Don't be Fooled by the Eggs That I Got...

I'm still goin' to the Kroger up the block! This is a sad day for breakfast food. These are the last of the farm fresh eggs til fall. We've been getting our eggs from a boy near by who has 70 chickens! But it has gotten so hot that they won't lay eggs. Now we have to use store bought eggs. Yuck!

The kids love stopping by to see the chickens. Some of them lay pastel green eggs. They call these Easter Eggers. This is one of the few pieces of farmland still in operation near our home. The chickens scurried away as soon as I pulled out the camera. But this is still lovely. Oh, to live on a farm!

Birthday Apron

I have been eying this lovely apron from Tallulah Sophie. My parents got it for my birthday and it just arrived this week. Yay! I love it. I've said it before and I will say it again...the apron is a magical thing. Housework is more fun with one. For me it's like what the FlyLady says about getting dressed down to your shoes each morning. When I tie one on (and I do mean the apron), I am ready to go! With a pocket, I can actually keep up with my phone all day!

My Baby

How can this boy be 11? He is almost as tall as I, and most certainly smarter! He loves to learn how things work. But when he explains this stuff to me, I never seem to grasp it quite like he does.

The morning of this picture he was leaving for Boy Scout Camp in TN. As you can see from the windows, it was a very EARLY morning! Noah was really excited about his first week away from home. This is the third night Noah has been gone and we all really miss him. We are staying busy. The girls have written him letters. We made this great art by coloring salt. Got this idea from The Crafty Crow. Jett enjoyed the mixing and the girls loved drawing.

First Things First

There is alot in my head that I want to blog about. But the days are zipping by and those thoughts are slipping away. So going back as far as I can recall, I needed to post this picture of the quilt top I finished a couple weeks ago. Here it is seen stretched over the quilting frame I can't seem to learn to use. At least it is good for displaying! I have the backing fabric all ready...it has Christmas trees and tiny little doves all over it. I'd love to start tonight. But in reality it will probably have to wait til I'm back from China. I leave in less than two weeks. Yikes! Can't wait to sit on that plane and be forced to sit still for 13 hours. I'll have to take some needle work for the flight.

2nd.wav Leads Worship

Last week the whole family was involved in Fine Arts Camp. The band led worship each morning for 250 k thru 5th graders. Danny was there all week helping the band, I volunteered, the girls had a blast making all sorts of food and crafts in the Early American Girl class, and Jett made his presence known! This was really a terrific experience for Noah. He said, 'Leading worship for other kids is awesome. They sing and really get into it." I am so glad the band experienced this. I think this is the best they have sounded yet. This reminded me of the early days with Danny...hanging around for practice, watching lots of performances, sleeping on church benches! Any Poets fans out there recognize the vintage Lync? Few times have I seen Noah as excited as when he and Danny finally found someone to fix the old keytar.

Blueberries For All of Us

Last night Jett and I read Blueberries for Sal. What a sweet book! How can I have homeschooled 7 years and missed this one? I have a renewed love for Robert McCloskey's books..thanks to Noah, whose desire to constantly read inspires me! Jett loved the storyline and the baby bear. I want to hop into one of those pictures! I want to pick blueberries, put on my apron (which I am still wearing daily...just stop by and see for yourself!), and can blueberries for winter. Now I have never canned a thing in my life...except for our family's secret chili recipe. But I mean I have never canned a home grown thing. My paternal grandmother, Mabel, canned everything she could pick! And she was a picker! Wish she had lived long enough to teach me how. She certainly showed me how to worship God in the style of King David. But I digress...this is about blueberries. And I have located a pick-our-own farm in Woodstock. We will be in China for most of the picking season. But we are going to make a point of visiting the farm. Anyone want to join me?

To Each His Art

We were feeling crafty this weekend. These shots are on the tiny patio outside my sewing room door. I set Jett up with Playdoh so I could quilt and still keep an eye on him. The girls got wise and came out. They took his seat, so the little engineer gathered items from inside to make one of his own. Dove made a birthday cake and PJ a family of ducks.

I had not sewn in months. This is the longest I have ever gone without quilting since I started learning 11 years ago! I confessed this to my crafty friend and she said, "How can you not?" That resonated with me for a couple days then I came across this anonymous quote: "I cannot count my day complete til needle, thread and fabric meet." So I decided it was time to "Sew like the wind."... Where did that quote comes from? I must say it was great to work on a project. I finished a quilt top that I had started last year. I'll post a picture soon.

The Strawberry Cake

After three tries, I finally made a cake like Amy's. It was 90 degrees, so I had to take this picture fast before the icing slid off! Our friends Chad and Candy came over. The cake was the main course...we ate half of it!