A Swimming Pool Kind of Day

Here in Iowa and most of the Midwest there is a severe heat advisory.
The heat index today is supposed to be 115 degrees.
The only place to be today is indoors in air conditioning.
If you have to be outside the place to be is at the pool.

We grew up in Minnesota just across the Iowa border.
The public beach of Big Spirit Lake was just two miles from our home.
Big Spirit Lake is the largest natural lake in Iowa at 5,684 acres of water.
Because the lake was so close you would think that as children we would go there often.
We did not.
We only went to the lake about once a year and it was such a big deal outing.
We did however have our own private swimming pool right in our backyard ...well kind of.

This was what we used for a swimming pool.

This is not actually a picture of use three girls but it certainly could be - although we never wore swim caps.
Yes believe it or not we used a dishpan for a swimming pool.
We were much more fortunate than the 3 girls in the picture.
We did not all 3 have to crowd in one tiny little "pool".
Each of us had our own private - dishpan.

My sister Linda has always been a sewer.
You can always count on her to have a sewing kit.

Deb needed her wedding dress tucked in a bit
on wedding day…
Not a problem - just one call to Linda and problem solved.

Linda does more clothing sewing than quilting.

However, since Santa Claus brought both her and her granddaughter
American Girl dolls she has been making clothes for the dolls
instead of clothes for herself.
She says their bodies are much easier to fit than
a 60 something post menopausal body.
She also is somewhat of a shoe addict.

She had the tell-tale signs of this addiction at the early age of 4.

She found a website with sooo many adorable doll shoes.
She wanted to buy them all.
But it would be silly to buy 106 pairs of doll shoes. And then of course she would have to make 106 outfits to go with each pair of shoes.

Linda is very creative.
She came up with a plan.

I sent her fabric...

she ordered the shoes…

she sewed many adorable outfits.
All with matching shoes.
(These are just a few of them.)

(I am supposed to tell you that she forgot to
change Lanie's shoes before she took the picture.
And her sewing room does not always look like this.)

One might ask, does a doll need 106 outfits with matching shoes???
No not really.
Her plan was to make the outfits and sell them.
She donates the money to local charities in her town of Montevideo, Minnesota.
Some of the money went to buy swimming pool passes for children who could not afford passes.

It's a win win situation.
Linda gets to buy shoes and sew clothes...

and some very lucky kids are finding heat relief
at the pool on this very hot day.

Let's all try to do a win win something today.

From my heart,
Sandy

What are the Odds?

What do you think the odds are of dropping your diamond wedding ring in a lake and finding it?
One in a million?

This past 4th of July holiday was spent at our cabin with family and friends.
The weather was beautiful and most of our time was spent on the lake, in the lake or sitting by the lake.

Anthony and Deb have two labs who LOVE coming to the lake.
The dogs also spent the whole weekend on the lake, in the lake or sitting by the lake.
This last trip to the lake Juno discovered a little ledge along the pier that she can stand on and just hang out in the water…

waiting for someone to play catch with her.
(She never has to wait long.)

Daughter-in-law Deb and her mother were heading out for a peddle boat ride. Abby and I had just finished a ride.
As they were pushing off the pier I remembered I had left my shirt in the boat.
I asked Deb to throw it to me.
She kindly obliged and as she did her ring come off of her finger and dropped into the lake - in chest deep water.
The boat ride was quickly abandoned and Abby and Deb started looking for the ring.
This time of the year the lake is not crystal clear.
They come up with nothing.
Deb declares that she needs a fifth grader.
A fifth grader?
Yes they can hold their breath forever and pick anything up out of the pool.
(I am thinking...but never said it out loud… yes in a crystal clear swimming pool with a smooth cement bottom.)
We had called the neighbor across the lake to bring his underwater camera.
He happened to bring along his son Jacob.
Jacob just finished fifth grade.
The camera battery was dead.
Deb did not want to waste time waiting for the camera to charge so it was decided that the fifth grader would look for the ring while the battery was charging.
3 dives later he came up with the ring.

The odds are probably one in a million...but somebody has to be the one in the one in a million.

It was Deb's day to be the one…

and Jacob's day to be a humble hero.

Hope you are having a "things are going your way" kind of day.

From my heart,
Sandy

Peonies for Pearl

What is you favorite flower? I have many.
Lilly of the Valley I think is my all time favorite.
They are so tiny and cute.

I found this little jug in an antique shop.

I bought it with Lilly of the Valley in mind

I have always wanted to see a bridal bouquet of Lilly of the valley.
I had never seen one until Ms. Kate Middleton used them in her bouquet.

Loved that bouquet!

She placed it on the grave of the Unknown Warrior
inside of Westminster Abbey.
What a nice touch.

Lilacs - is there anything more fragrant than Lilacs?

And they bring back memories of my Grammie.

I also love peonies. Growing up the neighbors had a row of dark
Fuchsia peonies lining their curved driveway.
Pearl (the neighbor) passed away this winter,
leaving my mother with no one to call.
She and Pearl called each other almost daily.
I don't know of two ladies who exchanged recipes back and forth
more than Pearl and my Mom.
Here is one of their conversations.
Mom: Pearl could I have the recipe for your refrigerator sweet pickles.
Pearl: Just a minute I will get it….Here it is….Millie's Refrigerator Sweet Pickles….
My mother's name is Millie.
Yep Pearl's sweet pickle recipe was Mom's sweet pickle recipe.

Now when I pick a bouquet of peonies I will think of my mom's
good friend Pearl and her beautiful row of peonies.
May she rest in peace... among peonies.

Pick a bouquet of your favorite flowers and deliver them to a friend.

From my heart,
Sandy

Table Talk Book Tour - Last Day

Welcome to the last day of the Table Talk Book Tour.




Blogging along with Gudrun today will be be Diane McLendon of Kansas City Star

Check out their blogs, to find out what good things they have to offer
Wishing you all a fun and safe holiday weekend.
I am looking forward to taking a few days off to relax with family and friends.

From my heart,
Sandy

Winners! And Table Talk Book Tour Day 4

Hello and welcome to day 4 of the Table Talk Book Tour.

Hop on over to Gudrun's blog to see what she is talking about today.

Today my friend Kate Spain of Kate Spain Designs

will be also be blogging.
Go here to check out Kate's blog.

And now for the winners!
This time for the winners I hand picked one and I used random.org for the other two winners.
Karen W. was the first to post a comment. Everyone always says #1 is never picked in random. Soooo that is why I decided to choose Karen as she was the first to post a comment. Karen has won the box of Late Bloomers scraps.

Karen W.
Congratulations Karen.


Sharon S. is the winner of the Table Talk Book.



Marcia W.
Is the winner of the Late Bloomers Jelly Roll™

Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks to all who left a comment and to all who are following along.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the tour and the guest blogger will be Diane McLendon of Kansas City Star

See you tomorrow.

Here is hoping your are having a winner of a day.

From my heart,
Sandy

Lilacs in a Fruit Jar and Day 3 of Table Talk Book Tour

Hello again.
I will announce my winners tomorrow.
Today is day 3 of Gudrun's tour. Stop over to her blog to she what she has to share with us today.
Also blogging today will be Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts. Hop on over to her blog.

Tomorrow my friend and fellow Moda designer Kate Spain of Kate Spain Designs will be blogging along with Gudrun.

And now for Lilacs in a Fruit Jar.
My Grammie Fisher's house did not have one toy.
Yet as a child I loved going to Grammie Fisher's house for she had better things than toys.
Straight ahead as you entered the kitchen was the candy drawer - second drawer down - kid level.
Farther over was the bake-goods drawer full of homemade bread and pastries such as Kolaches and cinnamon twist.
Next was the big bin that held Grammie's baking flour.
I loved opening it and letting it go shut to see the little puff of flour rise.
Watching Grammie bake was real confusing to me. She did not use measuring spoons or cups as my mother did.
I can still see her shiny long fingers kneading the bread.
Every Sunday Grammie would cut the picture off the cover of the Picture Magazine that came with the Sunday paper and tack it to the wall above her buffet with stick pins. It was as pretty as any picture in a frame.
The buffet where she kept all of her Workbasket Magazines, with folded over corners on the pages containing projects she wanted to make.
Next was the corner hutch with a box of buttons - I spent a lot of time playing with the buttons.
Also in the corner hutch, setting in front of the family picture, was Grammies pretty watch.
It was covered in "diamonds" or something as pretty as diamonds. It had a little cover over the face of the watch - also covered in "diamonds". We never, never actually put the watch on but I never went to my Grammies house without pushing the little button on the watch that popped open the cover to revel the watch face.

My Grammie also did not own a vase.
But every Spring she picked a large bouquet of Lilacs and placed them in a fruit jar.
And they were as pretty as any bouquet in a vase.
Every spring I pick a large bouquet of lilacs…



place them in a fruit jar and think of my Grammie Fisher.

Here is hoping you are having a lilacs in a fruit jar kind of day.
See you tomorrow.

From my heart,
Sandy

Table Talk Book Tour Day 2 and My Day

Welcome to Table Talk Book Tour Day 2.
It is my day to blog.
And remember Gudrun is also blogging today and everyday of the tour.

Remember to leave a comment today to be eligible for prizes - see end of blog.
Gudrun was nice enough to send me a copy of her book.

(You can buy her book here or here.)

I love it!
It has many cool projects but the thing I checked out first was the recipes.
Yes I will take food over quilting any day.
I know that sounds bad since I am
selling quilting patterns and fabric and not cookbooks!

I am most intrigued by the Chicken Casserole With Bananas and Coconut Topping.
I know it sounds strange…
but I love all of the ingredients…
just never have tried them all together.
The kids are coming home this weekend, I think I will try it.

I also want to try the Caramelized Potatoes.
Potatoes are one of my favorite foods.
Well maybe it's not the potatoes but the "stuff" you put on the potatoes.
And this recipe has some good "stuff"!

Gudrun used my Lollipop line of fabric
to make her Sassy Blooms tablerunner.
It is very fun.
I just might have to make it for the table at the cabin.
I checked out the instructions and it looks
to be quite quick and easy.



And speaking of instructions. This book has very well written instructions with colored diagrams.
I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating.

For those of you interested in other patterns using Lollipop, I have pictured the ones that I designed using the fabric.

501 Lollipop
502 Oopsie Daisy
503 Go Fish

504 Hopscotch

505 Flower Child

506 My ABC's

507 The Lollipop Tree

508 Under the Big Tops

Stop back tomorrow when Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts will be blogging as well as Gudrun.

Be sure to leave a comment here today to be eligible to win one of three prizes - a copy of Gudrun's book, a box of scarps or a jelly roll from my new line Late Bloomers line which will not be released until November. There will be three winners!

See you tomorrow.
From my heart,
Sandy