Mosaic Monday Offerings

~collage made with Fotor~ Another paint night to crow about...that's my daughter in the lower right corner with five of her friends. She talked them into going to a Paint Nite event.  From the smiles, I think that they had fun.
***
We're having a fun discussion about orange and red around here. 

That's a common ditch lily on the left that I call orange and a Bolero bud on the right. The Bolero may be just another shade of orange, especially if one compares it to red as below.

Boleros beside pansies beside wasp house, plates,  zucchini, and below the U.S. flag. Okay, it may be another shade of red. Whatever! 
***

Another peek at John's project. I'm starting to get excited now that it's on the homestretch. Hope that it may be finished by the 4th of July.
It's a patriotic week in North America with Canada celebrating Canada Day on Wednesday and the United States celebrating the 4th of July on Saturday. Enjoy the celebrations! 
Over and out for the week. Today, I am linking to *Judith's Mosaic Monday* and I hope to visit a number of participants before day's end.
A blessed week to you!

Wrapping Up the Wrap Around Blouse

Running just a titch late because I have been wrapping packages a little earlier than expected. Bad weather has changed weekend plans so John is off this morning to deliver his gifts.

Only one grandgirlie has a birthday this weekend, but we use the opportunity to gift the other birthdays we have already missed or will miss soon.

Now this is not a tutorial. I don't do those. They are terribly difficult. I have been reading several tutorials on this subject and I give them all a 

-C. A+ for effort, though. I did promise that I would share more today for those who have expressed interest. I am not sure how often I will be sewing children's clothes, but I would like to learn how to sew some of my own so this should have helped, even if I feel as if I have dragged myself over a mountain in low gear.

 This is the handy sewing gadget that helped me most because it provides a grid and curves, etc. I bought mine for about $10 at JoAnn's a few years ago and it is still good as new. Below you can see that it folds out. It takes the entire top of a double bed. I created my own pattern after looking at lots of patterns. 

My notes probably only make sense to me. I am spatially challenged...wish I were more like Elf cutting snowflakes, but not so much. Nevertheless, I did cut my own pattern using freezer paper wrap. I looked up children's sizing charts online and found a number of them.

Lined and ready for buttons and buttonholes!

I was hoping for lady bugs or something, but both John and I decided these would make a better choice. There are certainly many from which to choose. These red buttons were made in Italy. One of the things we did not like to see was that most buttons are made in Taiwan or China.

As regards buttonholes...practice, practice, practice. Though I prayed, The Lord allowed me to rip them out a number of times. Mercy me! I finally decided that good enough would have to do. Perfection is crippling. Nothing moves forward on perfection.

Poor Light for photos, but the finished product above and below. The grandgirlies are not twins; they are cousins.

Well, somebody had to try it on!

After, I finished the project, I found this vintage pattern. It was published in 1976. It does have that helpful pattern photo in the lower right of the pattern.

If anyone has further questions, get in touch. I'll send you more information behind the scenes, especially after I gave that grade. ;>

*Link to free pattern for wrap-around sizes 2 to 6 at Craftsy*

Would you like a sneak peek at John's project? He's in low gear, too.

Ending with some photos of the garden...

Finally, more color!

The stunning Boleros. I think they are a tomato red, but some read them as orange. They are vivid. This is the photo I used for the substitute banner just below my header. If I can't do a header in the traditional way, I'll use the new feature to add some change.

Don't forget, nothing can separate us from the Love of God. (I am feeling very sad this week because of the moral decay in my country.) The Supreme Court is not my God; The powers that be are not my God. I'm listening for the trump every day. Now go and create a beautiful weekend!

A Simple Woman

Outside my window... Sun! (After three days of driving rain, it's delightful!) 
I am thinking... Yikes! I left this one blank. Well, I am thinking lots of thinks that should not be shared on a sweet little blog like this.☺

I am thankful... That John is feeling better after three days of feeling blah. 

I am wearing...black jeans and a white tee shirt

I am creating...wrap-around blouses for a couple of two-year-old great-grandgirlies.

I am going...upstairs to the sewing room and to Joann's later for cute buttons. 

I am wondering... Not again! (Yes, left blank.) 

I am reading...finishing up To Kill a Mockingbird. Love this book. It's a re-read in anticipation of Harper Lee's soon-to-be-released new book. 

I am hoping...that I don't mess up the buttonholes. =/

I am learning...how to make children's clothing. Beginner level, of course. It may or may not be easier than learning German, the learning of which I have left in the dust.

In my garden... the boleros have started to bloom.

I look forward to this every year. Yes, they are hot, hot, hot. I'm hoping the "fog" will help not put your eye out.
In my kitchen... a crockpot of chicken soup with kidney beans

In the homeschool room... *add if you would like {here is where homeschool moms can share a bit about their homeschooling moments} I left this here for those who homeschool. I didn't know that this was a feature of The Simple Woman Daybook.

A favorite quote for today...I saw the cutest quote at *Happyone's*  the other day: You can always tell when two people are best friends because they are having more fun than it makes sense for them to be having. ~Unknown
Isn't that just the truth?!

A peek into one of my days...They begin and end early...usually up by six and usually in bed by ten. The first thing I do in the morning is feed the cat. Fioré is a yowler. John serves me coffee in the morning and sometimes a dish of ice cream in the evening; otherwise, I serve him for the rest of the day. He seems to like that. ☺ I do my chores in the morning, sit with John during his lunch hour, spend the afternoon on my projects, either inside or outside. We often watch Everybody Loves Raymond at suppertime and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy from 7–8 pm. What an exciting life! ☺

One of my favorite things...is figuring out ways to make a home from little to nothing.

↑Just like these wasps are doing...ahem↑
P.S. Thank you for all the nice, encouraging things you say. John and I both appreciate them! You are a wonderful blogging buddy!
These prompts came from The Simple Woman blog. I am linking without participating.
A happy mid-week to you!

Split Weekend

Oh why didn't I remember that John would have loved a Banana Split for Father's Day? Oh well. Didn't. 

 
Our weekend was a weather split; it was sunny and delightful on Saturday, cold and rainy on Sunday (and through mid-week). 

~miniature yellow rose~

We both had projects on Saturday. Mine began with a pile of bricks and his began with a pile of junk. You know how we love our stash of trash around here. 

  This was John's project — my old garden gate. (Like everything around here it's been discussed before, but let us just say that it has seen far better days.) Keep watching because I am pretty sure this is going to turn into something pretty cool. 
Aside: Blogger is having some troubles. It is becoming increasingly difficult to use features. Uploading photos is almost impossible taking much longer than usual and I still don't have my edit button.

Watch this space because we have determined that this will be the spot.

I have already been making things  in anticipation... 

This was a fun project and I really can't add anything to what *Kathy shared in her wonderful tutorial* other than follow her directions carefully, choose cute fabrics, and don't cheat by using a ribbon (too flimsy).

My Saturday project involved more brick edging. This is not as easy as it might seem as the sod must be dug up and that alone is a challenge. John was busy with his own problems so I did it myself except that he found me the bricks. There's some story about his crawling down a deep ravine filled with briers and rosebush thorns and tossing them up on a banking and loading them up on his truck and hauling them here. Exhausting!

  ↑~before~↑

↑~after~↑

↑~I fixed that ratty basket and made it even rattier~↑

John called it pretty close with the old bricks. These five chunks are the leftovers.

There's more that could be done with edging; however, I am in no shape to do it this year and John heaved a big sigh of relief to hear me say so.

~come on, Color!~

Perhaps my Saturday project should have been lawn-mowing. Nah. Too nice a day. This is my wee front garden with the completed edging. I have seen so many fun designs; this simple one worked best for me. Can't wait for more color in the garden! 

Have you been working on projects, too?

  

It's Gone

This blog is broken. I kind of like my current header, but about a week ago, because the lilacs are no more, I tried to change it.  

Now I have changed the header gazillion or more times in the nearly eight years I've been blogging and have never had a lick of trouble. This time, the edit button is gone! Just gone — slid right off the right side of the page on both my PC and the iPad. I do have a question in the blogger forum about it and I have reported it to *oogle. Have you had any experience with this kind of thing? Otherwise, it'll be lilacs in December...

~it's gone~
I do notice that Blogger has made a few minor changes on the layout page so perhaps it is a temporary glitch. (It's already lasted a week so I am short on patience.) 
Okay, moving right along... Have you had breakfast yet?

~it's gone~
What? Not breakfast? This is our new Friday night meal. Friday nights have traditionally been reserved for pizza; we have been substituting a Cool Veggie Pizza for a few weeks now. The original Cool Veggie Pizza recipe comes from The Pampered Chef. It's a crescent roll base with a cream cheese "frosting" and then the veggies of your choice. This one has onion, green pepper, tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Tonight the pizza will also have some chopped black olives. Oh my, we do love it! Anyway, my cream cheese frosting is a bit different from those you might have seen on line. Mine has an 8 ounce block of cream cheese, a tablespoon of mayo, a tablespoon of sour cream, and a teaspoon or so of dry ranch dressing (to taste). Then it is all whipped to a frenzy. This is a fun little recipe that one can make her own! And it works well as a savory for afternoon teas if the pieces are cut into those cute shapes. 
Okay, you wanted to see aprons...

~peek at pocket detail~

If interested, you can learn more about the apron pattern *here* on a post I wrote last year. Plan B turned out to be gifting the apron to someone who would appreciate it...I hope!

And I have been making other things, too, but this post is already way too long and all over the place. 

Have a wonderful, blessed, relaxing weekend!

Joining the Hodge~Podge Gang

Joining Joyce's Hodge Podge Wednesday just as soon as I get going around here... 
1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if  not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns?    Yes, every good day finds me out, even if it is only puttering in the yard. *** 2. What's a current hot button issue for you? 
The biggest one is always the mind-numbing prattle that substitutes for reporting the news on both the national and local levels. If my  local station spends another ten minutes tonight on the Hill Rod Clint candidacy, as they have in the past two, I may come unhinged. And, another thing, I don't care how many times they tell me that love is a many splendored thing, marriage is between a  man and a woman, by definition, across time and cultures. Period. *** 
3. What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house?
Hmmm...so many...difficult to choose. I notice that the stewed rhubarb is not one of them, though. *** 
4. How hot is too hot?  80° ~*~*~ 5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you? 
At first glance, that would seem doubtful. Not sure what that means, though, so guess I'm off the hook for this one.  ***

6. What's one question you'd like to ask your father or one you wish you could ask your father?   Will the circle be unbroken? That's the question I'd ask. *** 
7. Something you learned from your father? 
My father always taught my sister and me not to believe everything we were told nor everything we read nor even everything we saw. *** 
8. Insert your own random thought here. 
I have been re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Early on, right in chapter 1, there is a  wonderful description...
Somehow it was hotter then... Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with  frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. 
I've a peony that has slumped and reminds me of a teacake itself.  

 ~slumped~
This kind of heat reminded me of what so many of you have been telling me, minus the sweat and sweet talcum.☺   ~really slumped~

Thanks for reading and pop by *Hodge Podge Wednesday,* if you have the chance. Joyce always has great questions and the participants  have fun responses. 

Small Bouquets

Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one.
~from the poem Afternoon on a Hill

~bathroom bouquet~
Edna (a Maine poet who lived from 1892–1950) and I are not in agreement these days. While I am pretty glad, I have picked quite a few flowers lately. I enjoy little bouquets and must have one on the kitchen windowsill, on the bathroom windowsill, and often on the dresser in the bedroom, too. It doesn't have to be too much. Simple is very good. 

~kitchen windowsill~
When the rain comes and beats them down, I rescue them. The peonies  bouquet has lasted three days following some great tips I learned from Lovella and Michele.
I like to find a unique vase. The bathroom bouquet is in a vintage perfume bottle and the kitchen one is in a transferware mug.
It's a cool, rainy day here and I will be in my sewing room whipping up some aprons for two pretty little greatgirlies. Yes, John is a great-grandfather eight times over.♥
Wishing you a wonderful Monday!

Where Comes the Call???

Golly, it's a good thing some of you don't mind chatty posts because that's about all I can come up with these days.

~no bricks in this photo~
Just so you'll know, I am not confused about what day of the week it is. Thursday, right? Usually, I try to post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tomorrow, my daughter needs a driver so I will be busy. Yes, that ulcer. Hopefully, they will get to the root of the problem and be willing to give her the medication that she needs. Healthcare these days! Don't even get me started.
(For those who have wondered about my father. He has moved from Rehab to my sister's home where he will continue to recover and hopes to move into an assisted living center when he is able.)   
This morning, John and I were out in the yard early puttering with bricks. 

This is the project I showed you a day or so ago. Now it's all finished with some minor adjustments to be made. These bricks came from John's cull pile at the Ponderosa. I think he secretly loves it when I have a need for something and he already has it stashed somewhere. It vindicates the saving of good things. He has always loved the Edison quote: To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. 

It hasn't been all work and no play around here either. I had to document the first peony so tried to duplicate the Fotor collage of yesterday with a Photoscape one. Not quite the same, but good enough.

And to close...a Netflix recommendation from Hallmark: When Calls the Heart.

~*Abby's* Recommendation~

It is the story of Elizabeth who travels to a coal mining community out west to teach school. Just so happens that there's a handsome mountie on assignment there. This story is based on a Janette Oke book. Some of you will appreciate the irony here as I can not tolerate reading insipid love stories. However, at the end of a tiring day, I do enjoy watching a little something~something that isn't death, disease, destruction or murder. (Not that life is without its challenges out West!) Anyway, this perfectly filled the requirement.
I loved that Elizabeth journals so there are some enjoyable take-away lines. Here's one:

I've never felt so frightened in all my life, but my fear pales in comparison to how safe I felt in Jack's arms when he came to my rescue. It makes me realize that sometimes we need heroes in our lives, and sometimes, for the people we love, we actually have to become the hero.

Couldn't help tucking Jack in there again as he is not too difficult to look at. Ahem.
So do you have any fun video recommendations? Abby and I'd love to hear them!