Fourth of July

The Star-Spangled Banner
—Francis Scott Key, 1814

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' 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 thro' 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 on 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 wash'd 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 free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd 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!

Fly your flag today!

To listen to this, you'll probably have to go to the bottom and turn off the 'jukebox.'

Scrubs

Here's that too short scrub top Jonathan didn't want a 'skirt' sewn onto the bottom to make it longer. It doesn't look bad to me. I'll get it in the mail today or Monday with the matching shorts. I didn't have enough fabric for pants. He said he could wear the longer shorts to work.

I sat out on the front porch early one morning. A female cardinal was munching away at the feeder. I could hear her pop the seeds. I didn't move until she flew off. As soon as she was gone, I went in the house for the camera. She never returned.

So...I took the fern down. The baby birds had already flown the nest.

But the hummingbirds were fluttering around and fighting over the feeder. EVERY TIME they landed, they were on the back side. Can you see the flutter of a wing just to the left?...

Blah Day.

Yesterday. Blech. And I think it was due to reading James Patterson's new book, Swimsuit. Very well written of course, but gory. I would read part of it. Put it down. Pick it up later. Normally I can absorb a novel in a day or so. This one took almost three days to finish. I wanted to know how it ended. So. Anyway. I didn't do much of anything yesterday.


The day before I made yet another scrub top. Yesterday afternoon I did crank up the machine and made a pair of bottoms. Both out of camouflage fabrics. Jonathan brought some scrub tops that are just too short. I mentioned putting a coordinating band of fabric along the bottom. He didn't think it was a very good idea...thought it would look like a skirt. One of the tops is orange. I'm going to take some of the camo fabric and put that 1 1/2"-2" band along the bottom and sew some of it on top of the v-neck. If it weren't so much trouble, I'd take the pocket off and replace it with camo...but I'm not going to go to that trouble...just in case he still thinks the band on the bottom looks like a skirt. When I finish that...I'll get them in the mail in a couple of days.


OH! I didn't mention that Jonathan and his girlfriend came for a weekend visit. We had a short, but good visit. He took her around to visit some of the relatives. She didn't call the bus station for a quick ticket outta here either! ;o) They also went to the State Park and walked the nature trail around the lake...in this heat. Argghhh! I'm so glad I let them site-see without me.

If you camp, swim, canoe, etc., you've GOT to visit the Daingerfield State Park! This park of one of Texas' best kept secrets. Tell 'em "Sherry sent ya!" http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/daingerfield/ And be sure to let me know that you're there!


Late afternoon yesterday, Mama called me and asked if I wanted to raid the garden tomorrow (today now) or Saturday. I opted for today. Soooo glad that I did...it was only 73 degrees when I got up at 6:15. While she had me on the phone, she told me what to bring - a couple of buckets. And to put the squash and cucumbers on the bottom. To be sure not to put the tomatoes on the bottom. THEN she called me back and told me to bring a pair of gloves. AH-HA! She forgot to tell me to bring a knife! Being the good daughter that I am, I didn't mention it.

Not a big garden, but it's got a good yield...squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers. They (Mama, brother and his wife Marilyn) have already harvested cabbages, onions and more onions, and turnip greens. Joey (baby brother) has been pumping water out of a pond and flooding the garden. Squash blooms are so pretty!

Baby squash in the making. My goodies... Yep. I know that I got some green tomatoes. Fried green tomatoes tonight for supper!

Cannoli Pie

I told you that I was going to tie on my apron and make a Cannoli Pie. I did! Don't freak out about the lard. It makes the best flakiest pie crust ever! Scroll down and look on the right side for the Food tag. Click on it, scroll down and you'll find my pie crust recipe.

After you bake the crust and it has had a chance to cool, assemble your ingredients.

Beat 1 1/4 cups whipping cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat 2 cups ricotta, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Fold in whipped cream, 1 cup sliced toasted almonds, and a generous 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips.

Spoon into your cooled baked pie shell. Refrigerate. To serve, slice and serve on dessert plates.

You can top this with sweetened whipped cream...
Beat 1 1/2 cups whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well. Spoon or pipe a generous serving on top of your pie slice. Dust with powdered sugar.

That being said. I don't top with the whipped cream. A light dusting of powdered sugar is decadent enough.


What do YOU do with your leftover pie pastry dough? I blob it all together and reroll it into something resembling a rectangle. Spread it good with some softened butter - the real stuff please! I mean, if we're gonna die from it, why die from hydrogenated fake stuff?! Then I sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll it up lengthwise like a jelly roll and slice into 1" slices. Bake at about 450 degrees for 8 minutes or so. Yummy!

I probably tell you how to do this every time I bake a pie. ;o)

"Designer" Apron Tutorial

So, you want to make your very own, one of a kind, "designer" apron? This is a great stash buster pattern! First, you need a pattern. I have a one-piece apron that I just placed on top of my fabric. Carefully cut around it. By 'carefully,' I mean, don't cut your apron by mistake! If you don't already have an apron like this, you can find several free patterns on the internet like this one:
http://etherwork.net/ejmtph/sew/apron.html

Go through your stash and pull out one piece of fabric large enough for the apron body. Gather some coordinating, complimentary, or surprise fabrics. Cut the apron out, but ignore the rest of their instructions and follow mine now. ;o) Just remember, this ain't rocket science. The width of the ruffle doesn't have to be exact. I suggest not making it too full...be a little 'cheap' with it.

Cut 1 Bib ruffle = 4" deep x 1 1/2 times the width of the bib. (For the apron pattern in the above link, the bib ruffle will be about 13" wide.) Don't get it too wide or you'll have too much ruffle.

Cut 3 Bottom ruffles out of different fabrics = 4" deep x 1 1/2 times the width of the apron.

Cut 2 Ties = 3" x 42"

Cut 1 Neck band = 3" x 22"

Don't get bogged down with the width of the apron. If you have the full 42-44" of fabric, and you need the width, cut your apron that large. If you are working with a remant, go narrower. Adjust the width of the ruffles according. Just remember, the more ruffling, the more work you have to do!

Now that you have everything cut, if you have a serger, serge all edges on the apron and the ruffles (not the ties or neck band). With all ruffle edges serged, guess what? You don't have to hem the ruffles! Yeah! (Sorry. If you don't have a serger, start hemming ALL those edges - except the ties and neck band.) After serging the ruffle edges, pick one long edge as the top and run a row of basting stitches. Be sure to leave thread tails so that you can gather them.

Turn under the serged edge at the bib top only and sew 1/4 - 3/8" from the folded edge.
Fold the bib top in half and put a pin there. Fold the bib ruffle in half and pin it to the top center front of the bib.

Pull your gathering threads. Pin both ends of the ruffle on top of the bib. Sew the ruffle to the bib.

Match the edge of the bib with the edge of the ruffle.

Fold as one and turn the serged edge to the back and stitch it down. (If you had to hem everything, just lay the ruffle end even with the edge of the apron and stitch down.)

Continue stitching the entire 'arm' area.

Find the center front of the bottom of your apron and the center of a long ruffle. Pin and sew the same as for the bib. Pick up your second ruffle, find centers, slightly overlap to top edge of the first ruffle, gather and sew it down. Follow the same procedure with the third ruffle.

Line up the ruffle edges with the side of the apron.

Turn under 1/4 - 3/8" and sew through all the layers. (If it's all hemmed, just line up the edges of the ruffles with the apron edge and sew them together.)

Ties and neck band - Fold each in half lengthwise. With 1/4" seams, sew across one short section then down the long raw edges making a tube. Using a skewer or your favorite turning trick, turn the ties and band. Sew each to the apron in its appropriate place. Leave one end of the neck band free.

Cut 1" piece of velcro. Sew one side to the back of the apron. (Yeah, go ahead and sew through the ruffle - it won't be noticeable.) Adjust the neck band to suit you and sew the other piece of velcro to the band.Try your new designer apron on for size and GO COOK SOMETHING GOOD!

I am going to make a Cannoli Pie. Photos to follow...

And The Winner Is...

I've checked and rechecked your comments and blogs. The entries are:

1 Army Brats and Me
2 Holee
3 Holee
4 lesthook
5 lesthook
6 Shogun
7 Shogun
8 Gloria
9 Gloria
10 Downsouth
11 Dorraine
12 Dorraine
13 Rachel G
14 BonnieN
15 Elsie123
16 Elsie123
17 MalleyCC
18 Lisa
19 tisme

Drum roll...and the winner of this fabulous cookbook and 'designer' apron is....

Research Randomizer Results
1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per SetRange: From 1 to 19 -- Unsorted
Job Status:

Set #1:
16

Elsie 123

Thank you all for your participation and such nice comments.

ELSIE! Congratulations!! I've PMd you on HGTV for your address...decided that was the most secure route we could take.

Once again, everyone else, thank you for visiting my blog and leaving comments. I've enjoyed visiting your blog. God's blessings to all of you!!

Giveaway Date Change

Two weeks. TWO WEEKS?! What was I thinking.

Unless there are any objections...I'll be using one of those random number generators on Saturday, June 27. I don't see any reason to drag this out for TWO WEEKS!

Time for 200th Post Giveaway!!!

I know you've been wondering what's taken me so long! Sam and I got on the bikes this morning and rode around Lake o' the Pines, then went to Longview, ate at Olive Garden, stopped by The Harley Shop and I turned in my mileage so that I can get my 1,000 mile patch. When we got home I so wanted a fudgsicle...but we have none. Sigh.

Then, this afternoon, I decided to make something to go along with the one item for my 200th Post Giveaway. So...without further ado...

You have a chance (or two) to win your very own copy of our Friends of the Library cookbook. This 3-ring binder holds almost 500 recipes submitted by Friends, Patrons, and other supporters of the Daingerfield Public Library.
An added surprise is this one of a kind designer apron. (Took me the better part of the afternoon to make it today.)

To be eligible for the drawing:

1. Leave a comment.
2. For a second entry, mention this giveaway on your blog and let me know in the comment that you did so.

Date changed!!! I will use a random number generator on Saturday, June 27. No need to wait another week for this!

And you thought it would be another motorcycle related giveaway.

I got up at 6 a.m. this morning trying to beat the heat. The low for the night was 76 degrees. Sigh. First thing...I saw a baby bird on the porch. He wasn't developed enough to fly yet. With my gloved hands, I scooped him up and put him back in the fern. He was so excited and upset - he jumped out again. (Our porch is concrete!) I took the fern off the hook to verify that babies #2 and #3 were still there. They were. So I scooped up the escapee and placed him right on top of the nest. He realized that he was 'home,' so settled down. I put the planter back on the hook.I got up and moving that early to spread mulch. The bluebonnets have finally dried and seeded. I'd pulled the plants up out of the flower bed and moved them down by the bigger patch of bluebonnets down between the crepe myrtles and the driveway. So...time to spread 60 cubic feet of cypress mulch. The big bed took 13 bags. Isn't this just the prettiest hosta you've ever seen - in MY garden?
Time for a break with a glass of iced tea now that the temperature has climbed to 86 degrees at 10 a.m. This is what I see from the 'park' bench on the porch. Doesn't it look like a cool oasis?

I bought a couple of wind chimes the other day. This is a rooster. I love the colored glass and just the least little breeze sets him to 'crowing.'This little fellow hardly sings at all...even hung from a slender branch. I am so glad I got the rooster too!

This fellow perched on the staff that the hummingbird feeder hangs from. At first I thought it might be a parent bird...but it's not. The babies in the nest are bluebirds. I spied the mama bird with a worm in her beak waiting for me to leave. Which I did...
See the empty spot in the middle? I dug out the mountain laurel. It just doesn't belong in this acidic soil in northeast Texas. I put it in a pot. Perhaps it will grow in it. I have to decide what to put into the empty spot.
After spreading mulch, I poured stuff around the azaleas to make the soil in this bed more acidic. I've been putting lime around the laurel...and this stuff (whatever it is, it also has iron and other stuff for azaleas, camelias, and a host of other plants) around the azaleas. Nothing but the nandinas have been doing much good. So eliminating the laurel can do nothing but help the azaleas.

Then, as if I hadn't done enough already...just spent four hours...WHAT?! FOUR hours sweating. That is sooo unlike me! ;o) After my shower, I made an apron. I saw a regular bbq apron at a ...surprise!!! bbq place... It was a regular chef-style apron with ruffles. Sam didn't like it, but I looked it over real close from afar.

I laid my old reliable apron out and got into my scraps. That is a piece of baby blue eyelet for the body of the apron and just strips of whatever for ruffles. Even though some of the fabrics look the same, they aren't. Perhaps I need to just lay it down on the bed or try hanging it and take a regular photo...not the reflection of some poor bloated woman in a mirror. That's just so not fair! And 'they' lied! Humphf...'They' say that the camera adds only ten pounds to your figure. That is so not true. I bet in reality it's really twen...I mean thirty pounds! Betcha!!!

Are you counting down to my giveaway? Information will be in the very next post!

Whose Idea Was This Anyway?

I had a hotdog for lunch. Complete with mustard, sweet relish, and Cheetos. The only thing that kept lunch from being a balanced meal...no chocolate. So, yogurt was on the menu for me this evening, and I intended for Sam to raid the refrigerator...there's one delicious serving of a hamburger and rice dish I've thrown together...since forever. That with salad was going to be the offering for Sam.

THIS is what happened. Carol is out of town. Elton was going to be in our neck of the woods checking on supplies at the local lumber/hardware store to compare prices with one of the big stores. He called Sam. Sam and I were in the same room and could very easily make eye contact. Sam asked him when Carol would be home. Got the answer. Looked at me and asked, "What's for supper?" I shrugged, looked at him (NOTHING was between us to block his view), and said, "Not much." He told Elton, "Sherry said to come on over, that she'd fix supper. Bye."

I am flabbergasted. I said, "That is NOT what I said. I am having yogurt and you are having the last of the hamburger and rice and there's not enough for you and Elton." It was his turn to shrug his shoulders. Left the room with the lame excuse that he needed to go to the bathroom.

Humphf.

Just as Elton got here, I was putting chicken breasts - that I intended to cook tomorrow - in the oven to roast. If it hadn't been for them, I would've sent the guys to town to eat and I would've had my yogurt.

Would you believe that I really and truly did forget to cook rice? Tomorrow's menu was going to be:
Roasted Chicken Breasts
Buttermilk Gravy
Rice
Salad

We had:
Roasted Chicken Breasts
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
A hastily opened can of hominy
Salad (overkill on the greens, but remember I was going to eat yogurt so left the cheese stuff alone)
Ice cream

Oh! And a loaf of homemade bread fresh from the machine. ;o) Can't forget that. I really, really shot the planned yogurt supper!

How about some recipes?! I haven't posted any in a while.

Someone gave this recipe to Mama many years ago. We thought it sounded good, but had never really done much cooking with thyme. We're country people and don't hold to them fancy herbs. ;o) It was decided that I would cook it first. If Ron, my first husband, would eat it...it would pass. His name should've been Mikey...He liked it!

Hamburger and Rice with a Little Thyme

1 pound ground beef...not fatty but not too lean...you'll want some flavor!
1 chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
2 or 3 pinches of thyme
1 can tomatoes, drained but reserve juice
1 cup rice
Enough water added to tomato juice to make 2 cups

Brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Season to taste. Stir in tomatoes. Add the 2 cups of liquid and stir. When it simmers, cover with a lid, turn heat down as low as it'll go and cook for 20 minutes. Don't peek! IF you must, wait at least 15 minutes. And if you do peek, you might as well give it a quick stir.

I looked at my earlier posts and can't beiieve I haven't posted this delicious gravy recipe! The only time I make it is when we have roasted chicken and rice.

Buttermilk Gravy

1 cup chicken broth (I pour 1 cup water in the roasting pan to make certain I have broth for this. Sometimes I have to add a bit of water to get the 1 cup back.)
1/4 cup buttermilk
3-4 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste

Heat chicken broth. Whisk flour into buttermilk and whisk into chicken broth. Season. Heat until thickened...just barely simmer. DO NOT BOIL THIS! It will not get thicker but seems to break down the buttermilk and it's not as good. If it doesn't get as thick as you want, dip out a small amount of the thin gravy and whisk in another tablespoon of flour. Pour that into your gravy and heat until thick.

Take notice!!!! This is my 198th post. I will be having a giveaway for the 200th post. And I know exactly what it will be! Just two posts to go before the announcement.

The giveaway for my 100th post was a patch for a motorcycle vest like this:

You have sooooo much to look forward to! Bwahahahha