Fun and Games, British DBE, Knitting group, Raised bed garden

Mom and Daphine at Los Cedros Arabian stables

Daphine Gawin, Freda Coleman and Mom at Daughter's of the British Empire ACM.  They are all WW2 War Brides

      

Daphine and Mum with Queen Elizabeth at the English Rose Tea Room

 Baby Prayer Shawl Knitting group at FUMC is busy

We are now knitting hats and scarves for the Navajo people cause it gets very cold up there.  We are knitting hats for children with cancer at PCH, baby blankets and hats for baptisms and the newborn classes at the weekday school.  We started meeting for 2 hours in the afternoon, so we can get more done, visit and have afternoon tea!

My New Raised Bed Garden, 5 feet x 16 feet made by Javier - Thanks!

 

Notice the mosaic stepping stone, I have 4 different ones in garden 

 

The minute it got hot I covered it with shade screen

Some of my produce from Carol's Garden, winter & early spring

Tomato plants and lettuce going to seed

I had beautiful tomatoes all spring and summer, ate them, canned them and gave them away

DBE Garden Tea, Oct 28, 2017

Chris kindly volunteered her lovely home for our tea

Mary and Rita at the ticket table

Front of home before start of tea

Silent Auction

Part of raffle table

Alex, Chris, a friend and Helen

We served sausage rolls, scones and fruit with the tea

  My Mom joined the Daughters of the British Empire in 1946 after she arrived in Phoenix from Brisbane Australia after WW2.  She states that it kept many a marriage together as the War Brides shared the joys and struggles of being in a new country away from their family.  She has been active for over 70 years.  I joined after I retired, but have helped for many a year before that.  The DBE was always a part of my childhood.  We are a 501c3 organization and we have one big fundraiser each year.  All profits go to the British Home and a local charity of our choice.  We cleared $1959 on this garden tea!  We have about 12 members and many volunteers who help at the tea (15 volunteered this year)

Carol talks to volunteers Sofie and Millie

Guests enjoy tea in lovely garden

Carol shows off Yard Art donated by Elisa Lawrence

Volunteer Ryan, Coral (center) and guests at goodie table

Guests enjoying tea looking back towards tea service

 Baking scones at Cindy's: plain, orange, lemon zest, cranberry orange, blueberry

Scone baking happens before the tea.  L to R are Mary, CarolR, Helen, Denise, Coral Cindy and Maureen

We made 30 dozen

Happy Bakers!

Let's go to the circus

 We took Jules and Addie to the Shrine Circus.  It was really fun, an old fashioned 3 ring circus with clowns, magicians, preforming tigers, elephants and camels.  There's not many of these left and it was all for a good cause, the Shriner's!  The girls were very excited.  Gary, Paul and my Mom also went. 

Paul, Addie and Jules riding an elephant!

These are pictures from trips to Flagstaff this past summer.  A rainbow over the ponderosa pines, a butterfly on the butterfly bush flowers and a beautiful sky driving home

 

Elizabeth, Mom and myself at church getting ready to deliver blankets to the babies at Weekday School (our church infant and preschool).  Our knitting group was started by Mom and myself years ago after the surgery to remove the tumor in her neck .  I was knitting to pass the time in the hospital and she decided that we should knit blankets for babies.  We are called Baby Prayer Shawl group and knit blankets and hats for babies and children being baptized and at Weekday School.  Next week we will deliver 8 blankets and hats to UMOM family homeless center.  Here are close ups of some of our blankets and some of our members.  We meet in the library, but we are expanding to two meetings a month.  Our 2nd meeting meets in Wesley Lounge during the day.  I'm going to bring my elec kettle so we can have afternoon tea. 

 

 

In August we went to President Trumps Phoenix Rally, mainly because the Mayor and news said people shouldn't go.  We do think that he is doing a great job.  I was originally for Ben Carson who was also at the rally and talked which was great.  Even though I really like Ben Carson, he is too nice and could never have won.  On to another subject, the Phx Police did an amazing job keeping everyone safe.  Faye and Javier sent us a text saying that there are people all in Black outside the convention center and to be careful when we leave.  The police kept all groups separate by using barriers and even trash trucks etc to make sure that we were safe. We only saw the protesters from a distance and never felt in any danger even though some of the protestors were violent.  Anyway it was very exciting and great to hear President Trump!  He was in top form and loving every minute of it I think. 

My Mom is an amazing 94 years young!

Mom as a really cute toddler in Australia

Mom at Scots Point on the East coast of Australia

This is a picture of Mom (sitting with Diane on lap) and the Daughters of the British Empire in Phoenix, 1947.  Libby McGuire a dear friend of Mom's invited all of these new U.S. residents to join the DBE when they arrived in Phoenix

 Mom is still in the DBE 70 years later (she joined in 1946).  She says that the DBE held many a marriage together in those early years when all the girls were so homesick for home.  This is our DBE Birthday party for Mom and Daphine (English War Bride) both over 90.  We used to have 5  members over 90, sadly we have lost 3 of them in recent years.

 Mom with her 3 wheel bike at the bike shop where we had some work done on it for her birthday.  They tightened all the wheel spokes, put in a new front tire, fixed the brakes, polished it up and added a light so she can ride around the neighborhood at dusk or early evening in the summer.  All the Grandkids and Great Grands have ridden in the basket of this bike over the years with Mom or an older child peddling.  Sean last had repairs done on it 10 or 15 years ago. 

Birthday Tea for Mom and Jules.  Faye and Jules baked scones which we served with home made jam and whipped cream.  I made apple tarts with Mom's home grown apples!  Ummmmm delish!

The Birthday Girls.  Mom born July 14, Jules July 15 - 86 years and a day apart

Faye, Jules and Uncle Ryan

Four generations!

 This was Mom and Jules party at the South Mountain Lunch Bunch.  

This is Craig McGuirr, his wife Bobby and grandchildren

 Two of the members are son's of Mom good friends from those Neighborhood Church days.  Craig's Mom Audrey and Mom sang for years in the Neighborhood Church Trio with Faith Harris. Steve's Mom, Marie and my Mom used to talk for hours on the phone.  The Orcutt family were also very active in Neighborhood Church  

Steve Orcutt

 

Jules with her sleeping bag and overnight stuff including BooBear arriving to spend night