Just 3 Things | # 38

 Last week to the Mister and me to Laurel, Mississippi. That's a bit further than four hours from home sweet home. The eldest grandson's baseball team was playing in the Diamond Youth Baseball World Series. We had a great time and the team did well. We enjoyed getting to know some of the players' parents and grandparents, spending time with our own grandchildren, and watching a lot of good baseball. We stayed in a Drury Inn in Meridian, Mississippi. I highly recommend them. The room was clean, spacious, private, and restful. They provided a full hot breakfast each morning and a meal each evening that was delicious as well. Popcorn was available from a movie theater style machine each day and they also provided drinks. They cheered our team on each day as they left for the baseball field and asked about their games when we returned. I learned that I am not the care-free traveler that I once was, though. While I enjoyed the trip and the opportunity and the amenities immensely, I am really, really glad to be home!

- What I've Been Watching -

A few of the baseball games were broadcast on YouTube. I quickly sent out the link to all the friends and family left at home. They sent screenshots and messages telling me that they could see us on the broadcast. They also sent screen captures of Harris. My son and daughter-in-law said that there were loads of photos sent to them showing people's television screens as well. What a fun thing to experience!

Harris on the big screen

On the first day of the series it rained. The game before ours suffered a rain delay. That made our game start late. So, we worried that we were in for another week of rain and delays interfering with baseball much like we experienced in the state playoff. However, the skies cleared and the temperatures rose and it was a HOT week.

The Mister weathering a shower

We truly enjoyed visiting with the ball players, their families, and watching a lot of baseball. It was exciting to watch the guys shine as players and work like a well-oiled team. There was a three-way tie going up to the championship game. Our team, Team Tennessee beat South Carolina, Virginia, and Seminary, Mississippi. Then, beat Georgia before experiencing a loss to North Carolina. Tennessee drew the bye to get into the championship game. Georgia defeated North Carolina to get to the championship game. Then, Georgia became the champions and Tennessee the runner-up. 

Harris on the mound

Harris batting

I might be a bit biased, but I believe Harris really played well. The Mister said his pitching was top-notch. I think Harris was really most pleased that he hit four homeruns during the series.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us. Memories were made. Friendships were developed. New places and spaces were explored. Lots of fun was had by all.

- What I've Been Reading -

I spent a lot of time using the GPS feature on my phone last week. I also spent a good bit of time reading about the state of Mississippi. I knew very little about that area of the world before last week. I now know that Mississippi is home to six national forests that cover over one million acres. So, over half of Mississippi's acreage is covered in forests. That certainly made a difference in cell phone reception while we were in Laurel at the ball park. Fewer cell towers are located in the national forests, so reception was a bit spotty.

The part of Mississippi we were in seemed to have far more poverty than the middle Tennessee area where we are from. I learned that it does have a high poverty rate but is much batter now than it was in the past. The federal government bought up millions of acres of severely eroded timberland and abandoned farms in the 1930s and reforested it to restore the landscape. So, part of The New Deal which helped to create TVA and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park also had a big role in Mississippi by establishing those six national forests.

I learned that Howard Industries is the largest employment bas in Laurel and Meridian, Mississippi. They manufacture lots of things, including transformers and industrial equipment. They also have a big logistical, trade, warehousing, and transportation presence in the area. Meridian is also home to a U.S. Naval Air Station. So, there is a large military base there as well. 

I learned a lot about Mississippi with my searches and readings. I also had a chance to continue reading Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews.

- What I've Been Working On -

Honestly, what I've been working on this week is trying to get my feet back under me. It has been so long since I've done any traveling, I just sort of felt like I had the rug pulled from under me when we got home. Of course, I have been working on getting caught up on laundry, watering and trying to save my poor parched flowers, and unpacking and putting things away.

I've spent some time reading about projects for stitching and gathering ideas for projects. I've begun planning next steps and gathering supplies. So, in a day or so I will be back at the sewing machine designing and creating and smiling with awe at all the things my new machine will do.

It is great to travel and see our magnificent world and we are so thankful to have the opportunity to spend time with family and experience such wonderful opportunities. We are ever grateful for our and their health and the opportunities that we have provided for us. While I'm a bit tired from such a long trip, I'm already looking forward to the next adventures - volleyball games, cattle shows, sheep shows, band half-time performances, and lots more!

Today I noticed...Home-cooked food is hard to beat!

We have been traveling. We left a little over a week ago and returned home on Tuesday. We really are home bodies. We like sleeping in our own beds. We like putzing around in our own house. We like looking out our own windows. We even like cooking in our own kitchen. 

Oh, don't get me wrong, we had a big time and enjoyed the places we visited and the people we interacted with while we were gone. It is just always good to come home.

We've worked hard to make our home a sanctuary and we really felt it after being gone. The hotel we stayed in was super-nice. There were soft sheets, a clean space, a nice bath, a pool, a workout room, free breakfasts, drinks, and free evening meals. The food was delicious and plentiful. It just wasn't home.

I stayed in my nightgown all day long yesterday. All. Day. Long. The only person I talked to was the Mister. It was wonderful! 

I did laundry. I cooked dinner. That is about it as far as tasks completed. The dinner I prepared was simple fare but it was so tasty. Even the Mister commented that it was such a good meal. All we had was stewed potatoes, peas, carrots, and hamburger steak, onions, and gravy. Yet, it seemed like gourmet food. 

Today I noticed...Sometimes it is the small things that are the most rewarding.

I've been working on the bigger project of stitching personalized towels for one of the grandson's baseball team. I've enjoyed watching these boys grow and gel as a team for six or seven years now and loved watching my son, Bryan, grow as a coach as well. So, I wanted to do a little something for them to celebrate their big state win and earning the opportunity to go to the league's World Series. 

I remembered that, when Bryan was a kid, they traded pins with the other teams. So, I asked if that was still a 'thing.' When I found out it was, I decided to personalize a towel for them to attach their pins to after they'd swapped. 

I'm still learning and wanting to create new things with my new sewing/embroidery machine. So, I decided I'd make a couple bag tags for my daughter-in-law and me. I've been browsing online for different ideas and landed on a couple of cute designs that I could combine and adapt.

I'm not quite like Abby Lee was when she first saw my machine start stitching. I don't gasp and my eyes don't enlarge but I'm not far from that each time I attempt something new! Today's project of bag tags was just the ticket for a fun, quick project.

Tennessee Bag Tags

Power T Bag Tag

I don't know whether the fun for me is to see whether I can combine a couple of designs and make it be unique or whether it is just the awe and amazement that my machine can create something so stinking cute with just the touch of a couple of buttons.

Double Dipping

Last week was a busy one for these grandparents. In addition to the eldest grandson playing baseball in the state tournament, we had a couple of grandsons showing their cattle at the State Beef Expo. Thank goodness both events were taking place in the same town. So, while we had about a forty-five minute drive to our destination, we could take in both activities, since they were only a couple of blocks away from one another.

Angus Steers in the District Champion Class

The first day was actually the district show. Both boys did a wonderful job showing off their animals. They held the calves' heads high and positioned their feet just so. They watched the judge and kept an eye on their calf as well. All of us were pleased at how they were 'dialed in' and focused on doing their best.

Easton with his steer

It was evident that the boys had done their homework because their animals behaved beautifully. The calves responded to the gentle tugs and nudges from the boys and handled almost like pets. Of course that kind of behavior only comes after hours of practice at home and those boys had a ritual every single day for working with each animal.

That's a lot of meat on the hoof!

Levi's heavyweight steer won a banner for Reserve Champion Angus Steer in the district show and got a blue ribbon in his class the next day in the State Angus Steer Show. Easton's steer won a blue ribbon in the district show and was in the top five in the state show. Little brother was not a happy camper that big brother placed a bit higher than him but we don't think either of them did any too shabby! 

Easton's first official steer show

Levi had a couple of heifers to show as well. The first one was a farm bred and raised Angus heifer. The second one was a Hereford heifer that is what we hope is the start of a herd. The Mister has had a lifelong dream of having Herefords. He has talked about it for years and finally bit the bullet and bought one. 

Levi with Kaitlynn

She is sort of a family favorite because she is so docile and friendly. Even little sister has been putting her through her daily paces in the pasture beside the barn. Every afternoon they have a backyard mini-show. First, each animal is rinsed - Easton's specialty. Next, each one has its hair blown out and styled - Levi's specialty. After they all eat their feed, they are led in a circle around the yard or pasture a few times and stopped to practice setting up and standing patiently before they are set free for the evening. The next morning they are all haltered and led into the barn for their morning feeding. They spend the day inside with fans blowing on them during the day and the ritual starts all over again late in the afternoon.

Levi and heifer sharing kisses

It is so much fun for us to watch the guys exhibit their cattle and so rewarding to see them do so well after watching all the hard work that went into preparing. We watched them show their calves for a while one day. Then, I went to the ball park and watched Harris and his team play. The next day the Mister and I thought we would split up and one watch the ballgame and the other watch the cattle show but it turned out to be a rain out for the ball tournament. So, we both watched the cattle show. I sat with a friend from my collage days and we shared tales and photos of grandchildren. The next day we watched a bit of the cattle show and then went to the ball park for a game. That sort of action went on for the duration. So, we sort of double dipped by taking in both events happening in the same town. We felt so fortunate that both events were taking place only a short distance apart and we got to see a little bit of both events.

Just 3 Things | #37

Last week I was out of pocket and enjoying being a grandparent. So, I just didn't get around to creating a Just 3 Things post. I sort of started out in the hole this week due to the rainouts of the state baseball tournament that took me out of town and had me sitting round waiting for the skies to clear and finally getting to see Harris's team capture the state title. I got home after midnight on Monday - well, actually on Tuesday's wee hours. I can recall that there was a day once a long time ago when keeping such hours was really not even a hiccup for me. This week did not have that day!

- What I've Been Working On -

I felt like winning a state championship as a baseball team was a big deal. So, I wanted to do something for the team beyond assisting with fundraising. I remembered that when Bryan went to a World Series as a kid the boys exchanged pins. It was a far bigger thing than we were prepared for at the time. I thought maybe we could have pins made for the boys to swap. So, I asked if that was still a 'thing' or not. It turns out that tradition is still there and the boys do indeed swap pins and the state league provided a big bag of pins for the boys to swap. So, I decided I would embroider a towel for them that could hold all the pins they get at the swap. 

Diamond Youth Baseball Team Tennessee 2026 Towels

I shopped online for some towels and found that orange is a bit of a difficult color to discern with online shopping. I landed on an 18x26" pinstriped orange and white kitchen towel and ordered a couple bundles. 

I first did an example, pictured above to show Coach Bryan what it might look like. I explained that, obviously, I would not put a bow on the boy's towels. I also explained that I would use a bolder, more masculine font for the guys. He gave me the green light. So, after my towels arrived, I set up the design on my new sewing machine and started the creation process.

My favorite player's towel

So, that is what I've been working on for the past couple of days. I found out today that my creations have the approval of at least two of the mothers. I sent a message to my daughter-in-law with the picture of all the team towels as well as the photo of Linley's. I explained that I had some extra towels and asked if she had ideas for what else I could do with them. She was monitoring some of the team as they were working a fundraiser and one of the other player's mother said she thought it would be a good idea to make a 'Mama Towel' for the mothers!

- What I've Been Reading -

I've just deleted several offers of bargain Kindle editions all this week. I'm struggling to stay awake when I sit down and get still and I'm nodding off in bed before I even get a chapter read. It certainly isn't the quality of the writing or the book that I've chosen.  I think it is just fatigue from multiple road trips and enduring the July heat and humidity and all the rain. (Whoever heard of such a wet July before?!)

I chose one of my favorite authors for this week and, honestly, I'm just savoring it a bit. I'm taking my time and I'm even going back and reading a page or two at times just to make sure I don't miss anything. Two sisters who are seeking to uncover a long hidden family truth take a road trip from Savannah, Georgia to Ireland in search of information which might authenticate a portrait that has hung in their family's homes for years. 

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

I was hooked from the first page - maybe even from the cover. (We had sheep when my children were young. I have a red headed sister. My sister and I are almost polar opposites.) I'm about halfway through this one and I like the characters and the journey that they are on.

- What I'm Loving -

Back in the spring the Mister and part of the grands brought an old water trough down and put it at the basement entrance right in front of the retaining wall. They filled it with dirt and I sowed some Zinnia seeds in it in hopes of having a cutting garden right outside the door. For some reason the Zinnias have not prospered. Did I not water enough? Was the soil too rich? Did the critters do too much damage? I don't know but I only have a few spindly stems of Zinnias in that trough. 

I also sprinkled a few seeds into the two sixteen inch pots I have sitting in front of the window of my office/sewing room as well. Those seeds have flourished and look so cheerful as I am looking out my window. For the past couple of days I have also had a visitor. A beautiful hummingbird has found those Zinnias. Then, just on the other side of the driveway, a doe is also making a regular sashay through.

Sometimes, when I step outside she will look up at me and pause for a bit. Then, she goes right back to grazing. I don't like that the squirrels and chipmunks and even the deer seem to want to nibble on my flowers and have prevented us from having a vegetable garden in the back yard but I must admit, they are beautiful creatures to watch when they are so close. I'm loving that.

Dodging the Raindrops

Lately we have been dodging the raindrops! We've had some heavy downpours - our neighbors' driveway washed away just before Independence Day. So, we had a bit more traffic on our driveway for a few days. Since then, we have had some downpours and some days with a couple of steady showers or drizzles. 

Last week and into this one, our eldest grandson was playing in the state baseball tournament for his league. There were a couple of days of complete wash outs. Who would have ever dreamt of having a day of wash outs in mid-July? 

They started play last Tuesday afternoon with an exhibition game. The game following theirs was a wash out and carried over to the next day. That pushed all of the Wednesday games till later and then there were rain delays and on and on it went day after day. They finally finished up the tournament with the championship game at nine o'clock on Monday night. The families all celebrated with medals, game balls, and photos all around.

The boys on Harris's team all played well and won it all. They outscored all their opponents big time, scoring a total of 63 points while their opponents only scored a total of 3 against them. Harris hit three home runs - one was a grand slam! A couple of other boys hit home runs as well but it was the good, solid, base hits that carried them to the winners' circle.

These players and coaches have spent at least six years building this team to develop into winners. The best thing about this team, though, is that they are also winners beyond the scoreboard. During rain delays they would joke and visit with other teams and get to know the fellows from all across the state. Last week there was another team staying in the same hotel. All of the guys got together and played games in the hotel as if they were all one crew. When an opponent made a good hit, they would high five one another on the bases. It was really rewarding to watch all of the guys and their interactions with the other teams as well as their own team. It was almost like watching a big old family reunion. The coaches spent countless hours working with the fellows and poured their hearts into the team as well.

The smiles on each family members face really tell the story. It was a once in a lifetime experience for certain and now they are preparing for the next step - another once in a lifetime opportunity - to go to the World Series. They will no longer be Decatur County's baseball team. Now, they will be Team Tennessee. I can't wait!

One Zip Pouch - Three Different Looks

I've been immersed in the world of zip pouches. I thought it would be a fun way to share some of my creations with the family and, of course, the grands always seem to come first when it comes to gifting!

I started with a little color blocked zip pouch pattern shown at Polkadot Chair. I added some embroidery decor to personalize it for one of our granddaughters. The outside of the bag features a cute blue and white polka dot on one side and a color block of fabrics that are yellow, yellow gingham, and blue and white polka dot on the other.

Her school and her brother's baseball team mascot is a panther. So, I added a cute split paw print. On the color blocked side, I added her name. The bag is lined with yellow gingham.

Since I also had created her a bag tag and included a carabiner with it, I added a D ring. I also rounded the corners of the bottom edge. Bright and sunshiney for Linley but not frilly - she would have none of that!

For our middle school granddaughter, I made a simple zip pouch that is the same size but does not include the color blocked design. It is crafted from an upholstery-weight beige fabric with black random spots. 

 I decorated one side of it with her name stitched in her favorite color. Then, added her school team name in a school color to the other side. The bright orange zipper's ring pull has a little tab of purple and purple gingham ribbon knotted onto it.

She is a volleyball player. So, I figured she might have items that she would need to corral for game day. The inside of the bag is a simple purple broadcloth. The pouch is colorful, has squared off corners, and measures about 5x8" in size. Super simple in design but handy in size and rugged in construction.

The third zip pouch is for our youngest grand. It also features the color block design similar to the first one. I started off with a bandana sort of print one one side and added an applique of a beef heifer. The fabrics are red, white, and black cotton.

The opposite side has those two fabrics color blocked with a red microcheck which has her name stitched on it. The bottom corners are curved similar to the first one. Then, I tied a red gingham ribbon on the ring zipper pull. 

One pattern, three different style little pouches. All of them are about 5x8" in size. It is the perfect size for a smart phone and a few other small sundries. It could hold loads of treasures for a little girl. It would be handy for a bit of cosmetics or any number of things that could be dropped down inside a larger purse or tote bag. I just love them!