Honoring Their Memory

Remembering that day eight years ago puts a lump in my throat. But it also reminds me of the strength and triumph of the American spirit. And the bonding we felt as a nation. Every year I recall a tearful conversation I had at work with a colleague in New York City. I'd never spoken to him before but we shared tears and prayers. Moving memories . . .


This week has been an eventful one for us. On Tuesday a good friend of my husband's had a very scary accident. He was climbing an aluminum ladder to the roof of his business building when electricity from a main power line five foot away arched from there to his ladder. His son had to knock him from the ladder. He was taken by ambulance to our local hospital then flown out by AirEvac helicopter to a larger hospital in Springfield. He was badly burned but otherwise deemed to be okay. Thank you Lord! And then - can you believe this, on the same day another good friend of my husband's (a young man) had a pacemaker put in. What an emotional week. So, I did the only thing I know how to do to make them feel better - I made cookies . . . and cards! :)

Sunday is my son's birthday. I still can't believe he will be 25! I am so proud him and the person he has become. He is a young man of integrity, compassion, intelligence -- and wit! (Sure didn't get that from me.) Last night we celebrated early by taking him and his darling fiancee out for dinner. Now that our kids are older, we usually give them cash so they can pick out their own gift (his will be binoculars this year) but we also try to come up with some little gifts as well. And I like to try to make something personal when I can. So among other things, my husband had came up with this monster spatula - about 2 ft long.



(Yes, it is laughable but will be good for campfire cooking and he loves that!)



That gave me the idea of making a potholder. I was trying to think of how to personalize it when Ashley reminded me that Sunday night is his night to cook. He looks forward to it all week. Seriously. Don't ask him to dinner on Sunday cause he ain't coming! So here's the pot holder. The back is a cute moose fabric.

And last but not least, his birthday card. Although I can't really take credit for it. I made it, but it was at a stamping party so the ideas, layout and colors were not mine. (Don't tell Kyle though! Even if I didn't tax my brain, it was one of my favorites and special just for him.)

Today is the 2nd birthday of Thacker - my friend Tammy's grandson. Today I will help her and Brandi (Thacker's mom) get ready for the party. A BIG FUN party, they don't do any other kind! So . . .

Happy Birthday to Thacker and Kyle!!! And a happy day to you too.

Two Precious Boys

Today my husband and I worked at Second Chance Animal Rescue. Just thought you might want to see a couple of charming boys that are looking for forever homes right now.

Johnnie is noted as a chihuahua dachshund mix but to me he just looks doxie. He is such a lover, I can't tell you. If your lap is within range, he will certainly jump into it! Look at those eyes -- one blue and one brown. He has an adorable face and an adorable disposition.

He's still a puppy so very playful and to get him to hold still long enough to snap a picture was a challenge. I managed to grab the following shot while he paused to devour the milk bone I brought him.

His small size, his friendly attitude and desire to please will make him a wonderful pet for some household. I can't say whether he's housebroken or not as I haven't spent enough time with him to know, but I can say that his stall was clean and the first thing he did when we took him out today was to relieve himself (both ways). I think he was waiting to go out so he could do so.



This is Prince. Oh my goodness. I totally fell in love with this dog at first sight. He is beautiful, far more so than you can tell in these photos. But even more beautiful is his personality. He has such a gentle, loving disposition. He too is a puppy and therefore playful but at the same time he has a careful gentleness about him, as if he is taking care to play nicely.

He is 8 months old, said to be a beagle mix. He's what I would consider to be medium or medium-small size. I don't know if you can really tell, but he has the most adorable speckled sock feet.
In the picture below, his hunter's nose has located the milk bone I have in my pocket for him. Can you tell how gentle and calm he is, even when he's found a treasure?! I think he himself is the treasure. He is one of the sweetest dogs I have met. Seriously. I'm told beagle mix dogs are less sought after for adoptions. I hope there's an exception for this exceptional dog. By the way, Prince also relieved himself (both ways) as soon as we brought him out. A good sign for training potential.

I'd love to get you more information about either of these dogs. Or if you have an interest in meeting them, you can contact me or call Second Chance at 618-283-9583.

Love and God Bless!

Kind of a Slow Week

. . . but that's okay. It took me all of last week to overcome a nasty bug. Then for most of this week I just felt lousy. My sister Deb told me it would take two weeks. I should have believed her! Anyway, I finally feel normal again. If there is such a thing . . . :)

I haven't had the energy to create much since I last blogged. When I did, it was mostly paper crafting. I was in that kind of mood - which is a good thing. It's a bit more low-key than sewing, which I've needed lately. Also it helped me to brush up and get back in that frame of mind and I need that for my next project -- working up a sample for the wedding invitation. Woo-hoo!

Simple but elegant. (The charcoal is embossed, click on the photo for a better look.) Our priest of the past four years was transferred and before leaving he asked me to make him a set of chalice veils for his new location.

The embroidery is elegant too, don't you think?! (I didn't get a photo of all but the set included green, white, red, rose and purple.) The card was a perfect finishing touch to complete the package.

And then I made all kinds of birthday cards. We're in a birthday hotspot on the calendar!

Can you believe Labor Day is upon us?! I can't. This weekend triggers my annual end-of-the-summer blues where I mope around and give my husband whiney grief about how I don't want summer to end. Along that line, I will leave you with a couple of images I snapped this year - the simple pleasures of summer. Whaaaaaa!

Hope you have a delightful holiday weekend!!!

Where oh where has the time gone?! We have been back home for a month now and I still can't believe it even when I say it! Being so busy has something to do with it, I'm sure. We took Tim, Jamie & Preston to the airport a week ago today after a two-week stay at our home. Here's a glimpse into those days . . .

Randy, his mother Helen, Tim & Preston, visiting at Granny's

Here's "KY-oh" (aka Kyle) and Preston at the 80 (our precious country getaway).

Tim, Jamie & Preston share a moment at Granny's.

Having a full house seriously limited my free time and thus my crafting opportunities, but sometimes it's just necessary (besides, I gotta get my fix, you know!) -- so I did manage a few fun things.

My nephew turned 18 - oh, I can't believe it! - so I had to make a special card for him. (He's not really my nephew, he's actually he's my cousin's son, but we're really close, he's always been 'nephew' to me.)

And I made a small makeup sized bag as a gift for a very special young lady. You know how some people just warm your heart? So it is with her. We got the most precious thank you note!

And finally, one of joys of summer. I don't recall another year when fresh fruit has been so plentiful and affordable! This was an exercise in patience -- I cleaned and prepared each fruit and froze the individual pieces before adding to the mix. There's pineapple, strawberries, peaches and blueberries. Judging from the way Randy swiped pieces each time he went through, I think I better get started on another batch of this!

Hope you have a blessed day wherever you are!

Happy Birthday to Brian!

Today is our dear friend Brian's birthday (I won't tell which one!). A friend of mine graced me on Sunday with a peck of fresh picked peaches, so peach pie became Brian's birthday treat from us. Brian (a.k.a. Lumpy) loves pie. Doesn't everyone?!

While we were at Brian & Tammy's I got a photo of Nanabelle. Sweet Nanabelle is Rusty's big brown girlfriend (he cocks his head when you mention those words) and he's been wanting a picture of her forever. I think we may make it into a poster for him.

Of course Nana may romp with Rusty -- but Brian is her first true love!

The Road Home . . .

I'm sorry I've let more than two weeks of home time slip by without an update post. I've been thinking about it, but after talking to my friend Bev yesterday - she shamed me into it, calling me lazy! Not really, but it sounded good, didn't it?

Now I have to tell you, I was totally unprepared for what I found when I got home. I've told everyone and it's true -- remember the Beverly Hillbillies? Well, our yard looked like the Clampetts' poor cousins live here!

It's actually kind of shameful to show you the 'before' without showing 'after' too (I promise it's cleaned up now), but this is just part of what has occupied my time since we came home.

We've also had houseguests. Tim, Jamie & Preston arrived last weekend. They are making their rounds, staying with friends and relatives. They are here for two weeks now, then will return again in November for another four week stay.

Here's the three generations of Edwards guys. Preston has his mama's eyes, but that mouth is most definitely Edwards! He's a year and a half and quite a cracker jack. He speaks very clearly, has PaPa down pat. And I love the way he calls Kyle "KY-oh". Remembers everything! Wish I could learn so much so quickly!

And finally, I squeezed in just a teeny tiny bit of sewing. Here's some tank tops for a bachelorette party.

Gotta run for now, today I'm going wedding dress shopping with Ashley -- what fun!

A Visit to the Nature Station

So many pretty sights . . .



both flora and fauna.

Doesn't this barn owl look regal?

You can tell this coyote is well taken care of; he looks much healthier than our wild ones in Illinois.

This turkey was too busy foraging to pay much attention to us.






Isn't this a gorgeous lily?

Speaking of regal, how much more majestic can you get than this bald eagle? I saw one in the wild recently, near the North Welcome Station of LBL.

It was rather hot the day we visited so this guy found a cool place to nestle down.

But this photo of the bobcat has to be my favorite for the day - don't you want to join him in a blissful, carefree nap?

I hadn't realized how neglectful I've been in posting. We've had so much to keep us busy. Our days at LBL are quickly drawing to a close. Since George's death in April, commitments at home have created a strain particularly on my husband. Very soon we will be headed home to stay. It will be hard to leave this beautiful area, these jobs that we enjoy and most especially the dear friends we have made. Sigh . . .