Week 27 -Late!

 Remember this saying from the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street"? I love that movie and I love this quote.  Sometimes we just have to believe, even though it might not make sense.

 Our little boy is getting older.  He grew this beard recently to 1. see if he could do it, and 2. to avoid shaving daily.  While he looks okay, his momma does NOT like beards and evidently neither does his wife...so after about a month, for marital harmony, he shaved it off and is now the distinguished, yet facially hairless, man that he has always been.

Milk and ice cream are da Bomb!  And they both come from cows - well, so does hamburger, but let's talk about milk and ice cream for now.  Who doesn't love a cold glass of milk and some cookies warm from the oven?  Well, some folks don't like milk, but they are not the majority.  And with this summer weather we are having, ice cream  surely does come in handy.  Can you tell I just don't have a lot to say this week?  Let's face it, I'm already late with the blog anyway.

Suffice to say, I will try harder to have a better blog post on Sunday this week...thanks for stopping by and forgive the rambling.

Week 26 - Fathers DayI worked

 They say a girl's first love is her father.  I know I idolized mine.  Sure, he had his problems and demons; don't we all?  He certainly wasn't perfect. But he was an amazing man.  He was tall, and funny, and so very smart.  He had an ego that was huge, but was still an incredibly nice man. We lost him almost 24 years ago and I still think of him as that strong, funny, smart man who would sit in the middle of the bed and teach my brothers and me how to play poker when I was 7 years old!  He always had a story to tell - sometimes real and sometimes made up.  But his way with words made him a very talented author.  I recall going with him to interview some of his subjects and then helping to read the galley proofs for the articles that were being published in magazines.  I love you and miss you, Daddy.  

 I have a sign posted in my studio that is a quote from the tennis player, Arthur Ashe. It says: "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can". Don't wait for the right time to start something, start now.  While I know this, it's still hard not to justify waiting to start that diet, or exercise program, or even housecleaning.  

I worked yesterday and when I came home, Gilligan wanted some close-up time with me.  He jumped up onto my lap and laid down like he was snuggled in for the long haul.  Here's the look I got when I wanted to take his picture.  He spent about 20 minutes just laying there, purring up a storm...then he jumped off.  He got what he wanted from me and went off to other things.  Selfish Cat!  It's true what they say, "Dogs have owners, Cats have staff".

Thanks for stopping by.  And call your dad!

Week 25 - HOT, HOT, HOT!

I think it's safe to say that summer has definitely arrived in the Ozarks.  The temps have been hovering a bit above 90 degrees and the humidity is equally high.  And we don't usually have our highest temps/humidity until August.  Thank goodness for working air conditioning.  

My office partner shared this picture he saw on the internet.  It brought a chuckle.  Sadly, I doubt it would work, knowing human nature - no one could be 'cool' for 4 years till the next election.

I'm working on a t-shirt quilt for a friend.  He has been an entertainer on Broadway for 30 years.  And he has a huge amount of t-shirts.  Fortunately, my friend had laid them out the way he wants them and then photographed first the entire quilt and then in quadrants.  I decided that the quadrant idea was the best way to tackle this gargantuan project.  By the time it's done, it will be around 9 feet square.  I can't show you pictures without permission from my friend.  Once it's done, I'm hoping he will give me that permission so you can see an amazing life spent entertaining people.  

I'm off to sew and/or knit for a while on this hot, humid Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Week 24 - Families

You know, when it comes right down to it, the only important thing in life is Family.  It's not important how much money you have, or how high an education you attained, or how many boats or houses or cars you own.  It's all about family.  And not just those who are related by blood.  It's about relationships - finding, fostering, and treasuring relationships.  And that starts with family.  John spent last Monday afternoon with his 4 sisters who had gathered for a rare visit.  With the exception of one brother who couldn't make it, the Knotwell Siblings got to have a nice afternoon catching up.  Here they are, John - Mary- Theresa- Kay- Susan.  Susan lives in Montana so we don't get to see her often.  I was invited but my back was in spasm and I was not feeling up to the festivities. 

Our only child lives so very far away.  Utah is a 20 hour drive away so we don't see him or his amazing wife and children very often. Thank goodness for email, texting, Facebook, and Instagram - without those, we'd feel really cut off from their lives.  Here are two recent photos that just made us giggle.  Last night, John took his family to the rodeo in Spanish Fork.  Evidently he is growing a beard...can't say I'm a fan of facial hair but it's a change.   And those smiles from Jill and the children are precious!

I've said it before and I will say it again...Jill is the BEST daughter-in-law in the entire world.  I couldn't have chosen a more amazing wife for my son.  She is perfect for him.  And we cherish her as a daughter of the house as though she were blood-born.  That smile of hers can light up a room...her laugh is contagious.  I rarely see Jill without a cheery smile...and she's always up for some fun.  When I think that she is the mother of 5 children - ranging in ages from 16 to almost 4 - I'm amazed at how she does it...she makes it look easy.  And I know it can't be easy to be married to a high-powered executive, a member of the State Legislature, and have 5 children going in 100 different directions and still have time for herself.  I can only say that next to my own mother, Jill is my hero!  Truly!!!

Gushing aside, we are truly thankful for our families.  There is always more we can do to stay in touch with those far and away.  Those of you who are reading this, know that you are all a part of our family, whether blood-born or not, and we love you and treasure you.

Thanks for stopping by.