Country Roads

We went for a drive after church and lunch yesterday.

The leaves are beautiful--pretty close to peak in their color now.

The country roads are just beautiful.

Just look at the color of these oaks.  Oaks aren't really known for their fall color, but these have some beautiful color.

I like the beautiful sky reflection on our windshield.

We went down to the Finley River.  Here's Erin checking the water's temperature. 

Our daughter brought her camera, too, and I know her pics are better than mine.  These pics are okay though.

Erin and hubby here.  It was such a beautiful day that the Lord made.  I marvel at His creation.  Mere words cannot express the beauty and sheer wonder of it all.  I'm thankful for the eyes He gave me to see it.

Here's hubby and me at the river bank.

This next picture is leading to my next post about something down by the river.  It's in the extreme background, but I don't think you can make it out.  Don't you just love a mystery?  My kids will know what's down by the Finley River.  I'll tell you about it next post.  There's just too many pictures for one post, (unless I could learn how to post pictures like Martha Stewart, that is).



Birthday and a Ballgame

It was my hubby's birthday yesterday, so we had the kids over and celebrated.

Erin found these amazingly large marshmallows.

This was a fun-gooey-sticky time for the grand kids.

I fixed dinner for us all:

Roast

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Carrots

Mashed Fauxtatoes

Spinach Salad

and our daughters brought:

Rolls

Baked Beans

AND

Chocolate Cake

Our youngest granddaughters helped Papa blow out the candles. 

We also went to see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, who are 89 and 94 years of age.

After all of that, birthday boy and I settled down to watch from the seventh inning on, of game 7 of the

World Series.  Yea Cardinals!  What an exciting Series.

It was a busy day for me, and very enjoyable

(except for one bump in the road).



Excitement

This is actually a picture of my nephews Joplin Football Game, but I didn't have my camera last night, and I can't post without a picture--that would just be wrong.

We saw two ballgames yesterday, and both were exciting--I am now hoarse.  I hollered a lot at the first one.  My nephews team won again 35 to 7 against Republic.  This game was more of a challenge for them. They won their division, and now they go to the playoffs.  It was fun watching my nephew play; it might have been his best night this year.  We also saw history being made.  Doriel Green Beckham set the U. S. record for High School in the most yards rushed.  He's quite a player and I'm glad I got to see it.  This morning my throat is still a little raw.  I get excited. 

We came home to watch the most exciting game on T.V.  Our Cardinals came back again to win game 6 of the World Series--that was stressful and exciting.  I got pretty excited here at home too.  I thought I was going to miss the game, and I did miss part of it.  When we got home the Cards were behind by three runs, 4 to 7, and it didn't look good, then they caught up a couple more times, and won in the bottom of the eleventh inning, 10 to 9.  It was just wow.  I just love a good ball game, and I had two in one night.

Fall Ball Games

We been watching a lot of ball games lately.  Friday night my nephew had a football game.  He's a Running Back and he carried the ball quite a bit.  The crowd was cheering him with "Great Scott!"---His name is Scott.  He made quite a lot of yards.  I think the score was our 56 to Marshfield's 6.

We've also been staying up late to watch the World Series--"GO CARDS!"  I think it is starting to catch up to me.  I fell asleep yesterday afternoon on the couch, and it took my hubby's banging around to wake me up--That's not like me.

We had a fire last night since there was no game, boy it sure gets dark early now.

I worked on my apple cores until it was too dark to see.  I'm on row 23 now.  Yea!

Patience Is A Virtue

I'm still working on my apple cores, and I'm about to finish row 20.  That means I'm 2/3 done piecing them.  It will be so nice to finish this, and move on to something a little faster.

I'm improving in my hand piecing.  My stitches are a little smaller, and I learned a new finishing knot.  My eyeing the 1/4 inch seams is getting better, and I'm faster at it.  If you want to learn how to do something well you need to just jump into a project that might be a little challenging.  You just improve with practice.  I learned how to enjoy using a thimble when I English Paper Pieced my hexagon quilt.  I think when you do something well you enjoy it more.

At first it was drudgery working on this, and now I'm starting to enjoy it a little more.  I like the stitching; it's the constant pinning that's not so enjoyble because it's so slow. I will still be glad to do a machine stitched project because it will be faster.  Finishes are fun.  Maybe patience is something I'm needing here.



Goodbye Flowers

It has turned cold---34 degrees right now, this morning, and it's supposed to frost and freeze tonight.  I wish I had a green house for these.  They are so full and gorgeous that I hate to see them die.

The fern on the front porch did fairly well with getting a half day's sun.   My flower beds look tired.

 Or, maybe it's me that's tired---of watering that is.

Soon I will be digging these elephant ears up, and storing them for the winter in the garage.  That will be a monumental task.  I'll need a sharp knife, and a sharp spade.  I will wait for a warmer day though.

Dahlias need to be dug up as well. 

(Sorry for the blurry photo, but it's too cold to take another one.)

I have been so surprised at how well the zinnias did.  So tall, and they did produce an abundance of flowers even with a little less sun than they needed.  I should pick one more bouquet for my MIL.

I will miss my flowers, but I am tired of watering them all.  I am always ready for a new season.  I don't enjoy winter as much though.  By spring I will be rarin' to go---I hope, that is.

My herbs, on the other hand need to come inside----my house is too small to house all these.  I probably will just bring in the rosemary, parsley and thyme.  Or maybe just the rosemary.

I only have this week's study left in Leviticus, and it has been incredibly rich.    We will start a study of Deuteronomy in January---Boo-hoo, such a long time.

On another note, we caught 3 more mice, and I think they are all gone now--Yeah! 

I think they are cute, but not in my house.

GRANDKID HEAVEN

I enjoy it when our grand kids come over.  The oldest one here really enjoys nature, and is almost always out in the yard exploring.  The other day there was a garden snake on our front porch when they arrived, and she went over and picked it up, and without hesitation, I might add.

The others enjoy playing, and our goldfish pond.  The fish will come up and nibble on your fingers a little if you put your fingers in the water.  I think they wonder if it is food.

I have grand kid station in our family room.  Our coffee table always looks like this.  I also have a couple of shelves of books in the book case for them.

The littlest ones enjoy a few dolls.  The old teddy bear here was my hubby's when he was a little boy.  It's been stitched and patched over the years.  The largest doll I made for our youngest daughter when she was small, and the skinny doll I made a year ago or so.  I need to finish it's face.

This rocking chair was my hubby's also when he was small.  The little doll quilt was made by his mother for him as well.  They only had boys, so this was as close as they got to little girl toys.  I'm so glad she saved them for him.  Our little granddaughters really enjoy these.

The kids usually create some things while they are here also.

If they are here for a while I usually bring out the games, and puzzles.

We also have some older grandchildren, but we don't get to see them very often--they live in Iowa.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

My nephew and his team were playing Rolla last night on our home field.  It was a such a beautiful night--not too hot, or too cold.  I really enjoy these games--SO MUCH FUN!

The days are getting shorter, and it gets dark pretty quickly now.

 

Here we girls are--Me, daughter-Erin, sister-Donna, and sister-Alice.

Boy, I have to tell you that Donna looks just like our mother here. Alice and I look more like our daddy. It's funny how you see resemblances easier in photos. It sure shows up in this photo anyway.

Here the guys are:  brother-in-law Ken, and hubby....

and brother-in-law Dale.

My nephew, Scott was playing in this action shot.  He's pretty much a blur here.  (I don't think my camera is very good for this subject.)   Anyway, Scott got the ball when their team was doing an ON SIDE KICK, which was a turnover, because the other team was suppose to receive.  Wahoo!

Yea, Scott!---good play.  Our team won 40 to 19--Yea, again!  Boy, I hate for these games to end, but they will before too long----Boo-Hiss.

Bee Stings and Flowers

I had an extraordinary experience yesterday.  I was minding my own business, watering this......

when I was stung by this.......

then I beat the living daylights out of it with this......

and because I am extremely allergic to bee and wasp stings I took two of these.

The amazing thing is, I did not have an adverse reaction to the bee sting other than a little pain and a rapid heartbeat for a little bit.  I am wondering if the diatomaceous earth I am taking might have had something to do with it.  I do not know, but I thank God.  I usually have to go to either E.R. or Urgent Care because I start swelling, and swelling.  I had no swelling at all.  I love to garden--flowers mainly--and that attracts many stinging insects----the two just go together.

Last night when we were going to the ballgame, I asked my hubby to walk in front of me so I would not trip, and fall on something in the dark again--he can see better than I can.  He said follow me and you won't get hurt.  I told him I don't know, I get hurt just watering the plants.



Fall Stitching

I'm ready for some Fall stitching--this puts me in the mood--I just want to make pumpkins, or a Fall wall quilt for my front door.  By the time I got it finished, it would probably be time for a snow man wall hanging.  Maybe I should just go back to my never ending applecores.

Eye Candy!

I found this magazine article, and I was ready to make a pincushion, and scissors holder.  I did it in short order, too.

I just used stash, and I didn't have much orange, so I made do with what I had.  My pumpkin's a little on the yellow side, but I still like it.

We--hubby, Erin, and I have been helping my sister, and her hubby paint their house.  We worked just one night, but I must tell you, my hubby is a work horse--so is my sister's hubby.  I kinda petered out after a while--I'm not much of an evening person; I did help some though.  I went and picked up some burgers too, so I guess I'm good for something.

One more down!  This is my hubby's sense of humor.   We have about 9 traps, and each one has a different name:  "Heaven Bound, Ol' Snapper, Thundering Billy, Ol' Number Nine, Lightening Rod, Mousie Gray, Sudden Death, Mickey, and Killer".  We still have at least one more little mouse evading our traps.  He set one of them off, but somehow got free.  I had him trapped in the closet for a while, too, but the sneaky little thing got free.  He left a mess for me to clean up though.

I think I've set off more traps than the mice have.  Yesterday I lined them up across the hallway, and this morning I set three of them off on my bare feet.  I may have woke the neighbors up with my squeal.

A Found Chicken And A Finish

In an effort to clean, and straighten my sewing room a little--thanks to Mr. Mouse, I found two missing pin cushions.  They were stashed away with a couple of UFOs.  The whole time I was cleaning, I was hoping I would find them.   I've been missing my sweet little chicken---my ivy pincushion, too (pout).  I was thinking I would have to make them both again.  I have a bad habit of reorganizing things, all the while thinking this is a better place for this----when will I figure this out?---leave it in the same spot, so I can find it when I need it!!  Arg!

Here's my finish.
My Retro Journal Cover.................

I enjoyed making this, but I also learned a few things:

1.  Plan a color scheme

2.  Sketch out the design before cutting things out

3.  Use Joanna's applique method--it's way cool!

4.  Even if you don't like how it looks,  someone else might

(my sister and daughter like it)

5.  Use cotton for the backing (I didn't, I used woven polyester--and I know better, sheesh!)

6.  Batting would be nice, too

7.  I enjoy doing fancy embroidery stitches

I kind of like it; maybe it will grow on me.