Christmas Eve Eve

Yes, it is Christmas Eve Eve -- the day where I take stock of what is left to be done, what will probably won't get done and start making lists.  Since we only see one child and her family on Christmas, I think I am done with what I need to do for her.  We see our son and his family during the twelve days of Christmas and that has yet to be arranged but I think I am good there as well.  I need to grocery shop and do some house cleaning -- domestic things know no season.  And.....I need to bake cookies.  Lots and lots of cookies.  So, that is what I will be doing tonight.  Hopefully I can get some Welsh Cakes done as well but for sure chocolate chip and sugar with sprinkles. 

So, off to the store in a bit with list in hand -- wonder where I can get a big dose of energy?  Ah, yes...I will have to Google it.

Anyway, just wanted to leave this with you as I thought it was really cute!

The little elf looks like our Tuppy!

Have a wonderful day pulling together all your loose ends if you have any -- stay safe!

Hello! Remember Me?

Hello there!  Remember me -- Melissa -- the blogger gone AWOL?  Yes, well, things have been busy -- I try not to say hectic because that isn't really accurate, just busy.  As the week progresses I feel things winding down and getting a bit calmer -- I mean, time is running out for all the manic shopping and wrapping and all that and I can feel the excitement of Christmas Day creeping in.  I am ready in all sorts of ways -- last gift bought, everything wrapped, the ham ordered and the house cleaned -- well, ok, that is a gross exaggeration -- the house is not cleaned and there is wrapping paper bits everywhere! But, a girl can dream, can't she?

This week has been really crazy -- my mother in law was hospitalized twice in the week and has now been released to a local rehab center.  She was transported by a transport service that didn't get her to the new facility until 11 p.m.  She isn't particularly happy and my husband and I are exhausted.  The original plan was for her to just go home to her apartment but after talking with her she was concerned about being too weak to do for herself and so the decision to go home was re-visited and it was decided she would go to rehab to try to get her back on her feet.  Hubs will check on her this morning and I hope she has a more positive view of the situation than she did last night.  It would help if they can find her a private room.  She isn't the roomie sort. So, yeah, hopefully that will work out better as we go along.

I purchased my last gift yesterday.  It is for a very special little girl named Emily.  This is Lisa, a Ragtales doll that I found at a local, indie book store -- Monkey and Dog -- owned by a friend of mine, Shelley Lowe. 

Lily

I actually went for Odette -- a Jellycat ostrich but Odette had found her forever home.  I decided that Lisa would be a better choice as she doesn't have feathers and even though I loved Odette, I decided that Lisa would be very loved in her new forever home.

Odette

So, that was the last of the shopping -- Hubs and I have each bought one another a couple of things but the fact of the matter is that we are so blessed that there is really nothing we need or especially want -- we have enough -- we have each other, we are reasonably healthy, we have wonderful kids and grandkids, we have a roof over our heads and food in our tummies, some really good friends a wonderful, warm church  and what more could we ask for.

So, as I try to recoup from my long night at the rehab I am going to share this beautiful picture from Christmas past -- about four years ago.  It makes me smile.

Beanie

Happy Birthday, Aunt Linnie!

Today would be my Aunt Linnie's 87th birthday.  She was an integral part of my and JLSHall's life -- she was the glamorous aunt that never married, had a career in fashion and always gave fabulous presents. 

She can be seen on the top row of the photos on this page -- lots of dark hair and very attractive.  I miss her very much.

There is another cousin on this page as well -- Teddy Giles -- the last row, last photo.  We lost him in the recent past -- he was a really good guy and I am so glad to have become re-acquainted with his kids -- family bonds are very important.

So, Happy Birthday, Aunt Linnie!

Shhhh----We Are Waiting

We have come full circle and we begin again--

The first Advent candle

The Little Gospels from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

The Stable

Quiet Monday, Hectic Weekend, and Everybody is Sick

Last week, oh, I think Thursday, the wind blew.  Like a hurricane.  And I, brilliant soul that I am, was out walking around in it.  Now, I am an old lady (hee hee) and have known for many years that I can't handle real air very well and definitely not windy air. So, I should have known better but I had to walk into the school to get Bean and I had no choice. 

It didn't take but a few hours for whatever blew up my nose to start bothering me.  I was allergy sick.  Then the Hubs followed suit, then Bean and now dear daughter.  We all have it and we all feel miserable but, as they say, the show must go on.

This weekend was a bit hectic.  My mother in law will be celebrating her 94th birthday on Wednesday so this weekend we had a reunion of sorts.  She has four children, all still living, four in-law children, eleven grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.  All but a few came for this little reunion.

We had a lovely dinner at Cousin's Barbecue on Saturday night followed by cake in the activity center at her retirement community.  Yesterday, most reconvened to have lunch -- fajitas from Rosa's -- and more fellowship.  It was a good time and I think she enjoyed it. 

Three of her granddaughters were captured in this lovely photo

Jan, Bri and Jill

My daughter posted this photo on FB saying that all they needed was Sarah, Rachel and Rebecca.  Well, they couldn't attend but they sent their picture to be part of it all and here they are --

Rachel, Sarah and Rebecca

All such beautiful girls -- I wish they could have all been together for a photo.

And, some of the younger generation --

Mateo, Bean and Dante

Nothing like bonding over video games -- Spy Mouse specifically.

It was a good day -- hopefully there will be a repeat next year.

Oh, It's Sewing Time Again.....

Most everybody who reads my blog knows about Bean.  What most people don't know is that I have three other grandchildren -- Nathan, 8 1/2 yrs., Kathryn, 7 yrs. and Emily who is about to reach a milestone birthday -- 1 yr.

I don't talk about these three grandchildren much because their parents don't want their photos on the internet.  I completely understand that and I completely respect that.  I am very careful when putting most any photos up anyway and I certainly don't want to go against their wishes.

However, my daughter-in-law contacted me last week and was wondering if I would be interested in making coordinating outfits for K and E for an upcoming autumnal photo op.  I said sure but time was short so it would have to be something very simple.  I sew but I am not all that great so I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew for the time allotted.

We decided on a simple little skirt for K in autumn colors.  I went to my favorite quilting shop -- Quilter's Stash in Hurst -- and found this lovely French General fabric from Moda.  The finish is almost that of a polished cotton although not quite.  It lost a bit of that finish when I washed it prior to sewing but washing is necessary as I don't want it to shrink the first time out of the box.  So, here is the little 1 hour skirt.

Since I was sewing and going by measurement only, without the children, it is a guess that it will fit.  I went by Mom's measurements though so hoping for the best.

And, for E, I decided on a coordinating fabric to be made up into one of those little jumpers/dresses that lap over the shoulder and button.  I used to make these, romper style, for E's father when he was little -- complete with grippers in the crotch -- so I am familiar with the style.  So, here it is as well.

It is much smaller than it looks here and I am sorry for my glare-y white freezer in the background.  This fabric is from the same French General collection and the colors, of course, match perfectly.

E is going to wear this as a jumper over a tee or onesie in cream and K will be wearing her skirt with a cream turtleneck or something similar.  Our weather has turned colder now and so something long sleeved would be appropriate and I think they are going to be very cute in their fall photos.

I wish I could show you a photo of the girls in the outfits but unfortunately that can't happen.  I am just hoping that the measurements were correct and that they fit them.  I think they turned out lovely and will be a nice complement to a photo session in this nice, crispy weather.

Everything Old is New Again

It recently occurred to me that I have sort of been a "sandwich generation" person all my life in all sorts of ways.  I was smack in the middle of myself and four cousins -- all girls -- and the only brunette.  I spent my 40's sandwiched between caring for children and caring for ageing parents.  I am spending my 60's caring for grandchildren and very aged mother-in-law (although there isn't a lot of caretaking going on as much as being "on hold" for any emergency).

It also came to my mind that I am a "sandwich generation" person in another respect.  Being a baby boomer I have lived in the middle of post-war times and the technological age.  This is where things get dicey.

When growing up, in the 1950's, we lived a modern life.  We had indoor plumbing, refrigeration, freezers, cars, vacuum cleaners, washers, dishwashers, radio, television, two newspapers and mail delivery.  I don't remember life without these things and now we can add all the more modern amenities to that list -- computers, cell phones, tablets, e-readers, digital everything - it is mind boggling.

So, why, when I have never known a time when I didn't have modern conveniences would I be gradually employing  methods of doing things that belonged to my grandmother's generation? 

For instance, grocery shopping.  I have a large fridge/freezer and a supplemental freezer in my laundry room.  My idea of stocking a pantry is buying up a ton of canned goods, dried items like beans, rice, fruit, copious amounts of flour, sugar, baking supplies -- I like to cook from raw ingredients rather than processed mixes -- however, we can't really do that anymore, now can we with the BPA in the cans.  Buy frozen?  Yes, that is one solution.  But, I find myself throwing out so much produce that I am inclined to shop like our grandmother's generation did -- every couple of days.  I really don't like grocery shopping so that would sound like a nightmare, wouldn't it? It sort of is but not nearly the nightmare of worrying about poisoning yourself with canned food.  Hmmm.  Quite the dilemma.

And then there is the housekeeping.  I make my own laundry detergent -- there is something comforting about knowing what goes in that since it is up against your skin and skin absorbs everything.  I actually like doing it.  But vacuuming is another story.  I have a lovely little vacuum cleaner - she is red and her name is Ruby.  She is a Miele and cleans like a dream.  However, more times than not I find myself with broom or dust mop in hand, dust cloth swishing the furniture.  Why?  Why have I morphed into my mother -- every time I get out the dust mop I see my mother with hers madly cleaning our original "tiny" house.  My aunt wasn't like that - she loved her vacuum cleaner.  My mother, not so much.  Maybe it is genetic? 

Ever since we re-vamped our television viewing opportunity -- chopped the daylights out of cable and went back to an antenna, Roku and Tivo -- I have turned the tv off. It no longer runs 24/7.  My house now feels like my childhood home - we didn't have the tv on all day, just when some specific soaps were on -- I distinctly remember "Secret Storm" and "The Edge of Night".  We only had three channels back in the 1950's and it signed off at midnight so our viewing pleasure was limited at best.  We read alot, did cross word puzzles, played games and such.  Now I am reading a lot, doing cross word puzzles, and playing games even though one of them is electronic. Oh, and puzzles -- love puzzles.


I have had a love/hate relationship with technology since it first came into my home.  I have had every generation Nook that has been manufactured and I might add the last one is a complete bust.  I do like the Nook Glo-light for reading but the rest of them are sort of miserable.  I have been looking at an ipad or a kindle but I really like my little netbook and have opted to not replace the Nooks yet -- maybe something about me still carrying physical books around has something to do with it.  I prefer physical books.  Yes, they are harder to tote around and I can't carry a whole library in my purse but I can't read a whole library at one time either. 

So, this morning as I stood at the sink washing a load of dishes -- by hand rather than loading the dishwasher -- it occurred to me why I am travelling back in time so to speak. 

Comfort.

I see my mother and my grandmother.  Doing things the old fashioned way reminds me of a gentler, less complicated, and yes, probably happier, time.  Not that I am not happy, I am very happy and I am very blessed, but the world was happier.  I feel like I can draw the drapes, put on the radio, wash my dishes and close out all the bad going on in the world.  It must be contagious because the other day, in the car, I was trying to interest Bean in listening to a CD but her response was "oh, Nona, just put on the radio"! 

So, I will probably go on doing things the "old fashioned" way, dating myself and making myself feel like an dotty old lady but that seems to be my happy place as I keep going back there more and more -- lot cheaper than therapy, wouldn't you say?

Now, I am off to the store.

1 November 1969

Today is the 46th anniversary of the passing of my grandfather, James William Davis.

My grandfather was born in 1896 in Scranton, Pennsylvania to James W. Davies and Dinah Webb Davies.  He was one of twelve children born to the couple and the second born in the United States.  James Sr. and Dinah immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1889 or 90 (sources vary) with three children in tow, at least three left buried in Wales and then went on to have several more here.

Their name was "Davies" but when starting school, the "sister school" as he called it (the neighborhood Catholic school, probably St. Ann's), his name was inadvertently spelled  "Davis" and he remained a "Davis" for evermore.

He was not a large man.  He stood 5'4" in his prime and he still wore a boys size shoe at his death.  His height shouldn't have been a surprise to anybody as his mother could stand upright under his outstretched arm.  Of his own four children, the tallest grew to be 5'6". 

What he lacked in stature he made up for in spirit -- as did all of his children.  A feisty bunch they were.  Many people said my grandfather was mean and I have to admit that I can see where he would come across that way but he was never mean to me.  However, if you slammed the back screen door too many times he would get annoyed and let you know not to do it again but mean?  No.

In fact, I adored him.  I always felt very secure with him.  There were many times when I was hurt or sick that he was the one to haul me to the doctor's office.  There were times when I needed something for school and he was the one that would make it.  I remember one time we were in the yard picking up pecans  -- well, he was picking them up and I was toddling behind him pushing pecans back into the ground -- those little trees were still coming up when he passed away. 

One of my favorite things to do with him was eat.  They had a small kitchen with a little drop-leaf table and we would eat together.  My mom and I went to their house almost daily -- they just lived on the next street (you could see their house from our backyard) and we would eat pork and beans, or fried potatoes but the best thing was the Welsh rarebit.  He didn't put beer in it but he had a little tiny pan that he would melt that cheese in and spread it on toast and it was delightful! And tea and toast.  Always tea and toast.

I wish that I had talked more to my grandfather about his childhood, his life in Pennsylvania, his life in the mines at age 11.  I wish I had known more about his parents and relationships with his siblings.  I got snippits, of course, and can visualize a bit but I wish I had been more aggressive in my questions.  But, I am thankful for what I know, thankful he was my grandfather and such a big part of my life and thankful for the things I learned from him.  I miss him to this day.

Oh, by the way, I still have the little drop leaf table.

I miss you PaPa.

And Here's the Reason Why

I have been absent from this blog for a bit and here's the reason why.  I have been busy sewing.  I am still sewing but thought I would share a bit of what I have been doing.  This is ALL I have been doing, I haven't even been reading and that is something because that is my all-time favorite pastime.  So, here are a few of my creations  -- haha -- sounds like some sort of designer-speak and that I am truly NOT.  But anyway, here is what I have been doing for the last several weeks.

First off, I made a little slip for Bean.  You can't just go into Sears and buy 2 packs of little slips for little girls anymore (you can buy them online from Mennonite women who charge a lot of money for them).  So, rather than line the dresses, I decided to just create a little slip.  I used a really soft cotton/poly batiste for this -- the same thing I have used to line dresses before and it worked well.  I just adjusted the dress pattern -- lowered the neckline, enlarged the armholes a bit , and shortened it enough to be shorter than the dress (no draggy petticoats here!) and voila -- a slip.  I bound the neck and armholes with single fold bias tape and made a placket in the back with a button on it.  Unfortunately I didn't have any cute little white buttons  so it is closed with a hot pink heart shaped button that I didn't take a picture of because I will probably replace it at some point.

Sorry for the lousy photo quality but I did do a bit of decorative stitching down the sides of the placket -- the first and only time I have used the deco stitches on my machine.  I am such a trend setter.

Here is the dress.  It looks a bit like a gunny sack here but Bean really likes little a-line dresses.  This pattern went together like a dream -- probably the first time in all my years of sewing that THAT happened.  It is a cute little medallion print with some little buttons.  I would have put more detail on it but my daughter is very much the minimalist so I am keeping things simple.  It fits her really well and now that the weather has cooled so much she will have to wear a sweater with it.  There is a long sleeve option which I might use if I make more.

And last, for definitely not least, here is our little "saint" costume.  You can't see the detail but that dress has a sweetheart waistline.  What a pain!  I had to alter a pilgrim collar to create the cape but the mop cap pattern worked great for the hat. 

And, without further adieu---

Meet our version of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton -- an American saint who lived during Revolutionary War years, was an Episcopalian, married with four children.  She was introduced to Catholicism in Italy after the death of her husband.  She lost two of her four children and went on to become a nun, form an order of sisters, start several schools and was sainted in 1979. 

Bean is very inappropriately wearing one of my hand tied rosaries around her neck but it wasn't long enough to tie around her waist so, they improvised. 

That cutie in the coral shirt is MY baby!

So, folks, that is what has been going on here.  Who knew that creating three little things could so totally destroy a house, make a mess that has taken me days to straighten up and robbed of me of my reading guilty pleasure. 

On to the next project.

Miss Me Yet?

For anybody who might be looking for me I have gone on a bit of a sabbatical.  I am trying to finish some sewing so I have had to curtail my computer fun for a while.  It seems that getting online "for a minute" morphs into hours and hours and I don't get anything else done.  So....yes, I am taking a bit of a break.

I had two little dresses to make - I have completed one.  I had the saint costume to make -- that is completed except for ribbons on the hat.  I had to sew Girl Scout badges on the vest -- now I remember how dreadful that is.  I have two quilts to finish.

So, I decided to start another project! Of course!  I have ranted and raved here in the past about the inability to find some essential articles of clothing so I decided to take the situation into my own hands.  You can no longer buy little girls underslips.  Oh, you can if you want to purchase online from Gehman's Country Fabrics in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.  A little girl's slip is $7.99.  However, you can't go to the mall, to Sears, and buy the two-to-a-package little slips anymore.  I went to Joann Fabrics armed with a coupon and purchased enough batiste to make two slips.  I have used this fabric before to line some little dresses but I didn't want to do that -- I wanted a slip.  So, I altered the dress pattern I was using -- a little shift dress -- cut out the armholes a bit and the cut the neck down.  I created a placket in the back seam, bound the neck and armholes and will add either a button or a hook and eye and voila! a slip.  It is very soft fabric and I think it will work well to add just a nice little layer.  I will take a photo when I finish. 

Anyway, that is what I am up to and I am on a roll -- if I stop I may never start again.  So...back to the machine.  Be back soon!

Had to Share

Last day of golf camp for the winter.  She is looking good!