A Devastating Hail Storm

On August 9, 2009 a huge hailstorm hit our area. In fact the storm's path was 150 miles long and 10 miles wide. The nearby town of Eldora, Iowa was in the direct path and it caused extreme damage there. Crops were lost. Many farmers won't have anything to harvest. These are some pictures we took of the damage to homes and businesses. The hail stones were golf ball size and larger with some winds clocked at 100 miles per hour.

Quilt Expo

Last week we attended a Quilt Expo. What a lot of beautiful quilts there were. So many were landscapes, some of which you can see on these pictures. Many quilters have developed their own individual techniques for arranging the colors and patterns of the fabrics to accomplish the desired picture. Tiny pieces were put in place and then each one had to be stitched down, usually by hand. It truly was a feast for the eyes.

Introducing The Loopy Family

The Loopy Family has moved into milarks’ Etsy shop. This family is a group of cousins who recently found each other and decided to take up residency there.
Rupert is a dominant personality, stern and quiet.
Annabelle is petite and sweet with her pink attire.
Paulis is a little guy who lets his pet dog walk all over him.
Dottie likes her name because it matches her looks.
Homely Homer has a difficult time looking pleasant.
Clementine is a demur maiden, proper and coy.
They expect more cousins to join them in the near future. Their arrival has been delayed, but they will surely arrive in time for you to look them over before Christmas.

Losing a Brother

On July 15, 2009 I lost a brother. He had a heart attack while driving home from work. Although he had a heart attack a few years ago, I never quite believed that it would take his life at the young age of 66. In some ways I lost him many years before. When he moved across the country away from where we live, contact gradually became less and less. There is bitterness in part of the family and sadness is what some others are feeling. So the heart is heavy. Today I've been searching albums for pictures with the plan of sharing them with his children. That is what is left now, pictures and memories. And a heavy heart.

My Country Tis of Thee

Sunday morning the Praise Team led our church worship with a group of patriotic songs.
A Song of Peace
God of Our Fathers
My Country 'Tis of Thee
Let There Be Peace on Earth
America , the Beautiful
God Bless America
All are special and beautiful, but I couldn't sing some parts because the tears kept getting in the way. Yes, it is "My country tis of thee" that I am concerned about. I feel some of the freedoms this great country was founded upon are being taken away from us.
My country,' tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside
let freedom ring!
But then I tell myself to remember Who is really in control.
Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty,
to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might,
great God, our King.
And that is my prayer this July 4th.

Hydrangea is Blooming

This hydrangea was a gift last year (2008) in May. It was in full bloom then. A year later it is in full bloom again after successfully getting through the winter. Such a beautiful pink with blossoms so heavy they had to be propped.

Red Petunias? Or Are They?

Last fall I saved seed from a lovely red petunia that we had purchased. Six to eight weeks ago we started some of that seed, and now the plants are having their first bloom. How interesting! As you can see, we got quite a variety of shades of red. These are the only ones in bloom today, and each one is a little different, in shape as well as color.

Mystery of the Night

Did you know there are mysterious things that happen to you every night? While you are asleep, all kinds of activity is going on. Actually, it’s a wonder you get any rest at all! When you’re asleep, your muscles and cells repair themselves. In fact, some cells in your brain are 5 to 10 times more active when you’re asleep than when you’re awake! Your immune system strengthens itself to help you fight off sickness. Also your brain organizes the things you learned during the day.
Then there are the dreams! If sleep is a mystery, dreams are even more mysterious. Most dreams happen in a stage of sleep called REM (Rapid Eye Movement), when the brain is really active. You might have REM sleep five or six times a night, so that means five or six dreams a night, and that would be more than 1800 dreams a year. How many of those can you remember?
Animals need sleep, too, but some have strange sleep patterns. Some animals sleep almost all day. Some hardly ever sleep. The brown bat sleeps 20 hours a day, but the giraffe only sleeps two hours. The squirrel needs 15 hours of sleep, but the horse only needs three hours per day. Most birds can sleep with one eye open and they can sleep with only half of their brain at a time.
Scientists don’t know a lot about the mystery of sleep, but what they do know is really cool, isn’t it?
(Taken from the May 2009 Banner article The Big Night Mystery by Sandy Swartzentruber.)

Workbasket Magazine

Have you ever heard of the little craft magazine called "Workbasket?"
The "Workbasket" magazine started publication in October 1935. It was a 16-page issue and printed on newsprint. The first issue titled, "Aunt Martha's Workbasket, Home and Needlecraft, For Pleasure and Profit" contained a little letter which stated: 'Aunt Martha is going to compile different projects together in each issue. Each issue will sell for 15 cents or a yearly subscription would be $1.00. '
It became so popular that three printings were necessary to meet the demand for the September 1936 issue. Dropping the "Aunt Martha's" from the name in Jan 1942, it went on being published until 1996 with several price increases until then when it had a complete change in format and the charge was $2.95 per issue.
I have quite a few copies of the magazine which I am willing to sell. The three I have listed in my Etsy shop are from 1982 and 1983. If there are craft people looking for something to make from long ago these magazines may be the answer.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24689022

It's That Time of the Year

We have lots of plants started and they are living in the greenhouse for now. Any day now we should be able to get them planted outside; however, with the frost two nights ago, perhaps we need to wait a little longer.










Picture on left shows pink allysum. Picture on right a flat of marigolds with four pots each with a tomato growing. The tomatoes will stay in the greenhouse all summer.

Picture on the left shows geraniums, tomatoes and impatiens. Picture on right are two kinds of basil--green is sweet basil and in the back is curly purple basil. On left are blue salvia. Other started plants not shown--petunias, lobelia, morning glories, four o'clocks, thyme, marjoram, parsley, and three kinds of peppers.

How Special!

I have made a new Etsy friend and she has done something very special. Kayla contacted me weeks ago about doing a feature on my Etsy shop. It sounded interesting, so I completed a questionnaire that she sent.
Actually Kayla is a very special person and she is a very sick person. Only 19 years of age, she has been living with Lyme Disease for 5 ½ years. If you go to her blog, you will read more about her, and this is where the feature of me is located.
I invite you to check it out –
http://theeclecticelement.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunday.html

Cyclist Elgar, the Musician

On the grounds of Hereford Cathedral in England (see pictures in previous blog) there stands a statue of Edward Elgar with his famous bicycle.
So who was Elgar?
Edward Elgar was arguably the leading English composer of his generation. He was born in the small village of Lower Broadheath outside Worcester, England in 1857, the son of William Elgar, a music dealer and his wife Anne (nee Greening). By the age of eight, he was taking piano and violin lessons, and would often listen to his father playing the organ at St. George's church, and soon he also took that up. His prime interest, however, was the violin, and his first written music was for that instrument.
Surrounded by sheet music, instruments, and music textbooks in his father's shop, the young Elgar became self-taught in music theory. On warm summer days, he would take manuscripts into the countryside to study them (he was a passionate and adventurous early cyclist from the age of 5). Thus there began for him a strong association between music and nature. As he was later to say, "There is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require."
Although he started cycling at an early age, Elgar's first bicycle was purchased a month after his 43rd birthday. He then became serious about cycling and was often accompanied on his cycling trips by friends. One friend remembers, "there cannot have been a lane within twenty miles of Malvern that we did not ultimately find ... as we rode, he would often become silent and I knew that some new melody or, more probably, some new piece of orchestral texture, had occurred to him'. Though none of Elgar's bicycles seem to have survived, some of his cycling maps have, complete with the routes he carefully filled in.
Elgar is probably best known for the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches, composed between 1901 and 1930. Shortly after he composed the first march, Elgar set the trio melody to words by A. C. Benson in his Coronation Ode to mark the coronation of King Edward VII.

Morris Dancers in the UK

One of the excursions we made on our last visit to England was going to Stratford Upon Avon, well known, of course, as Shakespeare’s town. We came across some street dancers with some unusual attire. These strangely clad men, waving handkerchiefs and sticks, with bells jingling from their clothing are called the Morris Dancers. Popular all over England, we learn that the origins of this tradition are lost in time, but the ritual goes back well over 500 years.
The black faced dancers we saw were colorfully dressed with fabric strips and handkerchiefs sewn all over their clothing and gave their performance with the accompaniment of accordion music to the tune of "Oh Susannah." They've been merrily dancing with their blackened faces for 200 years but recently, because of political correctness, they might be forced to abandon darkening their faces. We’re not sure if the feathers in the hats has any particular meaning!

Another Episode with Two Guys

Here we are with the two guys who model the soap holders for milarks' Etsy shop.
This time they each have some soap!
They say that soap holders are as cool as sunglasses and ipods.

Two Guys -- One Soap

Time to model the soap holders milarks is selling on Etsy.
"I’ll take green and you can have the red one!"
"Mom, we each need a bar of soap."
"You’ll have to look in the upstairs bathroom."
"There’s only one there."
"Try looking in the downstairs bathroom."
And that’s how it happened. Only one bar of soap was found, and the red soap holder got it!!
The pictures tell the rest of the story.

More Recipes

Two recipes have been added. Another Carrot Soup recipe which is very tasty and just right for a cold winter (going into spring) day! And what better to go with it than an easy to make bread. Be sure to try this Focaccia Bread which is so light and yummy.
The invitation is open to anyone to submit a recipe for this blog. Something special for you might be something we would like, too. Previous recipes are near the bottom of right hand column.

All A-Twitter

Everyone is talking about Twitter! Even news broadcasters tell listeners they can "learn more by going to Twitter." So what is it?
Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates. It asks the question, "What are you doing?" Then you answer by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets" to your friends, or "followers."
The short format of the tweet defines the service provided by Twitter, giving relief from the fatigue of long email and IM use. It allows quick communication with people that you wouldn't normally exchange email or IM with, opening up your circle of contacts.
Your tweets are displayed on your profile page, on the home page of each of your followers, and in the Twitter public timeline.
Twitter is quite new to me, but I am learning. If you have used it, would you please leave a comment and tell how it is useful to you?

Free Fonts

Do you have all the fonts that you would like in your word processing program? I have a lot in mine, but so many are useless for what I want to use. I have often searched for new fonts that might be available to download for free. Well, I have found such a place that has so many that when I start checking out some of them, I find I have not even scratched the surface. Listed alphabetically it seems the amount under each letter is just endless. There is also a search feature in which you may even try to locate a particular font.
This site encourages letting others know what they have to offer. "If you want to help maintain this website, link to it from your website or Forum." So since I don't have a website, I decided to put it on my blog. If you find this useful for you, will you please leave a comment telling what you think?
http://creamundo.com/index.php?lang=en&verThumbs=1&letra=a

A Place of Interest in England

The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. The cathedral is dedicated to two patron saints, namely Saint Mary the Virgin and Saint Ethelbert the King. The latter was beheaded by Offa, King of Mercia in the year 792. Offa had consented to give his daughter to Ethelbert in marriage: why he changed his mind and deprived him of his head historians do not know. The execution, or murder, is said to have taken place at Sutton, four miles (6 km) from Hereford, with Ethelbert's body brought to the site of the modern cathedral by 'a pious monk.

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is part of leaving the old year and entering the new.
We look back on the special family times–Thanksgiving and Christmas, a graduation in St. Louis, Mother’s Day with a daughter’s family, our England trip and spending time with the family there.
Most of the year 2008 was filled with what I call an adventure in the unusual. In January a close family member told me about a place called Etsy, which is a place to buy and sell all things handmade. By the end of the month I became a member. I opened my shop called "milarks’ Creative Connections" with a few of my handmade articles and began creating in earnest after that. Sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting took on new meaning because it was something I could share. Digging out some Vintage items served a double purpose–emptying shelves and drawers as well as finding someone with a new appreciation for those things. How rewarding has been all the friendships that have developed through being part of Etsy.
Then the Larky Lady’s blog was created. What fun to tell about our various endeavors with plants and growing things. What fun to share pictures of our England trips. What fun to include the awesome pictures EG took of the pelicans and their extended stay on a nearby lake. What fun to include submitted recipes by friends and family. Yes, all that has been fun. Not so, telling about the tragedy of a tornado or a flood, or two little girls with serious illnesses.
So the year was filled with memories to cherish. Rumblings about what’s in store for 2009 make us uncomfortable. We may choose to look at the bleak picture of our future, or we may trust our faith. The choice is ours, isn’t it?
Warmest of wishes to all my blog readers.

Statue of Another Lady & The Bard's Birthplace

Promised Pictures

Here are two pictures taken in Banbury, England. (See previous article for story.)

Banbury Cross Statue and Lady on a White Horse Statue.

Actually the Lady is on a horse, but it isn't white.

A little humor though--notice how I caught her with a chimney on the top of her head.

December

To the cold December heaven
Came the pale Moon and the stars,
As the yellow Sun was sinking
Behind the purple bars.–
Charles Dawson Shanly, Canadian poet, 1811–75

Yes, December is cold and already snowy. We had 5 inches over the week-end and more predicted for Wednesday.

The Old Farmers' Almanac tells about this special event--

Sky Watch
The planets and the Moon are putting on a show! For a few nights, brilliant Venus, bright Jupiter, and the crescent Moon blaze in a striking conjunction. They first formed their brilliant triangle last night, 15 degrees high, in the southwestern sky. The three celestial objectives will continue to stay close together as seen from Earth even though the planets are millions of miles away.

Happy Thanksgiving

So many things to be thankful for--
Faith
Family
Friends
Freedom
Food
Health
Happiness
Home
Church
Community
Comforts
Neighbors
This certainly isn't everything, but what I could think of right now.
Do you have some you could add to the list?

Banbury Cross

Do you remember the nursery rhyme?
Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes.
We drove to Banbury one day where we saw the two statues -- one of Banbury Cross and the other of the lady on the horse.
The words of the Banbury Cross nursery rhyme are often attributed to the "fine lady" Elizabeth I of England. One day she travelled to Banbury to see a huge stone cross which had just been erected at the top of a steep hill. When the Queen's carriage started up the hill a wheel broke and the Queen chose to ride the cock horse to the Banbury Cross. The people of the town had decorated the horse and the Queen was attired in her fine jewellery, as well as shoes with pointed toes. The fashion of the day was to attach bells on the toes of those shoes.
Thus the nursery rhyme. The original cross of the rhyme was demolished in 1610.

Obama Victory Brought Euphoria In Britain

Election of the new president in America elicited such excitement in England that radio commentators were euphoric. Words such as "amazing performance, historic event, massive effect, high expectations" were common terms. He "hits the ground running, has enormous prestige, second coming." He's "the people's president, change has come, just believe." One reporter even joked, "now the weather will be better." On a Sunday morning radio program they talked about Obama's message of Hope. A newspaper cartoon had a sign by the White House, "Please don't walk on the water!" On the radio they were calling in and singing songs about Obama. "Barack Kareoke" "Obama Mia, Yes We Can."
Newspapers on the news stands had Obama front page headlines for three days with photos of him and his family. Headlines, such as -- "Whole World is Galvanized." "Obama Mania Across the World." "World Looking to Obama to Solve Problems." "Obarmy Army." "As Obama Gets Elected, the Earth Moves." "Obama Factor Boosts Tourism in America."
This has been very interesting experiencing this frenzy. We were in a shop one day and in conversation with the clerk, after she knew we were from America, she mentioned the election and wondered if I was sorry to be here and miss that. "Oh," I said. "Absolutely not. I really enjoyed being in this country and seeing what happened here with our election in America.
We never would have known any of this if we were home."

Remembrance Sunday in Great Britain

Standing outside by the Redditch War Memorial on a cold, windy Sunday, we took part in the Remembrance Sunday Observance, which is held every year on the Sunday before Armistice Day. It included the wreath laying ceremony, which was preceded by the Two-Minute Silence Observance signalled by the bugler. The wreath ceremony was led by the mayor of the town of Redditch.
Following the ceremony we attended services at nearby St. Stephen's Church. This was a continuation of remembering the war veterans and ended by singing "God Save the Queen," Britain's National Anthem.

Election Day & Guy Fawkes Day

Today, November 4, is Election Day in America. In England it's the day the early 1600s when a conspiracy to destroy the English Houses of Parliament was discovered. Through means of a tunnel 36 barrels of gunpowder were stored in a vault below that House by a group protesting the suppression of the Roman Catholics. After receiving a tip from one of the conspirators, a search was made of the vault where they found the gunpowder and a Catholic Englishman, named Guy Fawkes, who was commissioned to set off the explosives. He was arrested, tortured and later hanged. Today the plot is celebrated as Guy Fawkes Day and the explosion is commemorated by fireworks on November 5. So tomorrow night we will be hearing a lot of "booms" and "bangs" and will see the skyline bright with fireworks.

Yes, England, We're Here!

I don't think England got the message that we were coming. We were greeted with rain the first few days. Then guess what happened! We got snow. A good layer fell last night and it's cold! The forecast is for more cold days ahead. The really bad part is that my Iowa family writes that they are having sixty and seventy degree days! Is that fair?

The other not so nice item--we went to Birmingham mall one day. You would have thought it was the day before Christmas there were so many people! Every aisle was packed. Part of the reason was that there is no school here this week, so many of those were students.

These are just observations, not complaints!! The flight was just fine; everything on time and it was even shorter than scheduled. And we've been spending time with family. All good!

England, Here We Come! Plus Other Bits and Pieces

Next Monday, October 20th we are leaving for England and will be there for four weeks. I will have limited access to a computer, but I hope to make a blog entry a time or two while we are there.
I did my voting last week, absentee. We won’t get to follow the excitement of hearing voting results like we would if we were here, and maybe that’s just as well!! But we will get some information from the BBC. And hint–maybe I will get some emails about what happened.
We had a flock of birds swoop in and feed on the berries in the crab apple tree the other morning. I tried to see what kind of birds they were, but they flitted so much I couldn’t see, and then they were gone. They must have stopped over for brunch and the leader said, "That’s enough, guys. Time to go!"
I had thought at first they might be Cedar Waxwings, because a flock of them usually makes a visit once a year. But I couldn’t see them closely enough. They are so cute with the little tufts on top of their heads.
We did see some Blue Jays, Cardinals and a Downy Woodpecker eyeing the feeder the other day after EG uncovered it. It was completely covered again this summer with morning glories. That adds a pretty touch to all the other flowers around the deck and to the pots full of blues, reds, yellows and pinks on the deck. Now before we leave, the pots will be moved to the garage hoping some plants will winter over and the greenhouse will be taken down.
Summer ends. Winter looms.

A Hint For Etsy Sellers

When I read that an Etsy Seller had "cream tea" as part of her name, it made me take real notice, because as I wrote sometime before, that was a yummy dessert I had on our first trip to England. So I wrote to her commenting about that English treat.
Just before that I read on one of the threads a remark about the importance of showing shipping charges for other countries. Since she was from the UK, I thought she would be a good one to ask about it. I have had many times that God has sent someone into my life at such an appropriate time. She did have an opinion on this topic, I thought, from which all sellers could all profit. I have tried to make International buyers welcome by asking them to write for shipping charges.
Here is the gist of her comments.
"As a buyer I never write and ask about posting charges unless it is something I desperately want and cannot get anywhere else. This has happened once in the 3 years I have been selling and buying on Etsy.It is all about impulse buying and in a site such as Etsy, with such competition it is essential to grab the buyers and make the process as easy as possible. Plus on an international site it can lead to delays in answering convos (conversations) because of the time difference. Therefore a loss of sale if they have bought elsewhere in the gap.
Plus another point...if you only list shipping charges for your country, it may be perceived that the other countries aren’t seen as being important. You don’t even want to hint at that."
I know I am going to try to add some international shipping charges to my listings. Maybe this will help you, too.

Here It Is!

The mystery plant opened to a beautiful white blossom. Don told us what it is--datura innoxia. We looked up more information and found all parts of it are poisonious, but this very white blossom is so pretty. The mystery of how it got into the pot of soil has not been solved. And yes, slight pressure on the leaves does give the smell of peanut butter.

Another Plant Mystery

At least we knew where the first mystery plant came from, but this one is a complete mystery. That one was from a packet of Forget-Me-Not seed. But this one , we have no idea.
I had decided I needed to start some rosemary cuttings one day this summer. So I got the pot ready for them, filled it with soil from the bag that had been used before for other plants and inserted the little cuttings.. After a few days, we noticed a lot of little plants coming up. We couldn’t understand where they came from and didn’t recognize what they were. We left them until they got too big and crowded the rosemary. So I transplanted several of them into individual pots. We had to keep some of them to find out what they were. Well, we still don’t know what they are, but they are different from anything we have had before.
So where did all those seeds come from? They were only in this one pot and so many of them. And what are they? Also interesting when we look at the five plants in the picture together, they are in all stages of growth before the bloom. I will add more pictures when the blossoms open.

Someone Special

Look what someone special did for me--

http://spottedcowsoaps.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-herbs-less-salt.html

After she purchased the first cookbook, she said she would be back for another. I had forgotten all about it; then one day there was the order for the second one.

So heartwarming to find these special people who enter our lives. I am truly blessed.

Garden Progress

Maybe there should be another title for this, because of how BIG some of the things are. We are quite shocked when we find each one.
Brandywine tomatoes are huge. We had one weigh 1 lb., another weighed 1 lb. 2 oz. and then we found the one pictured which weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. In the second picture you can see it in comparison to some also large sized tomatoes. Shown in the picture are a few Chocolate Drop tomatoes. They are like a cherry tomato, but are dark colored like chocolate. Very tasty. The small oval shaped ones are Baby Girl and very sweet.
Then there is the large cucumber. What can you say? It just grew big. We gave it to a friend who is into making relish.
EG has a large dahlia bed, of which he is really proud. He keeps me supplied with bouquets every day. But of this yellow one, he is especially proud. It measures 10 inches across! What a beauty! So enjoy looking. We’re happy to share with you.

Garden Beauties

These are some pictures we just took of things that are growing in our yard. First of all on the deck we see a beautiful canna. This was grown from the seed of Princess Di Canna, but it doesn't look like the parent plant. Then there's the lovely red hibiscus grown so tall with a profusion of huge blossoms. The last two pictures show one plant of Brandywine tomato with its twelve large fruits plus several small ones. Just beginning to ripen, a taste treat awaits us!

My Painting Experience

WhenI was asked me to write an article for the church newsletter about my painting hobby, I wondered what the best approach would be. Then the thought hit me that this hobby has led to many adventures. When I bought that first little box of oil paints so many years ago, I had no idea where the Lord was leading with that and how much enjoyment would come from it. It was always a thrill seeing what putting the paint on the canvas looked like, how adding a touch of another color would change the whole effect.
As time went by, I found I liked acrylics, too. Then I went to watercolors and pastels. Along the way I took advantage of a few different classes. One I enjoyed was given by a local artist who gave lessons in oil painting and pastels. The class excursion one of the days included painting buildings on a nearby abandoned farm.
Enjoyable was a watercolor class a friend and I went to in northern Minnesota given by a well-known watercolor artist, Ed Whitney. There we met another watercolorist and arranged for her to give a two-day watercolor workshop in our town to anyone interested.
Another interesting project. A friend read poetry while I did a painting with pastels. We gave the program several times for groups. Seeing the interest in the students when I demonstrated oil painting at the local Christian school one year, was rewarding. On the scene painting with friends through the years has also been enjoyed.
Some of the paintings were displayed in several area places and were hung for a time when our local vacant school had a Gallery. A few times some paintings were entered in various fairs. Quite a few were sold.
Then there were the murals. That all began when two of us mothers of students at that time began painting scenery for Proms and Homecomings. We did a total of five Proms and two Homecomings between 1980 and 1984, usually on pieces of cardboard eight feet tall and of various widths.
Stemming from that there was the request to paint murals in the Steamboat Rock school. Two others helped with that project. We painted smaller ones in the hallways, but two covered the two walls of the study hall. On one wall was the large rock formation along the Iowa River for which the town was named. The other wall was Tower Rock, the tall rock formation near the River, too. That was in 1983, and in 1984 we painted another postcard scene of the town’s old flour mill on the City Hall wall. All these murals are still there today.
Finally, all this culminated in being asked to paint a large mural on big cardboard pieces for Kiwanis of Eldora and that was 40 feet long.
Personal murals were one for my sister in St. Paul and two in my house
Sometime during these years I decided to do an oil painting of our two churches. I wasn’t satisfied with the painting of the new church so that was never finished. I decided now is the time to get the painting of our former church out of the closet and give it to the church.
It has been a long traveled road that brought much reward and enjoyment.

Lingering Aftereffects

Never to be forgotten is the devastating tornado that leveled a large section of the town of Parkersburg, Iowa on May 25 this year. A recent popular event was a fundraiser held by three graduates of the high school which was destroyed. Athletes Casey Wiegmann, Brad Meester and Jared DeVries (Aaron Kampman, planned to attend but was detained on a flight) who are all players in the NFL came back to help their former school and community. Attending the event was one Parkersburg resident in a wheelchair who cut in the long line of people waiting to get autographs. "I think I have bragging rights," he joked. "If people complain I just say, ‘Hey, did you have a house fall on you?’"

John initially wanted to skip his last Butler County Fair, even though he knew that the Fair officials had decided it should go on as planned. After all, his aunt was killed and his parents injured, as well as feeling the loss of their home and business. Also the twister had killed several head of cattle John planned to show at the fair. However, through the encouragement of friends and family he did show two of them. Four were suffering from severe injuries, and John turned his back when they were shot by the police.

An avid gardener Marian prefers working in her garden, but instead she has spent the better part of June tending her lawn, pulling a rake through the grass, periodically stooping to sift through glass, and other material. Nearby, her 12-year-old grandson, Logan, uses a magnetic bar on wheels to collect wayward nails.

After the tornado destroyed the home of Gina and Bruce, they moved into a trailer. After one night, rising flood waters forced the pair to evacuate that. Heavy rain flooded their town. Since then, it's been laugh or cry, Bruce said. He chooses the former. He is comforted by religious teachings that everything in life serves a purpose. Ironically, they weren’t home the night the tornado struck because they had gone shopping for a broken toilet handle.

Residents returning to the area that should include houses, businesses and trees, not open space, piles of debris and heavy equipment, were stunned with mixed feelings. Many look to faith for answers and strength. "This is not something you are going to wake up from."

Finding comfort in his faith, a 75-year-old who lost his wife, says, "Every day is a blessing. It's only through God's will that I'm here, because everything was out of that basement except the freezer and a few other things," he said. "Why else should I be alive?" Indeed, following last month's storm, many friends and neighbors mistakenly believed he had perished with Shirley. The couple had huddled together in the lower level, holding on to each other as the noise grew, overwhelming their senses. "Then all of a sudden there was a huge 'BOOM.' I looked up and the whole house was twirling, and then it was gone. Shirley never said a word, so I think she went to be with Jesus right there."

The business of recovery demands more than a hammer, nails and a blueprint. Some survivors find a positive outlook and thankful heart are also essential.
Quotes--courtesy of Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier.

Christmas in July

Many people like to do their Christmas shopping early, so the Christmas in July theme is being promoted by several Etsy shops. Anyone looking for something handmade would benefit by checking some of these shops this month. And there are a lot of shops to choose from. Since Etsy’s launch in June 2005, over 100,000 sellers from around the world have opened up Etsy shops.
My shop will be joining other Etsy shops in this Christmas in July event, a venture which will be a service to all those early shoppers looking for ideas of the unusual for teachers' gifts, friends and neighbors’ gifts, stocking stuffers, etc. These shops will have a variety of items, from jewelry and soaps to large quilts and wall hangings, from tissue holders and pincushions to knitted scarves and gloves, from original paintings to chocolate chip cookies, from purses and totes to baby apparel. No limit to the variety and selection.
This is my Christmas in July list for you to look at.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5488299
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5512781
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5582428&section_id=5512788

If you type "Christmas in July" in SEARCH, a long list of items will come up from many different shops. Enjoy!

Plant Progress

Well, we know the plant is making progress as evidenced by the recent picture. But there is no progress in determining what it is. The rapid growth certainly suggests that it's a weed, but no one has come forward to help with identifying it. We took pictures of it to Earl May Nursery, and they tried to find what it was, but could not. So we are still looking. And that's the latest update!

Two Little Girls, Two Big Messages

Delia
On Friday my little Great Granddaughter was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also known as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. She will be seeing a specialist in this field sometime in the near future to verify this diagnosis. This usually bubbly and happy little 4 year old recently began complaining of her foot being sore and that it hurt when she walked. The diagnosis indicated the arthritis was located in her right foot and right hip. Only a pain killer as treatment has been prescribed so far. We are praying for a treatment that will give relief and that she will be one of the children who will outgrow it early.
Delia, with her stay-at-home mom, dad and little brother, Elliot, live in rural Iowa near a very small town where her dad is employed as a Soil Analyst. She has gone to Preschool this past year and will be attending Kindergarten this fall. Delia will be five years old August 17.
I will relay any messages left for her in "Comments."

Siobhan
Little Siobhan lives in Florida. She is barely 4 years old, yet her artwork suggests her age is much older. Just give her a canvas and some squishy paint and she is busy creating another lovely painting. Hands and fingers are her paintbrush. This adorable talented child is special because at the age of two and a half she was diagnosed with Autism. Her mom, who is also an artist, is a stay-at-home mom, a soldier’s wife, a veteran and now an Autism Awareness Advocate. Her father is in the Army, and she has a little brother, Orlando.
It’s interesting that Siobhan, who loves the squishy paint (Crayola Tube Paints), will not touch anything else that’s of that texture. The idea of eating something such as yogurt or peanut butter or even ice cream is repulsive to her, and she will only eat dry, crunchy foods.
Although she is virtually non-verbal, with her artwork she is very expressive. The family is hoping to spread a more positive message that while Autism does have it's challenges.... it has many gifts, too
"I am her voice. She is my world. We are her hope."
Siobhan’s Dream – http://siobhansdream.com/
Her Etsy Shop -- http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5304688
Her Mom’s Etsy Shop – http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5722895

The Buttonhole and The Button Box

Etsy once again has been the avenue for a special happening.
I was happy when Janis bought the Tote Bag that I had made and had for sale on Etsy. I was not happy when I heard from her that the buttonhole I made on the bag was too small for the button I put on. (Thinking back, I must have planned for another button when making the buttonhole, but changed my mind when it came time to sew the button on.)
I wrote Janis an apology and thanked her for telling me. I told her if there was anything I could do to rectify this to please let me know.
And I signed it, Blessings.
She answered,
Not to worry. I know how things can slip past us even when we're very careful.
She thought she might have a button to replace the one I put on.
I'll get out my button box and check. You know, now that I think about it, this is a blessing in disguise. I'm reminded of myself as a little girl sitting in the middle of Mom's big bed with her button box poured out in front of me. Haven't thought of that in a very long time. Makes me smile.Thank you for your offer to rectify the situation if you can. Your gracious response is more than enough.Thanks for the memory!
Right after this, she found the email I had written telling her I had sent the Tote.
And you signed your email with ‘Blessings.’ Thank you. The memory of my Mom's button box is a blessing indeed. :-)
Blessings to you as well!
My response,
That makes two of us who have smiles right now, Jan. What a sweet thing you wrote about your mom and the button box. You are so nice about the buttonhole problem. I am sure when you use that tote bag that you will think of the button box and your mom and maybe of me, too, who caused this whole situation!! I know whenever I make another tote bag, I will think of this one and of you who were so kind. I'm so glad to know you, a very special person.
And I thought it very appropriate to sign it–
Showers of Blessings!
Then I invited her to visit my blog. (I received her permission to make this entry.)
Then she sent this message--
Isn't it funny how things turn around? I have a lovely new tote bag and I am so glad it has a too small button hole! :-) Because that buttonhole sneaked past you, I have a tote bag "accessorized" with a new friend and a wonderful memory. They say you can find good deals on Etsy but I never imagined How good! :-)
You're right. I will think of my mom and the button box and, most definitely, you when I use the tote. I'm smiling some more now. :-)
I don't have a blog but I'll definitely visit yours tomorrow. I'm glad to know you, too!
I think the Showers of Blessings have already started. :)
I’ll leave it to you to determine who received the greater blessing!