Today is Reed and Myra’s 11th Birthday – I went over at 9:30 to take their gifts.
I gave them a big box of books – all award winners or approved by a 3rd grade teacher (Becky) or a librarian with a Ph.D (Tanya). Their smiles are identical.
Nolan found some in the box that he liked, too. They divided them up as to which ones each wanted to read first and then they’ll switch. Here’s Nolan.
Here are June and Vera.
Isn’t that just the cutest expression?
Had to hurry home because a doodle named Harper was arriving. I haven’t kept very many dogs since we got Hazel but this was an emergency. Family attending a wedding several hours away, had a reservation at a dog friendly hotel that announced two days ago that the dog could not be in the room by herself while they attended the wedding. Can you believe that? So this lovely creature will be here just overnight.
See that fluffy tail she’s following? Belongs to Ernie Joe Mauer.
Telly and Hazel love her! We walked through the grove and everybody got along great.
Harper has grown out of the “jump all over you” stage that Betty is still enjoying. The thing is that Telly and Hazel get sick of that real fast. I’m going to give Harper some time to adjust before I bring Betty out here later this afternoon.
Here’s what I do every year on December 31. I review my year and write in the square on the back of this quilt. It was first published as a 100 year quilt or a smaller version of 20 years that I made. Rick and I got married in 1997 and I started this quilt that year. The blocks have the year written in the center and each block is quilted only in the ditch. I write the details of the year on the back of each outlined block.
I sorta doubt this pattern is available now but each block could be as simple as a 9 patch with the year penned in the center.
My entries are personal so I intentionally blurred this photo so you couldn’t/wouldn’t read it.
I keep track of births, deaths, important occasions and more on this quilt and really enjoy going back to read it every December 31. I think I might make something similar for a wedding quilt for the newlyweds to keep track of their first 20 years. I’m even writing in the margins now since it’s been over 20 years.
Isn’t this a great idea?
More of Harper!
What a handsome family! And, Harper is a big doodle! Great present for the kids, they will be warmed for a while. Thanks for the interesting year that you have shared, I for one have enjoyed the visits. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Sweet kids – you bringing more to them and them bringing more to you. Thanks for sharing! Happy New Year.
LOVE YOUR DOODLES, AND ALL KINDS OF ENRIES.
KIDS , ANIMALS, ETC. KEEP EM COMING PLEASE.
Starting at the top–books are the BEST gift, Mary:) Great job. I love seeing the kids; yes, Reed and Myra do have identical smiles. The other three are adorable, too. Harper looks like the perfect house guest and she’s very pretty. It looks like all three had fun. I love the idea of a journal quilt. I do keep a journal, but that is so neat. Will have to file that in my “to do” list. Are you doing anything special tonight? We don’t like to be out when the goofballs are out so we’ll go to an early movie and dinner and home:) HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.
What a Happy New Year’s Eve day! Human friends, furry friends, a walk, books, and quilts. That covers just about all the bases!
Enjoy!
Happy New Year, Mary! I have so enjoyed your posts. They have made me feel like I’ve been in the country many times. I’ve loved that!
Your bogs bring such pleasure to me and others. I am so fortunate to have met you and Connie In person and was so sad to see the goat gazette stop but still feel connected with your blogs.
The journal quilt sounds like a wonderful idea as my grand daughter is going to be married in 2020 and that would be a great gift.
Love the idea!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR and a HEALTHY 2019.
Happy New Year Mary!
-Jean <3
Happy New Year to you Mary and to your family of humans and critters…How much joy and information you have sent our way these past years. I want you to know how much I love turning on my computer to find you have left us a wonderful story. I also think many of us are envious of the relationship you have with Reed, what gifts you give him all through the year, he and his siblings are very lucky. I am all for the gifts you shared with them, BOOKS, what could be better, well maybe chocolate !! I, for one, want to thank you for taking time to share your life,, in North Iowa, with all of us. And yes, I am one of those who wonders how you manage to do it all….
HAPPY 2019 to you Mary
Also wanted to mention I was unpacking some of my boxes, I have moved, and came across some of your books, I also came to Iowa from St. Paul many times to the Shop in the chicken coop..
ON BEHALF OF CHICKENS
WE MADE IT THROUGH THE WINTER
WEAR WARM CLOTHES
and a 1992 Country Threads by Mary Tendall and Connie Tesene THAT PATCHWORK PLACE.
They are keepsakes
The quilt is an amazing idea! Do you use a regular pen to write the memories? The picture of Harper with her head on the counter looking at the birds is the greatest picture ever.
Happy Nee Yeae to you, Rick, Connie and everyone who follows this blog. May 2019 be our best year yet.
Jessica – I use a permanent ink Sharpie to write on the quilt. Yes, Harper was intrigued with the parakeets!
Happy Birthday to Reed and Myra….tomorrow is my husband’s much older birthday.
Reed and Myra will have some excellent reading in 2019. I always used to ask my younger Grands what they learned new in school when I’d pick them up at school.
Nice to see Reed and Myra’s siblings…and meet Harper Doodle. Betty will have a grand time playing today.
Today I located a quilt I’d sewn from a Redwagon book…the label says FOR MY FIRST GRANDSON. Well, I have four granddaughters and one is expecting a boy in April..so it will be her shower gift.
We are up to 15 sunny degrees @1 pm now. Mary, we had a tad of snow again last night! Looks like ours will be sticking around til April like last year!
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Happy Birthday to your hubby! And hugs in the new year to Pepper!
Happy Birthday Reed and Myra! It was so much fun to get a chance to meet Reed this summer. What a sweetie and, yes, he and Myra really do have the same smile!! So glad that you are having the doodle at your house again – and that Hazel and Telly are loving it! Ernie Joh Mauer doesn’t seem to feel the same about him. lol What a fantastic idea that quilt with your ‘diary’ on the back. You will continue to treasure it for many years. Won’t it be fun when Betty joins that others! Happy New Year to you and Rick. it’s bound to be a good one. Thank you for continuing this blog that makes so many of us very happy. Now to go finish cutting my squares for the quilt along!
Happy New Year. Thanks for all the pics and ideas. Happy New Year to Reed and his family. Mary, I always enjoy your blog and stories.
Best wishes from Toronto Canada
Happy New Year Mary! Love the idea of books for Reed and his sister. Looks like Hazel is enjoying your houseguest, oh to be a dog and be cared for by you!!! I have enjoyed your blog and I’m looking forward to your posts in 2019, Happy New Year to you and Rick…all the pets too! 🎉
Mary, love your photos. The one of the 3 dogs walking together in the grove is especially cute. Looks like Harper is carrying on a conversation with friends. So glad they get along. Great job on your part to take him in at a moment’s notice. He looks quite contented. Happy new year and all the best to you in the coming year. Looking forward to hearing more of your adventures!
You have shared so much with all of us in so many ways. Saying thank you doesn’t seem like enough. I am so grateful to you for giving us so much of you time. Looking forward to 2019.
Happy, happy birthday to Reed and Myra! One of my goals this year was to read 52 books. Number 52 happened to be “The Crossover”, a Newbery Award winner for 2015. I decided today that for 2019 I’m going to read 52 Newbery winners. Those books are right up my alley.
Mary,
I must say that for fraternal twins, Reed and Myra don’t just have similar smiles! They come close to identical!! What a beautiful family…
Harper is such a nice guest. You have lots of interesting things to explore for a dog. The bird photo is my favorite!
No snow in Tennessee, just the wettest year on record and more expected in the next few days.
I so enjoy your blog. I save it to read last of my email. It’s dessert!
Happy birthdays to two of my favorite kids.
Charlene Sexton – I’ll tell them and thanks! When are you returning home? Aren’t you ready to start sewing again?
Happy, happy birthday to Reed and Myra! So glad that Nolan will get to share in the reading! And, oh, those smiles from all of them! 🙂 As Katherine Paterson, noted children’s author, has said, “It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading.
Something that will stretch their imaginations — something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” We all could agree that reading provides both mirrors and windows for us all. Great work, Mary!
Tanya – books are so important and they should be fun and entertaining. I was just thrilled that Nolan wanted to read, too! I have books for the little girls for Valentine’s Day but I think it’s important to learn that the special gifts belong to the birthday kids only – their turn will come! It was so much fun – I suggested they keep track of those they’ve read and maybe just a few notes about each title. Thank you for your part in this gift, Tanya! I think you’ll be getting a thank you note.
Tanya ~ my favorite poem about letting loose your imagination is by Julia Donaldson.
I opened a book and in I strode, now nobody can find me. I’ve left my chair, my house, my road, my town and my world behind me.
I’m wearing the cloak, I’ve slipped on the ring, I’ve swallowed the magic potion. I’ve fought with the dragon, dined with a king and dived in a bottomless ocean.
I opened a book and made some friends. I shared their tears and laughtet. And followed their road with it’s bumps and bends, to the happily ever after.
I’ve finished my book and out I came. The cloak can no longer hide me. My chair and my house are just the same, but I have a book inside me.
Happy New Year to you and your family and friends.
Thanks so much for all your pix and stories and events.
Love the dogs! And that’s one big doodle!!!
Have a lovely 2019, and keep on writing – we really appreciate it.
And, as a librarian, i heartily endorse giving all those books to the kids! How lucky can you get??
Cindy Sabo – they were so tickled with the books – even Nolan jumped in and one of his picks was “Unbroken”, youth version. I know he’ll love it! I did as well as the movie!
Happy New Year! to you, Mary and Connie and all of your readers. It’s going to be really wet tonight and I am so glad that we are staying in by the fireplace. The doodle is so cute, lucky to have found you to take her in for the night. I didn’t know you have parakeets, we do too! Aren’t they just the nicest little pets? Easy to take care of and I love listening to them chatter away. Tomorrow I have to catch up with the cutting for my Bull’s Eye quilt! Stay safe everyone! Janice in Topsfield, MA
Janice – can you be ready tomorrow morning?
I love your blog. Cutest children ever!!!
Happy New Year, Mary, to you and your husband. Also Happy Birthday to Reed and his sister. The golden doodle is beautiful.
What a great New Years Eve blog, Mary. So many books for the kids. Perfect! Their smiles say how pleased they are. The photo of Reed and Myra is amazing. They look so much alike you would think they are twins. lol
Looks like Harper fit right in with the gang, be they dog, cat or bird. She is adorable.
I love your Memory Quilt. Wish I had known about one of those a long time ago when we had lots going on. Maybe I could make one and backtrack a few years.
Wishing you and Rick and all the animals a wonderful 2019
Sue in Oregon – it’s not too late to start a memory quilt! Just do it!
What a wonderful day you had. Such adorable pictures of Reed and his family. Sweet happy kids. Books are the best gifts!!! Happy Birthday Reed and Myra.
You captured some great dog pictures…especially the one in the grove. I am so grateful you take the time to share your day with all of us Mary. It just makes my heart so happy to see a blog post from you in my email!!! Tonight we are tucked in from rain and high wind warning here in NY. After a visiting a friend in the hospital this afternoon we stopped to say hi to my MIL at the Asssited living home where she resides and they were having a NYE party for all the people with hats, DJ, balloons. The administrator brought us out plates of appetizers, ginger ale, And we didn’t plan on this for NYE. We had lobster tails waiting at home but to sing along and dance and have fun with all those older people just made our night. The unexpected can turn out to be a good thing.
Tomorrow we can eat lobster. Thank you again Mary for giving your big country of sisters inspiration, fun days, your quilts, your pets, your life.
Happy 2019 to everyone!
Kathy in western NY – I LOVE your party at the assisted living center! Doesn’t it just feel good to watch them having a good time? Lots of fun coming in 2019!
Cute kids and Harper is adorable.
Happy New year!
See…it was meant to be, that Harper would stay with you and enjoy your other four-legged friends. I love reading your blog. I visited/shopped Country Threads two times (David and I were on the way to marathons, knowing I wanted to go to Garner, he picked marathons he wanted to run which also would get Garner in our trip) and seeing your farm brings back those lovely memories. Your write as if I am walking/standing/sitting with you having a conversation….just love the warmth! I plan to watch the Rose Bowl Parade while sewing string blocks….the plan is to reduce the strip to zero and have at least 42 blocks finished for a charity quilt. Happy New Year to you and Hubby!
Marilyn Holder – that’s what I aim for – just talking to a friend!
Love the idea of the journal quilt – fabulous gift with perhaps the quilter creating the first entry! Happy New Year
Mary –
Thank you so so much for taking Harper on last minute. She had an absolute BLAST and it warmed my heart knowing it. Loved getting all the pictures and for seeing the response on the blog. I loved getting to chat with you and see the farm. We’ll definitely be having a puppy play date next time I’m in town. Have a wonderful new year. Tell Rick, Telly and Hazel hi from Harper and I!
Morgan – Harper was a delight and a real lady. She was perfectly behaved and Hazel loved her. So did Telly, of course, but Telly likes everybody. Hazel – not so much – haha! So when I find a dog Hazel loves, we both hope that dog will visit again! Hugs to Harper from all of us!
Harper is enjoying so many different smells, he probably doesn’t get at home. From dogs to birds to kitties, oh my!!
How fun to share stacks of books, with growing kids! Love the smiles!!!
Mary, I love your ‘memories’ quilt. What a great idea and heirloom diary to pass on to a family member.
About the hotel and Harper…I’m in agreement with the hotel. We’ve been in that situation of someone leaving their dog alone in a room and it barked nonstop. The hotel couldn’t do anything about it. We didn’t get any sleep until the owners got back to their room at 2:00 in the morning. We have house dogs too but I would never leave them unattended in a hotel room for that very reason. Your dog may not bark at home but being alone in a strange hotel room and constant noises in the hallway, you can’t trust your dog will behave and not become a nuisance for other paying guests.
Teresa – you make a good point!
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