Just 3 Things | #41

I'm trying to get back on track for a Friday post of J3T this week. When I started writing this sort of post, I was adapting an idea by Marian Parsons of Miss Mustard Seed fame. I knew that I had a hodge podge of ideas from time to time that I could just throw together as a post, none of which were really important enough to garner their own individual post but just ideas I wanted to capture. I liked Marian's categories and figured I could adapt to make them work for me if I kept it to a good old 1,2,3 format. Some weeks it is easy and some weeks I have to think about it. But, by and large, three things seems to work for me.

- What I've Been Working On-

This week I was a bit tired from galivanting round to watch the grandchildren exhibit their sheep and weathering through the unbelievably hot temperatures during the Tennessee State Fair. So, I didn't tackle a big project. I'd had a little bit of a hiccup last week when my sewing machine was bunching up the thread making a huge mess of a project that I was working on. So, I knew I was going to have to do some troubleshooting. I'd spent some time reading up to find out what might be causing the problem and I'd watched a few short tutorials and figured out that I might need to look for some sort of dust gathering in the machine and change out the needle again. I learned that some people change to a new needle with every single new project. I don't really believe that is necessary but maybe I could be wrong. I feel like I am alright to make three or four little zip pouches before changing out the needle. I did think it was time for a new needle and changed that out. 

Following the instructions from another source, I decided to really examine my machine and look for where dust might have gathered. I noticed a teeny tiny little bit of lint in my bobbin case.  I took a cotton swab with some machine oil on it and gathered up a teeny tiny little ball of lint that was about the size of a small piece of broken pencil lead. I had a hard time even finding that and had my reading glasses on as I was peering into the innards of my machine. That must have been the problem because I had no issues with the first item I stitched. I guess the mechanics that allows for clean, precise stitching also causes it to mis-stitch at times. I don't like having to troubleshoot but I do like the work the machine does. So, I'm trying not to get frustrated when each attempt I make doesn't turn out perfectly. In addition to completing and sending off some bag tags for one of the granddaughters, I worked on making some other gifts for holiday giving.

Embroidery for a Fall Wreath Sash

This week I have stitched up several gifts. I'm making wreath sashes for some of my relatives. I think the gals will appreciate them and it will be a different sort of gift than what they might get from anybody else. I tried out some new purchases - a new font, a new generic leaves and bow, a new turkey. I started with the closest match I could get to the colors described by the creator on the turkey. Then, I tweaked him a little bit. I didn't really like the green colors used in the fan and wings of the bird. So, I changed it up a little bit when I changed fabrics for the next gift. Then, I'll change it just a bit more for the next time. I don't think I will be making loads of things with this turkey, though because it takes quite a while to stitch out and uses lots of color changes. He does stitch out beautifully, though, in any color!

More Embroidery for a Fall Wreath Sash

One thing is for certain, I really like the new font I tried. It was part of a combination that I purchased from Blue Willow Embroidery. My next attempt at a wreath sash is definitely going to include the pumpkin that the font came alongside. I can see it looking pretty in several different colors as well. I look forward to having it on a wreath sash but I think it would be pretty on napkins, placemats, and more. 

In addition to the fall themed wreath sashes, I did a few with summer patriotic themes. I think a reversible wreath sash with a summer concept on one side and a fall or winter one would be a gift I'd really feel good about getting and that is the sort of gift I like to give.

- What I've Been Loving -

Thursday morning of this week we awoke to a thunderstorm. It was rattling the windows and we even had a lightning strike somewhere near enough to us to knock the power out briefly. In addition to the thunder rolling through and the downpour of rain, we also had some marble-sized hail bouncing around on the roof and the porch. It was quite the alarm clock. 

The best thing about the rain moving through - well, besides the fact that we got some moisture that was much-needed - is that the temperature cooled off. That meant it was not sweltering and for the second time this month the Mister has put chicken on the smoker to prepare us a delicious meal. 

Oh, we don't eat the entire chicken in a meal. We have leftovers and that is the best part. One day we have the chicken fresh off the grill and I add a few vegetables to the mix and it is a wonderful meat and three sort of meal. Then, the Mister will debone the chicken and we've enjoyed pulled chicken bar-b-que sandwiches. I've made a little batch of chicken salad. We've eaten some of the cut up chicken on a salad. It really is fabulous. I love that it is delicious, clean eating but I also love the fact that we have a good ingredient for another meal or two and that means less thinking and effort on my part. Win! Win! So, does that mean that this 'loving' section is sharing that I'm loving the Mister or that I'm loving the smoked chicken? Both! For sure!

- What I've Been Reading -

As I mentioned in my post about writing letters yesterday, I'm currently reading The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I love the concept of this idea. A letter was written in one era but didn't get to the intended recipient. Instead it was opened and read by another person during a later era. I like that we get information about why and how and when the letter was originally written. I like that somebody else winds up reading the letter and it impacts their life. I guess I just like to think about how a letter really does make an impact even when it reaches the intended recipient. 

In the classroom, I often had students write letters as part of an assignment. Sometimes I would have them write to a character in a book or to the author. At other times I would have them write a letter to another student sharing information about a book they were reading. We would write letters at the beginning of the year where they were telling me things I needed to know about themselves so that I could be a better teacher for them. We would write letters to our future selves as a way to think about the future and make goals and plans for later in the year or for the next year. We would write letters later in the year to future students telling them what to expect in the class and I would share those letters at the beginning of the following year to new students. 

I guess I just like the idea of capturing ideas and thoughts and expressions and revisiting them and a letter is really a good way to do that. I'm enjoying this book and by reading it and some of the other things that relate to letter writing that I've stumbled across this week, I am inspired to write more letters!

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Summer is hanging on around here and we are not rushing it away. We wouldn't mind if the temperatures stay out of the ninety degree realm though. I guess that when it gets that hot, I'll just have to stay inside and do a bit of letter writing. What about you?

Today I noticed...Letter writing really is a thing.

I just started a new book. The title is The Letter and it is written by Katheryn Hughes. The letter is written in one era and the reader is in another. The book is telling the story of how the letter came to be and the impact it had on the people involved. I'm just about a third of the way into it but I'm already engaged and looking forward to getting to know more about these characters. I'm sharing this because I kind of thought letter writing was pretty much a thing of the past.

When I was a young girl, letter writing really was a popular means of communication. We wrote letters to relatives who lived in another state, for example. I remember corresponding with my Great Aunt Mae, who lived in Mobile, Alabama. She would send us a package and we would write a thank you note. She would write us a letter and we would write her back. Now, I realize that was a way for my mother to keep us writing and practicing what we learned in school. It was a way for her to keep us occupied and not making messes or fussing with one another. It was a way of showing respect to her aunt, who lived alone and far away. Plus, it gave us something to look forward to - our own mail arriving in the mailbox. 

I continued my letter writing habits up until both of my children were involved in dance lessons, baseball practices, student council, and other school activities that required me to be a taxi. The busy days and quick communication by phone seemed to replace letter writing. 

Then, a few weeks ago I learned about Postcrossing. The school teacher in me comes to the surface and I think of loads of ways for students to write a short message and send a postcard. If I was in the classroom these days, I'd probably have students do that as a warm up activity or use the exercise as a quick way to fill that last few minutes of class if a lesson wrapped up early. (Does that even happen? I always ran out of time to do the things I'd planned in class!) It would be a low stakes way for students to practice their writing skills and they would have an authentic audience for their work.

Then, just this week I was reading through ideas shared through a list I'm on related to The New York Times. It is called The Good List. It is just a collection of good things that are happening in the world. Who doesn't need to know about some of the good things around us? There is a short list of "six good things to add some joy to your day." Anyway, I learned about an online game that is sort of fun and addictive to play each week - Clues by Sam. I completed all of the Clues by Sam games for this week and it really challenged my thinking skills! I highly recommend giving it a try. The puzzles get harder as the week goes by. I found I had to rely on the hints - a lot. 

There was an interesting link to an article and information about Baseball Walk-up Songs. We think about that sort of thing already since we have had several ball players in our family. (Don't mention walk-up songs to my son, Bryan, though. He dislikes anything that might be distracting to his players.) There was also an interesting link to an essay about a couple's third thing. It really set me to thinking about what the third thing is for the Mister and me. It also made me pause and wonder what might be the third thing for other couples we know. Plus, it made me want to ask my grandchildren what the third thing might be for them as they navigate dating. Curious minds want to know.

At any rate, I really enjoyed reading the offerings of this week's Good List and each item on the list certainly made me pause and ponder - as usual. Added as a sort of afterthought to the list this week was a mention of someone from New Orleans who found a new calling. Boy, did I find her new calling inspirational. It makes me want to write letters again. I went down the rabbit hole of this site: The World Needs More Love Letters. It might not be the type of love letter that you first think of, though. I tend to agree that it inspired me to write more letters. I will give a try to writing letters to those who I love as well as those who might need a little more love in their lives. First to come forward in my mind is my hairdresser who shared a bit of personal information that really tugged at my heartstrings and made me keep her in my thoughts for days after my hairdo appointment. I'd also like to make sure my grandchildren get a bit of mail from time to time and I will probably stray from the prescribed hand-written and snail mail letter and send some positive text messages and emails to them, too. 

I know I'm a writer at heart but I would be remiss if I didn't encourage others to be writers as well. A letter is an easy way to do that. Why not write a letter to somebody this week just so that they can feel a little extra love? Letter writing really is a thing and I think it is a good thing.

Gift Making - Bag Tag Style

Well, I've made a little something for all the girls in my daughter, Bridgette's family with the exception of Lydia. Bridgette got one of my first projects as I was testing out my machine. I made her a reversible wreath sash. One side was patriotic and one side was floral. I still like it and I hope she does as well. 

Then, I made a couple of pouches for Lillie for her birthday. One was a cute makeup pouch that is lined in a really cute clock fabric and the other was a simple stand up zip pouch with nail polish embroidered on one side and her name on the other. It is lined with a cute nail polish print fabric. 

I used scraps of fabric for the outside of both pouches. I just love how they turned out and I think they will be useful for our aesthetically minded Lillie.

Next came Luci's birthday gifts. I made her just a simple zip pouch using scrap fabrics. Embroidered on one side of the pouch is her name in her current favorite color - purple. On the other side is the name of her school mascot - Tigers. Since she recently earned a spot on the middle school volleyball team, I thought she might use the pouch for things to take to matches or practice. 

This is such a versatile little pouch that it could gather up all sorts of things and be dropped down into a tote of backpack. 

I'd also done some practice work making some cute bag tags. Bridgette got a couple of them.

I even threw in a multi-colored ribbon tassel for her as I was learning to make those at the time as well. Middle school Luci also needed a bag tag, I thought. So, I put a couple together for her as well. 

Again, her volleyball interest became an easy theme for those bag tags. I later added another bag tag for her that I mailed in her birthday card.

The birthday bag tag is one of my favorites that I've made so far. The designs and fabrics just seem to be a perfect fit. Those little tags are really cute. I can see why they are trendy but they also are quite a bit of trouble, especially since I seem to think they should have something on both sides whenever possible.

So, three of the girls in Bridgette's family have gotten treats from my new embroidery machine. However, Lydia was a bit left out. Her birthday is in the spring. So, she didn't get a birthday gift. I didn't use her as a practice project. So, she had no little cute treats from me. I decided I'd better remedy that shortfall this week.

I did a little head scratching to decide what I needed to stitch up for her. As a senior in high school who is taking college classes as well as high school courses, I knew she probably didn't wag a book bag or back pack full of books around. However, she does play in the band. So, she has a saxophone case. Plus, she just recently got her driver's license. So, she would need a keychain. I decided bag tags would be just the thing. 

I adapted one of the designs that I had purchased to use for decorating a zip pouch for her for Christmas and featured the sax on the center of a bag tag.

I tried out a new font I had gotten as a bonus with another purchase and put her first initial on the opposite side. 

On another bag tag, I tried out a music note design that I had purchased. One of the reviews says that the machine stops after stitching the heart and would allow for changing colors. I must not have been paying close enough attention to do that. But I do like it all in one color. It stitched up smoothly and beautifully. 

On the back side I used a scrap of fabric and added a bit of a LaVergne and Shirley touch with the swirly L. I'm sure Lydia won't know about LaVergne and Shirley but I have fond memories of all her monogrammed items.

As I was stitching up those two, I got a brainstorm to create one for her as a senior year sort of thing. I've been wanting to make a long narrow bag tag and this Bengal Tiger design was perfect for it. I got it free with another purchase. So, I decided to give it a whirl. As sometimes happens, the colors did not translate well for this design. The first one I stitched had the tiger body in a brown color. While I know that tigers do look sort of brown, I wanted that true orange look for this tag. So, I stitched it out a second time using a true orange. (That's one thing I wish these sellers would do - tell what thread brand they use. Giving the number of the thread is just not enough for me sometimes.)

Then, on the back side, I combined a couple of fonts to commemorate her graduating class year. One came with my machine and the other is one I purchased. I kind of like the long, narrow bag tag. I strung them on a carabiner and added some ribbon to a key ring to finish them all off.

Now Miss Lydia will be all gaudy with her keys or her instrument case or something and all four girls in the family will have a stitched up something from me!

Just 3 Things | #40

I know I talk about the weather here a lot and we used to joke about my Daddy being so focused on weather. I also know that farm life tends to make one focus on weather more so than other folks might focus on it. I think everybody I have come in contact with in any way has mentioned the weather lately, though.  It has been SO HOT around here! I was reading this morning in the newspaper that it is partly due to the El Nino effect that is causing temperatures to be almost two degrees hotter than normal. I also read where 2027 expected to be more than three degrees hotter than normal. Whew! As Daddy used to joke, "It sure seems like we have more weather these days than we used to."

- What I'm Loving - 

I'm a bit late on my Just 3 Things post due to being a bit out of pocket. One set of the grands has been exhibiting their livestock at the State Fair and Expo shows this past week and I've trekked over there to watch all that action. Harris earned State Junior Showmanship honors for the registered ewe show as well as for the market lamb show. Linley earned Pee Wee Showmanship honors for the Junior Commercial Ewe and Market Lamb show. Thursday was the day for the Registered Breeding Ewe Show and Harris won the class with his Dorset Advantage Ewe. His white face cross commercial ewe was champion and selected as fourth overall ewe in the show. His Hampshire ewe was Supreme Champion Breeding Ewe.

Harris and Mattie - Champion Hampshire and Supreme Champion Registered Breeding Ewe

Harris and Riley - Reserve White Face Cross and 4th Overall Ewe

Harris and Freezy - February Dorset Advantage Ewe Lamb

Friday was the day of the market lamb competition. Harris showed his natural colored lamb to the Champion honors. He won Champion with his Shropshire wether as well. His Oxford lamb was Reserve Champion.

Harris and Ozzie - Champion Natural Color Market Lamb

Harris and Austin - Champion Shropshire Market Lamb

Harris and Spencer - Reserve Champion Oxford Market Lamb

On Saturday, little sister, Linley got in on the action during the State Fair Open and Junior Show. After earning showmanship honors, she showed her lamb to the top of the class.

Linley and Freezy - Dorset Advantage February Ewe Lamb 

Then, on Saturday night, the Expo Champions were tapped. The crew was scrambling to get three big wethers ready to go all at the same time. Harris had rounded up some friends to help out, since he had three in the ring all at once. The Natural Colored Market Lamb was tapped as Reserve Grand Champion overall. It was so exciting!

l-r: Linley, Bryan, the Judge, Harris, Jessica, and Ozzie - Reserve Grand Champion Market Lamb 

After the show, Bryan and Jessica, both, expressed that they were overwhelmed and surprised and humbled by the experience. Of course, at that point, it was business as usual and time to gather and pack supplies and tack, make sure the lambs were cooled down and comfortable, and load everything and every body up to head down the road toward home. I think they may have floated down the road on excitement, gratefulness, and adrenaline. I know I did. What a week!

- What I've Been Reading -

Again this week I've been reading and watching a lot of tutorials for embroidery projects. There are so many creative ideas out there and so many different methods for constructing cute zip pouches and bags. Yesterday, I finished up reading The Club by Ellery Lloyd and started reading The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I've barely started on this one but I might get a lot of pages read if this heat continues to press down on us!

The book came out several years ago and has great reviews. I'm just at the getting to know the characters phase of reading it at this point, though. 

- What I've Been Working On -

During the first part of the week, I put together a couple of small pouches to give as Christmas gifts. I had also done lots of thinking about how I could tweak the bandana bag concept and gave some of my ideas a try. Again, I'm pleased with the outcome of the one I made.

I also still learned a lot with this one. First, black bandanas are hard to mark for stitching the quilting. I don't have a quilting arm or guide. So, I had marked the bag I made for myself with a pen that disappears when the iron is run over it. I used the white pen to mark stitch lines for this one but it was still really difficult to see the marking. 

Next, I was talking on the phone when I set up the front panel for embroidery and did not even use a stabilizer underneath. Thankfully, it stitched up well in spite of my oversite because of the thickness of the panel with the foam quilting. So, I lucked out there. 

The red bandanas that I used to line the bag were more flimsy than the navy ones I used to line my own bag. So, I sort of wish that I had backed them with some sort of interfacing or stabilizer. I used a piece of bandana as the inside zip pocket on this one instead of using gingham like I did my own. 

For this bag I wound up using a total of five bandanas. It is not quite as wide as the one I made for myself but is plenty spacious. I also did not put a recessed inside zipper in it. After using mine a time or two, I decided that it sort of gets in the way and is deep enough that items don't fall out without that zip closure. I'm still tweaking my ideas for the next one! I do love the bright red embroidery and the roses in the design of the bandana on this one. It gives such a different look to the bag. So, I think no two would be alike anyway. I'm still in love with these cute bags!

We started off the morning with no water today. Welcome to Monday! The repair was several hours in process but we did get water a short while ago. So, I'm going to sign off here and get some cleaning done. I cannot tell you how many times the Mister and I went by the sing this morning and pushed the faucet handle out of habit. Once, we were even talking about how we wondered about the water lines since we had no water but one of the neighbors did and I pushed the faucet handle on, knowing that the water was off. I guess we don't appreciate the luxuries that my grandparents didn't enjoy till later in life in the way we should. I hope your water is cool and the rest of your world is as well. We are in the dog days at this point, I think. 

Today I noticed...Sometimes just a little talk helps to alleviate a lot of stress.

The Mister has been a bit snappy for the past week. No matter what he was thinking or talking about, he seemed to have a negative outlook and attitude about it. Then, he started loosing sleep. He would retire to bed when he was sleepy but would toss and turn and eventually get back up and return to the den, his recliner, and the television.

I happened to be awake and sitting in the den the other night and I asked what his worries were. So, he began spilling the beans. He was concerned about the task of getting his hay harvested. His friends had been calling to chat and would ask him about his hay crop and that seemed to add to the pressure. The whole process was out of his control because Mother Nature kept sending rain to prevent hay work. 

He was stressing about some work that is in process at the local cemetery where he serves as manager. The whole process is slowly making it through the red tape of local town government. Yet, there are people consistently asking him about it and wanting to know when the work will be completed. Those folks probably mean well, but it seems to add to his stress level. 

The Mister listed a couple of other issues that were weighing heavy on his mind. I just sat and listened. Yet, I could tell that with every word that he spoke, he seemed to look a bit more relaxed. Finally, he paused and we sat for a moment in silence. Then, I asked him a couple or three questions like, "So, what is the worst thing that might happen if you don't get the hay harvested this week?" He listed a couple of possibilities. One was that the hay would not be fit for the cows to eat and it might have to just be bush hogged instead. I reminded him that his son, Stephen had said he could buy hay, if necessary and that we only have a handful of animals to over-winter. The barn is already half full of hay. So, that would probably all work out. He sat and pondered a bit.

We chatted on back and forth like that for a few more minutes and the entire time I could visibly observe his whole body sort of relaxing. I think he had been keeping all these worries bottled up inside. I think he was mulling over all of the what-ifs that could happen. That was sort of casting gloom on his sunshine and most of it was way beyond his control. So, instead of just airing his concerns and letting somebody reassure him that it was not nearly as big of an obstacle as he was making it out to be, he was snapping over the little things that cropped up. 

I know that I do the same thing at times. Then, when I voice my ideas and hurdles aloud to the Mister, he ALWAYS sees things clearly and makes me realize that it is a molehill instead of a mountain. Why do we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in knots like that? 

A Hand Made Christmas

I have decided that this year lots of people on my Christmas list are going to get hand made gifts. I've been having so much fun trying out different things on my new sewing machine and creating fun and practical items. So, I've sort of set a challenge for myself to create hand made gifts.

This week I worked on simple zip pouches. I've noticed that most everybody has a use for some sort of zip-up pouch. They are good for storing charging cords, chargers, and ear buds. They are good for holding small items like chap stick, coins, basic makeup, and various other supplies. Since school has started back around here, I'm guessing kiddos are using them as well as adults. 

I also know that by Christmas, some of those items might be lost, used up, or just need updating. This week I crafter a few simple zip-up pouches to give as gifts. I'm trying to think of the different interests of our family members and activities that they are a part of and incorporating that into the mix. 

We are farmers and the farm influence has trickled down in some ways. So, one day's creations sort of seemed to have a farm theme. I made pencil pouches for the school aged grandsons. They all three show livestock. One has sheep, the other two have cattle and pigs. So, that became the focus of their pencil pouches.

I used a pair of old jeans that had developed holes and added some other scraps of fabric and a zipper and I think they really turned out to be cute.

I lined the pouches with the same fabric that I had used as trim and added a swivel clip on a D-ring to one end. On the opposite side of the farm animal, I added a monogram. 

It's fun to see my vision come to life. I hope these help those young guys be more organized and keep up with some of their treasures. Have you started thinking about Christmas gifts?

Today I noticed...Time really does get away without us realizing it.

I sort of felt like my own meme as I was on my way to a dental appointment. I saw a van that was advertising some business and said it was established sometime during the 1970s. As I sat at the stoplight, I thought, "That really isn't something to brag about." 

Then, it hit me. I was a teen during the 1970s. I don't recall which year it was of the 70s that the business was established. Let's just say it was 1976. 

Well, that was fifty years ago.

FIFTY YEARS!

That was more than half my life ago.