More Awards and Blushing

I'm blushing about all the awards I have picked up lately. My goodness, I am afraid to look in the mirror and see if my head is swelling. Below are the awards and my sweet friends who are creating this embarrassment:

Blogging Friends Forever Award from Joan at Joan's Journeys

Brillante Weblog Award from Kim at Homesteader's Heart

I Love Your Blog Award from Joni at Morning Coffee

Thank you so much, ladies! I am honored that my blog is a place you love to visit. I am so very glad to have discovered your blogs too, and grateful for the cheer you give me on a regular basis.

I am supposed to pass on all of these awards. But I am going to risk getting tickets from the blogging police, LOL, and call out “uncle”. Please forgive me for not going through all the hoops of formally passing them on! I am spending more time getting household things in order these days and less time on the computer. If your blog is listed on my Blog Roll, that is a sure-fired sign that I routinely visit your blog and want to keep up with your joys, life, and dreams. If you don’t have one already, please snag the I Love Your Blog Award and put it on your site, OK?! You deserve it!

To celebrate her 200th post, Sally at Whispering Hope created a lovely graphic to share with her faithful readers. She didn’t name it, so I have dubbed it the Friendship Angel Award. Congratulations for achieving this milestone, Sally! Keep on writing and I'll keep on reading!

Noah’s Ark Stitchery – Cows & Elephants, Oh My!

I stitched two more Noah’s Ark stitchery patterns a couple of weeks ago. They turned out really cute! The designs are from a block-of-the-month series by Lynette Anderson Designs. (See the convenient link in my right-hand navigation bar.)

The cow/rainbow and elephant patterns were published in May and July, respectively. Yes, yes, I am out of sequence! Last month, I did the June pattern for the delightful kangaroos. The stitching is tiny. The cow/rainbow picture measures 3” by 5”, and the elephant picture measures 2-½” by 4”. I took a little design liberty with the first one and added two white, puffy clouds. The sky looked kind of “nekkid” without my additions!

I will be starting the August pattern soon. It is a folk art portrait of Noah with two giraffe friends. I better get busy because the September pattern will be posted next week! Ack, where did this month go?

Preoccupied with STUFF

I do not want my blogging friends to worry about my lack of posts! I also haven’t been able to catch up on your latest posts. We had a couple of house showings - YEAH! So we had to spit-shine our abode, and I had to clean up some monumental messes I recently made in my sewing studio, LOL.

We have also been also been taking advantage of the rainy weather and temporary cooler temperatures to do some “clutter busting” chores. Good gracious, we have way too much STUFF. A mountain of STUFF remains, even though we had two successful yard sales this past spring. It seems to have grown behind closet doors, in dresser drawers, and in all the nooks and crannies. Have any of you ever experienced such a phenomenon? Surely not!

We’re stepping up our combat of accumulated STUFF because there is a possibility that we may be moving in October. I’m getting ruthless! We do not want to pack, haul, and store STUFF unless there is some distinct certainty that we will later use the STUFF. What remains also has to be able to fit in a home with about half the square footage. Ack!

Some of my blogging buddies have blessed me with awards in the past few days. I've updated my sidebar, but I am remiss about doing a post. Until I can thank you properly in a day or two, I am blowing you cyber kisses! You know who you are!

Photo Challenge: Sweets

Time for the latest Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Sweets, picked by the current challenge hostess, Tegan of Pacman Forever.

Minty Sweets - We don’t keep many sweets in the house lately, so this subject matter took a little bit of thinking. I have a weakness for flavored mints and their cute little tins. I reuse the tins to store needle packs, beading threads, buttons, pins, etc. The tins fit the bill for this photo exercise, and a little play time with Photoshop filters gave my photos some extra zip. I took the photos with existing inside light and no flash. All of the tins were propped up on a piece of medium brown fake fur, resulting in a unique, mottled background after applying the filters. Cool, huh?

Sale of the Cottage (Maybe)

Our leisure time may be scarce this fall! In the hopes of downsizing and simplifying for our senior years, we’ve had our lovely Grey Havens cottage and acreage up for sale. It now looks like it might be sold. We have accepted a contingency contract through the end of September, so that the new folks can get a head start on selling their house.

While we wait for the outcome, we are renewing our efforts to reduce clutter and whittle through all our household items. We plan to relocate to a rental house or apartment temporarily while we have a villa home built for us just a few miles away. So we will be moving twice and living a bit of a vagabond life for a while, LOL.

For my new blog readers, you might want to refer back to the Introduction to Grey Havens Cottage, which I provided in February. It will be with some sadness that we say goodbye to this lovely dream home of ours. But we joyfully look forward to when we are able to settle into a new home.

All your prayers and good wishes are appreciated! I’ll keep everyone posted on the developments!

"Wylde Woman" Award

Sweet Donna from Made in Heaven bestowed an award to me the other day (and also to Marty, my trusty rabbit greeter here on the blog). The Wylde Woman Award originated from Women, Art, Life: Weaving it All Together. The purpose of the award is “to send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy”.

As far as I am concerned, Donna wins the gold medal in fulfilling that purpose! She routinely encourages me as I find my voice this first blogging year, and she never fails to makes me laugh. She radiates so much joy that some of it gets flung your way when you least expect it and when you usually need it the most. Sweet Donna, I’m passing the award right back at you! Thank you for your kind friendship and loving heart!

Saga of the Mailbox

As I was walking up our l-o-n-g driveway yesterday afternoon to get the mail, our next door neighbor was walking down our driveway toward me. She had the head of our mailbox and our mail in her hands. Just five minutes before, some stupid teenagers were smacking mailboxes along our street. They were having a little merriment after a rambunctious afternoon at a local park down on the river. Our mailbox was one of the many casualties, landing in the road along with our mail.

Thank goodness that a neighbor was able to quickly get in his pickup and chase the ruffians down. We had a sheriff officer pay us a visit late last night and take our information. They caught the kids, talked to the parents, and set a deadline for restitution before a court hearing.

We didn’t have to wait for long. The father of one of the teenage boys called around noon today. He and his offending youth were soon on our front porch, both offering sincere apologies. Hubby and I had an opportunity to sternly (but politely) lecture the youth and all he could do was quietly take it all in, while calling us ma’am and sir. They took our mailbox carcass, went immediately to Lowe’s to get a new one, and installed it this afternoon.

The young fellow looked like a nice young man, but he and his friend had a moment of sheer stupidity yesterday. We hope they have learned a lesson. We also hope that the parents will teach them about personal responsibility. We told the young fellow that we were glad that he got caught, and one day, he’ll be thankful that he got caught too.

And so, the country life of our 5th mailbox in 16 years begins…

Zion National Park - Part 1

This is the last featured destination of our spring trip to the Southwest USA! You had to wait a long time for this stop, but it was truly the “dessert” of our tour. Welcome to Zion National Park! As I was going through my pictures, it was pure torture for me to decide which photographs to share with you. My indecision is your gain. This is the first of two posts for this magnificent park!

Originally designated as a national monument by President Taft in 1909, Zion will soon be celebrating its 100 year anniversary as a member of our national park system. There is one word that kept getting stuck in my head while I was dropping my jaw and taking in all the scenes with my eyes and camera. The word is immense.

The park road winds into a big canyon and you spend much of your time looking UP at the mountains soaring above you. We were blessed with terrific weather during our stay. The tour reserved our rooms and meals at Zion Lodge, located in the heart of park, so everything was convenient. The rooms were comfortably modern and the food was delicious. Our room was located in the first building on the left in the photo below.

Standing in the front yard of the main lodge building, these are the incredible views. Can you imagine walking over from your room to the main lodge for breakfast and having these scenes to accompany your stroll?

The park shuttles were operating, and we made full use of them to explore the length of Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. It was incredibly easy to pop on and off the shuttle at the various stops along the park route, and the free transportation system eliminates traffic and parking issues.

There are scores of hiking trails to enjoy, ranging from easy, paved ones to steep trails that edge cliffs soaring 1500 feet above the canyon floor. Guess which ones we went on, LOL? Here are some spectacular views from the northern half of the park.

Doesn’t all of that beauty make you want to pack your bags and head on out there? Please come back and visit my blog again soon when I feature a few more beautiful Zion pictures and wrap up our incredible Southwest USA trip!

Silk Ribbon Embroidered Pillow

I bought this lovely pillow back in June for a dear friend’s birthday gift. Now that I have given it to her, I can finally show it off! Isn’t it adorable? I love the little bee zooming in for a landing on the flowers. The embroidery on the pillow was done with silk ribbon and cotton floss. If my friend ever grows weary of it, she can regift it back to me! LOL!

I purchased the pillow at a local lavender festival from Lana of Honeysuckle Lane's Simple Joys. I have admired her exquisite handiwork for years, and I was delighted to finally meet her in person. She has been recognized by Early American Life Magazine as one of the very best folk artists in tradition American crafts, and her work has been featured in other national magazines as well. And now that I have met her, I can attest that Lana is as sweet in person as she is talented! If you want to buy her beautiful creations, she has several online sources, including etsy.

Sharing the Love Award

I am deeply honored that sweet Kim of Homesteaders Heart bestowed me with a Sharing The Love award last week. She decided to share the award with her most faithful commenters. I discovered Kim’s cheerful blog through the Brenda’s Photo Challenges. She has a refreshingly honest “voice” in her writings, and she has amused me on many occasions. So I have started to make of habit of visiting her blog and cheering her on. Thank you so much, Kim!

This award originated from Memoirs of a Mommy. (I recommend that everyone visit this blog and learn about the origin of the award. It is a wonderful story.) The rules for sharing the love are simple: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with the blogs out there that you love. The people who make you smile, who make you laugh, who make your day, who leave uplifting comments for you! She simply asks you to leave a link to her post with the award, and ask your recipients to do the same.

I appreciate all of many blogging friends so much, and it is truly hard to pick just a few of you. Your loving comments lift my spirits, and you regularly applaud my ramblings and photographic efforts. Thank you for visiting with me and making blogging fun!

Without further ado, I am passing the award on to these wonderful, loving gals!
* Kari at Just Livin' Large
* Cindy at The Gathering Room
* Joni at Morning Coffee
* Tonjia at One Step Forward.....

Photo Challenge: Play

Time for the latest Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Play, picked by the current challenge hostess, Sharon at Funky Fairy Frolics.

Footsie Play - Give me a fresh pedicure, let me slip into my Crocs Scutes, and my feet are ready to party!

Relaxing Play - For older farts like me and hubby, relaxing is play for us! Three seasons out of the year, the front porch is a regular spot for us to sit and chat. After a hard day’s work with summertime chores, we sip a cold drink and laugh at the flying gymnastics of the hummingbirds gathered around the feeders. We solve all of the world’s problems out there on the porch. If only the politicians would just call us and follow our advice!

Handmade Play - I catch a little stitching time in the recliner while watching TV. I am comfy and entertained. This little redwork birdie will make a really cute Christmas ornament, don’t you think?

Okra Recipe

We usually grow okra in our garden, and this year we have the purple variety. The pods are purple when they are raw, but turn green when they are cooked. The plants and leaves are gorgeous!

If you don't have okra in your garden, it should now be available at your local farmers' market. We really like this recipe. It gives you the taste of fried okra, without all the fat.

OVEN FRIED OKRA

½ cup egg substitute
½ pound okra, cut into 1” lengths
½ cup panko bread crumbs
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour egg substitute into a medium bowl. Add okra and toss to combine. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine both types of bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Shake to combine well. Add the okra and egg substitute mixture to the bag and shake until coated. Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet. Arrange okra on rack and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Note: If you can’t find panko bread crumbs at your grocery, use all Italian bread crumbs. For another variation, use corn meal instead of bread crumbs.

Grandfather Clocks

When I recently posted a close-up picture of one of our two grandfather clocks for a photo challenge, there was quite a bit of interest to see more of this handmade clock. So I took some additional pictures to share! Hubby’s uncle Lawrence was quite a craftsman to make these magnificent timepieces.

Here is the black walnut clock that resides in the great room. Its face was the subject in my close-up photo. We’ve had this beauty for over 20 years and it was the first one that we purchased. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the wood was from a 100 year old tree that was in the front yard of his wife’s childhood home. Wood this lovely doesn't require a stain because it is the real thing!

A couple years later, we decided to have Lawrence make us another one, this time a bit fancier and made of natural cherry. This clock now graces our front center hallway, tucked in-between the double arches. So we don’t drive ourselves too crazy with a lot of “dong-dong-donging” going on, we have only this clock set to strike on the quarter, half, and hour increments.

Hope you enjoyed this little show and tell tour!

Blogger Glitch

If any of my dear friends have been trying to read my blog during the past 24 hours and gotten an Internet Explorer error message, it was not a problem with your computer! I couldn't get into my blog either. Before going into a full tilt panic, I did a little investigating in the Blogger help folders this morning. I discovered that some other bloggers were having the same problem. There is a new glitch between Sitemeter and Blogger. I have eliminated the code linkage and now my blog is back in business. Yeah! I am relieved that it was an easy fix.