Celebrating good times with ole friends at La Parilla, Woodstock, GA.  Happy New Year!!

December 29, 2011...my favorite, Gerbera daisy, still blooming after 29 degrees here last night!  :)

This is part of a program I give to groups...my Session group at my church, the faculty at my school and different PEO chapters.   Each tater represents, for the most part, someone we don't want to be!
Mrs. Dick Tater...She the one who gives orders..you know the type.  Next, Mrs. Emmy Tater, sister in law of Mrs. Dick Tate because she imitates others.3.  Mrs. Spec Tater.  She's the observer, doesn't take responsibility if you just remain a spectator.  4.  Sister Aggie Tater.  She's happiest when she's stirring up trouble. 5. Little Po Tater.  She thinks she's mistreated, misjudged, misquoted, misinformed and disliked by everyone! 6.  Miss Common Tater.  She the gal that never contributes anything to her family, her church, her club or community.  She just makes comments about all of it!  7. Now I want to introduce you to another kind of tater..This is Miss Sweet Tater.  She is always a joy to be around, loving, kind and in her quiet way is always doing something for those in need.

Hopefully, we will have a better insight to what kind of member, human being we are in a humorous way, and try to improve.  (There is a lot more to this program in each Tater Group but didn't want to 'blog anybody down!)  Will be glad to share the whole thing, if asked.



Happy, Healthy 2012

M-e-m-o-r-i-e-s!!  One of my best students in Andalusia, Al.,  now a pharmacist, gave me this when she was in my second grade class!!  I've just made a picture of it to send to her parents in their Christmas card! 

Holidays...celebrating with good friends!!

Allison and Cecil here for Thanksgiving..not long until they are back for Christmas along with Allen and his family!!  Looking forward to the reunion!!  Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy 2012 to all!

Celebrating with my 'traveling buddies' at Patty's new, lovely home today!  We went to help Patty celebrate her birthday and  ate the delicious lunch she had made for us.

We have traveled North, South, East and West and have ALWAYS had a good time wherever we went! 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care....Christmas tree up, lights around the mirror...Nick in the background...just waiting for our family to arrive!

We can't believe our oldest granddaughter, left, is 21 today!!  Grandchildren...what joys!

At Thanksgiving Cecil, our son in law, bought us poinsettias, and this blossom broke off.  He just stuck it in the dirt... it still looks good!

Every year, while decorating our Christmas tree, I place this angel our son made in Kindergarten, near the top.  It is made from a wooden ice cream spoon, (do they make those anymore?) and tissue paper.  Still looks good after 48 years!

This quart jar, with Santa painted on the front, was too good to pass up! ( $1.29 at a consignment store!)  Someone painted the jar a dark blue, with white paint put snowflakes on it and added jolly ole Santa!  I have it in my kitchen...makes me smile while washing the dishes!!

Nick and I went out for a nice dinner with the ROMEOS last night..( Retired Old Men Eating Out)...a 'take your wife out to dinner' night!  This is the retired group of men from our church who meet monthly for fellowship and lunch and collect money and food for our food pantry at Heritage Presbyterian Church. 
We enjoyed the fellowship and the food at Provino's!

Fun times yesterday with old Baker friends!  Good food, lots of laughing and remembering good times!

 My hero of 55 years!!  He loved his work with the U.S. Forest Service.  His work gave us the wonderful opportunity of seeing this great land.  We lived and worked in many different states in this amazing country!

I was fortunate to have been able to teach in all the states in which we lived.  It was a wonderful experience! The last 10 years, of my 37 years as an educator, I was one of the lucky teachers who got to teach at Baker Elementary!  We were a school of Excellence, had dedicated teachers and were offered many wonderful learning opportunities!  Note the loggerhead sea turtle pin...One summer I got to work on the loggerhead sea turtle program on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. What an exciting time!  Another summer I went with other Georgia teachers to San Salvador, Bahamas, and learned many things about the sea life there and was able to come back to school, excited about all we had learned, and share with my students.  It was GREAT being a Baker teacher!

Time to go geocaching!  I started caching with my friend, Lea, in '09.  What a wonderful way to exercise and also see some pretty country!  Right now I have 1,374 caches.  We are planning to go out one day next week.  Looking forward to it!

Today I am delivering pecans to a P.E.O. sister. What is P.E.O?
P.E.O.is a Christian women's group who is working to raise money to help women complete their education.  P.E.O. has six scholarships..  International Peace Scholarship, Scholar Award, Program for Continuing Education, Educational Loan Fund, Cottey College, and Star Scholarship. 

Peach Cobbler.  Recipe requested by son-in-law, Cecil!
3/4 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup self rising flour, 1 cup milk,  a can of peaches.
Set oven at 350 degrees.  Melt butter in pyrex dish.  Mix sugar, flour and milk.  Pour in dish. Top with peaches.  Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

Our Advent calendar that I made while our three children were younger, while living in Kentucky. My honey was with the Forest Service there and I taught in the local school. I have made one for each of our grown kids, for their children, and a few for close friends. Happy memories!

My good friend Joyce made this for me for my birthday!

We have lived here in Georgia for 21 years and have never seen a more beautiful Fall.

When I was in Europe, years ago, I got this clock in Germany. Reminded me of people you see at the carnival. They win the biggest prize and carry it around the rest of the night. That was the story of this clock! Was there 3 1/2 weeks, beautiful trip, and this clock saw every bit of it!!

Years ago I was making something out of red corduroy...turned it wrong... so took pieces and made this...JOY!

The first Sunday in Advent. Standing on tiptoe in anticipation of the birth of Christ.

All my postings, with the exception of the afghan, were learned at ELM, Enrichment of Life Movement, for people 50 and over, at First Methodist Church, Marietta, GA. We meet on Tuesdays in September, October, January, February, April and May. The star I'm posting today is made from five one dollar bills. It is a great 'happy' for grandchildren or to leave as a tip!

My 'blog teacher' is going home today to Arkansas so I must get this done before she leaves! I have attached some of my tatting. Wreaths that I'm putting in Christmas cards to family and cat and mouse edging.

Preparing for Christmas!

Today Allison and I will take the Thanksgiving decorations down and start preparing for Christmas!  Advent calendar, wreaths, Christmas tree, etc.  Nice to have her here to help me with all these things.  She is the artistic one!

The snowmen are made with wax linen, my friend, Pam, taught me how to make these.

November 24, 2011

I'm starting this blog at the encouragement of my daughter, Allison.  I have been caning chairs, French caning and herringbone, for 10 years.  I work on projects on an individual basis, primarily through referrals from friends.  I have included some examples of my work which include caning, tatting and gourd art.

I have included photos below for you to view.

Thanks, Mary Ann