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November 2, 2021
grand ol' time . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

So with a crew far away in California, and a crew kinda doing their own thing this year, Todd and I just chilled (on the boat on the lake) and let the pictures of the good times roll in! First, I had delivered the placemats for the local crew . . .
I got a good one of the girls (well, two of them ... Evey had a headache that evening, poor dear) and a good one of the placemats.  So you get to see them both. 

Before I get too far into the Halloween antics, let me also remark that first and foremostly ...

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October 27, 2021
finally caught up . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

What a weekend! Friday afternoon we headed out to make things ready for the 5th annual Pastor & Wife Appreciation banquet and retreat.We had about 36 pastors and their wives.  It was a great evening with fabulous food, worship and fellowship—not to mention a terrific speaker who spoke great words of encouragement.  We had about nine couples who were able to spend the night.  There was a fabulous breakfast that morning, and then we broke out into groups, for some more encouragement.  I think it was a success!

But I was itching to get home, because I knew what ...

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babies and sunsets . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Monday, I took a little time off and gave Joc a bit of a breather.  This time I took Ezra off her hands so she could shower and do some things she wanted to do.
Ummmmm, my pleasure!
Evidently I'm just the right sleep select comfort number.  Isn't he sweet??!  :)

And then Wednesday (because we knew we'd not be able to go out today ... we have our ministry's annual Pastor/Wife Appreciation banquet) I took off again.  (Because a five-day weekend wasn't enough.) And Todd and I hit the lake . . . again. The weather has just ...

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celebrate on . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

I may have shared that I give as much time as my birthday wants to be celebrated. A week where you only work two days and have the next five free is as good a time to continue celebrating as any! I gave a whole post to the Tate Farms fun, but I'll condense the remainder of the long weekend here. Mostly.  I think. 

Thursday, the weather continued to be beautiful, and since a wet, cool front was moving in on Friday, our regular boat day, Todd and I decided to go ahead and get our lake action in ...

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October 26, 2021
let the festivities commence . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

It's BIRTHDAY weekend!!  Hip, hip!!  The fun started Thursday evening when I pulled up and there were two beautiful planters of my favorite fall flowers . . .
MUMS!  Aren't they pretty?  Todd knows me so well!

Friday we hit the lake around 11:30.  Even the fish must have known it was my birthday weekend! I actually pulled out my pole (Todd was catching them hand over fist, so to speak) and I did well. 
I caught about eight (to Todd's twenty, but who's counting?).  Mine were GOOD sized!
The heron even squawked out a birthday greeting.  ;)

Saturday ...

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october's here . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Got an update on June this week; she saw her shadow . . .
. . . four more weeks in the cast. But this time she got a pretty bright blue one!  And a side trip to the San Diego zoo!  Sweet girl.  She's handling it all very well.  She is getting a little antsy.  She misses her gymnastics!

Also got an update on this sweet kiddo . . . 
Pictured here celebrating getting two parts in The Nutcracker! One is a solo dance (one of the gift toys in the early scene of the Christmas party) and the second is a group dance as one of ...

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October 21, 2021
all the things . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Remember that cute Halloween fabric I got a couple of weeks ago??
Really cute, right??  Guess what I found out on accident . . .
It GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!  Is that not the best?  You know what that means?
It means I went back and got MORE!  Haha!  And as per usual, I found something else I *needed* while I was there.  

Joc sent me this photo during the week . . . 
Ezra's little bed, all ready for little Ezra!  The pillow sham turned out so sweetly! 

I've been so puzzled trying to figure out why, of my two hanging pots of ...

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lake day . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

After that burst of creativity . . . I had a really non-productive week.  And when we hit the lake on Friday, I didn't even take a stitching project with me. 

I feel the need for speeeeeed!!! (Name that movie!)
I took my (boat) kindle . . .
And my new TeaTime Magazine (and a thermos of tea . . . with a teacup, of course)!
The forecast for the day had been iffy, with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms, but we made it to sunset without a drop.
I'm always tickled when I can capture a good shot of a blue heron!

Of course, this was ...

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Sandhill Sling and apple adventure from Sew Sunshine


I set off to take a fun pic of this 
Sandhill Sling bag (pattern by noodlehead)
Last weekend my husband decided he wanted to run 18.5 miles near his home town and I needed to spot him. So while waiting for him I climbed a ditch and snapped my bag with the pretty goldenrod. 
I almost lost my bag and or damaged some limbs climbing that ditch. My shot turned out okay but not great and I had to jump up on a steep incline to get it back..ha
It survived and so did I. :)

I stopped at ...

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October 19, 2021
of guilds, gardens and guntersville . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

We had the most FABULOUS guild program this month! Several of our members have taken the steps to form a Quilts of Valor chapter here locally; Liberty Piecemakers of Huntsville, and we had a QOV program at the meeting, including a very touching QOV award presentation.

Barbara Black, of My Joyful Journey, wrote nicely about it HERE.  Her husband was one of the QOV recipients. Some of our photos may look the same . . . I sent what I had to her so she could enjoy the program itself!
Pre-meeting gabbing!

The QOV regional spokesperson

Barbara, her husband Will, and April Goss ...

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summertime shenanigans . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

It has been a whirlwind of a month! June is a month when thoughts turn to . . . 

Pumpkins.  I mean, right?!  Doesn't everyone's mind work this way?! Haha! You know, I rarely buy wool kits because I enjoy picking my own wool for a project. When I found this darling pattern, I knew I'd definitely want to kit it from my own stash!
I had just the perfect combinations to work with!  Does anyone else work out colors/fabrics this way? I do love the end game . . .
Of course it still needs to be blanket stitched down, but ...

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wedding, reunions, and anniversaries . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

I said May's a wrap in my last post . . . but I forgot to take into account our day on the lake with our favorite local grands!
Before we headed out, we stopped to put gas in the boat.  We were docked behind a sweet cabin cruiser that was sweetly named!
So we celebrated Memorial Day in the water.  It was still a little cool, but all the girls wanted to swim and splash, so we did.  Purple lips and all! Seriously, once I got in, I knew I had to stay in, or I'd never take the plunge ...

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May 13, 2021
fun days . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Not a lot going on in the Nook these past two weeks.  We've got Campers on Mission in the camp for their annual work.  This year they've been working on a new bathhouse for the camp.  It's so exciting watching it come together . . . 
Isn't that great?!  They've worked so hard for these last two weeks.  I am so excited for the benefit this adds to the camp! ♥  Speaking of the camp, one of the COM wives knew I sewed/quilted, and look what she made me:
Awesome, right?  That was so kind of her to ...

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March 22, 2021
Spring Has Sprung & I'm So Glad from Ravelly1

 Greetings everyone. Wow! I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted. Warning, this post will be filled with photos of the goings on around the farm and a couple of my favorite commercial videos thrown in.

First, my neighbor sold his old farm house and had it moved about 7 miles away.

Four days of digging, hammering, lifting, dragging & more cussing than I ever want to listen to again.....the house was finally on the truck....however, it was getting dark so the sheriff's deputy get the movers would have to start for the ...

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January 8, 2021
End of 2020 from Pebble Creek Arts

Well, for the end of 2020, I decided to get my art organized. I had been researching taking photos of my artwork. I had been practicing and trying different things. I finally found what I think is the correct formula for me. Once I did, I set out to re-take all the photos of the artwork I still had in my possession. I spent a long time trying to get it right. I feel like it was worth the effort. I now have photos of my artwork that will print off just right. I also catalogued and made certificates for ...

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December 13, 2020
bits and pieces . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Right off the bat, let me put your minds to rest . . . 
This got finished, so this could happen . . .
Whew!  All is right with the (her) world again!

It's been a busy week, at work and home.  For the last eight years, we've gone to see The Nutcracker ballet every Christmas season.  This year they didn't do the ballet (go figure).  So instead, I've been putting together something fun to take its place . . .
We'll have a full-blown tea party with all the trimmings, and then watch the ballet on DVD!!  (I've got several versions, of ...

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December 2, 2020
stockings + top trend from Charm About You

You don't need me to tell you that the year so far has been crazy! I'm ready to settle down for a cosy, quiet winter. I still have a few projects to sew and if you're anything like me, you might have a few projects to sew this season too! 


Last year I created a tutorial for these simple patchwork stockings. A calm colour palette was called for by my girls (who are the users of these stockings!) but you could make them festive with Christmas prints or whatever colours fit your home.

The fun addition of ...

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November 18, 2020
ticking away . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

Time, that is. It's just been so busy!

Last Thursday I headed to Nashville (or thereabouts) for a two-day women's leadership forum.  
It was terrific, but they'd condensed it from a three-day event, without cutting anything.  So it was two 12-hour days of conference in 36 hours ... and bookended by a 2.5 hour drive!  I think I'm finally able to actually *think* about some of the things I heard.

Also, I came home to a finish . . . 
Our screened porch! Todd even got the carpet laid.  I'm so thrilled! They really did a great job ...

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November 10, 2020
ebb and flow . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

So do you ever get in a place where you've been sticking to a good blogging regiment, and it's time to blog and you think, "I just can't." Not because of some emotional duress or physical stress. It's just not there.  That was me this weekend. I've been trying to post at least once a week—because I enjoy going back and reading my posts and seeing what I was doing—and any posts beyond that are just a bonus.  The months (and the years) when blog post offerings are slim make me sad (in ...

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November 1, 2020
rabbit, rabbit . . . from Count it *all* JOY!

And just like that, it's November.  WOW!

Thursday evening after work I headed to visit the grandgirls and spend the night.  On Friday we made our annual visit to Tate Farms . . .
It was hard to get a photo of everyone together!  We were full out in motion for our three hours there! But it was a fun day.  :)

Saturday was bright and beautiful!  What a fabulous day for Halloween ... and June Madelyn's birthday!
We got to facetime with her and sing her "Happy Birthday" and watch her open her presents!  June is eight!  I miss them all SO ...

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