Last week

We had our 2 granddaughters come to stay for the week of spring break.It was a very busy week. The oldest GD brought her friend Amy. Amy wanted to make a doll.We used a Dream spinner pattern I had from years ago.She did a good job on the doll.I was however a little disappointed with the face she chose to put on her doll.It was meant to be cute ,with the mouth off to the side,---------but Amy decided she did not want a nose on her doll.I have been making dolls for a very long time. No doll has ever gone out and had a black mouth and no nose.We did not have to buy anything for the doll.She shopped for the clothes in my basement fabric stash.She made a comment "gosh I did not know there was so much to making a doll".
I had not made a rag doll in a while.It was fun to do again.

The girls also made dottee dolls and we did some charm hearts.I forgot to get pictures of them but will post when i get them.

The youngest grand. did some eggs.We tore stripes of fabric then dipped them in stiffy, placed them on a plastic egg.Let it dry then painted over the fabric covered egg with paverpal,glitter and seed beads. then we used brunishing gold.I will get a picture and post it.They turned out really good.I'm thinking I need to do a bunch of more prim type fabric covered eggs. stay tuned the idea needs a bit more thinking.


This week my DH had to have oral surgery.He did very well but can not eat and that is a major problem for him.He enjoys food so much,that not being able to have what he wants is really not a good thing.Of course he can eat anything and stays thin.
So with the 3 girls here and DH here it was a bit stressful this week. It will take a week just to put the house back to rights and get back to my routine.

My big mixer

Well it has been a few days since I posted.The other day I decided to make home made beef and noodles.I got out my trusty big Sunbeam mixer.It is one piece of kitchen equipment I can not be without.I am guessing to say it is over 25 years old and has been my right arm in cooking.It sits on the counter under an embrodired cover I made years ago.


I put in the eggs and flour turned on the mixer walked 2 steps away and the mixer stopped.YIKES!!
I unplugged it thinking i blew a fuse but no.It just would not run. I was prepared to put it to rest and buy a new mixer. I finished stirring the noodles up cut them and set them to dry.Cleaned up the mess and then looked closer at the mixer.Well the plug had come loose from the side of the mixer.HURAH!!It still works.I decided to mix up poppy seed bread I was so thrilled it was not broken.

We bought a new grill on Sunday. A stainless steal, cast iron burners covered side burner.It is not the one I wanted but the one in our budget.We grilled BBQ ribs last night.Served with
augratin potatoes and are you ready for this??? fried cabbage.I had not heard of fried cabbage before a friend told me about it last week.I just happened to have a very large head of cabbage. At the local grocery they sold cabbage before st. patties day for 1 penny.I can never pass up a bargain.This is a huge cabbage.
We like cabbage baked in with roast potato and carrots so I was going to fix that this week.
Let me tell you fried cabbage is really good.I browned 6 slices of bacon cut up into 1 inch pieces in a large cast iron skillet.Done on the new grill side burner.
I sliced the cabbage thin and added it to the bacon.I had about a half can of corn left over from the night before. I decided to use some of the corn juice and a few spoonfulls of the corn to add a bit of steam to the skillet.Folks let me tell you this is so good.It does not have a strong cabbage taste.it has a great texture.Hard to discribe the taste.Give it a try. Oh and the BBQ pork ribs were great.

Spring 2009

The date is not yet spring.But the plants are saying it is.The weather here in Iowa was beautiful yesterday in the 60's and today will be even warmer. I did not shovel snow all winter. It is NOT my job. Yesterday I did,however, shovel the pile of snow that was left in the patio area.Dirty ugly snow.It does not get direct sun and it would have been next month before it would have melted.That was not acceptable. I moved 6 loads of snow in the garden cart.Dumped it out in the sunshine and it is gone!! How much better hot dogs taste when cooked over an open wood fire. The honey suckle vine has tiny green leaves. Don't you love it when things start to grow again. A new start. Hope for the future.

Cameron baking treats

We had a nice day Sat. We took the dog for a walk to the park. We went to Wal-mart to buy poke-mon cards with youngest grandson Cameron. His birthday is in April and he was not sure he would make it back for birthday shopping so of course we had to go early.He knew exactly what he wanted to buy.His 20 year old brother used to buy poke mon cards too.Times change but stay the same too.I never quite understood the whole poke-mon thing 20 years ago and still do not get it.hahahaha just too old I guess.
Cam helped make and bake a new treat we found on someone's blog. Sorry don't remember where.
8 servings
8 ounces Refrigerated crescent rolls
2 1/2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter(cam does not like chunky so we used creamy on some)
4 teaspoons white sugar
8 teaspoons chocolate chips(we also tried some m&m baking bits on one)
Separate each crescent into a triangle,spread with 1 teas. peanut butter. Sprinkle with 1/2 teas. sugar. Add 1 teas. choc chips(cam used a few more and ate the extras that fell off the spoon)
Roll up and place point down on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 min at 375 degrees.
No sewing done, no house work done,not a thing I thought I needed to do got done but we had a great day and it really didn't matter that none of the things I thought needed doing are still waiting for me to get to it.We made great memories yesterday and we are happy.

2nd hand store find

I made a sweet little needle case last night.

Thanksto,http://sewprimkhris.blogspot.com/search/label/Tutorial%20-%20Needlecase






I have wondered about the doilies that were made years ago.When shopping the 2nd hand store today I found a package of linens.2 pieces.There were instructions of how to cut apart the already made centers and how to add the crochet/tatting to the edges to make the doilies that seem to have some cut work to them.I do not know how to crochet so I will use these linens on pin cushions.
The weeks seem to fly by already it is Thursday March 12th. How is it the older I get the more time seems to move so mush faster?




I heard something interesting today. A statement."People believe what they HOPE will happen."
I believe that to be the most true statement I have heard in a very long time.

snow march 8th 2009/ very good cheesy califlower soup

Oh my the snow is back.Not a lot so far, really big flakes.You can see them against the tarp that is around the patio kitchen. Poor robins.I hope it is only 2 more times they get snow on their backs.


I was hungry for a good soup.I looked for a recipe on line I found 4.
So I took a bit from each and added a bit of my own.
1 bag of mini carrots, washed
1 head cauliflower cleaned,washed and broken in to florets
3 stalks celery cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 can water
1 can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon Tastefully Simple seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Tastefully Simple bacon bacon
onion flakes to taste
I cooked the cauliflower,carrots and celery in a large dutch oven until tender. Drain.
I used my kitchen scissors to cut all into small pieces after they were cooked.This can be done before cooking,with the raw vegetables but I was lazy and it worked well with the scissors.
add remaining ingredients cook over low heat. be careful it will scorch.
serve with dilly oyster crackers.


dilly oyster crackers
2 pkgs oyster crackers
place in lg.brown paper bag
sprinkle with one envelope dry ranch dressing
sprinkle with 2-3 tablespoons dill weed
drizzle with 3/4 cup vegetable oil.shake sack well
leave in sack for a few hours.
store on covered container

first robin of spring 2009

Ok you will have to look real close but you can see it on the snow.Kind of in the top center of the picture on the long line of snow.
Last year the robins came in on the 5th of March. There is an old saying it will snow on the robins back 3 times then it will truly be spring. We have snow/rain mix forecast a couple of times in the next few days. The last 2 days have been beautiful warm days.I have walked both days.There has been so much ice all winter I have done no walking at all.It is nice to get out.
I am trying a new soup recipe for cheesy cauliflower soup. Stay tuned I will let you know how it turns out.

metropolitan theater

Today was our monthly garden club meeting.Because there is little in the way of gardening to do we took a tour of our local theater.I used to work at the theater in the early 60's.It has been redone. The outside is as it was when it was built in the early 1900's. The pictures are of some things that were used form the old opera house.The top floor was a ball room. Laurence Welk played there early in his days. The large mural on the wall in the entry was in the theater up on the ceiling when I worked there. The people that did the remodel cut it up and threw it in a dumpster. a concerned citizen got it out of the dumpster and it was restored.if it had been preserved it would have been valued at one hundred thousand dollars. because it was not preserved whole it lost 40 thousand dollars in value. It is sad when people do not try to preserve the past. The original chandlers were sold. The small stain glass windows were coverd for years. I'm glad to see them used.When I worked there behind the big screen there were sale bills,on a large wall, from when the first preformers played again they were not preserved. Only a few servived. There are a few framed in the entry.
It was an enjoyable day

goodwill finds

I love finding things at 2nd hand stores and goodwill.
Yesterday was one of those days.A very large free standing sewing box was one of the things from goodwill yesterday.
4 amber water glasses,2 small hand quilted Christmas wall hangings and a stack of resin scarecrow/pumpkins. Cost $15.00.one glass would cost that new. Oh how I live a bargain!!
My hand sewing things are in a very large basket by a chair in the living room. The sewing box is perfect for all I need there. A bit of dusting and old english and It will be like new.
The water glasses match the others I have collected to go with my pumpkin dishes.Perfect.I now have a set of 12. Last year I was fortunate to get a set of 6 from a gal on freecycle.org. just in time for the festival of tables. I needed glasses to go with my dishes.
I did some research on the glasses and found they are circa 1929-1933 made in the USA called Jennette glass also know as Indiana glass also known as cubist.They are also called footed tumblers or water goblets.