Happy Birthday Mom

Today is Mom's 85th birthday. We are so lucky that she is still living on her own, in her own house. She has not been feeling well the past few weeks and her mind doesn't always work when she wants it to. But this is Mom and we love her no matter what.

She has been the most wonderful mother to us. She birthed a son and two girls and helped raise her husband's son and never complained. She went to work when I was in first grade and worked until Dad retired. It wasn't easy work. It was always factory work, or as she called it piecework, whether it was winding armatures or packing shoes. She would come home, do all the laundry, cooking and cleaning. Dad was working two jobs and never had time to help her. He kept the yard done and the car running.

Before Mom was married she worked at the airplane factory in Kansas City. She was a Rosie the riveter. This was something she was always proud of. When I found this quilt panel of Rosie, I just had to get it for her. I know it says we can quilt it, but she also quilts. So I thought the pair would be great for her. I embellished it a bit and machine quilted it.

In case you don't know about Rosie here is a little history.

Rosie the Riveter was one of the most widely known personas of the 1940s. With her sleeves rolled up, hair in a kerchief, and a determined set to her jaw and eyes, Rosie had it all: beauty, sex appeal, and attitude. But Rosie the Riveter was not a real person. She was an advertising campaign, and eventually, an icon of a small percentage of women who stepped in to fill men’s traditional roles in factories during World War II.The Ad Council, at the government’s request, created Rosie the Riveter to persuade women to go to work, not as secretaries or nurses, but in factories. When more fighter jets and artillery were needed, car manufacturers were asked to turn their buildings into munitions factories for producing the weapons of war. However, the men who could build them were in short supply. How could the war be won without weapons? Women were the answer, but first they had to be convinced.Rosie the Riveter and her can-do attitude has become a feminist icon, but in the 1940s women did not have a chip on their shoulder. Most mothers preferred to stay home with their children. It was considered vulgar for a woman to take on a man’s work. Back then, women were generally viewed as weak creatures, highly prone to fainting at any hint of alarm or crudeness.Prior to World War II, women were limited in their choices of work. Those occupations deemed “suitable” for women were few and selective: secretaries, librarians, teachers, and nurses. No doubt there were many talented women who chaffed against the confines of society. Along came World War II, ushering in their big opportunity to prove themselves.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Christmas tree decorating

I saved this tree for the 4 year old to decorate before his nap. I thought it would be a way to get him into his Christmas day nap. It worked regarding the nap. Can't say much for the decorating! Or should I say Priceless?

The rest of this blog is for family members away from here to see how our day went.......

Mom and her girls

The mess

Lona, Mom, Stephane and Joey

Christmas dinner

Officer Tappel and his Daddy

Jeremy's Family and Mom

Christmas Eve auction

My office always closes early on Christmas eve and we have a great time raising funds for those in need.


Today has extra special meaning. One of our own is ill. Frank was diagnosed with leukemia several months ago. He will have a bone marrow transplant after the first of the year.


We made up this basket and it sold at the auction for $650. Another basket sold for $300. One game of blackout bingo raised $250. The managers threw in $500 and together Frank was given over $2000!









This is Frank looking at his cash.




The rest of the auction money would be divided among families in the area with needs. That is after the Coop matches our donations.



Lots of employees make items to auction off. Joe is an excellent carver. This is his coon dog he carved. It sold for $300 and was bought by Bradley.



Joe also turned a beautiful cedar bowl which sold for $150. Some times he brings split oak baskets. He splits the wood and his wife weaves them. They are always a hit and are greatly desired.

BT had donated a hand forged steak turner, forged cork screw and a garden shovel. These items bought in $117.00. My 6 pint jars of Blackberry jelly made $60.

Many, many items were sold, homemade pies, a hand crochet baby afghan, used office furniture, well used tools, fishing poles, moon shine, plenty of Missouri made wine and lots of gift baskets.




Here is Wegman with his basket featuring Victoria Secret undies. Of which he modeled for the camera.



Justin and his panties







Lunch was provided by a couple of employees coming in a 6 AM to BBQ ribs for us. They were melt in your mouth good!





This is Mike. Some day he will learn to never leave his soda on the table when going to the restroom. Someone punched a small hole just below the tab. When you drink it dribbles down your front. He took the joke well.

Today we spent a few hours with fellow employees, raising money for those in need, sharing good times and eating great food. Thanks to our employer for giving us this time to share the holiday spirit.


Merry Christmas!

It's looking a lot like christmas

Quilted wallhangings are finished!

Here they are finally! Rita from Reetrving asked me to make these for her friend in MN. I put them in the mail this morning.

I also add these for Rita as a special little gift. I found the pattern on someones blog. I can't remember who's, so thank you to who ever it was.

Now I have one day to clean house and plan my meal for Christmas night. the DIL loves fried chicken instead of turkey. As do the 2 grandsons. So fried chicken it will be. That is if I remember to remind the hubby to pick the chicken up at the butcher shop on Christmas eve day. If you can fry the chicken without it ever being frozen it is so much better.

Today I finished shopping. Yeppers I bought the last two presents today. I usually have my act a little more together but this year it is lacking. Can I blame it on the economy, the election, the weather, or the fact of getting older? I don't know.

I made an old family recipe from my mother in law yesterday. It is so good. Especially since BT and I have been picking out Missouri black walnuts. If you'd like to try it here is the recipe:

Cornflake Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut

3 cups cornflakes

3 egg whites

1 cup nuts (we used black walnuts)

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar and beat. then add coconut, nuts and corn flakes. Bet well and drop on ungreased cookies sheet using a teaspoon. Bake 300 20 minutes.

So good.

8:30 pm, 24 degress and a winter storm warning has been posted!

All we want for Christmas Santa is....

Santa if you're reading, we'd like these helmets. Daddy let us try them on at Cabela's yesterday.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling

At 5:00PM today the temperature was 61 degrees,
at 5:20 it was 48.2
5:40 44.1
5:45 42.3
6:00 40.3
6:20 37.9
6:45 36.3
8:00 32.4 and it is raining. Freezing rain is coming down. They are calling for a winter storm warning with ice and up to 3 inches of snow. I work for an Electric Cooperative. Do you know what this means to us? OVERTIME

Otherwise it was a beautiful weekend. BT and I worked in the backyard all day Saturday. While he used the chain saw to take down the trees, I piled the brush. The wind was gusting up to 40 MPH. Sometimes the brush beat me back to the ground before I got it to the top of the pile.

Saturday night after church, we met Eric, Kathy and little Colten at LaBamba. I had something new to me, Taco al Pastor. OMG were they good. It's pork marinated and they cook it with pineapple. They put that inside their homemade flour tortillas. Yummy! I just hope it's on the menu next time. This time it was their evening special!

Here is what I found on Google about them. Taco al Pastor. How did we ever live without google?

Sunday I got up and set the dough for Fast Nacht Kuchens. If you have ever been to New Orleans and had beniegts at Cafe Du Monde, then you know what I'm talking about. Such a treat on Sunday mornings.

After breakfast, I did a little house work. I finally got some "me" time and got to sew all afternoon. I finished the panels for two wall hangings I am making for Rita, the RVer. Hopefully I will get them quilted this week. A picture will follow then.

While I was sewing, BT was in the blacksmith shop. He made me a couple of things for our charity auction at work on Christmas eve.

The first thing is a wizard corkscrew. I will package it with a nice bottle of wine. Shown in the picture is a bottle of Adam Puchta wine. That's a winery near Hermann Missouri. It use to be my favorite wine. That is until I grew up and now I enjoy a Merlot.

Here is a steak turner he made. BT also makes the best homemade charcoal. It is awesome when grilling steaks. I am going to group it with a big sack of the charcoal and make a personal label for the charcoal.

Last he made a garden shovel. I hope I can find a pair of garden gloves, maybe a package or two of seeds to go with a nice little basket. The Cooperative I work for, matches the dollar amount from the sale of the items. The money is then donated to local organizations or needy families.

Well it's now down to 29.1...........Brrrrrrrrrrr

Feeling poorly

I haven't posted in almost a week. I've been under the weather. I'm still not back to normal, what ever that is for me.

We went to an auction Saturday that promised 17 wardrobes. Some were

Walnut, some Oak, and some were knockdowns. Most of them looked

pretty good on the outside. But the owner had made quite a few of them into gun cabinets. He even lined some with paneling! What a sin. We have 3 wardrobes now, so we really didn't need another one. Besides the sale was outside in the cold. Me being sick didn't need that. I spent the couple of hours we were there, reading in the jeep. The blacksmith passed on the anvils, forges tongs and other tools. Most things went way above his going price. He did come home with a 1 ton hoist for only $27.50.

Back at home, I finally finished decorating the trees. There is one in the living room, one in my computer room, Noah's ark bedroom and even in the cowboy bedroom.

In my fog last week I forgot to show you a picture of the bob cat my son took. It is beautiful. He is going to have it mounted. Taking a bob cat during trapping season is like winning an Oscar in the movies.

I finished one Christmas present today. It is a wall hanging for the daughter in law to give to her god son. If you enlarge the picture you can see I paper pieced trucks in the corners.

8:35PM 31 and snowing.........

A blast from the past!

Today Bentley and I walked to the mail box. It's about 1/3 of a mile. A nice brisk walk at 30 some degrees.

When I opened the mailbox, I found a large envelope from Cousin Teresa. I could hardly wait to see what was inside it. It was this envelope. It was something I had ordered for my Aunt Faye. (Teresa's grandmother) She found in a stack of magazines.

I know it wasn't for me because I never learned to crochet. That was one craft Aunt Faye never taught me.

Look at the postmark. October 23, 1970.

On that day.....

My Dad turned 57 years old.

I was 18 and had been married for exactly 5 months.

We were living in a one bedroom apartment that rented for $55.00 a month.

First class postage was only 10 cents.

Thanks Teresa!

Happy 25th Birthday Daughter

I can hardly believe this picture was taken 21 years ago. She loved Garfield then. Somewhere in the attic I'm sure we have a box of her Garfield collectibles. Alarm clock, telephone, stuffed animals, even school folders.

She probably won't recieve anything with Garfield on it this birthday. She has moved on to bigger and better things. We are so proud of her.

Have a Happy Birthday Sarah!

Thanksgiving weekend

Snow is what we woke up to this Sunday morning. I have been wanting snow, just not the day the kids have to drive back to Oklahoma City.

They made it in Thanksgiving day about mid-afternoon. The turkey was in the oven. The house smelled so good. The dressing was made (once again too much) the yeast rolls were rising, and the green bean casserole and the sweet potatoes were ready to go in the oven. Great timing.



At dinner, no one took pictures. I only wish someone had, Brady wanted the turkey leg when Grandpa was carving the turkey. The whole leg he said. At serving time it was placed on his plate. He ate it like a chicken leg and finished most of it. It was from a 17 lb turkey, so it wasn't some little ole drumstick.


After dinner the little boys got to play with the Wii steering wheels that Aunt Sarah bought along. Alex said "we are having fun tonight!" We had a day to be thankful for, all the family was home. We really enjoyed the evening.




Saturday after a big breakfast we loaded up our four wheeler and stopped to borrow the son's 4 wheeler. We then went to the cabin/farm and the four of us went 4 wheeling.







While riding through the woods we came upon this deer stand.... well ground stand. BT tells me it is where little 7 year old Brady shot his deer. We saw a flock of turkeys in the woods later.







After our ride we came back to the cabin and warmed up by the fire. Sarah and Rusty made us some improvised targets using crayons.






Rusty takes aim with a Smith & Wesson, model 66. We all took turns and later fired a 22 rifle. That is my favorite. But I must admit, I wasn't a good shot. I'm going to blame it on the cold.

When we arrived back home about 3:00, I put a ham in the oven to bake. I then went and picked up my Mom to come over for dinner. Sarah made an Oreo cheesecake, while I made a broccoli casserole.


Saturday, Sarah and Rusty watched their football games respectively. Unfortunately MU lost by 3 points. Rusty's Florida Gators won. While Rusty's game was on Sarah took her two favorite nephews (did I tell you she only has two nephews) to the movies. She bought them popcorn and drinks. Alex calls it poptorn.


BT and I worked outside and burned off the back woods. Several times we had pellets of ice and/or rain falling on us.


8:38PM 34 degrees.

I'm going PINK

The ultra sound today revealed we are expecting our first grand Daughter. We are so excited and so is everyone else. Including the two older brothers! They are all ready making a list of girl names.

A busy Saturday

I was up just after the crack of dawn. Okay maybe it was a little past that time, what ever. Coffee and cappuccino was made after I dressed and I was out the door with the Garmin, headed to my girlfriends house in Hartsburg.



We were headed to the Booneslick Trail Quilter's guild 2008 Quilt show. I had talked to a fellow blogger, with thread in hand and she was coming from half way across the state. I emailed her back with what I would be wearing. Unfortunately I got her reply too late and I didn't know what to look for. The Expo center was packed with quilts the best I could tell there were 398 showing. Not all were big quilts, some awesome wall hangings too.



About twenty-one vendors lined the outside of the room. My favorite booth was Liberty Homestead. I visited it more than once. I wanted the Farmhouse Blanket Babies book. But I just couldn't justify it. I did take their card and will keep it for future reference or ordering!





We spent several hours looking at all the quilt. Now if I can just figure out how to post a video of all the pictures I took, I'd be happy.



For lunch we stopped by Olive Garden. It was onto some quick shopping after that. First a stop at Micheal's for a bag of bottle brush trees. Here is what mine look like after I bleached them. Visit the Misadventures of Mama and Jack to see what she does with these trees. Here is what Bass pro was next for a camouflage sweatshirt for BT. One last stop at a quilt shop for a piece of fabric for the DIL.






I was back home by 4 and took a little rest before fixing dinner for BT.

By 6:30 I picked up the DIL and we went to Dreams to Reality fund raiser. The mission of Dreams to Reality is to help low-income women of Missouri to meet their employment goals and build self-confidence by providing appropriate interview and business apparel, motivation and follow-up support. You were made to feel like a celebrity as you sampled delicious foods, tried tasty drinks, sampled spa services, and shopped, shopped and shopped. I won the first door prize given. A picture frame. Lori and I both got a chair massage. Grand prize of the evening was a $1000 piece of jewelry, 2nd place was a trip to Las Vegas. We are still waiting for them to call us! We made it home by 10PM. A long day for me.


Check back, maybe after some quality sleep I will be able to upload those pictures. But in the mean time check out the blog I mentioned with thread in hand. She knows how to load pictures.



9:49 PM 40 degrees.

32 jars plus 6

Here is yesterday's production. 32 jars of turnip kraut and 6 jars of jalapeno jelly.

I did that while BT installed gutter guards. It was a beautiful 62 degrees outside. I wish I could have been burning leaves. That will be today's work, after I grocery shop and pick up 2 more gutter guards.

And deer season goes on at our house.....

35 degrees 9:10AM

Cold weather means soup and Deer Season

Does the cold weather make you want soup? Here is my daughter's health report from KSBI TV. I'll let her tell you about it.

Deer season started Friday night. Well the hunting part started Saturday morning 6 :00 AM. But we all get to go to the cabin. Usually the men do the cooking. But for some strange reason I got rooked into it. I made a big pot of Posole and another pot of chicken and rice. I didn't think the grandsons would like the spicy one.

BT was the first and only one to take meat on Saturday. A nice doe. The son got an 8 point buck on Sunday and his cousin Trevor shot a 9 point.

Season is open all week. Saturday night a friend cooked 4 huge slabs of ribs all afternoon for us. Gosh they were the best! I fixed buttered turnips, Larraine made deviled eggs, Macaroni and cheese and baked beans. We had lots of desserts, 3 different cookies, rice crispies treats and apple pie.

Sunday BT quartered his deer and placed it in the extra refrigerator in the basement. We will process it ourselves in a day or two. He then brushed hogged our lane. I watched the boys and made a pot of Beef barley soup and corn muffins to take back to the cabin for dinner.

After having the flu Thursday night and Friday, then deer camp all week end, I need a vacation? Got any Calgon?

9:20 pm 49 degrees.

Where has the week been going?

My week started with me winning my first blog giveaway!!! I am so excited. Thanks Pam Kitty Morning!



This is an antique oak planter I bought Sunday at an auction. It will look awesome once we refinish it. I can just see Boston ferns in it. If only I can keep them alive. I am hoping it will match the beams beside it once we take the old finish off.

Here is a wall hanging I am making for Rita. The loons on the bottom are for a second hanging.

My how time flies when you have so much to do. This is my backyard. Can you see the leaves Bentley and I have raked so far? There's plenty more to do. I will take any volunteers to help!

While in the backyard, I used some of the oak leaves to help protect the roots of my knock out roses. It's an elevated bed and I'm hoping this adds a little protection. Who would think the roses would still be blooming in the middle of November?

And then there's the first 9 pints of turnip kraut. The second crock is so full it bubbled over in the fermenting process. Good think BT chose to set it next to the drain in the basement. We are guessing there should be about 30 - 35 pints in that 6 gallon crock.

We tried a jar for dinner tonight with our country cured Burger ham. I first diced and cooked some butter golden new potatoes. I cooked them until the water started to thicken, then added the kraut and simmered it about 40 minutes. Yumo!

Another 2 days this week, I washed beams. Did you know the beams are 18 feet from the floor in all three bedrooms? That was a lot of ladder climbing. This picture is in our bedroom. I also made a new curtain for the half-circle window. The other two rooms have quarter windows. They received new curtains too.

Today was my shopping day. I took time out to stop by a tag sale. I arrived about 8 minutes before it opened. I was probably about #23 in line. At precisely 10:00 they opened the front door and took in 10 people. As one person would come out, 2 would go in. I found this sweet little porcelain pitcher for $3, a cane for $3, a plastic sewing box (with 6 cross-stitched blocks and thread) for $3. Add another buck for a swifter for the daughter and I was out of there in no time.

With all this work, I worked my regular job on Monday. Darn that reminds me, I have to work there tomorrow too. Shoot!

Tonight I made two huge pots of soup. Posole for one pot and chicken and rice for the other. I cheated and made a box cheese cake too. Tomorrow night is the beginning of "Deer Camp". The best part of camp, it's just 2 miles from home. So you may not hear much from me the next day or two. No I'm not a hunter, but I can keep busy while the guys are away playing!

60 degrees, 9:29PM