Skunked?!?!

We thought we'd try a little pond fishing today. Here the blacksmith makes his first cast using his fly rod. That's pretty tricky sitting in a canoe with another fisherman. But he's good at it.

Of course I'm a lady fisherman, or is it fisherlady? Anyway, I don't bait hooks, and I don't remove fish. So here he is kindly removing a small bluegill I caught. It was one of two for me for the day.

From there fishing went down hill. After an hour or two, we had 4 in the basket. So as much as we hated to, it was a catch and release day!

But hey the sky was beautiful!!!

Back home I got both my caffeine fix and sugar fix. Now where's the chocolate fix?

Another "I love Thursday!"

Just as last Thursday, we had Elizabeth again today. She was a doll and stayed awake all morning during our weekly trip to town. We first went to see my Mom at her assisted living apartment. Of course Ms E is always a hit there as she is waving and blowing kisses to all the elderly.

It was then on to Schnuck's Market, Aldi's, Wal-mart, and then a stop at McD's. Not my favorite place, but hey, we ate for $5.01. Grandpa had a birthday coupon for a free large sandwich. Ms. E. and I ate off the $1 menu.

She did fall asleep on the way home. I carried her to her bed and changed her diaper. She didn't wake up until 2 1/2 hours later.

We then got a call to go meet her brothers' school bus. Grandpa said those boys sure smiled when they saw him waiting for them .




Here are the kids just vegging out after their afternoon snacks.

I have been working on a surprise for the blacksmith this week. Oops, I forgot he reads, okay proofs, this blog. Anyway, I found this Farmall fabric last year and just rediscovered it in my basket. It will make a cute wall hanging. Maybe with the 3 day weekend I will get it finished.

After the kids left, I finished my yeast dough for homemade pizza.

Now, a storm is setting in. We don't need more rain. We had two inches just Wednesday night. However, this storm will bring a cold front with it. It might even break a low of 40 some degrees by Saturday morning. Just so the storm doesn't get rough. As I type this the daughter in Edmond, Oklahoma is having high winds, up to 70 mph reportedly.

Stay safe ya all!

We've come a long way baby!

First I want to say how excited I am to have the blacksmith back at home. He's been on a week long hunt. I sure missed him.

Remember it wasn't too long ago, if you wanted to know something about a particular subject, you pulled out the World Book Encyclopedia. Well last night I had the grand kids for dinner. Brady the 10 year old and I were discussing the spider that had camped out on one of my windows. I told Brady, I couldn't remember what kind of spider it was.

He said" Grandma put the information in your computer and find out." A couple of bites later he went to the computer room and he asked, "Grandma, do you use Yahoo for information?" I told him it was google in the top right hand corner.

Pretty soon the 10 year old was giving me facts about the spider. It is know as a garden spider. It eats it's web every night and makes a new one. It is yellow and black, has 3 claws on each toe and on and on.

Okay so I've been out smarted by a 10 year old!

Tonight for dinner I used Google. I found this recipe for round steak thanks to Pioneer woman. I made fried green beans according to a google recipe too. I had picked two patty pan squash this week and I wanted a fat free way to fix them. I found this recipe for roasted patty pans.
Now I also made blackberry pie and I tried to find a recipe using whole pearl tapioca on google. There I didn't have much luck. That's a mission I will try again.

How did we ever survive without the internet????????

Saturday's work

Three quilts for three sisters. There once were three sisters, who's Mother had embroidered 6 identical quilt blocks for them. I was chosen to set them together. After looking back (thank you blogger) I see it is usually a year apart that I have been asked to make another quilt.

This one is today's project. I've been working on it this week. This one is for Joanie. As you can see I machine appliqued a rose in the plain white center blocks. I love this fabric. Yes it was a little more expensive. But in this small town with only 3 places to buy fabric, you are limited to just how many blues you can find.

I don't quilt them. They take them to a high school friend of mine and she machine quilts them. I will then bind them.

First I made Roseann's quilt in October of 2008. I sewed Mary Jane's quilt in September 2009. After Joanie's is finished, I think my job is over. Unless I find out that their Mother made blocks for the only brother! But that might not be until 2011.

I love Thursdays

On the Thursdays that I don't work, I get to take care of Miss Elizabeth.

She came dressed so cute today, as she does most days.

She loves to feed Bentley cookies.

That is what she calls the dog treats.

She goes and gets them herself and then stands at the door and calls puppy over and over.

If he gets fat, it's going to be her fault.

Her grandpa taught her where the cheerios are stored.

She can get them too.

It takes just a few to satisfy her.

But if she gets fat, we can blame Grandpa on that one.

Here she eats them by the handful.


Aw Grandma are you taking my picture again?

See why I like Thursdays?

Update on Lane: He had surgery #2 yesterday.

Today they took him off of life support and he is holding his own.

Please continue to remember him

and

his parents

and

grandparents in your prayers.

To Westphalia

Today my sister and I took our mother to the small town of Westphalia to see her 91 year old first cousin. They both enjoyed their visit. At times it was like playing jeopardy. They even commented what they miss most in their later life is their minds. And then they laughed . . .

The town located between the Osage river and Maries river is picturesque. It's a town of less than 400 and probably almost entirely made up of German descent.


I captured this barn as we drove out of the driveway at the nursing home.

Going "up" into town, I stopped at the Bruns house. The house hasn't been lived in for years and years, yet someone maintains the lawn. This half timber house was built in the mid 1830s for Dr. Bernhard Bruns.

The doors at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The church was established in 1835. The blacksmith was baptized here, therefore he appreciates the iron work for more than one reason.

This is the Westphalia Inn. The name might fool you, it's not an inn, but a restaurant. The menu consists of pan fried chicken and country cured ham.

It was a beautiful day in the country, Missouri that is, not Germany.

Happy 60th Birthday

Mr Blacksmith!!!