"Happy Halloween"!

Oh how we love pumpkin season! You did know that these gourd-ish squash has its own season, Right?! Winter, Spring, Summer, and Pumpkin... We anxiously anticipate it every year. Trader Jo's feirless flyer.

Hot Plate Pads

I bought these cute little blocks at a garage sale and couldn't decide what to make with them. So I sewed some batting to the inside and gave it a back. I took some uncooked rice gave it some apple cinnamon scent filled the inside and made a Hot plate pad. When you set something hot on top of it, it draws the cinnamon scent out even more. They make really easy cute hostess gifts, and bridal

shower gifts.

So get some of your own preprinted blocks and start dishing up some cute kitchen accesories for your favorite ladies.

My Fall Table Topper!

I just took some scraps of fall printed material and muslin and made a mini block quilt to set on my table. I made an extra one that I gave my mom. It turned up really pretty as you can see.

It's Been Awhile!

It has been awhile sinceI have taken the time to Blog! Life has went on here, with alot of changes. My Dear husband has found his 16 year old daughter that was taken out of his life, 8 years ago, my lovely sister-in-law has come to stay with us until she can get on her feet again. And my precious grandchildren have moved several hours from us so we don't get to see them anymore. At time I feel life is just so full of nothing but challenges, that we have to fight for every moment of joy. Then I look around me and realize how truly blessed that I am. I live in a country where I have rights that every human being should be entitled to. I live in a beauiful home that I am blessed with from hard work, sweat, blood and tears and lots of love. I have loads of family and friends that keep my life full of joy and love and at times hair pulling craziness. And the comfort of my many 4 legged family members that give me unconditional love.

Take the time today to tell someone you love them and give them a hug.






Life is precious and the people around you come and go, but your memories of each and everyone of them keeps them in your hearts.

I'm a proud to be an American!

From every mountain side Let Freedom ring.

~Samuel F. Smith, "America"

Thanks to all the men and women that have gave their lives so that we may enjoy our freedom. "God Bless America!!!!"

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

Gamma and Avery! He was about 2 months here!

It has been a couple of days since I was on here. Life has kept me busy and haven't had much me time. Today my youngest Grandson, Avery, had his first birthday. He spent the night with his Gamma and Gampa last night so we got to be the first ones to wish our little man a Happy Birthday. The year has went to fast. It seems like yesterday that the little guy came into this world. He is such a JOY to have in our lives! I Thank God everyday for his presence in my life.

A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase. ~Author Unknown
This pic was taken June 2 of this year. We spent the day at the lake. He loved playing in the sand.

Happy Birthday, Lil' Man! Gamma loves you!!!

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings

Good Morning all! Happy Sunday, may you have a wonderful day full of sunshine and joy! Here are a few pictures that I snapped this morning around my yard, and then following these there is some pictures of some Osprey Birds that we have been watching for several weeks now. Hope you enjoy the pictures of the day!

Outside the back door of my work, there is a huge old grain tower of some sort. On top of it is a very large nest of Osprey Birds. We have been watching these birds for quite sometime now, and yesterday we got to see some of them take their first flight. It was such an awesome thing to see. Of course I didn't have my camera at the time, but did get it later in the day. By that time they were not leaving the nest so I didn't get any of my own pictures of them trying to fly, but did get a few of them on the nest.

To watch them was truly amazing. They would spread their wings wide open and let the wind lift them up a few feet above the nest and then they would drop back down. They did this over and over again. I am guessing to get the feel of the wind. I was definitly a first in my life to see a bird taking it first flight.

Below are a few pictures of the ones out back of work. They are not real good pictures because they were so far away, but not terrible pics either.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

~Lao Tzu

Animals give me more pleasure through the viewfinder of a camera than they ever did in the crosshairs of a gunsight. And after I've finished "shooting," my unharmed victims are still around for others to enjoy. I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans.

~Jimmy Stewart

Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals "love" them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more.

~Edwin Way Teale, Circle of the Seasons, 1953

God made all the creatures and gave them our love and our fear,To give sign, we and they are His children, one family here.

~Robert Browning

My thought for today is pretty simple!

Look around you GOD is everywhere!

Thanks for taking a moment to check out my blog.

Comments are always Welcome!

Take time today to smell the flowers!

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul.

~The Koran

Earth laughs in flowers.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

Take a moment today to enjoy Natures Beauty! I thought I would share some favorite flower photos that I took while I was in Ohio a few years ago. Lilacs are my favorite flower. The variety of colors, the wonderous smell that consumes the air around you. It is such an awesome experience to stand in the middle of many bushes of Lilacs.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day! Happy Friday to all of you!

I am a diehard animal lover. I grew up on a farm in Northeastern Ohio and we always had dogs and cats running around. I still continue this of having dogs and cats running around me all the time. I actually have 6 dogs, 8 cats and a Grey Masked Cocktail bird. This to say the least drives my dear husband nuts at time, due to the fact he hated cats when we met and never would of thought of having a dog in the house. So I am going to dedicate this blog to my husband, Wes, for all his patience and understanding for the love that I have for all my furry little creatures.

You enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets. ~Nora Ephron

This little guy is Riley. He is about a year and a half old. He is a Long Haired Dauchshund. He is quite the little character and escape artist.

This picture to the right is my dear husband, Wes holding our sleeping little baby, Daisy. She is also a Long Haired Dauchshund. She is about 16 weeks old. He thinks she looks like a Reese's Cup.

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet. ~Colette

Here we have my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth and my Ol' Girl, Lady. We lost her on Valentine's Day of this year. She was 14 years old. She was a big part of my life and she is greatly missed. She gave me years of comfort and happiness. I know she is up there running threw the fields of flowers chasing the butterflies.

An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber

Here we have our Handsome little devil! Dinky Man. He is my beloved Boston Terrier. He is about 4 1/2 years old. He is my Guardian Angel. He is my best friend.

It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being. ~Henry David Thoreau

On the right we have TT and Pumba! They are playmates. TT is about 1 1/2 years old Boston Terrier. She is also know as my growth. She is wherever I am. Pumba is a 4 month old kitty that we all love. We also have his brother, his name is Timon. There is nothing better than falling asleep to the purring of a kitten in your ear.

Most pets display so many humanlike traits and emotions it's easy to forget they're not gifted with the English language and then get snubbed when we talk to them and they don't say anything back. ~Stephenie Geist

Tigger Boy! I helped him come into the world and will make sure he has the best life in this world that I am capable of giving him. He is 2 years old.

As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat. ~Ellen Perry Berkeley

Mr. Zuka. He is the biggest baby we have. He is a 90# White Boxer. He thinks he is a little 5# lap dog with more personality than any dog I have ever know. We haven't had him long, he belonged to my sister and she couldn't keep him anymore so he made the trip to the good ol' sunny south to become a Florida Dog. They say the old ones come south to retire and I believe Zuka has decided to become on of these retires. He is such JOY to have in our home and we feel very lucky that he decided to join our family.

I believe in animal rights, and high among them is the right to the gentle stroke of a human hand. ~Robert Brault,

We have many other animals and animal pictures but this is it for now. Stay tune for the sequel, coming soon. Hope you enjoy the pictures of my family.

Have you taken the time to look above you.

Have you taken the time to look above you. The wonders that the universe creates for us to see gets looked over to often. Here are some pics of some of those wonders that I love.

The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? - it is the same the angels breathe. ~Mark Twain, "Roughing It"

Angels can fly because they carry no burdens. ~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. ~e.e. cummings

That is it for today! Hope you enjoyed my pictures.

Don't forget to take the time to look above you!

I love to take photographs!

I have been an amatuer photographer for years, I love to take pictures of the world around me. It is wonderful to sit down and look through albums of times and adventures past. To see how your life has developed and changed. The people that move in and out of your life and the ones that are always there. So sit back and enjoy some of my recent photos.

This first picture is taken on the banks of the Kissimmee River in Ft. Bassinger, Okeechobee County, Florida.

This is my Papa Carl. He isn't my father, but as close to any father a person could have. He is one of the strongest, caring, and loving men I have had the pleasure of knowing in my life. He will always hold a special place in my heart. Love ya Pappa!

This is one of our Great Wild Oaks we have down here in the deeper parts of Florida. I love the way the Spanish Moss hangs from the trees.

This is a Cabbage Palm tree. It is used in our area to make Swamp Cabbage Stew. Some people call it the Heart of the Palm, because the heart of the tree is what is eaten. If you ever get the chance to taste some home cooked Swamp Cabbage take it, you will be surprised by what you find.

Will that is it for now. Hope you enjoyed some pics of the Wilds of Florida.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Happy Memorial Day to all out there! Hope everyone took the time to say a prayer for our American Hero's today. Without all of their sacrifices we couldn't enjoy our FREEDOM every minute of every day!

Take the time to put together a care package for one of our brave soliders that are away from their families during this holiday weekend. You can find a solider to send a care package to through a few different groups. I have added a couple of links to help you get started.

http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/

http://anysoldier.com/

Getting into some quilting!

Life is definitely looking up for me lately. Even though I was down really sick for a few days this week, I feel better than I have in a long, long time. I have even started working on some of my quiliting projects that have sat neglected for so long.

I am putting together a baby blanket with Teddy Bears appliqued. 9 different Bears to be made into a block style quilt. I believe it is going to be so cute.
I also am going to dig out my 30's fabric quilt that I have been working on for quite some time now. Maybe I can get some of my pieces together this weekend.

I finally got some energy back!

It has been a long time since I felt this good! I am getting up early, getting the house cleaned before work, even getting some things baked which is rare. Life is finally getting a little better around here. I got a new car, Okay, a new car for me but an old car. It is a 1976 Dodge Aspen with only 48,400 miles on it. It is a good, clean, dependable car. I hope I even have Mr. Fairweather as my guardian angel riding in the passenger seat with me.
Will off the computer and to work I need to get to. I have food to make for the Garman family as they lost a member a few days ago. And I have to be at work at 10:30 so I better get busy.

New to blogging!!!!

Good Morning! Just a little introduction of who I am.

Alot of people call me Ellie Mae, I am new to blogging so please bare with me. I am a mother of two great young adults, (even if they don't act like adults most of the time, LOL). My dear son is 21 and my dear daughter is 18. I also have two stepdaughters, Brittany, 23 and Trish, 17 a son-in-law, Mark and three grandkids, Anthony, Ashlyn, and Avery. I am married to a my best friend, Wes, for 4 years now.

We are also very big animal lovers and have an assortment of little creatures throughout our home.

We live in the southern part of the United States and really enjoy the area we live in. I work as a waitress and cook at a local diner in our small town and my husband is a tattoo artist of 34 years. We live a pretty busy lifestyle between family, work and hobbies.

When not working I enjoy making an assortment of craft objects and have even made a little extra cash in doing so. I like to sew, cross stitch, scrapbook, and quilting. Reading is also a big passion of mine along with spending quaility time with my family and husband.