Grandparents

I mentioned my grandmother in my last post. Just in case you are all wondering...when you look up the word "grandmother" in the dictionary, the photo of the lady representing that word is MY grandmother...

Ruby Syble Durham Sanford. Oh, yeah, my grandfather, Grover Weldon "Punk" Sanford was a pretty neat guy too...especially to me. I was raised (as we say in Texas) with a bunch of stinking brothers and male cousins.

Gone Again

Sigh. Sam has gone back today (Sunday) to complete the bulldozing job for his son. He plans on returning home on Wednesday. I will be able to stay busy - subbing at the public library tomorrow. Tuesday my mother has a doctor's appointment out of town, so that will keep me busy then.

I should get a bit of quilting done too. I am working harder on the crazy quilt block that I intend to turn into a clutch for an Alaskan cruise we are taking in August. (Sam's son gave us the cruise this past Christmas.) I need to purchase more green floss and put some leaves on the pink spiderweb roses in the lower left corner. Then that leaves the large blue area. When the clutch is folded, the fold will run through that piece. A friend suggested hearts...I forgot to point out the new addition. I added ribbon around the bullion roses at the top - that will be the flap. I beaded a larkspur which doesn't show up very well at all. It is to the left overlapping a blue and purple section. In the center, I added a lace fan surrounded with seed beads. Then I did some whatever it is called - but looks like netting and added beads.

I embroidered hollyhocks just under the spider web on the quilt block. Oh, I also did some embroidery and beadwork on a couple of seams.
On the food forum on the HGTV site, there's been a discussion about cast iron skillets/griddles/Dutch ovens, etc. I have a divided cast iron cornbread skillet that comes in handy for scones. The first time I shared with my mother, her comment was that her mother used to make scones. I make certain to share with her everytime I make them.

Here are my two favorite scone recipes:
This one is a crunchy heavy scone:
Oat Raisin Scones
2 cups flour
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Oven 425 degrees. Stir together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, stir together the ceam, eggs, and vanilla. Add the ceamed mixture to the flour mixutre and stir to combine. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.With floured hands, pat the dough into an 8-inch diameter circle in the center of an ungreased cookie sheet. With a serrated knife or pastry knife, cut into 8 equal wedges (like cutting a pie). OR Before stirring everything together, spray your divided cast iron skillet with cooking spray and put in the oven to preheat while the oven is heating. Pat the dough on your work surface. Cut into 8 wedges. Put a wedge in each section of the skillet.Bake for 15 - 17 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown.
We love these buttered (yeah, I know it already has a stick of butter in it!) and with orange marmalade or pear preserves.

This is a lighter scone. My mother said that these (which are cake-like) are more like what her mother made.

Buttermilk Scones
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cups raisins
Oven 400 degrees. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in raisins. Either pat out on a cookie sheet and cut into wedges or use your divided cast iron skillet like the above recipe. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
These are also good buttered with orange marmalade or pear preserves. I have recipes for marmalade and pear preserves that I'll post another day.
(I don't know why this started double spacing with 'enter.')

Flowers and Purses

I finally took photographs of a few purses I made last year. These are mine. My mother fell for them and asked for one. Well, with a removable insert...what good is one, so she got two. The original pattern is a Tammy Tadd Design. With each purse, I make modifications to make it all mine. The orange/yellow/green fabric is so NOT me! But I love it! I purchased some coordinating FQs and machine quilted the orange dotted fabric for the body of the purse. The blue and yellow fabric is reversible pre-quilted fabric. I made two of these...one for me and one for Mama. To change bags, just rip the Velcro apart, remove the liner (which has inside pockets) and Velcro it inside the next purse.

Now, for my dark bags. I made two of the reddish bags - yep, you guessed it, one for me and one for Mama. I love the bag with the animal print. This is the first one I did with the wooden bead trim and found out that I needed to drop it an inch so that it did not flip to the inside of the bag.

My hosta buds opened. They are not the perfumey kind and aren't all that showy. But I think they are gorgeous. I just love the foliage.

And look! My mother-in-law's tongue is about to bloom! What a surprise. This is the first time I have ever had one to bloom. (BTW, the Latin name is sansaveria...I think.)

He's Back

Sam has been gone for a whole week! John, his son, borrowed a bulldozer from Elton, his uncle/Sam's brother. The only stipulation Elton made was that Sam or his younger brother, Terry, run the dozer. Terry works in John's office, so that left Sam up for the job. He has the bulldozing complete, but has to go back in a few days to finish the clean-up.


(Thought I would include a photo of Sam's family. The oldest and youngest are sitting on the couch, Terry and Sam - you should be able to tell the age difference of 22 years! That leaves #2 Steve, #4 Linda, and #3 Elton.This was taken back in 2004. Sam's mother is now 94. Physically she is doing great. Unfortunately she has Alzheimers and is now in a nursing home.)

This has been a mixed blessing time. I enjoyed doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do...I ate what I wanted when I wanted if I wanted. You know, ice cream with chocolate syrup on top at 4:30 so wasn't hungry at supper time. Had a salad. Oh! Ate Brussel sprouts which Sam doesn't care for! But let me tell you how I cooked them:

Chop up 2 slices bacon and cook until nearly crisp. Toss in 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 diced small onion. Saute until the onions are translucent. If you have small Brussel sprouts, leave them whole, if larger (you decide what is large - for me anything larger than a quarter), cut in half. Oh? How many? I used a package of frozen Brussel sprouts. Toss them in the skillet and toss with the rest of the stuff already in there. Pour over 1/2 can of chicken broth. Cover with a lid and let simmer and steam until most of the liquid is gone. Don't forget your salt and pepper to taste. Cooked this way, they are not the least bit crunchy. If you wanted crunch, you could forget the broth...they have enough moisture that they will steam without any added liquid. Shame I didn't think to take a picture...next time.

This makes me think about Fried Cabbage which is cooked pretty much the same. I use 2 slices of bacon for half a head of cabbage...4 slices for a whole head of cabbage. Because Mama didn't, I don't use the garlic or onion, but I bet it would be good. And, I don't pour in chicken broth - but it couldn't do anything except enhance the flavor.



Here we are (2002). Jonathan, my son, Brook and John, Sam's two...me and Sam.

Memorial Day Weekend

We attended a motorcycle rally, Party in the Pines, in Longview this past weekend. This is just their third year and they more than doubled last year's attendance. Over 4,000 people had registered by Saturday evening. This photo shows just a few of the bikes waiting for the beginning of the Joker Run Saturday morning. Sam and I did not go on the run as we had committed ourselves to working at the site that morning and afternoon, but after church services Sunday morning provided by the Christian Motorcyle Association, we did go on a ride and returned in time to fulfill the remainder of our volunteer commitment.

I took a few photos of my beautiful Dietz lilies that Carol, my sister-in-law shared with me. Aren't they just beautiful?!

When we purchased our home in 2004, I did some Internet research to find out what variety of hosta would work for my little corner of Texas. I planted six Undulata Albomarginata bulbs (or whatever they are called). Talk about disappointed! The first two years - absolutely nothing to brag about for the three that did sprout and survive. Last year was better. This year ... see for yourself! I'll repost when they bloom.

Now, I want to plant more around a redbud. I can see some of the blue varieties ringing the tree...

Picking Strawberries

Carol, my sister-in-law, and I picked strawberries this morning at McPeak's on highway 271 between Gilmer and Pittsburg. I had an errand to run for my mother so we didn't get out early before it started getting hot, but it wasn't too bad. We each picked a small bucketful. The pickin's were slim compared to last year...in the same groundspace and time, we had picked two buckets each. We hit them a bit late in the season this year. They are so good right out of the garden. But, since I didn't weigh myself before going to the garden, I couldn't eat any - well, maybe one or two or four. Quality control, don't ya know?! I can already taste sliced strawberries on pound cake.
How about my favorite pound cake recipe?

10 eggs, separated
2 cups butter, softened
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. In another bowl, combine butter, flour, and baking powder with mixer. In your third bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until everything is completely mixed. Add the butter/flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat. Add half of the beaten egg whites to the mixture and fold in. Fold in remaining egg whites.

Two choices here:
Pour batter in a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown.
OR
Pour batter in two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Watch closely.

The way to check doneness is to insert a wooden skewer into the cake. Any bits of cake should not be overly moist and definitely not gooey.

Cool the cake completely before removing from pan(s).

Note: Please use butter. This is what the recipe calls for and not only works better than margarine, but also tastes better.

My husband likes a slice of buttered and toasted pound cake for breakfast. My youngest brother, Joey, is really weird! He cuts that beautiful golden crust off his pound cake. Pretty bad, huh? Mama caught him throwing the crusts away and stopped him. He now leaves his crusts on the cake plate...they manage to disappear!

I didn't take any photos today, but how about this one? These beauties are my oldest brother's grands. The red quilt is the Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt I made for one of the girls when she was born.





A sign in the orchard "shed" said:

If we are what we eat

Then I am

Fast, Cheap and Easy

On that note - enjoy the world where God put you. Be sure to laugh!

Silk Ribbon

I have had time to work on my CQ blocks with silk ribbon. I have used all my green ribbon (I purchased precious little of it in the beginning) but have yellow and red left. I love the red and yellow roses.



The rosebud trellis is on the block destined to become an evening clutch. I added two more bullion roses so that the single one would not be so alone.




I also did some machine embroidery on some other blocks and totally messed one of them up. A thread or something evidently hung up on the back and threw the design off. Leaves that were supposed to be stitching in the center are off to the left. Hmmm. Thank goodness I had not put too much work into that specific block!

Rainy Weather

We have been having extremely wet weather. Thank God that our small corner of the world is finally out of a drought. You do know though that certain people are complaining that we have too much rain. They have forgotten the drought in such short time and haven't really realized how blessed we are to have had only rain - without tornadoes.

The first week in August will be going on an Alaskan cruise courtesy of my husband's son. I bought a pretty dress that is sleeveless but have been told that the dining room could be rather cool. I picked a really pretty pattern, Shimmer from www.knitty.com, and some really pretty yarn from Lion Brand Yarn, Moonlight Mohair color #206. As inexperienced as I am at knitting, it took a while to complete. The photos are headless on purpose. These were taken in the morning before hair and makeup. ;o) Now I need to get back to a pair of half-finished socks.

I've also been rather slow with my CQing. As soon as I finish here, I will pull my little chest closer and play with some silk ribbon.

In the meantime, we are still in a beautiful Spring! Yes, we are on the downhill side with the summer heat just around the corner. In the meantime, please enjoy my azaleas and bluebonnets!

Motorcycles and Tornadoes

Let me tell you, they do not mix! A group of eight motorcycles with an SUV in the lead and a pickup towing a camper/toy hauler driving "sweep" (as in sweeping up the stragglers) left home after breakfast headed to Mt. View, Arkansas. We knew the weather, but also knew that we would not/should not be caught in the big middle of it. However, we were caught in the tail-end of it. North of New Boston, just over the Texas/Arkansas State line, we started running into sprinkles. Our fearless leader pulled over at a roadside park and we donned rain gear. "I" wanted to turn around to seek shelter. Did anyone listen to me? Nope.

The wind and rain was pretty ferocious there for several miles, but we made it to DeQueen in sunshine. My legs were dry, my left foot was not due to a leaking zipper in my motorcycle boot. (Make note: Purchase slip-on boots with no zipper next time.) My raincoat failed. I don't know why?! When we got "back into the motorcycle business," I pulled out my old raingear. The pants were too small, but the jacket fit fine. Who woulda thought that the jacket would fail? It was only 25-30 years old. ;o)

We picked up two more bikes and a pickup in Hot Springs from those who went up Thursday night.

North of Morrilton, AR, we found the tornado damage that those in vehicles heard about on their radios. Let me tell you...pictures on the news do not convey the amount of devastation. I've seen them before, and I saw them Friday night on the news. Seeing the foundation where a home once stood and the debris from the home piled against trees, brush, and a fence row as if the foundation had been cleared by a leaf blower... In that community of Center Ridge, a man and his son lost their lives. Every trailer house on the road they lived on was destroyed...they were in one of them. Two lives were lost there, but so many more could have been. I've been praying for God's grace for them all.

Oh, almost forgot, on Thursday, my mother and a couple of her friends drove to Mt. View in her Gran Caravan - not on bikes. After we checked in to our lodges/cabins at Mt. View, another couple arrived bringing our totals to 9 bikes, 2 trikes, and 25 people.

My brother (oh, our fearless leader) and I have been going with our family to Mt. View for over 40 years. We told everyone what was available in the area and groups went their own way. Some shopped, some went to the Folk Center, others toured the Cavern. We all ate! After lunch, most of us went to see where the spring comes out of the cave. I finally pulled my camera out. Once again, we parted with some going shopping and the rest of us taking a ride to see the beautiful scenery.

Our group did have one injury. One of the ladies missed the first step from the loft and fell the remaining 10-steps. She had surgery on her wrist in Batesville on Sunday. Since this is just Monday, I haven't heard anything else.

Silk Jacket

Ta-da! Remember the three brown jackets? I ate up 8+ yards of my stash trying to find just 'the' right pattern for my silk. Here it is. I wore this to Sam's 50th Texas A&M reunion - Class of '58. I received several compliments. Sam overheard one of them. When I said, "Thank you," with a big smile on my face, he said, "She made it."

We headed out from northeast Texas to College Station without the frogs. We stopped in Longview on the way so that I could buy them. I initially thought gold frogs would be what this jacket needed, but they just didn't look good at all. I didn't like the white ones either; so, decided on black. I wore a pair of ecru slacks with a white knit top. I think it will look snazzy in the winter with a pair of black slacks.

Look at this photo of a small portion of the Texas A&M Class of 1958. This is all who attended the reunion - at least those who were there for Muster on Monday, April 21, 2008. In 1958, the college enrollment was about 8,000...now it is well over 40,000. If I remember correctly, this class had around 1,500 students. Only 270 preregistered for the events with a unknown number registering during the weekend.
If you are not a Texas Aggie, you may not know what Muster is. I have attended small local Musters, but this one on campus at Reed Arena was so emotionally moving that I can not adequately describe it. The Aggies gather and "Quietly call the Muster," by calling out the name of each Aggie who died during the past year. As each name is called out, someone - friend, family, fellow student - answers, "Here." When each name of a Class of '58 member's name was called, each and every one of the men from that class answered, "Here." I sat among those men wishing I were somewhere else in the arena to hear them. As it was, from where I sat, it was such still such an emotionally moving event.

The following two links can explain it better than I can.
http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/muster.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muster_(Texas_A&M_University

The Class of '58 raised money (over $580,000) to give to Texas A&M for a special project. I made a lap quilt and some quilted postcards which were raffled off at the Fifth Group's reunion last spring.