Sunday, November 25, 2012

Being Blessed


Warning!! No pictures...and a very long story.
Just telling you how we spent the holidays Being Blessed.

Thanksgiving day was a sweet day of family and extended family at our oldest son's house.
Our two oldest sons and their wives and kids, and one of my DIL's parents and Mr. SS and I
shared a relaxing day and a good meal.

Our youngest son and family went north to visit his wife's sister. We missed them, but I know I have to share. I am so blessed to get to be with them all on most holidays.

Friday morning Mr. SS and I loaded up the little blue and white trailer and took off for a little RV park close to the central coast of California. We had such fun plans:

Visiting friends
Golf for Mr. SS
Shopping for me
Visiting my favorite beach to wiggle my toes in the sand
More shopping at two fresh produce barns for me
(a lot for me, huh)
Breakfast before leaving for home at our favorite Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo


Isn't it funny that when you think you have laid out the best plans and know just how your weekend is going to go, God has a way of saying "Whoa there...I have something else in mind"

As we were backing into our space at the RV park, I was behind the trailer with my new iphone at my ear, saying "Cut a little more to the right" and noticed the left rear wheel was tilting in a strange way. As I am practically standing on my head to see just what was going on, Mr SS said into his iphone, "Something is wrong with that wheel. He started to pull forward and it practically fell off taking the fender with it.

The wheel had come off the hub, leaving the pins and lug nuts attached to the drum. The holes where the nuts had worked their way through were huge and all dented up. We had never seen anything like it.
While Mr. SS was pacing around the trailer trying to decide what to do, I sat down at the picnic table put my head down and thanked God for keeping us safe on that 100mile plus curvy road between Bakersfield and Santa Maria. We knew only He could have kept that wheel from coming off before we were safely in the park.

Mr. SS said we have to find a place to get a new wheel and probably replace the drum too. We somehow got the trailer off the road and into our space and took off for our friend's house that live in Grover Beach.
We knew he would probably have the tools to get the drum off and know where we could go for parts.
He told us several places and we spent the day calling and driving around only to find every thing closed because of the holiday. 

On Saturday, Mr. SS started calling again and even called places in Bakersfield he knew about, but no luck...everything closed for the holiday.

About noon we came out of the trailer to take pictures, so we could go back to our friends to get the right size tools to take the hub off and a young man came over and asked if we need help.

YES!! we said. He said he was a mechanic and does just this type of work, and has the tools to remove the hub to see what damage was done.  He works out of a little trailer they pull with their motorhome. His wife was a traveling nurse and he said he just likes to help out people in the parks where they stay.
WOW!!
When I asked how he knew we needed help, he said the man who lives at the end of the park near the off ramp to the park, heard a terrible noise coming from our rig and told him that something was wrong with our truck or trailer.
Again...WOW!!

And again, I prayed and thanked God for sending not only someone to help us, but someone to tell him we needed help. I know that  for certain.

He pounded out  one of the pins and lug nuts and repacked (whatever that means) the drum. He gave Mr. SS the pin and said see if you can find 6 of these. Well, he didn't know the area well enough to tell us where to go, so back to our friends in Grover Beach we went.

They suggested Quest Auto supply in Grover Beach and took Mr.SS there. They didn't have them, but the Quest just down the street from where we were staying did. As simple as that we got them and took them back to our new best friend "John".

Saturday during all of this, I get a call from a friend. She shared some news about her and her family that was pretty remarkable. Then she asked if I was sitting down and told me she was celebrating Christmas this year.  This is a dear friend who had never celebrated a holiday in her life...
I gently asked her if she was celebrating the commercial holiday or the birth of Christ. She told me she was celebrating the birth of Christ and the amazing truth that he had died on the cross for her.
I have known this friend for 45 years and have never heard these words from her.  After a long conversation with her, I got off the phone and you guessed it...was on my knees again, thanking God for this miracle in my friend.

Sunday morning at 8:00 John was at our door and fixed the drum. He put the spare tire on and checked all the other tires to make sure they were safe. He even showed Mr. SS how to "pack" the drums and a few other things that he could do and we were good to go.

On the way back to Bakersfield this afternoon, Mr. SS and I talked about the great holiday we had just had.
It wasn't the weekend we had planned, but it was so much better.
In fact, it couln't have been any better.
We both just kept thanking the Lord and saying. "Wasn't it just the best THANKSgiving ever?"

Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Our new friend John wouldn't take any money for all he had done. We insisted he  take it in the end,  but he let us know he just loves helping people out.

Do you want to know what my devotion for Saturday was?
It's from Jesus Calling: A 365 Day Journal
by Sarah Young

"I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in the transaction: You give me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances)."

I am so full of JOY!!
and that is why I always say,


God is Good!!
Life is Good!!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving



Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving day with family and friends.

We are off to our son's house in Tehachapi for Thanksgiving
and
then Friday we are taking our little blue and white trailer to the coast for a couple of days of
R&R.
Translation: Golf for Mr. SS and sitting, wiggling my toes in the sand with a good book or handwork
for me.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Pinterest Tuesday Try # 10

I can't believe this is # 10 already.  This will be the last one until after Christmas. I have a cutting table full of cute skirt fabric for my girls and shopping and baking...well you know how it is.

I going to try not to be on Pinterest quite so much so I can get my stuff done.
You noticed I said "try".

Anyway...when I saw this:

I knew what I wanted to do this week. When I went through my tubs of vintage linens a few weeks ago, I found a tablecloth that I had used part of for a chair pad. The rest was very stained, but there was still some areas of usable designs. It isn't strawberries, but red flowers with a pretty green.

So, I came up with my version of the stocking on Pinterest.
I drew this pattern up when my boys were little and have used it many times since.
I had a small bit of white chenille left from the back of the pillow I showed you in my last post.
I loved the red on the cuff of the one on Pinterest,so I did some primitive stitching on the chenile where the loops were on the other side. I'm not sure I like it, but it did add some red to the cuff. The other side is more random, so like it a little better.
I added piping around the cuff and the stocking which the model on Pinterest didn't have. The piping makes it easier to turn right side out, giving you something to pull on to get the shape of the stocking turned.
I machine quilted a 2" grid and the model wasn't quilted.
Have I told you how much I love my walking with a wand to line up the grid. I just have to mark the first line of quilting each way.
The bow is made from a homespun I think I have had since the 80's. The reason I think that is that the edge had been torn and I haven't torn fabric since the 80's.

The other side has a design too. I'm kinda wishing I had made two stockings, but at least this way I can hang it either way.

I'm thinking this would make a very good tutorial. I wish I knew how to do a pdf so I could share my pattern with you.
Well, I'll give that some thought.

Remember if you post something you tried from Pinterest and tell me about it, I will link to your post.

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.
We will be going to Tehachapi to our older son's house.
I have a bunch of pies to make and homemade Ranch Dressing, so the sewing studio is closed for now.


Visit Suzanne at Notes from the Patch to see what she tried from Pinterest. You will also get a great recipe for Tomato Soup (no, not your Campbells variety) a yummy variation of the perfect comfort food.
The way she served it to her guests is just the cutest thing ever.

God is Good!!
Life is good!!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

I Finally Did It!!

For as long as I have been collecting vintage linens, I have wanted to cover a lampshade.
When we lived in our house I had a little girls room that was decorated for the grandkids and I wanted to do this for the floor lamp in there. Then we moved and I put it off.
A few weeks ago, I had Mr. SS get my two tubs of vintage linens down from the shelves in our storeroom and I sorted through it all to find some pieces to use on this Goodwill lamp shade I also had in the storage room.
I cut the good parts from a couple of dresser scarves and two napkins.
I never cut up good pieces...can't bare to do that.
The method I used to cover the lampshade is exactly the same as I used on the lampshade I did a couple of summers ago. You can find the tutorial here.
The only thing different is that I didn't make a bias to trim it out.
I used a vintage trim with pearls at the top and bottom and
a crocheted trim from a dresser scarf for the ribs.
The dresser scarf was in tatters, but the crocheted edging was in great shape.
I even made a flower out of the edging and added a vintage button to one of the sections.
While I was going through my tubs, I found a piece of chenille that was just begging to become a pillow.
I call this an envelope pillow. The flap was made from a very faded pillowcase, but I like the softness it added to the chenille.
I forgot to take a picture of the back, but it is a piece of white chenille .
I love putting buttons on anything I can, so again...vintage buttons to finish it off.

I found another treasure that spoke to me too. Some pieces of a vintage red and green tablecloth along with some of the white chenille are going to be used to become something I saw on Pinterest. It might even be my next Pinterest Try Tuesday post.
Can you guess what it is?? Hint...It's not a pillow.


God is Good!!
Life is Good!!


Monday, November 12, 2012

Pinterest Try Tuesday # 9 and Another Birthday


This weeks Pinterest Try comes with a confession of sorts.
I had a birthday a month ago...not a big deal to me. It has never bothered me that I am getting older. I love life and have had a really blessed one.
However, I realized after being overweight most of my adult life, that if I was ever going to do something about it, I had better do it now.
Now I have joined Weight Watchers many times and I usually lose 20 to 30 lbs, but always veer away from it and gain it back. I always did the program, but trying to find every way to work it to my benefit and not committing to the healthy aspects of it.
It took me a couple of weeks after my birthday to make my move, but after much thought and prayer, I decided to give it another try.
I am on my 3rd week and am feeling better than I have in a long time. I have lost weight, but the best part is just knowing how good it is for me to eat the right things.
I feel totally different about it this time and have enjoyed the search for healthy things I can eat without going off the program and not giving up the good flavors I love.
That search led me to this weeks Pinterest Try.
I have a Weight Watchers board on my Pinterest and am adding things to it as I find them. That way the recipes are right here where I am so much of my time anyway.
This is Tortilla Soup
food.com
Click on the link for the recipe.

I had everything in my pantry to make it except the Cilantro
Aren't the colors pretty
Mmmmm, I'm ready for a bowl.
 It said it was a 0 pt. recipe, but I think it was for the old method of counting.
I calculated it with the new Points Plus and it was 1 pt.
Then I added a handful of baked tortilla chips (wouldn't be tortilla soup with out them)
Weight Watchers Fat Free Colby cheese, green onions and Cilantro
So that added 3 more pts. It was so full of flavor and yummy that I felt completely satisfied.
Next time, I will add some chicken and black beans and it will be hearty enough for Mr. SS too.
Give it a try whether you are watching your weight or not...you'll be thanking me.
That's my challenge when on WW.  Mr. SS doesn't need to lose, but is supportive of my efforts.
I still bake and cook his favorites, but he is willing to try some new things too.



Today is my baby son's birthday. Brandon turned 36 today. It was a school holiday so he got to do something he loves to do. He and Drew took the horses for a ride down the Kern River bed.
I got a chance to snap some photos while they were grooming the horses after the ride.
Drew is hosing down Belle and Brandon has Paris. I was trying to get a shot from my door, so didn't get Paris in it.
Happy Birthday to my baby boy!! (6'4" baby...ha!)




A shout out and thanks to all Vets today and also to those men and women still serving our country.
We wouldn't be the great country we are with out all of you.



God is Good!!
Life is Good!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Pinterest Try Tuesday # 8 and a Little more


Since I haven't found time to post about a little gift for Drew who had her 13th birthday last week, I'll combine that with my next Pinterest try.

On Monday before her birthday, I asked Drew what her favorite colors were. I thought I knew, but things could have changed since she was turning 13.
Nope, she said brown, blue and green.

So, off I went to my favorite place to shop.
Strawberry Patches , of course. I was greeted with a smile when I walked in the door by Andy. I told her what I was looking for and she pointed out Annette, who just happened to be standing in front of the browns.  She helped me find a brown with blue and green...who knew that would be so easy?
Then she went right to a green and a blue that contrasted beautifully.

Anyway, my point in telling you about my shopping experience is:
Even though I could have done it myself (years of quilt store work experience),
it is so nice to walk in and let someone greet me with a smile and help me.
That's always the experience at SP.  I hope your favorite store makes you feel as warm and cozy as mine does.

Okay, back to the real reason I'm here today.
These are the fabrics we picked.

I used some of the things I like about the pattern above and combined them with the way I have been putting together  the wrist zipper bag I have been making for a while now.  The wrist zipper bag is for Drew's kindle and will hold the cord and adapter too.

You know me...I had to find something to make with the scraps I had left from the bag.
When I saw this on Pinterest, I knew that I wanted to make it with the those scraps
I have had a thing for owls for a while now and the small size of this makes it so darn cute.
The flicker link takes you to the lady who made this one.
The next link is where she found the pattern.

Here is my version. It is a small coin purse.
Now that I see these in the same frame, I think I need to move my buttons up a little...or not.
It has a velcro closure. One of those magnetic snaps would be great and look better, but me being me, I wanted to use what I had.


Don't forget to vote!!



God is Good!!
Life is Good!!