The Glad Game

Today I'm playing The Glad Game.  I popped over to Catherine's blog today and was blessed very much.  She is a collector of beauty and I'm so glad I found her.  You'll love her post and you might want to play The Glad Game, too!

I'm glad because of my Redeemer.  I'm utterly in awe of His grace given to me. 

I'm glad when I doodle and I am glad when I smell these markers!  I'm a marker smeller.  Do you have some of these?

Today Kelli is going to the zoo with the girls and April and the Ft. Collins grands.  Millie's too little, so she will stay with me.  I'm going to watch Pollyanna while Millie smiles, eats, and plays.

I read Hip-Chick's Tea Talk post today and decided to try some new teas.  See how friends are made?  Sweet sharing.  Sweet connections.

Yes, this teapot moves around the house.  This photo is perfect: an angel in the garden (Catherine) and tea (Hip-Chick).  I love it.

I'm glad about the teaching year (summer, too!), books, and reading other peoples' thinking.  Yours!

My favorite poppy (Shirley) and a fairy to match?  NICE!

Yesterday, I read Anne of the Island.  Oh, Anne Shirley is such a perfect literary character, isn't she?  In this book, Anne and her college friends live in Patty's Place.  Read it.  You'll love it.  More gladness.

And I never leave The Wind in the Willows far behind.  I have a sweet childlike love for Badger.

Bunnies in blue dresses with lace-trimmed pantaloons.  Yes.  Glad.

Maud Hart-Lovelace had the same sweet literary spirit as many of my favorites.  This book made a huge impression on me in fifth or sixth grade.  Glad.

Norman Rockwell?  Art can make one glad.

Yesterday I baked oatmeal cookies and then thought, "Hmmm.  This batch of cookies is BIG and I might eat way too many."  Glad came when Jeff's friend stopped by, spied the cookies and said, "Are those cookies up for grabs?" 

I planted my sweet peas around President's Day back in February.  Glad!  Now they are climbing up the heart trellis.

Lately, as I've been making our big bed, I've been marveling at its beauty.  I'm so glad Bill's back to keep cozy with me.

The Fourth of July is coming up and I'm thinking about how to make it even more fun.  Any ideas?

This is kind of random (shocking, I know) but lately I've been seeing so many welcoming chairs.  This one costs way too much, but the wicker chairs at the antique mall were only $115 for the pair.  I'm thinking about them and they just might come here, to this house. 

At the end of July, I am going up to Washington to see my family.  My brother stays here for a week every summer.  My parents and I will ride the little ferry over and dine on fresh- caught crab at this very table.  GLAD!  I know that Pollyanna's game involved taking something sad and turning it into GLAD.  I sort of skipped the sad part and went straight to the glad, didn't I?  Oh, well.  Do you want to play The Glad Game?  Just know that when I read your blog and when I think about you reading this blog, I'm glad.  Time for another cookie and a cup of tea and great surges of gladness and thankfulness.  (HUG!)

Apron Completed

Apron finished!  I like it!  Remember, the whole idea was to make a "security apron" so I made it out of flannel.  Yeah, it's a little warm.  Sweet though!

Do you have to adjust to wearing an apron?  I don't find myself longing to put it on.  I'll practice.

I found this sweet Holly Hobbie plate at the antique mall.  When I was in seventh or eighth grade, I bought a pattern and fabric to make a doll like Holly.  The instructions for the head were a little beyond me and my sewing skills. 

I also found Cousin Ribby for $32.  I came home and looked her up online.  This particular collectible is selling for $295 on one of the sites.  YIKES!  I like her because she's holding butter. 

Here are today's doodles. 

This is Lisa's art letter.   I commented on the originals and then tried to copy. 

I like the coloring part!

My ripples look like targets.

Thank you, God.  Thank you for ballerinas.  Hasn't little Aria grown?

This is Birdie at home, before her big show last weekend.  She's a little flag, isn't she?  We have our happy American holiday coming up.  Maybe a Victoria Sponge will be baked.  Now I know how to do it, thanks to my UK friends!  It's so nice to have Bill home.  We like each other very much.  My next "to do" is Millie's sweater, so I shall knit now. What are you working on?  Thank you for checking in.  You're so nice.

Copy Art

Lisa (from Backwoods Crazy Quilt) and I are having a little snail mail art exchange.  We draw pictures and then mail them to each other.  She gave me the push I needed to have fun copying favorite illustrations.  I am a doodler and I like being just that.  I've noticed that when I try to copy some one's art, it turns out sort of Pom Pom-ish and I am very intrigued with it.

My people are stick-like and they have zippy outfits.  I am going to try to create this Little Women piece using my wacky brightly clad ladies. I'll show you when I am finished.

I've already tried this.  I can't get the angles just right for the rooftops but it was fun to copy and color.  I'm sending this one to Lisa.

Don't you love this dolly seamstress?  I have not hit my dolly- making flow, but because I love soft dolls very much I will copy this drawing.  I would like to make one of my ladies into a funny doll.  The "stuffing" frustrates me but I think there might be an easier way to do that.

The idea here is enchanting, isn't it?

I've already tried this one, too.  My web walker is black and she has a stiffer gown.  It's fun to draw when there is absolutely no pressure to produce something "wow!" and I feel happy when I am outlining and coloring in.  Bill is home. Whew!  He is all settled in and now I am going to go down to my Pom Pom studio (aka the room full of MY stuff) and do a bit more drawing and coloring in.  I love looking at my books, creative materials, and other little pretties.  I have two things I found at the antique mall that I will show you as soon as I photograph them.  They are VERY sweet.  What do you draw? 

Smiles

Granny Camp is over and now it's clean up time/rest time for tired Pom Pom.

We swam!  The sun was shining.

We ate waffles.

We grocery shopped.

While Cadence had a sleep over with cousins Bird and Bug, Uncle Jeff and I took Finn to the movies!  Extra fun!

Auntie Kelli helped with all the fun and Millie LOVES her cousins!

Lots of smiles in this family!

If you like to wear princess dresses,  come play!

No princess business for Finn!

Crowns, too!

Time to tidy again.

What do you think of my fake flowers festooning the entry way?  I'm very pooped today.  I had so much fun with my grands and I'm so thankful, but I am glad I was such a youngster when we had our kids.  I had a lot more verve then than I do now.  My plans are lazy until Bill gets home tomorrow night.  Grannies have a lot more leisure time than mommies.  Guess what?  There is one more grand on the way, due in January!  Bliss!  Happiness! Eight grands!  Thank you for checking in and thinking of this tired granny.  Now back to quiet, house mouse doings.  LOVE!

Tea for the Garden

Shall I be Mother?  For the flowers?  Isn't this an adorable watering can?  I thought I might keep the grands busy watering.  Everyone loves to mess around with water.

I still haven't moved the gnomes outside to the fairy garden.  Why? I need more ribbon to festoon the entry posts with fake (but pretty!) flowers and bows.  The gnomes have been hanging out here since Christmas.  It's time for them to go out and do gnome things!

Rat a tat tat!  Rat a tat tat!  I am going around the edges of the apron.  Really? I should have just lined it with something soft.  Working with tiny double-fold bias tape is making me feel like a very stressed shoemaker!  It's almost finished.  Photos to come.  I wish it made me look slimmer.

I added some sunflower sunshine to the three bears table.  Bill won't really like having the table in the middle of the kitchen, but I do.  I'm the boss.

I'm vacuuming and vacuuming.  I'm tired.  The kids arrive tomorrow morning, so I'll fill up the pool after I have my morning coffee.  Bug, Birdie, and Millie stopped by for lunch today.  They wanted to get things started.  I think I am going to have quite the grandchild crowd in the next few days!  Bring on the chaos!  I'll take some pictures of our "adventures" but if the photos turn out messy, I may not post them.  I don't like messy pictures.  I'm weird like that.  Also, I get a little over-responsible when I'm in charge and often forget to snap, snap, snap.  Oh!  I hung the vintage tablecloth curtains, so I only have two tablecloths left and I want to make pillows. I guess I shall not have a tablecloth skirt.  Unless . . . I go thrift store shopping.  That sounds fun, doesn't it?  Are you loving the birds at the feeder and the love doves as they coo, coo, coo?  Are you eating enough ice cream?  Gumbo Lily is!  I had Oregon Blackberry yesterday AND today.  No wonder my pants are getting snug!  Oh no!  Do you like going down the seasonal aisles at the big stores?  Water toys, picnic supplies, and garden ornaments remind us that we are safe here and there is fun to be had and having fun is glorious when there are people around.  It's good to live in the shire!