Three Little Kitties!

The three youngest kitties are having supper. Starting on the left- Maisy, Whiskey, and Scoundrel.  Hmm,  Scoundrel was as tiny as Maisy just a few months ago.

Maisy and Whiskey really like to play together. They are great entertainment! They also nap together and groom each other. So sweet!

Y'all come back!
Lorilee

Halloween centerpiece and a busy weekend

 I thought I would share this year's Halloween table decor. It is similar to last years.

 I am so excited that we just had a cool front blow through here in South Texas.

I have a busy weekend. Stars and Stripes Cloggers are dancing at the Calhoun County Fair this evening. My oldest is turning 28. Of course there is laundry, house cleaning, and yard work as usual. I have a light fixture that needs replacing, and I am hoping to pull my camper out to the ranch next weekend.

Kitty Rescue!

I am definitely on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady! I blame my son! He keeps finding kitties that need rescuing. This is Whiskey. He rode 30 miles under the hood of a car. The young lady that owned the car is named Whiskey. Thus the kitty is now called Whiskey. He is very easy going, calm and quiet.

This is Maisy. She was crying loudly in the bushes of a Jack-in-a-Box drive through. Of course, my son had to bring her home. She has a scratch on her face above her eye. It doesn't show in the photo. (These photos are from my smartphone, and unedited. sorry) She is more of a go-getter than Whiskey. Whiskey and Maisy love to sleep and play together. I wish I could say that for the rest of my cats! They usually growl and hiss at each other! The kitty total is now six.
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

DREAM banner

I thought I would share one of my latest banners. I am hooked on banners! I love them everywhere.
I am swamped with school. After a day at work and then errands and chores at home, I haven't had much spare time for crafting. sniff sniff. My clogging group also performed with the Kolache Kloggers at the Hallettsville Kolache Festival. Hopefully, I can share some of the photos that my friend, Martha shared on Facebook! We took turns with the Kolache Kloggers and danced for an hour. It was also hot and humid. I was soaked with sweat in no time at all, but it was still so much fun!
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

New chicken!

My SIL saw this chicken at her church's rummage sale and thought of me. She knows me well. I love it!
Totally off the subject, we have been back at school for 3 weeks now. My teaching assistant and I have 24 pre-kindergarteners in our room. We are exhausted. Our campus opens at 7:00 a.m. We dismiss at 3:15 with and teachers must stay until 3:45. (can be as late as 5:30 on faculty meeting days.) Pre-kindergarten has adopted a new curriculum so I am staying until 5 most days to work on lesson plans. Often with errands or other after school business, I don't get home until 6 or 7. I am wishing for a long weekend to take the camper somewhere. Sadly, there are none for quite awhile. I was so tired that I didn't even make it to our local Master Gardener plant sale this morning!
Y'all come back, 
Lorilee

Clogging at the Port Lavaca Flip Flop Festival

 I am a member of The Stars and Stripes Cloggers. We joined our "sister" group the Kolache Kloggers and performed at the Port Lavaca Flip Flop Festival on Labor Day weekend.  We had a wonderful time clogging and visiting the booths.

Stars and Stripes performed some songs, Kolache Kloggers performed some songs, and we performed some together.

 This was a move from "All Shook Up".

 And "Rosine".

 My niece, nicknamed Bug, started clogging in June. She already has two performances to brag about. (along with going to State in swimming.)

 We are all dancing "You Can't Take the Texas Out of Me" here.

 Here we are all together. Kolache Kloggers are from Halletsville, Texas, famous for its Kolache Festival and Fiddlers Frolic. We will all be performing at the Kolache Festival at the end of September. Both groups provide free clogging lessons! The Kolache Kloggers are Lexi, Marla, Jayde and Kassie (director)

 Stars and Strips-Bug, Me, Susan (director), Martha and Skyeleigh.

Y'all come back!
Lorilee

Cat Poses!

We have now been in school for 2 weeks. I am exhausted and have a scratchy throat. Not unusual for the beginning of school! Finding time to blog isn't easy for me this time of the year. I thought I'd share some "portraits" of Rascal, my bottle-fed rescue kitty. 

When he decides he wants attention, there is no telling him not now! He is extremely insistent. 

I think he likes having his picture taken!
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Feed bags to tote bags

I have joined the feed bag bandwagon! I have made more than just these three bags. These are the only ones that I took the time to photograph.  I love using things I get for free to create new things. 

They are tough and washable. I scrubbed them with dish detergent and the water hose before sewing them! 

The last time I was in TSC, I noticed a pretty fish feed sack! I don't feed fish, but my Dad does. I'll have to request that he use that brand!
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Mom's needlework

My Mom was always busy. Besides gardening, cooking and baking, she also did various types of needlework, sewing, and crocheting. I recently did some re-decorating and hung some of her needlework in my dining area. 

I am trying to follow in her footsteps and hone my embroidery, sewing and crocheting skills along with gardening, cooking and baking!

She was my best friend. She has been gone 15 years now. I still miss her.

Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Crocheted Ripples

I have been working on this Ripple spread since February I think. I started it when I ran out of yarn on another project. (I was able to finally get the colors I needed for the other project and will go back to it when this is finished) I got the Ripple Pattern from Lucy at Attic 64.  I love her blog and tutorials!

I guess it is obvious I chose colors to coordinate with my comforter and shams. The reverse side of the comforter and shams is floral which will probably look better with the ripple stripes than more stripes. 

Yippee, it shouldn't be long now! This is my second spread and the largest project I have ever crocheted. It is rather cumbersome, and I only work on it while sitting in bed before I go to sleep. 
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Rooster tray

I love my new rooster tile tray. A friend gave me the rooster tiles several years ago. She had planned to use them on her backsplash during a kitchen remodel but changed her mind. I boxed them up and thought about them every now and then. This spring, my brother and SIL re-grouted the tile on their kitchen counter. I came across my box of tiles and said to myself, "Hmmmm, ---- just re-grouted his countertops. I bet he still has grout and the tools". So I found a wooden tray on sale at Hobby Lobby and took it along with the tiles to his house. He did all the work for me. My brother is a sweety that way!
Y'all come back,
Lorilee

Rummage Sale treasures

My SIL has been in charge of the "boutique"  part of her church's rummage sale. Last year I helped her work on pricing for a day. This year I had a week of Pre-kindergarten teacher workshops to attend and was only able to help for a couple of hours. The perk is getting to shop early! I have been looking for a simple miniature coat rack styled jewelry rack but have been unable to find one that fit my vision or pocket book! SCORE for $1.

A lavender Liz Claiborne handbag. It doesn't appear to have been used at all. I usually buy sensible brown handbags. I always love the brightly colored ones, but I  hate to spend so much money on something that won't match everything! Perfect for $5.

I want to display more of my vintage hat collection, but vintage hat stands are too expensive. This is actually a candle holder that was marked 50 cents! Yippee!

AND I found this crocheted shawl in a box of scarves marked 25 cents each. 

These treasures made my day!

I also made my first fabric and appliqué banner. I  was working on it until time for Ashlynn's birthday party and didn't get a photo of it.  So here it is with Ashlynn and her mom, Michelle.
Y'all come back!
Lorilee

Wind Farming

 I traveled with my brother's family to the Texas State Swim meet in Corpus Christi. On our way home, their oldest son wanted a closer look at the Wind Farm near Taft, Texas. We were able to pull over and get a fairly close look at one. They are HUGE! There are nearly 196 wind turbines on the "farm".

 All turbines are approximately 262 feet high and have 2 blades. They have a maximum rotation speed of 22 rotations per minute.  The majority of the electricity is sold to the Lower Colorado River Authority and CPS Energy which is owned by the  City of San Antonio.

They were interesting, but I am glad that I don't have them lining the horizon near me. 
Y'all come back, 
Lorilee

Making gifts and an overnight trip

 I don't really have any photos of the overnight trip. I went with  my SIL to drop my nephews off at their summer camp for the week. As you can see, they didn't wait for us! They were anxious to get checked in. This is the oldest nephew's third year to attend and the younger nephew's first year. You can see how hot and dry it is. The grass is all crunchy! We stayed with my SIL's Aunt Jan that night. She is so much fun. We then shopped a little in Austin before heading home. We spent a little time at "The Domain" shopping center. We spent our time mostly in the M.A.C. store and a Sur La Table. We passed through the Macy's. We arrived home late Friday evening. My niece had a Regional swim meet the next morning. She placed 1st in her division in breast stroke, 2nd in butterfly and her freestyle relay team placed 1st. There will be a trip to the state meet in Corpus Christi in a few weeks!

 The week before the little trip, I was busy getting a wedding gift ready. I wasn't able to attend the celebration, so I sent the gift with my oldest son. The gift consisted of an apron from her Uncle's jeans, an embroidered tea towel, a cookbook of family recipes and a chicken feed bag tote bag (I forgot to include it in the photo). I have a stack of washed bags and plan to make more.

 Here is the apron on its own.

 A close-up of the embroidery. The pattern is from the Hobby Lobby website.

 I decided to include quotations about "family" in the cookbook of family recipes. I was thrilled to find polka dot looseleaf binders and polka dot border paper at Wal-Mart.

 The bride is a fan of "The Office" so I included some Dwight Schrute quotations!

 I used black and white polka dot for wrapping since the invitation was black with white print.

I've got a long to-do list. Hopefully, I'll get something done and have more to share soon! The Double Toe Jam is also coming up! I will be going to Waco to attend with several others from my clogging group!
Y'all come back,
Lorilee