The Cotton Patch

MISSING IN ACTION

2010-09-15T09:02:00.004-05:00

I've been missing in action for quite some time. Thought I might catch you up and let you know why. It's been a WONDERFUL summer.....much time at the pool with children, grandchildren, and just husband and me :) It has been so nice to have the kitchen area and bathroom out at the poolhouse so we wouldn't have to come in unless we wanted. There's even a TV hanging on the wall now......that's for my sweet husband.....however, I am enjoying it too. I know that swimming for this year is coming to a close. The water temperature is dropping but we're enjoying it while we can. NOW....the main reason I've been absent from the blog is I'm about to open my own business. I have wanted to do this for years, but never felt that I should until a few months ago. After praying for quite some time I know that God has opened the door and I had to decide whether to walk through. Oh, sure I wanted a big neon sign to appear with the wording...."Open that business.....this is God".....but it didn't. However, I know that He has spoken to me in too many ways to ignore. The business will open October 19th and I'll sell Children's, Heirloom, and Quilting Fabrics, sewing supplies, and gifts. There will be classes taught also.The name is "SEW CLOSE TO HOME". Isn't that neat? My sweet daughter came up with the name because she has heard me say many times that I wish I had some place close to home to buy fabrics, etc. I will post here occasionally to let you know how things are going. My inventory is beginning to arrive and I'm so excited. We're working on the building and it will be ready to move in soon. Right now my dining room looks like a storm has hit. If you have a Facebook page you can visit me there.....it's Sew Close To Home.

GARDEN KEEPS ME BUSY

2010-07-10T14:24:00.002-05:00

Guess what I've been doing? Picking, shelling, cutting up, freezing, pickling, and canning. We have truly been blessed with a beautiful garden this year. I've canned tomatoes, canned salsa, green beans, peas,okra, green tomatoes, pepper sauce, and pickles. My fingers were so tired last night from shelling peas, but these are my favorite thing to eat so I didn't complain too much.

I tried a new recipe from another blog for canning salsa. It took quite some time cutting up peppers, onions, and chopping the tomatoes with the other spices but it really is good. I think it's worth the trouble. I might even attempt to make another making later on if my tomatoes continue to produce. If you've never tried canning okra it is so worth it. I used to try freezing it to fry later but never really liked the way it tasted or looked. Once I started canning the okra I have fried okra throughout the winter months and it is 'almost' as good as fresh from the garden. Gardening is hard but something I enjoy so much.

FAMILY FUN

2010-07-04T21:21:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago we had no plans to leave home for the 4th of July holiday.......however....we received a very special invitation from our precious granddaughters that we couldn't refuse. So.....Granddaddy & I.....along with our daughter, her husband, and three sons spent this weekend in Louisiana with our son and his family. We had SO MUCH fun and the weekend passed too fast. Saturday was spent on the lake in front of their house riding in their boat, tubing, and swimming in the lake. The picture above is Griffin as he is about to tube in the lake.

Shawn, Amy, and Zack are enjoying the boat ride.

Granddaddy had fun tubing and it was my turn next. He hit a wave and off he came which made me decide that I enjoyed riding in the boat too much to get in the water.

Late Saturday afternoon, Randy & Kim (our son's in-laws) took us out on the river in their party boat. We spent 4 hours riding, eating, looking at BEAUTIFUL homes along the river, and spotting alligators later that night.

The kids are all watching for gators and seeing the fish as they jumped out of the water. The weekend was spent with people we love and this will be one of our favorite 4th's to remember. Thanks Amy & Chris (and Randy & Kim) for a great time!

PUBLIX TRIP

2010-06-22T21:06:00.003-05:00

I made a quick trip to Publix after work today before the new sale begins tomorrow. I had coupons for everything other than the bag of potatoes and onions. If you notice I bought 2 pints of Star Bucks Ice Cream, 6 John Frieda Hair products, Bengay, 6 Eggo Waffles, 6 SoBe Waters, 2 Baily's Creamers, bag of potatoes, bag of onions. Look below at my savings and out of pocket money .................

I saved $73.49 and only spent $10.35 out of pocket for all these items. Tell me that couponing is not worth it!!!!!

THIS FATHER'S JOY

2010-06-21T06:44:00.004-05:00

"Children's children are a crown to the aged" Proverbs 17: 6a

How true!! See these six "crowns" above? They bring us so much joy. Yesterday was Father's Day and we spent the afternoon by the pool. After church we stopped by KFC and bought a bucket of chicken and sides to make it easy on this mom. By the time we got home the three boys above were already in the pool with their dad, but we had no trouble getting them out to eat. Having the three girls here would have made it even better. However, we did spend some time with them a few weeks ago. After swimming most of the afternoon, our daughter and her family left and it was just us. It sure was quiet, but we both spent time expressing how blessed we are. Children (and grandchildren) are a blessing. Hope your day was wonderful too!

CRAWFISH BOIL

2010-06-02T10:45:00.003-05:00

See this yummy crawfish/boiled potatoes, corn, smoked sausage, mushrooms, etc.? Our son and his family brought crawfish when they came up this week and he did a crawfish boil for some of his high school friends and their families last night.

Here's the chef. I caught him with his mouth full.
The highlight of the night for the little kids was the slide. It was SO SCARY from the top....but with "swimmys" & tubes.....they mastered the slide. This is Mattson about to hit the water.

So many of the guys have children about the same age. Ella, Taylor, Maddie, Mattson, & Griffin are having a little chat.

The best behaved little ladies of the night were Sophie & Natalee. No trouble at all.....didn't have to worry about them jumping in the pool.

I loved seeing the guys together again and hearing them talk about their days back in school. SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!

BEAUTY IN BLOOM

2010-05-18T17:45:00.004-05:00

As you look around our yard you see flowers in full bloom. The hanging basket above is a geranium that has so many blooms until I'm afraid they are about to break. It hangs between two pots of white petunias.

This is one of the beds at the corner of the pool area. It has just an assortment of flowers. The red ones above have been transplanted several times and originally came from my mother's yard.

I believe the white petunias might be my favorite right now. They are loaded with blooms and will continue throughout the summer as long as I pull the dead blooms off daily. I've always had colored petunias but love the white ones. These baskets are hanging on my side porch by the pool. It's nice to see all the beautiful colors as all of my flowers are blooming now.

TODAY

2010-05-13T20:29:00.003-05:00

Today was a beautiful day and this is what you found us doing after the boys got home from school. There was no baseball games tonight so all three headed over to our house and we had a great time. Griffin is about to do a cannonball, but my camera skills are not too good. As you can tell I snapped the picture too quickly.

I did much better taking this one of Keith. Maybe it's because he jumped higher in the air.

I got Zack just as he was hitting the water. Granddaddy & Gigi had a good time with the boys in the pool. I already know that we will spend most of our time this summer right here.

MOTHER'S DAY

2010-05-07T12:18:00.002-05:00

Sunday is Mother's Day......such a special day. I remember 1996 and dreading this day. It was the first Mother's Day without my mother. It was so difficult sitting in church that day knowing that there would not be a visit that afternoon with my mother. When I sat down after praise and worship there was a card on top of my Bible from a sweet lady in church. It just said that she was thinking about me today. Hope she knows what that meant to me. Mother's Day is much easier for me now. Sure I still miss my sweet mother so much. There are days when I want to pick up the phone and talk to her and almost find myself reaching for the phone. Then I am reminded that she is in a much better place. I am so thankful for precious memories and the things she taught me. I am also very grateful for the gift of my children. Being a mother has definitely been the greatest joy in the world. I thank God for my children and grandchildren. Mother's Day is a time that I can now celebrate having a daughter AND daughter-in-law who are wonderful mothers. These two have given me six precious grandchildren. I will be wishing both of these young mothers a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. I love you both...... Amy (my daughter) and Amy (my daughter-in-law).

I'M ADDICTED

2010-04-30T15:21:00.002-05:00

I have an addiction....just got hooked this week.....I'm going to blame my daughter.....It's her fault......She took me with her on a trip last Saturday night.....That's all it took.....I've been hooked ever since. I've tried couponing before but was never organized enough I guess. I also couldn't see any good in buying an item I didn't use.....that is...until last Saturday night. She educated me on Walgreen's and CVS sales and their reward bucks. That was either a mistake....or the best thing that could have happened. I have spent this week searching for coupons and visiting other blogs that are experts at shopping at these two stores. In fact, some will even give you exactly what to buy and what coupons to use. You have to know that you can't buy it all in one transaction to get the most "bucks" back. Patience is necessary in this addiction....but it does pay off. I have been to CVS & Walgreens a couple of times this week and never spent much out of pocket. Today I visited Walgreens and CVS and got all the items pictured above. My out of pocket cost was $12.38 and I got $9.00 back in Reward Bucks to spend at Walgreens. I am so excited. It's so much fun looking for ways to save!

READY TO SWIM

2010-04-25T21:08:00.003-05:00

We are ALMOST finished with our pool house and I can hardly wait to get in the pool. It was such a pretty day today, and I was so tempted to get in but the water is still just a little too cold for me. My husband and son-in-law have the pool house within days of completion. All we really like is plug covers and the bathroom fixtures to be installed. I have a feeling we will spend most of the summer right here.

This is our view from under the pool house.

If you notice you will see my cat has already claimed his spot. Two of our grandsons have already been been swimming. I think we will be joining them in a week or so!

SWEET WEEKEND

2010-04-20T19:13:00.003-05:00

We had a SWEET weekend. We spent Thursday, Friday, and some of Saturday with our son and his family in Louisiana. While there we saw several places that was selling strawberries and decided to buy some on our way home. They had the car smelling like berries by the time we got home. After eating a few/many and making a delicious strawberry cobbler, I made 12 jars of strawberry jam.

It was indeed a sweet visit.....not only the delicious strawberries, but loving on three precious little girls.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SPRING

2010-04-09T12:21:00.002-05:00

........Planting Flowers

........Longer Days

........Warmer Days

........Flip Flops

........Irises

........Having my windows open

........Dogwoods blooming

........Smell of freshly mowed grass

.......Grilling & Eating outside

........Hummingbirds

........Ferns hanging on my porch

What do you like best about spring????

EASTER WEEKEND

2010-04-04T20:53:00.002-05:00

We had a BUSY weekend. It started yesterday morning with the annual Easter Egg Hunt our church sponsors. Above you see a small area with eggs everywhere. We hid 8,500 eggs this year. Actually, there was no way to hide this many eggs so most of the area was covered with eggs. The weather wasn't as nice as we had hoped, but everyone had a great time, even with a some raindrops falling.

This was one section of the gym prior to the egg hunt. Our children's pastor told the real story of Easter and then we dismissed for space bounces, face painting, hotdogs, drinks, and eggs.

After church today our family went to my husband's brother's home for food and hiding eggs again. Above you see Keith & Griffin looking through their eggs for money. Our neighbor fills eggs with money and the kids throw the eggs stuffed with candy aside as they look for coins and dollar bills.

This is my daughter and her family. Our son and his family were not able to come home, but hopefully we'll see them soon.

Notice my pictures are in no certain order. This picture shows some of the adults holding the kids back before the start of the egg hunt. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time with those who mean so much to us. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter.

SHOES MADE FOR WORKING

2010-03-19T07:36:00.003-05:00

I really like spring because I enjoy working outside. Yes, I really enjoy the dirt and planting flowers and watch them as they grow. Yesterday I received the BEST surprise from my neighbor. Look at these CUTE shoes. Do you not love them??? They are so comfortable and all you have to do is just hose them off. I love them so much that I have them on a work today.....it's casual day. Thank you so much, Sally. You really know when I need a "pick me up".

EGGS EVERYWHERE

2010-03-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

You are looking at 5,449 eggs that have already been stuffed with candy or a small toy. There's also large prizes in the office. We still have MANY eggs to stuff before April 3rd. That is when our church will have their annual Easter Egg Hunt. We always have about 400 children from the community and it's really so much fun. There'll be several space bounces, face painting, food, and prizes to be given away.

Here's Angie.....she is in charge of this large event. She is surrounded by cases of juice, plastic eggs, and candy. This is what you will find her doing most of the day this week. I leave my desk to sit down to help and the phone always rings at that time. We've had so much fun as we get ready for this event.

WELCOMING SPRING

2010-03-13T13:33:00.002-06:00

Look what is welcoming spring at my house. It was time to dress the bunny for the holiday so last night I made a stop at the thrift store to buy an Easter outfit. I got the dress & hat for a total of $2.48. I love to look there for Bunny's clothes since they can't be saved because of being out in the weather for several weeks. The bunny is to the right of my sidewalk as we come up to the house. Today is windy and cool, but it's not raining so I enjoyed getting her all dressed. I'll be putting other spring decorations out this week too.

REMEMBERING AUNT ROSIE

2010-03-09T17:08:00.003-06:00

It becomes easy to come home from work and prepare a "quick" supper....especially when you have a husband who never complains about a meal. Many time it is he who will say, "Don't cook a big meal....I'm fine with ____". He had a men's meeting at church last night (they always have a meal at their meetings) and I told him that I was ready for some country cooking. Actually I said, "I'm like Aunt Rosie. I want something boiled." My aunt was 93 years old when she went to heaven, but at age 92 she would cook cornbread and vegetables several times a week. I can hear her say that she got tired of eating sandwiches....."I need something boiled." Guess that's me today. I wanted something that took a little more time to prepare, but delicious......so it's country fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, field peas, and turnip greens. Aunt Rosie....you would be proud. I wish you were here to enjoy them with us.

I WON

2010-03-02T20:41:00.002-06:00

I am so excited because I was the winner of this beautiful necklace that Shannon was giving away. You can see where she is getting this piece of jewelry and visit that blog also. I had no idea that I even had a chance to win....especially when I saw that over 200 people had entered. This goes to show that you should visit blogs and enter their giveaways. You will love Shannon's blog. She is so creative and is expecting a little boy soon. Her nursery is just precious. Leave her a comment and tell her that I sent you.

WHAT WE DID

2010-02-28T18:11:00.004-06:00

Last week my husband and I spent several days keeping our granddaughters while their mom and dad were out of town. We had such a good time and I wanted to share some of the fun we had with you. There are many pictures but you will be able to see just how much fun two grandparents can have with three special little girls.

The older girls had school (and preschool) during the day. Below you will see Breanna as she was ready to catch the bus.

Here's Maddie all ready for preschool. Wish you could see her pink boots she has on.

Granddaddy is getting some good lovin' from Emma. She loves her Granddaddy!

This next picture may tell just why she loves him so.......I was folding clothes and had the girls panties all folded. Emma gets two pair and puts one on Granddaddy's head and another pair on her head. (This picture was made before she discovered how to put them on her head). I told Granddaddy that this picture would be on my blog....don't know if he believed me.

The girls also played "beauty shop" and they each fixed Gigi's hair.

We traced each others hands......over and over and over and over!

Granddaddy stayed in the floor most of the time doing whatever Emma wanted. This is a picture of her telling him they needed to do the puzzle AGAIN.

Emma playing with her toys.

And.........the first thing every morning we played with the cat.

The week was great. It's so much fun being grandparents.

THIS IS IT!!

2010-02-19T18:01:00.002-06:00

I have been searching for a homemade bread recipe that tastes like one I had years ago and I finally found it!!! THIS IS IT!!! I remember buying this bread from a sweet lady who sold it for missions at her church. I'll admit that I have tried numerous recipes and none have come close. However, this past week I found a recipe while reading a blog that I enjoy. You must go to The Maddox Family blog and you'll be a regular visitor. I saw her original post earlier in the week and didn't quite understand so I left her a comment with a question. She did another post to make sure those like me had the directions down pat. I will give you the recipe, but when you visit her you will see pictures of each step. I promise you will love it. I have made 6 loaves (since Wednesday) and only given away 3 of them. Add it up.....that means we have 3 for my husband and myself!! I'll also give you the recipe for some DELICIOUS Honey Butter that you will love.

This is a slice of hot bread with the honey butter on it. Oh, my goodness.....THIS IS THE ONE!!!

Mrs. Linda's Bread Recipe:

Starter: 2 cups warm water, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 1/4 tsp. yeast, 3 Tbl. instant potato flakes (not flavored). Put in quart mason jar with little holes in the lid and let stand in a warm place for 8 hrs.

Dough: 6 cups bread flour, 1 Tbl. salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 1/2 cups starter. Mix and cover with a towel to rise for 6 - 8 hrs.

Punch bread down and divide into 3 greased bread pans. Let rise 6 - 8 hrs.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. DELICIOUS!!!!

By the way....it's ok if you go over the 8 hrs. by a little. I let mine rise for about 9 and it was fine.

HONEY CINNAMON BUTTER

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (more if you like)

Combine and beat until light and fluffy. I leave mine out in a covered container so it will be soft.

SNOW DAY

2010-02-16T07:32:00.003-06:00

Last Friday snow began falling here in central Alabama around noon and continued for several hours. I know that some of you have mega snow where you live, but it is a rare occasion here. If there is even a slight chance it is reason to celebrate. Most of the time we only see a few "flurries" during the winter season, or any snow that we might have comes during the night, and we miss seeing it. As you know, I had surgery on Thursday and could only enjoy it while sitting in a recliner looking out the glass door. My husband did go out and make pictures for me when it first started. The one above was from the front of the house.

The birds continued to eat and paid no attention to the snow. I love watching them and they seemed even prettier against the snow background.

Our grandsons walked over and were having a grand time playing in our yard. They even made three small snowmen after these pictures were taken.

This has absolutely nothing to do with snow, but I have to share my great news. My doctor called yesterday with the pathology report from my surgery....NO CANCER. I know that prayers were answered and I thank all of you who said a prayer for me.

HAPPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-14T18:21:00.003-06:00

The greatest of these is LOVE! Yes, today is all about love. I've always enjoyed this holiday. It was so much fun when I taught school because the children were so excited to open Valentine cards and give them to their friends. I probably have every card my husband has given me (and that's many) each year we have been married. This week has been full of surprises for us. We had no idea the first of this week that we would be spending time in surgery and later home recuperating. Last night I told my husband that I had not gotten him anything. He really could have cared less, but I felt guilty. This morning he had a surprise for me at breakfast making me feel really bad. After church we both spent the afternoon napping, but he had a meeting at church tonight. His favorite dessert is cookies....any kind. I decided I'd make him Valentine cookies but couldn't find the heart cookie cutter. Let me tell you that it's not easy cutting a heart shape from an index card and cutting each cookie from that pattern BUT IT WORKS! I have made prettier cookies but none have come from my "heart" like these. He is the best......if I didn't already know so....I have been reminded of it these past three days. Hope you have received and GIVEN much love today.

GOD SPEAKS

2010-02-12T15:13:00.003-06:00

For those who do not know....I had surgery yesterday. Six months ago I had a needle biopsy done on a "suspicious" place in my breast. It came back benign. They told me that they wanted to recheck in six months. So...that's what we did. A week ago they did another ultrasound and the radiologist said it had changed....gotten bigger and there was a new spot. I saw the surgeon on Wednesday and he said we needed to take it out the next day. I asked him what he thought and he said, "well, it looks like it could be cancer." These were not the words I wanted to hear, but after the shock was over I had a peace. Things went well yesterday and the doctor told my family that he removed a golf ball sized mass but it was vague....nothing really conclusive about the way it looked. It will be Monday before we know. I haven't been out of the recliner much today, but feel better now and had to check blogs. I saw where my daughter, Amy, had posted about our dream the night before my surgery. Please go and read her blog because she wrote just how God spoke to both of us. I'll write more later.

SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

2010-02-09T06:39:00.003-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!! YOU ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!! For once, my entire family was cheering for the same team. It sure felt good. During the college season that is not the case. We won't go there now. Anyway.....last weekend our daughter and her husband (and three boys) went to Louisiana to visit our son and his wife (and three daughters). They had a wonderful time seeing two Mardi Gras parades.....which was a first for the Alabama crew. As they were leaving on Sunday, all the guys were decked out in their "SAINTS" attire.

Look at these sweet girls. The two youngest have on their smocked SAINTS dresses and big sister her shirt. There's no doubt who we were cheering for!

YOU NEVER KNOW

2010-02-03T14:46:00.002-06:00

You never know when a random act of kindess is just what someone needs to cheer them. I woke up during the night with what I thought was a stomach virus. This morning I still had some symptoms but knew I had an appointment later today that I must keep. My sweet husband drove me to the appointment and I didn't receive the news I was hoping to hear. I told my husband that we were just on another roller coaster ride (like everyone has) and I wouldn't worry. That would be a miracle for me! I never want to say no to people or disappoint them, but some times things are out of our control. My mind was in fast motion with me trying to work things out when someone knocked on my door. My neighbor (who is the closest relative I have on my side of family.....and like a sister) was there with this BEAUTIFUL orchid. The blooms are huge. She brought it for no reason. You never know when a kind act will cheer someone. We spent some time talking and her visit helped turn my "worries" into laughter. I need a reminder every day of Proverbs 3:5..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
Make an effort to do something for someone each day....even if it is just a kind word.

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR....

2010-02-01T15:05:00.002-06:00

February already....time sure is flying in 2010. Maybe it has nothing to do with the year...but the years of my life. It's been said "the older you get , the faster time goes". Also, "time flies when you're having fun". Either could fit my situation. I don't know why I'm writing about time passing quickly because it has nothing to do with this post. Maybe it does....I'm talking about February....started to write about the one I love (my husband), but will save that for later. Instead, I'll write about friends. I hope that you are blessed with a best friend...can't imagine life without one. Today I will tell you what I love about my best friend.

She knows every thing about me (good & bad) and still loves me.
She will buy me something for Christmas and tell me what to do with it....not only tell me, but come rearrange my entire bedroom in doing so.
She will call and tell me that she is bringing pizza to my house for dinner if she knows I've had a very bad day.
She will take things from my attic (and any other place) to make my mantel look great.
She will tell me that I need to add more pillows on my bench (that I thought looked great) and I know that she told the truth.
She will call me most every day .... just because we have to check in.
She will meet me at the oral surgeon's office because she knows I'm scared to death of a dentist.
She decorated my Christmas tree one year. I had just put it up when my aunt passed away....it has never looked that good again.
She will be able to look at me and know exactly what I am thinking.
She will take things from my "throw away" pile and use it in her house and make me covet.
She loves old things (I'm not talking about me).
She loves me.... no matter what.........................!!!!

LOOK WHO'S SPECIAL

2010-01-28T21:23:00.003-06:00

We had a time for celebration tonight. Our oldest grandson, Keith, had great scores on new math concepts being taught. Keith is the sweetest child you will ever meet, but struggles academically. He is dyslexic and tries very hard to keep his grades up. His teachers are excellent and go the extra mile to see that his needs are met. Keith realizes that his younger brothers do not have difficulty reading and he becomes very frustrated. His mom called me after school and told how Keith grasped the new math concept being taught and we had reason to celebrate. I decided to cook his favorite meal and he could eat from the special plate.

Look at this sweet boy....smiles most of the time. Yes, he is eating his favorite. Chicken casserole, rice, peas, corn, and yeast rolls. Truthfully, Keith loves ANY food. When his youngest brother, Griffin, saw the "YOU ARE SPECIAL" plate, he wanted to know why Keith was getting to use it. We explained that Keith had the best day in his math class. Griffin quickly said, "Well, I didn't have silent lunch today." Perhaps that should have been reason to celebrate this accomplishment for him!

Here's Griffin and Zack. Griffin decided he would smile when he realized that I would make his picture also. All three boys are special and they will have their turn with the "Special Plate".

MY SURPRISE

2010-01-27T15:56:00.003-06:00

See this ceramic Christmas tree? I LOVE IT! No, my Christmas decorations are not still up. This tree is like one that my mother had years ago. I loved that tree and it was accidently broken before it became mine. This afternoon my daughter and son-in-law came over with a big box that had been shipped to them today. Amy had won it on Ebay. They had me close my eyes and when I opened them I saw the tree. I almost cried right then, but thought the grandsons would think I was crazy....crying over a ceramic Christmas tree. It was still lit up when my husband came in. I can't wait until it's time to decorate again. Surprises are so nice....especially those that bring back memories.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-01-24T06:52:00.002-06:00

Our precious granddaughter is two years old today. This picture was taken in September at her sister's birthday party, but it is still one of my favorite pictures of her. She has the sweetest smile and has been talking (using complete sentences) for quite some time. My heart melts each time she says, "Gigi" or "I love you, too!" There are stories that I will remember about each of my grandchildren, but I know that I'll never see a frog and not think of this sweet girl. We sure wish we could see her today, but being two states away make that impossible. However, it won't be long before we'll celebrate with her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMA ROSE!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

2010-01-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

Recently we have seen more birds outside our window, including BEAUTIFUL cardinals, which are my favorite. Most of the time I will look out my kitchen window and see five or six birds eating at one time. This morning I watched as birds would fly in and eat. I knew that the feed was disappearing fast and thought nothing about it because of the number of birds I would see. However......I looked out a little later and saw the real reason the food was disappearing so quickly. This is what was there.......

Look at the squirrel eating away. His friend was on the ground about to join the feast. I watched them for a few minutes and wondered how long this has been happening. Guess I'll continue to feed birds and squirrels.

THIS MORNING

2010-01-22T07:03:00.004-06:00

Oh, what a beautiful morning! I have a routine that I follow each morning. Alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. I shower, get my cup of coffee, read my Bible and spend time with God. As I'm finishing, I know that the sun will be coming up, and I always glance over to see the beauty. This morning I grabbed my camera and captured the sun as it was coming up. BEAUTIFUL!!

I have been so bad about posting for quite some time. I read other blogs each day but have been lazy about writing. I will try and do better. So happy that the weather has been warmer here this week. Makes me wish for an early spring. I'm sure there are many cold days ahead but I enjoy the spring-like days as they come. Hope each of you have a great week-end.

CHRISTMAS RECAP

2010-01-05T06:49:00.005-06:00

Thought I'd share a little recap of our Christmas holidays. On Christmas Eve it was quite "blustery" and during the night the wind was very strong. I only noticed a wreath missing from an upstairs window, but later on Christmas Day my husband went outside and saw this in our pool. Our gas grill (still covered) was in the bottom of the deep end of the pool. The temperature was nothing like it is today (thank goodness) but still very cold. We knew no way to get the grill out other than him going in. The water temperature was 47 degrees! When he got under the water he was unable to stay because it was so cold. However, the sweeper that was under the grill was used to bring it to the surface and it is now out. YEAH!!!!!

It is a tradition that each Christmas Eve is spent with my best friend and her family. We have been doing this for about 15 years and you wouldn't believe the food and fun that we have. Below is a picture of me and Jane. We are as close as two people can be.
This picture is us with our spouses. We have been "best" friends for over 25 years.

The week after Christmas my husband and I went to the beach for a few days before going to see our son and his family. It was great to be able to relax and spend some time together after all the busy time during the month of December.

I'm looking forward to a brand new year with family and friends. Hope all of you are blessed with the best year ever.

THE CHILDREN WERE NESTLED....

2010-01-01T22:15:00.002-06:00

.......all snug in Gigi's lap before going to bed last night. We had such a great week. The first part of the week my husband and I spent at the beach relaxing and doing just what we wanted to do. On Wednesday we headed to Louisiana to see our son and his family. The three girls sure know how to make a Granddaddy and Gigi two happy people! Enjoyed seeing what Santa brought them and getting all the hugs and kisses we could in a short time.

This picture was made this morning as we were leaving. Breanna and Emma came out to wave goodbye but Maddie was inside crying because we were leaving. It sure hurts to leave but we know that the tears stop shortly after we are gone. Being with these sweet girls was a great way to start a new year.

CHRISTMAS --- MY WAY

2009-12-22T09:03:00.004-06:00

I've enjoyed reading the way some of you celebrate Christmas and thought I'd follow with answering the questions myself.

1. Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags? Wrapping paper for sure (unless there is something that is so oddly shaped that I must put it in a gift bag). I started using the curling ribbon several years ago (thanks to my friend, Jane) and use it on my packages.

2. Real or Artificial Tree? Artificial -- only because I put my trees up way early and having a fireplace in my den causes a real tree to shed way too early.

3. When do you put up your tree? I used to put my tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving but this year I put it up the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I have Christmas parties early in December and find it too hard to decorate after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? I usually take the tree down the week after Christmas. It's always sad for me to take it down.

5. Do you like eggnog? NO! I can't stand the thought of raw eggs.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I can't remember a favorite....it's been a LONG time. I do remember getting some play dishes so this must have really been special.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My neighbor, Larry. He has everything one could imagine and it's always hard to think of something for him.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My daughter, Amy. She doesn't have a problem giving me a list to choose from!

9. Do you have a Nativity Scene? Yes....this is a must!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I love getting cards through the mail.

11. Favorite Christmas move? "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation".

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I tell myself I'll shop throughout the year, but really I start the day after Thanksgiving with the sales.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift? Probably have.

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Jane's Icebox Fruitcake

15. Lights on the tree? White

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home but travel after Christmas to see son and his family.

17. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Day? We open presents on Christmas Eve because Santa came on Christmas morning.

18. Is there any specific "tradition" that you do? Christmas Eve is spent with my best friend. We alternate years having this at our houses. One year it will be at my house and the next year at hers. This is tradition and the kids look forward to it.

CHRISTMAS IS FOR GIVING

2009-12-17T08:53:00.002-06:00

Look at all the bicycles....this picture shows only a section of our church gym. A few hours before this picture was taken a HUGE truck pulled up to the door and over 400 boxes were unloaded. (All the bicycles had to be put together) Tables were set up to use as each bicycle was assembled. Crews were ready to work through the night and next day in order to get these bicycles to foster children in our area. I could not believe that 5 hours later all bikes were together and the men were on their way home. The story behind this endeavor really hits home to me. My two oldest grandsons were foster children of a couple who once attended our church. God placed them there so my daughter and her husband would meet the children and know these boys were to be their children. Several years later (after the boys became our grandsons) the man who had been Keith & Zack's PaPa (foster dad) passed away. It was his wish that instead of flowers at his funeral, bicycles would be bought for foster children. His family has kept his wish going for several years at Christmas. Bicycles are bought and delivered throughout the area for foster children.

In case I haven't told you before.....I LOVE my church family. This project was one example of men working together (with some help from others) to get a project done for others. Acts 20:35 reads "It is more blessed to give than to receive." It is through giving that we receive the most rewards.

NOT TIME TO PANIC......YET!

2009-12-14T21:17:00.003-06:00

See the CHRISTMAS outfit above? No, it's not finished....the ruffle hasn't been put on the pants and the buttons aren't on the top. (In case you are wondering, the pants are from the same fabric as the top....it just looks different with my "not so great" camera.) It has to be mailed to Louisiana on top of it all. I also have not finished with all my shopping and none of the presents I have bought are wrapped. I know exactly how many days are left and it sure isn't many.....it's ALMOST time for me to panic. Looks like I will be spending tomorrow night finishing the sewing and getting outfits in the mail on Wednesday. Pray that I'm able to find the last of my gifts soon and then get them wrapped.

DECK THE HALLS

2009-12-01T22:13:00.002-06:00

Each year the ladies from church come over for an ornament swap and a time of great snacks and fellowship. This year we brought gifts for a sweet girl who will be married in a few weeks. All the gifts you see are for her and there were so many wonderful things for the new couple to use in decorating their home.

There's absolutely no need to worry about trying to diet during the month of December. There were too many yummy finger foods and none were "healthy" or of the low calorie type.

Angie & Anita tried to escape to the sunporch but soon every seat was taken. There were 33 sweet ladies who came.

I'm not kidding when I say there were no more seats. If you notice there's someone on each of the stairs.

It's so much fun to be with friends. These ladies don't know what they mean to me and my family. I know Aramie went home with MANY beautiful things....but all left with the gift of friendship.

A YEAR LATER

2009-11-28T12:47:00.002-06:00

The picture above was made last year when my son and his family were home for Thanksgiving. Last night he said he'd like to make a picture this year of his three girls before returning home to Louisiana. So....right before they left this morning we "tried" making a picture to see how they have grown. Baby Emma wasn't too excited about having her picture taken but here's our 2009 version below.

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving week with our family. There were over 50 who ate with us Thursday. The house was full (and so was our tummy). Family means so much, and we have so much to be thankful for. I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving. It's almost time for Christmas!

CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY

2009-11-20T20:51:00.003-06:00

When girls are coming to visit for Thanksgiving and they won't be back at Christmas....what do you have ready for them? How about some overalls for outside in the country!! I didn't really know how these would turn out but even my husband likes them. I put a Santa applique on the front.....had to cut some off the length and put a ruffle.

Look at the back. I love it. Can't wait to see a sweet girl in this "country attire"!

STILL SEWING

2009-11-18T15:13:00.002-06:00

I've made three outfits like this for the girls. This one is Emma's --- the youngest. The green is a tiny corduroy that is so soft. I appliqued a snowman so they could wear it after Christmas. I have a cute stocking that I'll have to use but they can only wear it the month of December. I bought fabric today for Christmas dresses. My house may not get decorated (or cleaned) until the sewing is finished.

COUNTRY CUTTER

2009-11-17T06:51:00.002-06:00

Back in early fall my son-in-law bought the neatest "gadget" at Homestead Hollow's Fall Arts & Craft Show. He brought it to my house a few weeks back to show me how easy it cuts onions and potatoes. Above he is cutting an onion. He then dipped it in eggs and milk and then flour....dropped it in a deep fryer and look below to see what we had to eat.

These were the BEST onion rings I've ever had. This is from one onion!

Next he cut one potato and look at these "homemade" potato chips! No batter on these....just dropped them in hot oil. I wanted one of the cutters for myself and knew I'd buy one if I ran across them. Guess what?? My daughter was at the Thrift Store last Saturday and found one. It was only $2.88. She gave it to me and now I can fix these any time ........ this could be dangerous!!

SEW MUCH FUN

2009-11-11T09:44:00.003-06:00

Remember my last post about me going to Christmas Village? Well, my daughter called that morning and was unable to go. My sweet husband offered to go with me but I KNEW he would be miserable and I would be trying to rush and it wasn't worth it. So instead of Christmas Village I went to my favorite place to shop for Children's fabric (The Smocking Bird in Homewood) and bought enough fabric to make several outfits for the girls. This is the first that I made and love that it's reversible so they actually have two dresses in one. My oldest granddaughter is too old for this style dress so I am going to attempt to make her a skirt from this fabric to match.

This is the other side. The lighting doesn't show the exact color but it's the best I could do. It's a very light blue with brown designs.

I also bought the cutest pants pattern and there was enough fabric left to make a pair of pants for Emma. I love the ruffle at the bottom!

I really don't think she will wear the "dress" over the pants but it looks cute in the picture. I'm going to applique a design on a white shirt using the fabric from the ruffle. I can't wait to show you the other fabric I bought and the finished outfits. I had SEW much fun making these until missing Christmas Village wasn't so bad!!

CAN'T WAIT

2009-11-06T08:32:00.003-06:00

I am SO EXCITED because my daughter and I are going to Christmas Village later today. There's always so many neat things and I'm hoping to mark some items off my Christmas list that I'll find there. Besides that....I usually come home with so many new ideas (but never get around to making them). This is the largest indoor arts and crafts show that I've ever seen. I love the time that Amy and I have together too.
My husband and I had a "date night" last night. We try to do something once a week where we spend time together. It doesn't matter where we go or what we do....it's always nice. Last night we ate at Lloyd's (a favorite for MANY years), went shopping to pick up a few things, and stopped by Books A Million for awhile. I love looking through magazines and didn't buy anything for me. He bought a new book he had been wanting by a favorite author. I don't have a picture today but hopefully I'll be able to show you some things from Christmas Village tomorrow.

LIVING IN THE LAND OF COTTON

2009-11-03T07:01:00.003-06:00

Ever wonder why the name of my blog is "The Cotton Patch"? If you are new to visiting me you may not know that cotton is all around me. In fact, the very spot where my house now sits was once planted in cotton. There are so many WONDERFUL memories of my childhood which involves cotton. They are wonderful to me because I was not working.....but playing....in and around the cotton. That was before mechanical cotton pickers. My family and those hired to help would put a strap around their shoulders and this LONG bag would hang and cotton would be placed in the bag. It was so long it drug behind them on the ground. When the bag was as full as it could be it would be weighed, and that's how they received money for the day. The money would be determined by how many pounds of cotton you picked. HARD work but I never heard my folks complain. I really don't think I/WE could do it today.

This is how the field looks from across my front yard. It's not as "white" as usual because of so much rain. It won't be long before those "mechanical" cotton pickers will have it picked and I'll have to wait for next year to see the white fields. It's this time of year that I love so much. It brings back times I shared with so many special people. Thank God I'm A Country Girl!!!

READY FOR THE TRICK OR TREATERS

2009-10-31T15:11:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I know that some of you don't like Halloween (and I respect your opinions) but it's always been a fun holiday for me. As a child I never associated it as a time for anything other than dressing up and going "trick or treating". I know that I had so much fun and remember my mother and aunts fixing all kinds of neat treats for kids. It was the ONLY time I remember seeing them make popcorn balls. When my children were young, Halloween was just under Christmas as a time they looked forward to coming. I'm sure those who live in subdivisions have MANY trick-or-treaters, but living where I do there isn't a huge amount. I can always count on 10 or 12 coming by. I'm ready and love pretending that I don't know who they are when my doorbell rings. I made cookies and have tons of candy ready. Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!!

FALL FESTIVAL AT CHURCH

2009-10-30T16:20:00.002-05:00

Our church had it's annual Fall Festival Wednesday night and it was a huge success. We weren't sure the crowd would be as large because we moved it from a Saturday night to Wednesday. However, it doubled in size. We usually have around 500 but this year we had over 1,000 people. Yes....that's right....1,000! We were amazed. Inside the gym we had booths set up for the cake walk, popcorn and cotton candy, Go Fish, basketball shoot, and the duck pond. In our fellowship hall we served hotdogs and chips. Outside there was two inflatables, a hayride, and a train the kids could ride, boiled peanuts, coffee & hot chocolate. Everything was free. It's an outreach our church does for the community.

Each lady in the church was to furnish two cakes or sweet for the cake walk. This is one of the most popular booths. I made a chocolate and red velvet cake. The line was pretty long most of the night for this.

Here's a picture made early in the night from the balcony of the gym. You can see that the gym is beginning to fill. We had a great time and I think those who came had fun too!

FUTURE CHEFS

2009-10-28T07:34:00.002-05:00

After making the "Haunted House", Aunt Beth took the older girls with her leaving the boys and Maddie with me. Every child likes to cook....right? These kids LOVED making cupcakes....from beginning to eating them ALL. Griffin and Maddie put all the paper liners in but each child had a turn putting ingredients in the mix. They helped me read what was needed and the most fun for them was cracking the eggs. They loved doing this, although it wasn't very smooth. I just had a dishcloth close by to clean their messy hands. The picture above shows Zack's turn with the mixer.

See how patiently Maddie and Griffin were when waiting for Keith to finish his turn. I didn't get a picture of the cupcakes after they were baked and frosted but I will tell you that they were delicious! I don't know who had the most fun....the kids or Gigi.

MAKING A HAUNTED HOUSE

2009-10-26T06:44:00.003-05:00

As I shopped at Wal-Mart last week I found a kit for making a haunted house and couldn't resist getting it. I knew that I'd have five of my grandchildren and a great neice on Saturday and wanted to something "fun" with them. Somehow I had forgotten how messy gingerbread house making was in December!

It didn't matter at all to the kids that the icing was dripping everywhere or that their hands were covered with orange and black frosting.

Griffin felt the need to sit on the table at times. I wonder what Aunt Beth was about to do with her hand in the air???

I found beads, candy corn, and frosting under the table but it was worth the mess to see the "master piece" the kids created. Next post will be about more fun we had that day.

A QUICK TRIP

2009-10-18T15:21:00.003-05:00

We made a QUICK trip over the weekend to Louisiana to see our son and his family. He had planned a surprise birthday party for his wife on Friday night so we went down for the night. She was totally surprised by the party (and us being there). We knew we'd have to come back on Saturday but were able to go with the kids to a pumpkin patch Saturday morning. The weather was pretty cool but everyone enjoyed it. The picture above shows why a fast trip was worth it.

Look at these sweethearts. Baby Emma isn't so sure about smiling for pictures. They will be here for Thanksgiving and I'll have more time to spoil them!

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

2009-10-15T06:31:00.004-05:00

Several weeks ago my daughter, Amy, called and said that she had me signed up to go to Sips n Strokes with her and a friend. For those of you who aren't familar with Sips n Strokes it is a place where you go and they teach you "step by step" how to paint a picture that you bring home that night. You pay your money (which is very reasonable) and they furnish all your materials. You just bring the beverage that you want..... some bring wine, some softdrinks or water. Talent is not needed to attend!!! I am a testimony for that statement. In fact, when I told my sweet husband what I would be doing his comment was "is this a paint by number class"!! Each night a different picture is painted and you choose what you want. Being ALABAMA fans, we drove quite a distance for a class to paint a picture of "The Bear". It was so much fun to be with my daughter and my grandson's teacher(s). Here is Amy as she smears her pencil sketches. You can see Griffin's teacher in the back. I laughed so much and I still am sure that my gifting has nothing to do with painting.....but from a distance my painting does resemble our famous coach. Thanks Amy for inviting me......it helps for an "older" mom to have a night out with young chicks!!!

FALL DECORATIONS

2009-10-07T12:04:00.002-05:00

I decided today might be a good day to pull out the fall decorations. It hasn't been cool enough yet for me to get in the fall mood, but since I was off work today I started putting some things out. Last year I saw this idea on one of the blogs I read and copied it. It was fun to pull it out again this year. I have this on my table in my foyer.

My dining room table is decorated very simple. I just put some pumpkins, gourds, fall leaves and berries on a tray covered with a fall napkin. Of course there's my old oil lamp. I'm not really pleased with my mantel but it's going to stay for now anyway.

One of the mums that our church sold for missions.....isn't it beautiful? I have five different colored ones around the pool. This one has opened more than the others. Fall colors are beautiful to me. I'll be happy when it cools off a little more but I know that will come soon enough. I hope you are having fun getting your fall decorations in place.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-10-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday. Although he doesn't read my blog I wanted to take this opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday. I am SO BLESSED that God chose him to be my husband. I'm not saying that our marriage has been perfect....but we endured the times that weren't good and with much prayer....our marriage is stronger today than ever. I've tried to think of things that I love about him...
* He loves God with all his heart
* He is a wonderful father (and grandfather)
* He is honest
* He isn't ashamed to cry
* He never complains about what I cook
* He is a wonderful Sunday School teacher
* He supports me when I am working on a project or job
* He looks for the positive in every situation
* He speaks well of others
* He loves ALABAMA football and Vincent Yellow Jacket (where he coached 29 years)
* He is faithful to his church
* He thinks things through before doing them
* He has taken care of me for 37 years
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the love of my life......I pray that we have MANY more years together.

MY WEAKNESS

2009-09-29T17:56:00.004-05:00

There aren't many foods that I don't like, and I eat too many times when I'm not even hungry. I don't turn away much of anything but I really have a weakness when it comes to BREAD. I love homemade bread.....yeast rolls especially. I have tried numerous bread recipes and haven't found one that I wanted to repeat....until now. I have a bread machine (which makes it so easy to make bread) but I decided I would try this recipe after reading all the reviews. I even researched just how to 'knead' the dough so I wouldn't mess it up. It was pretty easy and the two loaves turned out better than I expected. I sliced some while it was still hot and buttered it and ....OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It even made delicious cheese toast and sandwiches. I'll be making bread for my family often. If you have a weakness for bread....try this recipe. I think you'll be pleased.

GUESS WHERE WE'VE BEEN

2009-09-27T20:01:00.002-05:00

My husband and I made a quick trip last Thursday to Louisiana. It was Maddie's (pictured above) 4th birthday party on Saturday and Friday was "Grandparents Day" at her preschool. We were so excited that it was during one of our visits and we were able to attend. There was coffee, juice, and doughnuts for us in the gym when we arrived and then we were entertained by the children singing songs and visiting classrooms.

Although Emma (above) isn't in school yet, she certainly knew her way around and found much to play with while we saw Maddie's work. I don't think it will be very long before there will be another student in school!

This picture of Breanna was made on Saturday morning. She is growing up SO fast.

I thought you would really enjoy this picture. Maddie's class had made each grandmother a hat and each grandfather a tie. They wore these and had pictures taken with them on. We had so much fun visiting....even for a short time.

FRIED PIES

2009-09-17T21:27:00.002-05:00

We love fried pies at our house. I don't make them often and I really don't know why other than it takes forever to cook the dried fruit. Last summer my friend and I dried apples and I have several bags in my freezer. The other day my neighbor told me that he'd love to have a fried apple pie. I came right home and started cooking those apples. This neighbor will help me do anything....if I have a project going on I am quick to ask for his help so making fried pies was no problem for me! Back to the apples....when you add the water to the dried apples they swell up and the longest part is cooking down the apples. The picture above shows them after they have been cooked down and sugar added. (I don't know why the first two pictures are turned sideways). I use canned biscuits for my dough....just roll them out flat... and they taste just as good as my mother's did. If you'll notice they are frying in her black iron skillet. I use it for so many things.

Here's the pies all ready to eat....ok...some have already been eaten. I still have some cooked apples so I believe I better fry up another batch this weekend. The pies sure don't last long around here.

One Down...Two to Go

2009-09-14T21:07:00.002-05:00

When you have three granddaughters...you can't make just one dress. There must be three made. I cut this one out and started it last night and just finished it. I have two more to go. I wanted something the girls could wear for fall and couldn't find fabric Saturday that I just loved so I came home with the tiny black gingham. Usually I put ribbon on the bottom of the pillowcase dresses, but decided a ruffle might change it a bit. I will say ribbons are much quicker! When I bought the fabric for the ruffle I couldn't help but think of my mother. She would never have put checks and 'dots' together. Oh, times have changed! Hopefully, this doesn't look too much like Halloween so the girls can wear it in November also.

It's pretty hot in Louisiana where they live, but just in case the weather turns cool I found them each a black turtleneck. I think it looks pretty cute. Two more and they'll each have a fall dress from Gigi.

ABOUT THAT TIME AGAIN

2009-09-12T21:56:00.002-05:00

There's something about this time of the year that makes me want to get my sewing machine and embroidery machine running. I'm so busy in late spring and summer until my projects are put on hold, but this week I have been getting antsy and wanting to get something going. We're planning on going to see the girls in a few weeks so I have several things in mind to do before then. I bought some fabric today to make Fall dresses for them, but wanted to try this new alphabet aplique to see how it would work. My granddaughters would rather wear dresses but maybe they'll wear these shirts to play. I'm thinking about adding a ruffle on the bottom of each shirt out of the fabric used on the applique. It'll depend on how quickly the dresses are made!

This is a closeup of the applique. (I didn't take time to iron the shirts....just took them right out of the bag and started working on them.) It was hard to see in the first picture. I'll be making dresses this week. You'll see pictures of them when they are finished.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2009-09-05T16:27:00.002-05:00

If you live in Alabama you are either an Alabama or Auburn fan. Children will ask who do you "go for"....meaning are you for Alabama or Auburn. It becomes great fund raisers at schools during the week prior to them playing each other. They will see which fans bring the most money for SGA or which fans bring the most canned goods for fixing baskets for those less fortunate, but good or bad....Alabama/Auburn football rules this state. Last week my grandson had a swim birthday party planned at our house. Our pool was finally finished so this could happen. Invitations were sent, party favors bought, cake bought, 10 pizzas were delivered, and everything was just right for the party except......the skies opened and it flooded. We were not here because my best friend's mother passed away and we were there, but my daughter said it rained (and stormed) for quite some time. They decided they would have the party the next day after church. MORE RAIN! Add some tears this time and pray that you can have another swim party one week later (with no rain). This morning I woke up and it was raining. I couldn't believe it but it stopped mid morning and the party was on! My daughter told Zack that it would just be a swim party because they had already had cake, pizza, and drinks last week. He believed her and I really think he didn't care. However, she found a friend through Facebook from our hometown who now lives out of town that makes the most beautiful cakes. She contacted her and arranged to have another birthday cake for Zack. This one was in honor of his (and our) favorite team. The picture below shows his expression when he walked in my kitchen and saw the cake. Remember he didn't think he was getting another cake.

You'll have to excuse my messy laundry room/pantry. I called him in before he went out to the pool to see the cake. By the way....the cake was DELICIOUS. I've had cakes that looked good but didn't taste good. This one was both.

One picture of a friend as he jumped from the diving board. The kids had a great time and the sun came out just in time for the party. Happy 9th birthday, Zack!

KEEPING ME BUSY

2009-09-03T07:07:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted in quite some time....I've been trying to keep up with you by reading though....so I thought I 'd give you an idea of one of the reasons I have neglected my posting. Between working, getting my pool finished, and canning I have been so busy. You may think I'm crazy, but I really enjoy the canning and freezing of vegetables. Guess it goes back to my childhood. I watched my mother and aunts as this was such a part of their lives each year. After I married, I would have days that my sweet mother-in-law and I would can soup,peas,butterbeans, and corn. Oh, the memories. The top picture is pear preserves. My husband helped me peel these Tuesday night and I "sugared" them down good so all I had to do was cook them real good yesterday morning. We love a hot, buttered biscuit with pear preserves....so good!Tomatoes! I use canned tomatoes in so many ways during the year. Soups, spaghetti, chili, stewed.... in fact, they are so good, I could almost open a jar and eat them like that. I know that it's easy to buy tomatoes at the store, but they just don't taste the same to me.

I do enjoy the fruits of my labor. The vegetables are almost gone for this year, but we'll be able to enjoy them throughout the winter from the freezer and jars!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

2009-08-24T17:14:00.005-05:00

It is amazing how pictures made from the exact spot can change on a day to day (well.... almost) basis. The first picture was taken from the side of my porch in late June.
The picture below was taken from the same side of my porch when we returned from the beach on July 11th. They had started digging our pool. We actually signed our contract in early May and the next week it started raining....and it rained....and it rained....and it rained!!! I thought it would rain for forty days and nights. We had been told for every day it rained it would delay our pool two days. They meant every word of that!!!

This picture was taken today when they were pouring the concrete around the pool. I'll have to admit that we've been swimming for several weeks but couldn't invite friends because of the "dirt" around it.

There's still much to be done....landscaping and a pool house but I have learned to be patient (my husband may not agree). I remind myself that we will have the rest of our life to enjoy this. By the way....the man in the pool doing the "finishing" is the husband of Kristin. He is also my son's best friend from high school. I think he's pretty special myself.

REMEMBER WHEN

2009-08-19T13:36:00.002-05:00

I showed you these pictures of some thrift store finds several months ago. When I saw the bread box I knew that it wouldn't be used for bread. I wanted something to put my phone books in and knew this would be perfect. I have been gone so much since then until I have just finished the project.

It now looks like this sitting on my desk in the kitchen. My phone books are hidden (except for the crack in the bottom where you can see through with the flash of the camera). I promise you can not see it if you are just looking.
Can't wait for my next post.....it will be a HUGE project that is finally being completed (enough for now). Don't even think it is something that I have done because all I have done is pay for this project. Maybe pictures tomorrow of this :-)

SEW EASY

2009-08-15T20:20:00.002-05:00

One blog that I visit every day is that of Darby. I love to visit her because she is talented, but also because she is real. She tells just what it's like raising three little ones. One day this week she showed a picture of her with the cutest pleated apron and promised a tutorial for making it. Well, yesterday she gave a link for step by step directions. I had fabric from making my daughter's classroom curtains and found a piece of yellow large enough for the insert and sash in my scraps. I'm not a seamstress by any means but the directions were SO EASY to follow. I am a lover of aprons so this was one I wanted to make quickly. I love this apron....wish I looked as cute as Darby showing mine. She also has great tutorials for other projects. If you haven't visited her blog, you will want to do so.

A CROWD PLEASER

2009-08-14T06:40:00.003-05:00

I promise this will not turn into a recipe blog, but after posting about Amy's birthday dinner, April requested my chicken casserole recipe. This is one dish that I make regularly for my family (all of my grandchildren love it) and I'll make a couple if I plan to have many over. I hope you will like it as much as we do.
CHICKEN CASSEROLE
3 cans of chicken (white meat) (I get the bigger cans at Wal-Mart)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 16 oz. sour cream
1 1/2 sleeves of Ritz crackers
1 stick margarine

Put chicken in colander and drain. (I run water over mine). Place chicken in sprayed 9 x 13 pan (break chicken chunks up). Next mix soup and sour cream. Spread over chicken. Melt stick of margarine while you are crushing crackers. Mix the crackers and melted butter and sprinkle on top of soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I serve mine with rice.

ENJOY and have a wonderful weekend!

YOU ASKED FOR IT

2009-08-13T06:38:00.003-05:00

I promised on my last post that I would give you the recipe for the cake I made for Amy's birthday and had some requests (even those who didn't leave a comment but saw me). If you like coconut and pecans, this might be a favorite from now on........
GERMAN CHOCOLATE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
1 cup coconut
1 cup pecans (chopped)
1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 stick margarine
1 8 oz. cream cheese (soft)
1 16 oz. powdered sugar
* Combine coconut and pecans and spread in 9 x 13 sprayed pan
* Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Pour cake batter
mix over coconut and nuts mixture
* Place margarine and cream cheese in a sauce pan and heat until
mixture is warm enough to stir. Take off heat and add sugar.
Mix well (I used my mixer).
* Spoon over cake batter and bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
* Let cake cool.

Oh, my......SO GOOD!!
Next will be the Chicken Casserole Recipe that someone requested.

33 YEARS AGO

2009-08-11T20:00:00.003-05:00

33 years ago today God blessed my husband and me with a beautiful baby girl. We had no idea before her birth if this baby would be a boy or girl because they didn't do ultrasounds then unless there was a problem. I had gone to my regularly scheduled appointment and my doctor decided I was ready and wanted to send me straight to the hospital. My husband coached football and I had to call and get him off the football field to come to the hospital. Amy entered the world several hours after he arrived and we both were so excited to have a girl. In fact, we only had a girl's name picked out. She has brought us so much joy....is the best mother....best writer.....and a wonderful teacher. Amy had her second teacher work day before the children come later in the week so I cooked dinner for her tonight. Of course it had to be her favorites.

We had chicken casserole, rice, greenbean casserole, corn, fried okra, 7 layer salad, yeast rolls, and German chocolate upside cake (this was a new recipe). I will post the recipe another time because it was DELICIOUS!

The "birthday girl" had her own plate. You never know who will be eating from the "YOU ARE SPECIAL" plate, but there was no doubt tonight. Amy, YOU ARE SPECIAL and we love you so much!!!

IN APPRECIATION

2009-08-10T16:16:00.002-05:00

Our church honored the faculty and staff from the high, middle, and elementary schools in our community today with a luncheon. Over 100 teachers and staff filled the gym on their teacher work day. We wanted them to know that we appreciate what they do to make a difference in the life of students. They were served chicken salad croissants, pasta salad, potato salad, fruit salad, chips, and cookies. MANY ladies from our church worked so hard to make this event possible. As a former educator I was blessed to be a part of a day such as this. I pray that this year will be a wonderful year for all our teachers and students. Thank you for all you do!

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

2009-08-07T06:41:00.002-05:00

I've always felt like I should have a picture with each post but that isn't true today. Just wanted to post a quick Praise God, and thank you, to my many friends and family who have been praying for me. I haven't mentioned it here, but the month of July has been a roller coaster for me. A yearly check-up on July 2 revealed the need for additional mammograms and ultra sounds. I had that done before my trip to Costa Rica and didn't find the results until I returned. There was a message for me to call my doctor (that's not usually a good thing) and was told that I had a "solid mass" and should see a surgeon/oncologist. This past Monday I had a biopsy and the report came back yesterday that it was benign! Prayers were answered! Thanks to all who knew about this and have prayed for me. GOD IS GOOD!!! Reminder.....go for your check-ups each year!

COSTA RICA

2009-08-03T06:29:00.004-05:00

Our Mission Trip to Costa Rica was a life changing experience for me. The 17 people from our church left knowing that we would be ministering in various ways but until we actually got there I had no idea what it would be like. We arrived in San Jose around noon (their time) and did not get to the camp where we would be staying until around 6:00 p.m. that night. The bus ride over the mountain (in the rain) was scary enough! We were met at the camp by our missionary and told a few "important" tidbits which included....."there is a flu epidemic right now and they have closed schools for the week so we won't be able to go into the schools" and "be sure and wear bug spray because if a certain fly bites you it will lay eggs in your skin and you may not know it until you see your skin moving". My first thoughts were not peaceful!!! After hearing this information we literally 'hit the ground running'. Although schools were closed there were 300 children at the camp for the weekend and they were waiting on us to arrive for their night service. We rushed to eat dinner.....rice and beans and a few chips. Service was awesome (outside in the POURING rain). The kids were leaving the next afternoon so Sunday was spent at a church miles away. I never understood one word the preacher said (I know only how to count to ten in Spanish) but learned during the altar service that God's love is universal.....I felt His presence and was able to minister to a sweet lady. Monday was spent working at the camp...various jobs to do.....I helped paint. Rice & beans were served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On Tuesday we hiked two hours into the jungle to minister. We had to carry our backpacks and tents (this was the hardest part for me). The hike had us crossing the river five different times. The water was only a little above our knees but very swift. In fact, we held hands as we crossed to help support us. I must say crossing the river was welcomed by me because it helped cool me. When we finally got to the reserve we set up tents to prepare for the night. There was NO electricity or facilities for us there. It amazed me to see these people living like this. They seemed so happy. Wednesday we hiked out and spent that day getting back to camp. Thursday was another day working at the camp on projects. Friday was our free day and we took a boat ride to see all kinds of animals (monkeys, crocodiles, alligators, iguanas, etc.) and then we were able to zip-line across the rain forest. TOTALLY AMAZING experience for me. Saturday was our flight back home. I came back realizing that we in America are so spoiled. I saw children playing happily with no toys, shoes, electricity, water, etc. We were served rice and beans EVERY meal but I must say that rice keeps you from feeling hungry. They have no stores nearby and have to take the same hike we took getting in to go to school. I know that this post is long, but there was no other way. Below are some of the MANY pictures taken.

Our tents set up after our hike through the jungle where we were spending the night.

This is the school the children attend. They must hike out through the jungle and rivers to get to the school. See some of our group as they are taking a break from hiking out.

This HUGE crocodile was on the edge of the river as we rode the boat.

This is one of the houses where we spent the night in the tents. They had no beds....slept on a piece of foam.

Our missionary making coffee for us the morning after sleeping in the tents.

I'm so happy that I had the chance to take the mission trip. Hope you enjoyed hearing about my adventures.

HEADING BACK HOME

2009-08-01T15:51:00.002-05:00

It has been quite some time since my last post. We spent 9 days in Costa Rica and that was a life changing experience. I will devote an entire post to that later. When we returned my son and his oldest two daughters rode the train from Louisiana and the girls stayed with me this past week while Chris and his dad flew to Chicago to see some baseball games. I enjoyed spending time with my precious granddaughters. I don't get to see them often and when I do it is only for a weekend. The week was full....my house is a disaster because it became a bakery, beauty salon, hideaway, and whatever else they wanted it to be. I hope that I will be able to get pictures from my daughters camera to post about the week later. (My husband had our camera with him in Chicago). This picture was taken when we were about to leave home for the train station. Can you tell that Gigi and Granddaddy love these girls just a little???

Here's Maddie, Breanna, and their dad (our son) before we left. See my sign by my front door? My sister-in-law gave it to me several years ago and it's so true!

Here's the sweet girls waiting for the train. It was coming so I was rushing to make the picture.

The girls getting on the train. Maddie (the youngest) had just been crying because she was going to miss us.....talk about having to fight tears....just about too much for me!!!

I know this is a horrible picture but you could see them looking out the window as it was pulling off. Maddie still isn't too happy but I know she REALLY wanted to see her mama and baby sister. This was a week I will cherish forever. Grandchildren are truly a gift from God.

ON A MISSION

2009-07-13T20:43:00.002-05:00

On a mission trip...that is! My husband and I will be leaving on Friday for Costa Rica. There are 17 of us from our church who will be spending 9 days with missionaries there. This is my first mission trip and I am excited (and nervous). We know the missionaries there (Jeff & Danette Cooper). In fact, I taught Jeff when he was in the 2nd grade. We don't know what all we will be doing, but we do know that we will be hiking into the jungle and sleeping in tents as we minister. I have two pictures that I copied from another mission trip in the jungle where we will be. The following picture shows one reason I am a "little" nervous. I don't like high places and we have to cross over a log. It rains there every day all year BUT this is the peak time (I've been told) so there will be lots of water under this log. I asked how long the log was and was told that "it's only about 25 feet across". I was also told, "it's only about 20 feet down". I may be the first one to scoot across on her bottom!This next picture show the hike through the jungle. We have been told that it's about a two hour hike. I'm not as nervous about hiking as I am crossing that log! I'm trying to get everything packed tonight because we are having to take our luggage to the church Wednesday night to weigh it and pack it all in a trailer. It's difficult to know exactly how many clothes to take and keep your luggage under 50 pounds.

I won't be posting again until we return. I would appreciate your prayers. I am expecting to see great things from God as we minister to the people there.

BEACH BABIES

2009-07-11T22:06:00.004-05:00

Here's the 2009 version of Granddaddy & Gigi with their grandbabies. It is fun to look at how they've changed. It's not so much fun to see how I have aged but pictures don't lie! We had an absolutely wonderful time. The weather was beautiful six out of seven days...can't complain. The children had a great time. Granddaddy cooked breakfast every morning until we convinced him later in the week that cereal, sweet rolls and Pop Tarts would be just fine. I think Zack would have rather had the biscuits and gravy all week!

This is our daughter, Amy, and her family. Keith (the oldest) would have spent ALL day in the ocean with his net catching the little fish & crabs. Zack (middle) became a pro at riding his surf board, and Griffin was a master sand castle builder....but preferred the pool (takes after his mom).

Our son, Chris, and his family. Breanna (oldest) is so precious.....loved catching fish with Keith. She amazed everyone by picking them up with her fingers and bringing them to the pail of water. Maddie (middle) is her daddy made over!! She loved the beach and the pool. It didn't matter where we were....she was having a good time. Emma was happy wherever she was and not afraid of the water. She loved playing in the sand but when she was ready to leave the beach she would just walk toward the condo and we knew she was ready to go. She has grown so much....not a baby any more.

These are the six reasons that I smiled so much this week. They are truly GRAND. The week passed entirely too fast.

PACKING MY BAGS

2009-07-03T11:10:00.004-05:00

The clothes are all washed and they are all folded on my bed....ready to be put in the luggage. The week I look forward to for a year is beginning tomorrow! I will be spending an entire week with my children and all six grandchildren. It's loud, active, and full of happiness. LET THE FUN BEGIN!!! The picture above was last year. Gigi (that's me) must have beach pictures each year. Is this a happy time? Absolutely not!! Usually the photo sessions ends (and usually begins) with someone unhappy. It's quite difficult to get six children to look at the camera at the same time (and you can forget about everyone smiling). I'll hear, "The glare is hurting my eyes" or "Do we have to make ANOTHER picture?" from the smaller children. From the adults I hear, "Why do we do this?" "I'm not doing this again!" But somehow we always do it! Memories.....In the one above I remember that Emma was only six months old and she wasn't happy at all. Griffin and Maddie were being their usual happy, do what we want to do, selves. The three older ones were being great. Mamas and daddys were getting aggravated because this was probably the 10th picture we had tried to get with everyone cooperating!

This picture was made in 2007. Again, you see Griffin and Maddie doing their own thing! I love it! Granddaddy was probably saying, "Just make the picture!"
2006 at the beach shows how little Maddie was. Will we go through the complaining and never getting a picture where every person smiles or looks at the camera this year? YOU BET WE WILL! Get ready Amy and Chris. Gigi must have more pictures to add to our collection.

FOOD FOR THE WINTER

2009-07-01T07:55:00.006-05:00

If you have read any of my posts about my favorite things, you already know that my favorite food is vegetables from the garden. I absolutely LOVE any of them....peas, green beans, corn, squash, okra, and tomatoes.....add a slice of onion with the meal, some cucumbers in vinegar, and make some hot cornbread and I am in heaven! Being a girl who was raised on a farm, I have so many wonderful memories and thought it was exciting on the days my mother and aunts would spend time under a tree shelling peas, snapping beans, and cutting off corn. I didn't realize then how much work it was....I just saw how they laughed and talked as they worked. As I got older I found out that it was work---but work that I truly enjoyed. When I married there wasn't any question about gardening....it was something that was a part of me. So each year we have had a large garden (usually with my brother-in-law). Those days of harvesting our "crops" would be times that I would pull out the pans for shelling and my mother-in-law and I would do our canning together. It would be those times where she shared knowledge with me that I will treasure forever.

As the years have passed, I no longer have my mother, aunts, or mother-in-law to share these days of shelling, etc. It's during these days that my mind goes back, and I remember the things they taught me.....maybe not in words....but in observation. There's a song that we used to sing many years ago in church "Count Your Blessings". It's on these days that I am counting my blessings for having these people in my life. People who HAD to work hard but I NEVER heard complain. People who had few material things but were rich in the things that mattered. People who taught me that it is important to sit with family and work....to slow down and enjoy life at home.

I worked at school with my daughter, Amy, last night helping her hang curtains in her new classroom. When I got home my husband had picked a bucket of peas (our first this year). He had even shelled this big bowl himself. I was thrilled....I'm counting my blessings for him today!

CHRISTMAS IN JUNE

2009-06-28T18:36:00.002-05:00

I feel like it's Christmas at my house today. I have looked every time I was out for glasses with cherries. Earlier in the week I posted about it and I received a comment from a sweet friend, Kristen. I taught Kristen in the 2nd grade (many years ago). She told me that she had some glasses that had cherries on them and she'd send me a picture to see if they might be what I wanted. I loved them and told her to let me know how much she was asking for them. Her reply was, "You can have them because they are taking up space in my cabinets". There are 11 tall glasses and 2 juice glasses. Of course my husband wanted to know which glasses I was going to get rid of in my cabinets.....men just don't understand how much we love our dishes!

I LOVE these, Kristen. I will think about you every time I use them. Thanks so much.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

2009-06-26T06:49:00.002-05:00

Tonight is Girls Night Out.....with my daughter, Amy. There aren't many times that just mom and daughter have together, so I treasure the times we do. This time it will be even better. We are going to see a special friend in the production of "The Sound of Music". I remember going to see this movie years ago and loved it. Now I will see Lisa as Maria. I have heard that she is awesome. We had planned to go earlier in the week but didn't get our tickets quickly enough.....many performance have sold out. So this morning at my house "The hills are alive.....with the Sound of Music"......CAN'T WAIT!!

TRIFT STORE FINDS

2009-06-22T15:47:00.004-05:00

Late Saturday afternoon my daughter and I took a trip to one of our favorite places....The Thrift Store. When we first got there she said, "Mom, I love it when we aren't rushed and have time to look." I always go to the dishes and wooden items first. (I'm still looking for glasses with cherries). I spotted the bread box and put it in my shopping cart and then took it out. It cost $6.88 (where do they get these odd numbers?) I knew I wouldn't use it for a bread box but with a little (it didn't take much) encouragement from Amy, I decided it had to come home with me. It will be painted (black, of course) and I will use it to put my phone books in. Right now they are taking up one of my kitchen drawers but they fit perfectly inside. The other wooden item is an oval tray. It's scratched up pretty bad, but it'll be painted also. Amy suggested that I use it on my bathroom counter (between the two sinks). I'm trying to decide what color it should be...if I do use it there.

Here are the two treasures again. Look at the space inside that bread box and see the little legs on the bottom of the tray.....I loved that part. Yes, the tray only cost $1.48. The spray paint will come out this week and I'll share the make-over.

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN

2009-06-19T06:36:00.003-05:00

TRUST ME.........this may be one of the best desserts I have ever put in my mouth! This is coming from someone who 'likes' chocolate but doesn't 'love' it. If given a choice I would probably choose lemon or coconut pie over chocolate any day. However, when I see a recipe that someone says is delicious (and easy) I usually try it. I wish I could tell you where I saw this recipe. I know it was on a blog that I visit regularly (but you don't want to know how many this actually is). Being a country girl....cobblers are a dessert of choice....but I've always made apple, peach, strawberry, etc. and never chocolate. I copied this recipe from the blog (sorry, again, that I can't give proper credit) and baked it for supper (yes, country again....at night it's called supper). I had all the ingredients already at home....bet you do to. Here's the recipe.

CHOCOLATE COBBLER

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a 9 X 13 dish

Mix the following together in a bowl:

1 1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 c self-rising flour

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c of milk (plus a smidgen---I used almost a cup)

Pour this over the melted butter. DO NOT STIR...just drizzle the above over the butter.

In another bowl mix the following:

1 c sugar

5 tbsp. cocoa

Just SPRINKLE this over the mixture (I used my fingers). Again DO NOT STIR....just sprinkle.

Now add 2 cups of boiling water over the top of all of the above. DO NOT MIX....just pour over (covering all the dry mixture you just sprinkled).

Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes.

Oh, my goodness!!!!! My son-in-law gave it top rating! Please let me know if you try this and like it.

37 YEARS AGO

2009-06-17T06:50:00.003-05:00

37 years ago today I married the love of my life. We didn't actually start dating until January of his senior year in high school (I was a junior), but I had kept my eye on him for some time prior. He went away to college and in the summer of his junior year we were married. We had absolutely NO extra money but we were able to pay our bills and that was what mattered. I worked in the office at the university until his last quarter and decided then that I wanted to go back to school. I enrolled and took classes (while continuing to work). After graduation we moved back home where he began teaching and coaching. God has blessed us so much more than we deserve. We have two wonderful children, Amy and Chris, and six precious GRANDchildren. Have all the years been good? Absolutely not. There were many hard times. However, we both loved each other and knew that we could make it through those times with God's help. These 37 years have gone by so quickly. I pray that we have MANY more years together.

OUTDOOR CHANDELIER

2009-06-15T07:42:00.002-05:00

I have to show you a birthday gift from my best friend, Jane. She always gives me something that she would like herself (and there have been times that she might buy two---one for me and one for her). However, when she brought my gift this year she said, "I have your gift in the car and wanted one for myself but only bought one!" I LOVED it! I had knew exactly where it would hang. My deck has been covered and we hung it out there. I haven't lit the candles (yet) but one of these nights I plan on doing so. I love it ....almost as much as I love her!

MIXED UP

2009-06-12T06:47:00.003-05:00

I know that it's ok to mix things up at times when you are in a hurry....I've been guilty of wearing a brown shoe and black shoe to work all day and not notice it until late in the day (does it help that they were the exact shoe other than the color?) I know of some people who have worn different socks (by mistake) when they were rushing.......but I have never seen hydrangeas with different colored blooms on the same bush. I have always heard that the color of your bloom would be determined by the soil (something about acid???).....well.....I think my hydrangea bush just blew that theory out the window.

I have one bush that has the most beautiful blooms you have ever seen and some are blue and some are pink. This has never happened to me before. The blooms have always been blue on this bush. I sure wish I had a better camera (I know it's the camera and not the photographer) but you could see just how beautiful it is with the two colors. Maybe you have a bush like this.....but I am excited that this year I am blessed with "twin" hydrangeas.....a boy and a girl!

WEEKEND FUN

2009-06-09T06:39:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we had a church wide fellowship at our house. The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL and we had a great number to come.....I counted 87 but might have missed someone. We (my husband) grilled hotdogs and each family was to bring either a salad, dessert, baked bean dish and drink. Oh my goodness at the food!!! We had horseshoes, a bean bag toss, football toss, and cornhole game. This is a game I found directions for making online and my husband made. It was quite a hit! I think we'll enjoy playing it ourselves when no one is here.

Look at the picture of the table of sin (dessert table).....OH MY!!! There were so many choices and all (that I tried) were delicious! Don't you just love having so many choices? I think that I must try some of all.....so I won't hurt anyone's feelings, right??

Salads and beans! There were salads I had never tried before and they were yummy, too! Grape salad, corn salad, sweet potato salad are some new ones for me! I had a wonderful time with my church family. We are having a fellowship each month during the summer. I'm already looking forward to the one in July....more good food and fun!

OH, BROTHER!

2009-06-06T07:08:00.003-05:00

Four brothers.....my husband (2nd from left) and his three brothers. This picture was taken last night after we been out celebrating my husband's oldest brother's birthday. These guys don't all get together very often because one of them lives far away, but the love they have for each other and family is strong. If a problem arose there is no doubt that any of these four would drop what he was doing and be there for the other. Thanksgiving is the one holiday when all are here but other than that, the times are rare. I have told you that these guys and their wives started taking a yearly trip together last year and you wouldn't believe how much we laughed. I am so blessed that God chose this family for me to be a part of. Life is short....spend time with those you love.....and let them know you love them!

OH, THE PLACES YOU WILL GROW!

2009-06-01T18:23:00.002-05:00

Sure wish my photography skills/camera was better! Remember the old grocery buggy from several posts back. Here it is today with different plants growing in it. I put moss in the bottom to keep the soil from falling through and planted these shade loving plants. They are already showing signs of growth since last week when they were first planted. I had intended to plant something on the bottom rack of the buggy but couldn't find a way. I may just put a tray on there to hold things I may need. I think it'll really look good when the ivy starts spreading.

Here's the old wheel barrow (flat tire and all). It is amazing how much beauty plants bring to old objects.

I'll admit that I don't usually have fresh squeezed lemonade on the table, but my husband was working on a project for the weekend and I fixed a pitcher for him. I told him not to pour any in his glass before I could make my picture....blog came first!!! We're having a churchwide fellowship here on Saturday and he has been making some games that we'll play. I will be sure and post about it later.

IT'S WORKING!

2009-05-30T08:03:00.003-05:00

I LOVE fresh tomatoes from the garden....to me, there is nothing better. So we make sure to plant plenty of tomato plants in our garden each year because we eat them daily, and I love to can some to use during the year. For quite some time I have looked at kits to buy for hanging tomatoes and thought about trying these. This year my sweet husband decided he would make his own hanging tomato garden. I came home from work one day and he had taken some five gallon paint buckets and drilled the holes to plant the tomatoes. When I saw them I thought they were UGLY....ok.....it really didn't matter how they looked if it worked...but I'm a QUEEN of spray paint now (thanks to blogland) and stopped him from adding the soil and plants until I could "beautify" the buckets. (I hope my BIL in Florida notices that I DON'T spray everything black!) We started with the green and blue because we really didn't know if they would work. A few weeks later we added the red one because they were outgrowing the ones in our garden! I also planted some pepper in the planter sitting on the ground.

This is a close up.....see the tomatoes! I love not having to put a basket around plants, or tie them to keep them from falling over....these just hang. Think we'll do this again next year!

DANCING DOLLS

2009-05-26T21:30:00.003-05:00

My husband and I took another trip to Louisiana so we could spend the weekend seeing two of our granddaughters' dance recital. I was a proud Gigi for sure. The picture above is three year old Maddie. Her group did a ballet to the song "Cinderella" and had daddy's (and everyone else) crying. It was such a beautiful production.

This is Breanna (she will be eight years old tomorrow) in her jazz outfit. Breanna did three numbers.....jazz, tap, and ballet. She did a fantastic job on all three. Both girls love to dance and pretty soon their baby sister will be joining them. I don't have pictures of Emma so I think she will have a post all her own coming later! It was a fun time with our son and his family....just don't get to see them as often as I would like. However, we will spend a week together at the beach in July....can't wait for this annual trip.

TRASH OR TREASURE??

2009-05-21T21:09:00.002-05:00

" One man's trash is another man's treasure"....is a saying I have heard all my life. I have evidence to prove that it is true for me. See the picture at the top. This was out on the side of the road by the trash to be picked up while we were visiting our granddaughters last month. I was outside waiting with my granddaughter to catch the schoolbus and saw it....a perfectly good, rusted, flat tire...wheel barrow. I immediately went inside the house and asked my son if something was by the trash in his neighbor's yard could I have it. He knew that he better come and check so we called his neighbor and when I was given permission I loaded this jewel in the back of our vehicle and could see flowers growing in it (in my mind). I'll post pictures later of the flowers that I have planted in it.

This is my favorite treasure that I have found. It also has sentimental value which makes it priceless. My daddy died when I was five years old...in 1958....and he had a store prior to his death. A few months ago I saw this OLD grocery buggy behind a shed on family property. It hit me that this probably came from my daddy's store. I went and asked a relative about the buggy and was told that it did indeed come from my daddy's store. I LOVE THIS BUGGY. It is so small compared to the ones we have today...and no place for a child to sit....guess children didn't go with their mama to the store back then. I have plans for it also....and of course it will involve plants. I think my husband really thinks I've lost my mind. He didn't say a word but kinda looks at me when I told him what I'm planning to do. I can hardly wait to show you pictures when I finish the project.

GRADUATION FROM PRE-K

2009-05-20T07:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my grandson, Griffin's, Pre-K end of the year program. Parents and grandparents filled the room as the 18 children sung songs and a slide show of the events of the year was shown. The above picture is Griffin with his teacher and her aide as he is getting his award.

I made MANY pictures but knew I must post this one. During one of the songs there was an instrumental part and the children pretended to play the guitar.....Well, Griffin kinda "got down"! I love this! The year was great....such a wonderful program presented by the children.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2009-05-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

I LOVE antiques.....there's just something about having an item that is OLD. This picture is an antique. That's right....it is OLD....56 years old for sure. It's a picture of me when I was just a baby, and today I am 56. I'm an antique. WOW! Guess that makes me valuable. I don't have many scratches or broken parts (yet) so I'm in pretty good condition. Does that make me more valuable? Just kidding..... I remember when I was young thinking of someone who was in their 50's as "old"....but I really don't feel old. I'm feel blessed. God has been so good to me. I have a wonderful family and good health. I'm thankful to be able to say that I am 56 years OLD today.

A GIFT FROM THE HEART

2009-05-13T08:04:00.003-05:00

I want to share a gift that I received on Mother's Day many years ago. It was from my daughter while she was in college (and had NO money). I have told her many times that it is my favorite gift that she has ever given me (which includes those she spent too much money for) and it breaks my heart that it is fading with age. I know that you can't see very well from the picture, but she took time to write each verse with a different colored pencil and she used a frame that she already had. I'm going to type the words so you can read them below. Also, this is to remind you moms who think that the "little" things you do aren't worth the effort.....maybe one day you will know that they made a difference.

THANK YOU....for all those notes you would hide in my lunchbox....for knowing that "Daddy's Girls" love their Moms, too...FOR PLAYING HI-HO-CHERRY-O WITH ME!...making me my own, special potato salad minus eggs, pickles, & onions...teaching me how to be a woman, while letting me stay your little girl....letting us have the HOMECOMING FLOAT at our house every year....always taking us to church....being a cool parent.....for coming to see me play softball - even though we never won....TUCKING ME IN EVERY NIGHT...for making sure that Santa left the presents unwrapped....for knowing when to say exactly what I needed to hear; and when to say nothing at all...not hanging up until you say "I LOVE YOU"....peeling tomatoes for me....and all the other wonderful things that make you who you are, and make me who I am.

M & M's ANYONE

2009-05-11T16:17:00.002-05:00

I love M & M's....especially the peanut ones! Quite some time ago I saw a picture of turning a chicken feeder and mason jar into a place for peanuts or M & M's. It fit my old rustic decorating style perfectly, but I was never where I could find a chicken feeder. Several weeks ago, while in Louisiana, I went with my son to a "Feed & Seed" store to find something to use to place around his tomatoes and I spotted a box of brand new poultry feeders. I took one up to pay for it and the man asked if I planned to paint something on it. I told him what I was going to do and he said he knew it was something "crafty" because women bought them all the time but usually to paint. I love this idea....I didn't think of it...but I sure copied it!

REMEMBERING TWO MOTHERS

2009-05-09T12:41:00.003-05:00

There is a very popular writing that has sold many copies entitled "Everything I Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten". If you have read it you may say that there is truth in it's words. I have to disagree to some extent and have my own idea. I would have to say that most 'Everything I Need To Know I Learned From These Two Mothers'. The first picture is one of my mother and my daughter and son (quite a few years ago). As I began looking for pictures I had a hard time finding a picture of my mother by herself. I see so much strength when I remember my mother. I was five years old when my daddy passed away and she raised me by herself. I never knew there was an option of whether we would go to church or stay home. If it was Sunday or even Wednesday night...you were at church. She gave me an offering to give each Sunday morning. I never heard my mother speak against anyone. She taught me to love unconditionally. Mother worked extremely hard. In fact, until she became too sick, she worked in a steel plant and did the job that men did so she could provide for us. She taught me to love God and my family more than any thing. My mother loved people and they loved her. My friends from high school would come home with me to see my mother. I lost my mother in 1996. There aren't many days that go by that I don't think about her. I am so thankful for what she taught me.The next mother I had who taught me was my mother-in-law. I loved her like my own mother. I learned so much from her and I knew that she loved me too. She had four boys and no girls but her sons gave her daughters when they married. She battled cancer for many years but continued to carry on her life. One day on a trip back from a chemo treatment she told me these words "My body tells me to go to bed but my head says if you go to bed you won't get up". She didn't go to bed....she continued to stay up and about until a week before she passed away. She didn't offer her opinion much, but when she did you knew that it was thought through and you better take it! We canned soup, made pickles, and made sweet potato pies together. She could teach a Sunday School class like no one else I've heard. She looked forward each year to the time all her children would be together for the holiday.

Life was hard for both of these ladies. They didn't have much in terms of money....but they were rich when it came to love and what they gave. When I read Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed, I can't help but know that this verse was written for both MY mothers.

A SPECIAL SURPRISE

2009-05-08T16:25:00.003-05:00

I LOVE surprises.....especially when you are least expecting to receive something. This morning at work my sweet friend, Codie, walked in with this cute planter full of different herbs. I couldn't believe it because I had read her blog earlier and commented about how much I loved these. She had not read my comment yet and brought me one. This is a special weekend for this girl....she graduates from Alabama tomorrow.....ROLL TIDE!!! I am so proud of her. Thanks, Codie, for making my day so special.

IT CAN BE DONE!

2009-05-07T06:40:00.004-05:00

Having a garden has always been a given at our house! I was raised on a farm....yes...a farm where as a little girl I remember going to the chicken house and gathering eggs, going to the barn to watch the cows being milked, and seeing how the food for the winter was frozen and canned in the summer. When I married, my husband I continued to plant a garden. I will say truthfully that he has never been as excited as I am when it comes to gardening.....but I am blessed to live next door to his brother who LOVES it as much as me. So we have a garden together. I've said all that to tell you this. My son (who lives in Louisiana in a CITY) called me several weeks ago and asked me how to plant peas and corn. I told him (but in my mind I was thinking..."Bless your heart. There is NO WAY you can have peas and corn in that beautiful neighborhood where you live." "Maybe some tomatoes in buckets......but NOTHING else." ) Mama was wrong!!! Last week on our quick trip to see everyone this is what I saw. The tomatoes and peppers were planted in buckets but look below.

These are his peas and corn! Most of the houses are VERY CLOSE, but on the right side of his house is an empty lot. He took a tiller and tilled the back side and made him a garden. He also has squash (that I don't have a picture of). Let's just pray no one decides to build a house before he gets some of these yummy fresh vegetables. I told him that he would definitely have enough for his neighbors. After seeing what a great job he did planting his garden, two thoughts came to my mind.....1. Where there's a will....there's a way. 2. You might take someone out of the country ...but you can't take the country out of them!

FINISHED AT LAST!

2009-05-03T19:10:00.003-05:00

If you remember my post from awhile back, I showed you a shelf that my wonderful son-in-law made me. It has taken me some time to get it painted, hung, and things on it. I had several of you say I should paint it black, some said red, so this is what happened. First it was black. You know me....LOVE black but decided I had entirely too much of that color in the room. So I then painted it red. Next I put some walnut gel stain over the red and it really changed the entire color. The color is totally different than any I had imagined, but it's growing on me. The hardest part was deciding what to put on it once it was hung. I am sure I'll be changing it, but for now this is it. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

SUGAR & SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE!

2009-05-01T21:33:00.003-05:00

We took a really quick trip to Louisiana this week to see these three precious granddaughters. It had been much too long since I was able to spend some time loving on them. I can tell you that it is worth driving six hours on Tuesday and returning Thursday morning to see these sweet faces. The pictures were made at their daddy's baseball game Tuesday afternoon. Emma (above) had her first "sour straw" and loved it! She also loved laying in the grass. I'll have to tell you that she is a Gigi's girl...yes, she wanted me (and I loved every minute of it!)

This is Maddie. She looks so much like her daddy and is full of life. Every time she saw me making a picture she would strike a pose where she stuck her arms out. We are going back the end of May for her first dance recital. She told me that she would be "on stage".
Breanna has her own "sour straw". She loves to dance and is a pretty good gymnist. She will be eight years old later this month. I love these girls so much.....can't wait to see them again.

SATURDAY'S WORK

2009-04-26T07:03:00.003-05:00

I love working outside! Give me a plant, hoe, rake, and lawn mower over a broom and mop any day. I will admit it becomes a little harder in the heat of July and August here in Alabama, but I still love being outside. My husband and I spent the entire day working out yesterday and I'm showing a few pictures now so you can see the difference in a few weeks after the growth. This picture is as you come down my front steps. It'll really be pretty as the flowers get big and fill in.

The pictures loaded so randomly....but these are some flowers I planted yesterday. I tried to think "outside the pot" as Cathy tells us to do when I planted in a basket yesterday. I even used her idea with a little polka dot ribbon!

My husband worked so hard on this area for several days and finished it yesterday. We have had these pavers in our backyard for years. He asked if I'd like for him to make another sitting area out front because that is where every one gathers when we have friends over. I think he did a great job. I have had the table for years and got a little wild with my spray paint but love that "Carribbean Blue" color. I have another chair that isn't showing and they are both lime green. Kinda wild in my old age!!

This is a different angle of the flower bed from the first picture..(told you these pictures loaded crazy).

Remember to think "outside the pot" when planting according to Cathy! More pictures as they grow.

A LITTLE RECYCLING

2009-04-24T06:43:00.003-05:00

I love finding ways to use things that are broken or "unusable". Since I began blogging I have found that a little spray paint can make any thing look totally different!! I don't know about you, but we always seem to have a hose that leaks, or needs to be replaced. Usually my hubby throws them away, but when he started to do that this year I told him that I wanted to make something out of the hose. He looked at me like I had really lost it this time. Before you think I am "REALLY creative" I must give credit to whom it is due.....I saw this on Cobblestone Farms last year and loved the idea. My memory is still pretty good at remember some things.....just not where I put something!! Of course, my wreath doesn't look half as good as Cathy's, but it fits great on my basement door and I'm sure it will be a conversation piece if nothing else. Have a fantastic Friday.....I plan on doing so!!

NEED A GOOD RECIPE?

2009-04-22T08:49:00.003-05:00

This post is for my friend, Holly. She emailed me this morning and told me that I had been missing in action from blogland long enough. I told her I had some creative things going but all were "almost finished". I thought for a few minutes and realized that I like to hear what's going on in all your lives whether you have decorated, cooked, sewed, planted, visited, or whatever. So......I thought I'd share one of the best sites that I know of for wonderful "southern" recipes. It is Southern Plate.

I am going to tell you first of all that there's not many things I feel that I can do a good job on, but cooking is one of my "specialities". I had the best mentors for learning....my mama, two aunts, and mother-in-law were the best in the world. They could put a spread on the table. I'm real close to frying okra like my mom and making potato salad like my mother-in-law (but can't get her chocolate cake that has holes poked in it with the chocolate running all down through the layers---although she gave me the recipe herself). If you are like me and feel that you are a pretty fair "cook", but just get tired of the same thing and need a few new recipes.....you must visit Southern Plate. This is an Alabama girl so she has to be pretty good!!! I have tried many of her recipes and they have all been keepers. I like it because she always has pictures to go along with the recipes (this helps us visual learners). I'm sure there are other wonderful sites for recipes, but this is one that I have found and endorse (I'm sure Christy would be proud to have this retired teacher endorse her..LOL) In fact, Kraft is flying her to California for their Grilled Cheese event this week. Who would have known there were so many ways to make grilled cheese sandwiches? Now, I must get off the computer and do something on my off day so I can show you something "creative" (even for me) so you will continue to visit me. Thanks Holly for giving me the nudge to get back and post....no matter what is happening in my world.

MY SURPRISE

2009-04-13T19:54:00.003-05:00

Look what I found on my sun porch when I got home from work today! My WONDERFUL son-in-law made me this shelf I have been wanting. I first saw one like it in a catalog and it cost way too much for me to spend. He is very talented and can build any thing, so I knew that if he just had time to do it I would have me a shelf. Rondell's husband built her one awhile back and I even asked her for the measurements (after I misplaced my catalog). She sent me the measurements and my SIL looked at the picture of Rondell's, along with her measurements, and made mine. I am so excited.....can't wait to paint it and sand it so it'll look old. I had planned all along to paint it black, but now that I have it I am not sure. I have SO MUCH black in the room. My walls are latte (looks like coffee with much cream). What do you think???? Should I go with black.....or red.....or mustard???? Too many decisions.