Just A Plain Gal

Posting Under the Influence...

2010-11-18T14:50:00.002-06:00

...of my first cold of the season! UGH!

I guess the winter season has arrive early for me! I'm sitting here with a bad cold that started yesterday with a nose running like an open faucet and sneezing my head off. I took Loratadine yesterday and last night, so I managed to get the "faucet" turned off a little, but still feel pretty lousy. I wish I could go back to bed, but my arthritis was hurting so much this morning that I just couldn't stay in bed any longer.

So...since I don't feel like doing much of anything, I decided that I might as well share some more of my vinyl crafts with you!

This is a floating frame that I made to donate to an auction at my grandchildren's school for their Fall Festival.

This tile is sooo ME! I scraplifted this quote some time ago, thinking that I would turn it into an embroidery design for a sweatshirt, but when my hubby brought home a few tiles, I decided to use the design to decorate it!

I didn't want to hang the tile on a wall, so I used the easel back from an old picture and glued it to the back of the tile with some Liquid Nails, since I was out of E6000 glue. It's not centered because I used a tape measure that had a messed up end. so I was measuring from 1" across to 13" instead of across to 12". I was tired and not thinking straight, so when I marked the center point, I messed up and figured half of 13" instead of half of 12" and counted backwards 6-1/2" from 13"! I must have really been tired because I never noticed how off-center it was! Oh, well...it still works! LOL!

View from the side.

This is a name frame I made as a wedding gift for my hubby's great-nephew and his wife. I got the frame at Walmart for $3. I had intended to make it into a floating frame, but since the picture opening is hinged onto a permanent backing, I was afraid I'd mess it up if I took it off. So...I had some 8-1/2" x 14" cardstock that I used to make the background.

First, I sprayed the cardstock with spray-on Kilz primer so that the cardstock wouldn't soak up my metallic copper spray paint (I chose the copper to coordinate with the copper color in the frame. The next step can be skipped, but I think it gives the metallic copper a richer look. After the primer dried, I spray painted the cardstock with satin black paint. After that dried, I then sprayed on the metallic copper. After it dried, I laid the glass from the frame on top of the cardstock and cut around it with my rotary cutter.

I used my Cricut to cut out their last name in black vinyl and applied to the cardstock. I then used my Cricut to cut out their first names in a beige vinyl. I flipped the design so that it would cut backwards. I applied the backward-cut first names to the BACK of the glass, so that when the glass was in the frame, the names would be right-side out. By doing the first names this way, the front of the glass will be easier to clean.

Since I already had everything but the frame, this wedding gift cost me a total of $3! Not bad!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my projects! I have another one in the works that I've been procrastinating on finishing because it involves layering two different colors, which I've never done before. I'm a little nervous about how it will turn out, but I guess if it doesn't turn out well, I can always scrape off the vinyl and give it another whirl!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Time goes fast!

2010-11-14T21:12:00.000-06:00

WOW! It's been TWO weeks since I posted! Well, so much for my plans to post something incredibly funny, insightful and beautiful every couple of days!

At least I'm posting in time to join Smiling Sally for Blue Monday this week!

Part of the reason I haven't been posting is because I was working on some custom sweatshirts. I can't post the entire sweatshirt designs right now, because they're for a special ballgame and my friends/customers want to be sure they are the ONLY ones at the game with shirts like these. Two of the hisrts have the same design on the back, but this one is a bit different. This mom wanted her son's number on the back of her sweatshirt, so I used my Cricut to cut the numbers our of BLUE FABRIC , and then I appliqued them to the back of the shirt. Didn't the ladies choose a pretty blue fabric?

There was also quite a bit of machine embroidery involved in this project, but I'll have to wait until after the game to share it all with you!

Maybe, I'll be able to post more often, provided that I can come up with some good stuff to post! The wheels in my head will be trying to churn up some new posts while I hope that you all have a great week!

I Found Something BLUE!

2010-11-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

Today is Blue Monday over at Smiling Sally's, and the good news is that I finally found something BLUE!

About the only blue thing in my house that I haven't already posted about is the wallpaper in my bathroom...and, while I still love the color and pattern, the paper is so ~~crappy~~ old, that it needs replacing. I'll save posting a picture of that as a last resort!

A friend of our daughter gave her a large bag just full of the little packages of M&M Mnis, so our daughter brought them over to the house for our one and only trick or treater. We live in the country, so the only trick or treater we had was ~~our youngest grandson~~ Buzz Lightyear.

We fixed Buzz up a bag with several packages of the candy, plus a few suckers and a couple of small toys, and he was happy as could be!

That was the good news!

Now, for the BAD NEWS:

MeMe, who had been deprived of chocolate for a couple of weeks, ~~fell upon the rest of the M&Ms like a starving wolf~~ ate a few packs of them. Here is the evidence...rather, the evidence WAS in those pretty, bright BLUE packages!

Sigh! I guess this means no more chocolate for MeMe for quite a while!

Have a Happy Blue Monday and a GREAT week!

Stencilling with a Cricut

2010-10-27T20:55:00.001-05:00

My next adventure in Cricuting was making stencils out of clear contact paper. I went out to my ~~crap~~ craft shed and found the bottle of Armour Etch that I bought years ago. I had no idea whether it was still any good or not, but decided to see.

I am woefully behind on wedding gifts and needed one for a young couple whose surname is Byrd. I had a nice vase, so I decided to decorate it for them. I cut a fancy B out of the contact paper and, just for fun, also cut out a little bird on a branch right over the "B" I applied the vinyl to the vase, although I had to cut the sides of the vinyl AROUND the design in order to accommodate the curve of the vase.

I pressed the contact paper down really well, especially around the edges of the design, and then I applied the etching cream and prayed that it would still work in spite of being 10+ years old. I waited about 15 minutes, and then scraped the etching cream back into the bottle and ran the vase under running water to wash off the rest of the etching cream. I then removed the contact paper to see if the etching cream worked.

IT WORKED!!! WOO HOO! No need to buy more of that expensive stuff!

I put a blue towel inside the vase in hopes of getting a decent picture, but you can barely see the branch on which the little birdie is sitting. Anyway, I think it turned out pretty cute, and I hope that T and C like it!

I then started thinking about what else I could etch. I thought about my Pyrex bowls and pans, and how I've always had to write my name on a piece of masking tape to stick to the bottom of the dish at pot luck suppers. So, I cut out another stencil, along with a curvy little design on each side, and stuck it on my Pyrex meat loaf pan. I did both sides of the pan this way. I should be pretty "cool" at the next pot luck supper with my monogrammed cookware!

While I was looking for the Armour Etch cream, I came across some candles that I had bought on sale a couple of years ago. I had intended to try my hand at hand-painting candles but never got "a round tuit". I also found the bottle of candle medium that I bought for that unattempted project, along with a bottle of black craft paint. Yeah! I was in business!

Well, I did a couple of candles, and I'm not thrilled with either one of them. I wiped down the candles with alcohol, let them dry and then applied the contact paper. It was hard to get the contact paper to stick down very well on the candles,, and the paint is best when applied with a wide foam brush. The nativity scene was supposed to have a very thin arch over the whole scene, but I ended up scraping it off. I also got the bright idea of applying glitter to the star, but managed to glitter Joseph's head, as well. Oh, well, this will do for us, but I wouldn't give it to anyone else!

My next candlepainting project was this fancy monogram. Again, it was hard to get the contact paper to stick to the candle well, and while I was stuggling with it, I managed to get it crooked! This design is too fancy, and some of the parts of it are just too thin to do well as a stencil on candles. It'll do for us, though!

A poster on the HGTV craft boards suggested that I cut my designs out of black tissue paper and use a piece of waxed paper to hold the design against the candle while I use a blow dryer to melt the candle wax just enough to soak into the tissue paper design. I have a few more candles, so I'm going to give that idea a try.

I've been painting the doors and trim in my entry way this week, so I will be back as soon as I finish that job and get the walls painted!

My Latest Obsession

2010-10-25T22:25:00.001-05:00

I just realized that if I had waited until MONDAY to post my previous post, I would have had something for Smiling Sally's BLUE MONDAY! That's what I get for jumping in and posting without my brain in gear!

My sweet hubby bought me a Cricut Create for Christmas. He totally missed Walmart's Black Frday sale of the Cricut Expression that I really wanted, but...oh, well, it's the thought that counts, right?

However, when I opened the box, there was no cartridge inside! Apparently, someone had stolen the cartridge. So, off to Walmart I went. They had one more Create in stock...and someone had stolen the cartridge out of that box, too! Finally, Walmart's manager just gave me a cartridge. The only problem was that it was a "Home Decor" cartridge. Sure, it had lots of cute stuff on it, and I did play with it for quite a while, but that cartridge had NO FONTS! It's kind of hard to personalize stuff without any fonts.

Given our financial situation, my hubby didn't see any need for spending money on either a cartridge or the Make The Cut program that I really wanted. With Make The Cut, I wouldn't need any more cartridges!

So, my Cricut Create sat, mostly unused, until September, when my wonderful mom gave me birthday money! WooHoo!!! I promptly sat down and ordered MTC!

It is super simple to use, and I really like that I can take simple images and convert them into die cuts!

All I needed was something to cut...preferably vinyl. I was out of money, so I asked a friend who owns a printing/sign business if I could buy some of her scrap vinyl. She GAVE me a whole box full! WooHoo, again!

The very first thing I made was this 4" tile as a gift for my cousin and his wife who were both celebrating their birthdays. I had planned on making a set of 4 coasters; but, I was running out of time, and this intricate design took quite a bit of time to weed out the unwanted vinyl. I turned it into a wall decoration, instead.

This is not the finished version. I had to stop at Walmart on the way to the party to get some ribbon and sticky-back felt to finish it off. I used E6000 glue to glue a length of 1-1/4" wide sheer black ribbon to the back. I glued ribbon all the way down the back of the tile for extra security. I then cut a square of black felt and applied that to the back. For what it's worth, I do NOT like the sticky-back felt...it's very hard to work with, IMHO! I was pleased with how well it turned out, and my cousins were delighted.

Then, my hubby came up with a request. He had just gotten back from a fishing trip to our trailer in Arkansas with his buddies. His buddy, Daryl, had rotten fishing luck that weekend, and my hubby likes to "rub it in" a little. He asked me to decorate a coffee cup for Daryl, who was a good enough sport to laugh about it!

My daugher-in-law likes to decorate for Halloween, so I made her this tile and finished it with the ribbon in the same way that I finished my cousins' tile.

For a more serious gift, I bought this fall charger at Walmart and applied a vinyl monogram. She said that this was just the kind of thing she likes!

Then, my hubby came back with another request. Our business phone numbers changed a while back, but we had not yet changed the numbers on our work trucks. The work trucks got new phone numbers, and then I made new vinyl signs to put in the back windows. We figure that people might notice those signs better than they might notice the signs on the sides of the trucks. Maybe my signs will help our business!

I'll be back later with some more pictures of my ~~obsession~~ craft projects! Have a great week!

I'm still around...alive and kicking!

2010-10-23T22:09:00.000-05:00

WOW! It's been a LONG time since I posted!

In case anyone was wondering, no, I'm not dead, nor did I drop off the face of the earth!

With all the hullabaloo of my husband's illness, my own health issues, and our financial setbacks last year, I just lost my posting and crafting mojo. I did make a few things for Christmas, but that was about it, as far as crafting goes.

Hubby is doing very well now, despite a few set-backs. He had issues with his blood thickening up, so had to take blood-thinners for about 8 months. He also had another foot injury which put him back into the hospital for a few days, but the infection wasn't as bad as it was last year. He now has a CPAP machine, which alleviates my fears that I might wake up to find that he quit breathing without starting back up again. He had some issues with heart palpitations, but another heart catherization showed NO BLOCKAGES. Thank goodness! I'm inclined to think that the palpitations may have been mild anxiety attacks, as he's not had another spell of them since the catherization. I believe that the catherization probably alleviated his worries, and thus eliminated the palpitations.

I'm at home full-time now, as my arthritis in my knee, hip, hands, and spine make it very difficult to be on my feet for very long or even do computer work on a full-time basis. I'm currently awaiting a disability hearing...sometime within the next 8 months...MAYBE! The knee was functioning OK for a couple of yeras, after I had a cortisone shot directly into the joint; however, the shot is now wearing off. I'm hoping to be able to get another shot very soon.

Our oldest grandson graduated from high school in May, and is in his first semester at college. It was a blessing that he won enough scholarships to pay for his first semester! We're very proud of him!

I started getting my crafting mojo back by monogramming sheets and towels for him to take to college. I didn't take a picture of those, for some reason.

Our youngest grandson turned 3 in August, and since he graduated to a full-sized "big boy" bed, I decorated some sheets for him with machine embroidery and a little red rick-rack..

Here's the top sheet, from left to right. The bottom sheet matches the pillowcases and coordinates with the top sheet.

I've been making quite a few things over the past month, but I'll save those for another post!

Trials and Blessings!

2009-07-26T12:49:00.004-05:00

My husband is a diabetic with diabetic neuropathy in his feet.

In March, he stepped on a nail and walked around for half a day without realizing that he had a nail sticking in his foot.

He was headed to our trailer in Arkansas for a weekend of fishing with our grandson, so he loaded up his foot-doctoring supplies and headed out.

The following Sunday night, he came home and was pleased that his foot was looking good.

Monday, he went to work and was on his feet all day. Monday night, he showed me his foot, which was black and blue all over the top. My immediate thought was that he had dropped something really heavy on his foot. He said, "No. I haven't done anything but walk around on it all day."

He wasn't feeling very well, so he stayed home the next two days. In the meantime, I called his doctor for an appointment, but she was out of town for a week.

Wednesday night, I got home to find that his foot had a huge blister on top of his toe. He asked me what I thought, and I said, "I think we need to go to the ER!"

The ER doctor took one look and said, "We're admitting you for IV antibiotics."

By that time, the blister had ruptured and his foot looked like something out of a horror movie. My first thought was that he had that flesh-eating bacteria, and the doctor did order testing for that.

It turned out that my husband had a staph infection, a bone infection, and another kind of infection in his foot.

He was in the hospital for a week, but needed IV antibiotics at home for 4 more weeks.

Which would cost us about $4,500!

Our insurance would cover the cost of home health care, but NOT the cost of the medication. We had no clue as to what to do! We certainly did not have the money!

Praise the Lord for good friends!

For years, we have volunteered, along with our friends, with the Clydesdale Children's Christmas Store. Our main focus is provided needy children with toys, food and clothing at Christmas time, but we also provide small scholarships to deserving students and do fundraisers to help anyone with a genuine need throughout the year. This organization is entirely volunteer, with no salaries being paid out.

On Roger's last day in the hospital, the social worker came by and told us that she had good news for us.

The Clydesdale Children's Christmas Store was going to pay for the IV meds! We called our friends, Ronnie and Brenda, (with tears rolling down our cheeks!) to thank them. Ronnie was so sweet...he said that Roger had done so much for others (working fundraisers, cooking BBQ, etc.) that it was just time to help Roger.

I should also mention that the company providing the meds also agreed to reduce the price by $1200.

Because of their generosity, Roger did not lose any part of his foot and his foot began to heal nicely.

When his foot was nearly healed, we learned that Roger had 4 blockages in the arteries to his heart. He then had to have a quadruple bypass surgery.

Since my husband works in our family business, which is already suffering from the collapse of the housing industry, our income was virtually dropped to almost nothing. What little business we were doing was barely enough to pay our son, who kept the business going on his own.

In addition to the generosity of the Clydesdale Christmas Store "family", a whole bunch of friends threw a huge fundraiser for us, and raised enough money to keep us going through the months of recuperation that lay ahead.

God truly does answer our prayers. We are not out of the financial woods, yet, but we are rich in friends...friends who not only get to work and do what they can to help us out, but friends who offer up their prayers for us. We are truly blessed to have all these friends in our lives, and I thank God for them every day!

True friends are angels without wings who live on this earth and walk amongst us!

I am so proud to know so many angels!

Who are the angels in your lives?

My daughter must have blonde roots!

2009-03-19T21:37:00.005-05:00

First...apologies in advance to my blonde friends!

Anyway...I got a load of Target merchandise in at my store this week. In the load was a bunch of flannel Christmas pajamas.

So..my daughter called me the next day and asked, "What price did you put on those pajamas?"

"Three bucks," I replied.

DD: "Well, that's a good price, so they should sell; but, I dunno...with it getting to be warmer weather, you might have them a while."

Me: "Well, some folks might buy them to put back as Christmas gifts, but if they don't sell, I can put them on Ebay and sell them to people in places like Australia."

DD: "Why Australia?"

Me: "Cuz it's fixin' to be their winter. The seasons are different on their side of the equator."

DD: "Really? Then, they haven't had their Christmas yet!"

Me: "Um...honey...December 25 is December 25, although it comes a day earlier for them than us."

I coulda SWORN that her hair was DARK when she was born!!! LOL!

BTW, I do know that she was thinking about the fact that these are pajamas with Christmas print fabric! Still ain't gonna stop me from teasing her, though! Turn about is fair play!

Springtime in Dixie

2009-03-17T23:12:00.004-05:00

The grass is greening.

My redbud tree is blooming.

My Bradford pear tree is in full bloom.

The crocuses are running amok!

And, my purple irises are fixin' to bloom, too!

YEAH!!! Spring is finally here!

I'm so happy!!!

Should I post this on RMS? Opinions, please!

2009-02-28T08:10:00.009-06:00

Isn't this a beautiful view? It's a lake about 10 miles from our house.

This is the same lake, but a little further along. Wouldn't you just love to live at a place with such a gorgeous view?

I've been thinking about posting this place on RMS...you know...show all the gals how REAL MEN decorate!

Yep, this lovely view is at MY HUSBAND'S DEER CAMP!!!

One side of the porch. Note the LOVELY green plastic lawn chair and the stunning blue garbage can. The blue thing behind the chair is for holding kegs of beer and ice! The red coolers are for those who prefer to drink their beer from a can!

The other side of the porch. The door opens directly into the kitchen. Note the convenient TV up in the corner, so the guys can both admire the lake view and watch the boob tube at the same time! An extra microwave on the porch is an added convenience. The sheet of pressboard on the left is intended for some additional improvements!

A view of the driveway and the "guest houses" from the porch. The "guest house" on the left is called the bunk house, and is filled with beds for the camp members, who are not allowed to sleep in the main house. The "guest house" just to the left of the truck is my husband's private sleeping quarters. You really gotta suck up if you want to sleep in the spare bedroom there!

This is the view of the kitchen as you walk in from the back door. Note the clever creation of a pantry by stacking one base cabinet unit on top of another cabinet unit and topping it off with an over-the-refrigerator cabinet!

Also note the stunning Harvest Gold refrigerator that brings out the beauty of the different woods in the cabinetry. For that "pop" of red color, the fire extinguisher on the floor is just perfect! The fire extinguisher is also very practical...since the previous lodge house burned to the ground because hubby's friend Johnny left a pan of grease on the stove to go outside and check out a fresh deer kill!

On the other side of the kitch is the sink area. The white cabinet really brightens up the space, don't you think? The flourescent lighting is hung in an interesting pattern designed to provide ample lighting for each work area. The guys have all the comforts of home, including a dishwasher, which also served as a dirty underwear washer until one of my hubby's buddies opened it to discover that fact. That same buddy hustled around and found a regular washer and dryer so hubby wouldn't wash his whitey-tighties in the dishwasher any more.

The lodge house has an open floorplan, with the kitchen opening onto the dining area and the common living area.

The walls are covered with stunning camouflage paneling, which is designed to complement any color scheme. There are a variety of textures and patterns in the room...plaid sofas, southwestern print chairs and ottomans, black leather/vinyl...you name it, it's in there!

The entertainment center is mounted in the corner on the left for easy viewing from anywhere in the house. The beer bottle light between the TV and the window provides ambience.

Since Johnny burned the previous lodgehouse down, the members are ever mindful of the need for quick action. The fire extinguisher mounted on the post is very convenient for anyone in the common living area to just grab as necessary. The "pop" of red is...umm...indicative of the guys' pride in being SOUTHERN REDNECKS. Note the innovative storage system for the extra fold-up table....just fold that sucker up and put it upside-down on the floor under the other table!

For convenience, the bar area has an extra refrigerator so that there is always a nice cold drink handy! The bar is adjacent to the kitchen and also serves as a handy buffet serving area. The pot rack over the bar provides out-of-the way storage for pots and pans. The deer on the wall just keeps an eye on everything!

So, whaddya think? Should I post these pics over on Rate My Space? Do you think that Mary Rogers (is she still over there, spreading goodwill?) would like this? If I post these pics on RMS, do you think I should show the guys what folks have to say about their decorating?

BTW, we have FINALLY got SNOW! TWO DAYS after I noticed that the daffodils (we call 'em "buttercups") and the wild pears were blooming! TWO WHOLE INCHES!

Pounding the Pavement has another meaning...

2009-02-20T21:00:00.004-06:00

No, I wasn't pounding the pavement in search of a job.

I LITERALLY pounded the pavement! I stepped outside my store this morning for a break.

I have no clue what happened. One minute I was walking, and the next thing I knew...my browbone was smashing into the concrete!

Please excuse the no-makeup look. I cried it all off!

It looks worse than it is. It doesn't hurt, although it's sore to the touch. No concussion, thank goodness! Could have been worse, because I could have busted my nose!

I also apparently jarred my arthritic hip, because it is really hurting for me to walk tonight.

On a more cheerful note, I have been doing a little more sewing in between buying trips for the store and waiting on customers.

I've made three oven door dresses!

100% cotton, and I made the binding on the sleeves and the sash from a coordinating fabric. I might embroider some flowers on the towel skirt.

This picture isn't very good, but the bodice is made of red fabric with little stars in multiple colors all over it. The sash and ties are made of striped grosgrain ribbon, and the sleeves have blue rick-rack inserted in the edges. I might add a little embroidery to the skirt.

I love this apple print fabric. The sleeves have red rick-rack inserted, and the sash is made from green grosgrain ribbon.

I will be listing at least two of these on Etsy, but I'm trying to figure out which one to include in the giveaway that I'm planning. Any ideas as to which one?

Everything you never knew about bras and didn't know you wanted to know

2009-02-07T21:34:00.002-06:00

My sister sent this to me in email.

Considering my last post was about the gal with 9 implants, I thought it would be appropriate to post this today!

What Religion is Your Bra?

A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy's and shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said, 'I'd like to buy a bra for my wife.'

'What type of bra?' asked the clerk.

'Type?' inquires the man, 'There's more than one type?'

'Look around,' said the saleslady, as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color and material imaginable.

'Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only four types of bras to choose.'

Relieved, the man asked about the types.

The saleslady replied: 'There are the Catholic, the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian, and the Baptist types. Which one would you prefer?'

Now totally befuddled, the man asked about the differences between them.

The Saleslady responded, 'It is all really quite simple... '
The Catholic type supports the masses.
The Salvation Army type lifts the fallen .
The Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright, and
The Baptist makes mountains out of molehills.'

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters used to define bra sizes?

If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood for, it is about time you became informed!

(A} Almost Boobs...
{B} Barely there.
{C} Can't Complain!
{D} Dang!
{DD} Double Dang
{E} Enormous!
{F} Fake.
{G} Get a Reduction.
{H} Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up !

They forgot the German bra.
Holtzemfromfloppen

Get that gal a forklift!

2009-02-05T07:18:00.003-06:00

I was browsing Foxnews this morning and found an article about this gal who has had NINE breast implant surgeries! She is now a 34KKK!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,488384,00.html

I would have posted pics from her website, but her website wouldn't let me. Here's the link.

http://www.sheylahershey.net/gallery_02/

WHY would anybody want such HUGE boobs? IMO, they are FREAKY!

I'm waiting to hear that she had a steel rod inplanted in her back to keep her back from bowing over!

This gal is still young...only 28, I think.

Gravity will eventually take it's toll. I wonder how perky they'll be in 20 years?

Remember that old joke about the old lady who called a doctor's office to ask where her heart was located in her body and was told "to your right of your left nipple". When the old lady tried to commit suicide, she was admitted to the hospital with a bullet wound in her KNEE.

I predict that her 34KKK boobs will eventually be down by her knees, if not her ANKLES!

YIKES!!!

Is there such a thing as Wallets Anonymous?

2009-02-03T22:10:00.006-06:00

Yep, those lil' wallets are addicting! I'm really wanting to make some more fabric ones, but I ran out of WonderBond. I hope I can get some of the fabric ones made tomorrow!

Anyway, I happened onto some more cute school folders, so here are the results!

First, a bright and cheery striped wallet! The inside is the same stripe, only the stripes are running crossways.

Then, with Valentine's Day looming, I thought a Valentine wallet might be a good idea!

I have a ton of these black and yellow folders at the store, so I decided one of them would make a really neat and artsy-fartsy wallet.

I will be listing these in my new Etsy shop, just as soon as I get one packaged and weighed to determine the postage, my descriptions written and manuever my way around Etsy to make sure I know what I'm doing!

I made these "Spud Sacks" a couple of weeks ago. Some of you may know them as "Potato Bags". I just thought "Spud Sack" was a cuter name!

Anyway, they are TERRIFC for baking potatoes in the microwave! The potatoes come out with a nice, fluffy, inside, and the skin stays tender...just as if you had baked them in a regular oven!

I haven't tried these ideas yet, but some folks say that the bags are great for heating up rolls and for cooking corn on the cob!

The bags are made of 100% cotton materials, right down to the thread. I also usually wash and dry my cotton fabrics before sewing in order to pre-shrink them.

Oh...and the name of my Etsy Shop? Well, I took a cue from my blogging name and am calling it "Just Plain Petty"!

The Train Bag is finished!

2009-01-30T21:07:00.010-06:00

Between customers at the store, along with this-n-that, I finally finished the train diaper bag this morning! All I need to do is wait for the purchaser to send the greeting card to include and it will be going to its new owner!

I made the handles a bit longer, so that when worn on the shoulder, the bag rests at the hip area. IMO, that makes it much easier to reach in and get something when you're holding the baby.

Today, I tried my hand at this little wallet. I used the tutorial so generously posted by ReFabulous on her blog. I have been admiring her paperback cover wallets for quite some time.

I didn't have any suitable paperbacks, so I improvised.

I fused fabric to cardstock, and then followed her directions. This wallet is nowhere near perfect, because I messed around and let the vinyl slip a little on the folds. I didn't have the actual written directions at the store with me, and I forgot to use the tissue paper. Oh, well! It will still work for me!

Here's the inside! This was a fun little project, and I do thank ReFabulous for sharing her tutorial with us!

Just sewing up a storm!

2009-01-27T20:05:00.008-06:00

I've been working on a custom diaper bag this afternoon. I had to send my hubby back to Walmart to get some more of the goldish fabric, since the piece of fabric I had bought wasn't straight on one end, which made the fabric about 2" too small to finish cutting out my pattern! GRRR! I also needed more innerfacing...looks like I'm going to have to start buying innerfacing by the bolt!

Anyway, I got the outer shell of the diaper bag embroidered and finished. Tomorrow, I plan on making the lining and finishing it. The new fabric is being washed as I type. Whether it actually gets finished tomorrow depends on how busy my store is. It was pretty busy this afternoon!

I hope the FTC sees the light and changes their new rules so I can offer these in my future Etsy shop after February 10th!

Taking the Etsy Plunge!

2009-01-26T21:00:00.005-06:00

I'm still sewing, along with running the store, and I'm now planning to open an Etsy shop!

I'm trying to come up with a good Etsy user name, since the one I WANTED to use is already taken. I also need to add to the inventory. So far, I only have a couple of things ready to list.

Here is a custom-ordered diaper bag I made last week. I love the chocolate and pink colors together!

I had enough fabric left to make a purse organizer. I tweaked my pattern a bit, to add a space to hold an unsharpened pencil...which is used to hold a key ring! No more searching the bottom of the bag for keys! No more having to make sure the key ring is clipped to a loop or key holder! Just slip the keyring over the top of the pencil. When you need to get your keys out, when you feel the pencil, you know you've found your keys!

See how it works? You simply load your essentials into the pockets, roll it up, and place into your purse. When you're ready to change purses, just pick it up and place inside the new purse! This organizer already has a new home that I'm shipping it to.

The next organizer would be perfect for a teacher! When I get my Etsy shop open, I will be listing this...if I don't sell it locally first!

Here it is, loaded and rolled up! The accessories in the pockets will NOT be listed with the organizer, but I WILL include a new yellow #2 pencil!

If anyone can think of a really cool name for my Etsy shop, I'd appreciate hearing it!

I'm back!

2008-12-27T23:17:00.016-06:00

Well, so much for my intentions of blogging every day!

Our daughter and I own a small, independent $1 store, which she has been managing while I managed my husband's business from home, although I was doing the bulk of the buying and "going to get stuff", and working on the weekends. As a single mom, she also had a part-time job on the weekend. The manager's position at her part-time job became available, so she applied for it because she needs the benefits...and got the job!

As a result, I am now running our $1 store full-time...6 days per week! I'm loving it!

However, my work hours were leaving me no time to craft or sew, so I set up a sewing area at the store and moved my sewing/embroidery machine down there. I am planning to create items to sell at the store, and I'm seriously considering selling on Etsy.

First, though, I had to get Christmas gifts out of the way. I have been one busy gal for the past couple of months!

Here are some of the gifts I've made!

First, a friend's husband built a Barbie doll house to scale for their daughter. I decided to help out by making the bedding. My friend built the basic bed, and I made the mattress, sheets, comforter, pillows, and headboard.

Here is the bed with its sheets and dust ruffle. The mattress was made from some old antique satin drapes. I quilted the top and bottom and stuffed it with a piece of an old memory foam mattress topper. The sheets were made from a scrap of a skirt that I had cut out for my granddaughter which turned out to be too small. The dust ruffle is two rows of pleated satin ribbon sewn onto a base.

Here is the finished bed. The comforter and twin pillows are made from some white satin that a friend gave me. The embroidery is a pink "B" inside a metallic silver heart. The headboard is a thin piece of plywood, upholstered with some more white satin, with a toy tiara glued on top for "bling".

Our oldest grandson has a hunting theme bedroom, so I made this pillow for him.

Our #2 grandson drew a picture of a cardinal, which is their school mascot. I copied his picture, cut the copy apart for a pattern, and cut the appliqued pieces out of felt. The lettering is embroidered. It was a BIG hit! Our #1 grandson now wants me to make a pillow for him, using one of HIS drawings!

Here are the bitty booties that I made for our toddler grandson. They are made of ultrasuede, backed with felt to give them body, and lined with fleece. The soles are sueded leather that I cut out from an old leather purse.

Unfortunately, they would not go on his feet, which apparently had a growth spurt between the time I tried the prototype on him and Christmas Eve! I am enlarging the opening in hopes that the basic bootie still fits him. If not, then I need to find another old leather purse to cut up for soles to make another pair!

Our granddaughter is 12 and into going on sleepovers and also traveling to visit her mom, so I thought she could use a travel toiletry/makeup bag. I had some Kool-Aid Jammers drink pouches, so I whipped one up for her.

I also made a purse for our granddaughter, with a cellphone holder that loops around the handle. I also made a matching eyeglass case, but didn't take a picture of it.

The purse is carried by looping the long handle through the short handle.

One of the customers at the store saw the purse, and wanted me to make two for her granddaughters. I made another one just like my granddaughters, and the purple one with frogs like this one. My customer later asked me if I could make a smaller one for her 2 year old granddaughter, so I scanned the pattern and reduced the size. I forgot to make a picture of it, but it turned out cute. It was red, printed with tiny stars.

I made quite a few purse organizers like this one. It is simply a long strip of interfaced fabric in coordinating prints, with pockets sewn all across.

You simply load your pockets with your essentials, roll it up and place inside your purse. When you are ready to change purses, just pick the whole thing up and place it inside the new purse!

Thinking of things to make for BOYS is HARD! I found the tutorial for these sun visor CD holders online. There are 12 CD pockets, and it was easy to make...EXCEPT that I cannot sew binding on worth a darn! Because of the stiff Veltex innerfacing, the binding could not be pinned, so I had to keep it pulled tight as I sewed. I am not pleased with my messy stitching on the binding, and I also broke a few needles, but the boys were impressed!

I also made quite a few personalized, fleece seatbelt cushions. Easy-peasy!

I made several checkbook covers like this one!

I also made a purse for our daughter, but didn't take a picture of it. I embroidered and personalized a few dish towels, and made a few more checkbook covers. I also made my sweet hubby a snuglet to keep hm warm and cozy while he kicks back in his recliner to watch TV.

All in all, I spent just a little over $100 on Christmas, and all the gifts were well-received!

My best gift was spending time with ALL my family, and I also finally got a beautiful picture of all 5 of our grandchildren! I forgot to get the wallet-sized copy before I left our son's on Christmas Eve, so I'll have to post the picture when I get that.

My sweet hubby expressed great appreciation for my efforts in giving our family the gifts. He's in construction, and with very few new homes being built, our work is very, very slow. He was very upset over not being able to do much in the way of gifts for the grandchildren this year. He said that the gifts I made were better than any store-bought gifts, and that he was very grateful for my hard work in making sure that our family had a nice Christmas.

I hope you all had a wonderful and happy Christmas with your families, and wish everyone a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year!

Working on those blue shoes!

2008-09-24T20:35:00.004-05:00

I've started trying to clean those blue baby shoes of mine. It's going to take quite a bit more work to get them really clean...IF that's even possible. After all, they have been in their dirty state for over 50 years in a box in my mom's attic! By the way, my mom says they got so dirty because I was a floor-scooter at a very young age! It seems that I would roll off my pallet and scoot to wherever I wanted to go. I wore those shoes for quite some time, she said, because they were a little big when the picture was made, and my feet didn't really start growing much until I was older.

Here's the original picture.

Here they are, after the first round of cleaning with carpet cleaner and Scrubbing Bubbles.

Still dirty, but at least you can see the embroidery a little bit better! I was going to try soaking them in Woolite, but the stiffening in the soles is cardboard! Nope! Can't dunk them into anything wet! I just stuffed the end of a washcloth into the toe, sprayed carpet spot cleaner and Scrubbing Bubbles on them, and rubbed with a damp cloth.

By the way, Scrubbing Bubbles in the aerosol can is great for cleaning carpets! Before we traded our old camper in, I cleaned the carpet with Scrubbing Bubbles, and used an old towel soaked in Lemon Pinesol and hot water to scrub it. It looked brand new (and the black marks my husband tracked on the carpet disappeared!) when I finished, and the camper smelled wonderful, too! In fact, somebody bought the camper as soon as we traded it in!

Have a great evening!

Blue Monday!

2008-09-22T10:17:00.008-05:00

Blue Monday has rolled around again!

My Blue Baby Shoes!

Some time back, my mom gave me a pair of my baby shoes. You can see me wearing them in the picture below. The shoes are made of blue felt. with little pink flowers embroidered on the toes. I would like to clean them up and display them with pink ribbon laces, but have no idea how to clean them without damaging them. Any ideas?

To see who else is participating in Blue Monday, visit Smiling Sally and take a look!

Have a great Monday!

Red Roses

2008-09-17T21:37:00.003-05:00

I did almost NOTHING today, but surf the 'net. I did take a break to bake myself a birthday cake...the Coconut Pecan Pound Cake that I posted about earlier, only today, I used a carrot cake mix. Oh...and I did clean up some crud that my #3 grandson had spilled onto my end table and coffee table in the den...and had hidden underneat a potted...well, a FAKE plant. Thankfully, I had previously used a wax polish on the tables, which protected the finish!

Then...my hubby arrived home with these!

A dozen red roses!

Then, after he mowed the lawn, we went out to eat at a new place in town.

A perfect ending to a perfect day!

Have a good night!

Birthday Biscuits!

2008-09-17T07:59:00.004-05:00

My husband is an "early to bed and early to rise" type of guy, where I'm more of a night owl. Going to bed at the same time he does usually results in my waking up around 3 a.m. and unable to go back to sleep. Too early to get up and actually DO anything, because it would disturb him, so I have to lie there and fidget.

He gets up around 6 a.m., and is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I generally get up a short time later, but I'm dragging my rear end.

He generally cooks breakfast, including home-made biscuits.

This is what I got this morning! He can be such a sweetie at times!

So, Happy Birthday to ME!

Have a wonderful day!

Jax Meets Rascal

2008-09-16T15:42:00.007-05:00

My son has started bringing his baby over to our house once a week for breakfast.

This morning, Jax met Rascal through the storm door. Please pay no attention to the mess outside. I have done almost NO gardening this year, and I notice that Rascal has dug up the flower beds beside the door yet AGAIN!!!

Jax: "DOG!"

Rascal: "Hey! That looks like a human...only LITTLE!"

Rascal: "Wonder if I can sniff him through that glass?"

Jax: "DOG!"

Rascal: "Hey, kid! Wanna come out and play?"

Jax: "Hmm...wonder if he'll let me ride him!"

Rascal: "Aw...c'mon kid! I just wanna be your friend!"

Jax: "I know what you're up to! You just want my binky!"

Rascal: "How many times to I have to bark it? C'mon out and play with me!"

Jax: "SHUP! (shut up!)"

Have a great day!

Blue Monday!

2008-09-15T16:13:00.002-05:00

I was reading over at BJ's Sweet Nothings about Blue Monday, and decided...what the heck! If I'm gonna be a blogger, I may as well join in the fun!

First, I had to go on a hunt for blue stuff in my house. Here is my "Blue Boy" picture, which I love, even though there are apparently millions of him out there! I also have "Pinky". When I was in 3rd grade, we did a little program at school, where the students in my class portrayed the people in famous portraits. I can remember my mother making my Pinky dress, and I had to stand very still, as the dress and the ribbons on my hat were pinned to the backdrop to simulate the breeze blowing them. My mother got these pictures with her Quality Stamps (remember those?), and I finally talked her into giving them to me a few years ago.
I also like blue transferware, and have one of my plates on display atop my china cabinet. There is also a little blue in the cookie jar pig's apron, as well as in the wallpaper. Please excuse the dust and the tarnish on my little copper pot. I have knee issues and haven't been able to get up there to clean. The wallpaper is also going to come down as soon as I can get to it and make up my mind what color to paint the walls!

Here's the last of the blues in my house...the blue mat on this little picture and the blue striped wallpaper in my bathroom. This is also going to come down soon, as well. It is time for some MASSIVE changes around here!

If you want to participate in Blue Monday, Sweet Sally has the information on her blog, which is also fun to read.

I'm not the only crafty person...

2008-09-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

...in our family! My mom is pretty crafty, even at 92, and so is my son!

I think that Mama is just about finished with making baby quilts, although I think she is currently working on one. She has probably made at least 25 of her hand-embroidered and hand-quilted baby quilts for the babies in our family. The last one that I KNOW she finished was the one she made last year for my youngest grandson. I don't have a picture of that one, which is a "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall" design. Here are the ones that she has made for my niece's 3 boys. I have one that she made for one of my angel babies 27 years ago.

She uses vintage embroidery patterns from, I think, the 40s, and they are as cute today as they were back then!

One of the things she currently makes, as baby gifts, are these cute little gingham teddy bears. She hand-embroiders their features and the heart and belly-button on them, and she sews the ribbon bow on so that a baby can't get choked on them.

She also makes these cute little "twin" dolls!

She hasn't made any Humpty Dumpties in a long time, but I think that just about all her grandkids have one.

Our son, who did a LOT of the work on his new home, has been working on finishing the bonus room over the garage. He has installed a mini-bar/kitchen area in it. Here's the vessel sink that he installed. He found the pump at our local hardware store and plumbed it so that the handles on the wall work with it. He drilled a hole through a chipped enameled washpan to make his sink. He also built the cabinet that it sits on. Isn't it just the coolest thing?

My sisters are both pretty crafty, too; but, they aren't into taking pictures of their stuff. One sister is like me...trying her hand at almost anything. My other sister is more into sewing and smocking. She has three granddaughters, so she pretty much stays busy with sewing their wardrobes. However, she has been making a few things for my grandbaby. I just haven't gotten "into" smocking.

She made this little "Noah's Ark" outfit for him to wear at Easter.

She also made his birthday outfit.

I guess we are just a creative bunch of folks!

Today is my son's birthday! It's hard to believe that in 3 short years, we'll be planning his 40th birthday "Over the Hill" party! Of course, I was a mere BABY when he was born! ;)

Have a great week!

Ancestors or Alien Descendants?

2008-09-14T09:10:00.002-05:00

One of my interests is genealogy. Since I love mysteries, genealogy is one way for me to play "detective" without actually getting into a living person's business.

Over the years, I periodically resume searching for my elusive ancestors. Since I can find no trace of my great-great-grandfather Kimery before 1840, I have concluded that he must have been an alien from outer space! Actually, prior to 1840, he was too young to be listed as "Head of Household" on the census records, and census records did not start recording the names of the family members until 1850.

Actually, I think there must have been a slight name change, or change in spelling, as my great-uncle Ralph once told my daddy that our last name used to be spelled and pronounced differently, but he couldn't remember how.

In the course of my genealogy detective work, I have acquired quite a few old family photos, and I love 'em!

Isn't this a cool old picture? A very distant, almost cousin sent this to me. We believe that it is a party...maybe a wedding?...attended mostly by my Stroup relatives. Since my great-grandmother Kimery was originally a Stroup, my grandparents are in this picture (the couple in the middle), along with some Stroup cousins, and possibly a few of my grandfather's siblings, as well. Since so many of the Kimerys inherited the Stroup looks, it's hard to tell which one is a Stroup and which one is a Kimery.

I don't know who she is, but I love the look of the young woman on the bottom row. It looks as if she is flirting with some fella who didn't get into the picture!

Here is a picture of my grandfather that was only discovered about 10 years ago. My aunt had an old picture in an antique frame which needed refinishing, so she took the picture out and found this picture of my grandfather behind it. Since he had no mustache and looks very young and not as "filled out" as he was in adulthood, it seems to have been made when he was a teenager. I think he was a handsome young man, even if he did have that "deer in the headlights" stare.

I don't remember much of my grandfather, since he died when I was 5 years old, other than that he seemed to be this HUGE, but gentle, man who was in a wheelchair most of the time. He could walk, but arthritis made it too painful for him. Having learned more about him from my older brothers and sisters, I can understand why he was in such pain. Apparently, he not only LOOKED like a hunk as a young man, but actually WAS a hunk. Although he was primarily a farmer, he worked on the side quite a bit to earn income to support his family. When the railroad was building a line through his county, he got a job working to build the tracks. It is said that he was so strong that he could pick up and tote TWO railroad ties on his shoulders. Apparently, he would lean the ties against a tree or a wagon, and then hoist one at a time onto his shoulders, carry them to where they were needed and toss them down. And he did this all day long! Everybody always said that he had "crippling arthritis", which he probably did; however, I'm thinking that the arthritis probably started when HE HURT HIS BACK!

I remember a bit more of my grandmother, as she took turns staying with each of her children after my grndfather died. My grandmother was apparently a very upright and moral woman...BUT she could be quite a booger! Nobody knows what her problem was, but it manifested itself in often hateful behavior. As a child, I apparently did not like her because she was always scolding me for being noisy.

On one of her extended visits with us, my Aunt Sally, who was my grandfather's sister, came with her. Aunt Sally got along quite well with Mama Lula, and I apparently loved Aunt Sally to pieces. My mom says that Aunt Sally was "partial" to me because I looked like her granddaughter who got run over and died.

Why Mama Lula and Aunt Sally were such good friends is a mystery to me. Mama Lula was a prude, and there was no way she would ever put "paint" on her face. She also had some kind of Victorian idea that a "lady" never allowed her back to touch the back of a chair. Being a heavy lady, she actually broke the springs in the front of my Mama's new chair because she would always sit right on the edge of the seat. I don't remember ever hearing Mama Lula laugh or seeing her smile.

Aunt Sally was the exact opposite. Every morning, she would fix her hair, and put on her makeup and jewelry. She would smile at me, read stories to me, and listen to my stories as if they were the most fascinating tales she'd ever heard.

At that time, I was seriously into art...well, about as seriously as a 6 year old can be. I spent much of my time drawing pictures, including family portraits. It was inevitable that I would draw Mama Lula's and Aunt Sally's portraits. My mother still laughs to this day about those "portraits". Aunt Sally was delighted with her portrait, as I portrayed her as a beautiful young lady. I've been told that she framed it and carried it in her suitcase as she traveled amongst her children.

On the other hand, Mama Lula was FURIOUS! She told my mama that I needed to be punished, and got even madder because Mama told her that I hadn't done anything to be punished for...that I had drawn what I actually saw. I drew Mama Lula with her lips pursed up like she'd been eating lemons, and with as many wrinkles as I could get onto her face! If you look at her in the party picture (she's the 2nd from the right in the middle row), you can see that she pursed her lips like she had been sucking on lemons!

Anyway, here is a picture of Papa Jim and Mama Lula on their wedding day in 1900.

This is a ca1916 photo of 5 of their 6 children, plus a cousin who was staying with them at the time. My daddy is the little boy at the bottom right. Wasn't he cute? He doesn't look very happy to be wearing a pair of knickers and that shirt with the big bow, though!

This is a picture of my Kimery great-grandparents and my Stroup great-great-grandmother. My grandfather is the 2nd from the right in the back, and I believe the girl next to him is my Great-Aunt Sally. Doesn't she look like she'd be a sassy young miss? The other two men and the man in the separate picture are, I believe, my grandfather's brothers, and the other young woman is his sister-in-law. The 3 young children in front are also my grandfather's youngest siblings, Alice, Myrtle, and Ralph.

I haven't done any real family research in quite a while. While I've dug up a few family skeletons, I've hit an internet dead end in searching for my great-grand-father Kimery, whose name may have actually been Kimbro, Kimbrough or even something totally different. One day, I hope to be able to go spend some time in Northeast Tennessee and North Carolina to see if I can find any record of him. That'll be a while, though!

Have a great day!

Big Mama is 92!

2008-09-11T21:04:00.007-05:00

Here's what we did tonight. We met my mom, our kids and grandkids, my 4 siblings and their spouses, my niece and her two daughters at a nearby restaurant for a birthday dinner to celebrate my mom's 92nd birthday! A good time was had by all, especially my mama!

She's still a kid at heart! Look at her when I caught her swiping a bite of cake frosting! Oops!

Man, that frosting must be good!

Here's a picture of Mama with our son and our youngest grandbaby. His 3 older kids had to go to track practice, but they stopped by to wish Big Mama a very happy birthday.

Here's what I made for her birthday gift! I managed to finish this purse at straight up 3 p.m., just in time to get ready for the dinner!

I am so thankful to still have my mama alive and well at such a great age. She still lives in her home by herself, keeps her house neat and clean, works in her flower beds, and makes the cutest little stuffed bears and dolls, and baby quilts. I'll have to post some pictures of her sewing for you to see at another time!

Have a good night!

I CONFESS!! I'm a drive-by shooter!

2008-09-09T23:20:00.019-05:00

NO! It's NOT what you think! I'm guilty of drive-by photo shootings! Here are a few pics of some of the lovely homes in our town, many of which are antebellum homes built before the War Between the States. I think we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 27 antebellum homes in our town. General Grant himself ordered that our town be spared from burning, as the ladies in town were so very nice to his wife while they were here.

Did you know that, at one time, people could order a house from Sears & Roebuck (now just plain ol' Sears)? It's true! You could choose your house, order it, and it would be delivered to you in panels that you put together. Here is a lovely Craftsman-style home that was ordered from Sears.

This is a little brick house that I've always thought was so cute! The windows that are hidden behind the tree are arched at the top. I'm thinking that the room with those windows might, at one time, have been a porch that was later closed in. This picture is slightly blurry, because I had to snap it while rolling because it looked like I was fixing to be rear-ended!

This is "Montrose"., an antebellum home owned by our local garden club. Nobody lives in it, but it can be toured, and is often used for super-elegant weddings and receptions.

This house is a "sister" house to Montrose and is right across the street. They were built by the same plans, but have some different detailing in the trim.

This house is called "The Cedars". I wish it didn't have those bushes in front so y'all could see it better! The gingerbread-type trim on this house is beautiful.

This house is called "Wakefield". The tree on the right is a huge dogwood tree. Until a storm caused another tree to fall on it, ripping off some of its branches, it looked like a huge lace petticoat when when in bloom.

This gray house isn't an antebellum home, although it's old; but, I've always loved it. It's pretty in gray and white, but I especially loved it when it was painted a soft, mossy green.

This is another antebullum home. I love how it looks like it looks as if it might be surrounded by cotton fields, although it is right smack dab on one of the busiest streets in town.

This is an antebellum cottage. The landscaping is beautiful, and can't you see yourself sitting on that front porch with a tall glass of iced tea, watching the world go by?

Well, that concludes our tour for the day. I hope you've enjoyed it! We have lots more beautiful homes in our little town, and I'll be doing more drive-by shootings soon!

Today is my mother's 92nd birthday. She has five children, 12 living grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren. She is a wonderful woman and mother, was a wonderful wife to my daddy, and is beautiful on top of all that! How cool is that?

I love you, Mama!

And, last, but not least, let us remember those who lost their lives 7 years ago this day, on September 11, 2001. 9-11 is truly a sad day in our history, because those precious lives were wiped out by those who practice hatred and call it religion.

However, the good thing is that Anerica showed the world that we will not take terroism lying down. Pray for those family members who are grieving the loss of their loved ones, and pray for AMERICA! We are truly a great nation, with wonderful people!

Have a great day!

What's Cookin'?

2008-09-09T11:40:00.015-05:00

Before you know it, Christmas will be here! Along with Christmas comes all the baking and cooking for all the family get-togethers. I've discovered a few recipes that have been big hits.

I ususally bake cakes to take for pot-luck and reunions. I've given up on dieting, so I've adopted the prayer of "Lord, if you can't make me skinny, please make my friends fatter than me." I figure that the least I can do is help Him out by baking cakes, right?

First is the gooey cake recipe, which have custard-like centers. It's a basic recipe that can be adapted to whatever your favorite flavor is. I've only made the pineapple gooey cake and the peanut butter gooey cake. I've found that the peanut butter cake requires a slightly shorter baking time. They have both been big hits in my family! Here's a picture of the pineapple gooey cake.

Pumpkin Gooey Cake

Cake: 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix; 1 egg; 8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling: 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened; 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin; 3 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 8 tablespoons butter, melted; 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.
Serve with fresh whipped cream. (We just eat ours plain, cuz I almost never have whipped cream on hand.)

Variations:

For a Pineapple Gooey Cake: Instead of the pumpkin, add a drained (I don't drain mine!) 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above. (Omit the spices.)

For a Banana Gooey Cake: Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above. (Adjust spices as desired.)

For a Peanut Butter Gooey Cake: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter to the cream cheese filling instead of the pumpkin. Proceed as directed above. (Omit the spices.)

Here's a recipe from my mother for a very moist Coconut Pecan pound cake.

Coconut Pecan Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a bundt cake pan and set aside.

Mix together:

1 box yellow cake mix (I use Duncan Hinds Extra Moist.)

4 eggs

1 cup oil

1 container prepared Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour into greased bundt cake pan and bake for about45-50 minutes or until top springs back to the touch. Turn out onto cake plate and let cool before serving.

Added on September 17th: I baked this cake this morning, but I used a carrot cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix. YUMMY!

Enjoy!

More Stuff That I've Made

2008-09-08T21:28:00.010-05:00

Our youngest grandson just turned a year old, and I wanted to give him something that I think every little kid needs...a little red rocking chair. I found an unfinished one at a local furniture store (ON SALE!) and gave it a few coats of bright red paint. I was planning to paint his name and some kind of cute design on the back, but then I thought, "I want to do something DIFFERENT!"

So, I went out to my arts and crafts and sewing shed, and made these little padded sleeves for the back of his chair. I used my embroidery machine to embroider his "name train" on one and left the other one plain. Here is a close-up.

His mom, our teacher DiL, had her birthday a few days later, so I made this tote/purse for her. I was inspired by the cute totes at http://hello-refabulous.blogspot.com/ You should check it out; I think she is an amazing young woman. She has eight children, homeschools, and still manages to find time to create beautiful items! This is my first try at ever making a purse, but I think it came out pretty well. I had some wooden apple cutouts, so I drilled a couple of holes in one to turn it into a button and painted it. It's on the closure, which is backed with velcro.

Here's one of the inside pockets, and the lining coordinates with the school print on the outside.

In June, I had the opportunity to get together for a weekend with 6 of my online friends and the mother of one of them in Pigeon Forge, TN. We all chipped in and rented a big log cabin on the side of a mountain, and we had a blast! It was as if we have known each other all our lives!

I made a personalized drink huggy as a small gift for each one of them. They are really easy to make!

What do YOU like to do?

I May Not Live to a Ripe Old Age...

2008-09-08T09:57:00.008-05:00

...because I'll probably die laughing at all the funny "old age" stuff there is out there! My OLDER (by 13 years!) sister sent these bumper stickers to me this morning, and I've been giggling ever since I saw them!

My precious Mother will turn 92 on Thursday. She's had to make some new younger friends because all her old friends have died on her!

Hmmm...I wonder if she'd get ticked off at me if I order one of these bumper stickers to put on her car!

Nah...I'd better not stick anything on her car, because she would just spend hours trying to get it and all the sticky stuff off! She thinks that having a bumper sticker on her car would look "tacky" and be embarrassing for someone of her age. I mean, when you're going to all those funerals, you don't want your car to look tacky in the funeral procession, right?

Have a great day!

Artsy-Fartsy Stuff

2008-09-08T00:58:00.013-05:00

One of my interests is arts and crafts, and I sometimes combine it with sewing. I sometimes dream of being able to earn a decent living by selling my creations; but, in reality, I'm too slow and have to be in a creative mood. I also figure that if I HAVE to produce things in sufficient amounts to sell, it probably would no longer be a fun thing to do.

Here are a couple of the things I've made this year.

This is a "shabby chic" wall pocket/planter. You can line the bottom with sheet moss, or a coffee filter, fill with dirt and a pretty plant, and hang it on a fence. You can also just use a piece of floral foam and silk flowers to make an arrangement to hang on a wall or door in your house.

It's made from a 1-gallon can, with both ends cut out, painted, sanded, decoupaged, antiqued, amd sealed with an acrylic sealer. One end is mashed flat and wired together, with the flowers and ribbon hiding the holes and wire. I also draped pieces of a crystal Christmas tree garland to add a little sparkle.

Right now, I'm into making checkbook covers, because the plastic one I got from the bank tore up, and I REFUSE to pay $5 for another one! This is the first one I made and gave to my daughter. It turned out pretty well, but I was not pleased with the satin stitching on the edges...probably due to the extra inner facing that I used, so my newer ones are going to be finished with seam binding.

I have more pictures, but they'll have to wait for the next post! G'night!

New To This Blogging Gig

2008-09-07T23:49:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about creating a blog for some time. The problem is...I could not imagine that anyone might be interested in what a plain ol' gal like me could possibly have to say.

I have lots of interests, though, and finally decided that I would brave the wilderness of blogland. The worst that could happen is that I could put everyone to sleep, right?

Anyway, since I'm new to this blogging gig, I will have to check things out and take the plunge into trying to post something interesting after I get things figured out!