too small tales

Farewell

2011-10-22T10:42:00.004-05:00

My mother prided herself on how well she made Kugelis. Kugelis is a Lithuanian dish, a savory potato custard with bacon, potato being the operative word. In our house, it was made for special occasions and holidays. It takes five pounds of potatoes to make a 9X13 cake pan of kugelis. My mother made twenty pounds of potatoes at a time. This meant that twenty pounds of potatoes had to be peeled and grated and put in the oven, all before they started to turn dark. Nothing said so much about a cook as a dark kugelis.
I learned to grate potatoes at a very early age. They had to be grated on a special kind of grater and grated quickly. My mother would peel the potatoes, but there were always no less than three of us grating. My dad was the master but everyone did well.
In the late seventies, my mother heard of a retired old man who made electric graters and sold them from his garage. Someone she knew had one and she had tasted this woman's kugelis. Although it was not up to her standards, the potatoes were grated perfectly. And so the quest began. There was no back alley drug addict who had anything on my mother and her search for this machine. She found the man. The grater was, I think, $120 up front. You paid and he made them as an order came in, so she had to wait, and the waiting was hard. In the end, it was worth it. This machine resembled something you would find in someone's tool room, but it did the job. My dad could now grate twenty pounds in five minutes.
Time passed, and when my mom no longer cooked, I inherited the machine. Let me tell you, because of all those years I spent cutting my knuckles on those awful tools, I never grated more than five pounds at a time. But now, holy smokes, ten pounds, no problem. So I made those holiday meals and even some just because I could.
Cut to today. My sister is making a Turducken(?) and I told her I would make the Kugelis. It doesn't take too long and I don't need help, so I could start it this morning, everyone else could sleep and it would get to her house hot and ready to serve. I peeled the potatoes. I cut the onions. I fried the bacon. When I was ready to grate, I took out the machine and turned it on. NOTHING! I unplugged it, plugged it in another outlet. NOTHING! It's broken. I want my mother's money back, but the guy's dead.
I am writing with scratched knuckles, a cut finger and a pan of hand grated kugelis in the oven. One pan, five pounds of potatoes, just like the old days. Lucky for me I have six wire graters in the cabinet. But only me to grate. Lucky I learned early.

Shoes for a garden wedding

2011-08-09T09:59:00.003-05:00

I have attended a few outdoor weddings in heels and ALWAYS sink into the grass. Wedges are great, but most often are too casual. I have found the perfect shoe.

Sarah's New Skirt

2011-07-21T16:20:00.006-05:00

I have been keeping all my vintage fabric for so long, it'sbeenvintage twice!
My daughter has been showing some interest in all clothes vintage, so I decided to break out a piece of bordered seersucker and make her a skirt. I didn't use a pattern, gathered skirts are pretty easy and one seam was already sewn. I think someone used this as a daybed cover or something.
Well she really loved the finished product, but wouldn't let me take a picture of the skirt actually ON her. She did look cute, though!

Boloney and Champagne

2011-01-01T15:27:00.002-06:00

"As the day goes, so goes the year."
Who will not post on a day that is represented as 1/1/11? Not me.
Although I still have not had my New Years' fish, I have started the day out as I hope the year will go. Four hours in jammies and a lunch of fried boloney sandwiches and mimosas! The best of menus! Who can ask for more?

It's Over

2010-09-27T09:19:00.003-05:00

Well I think that summer is over. Fall is my favorite time of year, but there are some things I will miss ...

Pretty Bird

2010-07-08T12:48:00.004-05:00

There is a new member of my dear sister's family. Her name is Guadalupe. Lupe for short. She is 5 1/2 years old and a Sun Conure. Evidently she used to talk, but not having had enough interaction in a while, she has stopped talking. Lack of interaction will no longer be a problem. Everyone loves her!

Bathroom Restoration

2010-07-05T16:44:00.007-05:00

My friend Kathy has inherited her
mother's 1928 Chicago bungalow.
The bathroom was in a sorry state
and instead of remodeling, she
restored it.
She had the sink and the bathtub
re glazed. The tub was done on site
and the sink went to a shop to be
done. She told me that the two pieces cost $500. They look like new!
She tore out the old dull subway tiles, and replaced them with new. The glazier told her that he could have finished them on the wall like he did the tub, but it was already done and replacing them allowed her to put more efficient fixture in the bath.
The floor was torn out. Not an easy task because it was embedded
in about 10 inches of cement. It was replaced with the same pattern of tile, so popular in bungalows.
The medicine cabinet could have been more like those in older bathrooms, but on the whole, it was a job well done.
Too many people opt for travertine and brushed nickel. Nice, but
isn't it nicer to maintain the integrity of an old bungalow? I think so.

LOVELY

2010-05-22T10:48:00.004-05:00

My mother and father were married in 1938. This picture is probably from the year before that, 1937. So I guess that this year on June 25th they would have been married 72 years.
They were a great couple. My Dad treated my mother like a queen, and she knew she deserved it!
Dad passed away in 1998, and Mom in 2007. They are missed...

My sister likes to believe that they went on an extended vacation and aren't back yet. I guess that could be the case.

Or, we just aren't there yet!

A Lightbulb Terrarium

2010-03-27T10:01:00.003-05:00

I am amazed at what people can do. This is the absolute cutest terrarium idea I have seen. You can get details here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-tuesday-top-10-spring-tutorials-by-etsians-7440/
Happy Spring!

FRED a remembrance

2010-02-19T16:44:00.006-06:00

My brother-in-law, Fred, spent a lot of time changing a 1920's postcard into this great picture of himself and his wife (my sister) , Lois as Poirot and Poirette. In the days when he was first diagnosed with lung cancer, he lost many of his inhibitions and told me he didn't appreciate my publishing the picture on my Facebook page. He NEVER would have made such a comment before! But I can post it now....Luv ya, Fred!

Snowmen About Town!

2009-12-26T09:35:00.007-06:00

This has been a very good year for snowmen as you can see

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

2009-12-24T16:09:00.001-06:00

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Times Change?

2009-12-12T14:46:00.007-06:00

My husband used to play Santa on Christmas Eve at my Mom's house. He was a hit all around! His career was cut short when my son told me after looking at the Christmas pictures that "Santa looks just like my Daddy".
Today he resurrected the role when he played Santa for the children of the members of my Brother-in-law's club. Needless to say, he still has it. The Santa suit was way better than the original, and the beard and wig were also nicer looking in my opinion. What do you think? He needed a little less padding, but he is great.

A View From My Kitchen Window

2009-12-08T12:22:00.000-06:00

I lived in the city most of my life and we moved to the suburbs 15 years ago. But it was just yesterday that I looked outside while having my coffee and really appreciated the view. You can teach an old dog new tricks! Happy Holidays!

25 YEARS OF WEDDED BLISS

2009-10-21T11:52:00.010-05:00

John and I were married on November 3, 1984. We had planned the wedding for a very long time. I made my dress and the dress for my bridesmaid, Kathy. My other friend Carol made her own. The pattern for both my dress and theirs was actually the same. I made mine longer without the cowl and added the sash. Theirs was shorter with a cowl and sash. The mother of another friend of mine did my flowers as a wedding present. Lilies of the Valley and Violets. My favorites.
The ceremony was going to be at St. Vincent of DePaul church which was down the street from our house on Webster. We had the organist booked for November 4.
The reception would be at The Parthenon in Greek town. We chose that venue because not only was John friends with Johnny, who owned the restaurant, but we always left there happy and had never had an argument or disagreement there.
The invitations were out when John's back went out. He came home from work one day and said his back hurt. I told him to lay on the floor thinking that the firm surface would straighten things out. Three hours later, he couldn't get up! I called an ambulance and he went to the hospital. He was in the hospital for two weeks before the wedding. I don't know if it was just how they treated back pain in 1984, or Grant Hospital was just a crappy hospital, but their treatment plan was ' when you can walk to the bathroom by yourself, you can go home'. Some Tylenol 3, no physical therapy.
After about a week, he asked if there was something else that they could do, and they sent someone to put ice/heat on his back. Then they sent someone in to massage the area. One week later, he could walk to the bathroom and was released.
Meanwhile, I had to call everyone on the guest list to cancel the wedding. I had no idea when he would be released from the hospital, we had missed our pre-cana meetings and couldn't count on him getting well on time.
He was released on time, but everything was already cancelled.
We decided that we would get married at City Hall, but had to change the date from Sunday, November 4th to Saturday, November 3rd. City Hall isn't open on Sunday. To this day, I have to think twice about our anniversary!
We had no trouble changing the date with Johnny at The Parthenon, but we invited fewer people, just immediate family and our closest friends. I just didn't want to go into everything on the phone over and over again.
Because it was an afternoon wedding, we thought that we could have a party Saturday night for all our other friends and invited them by word of mouth. Nobody we knew could resist one of our parties. As it turned out, John's friend Paulie owned a bakery and made the wedding cake. He also catered the party for our wedding present.
As luck would have it, we had wonderful weather, got to drive around in a white '57 Bel Air,
had two great parties and just one sore back!
My sister took our photos in the Lincoln Park Conservatory and those all turned out beautifully.
And 25 years later...here we are!

IS IT NATURAL?

2009-10-21T10:40:00.013-05:00

Isn't this a lovely color? Now that I'm used to it, I think so. I used to think that colors like this "just aren't natural". Evidently, I was mistaken.
Merriam-Webster defines natural as " 2 a : being in accordance with or determined by nature b : having or constituting a classification based on features existing in nature".
Well, maybe not 2a, but 2b, YES!

Fall has always been my favorite time of year and Sarah has always been my favorite daughter. Put the two together and you get very lovely colors.

Love ya bears!

2009-08-13T08:19:00.002-05:00

I am a Bluebell. What are you? (great idea from http://lilaknits.blogspot.com)

You have a classic style, are a romantic, easy to love, and people find you appealing. Some may think of you as quiet, but you are really thinking deeply about what is going on around you, and then coming up with the perfect solution.

A Cushy Job Done!

2009-08-05T09:55:00.021-05:00

I love my kitchen chairs. My husband says that they are uncomfortable. The compromise is "the cushions". I found some really nice fabric on clearance at Joann Fabrics. It was on a holiday Sunday and it was 50% off the reduced price. So it was $2.50 a yard. I bought all that they had of three coordinating prints. One print was kind of a Mexican oilcloth print. The one with fruit, not the one with the flowers. The second print was a smaller version of the fruit, outlined in red rickrack squares. The third print was a kind of rickrack plaid. I wasn't that crazy about the plaid, but you can always use the coordinating fabrics in areas that you can't see, so you can save the fabric you like. I thought that I could use the plaid for the reverse side of the cushion. Nobody would see it anyway. Well, I made a pattern of the round seat and cut The outlined fabric so that the center of the seat would be an intersection of the rickrack border. I thought that I would put a button in the center to give it a neater look. I wanted to make it a puffier, more comfortable cushion and raise the chair height just a little bit. I bought buttons to cover for the side I liked and some some primary colored, four hole, plastic buttons for the side I didn't. My plan was to use a different color button for each chair. I didn't know if I wanted to make a piped edge or a rickrack edge. The cushion just looked too busy piped with either of the two fabrics and I didn't want to waste the third fabric making wide bias
tape, so I decided to use red rickrack. The only
problem with that is that the rickrack I could buy
by the yard was too small or too large. I needed
six yards, and the package of rickrack in the
correct size was a running 2 1/2 yards. Because
I needed 54 inches running for each cushion,
I had to buy four packages.
I covered the buttons with only the apples from the fruit print.
Instead of sandwiching the trim between the the two sides of fabric, I sewed it on the plaid side after the construction and stuffing. So that on the fruit side it showed just as a border and on the plaid side it showed as a larger rickrack trim, mirroring the red rickrack in the plaid.

It was a lucky break that I had an upholstery needle to sew the buttons on, because I don't think that I would have been able to tighten them enough without one.
Another thing that I have discovered is there is such a thing as CHEAP safety pins. I wanted to fasten the cushions to the chairs with ties. I remembered from my childhood sewing classes that you could sew strips of fabric outside in and turn them inside out to hide the seams. This is done by attaching a safety pin to one end and sliding it through the strip, pulling the strip through itself. Great idea, always worked when I did it before. Not this time! First the fabric
frayed and then the pin broke, so it didn't slide through. I went looking in my old trusty button box for a "vintage" safety pin. No luck, but I did find my handy dandy bias tape folder! It is a great little machine! You just feed the strip of fabric through and then iron. I didn't cut the strips on the bias, but it worked like a charm. Et Voila! I made the tape, folded it in half and sewed it
together.
All in all it was a satisfying project. My kitchen looks cuter. My husband is sitting pretty. I found that thing out about safety pins.
And we are all happy campers. I'm about to get started on my next project...what will it be? Can I top this? Probably!

Here are the cushions on the chairs ready for approval...Do you approve?

More is not Enough!

2009-07-29T13:02:00.003-05:00

My sister has a little collection of Teddy Bears. Here are some of them!

Here are some of the others. There are more...but not enough!

I Wish...

2009-07-20T16:03:00.004-05:00

I wish I had a beach cottage! Don't you?

Took Me Out to the Ball Game

2009-07-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

I went to the Chicago White Sox game yesterday. It was the first time since we lived two blocks away from Wrigley Field that I have been to a pro game. That's 30 years. I must say that I was overwhelmed. I also must say that although still am not a fan of baseball, I did have a good time. It's like an amusement park in there.
You know how at Six Flags there is stuff to do beside going on the rides? Same here. It's a given that you can find almost any kind of Chicago food, drink beer (and Margaritas, and Mai Tai's) but there are all kinds of other things going on at the same time! Pizza races, McDonald's races, and some kind of fan Limbo. Like I said, "I was overwhelmed".
You can see how overwhelmed I was if you look at my reflection in the corner of John's sunglasses.

The Benefits of Being a Couch Potato

2009-07-18T11:50:00.008-05:00

I was laying on the couch and watching TV, when I look over at the dining room and saw some interesting angles in the dining room set. They reminded me of Frank Loyd Wright designs. So I took a picture with my phone and played with the image a little bit. I can't get quite the effect that I want, but these photos are kind of interesting.

Come on, it's a phone after all!

Is it a Fish or is it a JESUS Fish

2009-07-13T13:07:00.005-05:00

I went to a new little store in my town and bought a cute fish to put on my garage door. I thought that my husband John could see it and be inspired when he went fishing. I hung it on the door and stepped back to admire it when a miracle happened...It turned into a JESUS fish!
Now this picture is a little blurry, so you might not get the full effect and it might just be my mindset but LOOK!

Fish, cross...fish, cross...JESUS fish!

Number 2

2009-07-12T12:11:00.010-05:00

Now for the second thing on the list. My garage curtain. John
said he likes that I made it with RASTA colors. I just thought
that it reminded me of the squaw dress I had when I was
three. I think that that I needed some color in that garage
area. It was just a big blank space and we all know that I
cannot stand big blank spaces. The colors kind of go with the
flower pots and the yard flowers too. Maybe too much green,
but who am I to tell Mother Nature there is too much green!

Crossing things off the virtual list

2009-07-11T16:27:00.005-05:00

I have crossed two things off my list (the list of things to accomplish). I have made the parakeet embroidered on felt and the great curtain for my garage.
Here is the parakeet. I made it yellow and green just like
My bird whom I have named Fritz and the kids have named
something else. We only talk to him directly because we just
don't know what to call him. He is really old for a bird, I
think we got him when Sarah was still in grammar school.
That makes him...at least 8 years old. He doesn't talk, but that is to be expected. Who is a Pretty Bird?
This is the bird I made. Not too much of a resemblance, but you get the general idea. It is only my first attempt, and I am not really crazy about the colors. I think that the turquoise and Light blue is a better effect, but that's just me. Also as Sarah pointed out, his head is kind of flat.

Well, I guess I'll try again but that particular thing to do is now at the bottom of the list.

Who is a Pretty Bird now?

Is It Rocket Science?

2009-06-21T09:16:00.015-05:00

I was never really good at science, but I could always get basic concepts, like cell division and
how molds and fungi spread. I can't figure out though how these things can show up
OVERNIGHT!
I don't know what kind of mushrooms they are, but my Grandma Ball
always said not to eat anything you are not sure of. Not that I would eat
anything that would spring up overnight in my mulch. On the other hand
Grandma Ball also said, "If it's poisonous, even the bugs won't eat it.".
Bugs have definitely eaten these.

There is more. When I came home last week, I thought that a dog had buried a bone in my front yard. A really weird bone. Then I thought what if there has been some kind of alien invasion and these are alien pods. Actually I didn'tbelieve it could have happened, but it crossed my mind. Come on, you read comic books. It looks alien, doesn't it? Check out the other ones. I found out online that they are a cup fungus. I think that they should change the name to pod fungus. I also found out that if you get this stuff in your mulch you just have to put up with it and not try to remove it . It is a fungus, it will spread more spores when it is moved. It is science, not rocket science. YIKES!

If anyone reading this knows any scientific names for these particular fungi, please comment and let me know. After all if it is aliens, I want to know.

Expanded Yard!

2009-06-10T20:43:00.004-05:00

Well, I have expanded on my yard. You know that more is not enough! I have added more beads plus milagros! You can see that this is more estheticly pleasing. Plus I have added milagros for Lenore's bad foot and stomach. Plus Lois' heart and Fred's lungs. Also John's heart. I think it is worth a shot! Not only that, but it is really visually pleasing to have something on either side of the Virgin!

Yard Work

2009-05-25T16:13:00.010-05:00

I have always disliked chain link fences. I also noted that the manufacturers of these fences usually try to make them less offensive by putting weird decorative accents on the tops of the gates. I have two separate decorations on my two gates and decided that they needed some more embellishment! Here is the front gate. Pictured are:Lenore( eldest sister),Lois(older sister), and me,Ellie(youngest sister). I made them out of wooden finials. I painted them wired them with beads and wired the whole thing to the front fence. I love them almost as much as I love my sisters.
Lenore is the redhead who looks at least 15
years younger than she did before her new
haircut. She is called Queenie and is wearing a crown so we all know. Lois has a new haircut and her newly highlighted hair looks lovely. She is wearing her First Communion cross that was missing for so many years. Ellie has a new haircut and she loves that she can wear it so many ways including with a bandanna all kind of 40's ish! DON'T WE LOOK LIKE DOLLS?
I need to tell the guys who invented chain link fences that they can add stuff that's way cooler than those goofy metal things.

AND IF THEY ARE RELIGIOUS

This is Our Lady of Guadalupe for whom I have a fascination. She looks like a DOLL too!

I am the Mother!

2009-05-10T18:17:00.015-05:00

It dawned on me yesterday that I am the Mother. Now that my Mom is gone, I don't have to worry about finding the perfect gift for her. Not that I don't miss her(that is for a whole other blog!), but I can actually get the perfect gift...and I did!

Last month I mentioned to Sarah that I wanted to get a ring I saw on Etsy. She gave me $40 towards that purchase...and is giving me the rest on her next payday! She was very specific as to what that money is for...the ring and nothing else. So the next time anyone sees me I will be wearing this beautiful ring!

Andrew on the other hand is into ShrinkyDinks. He made me a card and then shrunk it! I would not have thought of that for sure. Then I opened the box and inside was the cutest little bird!

I Love that I have two good kids with excellent
taste. They get it from me and I got it from my
mother. And she got it from her mother and so on...Happy Mother's Day!

The History of Me

2009-04-28T13:24:00.028-05:00

I talk to my sisters often, but I don't see them as often as I'd like. I did see my sister Lenore last week and she brought me the most wonderful present. Pictures of my grandmother Frida, my dad's mother and some pictures of my grandfather William Sr. (Wilhelm) taken before they were married. To those of you who don't know the history, we're talking pre 1912!

My grandfather was born in 1877 and came to the U.S. when he was 16. OK, that was 1893 the year of the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. To put into perspective... the year that the Museum of Science and Industry opened...the year that the Field Museum was completed. And for you lovers of spooky non-fiction the year of The Devil in the White City.

Although my grandmother died when my dad was four, she has had a great impact on our family. We have fantasized about her our whole lives. Looking at these pictures, you can see why! Frida is second from the right in the suit picture. She belonged to either an acting or singing society. My guess is singing because why would everybody dress the same for a play?

She must have been quite a gal. I was so excited to get these photos because I look very much like good old Frida. Actually good young Frida, because she died when she was about 30 in 1918.
She looks like a doll in the picture below. She is the second from the left in the middle row.

My grandparent were both from Germany. Frida was from Stuttgart and Wilhelm was from Bremen and 400 miles was a greater distance back then. But they met in Chicago when they were both working at Kranz's candies. She was a waitress and he was the ice cream and candy maker.

I guess she recognized his voice when she saw him at the bus stop and asked if he was Wilhelm. The rest is history.

I had never seen the inside of Kranz's, but I have heard stories about how elegant it was. I was told that ice cream was $1.00 a pint during the depression and that certainly was a point to be made!

Arts of Life

2009-04-04T15:46:00.018-05:00

"The Arts of Life Band makes danceable party music with a rock edge. It is an ongoing collaborative project between disabled and non-disabled artists in the Chicago area, based out of the Arts of Life community of artists and Reversible Eye gallery. The Arts of Life is an artistic community that provides adults with developmental disabilities an environment to experience personal growth. The Arts of Life Band performs at local events and fundraisers, and does rock concerts at venues such as the Empty Bottle and the Double Door."

The Arts of Life Band was recently featured on ABC7-news, performing songs from their debut, self-titled CD.

My son Andrew is in a band called Reddelicious and he also volunteers and plays with The Arts of Life Band. I attended one of their performances and what a good time it was. There was an art show at a gallery next to the Old Town School of Folk Music and they did a set at the School. They put everyone present in such an up mood! My favorite song was "Shark Attack" but I can't get "Puppies and Babies" out of my head! The music they perform for the most part is written by them. They choose the type of song, the beat they like and write the lyrics. The band then puts it together! You can link to their My Space by clicking their logo! Then listen to some of the songs from their CD.

Can't Get Enough

2009-04-04T10:50:00.011-05:00

While I was looking for the complete "Little Orphant Annie" I found something amazing! She was a real person, who inspired Mr. Riley to write the poem. If you can stand to read 19th century writing without getting bored (good for you!), read what he has to say about Mary Alice Smith. Just click on her photo. "Allie" as the children called her, lived with the Riley family, having been dropped off by her uncle. She was none too keen on that uncle or his wife!
read the poem
Right before "Jim" (Alice's name for Riley) died, he initiated an extensive search for Orphant Annie, advertising in the newspaper. Her daughter saw the advertisement and they were reunited.

Evidently, because of reading James Whitcomb Riley's poems, Little Orphant Annie and
The Raggedy Man, author JohnnyGruelle named his daughter's homemade doll---Raggedy Ann!

I read in Wikipedia that Mary Alice Smith was also the inspiration for Little Orphan Annie but that seems like a stretch to me. Maybe just the name...

click here to read her obituary
The name Hoosier makes me want to spit!

I was in the attic and

2009-04-03T16:56:00.001-05:00

I found some drawings that I had done for an illustration class a few years ago. The object of the assignment was to illustrate a children's poem or story. We could choose from some really goofy stories the professor had or choose our own. I have always been fascinated by those morality tales of the Victorian era. My favorite is "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley. My mom used to recite it to me when I was little. It was also in a book I had when I was really young. Those Victorians must have scared their kids to death! Here is the drawing. And here is the poem!

LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE

by: James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)

INSCRIBED WITH ALL FAITH AND AFFECTION

To all the little children: -- The happy ones; and sad ones; The sober and the silent ones; the boisterous and glad ones; The good ones -- Yes, the good ones, too; and all the lovely bad ones.

ITTLE Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an'-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A-list'nin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
An' when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wuzn't there at all!
An' they seeked him in the rafter-room, an' cubby-hole, an' press,
An' seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an' ever'-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an' roundabout:--
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever' one, an' all her blood-an'-kin;
An' wunst, when they was "company," an' ole folks wuz there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side,
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' 'fore she knowed what she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin'-bugs in dew is all squenched away,--
You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

God is Everywhere

2009-04-03T13:21:00.008-05:00

I don't know if anyone is ever going to read this blog and I want to archive the story of the Sacred Heart chip. For my daughter Sarah's birthday we went to the family favorite birthday restaurant, R.J. Grunts. They serve homemade chips there. Because I am on a low carb diet, I always look at my food before I eat it (makes me aware.). LOOK what I found!
For those of you who do not recognize a religious icon when you
see it, this is a SACRED HEART chip. I was so impressed that I
didn't eat it. I wrapped it in a napkin to take home and sell on Ebay. Well, the next morning, my puppy Winston smelled it in
my purse, and pulled out the napkin...then puppy Monroe snagged it and ran. Needless to say, I was unable to make my first million on Ebay. Here it the original Sacred Heart picture so everyone can see the resemblance.
April first was April Fools Day, and I forgot all about it. Not that I am a great fooler, but I missed it anyway. Oh well.........

You Can Do It!

2009-04-01T18:51:00.005-05:00

Well, here are the directions on how to make edible fruit arrangements! They are not my own instructions, but these things are really hard to find on the web. They are copyrighted so you can link on them at:
http://www.plan-the-perfect-baby-shower.com/fruit-bouquet.html
We're getting closer to Easter and I am ready. That only means that we're going out to dinner that day, and I've already bought all the Easter candy. Including Edible Easter Basket Grass. I got it at Walmart of all places. They have a section of candy and toys that are color coordinated. All blue stuff, all pink stuff, etc. I haven't opened it yet, so I don't know what it tastes like, but it looks kind of wafery. Like those round candies with the candy beads in them. Flying saucers!

I'll find out soon if that grass is wafery or like sour candy. My kids are young adults now so they have no problem
sharing.
There is a candy site that sells these, although they are out of stock at the moment.

http://www.hometownfavorites.com/products.asp?dept=1066&number=HFCA264&pagenumber=2

There are plenty of nostalgic candies here from the 50's to the 80's.

Rainy Days and Mondays

2009-03-31T16:24:00.004-05:00

It's raining today and I thought that this blog might organize my thoughts...My mind isn't doing such a good job of it these days.
My friend Linda asked me to find some cookie bakers for her. I found two cute shops on Etsy! The one on the left is from AmyBakes. These cookies are all about 3" and she'll make four of each for only $12. I can't believe it! I just have to see if she can put them on sticks.

I saw another shop too and she says she can put her cookies on sticks. The shop is called BrokenRoadFarm. They have butter- cream frosting and and are $7.99 for six ( at least that is the pre-stick price. I wouldn't bake for those prices. I was also doing some research for Linda about making those cool fruit arrangements that are so expensive. I came across one site that has a really really expensive kit and all you really need is a cookie cutter and some bamboo skewers. There was another place that gave directions on how to "do it yourself". If it works, I will post it for all to see. I have to take some pictures now so I have some actual content for this blog. See everyone later!