Brass bells

When I was a kid, mom had a little brass bell like the one on the left.  It is only about 3 inches tall...minus the ring on top.  I don't know what that part is called, but I don't think the one mom had was that big.  She kept it on this little red strip of torn cloth and it hung inside her closet, right inside beside the door.  She would let me play with it sometimes when I was sick.  Though I liked to look at it, it did not hold much appeal as a play thing.

I never knew were it came from...it was an odd thing for mom to have.  Or it seems so to me.  I don't know where it ended up...probably still hanging there at home somewhere.

We were up at Patton's corner, and I spied these there...I bet they were there the other time we stopped, but there is just so much to see that it is hard to take it all in.

Quilt top finished.

It took me two or three days to decide what fabric to use...for the inner strip and the border.  then I came across the green and had enough of it to make borders all the way around.  So, finally decided to take MaryBeth's advice and use red for the inner strip. 

Not sure when I am going to quilt it...I am wanting to get something together to quilt though.  But I do not want to buy fabric for the backing.  But I am having a heck of a time deciding what to piece together to use for the backing for any of the quilt tops I have available to quilt.

Tootie and her mom came Friday....her mom went home Sunday afternoon, and Tootie stayed with us and went home yesterday.  All the while wishing they lived next door till she never had to go home.  She has not lost her second tooth.  She lost the first one while we were in California and the other day wiggled the second one out while on the way home from somewhere.

No great events have been happening...it is just fun having her around.  Even Puss Puss is beginning to accept her.  It thrilled Lorelei to death when Puss Puss came and got in the bed with us the other night.  Puss even walked up on her and did the pedal-pushing or kneading on her legs.  Then Lo was sitting with me Monday night and Puss jumped up in the chair with her. 

Puss has a real fear of children, and will growl and strike out if pushed at all.  Lorelei has never been mean to her, but some other kids were and she has not forgotten it.  So this is a big step of trust on her part.

Day Lily time approaches/is here

Just trying to blog a quick post before I head downstairs to start a load of laundry.  It was overcast for so long, I couldn't decide if I wanted to try hanging our a load or not.  I have decided to do the load and then decide for sure.

I have one day lily blooming...not the one above...mine is in a place where I cannot get a good photo at all.  But I am looking forward to watching them bloom for a while.  It really extends the season to deadhead them.

So, I best be off and head down there and start the laundry....I have fabric to cut and seams to sew...all fun things to do.  Even the laundry.

A handsome fellow

The previous post featured Lorelei, with a taste of Otto...I thought I would do this post with pictures of him from the same day.  Here he is...I don't recall why he had that look...maybe cause he had his harness on and was on the lead....

Now this is better...just the collar...just taking it easy in the front yard.  Isn't he handsome!

In case you are wondering, he is actually watching Sarah to see what she is doing...

He is happy just being with us.  He is not huge, but weighs about 70 pounds.  Their neighbors to one side have a couple girls that Lorelei likes to play with and also a couple dogs that he likes to play with.

Then a couple houses down the other way are two more kids.  And also a dog lives there, a Vizsla.  She gets out of her yard, comes and jumps the fence into Sarah's back yard and plays with him about 15 minutes.  By then he is worn out, and she jumps the fence to go make other visits.

The thing with him, he would dearly love to be a lap dog.  All I have to do is look at him a certain way and here he comes and tries to get in my lap.  Depending on where I am, I sometimes let him.  With Sarah, it is the same.  Especially if she gets this one quilt out...he considers it an open invitation to sit with her.

Edited to add:

I was looking back through old post of him...look at how young he was...this was before Lorelei...when Sarah and Jeremy lived just 15 minutes away.  Taken in April of 2008!

Had a sleepover

The last time Lorelei was here, she asked when were we ever going to come spend the night with her...so when her mom asked if we would like to come spend the night we couldn't resist.

We spent all afternoon outside....I have never seen a child that could have so much fun pouring water from one thing to another.  Maybe my girls did it, too, but I don't remember it.

I think I have given myself permission to just sit back and watch her...she is young only once.

Friday night she was in a snacking mood...so Sarah had fixed her two or three snacks...and she wanted more.  So Sarah told her there were pickles, string cheese, pepperoni, and I forget what else that was low down where she could reach it in the fridge.  She kept wanting her mom to come and Sarah wanted her to do it on her own.

Lorelei just kept on, and Sarah told her to go get it by her self...either take it or leave it.  Lorelei sort of stomped into the kitchen and said, 'I'll take it.'

I can't resist adding this one of her having Otto in a headlock.  I was sitting in the shade shooting into the sun so there are too many shadows where they shouldn't be.  Still you get the general idea of what a great dog Otti is.  His name is Otto, but we call him Otti...

And the above is one Sarah sent me this evening of Lo and her friend Emily...taking Otto for a ride in the wagon.  Sarah said he got in very willingly but didn't stay long.

Does this bring back memories

Remember when it seemed like winter was going to last forever?   I wonder how cold it is to ride in an open buggy like this in winter.  This one was taken December 8, 2013.
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We are having a beautiful day so far.  No humidity to speak of.  Specially when compared to the past few days.  We are headed to Walmart and maybe to a couple junk shops.  We want to get out while the getting out is good.
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They did call about the pathology reports....both spots she removed were basal cell.  It is usually not dangerous, so just going on with life.  I do know though that soon as these are healed I am going back to have a couple more removed.  One of them I just forgot to point out to her, the other I had never noticed cause it was so close to one of the ones I had removed. 

From the past

I have posted this photo before...I like it.  A lot.

I look at it and think probably all the cooking for the family was done right there with very few other items.  Yet my kitchen is crammed full.  Some items I only use once in a blue, blue moon.  Some I have not used in years.

I have a George Foreman grill.  It makes great hamburgers, but I seldom get it out.  I got it because we had one at work and used it all the time so I thought I would use one just as much here at home.  I was wrong.  Yet I cannot bring myself to get rid of it.

I have an electric skillet.  I use it occasionally at the family picnic to keep something warm.  But not at every one.

I sit around and think of getting rid of stuff, yet I never act on it.  I even found THIS list of things to get rid of and have it saved for inspiration.

I just wondered how many feel like their life is cluttered with stuff?  Sometimes I feel owned by stuff...life would be so much simpler if I got brave and disposed of a lot of it. 

Etc

First, and before I say anything else, I want to say that the photo of Lo and her daddy in the rain was taken by Sarah.  I meant to give that credit when I posted it and got in a hurry and forgot
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Now, first I will show you my current quilt top I am making...it is not going to be even a twin size.  It will be more like a couch size...

I have a good start on it...I just need to take it down to the cutting board and square up the edges.

There will be a strip of fabric that goes between the sections.  I have not chosen the fabric yet.  And I still need to put the half square triangles on each corner of the main section. 
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I went to the dermatologist today...she removed one mole and another spot that she said was basal cell cancer.   But that was just from her looking at it through magnification.  Will wait and see what pathology has to say before I feel sure that is all it is...not that it isn't enough.  I should have went long ago but I kept waiting for other things to calm down.  If I had known how simple it would be, I would have went long ago.  

Sunshine is gone....home

Since I have a doctor's appt tomorrow...our sunshine had to go home today....she did not want to go either.  She came Thursday and has complained the whole time she was not getting to stay very long.  Then today she kept telling me told me three days was not very long....and she would say 'Now what do you have to do tomorrow?'  And I would tell her.  About the last time she told me call her when I got home.

She always snacks at night...sometimes she wants a poptart....sometimes she wants chicken soup....and sometimes it is a Klondike bar.  Well, those and other things.  She was having a Klondike bar last night....she was eating it and dropped a big chunk of the chocolate.  Now this happens all the time with this and other stuff and I tell her at least once a meal to sit up close to the table, and in the case of some snacks, that she is eating in the living room or on the porch...I tell her to hold the bowl up close to her.

So, last night she dropped that and I said, "How many times to do I have to tell you to hold the bowl up under your chin?"

She replies, "A LOT."

Roger and I just sat and laughed.

One time in the past year or so, she was doing something...I cannot remember what it was for the life of me and Sarah asked her, "Do you want me to spank your butt?"  She said, "No."