Eclectic Creativity

 New soap ; this batch is olive oil and lavender flower heads-it smells heavenly!

 I made a legal pad cover for my son for work.  If you need any work in the Seattle area, give him a call!

It adds to his professional image and keeps his daughter from doing any damage to his notes at the same time!

A young dog lover has a birthday so I made her a pillow case.

Spinning in the Classroom

 A friend asked if I would be willing to demonstrate spinning and a bit of history to her classroom.

 I love to include a lot of hands on time with my 'facts' and the kids were great in their enthusiasm of both areas!

 I let the kids try to spin themselves and then they could appreciate how easy I made it look but they knew better!  They even laughed at how hard it was to coordinate feet and hands and motions........that was the point!

 Everyone was great about taking turns with the equipment and encouraging each other.

I had forgotten how much mental energy is expended with teaching but it was worth it!  It was a great day!  Thanks for the opportunity to share, Suzanne!

Remembering

Quiet, it is a day of Memorial and giving thanks for our national freedoms.

Another Splash!

Matthew and Ashley stayed overnight to go to church with us and to extend the visit!

After worship, we had a big dinner and then nap and then another swim!

Will thought it was a great schedule!

 Dad and Will with some bonding time.........play hard and then

nap the same way!        Thank you for the visit family!

Splashing!

 We had visitors on Saturday!  The smiling, snuggling cooing kind!  Oh, yeah, and Ella brought her parents!  The pool is a delicious 90* so babies just love to get right in without the shock factor; so do grandmas!

Later in the day, Will brought his parents for a visit, too!  What a great time we had!!!!

Caught Up

 When I started the Fiber Binder Club, one of the self-imposed rules was to be sure and spin the fiber of the month in the month it came and to knit up the sample.   No getting behind!

I did not get to the April selection and so for the first time in 2 1/2 years, I got   b e h i n d  !
It is now rectified and duly note booked!  Phew!

Prickles and Snuggles

 The road side of our yard has this natural fence of Yuccas Bill planted just a few years ago and they are blooming!

 You have to stand back to view them-the end of every leaf has a needle sharp edge!  The head of blooms is almost two feet high!

 Yesterday, I got to spend the day with Cassandra and Ella; she has grown so  much but she is still full of smiles!

 This silliness is brought on by her favorite comic-

-her Dad!  He came home from work a little earlier than expected so I got to visit with him, too;  wonderful!

This morning.....soap is happening while the usual morning chores unfold!

All Good Things Draw to a Close......

I am back home now but thought I would do a proper conclusion to my Georgia visit.

 The official Mother's Day family picture-after church when David put his shirt back on-I am so demanding!

 Marsel and I refinished the wicker chair.........

 and it now graces her front porch!  What a face lift for the old girl.

 As our time together drew to a close, the kids and I packed as much activity as we could into our days.  David is showing me how he can climb to dizzying heights in their backyard.

 And he can do tricks on his bike down their driveway.

 Abigail got into the daredevil act and showed me how fast she can go down the driveway with only one hand!

 And she swings high all on her own now, too!

 I had brought along a project to do with the kids-a felted scarf kit.  It was a fun and delightfully messy hour!

 We even enjoyed some sunshine to dry them in no time!

 We laughed when I told the kids I would play Monopoly with them for 30 mins and then we ended up playing for hours!!!  We all reigned as wealthy landowners at different points in the game but Abigail was the richest when Marsel called a halt to our game!

 Mindy enjoyed playing with my yarn at the close of every day!

 My last night there, the kids took part in a student's concert at church; Abigail played a piece on the piano;

 David also conquered his selection on the piano.

 Then they took part in the violin selection.  (Marsel is cueing in the youngest violinist)

 Bill picked me up at the airport after another doctor's appointment......his feet are not healing as quickly as he has done in the past-both he and the doctor are frustrated.  After picking me up at the airport, we went out to eat by the ocean and did a very short pier walk-no beach walking for Bill yet!

 I did some reclaiming of home territory on Friday and then today had some play time.  I made the soap around my loofah slices.  I had bought this in GA hoping to make it with the kids but will make some more with them during our next visit!  I will be making many more of these to sell with my luxury face cloths.........they smell wonderful!

On the knitting front, I am finishing the second sock that got put on hold because I forgot the other skein of yarn !  It was a wonderful visit .   Home is a nice place to come back to...........

The Art of Mothering and Daughtering......

 It is incredible to share the day in person for our  Mother/Daughter luncheon!  We had a great time sharing the meal, fellowship and encouragement from the Scriptures and the chocolate fountain!

Marsel and Abigail shared the blessing of their voices in worship .

 When we got home, the men were tackling a project; taking down the old tree to make room for
                                       
Marsel's new birthday Dogwood tree.

 As we took a walk in the yard, I snapped these other highlights -her roses for one.

This is from her Grandmother Minota's bleeding heart bush!

                           
The kids enjoyed unwinding with some sprinkler fun!  We are all ready to unwind from our busy day!

Prep for Mother/Daughter Celebration

 All week Marsel and I have been working on the decorations for their Mother/Daughter Luncheon with their church for this Saturday.  I whipped off a couple of luxury face cloths for door prizes.

 We sewed up some votive candle lamp shades to go on the tables....

 And made an American Girl Doll dress for the girl's door prize.

 Yesterday, we set up the tables and laid out  all the decorations.  I love how it all comes together!

 After all the hard work, we took a Chick-fil-A break.

Friday night is pizza night; we sit and watch a few Andy Griffith episodes before bed time! The pace is fast but the laughs and intense face to face time is priceless!