counting thanks 982 ~ 1021

Aug20

A list of thankfuls – one by one, my goal is to list 1000, being open to seeing the many blessings and gifts from my Father above ~ time to catch up on listing my thanks here ~ I hit my first 1000!!

~ a wonderful trip to the coast with my mom and sisters

~ enjoying the salty air and watching the waves, acknowledging the power of God

~ nephew time and Funderland

~ the cooling delta breeze that comes in the evening

~ contentment with what I have

~ a fun day at the gun range with family

~ the opportunity to visit and help my 99 year-old Grandma

~ a cousin willing to watch the puppy while I’m at Grandma’s

~ wandering her flower beds

~ fun knitting projects

~ a fun box of good stuff from my “FRIENDS” swap partner

~ my sister asking me if I wanted to rent a house with her

~ the “fun” of looking for a house

~ beautiful flowers

~ finding a nice home with a good landlord

~ the anticipation of moving – only “XX” more sleeps

~ sour pickles – Yumm!

~ fresh veges from my dad’s garden – tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and all kinds of squash

~ finishing some projects and re-starting some that have been tucked away

~ the many family and friends that helped us move

~ for a real bathroom with a shower that has lots of water pressure and volume

~ lots of wood and tile floor to sweep and mop

~ for a reminder lesson on the power and need for thankfulness

~ little boys that say – I like your house

~ a new-to-me memory foam mattress topper

~ for my sister watching my puppy during the moving weekend

~ for nephews saying, what can I carry next

~ for a lesson that reminded me that we are only “stewards” of what we have and that we need to use it for God’s glory

a visit to Grandma’s house

Jul26

A couple weekends ago, I went to visit my Grandma Crain. She is 99 years old and needs someone around 24/7. An aunt and uncle stay with her, but some other family members having been visiting on the weekends to give them a break. So this post will be a little this and that from my visit.

~ she lives on Candy Cane Lane ~ as a child I loved the name of this street

~ here’s just a sampling of some of the flowers in her gardens

~ I love her oak leaf hydrangea, my uncle helped my dig up some little ones to bring them home.

~ here’s a picture of the front of her house

~ a poem framed and hanging on the living room wall, written by my brother when he was a teenager

~ a small cross-stitch piece I made for Grandpa & Grandma when I was a teenager

~ a couple pieces that Grandpa & Grandma used to make, all from berries and pods and pine cones, etc

~ blue bottles in the laundry room window ~ i love blue bottles…

~ Grandma’s potting shed

~ and the little frog that visited while I potted some plants

~ it’s almost hidden in the greenry, but this is a picture of an olive tree my Grandma transplanted back in the early 80’s from my great-grandmother’s home. She has kept it in the same pot, so now it’s bonsai. I asked her if I could have it when she’s tired of messing with it. And she said yes!

~ I wandered her gardens and created a flower arrangement for her, it’s really fun to be able to have the variety to pick from.

~ The vegetable garden, I think my uncle is working it this year, Grandma’s not able to get around much anymore.

~ Thanks for visiting my Grandma’s house with me…

more succulents

Jul17

Here is just a small sampling of the pictures I took of succulent plants while in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel. I am constantly intrigued with the shapes, sizes and colors of succulents.

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” ~ Aristotle

hoping to share with ~ wordless (almost) wednesday, wordless wednesday, nature notes, wordless wednesday, wild & wonderful, outdoor wednesday, project alicia

weekend trip ~ instagram style

Jul3

on the road, bags & pillows packed, many flowers photo’d, monterey hostel (where shall we go next)

fabric & yarn shops, feeding the birds, walking on rocks, mom & daughters

watching the waves hit the rocks, walking cannery row, watching the wild life, cards & knitting in the evening

goodbye monterey, hello carmel, abalone shells for sale, i love the ocean sights & smells

more succulents & flowers, santa cruz ocean view, knitting on the road, and finally a sunset (golden gate bridge also)

it was a good trip, fun time with mom & sisters, and i come home – ocean restored….

hoping to share with ~ wordless (almost) wednesday, wordless wednesday, nature notes, outdoor wednesday, project alicia, this and that thursday, summer daze

yearning for the ocean

May8

I’ve had a yearning for the ocean lately

so I looked back through my pictures and will share some from last summer

hoping to share with wordless (almost) wednesday, wordless wednesday, nature notes, wild & wonderful, wordless wednesday-closeups, and then she snapped, outdoor wednesday, project alicia, This or That Thursday

little pockets

Apr24

I’m joining up with Ginny on her “yarn along“. I love to knit and love to read – but since I haven’t figured out how to do both at the same time – I also love Audible. I’m still listening to Riptide by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.

I read these two posts (ginny & lori) last week as I was browsing Yarn Along posts. And I learned about Lori’s trip to Africa and how she was making little pockets to give to children in the villages she would visit. I decided I could make a few, let me tell you ~ they are addictive. You can’t make just one….

I ended up making 22 of them and I want to make some more for the little kids (2-3 year olds) in my Bible story class. They are fun and quick to make. I used small amounts of cotton, acrylic and nylon yarns, I wanted them all to be kid-friendly and washable.

Two of my nephews helped me pick out little cars, balls and some little turtles to send in them. I mailed them off to Lori today with prayers for the little ones who will receive them. Best wishes on your trip ~ Lori…

So what are you knitting / crocheting / spinning / reading / listening to?

Check out some others at the ~ Yarn Along & WIP Wednesday with tami’s amis