Doesn't this make you smile too?!!
June is strawberry month around here,the season's just about passed..... it's one of the best fragrances of June. I like to slice the berries,mix with sugar & let stand at room temp. for awhile. The berries get flavorful & delicious! Hope you had some berries this June!

Still enjoying photos from Summer's photo shoot!!

Ariana!!

"Adorable" takes on new meaning when applied to your grandchildren!! It seems like every little thing they do is an amazing event!! This little girl sure has our hearts!! These were Summer's 10 mth. pictures. July 1st, she'll be 11 months-can you believe it??!!!

Like her Mommy, Aunt Ashley & Uncle Travis, when they were children, Ariana also finds being IN the toybox more interesting than the toys!!

Some of the cards I got done!

That is one BIG box on it's way to sweet boys G & Z!!! Keep an eye out for the UPS man,boys!! Some of you have asked about Ashley's blog-you can find her at { m-&-a-kyser.blogspot.com }, without the brackets,of course!! The latest news was the boys first parade!!

My girlfriends came over Monday & we made some great cards.I've still got my whole mess out,hoping to make a few more for some upcoming events. Here's a few cheerful one's!

Managed to complete the octagon table topper!! Yay!!! I really like the shape.Don't you think this would make a great Christmas topper with perhaps the star one fabric instead of two? I've got new Christmas fabric from Quilt taffy that is giving me the equivalent of "visions of dancing sugarplums" translated into sewing projects!!

Little sweetheart was over for a BIG DAY at Grammy's house. Sum was away doing some Army related things. My, she is BUSY!!! We went for a walk, sang songs, played with toys, read books, had lunch & dinner & bottles & diaper changes, a bath......& a whole lot more!! God bless those sweet Mom's.......Summer & Ashley.....& pray they get sleep & have LOTS of energy!!!

Uncle Sam wants You!

Uncle Sam may want us but this little cutie's got us!!! Isn't she precious?!! Love those polka dots!!!

Change of Plans

Well, our day completely changed from what I thought was going to happen. The plan was,get up early,get Summer & Ariana & head north for a Father's Day get together for Dan's Dad. I had made mini lemon cupcakes & had the card ready to go....a call,early, from my sister-in-law changed our plans. Dan's nephew had got hurt & they had spent the night in the hospital. I believe it's a punctured lung so I think he'll be in the hospital a bit. (He's doing good as far as we know, it'll probably take some time to heal.) We can always expect the unexpected,huh?!
So, what did our day entail? We all went to church. The message was about being a Christ follower when confronted by a situation where you want to take revenge. To turn the other cheek. To trust & wait for God to bring about what needs to happen. The Christian walk is so simple isn't it? But not easy, not easy to control our thoughts,not always easy to trust & wait. I know I struggle with it.Not so much wanting revenge on any one but releasing worry & replacing it with trust. Not liking the duration of painful things & wanting them gone on my schedule. It is a lifelong process that tests what I really believe at times. My head knows even when my heart is slow to follow, the Lord's plans are unfathomably good. Unfailingly good. I can let myself sink into the arms of God & find rest even in the midst of difficulty...... and so can you.Whatever you're going through......turn....& find Him there. He is able. Our strength is finite, His is limitless.
The rest of the day was pretty much a day off. I wasn't feeling well so I probably needed a day of rest. I know I'm feeling a whole lot better now! Hope all had a "Happy Father's Day" even if your day held the unexpected!

"Yummy Treats"

Fabric I love.It makes me smile.Jump up & down. Do a few dance steps. Hey! It feels good!! Try It! See something you love & give a little jump, make a happy noise-life is worth mini celebrations!!! This was one of my give a whirl moments!

Last year I got a line of fabric called "Swell" by the

same designers of this year's new line called "Sweet''. I love it!!!!
.. I love fabric!! I love the colors,love the patterns. Love the fact that a stack of fabric is a possibility, an intriguing mystery of what it might become!! Summer got me the fabrics above for Mother's Day. I have a layer cake & charm pack. So with both ,I should be able to pick & choose something new to make for our bedroom! We need an update!!

Well,that is certainly a swell present...... & a sweet one too-thanks Summy!

The smell of fresh lemon-hmm! Refreshing,Bright. I love it!! And I used it in fresh lemon cupcakes for the weekend-hope they're yummy!!!!!h Sum & lil'A were here for a visit.lil'A was busy. I hope she is sleeping like a little lamb now!! We had a party with friends we went to earlier in the evening. Got home & I was able to finish what I needed to do......& then, got to do some sewing.

It's a rainy day outside my window....

I don't think you can see it,but it's mostly been a gray - I really prefer the Eng. sp. of grey, doesn't that just look better?!- Well, hey, it's my blog so "grey" it is-Let's start again-

I don't think you can tell,but it's been a mostly grey & rainy day here. I'm ready for some summer-y weather,aren't you?! Since it's still cool, it was a good day to bake. Hubby isn't feeling too well with a bad cold. He had a request for meatball/sausage subs, so I made the rolls. It's just a basic Italian bread recipe shaped into long-ish rolls. It makes the house smell sooo good!

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This is a charm pack of fabric I'm playing around with. It will probably be some kind of table runner. I love bright happy colors!

If you look close,you'll see I did some rows of machine quilting & got the machine sewing part of the binding done. Tomorrow, I should be going to my friends house & doing some of my hand sewing.

At the Sewing Table

I just love these fun,bright colors,don't you?! I'm putting together a very easy table runner-love it!

A little jacket to go with the hat & dress for little Miss A. I'll have to get a picture of her in the whole thing.

This is an octagon table topper. I couldn't quite figure out how to go about it for a long time & so it just sat partially finished. I'm hoping to get the binding hand sewn on Friday.

This was a kit I got from QuiltTaffy, I bought two of them at the time.One for a gift & one for me!! I had to sew on the cloth borders & ric rac & then, embroidered "Dish" & " Kitchen" on them. They are darling!!! I wish I'd bought more to sew & give as gifts!!

Garage Sales- Here We Come!!!!

See baby sleep.Sweet baby. She is having a break from garage sale-ing.

See Summer. See Summer smile. See clothes. See Summer smiling about clothes.Why does Summer smile about clothes? Summer smiles because she saves alot of money when she shops garage sales!!! And so does Grammy!!Wouldn't you like your own personal chariot to shop the town wide garage sales?

Babies DO NOT travel light!! Besides all the bags & bags we picked up at garage sales,we still had to get the baby stuff in!!!!

I sorted through the things I bought for the twins. 52 pieces!!!!( I missed one outfit when I first counted,Mom!) I spent around $50.00. I was thrilled. I still am thrilled!! I'll be boxing this up to ship to ND soon. Dad is kinda famous for his breakfasts......so why am I showing you dinner??? Because I ate my breakfast & forgot to take a pic...for 3 or 4 days in a row!! But doesn't this look so inviting? So yummy?It was!! As were those pic-less breakfasts!

While visiting, Summer,Mom & I changed the living room around under cloak of darkness!! Everyone's home can use an update & this was one I loved!

The green floral on the right is the pattern on the couch. Mom purchased a one piece couch cover.It was easy-easy to get on the couch & a dramatic difference in the whole feel of the room!We had a wonderful visit from start to finish! Thanks,Mom & Dad!! Thanks,Lis' !!!

Guess who's birthday is coming up?!!!

The shirts are done & will be on their way with Ashley's birthday box!

I don't know about you but our weather here is still chilly.....so it's still very nice to bake!!Dan had a request for cornmeal muffins,he likes them split & griddled with butter-yum!! I just use the recipe on the cornmeal container.One reason I think they taste so good is that the newer recipe uses more sugar!!! Tip- I like to use a wire whisk to blend my dry ingredients,it works great!

Peanutbutter cooky's are on the left,it's almost as much of an all-time favorite as tollhouse cookies-almost!! In my family there are certain things that are non-negotionable, as there probably are at your's too. At our house, peanutbutter cooky's just don't really taste right if they don't have a crisscross & a sprinkle of course of sugar!! So here's the real deal:

Favorite Peanutbutter Cooky's

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. peanut butter

1 egg

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 tsp.baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp.salt

Mix sugars,shortening,peanut butter & egg. Stir in flour,baking soda,baking powder & salt.Cover & refrigerate 3 hours.( Hmm, I never do this !)Heat oven to 375*. Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Place 2 in. apart on cooky sheet.VERY IMPORTANT!!!-Take a fork & crisscross across each cookie.Then,sprinkle with a little sugar. Trust me,trust our family-they really,really won't taste as good if you omit this step!!!

Bake for 10 min.s, let cool a little on pan before removing to your wire rack.

I got this audio book from our local library & highly recommend it.I loved it!! I'll have to check out what else this author might have written. So many gleams of myself & gleams of wisdom. It is the story of Hannah Coulter, a woman looking back on her life, with perspective & understanding.

These photo's were all taken by our 10 yr. old nephew,if he hadn't, I probably wouldn't have any! Above is my father-in-law & "brothers 3". We got together to celebrate Ray's birthday.

I put this in just because R. took it & it looks so luscious to me! Candid shots by R. of us girls!