Musings

I have been so blessed in my life with many people who love me. My Mother who taught me to be a positive and joyful person. My Father who loved the Lord and set an example by his service as a Sunday School teacher. My brother Bill who gave me choices. He was a good man and I pray I'll see him when it's my turn to go home.
My sister-in-law, Inez who showed me how to treat my young sisters-in-law by the way she treated me. My friend Jannette who talked to me on the phone and shared scripture with me during those difficult days in the early '80s. My friend Marlene who helped me at a time when I really couldn't handle what someone else had done.
My friend Helen who has shared the pathway - following a few years behind me. She gives me the freedom to speak about anything and never to judge. Helen's mom, Nola, who has simply loved us and enjoyed our company.
Rosalie and Raymond who loved Don and me and enjoyed our company without any expectations of who or what we are.
My friend, sweet Angie, who listened to me when I was 59 falling in love with Don. She didn't even laugh that a 59 year old could feel like a giddy school girl. And then there is sweet Lu who behaved the same way I did in the '80s - only it was a decade later. I was able to see myself in her actions.
Our pastor Mike Coffey who had the gift of preaching - he and Rose Mary who gave us the gift of their friendship. Pastor Karen who is so real and genuine. Tom Stewart, Jan Adkins, Kay Minneck and the Clown Connection - they all came into my life when I needed them most.
How very blessed I am! How very grateful I am to each one who loved and accepted me exactly where I was in my life.

My Very Own New Necklace and earrings

The photo does not do this piece justice. The back of the necklace is a "sidewinder" stitch in a very deep red. It is the newest piece of jewelry I've made for myself. I am so pleased with it.

So often the jewelry is made for gifting; when I make it for myself, it is always special.

I finished this last Saturday so I could wear it to church on Sunday. It is the only beading I have done since Thanksgiving. While the beads still called to me, I didn't answer. I guess I needed some time for other things.

I spoke to my jewelry teacher and showed her the finished results. She was very complimentary. She is such an excellent teacher. I love to just visit with her.

Musings from 2002

Have you ever looked at the bookcase close at hand and seen a book/notebook that you don't remember? Yesterday I saw a blue, spiral notebook on the bookshelf in the den. I didn't remember what it was so I got it down. It contained some interesting musings from a prayer journal. I thought I would like to share some of them.

This was written at a time when I was seated in the sanctuary of our church. The light was dim and it was very quiet. My assignment was to write - about whatever moved me. So here it is.

When I am centered in You, the things You want me to do become clearer. The words You want me to write flow from the pen without conscious thought. You are in the writing. I hold the pen but You cause the words to be formed.

You give the names of people who need the notes or prayers. Since you know what they need, it isn't necessary for me to know.

When You give me a name and I delay writing the note, You send the name again until I act on your "suggestion" and write the note.


When I listen and do Your will, life is so much better because then we can get on to other things.

You can help me with the needed discipline so I can "Be still and wait upon the Lord." "Be still and know...." I don't slow down and stop to listen for Your "still small voice."

Be still; banish the distractions. Rejoice in the sounds instead of being distracted. Thank you for ears to hear the rattling of the window. I can hear it because You gave me ears.

I love this sanctuary because You are here amidst the quiet, the beauty. This place exists as a gathering place to worship you. We are so blessed to have these paces to worship You - and to live in this country where we can worship You freely and without fear.

When this place is quiet, You are here. When it is filled with music and the sounds of worship, You are here.

There was a time when I sat in the 3rd row and the sunlight streamed in through the rose window. It fell upon me like a golden glow and it filled me! What an awesome feeling to be filled with the Spirit!

To sit in this place and realize all the others who have sat here in the last hundred years is amazing. Your people came to worship. People like my friend Marie who loved You. She also loved me and wanted the best for me. People like Curt who sang your praises. I think he is singing there in heaven.

The young men who worshipped here and went on to serve their country. Some didn't come back. Many of those are with you.

Pastors like Henry Jongema, LLoyd Kellams and Dick Watkins who spoke to my heart. People like Jan and Ruth who play to your glory - like Tony when he sang that solo here with tears streaming down his cheeks - he just closed his eyes and sang for You. The young people who produced and performed "Celebrate Life" in this sanctuary. They sang to You.

The Latest from my Beading Desk

These are the latest two necklaces. I am always amazed at how different two necklaces can be when they both have the same lampwork beads. For those of you who don't know the term 'lampwork' - the largest beads in the necklaces are lampwork beads made by a local artist. The photo with the royal blue beads is brighter/clearer than the other photo. I really like the necklace with the turquiose color beads.
When I haven't written anything to post but I have new jewelry, it does give me something to put on the blog.
Gifts for Christmas are buzzing around in my head. There is another necklace being restrung on the beading desk. It was strung and ready for the clasp when I looked at it and decided I didn't really like it. It is more neutral colors. I have one half of it restrung.
The 'Web of Silver' bangle bracelets are fun and so easy to do. I think I posted photos of them before. Anyway, there are two of those awaiting the finishing touches.


We found two bead shops that were closing due to retirement of the owners. One in Pueblo, Co. and the other in Door County, WI. One place the sale was 40% off and the latter was 50% off. So I added to my supply of teeny, tiny seed beads and also found some crystal. I have lot of different type beads. Now all I need is time and inspiration. ;-D

Precious Memories

These items are precious for various reasons. The top left, middle, and bottom left have to do with Rainbow for girls. The ribbon was presented with the certificate for the Grand Cross of Color. The two pins on the ribbon and the large pin in the middle were probably purchased at the Grand Assembly meetings.

The Kansas pin is from Kansas Girls State which I attended the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. It was held on the campus at Kansas University. I learned a lot about how government at every level works. It was a very good experience for me.

The middle right pin and the two bottom pins were purchased when Tony and I went to the Ukraine to work with orphan children in summer camp. I will write about that at a later date. I love the pins and brought a dozen or so back to give to the people who supported my trips.

Order of Eastern Star and Order of Rainbow for Girls

One photo is of Worthy Advisor Rhonda and Mother Advisor BJ. The other photo is Kathy, Rhonda, BJ and Patti.

I joined Eastern Star when Patti and Tony were pretty small. I needed a night out a couple times a month to keep my sanity.

Eastern Star is an organization supported by the Masonic Organization. I needed to have a member of my family to be a Mason. All three of my brothers belonged to the organization. So I was able to use one of them so I could be acccepted in the organization. I was a "Star Point" one year and was Adah. The next year the five of us who were "Star Points" were hostesses. For the first, we wore matching white dresses. For the latter we wore matching dresses of gold color. The second time we were hostesses, we wore matching blue dresses. I enjoyed being part of this organization for a number of years.

The Order of Rainbow for Girls is also supported by the Masonic order and also by the Order of Eastern Star. Rainbow girls range in age from 14 to 20, at which time they "age out" and can no longer be officers in the local chapter.

Rainbow is for the girls and run by the girls with a board of adults (Masons or Eastern Star members) who "oversee" things. The girls elect officers to lead the organization and also some are appointed positions.

Patti joined when she was 14 and was active all through high school. It was so interesting seeing the girls grow and learn and become poised leaders. Some even learned that they couldn't wear colored panties under their white dresses!!

I served on the Rainbow board for several years. The only thing I didn't like about the board meetings we had was that people wanted to chat and not get down to business. I always wanted the business out of the way before the visiting began! Sometimes it happened; sometimes it didn't.

Each year the girls had service projects chosen by the Worthy Advisor. They held fund raisers to help pay for things needed for the service projects. I especially remember one spaghetti dinner that I helped with. Somehow we got it way too salty. So we added sugar to tone down the saltiness! It turned out okay!

Two adults served as either Mother Advisor or Associate Mother Advisor. They were part of the advisory board. Many of the girls formed lasting friendships.

Several years later, the Mother Advisor was relieved of her duties while attending the annual convention (for lack of a better word). The following week several of us were invited to a meeting to decide how to proceed through the next months until time for a new Mother Advisor to take over.

Patti, Lisa (my daughter-in-law) and I volunteered to do whatever we could to help out. Patti ended up being musician (she had also done this when she was an active member). Lisa became the Associate Mother Advisor and I became Mother Advisor. We did every thing we could to keep things running.

The girls loved the previous Mother Advisor who could no longer be part of the group. They were angry and upset and didn't want anyone else. So they made it extremely difficult.

Lisa and Tony moved to Wichita during this time. She told me she would have resigned if they hadn't moved.

I think it was probably October when I submitted my resignation. The regional "big wig" (since I don't remember the correct title) was a dear friend. She would not accept my resignation. She said it was ok if I chose not to return to the meetings and that is what I did.

Lisa, Patti and I thought it was important to help the organization continue. I'm not sure whether anything positive came out of this. It was very discouraging and very difficult. I hated being a quitter but it was anything but a positive experience for me during those months in 1985.

One of the nicest things that happened to me is when I was voted to receive the Grand Cross of Color. If I recall, the girls voted on whom they wanted to have the honor. It is an award given to girls or adults who have worked for the good of the order.

Jewelry Again

The top bracelet is the second bangle brace I made after my class. The second bracelet is a bronze Czech Fire Polished beads made into a sidewinder bracelet. The third photo shows the "treasures" I bought at a going on out business sale in Pueblo, CO. The owners were retiring. the bottom bracelet is made of pale green "river" beads found at the sale. I made this bracelet for Leslie while we were in Colorado.

Adventures in Cooking

As a young bride, I knew how to boil water and make meatloaf. I could probably bake a chocolate cake from scratch. That's about the extent of my cooking ability.

I made biscuits one time. They were terrible and hard as rocks! We threw one outside and the neighbor's dog wouldn't even eat it. :-(

I know there are many "never fail" recipes out there. I also know I won't ever try one of those recipes again! I tried a never fail rye bread recipe. Guess what!? Yep, it failed!

Mom gave me many of her tried and true recipes and some from her sisters. A neighbor made yummy pecan pie and I have that recipe. I also had a couple recipe books. Even with all this, I still had some crazy adventures in cooking!

I'm sure you have heard the expression, "burned to a crisp." Well, I can testify to that fact because it happened to me. I put a pot roast on the stove, seared it on both sides. Then we left for church. Halfway through the church service, I wondered if I had lowered the heat after searing the meat. I could not remember. When we returned home from church and opened the door - we were greeted by smoke! The three-and-a-half pound roast was reduced to ashes and one piece - a cinder about 1"x1"! Oh, my!

Another time I fixed baked beans for a Sunday evening supper. The beans were actually ok. The adventure came when I was carrying the dish from the stove to the table. Evidently my bare hand touched the hot dish and I reacted - I just threw the dish straight up! There were beans on the curtains, the floor and the ceiling! The dish landed rightside up with enough beans for supper. When Chuck came upstairs he viewed the wreckage and asked, "Are you redecorating?"

My Mother made wonderful cinnamon rolls; however her recipe left a lot to be desired - a pinch of this and a bit of that. These directions did not translate into wonderful cinnamon rolls in our home!

There are successes to my adventures in cooking. They aren't nearly as funny but they tasted better! I made carmel candy at Christmastime for many years. The kids help cut and wrap the carmels. The Open Line cookbooks (from a local radio station) had a number of fudge recipes that were good - chocolate marshmallow fudge and brown suger fudge. Yum! Those recipe books had many good recipes in them, shared by listeners to the radio station. Texas sheet cake with cooked brown sugar frosting became a favorite of mine. Lemon bars from a neighbor's recipe were really good. None of the successes came from "never fail" recipes!

We perfected a tasty pizza sauce and made good pizzas from scratch. It took several months to perfect the sauce. We found the secret ingredient was a little sugar in the sauce brought out the flavor.

The kids loved to help with filled cupcakes - ala Twinkies. They would put too much filling in the cupcake and cause it to blow apart. They thought that was great fun - and loved eating them. The probably have cooking adventures of their own that they could share! ;-o

More Jewelry (2)

The top left photo is of two of the six-strand necklaces I've made. The top right photo has a dark bracelet done in peyote stitch and a Russian spiral bracelet that Patti liked. The middle photo shows the focal beads I used for four different bracelets plus the red and black bracelet. The bottom photo has the same red and black bracelet (I forgot I'd already taken a photo of it.) The two other bracelets were made with new beads with the exception of the focal bead in each one. These focal beads were left over from a lovely necklace and bracelet set I made for myself.
Making jewelry is such fun because I always get the first of any project!!!!!

The bottom three of these bracelets were made with the focal bead from a set of beads (in the front) that Don's daughter Leslie gave me. The focal bead on the pink and green set is one left over from a necklace and earrings set I made for myself. Often it is hard to decide what to do with one lonely bead. This was an excellent idea because all four bracelets were made with beads I had in my bead stash! They were fun to make, and especially because I had everything on hand!

Marion High School

Patti and Tony attended Marion High School. they kept busy with school work and extra activities. I loved going to all the events from teachers/parent conferences, to plays, ball games and band concerts. I wanted to attend every event they took part in because I enjoyed all of it!

Patti played basketball in Junior High and her freshman year. She decided she wasn't willing to put all the time in for practice if she was going to sit on the bench and play only a few minutes now and then. I hated it that she decided she'd rather concentrate on music and drama. I loved watching her play because she had a wicked left-handed hook shot! However, she was the one who had to put in all the practice time so she made the decision and I backed her in it.

She and Tony both played clarinet. I think my Mom wished two clarinet players on me to get even for all the squeaking I did with the clarinet when I was growing up! They both played in concert band, pep band and jazz band. As the photo shows, Tony was drum major for the band. He did hate that shako hat! Patti was first chair clarinet and Tony was second chair during Patti's senior year. That was the year the band marched at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I think it was also the year the jazz band competed in Fremont, Nebraska. The kids often volunteered me to chaperone some of their trips. I was along on the Fremont, NE, trip. Tony became first chair clarinet his jurnior year, after Patti graduated.

The high school play during Tony's freshman year was "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." The cast was made up of seniors, one sophomore and one freshman - Tony who was cast as Linus. The senior girl who played Linus' sister Lucy became good friends with Tony. It was a fun play. I think Tony can probably still sing most of the songs. He became more interested in the technical aspects of drama - sound and lighting. It seems to me he built a sound board for the school.

Patti played Bar-Bar(e)-A in the play, "The Apple Tree." The photo shows her in costume for the play. I don't know whether we can see the jewel in her naval or not! It was a fun play, also.

Our 1948 Stinson

The Stinson's wings and fuselage were covered with heavy duty cotton that had many oayers of paint and wax. We had the plane several years before the wings needed to be recovered. We towed the plane, minus the wings, to our house. The wings went into the basement and we enclosed the area under the deck for the fuselage.

We recovered the wings with heat-shrink nylon - we actually ironed the fabric to make it shrink to fit. After that was done, Chuck built a paint "room" where he could spray the paint on the wings. We chose bright yellow for the paint. After each coat of paint, we used rubbing compound to smooth the paint. We put many coats of paint on the wings and many more coats of wax.

An FAA inspector okayed the wings and we put those bright yellow wings on the brick-red fuselage and flew several more years. People could certainly see us coming!

We flew to Ness City and Coldwater in the summer. We even flew in to the EAA convention at Oshkosh twice. The airport in Oshkosh was the busiest airport in the country during the week of the convention. Planes would be landing long (farther down the runway) and short (touching down at the beginning of the runway) while other planes landed on the grass parallel to the runway. That was a real experience.

Some time during this period we purchased a 1949 Piper Stinson. Piper bought out the Stinson company and the planes were on the production line. The company put the Piper name on those planes. So we had the 1948 Stinson and the 1949 Piper Stinson. They were not both airworthy at the same time, if I remember correctly.

We did enjoy flying. Tony was always interested in learning to fly and soloed the day before he left for his freshman year of college. Patti was more interested in driving.

Some Flying Adventures

Chuck soloed and got his pilot's license. He did not have an instrument rating so we flew only on clear days. The first time we planned to fly "home" to visit his folks and my Mom, we woke up on departure day to rain. So we waited until the rain stopped and the weather cleared - we were able to leave a day or so later. The flight to his folks took about 6 hours. Driving took considerably longer. One time we made the trip in 4.5 hours - great tail wind that day!

The charts pilots use are lots different than the maps we use when we drive. They show all kinds of landmarks from race tracks to the location of TV and radio towers. These landmarks help pilots with "I Follow the Roads" ratings to see where they are. There's one chart that shows a large letter "M" or "W" - I don't really remember what the letter is but it is in Wisconsin. More than once we circled water towers in different towns to check exactly where we were!

One time we took off to fly to Kansas. As we flew more and more clouds formed beneath us until we were on top of a cloud layer with no breaks where we could see the ground. It was disconcerting at the least and scary at the most! Chuck was very calm. He told me to mark off a segment on the chart every five minutes on our route. I did this for about twenty minutes or so. Then we saw a break in the clouds. We saw the northeastern corner of Kansas where the river cuts the corner. We were exactly where I had ploteed we would be! I was very proud of us!

Experimental Aircraft Association

We went to our first Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in in Rockford, Illinois. The year was about 1965 so Patti and Tony were about 6 and 4. We continued attending the Fly-in in Rockford until the Experimental Aircraft Association moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Chuck joined the local EAA chapter and soon their monthly magazine arrived in our mailbox each month. A short time later Chuck began taking flying lessons.

We purchased a 1948 Stinson airplane. It was referred to as a "taildragger" because it had one small wheel in the back and one on each side under the wings. The Stinson had four seats and sometimes was called the Cadillac of small planes. Another featurr was a large tail that made landing in a crosswind rather "dicey."

The local EAA chapter often met in our home. It was an interesting group. One man built his own plane - an Emeraude. Planes like his were called "homebuilt" but not home made. There were several engineers, an optomitrist, a priest, some farmers, and a WWII vet or two.

We took in the weeklong EAA Fly-in annually camping in an alfalfa field near the airfield in Oshkosh. We cooked most of our meals in front of our tent. Chuck was always the breakfast cook. We got plenty of walking in each day just walking from where we were camped to the convention grounds. They also ran "shuttles" pulled by tractors and these were fun.

Interesting workshops were held during the day. Paul Harvey was the featured speaker in the evening one year. He used his amazing voice just like a musical instrument. Chuck attended some of the various workshops and we all attended the evening programs.

The War Birds of America flew each day about 4 p.m. These planes were refurbished war planes. There would be P-51s, Corsairs, a B-17, a B-29, a P-38 Lightning and probably some others I don't remember. Individual pilots also flew aerobatics in small planes designed for that. The Canadian Snowbirds performed there one year. This group is similar to the Blue Angels and the Thunderbird flight teams.

Jane, my sister-in-law, and I started volunteering, working the gate between where individual planes were parked and the convention grounds. It was very interesting and fun because both Jane and I love to "people watch."

We always enjoyed the afternoon airshows. Art Scholl flew his "Chipmunk" in the airshow. He was known for his "stunt" flying in movies. An old Ford Trimotor gave rides; one plane was sponsored by the Mennen company - and the smoke the pilot released smelled like Mennen's product while the smoke the other pilots released didn't smell nearly so nice!

North American Aviation's Bob Hoover flew a P-51 and also the company's Aero Commander Shrike. He always wore a suit and straw hat when he piloted either of those planes. He did the "Tennessee Waltz" - touching down first on one wheel and then the other. It was very impressive.

I took a workshop for spouses that taught us what we needed to know to land our plane if the pilot was incapacitated. I never had to do this, but I learned how and was confident that I could land the plane if necessary.

Learning to Sew and Sewing

Mother had a treadle Singer sewing machine. She tried to teach me how to sew. I had a terrible time with that treadle - I'd make it go backwards and it would break the thread. It would really upset my Mom.

The only thing I remember making when I was a teenager was a short sleeved blouse. The material looked like newspaper print - all white with black writing. It was fun to wear because it was different.

When I left home after I got married, Mom gave me her mother's electric sewing machine. It was old - but I didn't have to worry about treadling it backwards and breaking the thread!

The next thing that I remember sewing on was a pair of black slacks. I really liked them and the zipper broke. I didn't know it was difficult to put in a zipper. So I went to the fabric store, bought a black zipper, came home and sewed in into the slacks. Success! Mom was very amazed that I could do this - especially after all the trouble she had with me sewing on her machine!

I learned to sew by making clothes for Patti and Tony, and ultimately for myself. I really enjoyed sewing and made every thing from knit shirts to night gowns. I made nearly all of my own clothes for many years.

One year I made parkas with snap-in pile linings for Patti, Tony and me. They were nice and warm. I made two prom dresses for Patti and a white dinner jacket with black piping for Tony. Nothing really intimadated me.

I made dresses for Patti and me for my sister-in-law Jane's wedding. I was matron of honor and Patti was a bridesmaid. Then when it came time for Patti's wedding, I made two bridesmaid dresses (above with Lisa and Dawn wearing them), Patti's wedding gown and my dress. All above. I was very proud of the wedding gown.

I made pantsuits, jackets, blouses, skirts, etc., for myself. I even made Tony a leisure suit when they were popular.

When Patti was a junior and Tony was a freshman in high school, we had a new band director who wanted band uniforms in the drum corps style. So many band moms cut out satin shirts, double knit black pants, and gauntlets. It was a BIG project, but with teamwork, we got it done and the band really looked sharp!

I even made my clown costume when I volunteered with St. Luke's Clown Connection. The first one is shown in the photo above. Later JoyToo (my clown) grew up a little and became a tomboy who wore "bibbies."

I quit sewing in the mid-eighties and I have no desire to sew, now. Whenever I think I would like to sew something I take a deep breath and remember, I don't really want to do that.

The 1960s

There was lots happening in the 1960s. Some events stand out and really made an impact on our lives.

The first was the assasination of President John F. Kennedy November 22, 1963. It was a very shocking thing to happen. I doubt that anyone ever thought that another president would be assasinated. We could hardly believe the news. It was covered by the media for hours and hours and hours.

The first news came while the CBS-TV soap, "As the World Turns," was on the air. The Zapruder home movie was shown many times. Everyone was totally shocked.

Then, before we had time to really understand what had happened, we saw Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement garage of the police department. He was immediately taken into custody.

I was putting Sunday dinner on the table and just chanced to look up and there was Ruby, Oswald, and law enforcement officers. It seemed unbelievable that a man would shoot another man with all the police around.

Children pick up on how adults are feeling. They just seem to sense it when people are upset. They didn't understand what was going on but they knew something was wrong.

As with all traumatic events, there were scenes impressed on our brains that we won't ever forget. The reasons for what happened, and why, were never explained. Many people were dissatisfied even after the Warren Report was published. The shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald made it impossible to find out what really happened and why.

The second event was July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong, a US astronaut, became the first man to walk on the noon four days after the launch from Cape Canaveral. Buzz Aldrin also walked on the moon then.

We were driving to Denver to visit brother Bill and we heard it on the radio. Then we watched it on TV later in the day.

My Mother never really believed that any man had walked on the moon. She tnought it was all fake. I never could change her mind.

Life in Our Neighborhood

I made friends with the other mothers in the neighborhood. We would all get together about once a month for "coffee." I never did learn to drink coffee - maybe because I served so many cups of coffee at Rexall Drug and later at College Drugstore in Aggieville. Tea never made my favorite list either, so I usually drank water or hot chocolate.

We hadn't lived in our home very long when our neighbor, LaVonne, invited the kids and me to go to church with her and her two daughters. It was a Methodist Church and I was very comfortable there since I grew up attending the Methodist Church. I joined the church and taught kindergarten Sunday School from the time Patti was five until she was fifteen.

Patti and Tony grew up in that church sitting in the second pew from the front. I sang in the chancel choir from 1977 through 2004. The choir and the handbell choir were a very important part of my life. I loved making music. The chancel choir and the handbell choir had wonderful directors. My church family was a big part of my life, especially after the kids grew up and left home.

We bought a second car so I was able to grocery shop and shop at the fabric store. My friend Carol from next door and I often went shopping together. Sometimes we had her three boys and Patti and Tony with us. That could become rather challenging at times.

I loved the sidewalk sales at Lindale. Quite often these sales enabled me to buy school clothes for the kids at very reasonable prices.

The day after Christmas we would go to Armstrongs Department store to trade in the kids' outgrown ice skates for skates that would fit. That was a great service the store provided. Of course, Armstrongs was my favorite store. Perhaps I will write about it later.

The Latest Jewelry Sets

"Beaded" bead earrings and the Russian spiral bracelets are easy and fast to make. I usually make a Russian spiral bracelet in a couple hours sitting in my chair in the living room with a rectangular cookie tray on my lap. Inside the cookie tray is a fuzzy mat on which I place the beads. It is handy and the beads don't roll around or fall off.
The dark sapphire and white opal "beaded" bead earrings belong to my niece, Roxanne, even though they are still in my possession. :-D She will get them the next time we travel to Kansas City. These "beaded" bead earrings also can be completed in one evening.

The red bracelet and earrings belong to daughter Patti. I was quite pleased that the bracelet is a perfect match for a jacket Patti has. I had my doubts until I saw them with the jacket. She was pleased with them and replaced the earrings she had on with the new ones and put on the bracelet.

Granddaughter Jessica loves purple so I used Swarovski purple velvet crystals with white opal. She hasn't seen them yet but will get them really soon.

The final set is granddaughter Elizabeth's. She will be in town the week of Easter. So she will have hers then. The earrings are made with Swarovski rose crystals and white opal.

I really enjoy the process of making the bracelets and earrings. Then it is even more fun to give them to family and friends and see their enjoyment. Making jewelry keeps me so busy that sometimes I forget I have a blog to write!

Growing up in the 60s

We made many trips to the Carnegie Library when Patti and Tony were small. I always took them to "story hour" each week. They were allowed to check out several books from the children's library. I read to them before bed. They always wanted me to read each of the books every night, not just one or two.

The elementary school was down the hill and a few blocks away. Patti and Tony were able to walk to school which was nice. I liked the teachers and the principal who was a small, wiry, soft-spoken man.

Patti was tall for her age when she started school. There were two teachers who were tall. Both these ladies walked tall. Patti never slouched when she walked. I credit the example set by these two teachers. She reached her full height about 5th grade. After that she was no longer taller than the boys in her class.

I don't remember Patti's first day of school but I do remember Tony's. I walked with him down the street to the Luzum's house where his pal came out to walk with him. Both boys wore red shirts. They walked off down the hill without a backward glance. No wave, no nothing!

Elementary school was from kindergarten through 6th grade. After that they went to Junion High in another building.

Both Patti and Tony started clarinet lessons when they were 4th graders. (I think my Mom wished two clarinet players for me so I would know what she went through with me!)

I volunteered at the elementary school when the secretary was away. I really enjoyed being back in a school setting.

The school hired me to be noon hour supervisor when Patti was about 5th grade and Tony, 3rd grade. I supervised the kids in the lunchroom and out on the playground. Some of the 5th and 6th grade boys were bigger than I. That was sometimes a challenge.

We called Tony Anthony until about third grade when he told his teacher he wanted to be called Tony. From that time until now, he is called Tony.

Somewhere along the line, I was room mother for each of the kids, baking and taking cupcakes and other treats several times a year.

I am sure Patti and Tony will remember other things - or maybe differently than I remember but that it ok. These are my memories.

Helix bracelet and beaded bead earrings

This Helix bracelet is from a pattern in the "Step by Step Beads" November-December 2009 edition. It is a fun bracelet to do. I've seen several if thse bracelets at my favorite beading store, Bead Haven in Cedar Rapids. Last week when I went in, my teacher Jeanne showed me her Helix bracelet. It was beautiful.

I used opal quartz beads in the center, the same as Jeanne used, with light sapphire bicones on both sides plus teeny-tiny light blue seed beads The "beaded" bead earrings used the same opal quartz, light sapphire bicones and the teeny-tiny blue seed beads. I am very pleased with this set because it goes very nicely with denim. The opal quartz takes on the light blue shade.

The bracelet and the earrings are fun to make.

9/11

There was an article in Daily Guideposts that I read earlier this week. It was about how this New Yorker felt - he and his family were in New Hampshire on 9/11. It brought back memories of that day.

The young adults, and even the children, who were alive on September 11 will remember this tragedy in the same way I, and all those who were alive then, remember December 7, 1941.

These two events have reshaped my life and that of many others who experienced those days. We no longer feel like it is impossible for anyone to do such evil things in our very own USA.

It might be more appropriate to write this on the anniversary of 9/11 but I think I need to write about it today. As days pass, some things become less well-remembered.

Don and I were getting ready to go to a Bible study class our associate pastor taught. We were interrupted by the phone ringing. It was Patti telling us to turn on TV. I asked her what station? She said just any station! So we turned on the TV and were just in time to see the second plane hit the tower. We watched, horrified by what we saw.

We called the church and spoke to the associate pastor. She told us to come on to class and we would pray together for the city and the people there.

When people hear and see such horrific sights, we don't always understand exactly what was said and/or shown correctly so that when we pass the information on to others, it is not correct.

I think most of the world must have been glued to their TV sets, watching this tragedy unfold.

These things are not "supposed" to happen in our country! Yet, they did. We are told if we don't know the history of our country, we are destined to repeat the errors of the past and will live to regret not knowing because we will be caught again by the unexpected acts of terror.

All air travel was halted in the days that followed. The skies over the entire country were silent. It was such a strange silence.

The churches were filled to capacity with frigntened people for the first month or so. After a little time passed, those folks who weren't regular church goers reverted to their usual routines that didn't include going to church.

The TV coverage brought this disaster right into our living rooms with 24-hour coverage.

A friend's son lived and worked in New York City. We learned that he was safe but had been able to see it happening from his apartment. The company our son-in-law worked for in Denver had their main office in the twin towers. So many people lost loved ones. It was a difficult time for every citizen of the US.

I remember being very impressed with the New York City Mayor. He was calm and worked tirelessly to keep people as calm as possible. The policemen, firemen, the men from the port authority,and other volunteers really touched me as they worked the long hours looking for survivors

The images of the planes hitting the twin towers, the dust and debris rolling down the streets with people running in front of it, the people covered with dust, the looks of shock - these images may grow dim for me in the future but they will never totally fade away.

I pray that the citizens of the USA never witness such horror again. I pray that this doesn't happen anywhere in the free world.

More Beaded Bead Earrings

These earrings are created from a "beaded bead" using 4 faceted round crystals, 16 small bicone crystals that you cannot see from this shot and 2 larger bicones above and below the "beaded" bead and some tiny seed beads. They are fun to do and quite interesting looking earrings.

Sisters-of-the Heart

We've been talking about sisters on Facebook recently. I have only brothers. One of my wise granddaughters reminded me that one can have sisters who are not sisters by blood. These sisters are called "sisters-of-the-heart."

The first sister of my heart is Inez who married one of my brothers. We have known each other since I was ten or so. She treated me like an equal. She invited me to visit her in her apartment on the second floor of the post office (now known as the Old Bank Building). We shared a love of books and she generously loaned me some of her books to read. She was my model for how to treat my own young sisters-in-law when that time came. I had the honor of being one of the candle lighters at her wedding to my brother. Our relationship is even closer now.

The second sister-of-my-heart was my young sister-in-law Jane. She was eight when I married into the family. As time passed we became sisters-of-the-heart. She was very special in my life. When she was older, we could walk down the street and one of us would see something that tickled our funny bone - all we needed to do was look at each other and know it tickled both of us. We played many card games of "Spit" and she won 80% of those games. I continued to play because it was such a kick when I could finally beat her. She had such great eye-hand coordination. When she went away to college, I knew how homesick she was so I wrote her once a week all four years. We talked about everything and shared our deepest secrets. She asked me to be her Matron of Honor when she got married.

The third sister-of-my-heart is Ann. I really didn't know her growing up because she was several years younger than I. We got acquainted when her brother Don and I got together in 1995. It didn't take long for her to become a sister-of-my-heart. She encouraged me to go ahead and marry Don and not wait for any period of time. She and her husband opened their home to us and even found a Metnodist pastor to come there to marry us - and they were in the middle of moving from near Topeka to a home on a hill near Hays. Ann stood up with me when Don and I got married. We always had such a good time together.

These three ladies are sisters-of-my-heart and as such were a huge blessing in my life. I shared three weddings with these three sisters. The first photo is Ann. The second photo is Inez with my brother Bob.

Home in Marion

We bought a ranch-style home in Marion in late 1961. Possession date was December 16. So we moved across town with snow on the ground. Moving across town is much harder than moving across country because you have to do everything - packing, loading up, transporting, unloading and unpacking. A moving van comes to pick up your household goods, some of which you may have packed. The movers load the van. Then it is driven cross country. They unload it and you unpack! There are many trips back and forth from the old house to the new when you move across town.

The house was painted tan with white trim as shown in the photo. There were white drapes with orange and yellow butterflies for the picture window in the living room. The entry way and the wall with the picture window were painted orange. I do not like orange! It stayed that color because I did like the drapes.

Patti and Tony each had a bedroom. I crocheted small rugs to go by their beds. Patti had a white vanity that had been mine when I was a teenager. Mom made a pink floral skirt for the vanity.

Chuck built drawers to fit under Tony's bed. These acted as his dresser. His room was smaller than Patti's but we made it work. He had a small closet while Patti's closet was twice as large.

My father-in-law had used a photo he had taken of me for display at his studio. It was my engagement picture. It was a large framed photo. He gave it to us when we moved into our house. It hung over the piano in the living room.

That first Christmas, the tree fell over, broke lots of glass ornaments and scared poor Tony! We stood the tree up and vacuumed up the broken glass.

The Starry Drive neighborhood was filled with children. Some were older and some were younger and a bunch were about the same ages as Patti and Tony. We counted one time and figured there were about 50 kids on Starry and the area of A Avenue across the block.

It was a good neighborhood in which to live. It was a good place to raise our children.