I Love Baby Breath!

Last evening Doc and I took the little blanket I finished yesterday and went to "love-on" the new little grand baby of friends. Doc had seen her in the hospital but I hadn't and I was extremely anxious to get my hands on her.
As you can see, she is inexpressibly sweet and obviously beautiful.

Sweet, sweet baby girl sleeping away in the little blankie I knit for her.

(Now, I'll pull myself away from thoughts of new grand babies. Rein yourself in JamJar!)

I started a painting for Doc today.
Remember, I am not a professional and I actually have no idea what I'm doing.

(Click on photo to actually see the pencil sketch)

The pencil sketch--
I just get an idea in my head and after letting it perk a couple of days---
I grab a canvas and a pencil and make a sketch.

At this stage I lay in the colors.
I don't know if that is the right term but it's the term I use.
I lay in the approx. colors I want and where I want them.

Next I usually take a break and go to town for a coffee and I did today also.
When I came home I started putting in a little more specific shading and coloring...again
remember I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm just playing around with the paint at this point.

In case you can't tell it is supposed to be a village in Bolivia.

About 5:00 I lost the sunlight coming thru the window I paint by, so I went
and rinsed my brushes.
After which the pups and I went for a walk.
It was 82 degrees and I actually complained about the heat as we walked.
The pups were panting and whining and ...oh wait, that was me.
The pups did fine but I had to pray for strength to make it home again.
(My foot still isn't as strong as I would like it to be.)
Limping can be physically exhausting!!!



I am still using my broken camera and this is a prime example of what is wrong with it.
No matter how many times I tried I couldn't get these little blossoms to stay in focus.
Don't tell me it's my fault 'cuz I refuse to believe it
and
I want a new camera!!!
and
it's not me---
it's the camera!

The Bradford Pear tree by my front door.
In a week or so the front walk will be covered with dead blossom stuff
and...
...the smell will be, what is the technical word? oh, yes...stinky!!!!

Update: Our cute little 12 y/o appendix patient is still in the hospital. She is having difficulty with pain control. Keep her on the prayer list.

Also on the prayer list...
My BF J-- is "down in the back". I'm not sure what happened but this is day #3. I hate that she is feeling so crummy.

PS...Where does the expression "down in the back" come from, anyway?

See you later! (actually, I won't see you but you understand, right?)

I'm giddy with delight!

The little flower bed out front is beginning to reward me for enduring another winter. I am always a little amazed and a whole lot thankful that I survive 'til spring!

These daffodils were planted by friends of mine one year as a surprise! What an adorable way to bless someone---plant bulbs secretly in the fall and then when spring arrives--- a miracle!

I can thank Dr. M, PhD and The Gentleman Farmer for these lovely harbingers of spring!

I'm am giddy with excitement to report that I have FINALLY finished knitting the little baby blanket. I've been working on it every evening while I watch NCIS! I must say that it isn't a minute too soon as the little bundle of joy arrived last Saturday. I hope it still fits!!!

A little tiny bit of pink tissue to "girl" it up a little !

A handmade card to personalize it up a little!

...and...

We'll deliver it tonight so we can "oh and ah and love on" that sweet baby girl!

Passover and a Prayer Request

Last year we celebrated a Christian Passover with the most delightful family. We had such fun remembering God's deliverance with them and especially with their five children, some of whom were so young that for them to sit and participate in a two hour dinner was remarkable. We read our parts and drank juice and ate bitter herbs, matzah and lamb! We'll probably never forget that night! (the whole point of Passover, after all)
Today the oldest daughter of this family had surgery and I just want to send her love and blessings as she recovers. We always say "The Lord giveth and the Dr. taketh away"! in this case it was an appendix that the Dr. took away. Good riddance and quick recovery!

What I've been eating:
Meat and salad. Both meals Monday and dinner today were meat and vegetables. I actually had a boiled egg at lunch on Monday but basically---meat and vegetables. Sunday was my 2 weeks Anniversary on Phase I and "Doc" couldn't be more excited. It is awfully hard on him when I'm on Phase 1. I'll soon move to Phase 2 but for now it is nothing but meat and vegetables. I can't get giddy enough to be more specific than that!

Verse:
"If the Son set you free, surely you are free." Besides my struggles with food I am also a recovering legalist. I got tired of trying to work my way to heaven and just accepted the freedom He offers.

Thank you for grace. Lord!

Some assembly may be required

(For some reason I'm having computer difficulties. If no pictures are showing, please come back later...perhaps I'll have resolved the issue by then. I'm always having issues!)

The Before picture...

The After...
Before....
and After....

Got the idea?

I woke up Sunday morning, the sun was shining, there was love and peace in my heart. We left for church and still all was well. We shared in a lovely, moving Palm Sunday service. Afterwards, we ate at Hong Kong Buffet. Still good. (I had my usual innocuous Stir Fried Vegetables.) It wasn't until after we had finished dinner that I made my fatal mistake. It must have been the dazzling sunshine or the promise of Spring in the air that clouded my judgement.
And so, without so much as a twit of insight I said..."I want to stop at Office Max to check on cameras".
For Pete's sake! What was I thinking? Why would I let two males go to Office Max with me? One runs a business and the other wants to run a business! The next thing I know we're loading up a new set of office furniture for "Doc's" office.
The good news...no...the best possible of all news.... It has to be assembled!!!

"Piece of cake!" "Won't take long at all." "What else are we going to do today, anyway?"

Oh I don't know...maybe mow, trim rose bushes or take your darling wife out for a diet cherry limeade.

"We'll do that later, after we put the desk, hutch and 3 chairs together. It shouldn't take more than an hour or so."

Silly me, I believed them!

It must be bad... A man has resorted to reading the instructions!

Spice and I were exiled from the room, banished, ordered out.
They put poor little Spice behind bars just because he ate one little screw. Oh, the injustice!
"Mom, we need all these screws!"
(What kind of a dumb dog eats screws, anyway?)

Team work and seven hours of measuring, figuring, assembling and Voile!! we have a desk...

...sort of, have a desk

"JamJar, we can't finish it until after we move it into my office and we can't move it into my office until Johnny Mike comes back next weekend and we're going to leave it here in the family room until then where it won't be in any one's way."

Well, thank goodness for that. I would hate for it to be in any one's way.

Goodbye, I'm going to my "happy place" now.

(close ups of the flowers "Doc" sent me last week---still beautiful!)

Oh, and by the way, just in case anyone is asking...no, I still don't have a new camera.

Just dreaming....

R-bob and Puppy hanging out by the pool...I found this photo and just had to post it. Good grief, what cute kids!!!

The darling buds of spring!!!!

This is the Bradford pear just outside my front door...no blooms yet but the buds are popping!

"Doc" and I buzzed to another large, small town about an hour away to bike shop yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining bright and we were on a mission to find another hobby!

The landscape down and back was just pretty flat, brown and listless so.... I took no pictures along the way.

We went to Harley's Bike Shop located in this lovely older building to order bikes.
Our newest toys!

I love the arches and even the painted bricks.

This is not the bike we ordered but it is similiar, no basket,different brakes, different fenders and different color. Actually, I guess the bike we ordered is nothing like this bike but I needed to take a picture of something.

We both ordered "Giant" bikes, gray for him and (wait for it)...purple for me. Okay, just a little purple trim on silver metallic. My 8th birthday present from my Grandpa and Grandma was a silver bike with purple trim! I'm walking of sunshine!

We said goodbye to Harley's and headed home to have dinner with friends....

Two of my favorite things are eating out and laughing with friends. Last night I got to do both!

Me and Johnny Mike

SonMarie Sunshine's favorite father-in-law and, of course, me!
"I'm checking your blog first thing in the morning to see if my picture will really be there."

"Doc's" partner Dr. B and her husband and me...I'm sensing a pattern here.

"Dr. M, PhD", the other "Doc" in my life, her husband, "The Gentleman Farmer",
and,
yet again, me!

My bf J-- and her husband with, wait, can you guess? yep....me!

"Doc" and Suzy-Q with me butting in!

"Suzy-Q"
Finally a picture without JamJar!
...or could that possibly be her shoulder in the background?

Thank you Suzy Q for taking the pictures. My old camera has been pressed into service again but we work with what we have!

What I ate at my B-day dinner!
1/2 ribeye steak
salad with drsg
baked potatoe with butter
appetizer of fried green beans, onion rings and southwest eggroll
triple chocolate mousse
coffee
and some drinks (2) that weren't diet!
You wouldn't want me to lie, would you?

But this A.M. I am back on program and hopefully I'll be able to report back to you that I stayed on "the wagon" all day today and beyond!

It's cold, wet and bleak today but there's a pot roast in the crockpot and I bet if I begged really hard I could talk "Doc" into starting a fire in the the fireplace before we settle in to cheer on the Wildcats!
Yes, you heard correctly, we are "going for" KSU now! Oh, Sweet Marmalade! ain't life grand?!?

The Origin of Jam Jar and other junk

First I need your help.
Two aprons to chose from...One of these will be my next sewing project!

click on the apron to enlarge... so you can better help to decide!

Which of these apron kits do you like better? "The Connie" has a rooster and I absolutely love all things chicken however, "The Patty" is checkered and I really, really adore checks. As you can see I have quite a dilemma. So help me decide which apron to make next.

"J " is for Jammie, used to be Jam, nicked Jodi and now jamjar!

Sweet Momma made this and all my outfits on her trusty Singer portable!
She was a wonder at sewing!

Today is Alphabet Thursday and today's letter is "J". "J" just happens to be my letter. Some of you may not know why I'm JamJar so.... (click here to check out Jenny's blog!)

When little Jammie was born, Sweet Momma Ruth took one look at her and declared that she was the Joy of Sweet Momma's life so she got a "joyful" name and a middle name from her aunt whose B-day she shared. My initials were J.A.M. I loved it 'cuz I was Jam, perfect for me with my sweet tooth! I discovered early on that God had blessed me with an artist flair and I began to sign my work "jam".
Enter "Doc", The One I had been waiting impatiently for since my daddy built me a playhouse when I was 4 years old. The only catch was that if I married him I wouldn't be Jam any more. Sweet Momma pointed out, in her ever practical manner..."You might not be Jam anymore but you could be a "jam jar"because "Doc's" last name just happened to start with an "R". Thus JamJar was born and I've been signing my work jamjar ever since.
Parts of this story may or may not be true...I'm not sure that I was ever the joy of Sweet Momma's life...but there you go, I've been known to stretch the truth when telling a story!
Yours truly,
jamjar



Momma sewed on a machine just like this one, sitting at the kitchen table. She still has the machine, all the parts and the case,(this however is not a picture of her's but one I found on the web).

When I was learning to sew I tried to make my brothers some GI-Joe clothes and ran the needle through my fingernail...ouch!!!!! I got better but never as good as Sweet Momma!

Anyway, Sweet Momma, made all my outfits for years and years, until I began to sew for myself. She made frilly pink dresses and such but she also made little blazers with matching bow ties for my little brothers and just scads and scads of doll and Barbie clothes. Wasn't I a lucky little Jammie?

I'm going to try to link this back to Jenny's blog for alphabet Thursday...wish me luck!

Thank you also for all the cheery b-day wishes!!! It made my day even better!

I've been adding color to my recipe doodles. They look a lot happier!

What did I eat today?
B:Coffee with lots of milk
L:steak leftovers and scrambled eggs (2)
S:and for supper...
Your guess is as good as mine, better get busy and figure that out, huh?

Showers bring Flowers!

Today started out raining....

It slowed down from time to time but kept raining...


but I didn't care 'cuz the door bell rang and there stood a delivery person, in the rain, with a bouquet of flowers. "Doc"had sent me a very SPRING-LIKE flower arrangement ...




Even though it was wet and cold, suddenly my day was bright and happy. Then...


...I dropped my camera and broke it to smithereens. All of a sudden, my day turned dark and bleak. "Doc" reminded me that I had been hinting that I didn't really like my new camera that much and I might require the purchase of a different one.
After that he suggested, in the kindest possible way, that I had dropped it accidentally on purpose. Imagine my shock and surprise!
"No, I can always use my old camera!" I protested with all the martyred self pity I could muster.

...and use my old camera I did!

Here I am with my flowers!

I painfully miss my camera but hopefully I will be able to have it repaired or replaced soon!

I worked on re-copying some of my favorite recipes this afternoon. I'm doing little doodles on each page. They don't look very colorful though. I thought I might enliven with a some colored pencils or pastels.

Old camera again, doing the best it can!

What did I eat today?

L: Chili and cottage cheese
S: Steak and green salad

• Didn't walk---it was raining
• Had coffee with girlfriends downtown. Amazing how fast 2 hours flies by when I'm drinking coffee and laughing!
• Car-less called from Bolivia and filled me in on his life down south. I love hearing from my family! He is going to send me a pic of his new friend. You'll see her here first!
  

I still haven't posted about my new bike. I hope to do that soon! Just a hint...It's made for comfort, just like me!

Wedding update: Johnny Mike and Cowgirl-n-pearls have set July 9, 2011 as THE DAY!
Yippee! I can't wait...I love them and I love a party!