On Armstrong Pond

As I get older, I enjoy the peace and quiet of sitting out by the pond and listening to the birds and frogs. It seems like another world - no one in a hurry, no deadlines, no worries.
I was wandering down to the pond to sit in my rocker and enjoy another wonderful evening. I was almost to my chair when I felt something in my shoe (well, actually flip-flops, because I haven't worn real shoes for almost a year). It was a snake! Of course, I screamed. The poor snake had gotten tangled up between my foot and flip-flop. I am by no means an athletic woman, but you should have seen me hopping on one leg trying to fling the snake away from me. I was doing a heck of a job if I do say so myself.
As often happens with women of my age, I was no longer dry and comfortable. The snake slithered away as fast as he could. I decided that although my loving husband was laughing his head off and told me he never saw the snake, I was going to sit down and enjoy my evening.
So when snakes get in your shoes, don't worry, chill out, and come sit by the pond with me. :)

And a Great Time Was Had by All!

I got to visit with my folks last week, help my sister get her shop ready, attend my nephew's graduation party, and attend part of my sister-in-law's monthly crafting day. I am so lucky to have such great relatives. My sister hopes to open her gift shop soon, but really wanted to get it ready to use for her son-in-law's graduation party. (Congratulations, Jason!) It was fun helping her with the decorations.
My mom and I helped with some of the food. She insisted that we needed LOTS of potato salad. I think we made 30-40 pounds! Maybe not quiet that much, but almost. I thought I'd never get finished chopping the potatoes.
After the party, my mom and I went to my sister-in-law's home to do some needlepunching. I always enjoying going to visit her and my brother.
I had a great time and hope everyone else did, too!

Back Home

Well, you know how unpredictable life is. Our son, Robbie, has moved back with us. We are looking at some places for him in Dallas because he wants to be able to get around, and they have DART. He wants to be independent, and we want that for him. I am confident that God will lead us to the best placement for Rob.
My husband and I have been gardening. Although I didn't care for helping in the garden when I was growing up, I really like in now. I think it was living in Dallas County for 10 years that helped me want to get back home to the country. We bought a new pressure cooker so we will be able to can all of the great food we are growing. :)
I just put two new needlepunch items on Etsy. One of them is a small wallhanging, and the other is a small pillow. You are invited to look at them.

Please, pay attention!!!

This is for me. A few times in my teaching career I halfway read a note or email and decided I knew what it said. That got me into a couple of interesting situations. You would think that maybe I would have learned to read and process information. Not so.
I received an invitation for my daughter-in-law, Brandi, and myself to attend my niece's baby shower. I texted Brandi about the invitation asking is she wanted to go with me (they live in Midlothian which is south of Dallas) on Saturday, March 3rd. She took the Thursday and Friday before off so she, my son, and Otis, my grandson, could come to our house in Bonham for a little visit with Papa before Brandi, Otis, and I headed to Wayne, Oklahoma for the shower.
We left on Friday morning and arrived at my parents home outside of Wayne around noon. We went to eat at "The Restaurant" for lunch, dropped Grampy off at home, and headed to WalMart. My momma kept saying something about the shower on Sunday. I told her no, it was on Saturday. She said she thought it was on Sunday, but they didn't send her an invitation so she was probably wrong. We teased her about that. When we returned I went to get the invitation. Sure enough it said March 4th which was Sunday. We had to get back to my house on Saturday because my son had to go to work early Sunday morning.
Before we left, I asked my sister, Karen, not to let the people at the shower harp on how stupid I was. She promised me she wouldn't because it would certainly go without saying. :)
Maybe I will learn to read notes, letters, invitations, and letters to see what they actually say, but I doubt it.

Hello Again

Well, I am finally back. Sometimes life throws things at you that you are just not sure how to handle. Why does it take us so long to realize we had the answer all along? Give it to God.
I have started doing needle punch using the small needle and embroidery floss. It reminds me so much of painting. It makes me feel artistic again. My husband has even started doing needle punch. He is so much faster than I am. If you'd like to see some of our creations, look for us on Etsy.
We have been planting our garden. So far we have planted onions and beets. We also planted 2 apple trees and 2 peach trees. Green beans, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, and spinach will follow.
I'll be back very soon.

PattyCake Originals website

Please visit our website, PattyCake Originals website to see some of our products.

Inspiration

I have been so lucky lately. My brother, Dan, and sister-in-law, Ginger, stopped by on their way home from a well-deserved vacation. They didn't get to stay long but we had a great visit. Ginger is the type of person who inspires and encourages everyone around her. She can always say, "Well, why don' you try ... ?" Whatever she says is the perfect answer to your problem!
Then, my sister, Tricia, the other half of PattyCake Originals, came for a visit. We talked, visited, and shopped. If we were younger, we would have had a slumber party. But we are older and can't stay up that long.
She said she wants to be an inspiration to others. She already is, she just doesn't realize it yet. She makes everyone feel at ease. Her spiritual gift is definitely Service.
Again, I say, I have been lucky to have these inspirational women in my life. Go out and inspire someone. Everbody can use it!

God Can

My son, Darrel, has bruises, cuts, broken collar bone, and a "stable" fractured pelvis. As my friend, Sherry, said, "His guardian angel was working overtime!"
Again, we would like to thank all of those who prayed for Darrel and our family. May God bless you and your families as he has ours.

Dreaded Calls

I want to thank all of my family and friends who have been praying for my son, Darrel. Being the mother of 2 police officers, I try hard not to dwell on what they do for a living. I got a call yesterday about my oldest son being in an accident. Somehow in a pursuit he was struck by a semi. I packed a bag so we could head up to Oklahoma. We had to wait for a while until they decided where to fly him for care. Would it be Paris, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, or Fort Smith? They chose Fort Smith. My husband wanted to wait and talk to someone in the ER at Fort Smith to see what kind of shape he was in. I was in my "Mom" Mode and thought we needed to rush off somewhere now. After talking with the ER in Fort Smith, my husband said that they would probably send him home. Still in "Mom" Mode, I repeatedly told him, "He got hit by a truck! They don't send you home right after you get hit by a truck!" But I guess they do. They released him from the hospital in Fort Smith around midnight. He has a broken collarbone, a fractured pelvis, cuts, and bruises. He is in quiet a bit of pain, and it will take him months before he is back at work, but isn't God Great!

Honey, Don't!

My apologies to the Bee Man! Why am I apologizing to the Bee Man? Well, let me begin by telling you that I am married to the sweetest, kindest, big-heartedest man I know. He would never knowingly do anything to upset anyone. That being said, he does have a hearing problem. I'm pretty sure that is what got him in trouble. He was wandering around the Trade Day grounds checking out each booth. When he came to the Bee Man's booth, he decided to buy some honey to see if it would help with my allergies. He started to visit and somewhere in that conversation he thought the Bee Man said to squeeze the honeycomb. Wondering why he would want John to squeeze the honeycomb, but not wanting to argue, John squeezed the corner of the honeycomb. That was obviously NOT what the man said, as he became very angry. He threw the bag of "squeezed" honeycomb to the back of the booth, and said that now he couldn't sell it. John said he would take it, and the Bee Man said, "Yeah, now you just want it for free!" John said he meant he would buy it. John purchased a jar honey and the "squeezed" honeycomb and escaped. I think he was still in shock when he made it back to our booth.
Advice to Bee Man: When you are visiting with customers, speak loudly and clearly or your honeycomb might get "squeezed" again.

Wondeful Fall

Spending the weekend selling my soap at the Trade Days in Bonham(mostly just giving away samples). Today was warm, and I had a booth in the shade and close to the bathroom. You can't get much better than that. I sat in my chair sewing and listening to John reading a book about healing properties of plants. The author wrote about becoming one with plants. He said that when you were in tune with the plant, they would communicate their healing properties to you. He also talked about sharing tobacco with the plants so they would share with you. I think he must have been smoking some of that whacky-tobacky when he was writing that stuff.

My Sisters and Me

This last weekend was a blast. I got to spend time with my sisters (I am including my sisters, Tricia and Karen, my sister-in-law, Ginger, and my momma, Pat). We attended a needlepunch, picture hooking, rug hooking, hokey pokey (can you tell I don't really know what I'm supposed to call it?) workshop sponsored by my fabulous sister-in-law, Ginger Jackson and her wonderful friend, Pati. I have not had so much fun in I don't know how long. We worked on our projects, talked about family, and reconnected. I hope to regale you later with stories of my glue-happy sister and my yarn-crazy, button-nutty sister, but right now I want everyone of you to think about how you can reconnect to some of the important women in your life. It is food for your soul.
Oh, yeah, Happy Anniversary Momma and Daddy! Happy Birthday Brandi!

Welcome to PattyCake Originals

Hello, my name is Ellen Armstrong. My sister is Patricia Staggs. Together we are PattyCake Originals. We felt led to join together in this new adventure. We will have many crafty and inspirational things to sell, but our main purpose is to inspire others. We want to share the hope and love of family that we have. I hope you will enjoy our blog.

Coming Soon!

Coming October 1st, Goat's Milk Soap and Organic Soap in different fragrances. You will also find several different Bath Tea Bags. Check back for details and pictures.