Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Well, it's been a jam-packed couple of weeks. We went down to Ohio on Friday to celebrate my nephew's graduation. His party was on Saturday so we made it a sort of 3 day mini-vacation. I love mini vacations. Harold suggested we stay in a tree-house cabin that Howard told him about. We were only able to find ONE vacancy and that was for Friday night.  The cabin is located in Berlin, Ohio - in the heart of Amish Country so I knew right away that this was going to be a winner of a weekend.    It has all of the amenities of normal motels and then some.  It had a jacuzzi, a flat screen TV, the countertops were granite and on and on.  We were reading through the guest logs and there were references to a mysterious "George."  It seem that there is a tradition of hiding one dollar bill and then leaving clues for the next guest.  We found all but one and we left another in a secret place.

We have been getting stocking orders already so I sewed up a bunch on the drive down.  We visited some shops and at one of the thrift shops, I found a treasure trove of sheets to use for rugs.  I've already used on in a rug I am making for Madison for her birthday.  The pink stripe is from a comforter we found.  As you can see, it isn't finished yet - hence the tag on the right hand side.  It will be trimmed with yellow.  Madison has been helping me with this rug by handing me strips so I asked her if she would like it for her birthday.  Her party is on Sunday so it should be finished by then.

 I had the 5 oldest grandkids here yesterday morning.  It was a pretty lively time.  Melisa can always tell when Meghan has been here because she always buckles the belt on Garrett's carseat as soon as Grandma takes him out of it.

Friday was Sam's 30th birthday.  Madison keeps telling everyone that her Daddy is 40.  I didn't get a good pic of Sam because the kids stole the show.

 
 

Clay and Claire were there too, but I can rarely catch them long enough to get a pic.

Yesterday I went back to work getting inventory ready for this fall.  I was working with Cider Mill scent and - mmmmmmmm - I can't wait for Fall.  I made some new shaped tarts with some small bundt cake molds that I bought for soap.

and I made some more electric grubbies.  The house smells wonderful!!  I am so blessed to be able to do so many of the things I love.

Word of the day:

Wednesday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Jesus said to his disciples: «Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Well, it's Monday so you know what that means.  I made a batch of vanilla soap today.  I hadn't realized I was out until I went to fill an order and discovered that all of the vanilla was gone.  Vanilla turns a soap a dark chocolate brown so I left out a cup and didn't put any fragrance in it.  If all goes well, the soap will turn brown and have lovely lighter swirls in it.  This is what it looks like now.  The yellowish parts will turn and the lighter part will remain light.  (I hope)

Yesterday we went down to Nina and Jamie's and had a nice visit with them and our newest grandbaby.  Of course no baby is safe from Grandma's camera.  Ben is my little brown-eyed cutie!!

 And then this morning was a Maddie and Meghan day.  These two were groovin'!  In the background you can see a rug that I'm working on.  The girls love to stand on them.

 

I've become interested in rugmaking again.  (Like I needed another addiction.)  So far I have not been entirely happy with my efforts.  However, last week I developed my own technique and now I am loving the process again.  This is the first one using my own pattern and technique:

 I'm finishing up another one round one tonight and then I want to try out my new method on an oval rug.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kids at St. Mary.  This is always a bittersweet time of year. I will miss these kids!

 

Word of the day: 

Monday of the Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Francis Caracciolo, Priest & Co-Founder of Congregation (1563-1608)  

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 12:1-12.

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. «A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
What (then) will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this scripture passage: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'?"
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.