ROAD TRIP!!!

Does this look familiar? I will take a picture of the real thing tomorrow morning. We'll see how they compare. I'll (Nerm) will be on the road Friday through next Tuesday (my birthday!)

The exciting part is who's going with me. Hubby will stay behind to work (gotta finance my fabric purchases!) and take care of all the animals (see yesterday's post).

My middle daughter Amy (Retro Heart) is going with her girls, Madison & Mekenzie. I've written about them before. Also my 86 yr old mother. We're going up to Illinois to visit my aunt who is Mother's sister and is 90 yrs. old. Wow! Three women & two young ladies. In one car. On a five hour drive. For five days.

Amy's bringing her laptop, so maybe I can sneak in a post of the trip. We'll see. All I'm asking of you all is a quick prayer for our safe trip and speedy return. Asking for steady nerves wouldn't hurt either. I'll be in touch. Luv, Nerm

MEET THE REST OF THE FAMILY

Not much going on around here, so I decided it's high time to introduce you all to the four-legged components of our family. Take a deep breath, there are alot of them. I guess we're kinda a little over the edge.
Here's Tanner loving hubby's dearly beloved Bella, our Newfoundland. She's very old now-about ten years old, which is elderly for such a large dog. (she's about 150 lbs)!!! She's very patient with all the grandchildren and other animals. The puppies do get on her nerves, but she's improving in that area.

This isn't the best photo, but shows Kitty loving her special girl, Fluffarina. She's had this cat since Kitty was in grade school Fluffarina is 15 years old, and now that Kitty is married and moved on, she stayed here with us. Now she keeps my mother company upstairs and begs for treats continually.
You've seen these cuties before--I got them for Christmas this past year. What stinkers! What little loves! Can you tell I love, love them. Smoocher and Boomer, take a bow!

I'm not sure you can distinguish between all the fur...In the foreground my two puppies are stuffed into one bed, while in the back cat Lilly is in another. Cozy. They all get along great!

Now here is Lilly. She walked up to our house about 9 years ago, a young cat who was very scared and hungry. Little by little we fed her until she would come inside. Now this cat lives the life of luxury. One funny note: Soon after she was 'tamed', we took her to the vet for a check up. After checking Lilly, he looked up and said, "Now, you know that Lilly is really Larry, don't you?" Since 'she' was young it wasn't apparent, but we still call her, er...him, Lilly. Habit, ya know! ha, ha

And, finally, In Memory...my beloved Muffin. She passed away right before Christmas after about 20 years! She belonged to my neighbor who died of cancer and asked me to take care of her. She became my cat and followed me like a dog. I still miss her alot. She was a beautiful calico cat.

Are you bored out of your skulls now? I don't think 3 dogs and 2 cats in one happy home is too much, do you? Hey, different strokes for different folks, eh? Luv, Nerm

VINTAGE DISHTOWELS TRANSFORMED

Happy Thursday everyone! Can you believe summer is winding down? At least that's what it seems like. I went with my oldest daughter Wendy to register Tanner (birthday boy earlier this month) for kindergarten. It reminded me how excited (and a little teary-eyed) I used to be with my girls when they were that age. All the possibilities and friends to be experienced! That's in just two weeks which seems kinda early to me. In the olden days we waited until after Labor Day and it worked out just fine. As Kitty once asked me when she was just a little kitten, "Nerm, were you alive when Lincoln freed the slaves?' I promise she really did.

Here are some photos of some vintage dishtowels & dresser scarves I got last week in my only garage sale purchase. I just love these things. I have several that my mother embroidered back in the 40's and 50's. So everytime I find some at a good price, I buy them. The two below were in nearly perfect condition. I just washed and ironed them.
Now this beauty is really vintage. It's from the 40's. The reason I know this is because I have a luncheon set from my mother which has almost the identical print. Love the cherries. And it already has that tea dyed look - only the stains are real! This was a much used towel.

Here's what I did with it:

Make a cute pillow trimmed with my yo-yo's and buttons. How cute did it turn out? I'm going to list it on Etsy. So come on over for look.

I've got my two girls (Mekenzie & Maddie) for the last sleep over for the summer. Next week's Vacation Bible School and then it's vacation. Like I said summer's winding down. Take care and we'll talk again soon. Luv, Nerm

SUMMERTIME IN THE SOUTH

I would love to be able to spend the summer outside with fun family activities. However... when it's 93 degrees in the shade with an ORANGE ozone alert, I'm afraid this blogger will be securely enscounced in her cozy, air-conditioned home! And I suspect the weather won't improve much until after Labor Day. Last fall it didn't really cool off until the end of September.

You'll probably find me knitting or sewing during these hot days. It even puts a dent in my new found hobby of garage sale-ing. Drat. I told hubby we need a summer home in Maine.

Currently in Nashville, TN (37205)
Partly Cloudy
93°FFeels Like98°F
Dew Point:
68°F
Humidity:
44%
Pressure:
30.04 inches
Wind:
From the West at 9 mph


Tonight: Partly cloudy. A stray thunderstorm is possible through the evening. Low 71F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Abundant sunshine. Hot. High 97F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Complete 10-Day Forecast

So, my friends, try to keep cool and hang on til Fall arrives! Luv, Nerm

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! (a little late)

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July holiday. My, it was grand to have a three-day weekend! Saturday, we went to family reunion of my hubby's family down in Fayetteville, TN. They do this every year. Loads of good food, lots of conversations & catching up on lives, and swimming. I was so happy that it had rained a little earlier in the day and it wasn't as hot as usual for this time of year. Last year's get together saw temps of 95.
Tom's sister had been going thru some things of their mother's (she passed away several years ago) and brought him a number of things from his childhood. Just look what collector's items we have now! I told him it means you're old when your toys are 'vintage' and collectible. ha, ha.

These are both metal banks. You place a coin on the rocket and it sends it into the opening.

The silver rocketship has a similiar action. Aren't they neat?

Here's his Boy Scout handbook and school dictionary. How funny is it that I remember the same dictionary even tho' I grew up in Kentucky and he was in Tennessee.

The other item which is kinda hard to see is a wooden pencil holder with a cowboy carving on the front. Tom was a hugh Roy Rogers fan and we have a photo of him with his cowboy hat and guns just like in the movies. So cute!

Well, that's all for today. We'll talk more later. Luv, Nerm

YOU GO, GIRL!

Okay, gang, this is more like it! You may remember my unhappiness at the Kung Fu Panda movie, due to violence and bad characters. Well, this film more than makes up for it.
This shows good models for girls and even for marriage. Filmed to show life in the Great Depression, Kit (the main character) has adventures while pulling her weight to help her mother keep the household running. Dad has gone off to find work and Mother has to take in boarders to help make the mortgage. The parents write letters and do what it takes for the family. Not a bad message in these times.
When I first heard about this movie, I was afraid it was a ploy to promote the American Girl products. These dolls and accessories are very pricey, but well made and just plain cute. My granddaughter Mekenzie has the Kit doll and she's darling. Anyway, I feel that the movie stands on its own. Mekenzie was transfixed watching it. I loved watching her watch the movie.
I give it two thumbs up1

Have a great 4th celebration!