Ice Cream Machine

Another fun gift I received at Christmas was the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker. We've made butter pecan, chocolate and vanilla so far.  Really great ice cream. I'm looking forward to making a batch for dessert when friends come over. Love fun appliances.

Sewing

My son bought me a terrific sewing machine for Christmas.  It is the Janome DC5100.  It has been a lot of fun learning all the features.  It has 167 computerized stitches.  

A few projects that I worked on so far are below.  Napkins, tea towels and bed skirt.  I have several more projects in mind, just need to find the time to work on them. (Pillow shams, yo-yo table runner, doily table runner, tissue holders, more napkins, applique onesie, baby shoes, skirts, etc, etc!)

bed skirt ... first sewing project

Tea towel trim ... was tablecloth that I cut up for tea towels

trim on tea towel ... same tablecloth

Napkins ... trim

Anniversaries

Ten years ago today my daughter got married.  Ten years have sure gone by fast.

Ten years to include her getting her Masters, having two children, moving from Kansas City to St. Louis and numerous other life experiences.

Tomorrow would have been my parents 62nd anniversary.  Love the black and white photos.  Sixty-two years to include living in several states while my dad was in the Navy, raising three children, traveling and seeing 48 out of the 50 states, working for retirement and then spending winters in Florida.  Good life filled with love.

I will be spending the next couple of days with my mom helping her get through this important day.

Heaven is His Home

I visited my dad that Friday, December 7.  He said he was having one of his best days.  He said he just didn't ache all over.  He exercised while I watched and we talked, just about this and that. I spent the afternoon with him alone, my mom didn't feel well and went home.  I left for home to attend a church Christmas party.

That was the last time I would ever see my dad again.  He went home to be with the Lord that night in his sleep.  The next several days were so hard, but we bonded together as a family and rallied around my mom.

So many of my friends have also lost their dad's this year.  I don't know exactly how to walk through this thing called grieving but I know I will have many friends that will help me through it because they also walked and are walking this road.

I don't know what the future holds ... but I know who holds the future.

Love you Dad -- see you again soon.

Blogging

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Apparently it has not been my priority.  I feel so terribly busy all of the time. Facebook has really taken away from my time here. I post fairly frequently there. But it is not quite the same, so I really want to get back to my blog.

My dad is still in the Nursing Home doing rehab and it is very slow going. We are hoping he will be home by Christmas. My family all gathered in a reserved room at the Nursing Home for Thanksgiving. It turned out well and even extended family dropped by. It was tiring for my dad, though, and it took a few days for him to get back to what is currently normal. Not sure yet what we will do for Christmas.

We are enjoying the Christmas season. Downtown Living Windows, Governors Mansion decorations, Cantorum, Mannheim Steamroller, church choir cantata, shopping, baking, sewing, two Christmas trees decorated, .....  Ok this is why I am tired!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Fall Bible Study

Second week of our Fall Bible Study.  Good to be back with friends, listening to Beth Moore speak about James this time, and praying for each other.  The study speaks of Mercy.  I'm looking forward to each week.

I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blog.  Facebook, Pinterest, life, new ideas, etc. are a few of the reasons why I'm lagging behind.  Also, my dad has been in the hospital off and on this year.  He is 82 years old and has many issues causing him problems.  It is hard to see him have so many challenges.  I know many of you have been exactly where I am right now.  He's looking pretty good in this picture taken last year.  He had 4 stints put in 6 months prior.  A couple weeks after this picture, he was on a ventilator.  Got through that but continues to have COPD issues and anything else that comes along can really cause him troubles.  Hoping and praying for better times ahead for him and my mother.

Taken last Christmas

Kenya Room

We remodeled one of our bedrooms in an African motif.  My husband travels to Kenya every year and brings back beautiful items that I wanted to display.  The room turned out better than I could even envision.  I have a few things to complete like a bedskirt, pillow shams and curtain ties.