A fire, some flowers, and some shirts ~~ finishes

Meme's stepdad is a volunteer fireman. Her mom decided that they would be a family of firefighters for Halloween. Meme, however, can't seem to say fire-anything. When asked what she wants to be for Trick or Treat, she answer, "a fire-ah." So we made her a fire-ah costume. Her little brother is going to be a dalmatian. I haven't seen his costume yet. 

A little red tee shirt with yellow and sparkly silver striped ribbon and her very own badge. I attached the silver ribbon to the yellow using adhesive web then sewed them onto the shirt. The badge I planned to made from two pieces of yellow adhered using heavy duty web, but in the end I used a zigzag stitch to applique it on. The letter, for her name, is a ready-made sticky letter. All of it is Dusti's idea and design. She also made the requisite red tutu. I can't wait to see Miss Priss in her fire-ah costume.

Also this week I finished up the last of the flowers for All Saints' Day. These are for Richard's dad. I had to wait for him to pick up the cypress vase he made a couple of months ago.

I wasn't sure what Richard would want in the way of flowers, so I bought a variety of deep fall colors when I bought all the ones for my family. Turns out he really likes them. I suppose we'll put them out tomorrow when we go to mass. His brother cleaned the grave and his mom already delivered her flowers.

The other then I've worked on has really taken some time. We are going to Disney before Christmas and the kids want tee shirts. 

Well! That is going to be interesting. It's difficult to get 10 people to agree on one shirt. So I've taken things into hand and designed two that I can cut on the Silhouette. One Meggan and I found some on Pinterest (of course) and changed the idea to fit the Marcotte clan's needs. The designs are finished. Wish me luck getting them onto the shirts.

Finally, Richard and I have babysat till we're exhausted. Meme and Brother are sweet, fun little tykes, but they are heavy (literally) and high-maintenance. One is potty-training and the other is curious. He's now mobile, crawling on all fours, pulling up and digging in everything. Meme is a big help: I say Ryder, she yells no!
Somehow we're getting on, but it's getting more difficult not less so. Any suggestions? I really need help.

And in my personal life...

there's not much going on. I am slowly healing from the surgery two weeks ago. Mostly I am resting, napping, and sleeping. However, yesterday and today I went into the studio and actually made some stitches. Of course, some of those stitches were to hem up Lane's pants for graduation, which is tomorrow night. That  took all of maybe 15 minutes. 

The other stitches I made had to do with the Cotton Robin final round of mini-quilts. (Here's a sneak peak. Shhh!) It won't be long till the Big Reveal. That's when I can post about my doings on that front. I'm excited to see my own little quilt and to get reactions for the ones I worked on. This robin is such fun!

Yesterday, Richard and I finally went to the cemetery to put new flowers on mom and dad's grave. I meant to do that for Easter, but the hospital wouldn't give me a pass. So I figured Mother's Day would be a good plan B. I just couldn't get myself to take the trip. It's only about 25-30 minutes away, but any sitting in the car can be painful. So I've had to pick and choose my drives and take only one a day. Even so, not every day.

I bought these beautiful blue daisies and white magnolia flowers several weeks ago. I really like the way they look together. Dad's favorite color was blue and mom loved blue and white so it's a perfect combination for their flowers. I may add some red roses later in June in preparation for July 4th. What do you think? Will that be too obvious?

And finally, here's Meme riding her rocking horse that her poppa made. She has had it for at least a year and still loves to ride it. Though, truthfully, she's on it for about 30 and then she's gone again. She reminds me of a hummingbird, flitting around from one toy to another. Or one person to another.

How is life in your part of the world? Are you getting any stitching done?

American Cemetery, Natchitoches

We spent our weekend at my sister's house in Natchitoches so that we could enjoy the festival, including a very long parade, the lights, and the fireworks.  

We also planned to attend mass at Holy Cross Church but, it turned out, the regular weekend mass was cancelled for whatever reason.  Since there are still two other churches in town, it should not have been a problem.  Except that we'd walked with three grandchildren in tow.  They weren't having any of this, "Well, let's walk ten blocks to the Basilica and hoof it fast because we're now late" business.  

Honestly, I don't think I could have done it myself and made it in time for much of the mass.  Oh yes, we'd cut through the cemetery to arrive at Holy Cross on time.  So we decided to stroll back through the cemetery.  

Since I know that the American Cemetery is almost as old as Natchitoches, which happens to be the oldest settlement in the La. Purchase and part of the National Park Service, I decided to look for a few of the oldest headstones.  

I wasn't very successful, but the girls and I enjoyed the quiet solitude and beauty of the place. The oldest headstones dated from the late 1890's.  Nothing from the 1700's when the cemetery was established.

But there are so many graves with no markers at all....a strange pile of old, mossy bricks, a broken piece of marble, perhaps what may have had a name etched on it at some point, but today it is not at all legible.

Still the place is beautiful in a serene, still, solitary way.  The huge oaks, the flowering shrubs, the vast spaces all add to the peace and the solemn feel.

Imagine the surprise of discovering a Christmas tree in the middle of a cemetery.  Even that surprise did not elicit more than a whisper from any of us as we quietly walked past.  

 I've been to many cemeteries, and I've visited this one several times.  I am always surprised at the quiet, since it's located in the center of a medium-sized city that happens to have a university, a thriving downtown, and a festival with tens of thousands throughout the month of December.  

Yet, the place is quiet and peaceful and surprisingly well kept.  But mostly, I am struck by the sense of peace and presence.  Last Saturday I walked away holding the hands of two granddaughters and singing this hymn softly in my mind:

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel His mighty power and His grace.
I can hear the brush of angels wings.
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

There's a holy hush around us as God's glory feels this place.
I've touched the hem of His garment, I can almost see His face.
And my heart is overflowing with the fullness of His joy.
I know without a doubt that I've been with the Lord.

We may not have made our way to mass, but certainly we made our way to God.  

And found Him in the most peaceful of places.