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Project couch cushions

So, the couch was well loved and still needed to function, at least for a while longer. Excitment ensued and the project launched, recover the couch cushions! (Little do you know, my sewing capability! just ask my daughter!) A trip ensued to F&M Fabrics where lovely paisley cut velvet fabric was purchased and with much anticipation brought home.
First step...enough fabric was purchased...that is a good thing! Laying out the fabric is exciting, but a pattern was needed. Out came the seam ripper, whew, there were a LOT of stitches taking these cushions apart! Down go the previous cushion fabric patterns and a, a, a....now I have to CUT the fabric...that is always a little intimidating to me...

Did I say it has been a while since I've sewn anything? And I don't even own a sewing machine anymore! Have to figure out how to thread this new one, tension test...still haven't lost my patience!

One done and down!

A long break ensues?.. You know, life moves and I have to keep up! And the excitement wanes...



A few weeks go by...back at it again...
Sewing again!

And even bent pins can't stop me now!

Almost done!

Yeah!!!

JM + MM

So, a few weeks before Easter, extended family came to town. When I say extended family comes to town it could mean from 'North Bakersfield', or the LA region, or even say as far away as Selma! But this time the extended family came from France. It was a good occasion to celebrate my step dad's birthday and welcome the France family! As the previous post states, we were meeting Jerome, Meredith's fiancé. A bridal shower was given in her honor! Congratulations!

Table decorations inside

Table decorations outside!

A little styling of the hair

Good eats...and lots of love!

And lamo me... Didn't take pictures of the family... I guess I just left that up to her sister!
Congratulations Meredith and Jerome!

Spring Break Road Trip

A visit to The Savoy Cafe, because we saw it on Diners, Drive Inns, and Dives, and enjoyed yummy food!

A new favorite store on State Street! www.plumgoodsstore.com

And what is a trip to a beach town without a view of the sand and ocean! This one included sailboats!

Annnnnd a few painting ops! For the hubs!

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THE END!

Celebrating Jerome and Meredith! LOVE!

A Friday night Family celebration, to meet and welcome Jerome, and celebrate the upcoming wedding of Jerome and Meredith! This is only a small part of our mix of Family, and thank you to our folks for making this all happen! (all of this...crazy mixed up family, happen!)

Welcome Spring!

Great way to celebrate spring! Don't mind my finger in the picture, I was trying not to fall down! Cause that would not be a way to welcome spring!

Love Is...

40 Years

How do you sum up 40 years! A lifetime! Does it really seem possible?  Who are these kids in these pictures?

Time is a peculiar thing. Does it not seem like forever ago, and yet seems like no time at all?  40 years ago these two children pledged their lives before their God and family to be faithful to Him and faithful to each other. A huge commitment. Did we understand the commitment? Do you see all that lays before you? The answer obviously is no, how could you.  But one thing I will say from the beginning, He was faithful to our commitment to Him.  He has carried us through the life that lay before us. He has been faithful to keep us faithful to Him and to each other. He IS faithful! He deserves the praise!
What fun we have had! Living from paycheck to paycheck. Moving from Bakersfield and back to Bakersfield, and from Bakersfield and back to Bakersfield. From life with each other, to life with one child and another child. To life with 2 children to life with one child and life with each other. Life with children in law, first one child married, to another child married. Life with each other, life with married children, to life with one grandchild, to life with two grandchildren and then a third. Life moves forward. Blessing upon blessing, each stage unique and different and full. Moments to savor and replay in your mind, fun times, hard times, great family times, great times with friends.  Friends have played an important part in our married lives. In many ways our friends have been our family. Great friendships, based on our mutual love for our Lord.  Church, Bible studies, and eating together, late nite card games, raising children together, weekend trips, vacations, stops at Denny's for strawberry pancakes, singing with the guitar, laughter and crying.  In 40 years there has been crying, how could there not be. Illness, and surgeries, death of family and friends, broken relationships. Life includes those hard times.  But really! 40 years! Really!! 

Hanging with the Henry

Begin forwarded message:

Sent from my iPhone

It was suppose to be a family trip to Pismo, to start the Thanksgiving week! But with Brother and Mommy sick, it was a perfect day to hang with my Grams! Do you like my glasses? We went to see a 3D movie, and I got these cool glasses, which I only wore part of the time during the movie, but worked great as sunl glasses when I played at the park. I bought Grams popcorn for the movie, which, I think she ate most of it, but she bought me chocolate ice cream, which we ate by the fountain! It was such a fun day! I didn't want to go home.

Saturday two

Our previous Saturday whetted our appetite for a re-do of Santa Barbara. Besides our grandkids were camping in Carpenteria! Another excuse to make a trip to Santa Barbara. Surprise the grandkids was the order of the day, so what to fill the rest of the day. Saturday one,the visit with my folks, to my step dads house had taken place without a single picture taken! Bad children we were. Besides, Paradise was calling us back.
We drove out to the house and snapped the pictures, the day was beautiful, breezy, balmy, without being hot, and clear. A perfect day to enjoy a picnic lunch under giant old oak trees. Besides, we were on a mission to only spend $20 dollars for the day!

It was quiet, the sound of the breeze through the leaves and the occasional wood pecker working on the trees. Made my 'love the outdoors' heart smile. The thought of a hammock passed through my mind!

We still had lots of time to spend before we headed to surprise the grandkids! What to do, what to do...driving back to town, we were ooohhhhing and aahhhing over all the buildings.(shocker, I know) we decided to visit the courthouse. In all the visits through the years we had never toured the courthouse. Renowned for it's architecture,

registered on the historic buildings registry. What a treat it turned out to be. Of course, this is what we enjoy. The docent at the info desk was more than encouraging of the different floors to visit. Filled with wonderful Spanish architectue, ceilings, and floor tiles, and murals, the second floor of the clock/bell tower is completely covered in wall murals. As we stood taking it all in, a guitarist began to play...absolutely delightful!

Hmmmm....could have spent the rest of the afternoon soaking it up. But, I would have missed the top! 360 degree view of Santa Barbara! A-Mazing! Ahhh...Santa Barbara....majestic hills on one side, the Pacific blue on the other!

Our goal to spend only $20 was thwarted at the campout entrance! Not realizing we could have parked outside the camp, we paid the hefty $10 fee to surprise our kids at their campsite, hopefully! With 200+campers just from the church, trying to find them was a challenge! We stealthy walked down the beach until we were discovered! Fun! So worth the surprise!

Hmmm...beach air, campfire smoke, the voice saying, hey grams...it doesn't get any better!
Happy heart...

And then there is this.

One Saturday turned to two

Moments happen, when you just wish you could freeze frame the moment. A trip with my folks to Santa Barbara, to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary, or at least that was the excuse we used. Ahhhh...Santa Barbara, if only I was monetarily rich...where the 'haves' live on a sliver of land between the rugged oak covered mountains and the blue ocean! Ahhh...Santa Barbara....
We enjoyed lunch on the pier; shrimp cocktail and bowls of clam chowder, though our window view table only allowed somewhat of an ocean view through the not completely burned off morning fog.

What was there to do after lunch. My step dad isn't up to walking very far, between the wobbly legs and the oxygen tank, and add a fall the week before, needless to say walking anywhere was not an option. Somewhere in the middle of lots of conversation, reminiscing about all the trips they had made to the Santa Barbara, and Mac's years as a child living in Paradise, off the old stagecoach route, it was decided to see if we could find the old house. Though it had been 70-ish years since he lived in Paradise, he had made a trip out that way about 25 years ago, and his memory took us right to the not so bad looking house. Nestled in the old oak trees, a table and chairs on the front porch, the house has had some 'add ons' which made it seem all pretty inviting.

He talked about him and his sister and mom, how they would make the weekly trip into Santa Barbara, he and his sister to the Granada theater for a movie, while his mom would do the laundry. The return trip home was rewarded with a stop at the Cold Water Springs Tavern, where they would buy a coca cola, for a dime!
We drove the old stagecoach road, paved these days, but Cold Water Springs is still a stopping spot, the mode of getting there is changed, and you have to purpose to turn off the highway, but from the fragrance of wood smoke in the air, and the smells from the 'restaurant' would tempt me. The drive back into town, coffee and a 'sit a spell' time, a slow drive down State Street and homeward bound we were. But it just whetted Duane and my appetite for more of Santa Barbara.

Fall fun-ness part 2

Autumn brings my mind to cool weather and leaves turning from deepest dark greens to yellow golds and reds to purple and brown. I think of cool breezes and pumpkins and spiced apple cider, and of course football, but that's not included in this post! Grandad and I had our time at the pumpkin patch with two cute little pumpkins, Henry and Ben. There weren't cool breezes or the fragrance of spicy pumpkin pie baking. No, it was warm, not hot, but definitely not cool or breezy!
Today,the adventure was the apple orchard! What more could two boys want to do but have permission, even prompting to pull things off trees! Add a few of your cousins and it made for a near perfect day. Not quite perfect...no cool air, and we missed the fragrance of apple crisp baking, but nonetheless, the reward of a bucket full of tasty apples!

A snooze was needed first in order to attack the apple orchard!

Oh some swing time as we wait for mom to take pics of the cousins.

Finally apples!

And of course I made a new friend!