Saturday, June 27, 2009

Sad news

DH's father passed away on Thursday evening late. DH has held together pretty well considering and mother-in-law is hanging in there and showing a little sass every now and again.

We're home long enough to swap out clothes and sleep in our bed one night. We're headed back to New Mexico in the morning. The funeral is being held on Monday.

I'll see you next week sometime.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

I have big onions

Did I get your attention? LOL. I have some onions given to us by a friend that weigh nearly 2 pounds each. That weight is in ounces.

The onion on the left is gigantic compared to the one on the right. I fixed one the other day with potatoes and it was so sweet. Yum!

Speaking of yum, I made my first peach jam of the year last Saturday. The tall jars in the back hold 12 ounces and the ones in the front are regular jelly jars. I haven't eaten any yet, but have heard it's pretty good.

I'm still hanging stuff on the walls. I have a collection of old hankies and rather than leave them in a drawer I wanted to display them. This brilliant idea came from Addicted 2 Decorating. I chose to display the blue hankies and have the others folded in the little area below. Now I need a bigger spoon holder.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Wednesday.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Quick update

Time does slip through your fingers, doesn't it? I had all kinds of happy fluffy stuff to post and share, but I'm not up to it right now.

We made an unplanned trip to New Mexico on Sunday. My sister-in-law called late Saturday night to let us know father-in-law had fallen again. DH decided we'd get up early Sunday and drive down to see how he was doing and assess the situation. It wasn't good.

FIL had a doctors appointment last Wednesday and everything looked really good. His blood work was as good as could be expected for someone his age and the doctor gave him the go-ahead to go out of town. He was excited about possibly going to the cabin in July and was working on gaining more strength so he could make the trip.

In three days he'd taken a turn for the worse. We thought he might have had a slight stroke and took him back to the doctor. While he hasn't had a stroke, his liver enzymes have tripled, platelets have plummeted, and he's in constant pain. He's confused and doesn't know today from 40 years ago. Today we found out that his kidneys are failing and the end is drawing near. Hospice has been called in to assist in his care.

We're trying to prepare ourselves which is ridiculous. No amount of preparation ever eases the pain of losing a parent or spouse.

So, if you can or will, please send up a prayer or thought for the family. I really would appreciate it.

Friday, June 19, 2009

One happy baby

We made a quick trip to New Mexico and were rewarded with babysitting time.

Good morning, Meemaw. I see you have that camera, again.I love it when Peepaw tickles me.See my tongue. I didn't know I had one of those things. I sure like playing with it.Come here and let me stick my tongue on that camera. It's pretty funny to wear Peepaw's hat. She's such a good baby and always so happy. She's 5-1/2 months old now and weighs 14 pounds. She's got the rolling over thing down and can really travel when she puts her mind to it. Next thing you know she'll be running and wanting the car keys.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wild in Oklahoma

After I told the cats to quit fighting and find something to do, outloud I might add, I decided it might be time to get out of the house for a bit.










Tuesday, June 9, 2009

On my wall

I have this affinity for old platters and odd plates. I try to imagine where they've been and what they've held during their time.The one at the very top was a thrift find and it weighs a ton. Quite a bit of the gold around the rim has worn away and it has a chip in the edge. It's had a hard life.

The one in the middle on the left has been with me for years. I'm sure I picked it up at a garage sale years ago. Somebody, besides me, had loved this platter. I adore the shape with the delicate rose band.

On the top right, that's my granny's platter. I can't remember a meal that she didn't eat off of it. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and holidays, she always used it. It isn't very big at all. In my mind I can still see her one biscuit, piece of sausage, and gravy on that platter. She's been gone almost 23 years.

In the center is the plate rack I bought the other day filled with mismatched little bread and butter plates and saucers. I understand now why it was sold. The plates have to have an absolutely flat back or they try to flip out. It was easy enough to solve with a little tape and care.

What's on your walls?

Monday, June 8, 2009

Happiness is...

Digging in the dirt. I'm happy to report I finally got my squash in the ground. This year I employed the "get the crap planted and hope for the best" method of gardening.

When we lived on the farm I used the "honey can you disk this little spot up for me" method which always resulted in a garden bigger than one woman could care for and stay sane.

The first year I gardened in Oklahoma I used the square foot garden method and loved it. Some really sick part of me likes the nice orderly squares. The sandbox frame does a great job of keeping birds and cats out of the bed. Please note the difference in this picture and the one up top. It's sad.

This year gardening has been the last thing on my mind. Instead of starting with seeds and ending up with plants, I dreamed up 99 ways to tear up the house and irritate my husband.

So this year I'm planting my leggy little store-bought squash and hoping for the best. If I get one I'll be happy and any more will send me over the moon.

All I can do is try harder next year and hopefully get my act together a whole lot quicker.

How is your garden growing?

Friday, June 5, 2009

To a garage sale I did go

This was the first time this year I've really gotten to do any yard sales and I picked up something needed, something that made my husband go, "Huh?" and some cute stuff.

Needed...a brand spanking new, never been walked in, still in the box, pair of Ariat shoes, in my size no less for $10. I've never seen these retail for less than $70.

Huh...an inflatable raft for $5...you never know. We're under flood warnings quite a bit. I'm dying to try it out at Crowder. It holds air just fine. In this picture I'm letting the air out after having it inflated all afternoon. It even came with an oar and a pump. DH is still shaking his head and laughing.
And cute stuff...a box of Shiny Brite ornaments that somebody paid 50 cents for at the Etc. shop and sold at a garage sale for a nickel; a depression glass divided dish for $1; a funny wooden spoon and a little tiny sifter for ten cents each, and a plate holder for fifty cents. I think I did pretty good for my first time out this year.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Out my front door

A storm in the distance.Holly Hocks blooming by the dining room windows.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Happy June!

Wow! This year is flying.

I've recovered from the remodel and now I'm feeling crafty again.

Here's what I made out of recycled lath, craft paint, and a tin star.I thought it turned out cute. It nicely fills the space above the little bench.

I also got reacquainted with my sewing machine. It was touch and go for a bit, but we worked out our differences and made a good start on a project.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.