Spring...maybe

Good morning: It has been a short time since I blogged.  Is that a verb??  I wonder what they are teaching in college English these days.  Our language, always changing.  My dear sweet MFA spent a little over a week with us, in the north: cold, snow!  But she had a great time visiting her firneds and her parents.  She is fun to have a round and is missed.  Spent 2 days trying to get myself together after she left.  Maybe just lazy, but I forgot some things that are of import, but not neccessary.
Just sewed up an outfit for a little gal at our church who is expecting their 2nd child.  She told me that her old maternity clothes didn't fit, not that she has gained wieght, actually has lost weight!  Ah, but we know that scenerio.  So I made her 2 tops from some great knits, one from Hancock Fabrics, from a newer Kwick Sew pattern.  Then I made her a skirt as she was tired of wearing the black one all of the time.  When you know your weight is going to be different for only about 6 months, then it is hard to justify buying all kinds of new outfits.  Hey don't we do that anyway!!??   Then I have to finsih a purse for a friend, sew up some really pretty silk dupiona that I got at Hancock Fabrics.  This yardage is for a dress for Little Lilly who will be 4 in April, just before Easter.  So I have to get that made up and sent.  Then Dear Hubby wants to have a lunch bag that is insulated....sounds like another project.  With all of this on the sewing table, what am I doing here? 
All from the bush.
ME

What! Feb. already?

Wow, where did January go? The MFA had another birthday, as did dear hubby. Here are some photos from our trip to South Carolina in December. The top is my tree, w/o the flash. It really did turn out very nice this year. We had a real tree, I love real trees. I suppose someday we will get a fake one. The next photo is driving back from SC, the mountains and the snow--the little bit they get. I think the next one is of dear hubby and me with his new truck, the real reason we went to SC.
Then, the communion table at church with the really nice fake pointsettia. Several people asked me where I got it and they were very suprised when I said "Michaels". The table has a sheer drap with twinkle lights underneath. You need a close source of power when you put lights on the table like that. This year (at church) I did simple and elegant. But of course.
OK since it is now Feb. , that means it is MY birthday month. And BFA came through once again remembering the event with a lovely box of goodies, including a wonderful tea cozy. Along with a small box of Abduluah's chocolates (yummy!), several altered art (at least in my mind) items and her wonderful ACT's, they go right on the 'fridge! Napkins, the tea spoon, which went up on the china cab. This year dear hubby surprised me with a party on the 4th. Since the 3rd was a Wed and we have church, we did not go out to eat. So he told me we were going out on Thurs. I was looking forward to going to eith the Red Avacado or the Linn St. Cafe. Mostly I just like the names! But, just 5 minutes before we were to "leave the house" the door bell rang and there stood 5 gals from our church. He served us pizza and cheesy bread and then Dairy Queen ice cream cake. He had 3 games, all of which were the kind that I had to guess at something about the 5 gals that came....
I did ok, and they got prizes--which he bought himself! The big gift was a gift card to a local stamping/scrapbooking shop that also offers classes. I did get another gift card to my fav coffee shop: Witt's End. All in all, I had a great birthday. The gift box from Mpls is always the most special, though (and not just 'cause you read this blog, either).
Well, this is all for today. Go worship and rest, as this is Sunday.
I have been reading Sarah Palin's book and so the scripture for this day is :Prov. 21: 1 The King's heart is in the had of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will. Pray for our country.
All from the bush.
ME

the new year

I trust that all had a great Christmas season. Goes fast. We took another trip down south, this time to Greenville, SC to be with Emily. We had Christmas with her and Christmas dinner with some of her friends, duck with dark cherry sauce...really yummy. On Christmas Eve, Emily played the keyboard and led a string group in Christmas singing at a Presbyterian church in Simpsonville. There were readings from Scripture inbetween the traditional Christmas songs. Emily did a great job and we are so proud of her and the talents that God has given to her.
I do not have the photos uploaded from that trip and the house decked out for Christmas, thought that hubby had done that, but will get that done soon. Here are some photos from the week before Thanksgiving when were in Atlanta. Are not these the cutest grands you have ever seen....of course, they are not your cutest-grands-you-have-ever-seen....
Oh, forgot to tell you the REAL reason we went south: Hubby picked up a white Toyota Tacoma, 2007--no rust! Drove it back to salt-n-sand country and it is a nice truck, will serve him for many years I am sure.
Later
All from the bush
ME

after Thanksgiving

Good morning. Bet you all thought I had forgotten about this space! Not on your life.
Here are just a few of the photos from out trip to Atlanta and Greenville, SC the week before the
week of Thanksgiving. We had Christmas, passed the Thanksgiving thing altogether. I had bought
poppers last year and then forgot to bring them with me when we went down for Christmas last year.
So, I took them this time. Poppers are an English tradition. They wrap little toys, trinkets in a tube
much like a toilet paper tube and then wrap the tube in Christmas wrap. There are little metal thingys
that snap when you pull the ends out away from the tube, and voila all the little trinkets burst out, plus these
cute little paper hats. My daughter-in-law looks like something from one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, with her lovely dark coloring, her dark eyes and hair. Drew and his family are at the top, Landon being 4' at 5
years old! Lilly is 3.5. They have a dog, a puppy. Lucky. Hummmm, I call him Unlucky.
Here is a photo of Landon taking Lucky for a walk......or is it the other way around??
Then of course, the lovely MFA in the lower pic. Any one know of a great  single Godly guy, late 20's , early 30's...
OK, so. The weather was great until we left Greenville on Sunday after the services at Emily's church.  It rained and was downright cold, after experiencing 70 degrees most of the time.  I had to drive in the dark through the mountains, and in the rain.  The Angel Protection Services were very, very busy with me at the wheel.  Back to the church......
Her small congregation is just a great bunch of wonderful Christan people. They love us because they love Emily so much. How refreshing. Drew's church is much, much larger and so they just have a small group that they interact with most of the time. I think that happens a lot in larger churches.
Tonight is ASG program so I have to get ready for that and wear the top and jacket I fashioned out of that crazy material that I have a photo of on this blog. I will look festive, and I am glad it is going to be warmer today! Last night I got most of the church decorated for Christmas, with the help of a a gal from church and Jerry, doing the manly hanging wreaths and such. Forgot to photo the fall table! Arg! And I wanted to do that for this blog. I will get a photo of the Christmas-look....I promise.
I do that a lot don't I??? I am too much like my Mother. Procastinate--a way of life!
You all have a great day. Thank you so much for reading this blog. Please leave comments. I love them.
Thanks Deb, in advance ;-)
All from the bush.
ME

fall # 2

Hello! Hopefully the pics will hold today! Here are the apples, some fabric with the patterns that will
get sewn and a velvette shrug I made for a 10 year old and yours truly with a Vogue, Marcy Tilton
pattern and some cheap knit . I hope to make this out of some better knit as it is a fun top, most edges are raw
edge. I have a sister, who also is a quilter, who detests raw edges!
We are going to be going down to Georgia and South Carolina to visit the grands and the MFA.
Both visits will be all too short, especiall with the MFA as we will be sharing the time with her with others.
There was a small group of people who came down a year ago to help rebuild a house in the flood-ridden village
of Palo. The town of Cedar Rapids had been hit badly (and we are still recovering from) by flooding in June, 2008
Anything along the Cedar River got flooded, and Palo was basically under water. At any rate, this group will be
gathering for dinner and we will be there, too. Hopefully the MFA will not have to work!
Oh, also, I got new glasses. No one has noticed.....even hubby took a long time to figure out what was different
and he knew I was getting new glasses! I am so vain! BFA would notice, I just know!
OOPS, I just noticed tha the foyer pic is not in the group, I will have to get that to you all yet.
Later....
from the bush, me

Good Morning all. Here are several photos that I wanted to share with you all. The top is my bargain scrapping stuff from my fav store: Target. Then the big apples that I bought the other day. The candle smells sooooo good! It is Coming Home from Yankee. The rest are photos of my fall decorations. The foyer and dining room. The painting is the Pat Bjornseth that I bought some time ago, of Bete Gris, MI. The cards on the foyer table are from my BFA, I save them for my decorating, the winter ones also. The are displayed on a frog! The frogs I buy at antique shops for small prices. Going to one of my fav antique shops today, and gift-y shop. On Highway 1 (on the way to Kalona) you have to stop at Sister's Garden and Bloomers. Also the Rug Cottage. Then there is another shop along the English River. Never been, but am calling to see if they are open this year. OOPS! I think I just lost the apple photo! Why does that happen???
I will try for that later. BUT in the meantime, check out the Coming Home scent. I got it from the new display at Target. They are also carrying Papryus, something we do not have here in fly-over country.
All from the bush.
me

My BFA says :more photos, girl!" OK so here are 3 that I found recently. One is our crazy Himilayan names "Gizzmo". We didn't name him! He came to us as a skinny 2 year old. Now he is a fat 7 year old. Can't believe that we have had him that long. The MFA wanted a cat when she lived at home after college. So after days of looking in the ads, her dad said "OK" and we purchased Gizzmo. Or Gizzy, or Mo, as in "you are covered in Mo-hair"
The second photo is the back side our our house in the winter. The bottom photo I downloaded from the pasty.com site. I am sorry I do not know who took this one, but isn't it just beautiful! It is my fav lake: Lake Superior. I think I know the beach.
One of the paintings in my foyer is of Bette Gris (pronounced bay degree). I found the painting here in town, but I KNEW it was of a Lake Superior shore! Hubby had told me I could buy one painting at this show, I kept coming back to that lovely watercolor. Eventually I asked the artist about the painting and she told me Bette Gris! When you know, you know. Like colors. I am very good at going to the fabric store, forgetting my samples at home and coming home with the exact colors I need. My Grandmother (who died well before I was born, always used to say "back to the bush", that is why I say "All from the bush" Enjoy the photos. me