This past weekend was just exceptional! Actually, it started on Thursday. Dear Husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. I have to admit that I didn’t realize it was our anniversary until the UPS man delivered flowers.
“Flowers?” “Wait, what date is it…?” And then I realized I’d almost forgotten our anniversary. The flowers were from my sister, Frankie, who sent them by way of thanks for nine thank you notes I sent her. I was only nine months late in getting out Christmas thanks, and five months late in doing Easter thanks, but she rewarded me for my hand written efforts with the most beautiful bouquet of coral roses with a lime green foliage and golden rod. The flowers are just exceptional!
So, I sailed into the weekend on a high, having gone to dinner with DH Thursday night, just a laid back meal at a local Mexican place, and then a trip to visit one of his job sites. *G*
Saturday, very early, DH went off to sail and I got ready for family and friends to join us for dinner. Frankie and her husband and their wonder dog Sydney arrived close to 1:00, and a friend of theirs from Wisconsin found his way to us shortly after that. Frankie helped me in the kitchen, getting things underway to make eggplant Parmesan. She also took over the work on the silk flower arrangement on the foyer table. I had flowers I wanted to work with, but couldn’t get the ratio of flower and container right. I’ll take a picture of it and post it later.
Our oldest sister, My-Sister-The-Nurse, brought her husband and one of her 20-something grandsons to the house shortly after 4:00, and she set up a fabulous appetizer layout for us to nosh on. We continued to pull things together for dinner so that the eight of us were ready to eat on the stroke of six!
Eggplant and Chicken Parmesan, Vermicelli with red sauce, green salad, foccacia and pugliese breads, followed by pumpkin pie. I was going to offer more desserts, but we figured everyone would be stuffed with dinner. I had two-thirds of a pan of the eggplant left, and that’s what we had for dinner tonight!
The conversation and laughter at the table was fabulous. We talked about television humor today and what was on when we were kids. Our youngest family member, who has spent most of his growing years in London or Perth, Australia, didn’t know the names: Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Bill Cosby or Jackie Gleason. We were trying to decide what was missing in what they call “comedy” today, and along the way a lot of silly jokes were tossed around.
All of Saturday was in preparation for our attending the dedication of a tree at church in Mother’s memory. We attended church, and were blessed with sunshine just before we stepped out for the dedication. Mother’s best friend brought red ribbons for us to tie on the branches. Mother’s favorite color was red. She would have loved it!
And, the Empty Nesters invited us to join them in their monthly pot luck. I took a raspberry pretzel salad, coleslaw and broccoli slaw to share. Those ladies know how to put on a yummy meal. I need to get the recipe for the fruit salsa!
It was just a great weekend. That feeling has continued today despite the rain. I’m coasting on the joy of spending time with family and friends and just having a darned good time! I hope putting together Thanksgiving will be this much fun!

Yes, let it be heard here: I AM AN OLD FOGEY!
Part of my extended family attended church at my Mother’s church this Sunday. My oldest sister and two of her children, my youngest sister and her husband, and a friend of theirs from Wisconsin, Dear Husband and I attended the contemporary service. I have tried to “go with the flow” and just worship and not be critical, but the contemporary service is not for me.
I studied music and music education. Along the way I realized that my way of worshiping was going to involve music. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!” And I did, and have. But, at this particular church, for the contemporary service, they post the lyrics on the screens at the front of the church and have two (or more) people at the front of the church leading the hymns. There is no written music to read. It is extremely difficult to sing out (and make a joyful noise), if you don’t know the music.
Okay, perhaps if they sang the same songs over time, you might begin to learn the music, but as a visitor I am muffled and can’t encourage those around me to sing with me. It defeats my worship, and leaves me feeling cranky.
I understand the reasons for what’s being done. The church is saving on the cost of hymnals, and the cost of royalties to project the music on the screens. Perhaps many younger people have not learned to read music, so the hymnal is wasted on them. And the modern music is more in line with what younger people hear and like.
I miss the traditional hymns and the traditional parts of the Protestant services. I miss being able to harmonize and lift my voice in worship. Clearly, I will have to attend the earlier service in the future.
The old fogey has spoken!

Many moons ago, more than twenty five of them, perhaps as many as thirty five of them, there were two nieces and two nephews who went shopping for their aunt. At the time the Kliban Cat with the red sneakers was very popular. These four wonderful children purchased a desk set, two pillow cases and a mug that all were decorated with the red-sneakered cat.
Over time, the desk set has been packed away or lost, but the remaining pieces, the pillow cases and the mug were still seeing regular use. Unfortunately, this week, the mug slipped from my hands and the handle broke!

I was tempted to keep the body of the mug, because I’ve had so many years of enjoyment from it, but I’m at the time of my life when it’s time to simplify, so I bit the bullet and set it out in the garbage.
Thank you, Lynn, Andy, Terri and Steve for a gift that lasted for ages!
And thanks for the grins! Whenever I want to get a rise from your uncle, I put the cat pillow cases on our pillows! *G*

I’ve been a busy bee!
I have been learning to use my new sewing machine. I bought it for the purpose of machine quilting small to medium sized quilts. It’s capable of free motion quilting, as well as straight line quilting using the dual feed feet. I have been trying to do both of these with my very old Singer sewing machine, and it’s astonishing how much easier it is to accomplish the quilting when you use a machine built for that purpose. I have now finished one quilt with loopy free motion quilting, and one that is “stitch-in-the-ditch” style. I completed sewing the binding of the larger one this afternoon, another first. I have always attached my binding to the front, pinned it to the back, and then hand-sewn it in place. This time, I sewed it to the back, and then pulled it to the front and machine stitched it down. YEA!!! I have learned SO MUCH since I bought this machine, and have been talking with the ladies of Scraps on a Mission. I feel like I’m growing by leaps and bounds!
I got up early and went out to breakfast. Dear Husband was off sailing, I had a list of chores to do, and got an early start. I planted two of the five mums I picked up earlier in the week, and set the pots on either side of the garage doors.
I fed the birds, and discovered that the rodent population had found the partially empty bag of nyjer seed that I bought for the finches. I forgot to put it in one of the sealed bins, and it didn’t take them any time at all to find it and decimate the seed. That will teach me to be sure everything is put away!
I moved my sewing machine back into the studio and reclaimed the dining room. I still have to press the tablecloth but at least one room is getting close to being back to it’s normal use. I folded the fabric I bought during August, and stacked it to be ironed later. I organized the equipment on the long table, put things away, and then cut strips of white for the next quilt I want to make. If you receive American Patchwork and Quilting, it’s the simple quilt of depression era reproduction fabric and white.
Then, the Nap Monster found me, and took me out for about an hour. Later, I sewed the first of the squares for the new quilt, and then checked the computer for information on roasting a boneless top loin pork roast.
Second Son was making salsa when it was time for me to work on dinner, so we shared the counter space. I steamed green beans, and broccoli and cauliflower, made up some broccoli slaw, and boiled egg noodles to go along with the pork roast. Mother used to make pork roast with browned potatoes, and I think I’ll try to recreate that meal later this fall.
The dishes are done, or at least most of them are done. I had to run the dishwasher twice, we had so many pots and pans! It’s nice having the counters cleared to start the week.
Tomorrow……grocery shopping, weeding, crocheting squares for Share a Square, and filing are the big boys on my to-do list, with twenty little things to fit in around them. I hope you all have a great week, and that those of you on the east coast are safe and dry.

We’ve been to the Farmer’s Market, and shopped for fruits and veggies for the week.
I have to take the tags for my Share a Square crocheted squares to the teacher’s store and get them laminated. While I’m there, I’ll visit the bank, which is in the same mall.
I need to pick up backing for a quilt for the church that Scraps on a Mission is making, and I want to see if I can find a few more fat quarters of Depression era reproduction fabrics for a quilt I’d like to make for myself. That project started out as a “use it up, wear it out” quilt, but I need to add to it a bit, so I don’t think everything will get used up. Oh darn…..I’ll have to make ONE MORE QUILT! *G*
If the storm coming through doesn’t last all day, I may try to quilt another lap quilt for Scraps on a Mission. It’s pin basted and ready to go. If the storm continues, I’ll just pin another top. I don’t want my brand new sewing machine on if there is likely to be a power surge that could kill it.
Other than getting a start on some zucchini bread, the rest of the day will be spent lolling around eating bon bons!
It looks like 9:00 at night outside my window, so I think I’ll close down until the storm passes by. I hope you’re having a great weekend!

I discovered that my husband has a fan club!
This morning before we went to the Farmer’s Market, we stopped at Panera for “breakfast.” It seems that Dear Husband has been stopping at this Panera for more than a year, ordering a pecan braid and a cup of coffee to start his day. He never varies, except in that he isn’t there on Saturdays once sailing season has ended.
So, we are invited to step up to the clerk, and she’s chatting away with him, reminding him that he needs to use up his reward drinks within the next two days, and then she asks if I’m his wife!
It turns out the entire staff adores him, and even the bakers like him. This is the place where the baker personalized a pecan braid, writing Dear Husband’s name in frosting.
I felt as though I was sitting with royalty for breakfast!
It’s amazing how little things make our days so much fun.