Baseball, Stitching, Walking and A New Idea

I have been busy as ever. Between the usual things --keeping house, checking on the flowers, keeping Valerie, and seeing about Mama, we have been enjoying the grandsons' baseball season. It is nearing the end next month, but Tucker's season has been especially fun this year. He is playing machine pitch. He was having such a horrible time batting to begin the season. He was a great fielder and earned a 2nd base slot, but hitting was doing him in. One night it just clicked. He really doesn't have a strong arm that gets a really long hit, but he is consistent and rarely misses getting on base. He earned the right to be the lead off hitter. All of that has been fun to watch as he grew in skills and confidence, but the thing that has really warmed my heart is that each boy has gotten better and they have really gelled as a team. The other night one of the last ones that hadn't been able to get that hit did ---and the team and the stands just went wild cheering for him.

This season has also been special because they renovated the old fields which were smaller and more like what I remembered for Paul Allen's days. Palmer and all the littles can play safely at the ball park and they have so much fun. At the other field which belongs to the city and is really about tournament ball for travel teams was a park that made me so nervous with all the traffic around the fields. I was always watching for little ones rather than full engaged in the game. 

I finished my patriotic stitch. I have to get it to the framers over the weekend. It is one that I am not sure fits into prettiest or best, but I love it. It was what I envisioned for my patriotic decor for 2026. I didn't think I really needed a gigantic sampler even thought there were so many beautiful ones. I am pleased with its imperfection. After all it is a sampler!

I have started my next stitch which follows the pattern exactly and should be easy stitching, but it too is an experiment...something different from my normal choices. I will share next time.

Around the yard, my bottlebrush shrubs are just showing out.

Jeff has planted some flowers where I once had my roses. We are experimenting with what will grow in summer heat on the back deck and bring some color. Time will tell.

Now, I know that geranium won't survive there beyond May, but I will move it when I get my angel wing begonia going. I thought I had lost it to the winter, but it is coming back. I did take some cuttings before winter started and brought them in so I would not have to move any big heavy pots around. That is getting harder for me these days.

Here are some closeups. I didn't really advise him on what to pair with what so one is fuller than the other.

Loving that purple verbena.

I also have fallen in love with marigolds which he has planted in the same pots as his tomatoes. 

He has tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and cilantro planted.

And the hostas are very happy in their new pots. Happiness in a pot!!!

We made it to Auburn last weekend to see the new flooring. LOVE it!

I was ecstatic to see it. It is beautiful. It is darker than the downstairs but they did such a good job tying it in along the stairs

It looks amazing with this bedroom which I totally love.

I think there is a wee bit too much brown in this bedroom, but the bedding helps. I may change out the artwork and lamp shades with stuff I have. Not planning on painting the wall. I will just have to shop the closets here.

I have been changing things up. I told you sometime last year about my latest brainstorm for strength training. I tried as hard as I have ever tried something. I was faithful, BUT exhausted from it. I tried to change it up...lighter weights, less reps, etc. Somewhere down the road I just realized with the pace I am keeping with this house, doctor appointments for one, the stress from Jeff and Mama and keeping Valerie that my plan had passed this 65 year old woman by. 

I then tried the rebounder which I think could be great, but doggone it - it hurt my hip joints. I finally realized that wasn't going to work. 

I have gone back to a similar plan as I had in my 30's and 40's after work. I used to walk/jog after work each week day. No dog, just straight up walking for stress relief and exercise. I walk in the neighborhood a couple of times a day with Valerie in the stroller and Gus on a leash but that is not the kind of walking I need. I am now going every afternoon/evening for a rather long walk (no jogging) outside of my neighborhood so I don't get stopped at every house to talk and without Gus. It is working. It is good for time alone to pray and let all my frustrations out and good for exercise. It is not hurting me and I have come to realize at my age and stage of life it is all I have in me, but it is proving to be beneficial.

For about 3 years now, I just sort of swore off any kind of Bible study or Christian women's book. One day I woke up and just felt like much of was a business and the same authors seemed to be on a schedule to write write write. I don't know why that hit me like that, but it did and for the last 2.5 years I have only read the Bible and anything I was doing specifically for church.

A new lady in our small group brought up a study series which I have seen before and almost bought many times. Anywho, she had no idea when she was telling me about some of them that I was dealing with the issues I am, nor did I even tell her. I decided to order a couple of them and give them a try. They arrived this week. One was on rest and the other on anxiety.

I decided to start with anxiety. I opened up and this line says it all as to the why-

"But for others, anxiety is a new and unexpected part of life - something to manage and try to keep under control."

That is me- this is new and unexpected. I would never describe myself as anxious AND if I am honest I don't think I am going to read anything I don't know or haven't said to a friend who suffers from real anxiety or even to my daughter, 

BUT

I have been hit hard the past couple of years. It has weighted me down, the unknowns, the watching people go downhill physically and so forth. 

I have decided in the first week of this study that I may need to read all of these things that I know to BE REMINDED of them. To remind myself He is sovereign, He does watch over me, that He knows my fears and He cares. I think the daily reads will actually be good for me. 

The study is "It is Well, Walking Away from Anxiety and Into God's Word" by The Daily Grace Co.

Like I said, I don't think I am going to come across a new idea or verse I don't know, but a study to walk me though these times with prayer should be good for me.

April is cruising by and I am loving the spring like days. There have been some cool mornings, but no snow. My goodness, Old Man Winter has been throwing out some wrath this year. Spring is here though. All good.

Sandy

Stitching, Easter, and Spring

 Once again, I didn't plan to be gone so long. I had to keep multiple grandsons on the weekdays before and after Easter so that blew any semblance of routine and order right out of the water. They had a wonderful day riding their bikes and scooters out front in the circle. Easter was blessed as well. Then this past week was the week of appointments. Too many appointments. By the end of the week I just felt out of sorts. Jeff did get good news on his latest bladder scope...no new tumors. That is a win. I didn't hear from my diagnostic test on Friday as I had hoped which kind of leaves a little heaviness on my weekend, but such as that is life.

We will start with stitching and then do some life pictures. I am stitching on Oh Happy Day by Plum Street Samplers. I finally got the border done and was able to start on the inside. The inside of the pattern which I shared in my last post is getting some changes. 

Here is where I stand this Saturday.

I think it is going to work with my plans. It does seem smaller than I anticipated which is really a good thing. I have limited space to add a ton of patriotic decor, but I do want to add a little for this year starting with Memorial Day in May.

Here is my graphing out of America 250 and I am currently playing around with "We the People."

I am so happy to be back enjoying stitching again. I had gotten into such a funk that nothing was drawing me in and now I have a stack of things I want to do. I am a one project at a time stitcher for the most part now because my brain can't take too many different things going on at one time. Don't know if it is old age or just my life at this moment in time.

Easter found it cloudy and rainy. We could not be sad about rain as we are in a drought here. Rain was good news. It did hold off long enough for the egg hunt. One of the children below was not happy. I had a golden egg in the bunch and he had not found it first. That would be the oldest, Tucker. Mimi will NOT do a golden egg again. He was told by his mommy he would smile or he would not get to do something or other, so he gave it his best shot.

Valerie was trying to figure it all out. By the time she went to her other grandparents house later in the day she had figured out what this strange thing was though.

You can see above that Tucker was clearly the winner of most eggs, but the golden egg did him in. No golden eggs. 

Here they were heading out.

On Good Friday, I had Miles and Palmer who had a blast together. Sometimes they argue a lot, but I don't think I heard anything all day but getting along. They found an egg in the flower beds from last year.

Hard to tell they are a year apart in age.

Here they were at lunch. Like I said, they got along very well and had a really good day together which helped tired Mimi and Paw Paw out a lot.

It was windy here all week and cool on a couple of the days, but at least I wasn't getting snow like some I saw on social media. I think that should be the end of cool here. You kind of just get that sure enough spring/summer vibe today out there.

My bottlebrush shrubs are popping out all over. My day lilies are starting to show leaves. They had come up earlier this spring and got nipped once more and kind have been slow coming up this year. I think we have rounded the corner of all that now though.

In a little bit of other news, many of you have followed Lindsay's woes with her health since Palmer's birth. That birth didn't go well which led to a subsequent surgery and quite honestly I think may have led to the second surgery she has had since his birth. She had the endometriosis and the doctor just wanted to put her on birth control. That was a no for so many reasons. Neither she no I could take it without migraines and we both feel it is not all that healthy for you.

I found her a functional medicine doctor similar to what I had gone to get well. She had the multitude of bloodwork and tests and has met with her since all that along with a nutritionist. She is doing her one month for lack of a better word, detox. I am cheering her on and she is about 8 days in now. I told her the worst part is over. It gets so easy from then on. She did find out from all her tests that she too is gluten sensitive. I think that was her worst news, but I KNOW I am better without it. It is hard, but I find it makes it easier to deal with it when you feel the difference. 

I know it is a buzz word these days, but we both have the tests to prove it with us.

My hope is she is finding out some things much earlier than I did and will avoid some of my troubles. She was able to find out some very helpful information overall so that was good news.

AND yes, I did watch the splashdown yesterday. I have followed the whole thing with gusto. It feels good to have something positive to look at on the news or phone these days.

In an effort to blog more and shorter posts, I will close out there and hopefully pop back in sooner.

April showers will hopefully bring some May flowers for us,

Sandy

Launch, Stitching and Flowers

It has been a busy start to the week. I knew it would be hard to blog regularly, so I said no day would be given. I did however, want to mark today. 

We have a liftoff! I have been obsessed with space since my earliest memories. I was known as the "space lady" at my schools. I have done my best to inspire the students. There would be no doubt I would be tuned in today of course wearing "one" of my Artemis t-shirts.

I am excited to follow along with the mission. Most every room in my house has something related to space and more books, patches, autographs and just a plethora of things that would make most people roll their eyes when I get started. 

I will share a picture of Mama and me when we went to a shuttle launch many years ago. Finally one took place in June so I told Mama we were going and staying until it launched. We had the most wonderful day. We met Mike Mullane with his latest book that day.

He was wonderful and sent me a copy via email of a book he wrote for children. I of course read it that next year to my students. The book was no longer in print, but I found 2 on eBay so I do have that one and the one he wrote and was signing the day of a launch. 

Like I said, I have so much stuff. I love it all!

*****

I wrote parts of this blog post ahead of time when I had a moment to go write.

I have found my stitching inspiration again. I am telling you around December, I was just not feeling it. If I hadn't stitched the sandpipers for a friend I don't know that I would have found anything to inspire me enough to pull out my needle and floss. I hadn't bought any new patterns in ages, but this year's market releases in March have inspired me. I purchased quite a few patterns this year and have been busy stitching and just plain loving it!

I ordered Freedom Flock by Plum Street Samplers. The linen seen below was my second try --- sometimes when you stitch with one strand you have to take into account that something light will not show up on 36 count or higher. 

This is 36 count vintage country mocha with all the called for colors. I still think it would have looked nice on 28 or 32 count to stand out a bit more. I did remove one of the stars on the lower right to add 2026. I also think a grey linen would have worked. I thought about that about halfway through stitching it. It turned out nice and the first weekend I have a little time, I will finish it up in to a cute little pillow along with my Liberty Bell stitch.

Then I started my third patriotic stitch for 2026. The pattern is not a patriotic stitch per se, but....

I am going to make changes. I love the border, but I am replacing "Happy Day" with "America 250" in a blockish font. The rabbit and the little row of flowers below will be gone too. My plan is to stitch "We the People" in their place in a font similar to the Preamble which I would say is somewhat of an Old English font. I have graph paper to mark this all out. I think this will make a cute patriotic finish. OH, and I do plan to do a few color changes.

I will share it in my next post.

All in all I ordered 5 patterns and 2 pieces of linen from the new releases. I am super excited about all of them. I don't usually let myself order that many at one time, but I have been in a funk and really liked so many things so I went for it. I will share more as I stitch.

*****

Spring is springing and it has been so good for me. Winter seemed to be extra long this year and I know that is silly considering where I live. Some things are budding slowly while other things are just breaking forth. Jeff and I have been really trying to go out as many evenings as possible and sit on the lower deck. It is always good. 

I found the gray rocker in the water one day. It had washed up. WE both liked it so much that we found it online at Ace. We ordered another so we are rocking buddies most evenings.

Now, I am still struggling to get up in the mornings. I do have to set the clock since I pick up Valerie. I hope I will settle in soon to the new time. I LOVE the longer evenings so no complaints. Once I get up I am ok, but I will admit I would love to pull the covers up and just lay there.

My pansies were so pretty one day. I am a horrible photographer, but they were really showing out. Now, they won't last much longer. April will warm up quickly and they will wilt each day from the heat. It will be time for vincas soon, but they were getting in a splash of color for March.

Jeff has actually done the majority of the fluffing downstairs on the deck, but now it is up to me to water. He has made these pots for deciding what will grow down there in full sun. We have put several things together to really see what takes off. The hostas still look amazing and he has some tomatoes and peppers going to. Farmers Palmer are enjoying the spring.

The deck could use some pressure washing but no reason to do so until pollen has stopped. 

Of course, the live oak leaf drop is happening. Leaves are everywhere. If you are unfamiliar with the phenomenon of live oaks- they lose their leaves in the spring.

Spacey and springy here,

Sandy