Thankfulness

I enjoy Thanksgiving.  As I was furiously cooking today I found myself, as I often do, reflecting on Thanksgivings past and on family long departed.  As I made the cranberry bread for in the morning I tried to remember when my mother first started making it; I think I was a teenager, but may have been a little older.  And, I'm making her cranberry meatballs for our main meal tomorrow. 

As I unpacked enough of the plates and serving dishes to serve the meal I found myself once again trying to remember the story of the Noritake dishes; did Daddy fly them back in the cargo hold of an empty plane or did one of his buddies?  Or did they order them through the base exchange while we were at Clark?  We never used them much, but I always enjoyed seeing them in the glass front china cabinet.

 



I had to remember with a smile the Thanksgivings that I traveled with husband and children to Mississippi to spend the holiday with my parents.  I loved those trips, Mississippi is so beautiful heading into the Christmas season and our visits were always memorable. Sometimes my sister and her family was there and sometimes not.  I had to laugh about the year when we finally sat down to eat our Thanksgiving meal and we all realized that Mama had forgotten to make gravy.  There were some nudges and whispers as we told the children not to say a word!

And then there was the Thanksgiving right before my mother passed away.  My sister and I arrived on Saturday, she fell and broke her hip on Sunday night, and on Wednesday we had moved her into a care facility.  I don't think she realized it was Thanksgiving on Thursday, although she did visit for a few minutes with a cousin that drove over from the other side of town to visit her.  I enjoyed chatting for quite a while with the cousin; I had never met her until a few years before.  We talked of their childhood and she shared stories I had never heard, including the story about my grandmother making a beautiful recital dress for my mother and she got to wear it, too because they were the same size (where my grandmother got the money for a recital dress is beyond me but she must have bargained for the fabric and trims). My sister and I ate turkey and dressing at Cracker Barrel after waiting for a table for over an hour.  We took home our desserts for later after another visit back to the care facility. Mama would pass away just a few days after we left.

Last Sunday my Sunday School class had  its annual Thanksgiving potluck lunch.  I look forward to this event as the food is wonderful.  We sit at tables of eight and it gives us a chance to visit. As we went through the line I noticed that the paper plates had a Thanksgiving theme and a Bible verse on them.  Imagine, a paper plate with a Bible verse!  It was Psalm 117:2, the truth of the Lord endures forever. I commented to the person in front of me and she agreed.  Then she read the verse aloud and made the comment, "That truly is something to be thankful for, isn't it."  I had to agree with her, but then it hit me that I had never thought of God's truthfulness as a blessing.  But it is and I've added it to my list of blessings to count. 

May your Thanksgiving be filled with blessings!



A cozy time

In my last post one of the pictures was of my Dickens Village.  I had started buying these pieces about 15 years ago. I had always enjoyed looking at the displays of little villages set up in the stores during the holiday season.  When my son was in his teens he started working at a local Sears.  One night he mentioned that he loved the display of the little village that Sears had for sale.  That was really all the encouragement that I needed to start buying pieces of the Department 56 Dickens Village.  They were expensive, but I tried to add one piece each year for several years.  I even bought each of my children a few pieces that they took to their own homes a few  years ago. Just about every year the Village is the first thing to go up, usually early in November, and the last to go down, usually around the first of February.  I love the warm, cozy glow of the lights and never tire of the peaceful charm of the little village.

Jaydon (oldest grandchild, age 9) loves Christmas as much as I do.  He and I both have to hold ourselves back to keep from decorating too early!  His love of the village became evident this year.  We set it up several weeks ago, planning the event well in advance so we could look forward to it.  Before the night came I had put away some of the fall decorations and prepared the top of the entertainment center for the village, so we were ready to go.  I laid out the foundation and then started bringing the boxes in from the storage container in the garage.  By the time I got the last box in the house he had everything out of the boxes and spread out, ready to go.  But then he surprised me because he had a plan and went right to work setting up each house, putting out the little people and accents, getting batteries in the lamppost, and then adding the trees and little wrought iron fence.  I only had to do a bulb replacement and add a little more of the fluffy stuff we use for snow.  He did it all.  All that was left for me to do was put the empty boxes back in the garage.  (I think decorating this year will be super easy for me!)

Several times since I've seen him standing close to the little village, just gazing intently at it.  I know he is lost in thought, just as I often am when I look at it.  Every now and then I've also seen him make a small adjustment to something in the set up, the mark of the master!  This morning it was cold outside, in the upper 30's.  He snuggled down on the sofa with a blanket, cartoons and the cozy glow of the Dickens Village.  I made him a cup of instant French Vanilla  coffee to sip while I made his breakfast and when I took it in the living room I realized what a delightful scene it was.  The houses were glowing so peacefully and he was so comfortable.  I hope this morning will be on of those moments in time that he will remember when he is older and thinks of time spent at my house. It has already created a beautiful memory for me of a little boy enjoying the cold early winter morning surrounded by the things he loves.

Monday Musings

Today was Monday, all day long.  Glad to be leaving work I was driving along, half dazed after the day's work.  The sky ahead was dark and gloomy, just the kind of November sky I love.  Then I noticed that a group of trees (or maybe they were crepe myrtles, not sure) along the freeway had turned a deep, dark red.  Not a burgundy red, but not too dark either.  They were beautiful, especially with the background trees just starting to get a little fall color.  Thank you Lord, I needed that was my grateful thought as I drove by.

The trees outside my office building are turning red, too.  Everyday the view from our 2nd floor mezzanine shows a little more color.  By next week, Thanksgiving week, they will be at their peak.

We have rain in the forecast, for what that is worth.  I'm hoping, praying please please please for rain so the wildflower crop will be bountiful next spring. 

Football teams aren't doing too great this year, except for Ole Miss.  Go Rebels!  Still, I can't wait for Thanksgiving night when Texas and Tech square off.

A big pot of mums that blooms faithfully every November

Those nandina berries again! This year's crop is better than last year's!

The Christmas cactus that blooms at Thanksgiving is loaded with blooms!

The beloved Dicken's village gives the living room a warm glow

Counting the blessings, thankful for each one.

Harvest

Several weeks ago I posted about our Saturday morning Gardening at the Children's Garden at the Botanical Garden Center.  It has been an enjoyable experience even though it is a Saturday morning commitment.  The weather has turned very pleasant; this morning it had rained prior to the start time making the ground slightly soft and easy to work. 

In early October, about five weeks into the program, we arrived one morning to find that our plot had been cleaned out.  It wasn't because of bugs or disease, it was from an honest human mistake.  We have several Master Gardeners that work with our group (they are wonderful!) but didn't communicate among each other about who had already put pesticide on what plots.  So what happened was that our plot and two others received multiple drenchings with a mild pesticide.   I was heartbroken, but the Master Gardeners were so kind that out dismay was soon overcome. 

As with just about anything unfortunate there was a silver lining to the little dark cloud.  Although we lost two tomato plants laden with fruit, a small plot of green beans, a cucumber, and two cabbage plants we were either able to replant or to plant some other things that the other plots were not able to plant.  In addition, they gave us creative license, so to speak, with our plot.  All the other plots have to conform and be uniform.  Ours does not!  As a result, we have planted 2 Swiss chards, 2 areas of sweet peas, 15 additional onions, and two additional cauliflowers. Plus, we have been allowed to harvest from plots where the workers don't show up!

I forgot to make pictures today before we left the garden, but here are some of the things we brought home. We had 2 large bags and 2 small bags overflowing; for the harvest, we give thanks!

2 heads of broccoli

Green tomatoes from a neighboring plot.  That big one is going in the frying pan!

A cucumber and cherry tomatoes harvested from a neighboring plot.

Arugula (yes, it is soaking in a Halloween bowl)

2 varieties of kale

Lots of Crawford lettuce!

Swiss chard

Mari-mums waiting to be floated in water. These are edible and will reseed, but I like them floating in a bowl or a little vase.

A quilt from the past

For my final quilt post from this year's International Quilt Festival I have to share about the quilt that touched me the most.  One of the exhibits featured the life and works of Betty Alderman who passed away in the last year after a battle with breast cancer.  The exhibit featured many of her quilts that she designed and made.  Reading about each entry was very interesting; she had led a very full and creative life.  She owned the business that marketed and sold the patterns for her quilt and she was an avid collector of antique quilts.

All the quilts were remarkable, perfectly made and enjoyable to look at.  Sunbonnet Sue in various occupations and styles were her trademark, along with a little black cat that made its way into several of her quilts.  I lingered for quite some time in this exhibition, delighting in all the different designs and reading each comment. 

These two quilts captivated me the most. The lower quilt in the picture was made in 1860.  Betty had bought it at an auction, if I remember correctly, in either Ohio or Pennsylvania. Although it is in relatively good shape, it is frail and was displayed carefully on this ramp covered with a dark cloth.  It is frayed in many places and brown around the edges where human hands touched it.  The reds have faded and in spots are very thin or even worn away.  But the stitching is beautiful, perfectly done. 

I knelt down for several minutes, lost in thought about this quilt.  I did the math to calculate that it is 153 years old.  I thought about the hands that made the quilt; were they young or old?  Was it made by a country woman or a city woman?  Was she waiting for her husband or sweetheart to come home from the war?  Who was the creator of this quilt?  In my mind I could feel the soft fabric and imagine how it felt to her to push and pull her needle through it.  I felt so close to the quilt and its past. 

The hanging quilt is a replica carefully copied from the original and made by Betty. To be authentic she even rounded the corners, a big no-no in today's world if you are being judged! And I just noticed that Sunbonnet Sue is showing her style in the quilt next to it!

 

 

Here's one of Betty Alderman's fun quilts.  Note the little black cat perched on the middle chair! I have a picture of my black cat perched on top of a wing chair so I'm thinking I need to give this idea a try!

All quilts designed and made by Betty Alderman, photographed at the International Quilt Festival, Houston 2013.

Quilt Art

Wind by Masanobu Miyama, photograph taken at the International Quilt Festival, Houston 2013

This is a quilt, yes a quilt!  It is made of fabric, small pieces of fabric assembled to form a picture.  There are many quilts that use this technique on display at the International Quilt Festival.  As much as I love the traditional quilts on display, I find myself intrigued by this modern form of art. This dog reminded me of my English Cream dachshunds, but the exact breed of the dog wasn't revealed in the artist's comments.

This is the creator's description of her project

Firecracker by Virginia Greaves photographed at the International Quilt Festival, Houston 2013

This is a quilt, too!  This photo is closer so you can see the stitching.

Note the sold sticker on the description.  I would have a hard time letting someone buy this if I had made it!

Grandpa's Farm by Cindy Kozlowski, photographed at the International Quilt Festival, Houston 2013

I saw this one across the way and couldn't wait to get up close. The quilt was interesting, but so was the story behind it.

And, finally something fun...

The Great Crate Escape by Pauline Salzman, photographed at the International Quilt Festival, Houston 2013

Places I love...as seen at the quilt show

Well, I made it to the Quilt Festival and am immersed in everything quilting.  Shout yippee and sigh at the same time!  I'm always delighted with all the surprises I encounter and I haven't been let down.

Here's one of them:

Last year, and again this year, the show featured photographs of well known places with quilts electronically imposed (Photoshop) on them.  They are fun to look at!  I had a thrill last night as I walked through the photographs that I thought I would share here. 

The first photograph I recognized was of the Texas State Capitol.

There were other places.  But when I turned a corner and saw this next one I did a double take!

I didn't have to read the caption to know this was Longwood!  I would know this house anywhere - it is Longwood in Natchez, MS!  Imagine, Natchez Mississippi being featured at the International Quilt Festival.  But there's more...

This is what is left of the old toll booth at the river bridge in Natchez

I had to read the caption to make sure, but this is the river bridge at Natchez

The steamboat "Natchez"

Magnolia Hall, Natchez MS

These aren't the best pictures because I was dodging the glare of the spotlights, but the effect of the quilts is there.  My main delight was seeing a place that I love featured in this exhibit.  Wish I was headed east tomorrow instead of west to go home!

Here are two more from Louisiana to finish up:

Oak Alley

The Louisiana State Capitol

Strangers, yet kindred spirits

This is one of the first quilts I made when I took up serious quilting 12 years ago.  I had made this same table topper for a silent auction, but wanted to keep it very badly.  I managed to find enough of the same fabric to make a duplicate.  I was humbled when the first one sold for $45!

I'm excited, Houston here I come!  Even after all these years of attending I never lose the thrill of entering the show on preview night!  I'm wondering how many quilts they will have on display to marvel over and how many vendors they will have this year to tempt me or fill me with ideas.  I am thankful that I live close enough that I can go every year and that I'm able to get off from work, too. 

Today I was mentally going over my plans and found myself debating about what to do for my evening meal on Thursday.  I normally stay downtown and have found that trying to eat somewhere can be tricky without a reservation.  This year I'm back in the 'burbs so I have more options.  But I'm seriously thinking about seeing if I can get into the Festival's Thursday night event, the Quiltapalooza.  I've never been before and it sounds like fun, especially since it is Halloween night and they are encouraging costumes and are having activities around the Halloween theme.  The bad part is that they offer a box meal, but the good news is they have a cash bar and music.  Plus they are offering some nice door prizes supplied by the Festival's sponsor companies. 

I had the amazing thought that if I do go I won't know a single person there, probably.  But I will be instant friends with everyone, too.  I don't know what it is about quilters, but there is something that just makes us instant friends.  It is always fun to walk into the large food court at the Festival, find a vacant seat, ask politely if I may join the table, sit down and immediately be in the conversation.  Nine times out of ten this happens.  Where are you from?  Is this your first time here?  What classes are you taking?  Where did you find that fabric you're passing around?  Where did you get that barbecue, that looks good?  These are the opening questions.  When you leave you wish everyone well and that you enjoyed the time together, then you get back to business.

This also happened on both of the quilt trips I've taken.  Fifty strangers on meeting night are all good friends by noon the next day.  A few meals and some time on the motor coach and you are well acquainted.  Same thing with classes.  There is just a warm spirit between us. 

I suspect that it is because in most cases your enjoyment for working with needle and thread was passed to you by your mother and grandmother.  They had been taught by a previous generation and were passing on the craft.   Maybe that is what draws us together, that tie with the past and knowing that generations of women (and men!) have made the same patterns using cotton fabrics and batting.  I'm not sure what it is that draws us together, really.  It is more than just a common love of a craft; it is a deeper commonality into our spirits.

The season begins, 2013

The season that I love is now beginning.  While it has already officially been fall and the weather has changed (somewhat) tonight really marked the beginning of the holiday season for me; the annual Harvest Festival was held on the church parking lot.  On Wednesday I leave for the Quilt Festival, on Saturday is the big craft show at church, and then it is time to get in gear for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  Ahhhh!  I look forward to this time so much; I really do love it!



Fresh carved pumpkin, ready to go to the Festival

Frying

I am a true daughter of the South; I love fried food.  I know that it is not good for me, but whenever I do happen to come into the possession of a nice, green tomato you  know what I have to do.

Fry it up!

What a delicacy!  This tomato was picked and fried on the same day, fresh as it could be.  The only mistake I made was that I forgot to use the cast iron skillet, but they turned out perfect anyway!

 

Grilling

Simple things here. 

Two hamburger patties on the grill with the aroma of the burning charcoal circling around the yard.  A cool fall night and marshmallows to toast (or burn depending on the preference) after we eat.

Reflection on recent simple things

I had last Friday and Monday off from work.  It was wonderful.  Two days off from work plus two days of weekend equals four days of opportunities for accomplishment and relaxation.  Looking back I know that the days were filled with simple things that truly brought peace and contentment to me.

Time for goblins to arrive

First, I took time to stop for a breakfast taco and cup of coffee on Friday morning.  It has been a long time since I just did a spur of the moment thing like that; I've been too entrenched in the routine of life to step out of the boundaries.  I sat outside on the restaurant's patio, under a table umbrella because it was drizzling.  The traffic was a little noisy, but I'm as much a city girl as a country girl so I didn't mind.  It was nice to just sit and think about....nothing.

Mums about to burst forth in fall color

I had time to spend with family in different ways.  Eating cinnamon toast with my daughter early Saturday morning before we headed to the Children's Garden. Working together in the garden was peaceful (the little gardener was on a Scout camp out so we gardened without him).  Cooking on Sunday afternoon.  A family meal shared together on Sunday night; the twins greeting me at the door with smiles on their faces.  Monday spent with Jaydon, just running errands and relaxing.

Parsley growing in a pot by the front door

Sunday was filled with rain, a slow rain.  In 24 hours we had just about an inch of rain, but it was a good, soaking rain.  Just what we needed.  So peaceful to watch. I felt replenished.

I made time (note that I didn't take time, I made time) to do some creative things.  I embroidered some towels, my first attempt at doing towels, that turned out just fine.  I sat on the deck and picked up an abandoned knitting project. I worked on those last two Christmas stockings I need to finish.  It felt good to know I was accomplishing something I wanted to do. 

Sweet basil

I spent some time working in the yard, re-building the retaining wall and seeing results.  Pulling out weeds, hoping the grass will cover in the spring. Mentally laying out landscape plans and making lists of things to do in the yard. A total distraction for me, mentally relaxing.

And, I took a nap with these little pals snuggled around me and on top of me (there was also a cat in our midst, no problem the more the cozier). 

Thank you, God, for all great and simple joys.  These moments are a gift from you, to be enjoyed and to be treasured. These blessings sustain me in the ups and downs of life.  Thank you for your love that surrounds me at all times.