DH calls these his "Old Gentlemen". I am afraid he is starting to bond with them. We would like to prepare them to be loved, sold, and cared for by another person who loves vintage "Chines".

What a wonderful day DH and I had. We spent the day on the sunporch working on our machines. We cleaned, repaired, oiled, and brought to life a Singer 99K. It is a Centennial Machine from Scotland for my Loving Mother.

Best of all we got a Singer 127 or 128 from 1921 to work. We found it as we were leaving the Antique Sale and couldn't resist because it was so elegant. With oil and machine lube it is starting to run well, of course cleaning is still required.

What better way to spend a day with your Darling Honey??!!

We also found this lingerie case. It was a little more expensive but I couldn't resist because it had an "R" (my first initial).

I found these handkerchiefs in a consignment store and couldn't resist. They were just too pretty. When I work with the girls in the youth group I sometimes find myself in tears. Sometimes they make me laugh till I cry. Other times it is as simple as the National Anthem. It is so special to have a pretty handkerchief to dab your tears away.

My Loving Mama sent me these sea shells. She knows my love of the sand and sea. I sat in my chair and arranged them into what I thought would be a pretty pattern. Maybe for a future quilting or sewing project. I have so many irons on the fire right now it will be way in the future, but the seed has been planted.

Thank you Mama! I love you.

This is one our family cats, Sassy. She will only be petted when she touches you first. My DH says she has my personality. There could be some truth in that.

Today has been a very busy day. This morning I sent cupcakes to work with DH. It is his birthday so I sent Happy Birthday plates and napkins and a candle for his cupcake. This afternoon I had a list of errands to run. I picked up a two For Sale signs, got a new sticker for the car and got it inspected. I almost forgot I also had the windshield replaced on DH's car.

When DH gets home for work we are going to get new tags for the cars and then I am taking him out to eat for his birthday. When we get home we have more ebay posting to complete.

I hope to get more pictures posted later too.

This is where DH and I will be visiting in October. We moved the camping equipment from the shed to the garage this afternoon so I can start making sure we have all we need. I am really looking forward to our trip.

Well I finally took action and made reservations for DH and I to go camping in October. We will be going to Indian Springs State Park. I am so looking forward to this, I am just hoping the weather holds out. This evening after supper I will pull all the camping supplies out of the shed so I can start checking them. This is going to be so much fun.

I found these bits of nature while we were walking today.

Today DH and I had a wonderful time exploring Georgia. We went to High Falls State Park and Indian Springs State Park. High Falls is at the site of what used to be a mill. Indian Springs was a camp built by the CCC. We are looking forward to a camping trip in couple of weeks.

Yesteray and today have been very busy! Yesterday my DD came over and spent several hours with me. She is now knitting dishcloths and is doing quite well. She is also showing an interest in quilting and selected a block to complete. She went through some of my stash and selected some fabrics to use for her block. We started setting up a kit and the next time she can visit we will get her started. I am looking forward to sharing my love of needle art with her. I have such fond memories of time spent learning from my Dear Mom.

Today I went to a memorial service for two Soldiers. It was such a moving ceremony and my their families remain in my prayers.

DH and I had lunch together and went for a walk before I came home. Then I started working on our sewing machine and attachments projects.

I hope to have pictures to post later this evening. I am off to cook supper.

This is Baby Vickie dressed in one of the Preemie Gowns I have finished. Another one is in her lap. She is wearing a hat my Dear Mom knitted and has a pair of socks to match. These will be donated to a local hospital. I have two more gowns almost complete, they only need the topstitch. Once blankets are ready to accompany them they can be donated. Since my DD was a tiny baby when she was born this is a project that is very dear to my heart.

DD when she graduated from High School. She is really a beautiful young woman.

The weekend went well. DH and I went to a Youth Group Meeting. We also spent time together and managed to get the 221 working. The Countess is very happy and makes a perfect stitch, of course what would you exect from a Featherweight? She is moving today to a new room, I have named it the featherweight room. It is really the sunroom where the birds live, but what better room for a featherweight. She will be protected but what better place to sew than the sunroom???

Today has been a beautiful day in Georgia. I got up this morning to make breakfast and lunch for DH. He seemed quite pleased when he left for work. I rebooted the laundry (twice now) and ran the dishwasher. I still have to empty it. I ran errands this afternoon. I went to the grocery store and post office. I took pictures of the items we have on ebay and started peparing them to be shipped. I found paper that would works like a post it note. So after I printed the pictures on the post it paper I put them on the box. That way when we sell an item we can grab it off the shelf, finish packing it, and mail it right away. I also have another package ready to mail but since it is going to Canada it has to go to the Post Office for the Customs form to be accepted. At least it is ready though.
DH and I plan to eat out tonight and go to the library. I am looking forward to an evening out. After that he is going to work on posting more items on ebay and I will continue boxing up items we already posted. More to follow.

Well Merlin helped me to complete my block tonight. This is Mrs. Lu's Block. She selected the fabric for this block and it turned out to be so pretty. She has an eye for fabric and won't stop until she finds the right one. I can appreciate that feeling.

As you can see Merlin is a big help with my quilting. I had almost completed this square when he sat down, but could not stand up until it was done. He would not hear of it.

Merlin has been most helpful tonight with my quilting. He is very interested in the movement of the needle but sometimes he can get in the way.

I am sitting here today watching a program to honor the lives of those lost on Sept. 11. It is such a painful program to watch because our country lost so much that day. My prayers are with all the families who lost someone. I will always be grateful for the Heros who appeared that day. I remember it not only as a day of loss though. I remember it as a day when our country joined hands. Our background, religion or politics did not matter. We were Americans and we stood together that day and offered our love and support.

Sunday Afternoon DH and I worked on the Countess (my 221) and I was finally able to sew a few stitches. As we both expected many adjustments are still required for her to work properly. She continues to break the top thread and knot the bobbin thread. Of course this will all be corrected with the proper adjustments. (one of my projects today) My Monday will be filled with the blessing of the upper level of our home and completing the project I began to clean out my closet.

I asked DH to take this picture so everyone could see my shoes. The Advisory Board Members all bought these shoes because they reflect the colors that represent our projects for the year. The men wear them with a suit or tux depending on the event. The ladies sometimes wear them with their casual clothes and even dresses depending on the event. Since this was a fun event I decided to wear mine. It was a lot of fun, not just for the young people we work with but the adults as well. Nothing renews you hope for our country and the world more than working with these young people who devote time and energy to service projects in their local communities and world wide. They are a joy and a blessing and it is a privilage to work with them.

Saturday DH and I had a statewide meeting with the youth group we volunteer with. One of the girl in our group is the State leader this year and she has come up with fun ideas to get all the girls and adults involved. The first meeting the theme asked that we dress like the Antebellum Era. I wore a with blouse and green skirt. I resisted the urge to were a hoop but did wear a crinoline. I also had my sewing items with me (scissors, needle and pin holder and thimble). I wore a sash to hold these items along with a set of keys that a lady my need during a normal work day. Of course all of the girls had questions as most of them are not familiar with sewing and hand work in particular. When DH and I got home we cleaned my Singer 221. That was all that we were able to get accomplished in one day.

We are happy to welcome the Countess into our home. As you can see she has had a productive life so far. I am sure she still has much to offer and will add a great deal to our home. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work on quilting projects with her. A special thanks to DH for the time he spent "hunting" for this special quilting friend for me. R

Another machine DH thought he would be able to sell. He even collected the correct accessories to go with it. Again I am not sure I want to part with it. In fact I am seriously considering getting rid of my newer machine and keeping the older ones since they sew such great seams.

DH got this machine for the case and intended to sell it. Unfortunately he hasn't convinced me to part with it yet. It sews like a dream.

This a picture of a puzzle box DH is putting together for me. He is also putting one together for Mom and another for a friend. He is really enjoying the hunt for pieces to fill the boxes.

Love Needle Art

DH and I have had a wonderful day together. He brought me breakfast in bed this morning. We spent time together and sorted through parts of 24 years of my records. We still have several years to go and plan to continue after supper. After walking the dog we are will be taking pictures for ebay. We are starting on the Cape Cod Dishes, first without box and then with box. Lady Elizabeth is still with us. She is such a sweetheart but very noisy. Merlin tried again today to help DH with the mouse on the computer. After the house is settled for the evening I will be in the Sitting Room. I am going to start cutting out the gifts for Miss.Tiff. I would really like to get them done this weekend and get this box out of my home. Then I can focus on my quilting.

More time was spent today setting up my Sitting Room. It is really coming along. Starting to look more like a place where DH and I can spend time while I work. DH worked in his office today too. We both enjoyed the time together. He also put together a set of accessories for my Singer 127. It is such a joy to sew with.

This is our dear furpurrson Merlin. He is the baby of the family in spite of how much larger he is than the rest of the cats. You can't tell from this picture, but he is really a big boy.