May 2023

 Warning: Loads of photos!!

Hi everyone! Well, it's been a very long time since I've posted. Good grief, where did the time go?!

I've been quite busy doing all sort of things. I'll do a show and tell to show what's been going on in my life.

First, I'm sure you all have seen this quilt. I entered it in our local county fair. It won best of show and then went to the Houston Stock Show. And now it's on the way to the Houston Quilt Show this November. I couldn't believe it and am very humbled by the whole thing.

See all that smoke.....it from piles of old hay that had to be burned before Mr. Cowboy can disk up the field so that more grass grows.  I was in charge of watching that field to make sure that the fire didn't get out of hand.  How I got roped into that is beyond me.....sigh!!

March 23, 2023 came around so I made a "junk journal" for the occasion. Sorry I didn't take pictures of the inside. Maybe another time.

These lily types are what in my little flower garden this spring. The hummingbirds love them but they really love the sugar water......hehehehehehehehehehehehe!

Junk Journal time..... I've gotten hooked on making junk journals. What are junk journals, you may ask? Junk Journals are eclectic & unique handmade journals using recycled & found materials. To enhance your journal, you can add ephemera, which are that are enjoyed for only a brief period of time. The purpose of Junk Journals are for recording your travels, field notes, diaries, drawing/art or whatever one can think of and enjoy.

Whew! That was a mouth full. So here's a project I've been working on for a couple of months. I loving writing little stories and those old Penny Dreadfuls. I decided to incorporate a short clip along with my journal. 

"Monsters & Lace"

This is the front cover.

I made this dangle and attached it to the back spine. I love the sounds it produces when I handle it.

This is a fold out journal with many places to write or draw.

You can see some of the ephemera (things to take notes one or draw) in this photo.

More places to write.

I even added part of me.....heheheheheh

Here's a list of all the wonderful tutorials from YouTube:  I warn you, these tutorials are addictive. Watch at your own risk!!

Scrapbooking With Me Crafts
Melina Pylant
Made by Martha
Sevenplaza
PinkMonarchPaints
SparkBird Studios
The Paper Outpost
Treasure Books
Nik the Booksmith
Bohemian Crafting
Tonya Samuels
Paper Terrace
Cori Dahmen

 

June 22nd?!

How has this month nearly gotten away from me?!  What have I been doing, you asked?  Well let's see.
First I was watching the little ones:

I'll bet you thought I was talking about the grands....hehehehehe! Nope, can you see the two spotted fawns?  They like to camp out in my yard in the afternoons around 5ish.  When I went to the front door to take a photo, they heard me but didn't know from which direction I was. They froze in place. They were too cute.  I was able to get a couple of pics before they scampered off.

Then I:::::

Did some canning of tomatoes.  All I did here was chop up a bunch of tomatoes into a very large pot. Poured sugar over them and allowed them to set for a couple of hours to draw some of the liquid from the tomatoes. Then I brought the mixture to a rolling boil, reduced to a simmer & cooked for about 4 hours until most of the juice had simmered away. Because I didn't can these in a hot bath, I placed the jars in the frig until I'm ready to eat some and give some away.

Finally....

I've been flower gardening......don't laugh.........I know what you're thinking. At no time during the time I've known "her" has she ever been involved with flowers!!!! And you would be correct but a couple of my girlfriends talked me into this and off I went......SIGH!!!

Until next time....cross your fingers that I don't kill the garden.

What have you been doing in June??

Not What You'd Think Part 2

 
 
 
 

This is my house the other week and no, a tornado didn't hit the area or lightening. The tearing down of the house is a bit sad but necessary. You see most of the lumber that was used to build the house came from my great granddad's house which was built in the late 1800's. Mom says possibly 1887-ish. When that house was torn down in 1947 most of the lumber was used to build this house which was my granddad and grandma's house.
I moved into the house in 1983. Whew!  So the lumber is very old and the termites have gotten to it. I did manage to save the inside doors and hardware and some bricks from the two chimneys.
My girlfriend helped me save grandma's lilies. If you look very closely, you can see to flower pots on the walkway.
Thanks you Gene for the good guess as to what's going on around my way.  And to Magpie's Mumblings, I got a good laugh from your comment. And yes, this was on purpose....hehehehehe!

I'll have more to say after the holiday.  I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial weekend!!!

 

Not What You'd Think

This didn't happen because of the floods we've had the last month. Nope! I'll explain in the next few posts. I can say at this time that the bricks from the chimney were well stuck together and did not come down easily.

You can see why I've not been doing any sewing.

Stay tuned.

Storm Warnings

Greetings All!!
What's been going on here at Ravelly's? Well, I'll tell you. R A I N & thunderstorms. In the last three weeks we've had about 15 inches of rain. The creeks have overflowed twice. Our cattle have been forced to move to higher ground and there has been no hay productivity whatsoever. This is not good. Mr. Cowboy is not happy which translates to my life isn't doing well because he is pacing the floor....sigh.
This weather is very unusual. Sure, it's the shower/rainy season but there is normally lots of sunny days spread throughout the weeks. And the temperature is unusually low. I'm talking 65 to 75 degrees. Normally it would be around 80 or higher by now. I'm not complaining about the temp but the rain is somewhat of a problem. We'll need it by August, though.
How's the weather in your neck of the woods?
Note my header photo. I took that the other day as a thunderstorm with loads of lightening involved rolled in.

Right Eye

circa 1984

Greetings all!! I'm still recovering from the cataract surgery and doing a bit more spring cleaning. I ran across this photo of my teaching years in Teague, TX. Those were great years and I made some wonderful friends.

This apron was one of the give-aways.

The other weekend I was busy at our local community center with our 2nd Annual Little Taste of Butler.  The food was fantastic and everyone really enjoyed themselves.  One of these days I'll get back to sewing but at the moment I'm having a blast with life in general.  Hope your "spring" is going well.

One Eye At A Time

Greetings everyone!!
Gene asked a great question about my surgery the other day. Doctors recommend do Cataract surgery on one eye at a time so that's what I'm into at this point. The first eye was done last week and the second eye will be done next week.  I must say, I wasn't afraid at all and can see much better but am trying to get use to the brightness of these sunny days we are finally getting.
I could probably get in some sewing but I really don't want to strain my eye muscles (AKA) I'm being lazy for a bit.....hehehehehehehe
Hope you all are enjoying this month of March. Soon spring will be here and I'm really for warmer weather. Aren't you?

Surgery

So where in the world have I been?  Under the knife....Cataract surgery on both eyes!! One of these days I'll be back and sewing again but for now, hopefully I'm striking the correct keys here.....LOL
See you soon.....no pun intended.

A Big Fan

I'm a big fan of Erma Bombeck who was a wonderful humorist. I often think of what she would say on certain subjects and I'd start to giggle.
Here's a bit humor from her "Forever, Erma" book:
Time
It hangs heavy for the bored, eludes the busy, flies by for the young and runs out for the aged.
Time. We talk about it like it's a manufactured commodity that some can afford, others can't, some can reproduce, others waste.
We crave it. We curse it. We kill it. We abuse it.

Now that's something to think about, isn't it?!
These days I think I don't have enough time in the day, then at other times when I'm sitting in the doctor's office time seems to pass like dripping Molasses in the winter time.
But I must say, I'm glad I still have "time." How about you?

Busy Is My Middle Name

I've been busy with our local community center's Black History program. This past Saturday night was the event's celebration along with a Sweetheart dinner afterward. The meal was great and the fellowship was warm.
Hopefully I'll get back to sewing one of these days....hahahahaha!!!!!

Lights, Camera, Action

I'm still around but have gotten caught up with something new. New gadgets. A Canon 35 mm & a Polaroid Snap instant camera.
Oh my gosh! I'm like a kid again. People, when they see me coming now, run for the hills because I've taken so many pics trying to learn how the cameras work.
I'll get back to sewing soon.
Maybe!!
What are you all up to these days with all the dreary weather??

Old Dog - New Trick

So I was channel surfing this morning, can't remember which show but they mentioned something called "word cloud" and showed a pic of one. I was instantly interested and grabbed the old computer and googled it.

 Back story, I'd seen many of these kinds of things but never heard the name or been able to find anyone who knew how they were made. 

Google had several youtube videos on the subject and after watching a couple I learned that it was easy (well not for me. I had to watch the videos MANY times, gave up, used my iPad to pull them up so I could figure things out step by step with the computer right beside). I was in luck because I have Microsoft Word and PowerPoint programs which I use quite often. This was great!!!

Starting and stopping the video helped me to upload the necessary program to get started with my word cloud and above is my first finished one. I am so proud of this old dog who learned a new trick.

What's your old dog/new trick story? I love to hear from you.

 

Busy Me

I've been very busy lately with hay season winding down, creating & maintaining a web page for our community center, aiding in sponsoring a community-wide luncheon on Saturday & just finished up with my church's annual homecoming service. Mrs. B. & I posed for a quick photo amid the celebration. Whew! I'm exhausted but happy everything went well. What's happening in your world? I'd love to hear from you.

My New Pot

I know, I know this sounds a bit crazy but...... I love cooking and am always looking for different things to cook with. This little pot is heavy and I love the feel of it. It will be great to cook rice, oak meal, veggies, heat soups.....well you get the picture.

Here are a few pics of my new pot.

Notice the bottom of my new pot. It is made to heat up quickly and hold the heat, as well.

Look at the top to my new pot.......love it!!!!!

Ok, this is the last pic of my new pot. I'll have to cook something to show off my new pot very soon. Thanks for be patient with my somewhat boring post......wink!!

The Gray Part 2

This photo is an example of all the gray horses Mr. Cowboy chose.

 

Hi everyone!! I have really enjoyed reading your comments. Yesterday I was laughing at the comments Carol and the Left-handed quilter wrote and then I saw what Needled Mom wrote when Mr. Cowboy walked in for lunch. Of course he wanted to know what was so funny so I showed him all the comments.  He "really" loved all your wonderful thoughts....hehehehehehehehe......and said that the next time we go to the races he was going to bet on all reddish brownish blackish horses.  I hooted with laughter with that one.

The next time we go back to the races will be next July so I'm sure he won't remember what was said by then.......I hope.

Here's a weird thought. I made tuna fish salad for lunch yesterday. Mr. Cowboy looked up from his sandwich and chips to ask why we always refer to it as tuna fish? We already know that tuna is a fish. I responded that it was too hot to contemplate why we call it tuna fish. Any thoughts on that out there is blogger-land??

And now for the weather.....today it was 101 degrees by 11:00am. I didn't think I'd ever cool off from just walking to the mailbox. Even the squirrels were napping in the trees. Whew! What's it like where you live?



The Gray

Greetings all.
Sorry, no photos today but I sure wish I had taken some.
So here's what happened.....Mr. Cowboy and I took his brother and the wife to one of their favorite places for his birthday......the horse races in the Dallas area. Mind you, I know nothing about horse racing and did I mention that I'm afraid of horses because they're much bigger than me and they have large eyes and big hooves that can kick you and ....... well, never mind.
So, as we were ordering dinner, the horse races were gearing up. You had to choose your picks for the several different races and all those stats were floating around the table as Mr. Cowboy and brother were discussing jockeys and wins so far. I was focused on ordering the meal because I hadn't eaten all day. Believe you me, I could have eaten a horse at this point.
The girl came around so the guys could choose their horses and Mr. Cowboy decided that he'd go with the gray horse. It's at this point that I really started to listen to what was going on and said to him, "honey, gray horses don't win." Everyone looked at me as if to say, "what is she talking about and what does she really know, anyway!!"  Mr. Cowboy rolled his eyes, placed his bet and we got to the most important part.....eating dinner.
Moments later, the race started.....everyone around us was cheering loudly and shouting, "come on so in so......but as mentioned....you guessed it....the gray horse lost, not only lost but was dead last. Now Mr. Cowboy brushed my prediction off as a fluke and promptly bet on the next gray horse, which I told him again that those don't win.
How do I know this? Well, I've seen enough races on TV to see that if the horse isn't a brownish, reddish, blackish color....they really don't stand a chance. Maybe I'm wrong but I wasn't this past weekend.
Mr. Cowboy cheekily said that he wasn't going to talk to me on the way back home but I mentioned that if he wanted his favorite meal anything soon, he'd better get over it.  We laughed but as soon as we hit the road, I fell asleep just like a toddler. He and his brother had a great conversation and the wife played on her phone. I'm very poor company when traveling a long distance.
Sorry!!!

My Other Habit

 I can't believe that it's the end of May already. Where was I during all of it?! Not sewing anything, that's for sure. But it's hay season......again, so I've been busy making lunches for the guys and running around gathering baling stuff. I did get started on my latest watercolor project. I'll need to paint in the sky and do a bit more work on that pitiful tree. The bluejay is a little on the heavy side but I like him, I think.

How's your end of May going?

Skin & Bones

That's me in the middle. Look at those legs and those arms. Skin and bones, I tell you. Ah, the years have done a number on the old body folks. There was a time when I could eat anything, ANYTHING at all and no weight would appear on me.

This is me now, well a few months ago....many pounds added but, you know, I'm happy with myself. I'm retired, doing mostly what I want these days and enjoying life.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful journey I'm traveling.  I still have my mom and the fantastic Mr. Cowboy. They both keep me on my toes. And then there are the little people...Ayden, Austin, Sarah, Buzz and Woody and the firecracker Gabby....whew! I'm off to take my vitamins.    

I hope life is treating you all well!!

 

What's In Your Wallet/Purse

 That commercial comes on quite frequently these days. It seems there are more commercials than meaningful TV. However, when I asked Mr. Cowboy to hand me my purse the other day, it was obvious that he was very amazed of how heavy it was and the amount of stuff I carry around by the way his arm hung dramatically to the floor  He even said that I could appear on "Let's Make A Deal" where they sometimes ask a member of the audience to show something unusual to win a hundred bucks.
We had a big laugh about it but it did get me thinking of what I carry around......so I'm going to be brave and show you what's in the old purse.

Can you see all that junk, as Mr. Cowboy calls it. I know it looks like a lot of stuff but I need all of it.

Here's a closer look.  All those pens and high-liters are for my Sunday school class. It's the teacher in me that always has extras for the ladies who have forgotten or just don't have any.  Then there's the "Sting" stick I carry because one never knows when a wasp, bee, yellow-jacket, bumblebee, well you get the picture, could come from out of nowhere to sting....one......;-{

I also carry eyeglass cleaner because the lenses on my glasses always get finger prints smudges on them.......hmmmmmmmmm! A couple of lipsticks, klneex, a file, lotion, keys, a coin purse, nail clippers, peppermint candy cause Mr. Cowboy always wants those and just a couple of other items and that's it.....WHAT??

How are about you? Are you brave enough to tell what's in your purse??