Remembering An Autumn Trip

It is about 47 degrees here today.  A sunny but cold day with an overnight expectation of 33 degrees.  I was looking through some of our pictures and thinking of warmer times.

I ran into some of our pictures from an October trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park.  They definitely reminded me of warmer times.

Walter and I Sport Our Church Senior Adult Shirts

We joined with other church members to go to a local state park where we enjoyed walking the grounds, seeing the falls that give the park its name and eating at the buffet.

Main Falls

It was about 85 degrees the day we visited the park.  There was a constant stream of water moving over the falls.  I have been there when there was a whole lot more water but it was a dry time in Tennessee so not so much water that day.  There are several falls within the park, each beautiful in its own way.

These pictures served to make me remember warm crisp fall days.  We have a beautiful state and always enjoying touring it.

God is good!

Busy Week Prior to the Christmas Musical "JOY"

I have been very busy this past week.  On Wednesday we had our Women on Mission Christmas meeting with a covered dish luncheon.  After that I had a meeting at the Senior Citizens Center with the director and the President.  I have been voted in as the Vice-President for the coming year.  I am to get the program for each monthly meeting in 2014.  We exchanged ideas with each other about that and also some items each of them had for the center.  We have a lot of work to complete in the upcoming year.

The first Wednesday of each month is senior day at the grocery store and we get 10% off of our purchases.  We did our monthly shopping and got it home and put away just in time to go to church.  Then after church we had our last choir practice.  It lasted until 9:00.  I was exhausted by the time we returned home.

On Thursday I helped my friend at the church by folding bulletins for 320 people.  We are expecting a full auditorium for the musical "JOY".  Then my her granddaughter and Walter met us for a Mexican lunch.  There is nothing I like much better than meeting friends for a meal and a long time of chatter.

On Friday I worked with five other people to cut and sew 20 angel costumes for the musical.  A local decorator let us use his workshop.  We cut and sewed the outfits from lining material that he donated.  It was the first time I ever serged a seam, much less on a professional serger.  It took a little while to get used to it.  After a few tries I was able to sew a good tight seam and the work went fast.  I didn't realize that the machine cuts the fabric and then sews the edges at the same time.  I had a lot to learn.  I was a little afraid of cutting or sewing my finger but no injury happened.

The Handmaidens knitted the gold scarfs that were around the angels necks.  I knitted two of them.  They added a little sparkle to their costumes.

Some of the Angels Waiting in Costume before the Musical

That evening we went to a local production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" play.  There were ten of us that attended.  Then after that we went to Shoney's for hot fudge cakes.  It was late when we got into bed that night.

Saturday we went to Brandon's first basketball game of the season.  His team lost the game but he had a couple of nice rebounds.  Maybe next Saturday his team will win.  We had a full rehearsal of the church musical after that.  We took a short nap to recharge for the night.  That evening we took a recently widowed friend of ours to the play "Tuna Christmas" at the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts.  It is always a hilarious performance every time we see it.  Our friend had never seen it, and she truly enjoyed it too.  We had a good meal at an Italian restaurant prior to the show.

Sunday we had two performances.  We had a full church.  The musical was wonderful with several nice solos.  The young people made great angels.

Our New Spotlight Highlights the Angels and Baby Jesus

We had a real baby in the musical.  It was our pastors grandson, Ben.  Our pastor joked that it was his first time in church and he had to play Jesus.  No stress there! 

The Choir in Performance

We sang nine songs.  That is Walter in the red bow tie.

Close Up of the Choir

Walter & I Show Off our New Sweaters

And we even took a little time to get our picture made in front of the decorated tree in the church welcome center.

God is good!

Braces

Yesterday grandson Austin had a baby tooth pulled and braces put on his teeth.

First Full Day of Braces for Austin

He visited today and we asked him to smile into the camera.  These braces will help make a beautiful smile for him.  He is lucky to have this treatment available for him.

I was raised in the 1950's.  I visited the dentist about three times during my childhood.  No braces were ever suggested for me.  My family couldn't afford them if they had been.  I had teeth that grew over themselves.  My family called them elephant tusks.  Eventually they were pulled.  No other treatment was suggested.  The dentist just told my family that the newer teeth would grow down into my mouth in the right place after that.  Braces would probably have helped me to have a prettier smile if I had been offered the treatment.  However I did have a few cavities filled along the way.  Most of them are still in my mouth now almost 50 years later.

My daughter was told she needed braces so we got them for her.  The dentist tugged on them so hard that her mouth was so sore.  When we left the dentist's office we stopped to eat at a buffet.  She got some pineapple fibers trapped in her braces.  It took a long time to get her teeth and braces clean.  Every time we had an appointment her braces were tightened and she would hurt for a while afterwards.  I remember feeling so sorry for her. If she had a tear it would break my heart.  She was brave and tried to never complain.

Well the generations past and the rites of passage continue.  I hope Austin will take care of his braces and emerge from the experience with wonderful, straight, perfect teeth.  His smile needs no work.  It is perfect just as it is.  I get to say that since he is my grandson!

God is good!

Aunt Nell Turns 90

We traveled to Oklahoma at the end of October to help my Aunt Nell celebrate her 90th birthday.  She lives in an assisted living facility near her son's house.  She has lost much of her hearing and her sight is compromised but not her spirit.  She attends church every week and contributes much to her class.  She was a Sunday School teacher and school teacher in Georgia for decades.

Aunt Nell & I Ready to go Shopping

There were seven children in her family.  Now she is the last survivor.  My mother, Mary Arliva - called Rabbit, died at age 88 as did my Aunt Hazel.  I don't remember the ages of my Aunt Ruby Mitt and Aunt Virginia when they died.  My Uncle W.C. had left the family long before I was born and Uncle Dub lived nearby.

Aunt Nell Smiling Before Leaving Her Apartment

Aunt Nell's apartment is small but efficient.  She has room for two beds and has a little kitchen.  Her son, Paul, has asked her not to cook on the range but to use the microwave instead for all her meals.  There should only be a small amount of time that she cooks because the dining room is just a few steps from her apartment door.  Meals are provided, so only snacks would require any heat.

Walter & Aunt Nell Relax in Her Apartment

Walter and I surprised her with our visit.  We didn't want her to fuss or worry about our trip.  Paul arranged for us to have a visitor's apartment within the complex.  That made it very convenient and also made it financially easier too.  Although we used his car while we were there, we could have walked to her place from ours.

Sharing Birthday Cake

We went to Cracker Barrel for supper, then returned to the facility for dessert. We had a birthday cake for her in the dining room. 

Mary Anne Cuts the Cake

Paul and wife Mary Anne and son Paul contribute to the fun. 

I wish we could see one another more often.  The distance makes it challenging to plan.
Aunt Nell makes friends easily and is very resilient so I am assured that she is being well cared for.

God is good!

T-Ball for Nola

We as grandparents have set in the bleachers for many years of T-Ball, baseball and basketball games involving our grandsons.  A recent Saturday found us once again in the bleachers but this time it was to see our granddaughter in her first T-Ball game.  We were not sure how she would fair.

Since she has many boy cousins, we felt she would not be intimated to be on a team with all boys.  She turned four years old in September.  The team practiced six times and had two games scheduled.  We had a scheduling conflict so we only got a chance to go to this one game.

Nola Gives Us a Big Smile from the Dugout

We cheered her on.  She looked so cute in her uniform.  We thought she looked ready for the game.



Confident During the Pre-game Practice



Walter got her attention for a few posed pictures and then she was off for her game.


Yawn or Team Chatter - Unknown

Playing T-Ball is really hard work.  Nola had to concentrate on many things at one time.  She had to be "Baseball Ready", whatever that is and watch for the ball and keep her shirt in, and lots of other game needs.

Coach Gets the Ball on the Tee

When she was up to bat she got a good hit from the T-Ball stand and made her way to first base.

Nola Makes Contact with the Ball

We lost our minds!  Nola got a hit!

Through the Fence We See Nola Reach First Base

This was an exciting day in the park for us.

The View is Good from First Base

The coaches took it from there and advised Nola when to run.  She had a great first game.  Now we look forward to next year's season.

God is good!

Anniversary Trip-Only a Few Pictures

We went on a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary.  Since returning we have had many problems with managing our digital pictures plus other assorted computer problems.  Walter took over 1,800 pictures and most of them are wonderful.  However I have not been successful in getting them onto a flash drive so that we could have them made into a DVD for permanent storage and ease of viewing.  This frustrates me beyond description.

Since it has been so long since we traveled, I decided to post just a few pictures for now.  Hopefully later on I will be able to organize them as I want and also put a few of our favorite photos on this blog.

We have a lot of things we enjoy doing while we are on a cruise ship.  We enjoy the musical shows that the cruise director provides, the karaoke and the food - so much food to choose from, both buffet style and formal dining.  I think Walter had escargot four separate times.



Formal Meals are One of Our Favorite Cruise Things

We had been outside Ravenna on this day.  We toured the Ferrari Museum where Walter bought the classic Ferrari-red polo shirt he is wearing to dinner.



Walter Outside on Our Balcony Headed to Venice

The deep blues of the water and the sky are hard to describe without benefit of a picture.

Realizing a Lifetime Dream of Riding in a Gondola

Venice was wonderful.  We visited churches, plazas, a glass-making showroom and ate locally prepared food.  We over-nighted and went back to roam the town on our own the next day.  It was so relaxing and satisfying.  Every day we were in a different town until Venice.  The slower pace was just what we needed. 

Maybe we will enjoy the trip over and over again, if I can get the pictures organized as I want them.

Even if I never get that, I have the immense satisfaction that some of our dreams were fulfilled in those short 14 days.  God is good!

Doll Blanket or Heirloom?

Over 20 years ago I knitted.  I mostly did blankets and a few sweaters.  I was self-taught through books and experience.  My mother did not knit.  She made beautiful crocheted items, mostly dollies and pot holders.  But she approved of me spending long amounts of time learning to knit. I guess she liked the solitary aspect of the activity.

After many years of marriage when all the things I had knitted for my daughter was over and I had knitted enough blankets or afghans for the two of us to use, I stopped knitting. So when a knitting class at church started up, it made me want to experience knitting needles and the feel of yarn pulling through my fingers again.  When the first wave of church projects was over, I decided to see if I would like to knit again.  But what useful thing should become my project?

I have a granddaughter, Nola, who was soon to turn four years old.  So not needing any more blankets for us, I decided to knit her a doll blanket.  It would not take as much yarn or time as an adult size afghan would take so I got two colors of yarn and started to knit the birthday gift that I hoped she would love and keep well into her grown-up years.  I had about four weeks of on and off again time to put into the blanket.

To keep things simple, I used only the knit stitch.  I changed colors after four rows were knitted.  I just twisted the yarns together each time I changed the color and avoided the knot tying issue until the binding off process.



Finished Blanket Showing Twisted Yarn End

I have to admit I was happy to feel the yarn again and happy to see something come together in my lap.  I dropped stitches a couple of times but a church friend got me back on the right track when I did.  Thanks, Susie.

As I was knitting I was also thinking of Nola.  I hoped that she would like my efforts and would snuggle up in the soft blanket that I was making for her.  I thought about how she might "mother" the doll I was intending to buy her and if she would wrap the doll in her blanket.

She has mostly "all boy" brothers and cousins so she has had to learn to defend herself and play by their rules for the most part.  She is a beautiful girl and I hope she will like the gifts and girlie play with them.

The Rows Line Up Nicely

I was able to knit smoothly so that the blanket kept a rectangular even shape.  Sometimes my projects would not have straight sides but this one did.  I used a large circular needle too.  By using the large needle, the stitches had a loose feel to them which I thought made the worsted weight of the yarn seem softer.

The Back Side of the Blanket

Because I changed color every four rows, the back side of the blanket took on a distinct pattern too.  The delicate loops of the stitches showed better from the back side.  At times during the knitting I thought I liked it better than the front side.

Folded Blanket Shows Both Patterns Made by Knit Only

Softly Draped Blanket

Doll and Blanket Together Showing the Size of the Blanket

I finished the blanket when I thought it was large enough to cover and wrap the doll.  Somewhere in my heart I also hoped that the blanket would cover Nola too when she laid down for her nap.

Nola Playing with Her Doll and Blanket

A few days ago, her mother sent me the above picture of her holding her doll and the blanket.  I think she liked her birthday gifts.  It looks like she enjoys the back side too-just like her Grandmother!

Gift Wrapping for Males

Gift wrapping for males in our family can be challenging.  Small gifts don't look good in large patterned wrap and I don't want to make them look like Christmas gifts either.  During one of my sessions reading other people's blogs, I found a unique way to wrap small gifts.  The idea was to use the inside of those business envelopes that come with an overall design on their inside.

Some of them have designs that are small and repeat over the entire paper surface.  You just have to turn the envelop inside out and cut it to the desired size.

Stars and Bars on the Inside of a Business Envelop

Then you have a rather sturdy yet proportional patterned paper for the small gift.  Most all of the envelopes have a design that would be a good pattern for a male.

Tie-Tack Gift Wrap

So when it came time to give a gift that could be wrapped in the envelop, I used one that I had saved for just that reason.  We have had four male members of our family be baptized in the last year.  Walter and I bought tie-tacks for each of them to commemorate their choices.

Name and Stars Create A Sharp Patterned Wrap

I wrapped the first one in the envelop paper.  It turned out so nice that I copied the idea of the project by printing computer paper in a pattern using their names as the design.

Another Ribbon Style Choice

My daughter, Patricia, suggested the ribbon and seal trimming for the masculine touch.

Names on Computer Paper, Ribbons and Seals Were Used to Decorate the Gifts

I thought they turned out very nice.  I love to make a thoughtful presentation of any little gift I am giving.  For me, it adds to the enjoyment of giving.

Busy with Alijah

What do I do each day as I enjoy my retirement?  Sometimes I ask myself this.  Should I find something to do that gives me a sense of fulfillment and gives back to the community?  Some days I just want to stay home and am content to not speak to or see anyone else.

I am blessed with so much but in no way do I give charitably anywhere near to the proportion as I have benefited.  Walter and I have had a few discussions about this lately.  The subject comes up now as we are in this stage of our lives.  With no job commitments we are now able to spend time in activities that will improve the lot of others less fortunate in our neighborhood.

So we will be continuing our discussions and I am content that we will find our ways to help out in our community.  In the meantime we are doing things through our church.  I have believed for some time now that helping through an organized effort is the best way to affect change.  But the hands on effort is also an immediate gratification too.

Alijah Closes in on the Camera

Recently we kept our grandson, Alijah, while his mother went through several sleep tests.

He was a joy to have overnight with us.

Getting Too Tired to Sit Up for Play

We took him and his brother, Colin, to the playground at the park and to McDonald's for dinner and more playground time.  Walter and Colin had to get up very early to be sure Colin got to school on time.  Alijah and I slept in, but we were up by the time Walter returned.

Sweet Dreams for Alijah

 Alijah caught up on missed sleep for a good portion of the next day.  Seeing that sweet sleeping baby made me feel, at least for that day, that I had found a fulfilling and needed job.  Nothing beats rocking a willing and sleepy baby!

God is good!

Mediterranean Cruise Picture Review

We have been back from our 12-Day Mediterranean Cruise for a couple of weeks now.  Walter took over 1,800 pictures!  I am still going through the shots.  I am looking for any that need to be deleted and turning some upright on the disk as my plan is to make DVDs of the entire trip.

Watching the DVDs in the winter time will truly be like experiencing the wonderful trip a second time, especially if the outside temperature is in the mid-teens.  For the entire trip we had temperatures in the nineties.  It was hot!  All the time we had clear beautiful blue skies.

After each day out we returned to the cruise ship and showered the day away.  Then we were able to enjoy the offerings of the cruise such as the great food and many different entertainment venues.

This was the best way we could have celebrated our 25th year together.  One dear friend said she wished they had celebrated this way on their 50th anniversary instead of the large, elaborate party they threw for themselves.

August Traveling

I have been looking through two books on Rome and Italian cities which a friend let us borrow.

 

Reference Books on Italian Cities That We Borrowed

We have a 25th anniversary on the 27th of August.  To celebrate this anniversary we treated ourselves to a once-in-a-lifetime trip.  We have a 12 day Mediterranean cruise planned.

We are in the process of washing clothes, eating all the perishable food in the house and paying all the bills that come due while we are away.  We have wanted to see Italy for a number of years.  Having no language skills, we decided that a cruise with excursions and tour guides was the best way for us to see the countries.

The airline will fly overnight from Atlanta to Barcelona, Spain where we will board the cruise ship.  We have cruised with Royal Caribbean many times, so we are confident all will be well for us.

God is good!

Outside Lights Replaced

Walter nor I are excited about electrical projects.  I was raised by an electrician and plumber father.  Therefore I never had to learn about how to do any maintenance or upkeep on anything, whether major or minor, around the house.  He always said the projects he got called in on were always harder and longer to fix than if the homeowner had called him before tackling them on their own.

Therefore, his best advise concerning DIY projects was call a professional and write a check.  Then we could rely that the job was done properly and safely.

Now that we are both retired, we do have more time to put into DIY repairs.  So recently Walter decided he would try to replace four outside light sconces that had rusted and weathered on the front of our house.

With much tribulation, we bought replacement lamps and dug out the ladder and several tools.  Walter said the lights had three colored wires and that he could just uncurl them and reconnect the newer wires with the same color wires coming out of the house and then screw the lights back into the brick.

After several adjustments to the brace bar and some minor changes to the screw length, the first light was wired up and properly burning.  Hurray!  My father would be so proud.  In case anyone wondered how I fit into the project, I stayed with him the entire time.  I moved ladders, handed tools, encouraged and was available to dial 911 if needed.

Lucky for us no call was necessary.  The lights went on smoothly after the first one was finished.  Although they are brass finish and that may not be as popular currently as other finishes, I like brass and I feel it will come back into popularity some day.  It is a little harder to find now, but we have brass all over both the inside and the outside of the house.  To change out now would be far too expensive for something that is just for character and not for function.  So I will continue to replace with brass until all the outside lighting is new.

And now for a few pictures:

Old Rusted Lantern

Safely Off the House

Walter Using Plastic Gloves

Walter Showing Me the Wires From the House

Tired Walter Poses at My Request

Happy After the First Installation

New Beautiful Brass Lantern



Me Comparing the Old to the New Slightly Larger Fixture

Walter replaced four fixtures that day.  I was so glad to have them replaced with no money spent for their installation.  Walter was both happy and relieved to finally get off the ladder.  He deserved an atta-boy for this job well done.

Mats for Haiti

In the spring, our church made plastic mats for some children in Haiti.  You can see how my mat was made in my blog posting dated 5/26/13.

Finished Mat Made of Plarn (Grocery Plastic Bags)

This is a picture of my mat.  It was the only one that had a brown border on either side.  That is how I picked it out in the pictures that were brought back from that mission trip.

The below pictures show the reactions of the children who received these mats:



Boys Playing on the Mat

Fabulous Smile

The Girl in Pink Seems to Have Claimed the Mat for Her Own

Other Mats are Enjoyed

Mats are Moved

Some Mats are Larger than Others

The Girl is Committed to This Mat

Playing in Their Courtyard



As Shadows Fall

I Hope the Mats are Comfortable

Just Her Size

Mats Outside the Building Where the Children Stay

Gathering for a Game on the Mat

I am totally happy to see that the mats our team made were so loved by these children in Haiti.  It makes you want to make more and more of them. 

God allowed us to intervene in their lives even if we never stood on ground in Haiti.  They will know that someone, somewhere in Tennessee, knew of their plight and God sent them people who love them and want to share Jesus with them.

God is good!