Bea's Blabber

National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day

2011-04-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

I love Pineapple Upside Down Cake. They are not hard to make but I have only made one in my entire life. It was for Christmas Dinner in 2001.

The cake got pushed to the back of the counter and forgotten.

(Look how young and thin I once was!)

When I finally remembered it, it was looking a lot more Christmas-y than before.

If you are making a Pineapple Upside Down Cake to celebrate today,

have a bite for me.

Still Here...

2011-04-06T20:56:00.000-04:00

Somewhere in this fog...

http://starryskies.com/articles/2007/10/img/slide_Fog.html

Friday's Fav

2011-03-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

This week's fav is this picture Hub's took of our granddaughter, Sophia Grace.

We first met her on Saturday, March 12. I traveled on to Kansas for a few days. Upon returning, we visited Miss Sophia again - one short week later. I could not believe the changes in her. When we see her again in June, she will be ready to go to prom. Well, almost...

On the Road Again

2011-03-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go...

We've thrown in a bone or two as well...

We can hardly wait to meet our new granddaughter...

2011-03-06T10:48:00.001-05:00

Friday's Fav

2011-03-03T23:42:00.000-05:00

Since this is Oprah's last year on the air, that means there will soon be no more of her favorite things episodes. Someone needs to step up to take her place. I'm here to fill the void.

This is my favorite thing this week. Some of my family members tease me about my obsession with them. I carry these in my purse and in the car. They are used to wipe sticky hands and messy faces. On occasion, I've used them to wipe down a table or high chair at a restaurant if I feel like it might not be clean enough. I NEVER EVER touch a grocery cart without wiping it down with one of this wipes and then I only touch the cart where I have wiped.

As reported in USA Today, researchers from the University of Arizona swabbed 85 grocery carts in four states for bacterial contamination. They found fecal bacteria on 72% of those carts. Ewww! With results like that, I might even start wearing rubber gloves!

Have You Seen This?

2011-02-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

I first saw this YouTube video when one of my Facebook friends posted it the first of the month. At that time, it only had six million hits. Now it has over seven million. Several hundred of those hits are from me...

This video makes me smile. I love it when she pretends to whistle along with her dad, then she asks him if she will learn to whistle. She adores her dad. You can tell by the look in her eyes when she looks at him. It is that same look all little girls have for their daddies.

Find out more about this young father and his daughters here.

Mi Mi Mi Miiiii

2011-02-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

I'm getting my voice all warmed up. You will want to do the same as Sunday is an important day.

It is Hoodie-Hoo Day!

What, you ask, is Hoodie-Hoo Day?

Every February 20th, at noon, everyone is supposed to go outside and run around waving their hands in the air while shouting

HOODIE-HOO!

That will chase away winter

and bring in spring.

http://www.types-of-flowers.org/spring-flowers.html

The weather here in North Carolina has been so lovely this last week, I would hate to see winter return.

Winter's Last Gasp

2011-02-10T23:15:00.000-05:00

Or maybe just a whisper...

Yesterday everyone was talking about the latest snowstorm being forecast in North Carolina. The grocery store was really busy for a Wednesday. Lots of schools in the state delayed the start of school by an hour or two. This is what we woke up to this morning.

A lot of my friends and family in the midwest are digging out from under lots of snow...again. They are enduring sub-zero temperatures as well.

Hang on just a little longer, my friends. Take a look at what I found peeking out of the ground.

Spring is on the way!

Keeping Busy

2011-02-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, Hubs and I decided to get a membership to our local YMCA instead of getting things that neither of us really needed. It has been a great decision and a good investment for our health.

I attend a spin class three times a week. The instructor for this class is Maria, but I call her Mania(c). She is intense!

from http://bbbedazzled.com/?p=74

Two days a week I attend a class that works all the muscle groups. Most of the time we use our own bodies for resistance. Ouch!

from http://www.answerfitness.com/63/weight-training-basics-principles-weight-training/

The only thing I have been able to get Hubs to do so far is to attend yoga classes with me three nights a week. That is okay because yoga helps him relieve stress, gain flexibility and increase balance. When we attend a Yin yoga class, we work on the connective tissues around the joints which helps his arthritis. I receive the same benefits as well as stretching and relaxing all those muscles I have worked so hard in the other classes.

from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yoga_at_a_Gym.JPG

Since I have been following this workout schedule and eating less, I have managed to lose this...

I have several more of these to lose yet.

Unexpected Trip to the Midwest

2011-01-27T17:40:00.000-05:00

On January 14, Hubs and I loaded the dogs and a suitcase into The Tank and headed west to St. Louis. An unexpected trip back to Hubs' boyhood home was in order as his mom had emergency surgery. We stayed on for ten days until Hubs' brother could come to stay with Maxine the Great.

Genealogy is one of Hubs hobbies. He took the opportunity to scan some pictures of his ancestors.

This is a picture of his maternal great grandmother, Irene Jane Collins.

She lived from 1868 - 1949.

Maxine the Great wanted me to look for this quilt that Irene Jane, her father's mother made. It is not known when she made this quilt, but it is thought to be about 100 years old.

A close up view shows that the appliqued pieces were created by folding the fabric in fourths then cutting out a quarter of the pattern. While the applique was sewn on by machine, the quilting was done by hand.

Here is a picture taken just before we left Hubs' mom's home. Maxine the Great is moving a little slower and still gaining strength, but she is doing well.

It has been a while since I have joined other vintage lovers for Vintage Thingies Thursday.

Winter Blues

2011-01-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

What is your weather like? Here in upper North Carolina, we have had cold and ice. I have been home for the last two days and I have been a little more restless than usual. Not really depressed, but feeling like winter has gone on way too long and it is only January.

Since I am from the midwest, I have no problem getting out in a little cold and ice, but there is no place to go as every thing closes when the weather is like this. The big problem about driving in this weather are the other drivers. Southerners just do not know how to drive in weather like this. Heck, they really don't know how to drive in good weather...

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions? It is almost mid-January. How are you doing with those? I don't do resolutions, but am continuing to build strong, post-menopausal bones and a healthier heart.

from Get Religion.org

Today's date has intrigued me.

1/11/11

Do you know that

11111 X 11111

123454321?

Cool, huh?

Thinking of the number one lead me to thinking about these guys...

I wore out this album.

My mind has been bouncing around like a BING.com commercial...

I think I need some sunshine...

KC and the Sunshine Band...

File Under "Bizarre"

2011-01-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

Hubs has a pair of shoes he wears outside. He leaves these shoes at the back door on the porch. When he went to walk the dogs first thing this morning, this is what he found.

Just the left shoe...

Is there a one legged person on a crime spree?
Maybe an animal carried it off?

What do you think happened to the right shoe?

Toss It Out!

2011-01-03T23:07:00.000-05:00

Did you get one of these for Christmas?

Does any one give fruitcakes as Christmas gifts?

Why, yes, they do.

Hubs and I received a Sear's fruitcake via USPS from his brother and sister-in-law our first Christmas. Sear's? Really? Can you find those next to the snow shovels and Ice Melt? Hubs and I got a good laugh at our gift. The fruitcake went into the freezer (I think they last forever without freezing!) and we sent it back to his brother and sister-in-law the next Christmas. We've all heard stories of families passing the same fruitcake back and forth for decades. It was a big disappointment when we didn't get the fruitcake back the following holiday.

This question begs to be asked. What did they do with the fruitcake? Maybe they still have it and are using it as a doorstop or bookends. It might have kept them warm that winter if they used it as firewood. Oh, I know! That was the year Hub's brother was into working out. Bet he used it as a free weight...

Or maybe they just waited until January 3, which is Fruitcake Toss Day. Yes, the day when every one who received a fruitcake over the holidays gets the opportunity to toss it. Just be careful not to toss it AT some one. Those thing could cause bodily injury. And if you still have ~~fruitcakes~~ in laws ~~mooching~~ visiting, toss them out too!

Aftermas

2010-12-28T10:13:00.001-05:00

That is my term for the days following Christmas.

We were some of the lucky ones to have a white Christmas... Actually the snow didn't start falling until just about dusk Christmas Day. By the time it stopped snowing here in the Carolina pines, we had about eight inches.

Today is the first day since Christmas that I am going to leave the house. I am taking my Christmas cookie filled butt to the gym...

Move Over, Santa!

2010-12-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

His list of all the good boys and girls may be long, but I'm thinking my list of things to do to prepare for the holiday is longer!

I still do not have my Christmas tree decorated! Since most of the kids live away and their gifts need shipped, I should have had four huge boxes at the post office this week so we do not have to spend $1,000,000 on postage. But I'm still shopping!

If you have kids - big or small - on your holiday shopping list, you have to make a video of Santa talking to them from Portable North Pole. They will love it and want to watch it over and over again. I took time out yesterday to make a message from Santa to one of the grandsons and will make one for the other tonight. Be prepared with pictures so Santa can put them in his book for the message...

Have you heard of "Elf on a Shelf"? Today was the first time I've heard of him. You can check him out here. I'm thinking I've got two little guys that may need their own elf.

With so much to do, I doubt I will be blogging over the next fifteen (FIFTEEN! IS THAT ALL THE TIME I HAVE LEFT????) days...

Help Wanted

2010-12-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Must be able to cook, clean, bake, sew, decorate, wrap, stand in long lines at post office.

December 1 already???

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

May your stuffing be tasty.
May your turkey plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize.
And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs.

Whirled Peas, Please

2010-11-21T09:11:00.000-05:00

from neoformix.com

Annyong ha shimnikka

Since today is World Hello Day and since one of our grandsons is here for the weekend, I thought I would greet you in Korean.

He understands Korean and can speak it well for a three year old.

World Hello Day began in the fall of 1973 in response to the conflict between Israel and Egypt.

By saying hello to ten people today, you show the importance of personal communication in preserving peace.

from happybirthfdaypeace.com

How about saying hello in one of these languages?

Konichiwa (koh-Nee-chee-wah) is hello in Japanese.
Jambo (JAM-bo) is hello in Swahili.
Hola (OH-la) is hello in Spanish.
Ni hao (nee-Ha-OW) is hello in Chinese.
Bonjour (bohn-Zhoor) is hello in French.
Buon giorno (bwohn-JOR-noh) is hello in Italian.
Annyong ha shimnikka (An-YOH HASHim-ni-kah) is hello in Korean.
Czesc (Chesht) is hello is Polish.
Zdravstvuite (ZzDRAST-vet-yah) is hello in Russian.
Al Salaam a' alaykum (ahl sah-LAHM-ah-ah-LAY-Koom)) is hello in Arabic.

from brickfish.com

Late Bloomer

2010-11-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

This heirloom tomato plant has been growing outside our back door all summer long.

It has been growing and growing but producing no fruit.

Until last week.

I had to take the calendar out and show this little tomato that it is almost Thanksgiving. I reminded him that we do not live in Florida or California and that we have had frost and a hard freeze.

Maybe I should put fresh homegrown sliced tomatoes on the Christmas dinner menu...

Vacuuming the Carpet

2010-11-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I shared the new carpet that was laid in our yard. If you missed it, you can see the post here.

This week, we have seen the first of the city workers come around to vacuum that carpet.

It would be so much easier if they would come into the yard and we did not have to get the leaves to the street. (Like I have picked up a rake this year!)

Notice the haze above the truck? That is created by all the little leaf particles being spewed back out of the truck.

I have often wondered if they would rent this truck out for vacuuming the inside of the house. I hate to vacuum. But with all that spewing of fine particles after the vacuuming, I'd have to dust. I hate to dust.

Craigslist Special

2010-11-08T18:02:00.000-05:00

Hubs is always searching Craigslist for free stuff or low cost materials that he might need to redo our home.

Today I received an email from him containing a link to a FREE post on Craigslist.

"Two Healthy Pumpins FREE to good home. These pumpins have served their short purpose in life of uselessly decorating our front porch to make our neighbors think we are cool. They are very well-mannered and house broken. Due to their social nature, we need to adopt these two out together. We'd like to see them go to a home with a sunny porch where they can rot togehter in peace.

If not picked up in the by 11-11 we will have no other option but to humanely euthanize these beautiful creations via a lethal blow with a baseball bat."

I hope someone picks up these poor pumpkins...

Happy Sandwich Day!

2010-11-03T21:58:00.000-04:00

Today is Sandwich Day because on this date in 1718, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich was born.

from Wikipedia

While the sandwich was named after him, there is debate as to whether he was the first to create and eat a sandwich.

Since today is Sandwich Day, I thought I would share some more recipes from my vintage Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook.

This is called a Choo-choo because the bottom crust is not cut so the bread is still coupled like a train.

I grew up reading the comic strip, Blondie. So when I think of a sandwich, I think of this guy - Dagwood Bumstead. He was created by artist Chic Young in 1930. Dagwood could eat a huge stack of sandwich and in all those years, he never gained an inch.

from NewsRealBlog

Here is the recipe for the sandwich named after him.

I love how this sandwich is topped with an olive. How appropriate!

from Citrellasmarket.com

I'm joining Suzanne and Vintage Thingies Thursday again this week.

Make Sure to Get Yours

2010-11-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

from inforum.com

New Carpet...

2010-10-31T21:35:00.000-04:00

...has been laid in our yard.

The colors are perfect.

Being from Kansas where there are few trees, the results of the change from summer to fall amazes me. I'm not used to all the leaves laying on the ground. I'm also not used to mountains...mountains of leaves.

First Post

2010-10-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

October 28, 2008 was my first blog post. You can read it here. I would not advice it unless you are looking for something to help put you to sleep. What a snoozefest those first post were!

When I first started this blog, I had no idea what direction it would take. I knew I wanted it to be a documentary of my new life - an almost fifty year old emptynester transplanted from her home town in the midwest to an old, run down house in the south. My blog was a way for friends back home to keep track of what was going on in my day to day life. Those first posts were like letters to those friends back home.

My blog has a different look and a different voice than it did back then. I still write for my friends back home but I also write for those I have met in blog land over the last two years.

The next day, I posted about harvesting the herbs from my garden before the frost got them. Those herbs were hung in the sun room off Hub's office.

This picture was taken last week before I took down and threw away the brown, crumbling herbs I hung to dry two years ago. Some things do not change...I can still procrastinate.

No Spam, Ma'am

2010-10-27T22:33:00.001-04:00

Has there ever been a food product more maligned than SPAM? Monty Python's Flying Circus used it in a skit. Surely it was a zonk prize on Let's Make a Deal. David Letterman quipped about SPAM-on-a-rope in case you got hungry in the shower.

Like bologna, SPAM was another one of those "meats" I would not eat while growing up. (I'm not about to start eating it now, either!) The neatest thing about SPAM was the way you opened it. There was a little key on top of the can that was used to roll a thin tin strip off the can which would sever the top from the can. Mom would never let me open the SPAM.

Facts about Spam:

SPAM was first created in 1937 by Jay Hormel who needed a way to package pork shoulder so it would not go to waste.
In a contest to name the new product, Kenneth Daigneau won $100 for his contraction of spiced ham.
Since 1937, 7 billion cans of SPAM have been sold.
People living in Alaska and Hawaii buy the most SPAM.
100 million pounds of SPAM were issued to the US, Soviet and European troops during World War II.
Waikiki, Hawaii hosts the annual SPAM Jam.
SPAM has its own museum in Austin, MN.

This is a cookbook of mine. The copyright on it is 1953. I love looking at the vintage pictures and reading the recipes used back then. This is a picture from the cookbook. Crown Roast Dinner from the Jiffy Cooking section.

Here's the recipe.

Crown Roast Dinner? Really? How can you think SPAM could look like this?

from simpleanddelicious.com

Maybe that is why in this cookbook copyrighted some time in the mid-1970's (I lost the cover page!)...

the recipe was reworked and renamed.

The 1970's cookbook also has this recipe using SPAM.

It doesn't matter how you slice it - I'm not eating it!

SPAM facts gathered from www.butlerwebs.com/recipes/spam.htm and www.spam.com/

It has been a long time since I have joined my vintage loving friends at Vintage Thingies Thursday. I'm going to join the party this week. If you like vintage things, you will like what you see at Suzanne's.

B-O-L-O-G-N-A

2010-10-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

Sunday, October 24, is National Bologna Day.

Are you a bologna fan? I am not. If I were starving, like I hadn't eaten in three days and bologna was the only thing to eat, I could maybe eat it fried well done with lots of mustard, cheese and bread...maybe... More than likely, I would do what I did when Mom but a bologna sandwich in front of me when I was younger - remove the bologna and eat the bread.

Maybe Hardee's will be handing out their bologna biscuits free. Probably not.

On one of our first trips to the local Lowe's after our move to North Carolina, we saw this lunch wagon sitting in the parking lot. I was intrigued. Just what is a bologna burger?

(I felt like such a private detective/FBI agent taking this picture with my zoom lens while parked across the parking lot.)

I pictured it being something like this:

from Fun Playing with Food

Several weeks later, we went to a local cafe for dinner. They had a bologna burger on their menu. I had to ask our server to describe it for me. "Yer not from 'round here, are ya?" She was practically salivating as she was telling us about their bologna burger. It was similar to the picture below.

I am told that the Wilkerson's Famous Bologna Burger is two or three thin slices of bologna grilled, then tossed on a bun with some grilled onion. Still have not been hungry enough to eat one.

While I was searching information about National Bologna Day, I found some interesting uses and recipes at Southern Angel.com Have you ever thought of using bologna for a lubricant on squeaky hinges or rusty bike chains? You will also be able to find recipes for Bologna Gravy, Bologna Spaghetti, and Bologna Stew at there. I know you have been searching high and low for recipes like that to add to your menu.

Throughout this post, every time I spelled B-O-L-O-G-N-A, I thought of the song...You know the song I'm talking about...

Happy Bologna Day! May you have all the bologna you can eat, including mine!

Cooking Like a Pioneer Woman

2010-10-21T23:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been slaving over an open wood fire to cook our meals. Or not...

Meet my best friend, Ree, the Pioneer Woman. No, I've never met her, but she IS my best friend. This is her picture from her Facebook page. She would probably consider me a stalker instead of her friend.

Ree has a blog, The Pioneer Woman, where she shares her life as a rancher's wife, a homeschooling mom, and what she is cooking for her family and ranch hands.

Her recipes make my skirt fly up. She uses that phrase, "make your skirt fly up" a lot in her blog. I've got some of her recipes to show you but first I must caution you. If you are seeing a cardiologist, are married to a cardiologist, have a friend or a relative that is a cardiologist, you do NOT want to tell them you are eating like this. These recipes contain lots of cheese, butter, cream and sometimes (I need to whisper this) lard.

These are Three Cheese-Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce. The recipe makes a huge amount. This picture just shows the small casserole dish. There was another LARGE casserole dish in the kitchen. I served this dish with The Bread.

Her cinnamon rolls are some of the easiest rolls I've made and they are awesome. The ones pictured below are not frosted yet. Just wait until you taste the frosting! Before you make these, read her post Notes on Cinnamon Rolls. If I had read that post before making these, I might not have had such a mess. It definitely helps to let this dough rest and cool in the refrigerator before working with it.

Crash Hot Potatoes and grilled steak with Onion-Blue Cheese Sauce was on our menu last weekend. I didn't have time to get the onions in this sauce caramelized but it was still yumm-o.

Last night we had Sloppy Joes. Hubs doesn't like sloppy joes, but he really likes these. They make his eyebrows fly up. That's how I judge our meals. If Hubs raises his eyebrows, I know it's good. When I've made a PW recipe, they usually fly up so high it actually looks like he has hair on the top of his head.

Other recipes I've tried but didn't snap a photo are pot roast and Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta. This pasta dish is one of the easiest to prepare and best tasting pasta I have EVER cooked. It is on our menu a lot!

Fixing PW's recipes might not take slaving over an open fire all day, but they sure taste like you did!

PS - If any of my family reads this, I would love to find Ree's cookbook under the Christmas tree...

A Perfect Afternoon

2010-10-20T22:21:00.000-04:00

A beautiful fall afternoon with temperatures in the high seventies under a clear Carolina Blue sky spent at Hillridge Farm with two special people...

It seems like it was just last week when we where there last and he looked like this.

Training

2010-10-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

We've taught them to sit, stay, down, heel...

We just can't seem to teach them to pick up their toys.

Cooler Weather Quandry

2010-10-17T16:09:00.000-04:00

It is so nice to have cooler temperatures. However, the change in seasons sometimes creates fashion dilemmas.

We had been invited to an open house and equestrian apparel fashion show at one of the daughter's workplace on Friday evening. As I was dressing the thought of shoes popped into my head. I have not thought of what shoes to wear since April. You see, I have worn a pair of Nike flip flops since the weather got warm. I had to ask Hubs what shoes I wear when I don't wear flip flops. Of course, being a man he had NO idea.

It was a good bet I couldn't go looking like this. (There's that funky tan line again!)

I finally went to my closet to search for a pair of cold weather shoes. Oh yeah! When not in flip flops, I am wearing a pair of these...

I should get out more often AND I should do some shoe shopping...

One Year

2010-10-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

It has been one year since we sent our Ashley to the Rainbow Bridge. She is thought of and missed every day.

Her favorite place was in the sun.

The sunnier the better.

Her second favorite place was on anyone's bed.

All the toys in the house were hers, whether she wanted to play with them or not.

The ONLY dog she ever shared with was Emilio. He had her wrapped around his dew claw.

She was a great watch dog.

And she could be a good administrative assistant in a pinch.

We are sure that Ashley is lying in the sun, hogging all the toys and keeping all the other animals in line at the Rainbow Bridge.

Today also ends National Vet Tech Week. Thank you to all who chose this profession.

Hijacked!

2010-10-14T13:58:00.000-04:00

There has been very little computer time for me the last couple of days. My computer has been taken over by a three year old.

This little guy has not met a computer he can't use. He uses terms like "download" and "reboot" like other three year old boys use "trucks" and "cars". "NickJr.com" and "PBS. org" are other common terms heard from him.

Password encryptions are just jigsaw puzzles. If he watches you key in the password a couple of times, he can do it himself. Today he is hacking grandma's computer. In a few years he will be hacking into the CIA, Pentagon and IRS computers.

*I will probably be put on some government watch list since I used the terms: hijacked, hack, Pentagon, IRS and CIA in one post.

I Finally Have a Triangle

2010-10-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

Next month will be the third anniversary of our move to our current home. It has been an interesting adventure. Sometimes the adventure makes us laugh, sometimes it makes us want to cry.

The first thing we were going to do when we moved was to remodel the kitchen. But we forgot to bring this with us when we moved.

For the last three years, my kitchen has been in various states of disorder. The refrigerator has been in the dining room until this weekend.

Now I have the ever important kitchen triangle.

Let's hope it is not like the Bermuda Triangle. I'd hate to disappear one day while preparing dinner.

Say "CHEESE!"

2010-10-09T21:24:00.000-04:00

Did you celebrate today? Celebrate what, you ask? Why, didn't you know October 9 is Moldy Cheese Day?

How would you celebrate such an event? I celebrated by looking in my fridge to see if there was any moldy cheese residing there. Nope. None. Only fresh and yummy cheese. I sampled some colby jack just to make sure it wasn't moldy. Couldn't tell with the first slice so I had to have another. Nope, not moldy.

This moldy cheese is my favorite cheese on a hamburger. YUM!

What is your favorite cheese on a burger?

Tan Lines

2010-10-07T21:52:00.000-04:00

Remember when I shared this picture? It went along with this post.

While looking at our vacation pictures, something caught my eye.

Funky tan lines.

I should have posed for this picture...

Fire Prevention

2010-10-06T20:59:00.000-04:00

This is Fire Prevention Week.

Please be sure to check these...

And these...

Once a teacher, always a teacher.

Things to Do at the Beach...

2010-10-05T22:28:00.000-04:00

...when it rains more than twenty inches in less than two days.

 Play Pop Up Pirate...

 ...while dressed like a pirate.

 Make and eat Krispie treats.

 Go incognito to local restaurants and cause a ruckus.

Make the dining room table an internet cafe.

The family that connects together, stays connected.

Play in the Jacuzzi... 

 ...or the hot "pool".

 Watch cartoons while lying in Grandma Bea and Papa's bed....

...or watch PBS' Super Why on a laptop.

Wait until dark and play with glow bracelets.

Hope for a rainbow...

Mary's Umbrella

2010-09-26T18:12:00.000-04:00

The Disney movie, Mary Poppins made its debut on September 25, 1964.

from mommaoh.wordpress.com

That Mary! She knew the effect she had on impressionable young children. Or did she?

Did she know her little umbrella flying trick would make ~~many~~ at least one young girl want to fly with her own red plaid umbrella that her grandma gave her for Christmas?

from school.discoveryeducation.com

And did some little girl and her red plaid umbrella fly after jumping off the neighbor's five foot tall brick wall?

from pediatrics.about.com

She flew right home to get her scraped knees bandaged!

Sometimes Things Go Awry

2010-09-22T22:28:00.000-04:00

You know how it is.

Tonight I was making cinnamon rolls using this recipe. If you scroll through the post at the link, you will see what Ree's cinnamon rolls looked like before she put them in the pans.

Believe me when I tell you mine looked nothing like hers. Mine looked more like a pale fat slug oozing...well, slug stuff. I would have taken a picture but my hands were covered with slug stuff...er...cinnamon roll goo.

My counter top looked like this...covered with cinnamon, sugar and melted butter.

I was worried that my cinnamon rolls were not going to be any good, but I put them in the oven anyway. They didn't look too bad.

But how would they taste? Even though they had not been frosted, they were yummy! Oozing cinnamon, butter and sugar...

The counter top cleaned up nicely and a glass and bottle of wine appeared...

The Best Part of Waking Up...

2010-09-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

Now that the mornings are cooler, I love sitting on my back porch while having my morning coffee.

The birds add their voices to the classical music from this station and life is just about perfect...

Avast, Me Matey!

2010-09-18T22:21:00.002-04:00

Arr, me hearty, bein' this ha'ar day is talk like a pirate day, Cap'n Jane Cutthroat be takin' o'er this blog.

Afore ye landlubbers be comin' aboard me furner, Olde Barnacle Bucket, ye best be handin' o'er a fist full of doubloons to me best buccaneer, Pirate Billy. Shiver me timbers! Ye need to be gettin' yer pirate name here if'n ye wants to join me crew in lootin' and plunderin' the bountiful booty of scallywags' swaggy. Aye! Tis a swashbucklin' time to be had! Yo Ho Ho! Don' ye be gettin' in ta the grog or ye might find yerself at the end o' a cat o' nine tales...

September 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Yes, really!

My New Toy

2010-09-16T21:34:00.004-04:00

My five year old Nokia cell phone had to be retired. There have probably been ten generations of phones since we got it. What did I want to replace it? I wanted a smart phone. And not just any smart phone. I wanted an iPhone 4. Yes, despite all the bad press about them, I still wanted one.

This is my phone and I love it! I have not had one moment of antenna problems.

It is loaded with podcasts for exercise that I listen to while I walk. Facebook and Twitter apps keep me up to the minute with my peeps. The Yahoo app lets me look up the flavor of the day at Goodberry's, our favorite frozen custard place, to help us decide whether to stop on our way home from Raleigh. (It doesn't matter what the flavor, we usually stop.) Two weeks ago, we were stuck in traffic and I was able to use a local news station's app to see where we needed to go to get out of the traffic.

I love my phone! It could only be better if I could find a housekeeping app...
That was free...

Just as I think this grandma is hip to technology, a three year old techo-wizard reminds me, "Your phone only has two games, Grandma Bea. My daddy's has lots more."

PS - Just because I have a new phone doesn't mean I answer it. Leave a message!

Good Idea!

2010-09-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

Let's see...We could cut their salaries in half, take away their pensions and make them pay for their own health care. That would hurt!

Every Tuesday

2010-09-14T21:53:00.002-04:00

I commute to the quilt shop in this town.

Just before I get there, I pass by this train that has been left rusting on these tracks for years.

Every Tuesday, this song runs through my head all day long.

Davy Jones could so make me shake my maracas.

Heavy Drinking

2010-09-13T17:34:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I drank this many cups of coffee daily...

And sometimes twice that!

But I was looking like this...

from superfunnypets.com

In the middle of the night!

Now I drink only this many cups in the morning...

I heart coffee too, Mona...

Then I drink water. Sometimes this much...

Sometimes this much...

That's why I am always looking for one of these...

from naagtag.com

What do you drink during the day?

What Do You Think?

2010-09-12T21:33:00.000-04:00

This was on the front of the radiator in an upstairs bedroom when we moved here.

We removed all the radiators and a local man hauled them all to the scrap yard. I just could not let this go with them. The painting is not well done, but I like it in a folk art kind of way. I'm thinking about hanging it on a wall in the tiny (5x3) powder room just off the kitchen.

What do you think?

These Shoes...

2010-09-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

...have been walking!

You might remember this post sixteen weeks ago. Since then, they have walked an average of twelve miles a week. That's almost two hundred miles! YAY me!

Bet you think I've been losing pounds as those shoes walk me around. Don't put too much money on that wager. My pounds seem to love me too much to go away. Darn it!

Today in History

2010-09-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

from nebraskastudies.com

Today is TV Dinner Day! In 1954, Swanson introduced the TV dinner to the world. These convenient meals fulfilled the post war trend of time saving appliances and television being introduced to the American home. The first year they were on the market, Swanson sold 10 million dinners. For $.98, you could choose meatloaf, fried chicken, salisbury steak or turkey with mashed potatoes and peas. All items were served for your convenience in a divided aluminum tray. In 1987, a representative tray was placed in the Smithsonian Institution because of its impact on American culture.

I don't remember having many of these meals in our home as I was growing up, but I do remember they were the only peas Momma could get me to eat and I LOVED those mashed potatoes. Maybe salisbury steak will be on the menu at our house this week...

Information for this post was taken from about.com

YAY!! My sig is back!

Technology is Awesome!

2010-09-09T22:30:00.000-04:00

Today I had an appointment with a dental hygienist. It has been three years since I last saw a hygienist. Yes, I know, I should be smacked with some dental floss. But we moved half way across the country and it has taken us a while to reestablish all those health care providers. All is good now.

Picture taken from Vermont Dept. of Labor website.

Last time I had my teeth cleaned it took almost an hour, several sharp, metal instruments and lots of scraping. Today I was out of the chair in a little over half an hour because a laser was used to clean my teeth. It was quicker but not painless. Ouch!

from www.old-picture.com

But not OUCH! like this! These are George Washington's false teeth. Can you imagine how painful it was wearing these? I went through a lot of torture while wearing braces, but nothing like this.

photo from Smithsonian

Is it any wonder our first President looked like this in all the pictures of him?

I am not off the hook yet. In two weeks, I go back to see the hygienist and she will do a "fine scaling" - a non-threatening term for digging around under the gum line. I will probably be looking as sober as old George when they are done with me...

HEY! WHO DELETED MY SIG?

It Finally Makes Sense!

2010-09-08T22:29:00.000-04:00

Having grown up in Kansas, I have heard my share of Yellow Brick Road, Toto and Dorothy jabs. Probably about as many jabs as times I've seen the movie, "The Wizard of Oz". (And it still scares the bejesus out of me...)

So what is this revelation I had? The Wicked Witch of the West was not really a witch, but a middle age woman going through menopause. Look at the evidence...

She doesn't really have green skin. The green comes from a whole body mask she uses to provide moisture to her dry, itchy skin.
Increase in facial hair. I know you can't see it, but can anything that ugly NOT have facial hair?
Change in fingernails. Cracked and broken...
Feelings of dread, apprehension and doom. She knew her sister was going to lose those ruby slippers.
Trouble sleeping through the night, insomnia.

Come on! There wouldn't have been flying monkeys if she had not been sleep deprived.

Irritablilty and depression. What woman in her middle age wouldn't feel bitchy looking at beauty and youth?

Hot flashes and night sweats. She just felt like she was melting...

If you are not a ~~wicked witch~~ middle age woman suffering the symptoms of menopause (or as I call it, mental pause), you will probably not agree. Some day you will have a similar revelation. I know because with age come wisdom.

*I want to thank those who provided pictures for this post. Recognition should be given to each of you but I am suffering from mental confusion and mental lapses...

A Quilt Challenge

2010-08-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

In July, my quilt guild issued its members a challenge. And I am always up for a challenge.

The rules are:

1. Minimum size is 42 X 56. Can be larger but no smaller.

2. May purchase one background or border fabric or use one from your

fabric stash that is larger than a fat quarter.

3. Other fabrics must come from your stash and must come from pieces

that are less than a fat quarter.

I started two quilts for this challenge. In the end, I used the blocks for one of the quilts for the border.

I am pleased with the end product.

Sewing Pillowcases

2010-08-24T22:39:00.000-04:00

These pillowcases are so easy to make. I have made a lot of them.

They make great gifts.

I am going to make more for Christmas gifts.

While I WASN'T Blogging...

2010-08-23T23:28:00.000-04:00

...I was spending a lot of time in the studio with Suzy Singer. These are a couple of things we put together.

This little half apron has a fabric flower pin at the waist that can be removed to be worn on a jacket or sweater.

The rick rack on this apron is two inches wide. It is the widest I have ever seen.

This cute little apron was made from an old pair of blue jeans. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you will see the vintage hankie peeking out of the pocket.

There have been a lot of cute things coming out of the studio, so stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

2010-08-17T22:13:00.000-04:00

The smell of a brand new box of crayons. The squeak of new shoes. The rustle of new back packs and lunch boxes. The chatter of old friends seeing each other after a summer break. Crumpled tissues from the moms who are sending their baby to their first day of preschool/kindergarten/middle school/high school/college. It is back to school time.

I loved school. That is part of the reason I became a teacher. The first day of school is so exciting. I have been listening to my friends as they prepare their classrooms for a new group of students. It has made me melancholy.

Hey!

2010-07-27T23:06:00.000-04:00

I'm still here...

Been busy...

Suffering from blogger block...

(picture courtesy of Yahoo images)

Be back soon...

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-03T09:52:00.000-04:00

Happy 234th Birthday America!

Please be safe in your celebrations of this great country we call home.

I Should Have Chosen Yoga

2010-06-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

As I lay in bed this morning contemplating my day, I could not decide whether to walk or to do a yoga routine. Since I was getting out of bed a little later than usual, it was bound to be too hot to walk. A look at the outside temperature told me it was in the high 70's... Not too cool, but not hot enough to cause heat stroke in a walking, menopausal woman. I grabbed my hat and my walking stick and headed out.

Have I ever told you how clumsy I am? I will bump me head on a cabinet that has been in the same place since forever or I can trip over some dust on the floor. Hubs usually rolls his eyes as he asks if I am all right.

This morning I was 1.5 miles into my two mile route when ~~this huge boulder appeared out of nowhere~~ I stumbled over my own foot. Down I went. ROAD RASH!

I did not have to look around to see if anyone saw me because I was face down in the street along the curb of a fairly busy street. Everyone in town saw me, I am sure! One car slowed, but I'm sure that is because they were laughing so hard.

I can still laugh at myself. Or maybe I was laughing at Hubs as he got a bit woozy taking pictures of me. Such a light weight!

If you missed the post about why I am doing this, catch up here. Since I have been exercising regularly, I am sleeping better, have more energy and a clearer mind. Now if I could do something about my clumsiness...

Honey, I'm Home!

2010-06-17T21:41:00.001-04:00

My trip back to Kansas was great. It was so nice to see my mom, two daughters and my old friends. After ten days, I was ready to sleep in my own bed in my own home. I missed Hubs and he missed me. Little did I know he had been rather busy while I was off having fun.

When I left, my kitchen looked like this:

Notice the lovely plastic covering this wall?

My laundry space is in a corner of the kitchen under the blue, star filled ceiling with the lighting from a bare bulb.

More broken ceiling and bad lighting.

Hubs hired some child labor

and now my kitchen looks like this:

OMG! I could not believe it!

We have more work to do, so stay tuned.

PS - Is Hubs not the BEST?!

There's No Place Like Home

2010-05-30T12:30:00.021-04:00

After clicking my heels together three times,

I arrived in the Land of Ahh's.

I will be visiting family

And friends

Back to regular blogging when I return.

Cocktail Hour!

2010-05-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

Care to join me?

I'll be having a double Ducolax with a G2/Miralax chaser. All on an empty stomach.

Come on in. Make yourself at home.

You know where to find me.

I'm a Pro

2010-05-21T22:34:00.000-04:00

Last month, I made a visit to my new ob/gyn looking for relief from the annoying symptoms of menopause and believe me, all the symptoms of menopause are annoying! The prescription for mental fogginess, fatigue, insomnia and decreased sex drive is... EXERCISE. You knew she was going to tell me that, didn't you? Me too.

That was a month ago. I put the PRO in procrastination. But this morning I donned my floppy bush hat to protect my face from the sun and grabbed my walking stick so I would have something to ~~fight off all the hot guys~~ help me climb hills. Despite the groaning muscles and joints, the walk felt good.

Wait until you see me in my bicycle gear...

Awesome Art

2010-05-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

At Raleigh's Artsplosure this weekend, Hubs and I had the opportunity to experience Mirazozo, a luminarium.

Here is what it looks like from the outside.

Interesting, no?

Mirazozo is inspired by geometry and by Islamic architecture with the small domes reminiscent of the forms found in the Iranian bazaars.

Then you enter this amazing sculpture.

This color and light "show" is created by daylight shining through the colored plastic of this sculpture.

It looks like neon but is actually thin plastic created especially for Architects of Air, the designers of the luminaria. All the individual pieces have been cut and glued by hand in their workshop in England.

Here I am standing next to the section named "Tree".

I wish we had thought to bring our big camera. These photos were taken with Hubs phone.

Check out the architects' website for better photos and more info.

There were lots of artists using many different media at Artsplosure. We did not purchase anything but I collected cards of several silversmiths and jewelry makers so I can purchase from them online for Christmas. One of my favorite vendors was photographer Lorri Honeycutt. Her photos make me laugh. Lorri gave me one of her 2010 calendars and I am definitely going to purchase next year's calendar for gifts. See why I like her photos at her website.

It's Friday!

2010-05-14T17:52:00.000-04:00

Family and friends frequently remind me that it should not matter what day of the week it is since I do not work. It must be an ingrained feeling as I am always excited for the weekend. Life is just different on the weekends, don't you think?

It has been an active week here as we have a little visitor.

This little guy has gone from being a baby to being all two year old boy. He keeps his Grandma Bea and PaPa on their toes. His vocabulary is rapidly increasing. At two years old, a child should be speaking two word sentences. This week, we have frequently heard these things: "I will do it." "You just wait a minute." "Don't say that." I have had a little hand put over my mouth and been told to "Shush." He told me "abajo" (Spanish for down) when he did not like me carrying him away from the watering hose. He knows that speaking Korean at our house will get him a blank stare. And I am sure that when he says, "Goob dado do dic go", his own made up language, he is cursing at me. But as the grandma, I get to turn my head and laugh at his cheekiness.

I have not been able to work in the studio while Boogie has been visiting. This apron was a gift I made for Mother's Day.

We return our grandson home tomorrow. While in the big city, we hope to attend Artsplosure in downtown. Then we have tickets to Preakness Pints.

On Sunday, this grandma will probably spend the day in bed.

Pay Day!

2010-05-10T23:04:00.000-04:00

This is what I got last week for selling some of these...

There is great satisfaction in being paid for having fun.

Visit Helloowl to see why others are proud.

My Ta-Da List

2010-05-07T23:35:00.000-04:00

There are still many things left on my Ta-Da list, but I put a good dent in it this week.

Some cute pajama pants made from a vintage bed sheet.

A couple of bags.

Some pincushions to sell at the shop.

Please note that this is "Finished" for Friday. All of these things had been started and I finally managed to get them completed.

Some of the above items were packed in these boxes and shipped to their new homes.

Then I decided to do a little something for myself.

AHHH! Nothing like a pedicure...

"Finished for Friday" is hosted by Lit and Laundry.

My Studio

2010-05-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

This week's theme at My Place & Yours is your favorite (Or "favourite" as the lovely hostess from Down Under, Danielle, spells it.) spot in the house.

It is a big mess now as it is scattered with sewing projects, but it is MY room and MY mess. MY favourite place in the house.

Swamped

2010-04-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

My list of things to do is a mile long it seems.

Spring cleaning
Create and sew five handbags by June
Clean flower beds and plant annuals
Create and construct items to sell at the Virginia Avenue Mall.
Get out bike and yoga mat.

**Please note! I will NOT be doing yoga while riding my bike.

Hub's mom is arriving on Wednesday for a week long visit. I'm trying to plan menus and do the shopping.

Today I have an appointment to see a doctor at Duke Integrative Medicine to get relief from my "mental"pause symptoms.

One of the items I am making to sell at the Virginia Avenue Mall are reusable shopping bags. Here are some pics of ones I made to give as Christmas gifts last year.

These bags are the same size as the plastic bags you get at your grocery store because I used a Target bag as my pattern. They are super strong as each bag is lined and the bag folds up into the front pocket for easy storage. My bags are upcycled, as they are constructed from fabric purchased at yard sales and flea markets. Some of the fabric is UGGLY!

My question to you is: How much should I charge for these bags? Would you pay $3? $5? Help me out here!

I must go get ready for my doctor appointment. Can I dust the living room while I'm showering?

What was I saying?

2010-04-16T12:17:00.000-04:00

I uploaded this graphic some time yesterday. It was pertinent to what I had to say then. I left my computer to do something else. When I got back to my computer last night, I forgot what I had wanted to say in this post.

Forgetting what I was saying or doing is happening a lot lately. Hubs said it is old age. I have a sign in my studio that reads, "Age doesn't make us forgetful. Having way too many thing to remember makes us forgetful. " Personally, I think it is because I am in "mental"pause.

If you read this post, you might like to know that it has been seven weeks since I had a cigarette. BIG news! But even BIGGER news is that I have only gained two pounds! It has not been as difficult as I had anticipated to stop smoking. I think it has something to do with not remembering...

*Thanks to TZA's flickr account for the use of the graphic.

Gadgets at My Place and Yours

2010-04-06T00:21:00.000-04:00

What would our days be like without all the gadgets we use to make chores easier? Every profession, art, hobby and craft have gadgets unique to the needs of the job or pastime. There are lots of gadgets going on at Hello Owl's "My Place and Yours" this week.

Here are some of my favorite gadgets I use in sewing and quilting. There is no way I could cut fabric with precision without my rotary cutter, grid ruler and green rotary cutting mat. I heart my magnetic pin cushion. The pins just need to get close to be attached.

The wood gadget below the ruler is new and I have yet to use it. The left end of this four in one tool can be used to make perfect corners and for getting poly stuffing into tight places. On the other end is a flat ended cap for finger pressing and folding.

When the caps are removed, one end is a seam ripper and the other end is a stiletto.

This little box is quickly becoming my favorite gadget.

Nothing irritates me more than running out of bobbin thread while sewing. This little bobbin winder takes care of that.

Thanks to this week's theme queen, Susan of It's the Things That Make You Go MMMMM. Check out the other gadgets here.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T13:06:00.000-04:00

Enjoy hanging with your Peeps!

For the Birds

2010-03-30T23:57:00.000-04:00

The buffet is always open at our house.

Can you see the red bellied woodpecker?

He loves the peanut and suet covered berries.

It is mating season for the goldfinches. The males are taking their dates out to dinner for the early bird special before they head back to their nests for egg making.

BZZZ!

2010-03-29T23:39:00.000-04:00

Danielle at Hello Owl wants me to show you something I collect this week. I bet you would be surprised to see that I collect these:

There are many other bee things not pictured throughout the house and yard. When I lived in Kansas, the license plate on my car was: "BZZNBEA".

Bees are not the only thing I collect. I love vintage, antique and retro so there are many collections around our house.

Take a look at My Place and Yours to see if others collect the same thing as you.

Top Drawer

2010-03-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

This week's theme for "My Place and Yours" is Top Drawer. While I have not visited all the participants this week, those that I have visited have very organized top drawers.

A Yahoo search of top drawer produces entries for lingerie and furniture companies. Makes sense. I searched for the term "meaning of top drawer" and The Phrase Finder lists the meaning as "of the best quality; of the highest social standing." Victorian gentry kept their most valuable items in the highest drawer of a bedroom chest of drawers. The phrase was used to denote a person's social standing based on family background. Your family was either 'top drawer' or not. Sometimes Hubs will proclaim one of my meals top drawer. I guess he is saying it was a really good meal, not that the vegetables or meat were high in social standing.

The top drawer I am sharing this week is not organized nor does it contain valuable items. In every one of my homes, a top drawer in the kitchen has always been designated as The Junk Drawer. It is the drawer that holds all the stuff that only belongs in a junk drawer.

If you would like to see what some Top Drawer people keep in their Top Drawer, visit Danielle at Hello Owl.

Pure Madness

2010-03-19T13:35:00.002-04:00

It is one of my favorite times of the year!

Birds are singing, trees are budding and daffodils are blooming.

But more importantly,

The ball is bouncing!

Rock Chalk!

Spring Cleaning at My Place

2010-03-16T23:31:00.000-04:00

The calendar says spring will be here at the end of the week. I brought out the cleaning supplies including my PINK Glam Gloves to begin the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

Check out the other PINK things being shared this week at "My Place & Yours" over at Hello Owl.

MIA

2010-03-10T10:02:00.001-05:00

It has been a bit since I last posted.
This takes a while...

But since it has been TWO weeks without

And so I do not do this

I have resorted to

Thanks for the Mammaries

2010-02-26T20:27:00.000-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been quite stressful.

The Girls' annual ~~audition~~ check up warranted a call back.

Then -

Waiting...

More pictures were taken today.

Finally!

Once again this week I am joining

Click here to see what has others all a titter.

Going, Going, GONE!

2010-02-21T23:09:00.000-05:00

Some pictures taken in our backyard, Saturday, February 13.

This weekend the temperatures were in the mid-sixties with sunny, blue skies.

Daffodils have started to poke from the ground.

Knowing that spring is around the corner Makes My Monday.

Join Cheryl at Twinfatuation and find out what is exciting others.

Finished for Friday - More Bags

2010-02-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

Both bags made from fabrics from the shop.

Three new bag patterns arrived this week...

I am joining Lit and Laundry again for Finished for Friday.

My Place and Yours - Kitchen Love

2010-02-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Never in a bazillion years would I say "I love my kitchen!" Some day it will be worthy of a spread in House Beautiful. A kitchen with lots of fabulous wood cabinets, granite countertops, a farm sink, a butler's pantry, an island and all new Electrolux appliances. It will also have light! These pictures were taken mid afternoon with a flash. Until then, I do what I can to make it a place in which I do not mind working.

Don't you just love the "plastic" wall behind this counter top? It also seems to be missing a refrigerator. The refrigerator is stashed in the dining room.

I'm joining Vic and friends at Punky and Me. Click here to see what others love about their kitchen.

Vintage Thingie Thursday - Singing About a Singer

2010-02-10T17:10:00.008-05:00

When I was ten year old, my mom sat me down at her sewing machine, a Singer treadle. I learned to sew on that machine sewing the seams of shorts and shirts for my sister and myself. Since then, I have had a soft spot for Singer sewing machines. The machine I use today is a Singer I bought twenty five years ago.

When I was asked if I would be interested in purchasing this Singer, I couldn't resist. It is a Singer Touch and Sew Zig Zag Model 758. The cabinet is in excellent condition as is its matching bench.

Here she is a little closer.

Look what is under her "hood! Cams! She does more than just straight stitch and zig zag.

This is the accessory box that came with her. There are six presser feet including a general purpose foot, a straight stitch foot, a special purpose foot for ornamental stitching, a zipper foot, a button foot and a buttonhole foot. Also included are four throat plates. One for general purpose, a straight stitch plate, a chainstitch plate and a feed cover plate.

Look at all of those cams! There are nine fashion discs, the black ones. Place one of these on the disc holder to produce such stitches as an arrowhead, diamond, crescent, ball, domino and pyramid stitch. The white discs are "flexi-stitch" discs and include a feather stitch, duck stitch (It looks like little ducks swimming in a row.), Turkish hemstitch, star stitch, sunburst stitch and an overedge stretch stitch.

The seat comes off of the bench to reveal storage space.

Inside the bench I found the instruction manual in pristine condition.

And I found this! The sales receipt. It is dated May 17, 1950. At that time this entire set up cost $212. That was a lot of money back then. No wonder my mom was still using a treadle machine in the late 60's.

I know you are dying to know if she still works. Yes! I have given her a good cleaning and some oil. I am still trying to figure out the discs and have only managed to get a crescent stitch from her but have not had time to play with her much since.

Why don't you head over to Suzanne's and see what other vintage, retro and antique things others are sharing? Click here to take you there...

Vintage Thingie Thursday - Kitchen Gadgets in Green

2010-02-03T18:18:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of you out there that are going to be green with envy this week because I am sharing some of my green handled kitchen utensils.

Let's see what is inside this enamel ware basin.

Strainers

Beaters

Mashers and a whip

A sifter, Santa cookie cutter and a quarter cup scoop.

A can opener, spoon and pancake turner.

I know you linen lovers noticed the lovely vintage tablecloth underneath all the green handled items. This baby soft cotton is printed with red and yellow fruits and flowers surrounded by a border of aqua leaves.

You have got to go see what everyone else is showing this week at Coloradolady! There are some awesome antique, vintage and retro items being shown off. Click here to get started.

Vintage Thingie Thursday - Honey Pots

2010-01-27T11:44:00.009-05:00

It is time for another Vintage Thingie Thursday. If you like vintage, antique or retro you will love seeing what others have to share this week at Suzanne's Coloradolady.

If you have been around VTT for a while, you know of my collection of bees. You can see that collection here and here.

Christmas brought many items to add to my collection. It seemed there was a theme. I received all these honey pots.

I love the green of this one.

This one would not hold much honey.

And he looks terribly mad about it.

My mom sent me this one. She found it at a garage sale for ten cents. It did not bother me a bit that she found my Christmas present at a garage sale. It is the only one that has a dipper with it.

This one has to be my favorite. Look at the crazing on it. Yes, it has been cracked, but that just adds to its charm. It does not have a dipper but a ceramic spoon.

To see other vintage things, click on the Vintage Thingie Thursday button at the top of this post.

Finished for Friday - HURRAH!

2010-01-21T22:08:00.014-05:00

Say it like a Marine...WHO-RAH!

After several weeks of the inability to muster up the energy to get anything done, I am so pleased with my accomplishments this week. After getting the Christmas stuff put away last week, I was ready to get our house back in order. I am ashamed to admit that it had not been cleaned since December 23. EGAD! Almost an entire month of dust and dirt! Tonight, the house is clean and every thing is back where it belongs. Laundry is done as well.

I rearranged my studio as I needed to make room for a "new" sewing machine.

While I was rearranging, I decided something needed to be done with my fabric stash.

All the fabric was put into piles according to color...

...then repacked into plastic totes.

All of these bits and pieces of fabric were gathered from hither and yon and now have a plastic tote of their own.

Another accomplishment this week was filling out adoption applications with two boxer rescue groups. The first step in finding a sister for these two. Rough life, eh?

Since I've worked so hard this week, I think I need a reward. Tomorrow I am heading to the "big" city. I will do some thrift shopping and some major smooching on these little cheeks.

Next week? We've got some packing to do as we will be heading to Milwaukee next Friday.

Milwaukee in January? Are you crazy?!

Yes, we are! Crazy about this little guy who will turn two next Friday.

What have you accomplished this week? Big or small, share it with us at Lit and Laundry.

Vintage Thingies Thursday - Aunt Grace's Nutmeg Grinder

2010-01-20T18:29:00.007-05:00

It has been such a long time since I joined all my vintage loving friends at VTT. It is good to be back.

My mom lovingly packed this sweet grinder in a box she sent for Christmas. It was her Aunt Grace's. She knew I would love it and take care of it.

I have never seen one with a top like this. Be sure to click on the photos so you can get a better look.

After grinding your spices, you can use the top to measure the amount needed for your recipe.

After you measure your spice, you can open the top to make pouring easier.

Want to see more vintage, retro or antiques? Check out what all my friends are sharing at Suzanne's place, Coloradolady.

New Moon TUSAL

2010-01-16T15:11:00.006-05:00

Last year, I started collecting bits and pieces of thread and fabric to play along with Yoyo and friends at Dragon My Needle. While my cups (or jars) runnethed over with these bits, I didn't post pictures on the new moon as was requested. I am participating again this year and have resolved to post at least six months this year.

These jars were empty on January 1. The jar on the left is the one that sits by my recliner in the living room. It will hold orts from my embroidery and items I will be hand stitching. Right now it is filled with bits of thread from a quilt I started machine quilting. I was not happy with the results I was getting, so I am removing the stitching.

The large middle jar sits in my studio and is where I put tiny bits of fabric as I trim seams and corners or cut off selvages.

The jar on the right is the one that sits near my sewing machine. It gets all the thread from the beginning or end of seams. When I change my sewing machine needle, I drop it in this jar. Since I am not one to always pull out the pins before I sew over them, I place bent straight pins in there too. When I empty a spool of thread, it gets thrown in this jar. I love the clink it makes as it hits the side of the jar on its way to nestle in the bed of thread.

The next new moon is on Valentine's Day. Check back then to see the progress of my Totally Useless Stitch Along.

Finished ON Friday - Holiday Decorating...

2010-01-15T21:40:00.006-05:00

...or maybe I should say Holiday UN-decorating.

It has been a real struggle for me this week. Last night I decided I just needed to push through the blue funk that has been surrounding me for the last couple of weeks. I decided that if I got the Christmas decorations put away, I would feel better.

This is what my dining room looked like this morning.

This is what it looks like now.

Where did all that stuff go? Back in the TEN plastic totes where they belong eleven months of the year. All of these totes are stuffed.

Please! Someone tell me they have as much, if not more Christmas decorations. Shortly after taking this picture, Hubs put his muscles to work and carried all these boxes to the garage. Some time next week, we will move them to the loft in the garage.

It was a beautiful day here today with lots of warm sunshine. I made sure to get outside to soak up some yellow light. It seems the blue has disappeared.

Have you managed to accomplish something this week - big or small? Tell us about it at "Finished for Friday" at Lit and Literature. Threeundertwo is our host and she has a new look. Check it out!

May you have a productive weekend!

More Bags Made for Christmas

2010-01-12T21:29:00.007-05:00

Last week I posted about some bags I made for my friend's quilt shop. They are getting a lot of "talk" from customers. If you missed that post, you can see it here.

This is a little bag I made for daughter in law for Christmas. It is a small bag to use when a woman only needs her cell phone, an ID and a lipstick. The name of this bag is "Runaround" and it is a Lazy Girl design. Check out more of their designs here. There is a zipper in this bag, but those Lazy Girls have a very easy method for sewing in zippers. It is as easy as sewing two seams...REALLY!

Below is the first X bag I made. I was disappointed that this bag did not turn out like I thought it should. The pictures on the pattern do not show you that the other side of the bag is opposite. If this bag is turned around, the bag would be the turquoise fabric and the strap would be black...not the look I wanted. Being pressed for time, I sent it to daughter anyway and told her I would redo it. Bless her heart! She said she likes it this way and there was no need to redo it.

After I had the pattern figured out, the next one came together just as I wanted. The outside of the next bag is all black and the lining is pearly pink.

The X bag is from Four Corners Designs.

What am I working on now? Stay tuned...