Weekend Update

A little crafty project, with a little thrifted bouquet. A metal ring, also picked up for a few cents.

 I wrapped the wire ring with grapevine wire, and then wired on a few faux ferns I already had.

 I wired in a few tiny ivy leaves.

 This is the after, what was left of the thrifty flowers.

Hung against my Wyeth Blue walls...just pretty.

Working on saving these precious little flower embroideries

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 Four of them hung in oval plastic frames hung on a ribbon.  First I soaked them and let them air dry.
Oh the work involved!  Those tiny bleeding hearts just about broke my heart.

 Daisies and asters...

 The buds,

The blooms!  Pockets?  Pouches?   An addition to a quilt I've been contemplating?  So many orphan embroideries in my collection need a home,  A cold weather project, certainly not for the spring.

Even with allergies, or a cold, or whatever I have,

the outdoors calls me.

Penny's photo of us

A kind stranger's photo

Friday, we had to go to the city to pick up our son Mike who was helping his brother on the first ever weekend in recent memory that they both had three days off.  We also picked up our favorite almost five year old.  We pretended out in the yard.  Our girl was a rich and famous rock star.  Her band "Rock Me Again and Again and Again" lives in a mansion (our house) and she showed me around "her" garden.  I weeded as we walked and she thanked me for keeping "her" gardens looking so nice.  The imagination this girl possesses is epic.  I remember things if I write them down, but in six months she will say, "remember Grandma, when we pretended that my rock band had a mansion"... I love playing along and pretending.  Mike who was asleep in the couch inside was a band member, our house was a mansion.  So much fun, the sweetest work ever, being a Grandma.

Saturday we went to local garage sales.  Shopping with Penny is a trip.  She found Cinderella's glass slippers,(clear plastic princess shoes) sat on the driveway and put them on.  They were a perfect fit!  Who does that happen to?  Then the kind neighbors insisted that she have them, no cost.  She had five dollars to spend and she spent those dollars wisely.  She bought two dresses for herself, a small locker, a golf club and bag, a ball at another sale. A doll, a sister for her American girl doll, three dinosaurs that she knew the names of.  I didn't find much, since I have to have an eagle eye on her at all times, and she moves fast!  Grandpa was the bag carrier.  

 We were headed to the Lake later in the afternoon, but it was cold...anyway Grandma was cold.  Instead we stopped at the Botanic Garden.  There we followed Penny as she took us down paths we would never attempt on our own.  All the while she assured us we were not lost, she knew exactly where we were.

 We followed her until our knees told us it was time to follow the even path.

 What a treasure the gardens are, and we are enjoying my Christmas gift almost every week.

 Such inspiration.

Beauty where ever you look.

On Sunday, back to the city to pick up son Jon and return Penny to her rested parents.  Jon took engagement photos of Mike and Amanda.  I snapped a few photos myself, but we will have to wait for Jon's amazing work. Charlotte came by later after a day with her Mom and sisters.

Sunday dinner with our sons and their lovely ladies with a little TV watching, laughs and love.  Having my kids all close has been life changing in the best possible way.

I am facing the allergy season with plenty of Kleenex and the refusal to medicate myself.

This year seems particularly bad for me, and there also is the challenge of having two very dear people in our family, being close and visiting often, but they have three cats.  Another of the triggers for my symptoms.   I would rather be snotty, and see them as often as they like. 

Once the air conditioner is used later, things will be much better. Which reminds me, time to change the furnace filter. (Yes it's May 8th and we still have the heat on.)

Some birthday treat bags for our girl's birthday party for her classmates is my job.  Anyway I made it my job.  I got hints from the birthday girl herself. Looking for cool stuff to please her guests. Then,  the garden calls.  We in Chicagoland always start planting on or after Mother's Day.  We have yet to find an arbor to replace the one our bittersweet vine broke to pieces.  The vine was cut to the ground, but it has sprouted, along with our kiwi vine and climbing rose. Busy yes, but I will try to savor each day.  The days fly by fast, especially in spring and summer. I don't want to miss one beautiful minute. 

 Take care my friends and thanks so much for stopping by.

Enjoy this beautiful day.

Love, Penny