Finding Joy

About 21 years ago my daughter Tricia bought this sweet little Tea Party set for me cause she knows her mama is a sentimental old soul.  She knew I would want to have tea parties with my grands.  We had several with it and had lots of fun eating our cookies and drinking orange juice or chocolate milk from it.

She got it at Costco. It was well loved for about a year.

One day during one of our "Tea Parties"  Miss Amanda who was probably 3 or 4 years old had an Amanda tantrum and threw her tea cup across the room and broke it. The Tea Party got put in the box and pretty much forgotten until this week.

While wandering through Goodwill, I came across these two tea cups.  Now only someone who owned the tea party set would recognize them for what they were.  $.49 each!  Of course I bought them and brought them home.  All washed up and shining.

I have ll of my tea cups again and a spare.

Manda Pet, are you ready for another Tea Party with Gramma?

I know the world is in turmoil.  My State (Washington) seems to be being consumed by fire.  I can't get across the mountains to my retreat by the river. But sometimes, just sometimes you have to find joy in the small things.

Wordless Wednesday Autumn Serinity

Applesauce or Apple Juice?

Life..............

Dress A Girl Dress I made this week.  The top is crocheted by my daughter Karyn and I added the skirt.
This dress was sponsored for $15.00 about 20 minutes after I posted it on Face Book.  Thank you Katie Cunningham.

Dress A Girl dress I made last week.  I cut a toddlers T-shirt just 1.5 inches below the sleeve opening and added the skirt.  This dress was actually sponsored before it was made.
Thank you Claudia Cope

Looking North up the Swinomish Channel in LaConner Washington.  A sweet little town that is a delight to visit.

Looking South on the Swinomish Channel in LaConner Washington
The Rainbow bridge that crosses the channel in the background.

My Sister Jacque

A very favorite picture of my family.
Taken in December of 2011.  We knew Kris was sick and had a very short time left with us.

It seems once you fall out of the blogging groove, it can be difficult to get back in.  I am posting a few pictures of my life in recent days.  Of course they have been filled with caring for grandchildren and great grandchildren. I have squeezed in some sewing and spent one day cleaning my house with the help of my friend Rebecca.
My sister Jacque who is suffering from cancer has been at my house for the past week.  She generally lives in Seattle with one of her daughters. Last week she went to the hospital for a transfusion and they discovered she had pneumonia. After a couple of days in the hospital she came out here. This is the third time she has come and stayed a week with me because she has difficulty breathing in Seattle. She was very weak when she came out, but she seems to gain in strength. Having her here isn't any problem at all.  She can do most things for herself, spends her time in her bed or in the living room on the couch. The only added work is the small meals she needs through out the day. She will be returning to Seattle on Tuesday as she needs treatment again during the week. She was getting a bit stir crazy (a good sign) on Saturday so we took a drive North and West to the little village of LaConner.  It is a fun touristy town. It was a warm day and we took a very short walk along the shore of the Swinomish Channel. We both were pretty tired by the time we got home.
The web site for my Africa trip is up and running. http://www.netturtlestudios.com/evy/   I have about 100 dresses I need to take pictures of and get loaded onto the site. The sponsorship program is going very well.  Since I announced it in early August, I have received $1000.00 in sponsorship.  Only $14,000.00 to go. I will be doing a presentation at my church this coming Sunday.
I included the picture of my family because it makes me so happy every time I see it. The way we were. It was a happy bittersweet day.  Knowing we would never have a complete family photo done again and being together as an entire family having a great day together.

Lunch bags my daughter Gina and I made for her children.

One I made for the neighbor girl for her birthday.
Now I have one in process for granddaughter Olivia.  Can't make one for Kate and not for her.

Isabella not appreciating in any way taking a bath in Gramma's sink.

A bag I made my friend.

It folds flat and to about the size of the little brown pocket on the front so you can tuck it into your purse for when you go grocery shopping.

New couch.  You can see where I tuck my laptop when I am not using it too.

So, probably I should head to bed as I know I have another very busy week ahead of me this coming week too.  Gotta get some much needed rest.

I will leave you with...........................................................

The obligatory shot of Pepper.
She lost her perch on the big comfy green couch.  I tried to make her comfortable on the table but she will have nothing to do with it.

I kind of had a little dry spell

But, I am back for now. It might be a bad idea to try to catch up in one post, but here goes.
With my fundraising project, 30 dresses are now sponsored.  That means I only have to find sponsors for 970 more dresses.

 A person that I went to High School with sent me a check for $100.00. She said she wanted to help me dress the little boys and felt it would be better to send the money than try to buy things and mail them to me from Arkansas. This week, I went to JC Penny's and purchased 14 little shirts for $1.97 each. I do not have pictures of some others I also purchased, but of the $100.00, I have spent just over $50.00.

 I also had $30.00 in Kohl's bucks so I spent them on these shirts and one pair of shorts.  I paid $4.80 for the shirts and $1.97 for the shorts.  The shirts are in sizes that will fit the bigger boys.  The total came to about $32.00. As I was digging for the extra $2.00, I saw the register total go to $0.00.  We had been talking about why I was buying the shirts and this kind lady discounted the amount over $30.00. I have to tell you that I keep running into this type of giving on a regular basis.

 This is a dress I made by cutting the bottom from a tank top that I purchased on clearance from Kohl's and adding a skirt.  I still need to press the seams, but I was anxious to share it.
My sister Susan has a store in a little town called LaConner which is about 50 miles North of Seattle. It is on the Swinomish Channel. It is a favorite Saturday destination.  She took four of my dresses to her shop and offered them for sponsorship.  I went up to her store today and collected over $100.00 that people have given to sponsor. Some one and some two dresses.  It all adds up and confirms to me that God is blessing this project.
My cousin has created a website for me. It is not complete, but you can visit it at: http://www.netturtlestudios.com/evy/.  Eventually, I will have all of the dresses available for sponsorship featured there.  We have a couple of typos to correct and some other minor tweaking to do.
                                          
 I almost always take my camera with me when I go for a drive. Going to LaConner was no exception. Pepper and I took a little walk while my sister was busy with customers in her store.  This stairway is directly across the street from Susan's shop Remember Me.

 They lead up the hill to this house.  Which coincidentally is for sale.  It is a lovely little town if anyone is interested.

 I walked down to the waterfront and took this picture of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the lands on either side of the Channel.

 My sister Susan's shop Remember Me. A sweet little shop filled with consignments and her own items. Antique and new. Furniture to small household items and knick knacks. She has also featured my knit items in her store.

To get to LaConner, you pass through some of Western Washngton's most fertile farm land. I saw acre upon acre of cabbage still maturing in the fields.

 I also saw many fields that have been harvested and put to sleep for the coming spring.

 And other fields that were being readied for the Spring planting.

 The road that this field was on is a very narrow windy road with absolutely no place to pull off of.  Luckily, it is not a well traveled road and I was able to stop and roll down my window to get this shot. It is a corn field that has been harvested.

 A tumble down barn on the corner where the road I was on connected with the main road.

Almost back out to the freeway, I came upon this tractor on the road. A common site in the farmland.

Yes, I did take its picture through my windshield as I was approaching it.  Maybe not the safest thing to do, but I really wanted to document it too, as a part of my drive today.

What did you do with your weekend?

Not a Wordless post, but Very Important to Me............Africa trip and Dress a Girl around the World

Dress a Girl Album on Face Book

My Africa trip is just a year away and I still need LOTS of money

I am taking a page from the book of another Dress A Girl seamstress who just made a trip to Uganda. She offered her dresses for sponsorship. I will soon be setting up a page with pictures of dresses that you will have the opportunity to sponsor.
Here is what we will do, you can choose as many dresses as you would like to sponsor. Let me know which one(s). Sponsorship will be $15.00 for one dress and $25.00 for two, so you could sponsor four for $50.00. With your sponsorship, you can send me a picture of you or your family, whatever and a short note of encouragement to the child that will receive your dress. I will place them with your dress for the child. You could possibly enclose a very small trinket if you wish. I will stress though, very small.
Payment can be made by sending me a check made payable to Bryant Community Church with a notation in the memo portion. Africa project.
I also have a pay pal account that you can use if you prefer. However, by sending it to the Church, you will be able to write it off as a donation.
I hope to take 1000 dresses with me, so conceivably we could take $15,000.00 with us. Just think of the church we could build in Congo in honor of my friend Reverend Mwenebolongo and................all of the other help we can do with it! I am stoked and I pray you will be as well 

This is one of the dresses I make for the Dress A Girl project.  This one is made from fat quarters. I used four different prints for this particular dress.  It has been sponsored, but if you click on the link above, you can see pictures of some of the other dresses I have made.  Some have already been donated, and some are still available for sponsorship.  I will be making a new page where the dresses that are available for sponsorship will be featured. Please visit and donate as you are led to.
Thank you all!

Thrifting

I was down in Marysville this week, so I took advantage of having no Grands with me to stop at Value Village.  Thank you Marlene for talking me into giving up my prejudice against that particular store. Now I can't stay out of if.  I think my pocket book may have been better off, had I not listened to you. 

Well, anyway, I have this darling little cookie jar that my daughter Tricia bought me several years ago.  I absolutely love it. I cringe every time a child touches it. I am so worried one of them will drop the lid on my granite counter and break it.  Oh the hold possessions takes on one! Anyway, there was a time it was nearly always full of chocolate chip cookies.  Not so much any more. My granddaughter Breanne still checks every time she comes over though.  I should surprise her and fill it up again.

So, at Value Village this week, what should pop out at me but this sweet tray to serve my chocolate chip cookies on!! Of course I had to have it!  It called my name and I could not put it down.  I think I may get a hanger and hang it on the wall beside my jar.  It is just too cute!

I really do like kitchy kitchen things. My cupboards are filling up and one day my girls will be going through it wondering why I ever bought the things I have poked away for my enjoyment.

I am just a small time hoarder.

I am planning a luncheon with my lady friends next month and I really do think sweet little treats on this dish will be a part of the table.

153 Fish

How to live through anything. The fish principle
Click on the above link to read the blog post.


This showed up on my Face Book page.  Posted by a friend of mine.
In the past few months I have been looking for joy in my life.
I have not been counting the fish though.
By the time I finished reading it, I was literally sobbing.
It is amazing where epiphanies come from sometimes.

Random

The climbing hydrangea I planted on the south side of my house.  It was just a scrawny little twig for so many years. Finally last year it decided to take off.  I think by next spring I will be able to guide it over the top of my gate and hopefully up along the fence.

Pepper and I were out on poop patrol. I can't help taking pictures of her. She is so darn cute.

I get so much enjoyment from my roses.  I remember a card someone gave my mom many years ago when my sister was killed in a water accident.  The front was a beautiful rose and the caption was that God gave us memories so we could have roses in January. Every time I look at my beautiful roses I remember that card.

Have to get a little Grandson love into the mix.  Great grandson Jayce David.  He is learning to get down off of Gramma's porch. He fell, but fortunately from the other side so it is not so far to go.  He insists on being outside and is comfortable, usually, with stairs. He negotiates mine and the ones at his house every day so I was a bit surprised when he did fall from the porch.

There is something so special about day lily's.  One day of absolute beauty and the next nothing. These are special because the came from the garden of Stan's sister and brother in law.  His sister Susie lost a very long struggle with cancer this summer. 

You know how you associate some flowers with people?  My uncle had a gorgeous hydrangea along side his house.  When Stan and I bought this house 12 years ago, I just had to have one to plant beside mine. I bought this one. It is on the east side of my house where it thrives beautifully. Two years ago though, someone thought it needed a hard prune. Someone else was just a little bit peeoed when they took a walk through the garden and discovered it.  It did not bloom at all the following year, but this year has made up for it.  That person has been forgiven.  This is my first hydrangea but since have collected several more, including a gorgeous white one. I had plans of planting a hedge of white ones, but never got beyond the original one.

Disregard the Gramma fat tummy and focus on the pretty baby.  Who could bring themselves to put that down? We sat like this for 2 hours while he napped.  Pepper right alongside the entire time.  She really thinks it is her job to watch out for the babies.

After our nap, a very happy rested boy.

A couple of days later, Great Granddaughter Miss Trynity came over to try on some shoes a friend had given to Gramma for her.  Unfortunately the feet were just too big.

Mommy tried real hard to get her to like them.

But she had them off as soon as she could.

Pepper keeping vigil out the front window.  Nothing gets past her. 

Prayers for a Blessed and safe weekend for everyone.