September 26, 1994

Well it was 15 years ago yesterday I was married. Yesterday was our Anniversary. Then again, depending how you look at it - maybe it was our 22nd Anniversary - we had lived together for 7 years that same month!

I was never one that wanted a "big wedding" with all the hoopla or to-do. Never had the desire to ever be the center of attention even if for a day. I know a lot of people that have the weddings just because they feel that they "have" to, spend a lot of money, and do not enjoy the day - then again - I know some people that live and breath for that day and enjoy every aspect. I just couldn't bring myself to do that - goes against everything in me. If it had been something I had truly wanted then I would have made it happen but it was never something I dreamed of doing. That is why we went away on a two-week vacation and returned married!

We planned a trip to Tennessee and knew we wanted to go to Memphis and Nashville. Now this was before computers were mainstream and you could just plan that way - so I called the 800 number to the Tennessee tourism and waited for my brochure/booklet on things to do (remember doing that?) I also got information from AAA. I saw this area Gatlinburg and added that to the list of places to visit. Reading the booklet, I saw the "no blood test, no waiting" chapel weddings. So we decided to "do it". I picked the "chapel" from the booklet and called and scheduled a date and time!

So on a Thursday we drove to Tennessee and arrived in Gatlinburg. We spent Thursday through Sunday touring around - never once moving the car - they had trolley's that runs everywhere you want to go for $0.25 a ride per person. We went into Pigeon Forge - lots of shopping, museums, Dollywood, etc. Tons of things to see and do in Gatlinburg too - We played Hillbilly Golf, rode in a skybox, and they have this cool craft tour - you get on a bus and it's miles through the hills - you can get on and off each stop at your leisure and there are stores, homes, etc. with the local crafters. Really weird sometimes - you would be dropped on the side of road in the middle of nowhere - and then walk down a lane to someones barn, others were actually shops, It was an interesting day and fun - the bus would come at each stop every 1/2 hour or so - can't remember exactly, but it was cool because if it was a shop you didn't want to go to you just stayed on the bus until the next one. Again, I found this cool and it was by no means strip stores or mall like stores - all very very rural. Then on Monday we went to breakfast then walked over to the courthouse and got our marriage license then that afternoon we got married and spent the rest of the day sightseeing some more. Here is the picture of the log cabin chapel we married in - I believe if you wanted to have guests it would have fit about 50 people. No pictures of the two of us - can you believe it - we forgot to have someone snap our picture together!

The next day we drove to Memphis and there toured Graceland, Sun Studios and Beale Street - this is the one place on the whole trip we had a picture taken of us together - in front of the gates of Graceland - so we say that's our wedding photo and the Ghost of Elvis married us!

A couple of days later we drove to Nashville and did the Opryland, Ryman Theater, Nashville is full of shopping and museums, hall of fames, and went places like the bar where Patsy Cline sang in and things like that - I'm not a country music fan - well not the twangy country - but I do like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and that type of country - if that makes sense!

So that's what I was doing this week 15 years ago!

Back to 2009 - not much going on here this weekend.

This is a pic of Jonesy the other day - he was "talking" to me while having his sunbath - doesn't he look like a 'Tiger-Boy"!


Also as you can see someone stole my hook so there is no hooking going on here!

Falling asleep with my hook - looks like he's giving me the "paw" "here too! No sense taking it away from him - he's laying on top of my frame so again!

Wishing everyone a good week!

Demonstrating

Well the "season" is starting for the local historical and heritage centers and their "Colonial Days", "Fall Days" and things like that.

I belong to a rug guild in New Jersey and they are very active with promoting rug hooking and doing demonstrating at these type of events. A few years ago when I joined the guild I offered to help with the ones local to me - which is good because most of the members from New Jersey.

So every Fall and Spring I help out at some of these events and from one event someone will ask you to demonstrate at another. So it can keep you busy on weekends if you agree to them all!

Saturday I was at the Trappe Historical Society's, Henry Muhlenberg House, http://www.trappehistoricalsociety.org/muhlenberg.html

It's not as large as some of the other events but there is always a big turnout. There were lots of "handwork" demonstrators - Spinning, lace making, cording making, tape making, quilting, mending, and of course there were others making shaker boxes, corn shelling, and more. The Boy Scouts were there selling hot dogs and pretzels and ice cream. It couldn't have been a nicer day - the weather was absolutely gorgeous

Most of the handwork was around the tree - you had to watch out though - this tree was laden with acorns and when a good breeze came up - you got knocked in the head with them!

This is Ronnie - I sat next to her last year - She's also a rug hooker - She's braiding silk ties this time. She will also be at the Apple Butter Frolic (another one I will be demonstrating at) and I believe she will be braiding corn husks there which she said the PA Germans used as door mats. Very interesting what you learn at these events.

There was one woman that was extremely interested and turns out she only lives a town over. So I'm going to take a page out of my friend Kathy's book and help her get started. I will lend her everything she needs and give her some wool and linen to get started. She quilts and she said she can draw - thank goodness - so I told her think about something simple she would like to hook to start and I'll her draw the pattern and then I will teach her to hook. Hope she likes it.

Sunday was a quiet day. Later in the afternoon I decided to go lay down in the spare room and read a book - well it wasn't 30 seconds before Riley joined me and curled up at my knees, about a minute later - Jonesy trotted in and curled up on the other side - My husband came in and started laughing and said I was a kitty sandwich - they were snuggled in so tight - there was a nice cool breeze coming thru the window so we had a cover! Well needless to say I think I dozed a bit myself - very unlike me - I am not a "napper" at all! Well later I had to get up just to move - so ran and got my camera - here are the boys oozed into the bed - and yes i was in between them about a minute before that!

It's another beautiful day in Pennsylvania today - hope everyone is having a good Monday!

Ho Hum Week

Should I get up today or not? Hmmmm this basket sure is comfy - Think I'll just ponder it some more and take a nap...

Hahahahah I've taken over another spot of Riley's...Boy I'm a gonna follow him around some more - he finds the most comfy spots and now I can jump high enough to get up to some of them.

Ahhhhhh nothing better than laying on a piece of wool and taking a sunbath...

It's been weird weather week - warm, cool, sunny, dreary. These are rare pictures of the boys laying down - they have been tearing around the house wrestling each other, playing with all their toys, and banging into things. I don't know if the house will still be standing once Jonesy gets as big and strong as Riley - Oh boy is all I have to say!

Miles is still throwing up some but not as often - bought the digestive food today and will start him on that tomorrow so we shall see. Thanks everyone for asking about him. He's a special guy and just knowing his bloodwork was better than a year ago at his age is great news.

Hope everyone has a great weekend planned - the weather here in Pennsylvania is supposed to be really nice!

What A Crummy Day I Had

Well yesterday was certainly a crummy day - I was ambushed I tell you! Mean Mom - Mean Brothers - No one warned me! First I thought Dad was the only one that wasn't in on it but found out later he knew all about it. Oh man I was so mad - I told them I was fine and I nothing was wrong me - so what if I wanted to lose a few pounds in a few short months - and who really cares if I throw up on the floor every day. I'm fine I tell you. Mom asked me if I was watching too many Intervention shows with Dad - that maybe I saw too many of the episodes about "binging and purging". I said absolutely not - i was fine and I lived in my own body for 16 years and I was fine - end of story.

Everything started out good - me and Mom hung out most of the day - I helped her with the laundry right out of the dryer - i made sure it didn't blow off the bed - oooh nice and toasty. Then Mom gave me a good brushing - boy did that feel good and I must say I was looking pretty handsome.

Later I decided to lay in the sunbeams in the living room...what was that I hear?

Yep - I hear Mom in the kitchen opening the treat bag - ooooooh boy - treats..... hope they are shrimp flavored...

OH MAN HOW DID I END UP IN HERE AND can someone please shut Riley up - he's making fun of me...

Well I thrown in this cage and thrown in the car and Mom drove to the vet's office - It was torture I tell you - plan torture - I was giving Mom an earful the whole way - then we get there and that doctor was poking and prodding and taking my temperature in places foreign objects shouldn't go...how humiliating. The whole time he is he telling Mom that he can't find anything wrong - then Dad shows up - geez I thought he was on my side...So the vet takes me to the backroom and then shaved me neck...

and then stuck in this huge needle and drained me of all my blood - then he brought me back to Mom - i was in a weakened state and gave her a big hug -- Hey what are you going to do - I was still mad but I was happy to see her. Anyway - don't even ask. Dad brought me home and I showed him and Jonesy and Riley that I wasn't very happy and told them to leave me alone!

Well I don't hold a grudge so by the time Mom got home I was ready to give her more hugs! Dad put the cage away in the basement under the table so that usually means no more road trips.

Well the phone rings today and it's that Vet place with the results of my bloodwork! See I told Mom nothing serious was wrong! She was on the phone for quite a while and I was happy to hear her say she wasn't bringing me in for more tests unless some things the vet was telling her wasn't working. From what I gather I have to kept taking my joint medicine, have hairball remedy everyday - something about it being a "laxative" and helps the food go thru something rather than up something and try some different food. Well if it keeps me from going back to that horrible place - I'll eat everything - as long as Mom still treats me to shrimp now and then and I can stay the heck home!

So how was your day??? Miles

Fall is Coming

Well I guess it's true - Fall really is coming. Besides when the weather cooperates, another thing I like about fall is all the festivals, frolics, and things like that. The next two months I have several events where I will be demonstrating rug hooking. It's always fun to take a break and walk around these events and see what else is going on. And on the weekends I do not have any obligations - there always seems to be some outdoor even or craft fair.

Saturday my friend Kathy participated in a Colonial Days in East Berlin, PA. She and several other friends set up a booth to sell their "wares". They close the Main Street and one both sides of the street are booth after booth of people demonstrating different things, food and crafts. I was a little worried for her on my way out there as it was just pouring rain - but when I got closer to York, PA it was down to a drizzle. When I got there I ended up finding her and Beth - not at their booth - but shopping! So was able to "shop" with them. Always fun to shop with those two I was really good and just "window shopped" - of course I was chanting in my head "do i really need this, do I, yes, no yes no yes no yes not" and so on but I behaved.

Here's a pic of Kathy in front of her booth - it was chilly out - poor girl's ankles were blue! But notice - she has a bag and did some shopping!

On the way home I stopped at some primitive stores and one was having an open house - again I did good and just "looked" It wasn't until I stopped at a thrift store where I bought 11 paperbacks - they were having 1/2 price Media sale! So for $3.40 i couldn't lose! I love to read and I tell you - it's getting really expensive to buy a book these days! Love finding them at yard sales and thrift stores, and of course the paperback traders.

Haven't picked up my hook since Thursday, again you can see why - He loves laying on my frame!


Jonesy does make me laugh on a daily basis as Riley and Miles always has done - he's very vocal and chirps all the time and he bounces - guess I should have called him Tigger - I do believe he has built-in springs. He's really a lot of fun to have around - always curious and has to know what you're doing - yesterday I was changing the sheets and he helped me re-sheet the bed - literally - he would help push the fitted part down over the mattress - he does this with all four corners - it's really too cute - then when i put the pillowcases on - I'm shaking the pillow in and he's hanging on the other side! What a helper! Of course Riley joins in and then I have to pretend to pound out the lumps under the sheets - they both just love this! Yep - takes me about 1/2 hour to change the sheets but the fun they have is worth it as I get a lot of giggles from them.

After I got dinner on the stove I went into the living room to sit and read my book for a bit - This box over the TV is where Riley always sits - well guess who got up there today! And guess who wasn't happy that someone stretched out on his turf!


Riley tried to get up on the shelf and also on the curtain rod - I had to run over and tell him no - Kittens!

Wishing everyone a good creative week!

Grant Street Woolworks Laugh-In - Oops I mean the Hook-In

Thursday brought another fun day out at Grant Street Woolworks for the weekly hook-in. I drove to Kathy's and then we did our usual - lunch and then yard sales on the way to the hook-in. I didn't find any treasures but Kathy found a few. Can't wait to see what she does with them. When we got their - Linda was busy binding her mitten. She started hooking it last time I was out and now it's done - It's awesome - so cool - I do hope she decides to do a class on it. Perfect for fall (there is a picture further down of the finished mitten). She then moved on to some pants and then her new project - a fine-cut shaded project she's taken up and is doing a great job.

Pat and Zip were there and Linda when we got there. They had a party for Pat's retirement. I must say, Pat is enjoying her time - she's busy as a bee with baking bread, refinishing furniture and hooking and things - check out her blog - she's always up to something and she's certainly smiling when she's doing it!

Zip left for a while and then came back to get Pat - Pat's new stand came in that day and it's cool - It's just like mine - but I have the 2007 version - mine doesn't have the wheels or the handle to roll it around - Love how she just put her hooking bag on it and away she goes.

You just never know what someone will do or say during the day here. Kathy is laughing at or with someone!

Here's Linda's finished mitten - the colors are perfect - nice and rich.

On and off thru-out the day Kathy was saying how she wasn't in the mood to hook this pillow - however looks what she does when she's not in the mood! I love that pillow - she did a great job on it. Hey I offered her top dollar of $10 for it and then Linda outbid me at $12 - geez - cut throat I tell you! Hahaha

Being that Kathy now works for Linda, they have taken to adding daily exercise to their day . Not sure what "Thursday's Work-Out" was and why Kathy needed her reading glasses? Sometimes it's best not to ask! LOL

In Linda's shop - amidst all the wool and things - she has these wonderful gourds- some are lights - there are pumpkins, scarecrows, bears, and more. I "had to have" Velma and had to bring her home with me. So I put her on my dining room shelf away from the kitten paws.

Linda and Kathy also gave me a snippets dish - which i forgot to take a picture of - but will - Love the fabrics - red ticking (one of my favorites) and a small check - Thanks Ladies!

Came home in the wee hours of the morning again and then of course slept in- It was a great day with lots of fun. I forgot to get a pic of Sherry who showed up later and I was working on and finished another rug for my friend - another kit - i still have to bind it and then will take a pic.

Have a great weekend!

A Different Pie Crust

Ever feel like making a pie but not feeling like making a crust and rolling it out? Here's my favorite recipe for pie crust - my Mom used to call it "Cake-Like" Pie Crust. Easy to mix and then just mold it to your pie plate:

6 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Flour
1 Egg
Vanilla

Cream butter and sugar and then add egg. Mix. Add flour and vanilla. Flour hands and pat in shape in pie plan. Fill and bake in 350 degree oven.

I just made this peach pie this morning using this crust recipe.

I was outside and missed the timer so it got a bit dark but I'm sure it's still going to be good - I especially love this crust with peach as the filling. Can't wait to have a piece!

Last night I was in the mood to hook but Jonesy was sleeping on top of my piece and hooking frame. So I went and did a few things and came back and found my tiger on the frame -

You want to hook - Now?

I was able to get Riley to move a bit so did about a 3" x 3" square around him - then gave up and just watched a movie!

The mail brought me a great gift today - Last week I "won" Ginger's, of Primitives by the Light of the Moon, blog give-a-way. She is one talented lady and let me just say it's an awesome pin keep - Even better than the pic - Thanks so much Ginger - what a kind and generous gesture! You should check out her items - she's always stitching up something or rug hooking and they are great! Thank you again!

Wishing everyone a good week!

I Love a Bargain!

It's really hard to believe that tomorrow is Labor Day - seems the summer just got started but I am looking forward to the fall weather - when it's nice and sunny but no humidity!

This week has beena lazy one - Haven't done any rug hooking as I have had my nose in a book - or should I say several books. That's my problem - when I start a book - I get totally immersed in it and do nothing else! I usually go in spurts like this - wish I could balance it with some rug hooking, some reading, some chores, etc. But no, not me - all in or nothing! LOL!

And speaking of sun and laziness - isn't it funny how a cat will lay in a sunbeam - Here's Riley fitting his body perfectly in the sunbeam from the window - he's just too funny -

Riley and Jonesy are still good friends - Here it is bath time - as you can see my little Jonesy is getting so big!

Here's a pic of the Joneser relaxing -

And here is he taking a catnap -

Today I got up early to go to a yard sale. A few years ago I happened along to a yard sale that had really cool treasures (antiques) and good prices and one of the items I found was my cobblers rack - which I love and holds a lot of my hand dyed wool - There have been pics of it here on the blog - Jonesy has taking to sleeping in the wool on the rack! The house is near a local antiques flea market that is held on Mondays. Well when a holiday is on a Monday it's a big day for the flea market - so a lot of the locals hold yard sales around the area during the weekend. The other day I noticed the house where I bought my cobbler's rack was having their yard sale on Sunday and Monday - so I was there when they opened. I wasn't disappointed!

I bought myself yet another cool old box ($4) - hey one can never have too many wooden boxes, right? These two old blue agate coffee pots (one $3 and one $8) and the old hog scraper ($2) (Riley of course has to check everything out!)

Not sure what this is - anyone know? I asked if it was a candle snuffer - she said no but wasn't sure what it was - she thought it was some type of candle holder that you held onto - but it wouldn't be anything you could set down - and if you had a candle in it - of course you couldn't hang it from the other way? anyway - she tossed it in my lot of stuff at no charge.

Also got this old wall box, some tin molds, and this butter mold - well not sure if it's a butter mold - it's metal - not wood - very heavy- but the design was cool - and you can see i put a different candle in the hogscraper!

I picked up this sewing firkin too for $5 - She told me that she received it from a woman in her quilt guild and that it had been her mothers sewing "basket since she was a young girl - she said her mother has been gone for a lot of years now -

This was the stuff inside the firkin:

I then decided to go to a local flea market - Oh my goodness was it crowded today - it was hard finding parking. It was a good day - there was a lot of vendors - guess they all come out in nice weather. Found myself a basket, a book, and a kit to make my own basket with the instructions and the reed for $1! Also bought some peaches that I plan on making into a pie, some peppers and some mums for $2. Also ran into a rug hooking friend I hadn't seen for a while.

When I got home I decided to pull out some of my fall decorations - so put out some of them - here's my corncob wreath on my front door -

And here's the mum's I bought today and put in my big gray agate tub (they are actually red - the pic came out purply!) Now I need some pumpkins!

So all in all it was good day without spending a fortune! I rarely buy anything unless it's on sale anyway - Of course there was other things I saw I thought I would like but always ask myself "do I really need this" - sometimes my answer is "No you don't" - and sometimes it's "Yes you do but you can't have it!" LOL!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Holiday.

Nothing to Show for this Week but a Sunburn

Well here it is Wednesday already - I have done nothing creative this week because on Monday I headed to the beach with Gourdon -
It was absolutely beautiful on the beach - The waves were really crashing (pretty rough) and there was a breeze and brilliant sunshine - Believe it or not I wish it had been a tad hotter - I was a little chilly - Anyway - it was beautiful sitting on the beach listening to the waves. I did manage to get myself a sunburn. Really - I'm good about putting on the lotion in a #45 since i burn so easily but I only applied it once the one day - and forgot to "reapply" - so only half my one leg is burnt and half my arm from the way i was sitting I guess - looks pretty funny. That's what happens when I start reading - I get so engrossed in a book I forgot sunscreen! Well anyway that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Came home today and found a package on my table. Inside was this beautiful quilt wall hanging from my friend Lori Rippey - Check out her picture trail for many more gorgeous items she has for sale. She does wonderful quality work -



The pic I took isn't that good - it's got some gorgeous prim fabrics in this wall hanging and her stitches are perfect! Thank you so much Lori - I will treasure it always!

Hoping to get started on some more of my friend's UFO's tomorrow but then again maybe I will finish one of the projects I started before I took on the project of finishing her items. We shall see.

Hope everyone is enjoying this absolutely beautiful weather we are having - If only it could stay like this for months on end!