Tulsa Gals Life

The Owl & The Pussycat

2012-02-01T15:17:00.000-08:00

Recently I was hunting online for fabric and wool felt. As always happens, one link leads to another and voila! I found some kindred spirits at weefolkart.com These talented ladies make all kinds of cool crafts besides felt items and best (kindest) of all: they share their patterns and how-to's.

I immediately had to make the Kitty Doorstop. Now, I'm no master stitching person. I sort of do my own thing when it comes to that. I know how to do some stitches, such as a chain stitch, I just don't wanna sometimes. And because this was my first attempt at such a project, I'm a little wary of showing you the end result. But here he is:

After tackling this project I of course was ready to take on the Owl doorstop. I had to do my own thing with regards to his face, though theirs was cute too.

Back and side views:

More Owls.....

2012-01-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

My owls have sold quite nicely at my booth over in Jenks- who knew? All I know is that I really enjoy creating new designs and sewing them at night while watching tv. Here are some that I just finished. I'm loving the wool felt I got from Tadaa Studio's Etsy store. Huge variety of colors and ways to purchase.

I decided to jazz these owls up with sequins (even though you can't see them very well here):

I have recently created some new, different owl patterns and cannot wait to begin putting new ones together.

On a quilting note, I just got the fabric I ordered to make a new baby quilt for someone special ;o) As you can guess, it has OWLS in it too. Here are some of the main fabrics that will be used in it:

This fabric is called Hoo's In The Forest. I think it's so cute. Will post pictures of the finished quilt, but that probably won't be until later this spring.

Owls

2011-12-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what's gotten into me lately, but after making a Christmas stocking for my g-niece, I got interested in making owls, of all things. I found quite a few patterns online that I downloaded, then enlarged. I had lots and lots of wool felt quarter-pieces stashed away that I bought probably 7+ years ago when a local Wal Mart store closed/moved. And so I began experimenting with different pieces to see what I could come up with.

I was so silly and thought I would have time to work on these when I went to visit my (18 mo old) grandson last month- ha! I never even got them out of my suitcase. But, since my return, I have found myself looking forward to working on these guys after my chores are done and I'm ready to sit down in the evening. Television gets worse and worse as the holidays approach- series end or go on hiatus. There's almost nothing really good on until January. These give me something to work on while I half-listen/watch what is on.

The only thing I went out and purchased was some more floss. I found a variety pack at JoAnn's that was less than $5.00 and had a lot of colors to work with.

My husband asked me last night what I was going to do with these and I told him I'm not sure, yet. I may sell them in my booth or give them away as gifts. I then promptly began cutting out what I refer to as Version II of these owls. They are "waiting in the wings" to be assembled.

Shortbread Cookie Pans

2011-12-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

Shortbread Cookies- yum. Delicate, delicious and divine. What an easy recipe, too. Butter, sugar, flour and vanilla. I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe for a batch as well as one from King Arthur's website. Both were very tasty. There are several ways to bake these, one of them being in a Shortbread Pan. I was so intrigued by these that I had to have one.

Or two. That's what happens when you shop online at Amazon: choices. These are both Cast Iron Aluminum pans made by Nordic Ware. I have no idea why one is silver/gray and the other is dark.

The batch from KAF were what I used in the Snowflake Pan, but it took some searching long and hard to find just the right apparatus for pushing this dough into the pan. Pastry rollers seem to be a thing of the past but not fondant rollers! I found mine in the Wilton Cake section. When you place the plastic wrap on top, this thing works like a charm.

Voila!

These pans are so pretty and the packaging on them suggest using them for other things, such as cakes, cookies and biscuits- I thought: why not? And so I tried an experiment and bought these "snack size" mixes:

The cookie mix worked just fine, using the plastic wrap and roller. They tasted OK- well, like cookie mix cookies. I suppose if you iced these, you could see the designs on them better.

And the brownies-

...came out pretty.

I think I will try making cornbread in one of these as well as biscuits. Should be fun!

"Breasert"

2011-12-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

I want to share a sinfully delicious breakfast casserole that I made during the Thanksgiving weekend. It could also be served as desert, so some refer to this as a "breasert". Whatever you want to call it, it's fantastic and even better if you use homemade bread!

My sourdough bread recipe makes two loaves so I usually have one or two loaves in the freezer. This recipe is perfect for that use. It was featured over on Tasty Kitchen and comes via the blog Bake Eat Repeat. I am all over breakfast dishes that can be made the day before and popped in the oven first thing, without preheating. That's because I need at least one if not two cups of java before I can think straight. So, by the time I have had said coffee, the smell of apples swimming in gooey caramel delight and the french toast toasting is heavenly. I give it 5 stars. And I will be making this again, very soon.

Apple Bourbon French Toast Casserole

Yield: Serves 5-6

Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 Tablespoons bourbon

3 large apples (I used Honeycrisp), cored, peeled, and sliced

6-8 thick slices day old bread

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

Directions:

1. In a small pan melt butter and sugar together. Whisk to combine. Cook until slightly thickened. Add bourbon and whisk again. Continue to cook for about 1 minute.

2. Pour butter mixture into a 9" x13" pan. Arrange sliced apples on top.

3. Arrange slices of bread on top of apples.

4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour mixture over bread.

5. Cover dish and refrigerate over night.** In the morning, place casserole dish in oven. Heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until apple slices have softened and bread is golden brown.

**Note: If you are preparing the casserole the morning you are serving it, dip bread slices in egg mixture before putting them in the pan. Pour remaining egg mixture over top of bread slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Gourds

2011-11-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

While choosing the seeds that I wanted to start last winter, I threw in a packet of "decorative gourd mix" because I have always wanted to grow gourds. And then make things out of them. Like birdhouses and bird feeders. Who knows? Maybe even get an artistic streak and do something crafty with them...

Last February my seeds all started well in their little makeshift green houses. In fact, I had lots and LOTS of little starter plants- so many that I gave quite a few away. Tomatoes, yellow squash, cucumber and herbs. Gourds, lettuce and even broccoli.

Yeah, well....what nobody expected was the unbelievable heat we had starting in June. I can't even remember all of the records broken, but when it's too hot for too long and tomatoes can't handle it, then not much else will, either. I remember we hit 114 and I remember we were above 100 for weeks.

Once the heat finally left, in early September, those plants that had survived began trying to make a comeback. My gourds and morning glories had barely- BARELY- clung to life during the heatwave, looking wilted and close to death most days. But that all changed quickly. As the temperatures cooled the gourd plants soon were climbing the fence wildly. One day I looked out my back door and thought I saw something weird out near the plants. After the brutal summer, I had long ago stopped looking for fruit of any kind to appear anywhere out there. But, what was this?

Oh my goodness, it was GOURDS. I ran out and began searching like it was Easter for eggs. I discovered quite a few of them, in different shapes and sizes. There aren't very many of these little white ones:

There are 5 or 6 of the one's used for bird houses and feeders (more are hidden in back, near the fence)

And then I discovered the strangest of all, to me: the long-handled dipper gourd:

This sucker is 3 feet long and still growing! I have read that if these are grown hanging down (as this one is) they can grow to almost 6 feet tall! Every time I go out to look at these (there is at least one more) they have grown several inches bigger and longer.

In my research online, I found this gentleman in Hartselle, Alabama. His name is Johnny Self and he grows gourds for fun. His record longest dipper gourd is 59 inches!

I have also learned that you don't cut these off the vines until the vine is brown and dead. That should occur sometime soon as we are having cold, near freezing nights these days. You then cut them off, leaving 2-3 inches of the vine on it and preferably hang the gourds somewhere for 5 months until they dry out completely and harden. Then you may do with them what you like.

I will post pictures of anything interesting that I make or do with mine, but I am cautiously optimistic here. My neighbor grew gourds 2 summers ago, dried them and made bird feeders and houses out of them. He said squirrels destroyed them in a matter of days :o(

I'm Back

2011-10-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Like oh, seven...eight months? Life sure has a way of sidetracking you and before you know it, the holidays are creeping back up on us. I don't have the time today to go into an update right now, but I will soon be adding more.....stuff. Recipes and photos, of course! In the mean time, here are some photos of my fur kids! I have 3 Shih Tzu's that keep me sane and company.

Gracie is the oldest, our first. She hails from Evening Shade, Arkansas!

When she was nearing two, we decided she needed a buddy and chose Pete who came to us from Emory, Texas

And last is our sweet little Tessa, who comes from Nashville, Tennessee. She is my heart dog :o)

I am going to add a Pintrest link soon as well as some other goodies. Be back soon, this time.

March-ing Right Along....

2011-03-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe spring has sprung on us already! Keeping myself busy has really helped me get through the dreaded Tax Season (which, you would think after 32 yrs I would be used to). So here's what has been keeping my attention these days:

First of all, I do believe I have this sourdough bread baking business down to an art. A darn good art, at that! I have a great starter and I bake bread whenever I can. Honestly, I think I have OD'd my neighbors on bread for now.

Next was my Growth Chart project to send for Cade's birthday. I cannot believe it, but that little guy is walking! He took his first steps before he was even 11 months old, little stinker! I could not find a pattern anywhere for making one of these, so I had to make it up as I went along. I looked at lots of images online that were out there, believe me. So, here is what I came up with:

I loved the jungle/safari themed material- so bright and colorful! And since I had quite a bit left over, I decided to make a quilted blanket for him too. I have always said he was a little monkey, the way he would use his feet and toes. So, this is the front/top:

And then I put this on the back:

After finishing these and getting the box off to KY (along with other toys, clothes and books for him) I started planting seeds for the container garden I'm going to have this year. I have yellow squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, 3 different kinds of tomatoes, broccoli, romaine lettuce, seed lettuce and morning glories (not for containers). I will be sharing many of these plants with others. Hope everyone has a great, allergy-free (ha ha) spring!

Got Pears?

2011-03-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

I love pears. So much so that when they came in season I kind of went overboard and bought a bunch of them. Unfortunately they all ripened at the same time and before I knew it, I had about 4-5 ripe pears that I needed to do something with (besides eat) pronto.

I remembered scanning a recipe that was in my mother's "collection" (when I was writing my cookbook) that involved pears so I began searching for it and found it- yay!

It was for Pear Cake which intrigued me right away. Never heard of Pear Cake before. A quick online search turned up one or two more similar recipes but this one sounded SO good. I think it's because of what you do to/with the pears beforehand that makes this a winner.

And that is: you peel and thinly slice 4-5 ripe pears, put them in a bowl with nuts and add brown and white sugar. Stir the mixture and let it sit for at least an hour, stirring now and then. This amazing process produces more juice and seems to caramelize the nuts and....well it's just awesomeness.

The pear mixture is then processed in a blender or, in my case, I just used a potato masher, which left a few little chunks of pear. This mixture is added to the rest of the cake batter and wow, it made a really thick, moist cake!

Some people said they cooked theirs in a Bundt pan and poured a glaze over, others said they made 2 loaves and called it Pear Bread. Then some iced their cake with a Cream Cheese icing- however it was noted that (while I LOVE that icing) this tended to cover up the wonderful flavor of this cake. Bearing that in mind, I just left my cake naked. I figure the true test of a cake is if it can stand on it's own without any kind of topping then it's a great cake. This was!

I'm glad I left those little chunks of the caramelized pears in there, too. It is said that you can substitute apples (zucchini?) for the pears and if you do that, I would definitely put it in a blender since ripe apples don't get as soft as pears. So here is the recipe. It leaves a lot of wiggle room to add spices if you so desire. I would try it first 'as is' and take it from there. Let me know if you make it!

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PEAR CAKE

4-5 fresh pears

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peel and slice pears thin. Mix sliced pears with white sugar, brown sugar, and nuts and let sit for one hour, stirring now and then. After sitting puree pear mixture in a blender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 13x9 inch pan.

By hand stir in until just blended; the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to pear mixture and add oil, vanilla and eggs. Pour batter into prepared pan *

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

* OR place in 2 prepared loaf pans; bake for 50 minutes.

Snowklahoma!

2011-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Because we have had over 20 inches of snow here in the last two weeks and

Because we have broken every record kept here since before statehood and

Because warmer temps are on the way and I feel so much better about things now

I give you:

Catching Up

2011-02-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

We had a blizzard here last week. Got like 14.5 inches of snow followed by some sub-zero temps. Not your typical Oklahoma weather, that's for sure. What was even crazier was that a mere 3 days prior to said blizzard, we almost hit 80. We were warned about this impending winter storm and I stocked up well, planned menu's etc. I was also looking forward to more baking experiments :o)

I wasn't quite through with making some of The Pioneer Woman's recipes and made this wonderful Cinnamon Bread. Oh man, was this good! In fact, it was so good I immediately took it across the street to my neighbors because I can't have something like that around here!

The last of PW's recipe for me to try was this Beef Stew with Mushrooms. Awesomeness on a cold winter night.

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Moving right along...... I have a large bag of dried apricots purchased at Sams in my pantry. My husband is crazy about apricots so I sort of made up a bread using these along with walnuts. It was a pretty heavy bread and came out OK - he loved it. (I'm not super-crazy about apricots).

Now, this Cranberry Banana Oat bread is another story- I am really loving this for breakfast!

CRANBERRY BANANA OAT BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups mashed ripe bananas

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 1/2 x 8 1/2-inch loaf pan with butter. Whisk the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl; set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in the bananas, sour cream, and melted butter. Add the sugar, cranberries, and lemon juice; beat until evenly blended. Fold into the oat mixture until no dry lumps remain. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cut carefully with serrated bread knife.

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That was the highlight of my cooking adventures. The rest of the 5 days of being snowed in I fixed tried and true meals (comfort food) from my Cookbook :o) And I made more bread for the neighbors.

The day after the blizzard I heard a loud noise on my driveway. I looked out and saw this:

Yep, that's my neighbor- the one I take baked goods over to- clearing off our driveway. I love good karma.......... and good neighbors.

Ree-diculous Cooking!

2011-01-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have way, way too much time on my hands these days. That plus the fact that when I get obsessed with something, it can sort of take over- has turned me into a baking/cooking freak lately.

My last adventure with sourdough was making a Cranberry Walnut Multi-Grain loaf of bread. That was one week ago. It was quite a long process and I kept saying to myself (after the 4th time of letting it rise) that it had better be worth it. Well, it actually was. I have been slicing myself a piece of this every morning for breakfast - with some butter and honey on it, it's quite tasty and is pretty healthy to boot.

I have put the sourdough starters into the fridge for now because I made a grave mistake. I began browsing Ree Drummond's (aka The Pioneer Woman) cooking pages and her Tasty Kitchen website. If you want my advice: don't go there! You will begin copying down recipes that sound good, then running to the grocery store to buy what you need and the next thing you know, you will have cooked this Blueberry Crumb Cake. (I split the recipe in two and shared it with my neighbors)

And when the weather turns bad, all icy and snowy, you will want to fix her Beef Stew with Paprika and Beer. Need I say it goes divinely with sourdough bread? This was some of THE best stew I've ever eaten. Seriously.

And for desert that night (because I was stuck in the house all day thanks to this winter storm) I fixed her Cherry Cake Pudding. Heaven help my waistline. I didn't even make the whipped cream. It was wonderful just as it is.

So consider yourself warned. If you are hungry and/or a cooking freak like I've become, stay away from recipe websites like this! Or just keep giving stuff to your neighbors like I do. They love me :o)

More Bread....

2011-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

This past week I have made somewhere around 8 or 9 loaves of bread, using different starters, recipes and methods. There are a LOT of variations and techniques out there and it just comes down to trial and error. Fortunately I only had to actually throw away these two loaves:

While they weren't totally inedible, the crust was too hard and the taste just wasn't that good. I would have fed it to the birds but the squirrels would have gotten it instead and judging by the over-population of them in our neighborhood, they don't need any extra food.

I made these two loaves yesterday. The recipe said they would be good size and texture for sandwiches and toast and it was right! Good stuff.

First Authentic Sourdough Loaf

2011-01-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

This was my attempt at making a real, honest to goodness loaf of bread using no commercial yeast, no sugar, only starter, water, flour and salt. It was a longer process than I anticipated. I somehow missed the part where it said to let it rise for 7 hours and stupidly began making the dough in the afternoon. Honestly I think this was due in part to my following the steps on my iPad in the kitchen; yeah, I'll blame it on that!

So I ended up actually baking this at 11:00 pm. And here is the final loaf:

To see the crumb (that's bakery lingo for the texture) I sliced off an end piece and voila:

No, it's doesn't have the large holes associated with some sourdough's but it tastes like sourdough!

I think it's a nice loaf for a first time authentic go of it.

Cake Pan Comparison

2011-01-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

Last week Pioneer Woman posted a recipe, mysteriously called Pig Cake. It looked wonderful and I wanted to make it right away. Since there are only two of us here at home I decided to make the cake in two 9x9 pans, so I could share one with my neighbors.

I'm a huge fan of the Nordic Ware commercial grade pans and I have at least one of every size. But, not two of the 9x9's. My other one was a cheaper one and I figured this was a great time to compare how the two performed. Was the Nordic Ware as good as I thought? Worth twice the money?

The contenders- Nordic Ware on the left:

When placed in the oven, the one in the cheaper pan cooked a lot faster. I had to take it out earlier. It also came out lopsided (click on photos to enlarge):

After cooling a bit, I turned them out to finish cooling. You can see how much more "well done" one is. I believe the verdict was clear: the commercial grade performed perfectly (and you can buy it at Wal Mart, too!)

The cake, however, was FABULOUS! It truly is a "stand alone" cake that doesn't need the wonderful icing in the recipe. But, of course, I made it anyway and it was also fabulous. Here is a little insight into the origin of this cake:

It is usually called Pig Pickin' Cake. A Pig Pickin' is a ritual in the south, particularly the Carolinas and in Georgia where a whole pig is roasted over wood coals (or in a barrel) for hours until done, when the meat falls off the bones and folks gather around and "pick off the meat"- hence the name. Hush puppies, corn sticks, coleslaw and the usual barbecue fair are all served too. This cake is a staple at most of them, as are some other cakes. In reality, this cake should be called a Pig Pickin' Cake!

Sourdough Bread- First Loaves

2011-01-08T06:50:00.000-08:00

I baked the first loaves of bread using my "sure-fire" starter (the one with added yeast) and they came out wonderfully. I used the recipe (below) which makes 2 loaves. Before going in the oven:

Needless to say, the bread smelled wonderful as it baked (what bread doesn't?) and came out looking as good as it smelled:

I like the texture of it, being easy to slice. And of course, it tasted great too!

My next challenge will be making some sourdough English Muffins, hopefully using the white "wild yeast" starter.

SOURDOUGH BREAD (makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients

4 3/4 cups bread flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

2 tablespoons margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

1 extra large egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup chopped onion

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast. Add milk and softened butter or margarine. Stir in starter. Mix in up to 3 3/4 cups flour gradually, you may need more depending on your climate.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn once to oil surface, and cover. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.

3. Punch down, and let rest 15 minutes. Shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking pan. Allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

4. Brush egg wash over tops of loaves.

5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or till done.

Homemade Pretzels

2011-01-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

I just love the pretzels you can buy at the mall, in particular the cinnamon/sugar ones! Sam's little snack shop also has a decent one although the "butter" they paint on it before adding the topping leaves a strange aftertaste on my lips..... but overall it's very good and the price is right ($1.00+tax). I wanted to try making my own and found a very good recipe to use. The first time wasn't a disaster but it wasn't a good experience. It was the first time I'd used my new mixer and the first time in a long time I'd dealt with making a yeast dough. That being said, the pretzels (although misshapen and odd-sized) tasted wonderful and I knew I could make 'em right the next time and I thought I would share with you.

The first step is dissolving the sugar in the warm water, then sprinkling the dry yeast on top and let it disintegrate. Eventually it will foam a little, then stir it until it's creamy.

Next you mix the flour, salt and sugar together; then make a well in it and add the oil and yeast mixture.

Mix with dough hook on low until dough pulls away from sides; if it's a little dry, add 1-2 T water a little at a time. Then turn out onto floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes (or you can do this in the mixer however I like kneading by hand). Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn to cover with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place about an hour. I like to use the oven for this part. I turn it on to 400 for 1 minute, then shut it off and leave the light on.

When it has risen, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal parts. I found that using a pizza cutter worked nicely for this.

Roll each piece into a long 22-24" rope.

Shape into a U, then take the ends (called "toes") and twist 2 times.

Finally, bring the toes down and press into the bottom part. Place on cookie sheet and shape.

Once you have prepared all 12 pretzels, you then dissolve 1/2 C of baking soda into hot water. You are going to give them each a soda bath! Back in 1839 a German baker accidentally coated the pretzels with a soda-lye solution and, much to his surprise, it gave the pretzels that deep caramel color. Not being a fan of LYE the soda water solution can closely achieve this too. Have a towel ready in front of the bowl, dip each pretzel in and out quickly, then onto the towel and back onto the sheet.

The pretzels are now ready to go into a preheated 450 oven. I'm going to make one pan of them salted and the other unsalted. So I sprinkled a little kosher salt onto the first pan.

The aroma of these cooking is just so awesome! And they look pretty, don't they?

*So, I'm going to "finish" them with some margarine spray:

How yummy do these look??? Let me tell you: they ARE!

The second batch got the cinnamon/sugar treatment after being sprayed.

Again, TO DIE FOR!

So there you have it. These freeze quite well if you can keep them around long enough.....

PRETZELS

4 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp white sugar

1 1/4 C warm water (110 F)

-------------------------

4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 T vegetable oil or melted butter

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1/2 C baking soda

4 C hot water

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 C sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of it and add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If mixture is a little dry, add 1-2 T water. Knead dough until smooth, about 7-8 minutes, then place in an oiled bowl. Turn dough to cover with oil, then place in warm area, covered, and let rise for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, dissolve soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 24" rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once each piece is shaped, dip each pretzel into soda water, then onto a towel, then onto a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven for 8 minutes then brush with butter. For cinnamon/sugar topping, omit salt and, after baking, brush with butter then dip into sugar mixture.
*The margarine spray is easier but using real butter definitely tastes better!

Sourdough Starter - Update

2011-01-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

My sourdough starters are almost ready! Well, the one with added yeast probably is ready, but I want to make sure, so I think I will wait until tomorrow to begin cooking with it. And my "wild" yeast starter is coming along, too! This is very exciting because many of these fail to "catch" any of the yeast in the air. I figured that setting it near my sure-fire starter (with added yeast) would ensure success and I do believe it has. I am continuing to research and read about sourdough starters and, not surprisingly, they can be made with all sorts of different ingredients all of which give a unique taste.

The recipe for the reliable starter I made is from Barbara O'Neal's book:

2 C potato water (water in which potatoes have been boiled until soft) lukewarm
1/2 C rye flour
1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1 C unbleached white flour
2 tsp dry yeast

Mix water, flours and yeast until smooth. Cover loosely with cheesecloth and let stand in a warm, draft-free spot, stirring every 24 hours, until bubbly and agreeably sour, usually 4-10 days. Taste every day to know how it is progressing. When it is ready, store loosely covered in the fridge, refreshing it once a week by throwing away (or using) half of the starter and adding 1 C water and 1 C white flour.

The other, more traditional starter is the easy (and yet hard) one: 1 C flour + 1 C water. This one takes much longer to get going but if it does, it should be worth the effort. Here is what both of them look like right now:

The Sourdough Experiments

2011-01-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

I love bread. I once worked at the university bakery while in college and discovered I loved just about all aspects of baking. A cumulation of recent events has led me back to baking bread and in particular, experimenting with sourdough bread.

The first thing that happened was I got this for Christmas:

No more having to enter those drawings on Pioneer Woman's web pages anymore!! I just LOVE Santa!!

The next thing that happened coincidently at the same time was that I began reading this book:

This is another of Barbara O'Neal's lighthearted books. She educates you as well as shares recipes in a great little fictional book.

I worked with yeast dough recipes while writing my cookbook 2 years ago. That was, however, before I had my kitchen remodeled and let me say this: having granite countertops to work dough on makes a LOT of difference. Oh yeah, that was the third "event": my new kitchen.

If you are like many (most?) people who have no idea what yeast "starter" is THIS website has lots of information. It's a fascinating science that has been around for centuries. I have begun 2 different starters: one with packaged, active yeast added (which will be ready quicker) and the other is the old-world way (as described in the above webpage) "wild" yeast starter. I'll be sharing and comparing different things I make with these including English Muffins, pretzels and of course bread!

Bulldog Brittle

2010-12-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

Today I am sharing a holiday favorite recipe from my cookbook with you. I realize that I'm a day late (and probably a dollar short) but there is always time to make treats, right? And besides, you can make this for New Years Eve/Day next weekend if you want. I try to only make this one time a year because it's so addictive and fattening. Heck there are only 4 ingredients: butter, sugar, graham crackers and pecans. How can you go wrong with any of those?

To begin, you want to take a jelly-roll pan (ie one that had sides on it) and line it with heavy duty foil. Then lay the graham crackers in whole pieces, touching each other but not overlapping.

Next, begin melting your 2 sticks of unsalted REAL butter.

After the butter has melted add the sugar and stir continuously until it reaches a boil.

After it has reached boiling point for 15 seconds, carefully pour the butter/sugar over the crackers.

Take a spoon and evenly distribute so that every cracker is buttered.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the crackers and place in 350 oven for 10 minutes.

Remove pan and let cool.

Peel foil away from crackers and break apart. Store in airtight container and try to only eat one piece.

I dare ya.

MISCELLANEOUS:

*I have heard that using saltine crackers is also good, though I haven't tried them.

*To speed up the cooling time, some place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.

*The name "Bulldog Brittle" probably comes from the fact that my friend in

Georgia (home of the Bulldogs) sent this to me.

BULLDOG BRITTLE

2 stick sunsalted butter (no substitute)

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. peanuts or pecans

Graham crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On cookie sheet place heavy duty foil and spread graham crackers. Crackers should touch.

In saucepan melt butter. Stir in sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over graham crackers. Sprinkle with nuts. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Break apart and place in your favorite serving tin.

Turkey In A Sack? Yes!

2010-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

When my daughter told me that she was making her (first) turkey in a brown paper sack, I'm sure my reaction was the same as everyone else's- you're what? However, she had heard that this was the easiest way for first-timers to make the most perfect turkey. Paper burns at 451 and we would have the oven set at 375 so there was no worry about it catching fire (so they said). I consulted with some other friends/cooks and more than one had heard of this method. In fact, 2 of them shared stories of grandmothers fixing other things, such as sausage and chicken, in this manner and it came out wonderfully and nobody's house burned down.

The Bags

We have 2 grocery stores here that have brown paper bags. One of them, however, has a lot of ink/printing on it so I opted for the one that had the least ink. I'm not sure if that matters or not but it seemed to me that it might.

The Method

The directions that we used will be posted at the end of this, but it was really a very simple process. And we had a small turkey (10 lbs) to work with which was perfect for the 4 of us. So, the turkey was cleaned, rinsed and patted dry. We sprayed the sack with a squirt bottle til it was damp.

Then she stuffed it with chunks of onion, celery, carrots and garlic.

Olive oil was rubbed all over and then Mr. Turkey went into the pan. Then into the sack....

It was stapled shut.

And into the oven!

Then we got to work fixing way too many side dishes. Holy cow! There was stuffing, squash casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry salad, gravy and rolls.

I think my daughter now has a whole new appreciation for 1.) her aunt who usually fixes our Thanksgiving turkey 2.) her other aunt who usually fixes the green bean casserole and 3.) her double oven! After we cooked for what seemed like HOURS (wait, it WAS hours...) we were done and so was the turkey. Our timing was pretty awesome, I must stay. The Moment of Truth arrived.......

TA DA!!

It was perfect, I tell you!

Tender, delicious and lots of juices for making gravy. If I ever have to make another turkey, I will do it this way. Here is the summation of our entire meal:

Kidd Kraddick's Famous Brown Bag Turkey Recipe

No, this turkey recipe won't burn your house down because you're using a brown paper bag... but it will taste

great!

Okay, experienced cooks…this is geared to first-timers (even though veteran chefs LOVE it) so we present

this recipe as an easy-to-read story!

First, take everything out of the inside of the turkey. There will be a giblet bag and some other stuff-. You don't want to leave that in there. Next, add vegetables to the inside of the turkey. This is easy because the veggies are just for flavor...you're going to throw them away later. You don't even have to peel anything. Take an onion and cut it into quarters. Roughly chop a nice long carrot. Do the same to a couple of stalks of celery. Add several cloves of garlic that you mash between a broad kitchen knife and the counter. Throw it all inside the turkey. Then rub the turkey all over with olive oil. . . not butter because butter usually has salt in it and that will dry out the turkey. Salt is the enemy of a moist turkey! Make sure the whole bird is covered!
Put the turkey in a roasting pan and cover the whole thing with a large brown paper bag. Staple it shut. If
you have a huge turkey, use two bags, sliding one end of the turkey into one bag and the other end of the
turkey into the second bag. It won't stick to the bird because of the olive oil. Sprinkle the bag all over with

water to help it breathe. Place into pre-heated 375 F oven, ON THE MIDDLE RACK.

The bag won't burn because paper burns at 451 and we're at 375 degrees. The advantage of the brown
paper bag over the Reynolds's cooking bag is that the paper breathes so the turkey roasts. In the Reynolds

bag the turkey steams, giving it a different taste. Also the brown paper bag retains the same advantage of
the plastic cooking bag...no splatters all over the oven.

Roast for 14-16 minutes per pound. (Add 2 minutes per pound if you live in the mountains.) When you think

it's ready, shove a meat thermometer through the bag and into the turkey and give it a minute to register.
Make sure it doesn't touch the bone. The thermometer should register between 165-171 degrees.

Remove from oven, cut away the bag and remove from basting pan. Don’t throw out the drippings! To make

the gravy, strain the pan juices from the pan into a really big pot. Any juices that accumulate on the turkey
platter get poured into the pot.

Add six oz. of boiling chicken broth and 1/8 cup of corn starch to the gravy to thicken it up. Cook at low heat

and stir. If it seems like it isn't going to be thick enough, add a little more corn starch.

-----------------------------------------

Okay, now your questions-----
Question: Can I use one of those disposable foil basting pans?
A: Yes. It doesn't matter.
Question: What about the talk that brown paper bags are unsafe for cooking?
A: If you mean unsafe because of fire, it is important that the bag doesn't make contact with the heating
element of the oven. If you mean because of the recycled paper bag releasing toxins into the turkey, all we

can say is that this recipe has been around for over thirty years. We've been posting this recipe for over ten
years and never had a single complaint that anyone got sick. We've had hundreds and hundreds of emails
that it's the best turkey they've ever tasted and the perfect recipe for first-time chefs!

Christmas Stockings Kits

2010-11-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

Do you remember those felt stocking kits from back in the 80's and 90's? My mother made all 9 of her grandkids those kinds of stockings, which they all treasure now as adults. I never thought I would be able to sit still long enough to even want to make one of them. But.............grandkids sure do change you! Although there are tons and tons of cute, ready-made stockings out there, for sale cheaper than I could ever make them, I wanted my little guy to have one made by his Mimi. So I started searching in late October for one of these kits. The pickin's were slim, let me tell you. However I was able to locate some at JoAnn's that were half price, no less. These seemed to definitely be several years old but they were too cute! I also checked out Hancocks. They had about 3 designs to choose from. Not much. So after much thought, I purchased a little snowman from JoAnn's- one that looked fairly simple (no sequins!) and boyish. The only problem was it was supposed to have the word "Cheer" across the snowman's tummy- printed on there for you to sew over- and I didn't want that so I just turned him over and added 3 buttons instead. He turned out fine and was good practice for a first one. I learned the most important lesson (for me) and that was that trying to hand embroider letters/names is REALLY DIFFICULT for me to do. I have never sewn, ripped out, sewn again, ripped out so many times in my life. Note to self: next time use embroider machine for name. Here is Cade's stocking:

Well, after making this I was HOOKED. I found that sewing on these while a TV show or music is playing in the background is cathartic for me. And for the most part, the package instructions are easy to follow although there are 2 different kinds of patterns. One of them, the FeltWorks stockings have the pattern printed onto the felt for you to cut out. The Design Works have paper patterns for you to put on the provided felt, outline and cut out yourself. Advantages to this method are that you have the pattern pieces left over and could, essentially, make another of the same stockings. So, my next stocking was for daughter-in-law Christe. I went back to JoAnn's and there were a few more kits there to choose from. This little kitty jumped out at me as being perfect for her. This is one of the Design Works and while assembling each of the stuffed pieces was easy enough, assembling them onto the stocking was a little trickier. I could've used more information in the instructions, please! My seam ripper was used more than once. And I immediately used my beloved embroidery machine for the name this time!

While over in my neighborhood shopping center, I stopped in Hancock's just to see if they had put out any more. Uh, yeah. They sure had. And so had JoAnn's. Oh boy, I kind of went crazy (who, me?)

I bought enough kits to make my future grandkid's stockings and then some. Anyone want a stocking made for their kid/grandkid.....? I even bought an Advent Calendar kit! Guess I'll work on that this summer....

So I started on one for Bryan today. I'm keeping the ones my Mom made for my kids here for now. It gives me an excuse to make more :o)

Pumpkin Spice Cake

2010-11-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

As the grocery store began putting out all of the traditional holiday grocery items (in the center of the aisle so you can't help but see it) I thought of a recipe that requires only 2 items: Spice Cake mix and canned pumpkin. Together these 2 ingredients make some very tasty cookies, so I picked up both items. But then, as I began reading more of the holiday recipes showing up (everywhere), I got a hankering for something else. What is it about the combination of pumpkin/spices and cream cheese that go SO well together, especially this time of year? I don't know, but I wanted it. So began my creation of something new, something good, something easy and something very tasty.

Generously grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 350 (complete recipe below)

In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients:

Spice Cake mix, canned pumpkin, apple sauce, eggs and spices.

Pour into cake pan and bake for 30 minutes; check to see if knife comes out clean for doneness. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This is something that always works well for anything with spices- sweet and salty ones alike.

Next up I just used a tried and true traditional (and very rich) cream cheese icing:

Place 1 stick of butter and 1 8-oz pkg of cream cheese out at room temperature for several hours. If you don't have that kind of time, you can zap 'em in the microwave for 30 seconds but don't melt the butter! You want to cream both of these together, then add vanilla and powdered sugar. You can use as little as 2 cups or as much as 4. I used 3 Cups.

And voila! This cake is extremely moist and wonderful. You don't have to frost it (but the frosting IS so good!)

------------------------------------------------------------

PUMPKIN SPICE CAKE

1 package Spice Cake mix
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 C apple sauce
3 eggs
pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon

Generously grease 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 350. In large bowl mix all ingredients together and spread evenly in pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate.
This is good by itself, as is OR you can add frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 C softened butter
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2-4 C powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and cheese. Mix in vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until creamy.

Indulgence: Quality Sheets

2010-10-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year I was in one of those "because I'm worth it" kinds of moods, wanting to indulge myself a bit. So I went over to Tuesday Morning and found some fabulous 400 thread-count, Supima cotton sheets.

This was in the middle of summer and I was using my other indulgent sheets that are a lighter 200 thread-count Pima cotton. I washed the new sheets and put them on as soon as I got home. That night, though, I realized that these were perhaps more suited to being my fall or spring-time sheets as they were a little too heavy and I got warm. (Yes, I even have winter sheets and no, they aren't flannel, just a heavy cotton damask.) Am I fussy? Well, yeah but after years of using cheapo sheets and making due with what we had, I figure I'm entitled. So I now have 3 quality sets of sheets that I love.

BUT something was missing and I wasn't sure what it was. I was in another 'pamper me' mood while grocery shopping the other day, and I realized what would really REALLY make these sheets indulgent to the max. And that was:

That's right, expensive fabric softener. I say "expensive" because in comparison to the other brands out there, this is. I paid about $5.00 for this and let me tell you IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Holy moly does this smell good. It took me a good 10 minutes of sniffing all of them in the store before deciding on this scent. And it lasts! Turning down my bed has never been so delightful, as the scent of orchids wafts up, second only to laying my head down on my memory-foam pillow and drifting off to la-la-land....... and sweet dreams!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

Been awhile, hasn't it? I've been busy decorating my new kitchen, dining and laundry area's - fun! Then I had to go visit this little guy in Kentucky:

Is he just precious or what? When I wasn't smooching on him, I was taking photos of him.

---------------------------------------------

Back home, it is Labor Day weekend and I/we realized that I hadn't fired up my Dad's old Hasty Bake in over a year, so now was the time. I only pull this antique out when I need to smoke/cook large amounts of food because that's really what it's for. Mostly I do my baby-back ribs on it. Oh Yum. I buy them at Sams; they come 3 racks to a package which is perfect for this old smoker.

I want to say that Dad bought this in the early 1970's, like around 1973 maybe. This was his 2nd Hasty.

Not sure what he did with his first one (traded it in?). Yes, it's a bit rusted. I still have the wooden tray that goes in front. And when you walk by this, the unmistakeable smell of hickory radiates from it.

My dad grew up - literally- working as a car hop and later cook in my grandpa's Pig Stand in Cushing, OK. He was a great weekend cook and one of Grant Hasting's first customers. And he taught me how to make the best ribs (only loin back!) on earth. While he did not share his BBQ Sauce recipe (he never wrote it down) I have found that Head Country - Hickory flavored- comes close. While my dad always rubbed his ribs down with Lawreys, I use Head Country's because it goes so perfectly well with their sauce. Slow cooking is the key to get these fall-off-the-bone babies:

Oh yeah. Come to Mama.

Hope you have a safe, happy holiday.

Muffaletta Sandwiches!

2010-08-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

All I can say, now that my kitchen is DONE (and awesome!) is: let's get cookin'! And I have been, oh yes I have. The other day I read an article about Muffaletta sandwiches and it hit me how MUCH I like them and how long its been since I've had one. When I read how easy the olive salad can be to make, I made them ASAP.

The olive salad is the key ingredient of this sandwich. So, let's get started:

Olive Salad

Now, it can get as complicated as you want to make it but, having made it the easiest way possible (4 ingredients) I'm really happy with un-complicated.

1 jar of Giardineira aka Italian Pickle Mix - reserve 1/4 C liquid, drain the rest
1 can pitted black olives, drained
1 jar pimento stuffed green olives, drained
1/4 C olive oil

Place veggies and olives in food processor and process. Stir in olive oil and juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I have read that this can keep up to a month.

So, that is the uncomplicated version and it is very good. You can also add any of the following:

pickled onions, garlic, capers, capers, oregano, lemon juice.

The Bread

Italian bread (the round loaf) is what is commonly used for these sandwiches. The bread I found (at Wal Mart in their bakery dept) wasn't round but worked just dandy:

I sliced it in half, then sliced it in half :o) (hooray for photos!)

Next you are supposed to scoop out some of the bread to make room for the other ingredients. I forgot to do this and can now see why you are supposed to do that. I lost some of the olive salad during the (messy) eating process.

Drizzle some olive oil on, then spread the olive salad very generously on all sides.

The Meat & Cheese

All I had on hand were the following ingredients, which worked just great:

That is salami, sliced ham, provolone and swiss cheese (and the olive salad on the right). Other options you can use include mortadella, prosciutto, Havarti, cheddar. Layer the meat and cheese.

Since my loaf of bread was a rectangle, I essentially made 4 sandwiches (which turned into 8 after I halved them). If you use a round loaf you won't have this issue. Just layer meats and cheese then cut into wedges.

Carefully assemble, then wrap in plastic wrap for cold sandwiches or foil for hot. Either way, they need to sit for at least an hour or longer in the fridge so the bread can soak up the olive oil and juices. I like my sandwiches hot, however I had one the next day that was cold and it was good too!

For hot sandwiches, bake for 30 minutes at 350. Gently push on them a few times to get the juices into the bread.

BON APETITE!

Completely, Totally FINISHED Kitchen!

2010-07-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting until all of the final little details were done to post FINAL photos. You know, things like the pretty crown moulding and the wonderful recessed light fixtures:

And to get my kitchen STUFF moved back in, although not nearly as much as I used to have. Let's just say we have lots of tax deductible receipts now because I think I donated about half of my former kitchen. So, here it is (click on photos to enlarge):

I love this cute table and chairs (from Ikea of course). The ends of it extend for a nice variety in size.

Love my vent hood!

I decided to add a bright spot of color over the sink:

So, we have gone from this:

To THIS:

And we couldn't be happier :o)

THE END

THE BIG REVEAL!!

2010-07-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Although there is still some blue tape around and a few light switch covers missing, ceiling hasn't been painted nor has the crown molding been put up, I can't stand not sharing this beautiful Ikea kitchen with you!! Sorry about the yellow tint in some of the pictures, I'm too tired to edit them.
Click on photos to enlarge:

I gained about 2 extra feet lengthwise and lots more storage-wise!

I love my cute little table and chairs (from Ikea of course) - table extends on both ends.

Love the results of the beveled subway tile and the little line of mosaics.

This sink and faucet are probably The BEST deals you can find at Ikea. The cost for them is 1/3 what you would pay elsewhere for the same product. And see that little black button on the right? That turns on the disposal (and shuts off after 20 seconds)!

My microwave and oven also serve as mirrors! Honestly, I thought I chose black but I love these even more! And of course, the fridge is awesome.

Tomorrow I'll try to post some more photos of the cool features of my new kitchen.

So Close.....

2010-07-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

It's almost done! I'm hoping to be able to take some "After" photos later on today IF all of the people who are supposed to show up (and do their things) do so today.

Days 24 & 25

2010-07-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, things sure do happen fast once granite and back splash are in!

Day 24 started at the crack 'o dawn with the tile guys here to grout the tile. OMG it looks really, really good. My microwave was installed and refrigerator as well. Plumber set my sink, installed the disposal and hooked up the dishwasher.

Day 25

The electricians were here and installed my UCL (under cabinet lights), outlets and plug ins. They hooked up my oven wired the vent hood. They will return next week to add the last 3 can lights and hook up my vent. Plumber had to come back out because the disposal leaked if there was a full sink of water on that side. He also brought me a great under-the-counter water filter that (I guess) only plumbers can get at their supply place. It was inexpensive and the filters (he brought me 3) were, too! So he hooked that up while he was here. While plumbers, electricians and other workers were here, I had 6 people in my little kitchen.......and 2 of my dogs, too! I had to herd them out - it was crazy but fun and exciting.

At the end of the day, my cabinets and drawers had all of their "hardware" on them so I can now open things without flipping a fingernail (ouch).

Still left to do: under my stove top, there was a place for a 'false front' but, because there is room, I want a drawer there, so my guy is going to make one- but that space is open/empty. Also, in this same area, above it: my granite broke in 3 pieces. I'm hoping that will be fixed/replaced SOON (hubs doesn't know about that yet!). There are some other minor adjustments that need to be made and the baseboard and crown moulding need to be put up but all in all, I'd say we are 95% there now on the kitchen. Still have some window finishing to do as well as put on my screen door to the garage. I have a list of "things to do" :o)

Day 23

2010-07-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

The back splash tile and mosaic tiles were installed today and although not yet grouted, look GREAT! Tomorrow is supposed to be a "big day" with the plumber coming in the morning to set the (big a$$) sink, and install the dishwasher, my cool faucet, disposal and under-the-counter water filter system. My fridge will finally go in tomorrow too, so I should have running water, a dishwasher and a fridge to use - AT LAST!! Not sure if the electricians will also come tomorrow or not. If my guy gets the shelves in and the cutout that goes around them, they could come and install the microwave and regular oven. If not tomorrow, hopefully by Friday. I'm holding off on photos now until it's finished. It is SO AWESOME.

Day 22

2010-07-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Woe is me. The man who schedules the tile guys totally forgot about me this morning :o( But it did give me some extra time to go back out and look for some "liners" - tile pieces to "outline" a design. I wasn't happy at all with what we found last Saturday. And I did find something that matches- finally. So I guess all was not lost.

Figuring out paint/color for the wall next to the fridge and dishwasher has been driving me crazy. Yesterday, while browsing through Lowes, I found some textured wall paper I really like- and it wasn't expensive, either. So, I bought some and hung it- and I love it. Of course, these pictures don't do the color justice.

It's not really this color but you can see the texture here:

Tile guys did show up around 1:30 and so did Dave (the head honcho of my remodel). For around 30-40 minutes we discussed the design options for my backsplash and came up with the same design that I already had in mind before anyone got there.

By the time he left, the tile guys said they didn't want to get started because they were getting off in an hour. So everybody left. The dogs and I settled in on the couch to read and wait for the storms heading this way.

Then the doorbell rang and it was the electricians. They came to put in the outlet's for my refrigerator and oven. He even hooked up my stove for me! So, I could actually cook right now, if I wanted to. If I could find my pots and pans. And my dishes. And my spatulas. If I had any food TO cook. But it was a nice thought.

Day 21

2010-07-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it started out as an exciting day because my granite was scheduled to be installed in the morning. But, it didn't happen. Not until 2:30 pm. I was very tired and cranky to start with- the stress is getting to all of us, including the dogs who are scratching and licking themselves silly. Two of them are on Benedryl. Anyway, it did finally show up and it looks fantastic. They had to set the stove top and sink in place to do this, so that makes it even more exciting. After the 4th of July holiday, the tile guy will be here Tuesday morning to do my backsplash- yippee!

HUGE sink!

Love how the granite ties into the pass-through now:

Day 20

2010-06-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today was only a 3-trip-to-Home-Depot day, not a 4. First trip, I got the proper wattage light bulbs for my canned lighting in the kitchen and man, is it bright in there! I love it! I also bought some paint to test out for one wall and Dylan bought all of the wood for the baseboard trim and door trims, etc.

We got home, put the bulbs in and.....one was faulty. So, back to HD to get a good one. Later, when Dylan tested the paint on the wall, I didn't like it. So, back to HD for a different color (light grey) which I'm happy with.

Best news of the day: My granite will be installed Friday morning! This sets off a chain of trades coming in, such as the plumber to set my sink and install the dishwasher, the tile guy to do my backsplash, the electricians to come and hook up my stove and oven and put in a few more canned lights. In other words, I think we are finally in the home stretch here and I'm so excited!

Day 19

2010-06-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today the floor was finally finished- yippee!!

They also got my new kitchen window installed too.

Plus some other things were done but nothing to take a picture of :o)

Day 18

2010-06-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Day 18. It seems like I'm always a day behind blogging on here but that's because I'm so wiped out by the time they leave for the day and/or I've got a lot of things to do. This whole process is, as anyone who has done this knows, a very stressful and tedious process to go through. Some days it just WEARS me OUT! What has really tried all of our nerves has been my floor. Apparently one of the most uneven floors anyone had ever seen. This issue has required tons of prep work by others and by my guys. The floor has to be perfectly flat and level to put down what I bought. I love what I got, BTW. It's so awesome; looks like real stone, is flexible so if/when the floor moves a little, it will move with it. I linked the Armstrong website to what I bought. And here it is; you can see where it is grouted up next to where it isn't. Oh yes, the grout and color have been fun too. Yesterday I went to Home Depot 4 times for more glue, to exchange grout (this tile takes an acrylic, sanded, pre-mixed grout, not regular grout) and to rent (then return) the 100 lb roller. But the end result is so worth it!

And, to top my day off, I finally got my new washer and dryer that has been in the warehouse for 2 months! Yay! No more going to the laundry place!

Day....uh....?

2010-06-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not home right now. I'm in Kentucky babysitting the cutest baby in the entire world - and I am NOT prejudiced! OK maybe I am a little but don't you agree, he's the cutest boy you've ever seen??

Look at that face! I just wuv him to pieces (if you can't tell).

However, work is still going on back in T-Town and I've got a picture to prove it. Ready?

MY FLOOR IS DOWN!! And I LOVE it!

Day 13

2010-06-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Another action-packed day of work in the kitchen! The plan for today had been to get the floor (tile) layed so we went to HD and got stuff for that as well as a new screen door (for the garage). When we got back, the electricians showed up to put in my canned lights (yay) so Dylan didn't get started on the floor until late this afternoon. He did, however, lay the tile down earlier so I could see how it looked and OMG I love it! I'm leaving early tomorrow morning and won't be back until Saturday however Dylan did say he would send me phone-pics which, of course, I will share here :o) No pics today, however, because my camera is already packed!

Day 12

2010-06-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

After a somewhat disappointing end-of-the-week, Monday started out great and the guys went full-steam ahead all day long. They would have prepped the floor last night, so they could lay the tile this morning, but the granite guy was supposed to come "between 2-6" so that didn't happen. And neither did the granite guy. He called at 5:15 and rescheduled for this morning. Oh well! I'm going to be leaving tomorrow morning at the crack-o-dawn for Kentucky and will be gone until Saturday afternoon. I cannot wait to see what all happens while I'm away!

So, the cabinets and drawers were set yesterday, which means you can try to slam them shut and it won't happen; they have this cool "catch" on them that makes them close softly. Utility room cabinets were put in and alot of other things too numerous to mention. The general consensus, when everyone stands in it and looks around is: Yep, it's coming along!

Day 11

2010-06-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well today (Friday) marked 2 weeks of my house being torn apart and dirty. Today the electricians came to move a light switch, the flooring guys had to come and re-do a spot in my kitchen floor. I heard them saying that ours was one of the worst (uneven) they'd seen, so it's a really good thing this is being done, even if it is slowing down the whole show.

The other major accomplishment was them hanging our new door that goes from the utility room to the garage. Ask anyone (neighbors, kids and friends) who has had to deal with the (old) stupid door and they will all shout "hooray!" upon hearing this news. It really WAS about time we got this replaced!

Days 9 and 10

2010-06-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well, no kitchen pictures for these days. Other than the rest of the cabinet doors and drawers being put on, the work being done is stuff you can't really see. But.......

My flooring came in yesterday (!) so we went over to Home Depot and got it and some grout. Also got this nifty little thing that was installed in the lower cabinet next to my stove top:

I'm so excited about having my trash HIDDEN away! And it pulls out all nice and easy. (It really is the little things, you know?)

Day 8

2010-06-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

All of the cabinets are up- yay! When I stand in there now, I can really REALLY see what its going to be like and all I can say is "WOW!" I love it!!

Although I'm only gaining a couple of feet, it's the new layout (and soffits being gone) that makes it seem so much more streamlined and big.

The granite people came by and measured for the estimate. It will probably be a total of 2 weeks from now before it's installed. And my splash back tile came- delivered to the WRONG address >:-/ I got an email from UPS freight saying it had been delivered; I'm like: really? where? 'cause it sure wasn't here!! I suspected it was at the house a block over that has the same house number as we do. And yep, there it was on their driveway. I wrote and told the tile company about it, just so they'd know. Anyway, it's here. Now waiting on the flooring.......

Day 7

2010-06-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't post anything last Friday because all that got done was sanding and re pouring of the floor level stuff. And I didn't post this yesterday because as soon as the guys left I had to run over and do a couple of loads of laundry. We had heavy thunderstorms and it was a long day- I was wiped out.

So: Yesterday the guys got over half of the cabinets put up in preparation for the granite people to come measure today.

We had discussions about the placement of my fridge (because where I want it is kind of tricky but we are making it work) as well as about how the granite is going to merge with this "pass through" that used to be a window before our add-on (below). One suggestion was to raise the whole thing up as a bar you can sit at, but I know we wouldn't use it that way. I'm going to go with my original plan.

Day 5

2010-06-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a relatively good day. Drywall got patched and even 3 cabinets hung before the flooring people came back to do their thing. That being sanding/buffing down what they poured yesterday which shows them the high spots (and low spots). More self-leveling cement was poured and is now drying. This made for a fairly short day with everyone being gone by 2:00 or so. My house is so dirty and messy. It's hard, but I just have to look the other way (without tripping) and focus on the outcome, which is gonna be awesome!

My cabinets are all put together and sitting in my den now:

Here is the kitchen today:

And here is the fearless of my 3 dogs, Tessa. While Pete cowers over loud noises and Gracie just hangs back and watches, the more noise and activity going on, the more Tessa has to see (and be in the middle of) what's going on.

One more thing: I did hear back from Home Depot about my flooring. It is supposed to be shipped no later than next Monday which puts it here next week. That sales guy should never have put the "5-7 working days" time frame in my head!

Day 4

2010-06-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Drywall was put up over where the soffits used to be. Flooring guys came and poured self-leveling cement over my very uneven floor. It is so bad that they may have to sand the cement (= big mess) and pour some more over it tomorrow. We will have to see.

Speaking of flooring, I called Home Depot about my special order status since I was told early on that it only took 5-7 business days which it's now been. The woman at HD put me on hold, then came back and said, "It says here it was supposed to be in June 7th and it's not here. Let me find out the status and I'll call you back." Yeah, well, that was 2 hours ago........

Here is today's photo:

Remodel Day 2

2010-06-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

A very long and difficult day for me. As previously stated, I have 3 dogs, one of which is terrified of loud noises, including thunder. You would know that, as they were tearing out the soffits in the kitchen, it was storming like crazy. Poor Pete (dog) just wore me OUT. Normally when it gets loud in here, he goes outside. While we do have a covered patio, when he was out there and it thundered he would go out in the rain. Very exhausting day.

So, soffits were removed, plumber and electricians notified to come out, which they both did. The rest of my old ceramic tile was taken up and walls prepped for eventual dry-wall.

As you can see, wiring is in place now for new appliances and lights (yippee!).

The Kitchen Remodel Begins!

2010-06-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

Awhile back (not quite a year ago) I posted about my dream kitchen here. And now, my dream is coming true! And this, my friends, is yet more proof that when you visualize something it will happen! Same thing can be said when I "saw" our sun-room addition to the house a few years ago. I saw the room and I saw the new patio and layout. Within a year, it was a reality.

I've had to learn and practice patience quite a bit this year. Waiting on grandson (who was 10 days late!) and waiting for the contractor (my Ikea Man) to get to my kitchen (he's bombarded with kitchens to do). As I posted before, my kitchen was delivered several weeks ago.

In the meantime, I went out and chose my backsplash tile (beveled subway ceramic) and the mosaic tiles to go in there as well. Also picked out my flooring. I couldn't find a laminate/tile that I liked and ended up going with a 16x16 vinyl tile that, when grouted, is very realistic looking.

So, without further ado, here is the before pictures of my teeny, tiny 1968 kitchen:

And here it is Day One after only 7 hours of demolition:

To say that I'm excited is an understatement. Next up: Day 2!

Storms in Tulsa

2010-05-14T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am again. No news on the kitchen. However, the kitchen IS (in a way) responsible for the latest upset here. As I said in the previous post, the kitchen is stored in my garage at this time, which means I have to park my little Scion on the drive. We were nervous about that from the beginning because 1. it's May + 2. we are in Oklahoma = good chance of severe weather.

Monday night (May 10) we were under a tornado watch all night. Other parts of the state got hit and we had some nickel sized hail that lasted a short time. I had been parking my car up close to the garage, but hubs said that the hail was bouncing off the roof and onto my car (no damage). Sooooooo Wednesday night I pulled the car back from the house a little. I was under a large oak tree and next to our basketball goal.

At 4:50 a.m. we are awakened by a horrible storm, tornado sirens going off and my car alarm going off as well. After shutting the alarm off with my key fob, we got dressed, grabbed flashlights and went out to investigate. The early morning light gave us a better view:

That is our basketball goal in the front yard. My car had been moved at this point, but amazingly here was the only damage to it:

Side facing the goal-

Side facing away from the goal:

So, it looks like the pole smacked into it, then was flipped over the top and scraped it coming down....?

All I know is that we were expected much worse damage- broken window(s), big dent across the top. All in all not bad, could have been worse.

In the back yard we had a HUGE branch fall from way above. Again, our house, guttering and yard light were spared. We were very lucky. Here is some video of it:

The Merry Month of May

2010-05-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Life sure gets crazy, doesn't it? Well, mine has anyway. So it's now UPDATE time for my 4 followers :o) Since my little grandson was born, I have learned a few things. The biggest shocker for me was when I got this adorable photo yesterday:

I blurted out "There's my sweet little angel!" when I saw this. Now, if you know me, you know I'm not a gushy, mushy "sweet little angel" kind of person. But..... I am now, I guess. I just miss him so much and can't wait to see him again. In the meantime, I do get photos periodically. They make my day!

I hope all of you Mom's out there had a nice Mother's Day. I certainly did! My thoughtful son sent me these gorgeous flowers:

My sweet daughter and son-in-law came up from Texas to visit. In addition to some very thoughtful (and much appreciated) presents, my daughter- who knows me so well- got me this card:

Isn't this too funny? Love that girl!

I'm at the point now that I can celebrate this special day without being sad and missing my Mom as much as I have in past years. But I always think of her. I guess I always will.

Love you Mom <3

On to my new kitchen, right? Well.........kind of. Most of my new kitchen is in my garage.

I have picked out my granite countertop, the tiles for the back splash etc. Now I'm just waiting for my turn to come with the contractor. I'm next in line.....

On another happy note, new exhibits have opened at the museum. The Baseball exhibit happened without me (gasp!) helping. I was in Kentucky at the time :o) Hub and I went to see it (it's great!) as well as another one called Tasha Views Tulsa: Portraits of a City. These are 48 photos that local blogger Tasha Ball picked out from hundreds of cool photos all taken in Tulsa.

I was flattered beyond belief that she also chose one of my photos.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. If you live here in Tulsa, go by the museum and see these exhibits!

Until next time.......and I do hope that I am blogging about my NEW KITCHEN next time!

Cade's Story

2010-04-28T08:26:00.001-07:00

Welcome Cade!

2010-04-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

So much has been happening in my life, notably 2 of my biggest dreams being realized. The first one just happened: I became a Grandma! I flew to Kentucky on April 6, 1 day after Cade's due date. I felt sure the little guy was going to arrive that week (as did everyone else).

While Cade was ready, Christe's body was not. She never did dilate. Finally, on April 15 her doctor began induction procedures and Cade did not tolerate the contractions - his heart rate would drop very low.

And so, at 8:28 am he was delivered by C-Section, screaming and healthy. Thank you God.

8 lbs 2 oz

20 1/2 inches

Oh yes, the other dream being realized? When I return, I will be getting my IKEA kitchen! Pictures of the remodel will be posted here, for sure. Stay tuned.......

I Recommend This!

2010-03-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

I cannot WAIT for the mud to be gone around here! With all of the snow, rain, snow, ice and snow we've had this winter, I don't think the ground has been dry since, well, early December. Not a problem for some people, but when you have (3) indoor dogs that have to go outdoors to potty, well, you have the muddy-paw-situation, like I do. Oh, I keep a mud towel by the door and a mat for them to step on while I'm using it. But.....it still gets tracked in and eventually I have a dark area (or 2 or 3) that look bad. I am happy to report, however, that my Christmas present works like a charm! I decided that I would be practical this year and get a NEEDED item, so Santa brought me this:

And I'm here to testify to you that IT WORKS. It's not heavy, it's not complicated or difficult to use OR clean after using. It comes with a bottle of their (concentrated) cleaner that you pour into one side and then fill with water. I, however, wanted to utilize the HEAT unit of this model and so I bought a bottle of this:

I know that this isn't exactly what you are supposed to use in the little Bissell machine. I am, however, a believer/user of the "Oxy" product and I know that it works with heat. Now, this bottle seems pretty pricey ($12+) BUT it's very concentrated and it only takes 1/8 C mixed with hot water in this little ProHeat. And does it ever work! I am happy to tell you it cleaned up spots and areas that I had neglected longer than I'm going to say. Obviously it's not for an entire room (unless you LIKE being on your hands and knees scrubbing all over the place). I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

Snow Patrol

2010-02-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there were 3 dogs who loved to go back in the corner of their yard and hold court (ie have a barkfest) with the neighboring dog. Then along came a big snow storm that transformed their backyard into something strange and wonderful...

Upon venturing out into this white abyss, they were taken with the beauty and wonder of it all.

Gracie, the leader of the pack, was doing her usual patrol duty of the premises...

When she heard something!

What was that?? (note top of fence)

OMG!! A SQUIRREL!!!! MAY DAY!!! RED ALERT!!! ALL HANDS ON DECK!!! (wait, wha...??)
And with that, Mr. Squirrel was outta there in a flash! And so was Gracie.

THE END

Baby, It's Really Cold Outside!

2010-02-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Winter this year is kinda.....well....COLD. I mean really really cold this year. I can easily recall some previous January's where short sleeves and possibly shorts were worn. Nope, not this year. And we have had more snow than usual too; starting with a blizzard on Christmas Eve. And last week, another "winter storm warning" only it was much scarier: this time, they said there would be ICE. Yikes. Around here, that means get out your flashlights, stock up on firewood, D & C batteries, food, and water. Be as prepared as possible for the power to go out. It has happened before, in 2007 to be precise, and it wasn't pretty. Or nice. Or fun.

So I began to prepare early in the week. I think I must have gotten some of the last D batteries in Tulsa. Seriously. I felt as though I'd won a prize when I discovered some at the store. The C's for my radio weren't as hard to locate. Ah, yes. My trusty, rusty old TG&Y transistor radio. When we were first married, some 31 yrs ago, we lived over in Brookside and I bought this at the TG&Y store located at 51st and Peoria because my dad said you always needed to have one of these around. And boy, has it been around! Untold numbers of football and basketball games have been brought to us by this companion of ours. Not to mention KRMG being where it's always set "in case of emergency"

When I opened the back of it to put in the new batteries, I was horrified to see that the old ones had leaked. But, after carefully digging the bad ones out, cleaning the connection plates and inserting new ones, it worked like always!

As I had hoped, my plan of "being very prepared so that the storm wouldn't knock out power" worked. And when tornado season approaches in a couple of months, I will be prepared! Ah, the joys of living in Oklahoma.

Tulsa's Old Movie Theaters Exhibit

2010-01-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

While I have a slight moment to myself I figure I'd better update this blog for the first time this year! I have been working diligently with the Exhibit Director over at the Historical Society getting 2 new (small) exhibits up and 1 big one that will open at the end of the month. The two smaller ones are now open and I got to have some autonomy in the creation of one of them :o)

Due to my "knowledge" on some of Tulsa's old movie theaters, I was asked to pick out the photos and artifacts for the exhibit in a small gallery at the museum. I suppose I do have some information under my belt but that's from writing, producing and presenting a slideshow/presentation on them.

This little production is indeed near and dear to my heart. The reason being, I suppose, is that all of these great theaters are gone, save The Circle and Brook. Does anyone remember the Majestic?
How about the Will Rogers?

I remember vividly seeing Old Yeller at the WR. First movie that made me cry. I left the theater that day with very mixed emotions- I thought movies were supposed to have happy endings! I guess I grew up a little bit that day.

Anyway, along with photos I persuaded (ie begged) to have 2 artifacts included. If you notice in the following photos, red circles

Those are Diana and Faun in the Ritz and Orpheum back in the glory days, when downtown was still the center of Tulsa. These 2 statues are old they are very fragile. Faun's flute broke awhile back and Diana has some issues as well, which is why 1. I had to beg to have them in and 2. they are roped off like they are. But I'm still happy as a clam that they are out for everyone to see. The Historical Society is located next door to the Garden Center, Hours are 10-4 T-Sat and admission is FREE!

Losing Track of Time

2009-12-30T11:42:00.000-08:00

Here is what happens to me on a regular basis: I am trying to come up with an interesting topic for my other blog (OR trying to come up with a new trivia question for the Historical Society's Facebook page) and I begin browsing through the Beryl Ford Collection of photos. And soon I think I have an idea of what I want to say (or ask). But then, I see a random picture of, well let's say the Douglas Bomber Plant that was built here in Tulsa in 1942. Hey, my grandma worked there as an inspector! Let's see what other photos are in here; maybe she's in one of them. And so I start going through photos linked to the Douglas Plant. The information I learn from some of them lead me to Google for more information. Already, an hour has passed since I began this endeavor.

Soon, I am learning about the Liberator and other planes. Which leads me to wondering about the airplane-carrier ship my dad was on in WWII. And what was the name of the CV9 he was on....? Oh wow. There is a lot of information on the U.S.S. Essex! More so than the last time I searched the Internet for it. Other veterans have added their own photos and memories. I begin reading diary entries from other Navy veterans that were on the ship at precisely the same time that my dad was. You see, we have the letters he wrote to his parents so I know when he got on the ship (and where, now that I have more info). 2 1/2 hours have now passed and I am immersed in those letters of his. The last of the letters were sent towards the end of the war. When he was on the ship, he couldn't say much because it would be censored out (literally cut out). Another thing is he kept writing how boring it was on the ship and how bored he was. As I now read the documentation on what was happening, I know he was just saying that rather than the scary truth to his folks. I have again learned something new about Dad. These letters were not discovered until the year 2000, after having moved into an assisted living facility. My very private father had kept them in a cigar box up in the top of his closet all those years. I am so thankful his mother kept them. Reading them helped us, his 3 girls, get to know him better and learn so much about his wonderful relationship with his parents that we never knew.

And now it is almost 4 hours since I sat down. It is lunchtime and I'm still not even dressed. Where did the morning go......? And what am I going to write about?

Christmas Wishes

2009-12-23T16:10:00.000-08:00

Been bad, really bad, about blogging here. I have had thoughts, ideas, taken photos and then.....get sidetracked. So I'm going to post all of the photos I've taken since I put that cute little kitten below on here and just take it from there!

Well, first of all was my hubs birthday at the beginning of the month. I surprised him with homemade cinnamon rolls the morning of his birthday. Yep, made them from scratch the night before and put them in the fridge before bed. Hub appreciated it :o)We got an early Christmas present 2 weeks ago in the form of modern technology. 4-D pictures of our little grandson, Cade, who is due to arrive April 3. Now tell me this isn't cool:
God is great.

I have also been getting ready for Christmas which means these demons are around to tempt us:
So what do I do? I make more demons and try to save them for everyone else! These are chocolate covered peanuts, in case you can't tell. And I made a LOT of them.
We are super excited this Christmas because we will have a baby in the house on Christmas! This baby:Is she a cutie pie or what? She is my great-niece (one of 3 that I now have). She is the only one who will be able to be here though, so Santa's going to spoil her rotten.

We celebrated Christmas last weekend with my husband's family and I took a few shots:

We meet in a building because there are usually at least 25-30 of us there:
That's because my hub is the oldest of 7-- and some of our kids are having kids now:
Here is one of the newest members; she is 2 yrs old and really into opening presents this year:
This was the desert table:
After we gorge ourselves, we play Sneaky Santa which is always, always a good time.
And that's what its all about, folks. Family, friends, laughter and most of all LOVE.

Cutest Kitty!

2009-12-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

If this 17 seconds doesn't make you smile then all hope is lost!

I've Gotta Say.....

2009-11-27T18:34:00.001-08:00

Learning how to use a Mac computer after using a PC for 14+ years is a challenge. I've been playing around on this for 4 days and am finally feeling comfortable on it. OK, not really playing on it; more like trying to figure out how to blog, edit photos, upload tunes etc.

I thought I was so smart; I have been using Carbonite to back up my files, photos and music for almost a year. I was somewhat smug that it would be a cinch to download those to this new computer. Yeah, well guess what? Carbonite doesn't do PC to Mac restoration "at this time"! I am always the one who has to do things the hard way it seems, and this was no exception. I had to download the files I wanted from the Carbonite website (where thankfully they all were) onto an external hard drive, then manually install them onto the Mac. Wow, that sounds so easy and simple. I guess it was, in the big scheme of things. It's just that doing all of this in the land of Mac was like being blindfolded and trying to follow someone. I did, however, have my trusty little netbook handy; it runs Windows XP and was my safety net during this transition.

I can say now that this is all so worth it. When I disassembled my Dell to take to my son, it was the biggest mess of power cords I've ever seen- nothing new to PC users though. This Mac has ONE cord to plug in. That's it. And everything else on it is as simple to use, once you learn the language- so to speak. Did I mention that I barely passed French in high school? Yeah, new languages are difficult for me but this one was worth every bit of my time. I am looking forward to a long, wonderful time with this new baby. I am in love.

p.s. Yes I do know that Apple stores have workshops for new Mac owners but I couldn't wait to start figuring this out and using it. Patience isn't one of my virtues. :o)

Gone To The Dogs

2009-11-24T15:45:00.000-08:00

I just returned from visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Kentucky. Whew, what a trip! It was fun and went by way too fast. I got to see their cute new house and also meet their cute, new dogs. Well, new to them. They rescued Hobbs and Marquise from the local shelter. They came together. Marquise "raised" Hobbs and is therefore the alpha dog of the two.

This is Hobbs- he is a South African Mastiff that weighs 175 lbs. He is 2 yrs old:

He's a BIG baby! He loves Bryan soooooo much that he cries if Bryan goes outside without him. This is him laying by the garage door, crying:

And this is sweet, sweet Marquise. She is an American Staffordshire Terrier. Also known as a Pit Bull. And I have never met a nicer more gentle dog before. Look at this face!

She is just a sweetheart. On Saturday we took the both of them back to the shelter to visit the people there who took care of them for 4 months. The workers were overjoyed to see them! I guess many people don't bring their adopted pets back for visits. I rode in the back of the Explorer with the dogs.

These guys were hard to adopt out. Hobbs because of his size and Marquise because of her breed. I'm glad my kids found and rescued them. They are great dogs.

Drive By Shooting

2009-11-15T19:19:00.000-08:00

A couple of friends and I are working on a project for the Historical Society. Hopefully this will turn into another educational program to take to the schools. Anyway, it involves photos of various places around town- that's where I come in. The first time out, we went downtown and walked to all of the neat buildings; it helps when you have an experienced travel agent with you who knows all the ins and outs of places. The 2nd time, we did alot of driving; or should I say, she did alot of driving. Mostly I just gawked, as I am want to do when not having to drive. The rest of the time I was jumping out of the car and snapping pictures.

But some photos I was able to snap from the car.
This is the McBirney Mansion, taken from the passenger seat, through the front window:

This was a tricky shot through the rolled-down drivers side window (thank you Karen for not minding my leaning on you!)

This one was a challenge because my friend was turning the corner (making a left) as I was snapping away:

Of course, when you can pull up right in front of a place, that makes it super easy. Wilson Middle School:

I was out Saturday, driving through downtown- it's so much easier to do this when there isn't any traffic. I pulled over and got Boston Avenue Methodist Church:

Well that's all for now. Hope you have a good week!

Random Thoughts for the Day

2009-11-14T19:23:00.000-08:00

Someone sent this to me and I just have to share it.

Random Thoughts for the Day
*******************************************************

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "What would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

Veterans Day always makes me choke up a little. When I think of Veterans, past and present, and their courage and strength, it just gets to me.

My dad was a Navy Fighter Pilot in WWII. He served in the Pacific Theater, bringing home a Distinguished Flying Cross, among other medals of honor. And yet, we didn't know that (or much else) about his Navy career until he passed away. Then many, many things were discovered and unearthed as we went through his personal belongings. A new side of our father was discovered when a cigar box full of his letters, written to his parents during his tour, was found. These letters, beginning with his enlistment at the age of 22, show a close relationship with his parents, our grandparents, that we didn't really know about.

My dad's older brother enlisted first with the Army in 1942:

and dad the Navy a few months later.

By following his journey of training through these letters, we learned how long it takes to become a navy pilot. That it really was a "weeding out process" as they went from training to schools all around the country. And that, truly, only a few- with the right stuff- make it.

photo of dad getting his wings:

By the time my dad actually made it to the navy carrier the U.S.S. Essex, the war was winding down. The letters from him are much fewer and farther in between at that time, with some of the letters having been censored- neatly cut squares of paper removed. They are not as cheeful or happy as the ones prior to that time.

And then, the war was over.

And Dad eventually returned home, put his memories and war experiences behind him, and resumed his life, never really mentioning or talking about that period of his life much again, as was typical of his generation. They just did what they had to do and moved on, trying hard not to look back.

I am so proud of my dad - and all of the veterans past and present- for their service.

Thank You Veterans

PW Comes To The Big City

2009-10-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Big Day was finally here last Tuesday. The book release of Ree Drummond's cookbook and it was being held at my home-away-from-home: The Tulsa Historical Society! I have had Ree's link to her webpage over here on the side since I started this blog ---------------------->
I can't remember where I got the link to her blog way back but once I stumbled upon it, I was hooked. Actually, it was reading her mini-Harlequin-romance-novel "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" that hooked me. She's a very gifted, witty writer. I love her humor and her stories from The Ranch (which is just outside of Pawhuska, OK).
And I'm not the only one who loves her! Her website/blog gets over a million hits a week! This woman is popular, I tell ya! And so............they began arriving early for this big event Tuesday night. The doors were to open at 6:00 pm and at 5:00 pm it looked like this:

Jeff Martin of BookSmart Tulsa was handling the details (with a little help from some friends) which included 700 wondermous (yes it's a word...now) cupcakes from Merritt's Bakery. PW (that's what we call her) ordered 3 different kinds: carrot cake, red devil cake and chocolate cake delivered for her friends and fans. I'll show you a picture of 2 of the 3 kinds. The carrot cake just didn't make it around long enough to get a picture: Aren't they yummy looking? And I love the PW on the chocolate one- cute AND good! Ree Drummond is just the most generous, kind-hearted person ever. Not only did she order these babies for all of us to munch on, her hubby Ladd, aka Marlboro Man (because he's that good lookin' in Levi's) also brought tons of pop (including Coke in glass bottles- I loved it) and water. The big give-away, though, was the t-shirts. Now those of you who don't read her blog don't know this but Ree gives away lots of fantastic prizes every week. Ranging from KitchenAid Mixers to cameras to cute little earrings. You just never know with her! So, in typical Ree fashion, she had these darling t-shirts made:

And on the lower right-hand back of the shirts:
Cute or what?

As I said before, MM brought lots of stuff to drink. He backed his rugged pickup truck up to the museum's dock:

and proceeded to unload cases and cases of drinks, ice and the large buckets to put it all in. My friend Michelle (a staff member of THS) and I looked at those forearms and those Levi's, turned to each other and said, "Oh my. Now I get it." (meaning we now know why Ree ran away to the country with this man).

And nice? You want to talk about a nice, sweet man? He posed for so many pictures and signed probably at least half as many books as Ree did later on. Now where was I.... Oh yes, well as you can see people were already in the museum waiting in line to buy a book (or 5)
...or going through another line to get a free, cute t-shirt:
And the seats began to fill up...

(weren't these 3 girls cute??)

as we anxiously awaited for Ree who was, at that moment, Tweeting how scared she was. I cannot blame her, I would've been too. But arrive she did!

She was whisked upstairs while we volunteers worked at getting things settled down and people seated. And then: it was time! Jeff Martin came out to welcome the crowd. And introduce Ms Ree who looked cool as a cucumber to me. Such a pretty lady.

Ree took questions from the audience and introduced her family. This is what's wierd about following and "knowing" someone you've never met: I knew that her sister and nephew were sitting in front of me.
I knew her sweet brother Mike was there.

I've "met" these good people on PW's blog and the surreality of actually seeing them in the flesh is just WIERD (in a good way).
So when Ree introduced her brother Mike, he came up to hug her and she asked him to stay up there with her. He had a calming effect on her, she said. I say: whatever works!
The questions and especially the answers from Ree were great. My favorite exchange:

Guest: Ree, can I ask you a personal question? Is that OK?

Ree: Sure, go ahead.

Guest: OK. Well, how was it you met your husband in a crowded, smokey bar? I mean, what were YOU doing there?

Ree explains. (ed: read Black Heels to Tractor Wheels for the answer)

Next Guest: Ree, how much butter do you go through in a week?

Ree: Now THAT'S personal!

The lady cracks me up.

Then it was time to sign books and boy, did she have alot of books to sign.

Friends, fans and family were all content to eat cupcakes, drink Cokes, visit and flip through the new cookbook while waiting (some for 3 hours) to get their books signed.

What a gracious, lovely lady. Thanks Ree.

So, there was this duck...goose.....er...?

2009-10-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a gorgeous, beautiful fall day last weekend. I was taking in all of the sites surrounding my drive through the cemetery by my house. This is where my parents (and other relatives and friends) were laid to rest. A "10" of a day for sure. Mother Nature at her finest, especially the trees....

The geese...

And the- huh? What is this?

I don't mean to be rude, but you look so....different....

What are you? A cross between a goose and a duck? ***gasp**** A Guck????

OK, OK, calm down!!

Don't get your feathers all ruffled! heh heh heh Man, some birds are SO sensitive! OK little guck, as you were. Sorry to get you so riled.

You're a cutie, by the way.

Fall Is Here

2009-10-24T15:31:00.001-07:00

Shame on me. I did it again. Let way too much time pass without blogging here- sorry to the 2 of you that read this :o)

I have valid excuses though, really. For one thing, I've had stones. Kidney stones to be precise. And those are not any fun, let me tell you. Actually this isn't my first time in dealing with them and this time wasn't nearly as painful as in the past. I had these stones blasted and let me say it was one very painless event this time, for which I'm thankful. Could have been alot worse had this one 6mm stone tried to pass.

I've also had visitors and last week all of the available family here in town came over for dinner. It was great! I got to cook for everyone which always makes me happy.

We learned this last week that EVERYONE in my immediate family will be here on Thanksgiving! As my niece said: 20 adults, 2 babies and 1 fetus. Will definately be taking lots of photos then!

Fall is here and the colors are fabulous. I hope you can see this and enjoy it.

This 'n That

2009-10-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am behind in blogging here! Thing is, I really don't have that much to blog about. I've mostly been sewing and making aprons. I sell them (and a few other novelties) at a booth in the next town over and the holidays are coming, whether we like it or not! So I have to start now in order to be able to keep my booth stocked AND enjoy the holidays with my family.

So, let's see what's on my digital camera, shall we? That's usually a good place to start. I take random photos all of the time, then shut the camera off and put it away, usually forgetting about what I took until I upload photos.

What have we here.... A PRAYING mantis on an angel.........that's weird, isn't it? Must be why I took this picture.

Which reminds me that it's time to drain and cover this fountain now that COLD weather is setting in.

Oh this was funny. I DO remember taking this picture. Every now and then my 22 lb cat unknowingly does something funny and this was one of those times. I was eating dinner and looked over towards the utility room, where I had laundry going, and saw....

That is a clothes basket that he turned over and decided to sit in. Clarke is a few bricks shy of a load. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. The lights on and he might be home....or not. You get the picture. He's sweet enough though. Let's the 3 dogs run roughshod over him.

Speaking of dogs, this must be a first in that I don't have 1,000 pictures of them on here! Talk about L-A-Z-Y....

Well, time to get back to sewing....

"Surprise" Day

2009-09-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

I started to call this Good Day/Bad Day, but really it was probably all good when I get right down to it. So today was the day to Get Things Done. I had a list!

And first on the list was having the chimney cleaned. It's been quite some time since that service has been performed and I knew it wasn't safe to even have a fire in the house (which is why I banned all of them last year, much to hub's dismay). While we were miraculously spared the horrible days/weeks long power outage from the ice storm of 2007 (thank you God) that year had it's fair share of other power outages, one which occurred on a particularly cold night (it was like 14 out). Lots and lots of firewood was burned that night. All of which made me acutely aware of the need to have it cleaned.
After my chimney cleaner inspected it, we learned there had been at least one chimney fire that had already occurred. Yikes. I won't bore you with the details on how this is determined but it was pretty conclusive. And the inside of it was glazed. This translates into:
1. Very unsafe and 2. going to cost more money to clean/fix. SURPRISE! kinda
But good news: no cracks or other damage and hey OUR HOUSE DIDN'T CATCH FIRE whenever this happened. Best of all, it's getting fixed so we can have fires all winter long and not worry.

Next up: my sewing machine.

Oh, that sounds so trivial. My machine is waaaaay more than just a sewing machine. My Baby is a Rolls Royce of sewing/embroidery/quilting machines. Lately I have been on a tear making these cute aprons for my booth:

And at some point, my Baby started making this groaning sound, like something was bound up (you know, like thread) in it. So, off to the great store I bought it at and SURPRISE! the extended "gold" warranty on it is STILL GOOD! Which means it will be moved up in the line to be fixed and, of course, cost me zero dollars. So that's a good thing.

My trip to stores and the bank were surprise-free, so back home I came and sat down to rest. Then the doorbell rang. SURPRISE! The guys from the awning company were here to replace our old awning with our brand new one! They were supposed to be here tomorrow or Monday (which had me wondering what day it really was). But it's great to have it done now! So here it is:

And I'm hoping that this is IT for Surprise Day. All in all, I cannot complain because, as I said, it's all good. Hmm.....maybe we should go out to the casino tonight.....

UPDATE: So, we did in fact go to the casino this evening. Although its the season premier of one of my most favorite shows (Greys Anatomy) I always record it so I can FF through commercials. Luck was good to me at the casino- at first. Then it sorta went south. Hub's back started hurting and we decided to call it a night after a couple of hours. No problem, said I. I'll just come home and start watching Greys. SURPRISE! Recorder wasn't set!!! Oh the panic!! Of course I immediately hit "record" and did in fact get the last hour of it recorded. So that's the good news. I'll just have to watch the first hour of it on the computer tomorrow. OK. Enough surprises for 1 day. No more please. Thank you.

Lovely Lady

2009-09-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Life is precious. Family love is too. Sometimes it takes heartbreak to drive this point home with us. And after the wound heals and the throbbing from the scar eases we can find a peace and clarity. Maybe even an understanding of Gods powerful ways. That 20/20 hindsight is always helpful when enough time passes.
Today marks the 8th year of my mothers passing. Anyone who knew her remembers her as the sweetest and kindest of people. Her inner beauty matched her gorgeous looks. So now, if you will pardon me, I am going to indulge in showing off my Mom with alot of photos of her that we are so fortunate to have.

Born at St. Johns Hospital in June of 1928, Mom loved my dad, her girls, her grand kids and tennis.

She also loved fashion. We aren't 100% sure when it all started, but when mom was a Junior Will Rogers High School (class of 1946) she did a project for her art class:

At around the same time, this photo of her was taken: Right after graduation, my mother graced the front cover of Tulsa Magazine

I suppose she was, by this time, modeling primarily for Brown-Dunkin Stores. Mom didn't really do the "runway" type of modeling; rather photo shoots for publications and ads.

This was on the back cover of a TU football program- a great night time view of downtown Tulsa:

She began her freshman year at the University of Tulsa that fall of '46 joining the Chi Omega sorority where she was involved in so many activities.

Mom was nominated during this time as TU's Kendallabrum Beauty Queen and won. The winner was chosen by Lynn Riggs, author of "Green Grow The Lilacs"

She met my dad her junior year. Here are photos from some of their first dates:

My parents were married in February of 1949, my Mom's Senior year at TU. She designed her wedding dress and her grandmother, a talented seamstress, made it and all of the matching attendants dresses.
They honeymooned in Kansas City.

They stayed here in Tulsa the rest of their lives, raising We Three Girls:

She was such a fun, great Mom to have. We all miss her so much.

Tie-Dying With Fabric Spray!

2009-09-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have always loved tie-dyed clothing; the brighter the colors, the better. I had heard it was messy and a chore to do this, depending upon the dye and method you used, but I was ready to give it a try, nonetheless. So I began my research and subsequently came across this fantastic new fabric spray paint!

Could it really be this easy? Spray it, let it dry, wash/rinse and voila? Turns out: YES it IS that easy! I first went and purchased 3 of the cheapest men's t-shirts I could find at Wal Mart, washed and dried them. The thing that you have to learn by trial is how to fold/tie/scrunch/bunch/twist and shape your material to get the cool effects. I found alot of tutorials online for this and of course, the beauty of tie-dying is that anything goes, no 2 are alike and everything is beautiful ;o)

I shopped around to find the least expensive way to purchase this spray paint. I had coupons for JoAnns and Hobby Lobby I could use. The price for 1 can was the same, even at Wal Mart: $4.99. The price for the Party Kit was $24.99 at Hobby Lobby and I had a 40% off coupon, so I got it -mostly because it had a variety of colors (which I wanted). I then bought a can of the bright pink (gotta have that color!) at JoAnns using a coupon there as well.

I read all instructions and tutorials before beginning (this is hard for me to do, I like to just jump in and start creating usually) I put down newspaper, then a trash bag. Got out the plastic (or vinyl) gloves, then tried to figure out how I wanted to manipulate my material. You can use rubber bands, if you can find really big and small ones. I had to tell myself that this first one would probably end up being a dust rag, as I had read that too many colors on top of each other = mud color.

So I tried tying the shirt in a big knot, first. Thing is, I didn't see that it said to make it a TIGHT knot and I did the opposite (this is some form of dyslexia I have, I swear).

I had read that you really need to saturate the material:

And the spray really can make a mess if you aren't careful- it IS permanent too. If you get any on your hands, you have about 3 minutes to wash it off before it sets in. Use the gloves!!

So this is how that loose knot actually came out:

Not quite as I had hoped. I decided what the heck and just did stupid stuff on the back of it, which wasn't real smart because this spray paint isn't cheap:

You can, however, see how bright and pretty the colors are.

So I decided to try the swirl technique. It's pretty easy after practicing it a few times. I really drenched the paint on the shirt: orange on one side, pink on the other. And it came out pretty darn cool:

I read some more about this product and decided I wanted to try the black stencil spray and make an OSU t-shirt for myself (in celebration of the new season, etc). I copied the OSU logo onto some heavy card stock paper, then cut it out with an x-acto knife.

This time, I used a much thicker/nicer t-shirt I got at Sams for $5.00 I made the swirl design, picked up the orange colored spray can and.......it was almost totally gone. Oops. I had used most of it up on the previous shirt. So, quick! what do you do? Well you grab the 2 colors that make orange: red and yellow! And start spraying carefully. Then I opened up the shirt (and liked what I saw) and layed it flat on the plastic, then put down the stencil and put paper all around it (it does splatter a fine mist!). The stencil paint is quite a bit heavier and thicker, so it has to sit and dry for 24 hours; then you let it hang somewhere for another 72 hours. I then gently washed it and I love the way it turned out. This picture was taken through a mirror and doesn't really show the vibrant colors:

So the pros:

Easy, fast, FUN!

Cons: kind of expensive, a little messy

Half-Aprons

2009-09-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

As many of you (who know me) know, I make and sell these aprons that are quite popular and fun to make:
Well now I have found another cute pattern for the half-apron and am having so much fun with it. It uses 4 fat quarters (18x18") of fabric and has these great, huge pockets (this was my first one):

I immediately pulled out all of my Halloween fabric stash and began cutting 18 inch squares. I figure these big pockets will be great for putting "treats" in when answering the door for tricksters that come by October 31 (which is a Saturday this year, by the way):

What a great way to use up saved fabric! Can't wait to get started on Christmas aprons next :o)

2009-09-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

2009-09-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

Picture Of The Day

2009-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last Weekend

2009-08-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Lexington, Kentucky. I visited the newlyweds this past weekend (for their wedding reception) and am ready to buy a 2nd home there NOW. Oh my goodness, what a beautiful, historical, laid-back, amazing state and city it is. I see now why my son wants to stay there. This is honestly the scene you see everywhere when driving just outside the city limits:I cannot wait to return there, hopefully SOON, and see more of this gorgeous part of our country. And I WILL be more prepared. I didn't take my "baby" (DSL camera) and regretted not having it. There was a photographer at this event and I really didn't think I wanted to be burdened with the camera bag on the plane (we had alot of carry-on as it was). Well, it wasn't the reception I was wishing I had it for, it was the REST of the trip!

Case in point: on Friday I wanted to see some of the cool, old shops that were downtown, so I had hub drop me off while he parked the car back at the hotel. I waited across the street from a lovely park where lots of children were with their parents. All of the sudden, police cars came screaming up in front of me and blocked the street! I looked down the street and saw this:

What the......?

Then I remembered my son saying something about the circus being in town and I knew right away that this was the traditional Elephant Walk that they do when they get into town. I've only seen it once here in Tulsa- many, many moons ago.

The Ringling people were having an Elephant Brunch over in the park for all of the kids. I wandered over to see exactly what that was all about. Ahhh, watermelon, lettuce and carrots were on the menu (this is where I wish I'd had my regular camera):

Hubby and I came in on the last of this little meal, and my tiny digital did allow some fairly good close-ups as these magnificent beasts passed by so close to me I could have touched them. In fact, I made eye-contact with 5 of the 6 and one of them tried to turn to me.

See how she's smiling at me?

The Wedding & Reception

2009-08-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

GoD And DoG

2009-08-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Baby Shower!

2009-08-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

I think ALL showers- bridal and baby- are just so darn fun!! Whether you are the giver of gifts, giver of the shower or the receiver of one, they're all FUN! Plus, I need to learn what's new out there in the baby world since my baby is now 25. Nieces are having babies right and left, as are my "adopted daughters" that I've known practically all their lives. Yesterday was the 2nd of many more showers to come, I'm sure. There were 2 diaper cakes at this one.

And this one
Is this cute or what? Bows all over! All little girls need bows :o)

These were divine; it was really hard not to go get a plateful and eat them all!

But I was good and just had my one. OK I had two. Wouldn't you?

A very creative friend of the mom-to-be brought this beautiful cake. This is the kind you just hate to cut into, it's so cute and bright and festive:
Lots of neat gifts were given, lots of love in the room. I do love celebrations!

The Hunt Club

2009-08-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm going to attempt to do a restaurant review here, but please be kind- it's my first one. Sort of. Actually I wrote one and sent it, along with a nice phone picture, in to a Tulsa food blog and (sniff sniff) they NEVER published it! Talk about deflating your confidence! So I'm going to give it another try. After all, I did take the time to snap some photos to share and bug my friend about her food.

I have decided to expand my food horizons and try a new restaurant at least once a month- surely I can do that! Of course, I'm partial to downtown T-town and my friend knew a new place to try, so we went on a rainy day last week. The Hunt Club is on 2nd and N Main. Well it's at Main & Cameron (or the 200 block of North Main) in the old Brady District. It's kind of isolated actually. When we went, we were the only customers. That could be because of the rain. I think this place is probably really GREAT at night, to come in for a beer and some of their finger food. But lunch....well.....it was OK. My friend got the gyro sandwich and said it was very good.

I got the Greek salad and it was a little bit disappointing, sorry to say. It comes with a roll (had to ask for mine) and was just not what I had hoped for. I should have gone with what our great waiter had said was popular, which was the New Yorker and The Dawg sandwiches. So maybe next time?

There was one thing that was outstanding, awesome and so delicious we ordered more and that was the little spinach/cheese pies. To Die For. My friend ordered them as her side with her gyro and we just had to have more. I suspect that most if not all of their finger food items are really good. I'll just have to go back and see!

I wish I had taken more pictures of the interior, showing all of the "dead animal heads" that my friend found disturbing. But I only thought to take this one of the bar area before we left (that's our awesome waiter behind the bar): The Hunt Club has a late night menu as well as this regular menu. They may have to go to only being open at nights to survive and I really do hope it does well. I love having all of these new places to try!!

Kitchen Dreams

2009-07-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been ironing today. And dreaming. Dreaming of a wonderful new Ikea kitchen that will someday be MINE. I just know it will happen. Someday.
My house was built around 1965. My tiny oven and stove are original. As are the cabinets and the sink. And the Formica countertops. The original dishwasher (that has since been replaced at least twice in the 23 yrs we’ve been here) and this tiny little oven were both made by Kitchen Maid. Definitely NOT to be confused with the upscale and expensive brand you are probably thinking of right now. I even have the original booklet that came with the oven. My kitchen is very tiny. A “galley”style is what they call it. I call it all kinds of colorful names when I’m cooking and anyone – dog, cat or human -dares to invade my tiny parameters for whatever reason. Someone almost always gets stepped on or snapped at.

This closely resembles my oven in color although it is a little bit bigger than what I have right now. No, I don't have the plank-style cabinets (with Early American hardware).

Here is what I want:What I am visualizing:I suspect that having a whole lot of organization will greatly improve my situation. And new lighting will be such a treat as well. Like having the lights underneath the front of the cabinets:

My husband is a little fearful about what might be uncovered if/when such a renovation occurs. The plumbing and electrical are his main concern. That “hidden costs” will emerge. And I’m sure he’s probably right. Especially the plumbing part. This little kitchen floor has been dug up twice to fix a broken pipe. And under the sink….well, it’s just plain scary. I think it would be great not to be frightened when reaching for a sponge. To open that cabinet and marvel will be worth it.

If I had a really nifty, cool party kitchen:

or this neat tile (this is actually more like my oven, only mine is ugly yellow aka Harvest Gold):

or even this:

then I could understand the concept behind this fun website that urges us to keep, love and cherish our retro homes. But my kitchen is not fun. Nor is it very functional in my humble opinion. I’m sure there is a lot of wasted space in there because of its design (or lack thereof).
And so, I shall just keep on dreaming and visualizing my future kitchen. I'll let you know when it happens!

Family Gathering

2009-07-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

It was a fun day today. We went to one of my brother-in-laws houses and had a family reunion of sorts. My husband (this was his side) is from a rather large family; he is the oldest of 7 kids. And every one of those kids had 2 kids- a boy and a girl. So that makes 14 grandkids plus the original 7 kids- now we're up to 21. Then grandkids began getting married and having babies, so the grand total now for the kids + kids + kids is 37 and we aren't even halfway close to being done, what with the youngest just starting high school! Anyway, 21 were present today and we thought of (and missed) the other 16 who weren't. Here are some pictures of the day: