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!