Friday, January 27, 2012

Funny Friday


A beary good morning to you.
Wil here
Can you believe it's Friday again
already?
I've been helping Mama in 
her sewing room,

sorting fabric squares...


pressing things....careful
that iron is hot...

sitting in the chair at the sewing machine...
What have you been up to?
Wil

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

What's On Your Nightstand?


I'm joining up with 5 Minutes for Books
here's what Jennifer says:
 Each month on the 4th Tuesday we give you the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve read and/or tell us what you want to read.

Its been a while since I participated. Somehow the date always slips by me. My Book Club meets once a month to discuss a certain book. January is our planning meeting when we choose the books for the year. I'd like to share some of those with you here and also review a book I recently read.



The Descendants
(now a movie)
Amazon's description:
Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.
This is our February selection which I read in about 2 days....There is very little Hawaiian history in the book. It is mostly about an absentee father having to pay attention to his daughters for the first time when their mother ends up in a coma after her accident. I found the book extremely depressing. The children are undisciplined and disrespectful to their Father. He is clueless. I certainly do not recommend this book. And I won't be seeing the movie.
Amazon says:
The Brighton to London line. The 7:44 am train. Cars packed with commuters. One woman occupies her time observing the people around her. Opposite, a girl puts on her make-up. Across the aisle, a husband strokes his wife’s hand. Further along, another woman flicks through a glossy magazine. Then, abruptly, everything changes: a man collapses, the train is stopped, and an ambulance is called.
The story is about how each of these people's lives are changed by this one moment in time.
This book is our selection for March. 

My daughter and I have read all of Elizabeth Berg's books 
and enjoyed most of them.
Once Upon a Time, There was You
is the story of a divorced couple who are brought
back together  when tragedy strikes their only child...
Can they discover what brought them together 
in the first place?
Elizabeth Berg shared this quote by
Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach  “An interesting book is food that makes us hungry.”

I have felt that about certain books when I reached the end and wished there were more.

Please take the time to visit 5 Minutes for Books 
to get some great recommendations of
books others have read or maybe
just to get the name of one you
might want to know more about.

Monday, January 23, 2012

A Simple Woman's Daybook

From Mama Bear's Journal......
FOR TODAY: Monday, January 23, 2012......

Outside my window...Its 61 °F, (16 °C), wet from last night's rain but the sun is shinning...lots of bird activity and Squirrels skipping about...


Today's Bible reading...

Deuteronomy 8:7-18

King James Version (KJV)
 7For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
One year ago today...32 degrees...I was reading "Eve"...preparing to sandwich "A Gardener's Journal" quilt...working on scrapbooks...I was fighting the winter blues...trying to stick to my weight loss plan...

I am thinking...today is Daddy's Birthday, he would have been 86...
about what needs to be on my to-do list this week...I still haven't made a housekeeping schedule...

I am thankful...for the weekend with Honey Bear...the way his work schedule is he only has the weekend off every 7 weeks...we had a good one...

In the kitchen...a list needs to be made for grocery shopping this week (its been 2.5 weeks since I shopped).....and I need to decide on a dinner menu, however the kitchen is clean.....there's a package on the table to mail...

I am wearing...pink and white pajamas

I am creating...redoing the sashing strip between the two panels on this....and shortening the last row of blocks so it lines up with the first one..I've already taken out the stitching...
Then, I'm looking for new projects to start...



I am going...no where until Wednesday..


I am praying for...

I am wondering...why January is such a blue mood month...

I am reading...The Family Affair

I am hoping...to spend time with Daughter soon...

I am looking forward to...Celebration Day.....Our anniversary get-away in February.....Club retreat in March

I am learning...and I hope I continue to learn new things...the blogging community helps with that...

Around the house...all is quiet and mostly tidy...

I am pondering...about new projects...

A favorite quote for today..."The grand essentials of happiness are something to do, something to love, something to give and something to hope for"...After Allen Chalmers

One of my favorite things...a clean and tidy house

A few plans for the rest of the week:Card Workshop on Wednesday....grocery shopping one day...

A peek into my day...




the simple woman's daybook prompts were created by Peggy at A simple Woman....

Friday, January 13, 2012

Funny Friday

Good Friday Morning, Everybeary
Wil here
It is beary cold outside this morning, 27 F
with a wind chill of minus -3, burr
but we're snug and warm inside the house...
normally our bear cousins who live outdoors
hibernate in the winter....we are lucky to live
in climate controlled homes
so we don't have to do that...still winter
makes even our bear humans want to
snuggle down for a month or two
before spring arrives with 
warmer temperatures...
We helped take down the tree and there
were a few photos taken but
they're still in the camera.
I've been thinking about hosting a Teddy Bear
Tea in February and inviting all my friends....
What do you think?
Have a fabulous day,
Wil

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Wednesday Hodge Podge

The Amazing Wednesday Hodge Podge Volume 61


1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-
amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.
Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen. Thanks in advance. It sort of obligates one to do a task one might not plan on doing. We can request someone to do a task, thank them for agreeing and then thank them after the task is done. No need to pressure them with "Thanks in advance". Does that mean we don't need to thank them for doing something?
I don't much care for Baby Bump either.

2. Are you easily embarrassed? I don't think so.

3. What is your go-to snack? dried fruit and nuts

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction? Yes. Its hard to say what would be my favorite. The two places which affected me the most were the Vietnam Wall and Arlington Cemetery. 

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least? all of them are hate inducing aren't they....it is extremely hard for me to do sit ups and squatting and getting back up has become more difficult lately. 

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten? 

7. Have you ever been a blood donor? No

8. Insert your own random thought here. Its raining again today....what a dark dreary day it is. My Daddy used to say the sun has mildewed when we had days like we've had for the past 4 or 5.

I'd like to thank Joyce for continuing to 
bring us thought provoking questions
week after week and for hosting. If time
permits, stop by and visit her and others on this
hodge podge day. I hope the sun is shinning
where you are.

Monday, January 9, 2012

A Simple Woman's Daybook


From Mama Bear's Journal....
For today...Monday, January 9, 2012
Outside my window...It's 56 °F, (13 °C), wet and foggy...
Hearing...Honey Bear on the phone and rattling papers
I am thinking...that today seems like Saturday (will I ever get used to this schedule?)
Feeling Thankful for...warmer temperatures (lower gas bills), Birds and other wildlife outside my window, Honey Bear, our health, all of my blog friends, 
Remembering...how January is always a depressing month for me...
Creating this...stitching on my SAL quilt squares, getting ready for applique
I am currently reading...Woman of Grace
One year ago today...the snow had melted enough for the birds to get to the feeder...it was 34 degrees and supposed to get colder...Christmas decorations had been put away...I was reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"....
I am hoping...to put away more decorations...do prep work on applique so I can work on it tonight....enjoy Honey Bear's day off with him...
On my mind...the need to get back on track with my food diary..my to-do list....
Noticing that...days are getting longer
Pondering these words..."Love does not consist of gazing into each other's eyes but in looking in the same direction".
From the kitchen...I'm not sure....we just enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of toast, sausage, and scrambled eggs....tonight may be ham and cheese sandwiches or soup....
Around the house...all is calm, all is quiet
I am praying for...our son's surgery this week, Shortybear, Val: her husband and son, Faye's cousin, the economy, our country's leaders
A few plans for the week...the Princess: after school tomorrow...club meeting Thursday night...Book Club on Friday
One of my favorite things...discovering new blogs to follow, especially the ones where I learn something: I love all the tutorials.
A picture thought to share...
From last January
Please visit Peggy for more daybooks.....

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Although this is a picture of a school, I believe it started life 
as a church.

It is another rainy day here in North Alabama. Honey Bear had to work. I slept until around 8:15 before I got up. I managed to get the decorations off the tree and the tree in its box. I like to take all of the decorations down, carry them to the guest room or study and then put them in their boxes to be packed away, later. Things are starting to look less like Christmas now. No matter if the tree is artificial, it still leaves needles on the floor and those have to be vacuumed up.

In November, I had a give-away to mark my blog anniversary. I had my granddaughter choose a number to pick the winner. It was Fiona over at Bubz Rugz. I am planning to get that in the mail this week. She has been faithful to visit and comment since we met at SAL. She has also been very helpful with her tutorials and advice about quilting.

I've been watching some movies on the computer lately using Netflix. The last few have been set in Scotland or England. On the same subject, Honey Bear and I went to see "War Horse" between Christmas and New Year's Day. I enjoyed the film.

Yesterday, I spent the morning working on paperwork for the women's clubs I belong to. We had planning meetings for both the county and the local club last week and the notes from both needed to be typed up.

I spoke with my son yesterday. He is having a second back surgery this week. Please keep him in your prayers on Wednesday when the surgery is taking place. Also, pray that he will listen to the doctors this time and take the time to heal..........In other news, they may be relocated this summer to Georgia which would be better for me. Maybe I would see them more often.

The rabbit is back under the porch. We saw him last week in the late afternoon, come out and head to the garden to nibble on lettuce. Honey Bear has started seedlings for this year's garden already.

I still haven't written out any goals for the new year, although, I have some mulling around in my head.

This is the weekend that we had snow last year. It began on Sunday night and we had about 7 inches before it stopped. I'll take the rain any day over snow.
Well, I hope your weekend is going well.
Mama Bear

Friday, January 6, 2012

Funny Friday/This and That


Wil here with a Funny Friday post

Here I am with James, my best buddy..

We love to read and Mama buys us lots of
books about Bears...


 Thanks for stopping by....
**************************************************************

Look what I found at Wally World
I needed a shallow container for all
the bits and pieces that are accumulating
in the "My Favorite Things" quilt I'm doing with
the girls over at Stitch-a-long...

This one stacks and is actually 3 different sections...



I put the 2" strips and the 1.5" strips
plus the squares in this section...

The prints for the applique in the center section..

the beige pieces for the background in this section...

Here they all are stacked together...

This is the first panel of the quilt...
I haven't posted all week. Honey Bear had two days off early in
the week....then I had meetings on two days
today I needed to go to Wally World for staples for the
month.....
I'll be taking down the holiday decorations
and putting them away this weekend....
Mama Bear