God's creation

When we arrived home our daughters and their families came to welcome us. Our oldest grandson proudly proclaimed that we had a baby bird in the bush in our backyard. We all scurried out to see and sure enough we have a baby Robin staying with us. Mama was quick to let us know that she did not approve of our close proximity to her baby so we left this little one alone. Before we brought our dogs home from the kennel we had to place a wire fence around the bush so the dogs wouldn't get to close. I have to go out each time the dogs go out just to make sure they don't see this little one and try to get to it. I love seeing babies up close but I'll be glad when this bird learns to fly and leaves us. In the past we've had scrub Jays nest in our yard and had quite a problem keeping the dogs from doing what comes naturally.

May your world be filled with wonder, as if from a child's eye.

Monday Morning Musings

We are back home, safe and sound. Thank you, dear friends, for your prayers concerning our return trip. While we enjoyed being back in our beautiful California as the saying goes "there's no place like home." Last week we spent time with our loved ones, family and friends alike. We have always loved the coast and were able to spend three days with some close friends in Carmel Valley. While there we traveled down the coast towards Big Sur where I snapped these photos. The weather was foggy and cool so the beauty of the ocean isn't portrayed in these pictures but you can get the idea. Let me just say I'm glad I'm not traveling such a great distance for awhile~driving eleven hours in one day gets boring pretty quickly, especially through the Utah salt flats. Now that we are back we begin another busy month; our daughter and her family are packing for a move in a few weeks and then we will prepare for our move next month. I did purchase some fabric while away and plan on starting the quilt sometime this summer for our daughter's Thanksgiving baby. Speaking of babies, we got home to find a baby Robin in a bush in our back yard; I'll try to get a photo tomorrow. It is so good to be back among friends here in blogland. I'll be visiting you each in the coming days. Enjoy His Grace today.

Hugs, Noreen

Photos: Northern California coast near Big Sur.

Sweet Memories

While we have been away we went to our old town and had to do some work on our home there. Last year we were back but didn't go over, so emotionally I was fine. When you've lived in the same area some fifty plus years leaving for a new state is an adjustment~to say the least. Making friends at this stage is life can be a challenge; however one of the blessings is that it has brought hubby and myself much closer. Being back in California has been interesting; there are definitely things that we miss such as loved ones, trees and hills but there is a lot we've been glad to leave behind. Seeing our old home was a bit difficult at first-we poured so much love into the yard and it was disappointing to see so many trees had died due to lack of care. After feeling very upset I was able to let it go, knowing that we will be selling the house in the next year or so.
Seeing old friends and dear family made us really miss them but that is what road trips are for.
So we are having a wonderful time with our loved ones but now looking towards getting back home and all that needs to be accomplished once we return. I've bought some fabric for a new baby quilt and our daughter and her hubby have purchased a new home so we will begin painting it and cleaning the house and yard. Once they have moved towards the end of July, we will begin painting the house they've been in and plan to move in sometime in August. Can you hear my excitement???? We get to paint and have a nest of our own again. Yippee-thank you Lord.
Have a blessed day and if you think about it I would love prayers for our drive home from California to Colorado; driving out was pretty scary-lots of bad weather and a horrid car accident that shut down I-80 through Utah for over three hours. I've bought three new books though so I can read, read, read...

Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Emerald Bay

While we were in Lake Tahoe we took a drive out to Emerald Bay and stopped to look at the castle at Emerald Bay. It is called Vikingsholm and was built many years ago. I've been told that you can tour the castle but for all the years we've gone to Tahoe we've never toured it.

This is the view from the bay looking out onto Lake Tahoe.

On the little island is a small building that looks like a castle but was a Tea House that the owner used to take visitors to for a special treat.

We loved our time spent in one of our favorite places; we are spending the rest of our time visiting family and friends. I'm hoping to get down to Big Sur for more beach photos but we will see if the time allows.

For those of you who regularly visit here, today our little Peanut goes in for genetic testing. WE would cherish your prayers. We will begin our journey home on Sat. so I should be back in full swing next week. Be blessed today my friends, I so miss visiting each of your blogs.

Holiday Fun

We are still away and until last night I had very limited access to the internet. I will post pictures of Lake Tahoe tomorrow but had to share our thrill from yesterday.
We were visiting dear friends in Nevada City and decided to go to the bike race Tour D'Nevada City which has been going on for many years. I didn't know about this race but it is the second largest in the U.S. and the largest on the West Coast. One of the main riders was Levi Leipheimer from Santa Rosa(our old town)and then the big name was none other than Lance Armstrong. It was such a thrill to watch these bikers, up close and personal. Lance won and Levi came in third. It was a wonderful way to spend Father's Day and also to spend time with dear friends. We are on the road again today, headed to our old neighborhood to check on our house and do some work around our house there. I'm hoping to be back posting on a regular basis this week.

Happy Annivesary

Thirty one years ago my prince charming met me at the altar. It is hard to believe that so many years have passed and I can say with all certainty that life with my beloved becomes sweeter each year. I'd love to post photos but don't have an air card for our laptop so it will have to wait.
Have a blessed day.

When It Rains It Pours

We had rain, thunder and hail since we left home. The weather in Lake Tahoe is not making for hiking and being out in nature but hubby and I have been playing cards and driving around. I will try to get some photos in the next couple days to post but until then, my friends, I pray you are having nice weather and enjoying the blessings around you.

Storm clouds from last night. They were so beautiful but didn't last long before the rain started and the thunder began.

Friday Fun

Yesterday was a busy day but one filled with thanksgiving for all of the rich blessings the Lord has poured on us. Hubby and I began the arduous task of refinishing a chair from our antique dining room set. I wasn't sure how it would look, not knowing the original finish but it looks so good even without the varnish.
Today we are busy preparing for our vacation and I thought you might enjoy the view from where we'll be. To any who may not recognize it, we will be spending time at Lake Tahoe. My hubby grew up vacationing there every summer as a child and still loves going there. One exciting blessing is that there is a boat show of all the antique boats, that he used to see, being held while we are there. Plus you add in time with family and friends and it makes for a wonderful vacation. I'm especially looking forward to some warmer weather for here in Colorado it has been unseasonably wet and cloudy. Lookout California here we come. I will be posting while away, hopefully with lots of pictures.
Have a joyous weekend filled with love.

Monday's Musings

This weekend I finished reading Karen Kingsbury's new book Take One. Karen is one of my all time favorite writers and this new series revisits some character's from her other series. If you get a chance and need some light reading by all means grab this book...it did not disappoint me.

Friday found me joining my hubby and our youngest daughter with her three girls visiting all the garage sales in Windsor. I was sad that we did not find any antiques but I did come away with some fun finds~a set of nesting shaker boxes that are tole painted, plus several Americana decorations for inside and out. I'm still battling my allergies and asthma and running errands seems to zap me of all my energy.
Sunday our youngest gave a baby shower for a new mom at church and all the ladies attended. My girl did a wonderful job and everyone had a great time plus the most important was that the new mom was blessed. I gave her a baby quilt I made some months back and she was thrilled.
But by the time the shower was over I headed home for some rest-I was beat. We've had quite the weather here and several tornadoes were seen in the Denver area yesterday.

Whatever your day or week holds, remember to do it all to the glory of God.
Blessings,
Noreen

Crazy Days

Today through Sunday our Chamber of Commerce and local newspaper sponsors the garage sale that people from all around,including Wyoming, come to. I counted up the locations around town and there are 65 garages sales listed; I'm sure there are more that will take advantage of the free advertising from their neighbors. For some reason we didn't go out looking last year but you can bet I'm hitting the houses bright and early today; hubby and I are always on the hunt for antiques as well as good bargains. Now that our oldest and her family will have acreage I'll be looking for riding lawn mowers as well. My girls are great thrift shoppers-always after a good deal so I think I'll take them along as well; last weekend when I bought the antique wine glasses and mirror they both came away with little girls dresses that looked brand new. If any of my fellow bloggers from No.Co. come up, make sure you keep an eye out for me.
Whatever your plans are for the weekend, have a relaxed lazy summer day!
Blessings,
Noreen

Memories

About eight years ago, my next door neighbor(one of my best friends and quilting buddy)and I decided to go on a mystery quilt retreat. We had never done this before although we had gone to a couple of major quilt shows in Ca. This was such a new concept for me to grasp and it was difficult to purchase fabric for a quilt without knowing what the pattern was. The teacher was Linda Ballard and she suggested Thimbleberries fabrics but I just could wrap my head around the colors so I settled for these-two green and one bright pink. I love Thimbleberries fabrics and hope someday to make a quilt out of those colors. So this weekend was a challenge for me in so many ways~the fabric and also the amount of time spent sewing-most of the gals would sew a minimum of ten hours. I am not a proficient quilter and at the time was working full time so for me to sit in front of a machine and sew for 5 hours was a stretch. Add in that at times I can become easily confused but thankfully had my friend with me, who happens to be an excellent teacher and patient friend. When I finally finished the quilt it just didn't feel like me; for those who don't quilt all I can say is that my quilts are a work of love because I invest so much of myself in them. It took me many hours to finish the top and quilt it by hand but in the end I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. Then an idea struck me; it reminded me of spring flowers-specifically tulips with the bright pink. At the time my sister was going through her sixth round of chemo in her battle against Ovarian cancer and due to my work schedule I couldn't be there with her for her treatments. When she was first undergoing her chemo years earlier, I had made my first lap quilt for her too-something that I made that would keep her warm. So after this was done, I gave it to her-not only to keep her warm but to bring some rays of sunshine into her weekly routine. I'm not sure if this lap quilt is packed away or if my sister's son has it but I think I like the pattern and fabric choices more than I did back then; of course it might be that it holds more memories and love than when I made it. If I find it when we unpack all our boxes I'll have to find a special place for it.

Have a joyous Thursday!

New Life To An Old Mirror

Last weekend I found this antique mirror at a garage sale and the price was so low I couldn't help but buy it. When I got it home, hubby discovered it had once hung above an antique dresser and had a place where it would pivot. Monday hubby and I spent the day working on all sorts of wood projects~this mirror, two nightstands and our daughter's oak table that needed some desperate help. We stripped the old varnish, sanded, stained and applied a top coating to all the wood pieces. The mirror was a bit of a challenge because some of the wood was lighter in color, especially the scroll work on the top, and so we had to play with the stain to get it even looking. But here it is and we are so pleased with how it turned out. After all this practice we are going to refinish our antique dining room table that once belonged to my mom and dad. The table is in poor shape and needs some extra care so it should be a great project to work on.
In the midst of this, I've been fighting summer allergies or a cold and don't have as much energy as I normally do so we haven't been out bike riding. We've also been having rain and cold weather so it isn't nearly as tempting as it is in nice weather.
Have a great day.

Garage Sale Finds

Friday and Saturday not only found us riding bikes but also hitting many garage sales. Above you can see our granddaughters coming along for a ride~actually we walked to the grocery store to get them bagels. Although we didn't do the 14-16 mile ride on Friday, we figured we rode and walked about 8 miles-not to bad.



The wrought iron decoration is actually two separate pieces but the lady had it wired together. We thought it would make a lovely statement on the back wall of a house which is very plain. The mirror, although it isn't oak, is antique and had holes in the top that would have suspended it above a dresser. I thought this, once cleaned up, would make a nice addition to our guest bedroom. Finally the glasses are hard to see but are antique cut crystal(wheat stocks) made in Scandinavia. My hubby is always on the lookout for new wine glasses and the pattern on these is very similar to what is on my mom's crystal that I now own. There were only 7 glasses but they were so pretty I couldn't resist. Hubby loves them! Worth $5.00 wouldn't you say? Then our neighbor gave us two Adirondack chairs that have seen better days. We will sand them and probably paint them and take them out to our daughter's new home so we have someplace to sit while we have fires and roast marshmallows.














On Sunday, our oldest- Carrie and her family joined hubby and I for a bike ride. You should have seen us~4 adults, one pulling a kid trailer, one with an attached bike pulling the 4 yr old, the 8 yr old making his first long trek on his new bike, and all of us having a great time. Our oldest grandson, 8, actually rode the entire time on his mountain bike without one word of complaint; which is pretty good considering we rode 14.5 miles-yep you got it right. We will make this a Sunday event until they move; it is an easy ride and we do stop occasionally but were only gone about 2 hours. Hubby and I hope to continue to ride every other day, minimum, to get into better shape.
Have a great day!