"I have found that all ugly things are made by those who strive to make something beautiful, and that all beautiful things are made by those who strive to make something useful." Oscar Wilde

Monday, December 28, 2009

To Do List

My Favorite Things

Laundry

Being Close to the Lord

Monday, December 21, 2009

I Belive in ...


While visiting my mother last October I was able to watch some of the ladies in her quilt guild machine quilting. It gave me the courage to try it myself. This is my second attempt and machine quilting.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Making Soap With Gran'ma

I have been threatening to make soap with my granddaughters for a year now. I finally said lets do it. I buy the soap noodles from Soap Crafters and then melt them down and make my own soap. I really like this kind of soap. It lathers up and doesn’t make my skin itch. I use 12 oz. juice cans for molds. They really make a nice bar of soap when cut. The down side to making your own soap is waiting while the soap cures for three months. The longer the soap cures the harder it gets. The harder the soap the longer the bar lasts.





Anual Rice Krispie Bake Off



Every year my children have a Rice Krispie bake off. They alternate between Christmas and Thanksgiving depending on whose turn it is to go to for that holiday. The first year my husband was the judge and each year there after the winner from last year had to find judges. But now competition is rather fierce and the judges have had to go into the witness protection program. This year as soon as the judging was over the judges grabbed their loot and ran. We are running out of relatives and friends who are willing to face this group of unruly competitors. Because of one individual always winning this year I think the whole thing was rigged to keep that fantastic cook out of the running. All of the entries each year are creative and VERY tasty. This winner is awarded the Golden Spatula award the bragging rights for the next year.



1st place went to my new son in law. He made Reeses Peanut Butter cups.


2nd place went ton one of my daughters who made Churros Rice Krispies.


3rd place went to another daughter who made Apple Pie Rice Krispies.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Lights Out--I Thought I Paid the Power Bill

What a night this has been sometime after 6 p.m. the power went out and didn't come back on again until after 10 p.m.. We were sitting in the dark listening to a little wind up radio. Every few minutes it needed to be rewound because it was dying. We listened to short stories on NPR, Devotional talks, the ending the RSL soccer champion game, and a lot of other stations in between. The power company had a recorded message saying that the power would come back on at 10 p.m. When 10 p.m. came and still no electricity we called again. Their comment was, Oh you don't have any power yet. It has been snowing here all night and NOW the power is back on I have my electric blanket turned onto high. It's going to be a while until I thaw out. It was cold in here.

Oh Happy Day!

The melted lipstick is out of my pants! Between something called GooGone Spray Gel and Oxi Clean it has all been washed away. Now I just need to get the interesting orange smell out of my pants from the GooGone Spray Gel.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

UPdate on the house that Jack is Building

It has been awhile since I've been to my son's house. This is the front of the house. The roof is on and he is now installing windows. He has done a wonderful job. This is the child that I one day hoped he would be the next Frank Lloyd Wright. He can see how something should be put together before it is built. He can see the answer to a math problem without figuring it out on paper. (Drove his math teachers crazy!) He didn't get this ability from me. If he did it must be a very recessive gene.













Ooops! Who are these interlopers? They are the peacocks that live next door to the Pincocks. The next door neighbors have peacocks. They are beautiful. In late summer and early fall the male drops his tail feathers. I have several of the hanging up in my classroom to help the children remember how to pronounce my name. The white one is the female.

Stupid is as Stupid Does and I’ve Been VERY STUPID!

Of all the places NOT to love this is the top of my list! I have a VERY BAD habit of leaving a whole tube of lipstick in the pockets of my clothes. I then will throw the article of clothing in the wash now that isn’t bad until I put the clothes in the dryer. Today I did the evil deed! I now have THREE very nice pairs of pants to use when I cleaning house and do yard work. I’ve just spent an hour cleaning out my dryer. I now have a load of rags in there on high hoping to soak up any RED lipstick in didn’t get. I had better things to do today. I WAS in the process of cutting out and sewing up pumpkins. NOT NOW! Oh no, not now! I’m going to have to google to see if I can find any remedy to get lipstick out. I HATE IT WHEN I DO THIS!





Saturday, November 14, 2009

One True Thing

"...Fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." This one thing that I know. My biggest problem is trying to remember this when life has gotten me down. Lately I've been forgetting.

Monday, November 2, 2009

My Mother's & Grandmother's Quilt



I don't know when my mother's mother, "Grandma Zina", started this quilt. I do know that the flower's fabric came from at least the 1930's. In 2003 my mother took up the task of working on this quilt while she went through chemo treatments for bone cancer. Mom finally finished this quilt this year, 2009. WOW! Mom thanks that took a lot of work and love to put this quilt together. Thanks!

p.s. We all share the same name, Lenore.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Zeal Without Knowledge by Hugh Nibley

I do a lot of listening to audio books. I find it an easier way to obtain information. I've been listening lately to a series of talks given by Hugh Nibley.


How can we always keep reaching for the highest and best to the utmost of our capacity? This requires enormous motivation and religion and supplies it. Nothing can excite men to action like the contemplation of the eternities. This quality is zeal. Zeal is the engine that drives the whole vehicle: without it we would get nowhere. But without clutch, throttle, brakes, and steering wheel, our mighty engine becomes an instrument of destruction, and the more powerful the motor, the more disastrous the inevitable crack-up if the proper knowledge is lacking. There is a natural tendency to let the mighty motor carry us along, to give it its head, to open it up and see what it can do. We see this in our society today. Scientists tell us that the advancement of a civilization depends on two things: (1) the amount of energy at its disposal, and (2) the amount of information at its disposal (Carl Sagan, The Cosmic Connection (New York: Doubleday, 1973), ch. 34.). Today we have unlimited energy—nuclear power; but we still lack the necessary information to control and utilize it. We have the zeal but not the knowledge, so to speak, and this is a very dangerous situation. What good is the power without real intelligence and solid knowledge? Zeal makes us loyal and unflinching, but God wants more than that. We need to do our own thinking and discipline our minds. True knowledge can never serve that end. Knowledge is individual and if a person has it, "who would know it? Our search for knowledge should be ceaseless, which means that it is open-ended, never resting on laurels, degrees, or past achievements. True knowledge never shuts the door on more knowledge, but zeal often does. When we have limited knowledge, are particularly susceptible to excessive zeal. The things of knowledge require deep import, time, experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts to find them out. No shortcuts or easy lessons here! True zeal feeds on knowledge, true knowledge cannot exist without zeal. All knowledge must be a priority, proper degrees in the timing and emphasis of our learning, lest like the doctors of the Jews, we "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." We must be willing to have our knowledge tested. The emphasis is all on the continuous, conscientious, honest acquisition of knowledge.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Sleepy Henry

I just had to post this. Henry is so cute!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I Won! I Won!

I won this quilt in a raffle through my mother's quilt guild. This is the front

















This is the back. I can't wait to get it! I'm so excited.

Monday, September 28, 2009

This is the wife of Jack standing on the house that Jack is adding on to. By the way she cost a very pretty penny.













This is the crew who have been helping Jack.















This is the second floor of the house that Jack is adding on to. And there is Jack!













This is the "Crew Boss" AKA Jack's dad.













This is the pile of trash from the roof that the "Crew Boss" and Jack's wife had to haul off to the dump.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Update on the addition to the house that Jack Built


















This is the front of the original part of the house. Yesterday the roof trusses were delivered. There is enough room for more living space up there along with three dormer windows across the front and back of the house.


















This is a view of the front of the new addition. There will be a bay window on the front. The bay window will be split down the middle forming two rooms. Later when the extra bedroom is no longer needed the dividing wall will be taken down making a large family room.



















This is a view from the back of the house.

















And this is a view of the north side of the house.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

More From the House that Jack is Adding on to or Up on the Roof Top















My daughter in law took this picture of the construction on their house. Since Saturday their two year old daughter will stop what she is doing and say, “Papa break house,” “Grandpa break house” and then look worried like her little world is falling apart. She is a very observant little thing. I’ve watched her scrutinizing something around her and then suddenly pouncing. She is like a cat tracking a mouse. She is so full of life and intense. I can’t wait to see what she will be like when she grows up.

Monday, September 21, 2009

And I Thought My Life Couldn't Get Any Worse!

I don't have any pictures at the moment. I'm not even sure I want to get any. Tonight on the way home from school I was making a left hand turn (with the light in my favor) when a woman ran the red light and plowed right into me. My car is dead! The tow truck brought me home. My cell phone was dead and I didn't have my charger in the car. I was totally at the mercy of strangers to call my husband and 911. I bumped my head on the window. That pain went away and now I'm left with the pain I usually have after wrangling 50 five year olds all day. About the best thing that happened was that I did get dinner out with my husband at Olive Garden.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

I HAVE A RED DOOR!


I finally have a red door. Well the storm door is red. I would have painted the front door red but I could find any paint that matches the red of the storm door. I'm going to keep looking and see if I can find some paint that will match. Other wise I think I'll keep it as it is.










This is a picture from the inside looking out. I can now have natural light in the front hall. It faces north and gets very dark if I don't have a light on.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

This is the House that Angelic Wants!

Yes my daughter is taking her children and leaving me here all alone. Well I know who loves me. It's the ones who live in the same town as me.


I don't think the trampoline comes with it.


A fenced yard you can turn the kiddies out in without worrying about them excaping.


Can you imagine all the baking Angelic could do in a place like this. Forget the diet!












Love the pretty pink bedroom.




Friday, September 11, 2009

More Pictures of the House That Jack Built


These are the plans to the addition to the house that Jack is building.


Peeking Out



Saturday, September 5, 2009

This is the House that Jack (John) is Adding On


This is the big hole in the ground for the foundation to the house that Jack (John)is adding on.


These are the cement walls for the basement to the house that Jack (John)is adding on.


This is the backside of the addition to the house that Jack (John)is adding on.


This is the frontside of the addition to the house that Jack (John)is adding on. Notice the lovely very old egg yolk yellow lead base paint on the side of the addition to the house that Jack (John)is adding on.


This is the new construction for the addition to the house that Jack (John)is adding on.


This is the storage area in the basement of the house that Jack (John) is adding on. His wife Penny organized this room. Each tub is labeled and stacked in order of usefullness. IF I'm EVER THIS ORGANIZED I'LL BE DEAD! Thank goodness he married somebody who is much more organize than his mother.


And this is “Diddle, diddle, dumpling, my son John” in the house that Jack (John) is adding on.