lo and behold . . .

It's almost August! How did that happen??? July started with a bang ... pun intended ... with our July 4th holiday and a lovely day with the family on the boat!

This crew loves being in the water ... it's hard to get them back out of it when it's time!  Little man thought he was big stuff, hanging out in the Captain's lap. LOL!

Todd's surgery was scheduled for the 5th, so we came in early . . . unfortunately, the surgery ended almost as soon as it had started.  We knew the surgeon was going to use cameras to look around; what he found was additional cancer mets in new locations, so he closed Todd back up and sent him home. 

Then my sweet Scarlet up and died on us.  We've since found out that certain Ford models, including our Escape, have major issues and Ford has a class action lawsuit filed against them.  Well great.  

She's a goner and now we're kind of in limbo, car wise.  She sure was pretty, though!

I've been working with a lot of wool and cross stitch projects.  Here are some finishes . . . 

This Glory, Glory cross stitch from Shakespeare's Peddler was in the Summer 2021 issue of PNPS Magazine, and I just fell in love with it!  I like getting the digital editions of this magazine because I can save them for forever, print the pages I want, and don't have to worry about where I'll stash it in my limited space!

I've had this sunflower piece hanging around for forever.  I cut and fused all the pieces on vacay in June, and finally got down to the stitching process this month.  Very happy with this finish!!

Just in time to switch out my patriotic decor for sunflowers all over the place!  I adore the sunflower print I used to back it.  It makes me regret just getting a fat quarter.  LOL!  By the way, this pattern is Caitlyn's Sunshine, by Karen Yaffe.  

I'd started with the patriotic bowl fillers in my last post, but just got them finished in time for Bastille Day.  LOL!  They'll be ready next year, for sure!  This pattern is also by Karen Yaffe and was found in the Summer 2023 issue of Primitive Quilts & Projects. Again, I do the digital issue; so handy!!  I was really pleased with how these turned out!

Speaking of July 14th, that's the day I took an unexpected trip to the emergency room, and didn't come home for five days.  The diagnosis was ischemic colitis — which was a first for me.  I'll go back in September for a scope to see if they can determine what's going on.  My son made me laugh when he said, "[Mom,] if you are going to get sick.... let's try to be more original.  I feel like colon issues are a bit overplayed in this family atm."  He ain't wrong!  I did get some lovely art work out of it . . .

Gotta love grands!!

I didn't get to fly to California to see my dear Olivia in her ballet performances in Alice in Wonderland, but thanks to technology, we did get to stream it after the fact and enjoy it.

She danced as a teacup, a playing card, and a lobster!  She's not just a great little ballerina, she's so animated—it was such fun to watch!

Todd started chemo back up this week.  Five rounds between now and the end of September.  

They've dropped to one that was taking so much out of him, so hopefully he won't get as sick and fatigued as he was.

We decided to step back in serving as church missionaries, and will return to our home church for the time being.  We said goodbye and thank you to Lakewood Baptist, where we were currently serving, this past Sunday.  

It was pretty emotional for both of us.  Todd will continue to do ministry, but more on a consulting basis.  We're looking forward to some down time in our home church.

Two last things . . . I got a little surprise this past Sunday when I took the cover off the grill to cook some steaks . . .

I screamed.  Good gracious, did I scream.  Mostly because he caught me off guard.  Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. Todd pushed him off the ledge into the leaves below.  I hope he doesn't decided to come back!

And here's what I'm working on now . . .

I've got a set of 12 wool hearts that I want to gift next Valentine's Day!  I'm committed to finishing two per month. One is done and this one makes two.  I need to get moving!

Enjoy the last weekend of July . . . school starts here next month!  Egads!  Before you know it, it'll be Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas!!  TTFN!

:)

pressing spray and fireworks . . .

I had found a recipe for pressing spray that I was very interested in trying.  Then I realized it had liquid starch in it and I had a most difficult time finding liquid starch.  So I googled it and found several recipes for that, as well (of course I did)!  So first I set about making my liquid starch.  I used the recipe from this link as my basis, but because I just wanted enough to use in my pressing spray, I cut the amounts.  I still ended up with more than I needed, but you can only cut down so much, right?!

I brought to a boil 1 cup of distilled water.  I then mixed 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1/3 c. of distilled cold water -- and mixed it well.  I added the cornstarch mixture to the boiling water, mixed some more and brought it back to a boil.  I added a couple drops of lavender essential oil to my mix and allowed it to gently boil for about two minutes.  I turned off the heat, whisked it well, and set it aside.

Then I got ready to made the pressing spray.  I used the recipe found HERE as the basis for it.  I mixed 2 cups of distilled water, 2 ounces of alcohol (she uses vodka ... but you can also use Isopropyl alcohol which is considerably cheaper at 99¢ per 16 ounces -- just make sure the alcohol content is 99%, the alcohol is what keeps the essential oil playing nicely with the water), 10 drops of lavender essential oil (which can be found in the soap making aisle of Hobby Lobby or most any craft store, or in an organics store, like Earth Fare), and 1/2 cup of the homemade liquid starch.  Her recipe calls for 1/3 cup -- I wanted a little more crispiness.  I mixed it up well and poured it into my empty spray bottle.

Then I got ready for the test!  I pulled out a piece of fabric and heated up my trusty Reliable.  

Gave the bottle a couple of shakes and then the fabric a good spritzing and zipped it with the iron.  So far, so good!

Then I thought I'd try the store-bought stuff and see if I good "feel" the difference.  I gave a new section of the fabric a good spritzing and brought the iron down again.

At first I was startled by how different the lavender scent was between the two. 

And then I remembered that I'd purchased a refill bottle of spray at a great price, but they were out of lavender, so I got cherry blossom.  Whew!  I truthfully could not tell the difference between where I'd used the two different sprays.   I think this is definitely a Go/Win for me!!  That makes me smile, because I tend to be a little stingier with the spray than I'd care to be.  The essential oil is the most expensive ingredient I used, and I'll be able to make gallons of pressing spray with it.  Most cost effective, I think!

I had a lucky capture yesterday out the back window ... my primary-colored birds, all in one shot!

It happens all the time ... it's just that I can rarely pull out the camera before one flies off! 

We had a marvelous time of family yesterday afternoon/evening!

It's hard to get everyone looking at the same place at the same time ... at least one of us is smiling!

Sawyer had a blast with his glow sticks ... he was such a character!  I'm so grateful for this camp and being able to have a place where he can just let loose!

Ellie was having a grand time, herself!  Especially once we traded her little outfit for a bib.  She thought that was grand!

Evidently Bear thought she was quite grand, too.  Grand tasting, that is . . .  

Boy did he get her good . . . her whole face was washed by that tongue!

Remember that cute, cuddly puppy James and Kim brought home a couple of months ago?  Here he is!  Sixteen weeks old.  Almost.  He's HUGE!  But he's got the sweetest disposition.  

As is evidenced here by Sawyer's headlock ...errrr... hug.  :)  

Soon it was dark enough that the sparklers came out . . . 

I think we all played with the sparklers ... except maybe Todd.  And Sawyer.  Not that Sawyer didn't want to play with them.  Oh he tried, all right!  Gracious.  

And here's Jason, doing his air traffic controller imitation! 

Finally it got dark enough that we could start setting of the big rockets!  We had an eighteen-rocket show.  James set 'em off, and Jason photo-captured them all!  They make a great team.

As soon as the noise started, Sawyer choose to view the fireworks from the comfort...and safety... of his mommy's lap!

Bear choose the safety of underneath his mommy's chair.  (LOL!  He was fine, I promise ... he handled the whole night pretty well.)

And Ellie, for her first 4th of July fireworks?

She slept like a rock through the entire thing!!!  


:)

happy independence day . . .

This is a happy holiday . . . celebrating the freedoms that we have in the United States of America. A Star-Spangled Banner holiday.  A patriotic holiday ... of red, white, and blue ... of Old Glory.  A holiday remembering heroes and patriots and countrymen and the brave.  It's a holiday of parades, picnics, family, and . . .

F*I*R*E*W*O*R*K*S!!    

This afternoon my family will gather up here at the camp ... we'll cook hamburgers on the grill and put out a spread and enjoy each others company. Then sometime around 7ish, we'll go up to the top field and play with sparklers and when it gets good and dark, we'll do some fun fireworks.  I know that so many of my blogging friends--because of the hot and dry weather conditions throughout the nation--won't see a live fireworks show.  We had such a marvelous time on Sunday night enjoying our big show, I wanted to share my favorite part of it ... the finale ... with y'all.  I don't *think* you can hear (I hope you can't hear) that I sung along through the whole song.  It was that loud!!  You can hear the whoops and cheering at the end, though!  It definitely brought and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof to the night, that our flag was still there, to mind! 

Happy Independence Day!  Enjoy!  :)