Monday Morning Staff Meeting on Tuesday

This is progress! I realize that the Monday Morning Staff Meeting should actually be held on Monday, but Tuesday is certainly an improvement over Thursday.

This morning I invite everyone to have a big piece of birthday cake.



The Other Mother will turn 90 years old on July 3rd. Last weekend her church presented her with a cake and sang Happy Birthday at their annual picnic.


The Other Mother prepares to cut her cake.


Grab a piece of cake and let's get started.

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There are lots of very talented people in this world and we are able to connect via the internet. I want to introduce you to one designer who generously offers free patterns on her blog.

ARTSY CRAFTY BABE

Rebeka sells her handbags on Etsy but if you look on her right sidebar you'll also see that she has some free patterns and tutorials.

I love her market bag. Other patterns are available for sale here:

ARTSY CRAFTY PATTERNS

Thanks Rebeka for your generosity.

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My blog list is very, very eclectic. VERY eclectic. Along with a few decorating and personal "at home" type blogs, I follow a pillow astronaut.

PILLOW ASTRONAUT

What's a pillow astronaut you ask? Why, it's a test subject for NASA's microgravity tests to determine the effect of weightlessness on the human body.

She's my go-to person for all things NASA and space. And she's a Star Trek fan and all around fun and interesting person.

I also follow a theoretical physicist/super hero Ethan Siegel at:

STARTS WITH A BANG

Rounding out the science category is Scott Maxwell's blog, Mars and Me.

MARS AND ME

Scott drives for a living. He doesn't drive an 18 wheeler or an SUV. Scott is one of the Mars Rover drivers!

I also follow alot of the cookie bakers. These bakers/decorators make some of the most beautiful edible creations and they share some of their secrets.

If you remember, I attempted a decorated cookie for my niece's baby shower.



I was fun and they turned out pretty good but honestly this is SO MUCH work I can't imagine doing it for anything other than a very special occasion. These women bake and decorate thousands of cookies.

One of the bakers does wonderful things other than cookies. It's Bake at 350.

BAKE AT 350

Look at this crazy good thing.


BAKE AT 350 CARAMEL BANANA SHORTCAKE

I am never disappointed at her offerings.

One of the other cookie bakers is Nicole. She lives on the Air Force base near Minot, North Dakota. Currently she is chronicling the devastating floods in Minot. It's hearbreaking to witness people losing everything.

I can't imagine what it will take for this community to rebound. The schools are all flooded, some up to the rooflines!

MINOT FLOOD 2011

You can follow her for further updates.

LIFES A BATCH

These are our neighbors, regardless of whether they live 1,000 yards away or 1,000 miles. If you want to help, donations are being accepted by the American Red Cross.

Lastly, it's curious how many bloggers are facing huge challenges right now. It seems that each and every day there's another blogger taking leave because of physical or personal challenges. It's life, I know, but it just seems like there's a wave of tough stuff hitting people right now.

To all those blogger who take their leave - you will remain on my blog list and I'll be anxiously awaiting your return.

Monday Morning Staff Meeting on Thursday

Yes, I know that's lame. A Monday Morning Staff Meeting on Thursday? Oh well, that's life around here.

The first thing on the agenda is always food. This morning we're going to be enjoying some Whoopie Pies.



These aren't just any Whoopie pies, they're two month old Whoopie pies! I just didn't have time to bake and so, through the magic of archived photos we'll enjoy these goodies!

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Thanks to everyone who participated in the "Name Those Coasters" contest. There were some great suggestions. I chose "Cool Coasters" and that means Vee is the winner. Congratulations and thanks for giving my weak brain a rest.



Vee, I'll get a set in the mail to you. Thanks again everyone.

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About that closet/pantry project. I've got two closets and one pantry painted and re-organized. There's one pantry to go. Thanks for all your encouragement on all these in-house projects. Sometimes it seems like they'll never end but as you have pointed out the results are worth all the hard work.

Vee - you were right in your assessment about what was going to happen in the paint department. The reason I moved to the laundry room closet is because I had lots of paint left over from the front hall closet. After painting that closet I still had paint left over and so I moved on to one of the pantries. As you predicted I've run out of paint! To finish the second pantry I need to buy another gallon (a quart will not be sufficient) and that means I'll have paint left over again! The cycle will repeat. I'll troll around the house for another closet to paint.

I had posted this photo of the newly organized laundry room closet.



Crossed commented, "I understand two crock pots, but two George Forman grills?"

Omigosh, I had to go back and look at the photo myself because I didn't realize we had two grills. Actually, one is a George Foreman and one is a waffle iron.

But Crossed is pretty much correct because in general we have TWO of everything in this house. Seventeen years ago we combined households when the Other Mother came to live with us. The problem was compounded by the fact that she worked for Sunbeam for 40 years and accumulated multiples of household appliances, purchased at the company store. She brought irons, electric fry pans, egg cookers, coffee pots (the percolator type), blenders, electric knives, mixers (stand alone and handheld) and more. I had my own version of this collection due to the fact that she gave household appliances as gifts over the years.

It all gets more complicated because the Other Mother was raised during the depression which means she cannot part with anything. I understand this tendancy but it has a hoarding aspect and after awhile something's got to give. Some of the older items have mysteriously disappeared and reappeared at the local Goodwill store. Since she hasn't actually cooked in 4 or 5 years they're not missed. Phew!

REBECCA left me a comment on the Big Reveal post:

"So happy for you - your place looks great. Enjoy :)
I used to visit your blog now and then. I got a new computer and lost you."

I'm glad you found me again Rebecca. I had the same thing happen to me when Bloglines shut down. My attempts at transferring my list to Google Reader fell a little short and I lost a few people along the way. The problem is that my memory is so affected that I can't even remember who I lost. That's sad.

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A story appeared recently that was a great reminder to stop and smell the roses, or in this case listen to the music.

A man sat playing the violin in a Washington, D.C. metro station. Not unusual, street musicians can be seen in all the large cities. He played for 45 minutes and performed six complicated Bach pieces.

Can you guess what happened? A few people slowed their pace and listened for a few seconds and hurried on. One woman threw a dollar in his till and continued walking without stopping to enjoy the music. The only people who stopped dead in their tracks were children!

The violinist collected $32 from twenty different people who put the money in the till without slowing their pace. Only six people stopped for more than a few seconds. At the end of the 45 minutes he stopped playing. No one noticed and no one applauded.

Of course there's more to the story. The violinist was virtuoso Joshua Bell and his subway performance had included one of the world's most complicated pieces and he was playing on a violin worth $3.5 MILLION DOLLARS. Just days before he'd played a sold out concert with tickets that were $100.

Do you think you would have stopped? It seems that our lives are so busy that it's hard to break that "gotta go... gotta go" cycle.

Stop and smell the roses, and listen to the violinist.

JOSHUA BELL'S SUBWAY CONCERT

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Thanks everyone for being loyal readers. I appreciate the fact that you take time from your busy day to visit with me.

Another Loss

Yes, I know, the staff meeting is supposed to be held on Monday morning but life has gotten away with me again.

The Farmer's cousin passed away last Friday. This is the third cousin in the last couple of years, all under 60 years of age. Yesterday was the visitation and it was quite sad to see Tom, her only child, struggling with his loss.

Susan was a truly wonderful person, a generous, non-judgmental and loving spirit. She struggled with serious health issues her entire life and I always felt that she had a tinge of sadness about what her life could have been. But she was a person who pushed past that and consistently worked to make her life the best it could be under the circumstances.

Thirteen years ago Susan's mother died and she was having a terrible time dealing with the grief. I shared with her a letter I'd written to the young man the Farmer and I were mentoring at the time. She cherished this letter and I know when her son Tom goes through her things he will find this tucked away somewhere. He'll recognize that he was the young man with the clean white gloves.

CLEAN WHITE GLOVES- August, 1998

Dear Todd,

Last weekend we played a practical joke on one of our friends. Ruthanne hosted a party on Friday night. She spent the whole week cleaning her house for the party, even though we didn't care if her house was clean or not. As a joke, one of the ladies brought a pair of clean white gloves. She walked into the party with a flourish and marched around, running her gloves over the furnitures to make sure Ruthanne hadn't missed a spot. My group of friend really like practical jokes.

Yesterday I had to attend another funeral. This was the second funeral in a week and they say the come in threes. Aunt Lu died on Tuesday and she was buried today. When I arrived at the funeral home her grandson Tom was standing in the lobby. He's 18 years old, just like you. He's tall, handsome and looking so grown up in his dark suit and tie. He was fidgeting with something in his hands. A piece of white paper I thought. When I looked closer I saw it was a pair of clean white gloves. He's been asked to serve as a pall bearer for his grandmother. You will be asked to do this sometime in the future. It's a rite of passage into adulthood.

There were a few brief words. We all filed past the open coffin for the last time. I went outside and waited in my car. The pall bearers filed out and I watched Tom as he slipped on his gloves. I know he was worried that his hands would slip on the pewter rail. He was standing in front on the right hand side. He didn't notice the other five pall bearers, grown men, his uncles and friends of the family. What he didn't know was that if his hand slipped these men would have taken the weight and no one would have noticed.

It was a long drive to the cemetery. We stood for one last time in the small air conditioned chapel. The priest said his final words and holy water was sprinkled on the coffin. The pall bearers were the last to leave. Tom removed his clean white gloves, placed them on his grandmother's coffin and walked out into the bright sunshine.

I drove a little too fast on the way home, listening to Tom Petty's "Last Dance with Mary Jane".

"Oh my, my
Oh, hell yes.
Honey, put on that party dress.
Buy me a drink, sing me a song
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long."

I promise to drive a little slower. I don't want you to wear those clean white gloves for quite awhile.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the Farmer!

What did we do today? We all met up with neighbors and got muddy!

Yes, we did.

It Doesn't Take Much

It really doesn't take much to make me happy. A beautiful ball of yarn or some colorful fabric can make my heart skip a bit. And then there's vintage sewing machines!

One thing that would make me immensely happy would be a special spot to sleep besides my regular old bed. As I get older I'm finding the beauty of a nap or a nice cool place to sleep on some evenings.

I was entranced by the sleeping porch at Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings home in Cross Creek, Florida. I took a picture but can't find it at this moment so here's a shot from the University of South Florida.


Source: University of South Florida

That's her fantastic vintage car just outside the porch. If you sit on the bed you can see the other side of the porch. This is the picture I took of the table and the typewriter where she wrote her books.



From the porch she could see her orange groves. Can you imagine sleeping out there on a hot summer evening?

The other sleeping arrangement that would make me immensely happy is what I call a sleeping nook. I'm sure it has a proper name but I'm not aware of what it might be. It's a bed tucked into an enclosed space. A window would be great but a bookshelf is positively necessary!



This is my favorite, a bed with storage underneath, a window and a bookcase. What a dreamy space.



Sorry, I don't have the sources for those photos. If they belong to you let me know and I'll update the post to link to you.

How about you? Do you have some simple things that could bring you immense pleasure?

If it's abandoned, it's gonna burn

There are lots and lots of abandoned farmhouses and outbuilding around here. The ones that don't blow over of their own accord are going to burn. This seems to be a terrible fact of life that has played itself out time and time again around here.

Sometimes the local fire department burns them down for practice, as in this case.



In most other cases they seem to spontaneously combust. I'm being fascetious because without gas or electric or the presence of a hellacious thunderstorm.....you get my drift.

This house was abandoned many years ago when the owner died and the entire property went into some kind of prolonged estate situation. It was once a really beautiful home with lots of unusual stonework. It was very large, my guess is 6,000 square feet and placed on a gorgeous piece of property.

After years it became what I called the House of Perpetual Christmas.



For years and years the wreath hung on the door. Nobody home. For awhile a caretaker lived in a separate carriage house on the property but after awhile even the caretaker left. The estate situation was drawn out and the place literally crumbled before our eyes.

At some point the police started making weekly visit to the house. This is a photo I took of a "situation" in which about six squad cars showed up. They approached the house, guns drawn.



This is not the kind of thing you want going on in your neighborhood. We were relieved to discover that someone had purchased the property for back taxes. Phew.....wait a minute, not so fast. That means nothing because it takes 5 YEARS until the person can actually finalize the deal. It's been several years since that development.

Just last week while driving by I thought to myself, "I'm totally amazed this place hasn't burnt to the ground." That's because at least three others have gone up in the meantime.

And then, the other morning neighbor Betty gives me a call and says, "The house burned down."

Isn't it amazing that she didn't even have to elaborate. I knew EXACTLY which house she was talking about. The Perpetual Christmas House. The eyesore house. The house with the gigantic-dead-tree-in-the-front-yard-waiting-to-fall-across-your-car-and-strike-you-dead house. Yeah, that one!

Here's what's left of the house. Not much. Approaching the house with the largest of the two fireplaces still standing.



The area where the family room was located.



Years ago when the house was inhabited I would drive home late at night from my job and there would always be lights and a television on in this area.

Destruction and waste.



Really, what happened to this once beautiful home is a terrible story and a terrible end.

But around here, if it's abandoned, it's gonna burn.

What did they win?

I had a giveaway recently. If you remember you were supposed to guess where I was going wearing those Gypsy earrings. And, you were also supposed to guess whether I had given myself a Photoshop facelift.

BV and Marilyn were my winners but I forgot to mention what the prize was. They each got a set of these:



They are coasters that designed and crocheted. Barbara (BV) took the pictures and I'm thinking I need to hire her as my photo stylist and photographer.

I'm going to be listing these soon in my shop but honestly, they need a name! When I sent the note along with the coasters I called them "Happy Coasters" but that just seems lame. They need a good name, a name that resonates with their colorfulness....is that a word? Well, they are colorful. This is just one of the color combinations but they're all pretty similar.

Put your thinking caps on. Name those coasters. Leave me a comment with your suggestion and I'll pick one on Sunday night and announce it at the Monday Morning Staff Meeting. If you're the winner of Name That Coaster Contest I'll send you a set for yourself.

Good luck everyone!

The Neverending House Maintenance

You know, house maintenance never seems to end. You finish a project and there's another one staring you in the face. I always say when you get to the bottom you've got to go back to the top and start all over again.

After finishing our big project in the family room and library/office I've decided to continue with painting closets. They haven't been painted since the house was built 21 years ago. Is that shameful? I don't know. Closets are just an afterthought in refreshening I suppose.

I bought a gallon of paint for the front hall closet and of course that was WAY too much paint. A quart isn't enough. So, my question is, why don't the paint companies enter the Goldilocks zone and offer paint in half gallon sizes? The crazy, crazy thing is that the price of two quarts is equal to a gallon so I always go ahead and buy the gallon and troll around the house looking to see where I can use the leftover paint.


Newly painted and organized utility room closet.

The utility room is next to the kitchen and I use this space not only for coats, shoes and umbrellas but to store all those kitchen appliances, crock pots, waffle irons, etc.

I'll just keep painting closets with the leftover paint until I run out. My next move is to the pantries. Oh my goodness!!! They are loaded and this is going to be grunge work, going through all those spices to determine what's old and needs to be tossed.

The Other Mother lined the shelves years ago with some fake plastic lace edged shelf liners. It's torn and awful looking so I'm thinking of replacing it with a fabric liner edged with Prairie Points and covered on top with a piece of clear tablecloth plastic that's available by the yard. What do you think?

After that I'm going to probably tackle painting the kitchen cabinets. The closet painting is just a warm-up exercise.

Tuesday's Monday Morning Staff Meeting

Yeah, it's another Monday Morning Staff Meeting held on a Tuesday. What can I say? Life is just getting away from me these days. I'm definitely taking advantage of summer to get things done.

First on the list is food. This morning we're going to partake in something delicious!



These are Margarita cupcakes. I know, I know. It's early in the morning but trust me, all the alcohol has evaporated.

I served these recently when my daughter was home for the weekend. They were a hit. The only thing I would do is to sprinkle just a tiny bit of sea salt on the top.

You'll find the recipe here:

THE BROWN EYED BAKERS MARGARITA CUPCAKES

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A nearby local town passed an ordinance that would allow people inside the city limits to keep chickens. The story goes on to state that as of this date not many people have applied for the permit to do so. I want chickens but truth be told, I don't know if I've got what it takes to be a coop keeper like Jayme!

And now....... I'm in love with this:


SOURCE

What neighbor would object to looking out their window and seeing Chez Poulet? It's from the creative and talented Heather Bullard. She's teamed up with an architect to offer plans for this chicken coop.

THE FULL TOUR OF CHEZ POULET

The plans are $39 and are available here:

CHEZ POULET PLANS

She does mention that the supplies to build the coop were over $1,000 but I bet that some of you thrifters and gatherers could find ways to build it for less.

Do you keep chickens? Do you have any tips for those of us who are thinking about getting chickens?

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Here's an incredible time lapse video from photographer Daniel Lopez.

El Cielo de Canarias / Canary sky - Tenerife from Daniel López on Vimeo.

The amazing thing to me is how the clouds act like waves upon a shore. Amazing.

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I'm working on something new for my shop. Stay tuned and I'll show you pictures later this week.

Have a great day everyone.

The Big Reveal

Thanks to each and every one of my readers who were so supportive during our recent fix-up, re-paint, remodel adventure. Believe me, it was difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel when we were going up and down a 10 foot ladder! Your message was always positive, assuring me that all the work would be worth it and you were right.

Thanks also for not admonishing me to quit-my-bi@#hing and just be thankful that we were able to do this project. In the midst of it you sometimes forget to be gracious and thankful for all the positives in our lives. The Farmer has found a long-term consulting gig that allows us some level of security. This allowed us to use some funds we'd squirreled away to buy new furniture.

Now let me say, I really love and appreciate the shabby/chippy artistic look but that's something I've been doing for many, many years. The Farmer and I have never had new furniture in the 33 years we've been married. Yes, a piece here and there but it's all been a hodge podge. We decided for a more Pottery Barn look.

This is the only piece left from the previous incarnation.



This little table was something I bought to use in one of my craft booths from the past. I was a honey colored pine but I painted it black to match the new look in the room. Instead of coating it with urethane I finished it with a paste furniture wax.

Here's a peek at the new floors. The space inside that dark walnut band was previously carpeted. This portion of the room had a picture frame border of wood with the carpet in the center. After 13 years the carpet was looking horrible. We added the band of walnut to define the area.



The wood has a matte finish and it's stained with a natural stain.

We chose a brown leather sofa. We've never had leather before but we love it. I call it the marshmallow sofa because it's that soft and squishy when you sit on it.



The coffee table has tons of storage. It's split down the middle and one half has drawers underneath. The other half has a lid that lifts up and allows you to store throws, games, whatever. It's a very clever design.

Here's what the lamps look like.



This little slipper chair faces the sofa and can easily be moved anywhere you need more seating. As you can see we kept our oak stained entertainment unit, mixing it up with the new dark furniture.



We chose a counter height table and chairs to place in front of the fireplace.



This is an amazing table. It has a leaf that is stored inside and folds out like a piece of origami.



When the leaf is extended the table is very large, seating six people. When my daughter was home we extended it out and spent the evening playing games.

And last but not least, our bar cabinet. I'm totally in love with this piece. All the liquor is stored underneath, the drawers hold placemats, corkscrews, coasters and lots more. There was another piece that was more like a hutch but I wanted a flat surface that would allow me to set out food or set up the wine and glasses. For the recent party I served the appetizers here.



Now I need to get window treatment and work on accessorizing. I'm so thankful we were able to do this project and it's the last furniture we'll probably ever buy.

Thanks for coming along on the tour and thanks for all your supportive words along the way.

P.S. Everthing is from La-Z-Boy. They carry all kinds of furniture in addition to the La-Z-Boy constructed pieces. The bar cabinet is a Howard Miller piece.

The Aftermath

Here's the aftermath of last weekend.



Can you guess what happened here? We hosted a graduation party for our son and by all accounts it was a great success. The weather was gorgeous! No rain, no tornados, just a beautiful sunny day.

The young-uns played volleyball and the rest of us watched from a shady spot. Our daughter made the 2 hour drive to be here and then had to turn around and drive back home. Sigh. There was plenty of food and just one hitch in the plans.

Years ago I had a friend who was a bit older than myself and a fabulous hostess. She set the bar very high. She gave me her best secret - organization and preparation. Those two things make all the difference in hosting a success event, whatever it may be.

Early in the week I gather up all the serving pieces and mentally map things out. This small dish and fork are for the pickles, this large basked for the buns, etc. The food was a little bit of a puzzle this time around because I was cooking for a larger crowd - 36-40 people. I check charts online that estimated meat per pound per person and such but in the end I just trusted my instincts.

Regardless of how packed the fridge looks, there wasn't a ton of leftovers seeing as how I had three beef briskets, a VERY large pan of hash brown casserole and salad for an army. My sister and sister-in-law thankfully lightened my load by bringing the desserts. Thank goodness for them.

The hitch? The barbecue beans were progressing along just fine in the oven, getting hot and entering into the bubbling zone but the hash brown casserole was still tepid. I had allowed the whole thing to sit out in advance so that the potatoes could defrost before baking but still the pan was large. Perhaps it would have worked better to bake it in two smaller pans.

I ran into the other room and spotted my sister.

9-1-1 - - POTATO EMERGENCY!!!

She came to the rescue and we figured out a solution. Moms have to be McGuyver's you know.

We scooped out the contents of the pan into two large bowls and heated the mixure in the microwave, returned it to the pan and it finished baking along with beans and they turned out fine. In fact, they were downright delicious.

The hit of the day? Cowboy caviar!! It's a black bean appetizer that's served with torilla chips.

Here's the recipe:

COWBOY CAVIAR

2 cans black beans, drain off a little bit of the liquid
1 can corn, drained
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
cilantro, chopped (amount to taste)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup basalmic vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 TBSP. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the first six ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine the dressing and mix well until the sugar dissolves. Pour over the bean mixture and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to combine.

Enjoy!

Can you believe I have NO pictures of the party? I was too busy dealing with potato emergencies!

Coming soon to the sky near you

My friend in Maine, Vee, has long lamented about the scourge of the turkey vultures. I'd never recalled seeing a turkey vulture in this area and my naturalist neighbors concurred. We've seen some pretty large red-tailed hawks but no turkey vultures, until this week.

The other evening something appeared in the sky just north of here. Large. Very large. I didn't know what the identifying features were but my best guess is that it was the dreaded turkey vulture. Believe me when I say you'd remember something THAT large.

Last night we attended the first of a series of free concerts in the park at a nearby town. We were all sitting in the very chilly evening air when something appeared, gliding in wide circles high above the crowd. It was so unusual and so large that the entire gathering of people turned their heads skyward. Eveyone was asking, "What IS that?"

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera handy but here's a You Tube video of a turkey vulture flying overhead.



I'm not quite sure what their arrival portends for us here in northern Illinois. Bad things? Annoyances? I'm waiting to hear from those of you who have turkey vulture experience. Our little dogs are already on house arrest due to the coyotes. More of the same?