New spring from our Gnome Home

Just had quite a few photos from around the home.

This was our purple crocus. They bloomed really early this year. I failed to get a photo of the yellow ones.

Our mini-hyacinth. They keep spreading each year.

Our stone plums. We have 2 big clumps of these and another 3 more starts. They come up from shoots off the roots and will take over. The plums make the best jams. 

We have lots of fruit trees...peach, plum, apples, pears, persimmon, apricot, fig and even mulberry. These are some of the peach. The last few days they have really popped out more. I'm praying we don't have anymore freezing or frosty days.

Our forsythia and redbud trees have popped out even more. And just took this photo of the tulip magnolia my DIL Jackie gave me a couple of years ago. It has doubled in size. 

Our hawks are back but not sure they are nesting yet. 

We've cut back the muscadine grapes and also cut down a green gage plum that had died. 

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I love the old abandoned buildings so here are a few I've found this week.

I know some of these are not abandoned but love them anyway.

We had a full moon on the first day of spring this past week. It was a supermoon and also called a Worm moon. Seems the worms are supposed to come up at this time of the year. But this photo is so neat and looks like someone holding a glowing marble.

And I'll end with this. 

Thanks for reading. 

New Baby Quilt

Not much going on around here. The spring rains have set in so Sonny, Kinzey and I are so bored having to stay inside so much.

I did finish the baby quilt I was making for one of the granddaughers. Still have done nothing more on the wedding ring quilt. So here is a look at the baby quilt. Not my best work. In fact I fought it the entire time.

The first is the front with line embroider done in blues. Close up of one block is in the bottom photo. The middle photo is the back. That is the part I do not like. Lots of mistakes. But being in a hurry I didn't put an effort into it like I should have. And trying to use up old scraps as well. I also bought a wonderful Psalm 139 receiving blanket to go with it along with a baby size pair of cowboy boots. Our son drives a truck and delivers several times a week in our area so have to wait until next week to meet him to pick up the gift. She is due sometime this month. We have very little to do with her as she has somewhat cut herself off from us. 

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Lately I've been sharing photos of things I find on the internet which are interesting to me. I love old abandoned buildings and so found this one I just love.

I couldn't resist this next one. I am a retired reading teacher and also kind-of artist. I'm not sure I shared an artists bus with her painting on top of the bus. Well this one really struck me as one that would fit me.

They used to have book-mobiles in the town I once lived in. When we first moved here, there was a program through the Arkansas library association that had "Books by Mail" I ordered from them weekly. They would send out a flyer with the books available that week and you mailed in your card on your first order. Then when you got the books and finished reading you bundled them back into the canvas waterproof bag with your next card and mailed it FREE! Guess it costs too much as it not longer happens now.

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My younger 2 sons and Sonny have what they call a trophy wall of their deer they have killed over many years. There have been many more before they made this wall. Middle so will soon be taking most of his and his dad's when they get more settled. 

O and they all have more in our and their houses. But it makes a neat photo I think.

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I've quit taking pain meds now. With new government guidelines, it was making it impossible to get them when needed. I'm now using a tens unit to electrify my back and hip when needed along with a head pad. Seems to help and strangely I'm sleeping better. I had an awful time at Walmarts a week ago trying to get meds. This new cardiologist gave me samples which were not enough to hold me over until my appointment next week. They had no more samples so they waited an entire day to call in a new RX. We live 60 miles away and after a 3 hour wait when home. Went back over on Tuesday after calling my clinic (on Monday) to order a cholesterol drug, only to find out they order for it wasn't placed. Then the new blood pressure meds I can't take...has a diuretic which makes my chronic cough worse. The cough, by the way, was originally caused from same type med. So I will use up these samples and then get out my bottle of old BP meds and take them for 4 days until my appointment. Having to deal with doctors and pharmacies made me steaming mad. Well enough of that.

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This is the way hubby and I sleep. He hogs all the covers. I've gone to buying separate top sheets in king size but they still don't seem to help. 

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And as always.....

I love this website with the Christian quotes. 

Have a blessed week!

Spring-No Spring

As usual at this time of year you never know if spring is coming or not. My crocus have been blooming. The yellow ones bloomed before I notice so didn't get any photos. But these purple ones have been gorgeous and so many this year.

My first mini-hyacinth also bloomed. 

Now the temps are down way below freezing which in a way I'm glad as it will stop our fruit trees from blooming too early.

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Now a crafty note.

I've been working on a tied baby quilt for one of the granddaughters. I will post photo later when finished. I'm also slowly working on another granddaughter's double wedding ring. It is so slow going. I was trying to figure out how to do the border as I never really liked the scalloped border. My local quilt shop had posted a photo of the edge of someones wedding ring quilt and have decided this is what I will do.

The colors are quite similar as my granddaughters quilt is done in blues and yellows and whites. I have most of the arches done and just attaching the white portions now. 

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I sometimes find the neatest things on the internet. Here are a few finds. 

I love this and think it is in England or Europe.

I love this quote and photos.

I'm already planning Christmas presents for this year. Early I know but I have to plan ahead. This is one idea I may try. 

I also found some neat decals at Dollar tree with Scriptures. I had some left over things from my ceramic days...one of which was metal parts for a turntable or lazy susan. When weather warms, Sonny will cut round wood for the lazy susans and I will put on the decals and then cover in epoxy to seal. 

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A health note. I had been worrying about my heart lately. I have a leaky valve and so the cardiologist I was sent to ran lots of tests. I got the results of my nuclear stress test and God answered pray and I have no blockage. I have an appointment with NP this week to get my meds updated and another the end of this month with the cardiologist to still try to regulate my BP. It still runs too high even with this new med. Also to see if I need anything done about the leaky valve. Updates will come. 

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And as always

Doctors and other things

Well it has been a busy round of doctor visits and they still aren't over. I had my annual physical exam coming up and decided I wanted to switch clinics to where Sonny has been going. He has VA but got on VA Choice because we live over 40 miles from any VA clinic. He had both knees replaced last year and found out VA choice would not pay for it. Thankfully he had regular medicare so we are only out 20%...but still a hit in the pocketbook. 

Well I changed to this clinic and so far like it and think they are more on top of my medical issues.

I got a partially retired NP and love her. She is only there 2 days a week but seems to be very good at what she does. Anyway since I had been having BP issues and the old clinic just prescribed another pill to take in addition to what I was already taking and it wasn't helping, she decided at my age (almost 68) I needed an echo cardiogram. Well it showed up a leaky valve so I was scheduled a visit to a cardiologist. I had prayed I would get Dr. Glynn St. John and my prayers were answered and had an appointment set up in 2 weeks. That was last week. Well he didn't seem to be as concerned as I have been and relieved my mind a lot. But I have another appointment set up for more blood work and another echo cardiogram tomorrow and then a stress test on Friday. The stress test last 4 hours and I can't eat anything before and cannot have anything with caffeine so can't have my morning tea...well then while all this is going on my clinic called and said they want me to go to a pain clinic to try to get me to quit using tramadol. I don't take one every day but when I do it is only one and then at night so never thought I was using it excessively. Not sure I'm going to the pain clinic yet. I will be calling them later today and find out how much this is going to cost me. I have an appointment set up for Monday for that. Update will be coming.

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Now for some better things to blog about...Last week we had a full moon and we had been having lots of rains so wasn't sure I could get a photo. I didn't the night it was full but did get a good shot the next night and it was still huge.

We were blessed with a few days of sun and warmer temps. I sat out one entire day just to soak up the Vitamin D. We had about 3 days of sun or partial sun. Now it is cloudy again and rain and cooler temps are predicted.

Then one morning this past week I got a terrific shot of a sunrise. 

Our daffodils had begun blooming right before a hard freeze so I went out that late afternoon and picked these as I knew the freeze would ruin them by morning. 

And as I often do, I have to post a photo of Kinzey. She is now almost 16 months old. She loves outside in her yard but also likes to run like the wind when we let her out in the main yard. She is so big now and is over 80lbs. She is still sleeping in her crate in the house at night and she is still hyperactive. We have had trouble her keeping play toys as she tends to tear them up after awhile. She had a huge ball like the ones that show horses playing with. It lasted a month. We had been watering her in a big plastic bucket until she started dumping it each day and playing with the bucket..She now has a huge heavy metal pan for a water bowl and the bucket is now her favorite toy. She is gradually wearing it out but we have more buckets. 

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That's all folks

2019 BANG!!!

This year is already speeding by. Sonny is getting better and better after his 2nd knee surgery on Dec. 11. He has been walking without a walker for 3 weeks now and though he still has pain, he can get around now and back to some of his routine.

Yesterday was our youngest granddaughter's birthday. Miss Molly turned 10. She is growing up so fast. They had a friend who has a large SUV that has a bench seat in the back like a limo...just not a stretch limo. And her parents and friends brought her and her friends over to Glenwood (which is closest town to us) and had a party at a party planner site. They did crafty pictures of unicorns and unicorn squad. So wanted to share some photos. 

This is the unicorn squad in the limo. Molly is the 2nd from the right with the pink crown. 

The party planners had these precut from sticky vinyl and they had to stick them down and then paint like a stencil. After painting each color they used hair dryers to dry between colors and coats. 

Once painted they then put glue on and added pixie glitter.

You can't really tell but there is glitter and paint on this. Once they got it finished and completely dried, they peeled off the vinyl and the planners framed them for the girls. 

The whole theme of the party was unicorns and even the refreshments were so themed. 

All of this took place in the back of a shop called Eclectic House. It is the neatest shop. While there I found a sweater vest and a blanket scarf marked down. So did some shopping while there. 

This is Sonny, my son and me in the workroom. 

It was so much fun but we left early before Molly opened her gifts but her mom sent me this photo of her with my gift and then this morning wearing the nails I got her. 

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Now for some not so nice news. I had an echocardiogram it is showed a Tricuspid Valve Regurgitation which is a leaky valve. I got back to the NP on January 31 to decide what to do if anything. 

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behind times-Christmas

We had a surprise visit on Christmas. Our youngest son and family came out and brought us some gifts. 

Miss Molly is becoming crafty and she painted me a star night light.

She gets her "crafty genes" from both sides of the family. Not only this Mamaw but her other one as well. Her other mamaw made the most beautiful quilts and she also sewed all her daughter's clothes when they were growing up.

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The son and family have a regular place they go quite often for mini-vacations. It is Branson, Missouri. If you have never been there, you are missing a treat. They have all kinds of clean and Christian shows and entertainment. But they also have lots of crafty places and Amish stores and an outlet mall. So while they were there, they bought me a carved gnome on a piece of driftwood. 

I love unusual things and this certainly will be loved. 

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