Day Seventeen of Blogging Challenge

               

My little cactus family in for the night!

     Finally a bit of cold weather! I have a bunch of cactus plants on my patio that I like to bring in to my garage on cold nights. Some of them have been around for many years so I would hate to loose them! I have an Aloe Vera that we got down in the Rio Grande Valley at least 25 years ago where Dick's parents wintered as Snow Birds. And another really old one is a Hen and Chicks which we got from Dick's cousin, Bonnie who lives in Missouri. 

     We were visiting Cousin Bonnie (she always refers to herself by that) in the spring one year. She was busy thinning out her flower beds...Hen and Chicks are very prolific there and they regenerate like crazy so periodically, my non gardening friends, you have to thin them out by digging up about half of them so those left will continue to grow! Cousin Bonnie grabs a sack and starts filling it with the dug up Hens for us to take home to replant. 

     According to Cousin Bonnie, you can't kill them! You don't even need to take care in planting them! Just toss them on the ground and they will take root! Well, that may be true in the rich farmland in Missouri where the soil is truly black, but when we got them home, Dick did a little more than just tossing them on top of the ground! But even with a bit of TLC, good ol' Texas sun and clay earth was beginning to kill most of them off. Dick dug up o few and put them in pots to nurture them a little better and I have this ONE left!

         

My Hen and Chicks from Cousin Bonnie-see the babies poking out!

      For years, it did just fine but never reproduced! I was beginning to think it needed a mate but just last summer it began to push out babies! I'm very excited about that because this is a very old plant with a history. Dick and Cousin Bonnie were very close, born just weeks apart, growing up and living in nearby farming communities. Their families would get together at their Grandma Shirley's usually for Sunday dinner. And it was Grandma Shirley who had the Hen and Chicks which Bonnie had planted at her home. Grandma Shirley passed away over 25 years ago at age 102 and who knows where she had gotten her original Hen and Chicks! People didn't just buy plants from nurseries...they gave them away when they thinned out their flower beds! So it is hard to say how old this pretty little cactus really is!

Day Sixteen of Blogging Challenge

Logo

      I am a big fan of the YMCA organization.  I have been going to the "Y" on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two classes each day...one an exercise class and one yoga class. (Didn't make it yesterday!) I  love them both and hate to miss them but lately I have really been negligent in my attendance. Of course, my excuse is the Season!  Too busy! But that is pretty feeble! I think really in the back of my head is the thought the year is almost over....I'll just wait for the new year to begin...a fresh start, etc.

     We had joined the Benbrook Y many years ago when we were first retired and were pretty faithfully going twice a week. I kind of fell out the habit when Dick first got sick. Then we moved into Fort Worth. When the new YMCA was built less than ten minutes from where I live, I had no excuse to not go so I joined last summer and plan to put it to good use. I like my classes; and I met with a trainer who showed me some of the machines.  So on Mon., Wed., and Friday, I try to go to do that! Today being Wednesday I am going to go!

       And of course who can forget that classic group The Village People! And their great song "YMCA"! This classic song came out in 1978 and is still popular with all ages.  Is there anyone in the world who does not know it?  In case you want a nostalgic trip back in time, I have linked the song from Youtube for you. Just click on the name of the song and it will take you to the link.

The Village People!!

Day Fifteen of Blogging Challenge

     Halfway through!!  I will have to admit I am enjoying the challenge and feel sure that I will continue blogging after this month challenge is up! Something new to this time around with blogging is that I have been posting  a link to Facebook....thus reaching more people. I hope those of you who are reading my blog are enjoying it....if you are following, I would appreciate a "like" on FB or leave a comment on the blog itself...you can also "join" my blog, by clicking on the "Follow" spot on the upper left.
         Today, I am going to post a link to the fabulous pictures taken by Moms Demand Action, an action group I joined over a year ago via Father Internet.  Then this past fall, a great young lady at my church, Kim Hart, organized a local chapter which participated in a Walk in memory of Sandy Hook this past weekend. As you can see from the pictures, it was well attended throughout the country!
       If anyone is interested in learning more about the organization, check out their website or contact me and I will put you in touch with the "how to join" info.
      "Walk for Responsible Gun Sense: Moms Demand Action"

Fort Worth/Arlington Chapter of Moms Demand Action

Day Fourteen of Blogging Challenge

     About a month ago, my church held a big fund raiser...a dinner and auction. Part of the auction was silent with many donated items one could write down a bid in a given period of time. The high bid at the end of the evening got the item. Some donations were items...art work, jewelry, donated theater tickets, etc..

      Other items up for bid were services; for example:  a meal, a home made gift, a made-to-order personalized counted cross stitch. I have been doing elaborate calligraphy- ish lettering for quite awhile, usually personalized birthday cards. A friend of mine suggested I donate my service of making Initials which could be matted and framed as gifts. So I created my own last name initial as an example and offered three letters to be purchased.

                     

My last name initial

     I did have three people who won the bids so creating their chosen initials has become my most current focus! I am pretty sure they will want to have them for  Christmas, so now that the Villas' holiday festivities are over, I will be spending the next few days with pen in hand! I don't think I will be showing them...just in case the recipient reads my blog!

Day Thirteen of Blogging Challenge

     Our Villas Social Chair person is really making the Holiday Season special around here! Last weekend was our Christmas Dinner and today is our first annual Christmas Open House! Several of us, as we moved in, had done some extensive and/ or unusual remodeling so our sweet Chair came up with the idea for an Open House to show off our homes!

      The Open House is for Villas residents only to visit....or I would invite all of you to come! You all will just have to come at some other time, at least to see mine! I am ready! Bring 'em on!!!

My front door

Some of Dick's carvings

My Christmas present to myself! A new storm door! I can lower the top
half to get fresh air in!

Day Twelve of Blogging Challenge

     Today I am attending the memorial service of a good friend.  John Huffman was a member of Westside Unitarian Universalist as am I. I had only known John for  a couple of years but in that time, I discovered what a sweet, gentle man he was. John was always on hand for what ever was needed. He volunteered for every thing at church; could always be counted on for any favor, big or small. Thank you, John, for being part of my life even for such a short time! I wish I had gotten to have more time with you!

John Huffman

Day Eleven of Blogging Challenge

                                                                           

Clubhouse at Villas

       We are deep into Holiday Cheer here at the Villas where I have a condo. Our little Social Chairperson has just been full of ideas this year for our entertainment! Last Sunday we had our annual Christmas Dinner which we had catered by Olive Garden. To make it special, she asked a few of us to help serve the meal rather than do buffet style. A couple reasons...being a catered meal meant a specific portion per person and although one never knows, it would be bad if the first half got more food than those at the back of the line. Then we thought it would add to the festivities especially when we donned our cute little aprons which Social Chair provided!

       The dinner went quite well and we need not have concerned our selves about the food! Olive Garden really did a great job in providing...we had lasagna and fettuccine with enough breadsticks to feed an army....and salad left over, nearly half of what they had prepared! For dessert we had individual  miniature tiramisu in a variety of flavors.

      To top the evening off, Chair had asked part of her church's  youth choir to come entertain  us with some Christmas music. A lovely group of young  boys and girls!  We were expecting a 12 and under age group and Chair had arranged to feed them pizza at the end of the evening. Well, when two or three six footers plus turned up in the group, we were a little concerned that the two pizzas ordered would not be enough.....but, saved by Olive Garden! After the pizza was quickly consumed, we had plenty of leftover pasta, salad and breadsticks to serve the kids! Most of the girls filled up on salad while the big guys chowed down on pasta!

      Every event is a learning experience....while all went smoothly, we have one major change for next year!!!! And that is to have a cleanup committee in addition to the serving committee!

       

Day Ten of Blog Challenge

     The holiday season! December is always such a busy month. And fifty two years ago today, my second nephew was born....just a couple weeks before Dick and I got married. (A whole 'nother story for my Memory Mondays).  We had chosen December 29 so Dick, who was in the Air Force at the time, could also be home on leave for Christmas.  A few days before Christmas we had driven home ( Missouri and Illinois) from  Nevada where he was stationed and I was working

      When we got to my parents, my sister who lived in a different town was there with her family...husband, a not quite two year old and a ten day old baby. As I previously mentioned, my mom really does Christmas in a big way! But not only is the house full of holiday festivities, but also wedding preparations!  I don't know if it was the custom every where, but in my hometown wedding gifts were on display in the dining room for all who visited to see. A lovely display of shiny things to intrigue a not quite two year old!

      The new baby, David, is in a wicker bassinet, sleeping away. Everyone is busily doing something. Then the baby awakens and is crying at the top of his little lungs as only a hungry newborn can! As everyone is busy and knowing he will soon be attended to, no one runs in immediately to  see to him! He suddenly stops crying...this is more alarming because hungry babies don't just quit crying! So my sister goes in the room where he is and is totally amazed! Her ten day old super baby has tuned himself over! Thus more comfortable and no longer crying. She picks him up and brings him out for all of us to see what a wonder child he is! 

      While we are all aaahing and oooohing over him my 22 year old soon to be husband wanders in and informs us that David did not turn over on his own, that because everyone seemed busy, he took it upon himself to turn David over. Dick said he had seen everyone else do that when the baby got fussy so he was just helping out! Big laugh all around!

      Now for those of you reading this today, you might not realize that men of age 22 or any age for that matter, rarely had much to do with babies, especially someone else's! So my sister was totally impressed with my choice of husband, as were my mom, my grandmother and three female cousins who were also there! None of them except for my mom had previously met Dick, so this incident quickly gave him the seal of approval!

Baby David today...with one of his grandson's!

Day Nine of Blogging Challenge

     I became so enthused about my blogs on "Let there be peace..." that I forgot I was going to continue my "Memory Mondays" blog this past Monday, so have decided to forgo it until next month when this challenge is over. By then I will be in the habit of blogging, but probably not everyday!

      So today I am going to brag on my grandson who is a Senior at Paschal High this year. He has made a decision of where he is going to college next year. After much consideration over several colleges he applied to and was accepted to, he plans to go to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

University of Arkansas Bound!

      And he already has the t-shirt collection started!  It is located in a beautiful area of Arkansas, very near Bentonville, home to one of my favorite art museums, Crystal Bridges.  I've been there four times and now have an excuse to go even more!

Crystal Bridges-American Art on 120 acres of beautiful Ozark forest

Early Fall at Crystal Bridges

Day Eight of Blogging Challenge

     Part two of my story concerning the song we sang at the end of our service Sunday is on a more personal level. When that song "Let There Be Peace on Earth..." first came out in 1955, it became very popular with many artists recording it. Follow this link  http://www.jan-leemusic.com/Site/History.html for the history of it and a worldwide performance.

     How it became personally meaningful for me was through my mom.  She loved that song....so much so that she wrote out the first words..Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me ....

in her lovely script on shiny red paper. Very large! Then she carefully cut it out and every Christmas she would tape it above the mantle on their fireplace. And when she took her decorating down, she would  carefully roll the lettering up on a wrapping paper roll, covering the whole thing with  plastic and putting it away until the next year.

     In 1979, at Christmas, my parents invited all of us...my 85 year old grandmother, all my sister's family, my three cousins, and  my bachelor brother to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. If we could get ourselves there, my parents would provide a place to stay. And go we did! They had rented a four unit condo for a week, going down a few days before the rest of us, to get things ready. My mom loved her traditions and wanting Christmas to remain the same even though far from home, she had brought her letters with her! She didn't have a fireplace chimney on which to display them, but she had a stairwell which worked perfectly! 

      In the picture I have here are my two daughters, 11 and 14,  my niece 11 and one of my nephews 13. So when the congregation at church began singing that song, I was flooded with Christmas memories past !

                                                                     

Christmas in Orlando- 1979

Day Seven of Blogging Challenge

      I love my church! Dick and I joined the Westside Unitarian Universalist Church a little over four years ago. We had both become pretty disillusioned with "organized religion", so for many years were not affiliated with any denomination. But, as time went on, we felt the need for a sense of community with like-minded people....and we fulfilled this need by finding Westside. But I diverse....

       What I really wanted to blog about was our Sunday service yesterday. We were celebrating with the "Hanging of the Greens", a lovely ceremony which Myron and Linda Ice, two very talented church members, have developed. As Linda announced, this is the eighth year for it and each year seems better and better. 

       The church smells soooo good with the odor of fresh cut greenery in garlands around.  As we sing our opening song, selected members parade in with large, beautiful wreathes which are hung on the side walls and will remain through December. Then several other members read the Candlelight litany to which the entire congregation responds "We are the light of the World" after each reading. Each of the nine readers lights a candle after their reading; the whole service is very moving!

      As we truly are a non-denominational community, the focus this year was on how religions and nons, celebrate their own special traditions at this time of year. As yesterday was also the first day of Chanukah in the Jewish religion, our service reflected on the the story of Chanukah and how its meaning can have an effect on all of us. Then our closing song which everyone joined in on was "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"!  And here is the best part! As we are singing, every one spontaneously started holding hands and moving into a huge circle all around the church! Then we recited our closing which we say together each Sunday, "Let us go in peace; believe in Peace; and create peace in our lives and in the world."

      I had tears in my eyes! Now there is a second part to why this particular song means so much to me personally which I will share with you in tomorrow's blog!

Day Six of Blogging Challenge

     Yesterday I blogged about the Kimbell in Fort Worth, Texas. Today's blog is on the Amon Carter, another wonderful art museum in FW. Last week I attended an evening lecture on their latest exhibit on Folk Art. The lecture was specifically on some quilts that were part of the exhibit.

Pre Civil War Era Quilt

Closeup of hand quilting

Another closeup

This quilt was made in the early to mid 1800's. First being attributed to the mistress of the plantation, research showed that it was made by their slaves!  I think they said the Rose is know as the Federalists  rose....the two close ups are hand sewn.

"Dan" (or so says his hat!)

     This is "Dan" who is part of the exhibit with a more contemporary Folk Art quilt behind him. The quilt behind him is "Freedom" which was made in the 1960's during the beginning of Civil Rights! 

Another Pre Civil War Quilt

     This one is a wedding quilt made during or shortly after the Civil War. Again according to the story, the husband to be did not come back from the war....notice the absence of the groom!

Lifeline Quilt

    This was called a Lifeline Quilt, again pre Civil War era. Each strip or segment  tells a story. I was interested in the maker because of the very primitive characters and all the misspellings! Wondering whether it was made by a slave or an uneducated lady.  

Day Five of Blogging Challenge

       I almost missed day five of the blog but here it is....  

     We moved to Texas over thirty years ago;  living in Arlington for about 20 years, then bought a couple acres of land and built our "retirement" home when we retired.  We had 12-13 really great years there but knew the time would come that we would need to move back to "town". And when it did, we found the Villas in Fort Worth. I love my condo; I have great neighbors and I am within about five minutes of any thing I want or need; and Fort Worth has the greatest cultural district.
        Last week I went to the Kimbell to see the Gustav Callibotte exhibit.

Self Portrait

I especially like his architectural paintings

But this was my favorite at the exhibit! A landscape....I don't think I had seen any of his landscapes before.

     I also visited the Amon Carter Museum last week to see the Folk Art exhibit which I will blog about tomorrow!

Day Four of Blogging Challenge

     No more procrastinating! I have finished my latest challenge for the Art Quilters of the World. For anyone reading about them for the first time, this is an Internet group of art quilters which my daughter and I joined two or three years ago. The group is from people from all around the world...USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, India, the Netherlands, and more. We take turns choosing a theme for a 12x16 inch quilt and have a reveal every two months.

     So this  theme is "Texture"....it was due November  30 and you can go to this website to see not just mine but all the other challenges.

Barn Door

     The technique I used to try to get the look of peeling paint was inspired be a CD I have of Beryl Taylor, showing how to layer and cut through fabric to reveal layers below. 

       Our next theme which will be due January 31st is "My favorite book is......" And can be depicted as literal or abstract as the artist chooses!

Day Three of Blogging

     I almost have my "Texture" for AQATW finished, then a couple unexpected but minor events occurred which makes me say.....okay tomorrow for sure!!!

    So let me tell you about studioQ 's second Masterpiece challenge. The challenge was thought to be a detail from a Gustav Klimt, but on further research, it was discovered to be a contemporary painting whose creator was influenced by Klimt. I don't mean to be evasive but when I emailed the artist to inquire into her interpretation etc., I received a rather curt reply! So I am going to leave her name and her painting out of my blog because I don't want to take a chance of offending her! But I do want to share all the different ways we interpreted the same painting!

     You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them for closeups!

Jay

Andrea

Heather

Beth

Lynn

Wendy

Kay

Rhonda

     I'm always amazed at the wonderful array of variety we get in our challenges!

     And our next challenge is a painting by David Bates, a well-known local artist from Dallas.

But I won't be able to blog about it until January because we are not having a formal meeting in December....just lunch!

Day Two of Blogging Challenge

     Day 2 of the blogging challenge...I still don't have my AQATW "Texture" ready to post yet so I am going to show you the latest challenge that studioQ is doing!  This challenge, which I am loving, is to take a masterpiece presented by one of our members and  create an art quilt from its inspiration....being as literal or abstract as one wishes!
      The first masterpiece chosen was Van Gogh's "Chair with Pipe".

Van Gogh's "Chair with Pipe"
   And here are some of our interpretations:

Jay's-I decided to  print a small picture of the masterpiece of part of my quilt each time. You can click on any picture to get an enlargement.

Lynn's-one of our mixed media artists

Beth's-another mixed media artist

Heather's-One of three...she just couldn't stop!

Kay's (spells chair)

Andrea's (my daughter-an honorary member is doing the challenge with us)

      We are going to be doing a new masterpiece challenge each month.  Tomorrow I'll show you our second one based on what was thought to be a detail of a Gustav Klimt...an interesting twist!

Day One of Blogging Challenge

     As I don't quite have my Art Quilters Around the World Challenge ready to post...and post I must! ...I am going to back up a little to tell you about my studioQ group of gal pals! We started meeting about eight years ago because of a common interest in art quilts over traditional quilting. We meet once a month or more to "play" together (dyeing fabrics, batiking, printing, etc.); sharing our latest endeavors; helping each other with solicited advise and encouragement; sharing in the success of each on all levels!

       Our name came about after a year or so of meeting. I wanted us to be the Creative Crones...crones meaning wise women, not old hags! But we are a wide range of ages so a few of us didn't care for the "crone" connotation! Plus some of us have professional aspirations beyond just "having fun" and felt that Creative Crone was a bit too "cute"! So coming to an agreement with these ideas, we settled on studioQ....the "Q" actually not standing for anything specific and using a lower case "s" in studio just to be artsy!!!

      I was starting my blog around this time so, being  the oldest member of the group and really buying into the Crone Idea, I titled my blog "ccsq".... Creative Crone of studio Q! Thus incorporating both names which I like!

      One activity we began early on was to come up with ways to challenge ourselves. So during this month of blogging, I hope to entertain you with some of these....the process behind the making and final art work! Our very first challenge was a small wall hanging which all of us created together. One person started with one block, passing it and any left over fabrics used to the next person. Then  adding design and more fabric, the art was passed around to all until the final quilting and embellishing was complete! We hung it in our guild show that year in the group category! Now, this was eight years ago when "Art Quilts" we're not even heard  of! Our little beauty looked pretty lost and out of place with all those queen and king- sized traditional quilts! Needless to say we did not win! But it was a ground breaker because within a year or two, Art Quilts became a category in our show and all shows internationally!

First studioQ challenge- approximately 24" x 24"

Memory Monday

     One regular post I was doing a year ago....for a few years...was "Memory Monday". I had decided to record my memories from as far back as I could remember to the present. At the time I took a break, I had just finished my Freshman year at Mizzou (University of Missouri). For those of you new to the blogging scene, if you really are interested and have nothing more exciting to do, you can click on any year in my archives list to the left and see the entries for that year. Click on the title and it will take you to that blog entry.

      So here we are, 1959, beginning my Sophomore year! As I had mentioned earlier, I was not a stellar student but man! Was I having fun!!!! I began the year living in my sorority house...Zeta Tau Alpha. Because I was still a pledge, never having made the grade to become active, I shared a room with two other girls as far as my clothes, etc., but I slept in a dorm with 20 bunk beds.

Zeta Tau Alpha House-University of Missouri- 1958

     The dormitory where I slept was on the third floor...the upper most windows. My room where my belongings were and where I studied, etc., was on the second floor, to the right facing towards the front door, away from the front. The corner window on the right facing the front was where my best friend Beth lived with her pledge mom. She was also a pledge but only because she had just transferred to Mizzou and was a new pledge. (She did become an active after one semester!) The layout of our rooms will play a role in a future Memory Monday post.

31 Day Challenge

       I have really neglected my blog for a lo-o-ong time so was very glad to see this challenge on FB instigated by Cheryl Sleboda. Starting today (but officially December 1st) we are to blog daily for 31 days. Hopefully after that length of time it will become a habit!

            So let's do a little "catch-up"

   
      A few months ago,  my Art Quilters Around the World internet group had the challenge of "Uniform" posted. So let me show you my rendition. This topic could go many ways, but I decided to go literal. I did a Girl Scout uniform, sash, badges, and all! The badges are pictures off the internet that I printed on fabric, cut out and fused on. The pins are real. The quilt is  a 16" x 20" wall hanging.

      I would like to show the quilt I did for a challenge, Fly Me To The Moon; it is a juried challenge for a lady who is a quilter, writing a book  about the first lunar landing and wanted quilts for her pictures on given topics. My topic is "Myth: There is No Gravity on the Moon" but we are not supposed to post about our entries yet.

     

     Then in September,  Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild, held their annual show. I am feeling pretty good about my entries.  I entered five quilts and came home with four ribbons....funny thing...when I left my quilts off to be hung, I thought I didn't have a hope of winning because of the competition I was seeing! You just never know! Here I am with some friends and three of my quilts...for some reason, I didn't get a ribbon of my first place in the Auction quilts.

Jay, Wendy, Heather- three of my studioQ buddies with all our ribbons for 2015 TVQG Show

"Strings and Things"

"May the Fours Be With You"

"This One's for the Girls" (my personal favorite)

       And most recently, I have been working on the current challenge for the Art Quilters of the World http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/ which is "Texture".  The reveal date is actually tomorrow but I may be a day or two late.  

      

AQATW-Snowflake

     Wow! I haven't blogged in a very long time!!!  And now that the time is here for the latest challenge from Art Quilter's Around the World, I realize our last challenge was the last time! I need to get myself back into the blogging routine!

     This challenge is "Snowflake"...and I just happened to have about a jillion Christmas fabrics that have snowflakes in them!  So I decided to do a little mountain scene using nothing but snowflake fabric except for the fence...and some white beads.  Be sure to go to the AQATW to see everyone else's idea of "Snowflake"...http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/

"Snowflake"