Getting My Fall On...Giveaway #2 WINNER

Have I told you how much I LOVE FALL??

The oranges, reds, yellows, and browns wrap me up like a warm blanket.  Like some folks love Christmas, 

I LOVE FALL !!!

(psst...read to bottom of blog post for Giveaway Winner's Name)

(

Here is my Old Country Roses China Pattern...another favorite!

I'm rushing the season I suppose but with the HOT and Humid summer weather we've had, the advent of cooler weather has turned my mind and heart to FALL.

My 3yr. old grandson and I have been taking trips to the storage building to bring home the BOXES of Autumn decorations I have accumulated over the past 24 yrs.  We built our house back in 1986 on my husband's family farm.  Before then, I wasn't much into decorating...I had 3 little ones and a full time teaching job which didn't leave room for much DIY or decorating.  Plus, decorating the home didn't have the emphasis it does nowadays or at least it seems that way to me.  What do you think?  The Internet as well as the multitudes of DIY/decorating sites has made decorating the home an entire cottage industry.

 My Door Wreath 

was made from an old grapevine wreath and fake flowers from Dollar General.

Cost...approx. $5

Do you decorate your home for fall?  When do you start putting up your Fall decorations?

This weekend I will clean my front porch and put out more of my fall decorations.  My porch rockers need a good BATH from the summer dust and new coat of mildew brought on by Tropical Storm Lee and his 6 inches of rain!  I'll take pictures once everything is all nice and clean.  I LOVE my Front Porch and in fact spend a great deal of time out there when the weather permits.  

Morning coffee and Devotion Time is so much better when spent on a Front Porch.  

Which Reminds me...

Did I tell you I visited my old home place when I went back for my 40th High School Reunion? This House had a Marvelous Front Porch so...after 40yrs. I walked up the steps and onto that porch with my heart pounding hoping the current occupants were home yet afraid someone would actually open the front door! 

No one came to the door although a car was in the back.  The porch had recently been repaired but it lacked my Mama's nice porch furniture.  I would sit on that porch with my friends and boyfriends from spring all the way till the first snow.  Much of my life played out in the confines of that big front porch.  Perhaps, that is the reason I insisted on a front porch when we built our house in 1987!

West Virginia Autumn

I grew up in the Great State of WEST VIRGINIA...no more Gorgeous state or real estate on the planet.

God poured out His Blessings on those Appalachian Mountains!

NOTHING Screams Autumn like a West Virginia Autumn!

I'm Definitely Feeling Like Getting My Fall ON!

FOOTBALL 

plays another important role in Getting My Fall ON...

Can I say Love Story...Movie Making...Plane Crashes??

Stay Tuned for my NEXT POST

WE ARE...MARSHALL

 

P.S.  I HAVE A WINNER!!

LORRI...btfly61

You've won your choice of some Fat 8ths Fabric, 5 Civil War Blocks, or 8 Skeins of White Knitting Yarn (really nice stuff...I just don't knit!)

email me your address/email

jehillis@gmail.com

FAREWELL TO SUMMER and GiveAway #2 Wantobe Quilter's Campaign

Farewell Summer 2011

Labor Day Weekend is the Unofficial End of Summer

here in the USA.

The Fashion Police used to say we couldn't wear WHITE after Labor Day.

I still put away my white sandals, white capris, purse.  Old Habits are hard to break!

Psst.....read all the way to the end for Giveaway #2

How is YOUR Family spending this THREE Day Holiday?  I hope you don't have plans to go to the Gulf Coast.  Looks like Tropical Storm Lee is going to rain on Beach Goers' Parade.  As bad as I hate to see vacation plans spoiled, we are in such need of rain and Lee just might be our answer to prayer.  Some forecasts have us receiving 10 inches.  Along the Coast, 10-20 inches will be the norm.  Poor New Orleans, will the Levies hold?  

The Hillis clan is staying close to home relaxing, and spending time with family.  I'm hoping to get the binding on my Grandson Ryan's quilt and start on some seasonal sewing such as aprons, table runners, mug rug's, pot holders, placemats, etc. My camera cord got chewed by my beagle so I'm unable to upload/download (whatever) any new pictures of current projects.  I'll remedy that problem over the weekend and be back next week with some Quilting MOJO

In saying farewell to summer, I thought I would show you some of the sand castles our family has built in the past.  We are going to the Beach in October and will have a whole new crop of Sand Castle Art to share. People actually stop to have their pictures made beside our sand castles/sculptures.  I have always played with my now grown children in their sandbox since they were children which was simply an extension of my childhood love of my sandbox.  The Beach was the Ultimate Sandbox and I took full advantage of instructing the kiddos in the fine art of Sand Art.  Truth be known, they were the ones with the talent and it was a great excuse to play together on summer beach vacations.

Hope you enjoy the 

World of Hillis Sand Art

The Construction Phase

Sand Castle at Sunset

Look at the sea gulls lined up on the beach in the background!

The Littlest Whale

Every year sees some type of gargoyle created

TITANTIC ??

Sand Pumpkin

Would you believe the beach is even better in the FALL ?

The T-Shirt D#2 has on is one she had made at age 8-9 and has worn it every year to the beach.  She just keeps stretching it out.  The airbrush picture on the front is of  a big SunFlower, her favorite flower and reminds the whole family of Anna Laura (don't you just love her name...  She is the funniest and sweetest person you could ever know)

So, there you have it!  My salute to Labor Day Week-end, the End of Summer, and the Beginning of Fall...regardless of what the weatherman says!

Ma and Pa Hillis say:

Good-Bye Summer

Good Riddance

Come back Next Week, and be ready to WIN some Prizes over at 

sewwequilt@stashmanicure

To all my Sweet Followers:  Keep Commenting!  I want YOU to WIN!!!

MY Giveaway #2 is Your Choice of Knitting Yarn or Fabric.  I'll have pictures next week! 

Sept. 14th  

 I'll choose a winner from all those who are

Followers of mine 

AND Stash

AND have left Comments on both blogs 

AND told me so!

BirthdayShout-Out

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO #1 DAUGHTER

 Happy 33rd Birthday!

 I love your smile

You come from a Long Line of Strong Funny Resilient Women

 You're a Great Sister and Best Friend

You definitely have better hair now!!  I thought that sweater looked so good on you!  You Hated it but wore it just to keep the Peace!  Bless Your Heart!

You're the bestest Aunt MeMe in the world!

You're a Big Part of Our Family!

One Fantastic Mommy to Sweet Baby James

You have dedicated your Life to making sure James gets every advantage he needs to be successful and Happy in Life.

James is the perfect excuse to celebrate your Favorite Holiday,

HALLOWEEN!

We Love Playing Together

 Your Favorite Place...The Beach at Gulf Shores

You Put James first and yourself LAST

Here you are wearing your Physical Therapy Hat!

All in making sure James has the Best

Here you are wearing your Equine Therapy Hat

and...

even though you're all grown up now

I am Still Your Parent, You Are Still My Child

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY, MARY ELLEN

Daddy and I are so proud of the Godly young woman, Mother, and Wife  you have become.

As a Professional Photographer you use your talent to Benefit others, as a mother, you're second to none,andas a daughter you are still that little baby girl placed in my arms 33 yrs ago with two long curls on each temple, a scratch under your right eye, and the sweetest little smile that melted my heart.

WITH LOVE

YOUR MAMA

Lessons From The Geese

As Much Sense As God Gave a Goose.....

 Flying in the V

Whew, I don't know about where you live but here in my neck of the woods this summer has been nothing but

HOT, HOT, HOT

However...

It will only be a few weeks before we see flocks of geese flying overhead headed south for the winter.  For My friends in Canada,  many of your birds park their little wings right here in my back yard, local ponds and lakes.  In fact, my husband loves to go fishing in the early pre-dawn just to watch the Canadian geese and Heron take off in flight from Lake Guntersville.  He says the sight and sound is breathtaking.  I wouldn't know since I do not find any thing breath taking about getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to sit in a boat and wait for a fish to bite some slimy worm that # 1 husband put on the hook that I took out of the tackle box that pricked my finger that bled like a stuck pig all over my nice Frog Tog Jacket.  Yes, Frog Togs are for real    (Google Frog Togs)...made locally and sold globally.  

But I digress...

To say I'm anxiously awaiting Autumn would be the understatement of 2011.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE EVERYTHING about Fall, Autumn, The Autumnal Equinox, whatever you want to call it....I LOVE IT!!

While going through my Fall decorations (which so happens to consist of an enormous amount of school related decorations  considering I'm a retired teacher), I found one of those inspirational "Forwards" from that one particular friend we all have...wink  wink..you know who I'm talking about...we all have one.  Right???!!

The following FACTS are from that particular "Forward".  I used it with my faculty one Autumn afternoon.  It happened to be one of those school years when teacher egos were fragile and relationships between grade levels were a bit *strained*.  Elementary teachers can be very competitive...  who gets up the first Pumpkin to whose reading scores are the highest.  Competitiveness and egotism is not exclusive to the sports world but can be found in education, business, science, churches,and even families!

Take some time to reflect upon the Facts and Lessons learned from the lowly Geese.

FACT:  As each goose flaps its wings, it creates an "uplift" for the bird following.  By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone.
LESSON:  People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they're going quicker and easier as they travel on the thrust of one another.

FACT:  Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.
LESSON:  If we have as much sense as a goose, we will join up in formation or what I like to say "order of authority* (important to the Family structure in my opinion) with those headed in the SAME direction. Sort of like being the wind beneath each others' wings!  

FACT:  When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies at the point position.

LESSON:  It pays to take turns doing the hard work and sharing leadership with people, just as with geese, everyone depending, leaning, and relying on the other to get the job done or to reach a goal!

FACT:  The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

LESSON:  We need to make sure our honking from behind is ENCOURAGING...Not DISCOURAGING!

 

FACT:  When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow their fellow member down to help and provide protection.  They stay with this member of the flock until he or she either is able to fly again or dies.  They then launch out on their own either with another formation of geese or to catch up with their own flock.This is my favorite Fact!

LESSON:  If we have as much sense as a Goose, we'll stand by one another like they do.

A lot of common sense can be found in Nature.  I like to think God designed it that way.  After all, we are a stubborn lot and many times we go off on our own, headed in a different direction, and find out, often too late, we really can feel the "drag and resistance of flying alone".  Reaching our goals and/or destination in life is definitely made easier when we take advantage of the *lifting power* of those in front of us and the *honking* of encouragement by the person/persons behind us! 

We really DO want to have the sense that God Gave A Goose

JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER 

TO ALL MY LOVELY FOLLOWERS

I'd be ever so appreciative if you would "FLY" on over 

to

Sew We Quilt

Make sure you say Grandmama's Stories is your Blog Sponsor

or your comment won't be eligible for the Give-Away!

We all have a better chance at winning if follow the leader, fly in the same direction, and *honk* each other on in our quilting and stitching endeavors!

BLESSINGS