Dear Blogger Friends

Dear Blogger Friends - I have been too tired and overwhelmed to keep up with everyday things. I realize that this is a phase in the grief process and I just have to work through it. I have missed my Blogger Friends. This week I developed some enthusiasm and have started to plant flowers. Tomorrow I am making a trip to the green house to get impatience and marigolds. Last Saturday, my grandsons, Tyler and Austin, got a load of mulch and spread it for me. I bought a new self-propelled mower and I'm using it while my daughter or grandson use the riding mower. I am determined to mow with the riding mower next week. I am working outside all day tomorrow.

I will probably only post once or twice a week until I get caught up with all the things that I need to do. However, I will be visiting blogs daily.

I started with several bags of top soil for the one side of the house.

I bought several hanging planters of Calibrachoa. It is not a true petunia, but looks like one and can be treated as such. Also known as Million Bells, the flowers look like miniature petunia blooms. I bought the Million Bells for the first time last year. I trimmed them weekly and they bloomed all summer. I really like this shade of yellow.

More Million Bells. Tomorrow I will hang them.

These Impatience are for the shaded front porch.

I am planting the Daisies next to the hot tub where perennials are growing and the Snapdragons next to a small fountain. I have a big pile of mulch to use in these areas.

I think that I have the perfect spot for this azalea. The small crock has some Pansies and a few other flowers. I also have two baskets of Pansies. They stay nice in our area until the end of June.

This is the new wreath that I bought for my front door.

Thank you all for being there for me.
Although my need is great,

My gratitude is more.

But you are like the sunshine,

Drowning all in light.

Happy Blue Monday

First of all I would like to apologize for not posting as frequently as usual. I have had some health issues, family issues, and things that have to be taken care of. I promise that I will be back to visiting and posting more frequently very soon. I hope that each of you had a wonderful and blessed Easter. I was fortunate to have my family at my house.

This is Daughter Stephanie with Haylee Sherryann my great-granddaughter. I hope that the blue on Stephanie's shirt qualifies this for a Blue Monday post. Haylee Sherryann is a beautiful baby.

And the Easter egg hunt begins. The guys hid 200 eggs and each was found. The sky was so very blue.

This is the Easter basket that I received as a gift. I love the pottery "basket" and it is filled with my favorite candy.

The Historical Society had an Easter flower sale this week. I volunteered to work on Thursday. I bought this beautiful hydrangea. I am hoping that I'll be able to plant it and it will grow into a beautiful hydrangea bush.

Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ hosts Blue Monday. Blue Monday continues to grow in popularity Stop by to visit her and join in the fun. Thanks Sally for being a wonderful hostess!

A Fun Day

My good friend, Elaine, invited me to drive with her to Houtzdale to visit her old friend and my new friend, Kathy. Kathy is a lovely woman that I met at Elaine's a few months ago. Kathy's husband passed away two years ago. They had lived in New Jersey and, upon retirement, returned to the home that had been his family's in Houtzdale. The home is a lovely old home that Kathy and her husband renovated. As of the census of 2000, there were 941 people, 380 households, and 275 families residing in the borough.

This is the table in the great room. We had a lovely lunch at this table.

This is Kathy's hutch. It is filled with beautiful dishes. The ducks on the top of the hutch were hand carved by Kathy's husband.

This is the lovely wood burner. Kathy informed us that her son-in-law is the expert at building fires in the wood burner.

This is one of the chairs that is in the sitting area of the great room.



This is another chair that is in the great room. It is a family heirloom.

This is a small lovely old sofa. I would call a settee. It is very cozy.

It was amazing. As I sat and looked out this window, it was as if a blizzard appeared out of no where. Kathy told me that she often sees deer when looking out of this window.

This is my old friend Elaine and my new friend Kathy. They are both wonderful ladies.

We had a wonderful day today. It was so good to get together with Elaine and Kathy. They are lovely ladies.

Blue Monday

For some reason it was difficult for me to find "new blue" for this week's Blue Monday post. Before selecting my posts, I learned a little more about my favorite color.

Blue is the overwhelming "favorite color." Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable, and committed.The color of ocean and sky, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives. As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming. However, not all blues are serene and sedate. Electric or brilliant blues become dynamic and dramatic -- an engaging color that expresses exhilaration. Some shades or the overuse of blue may come across as cold or uncaring.Indigo, a deeper blue, symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery, and spiritual realization. While blue is the color of communication with others, indigo turns the blue inward to increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings.Blue is the least "gender specific" color, having equal appeal to both men and women. I hope that you will like the blues that I have selected this week.

I love this set of four blue wine glasses. They match several sets of my favorite China.

This is a vase that my daughter bought for me in a thrift shop.

This is one of my many button jars. It's a blue jar. I thought that it would be fun to go through the buttons in the jar and pull out the blue buttons.

Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ hosts Blue Monday. The Blue Monday posts grow each week. Stop by to visit her and join in the fun. Thanks Sally for being a wonderful hostess!

Quilting

I am so excited. Daughters Michele and Stephanie and I are taking a quilting class that will begin at the end of the month. We will be making a Log Cabin quilt. "A log cabin quilt is a great pattern for novice quilters. It's a familiar, traditional design so the finished product will surely make the novice feel a sense of accomplishing a time-honored craft and it's made with straight lines, so learning to maneuver the pieces of fabric isn't as complicated as a more intricate pattern might be."
Last Friday evening Dear Daughters and I went to JoAnn Fabrics to select our fabric. We are making double/queen quilts. These are the supplies that we needed. Center 1/4 yard; 1st light 1/2 yard; 2nd light 1/2 yard; 3rd light 1 1/4 yard; 1st dark 3/4 yard; 2nd dark 1 yard; 3rd dark 1 1/2 yard; border 1 1 yard; border 2 1 1/2 yard' binding, 1 yard; backing 6 1/2 yard; and batting 101 x 129.
Dear Daughters have made quilts before and Daughter Stephanie is an expert. As Michele and I had such difficulty selecting our fabrics, we decided that we would purchase the same fabric as Stephanie selected. The only difference is my backing is purple while Stephanie's and Michele's are a shade of burgundy.
We spent almost three hours in JoAnn Fabrics. It took two hours for the clerks to cut our fabric. They were very, very kind.

This is a Log Cabin design quilt.

The Career & Technology Center has cutting equipment but I bought my own so that I can work on my quilt at home.

I need extra bobbins and thread. I decided this would be an appropriate time to purchase a good pair of scissors.

This fabric will be the center block.

These are other fabrics that we (Daughter Stephanie) selected.

I am a complete novice in the art of quilt making. I'm very excited about the quilting classes and also am looking forward to spending time with Daughters Stephanie and Michele. The classes are on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. So many of my blogger friends make beautiful quilts, and you are wonderful role models. I am anticipating working on my first quilt and hope that it will lead to more.

Blue Monday

After my mother passed away, Daughter Amber bought the house that had been my childhood home. It was my sisters and my task to go through our mother's belongings. We left the dining room table and chairs in the attic. The table was not sturdy and the chairs needed upholstered. Both the table and chairs needed refinished. My sister and I thought that we would have to dispose of the table and chairs but were not quite ready to do so. Amber has a friend whose hobby is refinishing old furniture. She had the table and chairs refinished and the chairs reupholstered. Amber was anxious for me to see the finished product. I was actually in awe of the beautiful refinished table and chairs. Of course, blue is my favorite color and that fact made them all the more appealing. I half jokingly told Amber that I would trade my dining room table and chairs for hers. She immediately agreed. She said that mine was less formal and would be better for her house.

This is the chair that was at the head of the table where Daddy sat

The table has two center pieces that I stored in the closet. After I get some help rearranging the sideboard, I plan to place the table in the center of the room.

Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ hosts Blue Monday. The Blue Monday posts grow each week. Stop by to visit her and join in the fun. Thanks Sally for being a wonderful hostess!

Red Hat Society Again

This is the lovely antique/vintage/craft shop that is located in the former Workman's Store in Rockhill Furnace. The Red Hat Society visited the shop after our luncheon at the Iron Rail Bed and Breakfast.

I saw many things that I would like to purchase. There were lovely spring wreaths. The owner, a beautiful lady, gave me the hours that the shop is open. I will visit again over the weekend when I have time to peruse the many unique items. In the summer, the shop also sells old fashioned Sundaes and other ice cream delicacies.

I hope that you enjoyed the activities of our local Red Hat Society! I am anticipating purchasing a new Spring red hat!!!

Fun with the Red Hat Society

Last week our Red Hat Society ladies had a lovely luncheon at The Iron Rail Bed & Breakfast. The lunch was exquisite and was served by the owner who was a very cordial host. As you can see, everyone was dressed in grand attire.

After lunch, our host treated us to a tour of the house. The house was built in 1885 for the superintendent of the East Broadtop Railroad.

This beautiful coal stove is actually used.

This antique organ fascinated me.

This is an area in one of the bedrooms.

A sitting area in a bedroom.

A lovely bedroom.

One of the bedrooms has a claw foot tub in its bathroom.

My next post will be of the antique/vintage/craft shop that we visited which is located near The Iron Rail Bed & Breakfast.