The Goings On

Outside my window...  Today I'm sitting in the basement with the blinds pulled up and watching the birds outside. (We have a walkout basement and there are full size windows that let in tons of light and offer a great view!) I have seen a bright red cardinal hopping by, a tiny hummingbird hovering at the window and earlier I was delighted to watch some little birds splashing and drinking in my birdbath! So fun! I just giggled and clapped. (Yes, I'm easily entertained.)

I am thinking... it's not the best idea to watch food shows on TV while I am very hungry. (Kansas City BBQ? Oh man!) I guess that's right up there with not going grocery shopping when I'm hungry. I should eat some lunch.

I am thankful for... awesome inventions that make my life enjoyable. Yesterday I was on the road (had lunch with a college friend..thanks for meeting me Sandy!) and I had fun cranking up the music in the car and singing as loud as I wanted to. And hitting the repeat button as often as I wanted to. So, I'm thankful for whoever first figured out that a radio and speakers could be installed in a car.

I am wearing... bare feet. Love to have bare feet. And a nice pedicure.

I am going... to do some serious math this afternoon to figure out if I have the right amount of fabric to make the borders I want to for my latest quilt. Serious math people. Hopefully it won't make my head hurt.I was trying to do this in my head a while ago and think I really need some paper and pencil and a calculator. Then my husband's brain. :) I married for the right reason: someone who does math way better than me. ha.

I am currently reading... Stand By Me by Neta Jackson. I've been reading a lot of books by her. They are fiction and set in Chicago around a group of women who are in a prayer group. I just enjoy the writing style and some good Biblical truths tucked in. Good summer time reading for sure.

I am hoping... that the woodpecker that woke me up this morning will decide that there are no bugs in the siding of our house and not return tomorrow.

Noticing that... I need to figure out some good ways to organize my sewing room better. I spend too much time scrounging through stuff trying to figure out where I stashed a certain tool. My latest quest has been to figure out how to organize my spools of thread. I know there are things you can hang on the wall with little pegs to put the spools on, but I don't want the thread to be collecting dust that would then get into my sewing machine. I've searched on-line and wandered through The Container Store. (can I just say that The Container Store just makes me happy? So many ways to organize stuff. So fun!) (Yes, I'm a nerd.) Nothing has hit me yet, but I'm trying to figure out what will work really well with the way I work.

Pondering these words... "Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest... It's about who came and never left your side." I've been learning that friendships as a grown-up are harder than junior high. (Yes, I used the term "junior high". That's what grades 7-9 were called back in my day.) (And I just used the term "back in my day." Sigh.)
 
From the kitchen...Fresh tomatoes from our garden! Yum! And cucumbers that our neighbors shared with us.

One of my favorite things... Spending time with my husband. (I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that here before a time or two.)

From my picture journal...
This is my favorite picture. The little girl is my mother-in-law. I think she must be about 18 months old. The man is her father. He passed away when she was only 2. He was a coal miner in Wales and came to this country as an evangelist. He died of black lung disease from breathing all that coal dust.

My mother-in-law was such an adorable child. She is still a pretty adorable 83 year old.