First Post

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. 

Cooking Like a Pioneer Woman

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...

Hey!

I'm still here...

Been busy...

Suffering from blogger block...

(picture courtesy of Yahoo images)

Be back soon...

Tuesday Tidbits - Studio Redone and Another Prize

It was called to my attention that I had not shared the efforts of the redecorating of my studio. Here are some pictures of the before. The wall color was actually darker than in these pictures. Truly a dreary place.
Notice the bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. Lovely ambiance.
Now the redone room. A bright, cheery room in which to sew, craft or work at my desk.

It is so nice in this room now, Ashley is always hanging with me.

No more bare bulb. Instead, a ceiling fan.

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Julie of Jane's Apron had a giveaway. I love blog giveaways. She created a zippered pouch from a place mat. How cool is that? If you are interested in how to make this pouch, go here for a tutorial. It is really simple.

She filled the bag with some wonderful goodies.



Julie has a cool shop on Etsy. Check out the items she has to sell here.

Thanks for a great giveaway, Julie.

Tuesday Tidbits - Bumblebee and Award

It rained almost every day while we were in Kansas. Since returning, the temperatures have been cool to down right COLD last night. Our heat kicked on. The wet and cool weather has been great for all the things growing in our yard.

Last summer, Hubs gave me another "bee" gift. He gave me two iris rhizomes and said they were Bumblebee iris. They went in the ground with a lot of other bulbs and rhizomes last fall. While on a walk around the yard this weekend, I was delighted to find this bloom.

It was a tiny bloom and didn't last but a couple of days. The lower petals are a dark purple. Wish I had an entire bouquet of them.

My blog was visited by Annie of "Annie's Home" and she gave me this award.

Thank you, Annie!

The rules for accepting this award are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This was the perfect challenge for me as I have been wanting to do a little traveling around the blogsphere to see some new sites. These are some of the places I landed and really enjoyed while visiting. Check them out as you may find some one new to read.

Anna @ Boogers, Bibs, Books & Bubbles
Michele @ Country Vintage
Whoopsiedaisiesgal @ Whoopsie Daisies Days
Julie Thompson @ Jane's Apron
Cammy @ Freckled Farm
Pat @ Back Porch Musings
Dana and Daisy @ A Cat in My Lap
Jemm @ Jemm in the Flint Hills
Bella Della @ Bella Della Farm
Big Hair Envy @ Big Hair Envy
Busy Bee Suz @ Day by Day...My Life as a Busy Bee
Karen @ Karen's Korner
If Sew: @ If Sew:
Jenny B @ Allsorts
Nanette @ Freda's Hive

Tagged!

While I was away, Elizabeth tagged me on her blog, "Thoughts from an Evil Overlord". She asked me to tell eight things about myself.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

1. September beach vacation with all the children and grandchildren.
2. Summer visits from family and friends.
3. Getting front porch completed.
4. Getting back to work in my studio.
5. Fiftieth birthday.
6. Day trips to the beach.
7. Visiting grandson in Milwaukee.
8. Weekend with Boogie.

8 things I did yesterday:

1. Planted annuals.
2. Planted two grape tomato plants in my Topsy Turvy that daughter gave me for Mother’s Day.
3. Picked up mail at post office.
4. Went to local flea market and bought a vintage dresser scarf and a vintage tea towel. $1 each.
5. Stopped at neighbor’s yard sale. Bought four old medicine bottles, a vintage clover seed bag and a vintage sugar bag.
6. Visited with Miss Ellen, our dear neighbor.
7. Posted to my blog.
8. Worked on an embroidery piece.

8 things I wish I could do:

1. Tap dance really well.
2. Be in two places at once.
3. Twitch my nose like Samantha of “Bewitched” and the house would be dusted and vacuumed.
4. Talk to my Grandma Lawhon.
5. Read the thoughts of our dogs.
6. Sleep all night.
7. Upholstery furniture.
8. Not look so much like my sister.

8 shows I watch on television:

1. Criminal Minds
2. Numb3rs
3. The Mentalist
4. Big Bang Theory
5. Survivor
6. The Tonight Show
   
7. Flashpoint
8. CSI – all of them

The eight people I have tagged are all bloggers that I read faithfully and would like to get to know better. They are:

CC of "Lace 'n' Ribbon Roses"
Patty of "Pip Stitch"
Threeundertwo of "Lit and Laundry"
Rosie of "Reading Rosie"
Dawn of "It Just Dawned on Me"
Miri of "Milk and Honey Quilts"
SueLovesCherries of "My Secret Garden"
Roslyn of "Ros-the-quilter"

Check out these ladies and their blogs.