Meeting Myself Coming and Going!

Here is the photo that I chose for day six of the black and white photo challenge on Facebook.  And, this picture portrays exactly the way I have felt most of the day...that I'm meeting myself coming and going just like these squirrels.

Woody is not feeling very well today.  He's congested and his ears and eyes are bothering him.  He must not be feeling well at all as he actually...on his own...decided that he would go to one of the urgent care clinics here in town...much easier to go there than to get in the car and drive 45 min. to an hour to go to our regular doctor.  He got a shot, some antibiotics, some eye drops, and some allergy pills...hopefully all those will get him to feeling better!  He hasn't moved much from his chair today except to go to the clinic.

Tuesday is an out of norm day for school.  Kathy has Bible study at church and Nathan takes the children and has juggling practice.  So Joy is the only one I had come over today.  She came over after lunch and after she got her regular school work done for the day.  She finished her paper pieced blocks and started piecing five inch squares together.

This morning since I didn't have school, I decided that I would do a little cleaning and then get back to work making Christmas ornaments.  I thought for sure that I would have two ornaments made before blogging tonight...but NO!  The one that I chose to do this morning is one of the more time consuming ones...by the time that I chose colors and made sure that I had bobbins wound with those colors quite a bit of the morning was already behind me.  Then the stitching took a very long time.  While I was stitching that one out, Nathan and Isaac arrived with an urgent need for Isaac...his upper front tooth had come out and now he REALLY needed a tooth pillow!  So once I got the ornament finished, I started on making him a tooth pillow.  I delivered it to him late this afternoon.  He rushed in his house and showed his dad and then headed upstairs to put it in a safe place.  He came back to report to his dad where the pillow is...as Isaac knows that it is important for his dad to know exactly where that pillow with the tooth will be when Nathan makes his way upstairs (and hopefully remembers) after Isaac is asleep.  I'm sure if Nathan forgets that Isaac will have no problem reminding him!  Isaac now has quite the gaps in his teeth...two missing on the bottom and one on the top...with, I am sure, another on top to follow soon.  Looking like all Isaac will want for Christmas are his four front teeth!

I'm not sure that another ornament will get made tonight or not as a book order for the church library arrived this afternoon so I need to do the first step in those before going to work in the library tomorrow afternoon.  I will have school in the morning so no time to work on the order tomorrow morning...so tonight it will need to be if that job gets done before I arrive at church tomorrow.

I think that we are both in for the evening.  I went to the drugstore down the street to pick up Woody's prescriptions that the clinic phoned in for him and I took the garbage out...I think that has my tasks to do outside the house done for today!  Now to eat some of the soup that Woody made over the weekend and attack the book order!  There hasn't been a lot of time for me to sit in my recliner today...I think I hear it calling my name!

More of My Life in Black & White

My 7 day challenge of posting black and white photos that tell about my life has moved on to Day 5.  I think that today's is pretty obvious as to the part of my life depicted...just two days of the challenge to go.  The hardest part of the challenge for me is picking someone each day to challenge!

I guess we continue to adjust to the time change.  The main thing that I have noticed is that it does get dark around 5pm now and that I keep thinking that it seems later once the evening gets here...guess my internal clock still wants it to be 7:30pm instead of 6:30pm...but blogging early due to this discrepancy in the time that it "feels" to me and "actual" time.

Woody probably woke up a bit early due to the time change and walked early this morning.  We are having above normal temperatures at the moment so it hasn't been quite so chilly in the

early hours.  He got rained on this morning.

I had a regular Monday school day.  Joseph and Isaac had their school time.  Elijah, Esther, and Joy read with me.  And, Abigail had her long time.  She is coming right along with her latest zippered bag...she decided to personalize this one so we used my machine to embroider her friend's name on the bag.  She should have this one finished with one more sewing session.  Isaac has been waiting for me to get him a notebook so he can start making a sewing notebook.  I bought him one the other day.  So one of the things that we did today was print a couple of pictures of him sewing the button on Goosey's (Woody's) shirt.  I need to go back a bit and find some of the first pictures of him sewing a button on.  He wants a Paw Patrol cover.  The other children have machine embroidered a design for their sewing notebook covers.  I don't have any Paw Patrol embroidery designs so I suggested he bring over some of his Paw Patrol characters and I will take a picture and we will put a photo on his sewing notebook cover...should be less time consuming and he should be happy!  Just trying to please!!!

Woody went to the Life Care this morning and had Bible study with Jeff and visited with other friends who live there.

I worked on several things for our Sunday School class this afternoon...the school supply basket for our new preacher's family that our class is giving came together great...everyone brought their item/s yesterday and I have attempted to get everything into the large basket that one of our members gave us to use.  Our Sunday School class is also in the midst of planning the annual Christmas party.  This year we are going to have the party at the church rather than at our house.  I just didn't feel up to putting a time limit on being decorated and ready for a Christmas party by December 3rd.

This evening I made one of our long time favorites...Ham Stuffed Potatoes...a glorified twice baked potato.  They really did taste good after not having them for some time. We are now settling in for a quiet evening.  I guess I had better think about cranking up my machine if I am going to make any ornaments today.  At the moment I feel too tired to thread the machine...but maybe if I just get started...

Sunday Blessings!

Continuing the Black & White photo challenge on FaceBook that is supposed to tell about my life: A two-for-one day: My church in Arizona where I grew up attending.  Woody and I were married in this church in 1969. And, then our Tullahoma church...guess this is where we are growing old together!

Challenged!

I got tickled after I wrote tonight's blog title...as I am challenged in more ways than one!  But tonight's title refers to a photo challenge on FaceBook.  I have been challenged for the next seven days to post a different black and white photo each day.  These photos are supposed to tell about my life.  There are to be no words added and no people in the photos.  Tonight's blog photos are the ones that I used for the first three days. What do you think?  Do you think that so far these describe me at least a little?!? The problem for me was trying to figure out just which of my thousands and thousands and...photos that I would use.  Then I just converted them to black and white and put them in a folder on my computer and there they await for the rest of the days.  We are also supposed to challenge someone else to do the challenge...that's the part that I don't like...but so far I have been a bit creative in the ones that I have asked...one is someone who I have never met, but she is a photographer...so seemed like the perfect challenge for her...she picked up on it right away and posted immediately.  Another is my "at times" cohort in crime when it comes to driving around the countryside taking pictures...especially of barns...so far she hasn't taken the challenge.  The third lives in Europe and I said that I wanted to see her countryside in black and white...a way that I could travel there with my eyes!  She did post a beautiful picture this morning.  So now to decide who I will challenge tomorrow.  Hmmmmm some of you are my FaceBook friends...

Woody got up early and walked in the fog...very dense fog.  After the library opened, he and I went to the library.  After perusing the library for a while, Woody took me to WalMart so I could pick up a few items.  I was looking for school supplies.  We are changing the idea of a "pounding" for our new pastor and his family...instead different classes in the church are making up themed baskets of items that the family could use...we're trying for them to not have sugar or mustard for the rest of their lives!  Our class is making a school supply basket to help thm out with their home schooling needs.  We've enjoyed doing it.  We are taking them to Sunday School in the morning to see if our basket has all that it needs.  We have each taken just a few items and will add those with the rest.  We had a good sampling of school supply items on our list so it should be a fun and useful basket for the family.  We will have the reception a week from tomorrow for the family.  Our new preacher and his wife have six children ranging from 13-year-old twin boys down to an 8 month baby girl.

I have managed to get two ornaments sewn out today.  And, after I blogged last night I met yesterday's quota too...so I am still just a bit ahead of schedule of my plan to make two ornaments a day.  Today while Woody was working on the laptop and I couldn't use it for my sewing, I did some more of steps needed in finishing the ones that I have already made...most are done except for a hanging string.  I think the ornament that I just finished completed the ones that I planned to make to send to Arizona...good to have the "long distance" ornaments completed.

I guess it is time to close down tonight's blog and head off to complete my attempt to change the clocks...we are falling back an hour tonight...which means that we move an hour closer to my sister in AZ!  I know that most don't like this particular time change...but for me it is my favorite...there is something about having to adjust phoning times, etc. for two hours that makes it more difficult...I look forward to being just an hour different for the next four months (not fair that savings time gets more months!).  

November Blooms!

These two blooms surprised me...not expecting to see such beautiful blooms as November arrives!  Usually our first rose is the prettiest...and, often the only bloom on this particular rose bush.  Such a pretty one for a final bloom! The gerber daisy photo shows that the leaves are starting to fall. The Fall colors are really becoming vivid.  I think that I see a "need" for Woody to take me on a short excursion in the car to take a few Fall photos.  I hope that we can get away from the gloomy clouds for a couple of days.  I'm looking for a gorgeous fall-blue sky...and lately the clouds have been hiding it!

Woody got up before the rest of the household and went on his four-mile walk.  Elijah and Esther were ready for breakfast, I guess (I was still sleeping and they didn't wake me up!), so Woody took breakfast into his hands and made them pancakes and bacon.  They were happy campers when I came downstairs after being awakened by breakfast smells wafting up the stairs. After breakfast, they continued to play with the blocks that had gotten their interest last night and made quite a few other things.  Woody headed off to get our weekly groceries.  Around 10am our guests decided to head home.  They have been in and out at various times today as they continue to create with the blocks.  I put away groceries when Woody got home and decided that I would bake the ham that he got today.  I also deboned some chicken breasts and popped them in the freezer and made chicken broth with the bones.  So it has been a bit of a cooking afternoon for me.  I also did a little cleaning while he was at the grocery store.  I guess that it is good that I got ahead of my "schedule" for making ornaments as I have yet to find  time to make any today.  We have had a couple of quick thunder storms cross our path today and when the weather is unpredictable, I don't have my machines plugged in...so for a whle I couldn't make any ornaments and then when the weather cleared up, I was busy doing other things.  Perhaps I will set the machine to humming after I hit "publish" on the blog tonight.  Esther thought that it was funny that her "block man" made the blog last night!

Spend the Night Guests

Esther's creation with one of the building block
sets that we have in the toy closet under the stairs.

Watching Peter Pan after supper.

We have had a pretty busy day.  Woody started out the day with a six-mile walk.  I had a usual Thursday day of school.  Elijah had his long time.  He was joined by Esther and they both did experiments.  One experiment was finding out why leaves change their color.  It worked sort of...problem is that we should have done this experiment before the leaves started changing color...the chlorophyll is almost gone from the leaves as they are beginning to change color.  We will try this experiment again in the spring or summer.  But we were able to extract some of the color from the leaves using rubbing alchohol.

Esther and Elijah hatched the spend the night plan earlier in the week.  They wanted to spend a week night over here since they are on their Fall Break.  Fall Break has been declared next door while they concentrate on their renovations.  They got quite a lot accomplished...or taken apart today next door...part of the cabinets are moved out from the wall...boards that had damaged have been sawed out...dishwasher is now sitting in their school room, refrigerator and kitchen table are in the living room...I think that you get the picture!  Anyway, the children are enjoying a break from school and several...especially Graham are very much involved with the work.  We had quite the dinner this evening.  I tried a new pork chop recipe...Caramel Apple Pork Chops...I figured with a name like that the children should like them...which they did.  Woody made his new potato wedge recipe...so we both got into the cooking.  The dishes are washing.  The children are having their screen time watching Peter Pan.  Woody has been working at the dishes that didn't fit into the dishwasher.  I got other things put away and then I was ready to sit in my chair for a while.  Now I am in the sewing room with the children...they are watching Peter Pan on the little TV that I have in here to watch DVD's on...came in handy tonight.  Woody can have what he wants to watch downstairs and we can retire up here.  Elijah thought that he might fall asleep while he was watching the movie...he is one who goes full force...but get still for a couple of minutes in the evening and he is gone! So far he is still awake.  

This afternoon I worked on embroidering some more Christmas ornaments for gifts this Christmas.  I challenged myself to making at least two a day starting yesterday.  Yesterday I made two and today I made four...so I'm ahead of schedule...at least for the moment!  I don't know how  many I need...but lots more.  I will make a list as the time goes on.  Well, back to the slumber party!

Welcome, November!

Isaac decided that he would do some button sewing with his sewing kit this morning towards the end of his school time.  I remembered that Woody had a shirt that needed a button sewn on and Isaac fit that job description!  He did a great job and found that it was a bit harder to sew a button onto an actual garment than it is to sew one on a square of fabric.  Woody was glad to find someone willing to do the job!  

We have had a fairly normal Wednesday. Woody walked early this morning. I only had school with Joseph and Isaac as the older children had some place to be this morning.  Esther did come over for her long time and we got underway once again with her apron.  She was very happy that she accomplished sewing a pocket onto the front of her apron.  After lunch, I headed to the church to work in the library for a couple of hours.  When I got back from the library, Woody and I headed off on a mission = free taco day at Taco Bell because someone stole a base in the World Series.  Woody has been watching the World Series games so knew about Taco Bell's free give away today between 2 and 6pm.  Woody went to church tonight for a Bible study class about the Protestant Reformation...500 years since.  I have been trying to get myself into the sewing room to make an ornament or two this evening.  Writing the blog has gotten me into the sewing room so maybe I will now stay here and accomplish a thing or two...time is ticking...I've got to get a move on it if I am going to get ornaments and a few other things made before Christmas...part need to be done early enough to be shipped...so those are the ones I am concentrating on at the moment.  Yesterday I finished looking through my machine embroidery designs and chose ones that I might like to make this year for gifts.  At least they are now all in one folder on my computer and I don't have to keep looking through folders.  Now to get the machine humming!