Memorial Day Weekend

When my dad was alive, Memorial Day always meant a BBQ at my parent's house, outside, of course, on picnic tables no matter what the weather since there was no room for us inside.  My dad always made a huge rolled roast, slowly cooked over charcoal coals with his secret sauce.  My mom always made baked beans and potato salad and she always announced when it came time to eat that they weren't up to her usual standards.  To this day, I haven't been able to exactly duplicate either the potato salad or the beans, although I have her recipes and her instructions about customizing the recipe.  My parents did this BBQ three times a year:  Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day.  The rest of the holidays were mine.  Things just haven't been the same since my father passed away.  We have never been able to capture the exact spirit of it, which I guess is fitting, since those holidays centered around my dad.

This year, Shaun, Elsie and the Little Guy were supposed to go camping over the holiday.  Elsie took time off work, and switched all her shifts around, they got all their gear together, borrowed a truck, and then the other family pooped out on them.  This was supposed to be a hunting weekend and the other guy didn't follow through on getting his licenses.  Elsie didn't want to sit at a campsite by herself all day with just the Little Guy, so Shaun went hunting for a couple days, and on Friday Elsie and I went shopping.  :)

We had a fun day although we forgot to take pictures!  We hit the outlet mall and bought summer clothes for the Little Guy, and then drove down to Chehalis and visited our friends at their bakery, A Taste of Eden.  It was a lot of fun to see Amy and their place, and the lattes and cupcake were yummy.

Saturday I weeded the flower bed by the patio and cleaned up the planters, etc.  They are ready for bedding plants now, assuming we get some kind of summer!

Sunday was church.  On Monday we invited ourselves over to my brother's, even though they hadn't been planning to do anything.  Nothing like a bossy older sister to get things moving!  :)  I made a large apple crisp, Elsie made Grandma's potato salad, and we had grilled steaks, baked potatoes, a salad, and baked beans.  Wonderful.  The Little Guy, who is getting so big, liked the pet muscovy duck named Elvis.  All-in-all, a really enjoyable weekend.

~Jane

May Baby Showers

There is a real baby boom happening around my workplace.  We had two people have babies in March and we have two more due this summer.  I've been busy making gifties.  We're having a shower for the summer babies tomorrow.  I finished my presents tonight.

One person's having a boy, the other a girl.  Can you tell?  :)  I think I'm going to put some similar sets in Elsie's Etsy shop.  Do you think they'd sell?  These were a lot of fun to make and I tried out some of my embroidery stitches on my new machine.  Two flannel receiving blankets, two burp cloths, and two handknit washcloths.

~Jane

Computer Games

I've said before how I love computer games.  Right now, I'm in the middle of several on Facebook that some of my co-workers also play, and they are interactive so we can compete against each other.  It's a lot of fun.

Before Facebook though, I used to buy computer games and load them on my computer.  I went through quite a few of those until the internet gaming world popped up and I started playing on-line games.  I have played many, many on-line games.  Some are okay.  Many are junk.  But once in a while you really find a gem.  I just finished playing a great game called Elixir of Immortality by vogat Interactive.  Oh my goodness, really interesting to play.  I love hidden object games, and this one was hidden object along with other games.  The graphics were wonderful.  The story line understandable.  The play time was long enough to make it worth buying, but not so long to play that you got bored.  I have a subscription to Big Fish Games and I love playing their 60-minute trials.  Most of the time I'll play the trial and that's enough.  This one I had to buy so I could continue the game and finish it.  Check it out.

Anyone else out there addicted to computer games?

~Jane

Saturday - Catching Up

This has been a productive week, although I never seem to get as much done as I want to.  Work has been slow, so I've had a chance to work on my Tasha Tudor counted cross-stitch.  I finished the gray goose this week.  One of my co-workers said there is a vodka by the name of Gray Goose and it sounded like I'd finished the bottle when I announced I had finally finished the gray goose.  Guys!

Work on my mom's estate has been slow through session.  I had some paperwork to file with the IRS that I was stressing over.  When I actually took the time to check what it was, it turned out to be a lot of nothing at the moment.  Just signing a form and saying there was no activity yet.  There won't be any reportable activity until we actually sell the house.  A lot of stress, a visit to the local IRS office, and an hour spent on a call to the IRS to figure all that out.  But the ladies at the local office and on the phone were very helpful, pleasant, and informative and I really appreciated their help.

I had my husband bring the bench for the weight machine down from the attic.  I am  getting closer to actually having to start exercising.  I want to try to figure out how to adapt my routine from the gym to the exercise equipment I have at home.  That will take a little bit of research.

I sewed the buttons on my new nightgown and the Little Guy's sweater.  He's coming to spend the night tonight, so I'll get a picture of him wearing it.  I found the perfect flannel print for a baby quilt I need to make for one of Elsie's friends.  I did some minor mending on items to sell.  I knit some on the snowflake fingerless gloves I started a while back.  I have all the yarn now to make myself a pair, but want to finish this pair first. 

I need to get some things done before the Little Guy comes over this afternoon so I should get busy.  I'm in the middle of ironing a bunch of small luncheon cloths for the Etsy shop.  So, if you need small tablecloths that are really nice for table centers, check out Elsie's Etsy shop over the next week to see the new additions.  She'll also be adding some new aprons.

~Jane

Happy Mother's Day

 

Check out the 29 candles.  :)

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.  I know I did.  I had a busy weekend.  It started Friday night, when we went to my daughter's house to celebrate her 29th birthday.  I brought her a chocolate cake and her presents.  Everything she wanted...new vampire book, tennis shoes, and a TEA plant.  After reading the instructions for making tea from the tea plant, I am curious to see if that happens.  But growing her own tea is something she researched a few months back and I thought it would be a perfect present.  If nothing else, it has a nice Camilla flower.  The Little Guy was playing with his trucks, entertaining us all.

Saturday I actually got to sleep in and stay home all day.  I mostly worked on sewing projects - the diaper for the give-a-way Elsie had on her blog a few weeks back, just about the time my machine broke; a couple larger diapers for Malachi, buttonholes on my new nightgown, and burp cloths for the shower presents at work.  I think they are coming out really cute.  I am using some of the decorative stitches on my new machine around the edges, even though it takes forever and uses lots of thread.  I've decided my favorite is the scallop.  I think I'll be making some of these to sell in Elsie's Etsy shop, either by themselves or part of shower sets (receiving blankets, washcloths, burp cloths). 



Saturday evening we took Shaun, Elsie and Malachi out to dinner at Red Robin for her birthday and for Mother's Day for both of us.  It was fun!



New Ooga Booga Diaper for Malachi, White one for the giveaway.

Sunday was church and then home for lunch, a nap, and some more sewing.  My dear husband made me a nice dinner.  A really enjoyable relaxing day.  Now to get ready for work tomorrow.



Flannel Burp Cloths




Happy Birthday, Elsie!

Twenty-nine years ago today, just as the sun was coming up, I gave birth to the most adorable little baby girl.  I couldn't have asked for a better child.  She never gave me a minute's trouble growing up and she's been a joy and a delight every single day as an adult.  She knows all my flaws and eccentricies and still loves me.  She's my right hand in everything I do.  She's a wonderful wife and mother.  Here's to you, Baby Girl!  Have a wonderful birthday.

~Love, Mom

The Royal Wedding

Thirty years ago I discovered the English Royals.  I loved Princess Diana. She was close to my own age and I was captivated by her and her fairy tale, until I figured out years later just what a jerk Prince Charles was and how deceived we had all been. I bought books and books about her and her clothes and her children.  She initiated a love in me of all things English.  I love so many English things - roses, cottage gardens, thatched cottages, penny wooden dolls, tea cups, Jane Austin, tea parties, and corgis.  Over the past 30 years, I have subjected my family to all kinds of English foods, like Bubble and Squeak, Yorkshire Pudding, and Toad in the Hole.  I have a tea cup collection, my favorite being the Paragon brand because they are made by appointment to the Queen.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I collect English Cottageware.

 

Maybe because I felt so burned from the last time, or just because I'm older this time around, I haven't been quite as caught up in Kate's and Willliam's wedding. But I did purchase one book about to commemorate the wedding this time - mainly for the knit corgi pattern.  I think there are some Tasha Tudor friends who might need a knit corgi!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Jane