Repeating Patterns...

The Brenda Photo Challenge

(4-30-11)Repeating Patterns



Easter Sunday...

             The one great challenge is-
      Do I know my risen Lord?~Oswald Chambers

Renaissance Festival...

This time of year kings, queens, knights, fairies, nuns, monks, pirates, gypsies and any number of characters from the 1500's invade Waxahachie, Texas for the Scarborough Faire Renaissance Festival and that is where we spent Saturday. We had a great time.

The grandkids especially enjoyed it. This is one place we take them where after hours and hours of walking in the muggy Texas weather they don't whine or complain. 

Three of them had saved their money all year in order to buy a mechanical dragon to go on their shoulder.

The youngest one was more than satisfied with a wooden sword.

     

 

There is plenty of food

and royalty to go around.

 The kids seem to love stepping back in time to the 16th century, dressing in costume, taking in a sword fight or two and becoming Lords and a Lady for the day.

The Foot Long Hotdog...

I just returned from a delightful lunch with my five-year-old grandson, Caylon. When I arrived he was in the cafeteria, had obviously told the class and was patiently awaiting the arrival of his "MeMaw". As I walked in his face lit up. He began motioning me over. I sat down beside him and pulled from the DQ sack I was carrying... his favorite, a hotdog. Not just any hotdog, you guessed it, a foot long hotdog. You could hear the murmur as it ran down the table, "Did you see Caylon's hotdog?", "Look at Caylon's hotdog." Boys began to shout, "Caylon can you eat all of that?' and "Caylon let me see your hotdog." By the look on his face he felt like a celebrity. I may have to do this more often.  

                                                               

       

Will you eat lunch with me?

Have you ever been awakened to a little voice that said, "MeMaw will you eat lunch with me today"? What do you say? I can tell you. You get up, even though you didn't go to bed until 1am, and prepare to eat lunch at a table full of rambunctious five-year-olds. Even better is the fact that lunch is at 10:40.  I think I may have to consider that brunch.  

Too soon they out grow us, so I consider it a privilege to be blessed by that little voice. Hmm wonder what's on the menu. 

Spring Beauty...

The beauty of spring is all around us. It seems a shame that sometimes we fail to notice. God gives us such a beautiful world merely for our enjoyment. 
This morning as I let the dogs out and as purple is my favorite color, I couldn't help but notice a display of gorgeous purple and yellow flowers growing beside my daughter's back deck.

I have no idea what they are so I will have to refer to my truly amazing "Howard Garrett's Plants for Texas" book and look them up. I have spent many hours with this book in my hands. It gives information on over 500 Texas plants-trees, shrubs, flowers, vines, grasses, weeds, fruits, vegetables and ground cover. The best part is he lists the problems each plant has.  He notes which insects they attract, whether they are drought resistant, if they are invasive, and how to plant and maintain them. I have gone through the entire book and put checks by anything I thought I might be interested in planting. I left off anything that attracted an undesirable insect, was too invasive, or just not to my liking. Before I go to the nursery I refer to the checked plants and see at a glance what I might like to purchase and usually take my book along for quick reference. I highly recommend this book as your "one-volume encyclopedia" on Texas Gardening and now the "Plant Detective" is on her way to figure this one out. Any ideas?  

Ruthie's Garden...

Ruthie's Garden is a garden named and worked in loving memory of my mother. I was in Fredricksburg, Texas with my dad and three sisters shortly after my mom passed away in 2008.

My sister's and I decided we would each plant a flower garden in her memory. We purchased metal birds, pot hangers, seeds and the like in anticipation. I picked out a dry, parched patch of unused earth on the north side of our house and set to work. Now three springs later it is finally beginning to take shape. This weekend I mulched, clipped, watered and weeded until every muscle in my body is sore, my fingers are full of stickers and the back of my neck is sunburned, but I am thankful to God for this little piece of solitude and more than a little happy with the results. I won't be home for another two weeks, but will return with colorful annuals, ornaments and lights to enhance it's whimsical personality. If you like to garden here is an idea I came across in a gardening magazine. Decorate an old mailbox and mount it in your garden. Use it to store your small garden tools. I have the mailbox, but haven't decorated it yet. Will post a picture when I do. I can hardly wait to see how Ruthie's Garden turns out this year I think she would approve.

 Perfumes are the feelings of flowers. ~Heinrich Heine

Garden Rocks...

Today we went to Home Depot to get a wheel barrow. The old one had rusted through and it was time to work the garden. I was able to get 1/3 of it weeded, mulched and watered. After setting the sprinkler out I decided to redo some of the rocks I use as plant name stakes.

I still need to put a little varnish on and they'll be ready to put in the garden. I may have time to do a couple more tomorrow and hopefully get another 1/3 of the garden weeded and mulched. I feel like I accomplished something today and was able to get some much needed exercise.   

  

Texas Wild Fires...

Today I recieved a call from a friend telling me a fire was burning and out of control a few miles from our home. She was on her way to our house and wondered if I wanted her to retrieve anything.  I told her to get four items. A "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt I had made, a red and green quilt my grandmother made for my dad, and two guitars. She was able to find them and put them in her car for safe keeping. She and her daughter then located water hoses and sprinklers and set them out to spray on the house.  The wind was blowing so hard they could hardly function. They returned two more times checking on things. Another friend left a message on our answering machine letting us know that she had heard about the fires and her home was open to us. This kind of generosity never ceases to amaze me. By the time we arrived home some 6 hours later the fire was contained with hotspots being monitored. I think the worst is over...until next time.
I don't worry about it. It is what it is. I put it in God's hands and walk away.
Our town was involved in a wildfire in 2005 and I knew that day that there was nothing in that house I couldn't live without. So as the draught continues I will continue to pray for rain and continue to refuse to worry.

Lost Cord...

Guess I pulled a "Kathy". I lost or misplaced my computer cord. My dear sweet hubby has ordered another one to arrive, hopefully this weekend. I will be back to blogging Monday. It isn't easy on a phone.
I finished "Little Women". It was one of those books that I hated to see end. Louisa May Alcott did such a great job of bringing her characters to life. Meg, Jo, Amy, Beth and Laurie are absolutely unforgettable. I was sad, when they were sad, happy and disappointed right along with them. Bringing out emotions in a reader is the mark of a good book. I will say it was dated at times and maybe a little much at the end, but on a scale of one to ten I give it an 8.5. If you like to read classics and haven't read this one give it a try.
I am now reading "Wind in the Willows". Rat just found Mole scared to death in The Wild Wood. Oh well, he tried to tell him. I'll put a link here if you are interested and now I must get back to Ratty and Moley.
                                                                                          

Happy Birthday to me...

I am back after a few days of being on the go. I have been celebrating my April 2nd birthday since April 1st and here it is April 5th. One of my best presents came from Hubby. Knowing how well I like to read he gave me a Kindle. It will never replace the feel, the smell, the essence of the "real thing", but I am loving it. It is going to be great as a traveling companion. Just think, thousands of books at the mere click of a button. I can handle that.

   

Then there's the cover. It gives it the actual feel of a book. I have even reached to turn the page. Mine is purple, of course.

At present I am reading a free download of "Little Women". Meg and Mr. Brooks are just beginning to realize that each other exists.

Another of my favorite presents came from my daughter's family. It is a darling tote bag with the name and representation of each grandchild.

Isn't this the cutest thang "evah"?

Hubby told me it was my weekend. I could pick anywhere and anything to do. I chose three things. First, on Friday I chose a trip to the baseball field to see my nine-year-old grandson, Brown Hawk play.  He did a fantastic job.

                                                                            Safe!!

Second, on Saturday, I chose a trip to Canton.  Canton is in East Texas and is billed as the "World's Largest Flea Market" and there is definitely more food and shopping than can be had in one day.

 

Next on the agenda was back to the baseball fields to see both grandsons play ball. This was a real treat as we had not seen the five-year-old play before. Both boys did well and I am not the least bit predudice.

Proud Mama & Papa

I completed my birthday weekend with a movie at the Movie Tavern.  We saw Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey.  It was entertaining and enjoyable.

                   I had one of the best birthdays ever. The best part was spending time with family.