June in Pictures!

WOW!     Summer is going fast...

School was out for students on June 5.  I have had four days of meetings since..


I spent a day at the Minnesota Quilt Show!  WOW! It was held at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Conference Center.)

  I learned:
1. It takes more than one day to see everything.
2. Wear comfortable shoes.
3. Quilters are the nicest people you will ever meet. (Which I knew already!  )
4. We talked with the actual designers of the patterns and fabric. WOW!


  I have three of our grandkids on Monday (Kasey, Cole & Colby)  on Mondays and the other four on Fridays.  It saves  each  family one day of paying daycare a week.  Papa had a good helper when working on replacing a bearing on the hay rake.

 

Our 41st anniversary was on June 15th.  DH stopped the tractor along the edge of a field to bring home a bouquet of wildflowers.  

Father's Day everyone was here for Sunday lunch after church.     Then everyone headed for a ride on the trails in our woods.  DH with Jessa and Tatum buckled into the Polaris Ranger.  Conner, Kasey and Cole on youth ATV's complete with helmets.  Kylie on an ATV with her dad.  Marie, Katie, Colby and myself in the JD Gator.



It was a beautiful day.

After the ride in the woods the kids all climbed on the ATVs for a picture.  Even when sitting on an ATV Jessa is a princess wearing her tiara.

Two weeks ago DS #1 found a kitten in the haymow.  It was extremely weak (couldn't stand or hold it head up) and cold.  When DH came home he warmed it by holding it close to him.  He had to feed it with a medicine dropper a few drops at a dime.  The first couple of days it ate every two hours a few drops at a time. After a few days it was strong enough the the kids to take turns holding it.  It now drinks from a bowl and eats kitty food. Soon we will have to find a home for him.  DIL-2 is highly allergic to cats!

Finally!  I was able to quilt! In April I showed Cole the quilt I was making for him. He was excited even if it was only sandwiched.  On Monday he asked when I was going to work on his blanket.
When I five year old asks....

 I worked Monday night and Tuesday afternoon.  It was delivered to him before he went to bed on Tuesday night.

It passed the snuggle test!

I think he likes it.

Now on to finish two baby quilts and three Christmas tree skirts.

Happy A GREAT Fourth of July!!

The most important reason I teach.

On Thursday, one of my  third students needed to present a biography of a famous person.  Her gen. ed teacher came to tell me the student hadn't read a biography.  I did a quick search on Betsy Ross.  I found enough information at  Destiny's reading level for her to learn facts about her character.  From  her reading she had to come up with 12 questions for the class to ask her about her famous person.

We were able to find a dress in a fourth grade classroom which students wear when they have their " Little House In the Big Woods" unit.   Wednesday night I sewed a flag for her to use as her prop and found a basket to call her sewing basket.



  The answers to the questions she couldn't remember we wrote on sticky notes and put them in the bottom of the basket.

 These are some of the facts Destiny found:
*Betsy Ross was the 8th of 17 brothers and sisters.
 *She lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*George Washington asked her to sew a flag in June, 1776.
*Gen. Washington asked her to make a square flag.
*Betsy made the flag a rectangle because she thought it would fly better.
*The thirteen stripes and thirteen stars represent the thirteen original colonies.
*Her flag first flew with the reading of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall on July 8, 1776.

She was pleased and did a great job!

Thank you.

                    Land of the Free, Because of the Brave 

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.  John 15:13

Yesterday morning on our way to church there were two pair of Canadian Geese swimming on the pond across the road.  Usually there are 4-6 goslings.  Each pair only had one goslings.  

One afternoon after school Kasey and Cole came home with me.  DS#1 and DH were in the field.  DS asked if I would feed the calves in the barn across the road.  The grandkids love helping Papa or Dad feed the calves.  They were sure that grandma didn't know what to do.  They insisted on showing me how to shovel feed into the buckets, dump feed in front of calves, open hay bales, and how to feed the hay to the calves. 



 




Nine days of school with students.   They will be very busy days with piles of paperwork to finish.
It is unreal how things have changed during my teaching career.  The number of hours spent on paperwork takes away from the time that we could be spending prepping for special things to do with the students.  


I am making my mental list of all the things I hope to accomplish this summer.  Many things on my UFO piles to finish.  Hopefully, before long I will be able to post pictures of finished quilt projects!!

Working With Daddy and Papa

Warning.....Grandma posting a picture!!!

Cole (5)  and Colby (2) love farming with Daddy and Papa!  DS#2 and DH added "Buddy Seats" to a couple of the tractors.  They are a specially designed seat for a child complete with a seatbelt. I think we should try to remember to take a picture every year of the two of them standing in front of this tractor!

DH and DS#2 have finished planting corn and are onto planting soybeans.  This is the bean planter. The tractor is four wheel drive with duals on the front and the back. The yellow "bubble" on the top is for the computerized auto steer and GPS control of the tractor.  

These boys are just like their dad.  He would ride in the tractors with DH or myself for hours. Of course, even at 4 or 5 he was able to tell me if I had done something wrong!

One of my para-educators in my classroom  was recently shocked to learn I used to drive the tractors.  I explained that it was just DH and myself.  I spent many hours in the spring, summer and fall driving the tractor before I returned to teaching full time.  One summer when I was pregnant the only place we had AC was in the tractor.  I spent hours raking and baling hay just to be in the AC.  I teased DH that he would have to lift me into the tractor with the loader when I wasn't able to climb into the cab.

My grandfather and father -in -law would not believe the technology used for farming.  Much different from farming with horses when they farmed or a two cylinder John Deere B.

This is my father-in-law in 1949. Times have changed in some ways.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Friends. 

I hope you have had a special day!

Every year DH brings home three  beautiful red roses for me for Mother's Day.  Each rose represents one of our sons.

 I am so thankful for having had the opportunity to be a mom three times.  This Mother's Day has been a difficult day.   Today I am missing my oldest son who has been a four year old in heaven for thirty three years.  You never know when a difficult day may happen.

 I was able to give a hug to DS2 before he and DH left for field work at 6:30 this morning. DS 3 stopped after church with Granddaughter #3 so I had my hug from him also.

Take the time to give your children an extra hug or phone call today.

Thank you.

Right now I am baking DH his favorite Oatmeal Raisin cookies because I know it is a difficult day for him also.  They should be ready when he returns from the field.  I will even leave some cookie dough in the mixer bowl for him.

Another try! "What did I get myself into?"

In February I attended a small quilt show in Rice Lake with three friends.  A fourth friends exhibits a beautiful quilt every year.  This year was no exception.  It was a wool appliqued quilt from a Primitive Gatherings Pattern.

During lunch at Applebees (after all it was a Girl's Day Out.)  We talked about how amazing her applique looked on the quilt.  Of course she said it was easy to do and offered to teach us.
Our teaching day was last Saturday.  Another Girl's Day Out.

Two of the gals decided they would like to do the geranium. It looked quite daunting to me.  I wasn't sure if I was up to this challenge.  But, I WAS NOT going to miss a day out with these friends.

I made a run to Rice Lake to the Red House Wool  Studio with my list in hand.  It is an amazing shop in Cathy G.'s house where she has wool for rug hooking and applique. She is an awesome artist who helped me select fabrics.

Saturday morning we left for Sheila's with our wool, scissors, fusible, chenille needles, and thread. After instructions and lots of help we were stitching. 

An awesome sewing room with plenty of room and light. 

This friend has appliqued before..she made lots of progress and knew what she was doing.

What do quilters do when they have the opportunity to see a completely hand sewn and hand quilted appliqued quilt that  had been entered at the Paducah Quilt Show?

You get down on your knees and admire it! 

It is amazing! 

Sheila has amazing beautiful quilts hanging throughout her home. 

It was an awesome day.  We learned to appliqued, talked, and laughed until we cried!  We promised to do it again! 

Papa's Blessings...

We celebrated Grandson #2's birthday on Saturday night with a quick impromptu get together.   The kids are truly DH's greatest blessings and enjoyment.

I didn't finish his quilt in time for his actual birthday.   However,  he and Kasey  came home with me after school that night.  They always call Papa from my truck on the way home.  The first thing when Papa answered that Cole said was, "It's your birthday boy."  He asked what present I had for him.  I told him I was sewing something for him but it wasn't finished.  He said he wanted to see it. His first question was, "When will you finish it?"  With the next question, "Is there a pillowcase to match?"

 I think his smile says that he likes it!

His other  present needs to be shared with his sister and brother!

I have been doing research on a longarms.  I found this week there is a quilter in Duluth who offers a beginners class  in the summer on operating a longarm.   Once you have completed her class she rents a  longarm.  I think it would be great to be able to try it out to see if owning on something I want to pursue.  I have been researching the Handiquilter,  APQS, along with others.  These two have dealers within 85 miles where I could receive instruction and help. They would even come to my home to help.  I am looking for suggestions and opinions on longarms.  APQS always has a give away going on.  I register every day!

Star of the Week

What does your 4 year old grandson take to school to share a family tradition when he is Star of the Week in his Four Year Old Kindergarten class?   Of course he has his dad bring a tractor and vertical tiller.  Cole is the fourth generation to ride on tractor at our farm.    The students all had a chance to climb into the tractor. Cole was a proud four year old, tomorrow he turns 5!

 

One of my greatest blessings is watching my sons be amazing fathers to their children!

Spring Field Work Has Begun

A year ago we were in the middle of a huge snowstorm. This morning when I went for my early Saturday morning walk, this is what I found outside my kitchen.

 This year we are starting field work.
Son #3 came home for a few hours to use one of DH's dozers to level some land and clear some brush from the edge of a field.  He operates large heavy equipment at work, this was like playing with a toy. He also brought a transit to work on the grading of an area of the field to help it drain better.

 

This morning DH helped with  the slaughtering two black angus steers to be sold to friends who appreciate lean, home raised beef.  

A young man  comes with a  truck,  complete with a hoist  and cooler,who does the slaughtering and hauls the beef to the meat market where it will be custom cut and wrapped for the purchaser.  We have many repeat friends who purchase a whole, 1/2 or 1/4 beef because they like the flavor,  they know we don't use any type of hormones, and they know what it has been fed.

This afternoon DH started chisel plowing to prepare the field for no-till planting.  It saves time and eliminates the need for conventional plowing.  The trash (old rotting corn stalks) helps to hold moisture in the ground.

Son #2 is broadcasting fertilizer over the fields.  This tractor and spreader quickly covers the ground.
A friend of Son #2 has another tractor going preparing fields with the .  Our nephew is also helping today.

I need to continue working on a quilt for grandson #2's upcoming birthday.  I need to add the borders and try to have it quilted before Wednesday!  I know what I will be doing after church tomorrow!

Spring is Here!

The swans  returned this morning to the pond outside my kitchen window. 

Last week we woke up to three inches of heavy wet snow on the ground.  Three of the grandkids were here for the day since there was no school on Easter Monday.  Two hours later the snow was melting and the snowman collapsed.

On March 23,  the 38 year old son of a close friend took his life.  He had experienced severe depression the past 18 months.  Every avenue was tried with counselors,  medication and hospitalized different times.  They would make progress then he would sink into depression again.  This friend was our school secretary who retired last spring.   She asked me to speak at the memorial service.  She calls me her "religious" friend.  So I had the "religious" part of the service. It was  an an opportunity to share with Polly and Jason's friends and family.  The service was held in the local funeral home.  She wrote her own verse to "Amazing Grace" and asked me to read it along with the first verse of "Amazing Grace."

“Amazing Grace, How how sweet the sound,
which saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost , but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

 Polly's verse.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a man like me,
Jason once was lost,
but now is found
Was blind, but now he sees.”

I then read one of the verses from "Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone."

“My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace.”

Before Jason's death, Polly and I had a fun time cheering for the Wisconsin Badger Basketball team and their run for the NCAA championship.   Last spring I made her a Badger quilt.  I promised a runner for her piano when they made it to the Final game.  (Her most prized possession) This is a picture she posted during the tournament. Letting me know she was expecting the runner.

 Jason's death was the week before the elite 8 game.  I knew I would finish her gift regardless.

I sewed at the dining room table while watching the intense game.  The Badgers lost to Duke...we won't go into the officiating of that game.

Thursday after school a group of friends met her after school.  She was thrilled! Sometimes we do things for special people.  We live completely different lifestyles.  But, are still very close friends.

I was working on a baby quilt for a gift for baby shower at church.  I took a picture before the binding.  Suddenly I saw my mistake.  It was already quilted.  So, I have finished it and I'm sending it to "Quilts for Kids."  I hope whoever receives it won't mind a mistake.

I am working on a quilt for Cole's birthday in a couple of weeks.  I haven't a picture of that yet.  I will share it next week. 

Last week was "Art Day" in Cole's 4K class.  His dad went into the special day as Cole's guest. 

Thought for the day: