Visitors

Some of our Kansas family came for a visit. Their window of opportunity for visiting, and their time with us was limited because of commitments at home, but they were able to stay for two nights. While Jill and Celina did some shopping (school begins August 17 for Celina), I happily watched the boys. 

For our Monday morning walk I intentionally headed to the high school which is under construction for renovation and an addition. Tay and Aesa were enrapt by the excavator. 

Tay and Aesa

By that evening, Tay was relating to me that the "X-cavator" could "Shovel dirt. Turn around." For only 22 months, he's a talker. I was also privileged to hear him sing the "Alphabet Song" - sorta - but he's even in tune!

At nine months, Aesa's a charmer. And his Bapa thinks so too.

While Jill and Celina shopped, I had my first ever foray into a mall play area. My day was completely made when not only did a man compliment me on the cute little boy, but that he thought Aesa was my cute boy! I hated to enlighten him.

Aesa enjoyed crawling all over, and pulling himself up. 

Tay had fun climbing "up high."

I am relishing our unexpected temperature change. Again, the a/c is off. This morning it was downright cool at 60 F (15.5 C). Hogan (the dog) and I went for a long walk in the park, and while on the trail I practiced memorizing scripture - aloud.

In January I joined Beth Moore's 2011 Siesta Scripture Memory Team where, twice a month - on the 1st and 15th - we're encouraged to memorize a Bible verse of our choosing. I was doing really well until April, when I lost my hand-held spiral notes with my first eleven verses! I've been praying to find them. I haven't, and I don't know what to do about it. Unfortunately, I didn't have them so well memorized that I can pull them out of the air. I've continued choosing and memorizing - trying to memorize. The memory team is up to the 15th memorized verse.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name, under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV, 1984)

I know that. And since our morning walk together, even Hogan knows that! Linda

Quilting a Kleenex Box

FAB (Friend After Blogging) Carla of Lollyquiltz is preparing quilts for a presentation she'll make this fall to a quilt guild. She mentioned that she has about "ten quilts to quilt," so I've quilted one of them for her. This is Carla's "Kleenex Box" quilt. I pin basted it - Quilter's Dream Request batting - and set about quilting it.

Each scrappy strip seemed to have several focal points, so to emphasize them I outline-quilted each one with white, #40 YLI thread.

As I wanted, each shape is evident on the quilt back. Then, using invisible nylon thread, I channel quilted diagonally, 1-1/2" apart, to finish the scrappy rows.

This free-motion design is a new one for me. I first saw it here. (Thanks for leading me to it, Emma.) It shows well on this solid fabric, especially with King Tut variegated thread. The bobbin thread is gray Bottom Line.

Kleenex Box, 49" X 54-1/2"

With a neat pieced backing, it's a cute finish. Well done, Carla!

Linda

Grandies

It's been a while since I've shared pictures of grandchildren, so here you go...

Celina recently completed a series of modeling lessons. She learned how to dress, accessorize, apply make-up, and style hair, all age appropriate to her 12 years. She also learned how to walk and carry herself. In school, I think we called it deportment.

This is a backyard photo of her taken just before she went to the final runway presentation wearing clothes, make-up and styled hair she selected herself.  Out of 35 models, Celina won one of four awards given for "Exceptional Performance at the Hoffman Graduation Fashion Show." We're so proud of her!

We visited our Kansas family July 23-25 and these are a few of those pictures. Even seeing them every two weeks or so, they change so quickly. Jill discovered a Home Depot line of toy tools at Babies R Us. Tay doesn't put down his "dwill."

Tay 22 months; Aesa 8 months

In just one week, eight month-old Aesa quickly learned to crawl so he can follow big brother Tay. Aesa also pulls himself up on furniture to spend a lot of time on his feet.

Aesa, 8 months

This decorative wrought iron piece in the bookshelf is a big attraction.

Both boys recently had haircuts. It was Aesa's first, and Tay's sixth or seventh! As Aesa is growing up, the boys are looking more and more alike. 

At Aesa's nine month check-up this week we learned he weighs 20 lbs. 2 ozs. and is 29-1/4" long. Tay at a similar age was 22 lbs. 8 ozs., and 28-1/2" long. 

Aesa has also been diagnosed with breath holding syndrome. I wasn't familiar with it until I witnessed his first episode in early July while the family was all together in the Ozarks. Crying, no breath intake, eyes-rolling, going limp and passing out. It isn't life threatening, but very scary to watch! (Search and view any YouTube video of a breath holding episode.) Thankfully, Aesa's had only one other incidence since then, and we want to keep it that way.

UPDATE: This evening, Jill suddenly noticed that the house was strangely quiet and wondered what the two boys were doing. She expected to find them playing behind the sofa. When she didn't find them there, she called outdoors to Maher to ask if he had them. He didn't. When she went looking, she was stunned to find both boys at the top of the stairs! Aesa, who's two days shy of nine months old either followed or was helped by Tay, to crawl up 12 steps, cross a landing and climb four more steps to the second floor! None of us can even imagine it without cringing. A baby gate will be going up soon.

Though I haven't seen Austin in person since we were all together in the Ozarks, he seems to be enjoying an easy life on a Florida beach.

Our Kansas City family is coming to visit us Sunday and will stay a couple days. They haven't been to our house for a year! We're not set up for babies - no high chair, no toys, no baby gates - but as long as we can get outdoors, we'll manage. Linda

High Trestle Bridge

Our home air-conditioner has been on for 40 consecutive days. Based on that, you probably find it difficult to believe that we're really "let's-open-windows" kind of people. We've had our a/c on for that long because of our extreme heat and uncomfortably high dew point. The dew point is what makes the heat feel hotter, making the "heat index" the true indicator of how hot we feel. 

Dew points are downright oppressive when they are over 75 degrees F. 

For the past few weeks the dew point has been hovering in the mid-70s, so when Wednesday's forecast was for a high temperature of only 88F (30.5C) with a dew point in the mid-60s, we planned an outing to the High Trestle Bridge. It's in Madrid, Iowa, a small town 35 minutes northwest of Des Moines. By the way, Madrid is not pronounced like the city in Spain, but rather as MAD-rid.

In Madrid we parked in a city park near an access to the High Trestle Trail.  It was a pretty day with clear blue skies and a light breeze. The paved trail is a real attraction to bicyclers. During our 4.87 mile walk (round trip), we frequently heard calls of, "On your left!" as they cheerily let us know they were coming up behind us.

It was just great to be outdoors, taking in the scenery.

I'd heard that algae has been rampant this summer. I'd say so!

Butterflies were flitting everywhere, and always around these pink wildflowers.

I don't often see indigo buntings. They fly so quickly that even though this one is somewhat hidden by the tree, I was happy to get a picture.

Along the trail, every 1,000 steps there's a sign with a different quote.

This is the start of what we walked so far to see, the new High Trestle Bridge Trail that opened in April this year. Veins of coal are in these structures that stand at each end of the 1/2 mile-long bridge. Until 2003, railroad tracks that were here were owned by Union Pacific Railroad, and it was coal that was often transported.

Signage says: "This is one of the largest trail bridges in the world."

That's my husband standing on it, 13 stories above the Des Moines River.

Here we're looking north at the Highway 210 bridge with a truck traveling over it.

For a state with both rolling hills and flat expanses of land, this is a great view. We can't wait to return in the fall when the trees along the river's edge will surely display beautiful colors.

After spending a couple hours on the trail, we drove to Saylorville Reservoir. Under a shade tree at Cherry Glen we settled in our bag chairs with our picnic lunch and this view. Nice.

Doris, also in Iowa, recently wrote a blog post titled Exploring in Your Own Backyard. Looks like she and I have been thinking alike! Though I don't have any quilts to show you from my trip as she does, I'd say that exploring places like these fill us with Iowa pride. Next up... August 11-21, our Iowa State Fair. "Nothing Compares!" 

Oh, and with the temperature change we've now turned off our a/c, have the windows open, and I'll be using my oven again. Yay! I've missed having homemade granola with my morning yogurt. Linda

It's Nice Being a Loser

As many of us do, I enter blog giveaways. About eight or so times, I've even won.

Recently, KaHolly (Karen) hosted a giveaway that I lost. (Lucky Carrie won.) But sweet lady that Karen is, she made and sent me this adorable consolation prize. It came all the way from Nova Scotia! That little foundation paper pieced name tag is no more than 2" X 3".

And the pretty pink needle holder is just as nicely made as can be. I like that it has a jump ring attached so I can put it on the handle of my embroidery bag. Sweet.

Thanks so much for your generous gift, Karen. You know how to make losing feel great! Linda

Life AB

In a recent browse through the digital quilting magazine, Down Under Quilts, (issue #148), I read the article: "Blogging: The New Age Digital Diary." Author Sue Dennis says she's a dedicated blogger who uses her blog like a diary, to record her activities. Like her, I'm not only keeping my blog as digital record, but at the end of each year I'm creating and buying a Blog2Print hardcover book of my blog, so future generations will know a little about me.

In the article, Sue mentions several new-to-me acronyms. There's life:

BB - Before Blogging
AB - After Blogging

And these, which are the most fun:

FBB - Friends Before Blogging
FAB - Friends After Blogging (I love having FABulous friends!)
FWB - Friends Without Blogs

Last week I had the chance to meet face-to-face with a FAB friend, Tammy, from Duluth, Minnesota. We met at a local quilt shop and spent more than two hours together, finding plenty to talk about!

Me, with Tammy

Tammy blogs as Art, Alphabets and Adventure. We first "met" when I was looking for a graphic designer to create Spoonflower fabric for our church quilting group. Tammy did just that, proving herself as a skilled designer. Not only that, but she's a lovely person, as is her husband who I also had the pleasure of meeting.

What a blessing to have FABs! Linda