Patriotic Decorating

We've done a bit of patriotic decorating this year.  

My favorite decoration has to be the one featured on our kitchen mantel.  

We have a banner of miniature flags draped across from one end to the other.

I think it turned out to be adorable.

The reason it is my favorite has nothing to do with that, though.

It was quite a bargain with only a spool of ribbon that cost less than $2 and mini-flags that were a dime each.

The reason it is my favorite has nothing to do with that, though.

Here is the main reason it is my favorite:

The Sewist

Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July from our house to yours!

Stars and Stripes Decor

The den is decked out in the stars and stripes!

Den

I was inspired by Kim at Savvy Southern Style's Stars and Stripes in the Sun Room.  Particularly inspired by the blue striped pillow shown in the photo below:

via

A couple of weeks ago Bridgette, her girls, and I went out shopping for a few specific items and some fabrics.  Bridgette was planning to revamp her outdoor cushions and I was hoping to find fabric to coordinate with the quilt for which I still need suggestions, incorporating another fabric for a bed skirt and window treatments.

Bridgette was partly successful.  She found her fabric choices and got her cushions covered and even made artwork - but that is another story for another day.  Once again, I was not successful in finding something to coordinate with my Granny's quilt.  However, I did find a couple of bargain pieces of striped fabric that spoke to me.  At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with either of them. Yet, I have learned that when something speaks to me, I need to listen - and take it home with me!

Next, on a trip to our local Goodwill, while in search of another item, I stumbled across a Euro-pillow form for $4.  Again, it was speaking to me - probably saying, "Bargain!  Score!"  Still, I had no idea how I was going to use these items.

Then, along comes the post by Kim showing off her sun room stars and stripes.  That style pillow has stood out to me before and I would make myself a mental note to remember it when I was fabric browsing and to give it a try.

So, with some $4 fabric, I did just that this week!  It took a bit of geometry thinking - thank you Diane Myers for my favorite high school math class of all time!  (It was the only one I really ever understood.)

Even with the geometric thinking, I still had to take some time to lay out the fabric squares in order to make the design work.

It was really fun to make and I got more and more excited as I continued in creating it.  Now, I just love it!

I paired it with a couple of pillows made from fabric scraps left from other projects and yard-sale pillows as inserts.  We got the printed flags at Sir's Fabrics in Fayetteville, TN.  They were another score on our fabric shopping trip where I got nothing that I really needed!  There were all sizes of flags and I think these were only a dollar.

I moved outside to get a bit more light on a cloudy day - and I like them there, too!

For one of them, I used some navy pin dot fabric left in my stash from ages and ages ago - maybe 15-20 years.  I strip patched it around a white rectangle to back the flag.

Looks good on my basement sectional, too!

Then, because there was no extra space for a seam allowance, I appliqued the flag over the white fabric (former pillow case) with a zig-zag stitch.

For the back, I used a couple pieces of an old chenille bedspread.

For the other, I used some sort of khaki scrap that I have had for about 20 years, too.  I think it was originally bought to make Bryan some shorts when he was about the age of our grands.

Again, I stripped around a lighter cream fabric to back the flag (preventing the backing color/design from bleeding through on the white stripes) and appliqued the flag over the center piece.

The back of this one is a piece of tan and white ticking stripe fabric that was a cast-off from Aunt Mary.

These are all envelope-style covers so I can switch out the covers anytime I get a whim to redecorate!

I book-ended these new pillows with a couple of blue pillows I already had on the sofa and now the den looks quite patriotic!

I spent a grand total of $10 to get a festive holiday look refreshing my den (or almost any room in the house)!

Vocabulary

When I was studying to be a teacher, one of the things affirmed in my studies was that reading is the best way to expand a person's vocabulary.  Children learn more words by reading.  Children learn more words by being read to.  This concept was driven home to me this week during a visit by two of the granddaughters.

I was doing a wee bit of nudging (not fussing or bossing or harping - just nudging) to get Mike to eat some meat along with his choice of watermelon one evening.  Later, Lillie asked me, "Why didn't Daddy Mike realize that he needed a bit more protein because of his blood sugar fluctuations?"  Now, how many nine-year-olds know that meat is a source of protein?  How many nine-year-olds use the word fluctuation in her vocabulary - and use it correctly?

Later, Mike jokingly made a comment that to prevent Lydia from bidding and buying something at the stock yard when we sold a few calves the next day, he would just leave them sitting in the truck.  Lydia quickly responded, "Oh no you won't!  We would smother in there!"  What six-year-old knows about temperatures or uses the word smother in her vocabulary correctly?

The next day we went out to pick up a few items and I offered to drive through a couple of fast-food places to pick up some lunch.  They picked their choice based upon the prize in the kid's meal.  After placing our order and making a special request for certain prizes, I was being educated about their kid's meal prize collection.  Lydia informed me that with these specific prizes, they would each have a "complete collection with only a couple of duplicates."  What six-year-old even knows what the word duplicate means?  (She does - I asked.)

The next day, Lydia and I were working on some patriotic decoration projects.  Lydia was seriously stitching along and accidentally pulled the thread out of the needle.  She informed me, "Grand B, I have a situation here."  What six-year-old incorporates the word situation into her conversations?

Maybe one reason these girls have such a good vocabulary is because they have always been lucky to have folks read to them.  Maybe another reason is because these girls are readers.  One day we went to the public library and each of them chose five books to bring home and enjoy.  Lillie read the four short picture books she checked out and read late into the night to complete five chapters of the other book.  (She informed me she would like to check that book out again next time to finish reading the remaining chapters!)  Lydia and I read one together.  She did picture walks in three others and read the fifth one aloud to Mike and me.  She was so excited to find it because it was one her kindergarten teacher had in the classroom this past year.  As she was reading it, she informed us that it was "a work of fiction."  Mike chuckled and asked her what was the meaning of the word fiction.  She was quick to inform us that works of fiction might not really be true - like the book featuring a dog swallowing a duck, cow, cat, etc. and the vet pulling those animals out alive.  Yet, she continued, non-fiction is all true.  (Wouldn't her kindergarten teacher be proud?)

So, either our grandchildren are really borderline geniuses or reading has played a major role in developing their vocabulary.  Right now, I'm not sure which option is the non-fiction one!

Readers

I am a firm believer in the power of the written word and that everyone is a reader and that reading makes one more intelligent.  I am glad to see my grandchildren reading books no matter what age they might be...

Even Luci is becoming a reader.

I like how she had to find just the right spot!

Classic

It seems that some things are just classics in this family.  Remember when I shared that there are some Games People Play?

Well, look who else likes that game!

Miss Luci!

Fashion Sense

I think we all have a bit of fashion sense.  Some of us are more conscious of fashion trends than others.  I will never forget about the time I went for a chat with Bridgette's kindergarten teacher and she pointed that out to me.  She said, "I think we could be creating a bit of a monster."  My heart jumped up into my throat.  Miss Sissy went on to say, "I notice that she wears a dress to school every day.  She comes in and empties her folders out of her book bag and hangs it in her cubby.  Then, she takes off her sweater and fluffs the puffed sleeves of her dress before sitting in her desk."

Well, I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...

It seems that Lillie had a roller skating accident yesterday.  When she was at the bone and joint clinic, she was a bit disappointed that none of the cast selections featured glitter...

She chose a colorful design, however, and her mother told her that was quite the fashion statement.  Lillie's response was, "that's why they call me Fashion Diva."

...As she was wearing her jean shorts and horse T-shirt.