Help?

I'm hoping someone who reads this can assist with an issue.  I have comments to publish as they have arrived in my email.  When I click "publish" it tells me I don't (my email) have access to do so.  I have access to post  to my blog but not publish comments nor can I find when I go into my blog where the comments are to publish from that venue.  Not sure what's going on.  I've never run into this before.  Help???

Liebster Award Acceptance and Nominees

Note:  I have absolutely no idea why there are white boxes around this post.  Oi!  

Thank you (is this something I should really be thanking her for?) to Kim at Irishman Acres for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I had no idea what this was so am thankful to Kim that she explained the rules.  It's also taken me a bit of time to get around to doing this.  I love that it's aimed at smaller blogs.  I've never really cared much how many followers I've had.  My writing has turned into something more therapeutic for me than something to be noticed.  

"The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers .
"Liebster" in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome"

The Rules of the Liebster Award state;

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves by answering the questions that the nominator has set for you.
• You must create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer. You must choose 11 people (with less than 200 followers) and link to them in your post.
• Go to their page and let them know!
• No tag backs!

These are the questions from Kim I'm supposed to answer.  Here you go, all you may or may not have ever wanted to know.

1) What made you want to start your blog?  I actually started my blog when I was taking a web design course.  I was hoping that it would assist me in understanding the class.  However, Blogspot made it so user friendly and easy, it didn't help with the class much.  In the end, I passed, nuff said, good enough.

2) What is your favorite restaurant?  Anything BBQ is always at the top of my list.  I like to eat out once in a while but quite honestly, I prefer to cook at home.  Many times I can make meals better and way more healthy than what I am paying someone $$ to do for me and may not end up liking.  I enjoy the social aspect of going out to eat with people but many times I do prefer my own cooking.

3) What is your dream job, if you could do it?  I would love to own a quilt shop.  I'd also like to run a bed & breakfast.  Maybe a combo of the two???  hmmmm

4) Morning or night person, and why?  It takes me a few hits on the snooze alarm to get up in the mornings but once I'm upright, I'm more than ready to get rolling.  The promise of a new day and what it may bring always excites and challenges me.

5) What would you tell your teenage self if you could?  "Don't be afraid to try new things for fear of failing or embarrassing yourself".

6) If you could live anywhere else, where would that be?  My dream home is a cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee.  I could wake up to a view like this everyday.  No problem.

For now, though I'm settling for the view of beautiful Midwest corn & soybeans fields and I'm okay with that.  It's all in God's timing.

7) All-time favorite place to shop?  I do most of my shopping online so it really varies where I shop and for what.  However, I can browse Hobby Lobby for hours.

8) Favorite thing to wear? Your go-to outfit?  It all depends on the occasion but I'm most comfortable and feel the best in good fitting jeans, a nice white or black blouse and my boots.  I do like my riding jacket tho because it means motorcycling!

9) If you had a whole day to yourself, what would you do with it?  I would love to say I would quilt all day long but reality crashes in.  I'm too attention challenged for that most of the time, so probably quilt a bit, read a little and cook something unless I have a closet that needs organized...I'm all over that!

10) Are you still friends with your childhood buddies?   Yes, some of them.  There is a group of girls I went to high school with that get together every year Thanksgiving weekend.  This year is our 35 year class reunion and we've been together that one day a year every year but one.  Love these ladies!

  

11) How many blogs do you follow religiously, and who are your favorites and why? I currently have 45 in my Feedly reader.  I like them all but for different reasons and content or I wouldn't be following them silly.

Now on to who I would like to nominate for the Liebster Award. 

and sew on

Covered Porches and Wooden Screen Doors

Crazy For Primitive Quilts and Gardens

Jackie's Stitches

Life's Little Garden

Loving Retirement

Of His Pasture

OklaCookiemaker Quilts

On The Road With Janet

Stitchin By The Lake

Surviving Munchkinland

The Life Of A Farmers Wife

From This Side Of The Pond

So after I counted, I realized I have 13.  So much for rules.  If I have more than 11 maybe I'll end up with 11 that actually participate.  That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. 

And the questions I am submitting for the above bloggers to answer in all of their randomness are as follows........[drum roll]

1)  What is your favorite holiday and why?

2)  Do you get road rage while driving?

3)  True confessions time...if the speed limit is 55, how fast do you typically drive?  exactly 55?  over?  under?  by how much?

4)  What do you do to unwind at the end of the day?  or do you have no need to unwind?

5)  What qualities are important for someone to be a friend to you?

6)  How many times in your adult life have you moved to a different home?

7)  What would your dream car be?

8)  I know I'm not to repeat questions(again-rules, schmules) but curiosity is killing me...why did you start blogging?

9)  How would you describe the decor in your home?  Is it eclectic, any particular theme?  style? what are your favorite things in your home?  etc.....

10)  Since today is Sunday, please describe a typical Sunday for you.

11)  What is your all time favorite food that you rarely cook at home but love to order when you are at a restaurant?

There are your 11 questions.  I did follow that rule. Ha!  Enjoy ladies, you can thank me later.  :)

  

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Yet One More Blessing

We've been blessed yet again with another beautiful grandchild!  This time, a girl, to Joe & Kristen, born Wednesday.  The new little miss came in at 7 lbs. even and 19-1/2 ounces.  They live two hours from us and were only in the hospital a little over 24 hours after she was born so we caught up with them at their home on Friday.  

Introducing Avriel Kirsten - 12 hours old

 Meeting the g-rents.

Such a tiny one on this big guys chest.  Makes a mommas heart sing.

With her Mama after her first bath at home. :)

Can't wait to watch her grow. 

Recent Projects

I was reminded this afternoon that I haven't posted any project posts for a while. So here goes.

We were blessed with a new grandson, Mace, the end of July.  All grandkids get a quilt from Grandma.  Isn't that a rule somewhere if you have a quilter Grandma?

Mace Lucas's quilt

We are also expecting a new granddaughter any day.  This is Avriel Kiersten's quilt.  It is actually more red than this picture looks.  (disregard the unpainted deck railing- I haven't gotten to that level of the to-do- list just yet)

A certain grandgirl needed a library/gym bag.  I cheated on this and used a white ready-made canvas bag from Hobby Lobby and added the ruffles.  I thought it turned our really cute but have I ever mentioned how much I dislike making ruffles? No?  Well, I dislike making ruffles.

Big sister liked the bag so what else can a Grandma do?  Round 2!  And since Big Sister was here at the time I decided to make the bag, she was able to pick out her own fabrics from my stash and how she wanted them laid out on the bag.

 And their Mom liked the bags and had a birthday coming up.  Today, to be exact, (Happy Birthday Heidi!) so I worked up a messenger bag for her this weekend.  I didn't cheat on this one with a ready made tho.  I used a Burda pattern I found at Jo-Anns.  I've never used a Burda pattern before and maybe it was just this particular one, but their directions leave a bit to be desired.  Just sayin.  However, the bag turned out great.
And I do have to admit as much as I am not a "ruffle girl", I could even carry something like this.  

Really liked the big black flower button.  Love the fabrics and how it turned out.  All of the fabrics but the one with circles came from Moda's Little Black Dress Basic Gray line. The circle fabric was from Jo-Ann Fabrics.    

Hmmm....now what should the next project be?  So many options!

Summer In The Midwest helmet-cam

We went out for a nice long Sunday afternoon bike ride today.  First we've done more than a quick ride here or there all summer mostly due to me being laid up with "the foot".  It was a gorgeous afternoon!  Here's a few scenes from our ride...

 We packed sandwiches and stopped here to eat them at one of DH's favorite stops.  This old bridge has a very active rail line underneath it and we hung out long enough to be above the train as it passed.  Yeah, we're weird like that. 

Wildflowers near where we had our lunch.  Everything looks pretty green and lush but we really need another dose of rain.

 DH is tall, 6'4" so this is some extremely tall corn. 

 One of my favorite places we pass by on this route.  It sits on top of a hill with an incredible view and is always neat as a pin.  The white fence pretty much has my heart too. [sigh]

 This cow seemed pretty interested in our bike as we passed.  Be truthful, do you moo at cows when you go by?  Doesn't everyone?  

 Love this old red barn!

And last but not least...this is not something someone on a motorcycle wants to see running along the road next to them.  This one was just a baby but still could have done serious damage to the bike and us. They're so unpredictable.  They go one way and then dart the next.  Not sure what it's like where you live but here many of these animals unfortunately become hood ornaments.  Just one more reason we try not to ride too close to dusk or after dark.

Just an observation...

When we were at the park last weeked, three year old Ella raced up the steps to the fire pole but then decided she was too scared to go down the pole.  She clung to the side of the tower saying "I scared!".  Mommy eventually convinced her to try.  She helped her reach out, wrap her arms around the pole and see that her daddy was there to catch her and not let her fall.  She was still hesitant but she trusted that her Daddy would do what he said he would.

This scene reminded me so much of my relationship with my Lord.  He is there to catch me but so many times I find it safer to cling to the side of the tower afraid to take that first step out over the unknown and grab the pole he provides.  Why is it so hard to believe my Father God will do what He says He will?  The Bible tells me He will and it's been proven more times than I can count.   If I could embrace Ella's child-like faith and let my Father assist me, how much better could my life be?  

Just an observation...

There's just something about traditions...

When I was growing up we rarely had a lunch picnic at a park unless it was a family reunion but at least 2 - 3 times a summer, we would go to a local park and cook breakfast out.  We did this often with our boys as well and now we get to enjoy the same tradition with the grandkids.  This morning we packed our Coleman stove which we haven't used in a long time.  It's been a few years since we've done the breakfast in the park thing, went camping or built a house.  Built a house?  Yes, we cooked on the camp stove for our first few weeks in our house.  When we moved in, the kitchen was still awaiting counter top and sink but through a series of events we felt it was necessary to move in regardless.  Whew, that's a rabbit trail.

Back on track...so this morning we packed our Coleman stove, some bacon, muffins, cheese, fruit and eggs and off to the park we went!  It was a gorgeous morning!  This particular park has a wonderful playground for the kids which you can see in the distance in the first picture, called Kids Castle.  This playground was built around the time our boys were young. 

I neglected to take any pictures of the picnic portion of the morning but did manage to snap a few other photos.

The picture above is hands down my favorite picture of the day.  Grandpa and his grands.  

This merry-go-round has been in operation since I can remember.  I rode on it as a child, our boys rode on it and now their children do and the best part is it's still only 50 cents!

This fire pole when our boys were small.  They slid down it many times. 

Father and son ... the meeting of the minds as they were waiting on the merry-go-round.  

 This fire truck has been in place well over 50 years.  I climbed on it and these kids daddy and mommy "drove" it too.

I love that the same things that delighted us as children, still delight our grandkids.  There's just something about those traditions. 

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

I've been given the go ahead at this point to transition to a regular shoe from the big black boot.  I have to do it slowly, a couple of hours a day at home first and then eventually I can wear the shoe to work and when out.  

This is a great thing, right?  Guess what, none of my current shoes fit my foot!  :(  It's still pretty swollen so my regular shoes are not wide enough  So I've been on the hunt for a shoe to get me by for the next few months.  I don't want to spend big money as I hopefully won't need a wide width eventually.
  
I do not have an easy to foot to fit, I wear a womens sz. 12. :(  I can't walk into any ol' store and pick up a pair.  I ordered 9 pairs in a wide width from Zappos, which I love by the way.  Free fast shipping and free return shipping.  It's like a shoe store comes to my door.  Love it!  But this time not a one of the 9 pair fit so they are all going back. :(

I checked out our local stores but no dice there either. 

So yesterday, a 2 hour drive later, I arrived at The Shoe Box in Black Earth, Wisconsin.  It's the only store within a reasonable radius that carries a selection in my size and their service is second to none.  I tried on "just a few pair."  Quite honestly, I lost count after 15 pair.  The girl assisting me was so kind and helpful which is the type of service we usually find at The Shoe Box.  She had great suggestions and understood where I was coming from and how I had to proceed.

 

I finally found one I could live with.  I really didn't want a tennis shoe since I will be wearing this shoe for the next 3 months to work, church, everywhere, but it's what I could find that fit and felt good so I'm going with it.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to start little by little with REAL shoes!  I am beyond excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It's a pretty long tunnel yet but I can see the light!


Neither Zappos or The Shoe Box paid me a dime to mention them.