Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ice Storm 2019/ThursdayDoors

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A Throwback event was planned by my husband and I for our daughters. We bought them tickets for Christmas and the event was held last Friday evening in Kansas City. But as you can see from some photos below, we were kinda worried if we’d get to make it there. Ice is the worst! Can’t stress it enough. There’s nothing moving, unless it’s you falling on your rump or other body parts that happen to land first. Such as my youngest hitting her head on the pavement headed to work. So glad she wasn’t hurt badly! Scary stuff and not the best part of living in the Midwest.

  • Double Icicles out my back door
    Double Icicles out my back door
  • Twigs beaten down from wind and freezing rain
    Twigs beaten down from wind and freezing rain
  • Icy View from the back porch
    Icy View from the back porch
  • Shards of death as the hubby called them. A clear 'Do not enter' signal.
    Shards of death as the hubby called them. A clear ‘Do not enter’ signal.

The Throwback Event as I have dubbed it was a concert to see Sara Evans who happens to be a Missouri-born country music singer in case you weren’t aware. Three of us met the eldest daughter at the Ameristar Casino to see the show. We took a couple prints of the 2002 pic below along for autographing.

Sara Evans with my girls at the 2002 Missouri State Fair.
Sara Evans with my girls at the 2002 Missouri State Fair.

Little did we know we’d get to take another photo or 2. They’re all grown up now clearly and this mom is feeling all sappy and stuff. My how time flies. Some song lyrics from Born to Fly:
Hey, ’cause I will soar away like the blackbird
I will blow in the wind like a seed
I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams
And I will grow up where I want, wild and free   Who doesn’t want this for their children? Some more photos below of the fam and some doors that are the best I could do with an icy parking lot on the outside. I.Don’t. Skate.

  • Me and the Mister
    Me and the Mister
  • Essential Doors
    Essential Doors
  • Sara Evans
    Sara Evans
  • Christmas gift is now a reality
    Christmas gift is now a reality

” Hope you’ll take some time to visit other Thursday Door posts at Norm 2.0 and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

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Bethlehem Baptist Church/ThursdayDoors

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I’m traveling back to my roots this ThursdayDoors. After a DNA test back in May of 2017, I’ve taken the deeper plunge to investigating the paper trail. But there aren’t just paper trails when it comes to these searches. There are places to visit. So the husband and I took a Sunday Drive last weekend since we had temps near 60 degrees and some sunshine. Can’t stay inside on a day like that!

First View

This is Bethlehem Baptist Church in Florence, Missouri. It was here that my Gt. Gt. Grandfather was pastor. Reverend Caleb H. Cramer ministered to this community and the surrounding area for over 50 years of his adult life. This church was home to a whole lotta family members. (You know they had a ton of kids back in the day.) Although I only live 25 minutes away, it’s my first time seeing it.

Front Door Entrance – Newer Doors

When choosing this site for the church, I’m sure the view overlooking the valley was a major deciding factor. “Build your house upon the rock” Matthew 7:24-45 is a favorite Bible verse of mine.

Original Portion of the church

From the State Historical Society of Missouri’s public pdf “Organized in 1846 in the home of Reverend B.F. Dinwiddie. The first services were held in a log building on the site of Harmony School, and the first land was purchased from Henry and Amanda Wagenknecht in 1869.”

I happen to have the Reverend Dinwiddie’s final resting place on the far left of this picture. This was a beautiful view of the valley below here.

Civil War Era Photo of my grandparents

About Grandpa,…..Born 1847 and died 1932. But the years between were a life filled with good works. I mentioned his ministry before and he also served in the Civil war in the Missouri Infantry Volunteers. Usually one thinks of most of the Civil War action beyond Missouri, but we actually had a considerable amount of action here.

Rev. Caleb and Mrs. Nancy Cramer

Wish I could see the twin doors in the background!!

  • Steeple View
  • Newer addition
  • Side door w/ramp
  • Newest addition to the back

I must say I have my husband to thank profusely.
Ron, you’re my hero!! He’s been helping fill out that family tree and it is becoming huge!! Wowza! We’ve gotten back to 1621 in one branch. (I’m such a history nerd)

Thanks for visiting this Thursday and I hope you’ll check out Norm 2.0 and the band of ‘door guerillas’ he has following him. So many wonderful sights to see in the world of Thursday Doors!

Mexico,Missouri/ThurdayDoors

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I found some leftovers in my photo stash that might have some merit this Thursday Doors. This will be a 2nd entry for Mexico, Missouri on my site.

Mexico, population of around 11,000, is located in Audrain County and is the location of a Veterans Home, the annual Miss Missouri Pageant as well as the Missouri Military Academy-founded 1889. It’s the county seat and most recently, was honored with the most snowfall in one occurence in the state for this year so far at 22 inches. (learned that from my husband’s dr)

Memorial Court House-June 2017

On the Square is a common term when referring to a rural downtown location. I was On the Square in the city of Mexico in June of 2017 when I took these shots. And some of the shots (confession time) are screenshots of the area from Google Earth because I felt it was necessary to go to this extent to give a better view than what I was able to get in person.

  • Typical town square
  • Built 1951
  • Chamber of Commerce

A place I had to refrain from entering was this music establishment.

Its OPEN 🎶

I have a knack of finding exceptional deals on 5-string banjos. My eldest daughter says I need more restraint from purchasing any more. Here’s one time I didn’t try my luck. Dear Daughter, you are welcome. 🙂

Please take time to see more Thursday Doors posts over at Norm 2.0. Just find his blue frog button and enjoy!

Southwestern Pettis County/Thursday Doors

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The Saturday after Thanksgiving was our final craft show for 2018. I neglected to photograph our booth for the first time in I can’t remember how long. But I definitely have a series of photos from afterwards. I’m sharing these this Thursday Doors. I hope you enjoy the simple beauty of this Missouri landscape of late November. And when you’re finished, I hope you’ll traipse on over to Norm 2.0, read his post where he’ll direct you to the rest of us door-seekers from around the globe. 

  • That deer stood only a moment.
  • Big Sky
  • Open fields and prairie
  • Love this color of gold against blue skies
  • Door in view
  • Trees can make the barn, or vice versa.
  • Front view with 2 doors at least
  • Another newer barn
  • Not too new
  • Sweeping grasses
  • Cut wheat field
  • No farm in the hills here. That’s another time.

D and T Quilt Shop/Thursday Doors

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For the record I have 1 cat. 

I have rarely participated in Black Friday. I happen to think it’s a ploy to rob me. But this year was different. I actually called my mother to invite her along. Stop The Press!!

Yes there was some urgency.

Not my photo. Too rainy that day for me to worry with it.

There was a notice in our paper that the owner of this shop had passed away. And they are selling her fabric at a significantly lower price and closing shop. This local business has been a very big blessing in our area. We live an hour in any direction from the nearest big chain fabric store. (Until recently, we acquired a Hobby Lobby) But let’s get real. This was the Ultra fabric stop for serious quilters.

Mom and I decided to check out the bargains and show our support for the family. This must be difficult for them.

Below is my ‘haul’. I am planning some serious sewing this coming year.  

Mom thought the blue floral reminded her of something her own mother would have used for a dress. Can I get an awwwww?!  Miss my grandmother very much! So blessed to still have my momma!

This is a better look at the fat quarters.

Buy 50/ Get 50 free. And they were already reduced. An irresistable deal. Mother and I both succumbed.

A peek at the gallery will show you all the tiny ‘doors’ I found in this treasure trove. I hope you’ll, somehow, identify with this version of Thursday Doors and take time to visit Norm 2.0 for beautiful door posts around the globe.

  • Venice Doors
  • Scandinavian Doors
  • Log Cabin Doors
  • Birdhouse Doors
  • Amish Doors
  • Farm Doors
  • School House (no door)
  • Eiffel Tower Door
  • Doge’s Palace Doors
  • St. Mark’s Campanile (This one’s for Rachel)

I was neglectful in mentioning the transportation provided by my eldest daughter. Thank you Rachel for tolerating and enabling your mother and grandmother on this expedition. Love you bunches!!!

Color-full

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We gather lots of broken crayons around here.

Crayolamelter7

And they get stored in these extra large ice cream containers. When it gets about half full, I turn to ways to upcycle them.

Watching & waiting
More waiting

The hubby is pretty good at discovering bargains on ebay and found this Crayola Melt & Mold Factory at a decent price. It comes with a couple mold styles and looked like it would be a good way to occupy school-agers this summer.

Crayolamelter2

Here is where I insert the facts. If you have only a few broken crayons, this is the way to go because this is how many (I’m being Very generous) you can melt in one sitting. And in one sitting I mean 45 minutes from beginning to end. I wasn’t very impressed with the results as there were air gaps in the molds in the end so you ended up with half-baked crayons. Not very sturdy for those with a firm grip.

Time to move on obviously.

Crayolamelter3

My tried and true method that I have had a lot of success with are these little silicone bakers. They are great for practicing color sorting or color mixing that All ages greatly enjoy. I’m sure you can find many shapes in silicone bakeware or candy molds, but I just use the ones I already have.

Crayolamelter4

My round crayons give new shape, color, and variety to the crayon bin.

Did I mention they are stackable? Quite the item to take outdoors as well. It’s pretty hard to lose these bright round disks, and even harder for them to get choked on. They make great paper weights when the wind is blowing (so you can never have too many).I have a few other ideas I’m planning with these gems for the future. I’ll have to let you know how they work out.

Hope this “Free Tip Friday” brightens the start to your weekend!

Ta-Da!

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We’ve had a heatwave.

Plain and simple, the vegies I usually plant for a later harvest have struggled.

So to compensate, I dug through my stash of old sheets and between the hubby and I, came up with an idea that just might do the trick.

I present the Cucumbers of July 16, 2018 complete with sunburn and impending death.Cucs shaded9.jpg

What our young cucs needed was some relief in the form of shade. So I looked into the mesh shade cloth that you see at greenhouses and larger gardens.

It’s very nice, but I want to save a few pennies. That’s the whole point of gardening right?! Grow your own vegies to save on the grocery bill? And of course there’s the flavor 😉

Cucs shaded7

So here’s what we came up with. Two giant ‘sails’. Really just a curtain with rod pockets at top and bottom. Some old pipe came in handy to attach it to our raised bed. And when storm clouds rise or the weather turns fair, we gather it in the middle and tie it up until danger of getting ripped passes.

Cucs shaded

Taken just 1 week after assembling this shade curtain. And I will admit to having some nice rainfall to help the situation. Just a good all around combination.

Cucs shaded1

And here’s the mandatory garden view.

images

Adding this post to my new page, “Free Tip Friday”. New content on the way!

 

 

A to Z News/Sunday Sampler

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Each year since 2014, I’ve participated in the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge. It’s a blogging extravaganza in which you blog every day except on Sundays. There is no big prize involved. You are only required to enter a blog post for each letter of the alphabet and to visit at least 5 other bloggers each day and let them know you were there. It’s a wonderful way to meet tons of new people, and keep in touch with old acquaintances. I have read some wonderful writing, learned new things, and, hopefully, given inspiration to others by completing this challenge for the last 4 years. I encourage you to visit this link right here to see for yourself what all the hoopla is about.

A

This is not the time for the big “Reveal” of my own personal theme. That comes on March 19. But you are welcome to visit the tabs at the top of this page to read some of my past ones. I would love to know if you are thinking about participating.

Sign up list goes up March 5. Whatever you can contribute in the realm of an A to Z theme, feel free! There are categories for everyone. Hope to see you there!!

Corner To Corner/WPC

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Corner

From the 2017 Missouri State Fair quilt exhibit.

corner(2)

Because of the lighting (or lack thereof) and shadows this isn’t the best shot. It is, however, a huge inspiration to us quilters who try to use up all our fabric stash in one fell swoop. The Corner to Corner division in this quilt is what makes it different and loveable. The hand quilting is what got it a ribbon. Personally I think the creator deserved a blue one.

For other entries in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, Click here.

1892 Residence/ThursdayDoors

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This Thursday Door is not currently on any historical registry, but listed on a ‘Walking Tour’ guide of Lawrence, Kansas. This is the home of Joseph McConnell, built in 1892. A really lovely home to pass by! (I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned I’m a bit partial to yellow homes.)

Joseph McConnell1892

Described as a 2.5-story domestic building in the Eclectic style. Frame Style with wet-laid stone  foundation. Siding is original clapboard. (This means No Vinyl Siding!!) Its cross gable roof is covered with asphalt shingles.

Joseph McConnell1892a

The old post and the brick-lined street are just another endearing part of the historical era that Lawrence has made efforts to keep. A great example for other cities to follow. Hint, Hint, Sedalia, Missouri.