Cody's reward.

Cody didn't waste any time on the big Memorial Day camping trip, he had his pole in the water before we had the tents up. The reward for his dedication......this beautiful fish and the knowledge that his grandpa, dad and uncles have been fishing off that same dock for about 15 years and never got so much as a nibble. Sweet sweet victory.

So busy.

Wow..... almost a month without posting. I've just been too busy. I have been taking lots of pictures so when I have some spare time I'll post more but 'til then here's a nice picture of a cool mushroom from the lawn.

Red

Big red blanket. I finished this a couple of months ago for a birthday gift and now that the day is here I can post about it without giving up the suprise.
The picture doesn't show how truly rich and red the fabrics are or how amazingly well they go together.
Towels, embroidered shirt,red jeans and ultra-thick and soft corduroy pants....6" squares as usual, they're my favorite.

Coconut cake

Mother's Day coconut cake. I was craving this as a special treat 'cept I was going to get one of those frozen cakes from Sara Lee...you know she's cheap and easy, haha. All I could find was chocolate and chocolate is good and all but when you have a craving for coconut, chocolate just doesn't cut it. So anyway... I called my crazy 'Aunt Betty' (crocker) and we whipped up this tasty little number using two different sizes of heart shaped cake pans and tons of toasted coconut...mmm.

Studio Friday...ROBOT!

Of all the robots in my 'studio' (spread all over the whole house) this one is my favorite. Good ole trusty Kenmore sewing machine...er I mean robot. It's perfect! It has only a few tasks that it knows how to do but it does them very well and it doesn't give me attitude like say...the computer. It can sew through layers of denim with ease. It's also nice and light so I can move it around. I have Singer that has fancy stitches and button-hole settings and lights etc. etc.. I save that one for special stuff....this one is my workhorse.

DIY...Farm Edition

Yes... you too can learn to make your own zebra at neatorama.com.

friends and neighbors

Jacob, Gretchen, Indy and Sara coloring Easter eggs. Sara (the redhead) moved away soon after this picture was taken. The other kids are a little sad and the neighborhood is alot quieter without her. They all played together almost everyday for the last 5 years. Sure there were fights....parents seemed to care more about them than the kids did....but mostly fun times and good friends.

eww... part2

Black sour watermelon with bright red super sour lime push-up pop....now with new and improved staining power. Warning stains skin and clothing!

eww....

After lots and lots of begging the kids got these for a treat. I know...I'm weak. Gigi picked an eyeball one but was so freaked out she wouldn't eat it 'til I pulled out the eyeball and made sure it wasn't real. The eye was kind of squishy on the outside and there was this red ooze that was gross looking but actually pretty tasty. Both kids were unable to finish them. J-bot said 'too much sweetness' and 'all melty'. Gigi wanted to save hers in a zippy bag which is code for 'I don't want this anymore but I still value it enough not to throw it away'....so I put it in a bag next to the four other misc. frozen treats that she hasn't finished.
The grownups had Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. They were delicious and only 100-150 calories a sandwich. Yummy

Yay Spring 2

Wow it's been a whole month since my last post. Darn that 'real life'. Always getting in the way of my more interesting and fabulous cyber-life.
Some really cool stuff has happened this last month....the best thing of all was J-bot got his cast off! hurray hurray He's doing great, is back at school and had his first communion. He has a slight limp but doesn't let that stop him.
GiGi turned 5 years old...don'tcha know! Oma and Opa Pete came to town and much celebrating was done by all
Bowling is over. Me and the girls ended up with 4th place and I got a really cool trophy for having the best improved average...I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I mean they're kinda saying 'Hey...glad you don't suck as bad as you did before'. I'm gonna put it in a nice safe place. In the basement right next to the home economics trophy I won in High School, you know ..the one that says 'Hey...glad you didn't burn the place down this time'.
The weather has been awesome...sun sun sun with just a little breeze. Perfect for ignoring any and all inside chores. I'm really good at that.
There was a couple of rainy days so I was able to finish as in done and gone 3 big blankets (pictures later)...yay for me. My sewing machine has a funny sqeak now that I hope a little oil will take care of. I'm going to take a break from sewing for a while....yeah right.
Right now I think I'll go ignore my chores.

Yay Spring!

Time to get rid of some old bread and give the kitties some lovely birds to stalk and chase.

Domestic Bling!

ooooo...shiny.
So finally after over ten years of faithful service we had to retire our trusty and oh so crusty Kenmore gas BBQ. I'm suprised it lasted as long as it did considering how much I used it.
A good little grill it was, although lately it was getting a little run down...the starter was broken, the top grill was almost falling apart and it just looked bad in a 'I hope you've had your shots' kind of way.
So anyway..my loving family ( knowing how much I love to cook outside) all kicked in and bought me the smack-daddiest BBQ I have ever had the joy to grill on. At first I thought it was a little too big and shiny for my humble backyard patio but now after using it a couple of times ...I Love It.
My favorite culinary challenge is seeing if I can cook an entire meal on the grill, especially in the summertime with all the fresh veggies from our garden...heaven. Well that is no longer going to be a challenge with 5 burners and a side burner with a griddle.....dude, I could cook breakfast....blueberry pancakes and grilled sausage yum.
I think I'll get used to how big and shiny it is...someday.

mmm...Twinkies

Prepackaged snackcakes are never very high on my treat list.......'cept for the occasional 25cent Little Debbie from the local Plaza Super Jet I can't remember the last time I bought a Hostess anything.
I may have to make an exception for the banana Twinkies. I must find them, buy them and then eat them 'til my teeth are coated with their delicious lard based cream filled banana goodness.

lemon bars

The absolute easiest lemon bars EVER!

1 lemon cake mix
1 egg
1 stick of soft butter
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice

Heat oven to 350'. Mix butter, egg and cake mix together until crumbly. Press mixture evenly in the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan or lg. springform pan. Set aside.
Mix condensed milk and lemon then pour over cake mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool completely before cutting.
Delicious and so easy. I can see using grapefruit juice or some other citrus juice and them being even more yummy.

Chicken.

A lovely little chicken massaged with olive oil and herbs then slow baked in a clay dish. So juicy and tender...we thank you humble chicken for your ultimate sacrifice to our dinner table.
You will also be made into a delicious soup, become a tasty addition to a nice crisp salad and truly enjoyed in lunchtime wraps where you will be nestled in among fresh spinach and tomatoes.
I could easily become a vegetarian if only I could still eat meat.

Pillow

Vintage fabric landscape panel used for a simple square pillow. Goes well with the old chair that we lovingly refer to as 'big green'.

There goes the neighborhood!

I found out today that our neighbors are looking for a new house.
Is it wrong for me to hope they don't find it?

Studio Friday.....Something old, new, borrowed and blue

My favorite blanket!
Old....jeans, favorite embroidered shirt, hippie pants, blue fleecy, and hubby's flannel. Stained ripped clothes put to good use.
New....full-size sheet, full size poly-cotton blanket. I like to use blankets, they are cheaper and wash/dry better than cotton batting.
Borrowed....I made this blanket with somebody in mind to give it to...I haven't been able to part with it so I guess that makes it ...uh borrowed yeah....borrowed.
Blue....I love how all the different shades of blue go together so nicely.
I want add another one.
Cheap....this blanket only cost me about $15 in supplies to make!
I'm starting to get together another one using reds....velvety, silky, veloury reds. I need to make one more trip to the goodwill and then I'll be set to start sewing it together. I can't wait.

WooHoo....we're halfway done. Three weeks down, three weeks (hopefully) to go.
What a little stud. He is doing so awesome! Well....as awesome as kid in a body cast could do. He can roll himself over, crawl around on his belly and get himself into a standing position. The standing makes me a little nervous because he is till having trouble getting himself OUT of a standing position.

Studio Friday.....FEAR!!!

I'm sure like all mothers I fear not being able to protect my children when they aren't with me. Therefore I have created this magical force field to surround them. I like to imagine it protects them from getting seriously or even slightly injured when they go to school or to the neighbors. I know it's silly but it makes me feel better and keeps me from being completely overprotective. You can only tell them to be careful so many times before they don't hear you any more.
Well...last week we experienced a major malfunction in the force field resulting in a broken femur. It happened at school while playing football with the big boys. Poor J-Bot...he got the full treatment...included was a ride in an ambulance, getting his clothes cut off, an IV, 2 days in the hospital and a partial body cast. He was sooo brave considering how much pain he was in.
Now he's doing pretty good...no pain and he has a wheelchair that reclines so he can be on the computer....phaheeeww. I can tell that he's starting to miss school.
Thanks to all our family and friends and all the prayers from the folks at St. Joseph's School. A special thanks goes out to Uncle Chris for the Nintendo DS ....GiGi loves it too!
I still fear them getting hurt but I don't think I'll be any more or less protective than I was before...I still believe in the force field!! I do know I'm gonna get pretty buff from carrying him around..heh.