough of these....

I managed to do some "retro" baking over the weekend too.....apricot fold-overs (I make the dough and filling one day and then roll out, fill and bake the next day).....it's from my old BH&G cookbook.  I'm not very good at the folding part and I tried several different techniques but regardless they all tasted wonderful! LOL!  If anyone has made these and knows how they're supposed to look please let me know.  Mine look more like little egg rolls.

It's starting to feel like summer here......hot and humid and the girls are smart......they take naps when it starts heating up.......(I couldn't get a picture of Nitty or Grace)...here's Annie but she can't close her eyes because she's on daytime guard duty while Nitty sleeps (she has the night shift)

This little one has figured out how to climb into my favorite rocker......

That's all for this YOP week!
Happy Trails!

Friday, another great day!

I had no internet connection this morning and discovered I wouldn't have one until about 1:30 so.....I decided it was a good time to install my new modem which I did and now all is up and running fine.  I made some dough for apricot foldover cookies that I'll be making tomorrow and Ive been busy, cleaning out, packing a bit and contacting people in my home town to recommend a realtor there.  I plan on moving in September and I'm making a timeline of what I need to do before then.
I received a "care" package the other day from my son and his girlfriend and my grandson Uriah.
No reason whatsoever so it was really a wonderful surprise!  This is what they sent me..........

  a very nice "hoodie" that I won't be wearing for awhile as it's been in the 90's here all week!  But I will definitely be needing it when I go up North!

Some tasty treats.........

and a darling antique jelly jar and needle threader.......they know how I love the "old" stuff!
Thank you so much Uriah, Amanda and Ben!  You are too thoughtful!  

 I'm still reading a few of the same books but a new one too and a new magazine.  I'll have reviews of the finished ones on Monday.......
Gladys Taber's The Stillmeadow Road - so heartwarming and peaceful

I'm learning a lot from this book............

I finished Debbie Macomber's The Shop on Blossom Street so I started reading this one again........
The library doesn't have the 2nd book in the Blossom Street series so I'll have to order it.

And I got another ROL magazine in the mail so I'll be reading that...........

My hydrangeas are really doing great this year with all the rain we've had.  They don't call them hydrangea's for nothing!  That's just 2 stems...they're huge!

 As for crochet.....a few more granny squares added to the stack........

 I got to the first stripe on my Hudson Bay socks..............

 and I'm almost to the middle of Uriah's quilt in hand tyeing........it is hard on my hands though so I can only do about 2 rows at a time.  I think I'm getting some calluses so that should help.  This is the back of the quilt as I had it all folded up.

And last but not least....my little Mr. Peeps ...............

She's got a fat little tummy now and runs around all over the place and then "crashes"......like I'm about to do! LOL!

She's so cute I can hardly stand it!

Happy Trails!

Home Sweet Home?

Could this be my next home?  I have realized that I have got to move now if I am ever going to "live my dream" back in my hometown before I get too old to accomplish it.  I have certain requirements that I listed for my next and probably last home and although all of them don't have to be met some are pretty important.
My list is as follows (in no particular order):

Two story
Great views
Central air

Hardwood floors

Attached garage

Fireplaces

Claw foot tub

Old with original fixtures not modernized

Fruit trees

Room for girls and garden

Clothes poles for hanging clothes outside

Basement

 
I have found several houses but this one meets most of my requirements. It does not have a claw foot tub or a clothes pole nor is it 2 story.  It does not have a fireplace or a wood burner.  But it is in my price range.    It's not on a busy road and I can get a wood burner installed as I did in my last farmhouse.  The decorating is not good but I can paint and take care of that.  It has fruit trees, a garden space and all original woodwork and hardwood floors.  It has great views of the hills and countryside and there are not many rural properties that are within my price range.  I'm thinking this may be "the one"!

I want a house I can pay cash for without needing to sell this one as I don't want to wait any longer and I have tried to sell this one several times with no luck.  Things don't move very fast down here.
Oh, it also has a huge pole building with electric which I am thinking would be great as I could move stuff there while I paint and decorate each room.  Meanwhile "back at the ranch" I am furiously going through things and made great progress yesterday.  I am off to recycling, library and pharmacy today and then "back at it". 
    It is not on my time table though...there's a higher power that will make it happen if it is meant to be and either way I will enjoy each day!  But I do feel I have to do my part.  It's wonderful to dream and it's even more wonderful when those dreams come true!
Happy Trails! 

YOP Week #49

I am so bad this time of year to be getting anything done fiber-wise so please excuse the lack of YOP progress. It will probably be this way for awhile as I have presents to make, company coming in July and August and a new baby (for you bloggers that only visit on Sundays)...........I introduce you to Mr.  Peeps who is actually a girl but I didn't know that when my daughter started calling him Mr. Peeps.
She's too cute for words and you can check back on this week's posts if you want to know how she "showed up" on my doorstep!  She is quarantined for another week on my porch until she gets her shots.  The vet figured she was 4 weeks old last week when I took her.  Babies are time consuming!  But so fun.

 My Canadiana yarn showed up from Fishknits Yarns and I could not help myself but cast on and that's about all I've had time for....maybe tonight I can get some cuff work done.  I can't wait to get to a stripe!  I am so bad because I have the second Kristin Nicholas sock to knit.

I've been so tuckered at night I just mindlessly crochet granny squares but at least I managed to weave in the ends.........

Here are the latest colors and you can see the "granny" part...........

I hate to admit it but this quilt for my grandson is still hanging around! I am going to finish for when he comes in July.  I have wasted so much time on it.  First I tried to machine quilt it and I'm not sure if it was the machine or the operator but I took it out and then I tried hand quilting but I'm not very good, didn't have the right needles and it was taking forever!  So, my seam ripper has been working over-time.  I have decided to hand-tie it.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL!  The kid will be graduating from high school before he gets it!

 For me this should be YOP Year of Shame not Projects! LOL!  I looked at my lists (on the right hand side of my blog) and it has been a pitiful year of little progress.  I went rogue!  I haven't even finished projects from the 2 years previous!  Shame on me but I must admit I am far better in the skills department.  I will try and do better and reference my projects as to what YOP year and whether they are even on the list.....the 2 above aren't.  Although, I think I might have referenced an ongoing sock knitting from now until forever.

I hope you are all doing great on your YOP's and maybe someone could mentor me in 

"stick-to-it-iveness"? 

Happy Trails!

Miscellaneous Saturday

This is my new bird feeder all filled with sunflower seed........

it lasted less than a week before the deer destroyed it...no more bird feeders for me I guess.  I thought it was a raccoon or squirrel that kept messing with it but then I caught them in the act and they literally broke it right off the pole.  Who knew deer had such discriminating taste? 

 I got my first letter from a grand child!  Sam (my namesake) wrote me the nicest letter with a drawing of he and his brother playing. I wrote him back...I think we're pen pals now.  I even got stickers on the envelope too!

 Well, I finally got my fabric chosen, washed and ironed to make a knot bag.  I'm not slow or anything.

 Big sis and little sis............oh, I think the glass door needs a little Windex!

 "Rise and shine!"...said no miniature dachsund ever.........

 "rustic" homemade pizza using leftovers in the frig...provolone, some pizza sauce, pepperoni, broccoli, bacon and mozarella..........yum!

 Hen and chicks in bloom....I've never seen this before............

My nail color this week.....teal blue

I've been having fresh strawberries on my cereal all week but they're done now........so sweet compared to the ones in the store.

That's the "miscellany" for this week.  Hopefully, I will have something to post tomorrow for YOP (Year of Projects)
Happy Trails!
P.S.  American Pharoah is running in The Preakness this afternoon.  It will be televised.  He has won the first 2 "jewels" of the Triple Crown.  If he wins, it will be the first time in 37 years there has been a Triple Crown winner!