I Spy

One of my Christmas presents for little Jack will be an "I Spy" quilt.  I snagged this idea from KatyQuilts.net. https://katyquilts.net/2020/06/04/i-spy-2/    It's not too complicated and I know I can get it finished before the big day!

I started with these.  There are two of each print.

                                        

and sewed them together to form small blocks.

The top is complete, a blue border has been added and it's ready for quilting.

I had this wild animal print in my stash and it was big enough for the backing!  It's almost more fun the the front!  Perfect for an "I Spy" quilt, don't you think?

Now to decide how to quilt it.  Hmmmmm...  any ideas?

                                    Wishing you a great week!

                                                Zenda

A Little Space for Jack

When we built our home four years ago, there was a little square space near the basement stairs that was just right for a little playroom.  We have great nieces and nephews and I saved many of our children's toys for these little relatives to enjoy at our house.  This little playroom was pretty rough with unfinished walls and an old area rug but it gave them a fun spot to play when we hosted family gatherings.  

Now that I spend a lot of time here with our grandson, Jack, I decided to give it a little facelift.  J finished hanging drywall around the stairwell, I taped, primed and painted all of the walls.  I'm not a professional and it's not perfect but I was going for 'better' not perfect.  :)  I forgot to take pictures before we got to the drywall phase but here are some rough before and after photos.  I also primed and painted the concrete walls. The chalkboard is one from my childhood home.  It is an antique slate board my dad brought home after helping demolish an old 

schoolhouse in our hometown.

After priming and painting -

To cover the concrete floors, I ordered a new 8 foot by 10 foot area rug. (Home Depot: Sophia Salle Garnier Gray)   Since the room is a bit bigger than that, I decided to paint the floor the same color as the walls.  (Leftover paint from our bathrooms - Nuance by Sherwin Williams).  I am consider sealing the paint but it's holding up pretty well for now.  

With the addition of the area rug, it looks much better!  

Jack really likes it and that makes this Grammy happy!

We added some tractor and construction equipment decals for the walls at Jack's height.  

Just a few for now.  I'm looking for some posters to frame.  

This little room is starting to look nice and cozy.  

It has lots of fun play space for Jack and his grandparents!

Thanks for stopping!  

Zenda

Enjoying Every Last Minute of the Warm Weather!

We enjoyed a fun morning today with our son, Andy, and our grandson, Jack.  Jack gets to see his Uncle Andy every month or two and he really loves him!  

We started the day feeding the chickens and ducks.  We let the ducks out each morning so they can spend the day at the pond.  Jack gave them a little snack before they headed off.

Next, it was over to the sandbox.  Jack worked in here while Grammy finished cleaning off the rest of the garden.  We placed the sandbox near the garden and raised beds so he and I can work together.

Later that morning, we went to play golf.  J's birthday is tomorrow and since Andy was in town, we decided to play 9 holes.  Jack really enjoyed riding in the cart and running from the cart to the hole.  We used lots of energy during those 2 hours!  This was the first time J played golf since June 10 and he played VERY well!!  He said it felt so good to be back on the course!

We only live 10 minutes from the golf course but Jack didn't make it out of the parking lot before falling asleep!

J said he had a GREAT birthday!  I think I can say we ALL enjoyed the day!

Thanks for stopping by....

                                                Zenda

A Lesson in Being Content at Home

I hope this post finds you safe and healthy.  The pandemic has found its way to our rural section of the Midwest.  Several of our friends and neighbors have been affected - some feeling rotten to some being hospitalized. Whatever one wants to believe or hears on television, we are not nearly over Covid-19 yet.

Lately, I've been feeling very blessed to be able to find contentment at home and I'm wondering if that might be a lesson I can take from this experience.  After retiring, I found a lot of opportunity for volunteer work.  However, the more I did, the more there seemed to do.  I guess that's the way things work.  I remember a wise man once saying, "If you need something done, ask a busy person."  Now that my calendar has been cleared for months, I have found time to do things for myself and my family.  I've remembered what retirement is supposed to be. When this is all over and things start to return to normal, I will do my best to remember this lesson and choose to volunteer for only the things I truly feel called to do.  What have you learned about yourself over these past months?

As the season changes, I'm truly blessed to enjoy these sights from our home and along some of our local roads.

   Mornings from our back porch...

On some of our property that J has been removing brush...

Our farmer reaping a bountiful harvest....

The last of the garden cosmos before a heavy frost....

A beautiful way to spend a Fall evening at home....

 

I hope you able to find some contentment at home enjoying the simple joys of nature and God's blessings.

                                                                            Zenda

Garden Tour and Family News

Wow, it's already July!  June was quite a busy month for me.  I did some traveling (carefully), celebrated Flag Day with my DAR group, participated in a garden tour and am currently playing 'nurse maid.'  Here are some pictures to catch you up.

Our son has a new job and has moved from Great Falls, MT to central Illinois. He and I made a run from Missouri to GF and back in 5 days while the movers packed up his things.  That's 23 hours ONE way!  Thank goodness for Audible books!  Once there, we packed some special items and did some cleaning.  This is one of the great falls in the area.  You can see the dam that generates electricity for the area.  This is how Great Falls got its nickname the "Electric City."

The movers did their work efficiently and the rest of his things were loaded then we were back on the road again.  Great Falls has a lovely park I think I've shared before.  Gibson Park was right across the street from his former home.  I took one last walk through the flower garden section and it did not disappoint!  Here are some of the flowers blooming in mid June.

We are so happy our son will be closer, only about 3 hours away instead of 23!

Our local Master Gardener group held a little garden tour of some of the members' gardens.  I volunteered this year.  Each garden was unique and beautiful!  One of the best things about our group is how we love learning from each other!

I was able to spend some time with this little fellow!  We attended a Flag Day ceremony where we marked the graves of veterans.

 I just love this picture!!

Jack is quite a little gardener, too!  He helps me pick strawberries, peas and beans!  He also has a good time watering!  I'm so glad he and his family live close by!

Well, sometimes what we pick doesn't make it in the house!

And this is what has been keeping me busy lately.  J hurt his knee a couple of weeks ago and had surgery last week.  He's doing well but will be using crutches for quite awhile.  He's being a good patient and progressing every day.  He is also pretty good a snapping green beans!  Ha!

Thanks for stopping by to see what we've been up to. The news every day is so troubling, I feel thankful I have my family and my gardens to keep me busy.  I'm hoping you are staying healthy. 

Also, I've created a Instagram account and would love for you to follow me, if you'd like. The name is  shesladyofthmanor  and I'll be posting photos of my gardens, food, family and 'goings on' around my home.  

Wishing you a happy and healthy 4th of July!

                                                                            Zenda