Celebrating Fathers

Today is Father's Day here in the USA.  Some people scoff at special days for celebrating things like Mothers and Fathers and Valentines, etc. - saying those days were created by greeting card companies.  But I disagree - I think it's wonderful to have a day in the year to concentrate on those people who give you life, raise you and help you become the person you are.  My Dad was sweet to us and a gentle soul.  He was born on a farm in Oklahoma and was raised milking cows and taking care of farm animals and riding horses.  He fell for my mom when they were young, and when she went to California to visit her sister, he and a buddy decided to pool their money for gas and drove his Model A Ford to see her, when he did, he proposed and the eloped to Reno and got married.  They moved into a tiny shack on his parent's farm and had a set of twins, Robert and Roberta.  Then he got drafted and ended up in the Marines and on Iwo Jima.  I arrived not long after he came home from WWII - well, about 9 months later. :-)  He always came through for me and I will be forever grateful.  

I volunteered at the falls on Thursday with my friend Shirley and finished up the 2 legs for Hayden's Teddy Bear.  My 5th bear.  One more to go and I'll have crocheted a Teddy Bear for all 6 of my grandkids.  I learned a lesson, always get 2 skeins of yarn.  I ran out of the moss green and searched many stores and could not find more.  SO, I had to get creative and I got some denim blue yarn and decided to make overalls for him.   

See the thimble on his lap?  WELL... story time.  My blog friend Lucy from In The Sky blog recently told a story about how she'd misplaced her grandmother's sterling silver thimble.  She did find it and showed it to us and I fell in love with it.  I went to Etsy.com and found this one and now I have a lovely vintage thimble in my sewing kit.  I have wanted one for years and never found one I liked.  This one has a little sailboat on it, an arched bridge on the left that looks like our historic highway arches here and a lighthouse on the right!

Do you have a thimble that you love?   

I have been wanting a nice wagon for the boys to play with and we just got this one and the boys are having fun with it.   

Grandpa and his youngest grandkid - Caleb the Curly One.   

Grandpa letting the 4 and 5 year old boys crack eggs for scrambled eggs and cheese. 

The beginnings of a chef. 

On Friday the big boys were here too.  I got Dayle a pellet BBQ for Father's Day and this meal was his "maiden voyage" using it.  He also made us green salad, macaroni and cheese and BBQ'd chicken and steak.  Oh my, we're converts!  The pellet BBQ smokes and cooks the meat with NO flame-ups!  The meat tasted outstanding!

Yesterday we spent the afternoon on the deck and so I began creating the overalls for the bear.. this was an interesting project, making it up as I went along. 

Overalls completed!  Now today I intend to embroider some eyes, nose and mouth.  I also want to find some brass buttons for his overalls.  Hayden seems to be happy with it! 

Kristi and the boys spent the night here in their VW bus, a 1978.  Travis works nights but came here at 5 am and slept in the upstairs bedroom.  This is grandpa holding both boys while they watched Tree Fu Tom on the Sprout network.   

What do you think of the overalls I concocted? 

We are preparing for a Father's Day BBQ now - Shawn, his wife and 2 boys arrive at 3 pm. We're BBQing "Pepper Steaks" and bacon wrapped sirloins and making macaroni salad and baked beans.  I hope you have a great day - if you're lucky enough to have your father still with you.. treasure him.  Happy Father's Day to all Dads out there!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)