fun times...

I went to my very first Grandparent's Day lunch at Lily's school! We had a good time, and Lily got some big-time attention with 4 grandparents on hand to enjoy lunch with her. After Chik-fil-a sandwiches and chips, we went to a book fair and to see her classroom. A relatively short visit, but a special one. Thanks, Lily.

In other news, I've got the California wall hanging ready to go to the quilters. It came out well, and I know Ty will do a great job with it. Here's the final version.

And today is Elizabeth's friend Jessica's wedding day! Blessings to Jessica and Brandon...

Whew, I'm tired...

I've been mulling over thoughts on how to decorate my bedroom. What colors do I want, do I want to paint, how much do I want to spend, what accessories would look good and work well. You know the thoughts.

Yesterday I came across a garage sale, and lo and behold, a color scheme took shape. Not colors that were in my original thoughts, but as I looked at these drapes that were laid out, I began to see some possibilities. The drapes, along with pillow shams, were a so-so beige. What caught my eye was a bold print in black, white, gray, and tan. "Are those feathers in the design," I asked the lady. She said no, they were leaves. She went on to explain how there were two pieces of that print, they were actually scarves that drape over the top of the window treatment. Long scarves, as it turned out. As in 140" long, 50" wide. Each. When she said I could have it all for $10, I thought, why not.

My window is on a 10' wall, and it's got one of those half-circle tops. I was at a loss on how to drape it, until I laid out my new scarves. Floor to ceiling! I had plenty of material, all I had to do was get some sheers to go underneath. But Walmart's longest sheers are 84", not long enough to go the full length. Inspiration struck, and I got two sets of sheers, and sewed them together.

So, here I started out to make a simple little window treatment. As I took off the old window treatment, I noticed the caulking needed to be replaced. So I dragged out the tools, took off the old caulking, visited Home Depot, and proceeded to take care of that chore. Well, while I'm at it, the window sill looks like it could use a coat of paint. Now's the time to do it, before the cumbersome drapes are up there. At least I don't have to paint the whole room because it coordinates just fine. Still, it could use a little touch up here and there, especially since I caulked. Then I had to make the new sheers. And of course the huge ladder got hauled in so I could install the hardware next to the ceiling.

For all the effort in this project, I have a feeling these colors will be just wonderful. And truthfully, I am really pleased with how they came out. I still need to make the tiebacks, but here's a couple of pictures for your perusal.

my adventure into new territory

It's nice to continue to learn new things. I went with Bonnie on my first venture into a golf store. Who knew there were so many accessories to playing golf? While she headed in the direction of shoes and whatnot, I took a stroll. As I pondered a round little thing that looked like a level, the man at the counter let me know it's used to assess the slope between your ball and the hole. I saw fancy little divots for replanting the grass that gets kicked up when you hit the ball, complete with pictures on the back telling you what to do. And putters! I didn't realize they were such odd shapes! Different than putt-putt golf, let me tell you.

There are a variety of bags for carrying the clubs too. Check this out: "

If at anytime you lift your bag or move the golf cart and a club is missing, a warning light flashes and you will hear a "clicking" sound coming from your bag to let you know a club has been left behind.

Flashing red LED = Missing club:" (I put the quotation marks in because I did copy the picture and text).

Whether this particular model was at the store, I'm not sure, but they had a model similar in that it let you know if a club was missing from it's compartment. Whew, technology is right there in the golf world.

Then I saw these cute little puppets! There were dogs, rabbits, cats, and all kinds of little fuzzies. When I stuck my hand in one, well, as far as it would go, there was no access to move the critter's mouth. Looking closer at the display, I realized these were covers for the individual golf clubs. You could have a whole menagerie tagging along on the course.

I did actually learn a little something about the clubs. I asked Bonnie how you could tell which club did what. She explained that they are numbered, and the higher the number, the more of an angle on the club (either that, or the lower the number the more of an angle, I can't remember which but you get the idea). As you play and gain experience, you learn which one you use to get the ball the distance it needs to go.

It was an interesting shopping trip, and a quick look at a world I know little about. Lesson to be learned: you don't have to travel to far away places when you're on vacation to see and learn about things that are new and different to you. Sometimes you only have to go as far as the next shopping center.

A true Mansfielder, -ite, -idian, -ee

I don't know exactly what the term is, but I truly am a part of Mansfield now. Since I'm on vacation this week, I've made it to the Library and got my library card, and to the Activity Center for my MAC card.

I looked through the activity catalog, hoping for an evening art class, but didn't see anything listed in that timeframe. They have one on a weekday morning, as part of the senior activities, but I'm not quite there yet. Give me another one year, six months, and two weeks, and I might be able to fit it in.

My vacation plans changed a bit, thanks to Hurricane Ike. I had planned to go to Colorado with John and Bonnie to meet up with Nolene and Joe and Carl and Billie, but the weather forecast was not good for our travel days. We canceled our reservations, and passed on the trip. It would have been nice to go, but I've enjoyed being here at home. I've had several things needing my attention, and have been able to get a few items crossed off my list.

And it's not all work and no play. Going to lunch with Bonnie tomorrow, and probably into Fort Worth on Thursday to see an art exhibit, then I'm watching Rhett and Ashlynn on Friday, and back to Fort Worth on Saturday for a quilt show.

That's it for now. I'm thinking I might fix spaghetti for supper...

"Take the plunge" has new meaning...

Ya know, I never really thought I would be one to endorse products, but thanks to David, I have found a gem I need to give a plug. Eh, maybe not the best choice of words...

I had a little problem with the commode, in that it became stopped up. Terribly. Messily. Yucky. I tried the plunger several times, to no avail. I called Elizabeth to ask if David could recommend a plumber in the area. I mean, this is not a problem that I care to have a family member try to come take care of. That's toooooooo big of a favor to ask.

He recommended that before I go to the expense of a plumber, to try an air powered plunger. Who knew there were such things??? Not me. I googled it, about the same time that Elizabeth was googling it, and we each discovered they were reasonably priced, and available at the local big box store (Lowe's, in this case). I initially thought, ewww, this is going to be messy. But surprise, surprise, it wasn't bad. It has the pump action of maybe a bicycle pump, or a syringe. Stick it down to the drain hole, pump it a few times, and wah lah, it's flowing free. All for $9.95 plus tax. What a deal. And, it has an additional small suction cup that allows it to unplug sinks. Of course, you do want to clean it mightily with bleach water after using.

So there's my endorsement of the day. The official name is the Plung-It, made by Cobra. Not a bad thing to have in your arsenal of supplies.

Recommended reading

Kathy at work loaned me a book recently, and let me tell you, it's not an easy book to put down. The Shack by William P. Young addresses the question of where is God in all of the pain and suffering in the world.

California's progress

So, I've been working on this California wall hanging for a bit now, and it's coming right along. After looking at maps, and thinking of things relevant to the state and Antelope Valley, squares were cut (a bunch of them!) and the placement began. Then, more squares were put into place, and like a puzzle, moved around to see what fit where. By no means is it intended to be an exact map of the state, but I think its respectable. We have the Salton Sea, a segment of the San Andreas Fault close to home (it is earthquake country, after all), the San Francisco Bay, military bases, the wine country, and the gold rush is represented. And whatever else I threw in.

I think all of the squares are in their final resting place, so now I'm sewing the strips together. After that, a border of contrasting color will go at the top and bottom, then John and Bonnie's personalized patches inset into the final rows of top and bottom. I've talked to my quilting friend, Ty, and I'm hopeful she can fit this into her schedule in a couple of weeks.

It will be fun to see the final outcome.