Nostalgic Hodgepodge

I can't believe I answered the questions to this weeks Hodgepodge and then forgot to return and post it. Well, I'll post anyway and see if anyone shows up. 

1. What's something in your house you'd like to get rid of but can't?
My husband's bow-flex because he never uses it and it takes up a lot of space.

2. When is the last time you experienced a sense of nostalgia? Elaborate.
I'm often nostalgic...last time, well...today. I had to say good-bye to two very dear friends last night and I'm remembering so much of the good times we spent together. Today is a very difficult day.

3. You're only allowed three apps on your smart phone or tablet...which three do you keep?
1. Gmail 2. Facebook 3. Messenger

4. July 11th is National Blueberry Muffin Day. Who knew? Do you like blueberry muffins? If you were going to have a muffin would blueberry be your choice? What's the last thing you baked?
I love blueberries and most things made with them so blueberry muffins are near the top of that list. Yes if I could have a muffin right now, it's highly likely I would choose blueberry. I honestly cannot remember the last thing I baked. I rarely bake anymore because I can't have the temptation in the house. Does bread in the bread maker count? I bake that for my husband every week.

5. What's the biggest way you've changed since you were a child? In what way are you still the same?
I'm more willing to try something new on my own. I'm still an introvert, still very emotional and sensitive.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Race, Inventory, Wedding Plans...OH MY!!

It was a very lonnnnnnnnng weekend. Friday I got my stitches out. I still can't kneel down on my knee and it's tender to the touch. Saturday was the Deer Chase and I spent my day back and forth between the race to get pictures (the above are not mine) and the scrapbook store to spend time with my friends. As you can see, Hubby and Daughter #2 raced the tandem and since they were the only tandem entered this year, they went home with some nice prizes. 

Son and his intended didn't arrive until later that afternoon. Just as they pulled in I was on my way back to the scrapbook store to help them do their final inventory. I hated leaving, but I felt I needed to help my friends and at home we'd probably just put in a movie which is exactly what they did because everyone was tired after the race and Son was tired after the drive. It was a long evening of emptying shelves and counting every piece of paper. It was so hard boxing up paper that I knew I could use on my projects...just watching it go to waste. I just couldn't buy all I wanted to. I left about 9:00 p.m. but I think they worked for a while longer. I just felt I needed to get home to my family. It's hard being pulled in two directions. I was so tired!! I'm very sad about this whole thing. They are my good friends now and I saw them almost everyday. I was always welcome to stop in and chat...wasn't expected to buy something every time I came in the door. Sometimes we'd just talk. We had a lot of fun and I learned a lot from them. It was my last place I could go relax and have fun. We're still going to try and keep in touch, it just won't be the same and it certainly won't be as easy. I even thought as I was driving down the street today...oh, I'll stop in and...then I realized I couldn't because they weren't there...just a bunch of empty shelves and a room that echoed. Someone asked if I taught the class I spoke of and yes, I did. It went very well...one of my "students" even blogged about it with photos...marji'sstuff.

Sunday after church I went with future daughter-in-law to get her dress fitted, then on to Shop-Ko where we found her shoes and then to Walmart to look for more flowers to go with the ones she already purchased, but we didn't find any. 

Monday at noon we met with Jean (my former boss at Curves) who is making the cake, then at 1 we went to the Heritage Center where the wedding will take place and got some of their questions answered and met with my Mentor about the music then on to the inn where they will spend their wedding night to pay for the room. We finally got lunch around 3 and then I took them to the church so future daughter-in-law could hear her march music again because when Mentor played it for her she was still left nervous about her entrance. He had a bad headache so I wouldn't ask him to do any more. I played it a couple of times and had her practice walking down the aisle. She seemed to feel a bit better about it but I won't be surprised if when they come up next I'll be doing that again. 

I did find a dress. It's not my favorite, but both the color and the price is right. It arrived today and it's a bit too big so I'm sending away for the next size down and will keep the one that fits the best and return the other. I wanted the jacket since it will be October, but now that I see it I'm not real fond of it. 

It's been raining all day and it's been quite cool the last few days...dare I say it..."fallish"...it's in the air. There have even been reports of leaves changing color. As every year, I'm not happy about the change, though I love fall, I have the feeling it, like summer will be short and cold and winter will come early. They are calling for a colder one than usual for us. After last winter and a cold summer, we're all going to go crazy!

I was back to the chiropractor again today...after several headaches I found out my neck was out. She also worked on my hips a bit. I'm always wiped out after an appt. and unintentionally took a nap in the chair this afternoon. I'll probably send out a few emails tonight and turn in early. 

A "Day Off"

Due to the business of this summer, I should be thrilled with a day to be home and catch up on a few projects and...in a way I am, but at the same time it feels so very strange.

Friday is one of my usual practice days but by no choice of my own I will not be practicing today. We are once again having car trouble. Daughter #2's car is in need of repairs to the front end, it got so bad that the tires were being worn unevenly and in one spot down to the cord. Hubby had her take our car and hers sits in our yard. Hubby and I are now forced to share his truck and since this is Deer Chase weekend, he needs his truck, so....I stay home. Unfortunately he is being forced to take me to the Dr. in a few minutes to get the stitches out of my knee, then I probably won't see him again until quite late tonight. It is nice to take a break from my normal routine, especially since I have nearly lived on the organ bench this summer, but at the same time, I miss it.

Our fur babies are not doing well. We don't know what for sure is up with Gilmore, other than he is 16 years old. He's very restless and we haven't decided if he's in pain or just anxious perhaps due to "doggyheimers". Suki has been diagnosed with fluid on her lungs and an enlarged heart. She is now on medication, but I don't know how long I can afford one of them.

I'm craving sunshine today so I'm trying to get outside as much as possible. I've been trying to do my computer work outside, but as we all know, it's difficult to see a screen outside and it's nearly too warm in the full sun on the east side of the house and on the west in the shade and cool breeze it's nearly too cool.

Time to leave for my appointment, so I will finish this later.

After my appointment I walked up to the scrapbook store for a bit...last 2 days of being in business. :(. Part of the process of closing the business is not only selling off the inventory, but also selling some of the furnnishings such as the racks on which the paper is stored. I'm always in need of storage for paper and I was one of the first to be offered one of the racks so I told them to please save one for me and I began setting aside some cash for it's purchase. Today they told me I should take it home and when I asked how much I owed them for it they said "well, we've discussed it and decided that since you have been one of our only customers who has stayed loyal from the day we opened the doors, we are giving it to you as a gift". WOW! I told them I walked up and fortunately since it has wheels on it, I could roll it home. They told me no, that they would take me and my new paper rack home.

Tomorrow I will definitely stop in for a while...several of us are planning to hang around and support our friends on their last day. Some are bringing snacks and cards. Tomorrow is also the Heritage Days Parade and it has been our tradition to watch the parades together from the porch of the store. Last one. :( I do hope we will be able to maintain our friendship apart from the store. Speaking of cards, I want to make a special one for them so I'm going to close this out and get that done.

Have a good night.

Summer Happenings

Well, once again, it's been a while since I've blogged. I'm here attempting to catch you up a bit on the goings-on in The Little Turquoise House. I actually had to go back to my last post to see what I wrote! 

Hubby's business has been doing fairly well with the new machine. We are just praying that it continues and is steady. 

All our kids were here for the 4th weekend. Daughter #1 and Hubby arrived from Chicago late Thursday night, 

Daughter #2 came in from her internship in Detroit Friday morning 

and Son and Fiance pulled in Saturday morning. Yes, you read that right...fiance! They are now officially engaged! I'm trying to give it all to the Lord. Her family is not very involved in her life and probably won't do much, if anything for the wedding, so since they are planning to get married here in town, I will be acting as both mother of the groom and mother of the bride. It is set for October 18th so we have a lot to do in a short amount of time. 

Our church gave a baby shower for a couple of sisters who are expecting their babies a week a part. My kids grew up with them so I felt strongly that I should go. I made a couple of cards: 

Did I tell you the scrapbook store is closing? I'm so sad about that. I can't remember if I shared with you all about the bookmarks I made. I'm planning to teach a class on how to make them before the store closes. If it actually happens, it will be a "last hurrah" for the store...probably the last class ever.

Hubby has been doing trail work, cutting wood for winter and gardening. He drove the tractor in the Pasty Parade a couple of weeks ago to advertise the trails and the Deer Chase. 

The garden is getting a slow start due to our cool weather and isn't doing very well, then to add insult to injury, a deer came through last night and ate some of our kale and beet greens! GRRRR!! 

One pleasant surprise: our roses bloomed! These are special because my mother-in-law moved this bush whenever they moved and then she gave us a start when we moved into The Little Turquoise House. Hubby says he only remembers it blooming twice in his lifetime. This makes three! It's called a Black Prince...why, I don't know. It is beautiful though and we are enjoying the lovely blooms and the scent is amazing! I've been having fun taking photos of it. I sure hope it blooms again next year. 

I had so many things I wanted to get accomplished by the 4th this year, I have completed about half of them. I did get my studio completely reorganized and I'm so thrilled about that! 

This week I have had to put the house back in order after everyone left...it's amazing what a disaster is left behind after 6 dogs and 7 people share a small space and only one bathroom!! 

Organ Recital plans are beginning to come together. I had a meeting with the other organists this week and they all "met" the new organ for the first time. It was neat to watch them enjoy the different sounds and have so much fun, especially considering they all play on pipe organs regularly and our is "only electronic". 

My mind jumps from recital plans to wedding plans and back again. 

Suki got a haircut right before her "cousins" arrived. She doesn't like sharing her home with so many...I really should have taken pictures while they were here. 

Because of something someone dear said to me this week, I leave you with this final thought as it is the highlight of my week: 

I will try to catch up with all of you in between students tomorrow. God bless you all. 

Small Town Saturday

Clear

55°F Feels Like: 55°

It's a cool morning and we're only expecting a high of 66. Despite what the picture says, it is mostly cloudy - as a matter of fact, I don't see any sun at the moment at all. We've had a lot of rain, which I am glad for, but at the same time it's been so cool that our garden is way behind schedule. 

Today is Pasty Fest in our little town. The parade start is in the next block and many of the participants are driving past the Little Turquoise House on their way to line up. I get to see horse drawn wagons, old cars and fire trucks...woo-hoo! I used to enjoy parades when we first moved here...I guess I enjoyed them through my children's eyes; now that they are grown I don't walk over to stand on the curb and worry about the children darting into the street for candy...once a mom, always a mom! There will be vendors with food and games in the park, once again, not so much fun without the kids or someone to walk and talk with. I have gone over by myself, but I'm almost always disappointed, so...not this year.

I've been spending my time teaching, practicing and scrapbooking. For the most part it's all good. Wednesday I went into town by myself to run errands and shop. I realized I hadn't been to town by myself since last fall! It was so nice! I did splurge a little on myself...I bought a top at Walmart for $10.00

See how nicely it dresses up? 

and a skirt at Goodwill for $4.00.

I also looked at some shoes that I really want because I like the look of them but also because I think they will be quite practical, but they

didn't have my size so they are bringing it in from another store. I will go back next Wednesday when I take Suki to the vet for her shots and try them on, then decide. Since I have so much trouble with my feet, they are $85.00 shoes so I have to make sure they are a good fit. I didn't much like the attitude of the salesman though. 

Thursday afternoon was my matinee day at the organ in the Heritage Center, then the Anita's and I had our lunch date yesterday. After we ate we took her to the Heritage Center again where some painting needed to be done and Anita suggested I practice the organ so they could enjoy some music while she painted. So I had two practice days in a row...I'm not complaining. I must remember to take business cards when I go from now on as there is almost always someone there asking about lessons or just interested and could maybe pass one on. 

GOOD NEWS! I have TWO...count them...TWO new students!! I blogged about my new neighbors a while back, well, they have a 14 year old daughter that has been trying to teach herself piano and wants to take lessons! She came on Thursday, shaking with nerves, but we made it through the get acquainted session and her books are on order. Then to my surprise I got a hit on an online local music group where I posted an ad. It must have been God's timing, because I just posted it and heard immediately from a mom looking for a teacher for her 11 year old daughter. We emailed back and forth several times...I'm always a bit concerned when doing business over the internet...I wanted to make sure she was legit. Long story short, she has ordered the necessary materials and her daughter is to begin lessons on the 11th! If all my students from last season return in the fall and my new ones continue on, I will have a nice number.

I started a new scrapbook page last night; I'm now working on my grandmother's pages which brings to mind memories of sitting with my mother as I listened to her tell me stories about her since she had died when I was just a baby. I remember a far away look she would get in her eye when she talked of her. I will spend my day working on those today...and remembering... 

ATC's

I told you I'd be back to share more of my projects with you, so here I am. 

I attended a class at the scrapbook store just after the new year and got myself into a project; trouble is, I'm not sure I have the time to see it through. It's fun, it's creative and it's social, but it takes away from time I'd rather be spending on my scrapbooks. 

It's called Artist Trading Cards. If you Google it, you'll see all kinds of them. Each month a theme is given that must be followed, but other than that, the artist is free to create what they want on a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch card. Each artist makes enough cards to trade with all the others that are trading, so if there are 12 traders, you need to try and create 12 different cards. I understand this to be kind of a big deal. You have to agree never to sell your cards - only trade. There are even groups that trade with other groups all over the world. We actually include a group from downstate.  

For the month of February, the theme is "felt" which means there must be felt on the card in some way. In looking for inspiration, my mind took the word "felt" and started thinking of feelings that are felt like love, sorrow, joy, kindness, which eventually was replaced with the Fruits of The Spirit and since it was February, and also because coincidentally, our pastor spoke that week on the Fruits of The Spirit and how they must come from the heart, I started each creation with hearts cut from felt. 

I had fun doing them and I'm pleased with how they turned out...so much so, that some of them I don't want to trade, but if I don't put them all out there, it spoils the whole Fruit of The Spirit idea and I won't have enough to trade with everyone. So here they are, my first attempt at artist trading cards. Theme is felt, my collection is The Fruit of The Spirit and the name of each card is the fruit it represents. There are doubles of a couple of them because I made one, then had a better idea. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

 Our trade is this Saturday at noon. Our theme for March is nightmares and the trade is scheduled for March 9th. I wonder what the seasoned traders will think of my contribution? The question is, do I continue to participate?