Hello Again!

  (I've been perking coffee with our old camp coffee pot and it's GOOD!)
Hello again!  My blog break (and FB and I-gram) were quite long enough.  I removed my blog roll so I wouldn't be tempted to break my fast.  I'll put it back up soon (it's a fussy thing and takes a while).  I missed this place and the kind people like yourself who read this blog.

The other day I was Granny Writing Teacher.  We had fun!  Plum Cake (3 years old) held her own with the older girls!

 We prayed before we began and we prayed during (my sister was at the doc for a check up and asked us to pray for her doctor anxiety).  

 We've gone a bit overboard with all the Valentine stuff at the grocery store.  The red tulips are so cheery.

 One of Kelli's friends came to our "girl time - talk about Jesus time" and she hadn't been to our house.  She thought the heart display in the dining room was just for Valentine's Day.  No.  I am not that ambitious with holiday decorating. 

 Our kitchen island finally came!  I love it, but it is a smidge larger than I anticipated so I am trying to decide just how to position it.  It's a bit of a puzzle.  

 I colored a few teapots.

 I sent a few letters.

Our son Brad has a new hobby.  He has many interests (bagpipes, remember) and I am quite impressed with his ability to carve!

 I forget if I told you that Kelli's family has a new cat.  Henry.  Isn't he cute?  He's VERY peppy!

One day I went to Jeff and Christie's to see James' kitty (and of course James).  Isn't she cute? She has pink claw protectors. 

 I ironed a pink tablecloth and arranged some heart dishes. 

 I am reading this book.  It's a day-by-day plan that continues for thirty days.  Below you can see Day #1.  It's a prelude to putting the finishing touches on my Rule of Life.  

Here are some cherry hearts for you.  Be careful that they don't stick to your dental work.  

 I made two soups this morning (and some yummy cinnamon rolls) because we are expecting a lot of snow.  

I got to bed too late many days last week and this week I aim to tuck us in early.  It makes a big difference when I am tired and I HATE to be tired.  So, here's to a great week for all of us!  God be with you, Sweetie Pie. 

Fast

I'm going to"fast" from social media and blogs for a while.  I am going to answer emails and text messages but I'm going to take Facebook and Instagram off my phone.  Nothing upsetting happened but it's occasionally a good idea to have a break,  I think.

I shall read and write letters.  I won't "view" anything on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon.

If you are a blog friend, I'll miss reading your blog for a little while.
Thank you for understanding.

Boxy Long Dress

 Here's the Dottie Angel dress!  As you can see if you place the tucks and ties right under the bustline, it could look a little less boxy.  Boxy works for me because I'm chubby in the torso. Also, it isn't meant to be so long, but I'm short.  So, you can mess about with the pattern because it is very basic, very straight forward.  Bill said it looks like an Indian dress (salwar kameez) for sure.  I love Indian clothes, so it works!  I have a scarf on that covers the scoop neckline (sorry!) and I'm also wearing a long sleeved linen blouse because it's so cold, but I will wear the dress to the pool this summer, covering up my swimsuit (a necessity).  

 We had such a nice time over the weekend.  We enjoyed lots of cuddles on the sofa and happy family meals (burritos and spaghetti).  We also had our fair share of donuts, cookies, ice cream, candy, soda, and the like.  Miss Bug woke me up at 3am on Sunday morning with a stomach ache and proceeded to empty said stomach within an hour.  They went home early Sunday morning and then I had a touch of intestinal distress (along with a bad nose cold) so I have been resting the last two days. We told stories at night (they are SUCH attentive listeners when I tell them the memories from my childhood.  They think the stories are funny!)  I like sitting on the sofa with them while they watch movies.  I like serving them huge bowls of popcorn and getting them drinks.  I'm glad I like waiting on them. I really do like it. 

 Finally, I wondered if the lovely tulips were causing my nose cold so as they were losing their petals, I took them out to the trash.  Doesn't Waterlogue make photos look cool?

 Here's our Brad.  April snapped this photo at a coffee shop.  It's SO Brad!  He is quite the reader, coffee drinker, and tea expert!  

I have hemmed a pair of jeans (thanks to Bernie the Bernette) and I really do love the way she purrs and hums without sounding so clunky like my poor old Singer.
I'm still playing around with my Rule of Life and feeling quite good about my journey of reading and writing as I strive to complete it.  I'll share.  I will.
Take care, good readers.  I hope a deep sense of contentment is accessible to you today.
Oh!  I found a great way to hem on Pinterest.  Look closely and you can see how you shorten, still retaining the original hem.  Do you like my bunny slippers? I decided to wear them today because I don't intend to roar around the house stirring up dust and they aren't good for traction!  Ha ha ha!  Bye-bye!

I Made a Dress!

 These tulips are SO worth the nine dollars I paid for them.  I have been sniffing their spring-ness from quite a distance.  

 Look at the shine on the outside.  Aren't they a miracle?

 I ordered this Living Bible from Amazon (used) and it seems like every page has been turned but there are no markings.  Perfect.  I first read the Living Bible when I was a sophomore in high school.  I loved the soft flowing story of it.  I'm so happy to have a copy of it again and I've been making up for the lack of markings.  I'm a bible doodler. 

 I've been sewing!  Yes, Bill agreed that a new sewing machine was important, so I went to the Bernina store and bought the light portable (basic stitches) model.  Bernina doesn't make this model but it is made to their specifications.  It has a five year massive warranty and it purrs like a kitten!  My Dottie Angel dress is done!  I'm wearing it!  

 The instructions are VERY clear and very easy.  I switched it up a bit because it is supposed to have a tie just under the bust and I deem that unnecessary because of my stout granny bod.  

 I'll take a whole self photo (Bill will) but he's not home at the moment.  It's kind of like a salwar kameez because I'm wearing it with linen pants.  When the pants came I tried them on immediately and they felt a bit tight in the behind but linen stretches and they fit now!  Woot!  Woot!

 So now that I've shared my sewing (thank you for being supportive!) I shall share three cozy images.  First, Uncle Wiggly's broken down house.  It's STILL cozy, isn't it?

 Isn't this a darling gypsy wagon?  Don't get too cozy because there is a certain someone in the bed taking a wee nap!

 And finally a Richard Scarry masterpiece.  Tonight Kelli's girls are coming to spend the weekend.  The marriage retreat that the parents were going to attend is too far away (lots of mountain driving and that isn't wise in January in the Rockies) so they'll have a staycation and the girls will hang out with us.  Yay!  I hope they decide sleeping is a good idea.  We are such early to bed, early to rise types that if they choose to giggle and wiggle late into the night, Granny might get grumpy.

I hope you have a glorious weekend!  Stay warm (or cool in Australia) and drink more than your fair share of tea.  Thank you very much for stopping by!

A Ribbed Hat on Old Needles

 Yarn Along is a nice little boost, motivation to get something new on the needles.  This will be my third hat for the boys I love.  I made the black rib hat for my Bill, the brown roving wool cap for our Jeff, and now a stretchy hat for our Brad (it's his birthday today!).
I took a screen shot of the pattern.

 I have so many needles.  My mother-in-law's needles became mine when she passed away.  She had many of the plastic and metal needles and they are VERY long.  A friend gave me HER mother's needles, too.  I also buy needles.  I have LOTS of needles.  Don't you wish they could talk, telling us of all the projects they clicked?

 The needles I'm using for Brad's hat are bendy.  I like the tops of the ivory colored ones.

 I'm using the first ball we wound with my new-to-me winder from the Left-Handed Housewife, Frances.  She's so nice, trying to help me with my yarn winding problems.  

 Here is one of the beautiful books I'm reading.  It's about a French girl who becomes a bound out girl in Maine.  She takes care of a family of children in the wilds of the new world.  She's a soft and deep character, this Marguerite.  It's a lovely read. 

 Now if you are a yarn along-er and don't have time to read further, it's okay.  The light yesterday was so glowing that I snapped some things around the house. 

 The grocery store tulips were VERY worth nine dollars.  They are juicy little cups of joy.

 So are these three princesses.  They came over for dinner after their swimming lessons.  Aw.  I love their bright eyes and their loving smiles.  They each ate a huge bowl of popcorn before dinner.  Swimming works up an appetite.  

I'm joining good Ginny for Yarn Along.  It's FUN!  I love knitters.  I really do.