On Eagle's Wings

I have been away from the blog for a couple of weeks as our family mourns the death of my Mom. Alice. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on the evening of on April 16th, surrounded by her family and her favorite Spring flowers. Mom was 92. Aside from my sisters and I, she leaves two sisters, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren who will miss her very much.

  

 I wrote about how strong my Mom was as she battled the effects of two strokes in my 2/23/14 post entitled Amazing Women #2: My Mom. She remained strong, and an inspiration to use all, right through her last days, which were spent comfortably in hospice care.

 

A granddaughter's hands...

 

At Mom's service, we asked the soloist to sing Amazing Grace and Let There Be Peace On Earth, as well as one of her favorite hymns, On Eagle's Wings:

  

And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand. 

 

As we grieve, what more could we wish for our Mom than that?

 

Sewing DIY Play Eggs for Easter

With Easter around the corner, I thought I'd share a quick and easy sewing project I completed for our 3 year old granddaughter, Anna.

 

Anna has a "play kitchen " that she loves so I decided to use up cotton fabric I had on hand to make "play eggs" for it.

 

I simply free-handed a fried egg shape (and a yolk shape too!) on a piece of cardboard to make a pattern, cut out the fabric eggs, and sewed them together. I hoped that Anna would be surprised to find that one of her eggs had a double yolk!

 

A quick trip to Target for plastic "egg shells" and the project was complete. I just folded up the fabric eggs, pushed them into the plastic eggs shells, and lined them up in a plastic egg carton I happened to find at TJ Maxx. A regular cardboard egg crate from the grocery store would have worked just as well.

I really liked this project. Not only was it fun to plan and do, but it resulted in an Easter gift that won't be packed away with the chicks and bunnies...these eggs can be "fried" in Anna's play kitchen all year round.

 

I'm excited that the chair that my sister, Joanne, and I reupholstered was chosen by Rea and Kayla at The DIY'ers Link Party as one of the "favorite 3" DIY projects at their last blog party. Having our "DIY $1200.00 chair" featured on two other blogs (Home for 4 Sweet Home and Home Coming) and Pinterest almost makes up for all the glue gun burns still healing from that project!

 

If you missed the now-a-little-famous "chair post", you can find it here. 

 

Have fun frying up your own fabric eggs!

 

 

This post is linked to:

DIY'ers  Party at Home for 4 Sweet Home

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life
Wow Me Wednesday at Ginger Snap Crafts

Wildly Original Wednesday at I Gotta Create

Kristen's First Visit to the Nail Salon

Yesterday was a special mother-daughter day for Kristen and I.  It was her first trip to a nail salon for a pedicure and manicure.

 I wasn't at all sure how she would do with this new experience so I sat next to her and had my toes done too so she could see that it "doesn't hurt".

 

 The manicurist did a great job of making accommodations...

 

And Kristen did a great job of trying something new.

Kristen is a woman who knows what colors she likes and didn't hesitate to choose...

 

Purple for her toes.

And blue for her fingers!

We finished off our "girls' day out" with one of Kristen's favorite things...

Coffee at Dunkin' Donuts.

 

What could be better?

Decorating With ... Doorknobs?

I love decorating with found objects, especially if they tell a story.

 

 Lately, I seem to be into doorknobs.

 

This doorknob, still in a tiny wooden section of its "door", started it all. I spotted it at the Liberty Tool Company. I had no particular use for it but it spoke to me somehow...so of course I bought it.

 Last week, a couple more door knobs "spoke to me" at a local antique and consignment shop. I liked the bits of rust and chippy blue paint against the white porcelain of the knobs.

 

So now I have three sets of door knobs...I suppose that means that I've started another collection.

 

What makes something a collection anyway? More than one? Three or more? Grouping things for a purpose? Hmmm...

 

  

I love my doorknobs. When I see them, I wonder what stories they could tell about the houses they adorned and the people who lived in them.

I decided to display my old doorknobs in a little basket on the coffee table.

I'm sure they'll move around the house over time as I add to the collection. For now I like the variety of textures in this grouping: rough wicker, worn leather, shiny porcelain, rust... and chipped blue paint.

 

What's the most unusual thing you decorate with or collect?

 

 

 This post is linked to:
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On the Porch
 

I'm So Done With March!

Here in Maine, March came in like a lion and never went out.  

It was an unseasonably cold and dark month, but there were a few bright spots...

  



My bunny pillow...handmade by Claudia

Our infamous Gourmet Group, a group of friends who have celebrated dinner together every month or two for over 30 years, got together Saturday evening at BFF Claudia's house in Kennebunk. Although it was a  cold, rainy night, Claudia served a delicious spring-themed dinner of roast lamb on a gorgeous table decorated in an Easter theme.

 

The whole Bunny Family!

Claudia is a Home Ec. teacher who, as you might expect, sews and cooks beautifully. Not only does she teach middle school full-time, she also has her own very successful business creating gorgeous purses, totes and aprons which she sells online and at craft fairs. Each chair at Claudia's dinner table Saturday evening had a hand-painted, hand-sewn "bunny " pillow on it. What a surprise to hear that Claudia had taken the time to make one for each of us to take home!

 

And, for those of you who have been following along for awhile, I'm happy to share that our Mom's medical condition has stabilized. She is still in rehab. at Falmouth by the Sea and still unable to walk or swallow, but...she is comfortable, aware, and working hard to regain lost skills...which at 92 is not an easy task. She is well enough now to participate in activities at the facility, like the presentation by the Portland Museum of Art which I attended with her yesterday. She even wore a purple flower in her hair!

I love going to the events at Falmouth by the Sea with Mom. It's a beautiful facility, right on Casco Bay. In addition to skilled rehabilitation, the facility offers both long term care and assisted living. I've met some amazing residents there...with fascinating life stories...and hope to volunteer there someday when my Mom is no longer a patient. Older people have so much to teach us, if we take the time to really listen.

 

 

I couldn't help but laugh to myself yesterday at the Portland Museum of Art presentation though. The large dining room was darkened so that the docent could show slides of various paintings and, as she drew her rather lengthy presentation to a close, I realized that I was about the only person left in the room whose eyes were still open. Mom and most of her fellow art-lovers had fallen asleep!

 

 

The sun is shining on this first day of April and I am ever hopeful that Spring is finally here. This morning, DH shoveled off the back deck and went to LL Bean to buy a gas camping grill...both pretty positive signs of Spring.

 

But my personal favorite sign of Spring? Registration for Fiber College 2014 opened today!!! If you missed my 2013 post about Fiber College ("Summer Camp for Adults"), you can find it here. 

Fiber College is a chance to spend three or four days learning, creating, and making friends with other talented women in a beautiful oceanfront setting at Searsport Shores in Searsport, Maine. For more information, registration, and a list of 2014 classes, click on the Fiber College website here. 

 

I just registered for Fiber College 2014 this morning and am already getting excited. So far, I've signed up to take classes in Bookbinding...

  

and Needle Felting...



Dance Like Nobody's Watching by Kathleen Gerdes, Fiber College 2014

 



 I can't wait! 

 

 

 Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life

Inspire Me Monday at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia