Signed, Sealed and Delivered!

The year was 1970, it was a Saturday morning, I was a junior in high school. My mother answered the door to receive an Easter floral arrangement from her employer at the time. After she closed the door she called to me from the kitchen and asked me if I knew the boy delivering flowers for the local florist shop. I glanced out the living room window and saw him walking back down our walkway toward the driveway where the delivery van was parked. I did know him, he was in my Chemistry class. "He was so polite" my mother said, in the background. I intently watched the delivery boy back out of our driveway. He had the driver's door opened and he leaned out, looking backward, as he maneuvered out of our driveway. I was impressed at his driving ability. Hey, I was 16; at that time I didn't even have a driver's license yet, this skill made an impression.  When I saw him on Monday at school he spoke first: "I was at your house on Saturday." We lived in a very small town, I had already figured that he knew where I lived after the delivery. I still recall my response: "you're a very good backer." He smiled at the compliment and I remember thinking that was the stupidest remark I could have made, I was embarrassed and thought of so many other replies that would have been so much better, so much more clever, but those remained forever in my head as he walked away.
Fast forward to 2020. The back of our car is filled with Easter lilies ordered for our Easter worship service tomorrow. That service that won't occur. The lilies were ordered before restrictions on gathering, before we understood how widespread the virus would be, before the world turned upside down. 🙃 We left the order standing with the small, family-run greenhouse, they need the business. What to do with the lilies though? They would be delivered to doorsteps, that's what! Mr. Goodneedle took to the streets early yesterday morning, one by one, the Easter lilies were delivered to homes for online Easter worship tomorrow morning. Yes, you guessed it, fifty years later that cute delivery boy with the impressive driving skills is doing the very same thing. Apparently he wasn't appalled at what I thought was a stupid reply regarding his ability to drive in reverse, he was flattered. Some days I still watch him through the window when he's working outside and wonder how I ever got so lucky. He has been a constant blessing in my life. It wasn't until years later that my mother told me that he had inquired of her, when he handed off the flowers, if I lived at that address too. She knew that he knew me, and that's what prompted her to ask me if I knew him as he was leaving. Five short years later I married that boy; I've never looked back.

It was true love-- signed sealed and delivered!

Life is Good!

 

Spring Happenings

Spring happenings: It's been a busy, but joy-filled Easter weekend! The bluebirds have decided to start a substantially-sized family right here. Spring has taken hold.  Even though Easter Sunday was much later this year, it still was a bit chilly, surprisingly. We've had gloriously sunny days and then rain on Friday which washed the pollen from the air, albeit temporarily, and ushered in some cooler nights. Easter won't be this late again until 2030; I did learn that the latest that Easter can be possibly be celebrated is April 25, that will occur in 2038-- I'll be 85. 😲

I am including, below, a photo journal of the weekend's activities including some holiday breakfast baking, some house-cleaning and organizing, a scene from a Holy Week play, Easter Sunday church service and post-dinner posing from the youngest two grandchildren. No sewing, unless I count placing the final stitches in the binding of the Fuse, Fold and Stitch rug. Guess what's on the agenda for this week?

I cleaned out decades' worth of accumulated young-children's books and repurposed this guest room bookcase. 

Selected age-appropriate titles now reside in a basket for choosing by our youngest overnight guests. 

Happy Easter!

Life is Good!

"What's That?"

Anyone speaking to me has received fair warning!

"Wait, what was that you just said?"  My daughter-in-law has been printing up some new T-shirts for quilters and I have added two to my daily-wear wardrobe for spring. The first, pictured on the left, clearly expresses the reason you might just need to repeat yourself if the shirt's wearer has that distant, far-away look in their eyes. If you're a quilter you understand! 😉 This second one, below, clearly answers that oft-heard question: "what time is it?"  C'mon, you already know what time it is, that time never changes!
If you're interested in either one of these cute shirts, simply leave me a comment to that effect or email me. I will get you directly connected to the source for your very own, seriously super-soft, quilter's Ts. You'll love them.

Easter here was a glorious one! We spent the afternoon with these four precious children. Mason and Lucy Ann (above) traveled from the Capital City, here they are before church in their Sunday finery.

Lynnleigh (and all of her babies) and Gregory in their coordinated Easter outfits. Smiles all around on a very happy day. 

He is risen! He is risen indeed! 

May the joy of that empty tomb remain in your hearts today and always.

Alleluia!

Life is Good!

Vintage Find

Saturday is Egg Day at our house. Both Mr. Goodneedle and I try to limit our cholesterol intake and decided a few years ago that we would celebrate breakfast with an egg only once a week (bacon only makes an appearance a few times a year); it's cereal the other six days. After the recent pantry clean-out and reorganization success I was spurred on to tackle more cabinets in the kitchen. You know how that happens... one thing leads to another, and another, and another. It's the If You Give A Mouse A Cookie syndrome; read it if you're unfamiliar, you'll understand. Anyway, during the height of this clean, purge and reorganizing frenzy I ran across this vintage egg cooker. I believe that we've owned it all of our married life (closing in on 40 years), leading me to think it was a wedding gift. I haven't used it in decades and decided to put it to use for poached eggs a few Saturdays ago, for old times' sake. I filled the receptacle with water, broke the eggs into the egg cups and pressed in the button. Uh-oh! I couldn't release my finger from the button without the appliance shutting off. I had already committed the eggs so I called quickly to Mr. Goodneedle to start the English muffins in the toaster while I kept the button depressed manually. The eggs cooked up perfectly, just like I had remembered; but I figured that the faulty on/off button had rendered the appliance defunct. Nope, not at all. After breakfast he took the egg cooker down to his "fix-it" shop and repaired the switch; it was a simple fix, he reported. We were back in business. This vintage find has been pressed back into service, at least on Saturday mornings. It will also hard boil eggs, with dyeing day coming up it'll see double duty this Easter weekend.

What treasures are hiding behind closed doors at your house?

Life is Good!

This and That Thursday

This photo was taken last Saturday morning; Lucy Ann's (and Mason's) Mommy and Daddy were our car shopping and the little ones were busy at home with Nana and PawPaw. Lucy Ann spent the longest time sitting on a quilt in the kitchen while I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, she insisted on playing with these "vintage" dollies while sitting directly in the brightest sunbeam. When I spoke to her she would look at me and squint... saying "my eyes hurt". All of a sudden she darted off and came back wearing her sunglasses. She plopped right back down in the same spot and resumed play; problem solved!

Later on that same morning Gregory (and his Daddy) came by to visit before they headed out for a load of mulch and yard work at their home. A trailer was the perfect place for some running and climbing fun.

Oh, yeah... and a quick kiss. They really do love each other.
Life is Good!