Repost from my Instagram....Best 9 of 2022
I think this pretty well sums up our year!
A new grandson, an engagement followed by a wedding, a 70th birthday, special times with my Shug, and quilting.
I couldn't ask for more!
Happy 2023 to all you faithful blog readers who stop by here! ~ Deb
We sure hope you had an enjoyable and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends as you gathered around your harvest table! We wanted to update you and share some photos from our holidays.
We absolutely enjoyed our time in Georgia with Sarah and her family and with her in-laws, who invited us into their home to share their Thanksgiving meal.
Hannah and Christopher drove down from Michigan to join us--our first time seeing them since their wedding! It was wonderful to all be together again!
On our way to Georgia, we split the travel up and stopped to overnight with friends in Tennessee.
They are well-known for their sweet hospitality and welcoming signs, and this sign delighted us as we approached their home:
Our friends treated us to a delicious pre-Thanksgiving feast around their beautifully decorated table!
We toured their home and property and were better able to visualize their swim academy after seeing their pool and hearing success stories of the children who take lessons at their home.
Here I am with my friend Lynn around a warm cozy fire:
I always enjoy seeing how friends' homes are decorated, and these quail on the chalkboard and the saying definitely caught my eye above another fireplace near the kitchen: "Lord, prepare me for what You are preparing for me."
After we left our friends in Tennessee, we arrived in Georgia with great anticipation for the days ahead!
Then the newlyweds arrived, all the way from snowy Michigan! So good to see them!
First thing on Thanksgiving morning, we started preparing the dishes that we were to contribute to the meal. Here I am making the cranberry relish:
And Christopher and Hannah peeled apples together for the apple pie Hannah was making:
Rolling out her homemade crust:
Quietly reading her Thanksgiving book, dressed in her pretty Thanksgiving outfit:
Grampa found something to do with the boys. He repaired Sarah's cutting board and re-oiled it for her. The boys enjoyed watching and helping:
Arrival at Sarah's in-laws and getting some conversations in before the meal. There were 20 in attendance!
This is the young adult and married couples' table below:
Holiday scenes throughout the evening
Sarah, admiring sister-in-law Abby's newborn daughter:
Brother and sister, Jonathan and Sarah, sneaking in a hug:
The grandchildren loved watching the Georgia Grampa's trains:
And, of course, the evening ended with music!
Christopher played piano:
There were violins and flutes and whistles:
And, of course, an accordion!
And they sang Christmas carols while the grandparents listened, with a kiddie xylophone chiming in:
The day after Thanksgiving was a decorating day...lights, trees, action!
The finished product...looking good!
One evening we had game night..a new one to us called Code Names. Very fun!
After such good food and being inside over the holidays, these three decided to get outside for a much-needed walk in the fresh Georgia air:
This was the very first time Christopher had been in Georgia and his farthest travel down South. But he sure made a good impression on these four kiddies. "Uncle Christopher! Uncle Christopher!"
Uncle Jonnie is a definite fave too!
Well, the weekend flew by! It was time for us to head back to Virginia, and the Michiganders to head north. Here's a quick pic of the kiddies just before church on Thanksgiving Sunday morning:
Christopher and Hannah decided to take advantage of their travels and stopped by the Creation Museum in Kentucky on their way home:
To sum up this Thanksgiving post:
~Deb
Where did September, October, and November go? I'm really wondering! And what has been happening since the busy summer of wedding planning and Hannah and Christopher's wedding?
Well, it almost doesn't seem possible that Hannah has been married for almost three months! Yes, we do miss her a lot but bottom line...she is totally loving married life, setting up her home, preparing meals for her husband, harvesting vegetables, hosting gatherings at their home, making new friends, and becoming adjusted to life in Michigan!
And, yes, our garden girl found a garden away from home, ready and ripe for the harvesting. Here are Hannah and Christopher spending a Saturday gathering potatoes:
And harvesting butternut squash with Christopher's brothers:
Every time I get a photo from her, she is smiling (a lot!) and says she is enjoying it all!
In the meantime, Tom and I were left with a garden that needed harvesting with the last of the veggies and cleaning up before the winter hits. We've been doing it bit by bit, as old folks have to pace themselves! This is no joke!
And we did get out and about this fall to enjoy the Skyline Drive and have a picnic. The leaves this year were not very vibrant, but the day was beautiful:
Picnicking on the Skyline Drive with friends:
Other things Tom has been up to include building a brand new lectern for our church. It is definitely an heirloom...a beautiful piece of furniture! Here he is installing it so it would be ready and in place for Sunday's services:
Tom has also become a guitar teacher for our grandson who wanted to learn guitar. They enjoy a long-distance zoom guitar lesson together every Monday afternoon:
Speaking of grandkids...I can't leave the others out! Here's a picture of four cuties ready for church on a Sunday morning:
And these two sweetie grandsons live faraway too! I love getting their pictures on text!
Time to Travel.........
In October Tom and I were able to travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary from back in August...and scenes like this one below were common sights.
photo credit: The Traveler World Guide.com
Our destination was the Sight and Sound Theater to see a presentation of "David." Excellent production!
Lancaster is well known for Amish wood-working and quilt shops--perfect for both of us! I visited several of the shops and enjoyed looking around at the quality furniture, fabric, crafts, and quilts:
While we were that far up north, we continued on to Connecticut to visit Tom's siblings. It had been many years since we were up that direction. Here are all four siblings together in sister Ellen's backyard:
We also had a photo session one day with Tom's two sisters who were recipients of a quilt I made each of them:
Here are Ellen and her husband Ed holding the Scrappy Sunflowers quilt I made her for a retirement gift:
And here are Tom and sister Sue holding the Wonky Stars Scrappy quilt I made for her birthday:
One of our activities while there was walking Long Island Sound...a beautiful area and beautiful afternoon:
Our New England visit soon came to a close, and we made it home in time to celebrate Jonathan's birthday with his annual Turtle Cake!
His birthday also consisted of a trip to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. which he absolutely loved since his passion is planes!
I told him I could understand how he would love all the planes in the museum....if that yellow plane in the picture below happened to be a yellow quilt on display, I'd love it, too!
And last but not least....Mail Call!! Look what I received as a late birthday gift...I'll take a late birthday gift like this any day--a beautiful sunflower table runner from my quilty friend, Chris! Thank you, sweet friend!
Just two old people wandering the streets of Staunton:
Hope you've enjoyed this catch-up post. Everyone have a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!
~Deb
It's time to get back to posting about life in the sewing room! I wanted to show you the quilt I sewed this spring/early summer. I couldn't post pictures until this birthday gift was given away to the intended recipient.
The hymn panels were so fun to sew and color-coordinate with the chapel frames, doors, and steeples. Each hymn was one of my favorites as I worked on it.
The fabric is Songbook created by Stephanie over at Fancy That Design House, and the quilt pattern is called Firm Foundation, written by Anna at My Wandering Path.
Here's the quilt on our bed to display each of the chapels and hymn panels:
The back is flannel and was quilted (by Maureen at The Quiltery in Fairfield) with musical notes, which show up well against the solid backing. As you can see from the label, it's being gifted to my friend Kathy for her 60th birthday:
And here are my able-bodied quilt holders getting in on the action! I have enough fabric and hymn panels to make another quilt, but I have more projects to complete before beginning the same exact quilt again:
So today I traveled to North Garden, Virginia, about an hour away, to rendezvous with my friend at Dr. Ho's Humble Pie...I'd never been there before...yay for new experiences!
It was a fun outing, even though neither one of us ordered their famous pizza pie!
Afterwards, I mentioned I had a birthday gift out in my vehicle for her. After she saw the big gift bag, I'm not sure I surprised her. After all...what could it be but a quilt!? :)
I think she liked it! Mission accomplished!
Now I need to figure out my next project! Stay tuned for whenever it's gifted.
~Deb
Credit: Happy Finch Photography
Crimson & Peach Autumn Wedding Flowers by Cristy's Floral
Well, we just had a wedding! It was a great celebration and time of rejoicing! Hannah and Christopher were a happy and beautiful couple, and the ceremony was truly God-honoring.
So thankful for the many friends who attended! These are just a few...wish we could have snapped a photo of everyone!
And I'm very thankful for the friend who made the beautiful wedding cake and cupcakes! Thank you Jean, cupcake queen!
Credit: Happy Finch Photography
Loved seeing these family members in the bridal party, Jonathan and Sarah!
And the happy couple departs....to worlds unknown...as all the guests sing the Doxology as they make their way through all the streamers:
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
It was a beautiful wedding, indeed! May the Lord bless you abundantly, Christopher and Hannah!
~Deb
Looks like there's a party happening!
This past weekend was a very special occasion for Hannah! We traveled to Michigan for her bridal shower, so beautifully given by her fiance's mother and sisters.
The theme of "He has made everything beautiful in His time" was a special verse for each of them, acknowledging God's working in their lives to bring them to this point....in His timing. Thank you to Christopher's sister, Grace, for her artistic crafting of the verse!
As guests arrived, they were instructed...."this direction for the shower, please!"
All the decorations were lovely, especially on this corner cabinet, and the purple hydrangeas everywhere just added the perfect touch:
Here's a view of this side of the room as we began with a Welcome and Prayer.
And if you notice that computer set up in front of the corner hutch, that's Hannah's sister Sarah and little daughter attending the shower virtually all the way from Georgia!! Sooo thankful Sarah could join in!
And a view of the opposite side of the room as we all sang a hymn to begin. You can see Hannah, the guest of honor, on the left with all the generous gifts awaiting in front of her:
Here are two of Hannah's future sisters-in-law who helped put on the shower:
Hannah and I are chatting with Christopher's Grandma, who is a delightful lady!
Beautiful and delicious dessert table:
Drinks provided were Orange-Apple Lemonade and Raspberry-Peach Tea:
Lots of fun conversations and getting acquainted with the Michigan relatives!
So what's a bridal shower without a game or two. Here's Hannah and guests writing down answers to one of the games.
The corner hutch in the photo below belonged to my Aunt Bunny and was passed down to Hannah. It is filled with antique pieces, and Hannah will enjoy it here in her new home:All the guests enjoyed guessing various things about Hannah and Christopher's preferences and how they matched up...Mexican or Asian? Stay home or Go Out? Early Bird or Night Owl?
Also in this photo below, you can see Hannah has brought her quilt ladder (made by Dad) with her various quilts displayed. The mirror over the sofa was also a handmade wood piece by Dad to use in her new home.
Hannah is posing with another future sister-in-law who is married to Christopher's brother. They will live right down the road from each other after the wedding:
Time to open some gifts...and such nice gifts were given. Hannah was very appreciative of everyone's generosity:
These young girls brought her the gifts and helped her open:
At the close of the bridal shower, the groom-to-be made an appearance; and one of the shower gifts--a striking red clock--was installed immediately in just the perfect spot! Love it!
We're back home in Virginia this week with more wedding list to-dos to tackle and cross off the list. I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into our weekend. It was definitely an encouraging time. We're very thankful!
~Deb
(photo credit: bridal shower hostesses, thank you!)
Well...how in the world did this happen?? I turned 70 over the holiday weekend!
All the family came to help celebrate...and that was absolutely the best gift of all! Here I am with Micah, Hannah, Jonathan, and Sarah:
Don't you think these grandchildren with "Granny Deb" are adorable...on the left is one of Micah's three boys, and the other four are Sarah's children. We definitely missed the boys who couldn't be with us!
I love when the grandchildren want to come to " 'Ginia" to see Granny:
Hannah and her fiancé, Christopher, were in charge of the decorations...inside and outside.
After they decorated, it took me forever to notice that huge "70" in the window! Wonder if I was subconsciously ignoring that fact?!
Outside....there were buntings and lots of red and blue balloons everywhere!
My sister traveled here from South Carolina to celebrate with us and brought some fresh South Carolina peaches for everyone to enjoy. Here's Aunt Bet with Sarah:
These guys grabbed a birthday breakfast of quiche, scones, bacon, yogurt, and fruit:
Tractor and wagon rides have also become a special event for the kids. They loved riding on Grampa's "Buddies & Girlie Express!"
Cousins who very seldom see each other were playing together and having fun racing trucks!
I'm always thankful when Sarah and Eric are able to travel the many hours with all the kids to be with us:
And, here I am with Jonathan, who was excellent at entertaining the kids over the weekend:
Sarah, our long-time cake decorator, iced the Peter-Paul Mounds cake for the occasion, a cake I've enjoyed for my birthday every year since I was 10 years old, or maybe even younger:
Micah brought in the birthday cake, as everyone sang Happy Birthday to this old lady!
And, of course, lots of nice cards and gifts followed. Thank you everyone!
The next day, in honor of Independence Day, we headed to church dressed in red, white, and blue:
So we could all be together for the Sunday meal, we transformed the living room into the dining room, although a few are missing from this snapshot:
The kids enjoyed some refreshing Slippy-Slide fun on a hot Sunday afternoon, pretend airplane rides with Uncle Jonathan, and in general being the best grand-kids around! In my humble opinion, of course! :)
Grampa's fireworks were part of the celebration that evening. This is what backyard fireworks look like for us:
We had lots of fun visiting with everyone this weekend. It was the first time Christopher had met my sister and also Micah and Sarah and their families in person rather than just on Zoom...so that was extra-special.
Then Monday, July 4th, rolled around...and it was time to say a sad good-bye to everyone! Here's a picture of most of the family before they headed back to their homes:
These little people are some of my favorites for sure, dressed in their red, white, and blue! I had the best 70th birthday a granny could have! Thank you to everyone who made it so special!!
But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.
~ Psalm 102:12
~~Deb
Last month we attended the Church & Family Life's annual conference, Knowing God, held at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC. Asheville is about a 5+ hour drive for us here in Virginia, barely a skip and a jump compared to others who traveled many, many hours from across the country.
Here we are just having arrived and already meeting up with friends on the bridge-way between buildings:
It is always a highlight to see friends whom we've gotten to know over the years. These friends are regular attendees:
As are these friends who traveled from Canada to attend:
The speakers were very enjoyable and presented encouraging messages to listen to each day. Here's Kevin Swanson onstage at his keynote session:
Lots of spontaneous hymn singing around the piano with violins and flute accompanying during the evenings' free times:
The more the music traveled down the hallway, more folks showed up, and louder the singing became!
There was also a planned night of singing in the amphitheater. Isn't this a neat nighttime photo?
We caught up with more dear friends in the cafeteria from South Carolina. Sooo glad I could attend the conference this year and reconnect with folks!
And these friends, our daughter Sarah's in-laws, attended this year from GA. It was great to see them:
Speaking of cafeteria, there were lots of chances to meet up and have a meal together. Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana are represented here:
Here we are taking time to talk over Hannah and Christopher's wedding plans with future in-laws:
While together in person, it was a good time to compare fabrics and bridesmaids' dresses online:
The weekend came to a close so quickly (hey, we just got here!), and everyone parted ways to head back home to their own state.
Unfortunately, all four of us returned home sick, with one of us testing positive for Covid...that would be me! So I'm remembering this conference for more reasons than one!
...until next time!
~Deb
We are happy to announce to you all that, as of Friday evening, Hannah and Christopher F, a godly, thoughtful, and earnest young man from Michigan, are now engaged to be married!
In the Lord's providence, our two families met at a Bible conference last May, and we enjoyed a meal, a hike, and other times of fellowship together there. About a month later my phone rang, and there was Christopher! He (bravely and respectfully) told me he had an interest in getting to know Hannah and asked if that would be agreeable to us.
So, in the ensuing months we got to know one another in a family context, and then Hannah and Christopher sought the Lord's wisdom in a courtship relationship -- many many phone calls, several long-haul personal visits both ways between MI and VA, video calls, emails, texts, etc. They really stretched their virtual technology and wore out the asphalt between VA, WV, OH, IN, & MI! Then, after getting the blessing of his father and me (Tom), Christopher came for a visit this past weekend; took Hannah for a long walk around the property; and proposed to her on the front porch. And she said Yes, she would be honored! :)
And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
(Hos 2:19)
Here are our two families rejoicing for them...
Happy hearts as they visit at church...
Please pray for them as they seek to glorify the Lord during this time and their future marriage!
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
(John 14:2-3)
~ Tom and Deb, with Hannah
*Title from the hymn The Church's One Foundation
Our family was commissioned with the task of sprucing up the front of our church building by revamping the old flower bed. So after researching and planning which plants would work best for the spot, we made a trip to some local greenhouses to find what I had in mind. Even though it was a bit on the early side for a full selection, I was pleased with what we eventually decided on.
Weeds had already begun to take over, so it was high time to get the beds looking nicer just in time for spring. BEFORE:
Mom was the excellent watering lady for our project:
The shrubs we chose for foundation planting were holly and abelia:
After clearing the 5' x 30' section of weeds, we tilled, raked, dug holes, and laid down landscape fabric. In additon to the bushes, I wanted to focus on perennials so the plants would be long-lasting and come back each year. Chosen flowers were coreopsis, gaillardia, dianthus, sedum, and some annual marigolds for a pop of immediate color.
After everything was in, we tried to beat the approaching rain as we surrounded the plants with bagged mulch.
Several hours later, we had a finished product! AFTER:
The transformed flower bed is no longer weedy, with much team effort!
I'm looking forward to watching these plants grow and blossom as they get established.
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8
~Hannah
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