Happy Days are here again...

Jenny and the girls got home last night late...11:30 p.m.
How excited are we...Just listen to the music:)



WELCOME HOME,

Jenny, Abbie, & Savannah!

We sure missed u and are

SO THANKFUL you arrived home safely:)

Some Fall Decor & More...

Thought I would post a few pix of some of my Fall Decor and

post some about gdaughter, Mallory's visit.

I couln't find a fall wreath for our front door that was just the right size and the right $$.

I also didn't want to make one...so I went with this gourd plaque for half price at Hobby Lobby.

I already had the swag at the top...thus together making a nice front door fall greeting

I have had these small wooden clothes pin dolls for years...
they seem to always find a place on a table or shelf this time of year.

Mallory had a delightful time painting a face on this pumpkin.
She named him, Steve!

This is "Yorkie" (as named by Mallory)
the scare crow that sits on our kitchen counter.

Another pic of Mallory standing at our front door.

I needed a table runner for our coffee table so I made one.
I wasn't sure what to create.
During the night I woke up thinking about it & this idea came to my mind.
Of course I couldn't rest until it was made!
I wanted to create something that would cause us to focus on this season's meaning
thus the applique words: Give Thanks

Here is another pix of Mallory in our front yard.

Mallory is such a delight to be around:)
Love you, Mallory.
Thanks for spending some of your fall break with us!

The Cab Ride...

So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated".

"Oh, you're such a good boy", she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?" "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice".

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left,' she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now".

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse. "Nothing," I said. "You have to make a living," she answered. "There are other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you." I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

I will delight in the Lord, my Saviour!

God is SO GOOD to me...and prayer is essential for the believer:)

I prayed then called the internet store where I purchased the American flag for Warren for his bd. It was quick and easy...the lady on the phone was nice and apologized for getting the order wrong...is emailing a return label so I can mail back the wrong flag and is priority mailing me the right flag:)

Thank you, Lord:)

Look'n Good at 62!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Warren!

Todd & Warren

Amy made her dad his favorite dessert...
Homemade old family recipe chocolete pie!

Bledsoe gkids wishing gdad a happy bd!


What could it be???

A new American flag to hang outside
and it's made in the USA!

There was one problem though with the flag...it was not the one I ordered, but I didn't know it until he opened it:( The Flag company sent me a less expensive one...not the one I ordered...and still charged me for the more expensive one...go figure:(:(:( So now I have to go through all the trouble & time to mail this one back and get them to send me the one I ordered with no extra charge to me. I do hope this goes smoothly and satisfactory:)

And by the way, Warren does NOT color his hair! He is often asked or accused of this...really:)

Blog Backgrounds Galore + More...

I'll leave it at this for now...fall pumpkins. It's late and I need to go to bed:) I have discovered that there are SO MANY free blog backgrounds to try out plus so much more add ons!

So as my time allows I will continue to search the web and all these really neat blog background sites.

We are leaving for our RV campout weekend tomorrow (Friday). I'll get back to this when I can:)

Searching...

For just the right Blog background...this is a work in progress:)
Come back again...real soon to check it out:)

New Glasses...

As inspired by my younger sister, Sherrell, I am now sporting new rimless glasses! I just love them...as close as you can get to not wearing glasses besides contacts! See my profile pic above.

I've been busy doing this and that, but must get back to working/sewing on Macey's 1st birthday quilt. My goal is to finish it soon...for I have a lot of Christmas sewing I must do:)

From One Pumpkin to Another

A woman was asked by a coworker,
'What is it like to be a Christian?'

The coworker replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin.'
God picks you from the patch, brings you in,
and washes all the dirt off of you.
Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.
He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.
Then He carves you a new smiling face and
puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.'

This was passed on to me by another pumpkin.
Now it's your turn to pass it to other pumpkins.

Football, Soccer, & Fun Photoshow...

The Stars of the Show

Click HERE to see the photoshow. Enjoy:)

Look Who's 2 Cute!

Camden Matthew Bledsoe

See more birthday pix
by clicking HERE

ENJOY!

New face pics of the 14 Grand's

To the top right of my blog you will notice I have added some updated pix of the Grand 14.
Click HERE to see these pix enlarged (my flickr account).
Enjoy:)

Accomplishing Some Things I've Put Off...Finally!

This is what my sewing room has looked like now for quite sometime:( I have pulled out boxes of scrape material...hoping to organize them for use when I applique.
I was hoping to start gdaughter Macey's bd quilt today...but this room was STARING me in the face! So I began here first. It is not just a matter of putting/squishing all these small, medium, large fabric pieces in a box...I'm actually ironing them and sorting them into colors so I will have an easier time finding the color pieces I need when I'm ready to applique or quilt:) I figure I will do one pile today and gradually get to the others a little at a time. My goal is to get these boxes of scrapes put/hidden away:)

These drawers all have bits n pieces of scrape material that need sorting and organizing.

These have already been sorted and organized.

I certainly have my work cut out for me.

Here is another activity I keep putting off...
I certainly have NO EXCUSE not to do this!

I have the tennis shoes...

I have the tread mill...
I have the time...
I have the energy...
What I don't have is the will:(

But today I AM turning over a new leaf and have started back to walking on our treadmill.
PLEASE PRAY FOR ME THAT I WILL BE DILIGENT/DISCIPLINED IN DOING THIS!

It's good for my health and hopfully I will loose some weight!

Kassidy's Birthday Photoshow...

To view more birthday pix click HERE and enjoy!

Inspired...

My daughter, Amy, doesn't know it but she inspired me the other day. I was at her house and noticed how beautifully she had it decorated for fall. So I bought some fall material and made a quilted table runner and placemats. It has been a looooooong time since I have made anything for my house so it was a fun project to do.

Now to get started on gdaughter, Macey Saramae's, first birthday quilt:)

AGING or GROWING OLDER...

Is not for the faint-hearted.

I just got back from an eye doctor's appt. I knew I was having some vision problems but thought it was because I needed a new eye glass perscription. Well, the facts are my eye glass perscription has not changed that much but I was not seeing well in my left eye. So I had further eye examination (which means I got my eyes dilated and had to wear those dark disposable shades after leaving the office).

The findings are I have the beginnings of macular degeneration and a very small cateract on my left eye with my right eye showing some yellowing of the lens (which is a beginning sign of a cateract :(:(:(

The doctor assured me that nothing needs to be done right now and that I need to have yearly eye exams to see how all is progressing. With my glasses I have 25/20 vision.

I knew that macular degeneration runs in our family (my mother has it) so I have been taking the vitamin Lutein for 4 years. My eye doctor told me to add a fish oil vitamin also.

I did order some new glasses...which I'm excited about...they are the frameless kind. I also am getting my first ever perscription sunglasses (using my old frames for these).

The problem with aging is you just can't stop it ...you just wear out in time!

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. but the things we can't see now will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18 (The Message)

AMEN and AMEN!

Labor Day Family Fun

The family got together this past Labor Day at the Schubert's Farm. What a great family time. We were all there except Todd & Jenny & gdaughters, Abbie & Savannah. They are in China visiting family. Todd has made it back to the states, but Jenny and the girls are still in China and are scheduled to fly back the end of Oct.

Boy, we sure MISS them, but not more than Todd:) He doesn't like going home to an empty house. We dropped by to see him and as we walked up to their front door the 2 little faces that we are used to seeing...peeping out the side windows by the front door were missing:( Yes, that's an empty feeling for sure.

Our daughter's church has it's big fireworks on Labor Day Sunday with all the festivities that go with this. We also celebrated 2 family birthday parties. I will be posting the birthday celebration in my next post.

Check out my photoshow HERE and enjoy

A Prescription for Contentment

"Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich;

having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

2 Corinthians 6:10

I love for my wedding ring to shine. About once a week, I ask my friend who gets me up to use my toothpaste and toothbrush to scrub my ring. Real gold and diamonds can take a good scrubbing; they're not as delicate as we think. And when they're polished, my, they look lovely!

Malachi 3:16, 17 talks about how the Lord has a Book of Remembrance in which the names of all those who meditate on Him, who think about His name, are written down. He calls these people His jewels. How do we become jewels that gleam and shine in His sight? He says, "I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God'" (Zech. 13:9).

Oh, that's what I want to be: a jewel that shines in His sight, a jewel that doesn't mind a good polishing now and then. I'm not as delicate as some people think, especially when God's grace sustains me.

Maybe you feel as if someone has taken a gigantic toothbrush and is scrubbing your soul raw. It hurts. And you wince at the pain, the disappointment. But take heart, there's a purpose.

Let me remind you: You're not as delicate as you think. You, as a believer, are a jewel, someone very precious to God. You're a diamond, you're silver, and you're gold. He promises that, as His jewel, He's going to shine you up. As silver is refined and as gold is tried, He will polish you bright so that everyone will see you're a jewel.

Lord, help me to bring a willing spirit to You, one prepared to be polished, even when it hurts. I want to be Your jewel.

Taken from More Precious Than Silver. Copyright © 1998 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Amy & Kevin!

Go Mt. Vernon!

Our gson, Tanner, is playing on the 3rd grade

Mt. Vernon football team in Missouri.

We haven't been to any of his games yet,
but when we do I will post a photoshow of it.