Monday, April 29, 2013

Registering for wedding gifts.......what an experience!

Yesterday my daughter, her mother in law and myself went to register her for gifts.
It was an all afternoon event! Three stores in all. The first two were pleasant experiences. We were going thru the stores joking and enjoying ourselves. The experience changed when we entered the last store.........
Bed Bath and Beyond is a popular place for registries. Everyone seems to like it.
I personally will never even set foot in one of their stores again, much less buy anything. The consultant was pushy. She said she didn't work on commission........well in all my years of being a consumer I've not met a commissioned salesman that was more pushy!
She was downright rude! When I "disagreed" with her on her selection of pots and pans that dd should choose it was tense. I finally asked her how much she cooked. It was an honest question.....I cook 3x a day for up to 8 people. I help cook at church for weekly meals. I cooked turkey at Thanksgiving for 160 people. I cook... a lot. So yes I have an opinion on cookware. She was apparently offended that anyone would disagree with her.
She proceeded to pull my daughter aside and tell her "she understood how stressful it was to do this with your mother and mil and she would be glad to reschedule her to come alone"......oh really! She was the one who made it stressful!
She finally left us alone and the stress level went down. I did file a complaint with the company. I will never shop there again, and I will tell everyone I know about our experience.
Oh and my daughter thanked me and her mil for going with her when it was all over. 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Not much going on this week...

It is quiet here this week. The only big thing happening is dd got her license. That's big! She has made her first solo trip out alone too. Talk about a nervous mama the whole time she was gone!

On other fronts I am working on redoing our back deck. It has tons of junk the kids have pulled out all winter and left there, leaves, and bones the dogs have "buried" in the leaves. It truly is a sad neglected place all winter.

Spring is here though and I have dreams of dragging a treadle out there and sewing while the bees buzz all around my head.....(ok I am doubting my sanity some due to those bees).

I'm finally going to sand and repaint that fabulous outdoor set that belonged to my Grandparents. Remember these? I have two chairs that go with it also.

http://vintageindie.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/02/vintageglider_teal.jpg

I'm trying to decide what color to paint them......something bright I think......maybe red?

Then I will need some thin cushions for them. A good project to work on with the treadle while sitting out there I think.
Oh and my indoor plants need to go out there too. Dappled light coming through the big oak tree leaves, comfy chairs to sit in, plants all around.....and a treadle to sit and sew at.......sounds inviting right? Of course the treadle will be taken in nightly.
Maybe a radio on with soft music......sounds ideal doesn't it? Best part is I don't see traffic or other people from my back deck! I will post some pics when I get it all done.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

It's the simple things in life.....

that make me happy. I've learned that over the years. I don't need fancy cars or a big house. I don't need lots of jewelry or extravagant furnishings.
Instead just give me simple......a treadle sewing machine fulfills all my needs and is soothing. A nice summer day with a breeze blowing and windows open, a quilt to snuggle up under at night, the sound of the kids laughing and playing, birds singing.

I think I am just an old soul really. I've tried "keeping up with the Jones's" and honestly it about killed me.
Give me simple, give me "old fashioned", and just let me be. I don't want new.....I don't want modern. I don't want a schedule slam full of events. I don't want every new gadget out there. I actually like staying home.....

Yes I do like some modern conveniences, like the computer, I like cell phones when the kids drive and head out on their own. But most of modern technology just escapes me...not because I can't understand it.....I am fluent at dual booting operating systems on computers and cleaning them of viruses, but because I simply don't want to!

I often wonder if I am the only person in the world like this. Then I find another kindred soul....usually online, and know I am not alone!

My goal this summer is to reclaim my back deck. To reconnect with the great outdoors. I start with cleaning it and moving hubby's tools out of sight. Then a gate to keep dogs and chickens off it when I want.
Then, plants......it needs flowers. I will plant hydrangeas around the railing.  I will bring houseplants out there. I will set up a table we can eat on more often, the grill will turn into a "summer kitchen" and last but most definitely not least, I will bring a treadle out there! I will set me up an area where I can sit and treadle away all summer! The kids can play in the pool and I can enjoy listening to them being happy. Ooh and my grandparents glider will get a new coat of paint and cushions.

Now doesn't that sound inviting? A nice little area to sit and relax with a glass of sweet, iced tea, and maybe sew a little?

You can't get much more simple than that! Oh no radio and no phone allowed!

Pictures will follow ........


Monday, April 8, 2013

I LOVE Spring!!

and there are signs of it everywhere! I spent a few hours outside today. Took down the shutters on the old part of the house so it matches the addition. They were falling to pieces anyway. Now to get a pressure washer and clean the old siding and paint the eaves. I did get a lilac bush and a hydrangea planted today. I so hope they do well! If so my whole front little bed will be filled with flowering plants. My butterfly bush always does wonderful.
Oh and my little shrubs I got at Tractor Supply last year have taken off! Now if only I could remember what they are!

There are two of these and this one in between them I'm pretty sure will bloom yellow.





I think this is Chamomile I planted last year...either that or German Thyme. Either one works for me!




and last but not least my Rosemary bush...isn't it just beautiful? I love the smell of it!


Now if I can just get my garden planted!!

Lazy Sunday afternoon......

well after prom dress shopping for youngest dd it was! We luckily found a dress at the first place we went and were home by 3pm.

So this is what I did all afternoon. I could've worked on oldest dd's quilt but I will have all day Tuesday to do that so decided to get a start on the next dd's quilt.

With two getting married this year I'm a busy momma! One eloped and the next one is in August but the one that eloped now wants a small ceremony for family.
 Daughter number two and the new sil want their quilt in greens....traditional style. So I've been looking trying to find a pattern that spoke to me......"I am their quilt!" I found it this past week.

This is their future quilt...............just one block drawn out. It will finish at 14 inches so I think about 36 of them will make a nice size quilt once I add borders.

 These will be the colors...

Lots of greens....these are poison greens repro fabrics and I need to find a blue....the crayon I used is called Prussian Blue. Maybe I will take it with me fabric shopping!

And last but not least progress on oldest dd's quilt.....I'm calling it Tropical Surprise for now.....it's from a pattern in the Jan/Feb  Fons and Porter Love of Quilting magazine and called Triangle Surprise.
I have more blocks done but not on the wall yet.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Mornings......

It's still quiet here.....for a few moments at least. I need to get the kids up and moving. I need more coffee! I woke up this morning before the alarm clock and  as I laid there listening to the quiet....what a glorious sound that was, I wished someone would would bring my coffee to me.
Dh has been gone way too much lately and I've woken up by myself every morning. I miss mornings where we could sleep in just a bit and wake up together.
There are days too where I wish I didn't have to be so self reliant.......every once in awhile I'd like to be pampered too.
Ah well, enough self pity!
On the agenda today......church, home for lunch, and then prom dress shopping with my youngest daughter. Where oh where has the time gone? I'll post pics of her dress later!
Maybe, just maybe I can sew this evening.



What I'm so looking forward to this summer!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

On the agenda today.....

it will be a busy day! I have to take my daughter to work and then pick up milk, then home for several hours.
While I'm home I'd like to try my hand at making Orange Curd.....like Lemon Curd just from oranges. It sounds yummy and I have oranges and eggs....oh my do I have eggs!
We're getting close to two dozen a day right now. I never thought I'd see the day when we had more eggs than we could eat! We can eat a LOT!
Then there's bread dough rising in the fridge that will need to be baked. I LOVE being home and getting to do these kind of things!
Oh and I'm going to try freezing some of this abundance of eggs. I've been told this is a good way to save them.....I may even pickle some. Pickled eggs sound yummy and I've never even had one! I need to rectify that.

And just to add a picture here is Miss Daisy........having a catnip treat. she is hilarious when it comes to her catnip!
Seconds after I took this one she literally sprayed dd with a catnip sneeze!

Homemade Yogurt!

Oh this is just yummy goodness in a jar! A mason jar! I have a thing for mason jars lol.
Tuesday I made yogurt from fresh raw milk. My mouth thinks it has died and gone to heaven. The kids love it.
From one gallon of milk I got 5 quarts of yogurt, two plain, two vanilla, and a maple.
The maple is divine with granola for breakfast.
The part that really got my attention though is the cost. I thought that I would be spending more per quart of yogurt than if I bought it. I did the math and would you believe that my yogurt made with raw milk is only twenty cents more than the cheapest store brand? If you compare it to the organic the savings is astronomical!
One of my daughters cannot eat store bought yogurt. We're not sure if it's the lowfat aspect or the sweeteners they use. But she is miserable every single time she eats any. She can eat my yogurt without issues!
It's super easy too. I have looked at recipes and blogs of people making yogurt for years and every single time I came to the part about measuring the temp and then wrapping it I gave up.
Then I found this site..
http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/06/homemade-yogurt-in-the-crock-pot.html

Talk about easy! So now I am happily making yogurt I feel good about feeding my kids! No extra preservatives or chemicals at all. Just milk, sugar, and some yogurt added. I did buy some organic yogurt to start my culture but the next batch should be made using my yogurt and then the cost will drop even more!

And here's my yogurt in the fridge.....in my mason jars!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Small blog link-up

Are you a small blog? This sounds like fun!


http://lilysquilts.blogspot.com/2013/04/fresh-sewing-day-and-small-blog-meet.html

Now to remember how to add that button!

Pure relaxation!



And oooh boy did I need it! This past weekend....Easter weekend.....was crazy!
We found out that our soon to be 22yo daughter had eloped........three weeks earlier! Yep, you read that right....3 weeks ago.

Talk about a shock to the whole family.....Sunday it really hit me hard and I was just out of sorts and grumpy.

Monday though life had to continue...the girls had Student Council. That's a two hour event so I always take something with me to do. The boys have fun running around and playing with friends and acting like wild people for those two hours.

The sun was shining, there was a small breeze, and the temp was close to 70. I pulled out my truck blanket and set up in the bed of the truck. Yes I am a true redneck girl.....just give me my truck and I can entertain myself for hours! lol!

I've finally decided on a pattern for the hexies. I saw a quilt similar to this online and loved it. So here's what mine will look like eventually....
there will be small diamonds between the flowers.
It may take me 10 years to finish it but one day....

Oh and I got myself a present, to cheer myself up. I've been drooling over these for ages now. I just love vintage sewing items! Every once in awhile I look at new machines and think one would be nice for a few seconds and then I think nah....my vintage machines do everything I need.
This is going beside the couch where I sit to watch tv. Then all my things are together in one place and hopefully the kids won't be "borrowing" anything! 
My sweet hubby doesn't mind me quilting a bit if I throw the quilt over him and snuggle up a little while quilting!