Bartering

Webster dictionary defines bartering as: to trade by exchanging one commodity for another.

What man doesn't love his own craft. At my house it's my blacksmith. He loves to make iron items. He makes some fine functional items. At work, it's my co-worker Tim, his craft is
BBQing. He occasionally uses us, his co-workers, to taste test his products. We don't mind.



So this week the blacksmith made a steak turner for Tim the BBQer. I took it to work on Friday and asked Tim if he was up to a barter. "Sure" he said. "I saw you carry a steak turner in."

The blacksmith was willing to trade the BBQer a turner for some BBQed pork.

Saturday evening, just as I was beginning to think what I could make for dinner, Tim called. He wanted to know if we would be home, he had some BBQ pork for us.



This is the grilled, smoked pork butt he brought.

And it was heavenly! I made a salad with fresh lettuce from the garden, added some mandarin oranges and celery to it, opened a bag of chips, warmed up some sour dough bread and voilà! dinner was ready. Oh, plus a nice cold 1554 Enlightened Black Ale for the blacksmith, and a Smirnoff Cranberry and lime for me.

Dinner on the deck, free food from a great co-worker/friend/husband of our children's grade school teacher, it doesn't get any better than that!

Thanks guys hope you two work out a barter again!

Engelbrecht Auction

On Saturday we went to the estate auction of one of my younger schoolmates. Harlen lost his battle with cancer several months ago. His wife was selling the farming equipment.

I remember riding the bus with Harlen. He was always the shy, quiet, little boy sitting half way to the back and always had a big smile.

The last time I spoke with Harlen, he came to my drive up window at work. It was just about 2 months before he lost his battle. Yet he was inquiring about one of my co-workers who was also suffering from the same horrible disease. Here he was himself fighting and still concerned about others. That's the kind of guy he was.

The auctioneer started the sale by asking everyone to remove their hats and to observe a minute of silence. I had to fight back tears then and now as I type this.



For you Zoey, I found this Missouri Primrose blooming while walking from the car to the sale.

This trunk sold for $27.50 I believe. I didn't buy it.

This is the biggest ice cream freezer I've ever seen. It sold for $17.50. I didn't buy it.

24 inch cane mill -sorgum press . It sold for $270.00 I didn't buy it..

The crowd around the tractors.

An antique horse drawn sprout beater. Too funny seeing it being loaded on top of the rack of the truck. Especially since the bed of the truck was loaded with boxes of fruit jars. I can only imagine how many were broken when they arrived home.

Solid oak fern stand. It sold for $25.00. I did buy it!

The sale ended at 2:00. We came home, showered, and went to the blacksmith's nephew's high school graduation party.

It was a beautiful afternoon/evening outside. The little ones sure enjoyed the playtime. So I will leave you with some pictures of the kids playing.

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

And it all started like this . . . .

The quilter and the blacksmith were married on May 23, 1970. Back then I was just an amateur seamstress. In fact I made my wedding dress, the two bridesmaids dresses, the two flower girl dresses and my going away dress.

(Do they still have going away dresses?)

It was my senior year of high school. I skipped the senior trip to Florida and sewed. The blacksmith, who would not be a blacksmith for about another 8 years, was just graduating from college.

So the thing to do after we both graduated was to get married.

Fast forward to last week, when our kids threw us a surprise party. It was held at Steve's restaurant, southwest of Jefferson City, out in the country. There they serve the best fried chicken and country cured ham, along with real mashed potatoes with milk gravy.

We had been told we were going out to eat for the grandson
Alex's upcoming 6th birthday (which by the way was only
3 days later).


When we arrived, the dining room only had about 5 tables full and they directed us to another door, which I knew led us downstairs to a party room. There were 35 of our family members and close friends waiting for us. Plus, daughter Sarah had driven in from Oklahoma City that day!



Here we are opening a beautiful glass 40th picture frame from Jeremy, Lori, Sarah and Rusty. (So sorry Rusty couldn't make it, as he busy reporting on the severe weather conditions in Oklahoma)




It then made sense to us why Lori had borrowed our wedding album just a month earlier. See the photos on the cake table.

Sarah had ordered a half white and half chocolate cake. Bless her heart, she got her mom and dad each their favorite kind.



Whe is was time to cut the cake, we made a pact immediately not to shove cake in each other's faces. So we cut it, acted like we were going to feed each other, and then put it our own mouths!




Bernie's mother folded up cash and hid it in confetti for us. Here we are searching through all of the confetti in the gift bag.






We received gifts of wine.







Two beautiful cobalt blue stemmed wine glasses.









Wind chimes from BFF, who thought she had a dream after she bought them that the blacksmith didn't like wind chimes.
To which her husband said of course he didn't like them. (He likes
them.)







The blacksmith's sisters came, Darlene and Karen and SIL Larraine.








His sister Grace was there to harass our grandson Brady.







His sister Janie (who was a bridesmaid in our wedding) was there to spoil our Elizabeth.







His sister Marla (who was a flower girl in our wedding) with her son Andrew.






My BFF





Lots more were there, including my mother and my sister (who happened to be a flower girl when we got married). MIL came all the way from Texas.

The last photo of the night. Our family, minus Rusty.

We were just so proud that our kids did this for us. When I thanked the son he gave all the credit to his wife Lori and his sister Sarah. But to you kids I say THANK YOU.

And here's to many, many, more happy years.

It's a Hankie kind of day

The other day on PBS I saw the Sewing with Nancy show.

She had Amy Barickman making a handkerchief blouse.

I immediately knew I was going to make one.

It took me two tries in our little podunk town to find a pattern.

Actually on my second trip to Hobby Lobby,

I asked the clerk to open the box just delivered

from simplicity, to see if pattern #3842 was in there.

BINGO, there was one!

One was all I needed.

If you order the book Hankie Style, I'm pretty sure there is a little different pattern included.

I just winged it!

It took me 11 hankies and a lot of flat felt seams.

I pieced the hankies so I could also use the borders at the bottom and partially up the sides.

Notice the sleeves? It called for hemming, but I hated to waste the borders.

I think it looks pretty darn cute over a tank top.

I'm now on a mission for blue and violet hankies for my next one.

The blacksmith picks a good recipe!

The Missouri Conservation magazine came out a few weeks ago.

The blacksmith saw a recipe in there he wanted to try.

I must say I was a little skeptical.

Tonight, I will say I completely changed my way of thinking after tasting his creation.

It beats any shrimp creole I ever had in New Orleans.

Thanks dear! It was fantastic!

Here's the recipe.

BLUEGILL CREOLE
¼ cup chopped onion
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
¾ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon each dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon each white, black, and cayenne pepper
Dash paprika
½ cup diced Italian tomatoes, drained
1 pound bluegill fillets
Hot cooked rice
Minced fresh parsley
In a small skillet, sauté the onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Add the broth, tomato paste and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in Italian tomatoes.

Arrange the fillets in a greased 13-inch x 9-inch x 2-inch baking dish; top with vegetable mixture. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve over rice and sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

Party post still coming soon.

Somebody had a birthday party

Yesterday this little guy turned 6.

Wow how time flies.

Today we celebrated with a party.

The rain didn't stop his Daddy from grilling some awesome burgers and dogs.

(A big blue tarp helped save the day)

His Mom is is the best cake decorator.

She made him his favorite sport soccer cake.

Green and white being his school colors.




He got a new bicycle from his Mom and Dad

however

with the rain, I didn't get a picture of it.



The cutest thing he did, after dinner he asked if he could have a potato chip or a cookie from the counter. His mother told him since it was his birthday he could have a cookie.

Off he walks with 2 in hand.

Just about the time his mother was going to correct him, he called for his brother to give him one. That's the kind of brothers they are.

Stay tuned later this week for another BIG party report.

A party 40 years in the making.

Because it has rained here all week . . .

I went to Target and bought these!

Zehender Auction

My $4.00 worth of sewing supplies.

My $1.00 antique Christmas light.

A neat 2 piece table cloth.

It was in the Christmas light box.

I'm re-gifting to one of my favorite SIL.

Old IH truck.


Part of the crowd.

A meat cleaver that sold for $110.00.

Hi wheel horse-drawn wagon. It sold for $2100.00.

Antique Santa.

This Christmas star was probably 8 to 10 feet tall.

A wagon of antiques waiting to be auctioned.

Chicken feeders.

Antique scale.

Antique sausage stuffer.

Campfire Marshmallow tin.

Copper wash boiler.

Cider press. It sold for $50.00.

Pie safe. It sold for $300.00.

Antique sled.

Wheelbarrow.

Nothing like my new washer.

Antique water shovel.

Shaving horse.

Corn stalk chopper.

Broad axe sold for $235.00.

Just another day in the country.