Monday, July 8, 2013

Today is granddaughter Madison's 14th birthday!  How in the world did that happen!  She will be in high school when school starts next month.  So grown up, so adult now.  We were blessed in being allowed to drive to where the family lives this evening, met up with my two daughters and four of their five children and honored to treat them all to dinner for M's birthday.  They are all so wonderful.

Following are a few pictures taken this evening.

Chloe, Madison, Sophie...being silly.  Madison is now 14.  Looks so much like her mother, my daughter Brandi

Mr. Nathan...growing up so fast.  He's headed to 4th grade when school starts

Cousins - Sophie, age 3; and Nathan, age 9.  Sophie's big brother Jacob wasn't there so we missed seeing him

Birthday girl Madison...14 today

Miss Sophie - excitedly told us she went to Summer Camp today  - and got to pet the horses

Last Monday evening we met up with the kiddos and grandkiddos and had dinner to honor my daughter Megan for her birthday, which is July 1.  Here are a couple of pictures from that evening.  

Nathan and Jacob, both age 10...double cousins.  Such sweet boys.

Chloe, Sophie, and daughter Megan.  Chloe belongs to daughter Brandi; Sophie is Megan's youngest

Daughter Brandi with her oldest child, Madison

So, where have the rest of the days of late May, June and early July gone?  Well, let's see.  We were invited to a birthday party for my oldest niece at her home this past Saturday (July 6).  Her birthday is actually July 7 but she was going to be busy on the 7th (lol) - she was going to play bingo all day long because she gets to play for free on her birthday!  Lots of fun.  She and Robert live in a one-bedroom apartment so it was kinda like how many can you pack into a telephone booth or an old volkswagon, but it worked out just fine.  Way too much food, lots of family, very good time.  Love being with my nieces, great nieces, etc.  Got to visit with my oldest brother and sister-in-law.  Here are a few pictures from that celebration.  I did not get pictures of everybody because a lot of them were in/out at the pool.  

Brother Joe, SIL Jerrie, Robert, Lisa, Tiffany, Robert Jr.  

Tammy - cousin to SIL Jerrie but closer in age to my nieces

Great Niece Crystal, my brother Joe (her granddad)

Mark (husband of niece Peggy), Mark's daughter T'Rae, T'Rae's friend

Niece Peggy - Jason and Tamara on small sofa...Peggy half raised Tamara; Jason lived with Mark

Lots of good food at Lisa's celebration.  Their neighbor/friend did the cooking...smoked ribs, sausage, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc., etc.  There was so much good food.  Ken spent a lot of his time outside with the cook...we made friends with him and are hoping he will come to the house and maybe teach us to cook, too.  Robert's son made some scrumptious beans to go with it all, and somebody made potato salad that was to die for.  All-in-all a great time.  

Crystal wants to get up a family group (huge) to go to a Ranger ball game, and I've promised we will go.  It should be fun.  Maybe some of my children/grandchildren will go, too.

I'm telling this saga backwards - and it may get even more mixed up than that.  I said we met up with my daughter and other family members on July 1 to celebrate daughter's birthday.  My cousins from Kentucky, Debbie and Cheryl, along with Cheryl's family, drove in to Texas on Monday.  They packed it all in at cousin Judy's house in Watauga.  On Tuesday, Judy's family and Cheryl's family went to Six Flags.  Debbie wasn't interested in going so I drove to Watauga that morning to pick her up.  From there we drove to Weatherford to meet up with cousins Vickie and Shirley at Cotton Patch for lunch!  How fun!  Afterward Vickie, Debbie and I headed out to Lipan to the family plot at Evergreen Cemetery.  (Shirley had to get back to Granbury.)  Somehow we took a wrong turn through the country, and of course as any Wright girl will tell you, it became hysterical.  But we finally made it...I was following Vickie, Debbie was navigating in Vickie's car.  

Debbie got to take pictures at the gravesite, and then we all got in Vickie's car to take Debbie through the area to show her the old school her dad and siblings (our parents) had attended, and the surrounding town.  Then we headed out of town a bit to try to find and show Debbie where the old place was where the family had lived back when.  Wow, everything is different from the last time I was out there - and Vickie and I couldn't say for sure that we found the exact place.  But, at least Debbie got an idea of it all...still have absolutely NO idea why the family ever lived there!  But, that's where Papa (granddad) and Aunt Florence (Mother's sister) died and are buried.  It was after Papa's death that Grandma and the children moved, finally ending up in Stephenville.  

We made it back to the cemetery where Debbie and I parted ways with Vickie - she headed home to Stephenville, we headed to Watauga/Fort Worth.  I should have taken Debbie to my house but instead took her to Judy's - and they weren't home and didn't get home until quite late.  Debbie ended up sitting in her car in front of Judy's because she wasn't comfortable going in with Judy's dog...who wasn't being too inviting!  

So that was Tuesday, July 2, 2013.  On Wednesday, July 3, a bunch of family (cousins) met at Babe's in Granbury about 5ish for dinner.  Oh what fun.  We ate too much, talked too much, laughed too much, visited not nearly enough, drank a little wine, finally moved to the front porch of the place, and then all drove to cousin Shirley's place to continue the same.  Ken and I finally checked out and went home - too late for old people.  It was so great to see them all...I'm always afraid it will be the last time I get to see them so I never want to miss getting together.  

I made a Tinkerbell quilt for the daughter of cousin Debbie (per Debbie's request).  I failed to take a picture of the completed project, but have a couple of pics of it in progress.  Here is one with only the first border on it...this border is a light green to pull out the green in Tinkerbell's outfit.  The second border is yellow to pull out the color of Tinkerbell's blonde hair.  For the quilt backing I used a pale pink with tiny calico flowers that I purchased at a place out in Childress, I think, on our trip home from Colorado Springs the end of May.  

And then there was the 4th of July!  We were invited to a shrimp boil and swim party at the home of friends Bill and Joan in Haltom City.  So many friends we haven't seen in a very long time, so much food!!!  Ken and I did not swim - there are no suits large enough for me, and Ken deals with an insulin pump which is attached to his body.  But, we wished we had taken suits because the water was so inviting.  Next time we will - if we are invited agan.  We had a great time, but we did not stay for fireworks, we headed home to get there before all that started...our baby Luci Grace (Maltese) is afraid of loud noises like thunder and fireworks.  

On Friday I met up with my Lockheed quilting buddies at Palio's Pizza for lunch meeting.  Another nice time with friends.  I miss seeing these wonderful ladies at work, although three of us are now retired.  I was supposed to go to the quilting bee on Sunday afternoon, but my left leg has been bothering me so badly...so much pain.  Extreme fluid retention, hard knot on the interior lower side of leg, red as in infection/cellulitis, pain in the shin area where I fell, and pain in one of the varicose vein area.  I gotta call the doc...in the meantime I'm trying to keep it up and wearing a compression stocking.  

SO, that was the first week in July (lol)!!  What happened in June!  Maybe not much?  Let's se4e, Ken worked for a few days...about a week.  Then I made him quit.  His car had a problem (the VW).  I had it towed to Hiley VW.  Although Ken drove my car a couple of days, on Friday I needed it myself because I had plans for lunch with friends.  I took him to work - down in the country in far boondoggles of Rendon or somewhere and there I discovered that for his new job he was working in what looked like a couple of old wrecked trailers for offices with no running water and no indoor plumbing/toilets.  This was located at the back of the guy's place and looked like a junkyard gone bad.  I told him he didn't need to be working in a place like that - he's too old, his health is bad, he has no immune system, and we are not that hard up for money.  We picked up his car late that Friday, Ken thought about it over the weekend, went to work on Monday morning, but was home by about noon.  I told him that as of that week we are officially retired.  No more working, no more looking for work.  We are done.  If something comes along and falls in our lap, so be it, but we are no longer actively seeking work.  SO, since then he's had a couple of interviews and going on another one this week -- but this one is for something to do out at the Cowboy Stadium.  Something fun.  

Other than that, we've been sticking close to home.  We worked out our decision about our totaled car.  Damages are cosmetic.  We decided to accept the totaling, but to buy the car back at wholesale and pay off the car, electing to take the balance of the insurance money and put it in the bank.  SO, no more car payment, money in the bank, car has almost 50K miles on it; it is rarely driven but is still good if we decide to take off on a 5000 mile trip.  So that worked out.  Along with the sale of the motorhome we have put ourselves back in a decent position financially.  We will purchase another RV of some kind either later this year or early 2014, but it may be something very simple and definitely will be smaller than what we've had.  But it will be something comfortable and something the dogs will be comfortable in.  And something that will make a very long trip and back.  

I've acquired a 201 sewing machine - it's been in the shop for new wiring; made it home today.  I've won auctions for 2 more machines - a Universal clone of a Singer 15; and a Sunbeam clone of a Singer 15.  One of those will probably be going away.  If I find a real Singer 15-91 centennial, both of these clones will be rehomed.  

I completed my string block quilt - it's very small.  I did straight line quilting on it and really like it...I'm using it as a cover for my Singer 66 treadle machine.  I like the bright colors.  

I will make another string block quilt...I really like these.  The next one will be more planned, with a center strip that is uniform throughout the blocks.  

Oh, I also acquired a Singer 66 hand crank machine with lotus decals.  Oh, it is so pretty.  Some of the clear coat is off of it so I've got to figure out what to do about that...and it was definitely used and not set up as a decoration.  But that makes it all that much better.  We took it all apart, cleaned, oiled (haven't yet lubed), and polished the wood dome top and base.  It's looking spiffy.  It will go to the cranky treadle retreat with me in September.  

We've had work on the house done...at least a little bit.  The lady who cleans for us (does the hard work...floors, bathrooms, etc.) also does painting and such.  Her family is all in construction.  She and her brother have painted both bathrooms, the back hallway, the entry hall, and the lower part of the dining area in the kitchen.  I've made the new curtains for the master bathroom and those are hung.  I bought new white towels for hanging in there - I decorated them with the same fabric as the curtains.  I also made a denim rag mat to go in that bathroom.  I made it by weaving strips of denim and including some of the curtain material to match.  I used an old towel as the base.  I like the way it turned out.  

I am currently making a new shower curtain for the hall bathroom.  I wanted something that was higher and wider than the normal shower curtain so it would "pleat" or gather a bit more and cover more from ceiling to floor.  It is lighthouse fabric which I had to buy online because I couldn't find anything in town or at the warehouse in Dallas.  It's very nice, but I'll post a picture later.  I have to figure out how to cover the seam where I sewed it together because I can't get the pattern to match.  I'm hoping it will have enough fullness that it will gather when on the rod and not show too much.  If it does, I may put a piece of ribbon or bias tape down the center and both sides to make it a bit more custom and to cover the flaw.  

I've also taken down the heavy darker drapes in the den.  Since we've put up the new 2" blind in there, I don't want to cover that window so much.  Because it is summer we keep that blind closed but I am not going to put a curtain over it.  Instead I have ordered some custom "Savannah" toile fabric and am going to make a valance only.  If I decide to put up some side curtains, I'm going to go with the width of half panels that are not truly meant to pull across the window, but only to dress the side of the window.  

I'll be using the same fabric to make valances for the dining room and the kitchen windows.  Very light cream background.  And going with 2" blinds all around.  I'm also going to be making lighthouse curtains to go in Ken's man cave.  I despise the dark navy tab top curtains that are in that room.  

Did I miss anything?  Probably.  Is it important?  Probably not.  Wish we could go on a trip - but not in this heat.  Wish I could see all my "babies" (who are definitely not babies), but that's not going to happen.  Love them all, love ALL my family - immediate, extended, not so extended, and chosen.  God's blessings on all of them and all the wonderful crazy friends who keep my crazy self from going insane.