Psalms 27:4-6

2011-12-09T13:18:00.001-08:00

Just thinkin...

2011-08-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking and dreaming

About where I'll be in my future.... What I want for myself. And the only adjectives that come to mind are peaceful, comfy, serene.
This is where I'd like to live... You could come by and have tea on the front porch with me.

Unless the weather isn't co-operating...
then we could just sit in the kitchen and catch up.

We could have a few more friends over for lunch and talk about our gardens and grandkids....

I would love to spend quiet evening hours in here reading and doing my handwork.

And a place for me to have my own quiet time.

Somewhere for my shoes!

2011-08-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Even tho' the weather's just about unbearably hot here in Texas (I think it's at about 20 - 30 days in a row over 100) I just had to find an interesting recipe to cook something different and as it turns out, hot or not, it was a soup.
Of course I've changed the recipe a bit added this and taken that out to make it more to our taste. But all in all, it's just what I had in mind and I can't hardly wait to make a big pot full when the weather cools down.
I bought a pot a few weeks ago. . . . . . 'cause I've realized I tend to fill up whatever pot I'm using and not having a house full, just three of us now, the pot needed to be a little smaller. Anyway, I love the new pot. Not quite as large as the typical dutch oven that comes with a set . . kinda like a saucepan, with the long handle, just bigger than any saucepan I've ever had. I just looked, it's 4 1/2 qt. Perfect size!
So I checked to see what I had around here to mix up something yummy and I end up with a pot of Sausage, Bean and Turnip Green soup. Turnip Greens? Doesn't sound like a typical comination, huh? But it was soooo yummy.

I thought I'd have to "doctor it up" with several spices to get a hearty flavor but, nope, the seasoning from the sausage was perfect........ in fact, go easy on the salt until you've tasted your soup.
So here you go:

In a large pot cook 1 lg. chopped onion in 1 T. olive oil until onion is soft. Remove "skins" from the links of 1 Lb. Hot Italian Sausage, discarding the "skin", add sausage to the onions. Stir the meat breaking it up into chunks as it cooks.Fix up a pan of corn bread and you're gona love it!
Cook until not quite browned.
Add 1 can diced tomatoes (You can use a regular size can or a large...
depending on your tastes for tomatoes), 2 (15.5 oz.) cans cannellini
beans (rinsed), 1 1Lb. bag frozen collard, mustard or turnip greens, 3 cans low
sodium chicken broth, 1/2 tsp. pepper and bring to a hard boil.
Reduce heat to a light boil with lid on pot for 45-60 minutes.
Remove lid and continue to boil lightly till it reduces to a much thickersoup, 30-60 minutes or so. I like the soup to cool then I taste it to get an accurate sense of if it needs salt. Remember, Don't add any salt until it's finished cooking.

Yummy Treats

2011-08-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in so - so long and I've had every intention of getting my thoughts and ideas for a post together but since it's been so long and I've had a few people ask me for a some recipes... this first new post isn't going to be about what all's been going on... how miserably hot it's been here for weeks and weeks or what we did this summer or the new grandbaby, altho' I am gona get to the grandbaby, Caylee AnnMarie, just born 8 days ago, real soon.
We had our monthly brunch today with the sweet, wonderful ladies at our church this morning and I decided to take a couple treats made with the recipes from Kristy over at www.owenscrew.blogspot.com . Kristy is the mom of Trey and Emery who you've seen on my blog and on Bleah's blog, www.blondeforchrist.blogspot.com. I am their "Grammie". I began keeping Trey, now 5 1/2 and one week into kindergarten, when he was newborn.... then along came Emery, or "Emmie Lou-Who", as I like to call her and she's still here with me. So special both of them.... Ooops, sorry, I said this was gona be about the recipes....
First the Corn Dip... mmmm so yummy!

Here are the ingredients:

•2 cans fiesta style corn

•2 cups shredded fiesta blend cheese

•1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

•1 small can jalapenos OR green chiles (depending on how spicy you want it!)

•1 cup of mayo
Mix it all together in a good size bowl.........

Put it in an 8x8 dish and

bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 an hour.

Serve with Tortilla Chips.
I think there are alot of things I could do with this recipe to have something different everytime I mix it up.
I used a small can of mild chili peppers and even tho' I usually don't care for spicy food.... just a few spicy chili's or some jalepeno might have been better. When I went to get the mexican corn I noticed they now have something similar with black beans in the can, too. I wasn't brave and I shoulda been. I think the black beans would have been great! Serve this with tortilla chips. Keep them close to the dip. Today the ladies were thinking it was a side dish and just eating it like that.

I also made the party sandwiches from Kristy's recipe! Neither one of took pics of them, but here's the recipe.

•1 12-count package Hawaiian rolls

•6 slices ham

•6 slices Swiss cheese (Kraft Deli Fresh package)

•1/2 cup butter, melted

•1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce (I used more...)

•1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

•1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard

•1 tablespoon dried minched onion

Cut rolls in half. Cut ham & cheese into 4ths. Layer 2 slices ham & 2 slices cheese alternately on rolls. Place in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, mustard, and onion in a small bowl. Pour over sandwiches. Cover with foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Back covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
For these.... maybe some corned beef to go with the mustard one time.... and on a potato roll. I've never been a big fan of the Hawaiian rolls but someone special loves them so I did make mine just like the recipe. Next time my bunch gets together I think I'll be using her recipe exactly and who knows what changes. It really was so easy..... it was difficult to pour a liquid over the sandwiches the first time out but it all went well!
Thank you, thank you, Kristy!!!

Now this is for Miss Linda who's been waiting for awhile for me to get this posted.....

Spiced Bacon Twists

1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Pound Sliced Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
With a baking sheet that has sides to catch the grease, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the foil.
Stir together the brown sugar, mustard powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Press each slice of bacon into the mixture until well coated.
Twist each strip a few times and place on the prepared baking rack.
Bake until the bacon is browned and crisp enough to hold its shape which takes about 30 minutes.

I have a couple new soup recipes that are so yummy. They'll be on here soon, too. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
Blessings!!!

Pot Likker Soup

2011-01-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

My sister, Tammy was thinking of me a couple weeks ago and I'm so glad!

She lives in Florida and she and her husband run Aunt Catfish's on the river restaurant in Port Orange and she sent me an email telling about this soup they serve at lunch time.

Well, I just don't think there's anything better than a bowl of blackeyed peas or greens with a slice of tomato and fresh cornbread so when I saw this and realized they're both in this soup I asked.... "How did I not know about this before?"
I have friends out here in Texas who call themselves southerners but I wasn't so sure they truly are.... I mean, I love 'em but they kinda screw up their faces like they smell something bad when I mention something like this soup.
I changed the recipe just a little bit after I made the first pot and I have to say, I like it better with the changes.
This is my version.....
Start with 2 lbs, about four bunches of collar greens. Remove and discard the stems.Wash 'em in cold water and tear 'em into about 1" pieces. Bring to a boil in a large pot covered with water, drain, and repeat.

Cut 2 lbs of boneless ham into large chunks, place in a bowl, toss with 2 - 4 tablespoons of hot sauce. I used Lousiana Hot Sauce because I wanted flavor more than heat. ( I used 6 Tablespoons and I don't like spicy food!)
Put the ham and hot sauce in a large pot with 3 tablespoons heated olive oil cooking over med high about 8 - 10 minutes until the meat is brown. DON'T try to skip this part.... This creates the base flavor for the yummy pot likker.

Add 3 med onions, chopped and 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped and cook until the onions are tender.
Add 1 cup pork jowls cut into small pieces (The original recipe doesn't call for jowls but it really adds to the flavor.) and cook just two minutes more.

Now it's time to add the greens, and a good 4 cups of fresh turnips you've peeled and cubed. I like them to be good size. The recipe calls for potatoes...... I think the turnips are better.

You add 4 cans of blackeyed peas and/or field peas, drained or 4 16oz bags of the peas, frozen, 4-5 cans of chicken broth, 2 cups of water 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook another hour..

You can used field peas... blackeyed peas or crowder peas or whatever you choose. Just know... this is southern cooking at it's best.

Make a pan of plain old corn bread..... I don't care for sweet corn bread for a meal like this personally.

2011

2011-01-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Okay. This is a new year and I want to be more diligent about posting. Even tho' it seems to me, all I have to say is pretty frivoless and probably of interest to very few... I'm gona try!

What's first, to me, is pretty great. Iggie showed me this on her own blog. She's decided for who knows what reason to take a month off from blogging and for her that's major. She blogs several times a day sometimes and has 263 followers and some of them she's become pretty close friends with.

But, she broke her respite... already.... for this....

I hope you enjoy.

Just wanted to add something today that's easy to look at.....

2010-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Pumpkins

2010-10-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

I'm gona start off with a recipe perfect for now:

Best Baked Mini-Pumpkins

Cut off the caps, scrape out seeds, season, re-cap, and bake. That’s all it takes to give each diner a yummy little pumpkin, custom-flavored. Bake while you roast some meat or vegetables, or both! Or, for an all veggie meal, serve with braised greens and toasty baked grains. Make sure you cook dull skinned (not shiny coating like the supermarkets do just for decoration!). As the Cinderella coaches bake, natural oils surface and they turn as glossy and bright as painted and shellacked decorations.
For Each Serving:
1 mini pumpkin
pinch of ground coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, or garam masala or big pinch of dried savory, sage, or thyme, crumbled to powder
pinch salt
pinch pepper
1 teaspoon butter or nut oil
1 Tablespoon prune, apple, cranberry, or orange juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
1. Set oven to 350 degrees to 375 degrees. With sturdy sharp knife, cut a square (or 5-6 sided ) cap around pumpkin stem, poking into the heart of the squash to cut the fibers. Pry out the cap. With melon ball cutter or grapefruit spoon, scoop out and scrape interior to remove all seeds and fibers. Trim fibers from cap.
2. Sprinkle spice (or herbs), salt, and pepper inside and tap to distribute. Add butter, juice, and sweetening. Set cap back in opening, but do not press in fully (or it may slip inside). Place in baking dish.
3. Bake until creamy-soft inside, about 30 minutes for small squash, 45 minutes for larger ones. Test with knife tip - it should slide through easily. Let stand 15 to 60 minutes, as convenient.
I just realized I never posted about the opening of HOME GOODS.... When I was there they had some fabulous pumpkins and fall deocorations! I didn't get any, tho'.
I just realized I never posted the opening of Home Goods.
It was great!
They had lots and lots of fall and Halloween decorations.... But I didn't get any.....What's wrong with me..... But today, I'm in a fall mood. Except for pumpkins and Thanksgiving Fall isn't a favorite season for me.
I've never wanted to go see the changing leaves.... It just means winter is on the way and I don't care for temps low enough in areas where they really change.
But I really do love pumpkins!!!
Looks at these KNUCKLEHEAD PUMPKINS.... I kinda like 'em.

These are pretty terrific... Even tho' I'm not sure they're real.
If they are, that's a lot more work than I'm willing to tackle.

These are Fall Leaves for me! A favorite sugar cookie recipe and mingled fall colors of dough.

I wish these people were my neighbors!

How about a nice recipe?

Cinderella Pumpkin Soup

4 cups cooked pumpkin

2 cups chopped onions

4 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups white wine freshly ground pepper

kosher or sea salt

1 cup heavy cream (special occasion) OR 1 cup milk (weeknight dinner)

Optional garnishes:

grated nutmeg

chopped crystallized ginger

croutons or

freshly popped popcorn

Lightly brown onions with the olive oil in a thick-bottomed soup pot. Add garlic and cook until it softens but doesn't brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, broth, and wine, stirring to blend. Add S & P. Cook for 30 minutes or so over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Puree soup. Serve hot with 2-3 T cream in each bowl. Garnish as desired. Serves 8, or 4 with yummy leftovers.

Can you imagine? I believe these are studs all pushed into the pumpkins. I love them!

And maybe the simplest way to decorate your pumpkins..... Stencils. These are great, too!

I do love pumpkins ! ! !

So Sad!!!

2010-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

I wish I had some photos to post and I almost took some thru the windows at HOME GOODS yesterday morning about 7:50 while I was down there, having gotten ready for Sunday School and Church early so I could do the GRAND OPENING only to findout that they have postponed the GRAND OPENING to NEXT Sunday!!!!
There were PLENTY of FANTASTIC things I could see as I pressed my nose up against the windows! :(
It's gona be so good but I'm very disappointed! Woe is me....... But the anticipation grows!

2010-10-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

My sister, Carol, in Alaska sent me another box of homemade jellies and goodies. These are a few....

My favorite's the Rose Petal Jelly. Iggie's is the Fireweed Jelly.

She sent some Nutty Rhubarb Hot Fudge Sauce. Haven't tried it, yet.

Some Rhubarb Butter as well as several other yummies.

I decided I needed something fresh and hot to go with my Rose Petal ..... So, I made some Orange Cranberry Muffins....................

To make it all better I grilled the muffins in butter (naughty, naughty!).

Made myself a cup of hot Black Current Decaf Tea.

Now that's me being good to me!

Some of my goodies were made by Carol's friend, Margaret...... Margaret is the daughter of a gentleman, Mr. Johnson, who Carol used to take care of before Carol had her transplants.
Margaret and her husband, Leroi, were driving from their home near Anchorage to the Denver for their son's graduation from medical school this past weekend when they hit a patch of ice and had a terrible accident. Margaret's injuries were minor but Leroi was killed immediatly.
Please keep Margaret, her family and their friends in your prayers.
These people have been so kind and loving to my family.
This is so sad!

2010-09-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have to get myself back into the practice of doing my blog. I enjoy it, I really do.... I guess it just seems like there's not much going on that's "blog worthy"!

BUT...... I have to share that in just 10 days we'll have our very own HOME GOODS just down the way. About 5 minutes.... IF there's traffic!

It opens Sunday October 2 at 8 a.m.

That's an hour an a half before I have to be at church to do my Etiquette Class..... I can do a lot in an hour.... Especially at HOME GOODS!!!

I'm saving my nickles. Savin' up for that special find and I'm SOOOO excited! I know there's gona be something there that'll be aperfect for some place in my house.

My first trip into Home Goods was about 2 or 3 years ago when we'd made a trip to Florida and ended up e-x-t-e-n-d-i-n-g it and part of the most wonderful summer I've ever had was a road trip up to Soperton Georgia to visit our 90+ year old Aunt Mammie with two of my fabulous sisters, Tammy and Carol.

We also went to Savannah to wander the streets, to eat at Mrs. Wilkes Restaurant and by Paula Dean's Son's restaurant fo a lookie-loo.

I'd never heard of Home Goods but I've been a shopper of Marshall's for years and drive into downtown Houston to go to Marshall's Mega Store as often as I can.

After the summer trip to Savannah, on a trip out to San Antonio my oldest, precious daughter, Kathryn, took me to the new HOME GOODS out there. I found a couple of busts..... this is one..... on the clearance shelves... and I don't remember what else. But I was a HAPPY SHOPPER!

I guess about a year ago, maybe a little more, they started opening up Home Goods here in town and that's just a special day outing for me. I always find pretties for the house and things to stash away as sweet gifts when I need 'em and the prices are sooo good!

Over on Eldridge Pkwy they're connected to TJMAX so Iggie's very happy anytime we go.... Down the road here... at least for now.... it'll just be HOME GOODS.

Now I'm gona have "my own"!

10 days and counting......

The Pact...

2010-08-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well its been over a month since I've done any blogging. Its been a pretty busy Summer, lots of things going on. But now we're back to normal. Here's a little something that happened yesterday.

Hello! My name is Bleah Briann... (www.blonde4christ.blogspot.com) and "Jennifer" is my grandma.
So now that we're all acquainted I'd like to tell y'all a little story.

Trey, Emery, my Grandma, and I were in Sam's the other day, doing some grocery shopping for this church dinner thing we're having. Emery was fussing... Trey was picking on Emery, and talking. And I well... well of course I wasn't doing anything at all. Though I'm told I was talking just as badly as Trey. Grammie was a little distracted. And she was trying to concentrate and I guess we were being kinda difficult. Here's the slant of what Trey figured should be our tactic towards her, since he just wasn't happy with being shushed...

Grammie had turned to find something and asked me to stay with the buggie. As soon as she was out of sight, and out of ear shot, Trey starts wiggling his finger for me to get closer to him. So I do. "No, give me your ear so I can whisper in it." so I lean my ear in. "Don't you think Grammie is being mean to me today?" he says, "yeah Trey, sure." "And--" he continued, in the most serious tone I think I've ever heard out of a four year old, "--I've noticed she's being mean to you too." I nodded slowly not knowing where this was going. "Well, I think we need to be mean back to her so that she knows how we feel." "mmhmmm" I said, ever so slightly distracted by the fact that Trey suddenly sounded like a politian and Emery was trying to tear the pages off of my new book. "No." he said as he grabbed my arm. "we have to be mean back to her, because then she'll know how sad it makes us feel." "alright Trey, I understand. How are you going to do it?" "Well..." he said with his hand on his chin. "...we can't talk to her. And when we look at her we have to look like this-" he furrowed his eyebrows, and narrowed his eyes, and pursed his lips. It was a seriously scary look-- not really. More humorous then anything. But Trey was convinced it would do the trick. "Oh, and we can't tell her-" he says's "-we can NEVER, EVER tell her." "why not?" I asked. "Because, she'll be very mad, and will not let me watch PBS Kids, or eat snack for a very long time. And she probably won't even let you play on your computer anymore." I'm sorry but that got a laugh out of me, which wasn't good because I was already holding in so many giggles is wasn't even funny. "why are you laughing?!" he said placing his hands on his hips and offering up the infamous Trey-Bo-I'm-Not-Happy-Stare. "Okay, okay, I won't tell her." "ever?" he asked, "ever." "Alright." he said sticking out his hand, "Shake my hand." I stifled a laugh and shook it. "deal?" "deal." I said as Grammie approached. He winked at me.

{the look}

After that, we cruised the store picking up things like, bread crumbs, sugar, and salad greens. Everytime Grammie looked away, Trey gave her that twisted up look. You know that one he had taught me earlier? He's shoot her this glance and then look at me and smile wide and gave me a thumbs up.

Later when we arrived at home and Trey leaned in and said "we're still mad at Grammie right?" I nodded, "yeah Trey, we're still mad at Grammie."

Well that was Thursday... today he came in and asked me yet again "We're still mad at Grammie right?"

Booger!

With Love and Blessings,
Bleah Briann

2010-08-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Ever After

2010-06-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Well, life is more back to normal this week....

Iggie went to camp for two weeks and when I was talking to a friend I said to her, " It's been... how many years since I've had 2 weeks without kids? ............. Never!"

My oldest daughter is 42 and Iggie is 15.

Last year when she went to camp for a week I'd gone out to Liberty Hill and wasn't alone then.

This time I went to Liberty Hill for 5 days and came home. For the next 9 days it was just me and the cat. And.... she didn't like it!

It's been really surprising to me how much differnce even one, easy going child can be compared to none.

Anyway, she's back and has been resting up from the work routine she followed with all the other interns.

She met lots of new friend, so knowing her, she was spending plenty of time visiting when she could have been resting but I know that they keep the interns busy with pretty much constant chores. She did a lot of kitchen duty this time.

So, she was thinking home cooked food and being lazy.

Last night I made a speial meal for her and then we watched our FAVORITE movie.... Ever After.

We get excited. We both almost know every word of it, knowing what's about to happen and we cry thru several of the scenes. At one pint she said "This is the best scene and the saddest, all in one."

There's a point where someone throws a punch and we both whoop about it!

If you haven's seen it.... Go rent it. She and I began watching it when she was 4 and we enjoy it more each time. She says.... "That's the TRUE story of Cinderella! That's how it really happened!"

I hope so!!!

2010-06-05T04:36:00.000-07:00

I love having a shady section in my yard. It came about because I really had no choice. Years ago we planted an oak tree and now it's big enought to cast shade all day on the back corner of the yard where I just kept trying to keep the grass growing, with no luck.

So I gave in and started to work with it instead of against it.

Here's a picture of Iggie near the corner, but still shady, from quite a long time ago with some of my Trumpet Plants. They seem to do great in the shade or the sun.I have to have some color so I choose to paint things bright colors. Like the mailbox that sits on a post back there. I've never collected any mail there but I've had several bird families use it as a place for their nest! Or the old piece of picket fence I picked up on the side of the road years ago.

The ground around the tree was dry and I couldn't deal with the roots so I had to raise it up abit. That means good fertilizer... Miss Ann has some horses and chicken. I have to get over there and 'collect' some....What better?

I brought back some little Rain Lillies from a trip to visit family in Florida a year or two ago and they like it back here.

I think I need to get someone in to trim up the tree tho' just to let in a little more light.

I found these chairs that are ideal for a quiet, shady spot to sit and read and relax at Lowes a couple years ago for 75% off.... Woo-Hoo. PERFECT!! I've put in a few plants that make nice, heavy borders along the back and the only 'care' they need is to stay at them so they don't take over too much of the area. The ferns love the humidity out there. I like color so I use the perenials like Impatience and Begonias a lot. Periwinkles are really hearty and colorful. I want to try some Hydrangeas but even in the shade it might be too hot.Lots of the color isn't in the ground. I have them planted in pots, like this.The Plumbego, sometimes called Blue Jasmine, that is in the ground just goes out in every direction and is so pretty! I have some vines. I had a nice Morning Glory but it gave way one winter so now I have a Bleeding Heart and a Moon Vine. I had this unbelievable Clemantis that went across the fence and attached itself to the nighbors tree and went all the way to the top and around and around....but when I trimmed the monster, it died.

I don't have a cover over my area, like this..... But I hope too soon...

And, I'd like to find some roses that would do well on the edge of the shady area like these......

2010-06-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before I believe that I'd found some fantastic peaches at HEB and for just .97 a pound. They were so good Iggie and I ate them up and I went back for more. They were down to .88 a pound, whoopee!!!
So, I bought some more and decided to make 'something' for Memorial Day to take over to Liz's house where she'd invited a few friends to come eat and hang out.In the summer time I used to go visit Daddy and the family and I remember my Uncle Johnny and his family would come down from Georgia with lots of fresh, yummy, Georgia peaches. To make peach ice cream.
Oh My Goodness. That was THE BEST stuff. I remember, too, that Daddy couldn't stand to touch the fuzzy peaches, kinda had that fingernails on the chalkboard effect on him. So somebody had to peel 'em, probably Shirley, our very special, patient stepmother. (Gosh, how did she put up with all of us kids ??? 5 of us and 5 more of their own!!!)

So.... this weekend I got out the old ice cream maker, plugged it in and it only hummed. No action. But, I went to JC Penney and found a great one on sale. Mine only made 1 1/2 qts but the new one makes a gallon. Now I'm goin in the right direction!

I'd already peeled and cut up the peaches so I headed over to Liz's with a new ice cream maker for her, too. Hers was 30 years old and she was thinking it was time for a new one.

We made the peach ice cream and a batch of vanilla.......... Oh, how fabulous!The peach was delicous and immediatley reminded me of being a kid with the first bite. The vanilla.... it was like heaven!

Yeh, the peach was delicous but the vanilla was out of this world.

So, I'm gona share the recipe we used.... And you can tell, Iggie was pretty pleased with it, too!

It was the ultimate, wonderful end to a really yummy meal. Some of the people had never had homemade ice cream. Can you imagine????????

WHY DON'T I DO THIS MORE OFTEN?

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
In a heavy saucepan, combine the first five ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon and reaches at least 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat; cool quickly by setting pan in ice and stirring the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight or freeze immediately. When ready to freeze, pour custard and vanilla into the cylinder of an ice cream freezer. Freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Makes 12 servings

2010-05-26T02:04:00.000-07:00

I'm making a big pot of Cream Peas.
For anyone who doesn't know what Cream Peas are, you just don't know what you're missing!
Cream Peas are similar to Purple Hull Peas but they have a milder, creamier taste. 'Course, there's chance you have no idea what Purple Hulls are either.....
Cream Peas, Purple Hulls, Blackeyed Peas, Crowder Peas, Field Peas.... They're each a different southern 'delicacy'. Usually fresh peas are only available in mid-summer (we're already hot here in Texas), seems I've found these alittle earlier than usual, and they can cost you more per pound than a lot of good steaks but they're sooooo worth every penny!
CreamPeas are my second favorite.... Field Peas with lots of tender snaps are my VERY MOST FAVORITE. But I know these Cream Peas are gona be great!
If want a sensational, healthy, filling meal, try the simple southern version.
I think my favorite meal ever is a few slices of fresh, ripe, red sliced tomatoes covered with steaming hot peas, an ear of corn on the side and hot, southern, fried cornbread..... No sugar in the cornbread and forget the butter for the corn or the cornbread. You won't need it.
I had a friend from up north who years ago said I made a plate of peas taste better than a filet mignon! Those words are from a yankee so don't close your mind........ taste 'em first!
We went by a vegetable stand just a ways from here on Sunday and I stopped, just in time.... they were about to close up and I found the Cream Peas, some Blackeyed Peas, tomatoes and Georgia peaches..... I'll be doing a Peach Cream Pie for Memorial Day.
Peas are so easy to cook.... Much as I love mine, they're still not as good as Grandma's in Florida. NOTHING I cook is as good as hers.
Just rinse the peas well, put in a big pot with plenty of water, some salt pork, onion, pepper, maybe a little salt depending on how salty your salt pork is, I find out here, unless you find pork jowls, there's really very little salt on the salt pork. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, lower the heat and cook, simmering, about an hour and a half or so until they're done, tender but not mushy.
Make some fried corn bread.....And enjoy!!!

2010-05-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't actually had a day that I went out and wandered, looking for those sweet things I love but as I've been going here and there and I've managed to stop at a few places I'd just driven past before. What was I thinking?

A friend of mine said we need to both gather 2 or 3 bags of stuff from around the house before we go out looking and allow our selves to bring back even 1!

I've reached the point of (sadly) realizing that's pretty true. If I see something I like well enough to bring home to use, it has to replace something. There's no spot here just waiting to be filled.

One good thing, tho'.... I have friend, Liz, who's recently moved from a large 3700 square foot home to one less than 1000 sq. foot.... Her husband didn't like anything feminine around the house, anywhere. She sold him just about every single item in their house when she moved (waiting for the divorce) and is filling her newly refurbished "cottage" with things that make her feel "soft" and feminine.

Her painter called her one day before she had moved in and said "What color is the kitchen supposed to be?" He'd made a mistake and painted the kitchen pink and didn't think about it until he was done. IT'S FABULOUS..... But.. this is all another post. My point.... I spend more time now collecting for her and shopping for her and sharing with her than I do for myself. Nothing I pick up or move out of my house goes unwanted.

I gathered up my linens I've found the past few months and cleaned and ironed them. I was surprised just how many beautiful ones I've found to add to my collection.

And Trinkets ....
and treasures.... for inside and out.....
I just gathered a few of my new things I've found here and there on outings and at recent garage sales.You can NEVER have too many roses!This is Elvis.... Or it looks like our Elvis. We have a little 1/2 minature schnauzer 1/2 minature dachshund but darker than this.

Too cute not to get!

2010-05-10T05:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in almost a month.... Goodness, I've had lots going on I could post about just haven't been able to fit that task in. But I just have to today!
I hope EVERYONE had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.
I sure did.... A very nice weekend, in fact!
I have 4 fantastic, thoughtful, loving kids and 14 all very different grandkids and 1 more on the way this year and 1 great grandchild.
It was just great to get to be with all 4 of my kids, their spouses and the kids...
Two of my kids with their families came into town for the weekend while two live nearby.
We spent a while visiting with the kids painting tee-shirts and catching up. Then we headed off to Amalia's Mexican Restaurant for dinner. Fabulous fajitas!!!!
Fried tortillas stuffed with bananas and chocolate chips and Tres Leche cake for dessert.... YUMMY!
Sunday we started out with a breakfast buffet, hung out after that some more. Then ended the day with a craw fish boil over at Buddy's. I don't eat craw fish but there MUST be SOMETHING good 'bout 'em 'cause those who do eat 'em, LOVE 'EM!
I got some great gifts, too! Got a beautiful new watch from Kathryn and her family. Her timing was perfect... I'd been without a watch for about 4 days.
Buddy and Minnie sent me a great basket of goodies and Jen bought me neat STUFF FOR THE GARDEN!!!!! You can never have too much stuff for the garden! Cort and Tara stopped on the way into town at the farmers market and picked up fresh vegetables... Fresh corn....

Dewberries and strawberries.... Tomatoes, squash, cantaloupe, onions, sweet potatoes and and and .... are you ready???
BLACK EYED PEAS!!!!!
They're cookin right now!
Daelen made a pretty plaque.... So sweet. I have to post a picture of it soon.

And Ig.....
She said the night before she had no Mother's Day gift for me. Said she'd looked and never found anything she thought was "right". That's ok, of course... but the Sunday Morning she opened her blog for me.... (http://www.blonde4christ.blogspot.com/) Check the 2nd post she has for Sunday..... For sure... I cried. Soooo sweet.
This is an old picture of her.... We were in Florida visiting Auntie Fassin and she was naughty and got sent to the corner.... She just set down and took a snooze.

OKAY, I'M BRAGGIN!

2010-04-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

TODAY WAS THE WALKATHON FOR THE YOUTH AT OUR CHURCH.
THE KIDS WERE TO GET PLEDGES FOR THEIR "WALK2DRIVE" EVENT TO RAISE MONEY FOR TRANSPORTATION FOR MISSIONARIES.
THE YOUTH PASTOR EXPLAINED TO THEM THEY EACH SHOULD HAVE A GOAL OF $100.00...
"GET 10 PEOPLE TO GIVE YOU $10. GET FOUR TO GIVE YOU $25. GET ONE TO GIVE YOU THE WHOLE $100." THEY HAD ABOUT TWO WEEKS NOTICE. TODAY THEY TEAMED UP INTO 2 GROUPS AND WENT OUT TO RAISE AS MUCH MONEY AS THEY COULD FOR 2 1/2 HOURS BEFORE THE WALK.
THE TOTAL IN THE END WAS ABOUT $1634.00 FOR THE WHOLE YOUTH GROUP. IGGIE HAD COLLECTED $1029.00 OF THAT.
WHAT A GREAT JOB SHE DID!!! SHE MADE QUITE AN EFFORT TO COLLECT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PLEDGED!
THERE WERE PICTURES TAKEN.... I FORGOT MY CAMERA... SOON AS SOMEONE GETS ME SOME, I'LL INCLUDE THEM

Hosanna

2010-04-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hosanna

The Father heart of God loves to come to the scene of our need.
Why don’t we CRY OUT to GOD more often?

1. We can handle it on our own – PRIDE
2. We allow anxiety or stress or worry or doubt to enter into the picture and turn to our “support” group for comfort through the difficulty
3. We have a doctor that will write us a prescription and taking a pill is the answer
4. It’s just our lot in life and the hand that we were dealt – learn to live with it!
5. We think GOD has given up on us – otherwise we would not be in this situation in the first place!
6. We forget to turn to Him first.Liturgical use in different traditions

"Hoshana" (הושענא) is a Hebrew word meaning please save or save now. [1] In Jewish liturgy, the word is applied specifically to the Hoshana Service, a cycle of prayers from which a selection is sung each morning during Sukkot, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. The complete cycle is sung on the seventh day of the festival, which is called Hoshana Rabbah (הושענא רבא, "Great Hosanna").[2]
"Hosanna" (Greek transcription: ὡσαννά, hōsanna) is the cry of praise or adoration shouted in recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord![3] It is used in the same way in Christian praise.
Overall, it seems that "Hosanna" is a cry for salvation; while at the same time is a declaration of praise. Therefore, it may be derived that this plea for help is out of an agreeably positive connotation.
The old interpretation "Save, now!" which may be a popular etymology, is based on Psalm 118:25 (Hebrew הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא hOshEeah-nna) (Possibly "Savior"). This does not fully explain the occurrence of the word in the Gospels, which has given rise to complex discussions.[4]
The word hosanna is etymologically derived from the Hebrew הושיעה־נא, hôšî‘â-nā’. Christian usage has come through the Greek Bible, giving it the form ὡσαννά, hōsanná.
From the Bauer lexicon: derived from Aramaic (הושע נא) from Hebrew (הושיעה נא) (Psalm 118:25, הוֹשִׁיעָה נָּא), meaning "help" or "save, I pray", "an appeal that became a liturgical formula; as part of the Hallel... familiar to everyone in Israel."
From the Friberg Lexicon: hosanna, indecl. particle translit. fr. the Heb.; strictly, a cry expressing an appeal for divine help "save! Help, we pray!"; in a liturgical usage, a shout of praise and worship "hosanna, we praise you" (Matthew 21.9).
From the UBS Lexicon: hosanna (in Aramaic), an exclamation of praise literally meaning, "Save, I pray".
From the Louw-Nida Lexicon: hosanna (an Aramaic expression meaning "help, I pray" or "save, I pray," but which had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise) a shout of praise or adoration - "hosanna; blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord" Mark 11.9; "hosanna in the highest" Mark 11.10; "hosanna to the Son of David" Matt 21:9. Mt 21.9 may also be rendered as "praise to you, Son of David" or "we praise you who are the Son of David"
Crying out to GOD
1. Is a spontaneous response to an urgent need.

2. Centers on one specific need. Not your regular prayer
3. May be motivated by danger, pain or bad news
4. It is a profession of honest, true, deep need that only GD can meet.
5. Is an act of Humility that cuts through all the pretense and becomes a matter of the heart.
6. It is an incredible faith builder if we recognize where our help came from.

There is no power in crying out to GOD if there is no faith that He will provide the answer – He promises
to answer – He does not promise to say yes!
When the Israelites had all they could stand – They cried out!
When Jabez wanted to increase his territory – He cried out!!
When Peter was afraid – He cried out!
When Bartimaeus didn’t want to be blind anymore – He cried out.
They all cried out to the One they knew could deliver them from their affliction.

2010-04-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't post for Easter. I just didn't feel I could post anything adequate enough.
I hope everyone had a wonderful day.
I found a short video I think is fantastic.... I'll have to get Iggie to put it on here for me.... I don't know how.... I want to post this today tho'.....
Paul writes: "If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. But the fact is that Christ has been raised to life again. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised" (1 Co 15:19-23). Hallelujah!

Hard Friday

2010-04-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hard Friday
I have always felt “Good Friday” was an oxymoron, a mis-label, and spin put on the most horrible events in human history. On this day, creature put to death Creator, man rebelled violently against Messiah, and liars ruled supreme over the truth of the Lord. On this day, everything was help in balance … but only because of the grace of the Lord who held back legions of angels and an eternity of power to have the King of Glory pay the ransom price to liberate us from our bondage to death.
Despite it’s naming history, “Good Friday” is really Hard Friday. Only God’s might and mercy make it different. So for this weekend, I offer you two images and thoughts about the grace of our God and the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The first image is all about hard Friday. Let it remind you that the King of Glory faced what endured because of His love for you and His desire to set you free from “the law of sin and death.”

The second image is a reminder why Sundays are so important. On the first day of the week, especially the Sunday after Hard Friday, Jesus was raised from the dead. Resurrection Sunday changes everything. We get to celebrate it in each weekly cycle on each successive Sunday and once a year on Easter. These cycles, one tied to the week and the other tied to Jewish Passover, remind us of the Lord’s victory over death and His commitment to be with His people. He is with us, Immanuel, whether they are opening his word and remembering His story (Matthew 1:23), living in genuine community and worship (Matthew 18:20), sharing and serving others with compassion (Matthew 25:40), or crossing cultural boundaries to walk along side people and see Jesus come alive in them as disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). So look for the Lord among the living, not the dead!

The challenge is to remind ourselves that what Jesus did, He still does. Hard Friday and Resurrection Sunday are not something long ago and far away, but they can be real for us, now. We mustn’t forget the sacrificial grace and the glorious triumph are still within our reach!

Written by philware

April 2nd, 2010 at 7:20 am

2010-03-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Warrenton and the weather was PERFECT! Started out just abit cool in the morning and just ended up warm and wonderful. Lots of people there for the "preview". There were 4 of us.... Two friends from church, Liz and Karen... Iggie and myself.... As we came in off 290 and headed south and began to see some of the tents set up Miss Liz had to work to keep composed when she thought I was just passing it all up.... I said, "breath, just breath!".

A little farther south she began to realize why....We drove quite a way and then came back with alittle more idea of where we wanted to begin our "Preview". But that really was a joke because it was EVERYWHERE!!!! There could have been no wrong choices. And there was so much to see!!

.... from old phonographs

To flowing fountains...... ........to "shabby-chic boutiques"

Some of us were a bit more serious about the whole thing than others!!!

I chose my shoes for comfort.... Iggie chose hers with photos in mind! There were shops with fabulous, whimsical, creative ideas... Like: Sweettalk..... SweetTalk - Decorative Word Tags, Any Word is Game!

First off I was just drawn to her WHITE... Then we got to lookin around and she let us play with the words and take pictures!I told ya Iggie had a purpose to wearing the neon shoes!

You can find her (Talksweettalk) at http://www.blog.talksweettalk.com/

I loved her stuff!

Did I mention one person of our group was missing on the trip? Miss Ann had planned to go with us but she ended up in the hospital with severe back pain (and is still in there today).... But, bless !! her !! heart!! SHE LET ME DRIVE HER PICK-UP SO WE'D HAVE PLENTY OF ROOM TO BRING OUR GOODIES HOME! We love her!

We had such a great time.... Soon I'll be blogging Miss Liz's new home and featuring what she bought in Warrenton on Friday.....

2010-03-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about my bedroom the other day. And I was suprised when I realized how long it's been since I "redid" it.
I'm thinking that would be a nice project.... So I went looking for inspiration....

I love this wallpaper. It's from Anna French, called Bird In A Bush.

And this rug is so pretty.

I love the pink walls here with all the light coming into the room.......

Everything about this look is gorgeous: "beauty that forever consumes the hearts and minds of any who gaze at its stunning perfection"

This may take awhile!

Westward,Hoooo

2010-03-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Well I'm feeling better.... the sun's been shining and the dreary weather's gone, at least for a bit.

These phots are from chippy-shabby, mllemagpie and vintagesue from their previous trips to Roundtop and Warrenton.

This Friday I'm off and a few friends and I will head to up there to spend the day at the big antique event they have about and hour + northwest of Houston..... I haven't been in years and I'm really excited.

The weather's supposed to be in the low 70's and a beautiful sunny day.

Grabbin a hat to keep from spending the day squinting and a few bags to tote any goodies I find. And the camera!

Miss Ann's coming and driving her truck!!!! Oh what possibilities!

Some call it "Mother of All Flea Markets". I'm sure it is for hundreds of miles around.

I'll be drooling over the vintage garden stuff. No telling what I'll find!

2010-03-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

The birds around me hopped and played,Their thoughts I cannot measure But the least motion which they made It seemed a thrill of pleasure. Wadsworth

I've been feeling and thinking spring things. Bright, colorful projects to do outside....
The weather's been so great. Warm, sunny and dry with lots of blue skies.

But I guess I got ahead of myself. It's turned cold and rainy and it's miserable. Makes me even more impatient for Spring to get here...

One thing tho' ......with all the rain we've had since summer we ought to have an abundance of the Bluebonnets and Indian Paint Brush. All the wild flowers ought to be amazing this year.... Can't wait...

We always go just north west of us and get lots of pictures of the kids.

So, it's so cold and nasty out there today ....it's just yukkie!

But Spring's on it's way very, very soon. And I'm praying for a long warm spring and for summer to be mild.

And next week is the big antique event up in Roundtop and Warrenton.... We're going for the preview days .......... Weather forcast is "plenty sunny" for Friday!

YIPEE!!!!!!!

B-A-R-G-A-I-N-S.... You can't beat the thrift stores!

2010-03-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

We went out last week to check out our favorite, local thrift shop. I'm always on the look for something 'shabby chic' to work on a little bit.

To repurpose......

Spring's just around the corner and it was so cold here, I wonder what might have made it as far as my plants go. Anyway, I'm in a spring, fix up the yard mood and maybe there'd some something sweet to bring home for the garden....I don't know what I was looking for and as far as what I might have had in the back of my mind, I didn't find anything.....

Iggie has turned into a real bargain hunter.

She set out to look for some summer dresses. She said "No shorts this year. I'm wearing dresses!" She loves Forever 21... But she hunts out the bargains there, too....

She went one way and I went the other. The next time I saw her, her arms were full! So, off we went to the fitting rooms for her to try on what she'd found.

After a while I was bored and wandered off again to the dresses myself to see what she might have overlooked. I'M SO GLAD I DID!!!!!!

I came across 2 LIKE NEW Lilly Pulitzer dresses!

EACH of these simple, lovely, bright dresses sells for around $200.00 new. I got them for a combined price of $14.53 plus tax. WOW ! WOW ! WOW!!!!!

She found five other sweet dresses, too. One reminds me of one I Dream Of Jeanie wore with her white Go-Go boots.

Now's where we spend the money, tho'...... Have to go get spring shoes and they closed Shoe Cents by us!

Summer Wear

2010-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Going Retro........

Don't you just love these?!!!

I don't remember a time when I wasn't interested in sewing. Mother had an old tredle sewing macine that belonged to Grandma Nieland. I had no idea Mother knew how to use it until I came home from school one day when I was 10 and she'd made herself some maternity clothes. WOW!

Around the same time that one day I came home from school and she had loaves of bread and pans of cinnamon rolls cooling on the kitchen table. I had no idea she could bake! She explained that she'd always done the family's baking in Alaska.... bread and such didn't come from a store. I just had never had any idea!

As for the sewing machine, I'd pushed that pedal trying to put things together, to be creative so many time but I had no clue.... Then, finally, I got a sewing machine when I was 13 and sewed many a mile on it. Igot me a new one in '76. I loved it... Then, Somehow, a year or so ago I managed to accumulate two more sewing machines. Well, I gave ole '76 away and another of the three and kept one that was fancier than the '76 model. When I went to use it one day, IT DIDN'T WORK! Fixing it was just too much to spend on it. So I've been moaning and groaning for quite awhile about no sewing machine..... It's tough, tho'! I don't know how people who don't own one get along! I mean, even if you don't want to MAKE something.... seems like very time I turn around I need to sew on something!

Well, this is what Iggie has in mind......

Iggie has a machine. One of those plastic ones for under $100. you can get at Wal-Mart. YUK! I tried it an it was awful!
I want a nice, heavy, metal body like from sometime last century! I have my eye on one on ebay. I keep looking on craigslist but, no luck! I'm getting desperate now......
Anyway...Seems to me fashion lost a lot of it's femine flair after the early '60's.... Iggie's into retro. She wants a Sock hop party for her sweet 16. And wants the full skirt dresses for the summer . The 1950's clothes had a special charm....

I have some patterns I've found on ebay, like these. And, she likes like some of the '70 fashions.... I even have some patterns of my own from back then that I'll have to dig out so see how they'll do for her......

Simple Solution

2010-02-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

I'm excited! It doesn't take much to get me excited.... But I'm really excited about this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was thinking the other day I'd like to find some cedar for the bedroom closets. I love the smell of cedar. It reminds me of my mother. I remember she had a small cedar box that I remember held some gold bracelets that I was told had been her mothers..... I don't know if that's the truth 'cause my source was very unreliable. But I remember thinking they were so elegant. I remember her wearing them, too, like they were special. Sad to say, they're gone. I don't know where they went, but I remember them and the box. I should ask her about them.

I remember being in Tuesday Morning and them having some cedar for closets.... I'd have to go by and check.

In the meantime:

I've been racking my brain for a neat, organized way to store my necklaces. Not special ones, just costume jewelry. I've looked online at all the ideas for making one or some available to buy. They're metal and plastic ones mostly. They sit on a dresser or whatever and I don't think any of them'll work because they're not tall enough....

I was in TJMax yesterday and thought I'd check to see if they might have come cedar..... THEY DID!!! What I found is what has me so pleased.

A necktie holder. Holds 40 neckties on little pegs in a sturdy, thick cedar hanger!

OR 40 NECKLACES!!!

I checked this out online this morning.Woodlore Cedar Necktie holder $23.99.

Or at TJMAX $9.99

So, I had to use a cute little hanger to hang it from, to hold it away from the wall since the pegs are on both sides.... But I'm pleased!

2010-02-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

My goal today is to make sugar cookies for Valentines Day....................

I have all these great sprinkles and such for decorating and I have high hopes!

I've never been a cookie maker.... 'cept one kind. I can make yummy Chocolate Florentine Cookies... but what can go wrong with those unless you over cook 'em?!

One year they asked for parent to make and send cookies to school for some special occasion and I did. They returned 'em!!!
I can do pies and they're a cinch. Pie crust and filling from scratch. You like Coconut Cream or Banana Cream or Sawdust Pie..... I can make you happy, just to name a few. But cookies get the better of me. Till now. This Valentines Day I'm gona have some great and beautiful cookies! I hope. I hope. I hope!!!
I have several books to pick a recipe from and of course, there are a billion online. I decided to go get some tips this morning. Do's and don't's. Maybe that'll help.
I made Gingerbreadmen Cookies for Christmas for the kids at church to decorate and they were really good.... maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Used an egg white frosting, a Royal Frosting version and it made then so easy for the kids to decorate.
So.... I'm thinking positive and expecting good results.... Here are the tips I found.
How to Make the Very Best Sugar Cookies
Everyone loves sugar cookies . But sugar cookies don't always turn out right. We've compiled this list of tips and techniques to help you make the very best sugar cookies.
1. Measure ingredients accurately, especially the flour. Too much flour will make your cookies hard and dry. If you scoop the flour with the measuring cup instead of spooning sifted flour into your cup, you are likely to have 20% too much flour.
2. Sugar cookies are made by the creaming method. This is the most important step in making sugar cookies—it incorporates the air into the dough that acts as a leavening agent. Use the paddle attachment of your electric mixer to cream the sugar, salt, and spices with the butter or shortening. Cream the ingredients together at low speed, not high. For light cookies, cream the mixture until it is light and fluffy. For a denser, moister cookie, cream only until the mixture is paste-like.
3. Add the eggs and liquid after creaming, beating these in at low speed.
4. Mix the flour into the creamed mixture only until it is combined. If you over-mix, you will develop the gluten and make a tougher cookie.
5. Choose a low protein flour, preferably pastry flour, for your sugar cookies. Avoid bread flours with their high protein content. All purpose flour is an acceptable compromise.
6. If the dough is too soft to work easily, chill it until firm. The dough should be pliable but not squishy soft. Handling of the dough with warm hands will make the dough soft.
7. Use no more flour than necessary to dust the counter. The flour will work into the dough for a drier, tougher cookie.
8. Too much re-rolling will make for tougher cookies. Not only does successive re-rolling work the dusting flour into the dough, the continued working of the dough develops the gluten.
9. When cutting shapes, make the cuts as close together as you can to minimize the amount of dough that will be re-rolled.
10. Most recipes call for the dough to be rolled to 1/8 inch in thickness. This creates a crisp cookie. For a moister, less crisp cookie, roll the dough to 1/4 inch only.
11. Remove the cookies from the counter with a thin metal spatula.
12. When garnishing cookies with sprinkles, drop the decorations from a height of eight or ten inches for a more even distribution.
13. The size of the cookies will affect bake times. Put like-sized cookies on the same sheet.
14. Do not over bake cookies. Thin cookies will bake in seven or eight minutes at 350 degrees. Thicker cookies will take ten or twelve minutes. Cookies on darker pans will bake in less time. When done, the cookies will still be pale-colored with just a tinge of brown at the edges.
15. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Do not frost them until they are completely cooled.
***To decorate with colored sugars: Prepare cookies by brushing with heavy cream or an egg white slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle with decorative toppings.
***To decorate with food colors: Mix 1 egg yolk and 1/4 teaspoon water. Divide mixture among several custard cups. Tint each with different food color to make bright colors. (If paint thickens while standing, stir in a few drops of water.) Paint designs on cookies with small paint brushes.
This is the recipe I'll use:
(Makes 84, see, I'm not thinking small)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (do not substitute!)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350F.Cream sugar and butter till fluffy; add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to creamed mixture till completely blended
. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes.On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut with cookie
cutters dipped in flour to prevent sticking. Transfer cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet.Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until just faintly golden around edges. Remove from oven
and allow to cool completely on wire racks. Decorate with frosting if desired.

WISH ME LUCK!!!!

2010-02-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

"Rather, the Lord's delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love." NLT You want to please God? Then honor him! As the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 5:10 "Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it." Msg . The Bible says, "Noah was a pleasure to the Lord." Genesis 6:8. Noah pleased God because he trusted Him completely. He believed that God knew what was best for him. He had faith in God. The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6 NIV.
Notice that powerful word "impossible." It means you absolutely cannot please God without faith. It can't be done! He knows what is best for you. Trust Him. Please Him. He will smile--and so will you.

2010-01-22T05:02:00.000-08:00

We made our trip to Harwin for a little shopping.... Stayed on Westheimer to the opposite end into downtown and had lunch at Katz's. YUMMY! I had a stacked Corned Beef Sandwich.... As good as any I ever had in New York! Iggie ordered Potato Pancakes to go with her Cabbage Rolls... Yum-Yum.... all gone!Tiffany (self described to be picky) chose to stick with something she'd eaten before and ordered Spaghetti, with the meatballs on the side (She's not much on meat, she said.....) Turns out she ate the meatballs.... tried my Corned Beef with Sauerkraut, the Cabbage Rolls and the Potato Pancakes AND LIKED THEM ALL!!!!
We looked at some of the dessert choices and opted to get something to go.... Maybe a slice of the Death By Chocolate Cheesecake to take home to Miss Ann.... Or the Ooey, Gooey Caramel.Next we stopped at Central Market to pick up some bread. We were having soup and then a movie at Pastor's house for dinner.
I could spend the afternoon in their huge bread department!

Lots of different sorts of people when you get that far into downtown. We saw a lady making her way thru town on her pink scooter and later there it was parked in front of CM. You can't see from this pic but it has a side car.... SO CUTE!
This is what Iggie and I need for the beautiful weather days! CM meat section has anything you could want...

And we had to stop and smell the flowers..... we were drawn to the fabulous Peonies. Don't see them too much in Houston because of the heat.(All of my pictures were from my cell phone and to begin with I'm not much of a photographer and it looks like I should have cleaned the lens!!!)

One more shot from inside Katz's.

We made it to dinner with Pastor's family and watched "The Last Sin Eater". We'd seen it before, a couple years ago while we spent an extended, wonderful time off in Florida with my beautiful sister, Tammy and her family. A really good Christian movie about redemption.

Whew! A great day......... But I was tired!

This and That

2010-01-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

I was trying to decide how to change a few things around after removing the Christmas decorations. I like looking at my stuff. I want it right there so I can see it. I'm sure there are some who'd like to tell me it's overwhelming. Lots of friends and family like their homes with minimal decorations..... Nice. Tasteful. Absolutely no "clutter". I love stuff, my pretty stuff.

I was looking for something, don't have a clue what it was right now but I came across one little thing.... so pretty, so sweet. Her face is only about the size of a golf ball.... and is done on fabric. I bought this years ago from a lady at a craft show in N.W. Houston I believe her name was Judy Nanz. She's a very talented artist... I loved her stuff. She made some incredible earrings, too.... I'm sure I still have a few pairs, I'll have to dig them out.... yeh, good idea!

I thought how many of these kinda things do I have stashed and not in sight to enjoy... I have this old water kettel someone shabby chic'd way long time ago before shabby chic was in any magazines. I've had it for so long I don't have any idea where it came from!The crown is new.... Filled with wonderfully scented roses. I think I'm gona have to empty it and paint it white..... The little sillouetes I recently put back out.. They're of two of my kids. I think they were just 2 and 4 then.... so that makes them over 25 years old!

This was a birthday gift from a special, sweet friend.... We call it the blessings box. It's a clock but it closes up and it such a pretty box. A reminder of the blessings God has in store for me.... To receive AND give!

We're off to Harwin today. Bling! Bling!!

2010-01-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

Goodness a month went by so fast... Christmas was here and gone. Seems like we had a lot going on, places to go and things happening everywhere. And, We've had THE COLDEST WEATHER, thank goodness not too much precipitation.

The kids, or most of them managed to get together the day after Christmas for some time together here in Houston.

Cort and his family couldn't come so Ig and I went out that way (Liberty Hill) for a week.

Of course Iggie and I went into Georgetown while we were out that way for a look at what was new in the shops out there and most everyplace between Houston and Austin that we could find. This is from Gatherings in Georgetown I love one of the little shops in Giddings....Just on the right side of the road headed home. And a stop in Brenham to The Antique Gypsie. I love her shop, too

But I just LOVE that we have a Home Goods here in Houston pretty close by. (Actually two but I like the closest one the most)......They have the greatest goodies.

NOW.....I'm really ready for Valentines Day decorations to cover every possible space around here.

2009-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

"The wonder of the Christmas story is this: God's power makes regular intrusions even when we make no room."

DO YOU MAKE ROOM?
Although many people read the account of Jesus' birth each Christmas, how many slow down and truly reflect on the circumstances surrounding this marvelous and miraculous moment in history? It is the moment that all of creation had been waiting for with great anticipation. Prophets predicted it. Men and women of God prayed to see it. Still, the world was completely unprepared for how this moment would unfold.
Bethlehem was bustling with congestion and busyness created by the mandatory census issued by Caesar Augustus. No one was exempt from the census that required families to return to their town of origin. Despite being very close to her delivery date, Mary and Joseph braved the long and tiring journey home to the City of David. Without the hotels and restaurants that populate large cities today, hospitality was a precious commodity under normal circumstances but the crowds for the census had exceeded Bethlehem's capacity for this type of hospitality.
Into this hectic scene rides an expectant Mary led by her betrothed, Joseph. With the fulfillment of prophetic promises coming in mere hours, the couple found no housing in their time of need. There was no room for them.
Mary and Joseph were alone in a foreign town, finding themselves in a precarious situation. No room, no accommodation, no regard from others. They were surrounded by a town overcrowded with people who were too busy to make room for them.
It isn't unlike today when we gather together to celebrate Christmas. Some of us return to the town of our family's origin. Our streets are crowded. Towns are buzzing. Inns are full. Accommodations must be negotiated — where to stay, for how long, and with which relatives. In the midst of this chaos, do we make room?
For others, cultural traditions and social obligations battle for priority. The centrality of Christ in the Christmas season comes under attack from pluralistic, hedonistic, and materialistic societies. Christmas has quickly become a series of twinkling lights and sparkling presents with no inkling of the eternal Truth of Christ. In the midst of our cultural traditions and social obligations, do we make room?
In the midst of that crowded city, the Messiah quietly came into the world. The streets were still busy, the inns were still full, the travelers were still abuzz in the town, and God took on flesh. Can you imagine being in Bethlehem that night and missing this miracle?
The wonder of the Christmas story is this: God's power makes regular intrusions even when we make no room. No room in the inn? God still took on flesh. No room in your holiday traditions? God still calls to your heart. No room in society's agenda? The gift of God is still offered. No room in your isolation? The Savior still invites you to intimacy with Him.
God's plan continues even if we make no room for it. The awesome and the miraculous occur every day as He calls men and women from death to eternal life in Christ and He wants us to experience these miracles. Do not crowd God out at Christmas. Open your heart, mind, soul, home, family, and traditions to God. Make room for Him — not just at Christmas but every day.

Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

BRRRRRRRRRR

2009-12-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

WINTER STORM WATCH!
SNOW IN HOUSTON?
That's what they're saying. Maybe an inch +. More than a 50% chance!
Here in Houston it's a big thing. We're not prepared for it at all. Traffic on the roads is so light unless it catches everyone at work..... If you do get out, the stores are so empty! Good time to go Christmas shopping if you ask me!
Usually if we have snow in Houston, it's "rented snow". Machines set up in our cooler tempratures so kids can have just a taste of what it's like.

These pictures are from years past.

Last year they predicted a little snow.... I talked to Gilda and she said at her house, just a few miles south of here, it snowed for about two hours. The next day I spoke with my friend Donna who lives just a couple miles north of us and she said they had snow and the kids loved it!

I was telling Janine who is just on the next block about how Donna and Gilda got snow and we didn't.... She said "We did! " Her grandkids had a great time in it! THE NEXT BLOCK???? Oh, poor Bleah! She's never seen snow and it was just on the next block!

Well, tomorrow..... We're gona go look for it if we have to!

Didn't think about it till this morning..... Need to show some pictures of my heater... Maybe tomorrow.

OUR VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

2009-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

I hope ya'll had a great Thanksgiving!!!!!!

We're back home after 5 days in San Antonio at my oldest daughter's. We go out there every year for Thanksgiving. And as always, it was really nice.

This year was a little different, tho'...... Kathryn and her husband, Franco, signed up at one of the bases out there to pick up a couple of the Air ForceTrainees for Thanksgiving day. I was expecting we'd have a couple young men spending the day with us but it was two young ladies!

If they aren't 'adopted' for the day, they have to stay on base.... I'm sure there's some sort of Thanksgiving meal done for everyone but it must really be tough for them to be away from home and things so different on such a special holiday. They didn't know anything about it until Wednesday. They said they thought it was just anyone who had family nearby that would be allowed to go off base.

Anyway, Denise and Nora came to be a part of our family for the day. It was GREAT! They are two fabulous young ladies!

Denise is from Ohio and Nora from New York. We sure enjoyed having the with us and I think they kinda felt at home:

This was early in the afternoon, before dinner. They're up at 4 a.m. every morning and even tho' Franco had a loud, action movie on the tv and the younger kids were in the front room with their video games and Kathryn and I clanging and banging around they kitchen, they managed to get a little bit of a nap.

They were able to call their families and talk, which they don't get to do too often on base . I know it did their mom's good to hear from them, too!

Well, we got their mom's email addresses and sent them pictures and we're going to stay in touch!

This is Kathryn with them.

The rest of the weekend Kathryn and I shopped and wandered. We found a few sales and I got a couple goodies..... I have to get those pictures together and will post maybe tomorrow............

TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY???

2009-11-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to post this over the weekend and I really wanted to get this in here. Because it was very special!The other evening Iggie and I went to see The Secret Garden out at the John Cooper School in The Woodlands.... Our invitation came from our special Miss Ann.... She's the leader of our homeschool group and her son Ben, 14, was involved in the technical part of the play. He's very into lighting and scenery and what not and had worked with his older brother, Trey, who's in college doing other plays around town at the colleges around Houston mostly, I think. Anyway.... She called and invited us. We made it an evening and went out to dinner with her husband, Darwin (I think I'm right, tho.... Gona call him Darlin' 'cause he is such a sweet guy!) ... a bit if an extension to my SURPRISE , more for my birthday...... see earlier post.........................
I remember reading The Secret Garden when I was young and I loved it and it's a favorite of Iggie's.
I'm not a musical person.... I mean, I've never seen The Sound Of Music or Oklahoma or Phantom Of The Opera or anything similar.... I don't like musicals! I've tried but ... nope, I can't do them.
But these kids.... all from the school, were fabulous. The sounds from the orchestra were wonderful and the actors were fabulous! All of them and and WHAT SINGING VOICES! They're just jr high and highschool kids!

Based on the 1909 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, "The Secret Garden" is a timeless classic tale of an orphaned girl brought to a Yorkshire mansion on the edge of a vast, lonely moor.The school decided to 'twist' things a little and turned it into a musical. "This is a dramatic musical and a piece of classic literature set to music," What makes this production different is there will be no curtains or blackouts between scenes. The manor house Lennox comes to live at will and remain in the backdrop throughout the performance as scenes transition.

Lennox is an orphan sent to live with her dour Uncle Archibald, played by senior Ranjeet Paul.Lennox befriends Archibald’s son Colin, played by sophomore Annabelle Cousins, as well as servants of the manor Martha, played by Emily Jacobson, Dickon, played by Alex Novak, and Ben, played by Holden Tikkanen. Lily, the spirit of Archibald’s widow, played by Angie Lopez-Videla, is present throughout the show to share the importance of compassion, caring and looking beyond the superficial.Also cast in lead roles are Nisha Balsara as Rose, Cody Guinn as Craven, Mark Farley as Albert, Margie McGregor as Medlock, Caitlin O’Neill as Winthrop, Ben Shapiro as Lt. Wright, Michael Taylor as Lt. Shaw, Alessandro Portela as Major Holmes, Caitlin Finnie as Claire Holmes, Caitlin Lashier as Alice, Cory Guinn as Major Shelley, Meredith Bechtel as Mrs. Shelley, Paige Gill as Ayah and Meghan Reddy, Srikar Vidala and Yarlini Vipulanandan, who all play Faikir.Set construction began last summer, with the additional expertise of Ben Gilmore, Tiffany Chen and scenic artist Rod Flower, according to the school press release. I don't have any pictures of the scenery but it was soooo AMAZING!
THANK YOU, MISS ANN AND DARLIN' WHAT A WONDERFUL EVENING!!!

GREAT JOB BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKSGIVING 2009

2009-11-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

"In the four centuries since the founders . . . first knelt on these grounds, our nation has changed in many ways. Our people have prospered, our nation has grown, our Thanksgiving traditions have evolved — .... Yet the source of all our blessings remains the same: We give thanks to the Author of Life who granted our forefathers safe passage to this land, who gives every man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth the gift of freedom, and who watches over our nation every day."

From former President BushThanksgiving has many associations — struggling Pilgrims, crowded airports, autumn leaves, heaping plates, drunken uncles, blowout sales, and so on. At its best, though, Thanksgiving is associated with, well, thanks giving. The holiday provides a moment when many otherwise harried individuals leading hectic lives decelerate just long enough to muster some gratitude for their harvest. Giving thanks — acknowledging that we, as individuals, are not the sole determinants of our own fortunes seems an admirable, humble, and even situationist practice, worthy of its own holiday.
Consider the message behind the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation. In 1789, President George Washington wrote:
"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks—for His kind care and protection of the People of this Country . . . for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed . . . and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions . . . . To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best."

Teaching Children the Meaning of Thanksgiving
"...your goal should be to move the spirit of Thanksgiving from a one-day event to a basic life attitude. . . . This means being thankful no matter what our situation in life. Thankfulness means that we are aware of both our blessings and disappointments but that we focus on the blessings. . . . Are you thankful for your job even when you feel overworked and underpaid?"
Another piece, entitled "The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving" includes this lesson regarding the main source of the Pilgrim’s success: "It was their devotion to God and His laws. And that’s what Thanksgiving is really all about. The Pilgrims recognized that everything we have is a gift from God – even our sorrows. Their Thanksgiving tradition was established to honor God and thank Him for His blessings and His grace."
Maybe you are unsatisfied with your home or job? Would you be willing to trade either with someone who has no hope of getting a job or is homeless? Could you consider going to Africa or the Middle East and trade places with someone that would desperately love to have even a meager home and a low wage paying job where they could send their children to school without the worry of being bombed, raped, kidnapped or killed on a daily basis?
* * *
No matter how bad you think you have it, there are people who would love to trade places with you in an instant. You can choose to be miserable and pine for something better. You could choose to trade places with someone else for all the money they could give you. You could waste your gift of life, but that would be the worst mistake to make. Or you can rethink about what makes your life great and at least be happy for what you have then be patient about what you want to come to you in the future.
If your inclination on Thanksgiving is to give thanks, I do not mean to discourage you. My only suggestion is that you give thanks, not for the status quo, but for all of the ways in which your (our) own advantages and privileges are the consequence of situation, and not simply your individual (our national) disposition. Further, I’d encourage you to give thanks to all those who have gone before you who have doubted the status quo and who have identified injustice and impatiently fought against it.
Happy Thanksgiving!

A little lighter side.

2009-11-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year We're so focused on all the shopping and decorating. Fixing and preparing. Guests and visiting.

The nativity scenes are some of my favorite decorations. They just have them in every imaginable form now. Porcelain.... Carved.... Beautiful white... Bright, shiny colorful sets.... Thomas Kincade... Precious Moments... All the way to Veggie Tales...
I even saw this set
"Children Of The Northernn Lights" (On my mother's side, my family is Alaskan Indian!)

How about this one? Recycled Coke cans?

I love Snowbabies. This is cute.

2009-11-12T14:46:00.001-08:00

One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life that day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him when he had a job. His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family members that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration. Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the One he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed: 'Lord, You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot, I don't know how. It is not fair, Lord. I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is, Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do the one thing I cannot do: Teach me to forgive.. As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, the man felt something fall on his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them. He raised his head higher, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing and Jesus began to speak. "Have you ever told a lie?" He asked. The man answered, "Yes, Lord.." "Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?" The man answered, "Yes, Lord. " And the man sobbed more and more. "Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked. And the man answered, "Yes, Lord.." "Have you ever sworn and used my Father's name in vain?" The crying man answered, "Yes, Lord.. As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever ... " the man's crying became uncontrollable because he could only answer "Yes, Lord.. Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before. Jesus said, "I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you." It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is. Read the following first line slowly and let it sink in. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Please pardon me if I go on and on.......

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my birthday.

I was 22.

Ask any of my 14 grandkids and they'll tell you, "Grammie's 22!"
Before I get too far into this let me say. . . I cannot even begin to express HOW MUCH this meant to me!
What a GREAT job my kids did at putting together just about THE MOST SPECIAL moment for me!
I know it was so much work and a major effort and I appreciate it MORE than they can ever, ever, ever guess!
Buddy (my oldest son) called me about a month ago and asked if I'd like to go out to dinner Saturday night (the 7th) for my birthday (THANK YOU!) and I said sure. So he called Saturday to see if I'd be ready at 5. He and his wife, Minnie, and their son, Blake, came by and picked up Iggie and me.
We went over to Cafe Red Onion on Eldridge, I love the food there. When the waiter was seating us he took us all the way to the back and I was thinking, "Nice, not too crowded and it ought to be nice and quiet back here....." (I talk to myself alot!) Then the doors leading to the extra area opened and there stood Cort (my youngest son)! I was briefly blank, or maybe not so briefly..... and then, there was Kathryn, 1st daughter...... and Jen, youngest daughter.... spouses, Chris, Tara, Minnie and almost ALL the grandkids.
SURPRISE!!!!!!
I wasn't prepared, or expecting it or ..... what.....? I've never had a surprise party before.... Never had a "birthday party"... And by the time you turn 22 as many times as I have, you don't even think about it. So it was a long time before I collected myself to digest a hint of what was really happening.
Gilda was there, too. We met back in '73 when we had a couple little ones in kindergarten in Central Florida. We've been friends for a looong time! Like close sisters. Very much Like Lucy and Ethel. We talk every day and I know with whatever's going on, she holds me and my family up in prayer. Her kids and my kids are close, too. Especially the boys. So, there she was. She was in on this..... Ya know what they say about pay-back, don't ya, Lady?!
In just a few minutes in came my brother, Chris and his wife, Sherie, his mother-in-law, Carla, and my niece, (pretty thing!), Kara...... WOW!!!! That was FANTASTIC!!!!
Dinner was fun and the food was good and before ya know it, it was time to go. It was SO GOOD to have my precious children and their "babies" and Chris and his family and "Memaw" (Gilda) to share my birthday with!
Cort had already said he had to go back to Liberty Hill that evening because Tara had to fly out Sunday morning for Orlando for work and I felt bad that they'd driven 3 hours and had to turn around the same day and go back. But they decided to go back by Buddy's for coffee and leave from there......... So, I rode back with him to Buddy's.....
I've 'remembered' different things since dinner.... like Cort disappearing to the bathroom after dinner..... And as I stood there to say goodbye to (my special sister-in-law) Sherie, Carla, Chris and Kara, everyone else except Cort and Tara were gone. Nobody had said "Bye, Mom." I was still so bum-fuzzled, and they were just gone. I even looked around for Buddy's truck thinking, "He's left. How am I gona get home?" Right then Cort said," You're riding with me, I'll take you back ." Or something like that.
Ya, know, I used to think I paid attention to what was going on around me and knew what was what. . . . . I think now I must be a bit daft and all of this was pretty easy for them to keep secret.
So we headed back to Buddy's. . . . somebody was still gona have to take me home, yooo-hooo, I didn't drive.... my car's at home.
Got to Buddy's and I'm looking at Cort's shiny, hot, '69 Camero sitting in Buddy's driveway..... "In Buddy's driveway???" and I even asked "Who's car is that?" It was out of place, and remember, I was off balance from the SURPRISE earlier..... And, there was Kathryn's car.... And Jen's..... but I think before I could say too much Cort was at the front door trying to get in the house, complaining "I hate this door!" like he couldn't get in . . . . Well, when he opened the door it was SURPRISE!!!!! Again!
I don't know who I saw first..... But up the stairs was FULL! I know I looked like a real DUMMY, Remember, I've never had any kind of SURPRISE anything before.
I saw My Miss Janine and C.R. . . .My Miss Kim And Chuck. . . .My Miss Donna B. . . . .
KRISTY AND EMERY ????
ALL THE GRANDKIDS!
Then I heard "Hi, Grammie!" And there was Trey!
OH. . . . MY. . . . . STARS!!!!!!!!!!!
I WAS REALLY FEELING 'WHAT IS HAPPENING?'
HUGS! HUGS! HUGS! and me still confused!
I kept feeling like here I was in the middle of something big and I had forgotten whatever I was supposed to have been taking care of.
This was a surprise birthday party for me! Oh, WOW!!!
They had decorated the house and there were 3 birthday cakes THANK YOU!!!!..... Jen's kids had made 2 and she had a beautiful,

PINK Hat Box cake made THANK YOU!!!.... Big PINK bow on top and pearls, it was gorgeous!
Kathryn had done the table. PINK . . . . . PINK ROSES and PINK cloth and PINK candles and PINK candle holders and it was SO BEAUTIFUL! THANK YOU!!!!
There had been a lot of thought and a lot of effort put into all of this! Not surprising, seems all of this began with Cort. He likes to invent surprises... THANK YOU! He had a BIG, 'I got one over on you, didn't I', smile when he opened the doors at the restaurant. Yeh, he likes that!
I can talk alot... Not saying that I really have a lot to say most of the time, but I can talk alot! But, they just will never know how special it was, them doing all of this for me!
thank you to my SPECIAL, SPECIAL children and grandkids...
Thank you Aunt Sherie and Chris and Kara and Karla.....
Thank you my wonderful friends..... for making me feel SO LOVED!
I love all of you!

Miss Janine, Kathryn and Jennalee in the kitchen

Cort and Tara. On the left in the back Chris and Jen I see Minnie kinda sticking her head out there and way back there at the end of the table is Chris, my brother.

Jen and Chris with Minnie and Buddy behind them on the left. And Gilda up front here.

That's the back of brother Chris's head and Aunt Sherry to the right, next Buddy and Minnie.

Chris, Sherie, Carla and Kara didn't get to come to Buddy's.... Chris had to go watch a game.... We said we wish we would have thought about it and one of us coulda taken you home.... we all missed you guys!

I hope someone else got some pictures.

Finally, it's cool!

2009-11-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

The weather has finally started cooling off here. I didn't think summer would ever end! I don't remember having such a long, hot summer. It began to be in the 100's in June and it went on and on and on.

Anyway, it's nice now and I can begin to think about doing some handwork. Quilting. I like to lap quilt so I have to wait for the cool weather.

The fabrics available now are just about unbelieveable. Look at these colors....

Oh my goodness, they're so BEAUTIFUL!

But I think I'll be working with black and whites....

with a little bit of yellow !

I found a pattern I love in a quilt book, Livin' Large by Heather Mulder Peterson..... It'll be a gift when it's done..... can't say for who...... It was done up at the quilt store and so vibrant! (I took this picture with my cell phone so it isn't the greatest!)Maybe I can take a better one when I get mine done!

HOWDY!

2009-10-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

Most everyone recognizes this face.... "Elly May" From the Beverly Hillbillies....What a pretty lady!

Sunday before last we went over to
The Lighthouse Church to hear her as guest speaker. She enjoys talking about her childhood and her religious faith. She says that without her faith in God, she might never have landed the role of Elly May.
"I did a lot of praying and talking to God," she's a devout Christian. "I still do."
A very special friend of mine, Miss Tracy, from my church does outreach with the Lighthouse at Ronald McDonald House here in Houston and other stuff they have going on. Tracy and her husband, Wiley, were host and hostess to Miss Douglas again when she was in town.
This is her today.... still so beautiful!

The Lighthouse isn't a large church yet, but Miss Douglas has been there before and what a special treat to be able to hear her! This was our first time. Her message was towards the children.... good for us adults, too. It was all about character. Staying firm in having Christ-like character and how God will keep you and keep His promises in your life.
She ministered for about an hour and then began praying for anyone who wanted her to. She prayed and had a Word Of Knowledge for each person. She prayed for 10 minutes or more for each one. Needless to say, it took a while.... But it was awesome!

I 've talked to several people since and seems she was 'reading their mail'!
She was so sincere and gentle... What a genteel, southern lady... Unassuming, elegant and graceful.
She lives just outside of Baton Rouge near her only son on a few acres and like Elly May, she loves her critters.
She's a beautiful 76 now.
This picture is her with Bleah. Bleah loves the old tv programs like I Dream Of Jeanie, Leave It To Beaver and The Beverly Hillbillies... I think she enjoyed meeting Miss Douglas more than she thought she would, I know I did!
Look, she's in my favorite color!!!

Getting Ready.... At least in my head.

2009-10-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to think about the holidays. Getting together with my kids and their families, That MAKES THE HOLIDAYS for me! And it includes food. In a big way. ......

Cooking. Old fashioned cooking; FROM SCRATCH. Kathryn's in the kitchen with me, up to her elbows in fixin' and mixin' and cleaning up as we go. She makes it possible! It's how I like it. I remember going to Grannie's and later to Daddy's and having THE BEST food in the world! Daddy was always in charge of what was what and how much and such but, Grandma and my sister's are FABULOUS cooks and they were right in there with him. I want my kids and grandkids to remember OURS!

Today with things so busy, it's just easier to go the most simple route ..... I know a lot of people who feel like they have so much going on for the holidays it's just so much better to lay in a good supply of disposable plates and utensils, so once used, just drop 'em in the trash and no-one has to deal with a big clean-up.

I like it when the table's set with dishes and silverware and gotta have the pretty tablecloth. So we use dishes that have to be washed even tho' disposable stuff would be easier. And, usually, everything doesn't match. We have more people than we do matching plates and glasses and such.

All the food comes to the table in serving dishes. I mean, we cook for at least a couple days to put a meal together..... a few minutes after the meal to get things cleaned up seems like a fair exchange.

The menu varies a little year to year. Some of that depends on who's coming. Each of the kids have favorites... especially when it come to desserts. Usually there's Banana Pudding ( have to keep Jennalee out of that till after the main course is thru!), Coconut Cream Pie, Pecan Pie and Sweet Potato Pie, to name a few. My favorite is Grandma's Ambrosia recipe.

Jen's not the only one you have to keep your eye on tho'.... One year in the middle night before Thanksgiving dinner, someone snuck into the spare fridge and helped them selves to a healthy portion of the cream pie filling!

Oh, and every year Jen checks to make sure I put no giblets in the turkey gravy. Yeh, right. WHAT IS TURKEY GRAVY WITHOUT GIBLETS? She's clueless.... She eats and enjoys and we pretend we leave 'em out just to keep her happy! Except for the year Buddy was helping and he threw 'em away before I knew!

Anyway.... I'm gona leave a GREAT recipe here for Sweet Potato Pie. For years I always used my same ole, simple recipe... (The Sweet Potato is another fav of mine).... But then some time back I found a new one and it reminds me of my childhood. I don't know if it's like Grannie's or maybe it was like Winnie Mae's (another wonderful grandma) but someone's! I think I'm gona try it with a gingersnap crust, too.

Sweet Potato Pie

2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)

1 teaspoon salt

2-1/2 sticks butter, softened

2-1/2 cups white sugar

3 Tablespoons evaporated milk

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 9-inch fresh unbaked pie shells

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and cut each sweet potato into 4 pieces.
Place in a pot and cover with water. Add salt to the
water and boil 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender when
poked with a fork. Drain well. Mash in a bowl while
still hot. Add butter and mix well with mixer on low
speed to remove any potato strings. Rinse strings off
mixer beaters. Stir in sugar, evaporated milk, eggs,
nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder and lemon extract.
Mix on lowest speed about 1 minute. Pour into pie shells.

Bake 1 hour or until light brown.

Pie will puff up like a soufflé but will sink as it cools.

Makes two pies

Finally, I HEAR Kaedee sing!!

2009-10-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

My grand-daughter, Kaedee, was a part of Northside ISD's Fine Arts students (200) who On the 2nd of this month performed for thousands of school leaders from across the state at the Texas Association of School Administrators/Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) annual convention in Houston.
The 25-minute production, titled "Deep in the Heart of Northside," featured musicians, dancers, singers, and actors from across the District who paid tribute to public education, teachers, and school leaders. Musical and dance selections honored Texas' rich and colorful heritage that is celebrated at Northside ISD every day.
I've put a small clip of of one of the songs she was apart of.
It was really great!
On Saturday she auditioned and was selected as 1st chair in the All Region Choir.
YEA, KAEDEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Thank you Iggie for your technical support!)

I love quilting.......

2009-09-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Kristie brought me a pair of overalls for Emery she's done some art work on....Something for her to wear to the school ball games. I'll have to get her to get a picture of Em once I'm done. All she needs is a ruffle around the bottom.

But maybe it's gotten me into a sewing mood. Winters coming. Quilt sewing weather.

I found a quilt pattern I really like "Hat Boxes" after Gilda mentioned that she'd been to a lady's house who quilts and said I'd love her Hat Box quilt so I looked up a pattern..... I doubt it's the same since this lady made up her own... But here's a picture of one I found.

I've done a few quilts, I love doing them by hand, and I'd really like to do 4 different quilts for my 4 kids. I also love the Pastel Bubbles from the same book Passionate Patchworkby Kaffe Fassett. ANNNNDDDDDD..... I called and it's at Half Price Books just down the road for under $10.00!!! Searching for the right fabrics is fun.

Just needs to get a little cooler around her!

IT'S DONE... All sweet and roses

2009-08-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is my new sofa slipcover....
All fresh and Rosie. I love it!
The cushion is filled with feathers and it's so comfy.
Like I said, Gilda and I have had these matching sofas for a few years. Her upholsterer is working on hers today. Putting the pink velvet on it..... I'll take some pictures of hers, too and post 'em.

I have a small wooden rocker that was done in the same fabric several months ago.... Need to get a picture of it.... Of them together.
Anyway, I love it!

LOOK AT HER NOW!!!

2009-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Just snatched this picture of my sister Carol from her daughter in law's Facebook page.

I began my blog with a posting back in Feburary with a shot of the helicopter that was bringing in her organs for her transplants...... God is so good! So many people were so dedicated to keep her in their prayers. She's up and around, still improving! I got to be with her a bit last month on our spur of the moment trip to Florida.

She'll be flying up to Alaska the first part of September to visit our mother and sisters and friends she left behind back in March of '07 when the doctors thought it was 'just a matter of time'.... She was doing so poorly and wanted to go back to Florida to be with her kids ... But, look at her now! Glory to God!

I've got some really amazing sisters who have overcome some very tough medical (and other) situations. I am blessed.!.!

2009-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOSH!!! It's time!
My friend, Gilda, called me the other day to see if I was ready to have my slip-cover made for my sofa. She owns an upholstery business (Harrison Upholstery here in Houston) and she 'slips' in the projects she and I have, if I have something, when they're between jobs, like the fabric hasn't come in for the waiting jobs or such, that's when she gets our stuff done. YIPEE!
In my last post I showed my chairs from my sister. I took the fabric over to Tony to get the seats done, he used to work for Gilda.... He does wonderful work, but you have to"catch him". I haven't been able to get ahold of him since I dropped off the fabric.
A couple years ago we found a lady selling two of these sofas on Craig's List for $50 each. I've said they look like they must have been designed for a bordello. They're a really nice size and the shape is beautiful. I steam cleaned mine but they're so tired and dreary looking......
Anyway, my slipcovers are being made, at this very moment!!!!
I'm using Ralph Lauren's "Meadow Way" fabric....
Oh, I'm so excited! And next, Gilda is having her's unpholstered in a pink velvet type of fabric. And eventually, slip-covered in one of the "Shabby Chic" prints.
Can't hardly wait!!!
Pictures coming Sooon!

Searching

2009-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

I went to the fabric store today to see if I could find what I have in mind for my chairs...
I spoke with Tony, he does fabulous upholstering. He's done some of my other stuff. I just want a simple white for the seats.... I'm painting the chairs white, soon .... Lowes was down to just 5 cans of paint in the white I like and it'll take me 2 plus cans for each chair.

I also want him to make some tie on cushions so I was looking around online for an idea of just what I want.

White and pink with ruffles..... I found lots of things with ruffles but no cushions like.

I have an unusual wicker chair that needs a new ruffled cushion, too.

Just look at all of these sweet things from online....

Ruffles. Pink. White. Lace. Perfect!

2009-08-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

I have this really fantastic sister, Tammy. She's down in New Smyrna Beach, that's where we stayed last week.... With her and Uncle Applesauce. (When Iggie was little she loved applesauce and ate it at least 3 times a day... Tammy's husband, Morris, picked on her about it .... he's really good at giving her a hard time...... so Iggie decided to name him Uncle Applesauce and for her, it's stuck!) Anyway, he manages the restaurant, Aunt Catfish's
"Down South River cookin'..... More Than Just Seafood" http://auntcatfishontheriver.com/
It's really, really good.... On the river in Port Orange.
Somewhere along the way they redid the dock and Tammy had some of these chairs they replaced and when I saw them a couple years ago I fell in love with 'em......... And she said I could have 'em. Until Miss Ann and I went to NSB last week, I had no way to get 'em back here to Texas.
I'll be painting them ,guess what..... WHITE! Now wasn't that sweet of Tammy to give them to me?!!!

I'm so excited and anxious to get them painted.... Just waiting a little bit till it cools down out here. I'll be posting pictures again when they're done................

An Uxpected Blessing

2009-08-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

Sometime Friday before last Miss Ann called telling me she was going to make a trip to Orlando to see her grandsons.... She knows that's the area I'm from and she wanted to know if Iggie and I wanted to go along. We'd leave Saturday afternoon get to Orlando Sunday and then we'd be off to NSB over on the east coast to have a three or four day visit with my family...Well YES!!! That wasn't anything we had to think over for more than just a short- short!
The drive down was fine, so nice to get to spend time with such a special lady... We took care of what she needed to and made it over to my sister Tammy's Sunday evening.... Just in time for Grandma's Chicken and Dumplings.....(recipe coming!) It really made Iggie cry, she was so excited!
We went over to the beach Monday so they could swim, I think it was Miss Ann's first time over that way. This litttle bird was busy keeping up with a couple guys catching bait fish for the fishing they were gona be doing later.......

This is Miss Ann and Iggie (later, at the end of the trip) when we stopped in Ft. Walton Beach on the way home. Beautiful beach!

We went over to Ponce Deleon Springs near Deland for an afternoon in the cool, refreshing springs.... "This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de León, who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513-as legend has it-in search of the "fountain of youth." Visitors might well regain their youth by taking a dip in the cool, clear waters of Ponce de Leon Springs where the water temperature remains a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The main spring is a convergence of two underground water flows, and produces 14 million gallons of water daily."

These pictures are from our afternoon on The Water Taxi that takes you around on the Indian River in New Smyrna Beach up to the Inlet between NSB and the lighthouse south of Daytona Beach. A nice, cool, leisurely ride to see the dolphins and manatee and the lovely homes in the area from the water side.

This is the lighthouse

Below is a shot into the river at the springs and

Molly, Ann and Iggie in the springs, They were having a great time!

This a

refurbished version of

the old grinding wheel

in the park at the Sugar Mill.

And this is a new friend... someone called him Fred..... We were sitting having lunch and snacks at the springs and he was getting just about close enough to join in....

He wasn't very big, probably just under three feet but we spotted a few others larger and louder in the river that the springs over flow into. Yeh, he was very close!

And people fuss about ants!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a great trip! I loved the company and the chance to be with all those very special family members. Grandma and Tammy cooked and cookedand cooked..... Yummy!! (more recipes coming).... and made us feel so special and so loved! Thank you both!!!!! AND "UNCLE APPLESAUCE" (he's a great guy, he just doesn't want anybody to know ! )

Thank you, Miss Ann for being such a blessing...... And thank you, Father, for putting us on her heart and for such a wonderful summer break!

2009-07-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Liberty Hill....population 1,409.... 1.9 square miles.... out west of Georgetown. Just a small town where we've been for a few weeks. OH - MY - GOSH... it's been soooo HOT! Everyday over 100 degrees.... and no rain. It's so dry out there. But ..... We had such a nice time. After living in Houston day to day it's nice just to take a break somewhere like Liberty Hill...........

Just down the way from Liberty Hill is Oatmeal. Oatmeal Texas. We saw a sign and had to go check it out. As far as we could find..... this is it! There's an Oatmeal Festival there in July but we weren't still there to find out what it's all about. Ya know how ya go into a town and see the sign that says, "Population ....." They don't have a sign. But we had to get this picture!

Pay NO attention to the dates on the pictures. We forgot to set the date!

We found lots of little shops out in that direction. We went into Marble Falls and Leander (Population in July 2007: 11,123) and Burtram and Georgetown and found the thrift shops and antique stores and found lots of goodies. Even found an estate sale just before we left in Burtram ( a total area of 1.1 square miles with 387 households).

These are some of my goodies. WHAT BARGAINS!

I fell in love with this "chenille" bedspread!

And the little birds, so sweet!

Bottles and buttons and hats.........

Look at the pink and black hat!

The pieces of china are mostly mismatched but they we 5 and 10 cents. look at the little pitcher, cute!

HOW could I leave them behind at that price??? Linens, too! Doilies, tablecloths, pillowcases, dresser scarves.... I still have more to unpack!

A COUPLE WEEKS N THE COUNTRY

2009-07-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

I love the country look.... I want a kitchen like this.......And a place for a nap like this... Below:

Sunday House
While just 10 years old, this home is modeled after one of the 100-year-old "Sunday houses" sprinkled throughout the Texas Hill Country. Built by German-American farmers and ranchers who came to town on Saturday for supplies and spent the night for church the next day, Sunday houses were small second homes with outside staircases (to save space).

I haven't been doing any blogging because we've been out of town for over two weeks...... We're out in the Texas Hill Country. The town we're in make Mayberry look big!

We've been wandering around the area and been sight seeing and window shopping and hitting every resale shop, thrift store, estate sale and such that we could find.

I've taken a few pictures but can't load them on this computer, so that has to wait till we get home.

I have ooooodles of stuff to unsack and clean and soak and a few things to paint ..... So many goodies...... From lace to metal. Some of it on it's own isn't worth much but it'll spruce something up for sure. Some of it just needs a new color. (WHITE!!! My favorite!) And, some just a little cleaning and shining and a new place to sit.

I can't even remember what all I've found.

Next weeks gona be fun when I realize all my finds!

Even in the extreme summer heat.....

2009-06-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything in a few weeks.... I have stuff I'm working on and I stay inside as much as possible with this heat.
Iggie's gone to camp as an intern this year and was kind nervous about no one else she knows going..... But, after she was there about 30 minutes she saw the pastor from the church we went to for years ..... He and his wife were bringing their daughter, Dusty. She and Dusty are 14 now and were together in the church nursery to Sunday School until 5 years ago. A REUNION!!!! They were both relieved to see a FRIENDLY FACE!

LOOK WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE GARDEN

Aren't these beautiful! They smell so nice, the bush gets huge and they're so hardy! Every morning there are new white blooms on the bush and as the day goes on they change from white to red. The blooms last for several days so there are red and white every morning, in the early afternoon, the blooms are pink and red .

The weather's so hot here so early this year.... it's been over 100 quite a bit already. Water, Water, Water! Just to keep the grass kinda green. This is how he Plumbago are doing, tho' They're soooo beautiful!

I wish it wasn't so hot but I know I couldn't move to someplace where the winters meant snow and ice.

Night Beauty

2009-06-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

My sister, Tammy, sent me these photos of the Cirrus flowers growing around town where I come from in Florida. The night blooming cirrus - it's a very ordinary looking cactus-type plant. It climbs up trees and has bloom pods hanging off it that look remarkably like cat hairballs.

It's hard to imagine that such a homely plant can produce such spectacular blossoms.... Blooming just one night a year!

A couple years ago while I was down visiting at just the right time of year to see this beauty, we were out late at night waiting with our cameras an flashlight, smacking the mosquitos. It's worth it.

MY SUNSHINE

2009-06-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

We went out this evening with Kristy ..... Trey And Emery's mommy, to the park out in Cypress. She had a photo shoot with a family and said if we wanted to meet her out there she'd take some pictures of Iggie.
She said remember the mosquito repellent and of course we didn't.... goodness, those things were horrendous!!! But she got some shots and sent us this one tonight.

Check out Kristy's page http://www.owensoriginals.blogspot.com/. She does some great pictures and has TWO FABULOUS KIDS!!!!!

YUMMY

2009-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

These are a couple photos I clipped off the internet of just about my favorite place.... Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL THERE! We're hoping to fit in a trip at least or a long weekend. I was just daydreaming.... But I do have a great recipe to share.I made this salad for the Ladies' Dinner at church last December and since everyone 's comments were, "This is the best salad I've ever eaten." I made it again for my family dinner for Christmas. Cherry Feta Tossed Salad
Dressing:
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Salad:
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3 Tablespoons sugar
8 cups salad greens (I prefer the Spring Mix)
4 ounces Feta Cheese
1 6 ounce pkg. dried cherries

1. Combine dressing ingredients and shake or mix until dissolved.
2. For salad, in heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add almonds and cook and stir until nuts are toasted, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar; cook and stir until sugar is melted, about 3 minutes. Spread on foil to cool; break apart.
3. In large bowl, combine the greens, cheese and cherries. Shake dressing; drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with sugared almonds and toss to coat.

ENJOY!!!

Shelf

2009-06-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

I found this great shelf in the clearance section at Marshall's, I think it was.... Just what I'd been looking for!

I used a couple cans of spray paint and now......... It's just perfect.... Holds some of the little "gee-gaws" I enjoy looking at.

It'll take me a little while to get it just right. But it's a nice place to put the little things my grandchilden give me as gifts!

Sea Shells, Bows And Lace

2009-05-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have two or three projects going that are still in the early stages. Nothing to show just yet. So I was looking thru some pictures from the web that I've saved for who knows how many years now and I thought I'd share just a few.
I love this simple Sea Shell Wreath. Shells and bows, a couple of my favorite things to decorate with.

Look at this wall...... Isn't it gorgeous? !!! I've thought about doing this but seems like I have so many other things I'd like to do before I tackle a job this big.

What a chair, huh?!! I am going to have one of these one day! In white tho'........ I LOVE WHITE!!

I'm blessed.... I have a very dear friend who has an upholstery shop and she loves the same stuff as me. I'm sure we'll BOTH have one.

And, just look at this chest. Soooo pretty. It inspired me to paint something similar on my coffee table in the front room a few years ago.

Sweet pretties.

2009-05-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy out in the yard trying to get everything done before it all gets away from me. I have a couple projects going too.

I'll post some of the pictures when I get done.

In the mean time... I decided to move some things around inside. I have a couple busts and they're very different from each other. I can't quite decide where I want them, I think it's because I want to be able to see both of them all the time.

Isn't she lovely?

Over a year ago I had seen a bust in a little shop I love to go into up north of San Antonio, while I was out visiting my daughter. I decided not to get it because It was kinda pricey. (I think it's on ebay for over $200.00) MISTAKE. I went back and my daughter even went back hoping to get it for me but she was gone.

Isn't this one sweet?

I was out in S.A. again several months ago and went into Home Goods and found both of these for around $60.00. Good deal!!! They were both on clearance! They're both good size, this one's about 12" the other 14"-15".

I just love them!

2009-05-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

We went out to Old Town Spring today. The picture above shows how it all began out there... Lots of Texas history there.

Now it's all about all the little shops out there. There are clothing shops, antiques, galleries, furniture shops, A "Doll Hospital", pet grooming, candy stores, restaurants and so much more. You can check it out at www.oldtownspring.com .

We wanted to just take a day off and do some window shopping in one of our favorite places. It takes the whole day to get thru all the shops and with the HOT,HOT weather we're already having here, ya kinda linger a little bit longer in the air conditioning...... This is my favorite shop.... Shabby Rose. Really sweet lady owns the place and I love her stuff. Lots of pink and roses and fluff and fru-fru. I found a few treasures today. She makes her own soaps in fabulous scents using "fresh goats milk and glycerin".

The house she's in is 100 years old and is just fabulous! I wish I have a picture to share with you of the inside..... I took my camera with every intention of taking pictures but I got distracted by everything she has in the shop.

It's about 45 minutes from home but I don't get out there as often as I'd like.

Stopped at a farm on the way home to pick up some fresh vegetables. There are three on the way and stopping at one or two makes the trip to Old Town Spring just that much better

2009-05-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

I found these two little, precious salt and pepper shakers one day a while back while we were out "window shopping" ..... (Somehow I always end up with at least a bag or two of special goodies!).

Aren't they so cute. For me, they would have been even better if they'd been pink... but I love them. Just right for a "deli-lunch", as my grand-daughter, Iggie, likes to call them, out on the patio.

2009-05-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

There are a few ladies from church and our friends who get together one night a week for our "Scrapbooking Nite". We've learned alot about scrapbooking and card making since we first started . We get together now and there's no telling what we'll be doing! Sometimes we still do scrapbooking but now we bring whatever we please and work on it. There's some crosstitching going on lately..... Some pretty things being made.

This past Tuesday night most of us worked on Coffee Filter Roses. None of us had done them before but they looked so pretty and we were game.... What can be so tough? Right?! You can find videos, templates and instructions on line. In the beginning, for sure, it's not as easy as it looks! Between 8 and midnight we managed to get one done apiece. Most of us laughed our way thru the frustrations of feeling so clumbsy with the 'step by step' we seemed to fumble thru. When the evening was over we agreed we hadn't laughed so hard in a long time!

It was fun.... I'll be working on more, soon! And I know we'll get the hang of it and they'll be beautiful!

2009-05-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is Iggie.... not a recent picture. I'm not so sure she'd be happy with this on here, but I love the picture. We'd gona for a weekend getaway and found this B&B complete with Lightening Bugs..... On happenstance I had a small butterfly net in the trunck of the car and she caught a few and put 'em in a jar for a little bit before her bedtime. Of course she wanted to keep 'em and bring them home.

I'm working on a container Fairy Garden, collection things to make put in it. These are two more of my grandchildren... kinda inspiration for the whole idea of the Fairy Garden.

2009-05-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

After all the rain lastweek, 8 inches in one day, my garden is really starting to bloom. These are the Peach Trumpets I love so much. I have 9 bushes in 3 different colors and they are all full of flowers. The white are so wonderful smelling. It's tough on them in the heat of the summer but they'll even bloom in the winter here.

2009-05-01T06:26:00.001-07:00

I found this great candle holder on a trip to Old Town Spring. It's a little too pink for me even tho' I LOVE pink! I'll spray the outside white and leave the inside so the pink will show thru just a bit.... next.... where do I put it?

2009-04-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

I've had great aspirations to get this blog filled with interesting things..... There are so many ladies out there who have the most fantastic blogs.... beautiful pictures and ideas.....
But first I want to say today I lost a very special person in my life. Mercy Okotie-Eboh lost her battle with breast cancer and went to be with Jesus.
Mercy was such a special lady. She was my Pastor's sister and I met her while she was here in Houston visiting from Nigeria and she became a true sister to me. It just was all too short. I want to remember everything she spoke to me about. No matter what it was, everything she said was always related to Jesus. I'll always love and miss her.

2009-02-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Today we're praising God for His love and faithfulness. Carol has been waiting for a liver/kidney transplant for quite sometime, now. They began yesterday early in the morning and worked at it all day... there were some difficulties and today they had to do surgery to remove her spleen. It's been really tough on her kids, family and friends but I have been blessed to see just some of the people who have faithfully prayed thru this for her. God is SO good!

This is going to be a new beginning for her physically!!! She's faithfully trusted God to do this in His time. What's to come if going to be testimony of His love!

2009-02-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

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