Eco Friendly Cotton Crochet Cloth

  This flower dish cloth was the perfect project to work on during my recent trip.  I really like this pattern because once finished it is perfect to wrap a small gift or a nice bar of soap.       

Ribbon or twill tape strung through each loop holds this eco-friendly package that is sure to delight the recipient.

The completed package

The pattern for this cloth can be found in the booklet published by Lily Sugar and Cream Kitchen Colors.

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The Packhouse Room at the Bed and Breakfast.

We spent our second night in the Packhouse room at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast because the Mardi Grass was already reserved for someone else.  A long time ago the Packhouse served as a Barn.

The beautifully decorated great room.

The Shabby Chic Bedroom

The Bathroom

The Patio just outside the main entrance.  Look carefully...Kevin would sit in the breezeway of the nearby building because he got a better wireless internet signal.  He did not even mind the cold.  Andrea called that outside room his office.

Kevin's office....

 

Front View of Big Mill Bed and Breakfast.  That's me and Caleb who spent one afternoon with us.  Taite my youngest grand son spent one morning with us.

The morning Taite came to visit we took a walk across Big Mill.

Staying at Big Mill was an experience I will always cherish.  Meeting Chloe the owner was very special too.  I just loved all her special details.  She is an excellent cook.  I have already checked her website where you can find some of her recipes.  She would bring us the breakfast food for the next day in the evening. Thank you Chloe for making our stay at your Bed and Breakfast memorable.  Kevin enjoyed it very much too.

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Getting spoiled at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast

Chloe, the owner of Big Mill Bed and Breakfast makes the best quiche.  She brings our breakfast food the night before around 7 - 8 p.m.  The first day we also enjoyed delicious yellow squash bread.

We had a choice of three different kinds of coffee.  Eight o'clock coffee was my favorite.  Starbucks Brand coffee was also available.

We spent the first night in the Mardi Grass room.  This is the view from the great room.

Wireless Internet allowed Kevin to watch his favorite shows on Hulu, while Cliff checked his e-mail, etc...The beautiful picture above the mantle is a Georgia O'Keeffe print.

The antique bathroom with original fixtures.  This bathroom takes back in time.  Cliff commented that a tall person might find this bathroom too small.  People were much smaller back then.  I had no trouble since I'm only 5 feet tall.

The Square Bathtub

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Fall Festival at West End Baptist Church

Last night we went to the West End Baptist Church where Travis my son in law is the pastor.  The kids are very much into super heroes.  The church had games and activities for the children in the community.  Caleb and Taite have a sweet tooth just like their daddy...mommy too, I guess.  Travis said they just wanted to sit down and eat candy.  Taite, wearing the blue cape was Batman and Caleb Spiderman.  Taite worked hard trying to open his Smarties.

 

Caleb - Spider Man

 

Isn't he the cutest Batman you ever saw.  I think he's trying to open his smarties in the picture too.

Eating the Hot Dog supper

Andrea painted lots of kids faces---at least one adult lady. 

Internet is slow -- More pictures later on....

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Fall Visit to Williamston - The Arrival

Taite and Caleb look into the dark water of the lake on the grounds of the Big Mill Bed and Breakfast were we are staying.  The boys have grown since the last time we came.  It's such a joy to spend time with them.

Caleb walked through the soybean field near the Bed and Breakfast.  He wants to dress up as a skeleton but he'll also be spiderman.

Taite - Looking sweet near the lake.  A very special boy--so affectionate.

Sweet picture of Andrea and Taite

Taking a walk and heading towards our room.  Hope the weather gets better so I can take some better pictures. Today (Sunday) has been raining pretty much all day.

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Uptown Charlotte Visit with Kevin

On my day off last Friday me and Kevin took the light rail into town.  We parked on the South Boulevard exit station.  There is no charge for parking and it costs $3.00 for a round trip ticket.  It really is nice.   We walked the streets, indoor bridges of Uptown Charlotte.  Not sure if I'm giving those passages that connect the building the right name.  It's actually nice to get to where you want to go walking indoors since it can be very breezy and cold outside.  We never found the restaurant Kevin remembers eating at when he used to work at the Bobcats Arena.  He had not eaten mexican food in a long time, so we found Salsaritas and enjoyed delicious burritos.

After lunch, Cliff wanted us to join him and his two friends at Reid's.  On our way out I set the camera on the timer and took this picture.  Took a couple more pictures and then to my surprise a security guard walks outside to tell us taking pictures was not allowed.  This really made me kind of sad...how since 9-11 the quality of life is not quite the same.  Oh well., I had no idea and learned something that day.

Kevin does not like very much his picture taken.  I believe in preserving memories this way.

I don't think Kelly cares much about having his picture made either.  Cliff took this one.  He jokingly said that Taite, my grandson who has blue eyes was his kid....since he has blue eyes.  He can be very funny.

This is Aaron who has a terrific personality and as you can see in this picture can be silly but has a great sense of humor and a very uplifting personality.  One of his favorite places to eat is Reid's and Panera's which drives Cliff crazy.  Cliff is more a Golden Corral and Chinese Buffet type of person.

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Accordion Fold Welcome Banner Tutorial

To make this easy Welcome banner for your mantle, you will need card stock.  A cricut machine to cut out letters is nice or you can cut your letters using a template or free hand. Using the  cricut machine, I cut my letters to measure 3-1/2 inches. To connect all the cut pieces of card stock you can glue using a glue stick or double stick tape.  Cut each length of the card stock at 4-1/4 inches.  You will get two pieces that measure 4-1/4" by 11".  Using a scoring blade or a bone folder, score the cut pieces at 4 inches 2 times and an additional 1/2 inch at the end. Scoring is done to make folding the cardstock easier. If you don't have a scoring blade or bone folder you can use a credit card or the pampered chef scraper also works well. Line up a ruler at the 4 inch mark and run the bone folder or other scoring element. Discard the left over.  You will connect all the pieces using this 1/2 inch measure.  For this welcome sign I used 9 and a half 8-1/2" by 11" inch cardstock.

Leave a space between each letter and decorate with flowers, stars or even with pictures.

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Family Reunions are a Blessing

We have been enjoying Kevin's visit and look forward to spending time with him.  He will stay 45 days before he heads back to Germany.  The first pictures I took are a little grainy.  He looks very good and I'm thankful for God's faithfulness in keeping him well during his tour in Afghanistan.

Family Reunions are a Blessing

Shelia from work bake a delicious cake we enjoyed during his first evening at home.

Grand Baby Update - It's official - We are having a Grand Son.

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