My Summer Gardens

Sometimes when I go out into my yard I see such beautiful images I just have to take a few photos of them. I know it not like I don't see pretty flowers all the time. . . it's just that I love the images and I want to save it and show it to someone else who might appreciate how pretty it is. So that's what this posting of my blog is all about. Me, appreciating the beauty around me and saving some of the images to be enjoyed even after the season has past and the flowers are no longer there. I'm enjoying the moments and also saving them for a future season.

These flowers were spectacular this year . . . and every morning when I'd look out my dining room window I'd think I wish I had someone to show them to . . . . and so now I have!

And my Sweet Williams are also so pretty but they are on the south side of the yard where they are hardly ever noticed . . . so now they are.

And a few years ago, a gardening friend of mine, gave me a tiny start of these delphiniums. For several years I didn't think the plant would survive. But they did, and to my surprise, they finally bloomed this year and they were spectacular! I guess that's just an example of being patient and enjoying the beauty when it comes. They were well worth the wait.

My poppies are always some of the prettiest flowers in my summer garden. They just make you feel happy to look at them. They have such a delicate blossoms, almost like tissue paper. And they just appear each year in my garden from seeds that dropped the year before. What a nice

thing - - and from a tiny seed about the size of a flake of pepper!

These pink orientals poppies are another bonus of early summer. They don't last long, but while they bloom there isn't anything prettier.

And now my summer gardens are coming to a close and the days are getting shorter. Soon the leaves will be turning and there will be other fall beauty to enjoy. I love being able to enjoy all the seasons and see the changes each one brings. Every season has it's own beauty. I hope you've enjoyed a little glimpse of some of my summer gardens bounty!

National Folk Festival # 2

July 11 and 12th we attended our 2nd National Folk Festival. After attending last year and having such a fun weekend, we decided to go back again. For the second year it was held in Butte, Montana. And again, it was a great event.

Janet had expressed an interest in going to the Folk Festival so we were happy she could get some time off and spend a fun weekend with us. Sitting on lawn chairs on a beautiful summer day in Montana, a cooler of goodies and sodas, and listening to some great music . . . how could it get any better than that?

For two days we listened to about 12 different performers and every one of them were so good. There was cajun, bluegrass, jazz, gospel, piano, guitar, mariachi, celtic . . . you name it. Music for every taste and all of it was so entertaining. We had a wonderful time listening to all the great acts. If you like good music and music of all types, it's definitely a party worth attending!

Here's some of the crowds who came downtown Butte to listen to the Jeff Little Trio. Jeff Little, from Boone, North Carolina played Blue Ridge Piano. . . and boy, could this guy play the piano! Maybe that's 'cause he started playing at age 5, but he was GOOD! And accompanying him was his longtime friend and neighbor Wayne Henderson, (maker of world famous Henderson Guitars).

Other groups we watched were Beau Soleil, an amazing cajun band from Louisanna, Tuxedo Jazz Band from New Orleans, Bill Kirchen and The Hammer of Honky-Tonk Gods ("Born at the junction of form & function"), Mariachi Los Camperos ( w/such beautiful voices), Pride of New York -Irish/Celtic, and many more. What a fun time! It was such great music, good food and lots of interesting people to watch!

Sunday morning before going back for more music at the Folk Festival, we took a mine tour. Here we're all rigged up to go work in the mines.

Randy is standing in the mine shaft looking much happier to be there than most of those who actually worked in the mines. Mining was hard, hard work in terrible conditions. It's hard to imagine working that hard every day of your life.

And this sign is a good reminder of how dangerous mining is and was. Just working in the heat, the dark and the noise would be enough to kill 'ya . . . . yet alone the equipment you had to use. It was all so dangerous!

And the hard hats and headlights were so heavy. I had a headache from wearing my hard hat after only a few minutes. I can't imagine putting in a 12 hour shift under such difficult work conditions. The tour was really interesting and you gave you an appreciation for the life of a miner and how hard and dangerous the work was. Butte is a city of 10,000 miles of underground mines so it's citizens know mining. I'm glad we had the opportunity to take the tour and learn a little more about Butte, Montana.

It was such a fun weekend! The weather was good (for the most part) - - the music was awesome, and the company was great! It was a wonderful way to spend a weekend in July and we've already made reservations for next year's festival so we'll be back again next year!

A Waterful Weekend for both kids & dogs!

I love having family come home for a weekend. And one of the fun things about family being home in the summer is that we water the front pasture on weekends. That means for several hours, there's lots of water for kids and dogs to play in. It makes for good photos, good memories and lots of fun. And it's a good way for both kids and dogs to use up lots of energy. With Kris and her two dogs and Julie and her two boys, it made for a fun time for everyone. Both the kids and dogs played until they couldn't go anymore.

Cooper and Willis loved the water and couldn't hardly get enough of it. They look so cute waiting patiently for someone to throw the ball for them again . . . . for the hundreth time!

Bridger loved being so grown up and having the dogs listen to his instructions. It made him feel so important and neither of them ever tired of the game of fetch.

On your mark . . . get set . . . . GO!

I don't know whether Logan being rescued or dunked by Kristi, but it doesn't really matter 'cause he's having so much fun. Naturally, Cooper and Willis have to be in the mix whenever the kids are in the water . . . 'cause after all they are "water dogs"!

Oh, to be a kid again when all it took to keep you happy was to be able to play in the water in the ditch. The water may not be too clean . . . but you're wet and cooled off from the summer heat so what better way to spend a summer day! Just some of the simple joys of life in the country at Grandma's.

Alpine Alumni Weekend

I had the opportunity in June to attend the Alumni weekend Alpine Academy with Janet and Lani. It was so good to spend that time with my girls and to see in more detail the work they are involved in. I am so proud of both of them and the difference they are making in the lives of so many girls.

Janet is doing a terrific job as Director of Alpine. She works some very long, hard hours but her job has been very rewarding for her as well. She's fortunate to work with a lot of wonderful people who love, respect and appreciate all the things she's able to accomplish.














This saying appears on a bench near the entrance of the school. When the girls come to Alpine I'm sure many of them think their life as they knew it before is over. . . and hopefully it is. But then with time and much effort by all the staff at Alpine, their lives get turned around, old habits eliminated and new skills learned so that they become like beautiful butterflies.

The landscaping around the campus was beautiful. The grounds crew (which now includes Rylee) had done a great job getting flowers planted, mulch added and everything perfect for a weekend of extended family and friends.







I was glad to have Payton as my little buddy. She and I were together so that Lani and Craig could host the families of their girls who were come to visit for the weekend.

Rylee, Rory and Baylee stopped long enough for a couple of photos . . . but mostly they were just having fun being together and doing their own thing.

Alpine Academy is such a beautiful facility. It has been fun to see the transformation over the years. When Janet first became involved, there was the original home and one new home in the process of being built. Now there are six beautiful homes, a school, barns, pastures, a soccer field and beautiful landscaping and trees everywhere. The program has grown and changed and transformed much like the lives of the girls who come here to change and improve their lives.

Payton got to ride one of the horses during the Saturday afternoon activities. Six or eight horses are kept at Alpine and are available for the girls to ride. The horses are used in Alpine's equestrian program and also used in their therapy programs.

Payton wasn't worried about getting on such a big horse --all she cared about was that she got to ride. Must be an inherited trait!

Much of weekend's classes and activities were held in the beautiful school on campus. Being able meet many of the parents of girls who have benefited from Alpine's programs was a very touching experience. Their praise for Alpine and it's Director and other staff members gave me a better insight as to what a difference they are making in these girls lives. It was an honor to be invited and to be able to spend time with my girls. Again, I'm so proud of them and pleased that they are doing such good work!

A Birthday Quilt

My youngest daughter celebrated her 30th birthday in June. It hardly seems possible my little girl can be 30 years old this year! Where have the years gone? It was just the other day when she was born and now she's a wife and mother of two little boys. I don't know how the time could have passed so quickly. I'd been thinking all spring about making a quilt for her birthday but then when I hurt my leg I didn't know if I'd be able to get it done in time. But I couldn't let that birthday come and go without making something special to mark the occasion. So here's the quilt I made. It's a pretty simple design with big, chunky blocks of color that will go with her sofa and other colors in her living room.

I used some of the same fabric on the backside of the quilt as I used on the front. Recently I've also been trying to make the quilt back interesting and not just making it a solid color. That way you kind of get a double quilt with design on both sides.

Julie, I hope you'll enjoy wrapping up in this guilt for many years to come and each time you do, you'll feel your mom's love and know that love will always be with you. Happy Birthday Juls!

I Spy with my little eye . . .

Ok, so I've made yet another quilt. This one is a little wild and crazy, it's not the colors I would normally choose, but I made it colorful for the grandkids to enjoy. It's my "I Spy" quilt. I saw "I Spy" quilt on a calendar and decided it would be a fun quilt to make. So I enlisted the help two other people to exchange blocks with --my sister, Mary and my friend Sue. We decided on 3 1/2 inch blocks, so from our fabric stash we traded colorful pairs of blocks for the quilt. After a month or so I decided I had enough to make a good sized quilt. We also decided to exchange pairs of blocks so that not only would the quilt be colorful with lots of things to look at, but that it would also be a matching game because each block had a match somewhere on the quilt.

So now when the grandkids come to visit, they can play a matching game on Grandma's latest quilt. . . . and hopefully have a little fun playing a game we've enjoyed playing for years.

And they will able to say, " I Spy with my little eye" just the same as their parent's did when they were little . . . . not so long ago!

Grandma's Little Helper

I usually spend my days doing things in the house, working on projects or being outside in the yard - - - but most of that time I'm all alone. But early in May, I had the best little helper come for a week long visit. My days went from quiet days where I may go for hours without speaking to another soul, to having a very talkative (not always understandable) little girl be my little buddy. We had a wonderful time together!
I knew Payton loved being outside and we'd looked forward to her coming to visit so we could be in the yard, but the early part of the week, the weather was cold and windy so we found other ways to keep busy.

Since I spend so much of my indoor time in my sewing room, that became an interesting place for Payton to discover all sorts of new things to do. Her favorite thing was playing in my baskets of fabric and sorting pins - - moving the pins from one pin cushion to another. Who knew such a simple thing could entertain a little girl for such a long time?

Payton loved carrying the spray bottle around, sucking on it and dumping the fabric scaps out and then putting them back in the basket. She got lots of practice doing "cleanup" - - she's a little organizer like her mom. She loves to sort things . . .whether it's toys, pins or fabric.

Lunchtime was a real adventure. Payton didn't want my help--she wanted to feed herself and most of the time she did pretty good with most of the food staying on the high chair or in the bib. It looks like I'm feeding her dirt for lunch but she's eating one of her favorite food - black beans. She loves them. She eats them as quickly as her little fingers can pick them up!



Finally, on Friday the weather got a little warmer so we were able to spend the day in the yard. She really is an outside girl. She loved walking around on the rocks around my flower garden- - -and just being out in the yard. She was so content to just be "outside" we spend all of Friday and Saturday in the yard!

What a little punkin! We loved having her come for a visit. We don't get to have the grandchildren come for a visit very often and so to have such a sweet little girl stay with us for the week was a special treat. I'm sure her mom and dad missed her terribly while they were gone, but we were having a wonderful time!

And besides, how often do you get chance to have such a good little helper?

Not often enough!

Quilt for Ashley and Grace

Early in February, when I went to Kristi's for a weekend visit, she asked me if I could make a quilt for her friend Ashley. I consider her my friend too, it's just that I haven't known her as long--she's a great gal and a ton of fun! Anyway, Ashley was expecting her baby in early April and so I told Kris I'd start working on a quilt for her baby qirl.

So this is the quilt I made for Ashley and her baby daughter Grace Linn. Ashley had told me she was decorating her nursey in pink, brown and green so this is the quilt I designed using those colors. I loved thinking about Ashley and how her life would change with the arrival of a sweet baby girl. I made the quilt large enough so it could be used either in a crib or bed so it could be used for many years as baby Grace grows.

Here's the back of the quilt - - same colors as on the front of the quilt, but showing what the quilt blocks looked like before I cut the 9 patch block apart.

I quilted it on my machine and tried a new design on the border. The design on the border is called "deviled eggs". . .it really did look like eggs.

Another fun project for a sweet new mom and baby daughter.

Getting caught up . . . . again.

Ok, so I haven't kept up on keeping my updated like I'd hoped. What can I say. . . I just get busy with lots of things and don't take the time to post events on my blog. Life goes on and most of the things I do don't seem very memorable--just the day to day things with a few fun projects worked in. So once again I'll try to get a little more current on some of the things I've been doing the last couple of months.

Down in the Valley

This is another one of my winter projects. This tablerunner is made by a method called, "Paper Piecing". What that means is that by sewing fabric onto a piece of paper that has a pattern printed on it, you can use very small pieces of fabric and make some very tiny and intricate designs. I love designs with houses and trees so when I saw this pattern that combined so many of the things I love, I knew it would be a project I'd enjoy making.This pattern is called "Down in the Valley", and each side of the tablerunner represents a different little group of buildings to make up a village. First there's a home and barn surrounded by trees --does that sound familiar?

Next is the little white church . . . again surrounded by trees.Then all the different colored storesfronts and buildings that make up a little village.

Next, the little red school with a flagpole and white picket fence. All of the houses are separated by a field of freshly plowed soil . . . after all, this is a little farming community.

Put it all together with some wonky stars in the corners, a few more trees, and you have a cute little village set "Down in the Valley". I really do love paper piecing. I can use up some tiny pieces of fabric and make a unique, one of a kind tablerunner.

I like the challenge of learning new techniques and combining colors to make something that really appeals to me. It may take a while to complete because I'm not really in a hurry to finish any one project. I try to enjoy the whole process, it's not so much about hurrying to complete something as it is to enjoy each phase of the project--deciding on the pattern, selecting the fabric, piecing and then finishing the item. Then whenever one of my quilting projects is complete, I can look back on the whole thing as a enjoyable experience. That's part of my "Enjoy the Journey" mindset.

Country Roads

Everyone knows that I'm a country girl through and through. I grew up in the country and I just love it! I love everything about country living - - enough space to spread out a little, the animals, the yard and gardens, even the yardwork. I love it all! In fact, I'm not sure if I could ever be a city girl again. The country lifestyle suits me just fine. Several years ago, my sister Mary and I were shopping for fabric and I saw a pattern for a wall quilt called, "County Roads". Of course, I had to buy the pattern, even though I was just learning about quilting--I knew I would make it someday. So this winter was the "someday" --the time when I began sewing my country roads wall hanging.

I loved that the quilt was a series of sweet country scenes. The pig pulling a little hay cart on his way to the mill and a rooster that's hitched a ride on his back . . .

. . . the covered bridge crossing a winding stream . . . .

. . . a black carriage being pulled by a spotted pony . . . crows on the fences . . .

. . . . a couple of houses nestled close enough together to share a clothes line so a quilt could be hung out to dry . . .

. . . and of course, a load of hay ready to be loaded into a big red barn. And every barnyard needs a rooster to get you going in the morning.

And then finally, fences and gates surrounding the whole scene to finish it off!

I worked on this quilt over a period of several months throughout the winter and finally finished it mid-March. I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to follow some pretty detailed instructions, as well as doing a lot of piecing and applique, but little by little it came together. It was kind of like putting a puzzle together and so it was very rewarding to have all the pieces fit together just like they're supposed to.

It was such a fun project and fits just perfect into my country home and lifestyle.