I found this on Etsy and and couldn't believe how unique and lovely this is...this is a quilt! yes, a quilt....I am just starting to quilt a little, and so admire this....isn't it great? and the price is not bad, considering all the hours of work done on it....the artist has several more in her etsy shop so I couldn't leave you hanging, here is her link...The Quilted Cottage
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I was listening this morning to the Bible reading when Boots decided to join me..he's our kitty who is ill with kidney failure....he still enjoys life and is doing well...we are taking it day by day. He likes to be right where I am most days...
guess I should have closed the closet door, that's all shipping materials...

Wednesday Pet of the Week

This is Boomer, and Tiger.....their owner became very ill and could no longer take care of them...they are pure bred poodles and very sweet dogs...poodles make great pets, intelligent and loyal.....the owner had only good things to say about them and was so sad to give them up..they've found a safe haven at the Sun City k-9 Dog Rescue but need their forever home, they can be adopted separately. Poodles are good dogs for people with allergies as they don't shed but do have to be groomed on a regular basis.

I was on the phone with Alan about 11 yesterday morning when the trash truck came by..the noise from the truck is always loud but it seemed to get louder and louder..then the walls started shaking, with a rolling motion....the liquid in the oil lamps was slopping around, I told Alan, "I think we have a earthquake."..he said, "funny, I don't feel it"...he was driving....our cats ran and hid...
we turned on the news, and they were reporting an 5.8 earthquake with the epicenter in Chino Hills, which is about a hours drive north of us....such is the living in Southern California.....what impressed me about this quake was the noise..sounded like a freight train rumbling....
This morning, they are showing some damage in Chino Hills, shelves falling, etc. but thank the Lord, no one was hurt and they changed the magnitude from 5.8 to 5.4 which is still a good shaking...
As I've lived my entire life in California, these are not very alarming to me...and "they" have been saying for years that there will be a big one right around the corner...which I have no doubt will happen one day..most homes and buildings are built here with that in mind so we will probably not get as much damage as other areas of world with less stringent building codes.....we have earthquake insurance also....
Alan did a lot of driving to different jobs yesterday, I rode on two of them in the afternoon as they were out in the country. I went on one way out in a orange grove, so lovely and as we drove, you could smell the orange blossoms. So much of this land used to be like that, glad to see a few places left. I forgot to take my camera but did find this lovely postcard and the groves were much like this, with the mountains in the background...the house we re keyed sat on a hill surrounded by groves, what a view they had! and it was so very quiet, with only an occasional bird call....I think this is as close to Eden as we can get here..

Irena Sendler vs Al Gore

When I heard Irena Sendlers story..I was so moved that I wanted to post it....she was a brave and strong woman who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids.) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most of course had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.
Here is a good Youtube video that explains in more detail what a great and good woman she was....



Guess who won the Peace Prize? not Irena, but Al Gore for his slide show presentation.

Happy Monday

Good morning! I slept in a little this morning as the boys got home really late from Magic Mountain.....its a two hour drive each way and they stayed until closing (10:00), drove back and got something to eat at 12:30 in the morning....didn't get in the house until 1 a.m. I wasn't too worried (much) as they did call....Matt said he was glad we were still up as it made him feel good.
They both have cell phones and we let them drive our car, not Donny's rattletrap truck. He's a good driver. He also gave me a tank of gas. They said Magic Mountain was fun but there were 1-2 hour waits to get on the rides...Donny broke down (hes a real tightwad) and bought them both fast track passes to get ahead of everyone so that helped.
Magic Mountain isn't our thing...not any rides old Mom and Dad want to tackle...we prefer Disneyland and Universal Studios...did you know I was one of the early early visitors to Disneyland when it opened in 1956? I have a photo somewhere of me standing in front of the cigar store Indian on main street at 5 years old. When the kids were little, we had year passes to Disneyland...the year of the Lion King, they had the most fantastic parade, I've ever seen..Donny ran out into the parade (he was about 9 or 10) and danced with some of the characters.

We both miss those days when the boys were little....cub scouts, school voluntering, soccer and Little League, Sunday school, the golden time of parenthood....Alan coached both soccer and a Little League team for almost 6 years....I was a volunteer in the classroom for 5 years too and even won a volunteer of the year pin two years running.
Matt turned 17 today...its his birthday!
I am going to bake a cake, cherry chip...and although we don't have much to give him, will try to have a nice day today....his big trip was yesterday....

...Noah's Ark Opens In SCHAGEN, Netherlands

Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark, built by Dutch creationist, Johan Huibers as a testament of his faith in the truth of the Bible.
Its two thirds the length of a football field (150 cubits) and as high as a three story house (30 cubits).
The builder is a contractor by trade and he built it out of cedar and pine..he built most of it himself by hand with help from his son, Roy and started it in 2005.
Life size models of animals are on the main hold and he plans a petting zoo on the uncovered top that isn't finished yet...
Visitors on the first day were stunned on how large it was...
There is enough seating in the keel for 150 seats and they plan on having film theater so kids can watch a video that tells the story of Noah.
Huibers hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands where church attendance has fallen in the last 50 years.
There are more photos, and a great story here about Johan Huibers...

This will give you the chills.......
GOOD chills.>
A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible
study.
The Pastor had shared about listening to God
and obeying the Lord's voice.
The young man couldn't help but wonder,
'Does God still speak to people?'
After service, he went out with some friends
for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."
As he drove down the main street of his town,he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.
He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.
But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel
ran to Eli. "'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will
buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection. Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and
headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay,
God, I will.' He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town.> It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.'> The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked
like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
'Lord, this is insane. Those people are
asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.
Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay.
I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.>
The man was standing there in his jeans and
T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What
is it?'
The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.
The man began speaking and half crying,
We were just praying.We had to pay some big bills this month and we ran out of
money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.'
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears
were streaming down his face.
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God is always speaking to us, but are we listening?

Sale now open and more!

I have opened my booth a little early for the Christmas in July sale....the main sale starts at 12:00 noon central time....please check out all the great booths, many primitive style handmade items, candles, e patterns, antiques, clocks, and more...there is also a chat room with games and prizes.
To go to my booth, just click on the EZ shoppe logo at the left...when you want to see the different booths, or the chat room, there is a directory link at the top of my store banner.
What a nice way to spend the hot afternoon, strolling through the sale in the comfort of your home...no crowds, confusion or parking problems...get your holiday shopping done early or in my booth, get a pattern to start making that special gift.

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I usually have a Wednesday Dog of the Week but because of the sale, I am going to report on some of the dogs that I have posted in the past...
Glad to report that Tommy has been adopted! Elvis, Teeny, Rusty, Ben, Tornado and Squeaky have not.
A few of the other dogs that I have not featured were adopted also including Lulu who is pretty white small poodle...if you are curious about the ones I've mentioned, just scroll back through the posts for their photos or click on the Sun City K-9 Dog Rescue link. They also take donations through Paypal and are a nonprofit organization so you get tax benefits. No worries, the rescue is a nokill shelter, so the dogs have a safe clean place to wait. But no matter how good the shelter is, its not home.

BIG SALE STARTING TOMORROW!!!!!!!! CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Just a reminder that the Christmas in July Sale starts tomorrow, the 23rd and runs through August 6th.. I have over 65 goodies in my booth and if you are interested in more details and a preview, please visit my other blog, The China Lake Newsletter
I am really pleased with some of the patterns I've gotten in..almost didn't want to sell them...so if you are a crafter or know someone who is..this is a great time to take advantage of a super sale. I know as a needle crafter, I would love to get a nice selection of patterns as a gift.. I have not only cross stitch, but plastic canvas and greeting card books/pamphlets at very low prices.

Previews of the Chinese Olympic Game Landscaping

Here are a few previews of what the Chinese are accomplishing for their Olympic games. Lovely, huh? I have mixed feelings about the games themselves...with their human rights violations, slave labor camps, Christian persecution and cheaply made goods....I can only hope these games will somehow show light where there is darkness.
tell me what you think...

Last evening, our son came running in the house, saying, "Mom, Dad, come out here, look at the sky!" This is what we saw....we stood there amazed and awe stricken....
our neighbor and a friend were sitting under a tree, chatting, never even looked up or were curious of what we were looking at, or taking photos of..... oblivious to the glory above them.

Do you like tags?

My friend Nancy, of Huggins Haven makes such nice tags, thought I would share and give you the link to her store and blog...I just ordered some tags to use for my store sales...wouldn't these piggy tags be cute to tie onto a homemade treat for a neighbor, or put a recipe on the back..she also has lovely birthday ones,
She makes darling aprons also and what I like the most (and I've ordered all sizes) are her potato, onion, etc. bags...I can't imagine not using them, I haven't had any vegetables spoil since I started using them. Every penny we can save is great...and these are well worth the investment..they wash up nice too. You can find the tags, bags, aprons and other goodies at
http://tinyurl.com/5e58a8
or the link on the side at http://insidenanashead.blogspot.com/

New Site

I have just discovered with new vintage crafting site that is the bomb...if you like to craft like I do with old vintage postcards and photos, you will love this place http://www.vintageimagecraft.com/crafts.html
they offer free images when you sign up and have lots of good ideas for crafting.
Next to embroidery, as you know, I am such a big fan of vintage images...I wonder in 100 years if our photos will be as cherished?

We tagged along with Alan to deliver some smoke detectors to a house that was closing escrow tomorrow...its the fantastic house I wrote about in a previous post and posted photos of the views.....a writer has bought it and will be DIYing it as it needs quite a bit of work...we drove around in the exclusive area, drooled a little over some of the homes and then came home...
I am satisfied with our house, its not as fancy or as spacious but its warm and cozy and HOME.

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that, cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
Home, Home, sweet, sweet Home!
There's no place like Home! there's no place like Home!
John Howard Payne: Home Sweet Home

China Lake Newsletter Giveaway

I am giving away this very nice set of pillowcases to embroider...they feature a lovely lady encircled by flowers and ribbons. They have a perle edge, standard size and are a cotton/poly broadcloth blend. I know the photo has a blue cast but the pillowcases are white. This giveaway will end on July 23rd the first day of the Christmas in July sale.

Please go to my other blog to sign up http://dani-chinalakenews.blogspot.com/
for all the details.

I also want to ask for prayer for my dear friend Kay and her husband Joseph...he was admitted to the hospital last night, heart and blood pressure problems..he also was just laid off from work.
Her blog has a link on the left side....Mused News.

Wednesday Pet of the Week

Introducing Tommy, a small mixed breed little guy found wandering the streets in a nearby city.
I think he is a cutie, don't you? Looking at his ears, he reminds me of a Papillon. Just a guess but he might be part Papillon and Chihuahua...he's about 4 months old according to the vet and in excellent health, friendly and sweet...you can find Tommy and his friends at the Sun City K-9 Dog rescue...if you do call, be sure to mention you heard about Tommy through Eagles Wings and say hi to my son, Donny who answers the phone...the link is on the left of the blog.

I've had trouble getting a connectionyesterday onto the Internet.......I did connection checks and Windows says all is ok but it wasn't...took me until noon to get online. I think everyone can relate to that..computer problems can be frustrating.

We haven't done any more work on the square ft. gardening yet....perhaps this weekend if he isn't busy, we can buzz up to the army surplus store and see about the ammo boxes...its too hot to plant anything right now anyway..but we want to get it started in ernest by late summer or early fall. We can plant lettuce then as our winters don't really start until December or January.

I spent the morning doing housework, and then organizing my recipes...yesterday, I tend to print them out or scribble them down on a piece of scratch paper,and had quite a pile...I found our recent favorites and printed them neatly on recipe cards and put them in my file....also answered several locksmith calls....
I usually read my scripture in the mornings online, and not having the internet threw me off...not a good thing and showed me how too dependent I am on technology. Also how much I am on a schedule which is a mixed bag..a blessing and a curse. The Lord is telling me to get quiet and dig into the Word on my own as well as do the daily reading.....
Wishing everyone a terrific Wednesday...please continue to pray for Cora as she will be starting chemo treatments soon....

Previews of Our Square Foot Gardening

We've been talking about making square foot gardening boxes to put out on our large covered patio.....this last week, someone gave us these heavy duty galvanized shelves....so we put them
together over the weekend....on the square foot gardening website, they talk about using something like this and putting ammo boxes on them to plant in.....he talks about ammo boxes under his column link..
here is the link if you are interested http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
its a really interesting site and well worth the read. I looked online this weekend and found the closest army supply store which is about 20 mile north of us....neither of us know how much the ammo boxes are, yet....
I will let you know as this progresses and as the Lord provides....
we both think this is our best bet for growing successful vegetables ...the ground is too poor and rocky, we found that out our first year here...our patio is covered with shade cloth and keeps out the hot sun by 70%...we've been growing strawberries under the shade cloth very successfully and they are still producing in 100 degree heat....
If this recession we are in keeps progressing, more people will probably try to grow their own vegetables and square foot gardening is the way to go, I think....at least check it out ..he says on the website that you can grow more vegetables this way in less space which is great for city dwellers....time will tell in our experiment.

Saturday evening

Hello, been such a busy busy day today, didn't have time to post earlier...I had to pick up our youngest son at a friends house down in Oceanside, early this morning at 7:00 a.m. then drive back and go with Alan to two jobs, one was just installing smoke decectors and one was a condo re key. Then we drove up to another city to put a key in a lockbox at a foreclosed house. Early this evening, he got a embarrassed call from a young man who locked himself out of his house.

Alan drove me out through some of the very rural areas...he knew I liked old country roads so he found some! Wow, talk about getting bumped around...it was a dirt/gravel road and the van really shaked, rattled and rolled....it was fun! You may not think that Southern California has country areas but we do, quite a few in fact. Most of our population is on the coast. We even saw corn fields, farms with windmills, horses and cows.
Because of the housing crisis, builders have stopped constructing new homes and much of the land they graded is abandoned...frankly, I am glad. Too much of our countryside has been eaten up for greedy profit.

I am tired this evening....all the bumping in the van always makes me tired...I don't know how he does it, he always has lots of energy......he said he prayed earlier this week as our business tends to be hit and miss, and asked the Lord for more regular work so we can pay our bills on time...God really answered his prayer...the phone rang off the hook and he's had more work than ever...I had to turn 3 people down as he just couldn't fit them into his schedule. That has never happened before...we also got some back pay from the real estate company who owes us....God is so good!

A Friday Break

While I was watching the previous youtube video that Cora had shared...I found this one, also by
the same artist......as we go into the weekend, whatever you are struggling with, let it go.
Matthew 11:28:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

(At the end of the video it mentions a certain church....I am not promoting that church or any particular church, that is up to you and where the Lord leads you.)

Have you been doing any shopping lately? Wow! We've had to change our shopping patterns...no more going to the big fancy grocery stores with their high overhead fancy deli's, etc. Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to shop there.

I don't know if this will help you but this is what we have done to save grocery money....first, we shop at Dollar Tree for most cleaning supplies...they sell name brand liquid soap dispensers for the bathrooms, excellent degreaser, bathroom cleaning products, toothpaste, etc. for (as if you didn't know) a dollar....Alan shopped there yesterday and bought enough cleaning products and toothpaste for 6 months and only paid $24.

Second, we shop Costco for all staples like flour, rice, canned goods like refried beans, and vegetables, and meat..mostly hamburger and chicken. We buy in bulk, wrap the meat well and store the canned goods in a cabinet in the garage. I get the large 25 lb. bags of flour and keep it in the outside freezer..fill up my kitchen canister as I need it. The last time we did this was two months ago and we still have enough for another month....so it was about $200 for 3 months.

I make my own laundry soap unless there is a very good sale and wash early in the morning to save energy.

For other grocery shopping, fresh fruit, vegetables, and bulk items like popcorn or raisins, we shop Winco.....they have the best prices in our area......avocados are .48 cents each, lettuce is under .98...tomatoes on the vine, 1.98..bananas under .50 lb. most cereals are $2.00 a box..name brand good quality bread is around $1.89 a loaf......their seasonal fruit is very good and at low prices..navel oranges were only .10 cents lb. You have to bag your own groceries but I come out with a smile and have fun shopping there...

We are still planning on growing more of our own vegetables.....just been too busy to build the raised beds yet and its too hot right now to plant...we have been enjoying the fruit from our trees.....the nectarines were so good, they are gone now and the peaches are about ripe..figs will be next and then the apples this fall...

We share with the neighbors and they with us....Donny came home last night with a bag of summer squash and another of tiny apricots...
We go to the fast food places seldom and its a treat. Soda is a treat too, not an every day drink. We drink mainly water, iced sun tea, milk and the boys still like Kool Aid.

The Lord is so good and we want to be good stewards with the money He gives us.
Please share how you've learned to save money in these hard times..I realize there probably isn't a Winco by you, however is there a farmers market? What do you do?

Wednesday Pet of the Week

This is Cole, a young dog that was found wandering the streets by a good person and rescued...he is friendly and affectionate...loves to play and a good dog for a family as he loves kids...he is also rather intelligent....and easily trained....You can find Cole and his friends at Sun City K-9 Dog Rescue....call them at 951-679-6444...they now take donations through Paypal ....all donations go directly to the dogs, for their vet bills, and food. This is also tax deductible. You can find their link on the left hand side of the blog.

I've been busy, working on my booth for the July online sale...have a few things listed there and hope you will take a peek on the 23rd. I've got in some new embroidery pamphlets that are very nice.

I've also been busy answering the phone for locksmith calls, we had quite a few yesterday and for the first time, I had to turn someone away as we just couldn't help him yesterday, I had to give him the phone number of another locksmith. Alan has 3 jobs lined up today already, including a foreclosure "lock out" with the sheriff. We are so thankful to the Lord for His provision and leading. Just a little over a year ago, we were starting out on this journey, unsure if this was the Lords will.
Cora posted in our group last night and said she was home...was tired after the biopsy but was able to enjoy grinders with her sister...she is having a little trouble getting comfortable for sleeping.....the tests showed her lungs were clear and free of cancer. We are thanking the Lord for that....
Boots is eating and has gained back a little weight....he still isn't as playful as he used to be with the other cat but all in all he is doing well...his coat looks much better and has its shine back again.
wishing everyone a good Wednesday...we are having a hot one again today...no fires were we are, yet anyway!

Please pray for Cora

Today, Cora is going to outpatient for a biopsy and perhaps surgery, please pray for her and her doctors.....she shared this wonderful song early today in our group.....

Good evening.....I've been working on and off all day on my other blog.....trying to get it organized....thanks for those of you who have visited....

The house is quiet for a change..the boys went to the beach late in the afternoon...they should be coming home soon..Alan had two jobs in the San Diego area..he called and said he had one done and was headed for the second one. Business has been very good lately and he is working most days...its a relief when he has a day off!

I have signed up to be in on the EZ shoppe Christmas in July sale and hope you will visit my and other booths..its starts July the 23rd and August 6th.


These are always fun events. I will be having some vintage Christmas items, mainly tablecloths. I have a wonderful Christmas bark cloth cafe curtain set...and other goodies + new embroidery and cross stitch patterns.
I will give links as we get closer to the date.

I am again sharing with you vintage photos...this lovely Victorian lady has such a beautiful and detailed dress trimmed with fresh flowers...and much of it was hand done.....that kind of workmanship is not seen today.

Boots continues to improve...he is eating well again and his coat is looking better. He was so ill he wasn't cleaning himself. We are being very strict as far as his food goes....he always wants treats and kitchen trimmings...I can't blame him...a bowl of dry food doesn't look or smell as good as fresh fish or meat trimmings. We have to keep the counters cleaned off and not leave anything out where he can get it...and throw the trash out right away after supper.

He is the most affectionate and loving cat..he likes to sit right by the keyboard and watch me type, purring. He especially liked me to do my embroidery, he gets on my lap under the hoop and watched the needle go in and out of the fabric...another of his favorites is while I am making up our bed, he gets under the covers. Sometimes I think he tries to send me thought messages...he gets my attention by sitting quietly at my feet, staring at me..and I will get a picture in my mind of a full water bowl or an open door....I don't know if that is possible scientifically but it does happen. I am sure if you have a pet you are close to..something similar has happened to you too.

We had tillipia fish tonight, I fried it in olive and canola oil, breaded it lightly with cornmeal and flour...we had hash brown potatoes with the fish, green beans, a salad of avocados and tomatoes.
We get avocados fairly cheap here, at 40 cents each and have them quite often.

I am working on another blog to promote the store and stitchery...its called the China Lake Newsletter and here is the link http://dani-chinalakenews.blogspot.com/
Its not much yet, but I hope to feature nice vintage stitchery, share tips and tricks, and promote the art of hand embroidery.... I've always dreamed having my own stitchery store....now I have a virtual one.
I will continue, of course, with Eagles Wings, with day to day life, memories, fellowship, vintage postcards and photos. I will be changing things around and let going of the store postings on Eagles but will have a link to the store from either blog.
That's the plan anyway...

Saturday Book Review

I thought every Saturday I would describe one of the pattern books in my store...the store layout doesn't give any room for additional information. All of my pattern books are in new condition.
This book is by Marie Barber and was published in 1999. It has general instructions on how to choose the right fabric, and needles..what type of floss to use, the way to insert beads, and how to clean the finished piece. What I like about this book is that it shows one pattern made in different ways by changing colors, and varying flosses. If you are a new stitcher, it shows basic
stitches and has a good stitch guide that is easy to read.
The designs are faith filled and lovely....many are appropriate for not only greeting cards but full samplers....



It has many designs that make nice greeting cards and can be made in a short time for a fun gift.
The patterns are charted in color which really helps, especially if you haven't done much cross
stitching. I have used several patterns in this book but have decided to part with it as I just have too many books!

Boots seems to be his old self and eating well again...we prayed for him and are making sure he eats the food the vet sent home...he didn't like it very well to begin with but is getting adjusted.
I think he is a cat with 9 lives...about 5 years ago, he almost died from a urinary tract infection.
The other cat, Smokie has decided Boots is alright so he has settled down and the household is at peace once again.
Smokie got a scare yesterday, I had the front door open with the screen locked, Smokie was dozing at the doorway when a large dog rushed the door, barking and growling...the dog actually slammed up against the screen door..Smokie immediately went into big scary cat mode...and his fur didn't lay back down for a good 10 minutes after I chased the dog away. They were both spooked last night with the sounds of fireworks..
The boys stayed close to home, as there were no official fireworks anywhere close....but some of the neighbors were shooting some bottle rockets down the block....we have a strict fire code here but it doesn't stop people..I think they may get them from Mexico as no one sells any here....
We watched fireworks on TV, they had some nice ones from the LA area...
I hope everyone had a nice 4th!

Happy Fourth!

Wishing you and yours a very happy day! Rejoice we live in such a great country with the freedoms we enjoy through the sacrifices of so many. God bless America!

One of my favorite postcards...the bears look like they are really having fun...I remember as a child, my dad setting off firecrackers like those in our backyard in the desert...think I jumped a bit too!
Boots seems better today, he is more lively and eating so maybe he will be alright for awhile...we will just enjoy the time we have left with him... he is not suffering at all which is a good thing...

Do you like Gooseberry Patch recipes ? About a month ago, the website was giving away cookbooks and I signed up....got mine last week...great recipes...I got 2 little paperback books...Family Favorites and Fall Favorites.....we tried the coleslaw recipe and really love it...so I thought I would share it with you...I don't see the giveaway on the website anymore so I guess
it is over but they do share a free recipe...right now its Nectarine Crisp...here is the link to the website..http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/

Fruity Coleslaw
2 c. red cabbage, finely shredded
2 c. green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 c. carrot, peeled and grated
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and diced
1 c. raisins
1 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. white vinegar
Combine cabbages, carrot, apple and raisins in a large bowl. Stir together mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar: add to cabbage mixture and toss to evenly combine. Makes about 5 cups.

This is very very good and easy as I used the packaged coleslaw that you can get in the produce department of the grocery store and its cheap...I get the coleslaw mix (already all shredded) for .98 cents....and of course, we used the bakery type Splenda instead of sugar...

Alan brought home some nice steaks for the 4th and I plan on making this coleslaw...probably grill some potatoes with the steaks too....I slice the potatoes, put them on a square of heavy foil, add a dab of butter, a few shreds of sweet onion, and whatever herb I have on hand, either rosemary or dill...fold this all up in the foil and throw the packets on the grill,they cook in about the same time as the steaks...
then after they are removed from the foil, people can top them with shredded cheese and/or sour cream. I almost forgot, before I put the potatoes on the foil, I spray a little Pam on it so the spuds won't stick. Pam is a stable in our house....saves so many calories and elbow grease...I found some nice red potatoes at the store I am planning to use...

We always put up a flag and last year I bought a nice door hanger from Penny of Miss Poosties Primitives for our front door...I added a rusty wire hanger to the back.

Wednesday Pet of the Week

In lieu of my normal pet of the week, I am posting about our cat.
We have had our 9 year old cat Boots at the vet for two days..we noticed he was not eating and getting thin..turns out his kidneys are failing...he is on a special diet now and looking a little better..eating again...the vet says the next few days will tell...he's a great cat and our whole family is feeling sad as this illness won't get better, all we can do is put it off for awhile.....he is a member of the family and greatly loved..the boys are taking turns keeping him in their rooms at night so he won't be alone if the end comes and so far he is doing ok. Today he is acting like himself, eating, drinking and padding around, checking things out. He is asleep on our bed right now....
Our other cat, Smokie, won't have anything to do with him since he got back from the vet...he hisses if Boots comes close...evidently Boots smells "funny" to Smokie...cats are odd creatures sometimes...usually they are best buddies....sleeping together and cleaning each other...I hope he gets over this soon as I know Boots wants his friend back.
This happened once before when our son decided to give Boots a bath...the soap gave him a "funny" smell and it took 2 days before Smokie calmed down....

Here is another vintage postcard..

My youngest is going to the beach with a friend and his family....must be nice...its alot cooler there.

I finished the second pillowcase, washed and ironed both of them...Did other ironing also...I ironed this tablecloth and wanted to share.. I won on this on Ebay....its cross stitched and lovely..



Its one of my favorites. I really like the colors and the handwork is expertly done. I especially like how she finished the border with not only embroidery but crochet work too. If you click on the photo, you will get a very good close up of the nice handiwork.