tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338823192012-01-30T21:40:26.124+01:00Granny's SquaresJenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-35453036997347692272012-01-30T05:29:00.001+01:002012-01-30T05:47:58.665+01:00

Putting together the pieces. There are nine squares full of granny squares. Different sizes and shapes. They haven't been blocked  yet and I like the graphic look at this stage. This weekend I have made two big squares and have one more to make before I'll be able to stitch them all together. Hopefully, I will finish this week so it will be ready for my grandbaby girl on the way in April.

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-57216629237507052882012-01-29T07:29:00.001+01:002012-01-29T08:31:10.404+01:00

I'm walking up stairs with two paper boxes with hot dogs full of mustand and pickle relish. Purse and camera are over my shoulder and Enno is behind me with two drinks in his hands. We're looking for Row 7 in Section S, Seats 6 and 7. The place is packed and the lights go out. Below us a dirt-filled arena is full of horses and lady riders carrying flags. The spotlights follow them  around the

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-91424286125814490132012-01-27T17:27:00.000+01:002012-01-27T17:27:26.659+01:00

We're headed to the afternoon matineeat the Ft. Worth Rodeo today.The weather is gorgeous! Yes, there are cowgirl shops nearby.I have my new outfit ready to don.See you later with lots of  good photosof cowboys and bull riding.Have a good weekend!

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-30260335371135602152012-01-24T18:59:00.002+01:002012-01-24T19:16:21.271+01:00

The need for exercise propells us out of our seats and go see what is happening in the neighborhood. Enno is waiting for me now to go on our daily walk. There is a new highway cutting across our Trinity River. Enno could watch the men for hours. First blooms And I find a nice place to listen to the crows, watch the clouds and soak up some sunshine!

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-88233652761950889982012-01-24T15:05:00.002+01:002012-01-24T15:21:30.196+01:00

Boxes and boxes of letters and photos have followed me through every move I've made in the past several decades. My sweet husband hands me a new box every morning to sort. That means.... yes, I've had to reread every letter and card to decide if I should keep it. most of them are from my five children I'm creating a pile, one for each, where I put the letters I think they would like to

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-63050161478655827532012-01-23T15:08:00.003+01:002012-01-23T15:56:44.960+01:00

Getting a lesson from a master sculptor is something my grandson just loved. He listened to every word Enno said and followed his instructions to the letter. It was Ezra's first time that I know of to hammer a nail into wood. Little Ezra is four years old and loves everything boys do at that age. Trucks are one of his favorite things. Enno and I were at Lowe's hardware store and found a

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-70246617649412539262012-01-21T14:38:00.001+01:002012-01-21T15:12:40.198+01:00

Every morning we have the same routine. This is good and it makes my day go smoothly. Fluffy and I get his breakfast, my coffee then turn on the computer to wake up with blogger friends. We have friends all over the world that have the same interests we do. Gardening, painting, craft making, decorating, travelling (what tumbleweeds do best) and meeting interesting people in the places we go.

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-1951079704043380222012-01-19T15:31:00.002+01:002012-01-19T16:43:00.936+01:00

This beautiful little girl is one year old. She is a baby longhorn. Enno and I were admiring her when her owner stopped by and  told us her story and his. Here he is introducing us to an eleven year old longhorn who is th older brother of Rosie. The mother of both is not going to be having any more calves. He bought Rosie and wants to breed her next summer to carry on the line. Rosie is also

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-47046274425162671002012-01-18T15:41:00.003+01:002012-01-18T16:01:28.046+01:00

One of my favorite things about going to the Ft.Worth Stock Show is seeing the baby animals. These are two scared and cold little lambs. The piclets huddle to keep warm. But today is for the cows. Enno and I spentfour hours walking around the barns.

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-4879587387816492602012-01-17T16:18:00.003+01:002012-01-17T17:11:45.300+01:00

Travel in the old west was not something one did very often. If you wanted to get somewhere in a hurry the stagecoach was the quickest and sometimes only way to travel. Today we have airlines and can fly from one continent to another in ten hours. That is if your airline doesn't reroute you. Enno and I are going to get to see Atlanta Int'l Airport, April 14th, now that KLM has removed its

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-17662603374703178182012-01-16T22:36:00.003+01:002012-01-17T00:41:04.408+01:00

Crocheting is the oldest craft I know. I learned when I was about seven years old from my babysitter. It used to be second nature to me to whip up a blanket. These days I can't remember the patterns and have to reread the instructions. From  square to square I can't remember. This is scaring me but I hope eventually remember the little square patterns. This is a special blanket  because it

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-82508640655336866802012-01-16T17:34:00.003+01:002012-01-16T18:21:06.431+01:00

Enno took all these photos. He just loves the cowboys, cowgirls, horses and saddles. Mexican skirts draped over the back of the horses show off the colors. Fun for everyone especially in the nice weather. Social Season for the Western and Ft. Worth is extremely western! It is called Where the West Begins. Quanah Parker's great grandson. Quanah was a famous Indian Chief in Texas and

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-16368270660202513752012-01-15T16:38:00.002+01:002012-01-15T16:57:07.046+01:00

Enno and Francie get ready to shoot the parade. We met Francie, Nell and Ezra in downtown Ft. Worth Saturday on one of the most beautiful winter days I remember ever in January in north Texas. The Ft. Worth Rodeo and Stock Show Parade opens the western season. It is usually too cold to stand outside this time of year but not this winter. Enno took the photos and counted over 170 entries in the

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-45173152966530204652012-01-11T19:03:00.003+01:002012-01-11T20:10:58.193+01:00

Jenny's Fish Chowder Ingredients:8 cups vegetable soup stock (my personal recipe)2 c. white wine1 onion chopped2 leeks sliced thin2 cloves garlic, minced2 carrots chopped2 stalks of celery chopped1 yellow squash chopped1 zucchini squash chopped 1 potato cubed in small pieces1 head cauliflower, chopped1 small head broccoli chopped1 stick of butter (I used light butter but Enno says that is not

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-62882995981650652562012-01-11T15:47:00.001+01:002012-01-11T16:03:51.422+01:00

Knitting or crocheting always calms me down, soothes my nerves. Last week when I was at Walmart I strolled down the yarn aisle. In the back of my mind is making a baby afghan for my little granddaughter who will come into the world in April, I found a book of baby afghans with photos. One in particular appealed to me, the one with all the pastel colors. This is not your normal granny

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-26880852675489683462012-01-10T15:30:00.001+01:002012-01-10T15:46:01.703+01:00

Enno is reading the directions on a package of sandpaper. Today he wants to lift off watermarks that are on an antique desk. The little desk at the end of the room is getting ready to have a cleaning and sanding. Enno chose a steel wool #000 and used water when he rubbed it on the wood. It came off and the varnish is still intact. He will put an Old English Scratch Cover  back on it and oil.

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-11397617013247019302012-01-09T18:08:00.003+01:002012-01-09T18:38:02.661+01:00

What are the risks? Is it something I really want to do? Is it necessary? I didn't realize Fluffy has been asking himself these questions for a long time. Or maybe not. Curiosity and cats. We all know what that means. Yesterday the 2 tumbleweeds were enjoying an afternoon of watching a good program on BBC when we saw our cat jump onto the little wrought iron table on our patio. He tried to

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-71811838201712078362012-01-08T13:21:00.002+01:002012-01-08T13:43:16.127+01:00

Francie is my youngest daughter, the one who is always waiting at the airport for me when I arrive. Maybe it is because she lives closest to the airport? but I like to think she misses me so much she is thrilled to see me. And Eric, her adorable husband, is usually with her. What would I do without them? Both Francie and Eric are busy with their jobs and two children. Francie has a new one in

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-82044706857070249612012-01-07T15:45:00.002+01:002012-01-07T16:01:47.436+01:00

Mitt Cook's  great, great, great grandfather was full blooded Cherokee. That is in Native American. Somewhere along the generations of adding white blood he lost the tawny complection, but not the characteristic nose. This handsome man is the husband of my good friend, Sherry. What am I doing taking so many photos of him?Sherry is a portrait painter and wants to paint him in pastel. She

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-82579077041403668022012-01-06T12:59:00.002+01:002012-01-06T16:39:19.268+01:00

Limitations don't hold back Enno. Even with a small space in which to work he can whip up some pretty big numbers. This is his version of American potato salad which he likes to make. He serves it warm. Boiled, red, new potatoes, onions, eggs, celery and parsley salt and pepper to taste held together with mayo. And here is the Erwten Soup we ate with my brother and sister-in-law for dinner

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-25163543393786748772012-01-05T14:14:00.001+01:002012-01-05T14:22:18.417+01:00

Is this all you seem to be doing these days? Enno and Fluffy take a mid-morning nap in the warm sunshine with Fluffy lying on Enno's legs. Does it look pretty nice? It is. January is a time for hibernation. Bears do it and they are much bigger than humans. When I was a stay-at-home-mom(we didn't have that term back then), I always looked forward to January when the decorations were tucked snug

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-60531564528007064392012-01-04T11:56:00.002+01:002012-01-04T12:48:07.937+01:00

Cedar root cross-sections are Enno's new sculptures in the making.My son, Tim, cut down some trees and when Enno foraged through the stumps hediscovered this cedar tree trunk.Tim sawed it into three to four inch cross-sections for Enno to whittle and clean up creating three freeform pieces to sand and varnish. When he has themthe way he wants them, in a sculptor's eye,he will attach them to a

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-26692653594212117912012-01-04T00:21:00.004+01:002012-01-06T16:43:15.190+01:00

It is time for s l o w i n g down, catching my breath and calming my nerves. What better way for me to do that than making soup? Enno and I are cooking this week as I work on my income tax and sorting all my papers from the past year. I've been piling everything on my desk and putting it on the back burner of my mind until January. It actually felt good today to begin the sorting

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-71447769485956066332012-01-03T06:09:00.001+01:002012-01-03T06:16:05.321+01:00

What in the world is this?It is supposed to bea wide anglelens.The problem is I don't knowhow to use it.I'm a little out of focus this weekend.Where do I go with this?I'm following Enno to the lake.Something doesn't look right.Okay. Let's move on. We're not going anywhere with this. We're going to a partywith a big bonfire.It's New Year's Day and time forsome relaxing fun.I'll deal with the

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-74575973996690163672012-01-02T20:17:00.002+01:002012-01-03T05:13:33.986+01:00

Watching the annual Pasadena Rose Bowl is a great way to start the new year. Today is a day of bowl games. I'm playing with my new macro lens which was a Christmas present. I can't tell that it is any different from my regular lens in these photos. Since it didn't come with instructions I'm winging it. My camera's manual is at home in Holland. Bear with me.

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33882319.post-40700212277388848752012-01-01T13:01:00.002+01:002012-01-01T13:01:34.278+01:00

Clean Slate

Jenny Schouten Shorthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10275357518618379481noreply@blogger.com4