New things

I thought I'd update the photos of my rain garden.  The last photo I shared with you was taken 2 years ago.  Here's the photo I took today:


New plantings include Loropetalum, Verbena, butterfly bushes-both petite and normal sizes, irises, lilies, gladiolas, red hot poker, 'Secret's out' & 'Gold Medal' roses, yellow Knock-out roses, azaleas, several hostas, ajuga and acuba.

Steamy hot weather will be here next week.  I love NC!

Here are some closeup photos of the Japanese iris in my rain garden:

 

Ode to a sewing machine #4

We've all see the ads on craigslist, ebay and elsewhere.  Clueless sellers give those of us who sew a belly laugh, or two!  Where do they come up with these dollar amounts???

No one in their right minds would continue reading, but who says quilters are in their right minds, so here are a few examples of clueless ads...

... Must have been drunk when when this picture was taken... one too many last night, huh?  Any old sewing machine is a Singer, right?  Ok, just so you know, that's a Neechi.

Hey, it's a "sTinger". Those lighted foot pedals are super rare.  Gotta get one of those! My foot will think it's in sewing heaven!   

...is there such a thing as rusty patina?  Maybe my car is worth more now!

Oh baby, you want patina??? Here's one for you, better move on this one FAST!

You'll be able to afford the tetanus shot at that price!!!

Do you have 5 minutes?

85 lb. Civil War soldier

150 years ago, my great, great grandfather nearly gave his life for my country. He left for the war weighing 180 lbs.  4 years later, after the March to the Sea, this is what he looked like... 

That's him, up there at the top of the page.  Take a moment and think about those you know...who gave everything they had. (pause)
I'll share one, Army Sgt. Kevin A. Gilbertson was 24, Killed in combat on Aug. 29, 2007 in Ramadi, Iraq. Left an infant son and wife behind.

With the one you loved in mind, consider the following, take 5 minutes?



It was all about our government supplying guns to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Syrian rebels. Our US ambassador knew this was taking place and our government knew he knew. 

In order to keep Americans from finding out the truth, when it hit the fan, someone needed to make sure there were no leaks.

The only way to not let those leaks out, were not to help out that Ambassador in his time of need when he needed us the most. Oh, the warnings were sent out. There was a base 20 minutes by air to assist with any attack, if warranted. He warned of a coming attack about 48 hours prior to the attack! 

After he was tortured, why was the place torched? To destroy any evidence left behind?

Hillary 'bumped her head' ... then she didn't testify to what she knew about... all an act.

Remember Obama, during talks in Seoul, urged Moscow to give him "space" until after the November ballot, and Medvedev said he would relay the message to incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The unusually frank exchange came as Obama and Medvedev huddled together on the eve of a global nuclear security summit in the South Korean capital, unaware their words were being picked up by microphones as reporters were led into the room.

"This is my last election ... After my election I have more flexibility," Obama said, expressing confidence that he would win a second term.

"I will transmit this information to Vladimir," said Medvedev, Putin's protégé and long considered number two in Moscow's power structure.

I have to ask myself..... do I care?  Do I go back to my sewing machine and live life as if it doesn't matter? What will you do?  Maybe I should ask, what would those who died for you do?

No need to be hoppin' mad

My new hopper foot didn't fit... :( or so I thought...
I bought a slew of new rulers and was sooo pumped to start using them when my ruler hopper foot arrived. So.... I posted this photo on the chat group for Tin Lizzie owners and someone told me you can rotate the needle bar.

VOILE! I'm back in business! Such an easy fix. If you found my page by googling the same problem, here's the solution.

And here's the link to a great chat group for long armers!

Dr. Doolittle lives here

As most of you know, we found a puppy running loose on Christmas Day and decided to keep her.  Our cat, Puff, wasn't thrilled about the idea but she's beginning to warm to the idea slightly.  Puff speaks cat and Macy speaks dog while an 11 y.o. "translates".    Never a dull moment at my house.  

Macy wants to play 'chase me', while Puff thinks Macy is on the attack....so Puff scratched both of Macy's eyes tonight.

Emergency vet bill: $154
Puppy anitbiotic, puppy tylenol and eye ointment: $125
Cone around her head (I.e.: can't chew shoes, toilet paper, etc.): PRICELESS

Can we keep the cone on until she's through puppyhood?

Trooper home from the hospital

It was not a surprise when residents rushed to the aid of this trooper in the hours and days after he was shot last week.  I’m grateful he’s at home healing and anxious to get back behind the wheel.  The men and women who work to protect us on the road are under-appreciated and under-paid.  It was more than heartwarming to watch one of our finest troopers experience firsthand the spirit of North Carolina surround one of our own and help get him back on his feet.

I hope this speaks to all law enforcement officers.  Imagine the long hours our police officers spend in a car, helping to change a tire in the rain, bringing hope to someone who ran out of gas, besides the thankless job of handing out tickets, reminding the rushed to slow down and be safe.

 Along with keeping them in our prayers, we can lighten their load by helping ourselves.  Drive the speed limit.  At home, keep your doors locked and the bushes trimmed away from your windows.  Our family added a watch dog to the list of things we do to stay safe.  On Christmas Day we found a stray dog, and after searching for an owner, and finding none, we decided to keep her.  Macy is a great watch dog.  She's a wonderful addition to our family in more ways than one!  My daughter took her for a walk on Sunday morning, and forgot to lock the door when she came back inside.  A few hours later, I noticed it, locked it and went on making lunch.  Not 5 minutes later I heard the door handle rattle, Macy heard it too and ran barking and growling to the front door.  I thought I had locked someone out of the house, but by the time I reached the door they were gone.  When I noticed both kids were in their rooms, and it wasn't dad, I called 911.  I made a police report.  I'm convinced Macy's barking and growling sent whoever it was on to someone else's house.

The Lord takes care of us in ways we don't realize!  I have a sister one year younger, who bought a house in the country, and lives alone.  She went out to the mailbox the other night and a 'voice' told her to look over at the side of the house.  She looked and saw someone crouched at the corner of the house.   He was fairly easy to see because there was a full moon and snow blanketed the ground.  She assumed he saw her come outside the house, and indeed, the man was looking in her direction, but she could tell he couldn't see her.  So she walked down the road in front of the house until she was right across from him.  She stood there staring at him.  She watched as he was doing something on the side of the house, when he finally saw her and froze in his tracks.

Now I need to explain, when we were growing up, my sister created a sound with her voice when she was 13 and our younger brother was 9 years old.  She can drop her voice to a deep base that is almost like it's electrified with vibrato, and it's extremely loud.  When you hear it, the hair stands up on your neck.  When she used it on my poor brother he ran to get mom, screaming that demons were hiding in the bushes.

As she stood there staring back at this man crouched by the side of her house, she decided to use this voice as she told him "What are you doing there?  Get away from that house and don't come back".  The man couldn't get out of her yard fast enough!   The next morning she went outside to check the house and found footprints in the snow.  The man had been pulling the cables off the side of her house, probably for the copper.  She started reattaching the cables using a ladder, and as she went higher on the ladder she looked back at the footprints leading away from the house.

It’s reassuring, knowing our law enforcement officers are always there, ready and more than willing to provide back up when our own defense systems aren’t enough. Thank you to every officer who may be sitting in a car right now, anxious for the clock to move a little faster so you can get home.  We appreciate you!  And we’ve got your back if you ever need us.

Scrapbook pages 6-7

As you know, I'm making 6 Civil War scrapbooks to honor my GG grandfather, James Monroe.  Here are pages 6 and 7:

Think Nemo was bad?

Now that the blizzard has blown itself out, the streets are becoming clear, the 10 foot piles of snow on the sidewalk have melted to a mere 8 feet, I'd like to share this with you:

A video posted online yesterday shows thousands of spiders "raining down" in the southern Brazilian town of Santo Antônio da Platina.  Apparently, in Brazil, this phenomenon is normal.  Personally, I would not use the word 'normal' to describe a spider downpour.  Earthquakes are also normal but I've never seen anyone in the history of the world use the word normal to describe an earthquake.  Can you see this as a headline?... "A normal earthquake hit Japan today, killing 5,000."    I don't think so.

I will never, ever, ever complain about snow again for the rest of my life.  At least not until the next blizzard hits.


I've been working on a new American Hero quilt today.  This is my first try with rulers.  When I loaded this one on the frame, it called out for ruler work, don't you agree?