Thursday, August 29, 2013

Butterick 4025~Wrap-and-Go Skirt



How many gals out there remember this skirt?
Yes... the old Wrap Around Skirt.
I had one and it was a popular skirt back in the day. Probably because of it's basic simplicity. A few months back this skirt pattern crossed my mind and I thought I wanted one. My mama had lost her pattern along the way and I'd looked in various on-line shops thinking I would come across it but I didn't.
What I did find was the pattern. 
Yeah..for our side!!
So in about 3 hours, I had the coffee pot on, machine out and I was cutting my pattern out. 

I remember my skirt as a girl being made of a heavier cotton or denim type material but I thought to go with a more light and floral material would have a better look at least for a summer skirt. I am also a short person 5' 1" so even the shorter length version of this was going to be quite long.
So, I shortened the length to hit me just above the knee.
(being short is a great reason to take up sewing)
The most involved part of this sewing pattern is one button hole. 
This is just to run your belt through. There's not even a button required.

Wham..Bam..
I was done.
My daughter give a hard look at first .
 I had to reassure her it wouldn't look like an apron after it was wrapped and on.
For me, not even a worry over my waistline; 
totally adjustable...

I would have thought to show a tutorial but when sewing with a Butterick or Simplicity pattern the instruction are extremely clear. 

And as always
Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I've been up to.
Wishing you a very
BLESSED DAY! 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

My Cup Runneth Over and My Bucket, Too



I was over for a visit with my Mama yesterday and I came home with a bucket full of various trees, bulbs, and flower slips.
This is nothing new to me this is mostly how I garden. I'm not overly educated in horticulture; I tend to keep try this or that until I get a nice result or something that appeals to me.

For some folks, I know this is a highly disturbing way to garden. I do read post and look at a lot of gardening magazines and I do try and buy but usually I come right back to my usual method.

I receive more joy and knowledge walking around with Mama than I could ever gather from a book. My Mama is simply beauty at it's best. Although if I were to try and take a picture of her for this post or really any other reason she would surely be balking. With a cup of coffee in hand she can walk around and name every tree, shrub, and bloom there is and tell you the bird that belongs to the song that is floating on the breeze. 
but...
I bet you're really wondering what in my bucket...right?
Well, there's two holly trees that I've been begging to be saved for me, two black walnut tree's( I have no idea where I can put them I already have a few scattered around),  some bulbs that a lady from Mama's church shared with her(not quite sure what they will be the lady told Mama they were very large red lilies. I'm excited they'll be like a surprise), a handful of marigold's that she pulled out of the way to pull up the Chicken and Hen that I said I need to try again( I lost my others over winter..I have got to work on better winterizing).

Yes, I found everything a home.
Might not look like much now with the grass not mowed but you just wait.
Ooo..looks like I would have cleaned them up a little better before taking that pic.

I wish to encourage you to seek out that Mother or just a good gardening friend.
The seeds they will share will be priceless. 
and...
I have never met a gardener that didn't become overjoyed at the sharing of their own plantings.
Friends with flowers are the best friends of all!

Thanks for stopping by.
BE BLESSED
and
BE a BLESSING!

Monday, August 26, 2013



Thank you, Lord...
Late summer blooms,
 sweet smell of hydrangea in the air.

Psalm 145:3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.



Thursday, August 22, 2013

Sure Fire Way to Know You're Old

1. When you're sitting at the kitchen table looking at a sewing machine and a dog in your lap.
2.. When you say to the Old Man,"So how'd the test come out?
3. When you're blogging about a dog in your lap and your Old Man's check-up 
while drinking(Miller High Life)

Alot of times I forget I'm suppose to be old....Until someone reminds me...

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Last Day of Summer

It's the last day of summer.
 Well no...not officially but it is the day before the new school year begins. For us in this house, when school's back in the summer is basically over. When I was in school we didn't start until labor day was over so I always get the feeling the kids are getting cheated a little. With school will come routine again and that's not such a bad thing.



It will also be interesting to see how our new pup, Roscoe will handle this change. We're still working on potty training and he's also very spoiled. He doesn't want to be alone.









I thought to do some weeding and he did too.










Curious Pup...











My helpers













           Giggles are wonderful.










A tuckered out Roscoe.









What's for lunch?
Fried everything!
I started out making some home fries and I thought I better use that onion before it goes bad 
and then there was green tomato that was knocked off by the rain....
and...
I might as well make something out of that left over breading. 
Hushpuppies would be great. 

For the home fries I simply washed the potatoes and sliced them long ways.
In the oil they went. 

Onion Rings can be a little tricky and I have made my share of not so great ones 
but these turned out real well.  
I started out by skinning and slicing my onion.
Next, I put about 2 cups of self-rising flour (Martha White) and 1/2 cup of  self-rising cornmeal in a large mixing bowl and stirred it with a wisk.
Place onion rings into flour mixture. They will get very lightly coated take them out onto  another bowl or plate.
Then, I added a big tablespoon of mayonnaise  and stirred in water until mixture was a good batter.
Dip coated onion rings back into the batter and  you are ready.
I fried mine in a deep fryer with a lid but I kept the lid open and placed a few rings(5 or 6) in at a time using tongs. **Careful...oil is very hot***
Take the rings out when they are just brown. They will be browner out of the oil than what they look.

I had batter left over so that's when I sliced that green onion up and dipped the slices in the batter.
I cooked them the same as the onion rings.

There was still batter remaining so that's when I as a not so traditional cook put 2 squirts of ketchup in them left over batter. Stirred it up and dropped into hot oil and cooked until almost lightly brown.
**again careful..careful**

By the time we fried all that up and ate it...
You know it was raining again.


Thanks for stopping by for a visit. 
It must be time for another nap.


Be Blessed.



Monday, August 12, 2013

A Butterfly Summer


Wow...it's been so long since I have mustered up a post.
I hardly know where to begin.
To put down more words about rainy days would be quite extreme;
but it, along with a other obstacles and set backs have left me quite empty for words..
Rather than focus on tomatoes ruining on the vine,
 I'm quite intrigued at how many butterflies we have this year. 
They are in full array. 
Happy they are to sip nectar and float from bloom to bloom.

Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies how they grow...

For lack of lilies, I'll consider the butterfly.
I find them quite nice.