November 29,2008

Thanksgiving is over and now our thoughts turn to Christmas. Santa and his reindeer tea towel has arrived. I decided it wouldn't be Christmas without some so I am in the process and these are a couple of the first ones that I have got done and will be going into my shop at http://shirleystitches.etsy.com plus some other new items.

We had our first snow today and it is snowing at the present time. The ground is on the warm side so it is not accumulating as much as it could. I always want a the grass to be white, but the streets to be clear.

How many of you remember the coasting party and all the fun that you can have in the snow.

Did any of you ever eat snow ice cream when you were growing up. I can remember using my mom's wash tub as a sled. We even used the scoop shovel turned backwards. We got in trouble for it , but it was sure a lot of fun. We went to a one room school house when I started to school. We would take our sleds and go coasting at the lunch. Of course, we didn't get much accomplished in the afternoon , because
we didn't want to come in. It sure was a lot of fun and the sch0ol house is still standing.

We don't really want a winter like last with all the snow and ice storm. The snow I can handle, but I don't like the snow.

People were out shopping on black Friday, but I chose to babysit my two oldest grandsons. It was much easier and I didn't have to worry about trying to push a wheel chair through a croud. It definitely was more enjoyable.

November 23,2008

Christmas is going to be here before we are really ready for it. When I was looking to see what I had completed for Christmas, I discovered the Christmas napkins that I had worked on while my husband was in the nursing home recuperating from a broken leg a couple of years ago. I had put them aside and like other things forget where I have put them.The pillow is one that was made by my mother-in-law who loved to sew. She did a lot of had sewing, embroidering, crocheting, you name it she loved to do it. The church was always asking her to embroidery tea towels for the bazar. I just wish that I had learn to do tatting that she also did.

The antique brooch and earrings are a set that I had found when I was going through boxes. I have a lot of things yet to go through and it all takes time. There is a name on the back of it, but I haven't been able to make it out. I thought perhaps someone reading this might recognize it and tell me more about it.

I listed them in my shop at http://shirleystitches.etsy.com

I have been working on my Christmas Santa Tea Towels. I had put the patterns aside which I am famous in my family for laying something aside and then I can't find them for a while. I always do eventually.

It was such a beautiful day that we took a ride today to look at some new countryside that we hadn't been before. The Christmas decoration decorating the streets in small towns puts larger cities to shame, because they are to busy decorating their malls to be sure to get the people to come to their locations.
You even find little country restaurants that are unique for their home style cooking to make the ride more enjoyable. Of course, you always eat to much, but it sure is good.
I need to get back to my stitching or I won't get done what I need.

November 18, 2008

The first two November 18th is what happens when you haven't saved your blog and the lights go out for a few minutes. I tried my first attempt to take a sunset after a rainy afternoon when the sun finally came out.I don't usually do that, but it looked so pretty. I like sunsets and the trees fall color. I have spent some time visiting StarryDeborah's blog about her trip to Paris.The pictures made you think that you were actually going right along with her. The art work and stain glass windows were really something special.
I have a couple of My Elegant Lady tea towels that will be going into my shop. As you can see I like the ones that have a little more detail to them at times. It is my relaxation, but tonight has been spent on the computer instead.
It is getting closer to Christmas and we are all busy trying to get things done for our shops. I visited CarriesCozyCottage and she sure does have some pretty jewelry. I will be paying somemore visits as my time allows. I usually try to spend one night doing nothing but reading other people's blog. You see so many neat pictures of scenry and what they are working on.

We have a week until Thanksgiving where I am sure we will all eat to much as we usually do.It is a time for family and friends to get together and share the day.We will spend the day in the country at our son's. I will have fun with our three grandson's. They will make you tired from just watching them play.

I just looked at the clock and it is time for me to go to bed because tomorrow is another working day.

November 15, 2008

We had been out to our son's for his birthday. He was the lucky one who got the horse picture that I won in the raffle. His birthday cake was cherry cup cakes with cherry icing because he doesn't really care for cake and I don't know why. Matt had taken his bath and had put his new Mickey mouse pajamas on that we got him for his birthday and the foot is his older brothers. We will be babysitting them the Friday after Thanksgiving while their mommy and daddy do a craft show. They will take some tea towels of mine and a few other items. I would sooner spend the time with them then go elsewise because I do not tolerate the cold very good at the moment.

I have been working on my etsy shop rearranging some of the items and listing a few new items. I had to recharge my camera for some reason when the battery runs down you don't get good pictures. I really can't understand why. I will work on some more pictures tomorrow. I will be adding some more antique costume jewelry that belong to my mother-in-law and other things.

We have had one cold front go through and we are expecting another one. We had some rain but no snow as of yet.

I must tell you about a wonderful Christian group of college kids that came and rake my leaves today around the house. They got out of the vehicles and told me the Calvary had arrived. It didn't take them to long and the only payment they wanted was posing in a group picture and praying with them before they left. I had been having problems with my back when I bent down or over wondering if I would get back up or straightening up so this was very much god sent for me. They were a wonderful group and it was their way of giving back to the community before they head home for Thanksgiving. I told them I didn't expect them to rake my two acres, which I have been told we should sell it and get something smaller, but when you built it and lived here a long time you hate to give it up. When the health requires, it maybe.

November 10, 2008

Our fall color has really taken a toll from the cold and winds that we had late last week and over the weekend. They are now more to the browns and grays. We have been fortunate that we have only had rain so far, but we know that it is getting closer to the time we get the snow.

I had to take time out to watch Dancing with the Stars. I am not sure who I want to win, but it is so much fun to watch. Even the younger generation that gets the opportunity to do their dance. They are in the age range from 8-13 years old. I always have like the dance competitions and ice skating. Our daughter completed in ice skating in her younger years individually and on a precision team and we got to do some traveling to different locations that we would not have gone to except for a competition.

I am not really ready to get the winter clothes out yet, but I guess I am going to have to do

Trees can be very pretty, but you have a lot of leaves to rake and pickup. I know I did several bags and it didn't even seem like I made a dent. They accumulate so bad right in front of my basement door.

We won't be taken as many drives when the weather starts changing. I already know we won't be doing the Loess Hills Scenic drive this year. We should have done it last week, but I had to many irons in the fire. We went down toward Atchison, Kansas this past Sunday.The river bluffs wasn't as pretty as the week before. You could sure tell that the weather had changed and the wind was strong. Oh well there is always next year and who knows what it will bring.

We just take everyday we are given and try to enjoy it the best we can because every moment is precious.

November 5,2008

My oldest son and grandson with his new lamp that I made him for his birthday. My grandson loves anything John Deere. I decided to do him a lamp for his room that he could use when he is laying on his bed which has a bookcase in the head board. We started him a collection of John Deere tractors and implements from the time he was olded enough to have them.

I need to get busy and make the other two a lamp but I haven't found a lamp that works and I didn't really want to pay full price for one. This one was found at a garage sale and I just reworked it to fit what I wanted. I just don't have enough hours in a day to devote to all of the things I like to do.

Our oldest has always built things out of lego's with the younger generation. He even still likes to build with lego's and see what kind of designs he can come up with. He got each of our grandsons their first set of lego's and help them build something with them. It keeps them very entertained that is for sure.

I can't wait to see the boys in their halloween costumes. Our youngest grandson went as a monster truck. Our middle one got to wear his pajamas to day care for halloween. That way they didn't have a lot of costumes to have to help the little ones with when they had to go to the bathroom.

The election is over and I am glad. We don't have to listen to the political ads anymore nor do we come home to find our answering machine full of them. It is was a little frustrating when you waiting for a message from the doctor's office.

I don't know if we will get to take our drive up the Loess Hills scenic highway or not this coming weekend because they are saying their is a chance of snow. I'll keep you posted on that one.

November 2. 2008

Our drive today took us to Northwest Missouri and Iowa seeing countryside over rural two lane highways looking at the fall color which is really pretty. It is my favorite time of the year. We found out where the Loess Hills scenic drive starts at Rock Port, Misssouri going to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The hills that we did see had a lot of color and some looked like they went straight up and down. We may do that drive later before the cold weather really sets in.

There were a lot of farmers working in the fields trying to get their crops out. I know when you meet them on the highway you have to be careful because there just is enough room for you to get by. They wave at you when you meet them on the rural highways.

We saw where they were building another wind farm in Northwest Missouri around Rock Port and Tarkio, Missouri. Rock Port is supplying their community from their wind farm, but you still need electricity to help make it work.

We had an enjoyable outing seeing a lot of countryside and that is the main thing.

November 1, 2008

I thought you might like to see the fall color in my back yard. We have raised them from babies. We even have a pecan and english walnut, but have yet got any harvest because the squirrels beat us to them, which I really don't mind.

We took our drive today to see the fall color because you don't know how much longer it will last. We have been taking a lot of two lane highways and seeing the countryside. A lot of the farmers are busy trying to get their crops out. I usually try to pick routes that will have the bluffs and hills. We never know which direction we are going, but it is fun and gives my husband an outing. He isn't feeling the best in the world right at the moment. They say it is allergies and put him on allergy medicine. I haven't decided if they are right or not because when he coughs it sounds awfully loose. He doesn't cough anything up.

Halloween is over and the next thing will be Thanksgiving. I will have a long weekend which always makes me happy. The last day of the month is always statement day which is an all day process. I always manage to get it done if everybody cooperates and leaves me alone.

I am still fighting with the insurance company. They told me when I called that we were through the donut hole and I would not have any problems when I went to pick up his medicine up. I gave them a day before I went so that they could do what ever they had to do. I went to get his medicine and I was told that it would be over $200.00 I just about had a heart attack. I told them I wasn't paying it because I was through the donut hole. We called the insurance company again and was told that the one who told me that I wouldn't have any problems didn't have the authority to tell me that. It would take 2 to 5 days while they audited the account but admitted that I was through the donut hole. I told them that they should have someone that could make the decision involving problems on each shift because appologies just didn't cut it. They just didn't want to pay the claim because now they have to pay 95% of his high dollar medicine. A word of advice to all of you who have medicare and prescription d insurance be sure that you keep track of what you spend on medicine when it comes to the donut hole because they will definitely trying collecting more then they should.

I have a surprise 40th anniversary party to go to so I better get my self in gear as I like to say.