Shirley Anne’s Heart

I just had to write about some of my favorite things tonight.

Grandangels, Tejava, Mr. Clicker, and Skate Night

My grandangel, Leanna, wrote this for her class and I liked it.  As you can see the kitties, Cuddles TINKERBELLE and Midnight Jr. are keeping her family while she is doing her homework.

Leanna E.

Free verse

Hope

Hope limped in

Desperately searching for help

Beaten by War, Tragedy, and Crisis

She was tired after the war with the world

People thought they should run and hide, but just stood there

Some didn’t believe in Hope                                    

And felt that nothing could be done

Though the heroes were the ones who helped Hope

They felt that anything was possible

If you work at it

I believe in Hope, I feel the world can change

Hope limped in

And only half the world helped.

TEJAVA

ANOTHER thing that is on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS is my tea that I got for Mother’s Day! 

TEJAVA.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TEJAVA….

and I cried when I got it -

that is how happy it made me.

 (I used to drink it in CALIFORNIA but cannot seem to find it here in VIRGINIA! My son-in-law, Greg found it!)

Greg also thinks that I am the only person in the world who would be so happy about tea for Mother’s Day that tears of joy would result!

I just had take a picture of it!   Yes, I actually took a picture of my tea.

Skate Night, Sarah, and Mr. Clicker

And tonight, Grandangel Sarah and I went to SKATE NIGHT and my teaching mascot, MR. CLICKER, went too.  In fact when I substitute teach many of the students call me MRS. CLICKER - or that teacher with the little toy man. 

 Sarah took Mr. Clicker for a skate around the rink three times tonight!

We had lots of fun!

Tags: Cats and Dogs Furry People, Furry People, My Favorite Things, SAO's Grandangels // 1 Comment »

Happy Mother’s Day 2008

Today I am thankful for my mother - my grandmothers - my daughters - my sister-in-laws and my neices - just SOME of my favorite mothers.  Each one has left footprints on my heart.

Below is my picture tribute to SOME of the mothers in my family.

This is my mother and ME (the pea in the pod) in 1944. 

And here I am with my parents in 1945…

Here I am with my mother and my nephew Andrew standing behind us - taken in Kansas City, MO January, 2008.  My mother and I have TWIN hair!

I am so thankful for my daughters - Christi (who I helped create),  Lil who married my son, and Jan who was a special bow on the package that I got when I married her father.  I am the luckiest mother of all!

Here is Christi with three of my grandangels, Leanna, Sarah and Cooper.  Christi and I have had the special pleasure of sharing our lives and homes over the years.  She is very special to me - not only a daughter but a friend - and she also allows me to be a grandma who is NOT an adult and she is my geographical guide for all of the times when I am LOST on the road!

 Lil and five darling grandangels, Harry, William, Vincent, James, and Shirley Anne are pictured below with Christi, her kids and my son, Rob. 

Christi and Lil have blessed me with the honor of inviting me to be in the delivery room with each and every one of these darling eight grandangels!  And what other daughter-in-law in the whole wide world would take her mother-in-law to play BINGO in Vegas and name her one and only daughter after her mother-in-law.  I am blessed!

Jan has a heart of gold and has given me six wonderful grandangels.  We have so much fun together and are so much alike that it is hard to believe that we are not biologically related.   Here she is with her husband and five of my grandangels, Chase, Collin, Jannae, Lacy, and Caden.

All of my life I prayed for a sister and each time I got another brother I continued to pray….and pray…..and pray.  I got three lovely brothers.   However my sister prayer was finally answered when I got my sister-in-laws - Elaine and Chris.

My sister-in-law, Cheryl (not pictured) gave me my sweet neice, Amanda, and  her daughter, little Tara Lynn - my little May Day great neice!  Amanda has made me a great aunt twice - Preston and Tara Lynn!  HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY AMANDA!

And I have even MORE sister-in-laws - here is fellow cat and grandangel lover, Kerry sharing a special moment with Preston!  Isn’t this sweet!

And one more sister-in-law, Glenda (pictured with my brother, Dan) who has shown us all how to dance in the rain instead of waiting for the showers to stop!  She battled cancer and won.  Here they are posing with my health food cereal!

And on this mother’s day I honor my grandmothers - both in heaven - who among other things influenced my love of needle arts - embroidery and quilt making.  I think they are smiling down on all of us today.

My mother with her father (Orval O. Lyle) and mother, GRANDMA MAMIE ELIZABETH LYLE HASSLER…..

and my father’s mother GRANDMA ALMA MARY BANKUS ALBERTSON (and grandfather JB ALBERTSON SR.)

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY EVERYONE!

Tags: SAO's Family, SAO's Grandangels // 1 Comment »

The saga of Bonnie K. Hunter’s 2nd Mystery Quilt continues…….step 4 was 120 3 1/2″ triangle blocks combined with our step 1 2″ four patches to make 30 SPINNING STAR blocks.

This is what my step 4 SPINNING STAR for the PINEAPPLE CRUSH MYSTERY  QUILT (my controlled scrappy quilt) looks like.  I went back to my original fabric color choice using the burgundy checked fabric that I really like even though it really doesn’t read solid.  SIGH…..some of us just don’t take direction well.  :):)  Right now I am still planning on using the pinepple color fabric and teal for the accent - but WHO KNOWS what I will decide by the time step 5 appears online! 

Here is my SPINNING STAR step 4 for the ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT (my totally scrappy quilt) looks like.  My other colors are orange and teal checks….I think. 

Today was definitely a quilting day - I went to my BIRTH OF A SAMPLER CLASS at the QUILTER’S CORNER this morning and learned to do a bias strip (at least I am HOPING that I learned it well enough to actually make it on the next border….pictures to come in the near future!)

AND the last half of the day I spent with the Virginia Scrappers working on my Grandmother’s Flower Garden.  We had so much fun (and Bonnie’s Mystery Quilt was a topic of conversation that emerged here and there throughout the day.)  I wish I had a picture of Sheddy’s Orange Crush - she is doing it in 30’s fabrics - and I LOVE IT……I want one in 30’s fabrics….but two is probably enough…..:)

Throughout the day I laughed so hard.  I only regret that I didn’t have my camera to capture some of the beautiful works of art in progress!  And because of all of my fun today I am current fighting the urge to buy a little green HELLO KITTY SEWING MACHINE.  Why……it defies explanation.  Linda had one and it was EVER SO CUTE!  Patsy has one and she LOVES HERS.  So is that a GOOD ENOUGH REASON……..probably!

And one more thing…..I just had to play with my split-nine-patch online block swappers exchange blocks……the second session of blocks are due May 30 - and I am going to make some more!

Tags: Orange Crush Quilt, Pineapple Crush Mystery Quilt, Quilts in Progress, Split Nine-Patch Swap // Add Comment »

Grandangels Leanna (12), Sarah (8), and Cooper (4) and I have had NEVER ENDING PARTY TIME since their parents left for Cancun last Friday.  The ADULTS are coming home tonight….so normalcy will once again reign.

However, I have to share a couple of highlights of our week with NO ADULTS IN THE HOUSE!

The kids made houses and tents using every blanket, quilt and pillow in the house!  They ate in their houses and even watched movies on portable DVD players in their little rooms!

Even Pepper, the dog, and the three cats had fun playing in the houses and in the windowsills! 

We made brownies,

brownie milkshakes,

frozen SPRITE popsicles 

 and little pizzas with black olive smiles! 

We might have even had ice cream or fudsicles for breakfast once! 

We even managed to have fun giving Sarah curly hair

and doing a school report on the ORANGUTAN!

In another creative moment Leanna and I made a lollipop doll!  And….let me tell you…..that was the smallest dress ever created!!!!

It has been fun with only a grown up in the house (me) and no adults!

Cooper is putting rabbit ears on Grandma Shirley!

Being a grown up in the house with grandangels - has to be on the top of my list of MY FAVORITE THINGS!

Tags: Cats and Dogs Furry People, Furry People, My Favorite Things, SAO's Grandangels // 2 Comments »

TODAY - MAY 1st is a national holiday in many countries - and it surprises me that many of us here in Virginia do not even recognize it!  If you celebrate MAY DAY - let me know!

BUT HEY - any opportunity to celebrate new life, spring, flowers, love, and friendship sounds good to me! 

Isn’t this a great flower - it VOLUNTEERED in my parents’ yard in Kansas City, Missouri.

So here’s the deal…..you leave a basket of flowers on a neighbor’s doorstep (in a hand made woven paper basket or any basket of your choice) - ring the doorbell - and run!  (YOU MIGHT EVEN WANT TO LEAVE A HAPPY MAY DAY NOTE WITH THE FLOWERS!) 

Try it - you might like it.

Or you could make a pole (I guess a stake would do!)  and string ribbons and flowers on it and put it in your yard for everyone to enjoy!  The traditional holiday often included a MAYPOLE and the children would dance around it - kind of like RING AROUND THE ROSIE!

HAPPY MAY DAY AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Also - it is my son, Rob’s 40th birthday today - yes he was a FLOWER CHILD - born on May Day….and my Great Niece, TARA LYNN was also born on MAY DAY and is one years old today!

Here is Rob in his teen years!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TARA LYNN!

This is Tara Lynn on the baby quilt that I made for her

- her room is decorated in red, white and black!

AND NOW IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE THAT  THIS IS A HOLIDAY - JUST GOOGLE MAY DAY….and look below to see a portion of what WIKIPEDIA SAYS…..

Americas

May Day festivities at National Park Seminary in Maryland, 1907.

May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone’s doorstep. When you ring the bell, you are supposed to run away. The person receiving the basket would try to catch the person running away. If they caught the person, a kiss was to be exchanged.

Modern May Day ceremonies in the U.S. vary greatly from region to region and many unite both the holiday’s “Green Root” (pagan) and “Red Root” (labor) traditions^[7] Among the largest is the May Day Parade and Pageant created by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, an event that has happened every year since 1974 in Minneapolis and now attracts some 35,000 people.

Tags: Life Comments, SAO's Family // 2 Comments »