Cleaning up and clearing out

Every year right after Christmas and before the New Year, I find myself cleaning and purging not only my home, but myself of junk I no longer need. This of course leads me to things I need to do in the coming year and things I'd like to do for myself.

This year, instead of New Year's resolutions, I'm going to have New Year's accomplishments. I've starting my list.

A sashing we will go

I pulled out the Courthouse Square quilt blocks and cut the sashing this morning. I decided of all the colors in the block that I liked the navy blue the best. It's the least represented color and so it's not overwhelming.


















I plan to do 3 across x 5 down. That will make a nice sized lap quilt and use all of the blocks.

Sadly, the muslin in the blocks was cut on the bias and so it's very easy to stretch a block out of shape. I've become very familiar with my seam ripper today.

I hope everyone is having a lovely day and wish you all peace and love in the new year.

Handmade breakdown

The rosy glow of Christmas is nearly over at my house. Wrapping paper is picked up and I think I've found all of the bows that the cat got off with.

I took the handmade pledge this year and made a bunch of our gifts. I have to say, it sure beats fighting the crowds and is a lot more fun. I plan to do even more next year.

This year's handmade gifts included:
14 aprons
3 dolls
6 scarves
1 baby blanket
20 Morsbags
needle book
4 pairs of sleep pants

That's what...49 gifts...all handmade. Out of those 49, only one recipient was an ungrateful brat and one of my nephews was mad that I didn't make him an apron too.

Now, the bad news is that I didn't get pictures of most of this stuff. I'd think about it and then get distracted by something shiny and completely forget. I'll have to see if everyone will send me pictures of them using their handmade gifts.

My only regret is not starting a lot earlier. I need to start thinking about it in February or March at the latest and get a plan together and then get busy making gifts.

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

My blessings are many this year and I am so glad that I can count each of you as one of my blessings. Thank you for your friendship.

Joy

A day spent doing

Finished this apron. Cat print on one side, 'Meow' on the other. This one's on Etsy.















A primitive, needle-felted sheep. I'm trying to make a pull-toy. Isn't he ugly? I love him. He looks well-worn. I used black, brown, natural, and a bit of white roving.

I'd better get back to making little britches.

Did you hear that?

It was a huge sigh of relief. Finals are over and life can begin again.

I'm not going to have much time to pull off a fabulous Christmas, but I'm going to do my best. Better late than never certainly applies this year.

I've got gifts to make, a house to clean and decorate, and sleep to catch up on. I'll bet I don't get much sleep though.

I'm off to visit my bloggy friends and see what kind of trouble they've been up to.

Thrift quilt blocks - $1.75

I found these quilt blocks at the thrift store.

Courthouse Square: There are 15 of this one. At one time it was sewn into a top (you can see the seams), but for some reason taken apart. The blocks measure 15" x 15". $1.00













Double Monkey Wrench: There are 29 solid light background and 30 floral background with brown center. These blocks measure 13" x 13". 75 cents.

Holiday Cheese Ball

This recipe comes from my husband's cousin's wife, Jane.

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese
1 small jar chopped pimento
as much chopped green onion as you like
5 pieces of crumbled bacon

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature so it's soft enough to mix. Cut the green ends of the onions into tiny pieces and mix with the drained pimento. Add that mess to the softened cream cheese and finely crumbled bacon.

Mix well and roll in chopped pecans.

****My changes****

Jane's recipe calls for a measly 5 pieces of bacon. Who can stop at 5 pieces of bacon? I normally buy the really thin stuff and cook the whole package. After I drain the bacon I run it through the food processor and chop it up pretty fine.

Once I mix the cheese, bacon, onion, and pimento together I pack it into a bowl lined with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge until it firms up a bit. Once it's a little firmer, I take it out of the bowl/plastic wrap and roll it in chopped nuts, normally a mix of different kinds or a mix of chopped parsley and nuts.

The longer this cheese ball sits in the fridge, the better it is. Serve with crackers or veggies of choice.

I could eat my weight in this stuff and that's a bunch of Holiday Cheese Balls.

Feedback questions

Okey-dokey. Here's a question for you loyal readers. I guess this applies to Ebay, Etsy, or where ever.

As a seller, do you give feed and when?

As a buyer, do you give feedback and when?

As a buyer I give feedback as soon as I receive my item and as a seller, when I receive payment.

What would be your reasons for not giving feedback as a buyer or seller?

Ebay is notoriously bad when it comes to feedback. So many sellers just don't bother with it and as a buyer it's frustrating.

Tell me what you think.

Aprons on Etsy

I talked it over with my mom and the apron I made for my sister just isn't going to fit her.

I listed two aprons just a bit ago, the one I made for sis and the blue/veggie print.

Decorative dress form

Yesterday I intended to sew and pester my dear readers with drivel. Instead, I got 'the' call.

The phone call was the sweet lady calling to tell me that my decorative dress form was in the store and I could come pick her up. I called my mom, gave her 15 minutes to go from sleepy granny to shopping diva, spiffed up the kids and myself and off we went.

Introducing Ingabo Mazel Barthena Zerilda a.k.a. I'm Busy.


















Naturally I forgot to unload the junk out of the car trunk and for a while thought IMBZ would have to ride in the backseat with the kids. Fortunately for them, she comes apart and I was able to wedge her in the trunk. Being a ham-fisted sort of girl, I managed to break one of the little welds holding her upright. DH is handy with a welder and I don't think she'll be hard to fix. Until then, she's got a piece of wire keeping her from flopping over or listing to one side.

As dress forms go, she's worthless. As a prop for aprons and fun stuff, she's going to be great. The price was certainly right and she doesn't take up much room at all. I may still have my wedding dress somewhere around here and if I do, she gets to wear it.

My number one fan

Meet L.T.(Little Tigger). She's named after her father, Tigger, who she resembles right down to the mustache mark on her face. This is her new bed. She loves sleeping in baskets and most cat beds are too small so we went with a doggie bed. Shhh! Don't tell her.

She was born in February of 2001 and came to live with me at the beginning of April, along with her half-sister/cousin. That's a story for another day.

From the beginning, she followed me everywhere. Two weeks after coming home with me, I stepped on her in the dark, tried to get off of her and tore the tendons in my foot. We were quite the pair. Her little foot was swollen to beat all and mine was black and blue. DH fished her out from under the bed and we sat in the chair with our feet up, commiserating with each other. She's been my number one fan ever since.

When the time came to spay the girls, she was so frightened of the cat carrier that she bit DH and tore up his arm trying to get away. She succeeded. DH came to my work and showed me what my cat had done to his poor hand and arm. He was bloody from fingertips to shoulder and his dress shirt was in shreds.

I managed to get her in the carrier and to the vet on time for her surgery without so much as a hiss or complaint. To this day, she has nothing to do with DH.

We almost lost her to pneumonia in December 2004, right after we moved from NM to OK. DH had insisted that we get the girls de-clawed since they would have to be indoor cats due to living in town. On the farm they went in and out as they pleased. I knew something was wrong a couple of days after the de-clawing and took her back to the vet. The vet said it was just allergies and she'd be okay. She just kept getting worse and worse and I finally had to find a new vet, in a new town, two days before Christmas. Once we got her treatment started it took almost two months for her to fully recover. She's been fit as a fiddle ever since.

She greets me first thing of a morning and waits for me to come in the door after class. Of the feline variety, she's my best friend.

I guess this is the long way of saying, "Here's my cat. We love each other."

Thrifting

I haven't been to the thrift store all week. Something about a dozen ridiculous papers looming overhead. Anyway, I turned in the last one yesterday and drove immediately to the thrift store where I was rewarded with all kinds of goodies. My total bill was $6.75 excluding tax.

9-1/2 yards of this fabric for 50 cents a yard. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with 9-1/2 yards of this, but I've got lots to play with. Hey! I could make curtains for the kitchen or something.












An embroidered piece with tatting around the edge, an old scissor keeper, and a length of trim.








Various lengths of eyelet and lace trims.














A nice piece of wool fabric and blue calico










Zippers. The one on the left with the orange tag says 'TG&Y'. Anybody remember TG&Y?

The mailman brought me gifts

Annie contacted me earlier in the week wanting my address. She said she'd found a doo-dad and thought of me. Awe!

Today, the mailman brought my doo-dad and I love it. Thank you so much Annie!














How cute is that? It's a tiny little pincushion to be worn on the finger or thumb. Genius!

















Please ignore the wedding band that appears to be cutting my finger in half. I might have had a bit too much salt yesterday.

I might as well warn you now. This is going to be a multi-post kind of day. I've got tons to talk about.

The ugliest apron ever

Okay, here's the ugliest apron ever. Ignore the grumpy looking old goat. He was ironing and I interrupted him. He wouldn't let me tie the apron so he's holding the strings in the back. This fabric has little snowmen all over it.

















Wait! Where did the grumpy guy go? I tripped over a cat and nearly fell. That's why he's smiling. Again, he wouldn't let me tie the strings. Men!

















I thought about sending a really pretty apron for the white elephant exchange and then decided that after 12 years of receiving half-burned candles and 20-year-old boxes of candy as gifts, an ugly apron was appropriate.

Blech!

School is about to do me in. I have 8 papers (just from one instructor) due on Friday before 5pm. He didn't assign them until yesterday during a temper tantrum in lab.

Friday is day after tomorrow and it's coming way too soon.

I skipped Chemistry today so I could stay home and work on this mess. I managed to get five written and sent in. Naturally, I left the hardest for last and hope I get a sudden inspiration tonight sometime.

In other news, I still don't have my tree up and the decorations are still in the attic. Honestly, it may have to wait until finals are over and done.

My dear husband is leaving tomorrow to go see his folks for Christmas. They're having the family get-together on Sunday and then on Monday my FIL is having a colonoscopy so DH wants to be there for that. The doctor fears he may have cancer. Prayers would be appreciated for J.E.

I squeaked out the ugliest apron in the world for the white elephant exchange. That would be the extent of my crafting this week. I had DH wear it so I could get a picture of it. I'll try to get it posted sometime soon.

Take care dear friends.

An author among us

Imagine my surprise, I'm reading Small Town Living and spy a name that looks very familiar. It's Sue from Country Pleasures.

Sue has written a delightful article and I encourage everyone to run over and read it. Small Town Living is a pleasure to read, but when you 'know' one of the contributing authors, it's even better.

Jumpin' up and down

I'm jumping up and down, grinning like a fool.

I just had my very first sale at Etsy and I'm soooo excited.

I've already got it packaged up and ready to hit the PO in the morning.

Thank you so much NancyJo!

New fabric

Cute!

I've lived in three states that Route 66 passed through and always get a kick out of the diners, drive-ins, motels, and billboards that honor the Mother Road. I still drive on old 66 every time I hop over to Hydro.

I can't wait for this fabric to get here.

Discipline...Grandpa style

Growing up I had my share of spankings and such. I grew up okay and don't seem to be damaged. That said, my grandpa had his very own way of getting us kids to behave.

Grandpa was a tolerant kind of man. He put up with kids jumping all over the place and hanging on him when he was outside working. He put up with us playing in the well-house, rearranging his boxes and jars of nails and other Grandpa stuff.

He refereed boxing matches, turned fist fights, between the kids making sure nobody really got hurt. He was really pretty easy-going until Saturday night wrestling was on and then, well, we'd better behave.

He would finally get fed up with the bickering or what ever nonsense us kids were up to at the time and then he'd holler at us. That was our one and only chance to knock it off. After that, he'd thump the floor.

His chair sat almost in the corner of the living room. On the right side of his chair was an end table and on the left, his spittoon.

After our one and only chance, those of us foolish enough to continue acting like apes, were summoned to the living room where Grandpa would thump the hardwood floor with his knuckle and tell us to sit down.

Being the oldest, wisest and fastest, I always got the spot between the end table and his chair, leaving the less desirable spittoon side to another sibling. Nobody wanted to sit on that side of the chair and I mean absolutely nobody.

I would sit on my side of his chair with the Reader's Digest I'd stuck under the end table and giggle at the gagging sounds coming from the other side. As a rotten kid I took great pleasure in the misery of my unlucky siblings.

Yesterday, the kids were cranky and constantly at each other. I found myself doling out discipline like my grandpa did.

I needed to get some fabric ready to wash and was serging the cut ends. I could hear the kids over the clacking of the serger and so I hollered at them. Into the third end of fabric the noise level had risen considerably so I summoned them both.

I put one in front of the door and the other in front of the dresser and told them to sit and be quiet. Nothing makes a kid more miserable than to be required to sit and not talk while under the watchful eye of an adult. They just can't help but squirm due to the discomfort. The pain of it is intolerable, to a child.

They dont' know how lucky they are I didn't have a stinky spittoon.

Whew!

If ever I was glad to see a Friday, today would be the day.

This week has been miserable. I've done exactly two things on my to-do list. That's bad.

At this point in the semester I'm ready to chuck the whole thing in the garbage and go bag groceries at the local Homeland.

Somehow having two hideously impossible tests in one week just makes me grumpy. Really grumpy. I woke up at 7:15 this morning with class notes and books strewn across the bed, the TV and light both still on, my ponytail askew and a crick in my neck. The last time I remember looking at the clock it was 3:20. I don't know when I conked out. The night before it was 4:07 the last time I checked. I'm too old for this nonsense. It's a good thing DH was gone hunting or he'd have had a litter of puppies. He's cranky that way.

I'm over it now though. Tomorrow is December 1st.

The arrival of December means I'm supposed to put up our tree and execute my pathetic attempt at decorating. I kind of want my remodeling/renovation done before I decorate, but that could mean several more holiday seasons without decorations. That won't work.

I wonder which one of the kids I can bribe to go up in the attic and hand stuff down so we can get to the business of decorating?

Sorry for the stream of thought post. It just feels good to kind of unload my mind. Now I think I'll go visit my friends' blogs and see what they've been up to since my last visit.

A few more thoughts

I just read this article, Selling Handmade Items:Do cut price handmade goods compromise the market?

and followed a link to Pricing Your Sewing and Needle Work.

Both articles make perfect sense. On one hand, I don't want to ruin the market by charging what I think is a fair price and completely undercutting the other apron makers. But at the same time my items aren't exactly like theirs and so our costs are different. I feel like I need to take geographic differences into account as well. Living in the middle of the US is certainly cheaper than living on either coast.

I think I'll sit down and do some more figuring (overhead, etc.) and come up with a price I can live with that is fair to the customer, the other apron makers and myself.

Questions for my gentle readers

Okay girls (and any guys that might lurk), I need help.

This post is all about prices and how I'm having a hard time setting them.

I suppose this is the age old problem of every crafter that has ever tried to put a price on something they've made.

Now, about these aprons, what would you be willing to pay for one, either for yourself or as a gift?

I can tell you it takes 2 yards of fabric, give or take 5 yards of trim, and maybe 1-1/2 hours when I can just sit and sew. The end result is a reversible apron with two pockets on each side.

Total cost of materials are from 13.57 up to 23.00 if I go with really snazzy fabric that's not on sale.

I look at the aprons on Etsy and other places on the web and I'm shocked at some of the prices. I want to be fair, but I don't want to give them away either.

I guess what I'm asking is, what do you pay yourself? Do you pay yourself or is this just a fun thing to make a little pin money? What would you charge for something like this?

Tell me what you think. Pretty please.

Did a little sewing

After my Friday posting binge, I got busy sewing on Saturday.

I finished my sister's, the chef-to-be, apron. It turned out pretty cute.

I'm worried it's not going to be enough coverage. This particular pattern is reported to fit size 4-24. I don't believe it. I'm tempted to get more of these fabrics and go with the Qwik Sew pattern that I know would cover well.

Anyway. Here's the recipe side.

















and the olive side.

















I started on the flannel sleep pants for the kids. If I had known how ridiculously easy this pattern was (Simplicity 3669), I would have cut out all four pairs at once. As it is, I only cut out one. These little britches were 35 minutes from the time I cut them out to hemming the last leg. It doesn't go much faster than that.



















I've decided I'm sizing impaired. I got both kids and measured them and came up with all kinds of odd stuff.

Caitlyn's size according to measurements: Height (size 6), waist (size 10), hips (size 7).

Sam's size according to measurements: Height (size 8), waist (size size 12), hips (size 7).

My scientific way of sizing was to take the three sizes and average them. I came out with a 10 for Sam and an 8 for Cait.

I had both kids try on the purple pants and they fit both in the waist and hips. The length was good for Sam, but Miss Shorty Britches needs about 4 inches cut off.

That doesn't look like much for all of the effort I put into yesterday.

Unfortunately, it's cold and the kids can't go out so they have cabin fever. I don't need them any sicker than they already are or I'd poke them out the door and wave as they headed for the treehouse. I broke up fights and separated kids most of the day. Definitely not how I like to spend my time.

Weather as it happens

No, those orbs aren't anything paranormal.

And now for the 5 o'clock weather...

Look out my window and what do I see, nothing but sleet and it's chilling me. (Okay, so I can't sing and have a really wierd sense of humor.)

We got our first Winter 2007 snow at 3:42 PM today. As you can see, it didn't amount to much and has now turned to sleet. This wasn't supposed to be here until Saturday. Surprise!

Now it feels like winter.

Black Friday

So, how are you spending your day?

My mother tried to convince me it would be a good idea to go shopping before sunrise this morning. I declined.

I just can't face the crowds of people pushing, shoving, stealing items from other shopping baskets, and the hoards of little ones that should still be home tucked in their beds. I can't do it.

If you participated, I hope you found everything you went after and I applaud your bravery.

I haven't called to see if she went or not. I hope she stayed home.

That's where we are. We're in our jammies enjoying being lazy today. The kids are watching cartoons and I'm making disasters come alive in the sewing room.

The black and white wool bag isn't going to happen. It all came down to bad choices on my part and now that it's almost finished I'm not willing to invest any more time into it. As it stands now, I've got a really neat looking little bowl type thing to hold ribbons and other frippery. I'll try again later.

I really want to just go curl up with a good book and see if I can read myself into a nap. I'm sure the kids have different ideas though and it won't happen.

I've got a couple of aprons in mind and need to go cut out the fabric and get started. They shouldn't take long.

How'd you do that?

A week or so ago I finally gave up on my tomatoes ever ripening on the vine. The weather was getting cooler and I was going to lose them all if I didn't do something soon.

I hated to do it, but I went out and picked the biggest tomatoes and brought them in. The bushes, I ripped them up by the roots and laid them aside to go in the compost bin.

I counted 47 greener-than-a-gourd tomatoes. These were even too green to make fried green tomatoes.

In the back of my little brain there was a memory niggling around. I finally worked it to the surface and did what my granny use to do with tomatoes at the end of the season.

I put my 47 too-green tomatoes in a brown paper bag with an apple and rolled down the top, setting the bag aside to do it's thing.

I let a few days go by and checked on it. Low and behold! I had 4 red, ripe tomatoes. Hooray!

I took those out and closed up the bag. I've been doing this every couple of days for a week and I'm nearly out of too green tomatoes.







The kids think this is amazing. They want to know how I did it. How did I get those red tomatoes in that bag with the green ones and the apple? I just tell them it's helping nature along.

I'd love to go into the whole gas exchange, dark environment, ripening thing with them, but I know they're little eyes would glaze over and I'd lose them the first time I said ethylene oxide.

So for now, it seems like magic.

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish all of my wonderful blog friends a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

My duties this year are to make the dressing, a pumpkin pie, deviled eggs, and cranberry sauce. I normally end up doing it all, but my mother decided to help this year. Bless her!

First Etsy listings

I did it! I bit the bullet and put a couple of things up.

I've never been so scared. That nagging doubt that my stuff isn't good enough sat right there in the back of my mind the whole time.

Then I started worrying. What if someone buys something, hates it, and is ugly. I just know I'll cry and all confidence will go out the window.

Okay, enough of that.

Go have a look at Country Traditions and please, be honest and tell me what you think.

10 things

Here are 10 things I'm thankful for this year. I could probably list 10 more.

In no particular order...

1. My husband. (He supports me through thick and thin and still loves me when I mess up)

2. My family. (I wouldn't be half the person I am without the kids. I am so blessed to have them in my life)

3. My home. (This old house gives me so much)

4. My health.

5. My friends, old and new. (Good friends are hard to find)

6. My faith. (God gets me through each day)

7. My education.

8. Natural wonders. (Leaves, rain, sunsets, sunrise, snow, wind, etc...)

9. My talents. (I need to use them more)

10. Coffee.

What a day

Sam had a doctor's appointment in OKC today so we spent most of the day running around up there.

Let me just say, if the road crews are working on a road and have it closed, I would dearly appreciate them putting the 'Road Closed' sign further out so I don't drive down the said closed road and have to figure out how to get turned around. Boy did I feel stupid and I wasn't even in OKC yet. LOL!

Construction was just crazy all over town and I don't do crazy.

The good news, he doesn't have to go back to the doctor unless something comes up later on with his ADHD. She's very impressed that he's being homeschooled and doing so well. We are blessed!

I had the opportunity to do a little bit of shopping so I took it. I wouldn't drive 75 miles to shop any other time so I thought I was doing a good thing.

I got this fabric to make my chef-to-be sister an apron. It just screamed her name. I found the recipe print at Hobby Lobby. and the olive print I found at Hancock Fabrics as a remnant.













Sam, being a 9 year old little boy, found the only glass shelf with a corner broken off in the whole store and cut his arm as he walked by. Hobby Lobby will be receiving a box of Band-Aids for Christmas. I couldn't believe no one had a bandaid of any kind. Of course I also couldn't believe they had a broken piece of glass being used as a shelf either. He's fine and Hobby Lobby changed out the shelf. Now Sam doesn't want to look at anything in that store again. Poor kid.

I normally don't fall for fat quarters due to the ridiculous price, but one of my current projects is fat quarter friendly and I can get two or so items out of one so it makes it not quite so cost prohibitive, plus these were on sale at Hancock Fabrics. There are some yard+ length remnants under the fats.















Now I'm tired and my head hurts from clenching my teeth most of the day.

Oh, I also picked up a bag making book. I'm having fits with my wool bag and I need help!

Pictures as promised

All kinds of doll patterns.













Six yards of this one...













and six yards of this one. It's not really this purple in person.











Old red and white apron.














This one is going to Etsy. Veggies on one side and blue floral on the other.

I did it!

I actually did some sewing today.

Mom came and got the kids about noon, so I went in my little room, shut the door, and locked it.

I managed to get a reversible apron made. This one's going on Etsy. I think it's pretty cute. Once again, a new pattern and there was a learning curve. I'm a slow learner.

DH heard me talking about wanting a dress form so he's buying me one as a late birthday present. The one I want is cute, nothing that could actually be used as a dress form, more as a decoration. The best part, it's $35. I should have it sometime after Thanksgiving. While I would love to have a real dress form, I just can't see spending $100+ on one so I can hang an apron on it.

I think I'll name her Ingabo Mazel Barthena Zerilda, IMBZ (I'm busy) for short, after four of my grandmothers.

Boy am I glad my parents liked me and didn't name me after my grannies.

I spent a little time thrifting this morning and found a cute little red and white apron for a quarter and a bunch of patterns similar to the one that Sue sent me.

Fabric, boy did I find fabric. Six yards of homespun for $5 and another 6 yards for $6. One of them will make a really cute tree skirt.

Pictures of this mess tomorrow. Night all.

You're only half as old as Oklahoma

Yesterday was my dear husband's 50th birthday. It was also the centennial of Oklahoma entering the union.

As we do, he was bemoaning turning 50 and talking about feeling old.

Sam piped up and said, "You're only half as old as Oklahoma. You still have a long way to go.".

I don't know that hubby felt any better after Sam's proclamation, but he did get a good chuckle out of it.

In other news, both kids have strep throat and it's been a rough week for everybody. I should have known something was up when they couldn't be in the same room together without fussing.

I haven't gotten any crafting done this week. The kids are feeling better and I'm hoping to get somewhere with the mess in the sewing room.

Wish me luck.

Enchilada sauce from Heaven

I grew up in West Texas and this is the sauce my granny used for her enchiladas. I love this stuff.

Sadly, you could only get it in places like Muleshoe or Farwell, Texas unless you venture into New Mexico. Then you could find it in Texico or Clovis. If I remember correctly, it's made in Texico, New Mexico.

A few years ago I couldn't find my sauce in any stores in any of the four towns listed above. Imagine, a crazed lady driving around two states hunting enchilada sauce in a little yellow and blue can, muttering under her breath. It was sad.

I had to do without my sauce for almost two years. We were on an enchilada strike until El Monterrey took pity on the hoards of sauce lovers. Imagine the sales of beef, cheese, and tortillas plummeting, causing mass panic among beef and wheat producers.

Finally, El Monterrey came back and gave us our beloved enchilada sauce once more. They changed the packaging to a bag and naturally jacked the price up a bit. I didn't care. My sauce was back and we could have enchiladas once more.

The first thing I did when I found out we were moving to Oklahoma was buy every bag of enchilada sauce I could find, which turned out to be a measly 9 bags. Nine bags doesn't last long when you like enchiladas and your family begs for them regularly.

I enlisted the help of my mother in my enchilada sauce quest. She located 15 bags and bought those for me and sent them my way.

Whew! Crisis averted....until today.

I'm making enchiladas for dinner. I've hunted through the pantry and all of the cabinets. I'm down to my last bag of enchilada sauce. Woe is me.

I called the El Monterrey company and am thrilled to tell you they still make it. They won't send me any, but they still make it. I asked them about stores that carry it and was shocked to learn that S&S Supermarket in Clovis, NM is the only place it can be found.

I'm afraid when DH goes to see his folks the next time, he's going to have to make an enchilada sauce run.

If you every see this stuff anywhere pick up a bag or two or a dozen. If you don't like it let me know and I'll take it off your hands.

A couple of things

Here's the wool that I'm going to turn into a snazzy handbag. I'm awfully confident aren't I?

For some reason, I thought this was a hounds tooth, but it's not. It's just a little check. Even better. I think I have the perfect thing to use for lining.















I found a little bag of old wooden spools at the thrift store. So cute. I hadn't seen some of these shapes or colors before.

Green floral apron

I decided I was going at this apron the wrong way.

Why wad the apron up and throw it in the corner when the instructions are the problem?

I took those instructions and crammed them in a drawer and just did what I wanted with the apron.

It turned out okay. It could use some adjustments on the straps in the back, but otherwise, it's a cutie.

It looks better on a body. The inset at the bottom is ruffled and because I haven't ironed it yet, it hangs a little funny. I either need a dressform or a model.

Taking time to regroup

I'm having a bad crafting day and finally turned off the light and shut the door. It's time to regroup.

I'm still plugging away on the apron. I'm not terribly bright sometimes, but somebody goofier than me wrote those instructions.

I swear, I've alternated between tearing my hair out, taking out stitches, and stomping. At one point I wadded the whole mess up and threw it in the corner.

I'll get it sorted out, just not today.

I decided that since I can't seem to sew, I'd torture the wool dress instead. Right now it's in the washer with hot water. I hope to get it cut and into a bag this week.

I've been working on a few ideas for Etsy. We'll see if those work out when I'm done regrouping.

Quiche...nothing but a fancy omlet

When DH and I first got married the poor man had never eaten quiche. He mouthed something along the lines of real men and quiche. Blah, blah, blah. He changed his tune fast enough once he'd had his first bite. He proudly announced that quiche was nothing but a fancy omlet.

I gave him the choice of spaghetti or quiche for dinner tonight and he nearly bit his tongue off trying to say quiche while salivating like a St. Bernard.

Aunt Jo's Quiche

12 ounces of bacon chopped up and thrown in a frying pan.
1/2 onion chopped up and thrown on top of the bacon in the frying pan.
1 teaspoon of garlic chopped fine and thrown on top of the onion and bacon.

Cook it! By the time the bacon is cooked, the onions and garlic will be golden brown.

While the aroma of bacon, onion, and garlic are tantalizing your taste buds, mix up the liquid stuff.

2 cups of half-and-half
1-1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella
4 eggs beaten (poor eggs)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 good hard shakes of cayenne pepper (more if you like)
1 heaping tablespoon chives.

Mix it up.

Drain the bacon the best you can. No need to get every drop of bacon grease out of there. It's going to rise to the top and you can blot it off with a paper towel. Throw the bacon/onion/garlic mixture in with the liquid stuff and give it a stir.

Get your 2 deep dish pie crust ready. Take a fork and poke lots and lots of holes in the bottom and around the edge.

Because I'm a klutz, I put my pie shells on a sheet pan and stick it on the oven rack before filling. Yes, I've poured an entire quiche in the bottom of the oven before. Bad!

Get a slotted spoon and start dividing the chunky stuff (bacon/cheese) from the liquid mix between two pie shells. This is the only way I can get them semi even. After it's all divided, pour the remainder of the liquid over the chunky stuff. Try to get roughly the same amount in each pan. If you don't, one will cook faster than the other and then what will you do. (Hide in the laundry room and enjoy that quiche all by yourself!)

Cook for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. You can tell when it's done. It won't jiggle in the middle if you shake it. Just before I take it out I like to sprinkle a bit more cheese on top and let that melt.

Let it set for 10 minutes and then cut into slices. I like to serve it with a garden salad.

If you try it, let me know.

Beautiful sky

I looked out my front door and this is what greeted me.

Not a total loss

Yesterday wasn't a total loss. I did manage to get a few things done, but not nearly enough.

This little doll is made of spools. It's amazing what kind of stuff I have to craft with when I start looking.

My granny made me one of these when I was little. I loved my little spool doll. I wonder what ever happened to her? I mainly did this just to see if I could remember how she went together. I might do some of these for the girlies that are too little for aprons.


















I finished this child-sized scarf in chocolate brown.


















I need to get a list made up for the nieces and nephews so I can see where I'm at in the gift making. I'm going to be an aunt again somewhere around December 11th. Gosh! That will be number 25.

Today I finally got my next apron cut out. It's a new pattern and I'm having to think about it too much. I think it's going to be really pretty if I can get over this mental block I'm having.

Unmotivated

Today I find myself unmotivated to do anything. I think it's the weather bringing me down. Hot tea may be in order.

Here are the tablecloths and fabric that I bought the other day.

This blue and green is the worse of the two in terms of condition. It has a hole that at one time was patched, but now the patch has a hole. How sad. I'll give it a good wash and soak followed by ironing and see how it looks then.


















I like this yellow and red with the bows. It seems to be in pretty good shape.


















Here's the fabric. I picked up two yards for $3. I really don't think they knew what they had. Most older fabric is considerably higher. As I said before, my granny had a dress and matching apron out of this fabric. She's been gone for 22 years and I was probably 10 or 11 when she had this. Let's just say it's old and leave it at that.

Frugal shopping day

I didn't have lab this afternoon because I've been a good 'kid' all semester and haven't missed any classes. I chose to spend my free afternoon hunting and pecking through the thrift and antique stores.

I found 2 yards of fabric for a shockingly low price at the antique store. It seemed very familiar and I finally figured out my granny had an apron out of this very same fabric. Wow, that makes it at least 30 years old if not older.

I get such a kick out of the antique stores. I've probably got 90% of the stuff they call vintage and it was new when I was a kid. Either I'm getting old or antique/vintage items are younger than they use to be.

I found a 100% wool hounds tooth dress for $1 at the thrift store. It has snap pockets and I hope when it's felted they retain their shape, only smaller.

At the really yucky thrift store I found a couple of 50s style print tablecloths for 50 cents a piece. I'm not sure why I decided I needed those, but they followed me home anyway.

I'll take a picture of the fabric and post it. I'd be interested to see if anyone else remembers it.

Etsy

I finally signed up at Etsy. So when countrytraditions shows up, that would be me.

My mother and sisters are pushing me to sell and I'm dragging my feet. I told them maybe after the first of the year. I just don't have time right now and that wouldn't be fair to anyone.

I don't know what I'd make to sell that there aren't a million of already. I'm going to have to do some thinking and planning to see if it's even worth the time.

Wool bag

I bought an extra large 96% lambs wool sweater at the thrift shop the other day for $1 and managed to felt it without too much trouble on my first try.

I decided to try my hand at bag making. I had planned to give it as a gift if it worked out, but my sister snatched it up and has laid claim. I'll just have to try another one.



















The body of the bag is the body of the sweater and the handles are made out of one of the sleeves.I lined it with a dark blue cotton since that happened to be on top of the pile.

I was tickled that my Pfaff sewed right through it without any problem. I was afraid it might be too thick.

Gift from Sue

I recently entered in Sue's 200th post giveaway and was the lucky person to have her name drawn. I visit Sue almost daily and was tickled to be the winner.


















Sue sent me an adorable little journal, a precious doll pattern, and a 2008 calendar.

As much I love all of my little gifts, I treasure knowing a sweetheart like Sue so much more. Thank you Sue!

Fallish apron

I didn't get this one done in time for Halloween, but it will still work for Thanksgiving. This is Simplicity 3979 (American Diner).

Overall, I'm not thrilled with this bunch of aprons. They just don't fit girls with any meat on their bones. Forget it if you have hips or are well-endowed.

This one is going to one of the nieces that actually works in a diner.

Sewing notions

I cleaned my living room today and had to dust my bowl full of sewing notions. It lives on the treadle and boy was it dusty. I took everything out of the bowl and group it up to share with all of you. These are things I've gathered over the years.
























Pst! A can of air is the only way to clean stuff like this. It's fast and easy.