Friday Favorites

Happy Happy Friday!!! I have a few favorites to share with you.

First of all let me say. I love Dunkin coffee. I don’t get Dunkin a lot so when I do I savor it. I love Iced Caramel Macchiatos. Today when I went to Dunkin they told me it was National Donut Day so I got a free donut. I chose blueberry it’s my favorite.

Iced Caramel Macchiato. My favorite.

I baked bread last week. It has been awhile since I baked bread. I was afraid it wouldn’t rise because of the humidity or barometric pressure, but it did. It turned out great!!! I always take two loaves to work with me, I have to get it out of the house so I won’t eat all of it.

I have been enjoying this sewing box that a friend from work gave me. It belonged to his mother in law. After she passed away he nor his wife had a use for it. He knows how much I love to sew and embroider. He brought it to me. I have had so much fun combing through it. It is full of everything!!!

Lavender Ice cream. This is a locally made ice cream. The lady who makes this is a good friend of mine. She owns a little ice cream shop downtown in Sweetwater. Everything there is hand made even the waffle cones. This is some of the best ice cream I have ever had. My favorite right now is Lavender.

Last week we celebrated my niece, Michelle, with a small family gathering at our favorite local Mexican Restaurant. We had so much fun!! They did the traditional cake smashing.

I made the Birthday cake. She loves yellow cake with chocolate icing. We did not smash this one. We ate all of it and gave some to friends who were in the restaurant. We also gave our waiter a large piece. He said the chocolate frosting reminded him of his grandmother’s frosting. AHHHHH!!

We had some yummy drinks.

Several of my orchids are blooming!!!

And I leave you with one of my all time favorites. My happy place with my big boy Gus. He loves sleeping on my lap in the mornings while I drink coffee.

What are some favorites you have had this week? Don’t forget that tomorrow is National Knit in Public Day. Will you be knitting ? I think I will.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

The Little Loomhouse in Louisville Kentucky

Several weeks ago I visited Louisville Kentucky. I had to go there for a work meeting. Because I work in tourism a lot of our meeting time is spent attending other tourism attractions. I was so excited when I heard we were going to the Little Loomhouse.

If you missed my recent posts about Louisville you can check them out here: A few days in Louisville Kentucky and Visiting Churchill Downs

The Little Loomhouse is a nonprofit, community based, fiber arts education center and historic site. This site offers both tours and weaving lessons and a fiber and spinning tour. The site is actually home to three cabins and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This entire place came to be because of a woman named Lou Tate. Lou Tate was a master weaver and she invented the Table Loom also known as the Little Loom. This loom makes it possible to teach weaving anywhere because you can take the loom just about anywhere.

Lou Tate was born In Bowling Green Kentucky. Her interest in weaving began when she received five generations of weaving patterns from an elderly weaver, Nan Owen.

In the 1940’s, Tate started an experimental weaving group. This weaving business led her to her first love, teaching.

The Lou Tate Foundation took over the property in 1979 shortly after Tate’s death. A grant from the City of Louisville in 1983 enabled much needed restoration for the cabin, Tophouse.

For more information and facts about this fantastic place visit the website www.littleloomhouse.org

Our group arrived at the Little Loomhouse on a rainy morning. We were taken there by bus. We had to walk up a very steep hill to get to the cabin at the top, Top House, where we would have a weaving lesson. I was beyond excited.

We walked into the cabin and even though it was fairly small it was packed with tables and tabletop looms, beautiful bolts of thread and finished works that would take your breath away. We were told to pick a loom and have a seat. A lot of our crew looked around nervously like this was not their “cup of tea”. Although in the end I think everyone enjoyed it.

Our guide gave us a quick lesson and we were soon on our way to making a mug rug. I could quickly see how the rhythmic movements could be so soothing and relaxing.

My finished piece.
We also went to one of the other cabins. A lot of spinning wheels and looms were on display. This was more of a museum with so much history.
And of course I just had to have one of the hand woven bags that were for sale.

I think their mission statement sums up everything Lou Tate would have wanted The Little Loomhouse to be:

We are a Louisville, Kentucky Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Our mission is to continue the legacy of founder Lou Tate, by educating students of all ages about the history of weaving and textile arts through diverse programs, residencies, and community partnerships and ensuring the preservation of our landmark cabins. The Foundation serves students of all ages and cultures who want to learn about the history and practice of weaving, textile, fiber, and folk arts. 

I hope you enjoyed this visit to the Little Loomhouse in Louisville Kentucky.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Hello Monday

Hello and happy Memorial Day. How was your week and weekend? Hopefully it was a nice long one for you. I am so humbled and awe stricken to think of the men and women who have served our country and gave everything in doing so. Let us never forget the reason we observe Memorial Day.

Have you ever had a week that felt like it was a month long? Well that is how work was for me last week. It seems like all I did was come home, eat some dinner and go to bed.

On Wednesday we noticed a dog running around the yard. We saw it on our blink security camera. We thought he belonged to someone visiting one of the neighbors. We kept seeing him and then when Mark came home on Wednesday he, turns out it was a she, followed his truck down the driveway and proceeded to make herself at home. She looked half starved. My husband said that was just the hound in her. We weren’t sure how she would do with the cats so we put the outside kitties in the garage.

She came right up on my deck while we were gone. Sorry for the bad pic it was from the blink camera.

The dog, I named her Sally, and was already figuring out which day I could get her to the vet, did not have a tag on her collar. She was big and goofy and so sweet. We gave her some food and water. During the night it rained and I was so worried about her. By morning she had gone back home. Turns out some people were camping down the lake and she was just wandering around. I was a little disappointed and a little relieved. Although I would never let my babies wander like this alone.

On Friday, I again went with some friends to Iron Works Grill on the river. They do karaoke every Friday night. It is so much fun. Plus the views are spectacular. Aren’t those mountains beautiful?

A couple of weekends ago I went to an estate sale. The people having the sale had actually had it for a couple of weekends so they were ready to get rid of some things. Well everything actually. This is what I got:

This blue Buddha for $2.00. I think it will go great in one of our bathrooms.
I cannot pass up a nice cake stand. And this one doubles as a bowl $2.00

Look at this purse. It is a little worn and I am going to redo the lining. I love it. It reminds me of the purses my mama carried when I was a little girl. I may try a little diluted bleach water to whiten it back up. $2.00.

I just couldn’t pass those things up. I know my husband rolls his eyes when I drag pieces into the house but I always find use for them eventually.

The pollen here has been crazy. So many people are having sinus and allergy problems, fortunately I am not. My poor husband has allergies and this time of year for him is really hard. We have also had a lot of rain. It seems like it has rained almost every day for a couple of weeks. I guess that helps the pollen a little.

The roads near my house were almost flooded this morning.

I leave you with the best thing I have received in a long time. A friend from work found out I like to sew and that I had a sewing machine. He told me that his mother or grandmother had an old tackle box that was full of sewing supplies. He asked if I would like to have it. He said he had no use for it. I told him I would love to have it. He brought it in today. It was full of all kinds of goodies. Threads, bobbins, needles, buttons, sewing machine tools, pins etc etc. I was in heaven. I offered to pay him for it but he said giving it to someone that could use it was enough. I was really touched.

Look at all of this!!!!!

I have been knitting like crazy with every spare minute. I worked on a shawl and almost have it finished. I guess you could say it is more of a wrap. I made another one exactly like it last year but it was my first one and I wasn’t too happy with the way it turned out. Hopefully I will have it finished and blocked by the end of the week. I also started another pair of socks. Pink.

That’s it for me tonight.

Always remember

Love your day your way!