Finally finished WIPs

Close up of the top square "Seek peace and pursue it"



I did this counted cross stitch years ago when we lived in the country. Each little picture is a Bible verse or a paraphrase of one. After a challenge on a Yahoo list to finish some of our Works In Progress, I pulled out this. So it would not look too "country" I set it together with black and think it turned out pretty good. It is hanging in our formal dining area, just inside the front door entry.




More kitchen towels
This green linen was scraps purchased for 24 cents a pound from a little clothing factory in my town. I cut them into 18 x 24 inch pieces, then finished the edges with bubblegum pink thread with different machine stitches.

Reproduction feed sack prints

Pink prints



Blue, green and lilac prints

I went to Wal-mart for just a few groceries and meant to just take a quick look around the fabric department. I found all these 1930's looking feedsack prints for just $2 a yard and could not resist them. They are not the very nicest quality fabric but they will be fine for crafts or simple quilts.

While I was there waiting to get my fabric cut, I met 2 college boys buying fabric for ponchos to wear to a date party tonight. They even belong to one of the fraternities I used to cook for. Hope they have fun.

Okinawa China

I love to change things around, always trying to find ways to make my home prettier and to function better. I have this set of china that DH bought when he was on an unaccompanied tour in Okinawa in 1990. He went to a china shop with another one of his Marine buddies and they both bought sets.
I have not used mine very much and since we don't have a china hutch in this house, they were not on display either.
DH was gone all weekend so I spent Saturday redoing my cabinets.
I got the china out of a hidden away corner cabinet, washed it all and put in our main dish cabinet.


Then I moved the everyday white dishes to a small cabinet between the microwave and refrigerator.




I cleaned out all the kitchen utensils, keeping out only the ones I use regularly and store some of the seldom used ones away.
I previously had 2 holders on the countertop holding utensils. Now I just have this one, an Italian clay pot painted raspberry pink.




When I was done, I had 4 boxes of things to donate thrift store.

Jeff liked the changes when he got home. But Nina's boyfriend was so confused when he tried to fix himself a snack. He is a funny boy and even though they have been dating for 3 1/2 years, he is still not used to my changing things. He better get used to it though, because Nina, his future wife, is an awful lot like her momma.

The real reason while I smile

It is true that my family and home make me very happy, but the real reason why I have joy and peace is because God loves me and I have known that for so long.
I hope anyone who reads this knows it too.

Happy Valentines Day

After I worked my half day, I went by DD Nina's office and met some of her coworkers and had one of the cookies she shared with them. She used Pillsbury sugar cookie dough and made them in heart shapes. One half of each heart had red sugar and the other half was dipped in chocolate. They tasted just as good as they looked too.
I stopped at the thrift store nearest her office, bought 4 magazines, 2 lengths of fabric, a patriotic teddy bear and a bag of vintage
valentines, aren't they cute? Now I am all set for next Valentines Day!


The valentines were my deal of the month I think, 21 for $1.50!

Joys of housekeeping

My job has recently changed. For about a year, I have been working 30-35 hours a week. Now I am just working 20 hours a week with my choice to work more shifts if I want.
But I don't think I will taking any extra shifts unless my coworkers truly need me.
I worked from 8-12 this morning, was home by 12:10, had some leftover soup for lunch and was finished by 12:45.
Having the whole afternoon to do whatever I wanted was just heavenly. I know other women would go to the mall but I put clean linens on my bed, swept and mopped the kitchen and laundry room, vacuumed the living room and master bedroom, went through all the magazines and made 3 bundles of them to send to my in-laws, washed the rugs in the laundry room (they look like new after a good washing!) and cooked a good supper- mixed greens salad, Mexicali casserole and chocolate snack cake.

Thrift store finds

I am very fortunate to live in a town with 6 nice thrift stores. But because of the awful recent weather, my work schedule and a cold that slowed me down for 2 weeks, I did not go at all during January.
DH Jeff and I went to 2 thrift stores on Saturday and DS Jimmy and I went to the one closest to his little college apartment yesterday. We did not get tons of stuff but did find a few treasures.
I got the nice salmon cotton blouse for $3. The fabric is a good size yardage of pink and white cotton and the white has little blue strawberries on it, I think I will sew it into some kitchen towels.
The set of 10 month towels were just $1.50. January and February are missing, the other are all brand new except December has been laundered. I think they will be fun to add to seasonal decorations. I like them all except the ghosts on October.
I saw the Pottery Barn Kids pillow sham trimmed with rick rack there before Christmas and I liked but I left it thinking someone with a young daughter would want it, but it was still there a more than a month later so I bought it.

Jimmy also bought a nice Calvin and Hobbes book.

Jimmy has always liked to go junking as much as me. Jeff has tolerated it but since he found himself a tan suede sports coat this fall, now he likes to go, but still not as much as I do.

15 hearts

I got this package from my mom (the prolific crocheter) today. It contained the 15 hearts for our Valentines tree. She even used Hersheys kisses stamps and a return label with a heart on it.

Thanks Mom!

Simple soups for cold days

We are in the middle of an usually cold winter in Oklahoma. We have already had 2 heavy snowfalls and 1 sleet storm that left 5 inches of solid frozen sleet on the ground. We don't have any new snow right now but the wind is blowing making the windchill -10 degrees.
So, this is perfect soup weather. I made 2 pots of soup for lunch. One is a family favorite-hamburger soup. The one advantage to having an empty nest is I can put any vegetables I like in the soup and no one complains. I also made a new potato soup recipe with cream cheese, carrots and corn. It was good but not as good as my old recipe.
The leftover soup will be so nice to have to our lunches this coming week too.