Happy Birthday, Lydia!

Hope it is the very best!

Just 3 Things | #30

This week seems to be full of blossoms and blessings! My pink African Violets have been blooming their hearts out! About a month ago I had that promise from one and it has burst forth with those promised blooms. This is one of the baby plants that I separated and moved the pot to my office. That linked photo really didn't have me anticipating that it would become this beautiful. Granny's eyes would be twinkling with smiles if she could see it now.

The parent plant has also bloomed and both of them are really beautiful right now. It is hard to believe that the original plant was just a little thing that was part of a basket with several plants that was delivered to Granny's funeral back in 2014. That little violet has brought a smile to my face many times over the years. This past week had several sorts of flowers bring me smiles.

- What I've Been Loving -

Last weekend saw me counting my many blessings. I spent a couple of hours visiting with my Mama. We got caught up on what all has been going on in the small town where she and her husband live - a couple of their favorite Mom and Pop restaurants have closed. One had a bit of gossip attached to it with the mother-in-law holding ownership of the building but the daughter-in-law and her son were divorcing so that meant the end of the Meat and Three. Then, there was a fire on the last day of business and it seems somebody went to jail. While the story was eyebrow raising, I do hate that the joint closed as the food was good and it was close by to Mom's house for a quick and delicious meal. Maybe a new operator will occupy the space soon. Fingers crossed.

Then, on Sunday morning, the grands who live next door made a delivery of a beautiful pot of flowers and stayed for about a half hour to sit and chat. I learned about their upcoming field day and rewards day and a field trip. I also learned who thinks they know all about things and who thinks about all the things and who really knows about all the things. We chatted and enjoyed our front porch rocking and visiting for a good twenty minutes before the eldest remembered that he had left the ATV idling in the back. Whoops! They scrambled around to the back yard and piled into the ATV and off up the hill they rode. I'm still smiling when I think about all of that!

My daughter and most of her family visited after lunch. They also came in bearing blooms. Their terra cotta pot held a beautiful and vibrant red geranium. Their visit revealed that the two younger girls still have the dregs of school to finish out their year. Then, one will start her summer job as a concessionaire at the local pool and the other will wrap up softball season and have volleyball camp. The eldest was working hard for her money at their local Tractor Supply Company. So, I'm guessing the days will not be a big change for her grown up self. The Mister and I enjoyed their visit and catching up on all that they have going on. 

The next crew through the door was my son and his family. They delivered a beautiful floral flag and then, we got the down low about the baseball tournament that the eldest had played in on the previous day. We also learned from him that having dad as a coach is not always a bad thing - other coaches can be harder to play for according to his insight. We also got to see a picture and hear a bit about the newest girlfriend. We learned that she, "checks all the boxes," and even has little sister's stamp of approval. The youngest let us know that she had achieved high scores by reading loads of books during her school year and she had to show me her newest book series that she is working through. The concession stand at the ball park had suffered for business the previous day, I'm sure. She had opted to stay with her Granny and they took flowers to the cemeteries to honor loved ones that had gone on to their rewards. Granny's snack supply might have a big dent in it, though, because she was chillin' with a coverlet, a book, and something to nibble and something to sip when she was picked up to go home. The Mister and I were glad to have the shared time and get all the updates from their busy lives as well.

Like any self-respecting parent and grandparent, the visits are cherished and their time for us is really appreciated. There is nothing as precious as time spent together and the opportunity to see and visit with family. 

- What I've Been Reading -

When I read The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, I made a mental note to see if the author had something else I might want to read. Then, one of my lists that offers reading suggestions and discounts listed The Summer Before the War as a suggestion. I've barely started this one but I already recognize the author's style and why I enjoyed that first period novel. I will warn you that I can already tell another of her books will soon join my want-to-read stack. I visited the author webpage and read the About page and I think I can understand why I feel a kinship to her. Simonson states, "If you are looking for overnight success, writing may just be the slowest possible route – but as a woman who did not publish until the age of forty five, I hope I am living proof that it is never too late to follow your passion, or find a new vocation." 

via

I've always been a reader and a writer. As I told my children last Sunday, I don't think I can ever remember a single day in my lifetime that I didn't yearn to read and maybe not a day when I didn't read as well. Like Simonson, I also started my career, that of an educator, later in life. So, maybe that has made us kindred spirits, as Anne of Green Gables might say. 

- What I've Been Working On -

I wouldn't really call it work but I guess it took the place of work I could have been doing... I played with my new sewing machine to try out the different embroidery motifs. I ordered some cup towels and some hand towels and thought that might make good gifts. The cup towels are the very basic kind that have a blue stripe woven in that runs down both sides and the fabric has a sort of flour sack feel to it.

Blue E Monogrammed Cup Towel

I started with the same alphabet that I had used for the napkins that I began my learning journey with. It is a beautiful alphabet and looks really pretty on something simple like these cup towels. I used the primary colors that I originally bought as my crayon box of thread colors. This project became a Mother's Day gift for my Mama. She is the one who taught me that even practical things can be pretty.

E Monogrammed Cup Towel with Flowers

The second cup towel that I did for her used a different alphabet and I think it just looks like something she would love. She has always loved and nurtured flowers in her yard and she has always featured floral designs in her home decor. This one just looks like a bouquet. I used the guide that came with the book and those recommended colors. I love how it turned out and that really helped me to see that a variety of colors could be used with this alphabet to show off different seasons or different room colorways.

Erwin Cup Towel with Fall Flowers

I liked this flower motif and used the recommended colors suggested by the guide that came with the machine. I think it looks sort of fall-ish but those colors would be pretty in any season. I learned to move the design around within the hoop. I scooted the design down near the bottom of the hoop. Then, I moved it up an inch or so. That left me room to use one of the simple alphabets and add the name below the flowers. So, this project was a fun teaching tool as well as a creative outlet that I could share with my mom.

Tone on Tone E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For the hand towels, I figured she might use those in one of her bathrooms. So, I kept the colors very basic and simple to work in any of the baths in her house. I am a lover of white towels with an ecru or tan monogram. However, Mama tends to like tans and ecrus. So, I got some tan terry cloth towels and used an ecru thread for the stitching. This is the same alphabet as the first cup towel. I just stopped and didn't add the flowers.

Basic E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For this second option, I used the alphabet that I had used for writing out the name on the cup towel with the lilies. I learned to enlarge the lettering. So, when writing a name, I used the pre-programmed letter size. However, for this hand towel, I bumped up the size to the largest possible size. 

Block Letter E Monogrammed Hand Towel

For the final hand towel, I used the block alphabet that had all of the flowers interwoven like the cup towel with the turquoise letter and multicolored flowers shown above on the cup towel. Again, I just stopped the machine and didn't add any flowers to this one. The simplicity of it, yet, the boldness of the block lettering seems to capture a classic look to me.

Practicing on these towels helped to build my confidence and taught me several different things about my new machine. I probably could sit with it every single day and create something different using the simple pre-programmed designs. Plus, it is so fun to just touch the buttons and watch it go to work stitching something that turns out beautiful! So, I wouldn't really call this work - maybe it fits into that old saying, "Find something you really love and it won't feel like work."

The Mister has brought home a beautiful pink geranium, some Cilantro and Rosemary plants, and a bag of potting soil that I requested. So, I'm off to the back porch to begin filling some of my empty pots. My gimpy leg has made me have a late start on planting this year. I have sowed some Zinnia seeds in an old trough near the basement door and I noticed that several of them have green leaves that have surfaced. So, I'm excited about that. 

I hope your weekend is blooming with good things that bring big smiles to your face. Happy Friday!

Today I noticed...Supporting another person's success will never ruin yours.

Success seems to look different to different people. I think that's alright.

I'm sure that what I feel as a successful venture may seem like peanuts to somebody else. Yet, I am free to feel and celebrate that success as I'd like. 

Why don't we look for the success of others and cheer for that? 

Why can't we be glad for them and, if possible, support them as they are working toward that goal?

Chances are that their goal marking success is not going to be the same as mine anyway. 

Reach out and help lift someone up!

Getting Cultured Up

I attended an event last week that enriched my life in a couple of ways. 

Our granddaughter, Lydia, plays the alto saxophone in the Huntsville Concert Band. They practice once per week for a couple of hours. The musicians are all volunteers and range in age from high school students to retirement age. There are more than eighty members of the band and they were wonderful!

Huntsville is about a two-hour drive from our house. So, I was southbound and down, as they say. When I arrived, I circled the church building's parking lot and found a parking space within sight of the entryway. I climbed down out of my truck and noticed a little white haired lady parked across from me climbing out of her car and steadying herself with her cane. She slung her purse over her shoulder and looked up at me. "Are you here for the band performance?" she queried. I smiled and told her that I certainly was. She wondered where the entry door could be found. I pointed northward and told her that I saw a UHaul truck around the corner and was headed in that direction in anticipation that it had hauled the larger instruments on site. So, we crept across the parking lot together. Me in my boot and her with her cane to steady herself. 

I asked her if she had a relative playing in the day's concert and she told me, "No. I just enjoy music. I went to the symphony across town last night." She asked me if I had a relative playing and I told her that our Lydia is playing. She asked what instrument Lydia played and I told her. "Alto Sax...," she said. "I had a friend when we were middle school age and she played the saxophone. We walked to school together. Most everybody walked to school in those days. We didn't have fancy buses to haul us. My friend was just a little slip of a thing and that sax was a big old instrument. So, she put it in a little red wagon and we stacked our books in there and took turns pulling it down the road. The other kids poked fun at us at first but we didn't care. It was a lot better than toting all that weight and straining our backs." She gave a little giggle. She added, "Sometimes this sort of thing is not well attended. So, I like to support them. I don't have a lot going on these days I like to help fill a seat. It looks like there is a pretty good crowd here today, though."

We hobbled inside and were greeted by my daughter, Bridgette, who had been drafted to look after the donations jar. So, I introduced her as the mother of our musician. The room was quite full and I took a seat in the back row beside where Bridgette had left her bag. The next thing I knew, here was my new friend asking if it was alright for her to sit beside me and I encouraged her to make herself comfortable I noticed that she tapped her foot and bobbed her head from time to time during the concert but she sat silently and took it all in. 

When the last note had sounded and thanks and applause had silenced, I felt a hand on my elbow. My new friend said, "I know that you are proud of your granddaughter. They were wonderful today. I think I enjoyed this even more than the fancy symphony last night. Please give her praise from me and a thanks for brightening my ears and my day. I'm sure you will want to wait and give her a hug, So, I'm going to mosey on out to the parking lot and head home. Thanks for the company!"

I enjoyed having a friendly face and person beside me who seemed to be enjoying the performance as much as I did. The concert featured a variety of selections that appealed to a broad spectrum of patrons. They were a big band and had a Big Band sound and the performance added a sense of cultural relevance to all of our lives that afternoon playing old familiar tunes, adding in a bit of humor, and winding up with a patriotic flare. 

On my trek back north toward home, I thought a lot about my new friend. I gave a little prayer of thanks for her and for the fact that she could still get out and about to soak up something that she enjoys. She made me think of my Great Aunt Mae who lived alone for many years and would often support cultural events in her hometown. I'm sure she was probably a lot like that little lady. I thought about how thankful I am that Lydia has this opportunity to spend time doing something she loves and share it with others. I also lifted a bit of thanks for the folks who performed and shared their gift of music for all of us...especially for my new friend who certainly had something going on last Sunday.

Happy Mother's Day!

I am blessed to be surrounded by a group of wonderful mothers. 

Mama  has always been the heart who made our house a wonderful and welcoming home. I am ever grateful for the examples she set for me. I hope she has a Mother's Day as wonderful as she is!

The other wonderful mothers who surround me are the mothers of our grandchildren. We see all that you do and are grateful for you every single day. Thank you for all the joy that you have brought to our lives!

Bridgette

Jessica

Bonnie

Laura

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a sweet message.

Just 3 Things | #29

Rain! Glorious rain! We got a good rain this week and our hay field was never more happy. The temperatures cooled down to be more spring-like as well. In fact, a couple of days the temperatures required a sweatshirt. The good thing is that on one of the rainiest of days I got a good ole nap snoring whilst sitting in a chair with my feet propped up and a quilt thrown across me. I read a while on a book, nodded off, grabbed a quilt, and enjoyed some snoozing. Ah! Now, that is the life!

- What I've Been Watching -

We are sports enthusiasts around here. Of course, the sports we love to watch the most are the ones that our grandchildren are participating in during various seasons. We also enjoy SEC sports events, especially when my alma mater is playing. Go Big Orange! What kicked off the week for us, though, had nothing to do with either of those. I've always been one who tried not to miss the Kentucky Derby. The horses are beautiful and majestic, jockeys are awe-inspiring as they navigate the field, the trainers are interesting to listen to as they describe the work they do, the hats are a work of art, the garments people wear vary from beautiful to ridiculous, and the analysis and pageantry of the entire event is amazing. 

Sports Illustrated

This year's run for the roses was truly a special one to be able to witness. The main horse race lived up to it's description, "the most exciting two minutes in sports." The trainer made history - the first woman trainer to have a horse win the derby. The winning horse, Golden Tempo had 23-1 odds of winning the race and was, in fact at the very back of the pack of eighteen horses until jockey, Jose Ortiz began navigating him toward the front. Ortiz barely beat out his older brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr. riding Renegade and immediately reached his hand out to bump the fists after crossing the finish line. Golden Tempo is a descendent of famed Secretariat and was Kentucky bred and owned by Phipps Stables in partnership with Saint Elias Stable. 

Lexington Herald-Leader

As we watched the Derby on television, the Mister and I picked the horses we thought would win. Neither of us picked the winner but that didn't stop us from watching with amazement and excitement as we saw Golden Tempo going from last to first making it the most exciting two minutes in sports, for sure!

- What I've Been Reading -

I abandoned a book this week. That is something I rarely do. For some reason, this one was a book that I just had a difficult time settling in and reading. The one I dove into afterward was nothing like it and I had a hard time putting it down to do the chores I really needed to get done. The summary said, "A woman’s surprising inheritance opens the door to her family’s secrets in a moving novel about healing, forgiveness, and second chances." Don't we all dream of a rich aunt that we didn't even know we had leaving us an inheritance? 

Wake-Up Calls

- What I've Been Working On -

I've been nursing my bad leg this week; so, all the things I've been working on have been sit-around type of jobs. I sort of learned my lesson last week and figured out that it is just easier to sit around with the leg propped up than to wear that frustrating boot. I spent some time catching up on my volunteer work, organizing and preparing reports for the upcoming annual membership meeting. The returns from the mailout announcing the meeting have been steadily coming in at a couple or three per day. So, I've been making calls and trying to update the mailing list for next year. Of course, when folks get correspondence from the Board of Trustees like the announcement postcard, they tend to think of questions and so more phone calls are generated. 

I also spent a little time doing a bit of online shopping. We usually send a little treat to our daughters and daughters-in-law for Mother's Day. So, I visited the Buff City Soap site and picked some fragrant treats for them to pamper themselves with from there. We have a couple of graduates on our gift list this year and there is an upcoming birthday in our family next week as well. I far prefer to shop online than trek out to different stores searching for just the right thing. So, that was 'work' that I didn't mind tackling. 

We are looking forward to a quiet weekend here at home during the next couple of days. Of course, I will give my mother a visit and toast her for Mother's Day. The Mister is riding the mower as I finish up this post to polish up the grounds around here so that when we get a chance to porch sit and relax it is like looking out at a well-manicured park. I hope you are enjoying scenic views and pampering a special someone this weekend or being pampered as a special someone.

Today I noticed...Shopping Carts

 What one does with a shopping cart when the shopping is done tells a lot about a person.

Did you know that there is all sort of research about shopping carts being returned. There have been studies about whether a person returns the shopping cart or pushes it to the cart corral or whether there is an incentive for returning a shopping cart or not makes a difference or what other factors might feed into why or when a person returns a shopping cart. There is even an established shopping cart theory. Who knew?!

Something I was reading referenced The Shopping Cart Theory. Then, I noticed that there were some other links offered regarding the psychology around the return of shopping carts. There's even a YouTube channel devoted to the concept. (Is there just a YouTube video for anything and everything?) A research and teaching fellow even shared her hours of research findings and categorizing of excuses. 

What prompted me to even scan through the links shared above is what I observed while sitting in our local grocery store parking lot when I went to pick up my prescription the other day and had to wait for it. Most of the people I saw either returned their cart inside to the front of the store or left it in the corral provided there in the parking lot. A few, however, did not.

One young woman wrestled with one cart loaded with groceries and another filled with three very small children. She loaded the groceries into the back of her SUV, dragged the cart of children behind her as she returned the empty cart to the corral, returned to her car wrestling with her children and got them squared away in their car safety seats, then, left the empty cart propped up on the closest curb. She let out a huge sigh, climbed into the driver's seat and drove away. 

A guy who had a couple of boxes of baked goods, a case of water, and a couple of six-packs of soft drinks rushed to his vehicle, loaded his wares into the trunk of his car, and shoved the cart across the empty spaces nearby. Then, he proceeded to climb into the driver's seat, back out of the space, narrowly missing another shopper with a cart and sped away.

A third patron emptied the cart, pushed it over to rest against the bumper of a car nearby, climbed into his vehicle and drove away.

Then, I saw a young person - probably a teenager - pause and help a woman with a cane load a couple of bags of groceries and a plant into the back seat of her car before pushing her cart into the store.

I only spent about fifteen minutes observing the shopping cart rodeo in the parking lot of our local grocery store but I really did think that each person I saw told me a little bit about themselves during that short timeframe. It made me think about the way I want to behave the next time I'm in the parking lot and what I will do when I see a loose cart there.