PICKIN' TREASURES!

Hello, everyone! How's your Sunday going? Are you spoiling your favorite father or remembering the one who's not with you? I'm doing both today. Sent my guy one of those silly Jib Jab videos. he got a big laugh from it. Then treated him and our youngest grandson, Dillon who's staying with us a few days, to breakfast at the pro shop cafe. They're watching some Animal Planet programs and Tom is enjoying a back massage using the chair massage unit I bought CHEAP after Christmas last year. He's having a nice Dad's Day, I think. :)

Yesterday, we did one our favorite things - yard selling - looking for 'treasures'. At the first one we stopped at I found some fantastic old lanterns that I just knew my friend, Mimi, from Blue Roof Cabin could turn into something wonderful! Here they are - what do you think? Do you see reuse potential written all over them? Check out the great patina!

I emailed Mimi to see if she wanted them and, of course, she did!! I can hardly wait to see what she does with them!! Check out her new website - www.blueroofcabin.com and see what she ends up with!!

Before heading out pickin', I mixed us some yummy blueberry pancake batter complete with berries from my garden. I picked them the night before and they were sooo sweet!

Don't they look delicious?! They're smaller than the berries you find in the store, but these are native to our state and I have been waiting 8 years for them!! There are more ripening on the bushes, so I expect to get at least one more batch of pancakes with them. Or maybe some scones!?


I always improvise with my pancake batter and this time was no exception. I started out with Biscuit's HeartSmart baking mix and then added a 1/4 cup ground flax meal. Someone had used my half & half ( wonder who?) so I found some sour cream that needed to be finished off and put that in with some water. I know, doesn't sound that good, but it really turned out good! With a couple eggs to finish it all off, I mixed it all with a fork and added my berries ( approximately 1 cup worth). I then went for a walk with m y friend Kerry and left the griddling to Tom!! HEHE!! By the time I returned 1 1/4 hours later, the cakes were done along with some chicken sausage links (double yum!) and I sat down to breakfast. Timed it just right LOL!!


Then it was off to search for treasures before working in the yard some more.  Very full, but fun day! How was yours?


Thanks for stopping by,


Jackie

THE GARDEN IS BLOOMING!!

It's almost Summer! Yea!! The days are getting warmer, the rain is getting warmer, the pollen is getting thicker - well, you get the picture! I love summertime, just not everything that comes with it. 


Like today, I'm home feelin' kind of puny. Achy, sore muscles, too hot and then too cold, tummy kind of queasy. Laid around the house most of the morning. Then, I just HAD to get up and get moving and get outside for some fresh air! Know what I mean?! Enough already!! 


So, I threw on some shoes and a sweatshirt and wandered outside to see what Tom was up to. He's been doing some work around the house this week. Cleaned and repaired the gutters, pressure washed the decks, making extensions for the legs of a temporary canvas shelter that he's putting over a boat project. After surveying his work, I visited my yard a bit and lo and behold - I have blueberries!!! Yes, blueberries on ALL my bushes! You can't imagine what a surprise and delight that is! I've been so busy weeding and planting I hadn't noticed all those little blue things growing on those 8 year old shrubs. I had a few berries on 2 of them last year and 3 on one of them the year before. This is the first year they have all produced, even the sickly-looking one! Just look at all those little cuties hanging on for dear life! 

I'd better pick them before the birds find them! They're so sweet!

I decided I'd better check out the rest of the garden and see what else God has gifted me. Like this pretty yellow iris!

Or these lupin

Or the tale end of my snowballs!

And then there's my purple iris! 

And so many more surprises to enjoy! How could I feel anything but joyful!! It's just not possible! 

So, I decided to share them with you. Hope they brighten your day as well! Enjoy!!

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!                   COME BACK SOON!!

JACKIE

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ADVENTURES!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO EVERYONE!! AND A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL MY FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVE SERVED OR ARE SERVING THEIR COUNTRY!!

It's good to acknowledge that this is not just another excuse for a barbecue or watch golf or NASCAR all day. But let's face it, we appreciate those who have given their lives for our freedom, but we also appreciate a nice reprieve from the usual routine of work.  This is a great time to see family members who don't normally have the time to travel or sit around a campfire and laugh and share stories. So, in a way, our doing these things IS honoring those fallen heroes. If it wasn't for their sacrifices, we wouldn't have the privilege of spending these 3 days thanking them and sharing our lives with our loved ones. 

At the Lake, this is the beginning of the weekenders coming and relatives visiting. We had pretty decent weather this year - only sprinkled a bit today after I had mowed the grass/moss in my little yard.  Our neighbors, the Millers, have kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and friends of each camping out in their yard all weekend. It's great! They keep the campfire going all day and sit around it till late at night laughing and teasing each other. It's amazing they have so much to talk about!! The little ones run around - sometimes checking out our yard or using our sidewalk and carport for riding a bicycle with training wheels. The dogs will come over for a quick visit - one decided to check out the pond today. Had to chase him out. All around the lake you can see bonfires at night. I can smell those hotdogs sizzling over the flames and almost taste the marshmallows toasting for the first S'mores of the season. Yep, everyone is truly Chillin' at the Lake!!!

As for me, well, I spent Saturday with my youngest daughter and 2 grandkids checking out the Tacoma Glass Museum. To be fair, I DID ask them for ideas of things they'd like to do and got shrugs and "it doesn't matter to me". 

Darrien, me and Kensi at the Tacoma Glass Museum

Sooo, first we headed to Subway for lunch and then off to the museum. It's one of my favorite places to go! If you're in the area, you just HAVE to visit it!! We checked out the latest project being produced in the Hot Shop first. They always have visiting a artist designing blown glass objects with the help of several apprentices /helpers. It's fascinating to watch them create something from molten glass!

Next we hit the galleries and saw some of the most amazing pieces of molded, blown, and painted glass you'll ever see.  There was one exhibit that, at first, I just didn't get. The pieces were sort of bell-shaped or ovals or globs - beautiful, but other-worldly. Then, the more I looked at them, I realized how peaceful they seemed. The rounded shapes sort of took the edges off my mind as well. I felt I could just sit there and do something zen-like, like contemplate my navel or something!! Wish I could afford one of them for my garden.

They have a hands-on workshop where, for a fee, you can create some art yourself. They're doing fused glass coasters or pendants now. My granddaughter, Kensi, wanted to make one, so I paid the $32.00 and watched her draw and put pieces of glass on a glass square and then change her mind and come up with a totally different design in the end that I think turned out quite nice. They will fire it in a kiln and mail it to her next week. She's very excited to see the end product!

After we were done there, Darrien, a 17 year old male, decided he had spent enough time with us gals and was ready to head home. We women still had some exploring to do, so we dropped him off and headed to the town of Gig Harbor. It's a quaint, water-front town with lots of local artist galleries and gifts shops and other fun places to check out. We visited several establishments and then had some delicious pizza at Spyro's toppi it off with some decadent peanut butter pie! Kensi and I shared a slice - thank goodness!! I asked one of the waitresses to take our picture afterwards - 3 generations of beautiful women! Me, Kellie and Kensi!! 

 On the way back, we came up with some ideas for future outings. Go carts, Point Defiance, shopping, etc! Kensi and Darrien have both promised to come visit their sweet, old granny this summer. We'll see. Hope so!!

Today I got to go out for my second round of golf this year! My friend, Kerry, invited me to join her and a couple other local gals. The weather couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to do, so we were either taking a layer off or putting a layer on most of the day, but it didn't rain and we had a ball! I so enjoy playing with people who try to do their best, but still have fun just being out on the course with others having a good time. I actually had a terrific round for me - 63! That's for 9 holes, but I don't care - it's great for only my second time out this year. Last year I only made it out 3 times due to an attack of shingles. It was definitely better than last week's 74! My chipping and putting really improved - only 3-putted one hole and had a couple 1-putts. Makes a big difference! We ended our outing with some soup at the pro shop cafe and then I headed to the store to get some food stuffs and lawn mower oil. Spent the rest of the afternoon mowing, weeding, cleaning the waterfall and moving some fire pit seating around. Kerry called me later and invited me over to play a card game with several couples. Fun day!!


Tomorrow I do some cooking and baking, clean the downstairs bathroom and read some more chapters in the Bible. And remember, again, those brave men and women who have fought or supported the fighters in battles around the world in the name of peace and liberty.

So, I will end as I began with a rousing THANK YOU!!  And a special Thank You to God for having me born in this country in this time where I have been witness to so many changes in our lives socially, technologically, governmentally and spiritually. We are truly blessed!!


Now, go start up the barby!!


Later!!


Jackie

JUST STUFF!!

Hope all of the mothers out there had a fantastic day last Sunday! I know I did! Started out with the early service at church, then Tom and I met my Auntie Kay and Uncle Alan at a restaurant in Olympia for brunch. The place is called Budd Bay Cafe (www.buddbaycafe.com -if you're in the area!) because it sits near the Budd Bay Marina. We've been there before, but my aunt and uncle hadn't been and she wanted to check it out. We were thinking of it as a nice place as well. We didn't realize they were only doing a brunch and especially didn't realize that brunch was $30 a person!! A little spendier than we normally go for since none of us can eat that much food at one sitting. But, we went dutch-treat and it IS only one time a year and we ARE worth it. We'll do a little shopping around next year though! The food was delicious and they had a great variety, so no complaints there!

This is a picture of us all in front of the marina. Another couple traded taking pictures with us. So nice! The yellow flowers are roses I brought for my aunt. She brought me a huge, gorgeous hanging basket that is now gracing my front porch. I moved the basket that was there over to the back deck to join a matching one. They are both smaller, so it balances out the view from the road nicely - not that I was terribly worried about that, I just didn't have anywhere else to hang it!! LOL!! Isn't my auntie just adorable?! She is so precious to me! A true gift from God.

So, after lunch, they headed home, Tom headed to Wenatchee to work and I headed downtown to do a little shopping - after all, it WAS Mother's Day and I AM a mother!! My oldest daughter had sent me a gift card for Vera Bradley. Now I had never heard of Vera Bradley, at least not that I remember, so I went to their website - www.verabradley.com - to check them out. Seems they make some retro-looking cloth handbags, carry-ons, notebook covers, etc as well as some stationary and other funky items. I was able to find a shop in Olympia that carries their product - Popinjays on Capital - so checked them out. I'm glad I did! Some of the bags were much larger than I imagined and others were more for the younger set. But, I found several handy bags that I really liked. So now I can go on-line and get a cute bag for summer as well as an accessory!! Thanks, again, Carman!! You are so sweet!!! 

After shopping a bit, I headed home to hang my basket and do a little weeding and transplanting. Can't decide if I want to try tomatoes again this year or not. I may just let the garden go fallow this year, compost the heck out of next winter and try some veggies next Spring. 

Have you been to see "DARK SHADOWS"? Got off early Monday and made the early show at the local theater. A little campy - on purpose - but Johnny Depp was perfect as Barnabus Collins. We used to get off the bus and rush inside to watch the tv series everyday when I was in high school. I had a crush on the David character who was a werewolf back then. (Must be why I was on Team Jacob for the Twilight series!)They changed some of the characters for the movie, but it was still entertaining.

So how is the weather where you're at? It's raining today, but we can't complain because we've had a week of lovely weather. One day it was nearly 75! Yesterday was perfect for GOLF!! YES! I finally was able to get out and see how rusty I am at teeing off, fairway shots, chipping and putting! Pretty near every aspect!! But, I had fun and was with some other gals who, even though much better than I, were out to have fun as well. After all, it's just a game, right? (wink, wink!)Anyway, I definitely need to practice all of the above. A few lessons probably wouldn't hurt either. HA! 

To finish off the week, I invited myself to dinner at my good friends' - Caroline and Dean. They are such sweethearts! Caroline mentioned at church that Dean was cooking up a pork loin roast and dinner was at 5:30 so I said I'd be there!! I was joking, but, Thank Goodness!, they took me seriously. HE HE!! So, with 2 types of homemade applesauce in hand - I couldn't go empty-handed - I showed up promptly at 5:15 and enjoyed a wonderful family dinner and had a great visit with these special people. I am truly blessed!!

By-the-way, both applesauces were from Jonagolds that Tom picked a couple years ago and make excellent sauce! No sugar needed! We added some of our huckleberries to one of the batches and they add just a little tartness to make it good with pork, chicken or beef or just by itself! Try it sometime!

Well, with the warmer weather coming, I think I'll finish some glass projects I started last year. I can set up the soldering iron outside for some good ventilation. Maybe next weekend? HMMMM - keep tuned!!

God Bless You all and a special Thank You to all the veterans here and gone for serving your country!  

Till next blog!

Jackie

I'VE BEEN BUSY!!!

I can't believe it's over a month since I've been here! I either haven't been doing much or haven't been doing much that was blog worthy! Well, that has all changed this month. Not only have I finished a project I started last Fall, I've been working in my yard and had a great visit from my oldest grandson, Derric, and his friend Josh. 


First, here's the finished project sitting on my front porch next to my rocking chair!

It's that cute little table sitting between the plant and the chair.  Here's what it looked like when I picked it up at a yard sale last summer - 

I stripped off the old paint - ugh!!! And then painted it with some of the yellow house paint I used on my potting shed door last summer. It doesn't look as yellow in the one picture. I traced some grape vines on the lid and painted them in and then put it all back together.     

I think it turned out kinda cute! I don't know that I'll keep it on the front porch, I really need a little table on the back deck between my chairs and the green will go with my wicker footstools I painted last summer. We'll see. 

Like a said, I have been doing some work in my yard the past few weekends whenever the sun would peek out. Mostly clean up, trimming, weeding and replanting. I did break down and buy some annuals to put in baskets - I'm a sucker for hanging baskets! They just really dress up the deck and the arbors. They're hard to see, but there's a basket of pansies hanging over the deck railing and a basket of petunias and other pretties hanging on each side of the front arbor. The arbor will be covered with purple clematis in a couple months. Doesn't the front entry look pretty and inviting? 

And then, the icing on the cake - the visit from my grandson! Here he is all dressed in his "blues". I am standing on one of my steps - he's 6'5"!! Isn't he handsome?! He will be spending the next few years in Oahu, HI in the Air Force. So guess where Granma and Grandpa are headed next year?!!!

This is Derric and his friend Josh who is even taller!!

So, I have been kinda busy. I think I'll just enjoy my yard for a while now before tackling my next project. Thanks for stopping by and here's a flower for all you proud, supporting and hard-working Mothers.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

JACKIE

THE EASTER BUNNY AND RELAY FOR LIFE!

Good morning! Well, like most people in my neck of the woods, we are wondering if the predictions for sunshine and warmer temperatures for the weekend will come true! I'm looking at gray skies out my loft window right now. Doesn't look very promising. It can change at any minute though. One of the wondrous things about our area - if you're bored with the weather, just wait 5 minutes!!

So, while I decide what to have for breakfast - rolled oats or scrambled eggs with spinach - I thought I would share my latest "project" and wait for the sun!

Many years ago - about 20 - I was living with a girlfriend who was very crafty, in a good way. She painted, sewed, knitted, crocheted, you name it! Seeing her sewing projects inspired me and so I bought a pattern for a bunny doll and proceeded to make a few bunnies to give away or keep. They needed clothes and the pattern included some basics which I adapted and added to. The most fun was making a wedding outfit for one of them! My friend had some left over slipper satin from a dress she had made and some tulle. I bought some lace and ribbon and mini silk flowers to finish the decorations. I was thinking that one day I might have granddaughters that I could give them to. I did, but by then I had packed them away and forgotten about them and then the girls were more into softball, soccer, LaCrosse, swimming and other sports and not so much into dressing up bunnies. So, for many years, except for the occassional Easter showing, they have been in a quilt bag in a large tote in whatever storage area I had at the time. Well, it's time to do something with them!

That brings me to the Relay for Life part of this blog. Like many of you, my life has been touched personally by cancer. My grandmother, mother, ex-mother-in-law and ex-sister-in-law all lost their battle with varous cancers. My partner, Tom, has lost his mother and 3 sisters to cancer and a fourth is currently in remission from a virulent form of blood cancer that could come back at any time! And then there are my neighbor friends who have fought and won or fought and lost in the past few years. Like I said, it has touched many of us in different ways. Because of this, I joined my first Relay for Life team back in 1993 while working at a credit union in Raymond, WA. Since then, I have either walked, helped with fund raisers or both every year and a few times I even walked in 2 of the events. The past 2 years I offered one of my stained glass angels to anyone who donated $25.00 or more. I'm not able to make those this winter, so I'm just asking for any donations. You can go to my page at http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12National?px=2099460&pg=personal&fr_id=39022 and make a donation on-line if you'd like! It's easy!

 Although I'm not doing the angels this year, I am co-captain for my Peninsula Credit Union team and helping with fundraisers. With Easter around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to donate one of the bunnies with a few outfits for an inter-office auction. What do you think? I took these pictures of the one I'm donating in her different outfits.   

Golf, anyone?

 
    

Here comes the bride!



I hope that others like her just as much as I do

So, even though it's not a recent project, I thought you'd like to see some past things I've done and maybe check into my Relay for Life page and see what it's all about if you don't know or even make a donation! It's for a great cause and any amount is welcomed.

Oh, update on my visit with my daughter - I loved it!! We had the best time just visiting, watching a movie - The Descendants with George Clooney - watch it if you haven't! - dinner at the Inn and then the ride to the airport in the morning. She is so beautiful! And she and my handsome son-in-law are such hard-working devoted parents and business owners. I just admire all they have accomplished in their young lives!



So, I decided on old fashioned rolled oats with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Yummy! The sun peeked out for a minute.  Gone right now. Time to eat my oats and head to ZUMBA! Yes, Annette, I still do ZUMBA! Haven't lost a bunch of weight, buy I have a bunch more energy and get through the whole hour without dying!! I figure that's an accomplishment in itself! HA!!



Hope you have a fun, blessed weekend!

Jackie





PLAYING WITH RECIPES AGAIN!

I don't know about you, but I have never thought that recipes were sacred or written in stone. If I find one that interests me, I'll follow it to a "T" the first time, but then, watch out! Creativity and curiousity kick in and I just have to try a variation. Or, like tonight, the ingredients called for are not available, so I had to improvise. It's all in good fun and I do mean GOOD!!

So tonight's experiment was a spin-off of a favorite recipe for shortbread that I found on Epicurious.com. Fitting name, don't you think?!

Here's the original:

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Optional: 1/2 cup chopped toasted nuts.

Blend butter, sugar, vanilla and salt with a fork until combined well. Sift flout into mixture and blend with fork until mixture forms a soft dough.

Transfer the dough to an ungreased large baking sheet and pat into a 9 by 4 1/2 inch rectangle. Crimp edges decoratively and prick dough all over with fork tines. Score dough crosswise with the back of a butter knife into 8 sections. Sprinkle with chopped toasted nuts, if desired, and press gently into dough with your fingertips.

Bake in middle of oven at 375 degrees until edges are golden, about 15 mins. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes, then cut into slices with a sharp knife. Transfer slices to a rack using a spatula and cool completely.

Now, I have made this exact recipe a few times and always had rave reviews. For our annual bake sale at work, I made a couple batches, one like the original and one with a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon added. Both were well-liked.

Well, tonight I thought I'd make a little treat for the weekend. You see my oldest daughter, Carman, will be visiting me and she may be bringing her sister along and I wanted to have a sweet snack for them. I'm terribly excited to see Carman, she lives in Pennsylvania so I don't get to see her often. I'm also happy to see Kellie and look forward to spending time with them. But, I digress.

So, I went to make the shortbread. The reason I like this recipe is that it's quick, easy, and uses ingredients you usually have around the house. I stress "usually"! I put the butter out to soften on my way to a Relay for Life Team Captain meeting. It was just about right when I got home. Into the bowl it goes. Then I reach for my canister of sugar only to find that I barely have a tablespoon of sugar, let alone 1/4 cup! And, actually, I needed 1/2 cup since I was making a double batch. Did I let that stop me? Oh, no! I had a bag of brown sugar and thought "why not"? So, sifting it into the bowl, I proceeded with the recipe. But then, while getting the salt down from the cupboard, I thought, "how about a little nutmeg to spice it up a bit"? So, I tossed in a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to the mix. Patting it all out on the cookie sheet to about a 12 x 8 rectangle, pricking and scoring, I decided to toss on some sliced almonds. Oh, I scored it to make 24 cookies.

Well, it took about 20 minutes to bake. A couple corner pieces broke while tranferring them to the cooling rack, so that gave me an excuse to try one out. As if I needed one - right?! Got to make sure I don't serve disgusting tasting food to my children!! Anyway, it tasted great! Success!!  And here's what they looked like on the plate:

Don't they look scrumptous?! I promise to be very strong and not have another one until Saturday. Pray for me!!!! And let me know about your experiments!!

Until next time!

Jackie

DOLLS, BUGGY AND OTHER PRECIOUS GIFTS

 

My "oyster"!



I have received many precious gifts through my lifetime from relatives and friends. Some of the smallest have included a plaster of paris rendition of an oyster shell made by my oldest daughter in pre-school that I still have and a ceramic heart on a string necklace made by my youngest daughter while in either Sunday school or kindergarten which hangs on my bed-side lamp. Both are equally precious to me!  I have several other items either painted or drawn or crafted by them and they are all dear to my heart.  



My Valentine necklace!

   

And then there are the gifts from my mother – a quilt she made, paintings she did in her 60’s while taking a Bob Ross class, a Japanese style enamel jewelry box with hand painted and inlaid mother of pearl decoration that I received for Christmas in 1957, some family heirlooms and many other items. All are special to me and some come with a specific memory.



My 50th birthday gift!



Tom has given me many gifts through the years that have tugged at my heartstrings because I know he has given much thought to each one and didn’t just grab something off a shelf because it was my birthday and he’d forgotten to pick out a   gift. He usually does his purchasing in bulk and then doles the items out to me over the different occasions such as Christmas, Valentines, birthday, etc. Doesn’t make them any less special, but sometimes a little predictable! Like when I get a necklace for Christmas, the matching earrings or bracelet will probably be coming later on!! He’s so cute!

And then there are the God-given gifts of life, circumstance, talents, children, family, heart-mate. No value can ever be placed on these because they are priceless and I am blessed many times over by His grace and love when it comes to these gifts.

All this talk about gifts is leading to my latest ones which came from a dear neighbor last weekend. Jenny and her husband, Dale, have recently returned home after trying out an assisted living facility in Pt. Townsend. It just didn’t fit them and they felt they would be more comfortable in their own home for now. So some friends moved them back. Now you have to understand Jenny is in her late 80’s and Dale is 96! So all this moving around has taken its toll on them, but it has also helped Jenny to come to the realization that she needs to start cleaning out her closets and get rid of a lot of stuff! She has taken me through some of her saved clothes, knickknacks, and other collectibles before. She met her first husband while in the service and they were stationed in the Guam and the Philippines, I believe. She still has the handmade silk suit she wore for her wedding! It’s still beautiful! And tiny!! One day she had me go up into her loft to check out some things she had kept from her childhood – can you imagine?! Well, sitting up there was this gorgeous wicker doll buggy and in it was her 1920’s baby doll!! She asked me if I would like to have them. My heart skipped a beat (what woman’s inner child wouldn’t?!), but I immediately asked her if her daughter wouldn’t like to have it. “No,” she said, “she has so much stuff already, she doesn’t have any use for these.” We discussed that possibility some more, but in the end she told me I could have them later on when she was ready to part with them. Well, last weekend she was ready! I offered to pay for them, but she said she would rather give them to someone who would appreciate them and take care of them than sell them to a stranger. And, if these weren’t enough, she had an old doll bed with another, smaller doll that I could have if I wanted! Well, Tom and I packed the dolls, doll bed and buggy up and carried them home where they are now sitting in a corner of our great room.

That night I got on my Mac and did some research to see what I could find out about the buggy and the dolls. The buggy is in very good shape wicker-wise, but the hood lining is pretty worn and the matching buggy insert is soiled. It still has the original maker’s label on the underside – Lloyd’s Looms – so I was able to find a nearly identical one that sold on E-bay recently for nearly $400.00! It’s a mid 1920’s model! Can you believe it!!?

                               

 

Both of the dolls are what they call "composition" with a painted enamel glaze. They have molded head and shoulders, arms and legs. The smaller of the dolls has a maker’s mark and model name embossed on its upper back. It’s a 1920’s Effanbee Dainty Baby doll with its original onesie and matching dress! It has a lot of peeling and its little toes are worn through to the composition, but she’s still beautiful. I couldn’t find any markings on the bigger doll and it is in rougher condition with lots of cracking and peeling. It has jointed arms and legs and it has what they call “sleep eyes” and an open mouth with 2 top teeth. They both have speaker boxes in their bodies so they probably cried “Momma” when rocked front to back. The larger doll is dressed in what Jenny thinks is some of her baby clothes – a gown and matching robe. They appear to be made from flour sack muslin and the gown has hand tatting on the neck and hem. Curiously, none of the clothes have button holes or ties to close them up in back. They were fastened with tiny little brass safety pins.

I washed, air-dried and ironed the clothes, vacuumed the buggy (it’s the paper wound wicker type, so no washing!) and put the redressed dolls in the buggy with the crocheted baby afghan that Jenny included. Don’t they look sweet?!

So, okay, I know – I’m 60-something!! What am I doing with baby dolls and a buggy!!?? Well, I’ll have you know, I have been wanting one of these buggies for nearly 40 years! I’ve seen a few that were in nearly as nice condition as this one, but way out of my price range for something that wasn’t a necessity. So I just thought I would keep looking through the window knowing I could never attain one of those cute reminders of days gone by. And then, as I got older, I thought, well I really don’t have the space for one or the need, so I was satisfied with what little treasures we could find at estate sales or yard sales. Like the little 50’s Kiddie Kar walker/stroller we found a few years ago.

Our bears love their Kiddie Kar!!

And who wouldn't want these adorable dolls!? I have contacted a doll repair person about repairing the Effanbee doll, but haven’t heard back from them yet. If any of you know of a reputable place I could take her, please let me know. Also, I’m wondering about the buggy hood lining. Should I just leave it the way it is for “value” or go ahead and find some similar material and replace it and the soiled bed liner? Any ideas or suggestions?!

Well, while you’re thinking of that, I’m going to go make a mattress and bedding for the doll bed. I’ll show you how it turns out later!

Thanks for visiting!

Jackie



WHERE HAVE I BEEN??!!

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged. Started a couple weeks ago, then my web browser quit working (don't you hate when that happens?) and I decided I wasn't meant to do this. It seems to be cooperating today, so I'll hurry and catch you up. LOL!!

As many of you know, my oldest grandson, Derric, is in AF Tech School in Lackland, TX learning to serve in the Security Forces. I wanted to send him something fun to share with his buddies and had come across a recipe for Cake-in-a-jar that I thought would be just the ticket. Tom helped me pick out the cake mix and frosting and dug out the large mouth canning jars from our stash. The recipe made 1 quart and 2 11/2 pit jars of cake. We had to try one ourselves, of course, to be sure it tasted okay (yeah, right!) which it did. I also made some homemade granola to send along with the cake. I wrapped the jars with bubblewrap and put the 2 cakes, a can of frosting, a baggie of granola, some plastic forks and knife all in a Priority Mail box and shipped it off to Texas. Derric called the night he received the box and let me know it arrived in one piece and the cake was moist and delicious and a fun surprise! Yea!! He thought we had sent him some canned tuna or smoked salmon at first - ha! I think the can of frosting was the clue that it was not fish in the jars!!

I sent a baggie of the granola to my cousin Bob and his partner, John, as well. Bob had made some scumptdillicious pomegranite jelly and sent us a jar for Christmas. (I admit, I saw the post on FB and shamelessly begged for a jar!!) They sent a cute little jelly bowl and spoon along with it. So sweet!! John let me know that they LOVED the granola! Another yea!!

For the cake in a jar, you use any boxed mix, fill the jar about 1/2 way, bake on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 30 mins. While the cake is baking, boil your canning lids and rings. Take the cakes out one at a time, placing a lid and ring on each. Tighten the ring. They should pop letting you know they have sealed in about 5 mins or less. As the cake cools, it will shrink away from the sides, but we found that we still needed to use a knife to slide around the inside to completely loosen it before shaking it out of the jar onto a plate. I found this recipe on a FB page for Air Force families - AF WINGMOMS. It was copied from a blog, but I have found several variations on the web.

The granola is a variation of a famous granola made in a restaurant in NY, NY. Saw it on Good Morning America a few months back and thought it would be a nice Christmas gift. Didn't get the ingredients in time for Christmas - sorry friends! Then, I couldn't find all the ingredients called for, so I improvised!! There is raw pistachios, rolled organic oats, sweetened coconut shavings, pumpkin seeds, and some sliced almonds all coated with some light olive oil, brown sugar, and sugar-free maple syrup. I had some pomegranite infused dried cranberries that I added after the rest was roasted in my oven for about an hour at 300 degrees on a parchment lined raised-side cookie sheet - stirred frequently. It is yummy!!! I've never tried making granola before. It's not a cheap thing to make in small batches!! But it is definitely a winner for a little snacking, sprinkling on your oatmeal or in your yogurt, or even putting some in a bowl and adding some milk. MMMMM good!! I haven't been able to find any shelled pistachios locally, so we had to go to a Winco in Lacey - about 45 minutes from home - to buy them. Then, while shopping at a near-by Costco, we found a big bag of them! Now I have enough for about 4 batches stored in my freezer. Everything else I can get at our local grocery stores. No excuses - got to make some more for the rest of the grandkids!!

Which brings me to another project I finished this month - a keepsake box for my grandson, AJ, who turned 15 this month. I've been working on it for about 2 years. Started out with the top -  a stained glass rendition of the Denver Broncos logo. He was born in Denver and is a fan of the Broncos even though his family moved near Philadelphia about 10 years ago. I had made glass boxes for his 3 sisters, but wanted to do something a bit more masculine for him. I found a pre-made wooden box at JoAnn's a year ago and had painted it Bronco blue inside and out. I then sprayed it with a glossy finish.  But I couldn't figure out how to make the hinge work with a transition from metal to wood. Then, about 2 months ago on my way home from church, it dawned on me! I had some brass hinges in stock from a project I was working on years ago. I just needed to take the pins out, turn them inside out and nail them to the edge of the box and then feed some heavy gage wire through the hinge and into the brass tubing attached to the back edge of the glass top. And, voila!! It wasn't as easy as it sounds - the brads are really small and I hit my fingers as much as the brads! Ouch!!  I then used a trick my friend Mimi from Blue Roof Cabin, uses for transferring designs using pencil lead to put his initials on the front of the box. I used a gold paint pen to fill them in and then sprayed the gloss finish over that for a little extra protection. I forgot to take a picture of it before I mailed it, sorry! But AJ liked it and recognized the Bronco theme right away, so I guess it turned out alright! I'll ask AJ to take a picture of it and put it on FB so I can copy it for my next blog.

So, since I don't have enough to do, I volunteered to be on the Sunday treat list for my church. We give out treats at each of the services to visitors and those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Gives me a chance to bake without having to eat the treats!! This was my first week, so what did I do? I thought about it all week until Friday and then, whoosh, it was out of my head!! ARGHH!! Thankfully, the gal in charge sent me a reminder via FB Saturday morning! I knew what I was going to fix and had most of the ingredients, so all I needed to pick up at the store was some whipping cream. That's right - it was time for scones!!! I decided on making 2 types - dark chocolate chip and blueberry infused craisin. I sprinkled a mixture of cinnamon sugar on top before baking and then, for a special treat, topped them with a light glaze. After letting them sit in the fridge to set the glaze, I put each in a little cellophane bag. Debbie was very impressed and delighted with having them delivered personally to her before the 9 am gathering this morning! Hope everyone who got one enjoyed eating them as much as I enjoyed making them! Here are some of each kind.

Don't they look yummy!!??

So, today, I am spending a little time with this blog and a little time with my guy. He worked out of town last week, which is good in that he WORKED, but sad in that I missed him. The best part of course is that it looks like he may get alot of work this Spring and Summer again this year, so we can start planning for our next road trip in the Fall!! Yea!!

He loves to cook, so he was in the middle of making food for all our lunches and dinners for the next week when I got home from church. I can hardly wait to eat them! There are delicious turkey burgers, grilled chicken breasts, stuffed bell peppers, salad, and some pierogies that I cooked last night and sprinkled with finely grated parmesan cheese. (I had to help with something!) I'm a lucky woman!! A good man who loves to cook and is good at it, to boot!! Think he's a keeper!

Tom enjoys lots of different TV programs. He goes through the listings and programs the ones he likes to record on the DVR so he can watch them later and leave out the commercials. One of his favorites is "Stories of the ER". He was watching one of them today after he was done cooking and suddenly broke out with a true belly-shaking laugh!! He was actually tearing up from laughing, so I HAD to see what was so funny. Evidently, this couple comes into the ER with very little clothing on. In fact, the guy only had a beach towell wrapped around him. After being taken into an exam room, it is discovered that he has a camp stove stuck on his penis!! OMG!!! But that's not even the funniest part - the male nurse trying to figure out 1. how it got there and 2. how to get it off, called for a maintenance man to see if he could cut it off - the stove, that is! Well, that poor guy took one look at what was stuck in the stove and passed out!! Then they called the local firestation and asked for an EMT. The EMT took one look and had to go sit down before HE passed out!! By this time, Tom is in hysterics!! The patient has not only been drinking, but smoking pot, so he's getting a kick out of seeing all of this, but really wants to be free from the stove. Well, the nurse finally calls in a urologist and he determines that a large amount of blood needs to be taken from the appendage before it can be released. I won't go into details, but everything comes out okay!!!  LOL!! Okay, I had to say that!!

Now, we're watching an old Twilight show.  I told you, he likes lots of different programs!

Wow! This is turning into a novelette!! Speaking of novelettes, the weather is still too iffy to finish any outside projects, so I'm doing lots of reading. I'm presently working my way throught the Bible for the 5th time. Always find something different that speaks to me. I am also reading Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina". Wonderfu linsights into the Russian aristocracy of the pre-bolshevic revolution. All I've got to say is, "We've come a long way, Anna!!"

Time to let you go and spend some time with Tom. Have a wonderful week!!

Bye!

Jackie