In LaRibera

We are vacationing in LaRibera where it is warm and windy today. The weather has been nice and it is a great break for us from the Nebraska fall/winter. Hurricane Paul and a few other rainstorms went through the area earlier in the fall, breaking the drought that has been going for 4 or 5 years. The scenery on the drive down was very green and lush. Baja Trip 2012 is a link to our pictures. I hope to update them, but I am using Smokey's computer and am not always sure what will work and what will not.

Clubhouse? Sanctuary?

In the spring of this year Dave started talking about building a clubhouse for/with our grandchildren. They all seemed to think the idea was great, so he went ahead and converted the donkey shed into a clubhouse. Sam and Austin (and I) helped to build it, but Dave did 99% of the work. We thought we would get all the grand kids involved but it never seemed to work out when our granddaughters were here. It was either too hot, or they were dressed up for a special occasion or whatever. Sam and Austin pretty much lost interest, although Sam did help paint. 

Well, now the clubhouse is finished. Maybe it is because the month of July was so dang hot, I don't know, but for whatever reason no one really went to the clubhouse. I found 2 folding lawn chairs at a garage sale and put them in the clubhouse. 

The other night Dave and I each took a glass of wine up to the clubhouse. We decided we might change the name to The Sanctuary and keep it as a place to sit on a cool, quiet evening with a glass of wine, or maybe a spot to enjoy an early morning coffee. 

Sam and Austin spent Saturday night at our house, so on Sunday morning I took my cup of coffee to the Clubhouse./Sanctuary and was soon joined by both boys. They are starting to think about using it now, and Sam would really like to have a sleepover in the Clubhouse.

Here are some pictures: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/102776067431434790975/albums/5745865785957366833

Shop Hopping

I surely do not need any more fabric, but I bought my shop hop bag and off I went today, the first day of the Nebraska Independent Fabric Stores shop hop. (April 19-29). I came home with more fabric. My favorite store of the day was I (heart) Sewing in Fremont. Bright, cheery, lots of samples. Of course, I have loyalty to our own Cosmic Cow The Udder Store and the original Cosmic Cow stores, my first and last stops of the day. I also stopped in Shelby at Karen's Kollectibles which was not part of shop hop, but I was driving by, it was raining hard, what can I say? I bought some fabric at Claus and Paus, but that store needs better lighting! I could not see very well in there. That was in Columbus and I also shopped at Sew What in Columbus. A pretty good day :)

Hallelejah!

At the Seward United Methodist Church on Easter Sunday, the tradition is to have a sing-a-long of the Hallelujah Chorus. The choir has practiced it and they invite anyone present to come up front and sing it with them. It is really so cool! I do not go sing, but I love to listen. When I was taking piano lessons so many years ago I could play Handel's Messiah the Hallelujah Chorus really well. I nailed it. Not any more, so, inspired by listening to it last Sunday, I have played it five out of the last six days. It is starting to sound better. I am going to keep playing it until I can nail it again.

Create

I have been in a "creative slump" for a while. Since I have been doing yoga I have been expecting the slump to lift--yoga is supposed to support creativity. But, it has not happened. I am good at starting projects and I suppose that shows some creativity, but I am not so good at completion. I start at project--knitting, sewing, whatever--and then when it becomes boring, or at least not as interesting, I leave it, hoping to come back and finish it later. I think I have been giving up too soon. I have not let myself really learn anything. I follow a pattern, or the directions, but I don't do anything truly creative. I need to put more time and thoughtfulness into what I do.

Bird

Roberta Remer Stover
February 29, 1948 --  February 2, 2012

Little visitors

Our grand daughters spent a few nights with us last week (which may account for how tired I appear in the picture). Our dog Belle loves to look out the window and does it several times each day. Natalie also likes to look out the window and Dave caught them both in this picture.

Eat to Live or Live to Eat

It is that time where many of us make resolutions to improve ourselves during the coming year. I guess most people make the same ones every year--mine are usually the same ones anyway: Get fit, lose weight, etc., etc. I was talking to my 8-year-old grandson Sam about resolutions and we decided that "Be nice" would be a good one. So, I am going to try that one on for size this year. Less sarcasm, nagging, criticism toward others, as well as towards myself.
As far as the perennial lose weight/get fit resolutions go I have settled on these two:
Do some yoga every day
Eat to live (not live to eat)