hello ,


where has the time gone ?

here it is the end of 2016.... Christmas tree is up , two in fact. One by the front window with the usual bulbs & old memories. white lights & silver beads. The tree skirt I sewed 20 yrs ago is no worse for wear. the old antique Santa stands proudly between the wall & the tree , don't know where his light deal is ?
The tree was blessed , just today , with a new angel topper , it was really a steal at the local thrift shop :-)

The second is a woodland tree , standing about 6 feet tall , no lights, just standing tall with my grandfather's ornaments adoring each skinny branch.. I happened to run across the history of the 1940 bulbs , they started out as a German company & then WW2 broke out , that ended the production, or at least the importing to the US . An American company picked up the process & soon they were in every home. I LOVE the bulbs. some have Merry Christmas written on a red ball in white lettering. others are plain & tiny , about the size of a grape. of course the tear drops come in all colors & hues.
the tree didn't always stand in the dining room, most of it's life in our home was spent in front of the patio doors in the kitchen, covered in my mom's old cookie cutters & perhaps it will find it's way back there next year, but for now.. it seems happy in front of the corner hutch :-)

our Youngest daughter has been working at our county welcome center, they offer state travel advice & hand out a lot of free info . They are known for the Cherry Drink around this part of the state, she will offer you a sample if you stop by.
You wouldn't think this tiny , off the interstate info center & historical village would see a lot of world travelers, but they sure do. She is excited every time a family from Ireland ,Germany or England makes their way to her counter. The 'miles from home' visitors are always eager to tell their story & she is always eager to listen :-) Of course their stories are as different as the cities & villages they come from. she was very taken by a young Irishman , his accent she told me later was SO wonderful :-)
she also is just as happy to welcome US visitors. Bikers ,who strap everything needed to see the country onto their skinny bikes stop in for maps . Grandparents traveling with their grandkids to see the USA are always interesting :-) If you find yourself on the west 'coast ' of Iowa stop by, the Cherry Drink is always waiting.

well enough for today.
Please leave a comment below if you have enjoyed this bit of my story.
until next time.. May Our Lord richly Bless YOU .

Lisa

it was a nice day :-)

hello,

more about mom :-)
My Mom who turned 87 Dec. 5th 2012 has  moved into the nursing home. she knows it is the safest place for her.. even here I couldn't be awake all night to stop her from falling.. SO it is with a heavy heart I relent & she goes in.
She is making the best of it .. that's all we can ever ask.

I know , she is elderly. I see it in other people's eyes.. I know
her memory is not good enough to see her through a day alone.
I know her days here on earth are short . ( I KNOW heaven awaits).

I KNOW.. in my brain.. but my heart.. ?
 it's still my mom, the mom that taught be drive at 13 down an old dirt road in the 1970's green pick-up :-)
The mom who taught me to crochet, sew ,  do laundry & scrub toilets :-)
the mom who stood by me when my mistake gave me a baby at 17:-)
The same mom that told me to Stand up Straight.. mind my manners & to
respect my elders..
The same mom that taught me to say my prayers,
& when others seem to desert me.. He is always there.

So I KNOW !! but it's hard .
hard to relinquish her to old age & allow others to do her daily care .

As I touched on the other day :
Grace & I are entering her journals into our computer.. what a task ! I think the oldest ones were circa 1940's :-)  I have yet to find them all. SO we are starting with 1962 .
My father, Lavern Smith , worked at the grain elevator in the 50s & 60s  & he also sold Hail Insurance, he didn't use the yearly calendars .. so he gave them to mom.
each day section is small.. so she didn't have space to day dream or write extensively.
just enough each day to give her story.

As Grace read them aloud & I typed on the keyboard.. she would laugh & say.. Know what Grandma said next ? I'd say no (:) she'd reply.. & it was a NICE DAY ! :-)
when , if , we ever get them completed.. I think  I will title them..
"And it was a nice day.. (& a nice life:-) "

well off to do some washing. ( I can still do that for mom :-)

God Bless,
Lisa
 

Mom

Hello,

Well since I posted about my mom's 87th birthday party she has been living here , then in the hospital & now in the nursing home.

poor old soul.. she fell FOUR times at her apartment in just one day.
 the last time the ladies on her floor called my sister , Julie ( RN) & she took her to the hospital. there they found out she had a UTI .. she was put on meds & came here on snowy cold Friday night.. mom weighed a tiny 96 pounds !
She was very ill.. & really didn't improve on the meds.
then after  week she got up about 11 pm & fell/ slumped over the counter  in the bathroom .. so I held her & brought her to the floor.. she let out a loud breath & her eyes were dilated.. really scary for us all.
Gracie & I put a pillow under her head & covered her in blankets.. Hubby called the unit. we patted her face & told her we loved her. I was sure this was it..
long story short.. she spent a week in the hospital , chged her meds.. gave her iron.. & fluids.. & finally got her temp down.  she looked so much better & really could carry on a conversation again..
All of us kids made the hard decision to put her in the Nursing home. I would have rather had her here with family around her. but the simple act of her getting up to use the bathroom in the night was scary.. during the day she couldn't manage it with out help .. SO HOW she did it in the night was beyond me ! :-)

today grace & I went up to take a few more shirts & a pair of shoes.. she has a bright room & a wonderful room mate.. plus she is right by the nurses station :-)
she was talking well.. still wants to go home.. LOL .. but agreed that she couldn't manage alone.. I told her not to worry about it & to take it one day at a time ..
I said we can still do all the things we did before.. go for rides.. shop  & all :)
she agreed..
 Mom has kept a journal since about 1940 something.  they are so interesting..
she had wanted us to type them all out .. LOL why ? I don't know.  But grace & I are starting.. mom had given me 1962 years ago , so we started with that year.
the cute thing is.. on most days she ends with " & it was a nice day ".
I said when we are done.. we will title it , " It was a nice day " & as the subtitle it will read.. " and a Nice Life " .

well take care.. & kiss your loved ones tonight..
lisa


 

Mom's 87th with pics

Hello,


my mom , Alice, just turned 87 on Dec 5th..
she is still going ......... a bit slower then even 2 yrs ago..
She was so happy to have some of her family around her.
we had the party in her building , so nice to be able to use that room & to have access to the kitchen.
very nice.
Me, Karen, Julie, J. Grace, Daisha

 Julie, Me, Mom , Mike, Karen  My oldest sister , Linda wasn't there  & of course my brother Dan.

 Some of the 15 grand-kids

 The "out-laws : )

 some of the Great G kids :-)

jeana

Pic of my neice & her dd Brooklyn..

photo taken recently.

 

sad news yesterday

morning,

I wanted to let you all know.
yesterday afternoon my older sister Karen went to see her dd , Jeana
& found her dead in her living room . jeana was 42 .
thankfully Jeana's daughter , Brooklyn 10 yr , was at her dad's .
the medics think it was her heart.
she had had a lot of health issues since a terrible car accident years ago.

My sister & her hubby did everything for Jeana, & Brooklyn.

it is a sad time .

when my sil JoAnn walked in last evening & her & Karen hugged & cried.
it brought it all back. JoAnn had been married to my brother Dan , who died suddenly
2 yrs ago & Dan & JoAnn's Son , Rusty died 7 yrs before that in a car accident .

anyway.. it's rough.

I ask for prayers for us all. esp Brooklyn.. such a sweet little girl , she kept crying out
for her Mommie .. just heartbreaking.

lisa




 

Loss

Good Afternoon,

Loss..
a sad word..
a word , that when heard in relationship
 to our friend's family , makes us sigh..

 No one is ready for a parent / mother to die.
No matter our age OR  their's.
Mothers have meant love , learning & tears.
Mothers taught us , prayed for us &
scolded us :-)
they are the ones we call with news ,First !
We spend our lives making them
proud .  We spend our lives , our entire
lives with our mom just a phone call
away.

I am deeply sorry for my friend Mary.
I am sorry she has to go through this time.

We have to then use, the most important
lesson our mother's have taught us. Christ Lives.
There is real hope, Hope & faith in Christ.
yes, we will see them again without pain or fear.

Soon , I pray, the pain of immediate loss will
give way & happier times will be remembered.
Funny times & lessons learned
or Mom always said , "this or that" :)
 .
That is a comfort , for Mary, for me
& I pray for you.

God Bless,
Lisa

chickens chickens everywhere :-) & what ya knittin' ?

LOL..
 I was sitting here searching the net for Yarn stores in Des Moines Iowa.. we're heading that way Wed. morning.
http://www.knittedtogether.com/Store/pc/home.asp one to ck out perhaps.

what I'm knittin's

I am not too far past the first 4 inches.. but so far not a bad knit. anything top down , I like. Ok, not in socks, but you know :-)










And I must admit my eyes got a bit too heavy to stay open ..
Oh well we all need a cat nap from time to time.
I NEVER get more then 20 min , max.. nope never .. I must just be wired to WAKE up in 20 min.. LOL

Not sure I shared this http://www.justapinch.com/groups/browse/list web site with you before but it is sure fun to look through. seems just about ANY recipe you are in need of can quickly be found here. Sign up & get to know some ladies.. I think it is fun to talk to other homemakers/ cooks from other parts of the country..



Our hens have been spending their spring sittin' on eggs..:-)
& with great succuess.. we now have 14 more to add to the flock . & thankfully
all good 'mother hens " :-) we're hoping for more hens then roos, hens to lay eggs to sell but then roos would be nice in the freezer. IF we don't name 'em all :-)

Just cking in & hoping you all are having a great day & perhaps a bit of a cat nap to..

Lisa
DROp me a comment if you can ..let me know if you like the web sites I posted. & waht are you knitting ?

beautiful day

Hello,

Jena had her dance recital this past sat.. it was fun & the 6 girls in her group did great !
they are growing together more & more &  I think that shows in their dancing.
because of recital , Daisha & Max came up & stayed until today.
we had a nice time , daisha & I laughed a lot working on craft projects for the sale..
Max made sure to keep jena & Grandpa busy , staying on the montra "Grandpa , we HAVE to get the pool up !" LOL

while daisha was here we worked on craft & sewing projects for the sale we're going to get a table at.. our town has a city wide garage sale Father's Day week end . our comunity center offered crafters tables inside that day too.. so we thought , Why not ?

So after D & M went home I cleaned , ran the sweeper & put loads of clothes on the line . our weather is super today.. 78 , a north wind & lots of sun :-)
picture perfect for sure. perfect day for clothes on the line :-)

I have a beef roast in the crk pot with pot. & Onion..
I made blender Yeast rolls , their rising in the microwave ..
I also made a pineapple upside down cake .
When you're out of all easy foods, milk, bread & hamb. you have to put more work  into it. I should have made this when daisha was here.. but I wanted to just be.. not be in the kitchen .. I wanted to craft & just have fun.. & I think we did .. LOL

well off to ck the rolls.. & the cake.

Hope everyone is having a great day too !

too many chiefs & not enough Indians ? maybe not

Hello,

As I write this I am recovering from a busy week & a bit of illness.. & looking forward to a much busier week because of Prom.. Next Friday is is J Grace's first prom..
She is going to a Christian Prom.. she is very excited. Course she isn't going with a guy ;_) but with a friend , who like her , is just all girl. & super excited to go to a dance !!:-)
It is a masquerade , so she made her mask today.. just so pretty..I'll post a pic or two after the party .

Last Monday , my niece Ashley & my Daisha came here to cook together .
it was a bit of the unknown.. but lessons were learned & we all came away with some great freezer dinners.
I have decided that I am going to use my 6 meals for Sunday night dinners alone. That will make Sundays easier for me :-)

here are some pictures of us at work & at fun.. plus a baby sleeping on the dining room table .

aren't those boys the cutiest & don't look a bit devilish do they ? LOL they were both wore out from playing together all day :_)
see ya next time with baby chick pics :_)

faith , mom blogs :-)

some blogs I read :
http://www.keepinitreal-gina.com/
My prayer is that we would remember the Christ of Christmas all year, every day , every second, in every decision, in every word, in every thought. Adoring Him with our lives.

Oh, come let us adore Him! Oh, come let us adore Him! Oh, come let us adore Him! Christ the Lord!

http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/
"I'm absolutely in awe of your writing, the way you pulled biblical principles and weaved them into life application. I'm amazed at how you were able to expand upon simple words like action, self discipline, motivation, intention, etc.--and write thought provoking information to actually help one change their mind-set and pursue their goals.

The way you weaved my stories into all these principles leaves me speechless."

- Candace Cameron Bure, Actress, speaker, and author of Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness

have a GREAT DAY :-)
lisa

review of new catalog & Movie review ( No spoilers :-)

Hello :_)

I Hope everyone is doing great on this beautiful Sunday , it is just gorgeous here in Iowa today. I have to say after a super HOT summer with almost no relief , it is so nice to have 70's & low 80's.

Mom was doing great Saturday.. really no memory problems at all ,so  Jena & I left hubby home to watch the game & we took mom to see The Help downtown. Have you read the book or seen the movie ? I won't give anything away.. just to say , it was a great movie , a true Chick Flick.

Knitting :
I have almost completed another sock.. just working on the ribbing now. I have yet to try out my new Two at a Time Toe up Socks book by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. Have you tried 2 at a time. or used any of her books ? DO you even knit socks ? if you knit , you should give socks a try :_)
of course I have yet to wash the Shawl I knit with the beading :_) so pretty if I do say so myself..LOL
I have to get the pix of all the pink & blue baby hats too.. some how there just wasn't enough time this week..

Catalogs :
I received the www.Herrschners.com catalog Friday . Jammed packed with yarns. Not the Designer yarns , but hard working cottons , wools & acrylics.
They have Simply SO ft Caron in beautiful colors , 330 yd skeins , size  3 @ $199 . if you are looking to make some want super soft toys or blankets  Caron is what you need. I knit a little bear for my great nephew with Caron & oh........... so soft & huggable :_)
Cotton in a huge 2,400 yd cone in a 3-ply is $12.99 for size 20 .
Also  lots of cottons which are great for Dish Clothes, Sugar & Cream size 4  at $2.49 a ball. Have you seen the Scented Sugar n Cream ? sounds interesting. smells like , chamomile or rose petal, plus 5 other colors & scents .
The catalog offers crochet & Knit kits at reasonable prices too. easy to use. all the guess work is done for you :-)
They offer pom pom makers, Looms  the Martha Stewart version with patterns .. Weaving is sure making a come back, have you tried it yet ? On www.yarncraft.lionbrand.com episode 99 liz & Zontee explain different types of weaving looms , along with patterns..
You can really weave other items besides place mats :-) who knew ? LOL

well that is about it from me.. I hope you take a minute to drop me a line.
let me know if there is a K book that you want reviewed or let us know what books You find helpful & why ?

thanks for stopping by.. ( if you got this far :-) & hope to hear from you soon.

"glad you got to see me " :-) lisa

HELLO,
Beautiful day here on the 'west' coast of Iowa.. :-)

jena & I are still battling colds.. but hopefully we can be other this soon .. is there anything more irritating then a nagging cold?

I am knitting the second sock, Toe up..had a bit of what's know as second sock syndrome . but that is passing. I usually hurry & cast on so I have take along , easy knitting, BUT before you know it I am turning the heel & off to the finish line. Bummer.. again, I have sat & knit my TRAVEL knitting ..
ugh ! maybe I need to just leave it in the car.. ? nope.. cuz ............................ I want to knit it !:_)

we are still in the process of getting the pix of the other baby hats I knit.  all pink for girls & blue for boys. only variation is the pattern.. yes, if you're asking , they are good travel knitting  too. :-) so maybe i could leave one of those in each car. ? a great idea :_)

I have loads of wool to spin. but currently only ONE spindle..( I must buy some more.) the orange mix is so pretty , would make beautiful mittens or gloves.. I've only knit ONE pair of gloves so far , they were actually easier then I thoght they would be.. who knew ?

are you listening or watching any interesting podcasts you would like to share ?
one local lady has a great one called,
roundthetwistwithcarin.blogspot.com

hope you comment with what you're working on. whether it be knitting or crochet. or Home redos.. always love those.
please give me the link to your blog too..

take care and enjoy the day the Lord has provided.
lisa

Sept. 11th 2011

Hello,

What a time .. remembering 911 & watching some shows on TV have really brought back the memories. Such a terrible & yet faith affirming time it was and continues to be.
we must never forget............... no more then we have forgotten WW2 or Pearl Harbor.
it is history & from all history we must learn from it.

I had completely forgotten it was officially Patriot day today .......& Grandparents day , until max sent us a card :-) bless him :-)

I pray you are each enjoying family today , that you took time to say Thank You in your prayers. Life is SO fragile.... keep loved ones close to you ...

lisa

NOW the picture

yesterday I couldn't get the picture of jena to load.

so we'll try again.

LOL

jen's hair

Daisha put jen's hair in a french braid , so today it is bouncy , just like she likes it . looks like a perm w/o the commitment :-)

podcasts

Hello,
I AM A HUGE PODCAST FAN.. MY 'PLAYER' GOES WITH ME EVERY WHERE.. i SPEND QUITE A BIT OF TIME IN THE VAN , WAITING FOR JENA.. DANCE, VOICE LESSONS.. AND SO ON.
SO HAVING MY KNITTING & MY PLAYER WITH ME MAKES THE TIME GO & I GET SOMETHING AKCMPLISHED .

CURRENTLY i AM LISTENING TO SHE-KNITS SMALL TALK.
IT IS A KNITTING, LIFE PODCAST. SHE TALKS ABOUT HER 7 KIDS & HER KNIT ALONGS.

OF COURSE , KNITPICKS, HOXTON HANDMADE, & THE OLD SHOWS LIKE : GILDERSLEEVE, FATHER KNOWS BEST & AGATHA CRISTIE.

IF YOU SPEND TIME IN THE VAN/CAR, TRY PODCASTS.

CK ITUNES .. SEARCH UNDER AUDIO PODCASTS, THEN 'KNIT' OR MYSTERIES ..

OUR OLD DUCHESS KITTY IS PRETTY SICK. we HAD HER AT THE VETS A FEW WEEKS AGO & ALL HER BLD WORK CAME BACK GOOD.. SO WHAT TO DO ?? THE OTHER NIGHT JEN & I WERE SEARCHING ON VET SITES & THE only THING THAT SEEMED TO FIT HER SYMPTOMS WAS WORMS !
i CAlled the vet & they said they had a one time treatment . we should actually do it once a year. so both indoor cats received treatment.
The Duchess should improve within 2 weeks .. if not we can do another treatment in a month. But we'll see.. she is 13 yr old.. jena is 14.. so she is sad that Duchess is sick.. I told her we would do this , but there is no guarantee it will work.. we just don't know what is wrong.

anyway.. off to finish up the dishes.. more sewing today.. getting the skirt for jena ready for Easter. She sings her special at both services . she is nervous.. SO please say a prayer for her, that she will glorify God & not just think of her own fears :-)

lisa

pics

jena , Max, Mom & Mil: Pauline

up & left.. Jessica, Jena & Max

pictures from my Mom's 85th Birthday party..

she is the beautiful lady in red :_)

Daisha , above with mom.. Daiaha made the decorated cake !

is it hot where you are ?
wow.. we have really had the heat & Humidity here in Iowa this year..
we're hoping for a cool down trend starting on Saturday , 80's :-)

we have some family coming tomorrow to swim, that should be fun.
at least the pool has made it this far.. last year we had it tore down by now.

I am knitting on a pair of purple/ beige socks.. had to rip this 1st one out 3 times so far, but I don't mind, I'd rather be happy with them when complete
then give them away knowing there were major mistakes.
at least it is giving me some practice. I had forgotten the ins and outs of sock knitting .. but just like the proverbial bike.. you do remember..

off to finish the kitchen .. and maybe get my brownies in the oven.
MUST HAVE TREATS !!!!!!!!

Hello,

well it has been awhile.. not worried cuz I don't think anyone reads this :-)
but that's ok..

we had our sweet Owen a couple weeks ago.. the pic of him and jena at lunch time was so cute. He loves to just lay his head down anywhere :-)

Jena took the pic of the sun coming thru the clouds after a storm.. so beautiful.

And a wonderful Apple Pie.. so yummy ,jena & I did that together.. it was quite funny, as you can tell it's not picture perfect. but it's taste perfect :_)

County Fair time is upon us.. Jena has a couple crocheted items to add.

she also has come great pictures she took. we have to run into town & get frames for them as soon as our neighbor returns our car.. Tye rod broke Sunday :-(

our weather has been SO rainy the poor garden has suffered. Veggies are growing.. but so are the weeds .. lol

I have been trying to keep up better with the house work... it's just not a priority as it used to be.. but I do need to improve , that's for sure.

we had a great week end with daisha & Max here.. we laughed so hard in the pool. just had a great time.. except most of us were pretty burnt.. not the kids as much as the adults..

well off to finish up my house.. get thru the shower & hope the neighbor comes by soon. SO nice to have a mechanic close by :-)