Happy Mother's Day

My daughter and I celebrated Mother's Day yesterday at Madison Creek Farm near Nashville.

I discovered them a couple years ago and buy fresh produce there spring through fall.  Yesterday morning Peggy (owner) had a jam workshop and demonstrated making strawberry jam with hand picked strawberries, fresh from the field !  We had a jam tasting with the fresh jam and two other flavor jams she made on fresh biscuits (yum).  Peggy makes a "carrot cake jam" that's really tasty, says she likes it on fried pork chops ... jam and pork chops oh my !!

 (Peggy with CSA family)

Oh the smell of her kitchen as those berries cooked !!  We all left with a jar of jam; mine remained unopened for about 3 hours :)  I 'd like to keep it around just to smell.  Oh my the memories smell can evoke; It was a good mother - daughter day for many reasons, hope you had a good day with your family !   Elaine

Another baby shower for multiples

I am so happy for Emily and her family. Emily is our Administrative Assistant, and a mighty fine one at that.  Emily has two kids, a son and daughter.  This past Christmas she learned that both were expecting. Then came the shocker that her daughter-in-law was having triplets (2 girls, and a boy) !!! Four grandchildren within two weeks!  Joy soon turned to sadness in mid January when her son was diagnosed with bladder cancer and told given the site of the tumor, it would be unlikely he would be alive more than 3 years.  This was her son's third (THIRD) cancer diagnosis.  He is 32 and previously treated for bone and lung cancer.  Fortunately her son was under the care of a world renowned bladder cancer expert (as in co-wrote the textbooks), who chose to wait for a second biopsy before beginning treatment, and when the pathology came back on the second biopsy it was negative ...no, NO, abnormal cells.  Biopsy clear, all labs clear, all CTs, PET scans, MRIs, you name it they did it clear.  What can you say but "God is good"  !!  So, the shower for the triplets is next week.  The theme is Dr. Seuss, and they wanted a Thing 1-2-3.  Emily asked me to help, and gladly doing what she needs. I had to create the image of Thing 1-2-3, and then used it for a framed picture with the wording below. I made labels for bottled water, favor tags, and a banner.  

Here are a couple things I learned doing this.  First I learned to make a collage of images using  PicMonkey, I know some of you (Viv) know about this, but if you don't, you must check it out, it's another of the many ways to spend your time :)  About the quality of the above, "you get out what you put in" and the quality is my "doings" not PicMonkey's ... these are cell phone pics.   


I also learned to take an online fabric swatch and turn it into paper. I wanted paper with this image, and couldn't find it, so I  took the image (a jpg) copied into "word" and played with it until I had what I needed and printed onto card stock.  Who knew?  This worked in a pinch for this project but certainly won't replace the quality you get with the "real deal".    

The triplets and cancer certainly could have overshadowed Emily's daughters pregnancy and associated joy, but Emily has worked very hard to keep the focus equal.  Her daughter's shower is June 10th; her theme is pending, but most likely "Lil Monster", she is having a boy. I look forward to helping her with that one too.  


If you missed Viv's Dr. Seuss shower, do stop by, it is really really cute !  


Update on our multiples (Adeleigh and Weston):  They're just not so sure about this cereal thing but are almost 5 months, and 16 lbs, so not going hungry !! 

Thanks for stopping by, E

Easter swap regret

Thanks to Elizabeth for the image

Hang on, hang on ... the only regret is that I didn't participate in an Easter swap this year.  The main reason I started a blog was to swap and share with crafty girls in blogland !   I found blogging through Elizabeth at Creative Breathing, I remember reading about her fear of disappointing (no way Elizabeth !!)  But I understand and let the same concern hold me back.  It takes me forever to gather my thoughts and then get my "crafty" on ... I get so aggravated with myself that at times I'll blurt "JUST DO IT for gosh sake" !!   So all that to say, I love the thought of the swaps, love looking at all that is shared, and envy the wonderful goodies I see.  I'll hop into another one soon, however the moon and stars have to be perfectly aligned  :)   


Here's the hand made goodies I made for my swap partner for Sandy's Easter Swap last year. 

Today I'm playing with this stuff ... think I'm positioned to make a spectacular mess !!  Anyone have experience with this?  I am trying to use it with plastic candy molds (?) all suggestions welcome !  Thanks for visiting, E

Here comes Peter Cottontail

I'm so happy Spring is here; a few days this week it's been down right hot !  Yesterday I had to rise'n shine at the crack of dawn but today I have Spring fever and taking a break. It's a challenge for me to change decor for each season, and more so being scattered between two States.  But I've picked a corner to decorate and today I'm playing.  

I found a few vintage goodies a while back, and paired them with a few new goodies and put them together in my little spot. 

 I think I might play in another corner tomorrow !  

Happy Spring everyone :)

    

Thankful for a dirty house to clean !

I hate to clean house, but today I am so thankful to have a house to clean.  It's a sad day in the "hollow", especially over on "Daisy Hill".  I am sending prayers to friends, neighbors, and family who are suffering.  Yesterday we had one of the deadliest tornadoes in our history rip through my corner of the world. The Associated Press is reporting the following death toll numbers by state: 19 in Kentucky; 14 in Indiana; 3 in Ohio and 1 in Alabama, my thought and prayers to all. 
From the State of Indiana Response to Tornado Activity in Southeastern Indiana, "The single best way to help disaster survivors in southeastern Indiana is with a cash donation to a legitimate relief agency, such as the American Red Cross".
March 3, 2012

Deadliest tornadoes in Indiana history

Associated Press

Here are some of Indiana’s deadliest and most destructive tornadoes:

— March 18, 1925: A tornado known as the “Tri-State Tornado” traveled from southern Missouri to southwestern Indiana, killing more than 730 people, including 74 in Indiana. The tornado, which traveled more than 200 miles, struck Posey, Gibson and Pike counties and destroyed nearly half of Princeton.

— April 11, 1965: 10 tornadoes struck Indiana on Palm Sunday, killing 137 people and injuring more than 1,700 in the state’s deadliest ever tornado outbreak. Following the disaster, which caused more than $30 million in property damage, the state developed more comprehensive tornado planning.

— April 3, 1974: 21 tornadoes raced across 39 Indiana counties, killing 47 residents and injuring at least 1,000.

— June 2, 1990: 37 tornadoes hit 31 Indiana counties, killing six people in Petersburg and one south of Bedford.

— Nov. 6, 2005: A tornado struck Vanderburgh and Warrick counties in southwestern Indiana, killing at least 22 people.

— March 2, 2012: Tornadoes strike southern Indiana, killing at least 14 people in Washington, Jefferson, Ripley, Clark, and Scott counties.

Speaking of Love

Continuing on with my previous post saga about found “treasures” here is something else I found when I was digging in the basement. 

This toy is a “Red Raven movie record” produced by Morgan Development Laboratories, Inc. Westport, Connecticut. The "band" is listed as "Red Raven Orchestra" Directed by George S. Chase. As I understand this toy was produced from 1956-61(here’s a link) 

The record plays at 78 rpm and as the record turns the images reflect off the mirror, bringing the sweet little images to life.  I loved “Toot Toot Tootles the Tugboat”, and “The Little White Duck”. I was thrilled when I found this video

wow the memories came flooding back !!  This is one of my all time favorite toys.  Sadly my mirror is long gone but you can bet I am on the look out for one now that I’ve found my records J  Anyone else remember these? 

So happy that my first link to Rednesday is my favorite toy … thanks  to Sue at It's a Very Cherry World

A Treasure Hunt

 (Thanks to E for the image)

Welcome 2012 !!   Out with the old and in with the new … well at least that’s what I have been saying for years and years, but some how the “old” never makes it “out” of my house!!  I was left with quite a collection when my mother died in 1982; then my dad in 1998.  Their treasures sit packed away in my basement wrapped in the same newspaper I packed them in.  Cleaning out this collection is complicated because I live, and work, in one state and my “real” home and collection in another.  The story behind all this is what country songs are made of … anyway … rare is the time I spend in my “real” home and I prefer not to sort when I’m there,  but over Christmas I did some sorting.  I thought I’d share one of the things I found.  It kept me entertained for hours. Here we go:

Buried in the bottom of a box, I found this fun paper bag.

Inside the 60s era paper bag was this 1910 Montgomery Ward catalog.

I vaguely recall this thing from childhood, and think it “lived” on the top shelf of the coat closet (of all places). It’s terribly fragile and low on my list of priorities is scanning it onto Flickr.

Seems you could buy everything from houses to tombstones.  Unfortunately I had it packed away before I realized that I failed to take a photo of the houses (I will).   

 How about a buggy ?

 A Tombstone? 

  A cream separator maybe ?  How about a nice saddle?

Here's what I would have ordered :)

I do believe my folks liked the MW catalog because I found several things I recognized; some I have.  

My Grandmother had this carpet, I used it for a while in the 70s and traded it for "services" to a local florist and I think she still has it in her show room.   

Oh yes indeed I have one of these in the basement.  It belonged to my  paternal Grandmother who died shortly after my Dad was born in 1924.  It was a favorite toy when I visited my Aunt Ethel, then in the mid 60s she chopped the ornate top off and sold it ... not to worry it found its way back to me.

Mother decorated the dining room wall with one of these (my brother has it).

... and she used one of these as a flower planter in the front yard ... (it finally rotted :) my Dad was so sad)

I also have several things (or similar things) out of the catalog. Like this trunk.  I probably ruined its value by painting it and ripping the lining out, but it's held my treasures since the mid 70's (of course its in the basement).

I had a similar dining set in the 70s and sold most of it years ago.  I sold the china cabinet about 6 yrs ago to a friend.  I think I paid $100 for the set in about 1972, my dad went with me to pick it up and could not believe I spent that much ... "you just got robbed" !!

This chair (a rocker version) is in my basement; I painted it white and used it when my daughter was little.  It came from Mr. Main's house, he was the rich guy in town ... a banker.  

Finally I had no idea where this vase came from but its been in my china cupboard for years !!

Hope you enjoyed shopping with me ...  if you have something you would like for me to look up, just let me know, be happy to !