" Now That Was A Weekend !"

Yes indeedy it was ! I am ready for bed right now, getting sleepy. Gosh how I wish for those days when I could stay up till 3:00 a.m., get up at 7:00 a.m. and do it all over again! I could accomplish so much more,but alas, time passes and I, we have slowed down.

But we still manage to slip in some fun and work. I guess you could say "We're not dead yet"!

My husband came home early this weekend which was a pleasant surprise. However the man was worn out. He had a pretty big chore list this time home but I didn't push it. He played hours and hours of video games. That is how he relieves his stress. It is what it is, he needed to relax too.

We went to a wedding last night. My daughter-in-laws, sister, Laura was getting married to a wonderful young man named Kyle. I remember the first time that I met him. I liked him that very instant. I think that is unusual. But he had good vibes!

Kyle and Laura are hippies. So it was indeed a hippie wedding! It was beautiful. I took a lot of photos but a lot of them came out funky. I think that I need a more advanced camera. I will add that to my wish list!

I'm only going to post a few. Who wants to see every single moment? So I will just post some of my favorites.

 The bridal party. My granddaughter is the one bending over. My grandson is the one sitting. It is so difficult to get little ones to sit still!

 My son Frank and his wife Amy.

O.K. this is my absolute favorite photo. Taken when we just arrived, Katie, my teen, asked Jack, my grandson, for a hug. It's not often that I get such sincere happiness in a photo from Kate!

Just so you can see how much Jack has grown. He and the groom, Kyle were wearing the same pants. Remember when we would cut up the seam of the outside and add different fabrics to make bigger bells on our pants? Hippie wedding!

Frank and me.

The flower girls. My Sarah is on the right.

The very excited groom, Kyle. Notice the pants.

 The bride, Amy's sister Laura with her dad,Ted. Sorry about the photo quality but I warned ya !

Man and wife!

Jake and I. Notice how good I am getting at penciling in my eyebrows!!! By now we were both getting tired. We all ate a wonderful dinner. Katie and Natasha were to spend the night at Frank and Amy's house to take care of Jack.

My son had charge of my grandson all evening thus far. By now Jake and I were headed home and Frank took the girls and Jack back to their house to spend the night. I hope he and Amy were finally able to enjoy the celebration. They both did so much work for the wedding. 

It was fun, beautiful and the food was fabulous.

As for Jake and I, well we were home by 8:00 and I was in bed by 9:00! Had a great night sleep. I won't even tell you all of the things that I did around the house today.

I am feeling very contented and happy right now. If I told you all that I accomplished today, you would probably scold me and I don't want to hear it. So just pretend that I did nothing, O.K.?

Thank you, you are sweet and that's why I love you!

Love Di ♥

" Cedarhurst " Part 2

Welcome back friends! The above sculpture was one of my absolute favorites ! When Katie and I walked out of the woods there it sat. I wanted to run to it and have her take a photo of me or her in one of the "Pods". Aptly named I think. Katie would have no part of my fun however as she chatted away on her phone! I am so happy that I am not a fifteen year old.

After further walking through the beautiful woods we came across this sculpture which is "Untitled" by an artist from Carbondale. 

 I couldn't get this entire sculpture in the shot if I stood too close, so I would click on "The Big Bang" for a better look!

I love this one too. It is called "Crossroads" and it is designed out of copper. I apologize for not being able to get closer for some of these but as I said in the last post, we were very pressed for time. I am still frustrated that I didn't get to see them all. But I will return soon to get shots of the ones that I missed. 

The one above reminded me of a giant, shiny gong! It is called "Shiny Moon" and is stainless steel. It is VERY tall !

I tried to get Katie to go inside of this giant nest for a photo but, well, you know! I couldn't find the name for this but I would call it " Huge Nest" !

Two different views of the same sculpture. I'm sorry I couldn't get the name of this one either. 

This is one of the sculptures that I drive past all of the time on the way to church. It is called "Time Tunnel" and is made out of steel.


O.K. one more sculpture for tonight. As I said there are Many of them. Fifty-three to be exact! But not to worry, I didn't get them all. I hope to go back in the very near future when I can take my time and really explore what else may be in those woods!

Unfortunately I couldn't get the name for this one either but it reminded me of Noah's Ark. I will post the rest of my Cedarhurst tour next week.

Well that's it for tonight folks. My husband is home early this weekend. We have a wedding to go to Saturday evening. My daughter-in-law, Amy's, sister is getting married. We met Laura when she was eight. My granddaughters age. Where does time go?  


I hope that your weekend is everything that you wish it to be!
Love Di ♥

" Our ADVENTURE to "Cedarhurst for the Perfoming Arts"

I have been longing lately to go visit Cedarhurst. It is only 1.3 miles from my house. Jake and I had taken Katie there once so long ago that she doesn't remember. I find it strange that we often times don't frequent special places in our own home towns.

We drive by Cedarhurst several times a week. It is a combination art museum and sculpture park. This is a truly beautiful place to visit is you are ever in Mt. Vernon Illinois. I believe that it was once touted as the largest sculpture park in the states. If you are interested in it's history here is the link...  http://www.cedarhurst.org/index.php?page=home

What I really wanted to do was take my grandchildren with to run free around the ninety acres. But since my Daughter-In-laws sister is getting married this weekend, everyone is in a bit of a frenzy!

So after school today I asked Katie if she would like to go with me. Her response was "Sure, I don't have anything better to do."! Alright, I'll take what I can get. So off we went. 

I have to tell you that we arrived just an hour before closing, so we pretty much RAN through the grounds to take photos. I plan on going back soon when I can take my time and enjoy it. My husband said he'd like to go back there too.

I took many photos, too many too post here today. And we didn't have time to see them all. There are many trails through the woods where you will be surprised by a sculpture. Still, even though our time was limited, I managed to take many photos. So without further ado, I will post a few of them today.

This one is called "Wrench Wench". I would suggest clicking on them to really get a good look!

 This one is "Knot".

I couldn't find the name of this one. One of the great things about the sculpture art here is that they are always adding new.

I couldn't help myself with this photo. There were sculptures in the distance, but it was the beautiful colored leaves that caught my eye this time!

This sculpture was amazing. I couldn't quite do the entire pond justice with my camera. There is also a waterfall in this pond and a bridge that goes over the pond. Again, time restraints! But I think the next photo will give you a better idea of this water sculpture.

It is called "Dancers". As you walk around the pond, it becomes more obvious.

One of the beautiful paths through the woods. You stroll along, perhaps sit and rest on one of the many benches....

You get up to stroll once more and there is another surprise around the corner!

This is a bird sanctuary. Inside it has information about the many birds that visit here. Along with many bird feeders hanging on the trees.

The weather and the woods were beautiful and calming.

Another sculpture "Hidden" in the woods. This one is simply titled "Vertical Form" it is made out of Granite.

I had to share the above photo with you as it is the only one that Katie took. She was on her phone the entire time and didn't seem to care weather we were there or not. Not to worry, I had a good time anyway. I also found a "Nice" young college age girl that happily took a photo of me next to "Aviatik"!

I suppose that someday Katie may enjoy these moments. What do you think? Another ten years maybe?

I found this sculpture to be one of my very favorites. You must click on it to get all of the detail. I don't have a name for this one. It must be new. I didn't look on the little sign in front of it. Many of the sculptures are permanent at Cedarhurst yet some are on loan. This makes it more interesting as you never know what you may come across.

I have many more sculptures to post so I will have to do a part II ! The sculpture above is called "Kimball". It is made out of chrome car bumpers. There are two more chrome sculptures in this town. One of which I will post next time. The other, well it has a very interesting history that involves a murder. Just down the road from our old house.
If you're really good, I may hunt it down and tell a bit of the history of the third chrome bumper sculpture!


I hope you enjoyed the "Cedarhurst" tour. I have saved some of the best for last. I hope you'll be back to see more of this interesting art.

"I'm Only Human"!

I've got to tell you, there are times when I feel so silly. I'm sure you have most likely felt this way yourself. Let me explain. 

You know that you have read something in your life that has really given you comfort. You may have read it several times.
And then "Poof" ! It's gone. Oh it's still back there somewhere in that mental filing cabinet of ours, only now it's covered in cobwebs.

A few years ago I found myself once again overwhelmed with worry. My husband went in the other room and came out with our Bible. He had it opened to a page and sort of shoved it towards me saying "Read this.".

He had never done this to me before. Not with the Bible. Usually it would have been something he was reading in the bathroom that he thought I might find interesting or funny. 

Needless to say I was pretty surprised. Not by the fact that he read the Bible, this much I knew. But by the fact that he was wanting me read something from the Bible that he had looked up just for me to read.

I read that piece of  scripture that day. After all I didn't really have much of a choice as it was being shoved at me! I have to admit that since that day it has been my favorite verse. I have read it and reread it many times since then. Those words had truly helped me find peace over the past few years.

So why had this suddenly escaped my mind? At a time in my life when I am so desperately seeking inner peace for my own healths sake. The only conclusion that I could come up with?
I'm only human. So tonight I whipped out my trusty Bible and reread the verse. I would love to commit this to memory. But again, I'm only human. And my memory stinks.

I have decided that I am going to read this everyday. If I still don't manage to memorize it, perhaps it will fill my spirit and help in my journey to find my inner peace and ultimately better health. 

Matthew 6:25-35 (New International Version)

Do Not Worry

 ²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[a]?  ²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Love Di ♥

I am soon going to start a series about Cedarhurst Center for the Arts. It is a beautiful serene place near my home. I hope that you will stop by to see all of the interesting photos.

" Hanging in There " !

Hi Everyone,

It's Monday afternoon and just a beautiful day outside again. We've been so fortunate this year with this gorgeous Autumn weather. The days have been mostly sunny with comfortable temperatures in the 70's. The evenings have been just as wonderful with temperatures in the 30's to 40's. The evening skies have been clear and filled with stars. Just perfect.

I have been continuing to feel better. My energy has finally come back and I have been working on my dining/sewing room this morning. It is almost ready for paint which I plan on doing next week. Hopefully it won't be damp and rainy and I will continue to feel good. Here is a peek of what it looks like now, quite a mess I'd say!

I will be painting it the same colors that I used in the living room. I hadn't planned on painting this room this year but we had plenty of left over paint, so now both rooms will match. That photo was taken this morning. I've since moved all of my sewing supplies and odds and ends out of the room. Just a tad bit more sanding and then wash the walls and the room will be ready. Plenty of time before Thanksgiving. Not that we have plans yet but I think my oldest daughter will be here this year for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I know that's why she tries to visit then.

I love the meaning of Thanksgiving. I love that we get to be with our loved one's to enjoy each others company over a good meal without the stress of gift giving. Just being grateful for the loved one's in our lives and all that we have been blessed with over the year. That spells perfect holiday to me.

This past Saturday was our annual " Harvest Festival Parade ". This a huge farming community and we celebrate the harvesting of sweetcorn, watermelon and pumpkins each year with different activities. The parade is my favorite. I absolutely love a parade. I always have. We have three parades each year in our town and I attend each one. The funny thing about this is that I have no idea why I am so into them. And the fact that EVERYONE in my family hates them!!

I took this photo before the start of the parade. That is our library in the background. It is over 100 years old. You can see it from my house. It is just a short walk across our alley to Main Street where the Library is located. Just beyond the library is the Armory and then the high school. So you see, Katie has just a short walk to school.

Oh I simply cannot pass up this example of why Katie was assigned Saturday school on the morning of the Parade. Katie is on the right of the above photo. Can you see her pink bra straps? Probably not unless you look very closely. This is why she now has a discipline record. Her first one EVER!!! This still angers me so. I won't mention it again as I don't want my stomach to start hurting again!

I love this helicopter that circles the parade every year. It is a military helicopter and it is huge! I wonder if anyone might know what type of helicopter this is?

All in all it was a fun day at the parade. I did take more photos but I won't bore you with them. I also took 2 videos of the marching bands. Oh didn't I mention that I have a thing for marching bands? My family just doesn't know what to think of this. Neither do I for that matter but I am just fascinated when I watch and listen to them!

On Sunday I did nothing. Absolutely nothing! It was very relaxing and peaceful. I will prove it to you. I spent most of my time playing with the dogs. Believe me when I tell you that this next picture was not easy to get!

 

I wouldn't say that I was bored and I wouldn't say that Ruby was happy with me either. But I played a game of fetch with her after dress up time for a reward! Not to worry, no animals were harmed in the taking of this photo! Well maybe a bit of her dignity!

The rest of today I will spend cleaning up some of my mess in the dining room. I'm baking a chicken tonight for Kate and I. Haven't decided what to fix with it yet. But now that I am sitting here I may not get back up! Perhaps I'll just visit some blogs for awhile! Yeah that's a good idea!!

Love Di ♥ 

Good Evening Everyone,

I just noticed that it has been over two weeks since my last post. You've all been so kind and thoughtful with your emails and comments about my health. I don't want to get into the long and boring details so I will just tell you that I was having lots of abdominal pain. It started a month ago and just never quit. So after having a series of tests which all came out good by the way, it was determined that I have I.B.S. ( embarrassingly, Irritable Bowl Syndrome ) caused by excessive stress.

After a few medication changes, I am finally starting to feel myself again. Thursday was the first and only day so far that I have not had any stomach pain at all. At first I thought the doctors were crazy until I really started to pay attention to when the pain would occur. Sure enough I discovered that any little bit of stress or aggravation would set off the stomach pain!

So for the past few weeks I have been taking things easy, focusing on avoiding stress at all costs and just trying to get back to feeling like myself again. I have also been practicing some breathing exercises that my friend Gail from "Know Your It's" suggested. They have been a big help, especially when Katie is driving! Thank you Gail!
The past few days I have noticed my energy returning.

I have been crocheting and sewing. I haven't worked much until today. I started a new project. The Dining Room. It is almost ready to paint. I want to get it done before Thanksgiving. This job isn't nearly as involved as the Living Room was so I'm actually enjoying it.

I taught Katie how to pull the base trim off the walls and take the nails out. She did a great job and has been quite helpful. The room should be ready to paint within a few days. I'm excited about the change!

This morning as I was listening to music and working in the dining room, I started to hear sirens and soon the fire trucks were pulling down my street. It was pretty early, about 8:30. As I walked out on the porch I noticed that they were stopping about a half a block down.
I put my jacket on and started down the street. It was an old house. Not unlike most of the homes on our street. I'd say about 70 years old.

Flames were shooting through the roof as the neighbors had just started drifting out of there similarly older homes. I stopped to ask one of the police officers if everyone was out of the house. He said that he thought so. It was ultimately a lost cause. All that was left was an empty shell. One of my neighbors asked me if I knew if the little children were safely out of the home. I told her that the officer said that he thought so as tears welled in my eyes.

As I walked back home I couldn't help but wonder, is our own home safe? It is nearly 70 years old too. I suppose that I could live anywhere if need be but losing all of one's memories, how terribly sad. 

While I was home recovering from my procedures, my husband suggested that we take a ride to another small town about 30 miles from our own. I still had quite a bit of stomach pain but thought, what the heck! It seems sort of strange that we went on a sixty mile round trip to Wal-Mart, but we did. You see our Wal-mart no longer carries fabrics and very little crochet thread. My husband knew that I needed more black thread as our oldest daughter wanted a pair of the fingerless gloves that I had made for Katie and Natasha. 

They had the black thread of which I bought two. They also had the most beautiful crimson color thread that my husband insisted I purchase as well. I know that he was trying to cheer me up. He drives seventy hours a week. He doesn't want to go anywhere when he's home. That my friends is true love.

He stayed home with me the whole week after the tests. He cooked cream soups for me. He did everything for me. He took his last week of this years vacation for me. The one that he was saving for Christmas week. I am very blessed to have him. I was in good hands.

Since he took that week off, he was able to be home to see Katie dressed up for the Homecoming Dance. She and Natasha looked so beautiful. They had a very good time.

Katie looked very happy. And I was so glad that her dad was home to pick them up that night!

We have been experiencing the most spectacular Fall this year. We had so many outdoor plans to enjoy it but they sort of got pushed off this year because of the tests. The next time my husband will be home, all of the leaves will probably be on the ground. But you know what they say about "Best Laid Plans"?


Well God willing there will be next fall to look forward too. And you, all of my wonderful caring friends, will be there too. Your thoughtfulness warms my heart and I promise to try and visit more often this week. I am so grateful for all of you. It is amazing to me what a truly small world this is that has brought us all together.
I feel blessed. Thank you one and all.


Love Di ♥

" Best Laid Plans " on Hiatius

Hello friends!

This is just a quick little post to let you know that I am still here 

but haven't been feeling well.

I will be having two Endoscopic procedures on Monday to find out what the problem is.

Please don't take offense from my lack of visiting your blog posts.

I've just been having a very difficult time and really haven't felt like doing anything.

I am hoping for results as well as a solution after the procedure and will be back, prayerfully,soon.

In the meantime I expect that you all will behave in a suitable manner

without me.

And as my ex father-in-law, Frank, used to always say,

" Don't worry about nothing because nothing ain't gonna be right"!

Funny,

I never quite understood what he meant 30 plus years ago.

But I do now!

Love you all, take care.

Love Di ♥