40 Years of Wedded Bliss!

40 years ago today we married!!  We had a small wedding with a cake/ice cream reception. Followed by a quick one night away honeymoon.  We were so young......

First it was just the two of us, and in a blink of an eye we became a family of six......

Along came the weddings and grandkids, and now we are a family of 20........

We were lucky enough to have all of our immediate family plus more celebrate with us a few weeks ago.

We had a great time!  Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate with us.

We've changed....Just. A. Little.......

Here's hoping for many more happy and healthy years!

You Are My Sunshine

Our newest grandchild, Evalie, was born in March but planning for her quilt began much earlier.  Her parents always have a theme for the nursery.  They originally decided upon The Wizard of Oz.  After looking at the fabric available I alerted them that there wasn't much kid friendly fabric for a baby quilt.  After searching on their own they agreed.

So they decided on the song....."You Are My Sunshine".  They had an idea in mind for the quilt, so we sat down and I sketched it out with their input.

They told me they wanted the clouds to be something more three dimensional rather than just flat, and they wanted bright colors.   Without a pattern I had some trial and error to do to figure it out.  And I forgot to say that I didn't know if I needed a boy quilt or a girl quilt, so I planned to do both.

Because I was hoping for a girl, I decided to make the girl one first. A first look while still on my design board......

And a final project......

For the clouds I made it chenille by using four layers of fabric on top of each other, stitched about 3/8" apart, then cut three layers between stitching.  

The raindrops are appliqués , and I tried to make the quilting around them look like more raindrops. 

The letters are machine stitched using a blanket stitch.

I hope Evalie will cherish it forever!   

Easter Fun at Our House!

Our Easter Celebration in pictures...

The table is set...The baskets are ready.....

The Table is set......

And everyone arrives after church.....

Mom & Ruthie

Trilby, Mike & boys

Kerry & boys(Travis is in TX)

Tasha, Kyle & girls

Trina, Tanner, & family --It was Evalie's first time at our house.

And then we ate....

The kids are getting instructions for the Easter egg hunt, and they are taking it very seriously!

The Hunt....

It was a beautiful day, so a fire was in order.

We had a little cousin lesson by a tree.  If you look carefully you can see our city boy peeking through the tree.

Then it was time for bunny cake and funny faces!

Other random pics.....

It was a crazy busy day, but we had a great time! 

A New Granddaughter!

We are thrilled to welcome a new granddaughter to our family.

Evalie Kay (middle name is after me!) 8lbs. 6 oz. 20.5" was born on March 18, 2015.

She joins to older brothers to make their family complete.

We now have seven grandsons and three granddaughters.

We look forward to watching this bundle of joy grow up!(Just not too fast)

A Snowy Day Inside and Out

Since we got more snow last night I thought it might be time to share my snowman decorations.  I love to decorate my home, so when I put away Christmas decorations the snowmen come out.  Soon I will decorate for spring and Easter.  But for now.....

 The mantle is flanked by the Frozen tree for the grandkids, and several evergreens, along with snowmen.

The snowman quilt that I made hangs above the couch.

The bar between the living room and kitchen is full of snowmen.  Some I made, some gifts, and some purchased.

The snowman tree is still gracing the sunroom along with a few other snowmen.

The many snowmen greet you as you step into the foyer.

And the dining room has a few wintery things, but I really ran out of steam on the table centerpiece.  That's on my list to fix for next year!

Can't leave out the bathroom!

 Only a couple of snowmen hanging out in the kitchen.

And then just a few miscellaneous things around.

Yes, there were several little peeks of Valentine's.  I don't really decorate 

for it, but I have a couple of things out.

And now soon I will put them all away again for another year.  

Maybe if I put them away this weekend spring with sprout sooner!

One can always hope!