Keep You In Stitches

Movie: One for the Money - Warning Spoiler Alert

2012-01-30T17:12:00.003-06:00

AGAIN - SPOILER ALERT!!!

Best casting: Sherri Shepherd as Lula. She was LOL funny.

Katherine Heigl did an okay job as Stephanie.
Jason O'Mara was a decent Morelli.
Daniel Sunjata - WHERE WAS RANGER'S PONY TAIL?!
Ana Reeder aka Connie - Where were the boobs? Not as much cleavage as Connie should've had - or big hair either.
Have no idea who either actor/actress were that portrayed Stephanie's parents.
Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur. I like Debbie Reynolds. And she was funny as Grandma Mazur. But she's not the least bit bony. Not the body I had in mind for Grandma.
Patrick Fischler - don't have an idea who he is - but he did a good Vinnie.

Things that were wrong:
The Plums' house is supposed to be a duplex with non-matching paint jobs on each half.
After Lula was beaten, she was not rolled out of Benito Ramirez's pickup. Nor did she spend just a few hours in the hospital. He carried her up the fire escape and left her outside Stephanie's bedroom window. He nearly beat her to death.

I've got to reread One. There was no...and I do mean NO...sexual tension between Stephanie and Ranger. Hmmm...wonder if it started in Two.

I do intend to see it again. :D

Good Morning!

2012-01-28T08:09:00.003-06:00

Dense fog on the way to work Friday morning. But this morning we had a beautiful sunrise. It covered the whole sky! North. South. East. West.

I finally finished a quilt for my grand nephew Ty. He was born preemie in July. I told his mother it was too hot to think about a quilt. After Christmas I decided I better get it started and DONE before this winter was completely over! John Deere fabric for a country boy! With his big sister, Bri.
Sam cooked a slow cooker full of beef stew this week. I combined the dry ingredients for cornbread and left a how-to finish it. I brought a Tahoe full of co-workers to the house for lunch. Everything was DELICIOUS! They liked the stew...but loved the homemade cornbread!

Another First

2012-01-25T20:44:00.003-06:00

Sam finished the Christmas toy boxes for Colt and Isabel. Isabel celebrated her first birthday! With a little help from her cousin.A pretty little lady.

The Spaghetti Kids Ride Again!

2012-01-17T22:57:00.003-06:00

It doesn't matter whether it's today's little girls...Isabel...

or today's little boys...Colt...

or little boys from 1984.Jonathan.

SPAGHETTI IS GOOD! LOL

2012-01-14T20:53:00.003-06:00

Da Judge was given a Kindle Fire for Christmas. She mentioned needing a case and looked at me and said, "Like yours." And she smiled real big. I told her about the different type cases: pouches you put the Kindle in, then remove and had to lay the pouch down or whatever - or a case like a book cover. She said, "Like yours!" I asked her about colors and she said that she's an "autumn" person and the fabrics in the mug rug I made her for Christmas would be just perfect if I had more of them. I did.I told her she would have to stick some velcro on the back of her Kindle with my style case because I don't like the elastic bands holding down the corners because of my keyboard. She looked at her KF and noticed that bands would run across the corner of her screen. The stick-on velcro would be just fine. This is my Kindle and I'm giving it a good shake to show how well the velcro holds.
Sunrise... Day time...Sunset... (Not all on the same day.)

Open Mouth...

2012-01-12T19:54:00.005-06:00

...Insert foot. Or in this case...tie fingers in a knot and stay off Facebook!

One of my "friends" who I've known since she was a little girl, posted a photo of Miss Texas (I think). Skinny. Terribly skinny. Looks like she works out...but skinny.

I commented something about her not living in the real world and the message our daughters are being sent is that they will never measure up without starvation, a hell of a lot of plastic surgery, and lots of $$$$. Someone else commented how pretty the woman was...she wishes she was that size. I posted the link about the story I heard tonight on ABC about size 6 models now being "full size"! (What does that make me?!) And said that by teaching our daughters and grand daughters to compare their bodies to these in an unreal world was not doing justice to our daughters.

"Friend" commented back that I needed to get my facts together.

I private messaged her. She was on FB at the same time. Well, she doesn't watch ABC since they are mainstream media and tell lies. What I did not realize - she produces (y'all are gonna gasp here) - she produces little girl pageants. Yep. She told me not to post on her page any more. My last comment was that she was on a public forum...not a private forum.

I exited the private message. Went back to the thread and deleted my posts. Then unfriended her.

Ay-yi-yi! This young lady is larger than I am. Her precious little daughter is a cute little dumpling. And she's pushing the skinny-minny body image. We need to teach our daughters that they are precious. To treat their body respectfully. To eat healthy. To exercise. That either side - too skinny or too fat - is not healthy. I am amending that sentence to read, "That either side - anorexic skinny or morbidly obese - is not healthy."

But...I shouldn't've commented to start with. It would've been better if I'd just shook my head, let it slide by, and ignored it.

Beginning a New Year

2012-01-01T20:40:00.004-06:00

See the deer? This herd had seven deer grazing! SEVEN!! I think that's about the most in one group I've ever seen. On the way to work, I've been seeing one or two in this area...but SEVEN?!One of first husband Ron's cousins invited family members to her house New Years Eve day for noon. I saw family I have not seen in over 15 years. A very good day.
I took this: Pecan Pie Cheesecake. (Baked according to directions...turn oven off, leave cheesecake in oven for one hour...next time only 45 minutes.)

I MEd (machine embroidered) these for Colt and Isabel.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
1 good frozen pecan pie, thawed

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 (8 ounce) packaged cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half or milk or cream (I used cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
pecan halves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Thaw pecan pie according to package directions. Cut in half. Cut one half into 10 thin slices, keeping wedges intact, and set aside.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Press onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of 10" spring-form pan.

Arrange 10 pie wedges in a spoke design in prepared pan, pointed ends to center. (I used part of the other saved half of pecan pie too.) Reserve remaining pecan pie for another use...heated with a scoop of ice cream works for me!

Beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, half and half, and vanilla; beat until blended. Fold in sugar and flour. Carefully pour cream cheese mixture evenly over pecan pie wedges in pan, making sure wedges remain in place. Arrange pecan halves evenly around edge and center.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Turn off oven and let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. (This was a bit long for my oven...I should've removed the cheesecake after 45 minutes to keep it from cracking.) Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Chill at least 8 hours or overnight before serving.

NOTES:
I had to break the crimped part of the crust off for the wedges to fit in my spring-form pan...think my pan is 9".

I bet if you wanted to make this all homemade that you could cook the pecan filling on the stove and just drop dollops on top of the graham cracker crust.

Christmas Continues...

2011-12-25T17:23:00.011-06:00

Let's see how these photos loaded...Sam called to me one evening to grab the camera...I almost missed the sunset. I've made candy several times......not to keep at home though! I need to superglue my lips together. Peanut brittle I can leave alone!
Florida Farm Girl commented on my pot. That was my grandmother's, Ruby Durham Sanford. I called her Little Mama. I have a couple of her pots, but only one this thick. This is my candy pot. I have NEVER burned candy in it. It is a thick aluminum. Of course, because of the wooden handle it is strictly hand wash. But that's okay. Even though I don't use it daily, I see it every time I open the cabinet for a pot, pan, or skillet and think of my favorite grandmother. She was such a sweetheart!

**Peanut brittle recipe is already on the blog...check the right hand side bar.

I made a mug rug for Da Judge to go along with a coffee mug I had made for her with a photo of the courthouse on it. The pattern of the square on the right is a Log Cabin variation called Courthouse Steps. I did not get a photo of the mug...but that's okay.

Sam is still working on toy boxes for the two grands. By the time he got the plans drawn, he did not have time to complete them. I took a photo of one nearing assembly completion. The above photo was printed twice and placed in cards so that the grands (and their parents) would know why they got chinchy gifts. ;-) Like the babies would even care! LOL Both sets of parents requested primer only on the bare wood. They will paint to match their decor.

Sam was going to build a regular toy box with a hinged lid. He'd commented on getting the spring loaded lid so that it wouldn't close on the kid(s). I pulled up a photo similar to the toy box my son, Jonathan, had. With the sliding doors. Sam liked it and drafted his own pattern. OH! The white sliding doors? Dry erase board!

Speaking of woodworking... ...this is the completed bed. If you remember from an earlier post, Sam built the bed at John's request...from just photos. Someone else slightly distressed it and applied the finish.

Yep. More candy. Peanut patties this time...without the red food coloring. I was going to make a double batch, but didn't have any extra sugar. THAT is unusual around here!

Christmas Eve at John and Erin's. Looks as if cousins Isabel and Colt are plotting against the parents - already! Who? US? Granny with Colt. His Papaw and Daddy finally took the bows away from me...especially after I put a pretty ribbon bow around his head and called it a "fascinator"... :-)

Isabel enjoys playing with the simple things. I untied the cord from my cell phone and handed her my "camera case"...a little something I made a few years back and initially called it a makeup bag.

Colt - Born to be WILD!!That's okay...Isabel has the new remote to the car!
Peanut Patties

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raw peanuts
red food coloring, if desired...I don't

In a heavy pan, combine all ingredients except vanilla, peanuts, and food coloring. Bring slowly to a rolling boil. Cook about two minutes to softball stage - 238 degrees. Remove from heat immediately. Add vanilla and peanuts; and a few drops of red food coloring if desired. Cool until lukewarm. Beat until thick and creamy. Drop by spoonful on was paper.

I don't use the food coloring. It adds nothing to the candy, so why use it?

You can run some cold water in the sink and set your pan in the sink while cooling..stir please. It won't take long. IF the candy sets up before you can get it all spooned out, just reheat long enough to soften, stirring constantly.

You're NOT Going to Believe This!

2011-12-20T21:37:00.005-06:00

Last Thursday morning when Jonathan got off work with plans to head this way as soon as everyone could get their stuff together, he walked out to the parking lot to get on his motorcycle. He found it on its side. Someone had gotten into the saddlebags hoping to find something to steal. When they/he/she found the bags to be empty, the bike was pushed over. Scratched, cracks, and it had laid on its side long enough to - I think he called it "vapor lock." Anyway...it was non-crankable. Son reports that "hydro-locked" is the correct term.

A co-worker was going to take him to Wal-Mart to see if he could get a spark plug socket...only to find that his pickup had been stolen! Poor co-worker's truck was not stolen...it was repossessed.

Jonathan and Sarah pushed it the block and a half to the motorcycle shop. He received reports on his drive up here. Back at home...nearly $200 later...

WHAT IS WITH PEOPLE?! Sorry. No account. Users and abusers! Hands out for what someone else has worked had for. Too lazy to expend energy to find a job and instead, expend more energy stealing and destroying.

Sigh.

May they/he/she someday soon face what they've done and ask for God's forgiveness. And while, most likely, will not be able to repay my son for what was done...they will help someone else.

Christmas Early

2011-12-18T20:21:00.005-06:00

Jonathan, Sarah and her daughters came for a visit. We made fudge. I had no shortage of volunteers to lick the bowl and the spatula.

The two older girls helped make pies and cornbread. Oh. And dumplings for Friday night's turkey and dumplings!

Jonathan (aka Ducky) and Kaylee in a quiet time...she looks like, "Are you reading in English, Ducky?"We had a big dinner yesterday with Carol, Elton, and Mama. Some running around for peanuts at Traylor Farms and out to Carol and Elton's to ride the Ranger and the go-cart. Everyone but Sam went to the theatre to see "Arthur Christmas." CUTE movie...and Sam got a good dose of much needed quiet...and 100% control of the television. ;-)

Today after church we went for pizza...then to the state park.
Aren't they just so cute? Each so different in looks and personality.

Look out! Here comes trouble.

Closely followed by the rest of the gang.

My son looks so much like his dad.

They're gone now. On their way home. It is too quiet here.

Serious Laughter!

2011-12-11T17:24:00.002-06:00

Watched Bosom Buddies today. F * U * N * N * Y**!**! Tom Hanks was so cute!!!

Then I Love Lucy. I'm getting too old to laugh that hard! Thank goodness for Depends!

Jonathan is coming this next weekend for Christmas! I am ecstatic!!! He's bringing his girlfriend and her three daughters. I've e-mailed him and asked him "what food" do I need to cook. A-waiting his answer...

Thanksgiving at Isabel's

2011-12-04T17:12:00.002-06:00

Didn't take many photos. Sam didn't take any at all, so none with me and Isabel. BUT Isabel! Don't you love that smile?! Sunset at my house just a couple of days ago... Sam's HAM radio tower in the foreground...

Count Your Blessings

2011-11-24T08:08:00.005-06:00

Count your blessings name them one by one
Count your blessings see what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings see what God has done.

I have been blessed in so many areas of my life.

A wonderful family including two fantastic grandchildren with another on the way.

A loving husband...who WILL one day finish my cutting table for my sewing room!

The best son God could've ever given me.

Two stepchildren one of whom has told me that I'm "cool." :-D

Good health.

I am an optimist and as long as I do my part, I have faith that things will work out for good.

My mother with all her aches and pains...BUT who does not have anything seriously wrong with her stomach. Thank you God!

A great job working for a wonderful Christian woman. Fair, honest, caring. I can not use enough adjectives to describe her.

Friends. I have more friends than I can count on one hand.

Salvation. One day I will once again see my grandparents, Daddy, Ron, family and friends who started their grand adventure before me.

One Year Older

2011-11-16T19:52:00.003-06:00

What a difference a year makes.

Colt's First Birthday

2011-11-15T22:27:00.004-06:00

A little quiet time with Granny before leaving for the party.
What's so funny, PaPaw ? Let's get this shindig on the road! Granny's sweet Isabel was there too.
Ah, yes! The inevitable meltdown... (Colt bumped his head on the table.) But a little sweet tempered things a bit.

Don't you just love the blue eyes on these two babies?! If Isabel could just get her hands on one of those pretty fish...

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend! I would've liked more time with isabel...I will have that chance on Thanksgiving...we are going to her house.

The night before the party, Colt's parents had friends over. We ate good and visited. The guys went out to the game room to watch boxing. Colt got a bit out of sorts so his mommy put him to bed. It didn't stick and after about 15 or so minutes she got him out. I borrowed him, grabbed his favorite blanket and we walked out to sit on the deck. We listened to the neighbors' dogs. Woof-woof and yap-yap. Watched the stars...I sang...he fell asleep in my arms.

I sang to my son, Jonathan aka Ducky here, when he was little. As he got older, he and I would just about drive his daddy crazy on road trips singing. Started with the kiddie songs - Itsy Bitsy Spider...Five Little Monkeys...to Davy Crockett...to Chantilly Lace...Rain, Rain Go Away...In the Jungle. The 'don't tee-tee in your pants song' was Sing! Sing a song! Sing out loud! Sing out long!...He would sing at the top of his voice until I could get pulled over. LOL

One day, when he was about 8 or 9...maybe 10...he turned to me with an astonished look on his face. "You can't sing!" Sigh...

So sing while they are small!

Easy to See and Not So Easy to See

2011-10-30T08:35:00.005-05:00

Fall in America = American grown apples for APPLE PIE of course! I always mix two kinds of apples in my pies. One is ALWAYS Granny Smith. I like for my apples to have some "bite" in them. This pie also had Honeycrisp, a delicious eating apple. Thank goodness I had my Grannies in this. The Honeycrisp cooked down to applesauce! But added a delicious sweetness. The Grannies are still sharp crisp slices. Just right!

The fog was really dense one morning this past week. Those are old tree stumps, normally covered but due to this year's drought, most of our area ponds are either very low or totally dried up. Many ranchers have taken the opportunity to either dig new ponds in low lying areas or clean out their existing ponds. We have had some rain, but not enough for us or any of the surrounding counties to live the summer long burn ban.

Gorgeous color showing up in pockets.How would you like to drive under this tree twice a day? I always slow down coming up to it to make as certain as possible that nothing was already cracking before I drive under it.

Every limb on the pasture side has died and fallen off. The limbs hanging over the road were green this spring, but as the summer drought and horrid heat tarried, the leaves started curling up and turning brown.

I'm hoping the owner will cut the tree down this winter. It's right beside "my" tree stump. I would love to have a better ending to this "story" than...this...

I put the first two photos on the county's brochure I put together.
http://www.co.morris.tx.us/ips/export/sites/morris/downloads/2011_Brochure_County_Government.pdf
The property owner's son stopped by to visit and the judge gave him a brochure to show his dad. I asked him to ask his dad to cut the other tree and leave it for Spring and Summer shots. I've heard nothing...

(I also took the courthouse photo. Look at those clouds!)

Facebook...

2011-10-22T20:22:00.003-05:00

Y'all won't believe this. On Facebook, I clearly state that I'm married. My profile is set to private - anyway I thought it was...I need to check into that. Just a couple of days ago, I clicked on my Message folder. Under Messages was "Other" with a 2. Look what someone sent to me in mid-September!

**** ********
Hello

well... I am very impressed with your profile and intrigued by your beautiful eyes. Your personality of being goofy and fun loving is very attractive to me. You seem quite intelligent and have a mature perspective on life. I believe that we have much in common and that we could be a great match. My name is *********** I lost my wife and have one son.! There are so many things that I really enjoy. Here are just a few: intellectual conversation, traveling, dining our, sports, music, dancing, movies, theater, museums, art galleries, as well as cooking. I believe love and romance. I am very intelligent, energetic, loyal, respectful, positive, optimistic, romantic, caring, sensitive, compassionate, easy going,appreciative monogamous, witty, friendly, sincere, articulate, understanding, straightforward,flexible,adaptable, hardworking and easy to please. Importantly, I have a good sense of humor and like to laugh. I am a one woman man .I do not do drugs, do not abuse alcohol and do not play head games. I like to look at issues from different perspectives to achieve better understanding.like honesty and truthfulness.hate lies and cheat. looking for a descent ,caring and understanding woman who would take me for what i am. Of course, no one is perfect. There are always room to learn and to grow. To me, learning, growing, improving and maturing is a life long process. I strive to learn from my own past mistakes and shortcomings, from other people and from experts, to be a better person.Life is too short to waste.Opportunity never comes back. Let's talk, meet and get to know one another. As a matter of fact, I have much more to tell you about myself in detail. There is not enough time and space for me to elaborate here. Hopefully, we can make connection and become soul mates. If not, we can still be friends and share wisdom with each other.I believethat we have much in common and that we could be a great match. i hope u tell me a little about urself too Ok.i will looking forward to hear from you My email is **********

LOL That's it. Whaddya think? Of course everything he said about me is oh so true! He is a monogamous (spelled it correctly too) and a one-woman man. And he hits up a married woman??!! In case this is up-n-up, which I seriously doubt, I did not include his photo. From the photo, he's a good 15 and maybe 20 years younger. Hey Jonathan! You want a brother?

My Babies and...

2011-10-21T10:09:00.003-05:00

Sam cut a small load of firewood for Brook and Cody. We delivered it last Saturday and got to play with Isabel. Cody took a work break to help Sam unload but then he had to go back to work. Brook, Isabel, Sam and I went to the Square in Denton and ate at "Cartwright's". They use a western theme and even had a hamburger dedicated to "Hoss" of "Bonanza" fame. I asked the waiter about the name of the restaurant...owner's last name. I told him about my tie-in with Hoss - Dan Blocker...My great grandmother, Eve Blocker Durham, was his aunt. :-D

My grandbabies are growing so big! The changes in just a few short months are incredible. Isabel was pert-near perfect at the restaurant. She found that the table height was perfect for hands-free dining. Her mom posted this on Facebook this week. I think they are on the Square in Denton. If you are on the Square in Denton, be sure to check out Wine2...Brook owns the wine store/bar. Also check out the candy stores! There's one next door...and one across the square. You won't be sorry!

I missed seeing Colt. Sam went to Sherman Monday and came home Tuesday. He's going to be building a bed and dining room table and bench for John and Erin. He went to get measurements for the bed. They finished out the 3rd floor of their A-frame for a master suite. With the sloping ceiling/walls they have to have a short headboard.

Sam got some good photos of Colt.

John sent me this one via e-mail. Not sure Colt likes walking in his Halloween lobster suit. LOL

Da Judge's husband got some bad news. He has cancer. They've been dealing with doctors and varying diagnoses for seven weeks now. He has had one radiation treatment and surgery is being scheduled.

I made a flannel quilt for him. Da Judge just looked at me so I had to amend it. I told her that it's a "comfort" quilt and could be used by whoever needs comforting. She smiled.

They covet your prayers.

Jeans

2011-10-18T21:53:00.003-05:00

I found some that fit! Since menopause - which I LOVE by the way - my waist is thicker than it was pre-meno. Where I once had a waist...I don't any more. My jeans fit everywhere except in the waist. I would zip the zipper, then turn the button and buttonhole tabs down and tuck them so that they wouldn't flop. I needed to go try on jeans in a really bad way.

I've been sorting through my clothes and took a quick look at Sam's. There was a pair of new looking jeans on the far end of his jeans. Generally the newer jeans are on the other end...not on the end with the faded out jeans. I pulled them out and realized that they were a pair of Wranglers that were hand-me-downs from one of my brothers. They were too small and not Levis...which is all Sam wears. I just dropped them in the floor while I quickly sorted through the rest of his jeans...all Levis. The Wranglers were headed to the giveaway box.

Then...Hmmm...I wondered if they fit me and also wondered how big the waist would be. I tried Wranglers before, pre-meno. They were women's jeans...tight in the thighs and big in the waist...haven't tried them since. But...these are men's jeans. THEY FIT! I was so excited and took the lint brush to brush off the dust line where they've been folded over the hanger (and Sam does not always shut the closet door so I have a dust battle in there constantly)...and wore them this evening after work. Now I know what brand to buy and what size to get! I am EXCITED!! Yep. I know. Sometimes it doesn't take much to excite me. ;-)

Enlargement? ME???

2011-10-16T08:29:00.001-05:00

I am constantly getting spam e-mails to "enlarge" my "member" and "make sexy women crazy for" me. LOL

Ummmm...

NO!

Vacation

2011-10-14T20:49:00.007-05:00

Sam and I decided to chase cooler weather...and beautiful scenery. I took a few days off work and we drove to Mt. View Arkansas. We parked the camper in an RV park in town. About 2:30 the first morning, I woke chilled...it was 61 degrees inside the camper. :-) In preparation, I had laid out another blanket before going to bed. I pulled it off the couch and spread it on the bed...snuggled back down. About 5:30, Sam woke and turned the heat strip on in the a/c unit. It got up to the low 80s mid-afternoon...but still wonderful weather!

If you haven't been to Mt. View...and you like Mountain, Country, and Blue Grass music...you really need to go there. The season is winding down now but the area has been preserving and promoting their music for 45 years or so. My family has been going there for that length of time.

We took several day trips driving the winding roads and enjoying the scenery. The trees are just now starting to turn...so the color is not all that great...but the vistas are! The Friends of the Library is holding a Thanksgiving bake sale. We are doing it different...we are baking to order. Each person listed a couple of specialties with our phone numbers. We will take orders and cut off when we want. We had the flyers ready for a catering job for the Business & Professional Women. Lo and behold, we received orders for five cakes from them for their annual Friday night dinner - tonight. Each of them is supposed to bring a 9 x 13" cake. One asked...then it got up to five. So...we definitely obliged! This... ...turned into this... An oatmeal cake with broiler icing. Recipe below.

On a cooking forum, several mentioned their favorite cookware. Mine is Farberware Millennium. I have been very satisfied with it, but did a search of many of the more popular brands. Farberware is no longer made in America. All-Clads "bonded" products are. Calphalon is. Many others are made overseas. Some brands have different product lines made in different countries.

I'm trying to be more conscientious about the country of origin on the products and food that I buy. I mean...with a country like ours with Washington state (and other locales) apples...and our grocery stores are stocking Chilean apples?! Not in my house!

Anyway...here's the bulk of my pots and pans. I have more - less frequently used - in another cabinet. I love my cast iron which is all Made in America! Speaking of the cast iron...only two or three pieces were purchased new back in the early 1970s...my chicken fryer with lid, a skillet, and a bean pot with lid. The remaining pieces were purchased from second hand stores and garage sales. I do not like the new Lodge pieces. The inside bottoms are not milled smooth...the bottom is pebble like. Stirring gravy is like squeaking chalk across a chalkboard...runs chills up my spine.

See that wood handled thick aluminum pan? It was my grandmother's. I use it exclusively to make candy!!

OATMEAL CAKE
with BROILER ICING

1½ cup quick-cooking rolled oats (see note below)
1¼ cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cups butter, softened (NOT margarine!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 whole eggs
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon

BROILER ICING
⅔ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
¼ cups butter, melted
¼ cups cream or Half-and-Half
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

In a small bowl, combine rolled oats and boiling water; let stand 20 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; blend well. Add oatmeal and all the remaining cake ingredients; mix well. Pour into the 9x13-inch pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the broiler icing: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, and cream or half-and-half. Beat at high speed until smooth. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread over still hot cake to cover.

Broil 4–6 inches from heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly and light golden brown. (Watch carefully...do not burn. Cool completely.

The recipe calls for quick cooking oats...NOT INSTANT. I don't keep quick cooking oats so always use regular old-fashioned oatmeal. Thinking back on my mother's cake, in my memory it was gummier than my cake...perhaps the difference is the type of oatmeal I use.

Reunion and Stuff

2011-10-02T18:17:00.003-05:00

Another reunion behind us. Last year's attendance was dismal. This year was much better!

Sam visiting with one of his cousins.Carol handling the buffet. I was across the room at the door making sure everyone signed in and took money for raffle tickets. I happened to look across the room and noticed that she popped something in her mouth. We made eye contact and she grinned. She was already hitting my deviled eggs. :-)

Last year I took squares of white fabric and some fabric marking pens. I asked every family to sign a square. There's not but 20 blocks in this quilt...and three have no signatures...as I stated above...small turnout. The quilt was on the raffle table...chances go for $1 each or 6 for $5. Money goes for a donation to the church for the use of their fellowship hall (a church where none of us are members, but they let us use their facilities and we give a donation for the use - the turnout was so low last year that the preacher told me he did not want to take the donation...I told him how much we took in...how much I was told was needed for the cemetery fund...and that I was told to give him that...this year we were back on target). The balance of the money goes as I just mentioned...to the cemetery fund for mowing.

Red is one of my favorite colors. I finished the crocheted vest earlier this week and the hat last night.

Cooking Cajun Style!

2011-09-27T23:20:00.005-05:00

#1 Take one authentic Cajun cookbook from Baton Rouge.
#2 Pick your recipe.#3 Chop the vegetables. (Notice how I slice my mushrooms? That is an egg slicer...works!)

3. Dredge the chicken in flour and quickly brown in bacon grease. Remove and toss in the vegetables, cooking until onion is translucent. 4. Stir in tomato paste, wine, a few other ingredients, return chicken to skillet. Cover and cook until done.6. Serve over rice. I know you will ENJOY!! I know...I can't believe I forgot to snap a photo of this delicious food plated.

Driver's Ed 101 Revisited and Edited

2011-09-24T16:04:00.008-05:00

1. If you drive up behind a truck...NO not a pickup...a real, full-grown truck...one of those that hauls freight (as in everything you own!!), can you see the driver's mirrors? The mirrors that stick out to the right and left on their doors? No? Then guess what? THEY CAN'T SEE YOU EITHER!! Back off!

2. If you have a handicapped placard hanging from your rear-view mirror in the center of your windshield - especially if you are in Texas - take it down and read it. There will be mention not to drive with the placard dangling from your rear-view mirror! Depending on several different factors, you could pretty much hide a Mack truck behind that sucker.

3. Slower traffic keep right. Doesn't matter if there are signs posted to do so or not. It's common courtesy. If you are slower than the flow of traffic, ESPECIALLY if you are driving 10-20 mph below the posted speed...or lower...arrggghhhh...please get in the right hand lane.

Ducky aka my son commented: In your response to #3: In the state of Texas, if driving on a State Highway or Farm to Market (FM for those who don't know), it is against the law to impede the flow of traffic in the inside lane. Furthermore, if the road/hwy is only one lane each direction and you are moving slower than the flow of traffic, irregardless (sp) of speed limit, it is your legal obligation to move over to the shoulder/side of the rode to allow faster moving traffic to pass. Thought I'd share a tidbit I learned while working at DCSO.

4. If you come to a crossroad and do not have a Stop sign but they do...YOU DO NOT STOP! Coming up to a Yield sign? Start looking before you get there. They are generally located a Y's where the visibility is good. If nothing is coming, you do not have to stop.

5. If driving scares you, then by all means puleeze park your vehicle in the driveway/carport/garage and ask someone else to drive you. I remember driving my elderly neighbors around whenever they needed to go to town...two different households! I especially enjoyed driving "Aunt" Lena to run her errands...because I got to drive her 1951 Chevrolet 2-door coupe with the factory visor! The 1951 Chevrolet 2-door coupe I learned to drive on did not have the visor...so I felt like I was "uptown" driving hers. :-D

For those of you fully capable of driving, if you have a neighbor who has no business driving any more and their family is to chicken to do anything about it, offer your services as their chauffeur for free. Believe me...you will be blessed from their knowledge and wisdom.

6. Also from Ducky: My previous comment is classified as part of the "Texas Highway Courtesy" laws. Another part of that law is when ANY emergency vehicle is approaching behind you running full code (lights and sirens) you HAVE to pull over, stop, and let them pass before continuing down the corridor. This law applies to ALL roads, streets, highways, etc in the state of Texas.

7. More from me!! If you are passing one of those big trucks, aka 18-wheelers, NOT pickup - get around it! Don't dawdle along beside it. You see those big wheels and tires? When...not IF because eventually every truck out there is going to shed a tire!...GET AROUND IT! Did the driver speed up? You either speed up or drop back behind the truck. (Refer back to #1 please.) Listen to me! Daddy's occupation on my birth certificate is listed as "Truckdriver."

8. If you're on a 4-lane yard and there's a vehicle on the shoulder of the road...if you in the outside lane...if you can, move to the center lane. If you can't move over or are on a 2-lane road, slow down a bit.

9. I forgot about motorcycles!!!
Riders...Wear a helmet and proper riding gear!
Don't get stoopid
Remember - if you collide with anything bigger, YOU are most likely going to be the loser!!

Everybody else...DO NOT RUN OVER A MOTORCYCLE!!!
Do not pull out in front of a motorcycle.
Do not stop quickly in front of a motorcycle.
Don't get stoopid!
Remember - if you collide with a motorcycle, you may kill someone!

10. Funeral processions in Texas - Generally the hearse has its headlights on as does every vehicle in the procession on their way from the services to the cemetery. In rural areas especially, if you see them coming toward you...pull over out of respect for their loss. Two-lane...head to the shoulder and stop. Four-lane...same thing. Probably the only time you do not do this is on an interstate...and of course in cities.

Cranky
Old
Woman
signing off!

Fog and Family

2011-09-23T21:12:00.004-05:00

The first day of autumn brought seasonal temperatures! This morning we had a wonderful cool and crisp 58...let me type that in all caps...FIFTY-EIGHT BLESSED DEGREES this morning! AND...I got photographs of the first fog of the season!

This evening, I drove Mama to her youngest grandchild's wedding rehearsal. I went back out to her mini-van for my camera when these four sat down beside each other. Mama, my sweet sister-in-law Marilyn holding my baby brother's grand daughter Addi, and baby brother Joey - remember "the Brat" who put rocks in my gas tank all those years ago? ;-) Isn't this shot just too precious?! My nephew Cody and his daughter Addi.

All I can think...is...my assumption is that Cody's other grandmother is footing the bill for the wedding...the bride has five attendants...I know beforehand that the dress "ain't no slouch"...that money could go so much farther LIVING...instead of photos in a photo album.

Texas on Fire

2011-09-22T19:57:00.004-05:00

I drove to San Marcos a couple of weeks ago to a meeting pertaining to my job. This was during the Cass and Marion County fires...believe the news called it the Bear Creek Fire. Approximately 50,000 acres were burned and over 100 homes.

About 4:30 September 7, I woke to the smell of smoke in my house. I unplugged my cell phone and slipped on my slippers then stepped outside. After walking around my home I saw no fire, so called the dispatcher at the sheriff's office. The wind had shifted and we were smelling smoke from the Bear Creek Fire. There was no danger of it heading our way, so I went back to bed. I left the house at 8 headed south. I drove through smoke from home to just north of Tyler... about an hour.
Thank God for the firefighters, forest service, and volunteers...and the God sent rain!

So...I'm in San Marcos...you know...the town with the outlet malls?! And I take a photo of FOOD!

Wind came up here Sunday evening. We lost a tree. But no big deal. It's a small redbud that was too close to the house to start with and we knew that some day we would have to take it out. This spring I noticed that the bark was peeling. Sam was going to remove it this winter. It fell perfect...away from the house (wouldn't've done any damage if it had fallen toward the house) and missed my birdbath! It had few if any roots.

One Thing After Another

2011-09-15T20:29:00.004-05:00

What is the use of having this fancy HD television when if the signal is bad...you don't have a freaking picture of ANY sort except this lovely notice??? At least with the analog signal we could see ghosts or snow or something!!!

Another beautiful sunset! Which reminds me...I have had some photos published! Elected county officials receive a monthly magazine called County Progress...you can find it online...but you cannot find my photographs of the county that were published in the August edition! I'll scan the two pages TWO pages...okay...two half pages...when I get a chance. I haven't even thought about it.

I made English muffins over Labor Day weekend. They tasted as good as they look! But the recipe made eight large muffins. Next time I'll divide the dough into ten muffins. Unless, of course, I intend to make hamburgers.

Big man in a big chair. LOL A few years back, Mama gave me an antique youth chair that she acquired during her antiquing days. When I mentioned "tying" Colt in the chair Erin looked at me. Sam brought the ribs in from the grill, and we were getting the rest of the food on the table, she asked what I meant about "tying" Colt in the chair. See the white around his middle? It's a cup towel slipped through the upright posts on the back of the chair and tied in the back. I just told Erin to watch that he didn't slip under it.

I'll be back later with the recipe for the English muffins. Oh...wait! As I was typing in the labels for this post...English muffins popped in. Perhaps the recipe is already here. Yes! The recipe has already been posted: http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/2010/01/english-muffins.html

How Did Your Weekend Go?

2011-09-05T15:43:00.003-05:00

WOW! Isabel! This is neat-o. Where can I get a set of wheels like these?Colt, just talk to my Mommy and Daddy. Here...just look at all the bells and whistles...
Oh! Isabel! It comes with a pretty pink doggie too?!Here, let me get around here so that I can...
...take the little pink doggie off your hands!'Scuse me while I have a looksee at this little charm...HEY! Colt! No fair!!! Give that back! That's MINE!!!

This was so funny! I was just snapping pictures and didn't notice the "story" that was going on at the same time until we were looking at the photos today.

Needless to say...I had a wonderful weekend! Just perfect for a Granny and Grandpa!!

2012 Cruise

2011-08-31T22:54:00.001-05:00

Deposit is paid! Five of us are going on a cruise out of Galveston next April. Four are repeats from our 2010 cruise. We have an added tag-along. Two adjoining rooms on the Carnival Triumph with ocean views.

What are Little Boys Made of?

2011-08-30T19:40:00.005-05:00

LOVE of course! A couple of weeks ago, I got to hold and play with Isabel. This past Sunday was my turn with Colt.

And sometimes they are made up of something very sour! ;-)
By the time he is walking and running everywhere...I'm certain by next April...he will be a big brother!

Fire

2011-08-20T23:06:00.005-05:00

Texas has 254 counties. 250 have burn bans in effect. We are included.

On my way home from work, I noticed that a dark black roiling cloud of smoke was in front of me. I immediately called the sheriff's dispatcher and reported it. She said that it had been called in. As the road angled, the smoke was on my right...on the road parallel to the one I was traveling on. The other road...was the north end of MY road!

When I got home, I ran into the house and told Sam. This was due west of us.
My niece drove by (on the road that I travel on the way to work and back home) and took this photo. The forest service helicopter was picking up water from a nearby pond. Someone timed them...a turn around was only four minutes...the close proximity of ponds and as it got later in the day the wind abated...both were instrumental in our all volunteer fire departments controlling and extinguishing this fire.

Yep. My niece was rubbernecking. Had no business in the area. There was more traffic on this road in that short time than there is in a week!

A neighbor to the east of us was at her son's place to the west of us...that kept a much closer watch.
The only loss of buildings was the barn where the fire started. Thank God! We were told that the fire came within a few feet of that person's home. He was extremely lucky.

We are still waiting on word about why the fire started...and how many acres of timber were burned,

While the smoke was roiling...I had an evacuation plan. I called the dispatcher and verified my number and asked her to please call me if the fire got really out of hand and we needed to evacuate.

First...call the neighbors in the trailer immediate to our east...she was laid up with shingles...bless her heart.
Then...I scoped out my quilts, guns (Hey! Remember I'm in rural east Texas...it's okay here), and photo albums. And then we kept a close watch on the smoke.

Up the hill closer to the fire, neighbors and friends were gathered where they were told to wait with tractors outfitted with plows, discs, and blades to help the forest service cut a firebreak to keep the homes from succumbing. Sam had his mower attached to his tractor and didn't go change it out. The forest service and fire departments did their job.

We drove down the road this morning...the fire was far enough off the road, that we could see no damage. The house and barn where the fire started are isolated and cannot be seen from the road. Only 3 or 4 homes were evacuated.

I've rambled enough. All is safe.

Rainbow

2011-08-18T22:21:00.003-05:00

We got a 3" rain...one drop every 3 inches. Sigh. But some of our area did get up to 4/10 of an inch. Not much...but better than nothing!

Gift from Switzerland

2011-08-17T20:47:00.002-05:00

Remember this? I HAD to have the pattern. Made ONE blasted fish cat bed. Thought I had destroyed the pattern 'cause I was never EVER going to make another.

One day, I received a message from JessicaQuilts over on the HGTV quilting forum. Rita in Switzerland was looking for the pattern. Jessica looked high and low. Alas, the discontinued pattern could not be found. THEN she remembered me.

I proudly sent the pattern across the pond to Rita in Switzerland. I received this earlier this week in return.Don't know about y'all, but I'm starting at the back of the book and working forward. Life is too short not to have dessert first!

Mowing?!

2011-08-14T13:36:00.006-05:00

We have no green grass except right against the beds where I've kept pouring water on a weekly basis. The rest of the yard...it's like walking across a field of Rice Krispies.

Yet, this morning, the neighbors were mowing their brown dead grass and dirt was flying everywhere! I noticed that down by the road something had really stirred the dirt. I walked out on the front porch...the neighbor to the east was mowing and the cloud of dirt was drifting across the front of our property and toward the neighbors to the west. We live up the hill, so didn't get any of it...thank God!

Lack of rain mixed with temperatures not only over 100 degrees F, but also 110 degrees has sucked the life out of my LOL brain has gone on a vacation can't remember what these are called...it'll come to me later. But as you can tell, the weed trimmer should've been run a week or so ago. I'm going to mix up some Round-up next weekend...not a threat...that's a promise! (Have I ever mentioned that Sam does not like Round-up? It's my secret weapon.)

This post will self-destruct in 10 seconds....

Just Stuff

2011-08-13T08:33:00.005-05:00

I've been sewing a bit, but not much. I've made a couple of tail-less doo-rags for Jonathan and have a new scrub top cut out. But, as I told Jonathan, every time I hit a glitch, I put it aside for a week. So sad. I'm going to make it this weekend so that I can get it in the mail.

Last April, I picked up a couple of friends to go to Longview to my cousin's annual Wa-hoo tournament. While Earlene and I waited on Nancy to get ready, we walked next door to a garage sale. Surprise! I know them! The daughter who is Jonathan's age remembered me...bless her heart! I went in and gave her mom a hug. There was a textile motorcycle jacket out on a rack...I kept forgetting to ask Jonathan ...besides at $10 I figured it was gone. A couple/three weeks back, Louann brought it by the office to give it to Jonathan. I brought it home. Sam looked at it and said, This isn't a summer textile jacket, it's a rain jacket. I got online...it's a $175 jacket! It's been in a box to mail for two weeks now. I keep tossing stuff in the box. The scrub MUST be finished this weekend and put in the mail.

It is so hot and dry. We've been 100+ degrees for so long I don't remember anything else. The only grass that needs cut is right against my planting beds and around the two live oaks we planted last year. It is so dry that a coyote is coming up and eating pears it finds on the ground. Poor quality photo, but this is through a double-paned UV window.

Speaking of pears...this is last year's pear...this is this year's...so sad.

The hummers are really going through the juice. This one is waiting his turn. They don't seem to be fighting like they have in the past. Friday morning temp was 78 degrees! THAT's really good compared to waking to mid-80s. I spent about 15 minutes outside before finishing my morning routine before work.I haven't made much if any mention on my 40th high school reunion. We were the first couple on the dance floor...a friend, Ricky, asked me to dance. I love to dance, but can't. Ron and I did pretty good together. He could dance and adjusted to make me look good. Not an easy feat! Sam and I have danced ONE time. He will not dance with me. I've tried to get him to dance with me here in the privacy of our home, telling him that we can learn to dance together...he won't try. So when Ricky asked, I said I'd love to but don't dance good at all. He grabbed me by the hand, counted in my ear, and away we went!

I have to fill the birdbath every day...
That looks like the last of the photos.

Don't forget to smile!

Guess Who?

2011-08-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

...I got to see AND hold Sunday?! Oops!

Lemme turn her around for you.

#10

2011-07-30T17:49:00.005-05:00

Little Ty Nathaniel came home on Wednesday! He weighs 6 pounds 6 ounces now. Born June 22, he made it home before his scheduled birthdate of August 2. Oh...his initials are TNT. :D I made several burp pads from prefold diapers. On one, I machine embroidered TNT is Dyn-o-mite! His mommy laughed over that one.

His great granny (my mother) holds her tenth great grandchild. His mommy kept telling her to hold him tight, but she wanted to look...he started crying and she gave him up. After mommy got him settled down again, I held him most of the visit but sat closer to Mama so that she could see his facial expressions in his sleep. When meal time came, I tried to get Mama to feed him but she wouldn't so I did. He burped like a grown man. ;-)

I bought this Friday at a baby store in town. At the price, $45 dollars, I thought if I don't need it for my grands but once, it was well worth the money.

The baby store in town started out mainly as a baby/child resale (LOL sounds like they're selling babies), but are branching out into new items too so that people can set up for baby showers. I've got the covers "drip-drying" now. After a good wipedown I'm thinking about storing it in the camper until either of them is used next.

More Grands

2011-07-29T20:30:00.002-05:00

We get to see Isabel for certain Sunday and maybe Colt.

I'm Normal!

2011-07-24T12:34:00.002-05:00

Neener. Neener. Neener!!!

I went to the doctor and the report came back that I'm normal!

Well...at least my bloodwork is.

Prayers

2011-07-17T23:26:00.004-05:00

One of my nieces, her husband, and their little girl welcomed a little boy into their family. He was born June 17 but was not due until August 1. He has done very well. They thought they would be bringing him home pretty soon. Unfortunately, I just found out that recent tests revealed some health issues. I know no more than that.

Will you please be praying for this baby and his family...

Sewing

2011-07-14T23:11:00.006-05:00

I'm not doing much sewing, but I did get these made for Isabel and Colt.

I also cut out three tail-less do-rags for Jonathan. (He received permission to wear them at work...as long as they didn't have a tail.) Then I got to thinking about them being tail-less and when they were tied what happens to the part where the tail was. So I only made one. I've got to get it in the mail if not tomorrow, on Monday.

I made a Peach-Cherry Slab Pie to take to work tomorrow for our July birthdays. Da Judge asked one of the birthday folks what her favorite cake is. She answered that she preferred pies, but that ------ . I remembered this pie and told Da Judge that I would make it. It's really easy and really good for a crowd. LOL You can also snitch a piece of this in the middle of the night and leave no clues because you don't need a fork and saucer. ;-)

Apricot Cherry Slab Pie

3 1/4 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Shortening
1 Egg Yolk
Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
3 (15 1/4 oz) cans apricot halves, drained and cut into quarters
1 (16-oz) can pitted tart red cherries, drained

1. For pastry, in a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Lightly beat egg yolk in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to egg yolk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; mix well. Stir egg yolk mixture into flour mixture; mix well. Set aside one-third of the dough.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll remaining two-thirds of dough into an 18x12-inch rectangle. To transfer pastry, carefully wrap it around the rolling pin; unroll into a 14x10x1-inch baking pan (pastry will hang over edges of pan). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in apricots and cherries. Spoon into the prepared crust.
4. Roll the remaining dough into a 16x11-inch rectangle; place over fruit. Bring bottom pastry up and over top pastry. Seal edges with the tines of a fork. Prick top pastry over entire surface with the tines of a fork.
5. Bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool. Drizzle with Vanilla Glaze. Cut into 2x3-inch bars.

Vanilla Glaze: In a small bowl combine 1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and enough water (5-6 teaspoons) to make drizzling consistency.

Note: I used two large cans of sliced peaches instead of apricots...couldn't find any apricots in the store.

Grand Things in My Life

2011-07-11T14:43:00.005-05:00

Well, this is actually one of Sam's grand things! LOL

Apricot Fried Pies

Here are two really GRAND elements in my life...

Colt and Isabel... I don't know what the deal is about posing the babies in or on cooking surfaces.

Pensive...

Tuckered out...

Sunset

2011-07-09T15:59:00.003-05:00

Last night's sunset.

Remember the photo of the fledgling my son took with his camera phone? They have younger siblings taking up all of mom and dad's time. LOL Look at the size of that mouth!

O' Say Can You See...

2011-07-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Any Rain in Them Thar Clouds?

2011-07-01T22:17:00.005-05:00

Sure...just not over my house! However we did not get the bad weather! In Gilmer, a building on the courthouse square lost its roof...it landed on the courthouse lawn! Trees down on the ground and through roofs of houses. As much as we need the rain, we do not need loss of property and possibly lives...

My very FIRST lightning strike photo. I am so excited! I know that it's not very showy. But hey! It's my first!

The hole in the clouds over my house. Yes that is a bit of an exaggeration, but there is a hole in the clouds...and I am standing in my front yard.

Moving the camera just a bit...no rain in these clouds! Every so often, afterwards, not while I am taking the photos mind you...afterwards I see an antennae or "guy" wire in my photo. Sam's Ham radio antennae is such a part of my sky view that I do not notice it!

Summer Time....

2011-06-29T20:25:00.004-05:00

...and the living is easy. Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high...

And the pear tree is loaded!

I should be ashamed of myself. I should've gotten out after the fruit set and thinned. Alas. I didn't. I noticed a broken branch, so started thinning.
This was a cluster of SEVEN!
As I thinned, I could visibly see the limbs perking up a bit. They should've...look at the ground! Hopefully the squirrels will eat these and stay out of the tree. Hmmm...ever seen a smart squirrel? They play kamakazi in the roads around here.

Sure wish there was some rain in these clouds! My crepe myrtles are a-bloom. Here's the newest addition to the neighborhood.We finally got some rain last night...but not enough to lift the county-wide burn ban. This was sunset just after the rain. The worst of the storm was to our southwest, and the clouds are still very heavy. The lightning just lit up the clouds...no jagged bolts.

Sunset

2011-06-25T15:27:00.002-05:00

See the bird? Just to the left of center above the clouds. Sigh...you can probably also see the guy wire that runs from Sam's Ham radio tower. It's a part of the view that I don't "see" any more. With a little work in Paint, I have made it disappear from some photos. :D

More of the Visit

2011-06-20T21:23:00.003-05:00

I really miss Jonathan! We had such a good time. Although it was too short for me what with my working and all. Wish I could talk him into moving...

Sam and I knew we had a mockingbird nest somewhere. He spied it in one of the live oaks we planted last year and mentioned "a" bird. Jonathan and I found two in the live oak. He took these birdie photos with his cellphone.This baby was hiding from us.Jonathan then spotted this pretty in my camellia...and here's #4. Oh...I thought he took four photos but I can't find the photo of the fourth baby birdie.

But I did find this. LOL My 27 year old son travels with a SpongeBob Square Pants toothbrush. LOL He said he bought it for the small size...since he is traveling on a motorcycle with limited luggage space. Anyway...that's his story. Mine is...MY 27-YEAR OLD SON BRUSHES HIS TEETH WITH A SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS TOOTHBRUSH! hahahahahahaha

The evening sky today. We've all got our fingers and toes crossed for rain. Our county as well as most around us are in a burn ban. We are desperate for rain...and all along the Mississippi and Missouri, they've had flooding...

Baking Again

2011-06-11T19:08:00.005-05:00

How about some pretzel bread?! Jonathan made the dough. I helped him roll it into balls. After it boiled very very briefly in water that has had baking soda added...he dipped them out onto a baking sheet and with a knife I scored an X in each. Then he sprinkled them liberally with kosher salt.Then they were baked until pretty and brown. Jonathan said you have to have a German beer to drink while eating pretzel rolls. I had unsweet iced tea.

The recipe...
Pretzel Bread

2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
1 cup water (110-120 degrees)
2 tablespoons room temperature milk
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 - 3 cups bread flour

4 quarts water
1/2 cup baking soda

Kosher salt to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter

Add yeast, water, milk, brown sugar, and butter into a large bowl, whisking until all ingredients are combined. Let mixture rest for 10 minutes for yeast to activate. Mix in kosher salt. Start by adding two cups of flour to the bowl, combining it with other ingredients. Add more flour as it is needed, reserving just a bit for kneading later.

The dough should form a slightly tacky, but firm ball. Oil the bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl, and cover with a damp towel for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, knead the dough by hand or machine for at least 5-10 minutes until the dough is elastic and satiny. Place dough back in the bowl and cover for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bring the 4 quarts of water to a boil. When the water is boiling, slowly add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and gently de-gas it. Form two separate balls of dough, forming them into the shape you want. Drop one of the balls into the baking soda bath for no longer than 30 seconds, turning it once to guarantee both sides covered. Drain the excess water from the dough and place it on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough.

Sprinkle the kosher salt over the bread to your specific tastes and make sure to use a knife to cut a small incision on the top of the bread so the dough has somewhere to expand.

Cook the bread for 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet once.

Once removed from the oven, immediately brush with melted butter if you want a soft crust.

***What Jonathan did...he combined all dough ingredients in my stand mixer with a dough hook.

As you can see, he used a pastry knife and cut the dough into 16 wedges then rolled them into balls.

He did not brush butter on the rolls to soften the crust.

He DID drink his German beer with supper!

My Son is Visiting!

2011-06-10T20:31:00.008-05:00

Of course I'm working, but we are enjoying our visit anyway. I've come home to some nice surprises!

He called one day and asked about ingredients for bread. When I told him what I had in the pantry...he set about working in the kitchen. My one caveat...CLEAN MY KITCHEN when you get through. He did. And we had two loaves of this: Heart of Winter Loaf from the King Arthur Flour website...recipe at the bottom. The recipe makes two loaves. He sent one with me to work for Da Judge. When Jonathan got to town Tuesday afternoon, he stopped by the office. I introduced him to Da Judge...and vice versa. He sent a loaf to her. She was very pleased and saved it to serve to her weekend company.

Thursday evening, I made another strawberry pie. Isn't it pretty?! Alas. I substituted cornstarch for thickening...instead of flour...and I even added an extra tablespoon of cornstarch. Failed miserably. The cornstarch was less effective than the flour. Next try will be tapioca. If that fails, I have a stovetop recipe that you cook then fill a prebaked pie crust.

It still tasted delicious!

Jonathan rolled out the remaining crust...

...and I showed him how to make these: I think they were the best I've ever made!

What?! You ask? Wine with ice? Nope. Sassafras tea! I haven't had any in forever! Sam and Jonathan walked the property and dug some roots. The best time is in the spring when the sap is rising. But there was nothing wrong with this!
Heart of Winter Loaf

Dough
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour or ground oatmeal
1/3 cup flax flour or an additional 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 3/4 cups water

Topping
1 egg white, lightly beaten
seeds of your choice or a teaspoon or so of old fashioned oats

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, mixing and kneading to form a smooth, sticky dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour; it should become puffy.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a 10-inch oval loaf. Place the loaves on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover the pan and allow the loaves to rise for about 90 minutes or until they've increased in size by about one-third. Just before baking, brush with a lightly beaten egg white, then sprinkle with seeds or old fashioned oatmeal Slash each loaf diagonally three times.

Bake the loaves in a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the interior registers 200 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.

And Then There was None

2011-06-09T11:31:00.004-05:00

We had a colorful sunset at my house a few nights ago.

One Down - One to Go

2011-06-06T19:08:00.001-05:00

T I M B E RRRRRRR

2011-06-05T16:37:00.002-05:00

Mama has two big oak trees east of her house. They are 50+ years old. A previous occupant of the house planted the trees and charged one of his sons with the task of toting water from the well to make sure the trees survived the hot, dry summer.

A limb fell. As you can see, it just missed one of her storage buildings.
The trees dwarf her house. She is having both of them removed so that she can sleep at night. If either of the trees fell due west, it would engulf her house...most likely with her in it. At a minimum, if a large limb fell, it would still do substantial damage.MMmmmm... Looks like the beginnings of homemade pimento cheese!

Pimento Cheese

8 ounces of cheese, shredded
1 small jar (2 ounces) of pimentos
pimento stuffed olives
sprinkle or 2 garlic powder
sprinkle or 2 paprika
dollop Hellman's mayonnaise
dollop sour cream

My mother used American cheese. I use cheddar. Today I used sharp cheddar OH MY SO GOOD!

Shred the cheese. Drain the pimentos in a small colander. Fill the jar with olives and drain them in the colander. Add a few more olives because they are too good not to add more. Mince the pimentos and olives.

I use a Salad Shooter. Shred half the cheese, dump in the pimentos and olives and shove another chunk or two of cheese through the shooter to push out the pimento and olives.

Garlic powder and paprika to taste.

Equal dollops (not too big) of mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir everything together. If it's not moist enough, add equal amounts of mayonnaise and sour cream until it suits you.

Taste test on a Triscuit and add whatever else you think it might need.

There's TWO of Us in the Office

2011-06-01T20:02:00.004-05:00

Da Judge and I get along just fine. We are in great company! Each other's! LOL

Over the long weekend, she and her husband rented a carpet cleaning machine and cleaned the carpet in her office (so glad I have tile LOL). Tuesday morning I walked in, got everything up and running in my office, then opened the door to hers. You needed motion sickness medicine to walk across the wavy floor.

She called a carpet guy in. He told her that evidently the glued on foam backing came loose...and with the age of the carpet (about 25-30 years if you can believe that...oh...a government building...you CAN believe that)... So, she's getting new carpet. ;-)

Great Weekend!

2011-05-30T21:45:00.011-05:00

I did "whatever" Saturday. Had the day to myself. Changed sheets on the bed. Did some laundry. Ironed (gag me!) a few clothes. Cut off a pair of flood pants and made them more of a capri...only they are probably an inch or so short now. eyeroll I think they are all tacky looking to start with anyway, but if I'm going to wear them I'm not wearing a pair that looks as if I outgrew them last year.

I also made a shopping bag...from an empty bird seed bag. Is this "repurposing" to the ultimate? LOL Such a shame to not be doing much sewing now-a-days...but I cut off a pair of flood pants almost too short and make a tote out of a plastic bag. hahaha And I have a computerized sewing machine for this! eyeroll

I also made marinara sauce...spaghetti sauce...or as some Italian-American families call it - gravy. This is a double batch. I make it in the slow cooker so I don't have to stand and stir. The double recipe fills three one-quart freezer containers. I only froze one container for spaghetti later. The other two went into this: Instead of making it all in one big lasagna pan, I make it in three Pyrex pans...two lined with foil. I bake one and freeze the other two. Sunday morning, I loaded the two frozen lasagnas into the soft-sided cooler. Sam and I went to Sherman, picked up John, Erin, and Colt then drove to Denton to Brook, Cody, and Isabel's. Brook cooked lunch for us. Sam and I played. :-)

"Hey, Isabel. Let's go play."
"Not right now, Colt. Grandpa's holding me."
This is called having your arms AND your heart full.
"Hey, Colt! Let's go play!"
"Not right now, Isabel. Grandpa's holding us!"

''Hmmm...Grandpa acts like he's done this before!"
Playing with your cousin can sure tire you out!

I love bananas!

Blech...this tastes like butternut squash! Where's the bananas?
Sam and I spent Sunday night at Colt's. Sometime during the night I woke to hear Colt crying. I knew his mama would take care of him and semi-dozed off. When his crying reached me again, I thought with a jolt, "Colt's falling off the bed!" I reached around and grabbed for him. Silly me. On the way home today, I told Sam. He laughed and said, "So that's why you hit me." LOL

Recipes:
Deane's Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cocoa

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Pour into slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for four hours.

Remember...I doubled this so that I could have some to freeze.
Oh! Almost forgot. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of sugar. But I do not use it.

Lasagna

1 pound of lasagna noodles
about 2 quarts of marinara sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage
salt and pepper to taste
1 - 1 1/2 pounds cottage cheese
1 - 2 eggs slightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 pound grated mozzarella
grated parmesan to taste

Bring water to a boil and cook noodles about 8 minutes. When they are done, rinse until cool and separate or they will stick together.

While noodles are cooking, season and brown the ground beef and sausage. Stir into the marinara sauce.

Combine cottage cheese with egg and parsley.

In bottom of lasagna pan or 9 x 12 baking pan, spoon a small amount of sauce. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spread with 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Another layer of noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, and cheese. Another layer of noodles, cottage cheese, sauce, and cheese. Top with noodles. Another layer of mozzarella cheese. and the parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and cook another 10 - 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let it rest a bit before serving.

Cottage cheese? COTTAGE CHEESE??!! you ask - politely. Here in my rural corner of Texas, ricotta was not available so my mother used cottage cheese in her lasagna. That's what I grew up eating. When I became an adult and knew better and could finally purchase ricotta in the local grocery store. Well...of course I was going to cook authentic lasagna. And...I did. Something was missing. It's not that I didn't like the ricotta. I missed the flavor of lasagna with cottage cheese. I once kinda sorta apologized to sister-in-law Carol when I had invited her and Elton to eat with us only to find out that she prefers cottage cheese in her lasagna too! :-)

Another Law Enforcement Visit

2011-05-29T07:18:00.004-05:00

Not much interesting happened this week. I am working on a quilting project but it's going to be slow going. I'll post about it later when I get a chance to take photos.

However, the Police Chief stopped by the office to visit with me this week. When I pushed the alarm - panic button - tucked in an out-of-the-way place under my desk that came to light last week...Yep...you guessed it...a couple of officers were dispatched to check it out. The Sheriff's office notified them that it was a false alarm.

I told him to consider it a test and that everyone did absolutely Mahvelous!

I also found out that no only did I get wet paint on my slacks, On Monday Da Judge reported that she had smeared it on the backside of a sleeve her light yellow jacket. Combined, we ruined a whole suit.

Sigh

2011-05-21T23:39:00.003-05:00

Some office painting was going on last week...beginning on Tuesday and ending Friday. Da Judge's office, mine, and the both sides of the doors going into the commissioners' courtroom (that wall has wood looking stuff in there that was not painted).

I did real good staying out of the painters' way. With four telephones to choose from...I just moved from one to the other to the other...as they prepped, trimmed, painted, etc. I even sat out in the hall a couple of times because so much was going on in the offices.

I managed to stay out of the paint until Friday. Thank goodness I was wearing a pair of black 'khaki'-style slacks that weren't too new...and not any of my "bought for the new job" clothes. I did not know that I had brushed a door facing until I was walking back across the hall to my office and felt someone brush my butt. Turned and saw the treasurer with a grin on her face. She pointed, I looked. Paint. eyeroll

After supper Friday I decided I wanted a scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla flavor ice cream with a squirt of chocolate syrup and a sprinkle of black walnuts. Sometime later while reading, I looked down and saw a drip of chocolate syrup on my WHITE blouse. I washed clothes this morning. The paint had dried and was set...I pretreated the blouse but it came out of the washer with a brown spot on it. So I hung it over the drying rack and will tackle it again later.

Sigh...

Son did not report to me...but I did find out on Facebook that they were paid...

Continuing

2011-05-20T11:38:00.002-05:00

Well. This morning the fire chief came and visited with me. During his visit I found out that when someone pushes the alarm hidden under her desk...aka PANIC BUTTON...that it broadcasts OVER THE LAW ENFORCEMENT RADIOS! Arrggghhhh! EVERYONE knows that I pushed "the" button.

In my defense:
1. I did not know that the office had an alarm.
2. I did not know what the white box under my desk was.
3. I did not know that when I "felt it up" that I actually pushed the button

eyeroll....

On to other things...
Dee commented on my last post and asked if we purchased plans for the cutting table. No. I saw one online. It was rather costly and too large for my space. Sam drew the plans himself.

Cutting Table

2011-05-19T17:41:00.005-05:00

Yippee!!!! HE's WORKING ON IT!!

Sam cut this out about a year ago...give or take. He built the top and the drop leaves...then nothing. I didn't think he'd ever get it built. He's in the background working on the top drawer that can be accessed from either side. The three other horizontal slots...one side will be drawers while the other side will have shelves and a closing door.

The tall skinny vertical slot is for large cutting mats. I have three...one goes on top and when the leaves are open, the other two will top those. It's red oak and is going to be GORGEOUS as well as functional. Me? I haven't been doing much of anything except work and a bit of house cleaning. Last weekend we went to Bay City Texas to a family reunion - Sam's side. My son made it - he lives about an hour away. Sam's two didn't which means the two grandbabies didn't make it either. Sigh. I truly enjoyed seeing Jonathan, but was very glad to get home Sunday.

BTW, be praying for him. The nursing home where he works changed hands. Many quit...he has stuck it out. Today was payday. They did not get paid and may not get paid tomorrow. He's ready to walk out. I told him to hang in there a few more days...but in the meantime be plastering the area with applications and try to find something else.

I found something at work that we did not know that we had. Da Judge said that someone had mentioned the Panic Button...but I had only heard that we should have one...not that we did. That there was one in the big courtroom and one in the county clerk's office. I'm kind of sitting in the "fish bowl" with two doors and a big area the width of two or three doors. If someone got stupid and stood at the intersection of the X hallway...guess who he/she would be staring at? Yep...me.

We are in the process of getting our offices painted. My desk, which was sitting at an angle in the office, has been pulled out to the center of my office, then pushed back square with the wall. The light picked up something at the edge of the "typewriter" return. Hmmm...it's stuck on...lemme feel it. Hmmm....what's this? A depression or a button of some sort. Hmmm.... Oh well.

A few seconds later Brrriiiinnnnnnnnggggggggg...my phone rings and the sheriff's name shows up on the display. "Yes sir?"
He asks, "Is everything okay there?"
"Well...yes."
"The display over here is showing an emergency in the judge's office."
"OH! That's what that little box is?! Sorry."
We had no sooner got off the phone than Brrriiiiiingggggggggg...Yep...dispatcher is on the line. "Is everything okay there?"

I found the PANIC BUTTON!!!

C .O.W.

2011-05-11T19:42:00.002-05:00

I must be in SEVERE estrogen deprived mode.

I am so ticked off I can't even find my regular C.O.W. (Cranky Old Woman) photo...but I found this one of a Highland cow.

When "this" happened I got so mad my eyes crossed, and I couldn't see straight.

We are nearing the end of a hot and heavy school bond election. Having subbed for our school district for five years and knowing first-hand the condition of our schools...I am voting Yes.

Someone on a forum put together a slide showing how much our school district is spending per student compared to what other school districts are spending per student. (I know...that's kind of like comparing what I spend at the grocery store to what YOU spend at the grocery store...but we won't go there.) Our maintenance is higher than those same school districts he is using for comparison...so I ask...Do you think that the higher maintenance cost has anything to do with the higher cost per student?

He replied back... "When you imagine maintenance costs what do you think is included?"

Imagine?

IMAGINE?

Like I am JUST a woman and JUST a housewife and simply cannot understand something as complicated as maintenance?

I * M * A * G * I * N * E ????!!!!!

To say I am a bit ticked off is putting it extremely mild.

I replied back that after five years of subbing for our school district that I did not IMAGINE the gas leaks in the chemistry lab. I did not IMAGINE the electric short that vacated the class I was subbing in until they could trace the problem. I did not IMAGINE plumbing failures. I did not IMAGINE...etc.

Grrrr....

A Squishy Was in the Mail Today

2011-05-09T19:16:00.006-05:00

I know some very special people. Here's proof.

Bea (aka Holee who has a blog in my list to the right) used my French Braid Quilt tutorial and made a big quilt. With the scraps, she made a little quilt and posted about it on her blog.

When I got home, I had a squishy envelope waiting on me. Bea's name was in the return address area. I had no idea what she was up to.

I have a rotten stopped up head due to sinus problems and was ready to change clothes, plop on the bed, and go to sleep. But I had to open this first!

Thank you my special friend!!

Stuff

2011-05-08T17:53:00.004-05:00

I had to check out my latest photo uploads before I could figure out what to blog about today. A LOT is going on around here. I'll just comment in the order the photos loaded.

This was my daddy's "toy." An old B Model Mack. When Daddy had it, it was red. It was sold to a man my youngest brother worked for (aka...oh, never mind...I promised not to call him "the Brat" any more...but he's the brother who put rocks in my gas tank) when he lived in Arkansas. The truck has been completely gone through! And my understanding is that if baby brother ever gets the information to him...Mr Chrisman will have a plaqued engraved and the truck dedicated to my dad.

Some high school classmates and I went to a bar. :-) Yes...many of you didn't think I had it in me did you? LOL We have another classmate who after retiring from the Navy formed a band with his wife. They were playing about 25 miles from us, so we piled into a couple of vehicles and went to hear them. We always stay until the last song is sung...and have a blast. I had my one margarita...only part of it 'cause one of the girlfriends accidentally knocked it over. She tried to buy me another, but since it was well over half gone, I wouldn't let her. I told her, "Next time." Think we had a total of six of us there.

Judy, Earlene, Kathy Melanie, Me
PS Earlene and I have been friends since 5th grade. Melanie was my first BFF when I moved here in the 3rd grade.

OUCH! Notice a difference in the feet? See the red splotch on the left foot? Can you spell W*A*S*P...as in red wasp? I had on a pair of dress sandals last Sunday. Saw a red wasp on the step and - vicious woman that I am - stepped on him. It was like slow motion. My eyes widened and my eyebrows touched my hairline as I realized that I'd only stepped on half of him...and the half I stepped on was not the "business" half. (Yep...this was a day or two later, and I really do need a fresh pedicure.)Horrified, I stood there like a dummy as he twisted his ugly abdomen and popped me at the side of the base of my big toe...on that knobby, boney part...see the white circle? I did pretty good until Tuesday. Itcharama city. I kept it sprayed with a topical anti-itch stuff. On Monday, I took the ice pack out of my lunch bag, wrapped it in layers of paper towels and plopped my foot on top of it. But Tuesday...NOTHING helped! At lunch I went to the store for some benadryl. Took one or two! Ahhhhhhh....within 30 minutes...RELIEF!

Do you remember Topo Gigo on the Ed Sullivan Show? I can still hear, "Edddieeeeee." LOL

I do have some C.O.W. issues, but will not burden any of you with them. But I've done the "eyeroll" so many times that I have a headache and in all probability am afraid they are going to "stick like that." eyeroll...did it again!

The Wedding

2011-04-30T18:15:00.002-05:00

Groan and moan. That's all anyone is talking about! I did not watch it at 4 a.m. and was extremely disappointed that I could not get "real" news that morning while getting ready to go to work. When I turned the television on at about 7:15 I was so excited to watch thousands upon thousands of people milling around waiting for the newlyweds to appear on the balcony...Yaaaawwwwwnnnnn.

Now that the hoopla is over I was able to see what I wanted to see.

Kate is a beautiful self-possessed young woman. Her gowns were in extremely good taste. You can see the love shared between her and William. I pray that they stay in love the rest of their lives!

What a difference in the flash-back photos of Diana and Charles. That young woman was tragically manipulated by the royal family in order to produce an heir to the throne. The over-done froo-froo gown just swamped her delicate frame. She seemed to be so intimated by everything that she very seldom lifted her eyes. Charles swamped her emotions and self-respect with his philandering with Camilla...lovely woman that she is.

Queen Elizabeth should be ashamed of herself for the part she played in setting Diana up with Charles.

C.O.W. Alert! C.O.W. Alert!

2011-04-25T14:24:00.008-05:00

Cranky Old Woman Alert!

C.O.W. #3 Poor, poor Sam. He started worrying about our Saturday Easter dinner leftovers Saturday evening!

C.O.W. #2 Has anyone ever asked you to show them how to do something...for instance...on Facebook. And you tell them, "There may be more than one way to do this, but this is how I do it." Then griped because of the wording when the task was complete. Even after being told...I didn't design this, call that guy...the person was still pissed because it should've been "this way."

I saved the BEST for last!

C.O.W. #1 Some idiot walked into our little one-person public library and pulled a gun on the librarian - Earlene - my best friend! He stole the DONATION jar! From the LIBRARY!! With a GUN! NO MASK!!! What an idiot! He even threatened to kill her if she called the police. Well...DUH! Did he really think she wouldn't?!

I talked her this morning after I found out about the robbery. She had a pretty good description of him. Since he was a young man...I suggested looking at the last few high school annuals. Report here already: http://www.kltv.com/

Update: They caught him the same day! He was at WalMart 25 miles away trying to pay for a purchase with all change!

Family Today!

2011-04-23T20:08:00.007-05:00

We had a great time! Friday afternoon Isabel arrived with her chauffeur. Grandpa on a walk with Brook and Isabel...Isabel fell asleep about 2 seconds later.

For supper we had shrimp pasta salad and Irish soda Bread.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Traditional%20Irish%20Soda%20Bread

Before...

...after...

After Isabel's night bedtime Friday, Colt showed up with his entourage. After some visiting, Colt got fussy. Granny (that would be ME) took him out to the screen porch and we sat in one of the rocking patio chairs. He fell asleep in about 2 seconds.

Saturday morning...HELLO COUSIN. Unfortunately, Colt had a bit of a stuffy nose and they weren't permitted to get too close to each other.

We visited and played and I held babies ...although from the photos you would never guess it!

I baked a ham and cooked pinto beans, roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of grated nutmeg and a very light sprinkle of cayenne pepper, roasted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt, mixed green salad with homemade honey mustard salad dressing... http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/honey%20mustard%20salad%20dressing ..., homemade peppercorn salad dressing, and a bottled jar of raspberry vinaigrette. And a loaf of bread machine white bread...with butter!

For dessert...a strawberry pie. http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Strawberry%20Pie

Before... ...after.

I'm going to have to do something different with the strawberry pie. The juice is too juicy. I don't want it set up like pudding...but I don't want it like water. I've always used flour for thickening in my fruit pies. Next time I bake a strawberry pie I am going to use cornstarch. If that doesn't work, I'll try tapioca.

We also had a chocolate pudding cake.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Chocolate%20Pudding%20Cake

I did not get a photo of it. And now...there's only one slice left. Hmmm...See you later!

French Braid Quilt Revisited

2011-04-19T20:11:00.003-05:00

My friend Bea/Holee used my tutorial and made this quilt top.

http://beashive-bea.blogspot.com/2011/04/french-braid-quilt-top-finished.html

Didn't she do a great job?!

They're Baaa-ack!

2011-04-19T10:16:00.004-05:00

I kept hearing something bumping late yesterday. No tennis shoes in the dryer. The dishwasher was correctly loaded. Hmmmm. The TANAGERS are back! This darlin' couple normally starts up at 5 a.m.

(See her (yellow) top left? He's (red) sitting in the second bottom frame from the right.)

Every spring since 2005, we have to shut my sewing room door just so we can sleep. He is sitting so sweetly and makes cooing noises about that good looking hen over there. She just swallows it hook, line, and sinker and goes to battle. While he sits and winks. WHAT'S THAT?! Over there?! Making eyes at my woman? er...hen! I'll go ruffle his feathers for a change!

I Ironed. Blech!!

2011-04-18T09:49:00.004-05:00

This was definitely a working weekend. The only thing left to do (in the house) is to bring the step ladder in so that I can put some quilts on the top shelf of the closet and clean the top shelves in the two open shelving areas in the master bath. I also need to dust the livingroom furniture and my breakfront china cabinet. Then...the spring cleaning...will be through!!! (Except for my sewing room and that's a different on-going project.) In other words...I worked my butt off. Oh...just turned around and it's still there. RATS! My floors are so clean! I ran around barefooted before having to put on shoes to go to work. Sam and I ate pizza for dinner Sunday. We were sitting there minding our own business when a young couple with two small children sat right behind me. Sigh. But the kids were cute and well mannered. Dad corrected the little boy when he grabbed a handful of ham cubes. Dad said, "No. Not a handful, only a few." Older sister replied, "A few means 'two'." While Mom was at the buffet filling her plate, the little girl started crying. Very obviously SOMETHING was wrong. I turned around and she was holding her hand out with one finger extended. She had BITTEN her own finger. I just about fell out of my chair laughing.

Boing

2011-04-13T22:59:00.004-05:00

I almost messed up.

I'm not accustomed to working 40 hour weeks yet. It's really hard to do housework when you don't spend weekends at home. I hate ironing clothes! Have I ever mentioned that? Well...I hate ironing clothes!

Pine pollen season is over. My house needs a really good spring cleaning. Saturday afternoon while Sam was watching the race (since Dale Jarrett retired, I don't watch any more) I cleaned our walk-in closet. I had already stripped some of the old clothes out and set them aside for charity (delivered them yesterday). I tossed shoes out of one of the shoe racks and moved it out of the way so that I could vacuum that part of the closet floor. I walked out of the closet to put something somewhere else. When I walked back in, I tripped on the shoe rack. My mind was on the shelving...I did not want it literally ON the shelving! So I tried to make myself as small as I could tucking in body parts and ducking my head.

That probably kept me from throwing a hand out and breaking a bone.

My head hit a shoe. I lay prostrate on the carpet and thanked the sweet Lord because he led us to a house with a large walk-in closet. If it had been ten inches narrower...

Then I laughed at myself. Stooopid!

Many Blessings on Sunday

2011-04-11T14:16:00.003-05:00

I got to see Isabel...more about that on another post.

The main blessing on Sunday had nothing to do with attending an organized church service. On our trip home, we stopped for a hamburger in Sulphur Springs (Texas). I noticed a couple of men dressed in fatigues and mentioned to Sam that I saw a couple of military men. When we entered the Whataburger...they were everywhere! I talked with one of the kids...er...young men and found out that they were from Little Rock and were on their way back to Fort Hood to complete their training before being deployed...he was headed to Iraq. Sam had found out the same thing talking to the soldier he was visiting with.

Then Sam talked to an older man, a civilian. A Little Rock church (I didn't get all the information from the side of their bus but it was a Baptist church in LR) sent their big bus and their little bus to Fort Hood and brought the men and women back home before deployment! They were on their return trip at the end of their leave and had stopped in Sulphur Springs in an area that had several places to eat and the soldiers had spread out.

We had a couple dozen soldiers eating with us. Sam and I sat at a table eating our hamburgers. I could barely eat for trying to keep the tears out my eyes. I made certain that I looked at each person and said a prayer.

Get Out of the Way!

2011-04-08T21:55:00.003-05:00

I had to stop and backup this morning. Yes! I kept a check on the rear view mirror as I backed up on the wrong side of my country road and stopped on the grass in front of this pretty little filly. She turned toward me but look who got to me first. LOL

A Breath of Fresh Air

2011-04-07T22:02:00.007-05:00

One of these days I'm going to get a dogwood in MY yard. They are all in the woods around here. But my yard does have this... ...and these... For me? Awww...how sweet.

Man in Kilt

2011-04-05T08:58:00.003-05:00

For Elsie...and every other red blooded woman in blogland. But, most especially ... for me. P.S. Ducky, Your mother does NOT want the visual of you wearing your kilt on your motorcycle. Shudder!

Men In Kilts

2011-04-03T14:38:00.005-05:00

We went to the Tartan Festival in Minden Louisiana again this year. My friend Nancy wants to know what they wear under the kilts. I kept watching this particular kilt wearer but never could catch him bending over. Sigh. Nancy, I tried. Thought about tripping him but I think Sam realized what I was thinking and gave me "the look." Kilts weren't the only dress of the day. Look at this dapper gentleman. This guy evidently doesn't like walking. Then...there's the music... ...And sheep dogs rounding up the Scottish Highland Cattle. They were "over yonder." My little camera did a pretty good job of zooming in on them, but the clarity suffered. I think this is a Norwegian Fjord horse. You could ride for $2, but you were led around, not turned loose on the horse...so I passed. The Irish dancers from Mississippi performed again this year. He is doing the "plank" dance......as in walking the plank.Last year I ate Shepherd's Pie. Sam ate Haggis. (Gag me with a spoon! But it's not the idea of cooking it in a sheep's stomach...that's just a vessel for cooking. It's the garbage that is put in the stomach that gags me - liver, heart, lungs. No wonder they season it...to disguise the taste of the innards!) This year we had coo burgers. That is - Highland Cattle burgers. Highland beef is leaner. The burgers would've been really good if:
1. They were fully cooked - not rare.
2. The meat was hot - not stacked in a foil pan covered with foil and allowed to cool.
3. Hamburger buns had been toasted - just wave 'em over the grills please!
4. The meat had been seasoned before cooking. Bland, bland, bland!

So, next year I already know what I'm getting. Meat pasties, Scotch eggs, and taddies. My mouth is watering already! So much so that I've already got the butter coming to room temperature. I'm baking shortbread in a few minutes! Photos to follow!

Seeing Stars

2011-04-02T18:07:00.004-05:00

I was trying to find this quilt on my blog to show Da Judge. Couldn't find it. So here it is! I made this for Brook (step-daughter) before she got married four years ago. She likes to celebrate her Scottish heritage so I found and adapted this design for the black borders...machine quilted in a yellow-orange variegated yarn. See the stars in the yellow border?This was my first venture with batiks. Honestly, this quilt was so out of my comfort zone! Nothing that I would make for myself, but it think it fit Brook perfectly! Staying with the star theme, I researched constellations on the internet and picked the perfect patterns for the black areas. Casseopia (the Queen) for Brook...the other side has Cephus (the King). ;-) Perfect for a wedding gift dontcha think?! The next year for Christmas I pulled out the leftover batiks and came up with this... The batik circles remind me so much of aggie (agate) marbles. I named this "Don't Lose Your Marbles." The pieced back. Brook's husband, Cody, asked me if I had any more of that fabric left. LOL Turns out that I did! Recently Brook made a request...she wanted to "commission" me to make some arm covers for her leather sofa (one of the dogs had way too much fun while left unattended in the house. I had to purchase a base fabric, but then sprinkled more circles over the batiked peace symbols...quilted them down...and made the arm covers for the sofa. (NO! I didn't charge her...I gave them to her.) I don't have any photos because they wouldn't fit my sofa. That project just about wiped out my batik collection...

How Cute is This?

2011-03-31T20:17:00.003-05:00

Friends of the Library Catering Event

2011-03-29T22:38:00.004-05:00

We catered another meeting for the local Business & Professional Women. I did a dessert this time.

Cherries with water and sugar cooking on the stove top. Pie pastry chilled in the refrigerator then rolled with my new rolling pin......that my dear husband made for me! (I gave him the burning element for Christmas.) Biscuit size circles cut out...pricked a couple of times with a fork...brushed on some milk and sprinkled on some coarse sugar crystals...and baked.Warmed filling was ladled into teacups and topped with a pastry circle. Someone else made the peach cobblers. We called them Peach Teacup Cobbler and Cherry Teacup Cobbler.

They received rave reviews! In other words, I had nothing left to bring home except a few pastry 'biscuits'.

ARRGGGGHHHHHH!

2011-03-29T14:24:00.005-05:00

Cranky Old Woman time...I've been on the automated phone system with the Social Security Administration following a phone call from Mama. The rural route mail carrier is circling her incorrect address...from before the enhanced 911 calling system went into effect. She tried calling SSAs 1-800 number. The automated hussy inside the phone could not understand Mama's "Shirley. S H I R L E Y." So...I told Mama I would give it a try. First time...something was wrong with the information. I tried again leaving off her maiden name because she probably did not get a Social Security card until after she and Daddy married. That didn't work either. Heaven forbid a human being comes on the line! 45 minutes later...no luck at all. So...I get on the computer and try it. Nope. Something is still not jiving with the information SSA has. So it looks as if my poor decrepit mother is going to have to go to the nearest SSA office. Sigh.

March 30, 1951

2011-03-27T22:46:00.007-05:00

No wedding photo available. This is the first that I could find. Shirley had just turned 16 on March 17 when she married Leslie who turned 20 that April. Daddy was a truckdriver. I don't remember if he had me call...or if he did the calling and I just picked them up...but he wanted one dozen long-stemmed roses. In a long box tied with a ribbon. The florist misunderstood and put them in an arrangement. Mama was still surprised. Their last portrait...August 2000 They should have had more time together.

Scanned Photos

2011-03-26T22:12:00.003-05:00

I was playing with my scanner, scanning photos out of my high school annual and posting on Facebook. Yeah...gonna make some enemies...that's for sure! LOL I noticed these.

We still lived in Lake Jackson here. Seems like I remember...Mama and her sister, my Aunt Ruthie, came to visit. Jonathan looks to be about 16 or 17 here...maybe...so about 2000.I really like this photo of Jonathan.

Cast Iron

2011-03-22T20:55:00.004-05:00

I mentioned my covered cast iron skillet in the Irish Soda Bread post. Everyone...and I do mean EVERYONE who likes cast iron and sees my covered chicken fryer...well...they are just flat out jealous! I've had it...like forever! Initially used for frying chicken...which I don't do any more...it is the best bacon fryer ever! I can tuck and layer six slices of bacon in the skillet and cover it. The grease does not pop all over the stove top. I do not drain the grease off every time I use it. I just cover the skillet with the lid. And just leave it on the stove top. I know...I know! Not 'classy' at all. But hey! This is my kitchen! And MY COVERED CAST IRON CHICKEN FRYER!

Mama Another Year Older

2011-03-20T15:44:00.006-05:00

Saint Patrick's Day is also my mother's birthday! She was born March 17, 1935 in Bowie County Texas. A home delivery, she was so puny that the doctor laid her on the trunk to die. Her grandmother walked in and asked, "Why is this baby over here?" The doctor gave his verdict on her ability to survive. Mama Durham picked that little girl up, cleaned her up, and she survived. She survived to marry and have four children. I have the distinction of being Favorite Daughter. I am - ahem - the only daughter. But even if I had sisters...I'd still be the favorite. I just know deep down in my heart that that IS the way it would be. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

She supported me - literally - as I buried my first husband. Helped her sons as their marriages ended and supported them as they made new beginnings. She has buried her parents and her husband of almost 50 years...and she still survives.

Here we are with the Blocker family quilt. The family that the tenacious Mama Durham was born into. An article about the quilt ran in the local paper here in my hometown and in the New Boston paper near where Mama grew up. The photo was taken Christmas 2010.

Giving her a couple/three options for lunch, she asked me to pick up barbeque and bring it to her house for lunch Wednesday. I also delivered this...a purse I made for her. Complete with my label sewn inside. I do everything I can to keep the Favorite Daughter designation! ;-)

Irish Soda Bread

2011-03-18T20:37:00.004-05:00

How EASY was this? Coming up to St. Patrick's Day, the internet was buzzing with talk about Irish Soda Bread. I did a search and came up with what was touted as a "traditional" Irish Soda Bread recipe.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Sift the dry ingredients together. Stir in the buttermilk. Blend well. The dough should be sticky. If not, add more buttermilk. Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead just a little bit...not much or you will break the gas bubbles forming as a result of the combination of buttermilk and baking soda. Pat into a circle. With a serrated knife, cut a deep cross on top of the loaf. Place in a lightly greased and floured pan. Cover with another pan or lid. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes.I baked my bread in a covered cast iron chicken fryer. And this is what it looked like. And taste? Slathered with butter...it was delicious!! Especially when served with corned beef brisket, carrots, potatoes, onions, and cabbage.

I don't think I've ever baked a simpler bread.

Wearing of the Green

2011-03-18T14:44:00.004-05:00

Colt is definitely LUCKY!

Isabel and Mom going on a new adventure!

Spring Time in East Texas

2011-03-15T19:54:00.004-05:00

Another trip to the car wash! When I got back home, there was a haze on the rear of the Tahoe. I ran my finger across the rear window. Yellow pine pollen. When it's run its course I need to do a really heavy spring cleaning in the house.

Remember the story about my "synthetic" Japanese red maple? LOL It's budding and the buds are starting to open. Azaleas have a few blooms on them. More and more camellias are opening. Both pear trees are in full bloom. Almost as many petals on the ground already as are on the trees. A few buds on my redbud have popped open.

Lunch Time

2011-03-12T11:38:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I run errands during my lunch break. While driving, I am currently listening to To Kill a Mockingbird performed by Sissy Spacek. I pulled up in the parking lot, turned the ignition off, and sat there listening to the book while sipping on my iced tea...waiting until time to go back to work.

As I rolled my window down, I noticed the flags at the sheriff's office. I started watching them dancing in the breeze. They were performing an intricate ballet. Carefully choreographed. Each doing their own thing until totally unfurled.