The first thing I have to do is...

...get online! Yes, that's right, I haven't been online since about 5 am this morning! The first thing I did since arriving here in Houston is connect my computer to the Internet. Gotta keep tabs with what's happening online....made my rounds in the Internet world and now I'm off to register for quilt market this afternoon! :)

Perhaps I ought to clarify for some of you - I'm in Houston, TX for the next few days for business quilt market, hoping to learn and enjoy seeing all of the new and exciting things in the quilting world!!

Go get the bell!

I've wanted to use the new video feature Blogger has created, but haven't had something worthwhile taped to upload until today. I finally was able to tape Skittle running after her toy bell. This is one of her favorite things to do, but I never have a camera with me when it happens or the times that I go get my camera, she's done playing catch the bell.

You'll have to ignore the table legs obstructing the view; I was on the other side of my sewing room table, throwing the bell under the table to her. She's done this ever since she was a kitten and needless to say she will do it over and over.

The not-so-great-dill flavor

For some reason the past few weeks I have been itching to do more baking and cooking than I usually do. I think it must be the change in weather and cooler temps; it just makes me want to use the oven more and more!

Friday is my day to do more cooking, baking and cleaning during the week. Although I still do the same the other days of the week, I reserve Friday for doing more than I do on the other days. No matter what I have going on or how busy I am, I always take into account that Friday is my day out of the sewing room and off my computer (except for shipping out business orders and answering email in the morning).

The last couple of Fridays I have cooked a couple new recipes I found that looked good and were quick and easy to make. Last Friday was just such a meal. The recipe was a Chicken and Rice casserole of which the main ingredients were chicken, cream of mushroom and rice. Now, I am a rice fan and love just about any dish if it involves rice. It sounded yummy and was a quick fix, so I tried it.

Well, it also called for just a touch of dill for seasoning. That still sounded ok; after all I love dill pickles, so it should be great! Dad didn't mind it, but I could not stand the dill flavor. It's not a bad recipe to use again, but I would definitely eliminate the dill. Number one - it doesn't take but just a teeny, tiny bit of dill to get a touch of the dill flavor and number two - dill should be reserved for dill pickles only in my opinion. At least my apple pie turned out well for lunch!

I still have some new recipes to try, but I'll be in Houston this Friday, so they will have to wait another week or two. Hopefully they will turn out better than this one....:)

Mom finally was able to come home...

A year ago today after being in the hospital in Wichita and Dodge City for over a month, we were finally able to bring Mom home. I can remember the smile on her face as Dad drove up to the house and Lady was there to greet Mom and Dad. Mom was always such a homebody and I know she was more than ready to be out of a hospital room and back home.

She still required a large amount of care as she could not do much for herself. Even though there was lots to do once she was home, I was so glad to be able to stop the daily trips and long stays and the hospital. Someone had to be with Mom round the clock, for several reasons, one of the main reasons being that she couldn't speak. So it was hard for her to communicate what she needed or wanted.

We gradually learned the things she would be trying to tell us, but there were still things she wanted to say and we were unable to determine what she was trying to communicate. At times it was comical, and although the situation was not funny at all, we tried to turn the hard situation into something positive. We tried if at all possible to get a smile or laugh out of her. There were only a few, but there were times we were able to accomplish it!

There were times in the hospital or at home that Mom would do something or be trying to say something and it ended up being so comical. I can remember those times and treasure the memories. Yes, it was hard and I don't want to go through it again, but I'll remember those comical things that happened for the rest of my life.

Fresh apple pie - yummy!

Last week Dad picked a ton of apples of off our apple trees. Usually we do not get much fruit from our trees because the late frost in the spring kills the buds, which was the case with the apricots, cherries and peaches. But the apple trees survived and we have had plenty of fresh apples.

So Friday I decided to make a fresh apple pie. It has been a while since I have made an apple pie with fresh apples, but it tasted oh-so-good! Out of the leftover apples I had peeled and sliced, I made into an apple crisp. There are still plenty of apples for munching on!

What a couple of months!

September and October have been hectic months! I have had so many things going on. I just keep taking each week one day at a time, anticipating when November hits and things in my life will slow down just a little - maybe.

This month I started my new quilt class at the local library and also as an online class. So keeping up with everyone in both classes, getting fabric and supplies taken care of, writing instructions and video taping techniques has filled my days. I have spent more and more time on the computer working with computer files and communicating with class participants.

It's been busy, but I am so enjoying teaching this new class in two different ways with two different groups of people! It has been so neat to see the fabrics and color combinations everyone has come up with. I've enjoyed getting to know everyone who is involved!

Then this month I have been working on a wedding gown, four bridesmaids dresses and mother's dress for a wedding this week. It's been a while since I've designed and sewn for a wedding, so it was a treat to sew for this wedding! Most of the girls lived out of town, so it was a rush at the end for fittings and then finishing the dresses. But they are all finished and they picked them up this evening! Hooray!!

The month is coming to an end and the next two weeks will be hectic, but manageable. I have quite a bit to do before I leave for Houston, TX early Thursday morning. I will be gone Thursday through Sunday for a Business Quilt Market. It's the first one I have attended and am really excited about going. I'm traveling a friend from Dodge and that makes it even greater!

All the newest and greatest notions, fabrics and quilt tools will be available for us as business owners to see before the reach the store shelves. Plus I'm taking a couple of classes and hope to come home with all kinds of plans and ideas! Knowing me and myself, I will have so many plans and ideas that November won't turn out to be any less busy than this month! :)

God's amazing love

All we are and all we have is by the...love of God! The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.

Poem by A.W. Tozer
Graphics compliments of http://www.creativeladiesministry.com

My goal for today...

What a chilly and cold morning! I walked out to the mailbox and just about froze. Of course it didn't help that I was wearing capris and flip flops! But at least I had on a jacket!

This morning seemed to call for something warm for lunch. So I put a roast with potatoes and carrots in the crock pot this morning. That will last for a couple meals this week and then I'll freeze the extra roast for future BBQ beef sandwiches or other dishes. Plus I had carrots in the fridge that needed to be chopped up and used in something.

Lunch is underway and I have my emails answered this morning, have gone to the post office to ship orders and a few other details caught up. I have been busy the last couple of weeks sewing for a wedding this month, so today I plan to get some of my computer work caught up. Also, I have a whole entire pile of business paperwork that needs to be filed and inserted into my computer. So that's my goal for today!

Then it is back to sewing on the wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses and mother's dress which I need to have done this weekend. Everything has been fit; it's just a matter of finishing up the dresses and getting them pressed. So not too much work left on those...

Watching football

On Sunday afternoon, one of my favorite things to do is watching football (depending which team is playing). I usually am working on my computer or getting Sunday School material or Wednesday night kid's club material ready for the week ahead. So I'm not completely wasting my time sitting in the family room. :)

at least one of us is watching the game!

Skittles slept beside me a couple hours until Rascal walked
past and she decided she should pounce on him!

Up goes the Fall decorations

Last Friday I was able to get our Fall decorations put up in our house. It was just in time also, because yesterday and today are just downright chilly. It's rainy, cloudy, cool and most certainly feeling like Fall.

the front door

the hallway right inside the door

the dresser in the hall

above the fireplace (one of the best places to decorate!)

the coffee table in the family room

Autumn classroom

What happened with all those leaves, letters and acorns scattered all over the floor? Take a look:

classroom door - each of the acorns have Bible verses
written on them

Sunday School bulletin board

What Dad's been up to?

The last couple of weeks Dad has been trying to get milo cut and wheat planted. He's been waiting to plant wheat until we received some rain, which we thankfully got Sunday night! We had around 1.5-2 inches of rain which was just what the fields needed!

Last week Dad spent long days cutting milo. He had a friend come and drive truck, so he didn't have to stop and take the truck to Ensign. Interestingly enough, he didn't hire those "famous-truck-driver-sisters-of-mine" that helped in wheat harvest! Maybe they were just a little too reckless with their driving?!?!?! :)

Yesterday he was able to get the last of the milo cut and taken to the elevator. He was pleased with how the milo did this year.

Then today he started planting wheat. I'm not sure how long it will take, but I'm positive he'll spend the next couple of days out on the tractor. The weather has been nice and fantastic for being outside (not that I've personally been out in it that much!).

My little sister...

I've talked to Krissa several times this week. She is so busy with everything there at school, that we don't talk to her too much and she rarely emails us....just too hectic and busy, I guess!

But, it's been fun getting phone calls from her, even if it is about trying to figure out a computer problem! Her cell phone gave out a couple weeks ago and she just CAN'T live without a phone (I can understand; I'd feel the same way!). So we ordered a new phone and had it sent to SC.

Then it has become the huge ordeal of trying to get her contacts (all 200 million of them! :)) switched from her old phone to her new one without having to manually type in each one. I sent her a bluetooth adapter and we've been trying to get her computer to connect to the phone, but we're not making very much progress.

So, she has been carrying around 2 phones all the time - her old one with all the phone numbers plus her new one that actually works! How confusing can that be?!?!

It's been great to talk to her, even though it's been 12:00 at night when she calls! She's up till 2 or 3 in the morning working on the college paper about every night and I'm still up sewing or doing computer work, so it's worked out fine! The plan is to get her phone figured out this weekend, hopefully!

Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman

Jena and Mary (a friend from camp) went to Wichita for a Steven Curtis Chapman concert last weekend. When Jen got home, she said I just have to listen to this song - I will absolutely love it!! But his cd is not out until the end of the month.

Well, my getting-more-and-more-knowledgeable-about-the-computer sister looked online for a clip of the song and found it! So here it is with audio and video! I just love it!! Thanks, Jen!!

Time for a change in seasons...

This week I managed to get my Sunday School classroom fall decorations made and put up on the wall and door at church.

I made everything at home, grabbed my camera and Thursday afternoon hung up things at the church. I brought my camera for a reason - I wanted to take photos of what I had up before I put up the new stuff.

So what, did I do? Took down all my summer decor and then realized I didn't photograph it! Oh, well. I'll just describe it to you. I had large colored crayons scattered on the door with words like Bible lesson, joyous songs, Scripture memory, etc.... written on them. It looked so cute and colorful for the kids coming in each Sunday morning.

The bulletin board had Jesus Loves You written with foam letters. And then foam hearts with everyone's name on it. I love those foam shapes, letters and crafts. They are SO neat and there is everything imaginable for any season in those fun foam pieces!

I was such in a hurry to get everything up and onto my hair appointment and list of other errands that I didn't even get a picture of what I had just put up. Tomorrow, number 1 on my list as soon as I arrive is to get out my camera! Hopefully....

Getting things ready at home....
I know I spend way to much time making things,
but I have so much fun doing it!
I knew there was a reason why I always wanted
to be an elementary school teacher! :)

My ever-loyal helper and constant shadow gave up
pouncing into my pile of foam letters, scattering
them all around the room and sacked out!

...and that is why I wear a watch!

A watch, notebook and pen...three things I can never seem to live without, even for a second! And there is a good reason, too! :)

Last week, I was so in tune with my computer and getting embroidery class files uploaded, that I didn't realize what time it was. I normally quit working downstairs around 5pm and start working on supper. As I'm fixing supper, I usually do a few other things upstairs waiting for Dad to come in and eat.

But last week, Jena came downstairs at 6pm and asked me what I had planned for supper? Six o'clock??? Correct!! I looked at my wrist and what do you know - no watch! I had taken it off earlier in the day and hadn't put it back on - mistake! In my mind it was still about 3:15, which was the last time I looked at the time on my computer.

Now, I know it's strange, but I keep better control of my time if I look at my watch versus another other time operating machine. It's always with me and I can keep track of how much time I have left to finish a task before I need to move onto the next thing.

And that day, even though I had been at my computer the entire afternoon and all I had to do was glance down in the lower right-hand corner of the screen to know the time, I completely lost track of time. My time management skills are based solely on the little time controller on my wrist.

Like I said....that is why I wear a watch! :)

And the notebook and pen....that is another whole story which I'll have to share with you another time! :)

This week in review...

I know Autumn officially starts in September, but to me it doesn't seem like Fall until October. And I can't believe we're already a week into October! How the days do fly by so swiftly...

This week has been extremely hectic as the last couple of weeks and I'm sure the next month ahead. I think things will slow down just a little after October is over. It seems like everything just hits all at one time!

This week I was able to get curtains finished for a customer, a wedding gown ready to fit, bridesmaids dresses ready to try on, quilt blocks finished for my quilting meeting Thursday evening......let's see, what else? As I look back at my day planner, it is full with to do notes for every little thing, but at least they are crossed off up until things to do for today and tomorrow.

This week I also started my online quilt class, so I was also busy sending details out for that and answering emails in regards to this month's lesson. I'm just so excited about teaching this online class and can hardly wait to see all the unique blocks everyone will be creating.

On Monday, I will start my local quilt class, so that will keep me busy from month to month, keeping up with both classes! But I'm so looking forward to it!! :)

In and amongst everything else this week, I was also able to get fall decorations made and put up in my Sunday School classroom. And then this morning I dropped off the curtains I stitched earlier in the week, picked up some alterations which will be due next week and drove to Jetmore for a quilt block contest I had to judge. And tonight I still have dress fittings for a wedding. And then my day will be complete, I think! :)