CALLIFORNIA VISIT - NOVEMBER 5-14TH, 2013
TO SEE THE BLOG ENTRY FOR OUR CALIFORNIA VISIT PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW.

http://susanssmith2013-home.blogspot.com/2013/11/California-visit.html

PUZZLE
We have a few puzzles that we got for free from the church.  This one was the most difficult puzzle we have done so far.  There was one very mangled piece, maybe the dog chewed it, one missing piece maybe the dog swallowed it, and so many pieces where almost the exact same shape and color.  There where so many pieces that we could only spread out 1/4 of the puzzle pieces at a time and that used up the entire coffee table.  Our living room has one light bulb, and it isn't very bright, so doing it at night, you can only go by shapes not color.  At the end, Sister Nufer and Sister Lehman helped us by putting together the last bit of sky and finishing it, YEAH!

Sister Holly Nufer adds the last piece

We are so happy to get this puzzle finished

SEWING
I've been getting more mending business.  This week I've done the following:

Hemmed the apron for this dress.
It was too long.
I made a hair ribbon from the part I cut off. 

Cut off & hemmed pants.
Put a new zipper in the shorts.

Hemmed 3 pair mens dress pants.

Repaired rip in pants and shirt.

The sport coat was a fun and rewarding challenge.  I enjoyed it.  This coat is of really high quality and I appreciate the workmanship put into making it.  Hand woven wool, lots of pockets on the inside.  Must have been very expensive when it was purchased.   I know the owner must love this coat and has worn it for many years.  I didn't have the capability to remake the entire lining so I chose to repair parts of it.   I'm glad I was able to fix it so it can be enjoyed for many more years too.

The lining was worn out in several places, like around the neck.

Lining needs repair under the arms.

Under the other arm needs repair.

Lining is worn away near some of the pockets.

Inside of the sleeves are ripped, so just new stitching is needed.

Inside of other sleeve.

Lining is worn all along the bottom.

Originally sleeve had 4 button on each.
I moved one button to the other sleeve so now they are symmetrical.

The neck portion in process.  

The neck finished.

A hole is patched.

The lower inside done.

Under the arm and around pockets are patched.

SEWING
I made 4 of the aprons that either men or women can where.

 A great lady friend at church gave me a big box of fabric.  In which I found this very nice wool.  I also found some silk to line the skirt with.  I think it turned out really nice and will be pretty warm for winter.

front view

back view with hidden zipper

3D view

I made this skirt for Linda Siebert.  She is on a mission in Switzerland.  I hope it will keep her warm when she is walking around this winter.  I altered the pattern from the blue skirt to make this one longer and more narrow.

Brown wool, fully lined, front view

back view

BIKE RIDE TO SCHRIESHEIM AND CASTLE RUINS
Last time we rode out this direction in July and we visited a mine.  http://susanssmith2012.blogspot.de/2013/07/bike-ride-to-schriesheim.html

This time we rode up to the Ruin Strahlenburg then higher in the woods heading south to the Ruin Schauenburg.  Many of the same sights as last July but now the vines have produced the grapes and many have already been harvested.   Some of the trail we went on wasn't ridable by us, maybe by a crazy good experience mountain bike rider, but we walked the narrow steep parts.  The leaves are turning colors and the weather was just absolutely perfect for us on this Saturday ride.  The next day it rained really hard.

Steve climbing the hill just past the Ruin Strahlenburg.

I love this view looking back over the vineyards, ruin and where we live.

The sheep where these bells and I like hearing them ring as they are walking around.

From one of the nice resting huts they have in various places along the bike routes in the forest.

I didn't get a picture of Steve caring his bike and then my bike above these two trees that had fallen over.

Steve was very nice and patient and waited for me when I was slow on the steep trails.

Steve going across the bridge that crosses the moat of the Ruin Schauenburg.

Steve is trying to look up some of the wording that the signs have for the ruin.

My bike in the castle ruins looking over the town of Dossenheim below.

Fall colors behind the ruin.

I talked to a couple of people who where in the mountains collecting mushrooms.   They said these are really good and are not poisonous like the orange ones we saw on the hike a few weeks ago. 

Some of the mushrooms here are really big.  They are very dense almost like an apple.

Looking back up at the vineyards and ruin and the hills where we had been on the trails.

The vineyards are so beautiful.

OCTOBER
Well we have been here one year.  It has gone by very quickly.  What a wonderful year we have had, we are so blessed.  I'm glad I have this blog to remind me of all that has happened.  I am not sure if very many people really look at it, but that isn't important.  It is important to me that I have this to look back on.  Steve has to work long hours and it may not be very healthy for him to do that so if we stay in Germany another year, that is OK, but if it is not meant to be, then that is OK with me too and I'll be fine with going home whenever that time comes.  I really love having had this great experience.

It has really turned to Fall now.  Cool temperatures but not freezing yet.  The trees are various colors from green to orange, golden, and reds and the leaves are dropping very fast onto all the walkways.  It is very pretty.  Not as dry as last year tho, more rain this year.  I love the sound the leaves make when they are crunchy and you ride the bike over them.  Skritch skritch.

We had dinner with our good friends the Palmers last Sunday.  They took us to a place called the Chicken Ranch out near the wine country to the west of Mannheim.  It was very delicious.  I can see why the restaurant has been in business for such a long time and is always full of happy customers.

Last Friday the Relief Society at church had what they called Apfeltag (Apple Day).  We peeled apples, cooked applesauce, carved pumpkins, did some crafts and had a meal together.

Baby Eilene Gierschke likes pushing these chairs around the room.

Karen Gierschke at the craft table with the kids.

with cinnamon  

without cinnamon