My Three Hobbies and a Few Reflections

 I am going to close out the year with a nod to my three hobbies.

Hobby #1 is cross stitching...of course.

I discovered this year that I have been heavily influenced by too many and I have bought and started too many new projects over the past COUPLE of years. '22 doesn't get all that bad rap laid on its head. I would have said pre blog days I was a monogamous stitcher. Honestly, I didn't even know that was a stitching term. It is just who I was. I looked for a pattern I liked and thought about where I was going to put it and then stitched it. If it didn't have a purpose I would have passed over it. I tried to salvage this madness a bit in '22, but I am all out going to bring back Sandy with my stitching in '23. 

I have too many large projects started. I am going to finish them one by one which means they probably won't get finished in '23. I am going to really try and stay away from buying so much that I can't get to. I want my stitching to have a purpose. 

The one stitch that will be finished first is something for Lindsay. I will share more about it in time, but here is a sampling of it.

Then, I am going to get back to this next sampler that I think will fit in lovely on my sampler wall at the Auburn house.

There are other large projects started but these will be completed before I pull them back out.

Now, the one little veering from those projects is that I have decided Miles will need an Advent/Countdown to Christmas stitch that I did for my daughter. Lindsay did make me feel better about this project in that she said I could take two years to do it a little at a time. Tucker is 4 and really got the whole idea this year. She actually made a list of things to do to put in each pocket this year. So, I can take the time and maybe do 1 or 2 a month. AND... I want to stitch some Christmas ornaments over this next year to use as gifts for Lindsay and Jeff to have for choices. When I am getting tired of the large project, I can take a break and do an ornament.

That is the cross stitching plan.

Hobby #2 - Reading

I tend to read a lot of nonfiction and researchy things, but this past year I buckled down and read some fiction. It was such a good thing. I felt like one of the younger people who have the attention span of a gnat these days. I decided that would not do and stretched myself to get back into reading for just pure pleasure. A story ---- not to always being learning something. Well, we always learn when we read, but you know what I mean. 

It really kicked off for me from about September to the end of the year. I am keeping that up for the new year. I read some good books, some that made me think and some that were just so so, but I read and it felt really good.

I use the app Libby and got most of my readings from the library. Our library connects to a regional library so we have a pretty good selection. One day I was in Sam's and bored with all that Jeff was looking at so I wondered over to the books. I saw what looked like a good one. I pulled out my phone and looked it up on Libby and checked it out. I read them on the app on my iPad. I prefer a book, but the app is really nice because it lets you flip back and forth very easily. 

My tastes in books is so eclectic. I don't think anyone would use that adjective with me in mind, but when it comes to reading that is me. That causes me to very seldom list my books on the blog. My tastes in reading don't always match my personality. 

More reading in '23.

Hobby #3 - Gardening

Oh how I love puttering in my flowers. I just love to watch something grow. I know I downsized many of my houseplants and outdoor pots in '22, but it was a good thing for me. Too many is when you can't take care of them and it is more of a burden that just fun. Inside and out I had joy with growing my little plants. 

I mentioned the lack of pansy color choices this fall, but let me tell you I have fallen in love with these orange ones.

These were all brought in and survived the cold weather. 

We are thinking we may have lost the lemon tree.  4 nights of low 20s all night may have been too much and even the heat lamps may not have helped it survive. I suppose we will just have to see what spring brings. I think it will lose all of its leaves with the rain. We are in Auburn, so I will see when we return.

And spring, I never want to rush days, but I love spring. The beginning of new things. As Gladys Tabler always said, it should be the beginning of the new year. I like that. Just planning for spring flowers makes me happy.

*****

As I say goodbye to 2022, I am choosing to be hopeful and live life to the fullest in the days ahead. 2022 wasn't exactly the easiest year, but as always, God brings us through and throws in blessings to sustain us. Our family got little Miles added in a year of chaos. I will be keeping him as Katie starts back to work on the 5th. I am pretty sure he will cry a ton as he is attached to her BIG time. 

I am going to miss my little Palmer and honestly not sure how it is going to feel not seeing Tucker and Palmer everyday. I know I am so blessed! Lindsay is going to have to share her weekend time with me. I love those boys so much.

We lost Danny in '22 and I lost a good friend in March. Life is short and every good day is such a gift. Kim was my age...only a few months older. She was a week away from turning 62 at her death. I turned 62 this year and as I have always said, "I am happy to have a birthday!" This year though has made me pause and realize how little time is left and how much time has passed. 

My goal for 2023 is to not waste any days on things that are not worth my time. I want to shine a light for Jesus in all that I do and count my blessings.

Here's to a new year! I will most likely be snoring when it actually comes in, but I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Sandy

A Stitching Finish

I buckled down to get the name stitch completed by Christmas. Miles's stitch is done...not framed, but stitched. I plan to roll it up and wrap it for Christmas and then take it to be framed after Christmas. Finished earlier today, I still have to pull out the stitches coming down from the top from the one that got messed up.

Features include:

a little bayou fishing, 

the two dogs and the cat that are pets,

 the two sports that I am sure Paul Allen will want him to play; golf and baseball, 

 a car (Katie's dad is a big car fan). This car is to mimic his 1965 red Corvette.

And duck hunting that Paul Allen has fallen in love with.

Feels good to have it completed. I have no idea why I took so long to get it done.

Another stitch to share is one I did several years ago. I made a homemade background for it, but always felt it just wasn't right for such a grand stitch. I pulled it out for Christmas this year and decided to try and find a frame. I took a chance on one from an Amazon vendor. It wasn't cheap, but it certainly was less than having it professionally done. I love it. The frame was perfect and just what I needed. 

I just popped it in this afternoon. It has a hanger on back, but now I have to find a place to put it. I think it will leave it out for January since it is so pretty.

I have some baking to do this week, but other than keeping Palmer through Wednesday I am slowing down to soak in Christmas.

Merry Christmas all, 

Sandy

 

A Little Stitching and Christmas

 I have been trying to stitch on the latest grandson's name. For some reason, the Devil has been in the details, and that has slowed me down. My creative juices on this project were lacking and I procrastinated starting it for way too long. Then to go right along with the normal as of late, I got it started and Little Palmer took a pen to it. Yes, you read that right. I tried to get it out, but I had to start over. That turned out to be a good thing, because I think I had a better vision of what I wanted for Miles's letters.

My goal is to finish stitching it by Christmas Eve. I will have to frame it after the first of the year, but I do hope I can finish stitching it.

The M is the only completed letter.

I am working smarter on this third one of these name stitches. I have thrown away each time my drawings which would have been so helpful for the next one. I am keeping them this time.

I did make my Auburn nutcracker into an ornament finally. I think I should probably not wait until December to work on any finishing projects because it is not my best, but it looks very cute on the Auburn 

Christmas tree.

Speaking of the Auburn tree. Jeff took a sweet picture of Tucker and Palmer one afternoon by it. They were looking at all the Aubie's (Auburn's mascot) on the tree.

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One of the perks of living where I do is fresh citrus in December. These showed up on my door Saturday morning. I didn't check yet, but the couple down the street have 2 orange trees out front and they were loaded. This was a banner year for citrus in north Florida. I had done the same with lemons to all the neighbors.

They are as good as they look.

I am not going to do a whole post of Christmas decorations around the house, because I think I got it just right last year. I changed up some things and scaled down some things last year and felt like it was a Goldilocks year of decorations. I kept it the same this year. I will only share the tree and one change.

Here is last year's tour if you want to see it.

The tree is real but is so perfect it looks like a faux one. It is perfectly fresh this year and to that I say...Yippie.

In the last post, I said I purchased something new this year. It is not a Christmas decoration, but I did keep it out on the front foyer table because I love it so. Normally, I just have a bowl or ornaments where this new white camellia is sitting.

Some have mistaken it for a magnolia but if you are right up on it, you can see it is a camellia. It looks exactly like the real one outside in the front side yard.

This is an Andrea Sedak piece. I have a few of them around the house and love all of them. They were sold back in the 80s at a local store or Deep South chain called Gayfers (greatest store of all time).

When I put it there, I just thought it is like Christmas here because the white camellia blooms this time of year.

The normal stuff is happening around here, but I have slowed my pace to soak up the good and not the crazy of Christmas time. I saw this on Instagram and thought it fit many of my years when I taught.

I am a little older and do my best to keep the focus on what I can do and not try to do it all. Just focus on the right things.

Merry Christmas,

Sandy

Get Gone September

 I can't start this post without acknowledging the devastation that is about to be inflicted on my fellow Floridians. I too am watching the news and I am just so sad for what is about to happen. I have been praying for them for days now. I not only hate to see the loss of property, but the ravaging of the land with a storm like this. 

My daughter was born on the 25th of this month. When she was born, the date became somewhat of a marker for many years of the actual start of fall for us. I remember going in hot as blazes to deliver her. We had had a nasty thunderstorm on her due date which was mid September, and it had knocked out power. I remember that September for its heat. Then much to my surprise, everyone was coming in with a light jacket either the next day or 2 days after. I looked at them with such wonder. That began what I actually noticed each year as the cool front approaching us and giving us much needed relief from the oppressive heat of August and September. Over time that changed and it seemed almost like our peak hurricane season moved to late September and early October rather than mid September. 

Well this year, I m looking at a cool 72 degrees at 10:30 in the morning with a north wind of 20 mph. It should be already in the 90s with high humidity and NO wind. I am thinking that the Panhandle got a reprieve this year from the wrath of Ian with this cool front. I will take it, but not without much sympathy for my Beloved Florida.

I need to change my tagline on my blog to say this is a blog mostly about stitching and little about the other items. I don't even have time to do that at this point in time, but it is true. I like keeping a journal of my stitching and only have a wee bit of time to include any of the other these days.

Here is a little of the stitching. First up is the ornament for little Miles and the stocking for my growing family.

I took a little deer from the French Christmas book that the stocking pattern came from. There is nothing in that book that I don't love. I then tried to keep it like the ones I did for Tucker and Palmer. It is backed in the tartan plaid.

Then I framed the heron. I only have my finished picture. Lindsay will send me a picture one day when she thinks of it or I will be out there and get one myself. It is hung in her home and it looks amazing.

You may remember I didn't have much margin on side. Big goof there on such a magnificent piece and that led me to want to frame it myself. It turned out well with my friend's frame that he made for me, BUT, there is a reason you pay big bucks for someone to frame your work. It was tedious and not easy at all on such a large piece. I did pay the money for some nice glass on it and I told Lindsay this one was one I hoped would be passed down to remember me.

Some of you asked if I would take Thirsty Hart to Auburn to place on my sampler wall. Well, it is back from the framers and the answer is no. I had to leave it here to admire its beauty. 

Next is a close up of the church.

I LOVE this piece so much that I found a place to hang it in my newly painted bedroom. Every time I walk in or out of the bedroom I look.  

September was supposed to be me working on samplers for September Sampler Month. I should have known better. It is not wise for me to even think about those kind of schedules. I have stitched on samplers, but I haven't stitched much at all. The month should have been a fine time celebrating my birthday and Lindsay's, but it has been one of the most challenging in a long time. The only reason I am even typing a post today is that Palmer is asleep and my uncle is down with Mama today.

September brought challenges that I really don't want to document. Some so traumatic I want to forget and no one wants to read. Let's just some them up in some quick sentences and phrases and move on...

-2 trips to Auburn leaving knowing that you would be heading to the doctor upon returning.

-1 trip to immediate care

-2 trips to ER...one was horrible, not because of any person. I felt so sorry for the ER nurses. They were working so hard. Such a need.

-1 ER trip where we stayed put for 20 hours due to no room in the hospital which was honestly due to a staffing shortage. We have a large hospital that is a trauma center and it serves a wide swath of territory. CRAZY night.

-1 hospital stay

-Mother has pneumonia. She is out and much better but has a road ahead to gain strength and recover.

-All of the above was just her.

Throw in both of Lindsay's boys with a case of RSV which is probably why Mama has pneumonia and a crazy allergic reaction for Lindsay that almost sent her to the ER in Auburn....

Let's just say again, September was hard.

I am exhausted and don't really want to elaborate on any of it. I may at some point tell you about the crazy allergic reaction, but for now we will skip it.

The days are just trying but I am grateful for so much. I have THE MOST AMAZING HUSBAND and kids. I couldn't have done any of the things I have done without them. I am only child, but when the going gets tough, my kiddos take up the slack and act as a unit like a sibling. 

In all of the craziness, the Lord answered a prayer that I had been praying about. I was so nutty it took me a couple of days to notice it and I stopped and gave Him even more thanks for walking through this life with me.

Mine and Lindsay's birthday celebration kind of got the boot like Jeff's and Paul Allen's did a while back but we are all good. I will share a few pics of my grands because they are worth sharing.

First up is Lindsay with Tucker at the beach. Tyler watched Palmer so they could go get some fun in on her actual birthday.

Next is Palmer on an ordinary day here playing with Grandma's walker.

Here they are at church on Sunday which by the way had the very best message...one I needed.

Then there is the sweet little munchkin.  The first one is some professional pics that a girl Katie works with made.

Here is now. As Lindsay says, I have 3 adorable grandsons. Oh so blessed.

One more and then I am out. Here is a quickie of 62 year old me not dressed up in anyway and about an hour before the allergic reaction happened.

Rough month, but seriously God shows up in the hard and reminds you HE is with you and loves you.

Sandy

A Little Stitching

 I know most of the country is probably ready for fall. I am s-l-o-w-l-y getting there. I do love summer, but this past week has just been plain yucky with rain and humidity, so I may get on board with the rest of y'all soon.

My stitching shares are not saying I love summer though. I took August to do some smalls. Have I done all I want? Absolutely not! I will share what I have accomplished though.

First up is the 2 Halloween stitches. I really didn't intend to add anymore stitches to my Halloween collection, but doggone it people keep putting stuff up that is so cute. Well, you know what happens. Carol at Stitching Dreams sent me this adorable pattern that she had and it fits so perfectly my idea of Halloween. I know many don't like Halloween and that is perfectly fine. I have a nostalgic view of it and this pattern fits right in with the look I like.

First is the one Lindsay chose. I have it sitting on an easel, but she chose for me to make it to hang on a door, so it has a hanger at the top. I could not love this more. It is so cute on the gray Aida. Thanks Arlene for the perfectly dyed color. I can't wait to use it again.

Then here it is on a lighter linen.

I had planned to put some cording around the stitch, but on further thought I decided it was cute as is. I will add it to my Halloween stitches which I plan on displaying most of them together for a cute "spooky" display. There is nothing spooky in my stitches. Black cats, Casper type ghosts and jack-o-lanterns are my idea of Halloween. I will try and remember to share them all when they are together in October.

I found this cute poem in an old school book from my days in school. I think it is a lovely description of pumpkins on the vine and jack-o-lanterns.

Here is the book that it came from which is one I love to browse often.

Do y'all remember memorizing poems in school. I do and I loved it. I am nerdy like that.

I have been stitching some other stuff too. I finished the bird from the Scattered Seed Samplers subscription.  Here it is with the first one from the subscription.

Cuteness. They are pictured in the kitchen as I was trying to find any kind of light to photograph them with but they are sitting in my little craft room together. 

I have also stitched the M flor Miles's stocking to add to growing family of stockings and am hoping some linen I ordered comes in tomorrow so I can stitch his first ornament. I have it all ready to start the minute it comes in.

I had an extraordinarily tough week emotionally. I won't bore you with the details, but today I just had to do something to lighten my mood. I cleaned out my patterns and lined up things for future use. I am trying not to look at anything new coming out because seriously I have some of the most adorable patterns I want to stitch and I mean I want to stitch them badly. 

I try to write the titles down when I seen something cute and mull it over. Usually I decide I don't need it this way and that helps me get to the things that are in my possession already that are screaming for me to stitch them.

I pulled out several that I need to pass on and when my mood is better I will share some of them here for y'all to look and see if I can pass on the goodness.

Now, onto the good stuff in my life.

Only 2 for today. I have 3 amazing grandsons. It doesn't get any better, but for today I have 2 of Miles.

Could he any more relaxed in his fancy tub?

Counting blessings and hoping for an uptick in the things that wore me down this week.

Sandy

Stitching and Family

 I am going to start with a little stitching even though we all know I have grandsons on the brain.

 I never shared what I did with the doggie pillow that I stitched way back in the mid 1980's. I had thought I would frame it, but ended up with a flat fold stand. I figured it had been unframed for a very long time so it would be ok opened up some more. It is so hard to tell from the photo, but I found a military boot shoe string in Walmart to put around it to highlight the boot shoestring in the stitch. 

I love how it turned out.

I completed Lindsay a back to school ornament for her cabinet knob. Now, she has a full year of seasonal ornaments. The black school fabric is what I used for the back.

I am using August to stitch some smalls. I have a long list of things I want to complete. Miles needs a Christmas ornament and an M on my Christmas stockings for the family. I have a new bird to go with the Scattered Seeds one I finished earlier this summer to name just a few.

I am only sharing one thing though for now and that is a Halloween pattern that Carol at Stitching Dreams shared with me. I love vintage Halloween stitches...the ones that remind me of my childhood in the 60s.  This one does that.

I pulled it out way back on the 4th of July to take with me to Auburn. I took 2 pieces of fabric with me and thought I would decide when I got there. It proved a little harder so I will share my thinking.

I took a lighter piece because it looked more like the called for linen, but I had a darker piece that Arlene had dyed and sent as a present. It caught my eye for Halloween. I packed both. When I got to Auburn I started on the darker piece with the called for colors. The black cat and jack-o-lantern eyes and so forth called for 3371 which is a brown black color and frequently used in patterns such as this. I liked it but I wondered if the cat should actually be black, so I pulled out the lighter linen and stitched the cat in black. I liked it and after a while I decided I would stitch it twice. I would finish the darker linen with 3371 and the lighter linen with black. I am going to let Lindsay have one and I will keep the other one. I like both. I have finished one and am trying to finish the other one this coming week.

I have been busy squeezing the good out of the days of summer. I have been knee deep in a home improvement project. I am beyond sore! I have been loving on grandsons! I could never have imagined how wonderful 3 grandsons could be.

I have some pictures to share of them. It is all good over here in spite of the crazy in the world. I am just trying to keep the focus on what is right in front of me.

Here are family pictures.

Despite the times we are living in, I choose to concentrate on the goodness right in front of me as long as I can. 

I hope to do a treasures post, a stitching post, and a home improvement share post in the coming days. I have been busy and quite frankly tired from all of it. I could use a few days of rest.

August is a pretty month. The light is changing and I am trying to slow it all down.

 

Stitching Post: Thirsty Hart

 I completed Thirsty Hart by Heartstring Samplery on Thursday night. The pattern caught my eye because of the verse. The pattern was stitched in all neutrals which I will share so you can see the contrast. I have long loved that verse and it always made me think of the little small church I attended as a child. I knew I had to do the pattern, but I knew I would have to have color in it. I am not the best at changing up colors and all. My husband has a knack for that, but me, not so much. I think changing it up made the stitching go slow, because I labored over decision. I am finally done and pleased with the finished stitch.

Warning: it is a cloudy day and the photos do not show the beauty of this sampler, but the photographer is as much to blame as the weather.

Here is the pattern so you can see how much I changed it. It is lovely as the pattern calls for, but it just wasn't what I had in mind. As soon as I saw the pattern, a vision came to mind for a very personal sampler.

Besides changing up all the colors, I wanted it to represent a specific location and people in my life. Both of my parents grew up in the woods of south Alabama in a small community called Range. My mother's side of the family attended a small Methodist church on a dirt road surrounded by my family. The church has a history with my family and I wanted to highlight that in this sampler.

Instead of one of the butterflies, I did a very light almost not seen until closer inspection replica of the little white church. Talking it through with Jeff after having started and pulling out stitches we came up with the light almost ghostly representation. I tried outlining once and it just was not working for me. I liked his idea and am really pleased with the approach. I had to put the little red because the columns out front of the church are brick and not painted.

The impression is with all the color you might miss it, but upon looking closer you notice it in the background. 

I added the initials of my great great grandparents, great grandparents, and grandparents who are buried in the church cemetery along with numerous other members of my mother's family.

According to the history of the church, the roots of Hartwood goes back to 1886 when Rev. Barnes of the Belleville Circuit of the Methodists Episcopal Church South began preaching services in an undetermined place in the vicinity of what is now known as Range. The old record book records that by 1899 there were 93 people in the Society that came to be knows as Beaver Creek Methodist Church.

By the year 1899 the people felt the need of a church building and school in the neighborhood. 

The 4 acres that became that became the church was first homesteaded by my great great grandparents.

My mother has a picture of the first building which was across from the present building and was the church and school. I remember the old buildings in Range that replaced the church building as the schools. My mama and daddy both attended school there. 

Back to the church...That first building according to my history of the church was built in a secluded wooded area near a stream, called Beaver Creek. The area is still pretty much secluded. You kinda have to know where you are going to find it. The first church was built from lumber by a sawmill owned by the Harts. It was located across the road from the present building. The Harts were related to my family. My mother still has the nickname Aunt Maggie who was her great aunt...Aunt Maggie Hart, because neither could or can sit still very long.

The Harts were a little wealthier because Mama remembers as a little girl that they had a phone long before anyone else had one, the kind where you pull the mouthpiece down and talk in it like on Andy Griffith show.

I have a list of the members in 1899 when it was established. Of course, my great great grandparents and great grandparents are on the list along with many family names I recognize. The name was changed to Hartwood in 1913 to honor the Harts because a member of that part of the family left a Trust Fund to the church to help keep up the cemetery and building improvements.

Both my mother and father came from poor families that worked hard but faith was a part of both their lives. I am so grateful for that heritage and I have written other times about how much I learned in that little country church in the woods. Here, here, and here.

Now, that 2 of my 4 large pieces are done...the heron and this one, I can breathe a little easier. I am not good with that many works in progress. That makes me a little nervous. I like to have 2 going because sometimes you miscount and need a brea from one. I will be working on The Shepherd's Song next to whittle down.

I feel like this one will go quicker than The Thirsty Hart because I have made a ton of progress on it and didn't want to put it down. I am not switching anything up, just following the pattern.

When it is done, I am adding a new one in the mix to work on with Let Freedom Ring. I haven't forgotten about the patriotic one and want to complete her, but she is gigantic. To stitch along side her, I fell instantly in love with the next pattern the moment I saw it. I have had to wait almost a year for it to be released. I didn't want to miss out on purchasing it, so it is bought and will be started sometime in 2023, but I am holding off until Shepherd's Song is completed.

The saying is "How great the blessing and how vast the art to live on little with a thankful heart."

I am going to be stitching a few smalls for the remaining week of July and then August though. I am stitching Lindsay an apple for Back to School and then I will have her little monthly collection complete. I also have 2 Halloween stitches started. Actually, it is the same stitch on 2 different pieces of linen. I took with me the last time I went to Auburn and couldn't decide which piece to do it on. I tried both and kept stitching and still couldn't decide. One will be dark and the other light. I have decided to complete them both and give one to Lindsay.

I also have to add baby Miles a Christmas stocking and of course an ornament. He should arrive next week. We are all ready to meet him.

Oh and then my second pattern arrived from the subscription I ordered this year. There are 3 in it and number 2 arrived. I want to start it immediately, but first the apple.

There are so many things I want to stitch and time is a factor. So as with all things, plans are subject to change:)

I hope to be back next week with a July life post. Palmer is 1. I have no idea how time flies so quickly. It is almost August and my little grandsons are growing like weeds. May I leave a legacy of love for Jesus to them.

Loving summer,

Sandy

Goodbye Sick

 It has been so long and so crazy around here I had to look back to see where I left off with life. I will give an update in a moment. 

Let's look at cross stitch for now. I have been pretty much exclusively working on Thirsty Hart. This stitch has been comfort stitching with the deer since I had so much going on. Mostly fill in with brown is what I have been up to. Here is where I am as of today.

There is another half to the deer, grass, the remainder of the flower, the redoing of some of the yellow flowers, lots of butterflies and a little personalization to do. I have made great progress on it though.

I took the time too finally stitch that dragonfly on the heron. It was over one so I procrastinated.

I have the foam board and glass ready. My goal this week is to pin it on the board, because we are going to Auburn for the weekend of the 4th and my friend will have the frame to put it in. I can't wait. 

Family Updates...

With the traveling of sickness, Mother got Covid. That was a bit stressful. She is all good now. It left her fatigued, and hopefully it didn't undo all that physical therapy. We were supposed to have the last visit with her health nurse last week, but she postponed dismissing her until this coming week. I am hoping she will be able to pick up with her exercises and keep progressing.

I am feeling better and how in the world I haven't gotten it -who knows?! IT is odd how it jumps on certain people and skips others.

My duties with Mama have picked up to the point it is just hard for me to be the blogger I once was. It is what it is and I am grateful for the fact she is close by and that I can see about her. There will be time for blogging again one day.

That really has been the bulk of my last two weeks so I don't have a whole bunch to share. 

I did stop by Ace and buy a kiddie pool to put on the lower deck for Palmer and I to beat the heat. August heat in June has not exactly been a good thing, but I think we are getting a reprieve this coming week.

Most of my pictures of him are naked:) I just let him swim as such. One day Tucker was with me and he loved that they were both naked. A dolphin came by that day, so he ran out to the end of dock like that to see the dolphin come by. Our neighbors were on vacation so we had the area all to ourselves.

You can see Gus's nose in the pool picture. He swims in the bayou and drinks from the pool. The pool is much better for corralling boys.

Palmer is 11 months. Where has the time gone?

Like I said, not a lot going on even though I have pretty much been absent from reading and commenting on blogs. IT won't last forever though, so I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Counting blessings,

Sandy