2011-Nov.24 OUR 2011 THANKSGIVING BASH

2011 MOTAL / RICHARDSON Thanksgiving BASH

Happy Thanksgiving To All

and to our family members that were not able to make it this year

We truly hope you will be ready to join us next year!

Johnny and I want you to know that this is

a standing invitation to our home!

You are always welcome here!

A view of our Thanksgiving Table that Johnny, Joseph and I made for our . . . . .

2011 MOTAL / RICHARDSON Thanksgiving BASH

We had about 50 people here this year from both sides of our families.  It was wonderful.  First it started off with my sister and her family coming in from Georgia.  They drove in to Houston and stayed at Gayle's and her family on Sunday night and then drove in to Victoria on Monday.  Her husband, Kevin and 3 of their 4 children came with them: Lauren, Mathew and Christopher, Ahley had to stay back due to her job.  We missed you Ashley, but maybe next year!  her boys and my boys stayed out in the workshop room that will one day be my "She-Cave".  Lauren stayed in Joseph's room and Mary Beth & Kevin stayed in John Thomas' room.  Then on Thursday evening, Gayle and her family, Steven and their kids- Sarah, Emily, & Michael stayed overnight.  It was like one big "camp out" for everyone.  We had a great time!

The day of Thanksgiving was so beautiful - the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Our family get-together was great!  It was great to visit, play, talk, take pictures, share with our family.  Everyone brought a dish, or several dishes, their favorite drinks, card table and chairs.  And also a time to Thank God for our family, friends, and loved ones/friends no longer with us.

I hope to upload more pictures soon to share with you! Come back soon!

We love you!!

2011-Sept.22 Our Poor Little "MUD HOLE"

I won't name any names but. . . someone I recently talked to had mentioned that she was sent some pictures of the drought in Texas.  I asked if it was pictures that "this person" took and she said that she thought this person just found pics off the internet.  hehe-that's too funny!

WELL, these are ACTUAL pictures of our "LAKE" now we just call it a "Mud Hole".  In the pic to the right of the pier, the water should be up past the green grass to the trees.

The pictures below: 1st pic is to the left of the pier and the pic on the right is to the right of our pier.

Sad, isn't it!? But at least it is actual pictures of a place that we know and not just random pics off the internet.

 

2011-Sept.18 I've Got A New Toy



My New Toy- Worx 6" 5-Amp Electric Jaw Saw

Yes, Mine- all mine! We had gone to Lowe's last weekend and I saw this and wanted it.  Yes, I can handle this and Yes, I have used it.  Today, actually.  I am going to clear out our woods between the road and our house.  Not all of it, but alot of it.  I was hoping it would get really cooler, but of course, it hasn't.  So I guess I will try to do this just a little each evening.  Why!? you ask, 2 reasons. . . 1) it's so dry here that I don't want it to go up in smoke and take our home with it. 2) The woods is so thick, it is drowning out some of the bigger trees.  We want them to be able to grow and not get smothered.

I want to leave some of the woods for a little friends out there - the deer - we have a momma and 2 babies that we think stay in there and come out to feed in the evening. We put out corn, but we also put out a moist horse and mule feed that they just love.  They don't leave one morsel. 

I mowed some this afternoon, with the mower height on the highest setting and just mostly around the trees that we have been watering daily.

But I mowed only after I washed all the clothes, folded, hung and put away. 

And also while I was making a big juicy moist Pork Roast - YUM! YUM! It was sooooo goooouuuuuddddd!!!!

I'm "pooped" and getting ready for work tomorrow, and Catching up on all of the Football scores.

GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



2011-Sep.17 OMG! Movie Date

MOVIE NIGHT!!??!! Oh WOW, I just can't believe it; Johnny and I taking Joseph and his "friend" to the movies.

It made me a little excited, and sad, too . . . for words, Joseph! he's only 13! She is so cute too.  They saw some movie, I think, it was called, "Shark Night", and probably too scary for me.  Emily likes scary movies.
I took Joseph to Emily's house and met her Mom. It's such a small world - I had been commenting on FB about "you know you're from Victoria when...." very nice people.  Growing up is hard, but who is it harder on? The kids or the parents? Toss Up!

2011-Sept.09 Air Conditioner Is In Today & See Their BIG Helper

Johnny & Bryan got the air conditioner in today, yipee!!  When I got home this afternoon with Parker - he got right in there with his Daddy and his PA.  Look at him, he is so cute. He is looking so interested in what they are doing.  He was so good today for his Nana.  He ate his chicken nuggets really good too. And that's a good thing, because Bryan called and said Parker fell asleep in his truck. He is out for the night with a full tummy.  Thank you Bryan and Parker too for all your help.  This is so exciting and I just can't wait to set my "She-Cave" up and start sewing.  If anyone hears of someone trying to get rid of a quilting machine, let me know and/or give them my name to call me. I would love to get one. 

sorry for such a blurry picture, took this with my cell phone (yuk!)

They also got the wiring in for the electricity in my room.  And also the boxes for the plugs on the walls and the boxes in the ceiling for the lighting.

2011-Sept.06 Our 1st Football Game-WooHoo!

Joseph did great today! He played on Offense AND on Defense!

We  are So proud of him for playing this sport too!

He is a very active kid/soon to be teenager.

He is on the 7th grade "B" team - 1st string - Running back

And The Bulldogs won this game vs. Stroman Vipers 14 - 0

2011-Sept.05 Workshop "SHE-CAVE" coming along great

Hold that board tight up there Joseph, Bryan don't fall while you do that!

Look Who Can Sweep!!! and I don't mean Jackson - hehe! LOL!

Wow! Good Job Jackson!  

Jackson - how's the view from that window?

Wow, now I have to use the door!                   My room from the inside-Looking Great!

Aww! Jackson cleaning up that sawdust from Daddy's cutting with that Noisy Saw. Thank You!

Jackson's cool drawing on Nana's wall



1st coat of paint ! Thanks guys- This is great!



Windows are sooo cool!

2011-Aug.08 A Well Deserved Get-A-Way

OMG! I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. Boy, Do I have some catching up to do?!
I have been very busy boxing up, loading up, and hauling boxes, furniture and and "crap" pardon my french.
We have sold my parents house and had to vacate the house in 3 weeks.  That meant boxing up and going through all of their things since we moved there in 1969.  I know this was the year because I was 12 years old that year that we moved into that house.  And -Dont do the math- but that was 42 years ago.  So that is alot of memories, good, sad and everything in between.  It has been a very stressed filled 3 weeks. And labor intensive too!  We finished Saturday about 1 pm.  After bringing the trailer, the truck and my SUV filled vehicles to our home, we parked them, went inside, took a nap, got up, and headed off to Rockport.  Joseph has been wanting to go to the beach, so we took him.  We had a blast.  We were in the water - way out there - and then we looked toward the beach area - and there on the beach there was a wedding going on.  I have seen them on t.v. but had never seen one in person.  It was very informal, but it looked like everyone was having a great time.
After that we went to see Johnny's brother, Jack Jr. and his wife Jennifer.  After a short visit, and changing into dry clothes, we drove back to Rockport for dinner.  At the restaurant, we had about an hour wait, because they had a "reception" there.  Not sure if it was the same people from the beach or not.  But the wait was worth it, the food was really great.  Oh that fried shrimp was soooo good.  Long ride home though, because we were so tired.  We, I mean, I slept just about all day Sunday.
So soon I will get back to my postings.  See ya!

2011-Jul.9 Day 2 of the T-shirt Quilt



Adding fusible interfacing



I hate ironing! yuk!

adding the fusible interfacing to the t-shirts



now to square up the shirts



looking at my stack of t-shirt squares



checking out the lay out

trying to decide the arrangement of t-shirts



the 1st two rows sewn together



2011-Jul.8 # 3 Quilt-A T-shirt quilt in the making

Yeah! Its Friday, and since I get off at 3:00 pm on Fridays now I have a little jump on the weekend.  This weekend is the start of another project.  This is for my niece from Houston, she just graduated from high school this past May.  She sent me her t-shirts so that I can make her a t-shirt quilt.  So it begins.

This will be quilt no.3. I made my 1st one last Sept/Oct.2010 - It was my "DragonFly Quilt" and my 2nd one I just finished last weekend.  Quilt #2 is for My Sweetie, Jacquelyn.  I will give it to her as soon as I see her.  I hope she will like it.  It is a reversible quilt. One side is pink and the other side is purple.

Here it is: "My Sweetie Quilt"

So now begins #3, Sarah's T-shirt Quilt.  I layed all the t-shirts out on the floor.



 Next, I cut them up both side seams and at the shoulders and cut the sleeves off.  Then I ironed all of them.

I ironed on the fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of each shirt.  Then I started cutting them in squares.

 Well, I got 4 done tonight, made hamburgers for supper, then sat down to watch a hunk in the series Blue Bloods, - - Tom Selleck - - I just love to see him in movies, he makes a great cowboy and I like his tv movies- - Jesse Stone - - he's a sheriff, well, I think he's just so handsome. Don't tell you know who!? ok?!

Anyway, I got 4 squares cut out and I've got 16 to go.  I've got Sarah thinking about some extras that she might want on her quilt. (Like: class colors, song, motto, any pictures, awards, certificates.)

So, I've got my weekend cut out for me.  While, Johnny and Joseph are outside sweating as they are using a ditch-witch digging a ditch to run water and electricity out to the front gate, and also out to our workshop (where my craft room will be soon).

2011-Jun.29 More Mouths To Feed

We have new additions to our family today. Our Animal Shelter called me today to see if I wanted to adopt some beautiful Lovebirds. Nine (9) to be exact. And of course I said YES!!!
Ooops, I guess I should have asked Johnny first. Oh well, he will be okay with it.---Umm, I'm sure of it!! :)
Aren't they just adorable?!?!

2011-Jun 26 Good Sunday Morning All

Okay, these pictures are not that great, But yesterday we were watching t.v. and Johnny stood up and said, :"Look, look there goes a doe and 2 babies in the front yard. Yes, they were passing by and right in front of the house. By the time I got my camera they were already going into our wooded area by the road. One of the babies was limping, it seems that his 1 leg was hurt. We are thinking this baby deer will not last like that. But, none-the-less it was so neat to see in the middle of the day, the heat of the day. I never get tired of seeing nature right in my front yard.

And today, Sunday, I got everyone up for 7 AM mass. Well, a bribe of breakfast at Ramsey's didn't hurt either. Breakfast was so good, and I got to see one of my Mother's dear friends and she was our next neighbor, Doris K. She looked good and always reminds me of Mother when I see her. (It's like I see Mother, I can picture Mother sitting there).

After breakfast, we drove over to CN&R to see Dad. He was doing good, but all of a sudden, he started rubbing his eye and it got so red and started looking a little swollen. I got the aide that was at his door, and she went to get his nurse. The nurse wiped his eyes with a medicated wipe and then he started breathing really wierd, the aide commented that he sounded like a lion growling. They gave him tylenol, because he said he had a headache. The nurses said he does that when he isn't feeling good. But one thing, everyone, all the nurses or anyone coming in to talk to him, always comments on his beautiful blue eyes. They were especially blue today and I told him that he gave me my blue eyes. He just smiled. I asked him if his Mom or his Dad had blue eyes. He looked at me and said, "I really don't remember." I said that was okay, that one of them had blue eyes and that I would try to find a picture to see who had the blue eyes. I told him that one of them had them or maybe it was the "milkman" and he chuckled at me. I like to make him laugh. It was a good visit.

When we left there, Joseph wanted to go to TSC right down the road. And I'm so glad he suggested it. I found some good buys there. I always do. I've been wanted a flag/banner and

I found a really cool hummingbird feeder, it's a "hot air balloon". Too cute. I can't wait to put it up.

But do you see something amiss in the 1st picture?

Yes, I didn't check how big the banner was or how tall or should I say "short" the pole was. So now, I need buy a smaller banner for the "star" pole and another pole for the sunflower banner. What!?!? You thought I was gonna say that I need to go back to the store and exchange one of them. No Way! I'm keeping them all and just gettin' more. HaHaHa!

Have a great day!!