I'm back!

Ten days after the crud hit me, I've still got a cough and I'm not dancing any jigs, but I have a pot roast going and I painted my toenails pink. I call this great progress. And it makes me feel like spring and sandals and sailing and diet vanilla cokes from Sonic.


I've been thinking a lot about rugs lately. I've finished one recently (see picture) and have another about halfway completed. I'm making the second one for a gift. Normally, on principle, I dislike giving decorating items as gifts, because the recipient may not like that "perfect for them" gift as much as I do ..... and they might feel obligated to use it ... even if it only comes out when I visit. I hate putting either of us in that awkward situation. Nevertheless, I'm going to be brave and make an exception this time with the hope they'll know there was "love in every stitch" and will perhaps enjoy using it as much as I've enjoyed making it.

The first rug is in my laundry room -- I chose the colors specifically for that room, but now I'm thinking I might like to create a new rug with a pattern that shows drying laundry hanging on the clothes line. Whatcha think?

Anyway, I'm going to play with that idea and, if successful, I may have to relocate the first rug to another room.

Bob and I have become very interested in making rugs. The technique I used for this first rug is called Locker Hooking because you lock the hooked stitch. Traditional hooked rugs, if they have no rubberized treatment on the back, have stitches that can pull out far too easily. Another difference is that locker hooking is usually done with cotton strips of cloth. Traditional hooked rugs are made with either yarn or wool fabric cut to a very thin strip. Sorry -- didn't mean to create a tutorial, but we've had a lot of fun researching this and looking at traditional and primitive patterns. I'm going to play around with the whole making rugs, rug patterns, wool fabric thing for awhile ... in between my other projects. :-)


I've found a new recipe for bread that sounds interesting. After I've tried it (in the next couple of days), I'll post the results ... and recipe if it's good. It looks fairly easy and it's supposed to be really, really good.

I miss exercising (and gabbing) with my sisters. There's nothing better than sister talk. I'm hoping I'll be back to it next Monday. And Thursday with Alice. I've really enjoyed the time I spend with her and Anita.

Girl talk is good for what ails you.

Sick, sick, sick! I'm tired of being sick.

I celebrated my last day of working on the project with Bob and came down with a bad cough the next day. Go figure!

This morning I almost felt human again for about an hour. That exhausted me. Being human is very tiring. Gonna go back to being a lump of clay for a little while.

Amidst this ennui there is joy. I spoke to both the boys yesterday. No matter how big they get -- no matter how manly and wise -- they'll always be my sweet babies and it will always bring me joy to hear from them. Such good loving kids. I am blessed beyond reason.

This is the time we celebrate the incredible sacrifice Jesus made out of love for us all. Wish I wasn't such a coughing, sneezing lump of clay and could dwell in the moment of this Easter celebration ... breathe in the miracle and wonder of it all. Such amazing love for sinners who don't even know Him ... and even love for those who despise and deny Him. Amazing Grace.

Happy Easter.

Tried to call my Andy this afternoon and couldn't reach him. I miss him a lot.

But I'm glad he's in Colorado now instead of Iowa. I really don't think Iowa was the right place for him because there just weren't enough opportunities in the community he was in.

Colorado Springs offers so much - hiking, biking, climbing. He has lots of good friends there. And a sweet angel named June who is his second Mama. God Bless my Andy and God bless Miss June. Enjoy one of my favorite (baby) Andy pictures.

Happy Birthday, Ginger and Sonny. And, Ginger, the true reason Billie and I sounded so awful singing Happy B-day was because of the lag-time you get when two people are on the cell phone. I'll bet it sounded hilarious from your end ... or awful ... it could have sounded really awful. Now that I think about it, it probably sounded awful. Just delete it.

Hope ya'll both had a great birthday! Me me me me me.

We've been busy, busy, busy all weekend. And my internal clock is off due to the time change. I'm constantly surprised when I see what time it is. Spring forward. Right. Not a lot of spring-ing going on here at my house.

I saw Mark for awhile today. He's always such an inspiration to me. His love for God is still so new that it breathes fresh air into this (old) Christian. He's like a baby still learning to walk in the Lord and it makes my heart so glad -- even while it convicts me of my own lack of faithfulness. I truly, truly, truly believe it only takes one dedicated person to make a huge difference in our society -- Billy Graham is a good example of that premise. So why am I not more dedicated? Why do I continue to let the world draw me in to the same-old same-old thing, distracting me from"fighting the good fight" as Mom used to say? These are things I contemplate in the quiet of a Sunday afternoon.

Most of the snow has melted out here, but the shadowy, northern side of the house still has a few snowy remnants. When I was outside earlier, I noticed my daylilies are peeking through the snow, so Bob snapped a quick picture for me. They look so pretty! Can't wait for spring & warmer weather.

Bob cooked a wonderful breakfast for me yesterday (while I was in the shower). He used the griddle, cut a hole in each piece of bread and broke an egg into it. I've heard it called Toad in the Hole, but I'm not sure if that's the correct name for it. Looks pretty good, huh? Am I blessed with a good husband, or what?

I'll be working with Bob for one more week and then I can get back to my Donna Reed routine. But I hear the laundry calling me now. Better get to it.

Saturday - coffee brewing - can't wait.

We still have snow on the ground, so we won't actually be working outside today, but we're hopeful that tomorrow will be warm enough to do a little work.

With that in mind, we're going to Dallas to buy tools for the barn project (50% off at a location there). While we're in the general area, we'll check out the fabric warehouses along Harry Hines Blvd. We're looking for the wool and Monkscloth I'll be needing for my primitive hooked rug project.

Bob bought me 4 rose bushes for Valentines Day and we had to put paint buckets on them to protect them from the bad weather. Since they come from The Antique Rose Emporium in Brenham, Texas (much farther South) and they've just been transplanted, I thought they needed some babying.

He bought roses I've been wanting for awhile - Seven sisters, Cecile Brunner, Republic of Texas, and the emporium gave us a free rose bush - Knockout. Eventually, I would like a rose arbor in the back area and this is a good start. However, the outdoor projects are lined up in this manner - Barn, porch-around-the-house and move the greenhouse. Each of those are large projects, so it's going to be awhile before the arbor is built. As a result, we've planted the roses in big pots at the edge of the back porch so it will be easier to transplant them later on.

Oooh - coffee's ready and the day begins.

March 7, 2008

On Wednesday the temperature was in the 70's .. typical March day in Texas. I was contemplating moving all my turtlenecks and sweaters from the current-season closet to the out-of-season closet. Ah, the retired life is good.

Then Thursday morning the weather got colder and uglier. Pellets of sleet began to hit the window making pink pink pink sounds. Big fat flakes started falling ... falling ... faster ... faster ... until it became complete white outside the window. Dallas didn't get any snow, but in my corner of the world we got almost a foot of the white stuff.

This is Texas, right?

This is March, right?

The wind piled the snow so high on the front porch I couldn't get the door open. When Bob came home from work he had to walk around to the back door to get in. Each step sank into the snow leaving a deep print. Brrrr!

However, today we're snuggled up while the sun melts the snow on the roof. All in all, this is not a bad thing. I'm certainly happy!