Monday, July 28, 2008

Finished Projects

Yay! I finally finished some of my projects!!



The feedback I got from everyone on the fairy house was that there was not enough stuff on it. There is now! I've named it the Morning Glory House. I even got it listed on Etsy...although shipping is going to be a pain.


I finished several of my little fairy signs and they are listed as well. I even did a little birdbath, but it looks kind of funky so I didn't list it.


I found this bookcase at First Monday for about $15. Mark added some moulding and I gave it a coat of sky blue paint. It was grey with ducks or some crap on it. I think it looks pretty good!

So waht if the house didn't get cleaned or clothes washed or the kids didn't eat. I got my projects finished!!!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Devil Dog Day

AJ is going to be PISSED!!!!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Is It Me?

I have this plate that my grandmother painted hanging over my tub. I've been staring at it for over a year.


Is it just me or can anyone else see a chimpanzee face? Look real hard. I swear that's Bubbles the chimp.

Banned Continued

We went to two.

Banned

I have to go grocery shopping. It's going to be hard. There at least 30 garage sale signs between me and the store. I can't stop at any more until I finish some of my projects. I'm dreading that drive. Maybe Mark will agree to stop at just one...

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Plantfreak Sr.

My dad called last night, (actually so did my other dad) and happened to mention that he had rooted several crape myrtles. I thought he meant from my grandmother's house until he mentioned that there were several different varieties he "acquired" from the area. He was pretty quick to say that the branches he took were all from the easements; therefore, rationalizing that they were fair game. Oh please, I've been "pinching" for years, or as I call it...judicious pruning for others. I can see the next step will be Dad rooting around old homesteads looking for plants to appropriate. It's funny to see him get in touch with his inner plantfreak. I just thought it skipped a generation.

Pretty soon Dad and Page will start planning vacations that center around botanical gardens like Mark and I do. Just remember to take your cooler for cuttings and some paper bags for seeds. I happen to have some incriminating photos of Mark helping himself at Callaway Gardens...just in case.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Primitive


If there is anyone who is into primitives and country style items, check out http://www.pfattmarketplace.com/ . It has some interesting items and artists. I like Dudadaze. This person does some amazing artwork. You can see her blog at http://www.duadaze.blogspot.com/ .

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Summer

On the way home from work...at 5:30 in the evening...I passed the bank...and it said 104 degrees. I'm melting! Honest! My boobs and butt are sliding right off my body!!!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

I Have Wheels Again

My car broke down last week (timing belt) when Mark was on his way home from work. So I missed the last 2 days that I was scheduled to work. I have to be honest and say that I really enjoyed my domestic time. The boys and I giggled and talked (when they weren't arguing, jeesh!) I cooked and piddled with my craft stuff and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Except when I decided in my infinite wisdom that I would walk to the post office. It's at the other end of my road but anyone who has been to my house knows that's at least a mile. Well, I had a pick up ticket for mail and I just knew it was a book I had purchased ( that I didn't want Mark to see). I also sold a teapot and had to mail it so I thought "why not, it will be good for me".

I set out walking and...it was a pleasant walk to the post office. I was sweating like a pig by the time I got there (it was 97 that day) and the little girl behind the counter was a bit snippy. I guess I interrupted her favorite show (they have a TV with a satellite!). The packages got mailed and I realized I undercharged for shipping. That's just great. I got my packages...not my books. This wasn't the lovely outing I planned.

I went ahead and walked over to the little store to get a drink and it was weird but this candy bar jumped into my hand. Even though the cashier mistakenly charged me I didn't feel like correcting her...so I kept the candy bar. As I'm walking back I try to open the bottle but the cap wouldn't turn. Apparently it was defective and the perforations were never cut. I tried everything, using my shirt, hitting it on something, gnawing on the damn bottle like a hyena...nothing worked. I even tried to use the barbed wire fence to cut apart the lid and ring. Now, me + barbed wire. That's a scary thought. Did I mention the broiling heat, and the fact that the candy bar coated my mouth. I was dying!!!

I never got that stupid #&%@%#& bottle open until I got home. I had to lay down for about 30 minutes. My feet were killing me! Next time I'll ride a bike...or better yet drive.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Somebody Needs A Nap

Smoky cried and whined and nobody could get him to be quiet...until he crawled into Mark's lap.
Somebody needed a good snuggle, but I don't think it was Mark.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Fairy Foolish Indeed

Here is a Fairy sign that I made. The next one is going to have a small metal stake in it to help it stand up. I will need to make a base for this one. I don't really like the shine on it but I had to seal the acrylic paint. All I had was a satin finish. I'll see if I can get a matte finish for the next ones.
Once I get another one made I will list it on Etsy. Speaking of Etsy, I listed some great flea market finds...I'm just sayin'

Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Pears, Oh My!!

Page heard my plea for help and sent a recipe for cucumbers as well as one for tomatoes that sound fab-u-lous!

3 large cucumbers, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon
salt
dash ground cayenne pepper
dash dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
dash dried leaf basil

Preparation:Combine all ingredients except cucumbers; heat until sugar melts. Pour warm mixture over cucumbers. Store covered in refrigerator.
Serves 6 to 8
Serve with pork or as a relish with any meal.
That sounds really good!

BRUSCHETTA CON POMODORI (GARLIC BREAD WITH TOMATOES)
6 slices crusty Italian bread, halved crosswise
1 lg. garlic clove, crushed and minced
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
6 lg. firm ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 c. minced fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, or to taste

Preheat the broiler. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet and broil 5 inches from the heat until lightly browned. Turn and brown the other side. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, and 3 tablespoon of the olive oil, and brush the mixture on one side of the bread slices. In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, add the tomatoes and salt the tomatoes are just heated through. Stir in the basil and vinegar. Top the toasted slices with the tomato mixture. Serves 6.
Yum!

Page also requested a recipe for Pear Honey because they are going to be covered up in pears pretty soon.

3lbs. ripe pears (9 cups) ~ I use the crunchy "sand" pears. That's what we've always called them.
1 cup crushed pineapple
grated rind and juice of one lime
5 cups of sugar

Peel and core pears before measuring. Put through a food chopper using a fine blade. Combine pears and pineapple. Add lime juice and zest. Add sugar and cook over slow heat, stirring frequently for 20 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars to 1/4 of top. Put on cap, screw band tightly. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Yields 8 1/2 pints.
Put this over french toast and it is heaven!

Hope everyone enjoys these recipes!

Friday, July 11, 2008

My Basket Runneth Over

This was actually picked a few days ago. I need to go out again. Does anyone have any good cucumber recipes?
Do you see all the heirloom tomatoes? There is Cherokee Purple, Chocolate Cherry, Snow Cherry, Green Zebra, Red Currant, and Reisenstraube. I love my little rainbow garden.
Seriously though, I need recipes for cucumbers.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Whew!!

My company left and all is quiet. My mother-in-law came to visit with her new "special friend" EJ (I thin there is a wedding in the future)and my husband's Aunt Helen. Three crazy cajuns, four dogs, two teenagers...chaos! We had a good visit though. We went antiqueing in Mineola. My MIL tried to buy me a cabinet for some of my china but they were so overpriced! I told her to come out when First Monday was going on and she could be me all kinds of stuff. I did find a teapot that completes a tea set my grandmother had. I thought that was pretty awesome.

I kept them stuffed full of food~ I served tomato pie, lemon blueberry pie and steak one night, then stuffed jalapenos, and fajitas the next night. Blueberry muffins in the AM.

Here is my recipe for tomato pie. It's always a winner!
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
basil, fresh or dry
one pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup (app) of mayonnaise
pinch of cornstarch.

Bake the piecrust until light golden brown. Start layering tomatoes, onions, and basil (if no basil on hand~ italian seasoning does well). Sprinkle cornstarch in between layers. Mix cheese and mayonnaise then spread over top of pie sealing all edges. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese turns golden brown. Yum.

One of the people I tagged can be seen on
http://happinessisabutterfly.blogspot.com/2008/06/ive-been-tagged.html#links

Monday, July 7, 2008

I've Been Tagged!

Kjirsten at Planet Hartwell just tagged me! I have to answer 5 questions, then tag 4 other people. Once done, I have to let Kjirsten know I have finished.

Q1. What were you doing ten years ago?
Living in Gulfport, MS getting ready to move to Foley, AL working in a casino as a Slot
Machine attendant. Mark and I were married in November 1998.

Q2. What are 5 things on your To Do list?
Well...I had a list of downtime things to do since I took a week off from work...but my mother-in-law is "popping" in to town. Oh Shit, new list.
1. Clean,Clean,Clean
2. Figure out what to cook for dinner...I've already bought groceries for the week but let's make a budget blowing trip to the store.
3. Wash dogs, or rather make the kids wash dogs.
4. Water my plants!
5. Organize my crafty stuff (that's really a 3 day event)

Q3. What are your favorite snacks.
Hmmm...It's better to list what I DO NOT like. Cheetos, and Nacho flavored chips. Everything else is...I'm hungry!

Q4. What would you do if you were a millionare.
Hire teachers for AJ, wear better clothes, develop my business, build a new house, have a bigger veggie garden, build a Katrina house for an art studio, go to more flea markets, garage sales, and antique shows, make more stuff.

Q5. Where have you lived.
In Alabama...Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Mobile, Foley
In Mississippi...Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Hattiesburg
In Texas...Golden (and I think this might be the last stop)

OK, now for tagging. I tag Mommy, Esquire (she's family so I know she'll do it), Vintage Butterfly94, and Polka Dot Creations (I read their blogs like a true addict but I don't leave many comments-hope they don't think I'm weird). The only other blog I would tag would be you Kjirsten and that won't work. I guess I'm as anti-social with my blog as I am in real life.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Fertilizer

It must be the fertilizer we use at the paying job because babies are popping up everywhere!

This is one of our designers Mica, her husband Jose, big brother Ashton, and little Aiden Cade (I hope I spelled that right). He was born last week on the 26th I think. I love the next picture.

That's a much better reaction that when Cody first met AJ. He smacked him on the head with a toy car!

Sheila, our bookkeeper, had her first Grandbaby on the 1st. Little Miss Macy Lynn! I have a beautiful picture on my phone but for some reason (probably operator error) I can't get the pic to show up in my email. I live so far out in the middle of nowhere that cell phones don't work at my house. Therefore, I can't email myself unless I'm miles away. Ridiculous and complicated, Hello my world!

Yep. I think it's the Special Mix fertilizer, and all I can say is...keep that S#*&##$@ away from me!!!!

PS~ Kjirsten, I'm working on the scans next week and I'll do the tag in the morning. Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

My Kind Of Girls

I stumbled on to this group of rockin' cowgirls and they let me live wild and free vicariously. Awesome stuff for sale!!!! www.gypsyville.com . Take a look!

Phyllis Ingalls Wilder

When I was unpacking my things to put in my little cabinet, I found a box with some old bonnets. My Friend Phyllis has always admired Tasha Tudor (that's an understatement). TT is a children's book writer and was very eccentric. I say "was" because she passed away about a week ago. Anyway, one of her eccentricities was that she dressed in period dress...full antebellum gowns and bonnets, etc.

Now I don't think the bonnet is vintage. My grandmother had a gown made for a 1976 parade so I bet it's circa 1970's. I doubt I'll ever display one much less multiple bonnets so I brought one for Phyllis.


I think she liked it. She makes a bonnet look good.
I also got pics from my dad of the visit to Mineola


This is Dad(looking happy), Cody(looking bored), AJ(looking uncomfortable), and me (looking pretty pudgy).

Here is that same crew minus Dad with Page and of course she looks perfect.

Page is yukking it up cowboy style.

These are pics of the B/B that Dad and Page stayed in for the night.