I'm just a Southern Girl

Time flies by

2012-01-09T16:29:00.006-06:00

Wow, its been a busy few months, and time has flown! Halloween brought us a new addition - my new grandson Sawyer Reagan. He came 5 weeks early and stayed in the NICU for 3 weeks, but he is doing great and enjoyed his first Christmas.

He started out like this....

Now he looks like this at 2 months...

And this is what he does when you don't hold him...he is a very cute and cuddly baby!

Christopher turned 8 in January, hard to believe he is that old!

Olivia came and spent a day with me at work, and had her dance recital in December...she is beginning to look like a little ballerina!

They also went to Big Brother-Big Sister class to prepare for Baby Sawyer's coming...Olivia wore her getup all over the hospital..but Big C was too cool for that...

Christmas was a sick time, I was sick and missed the whole thing, my youngest had to go to the emergency room and had a kidney stone, UTI and pneumonia, and the older one had to have surgery to help her incision from the C-Section heal...

Maybe we are all over that now and can look forward to a great new year..after all, it has started off with a bang...at the Cotton Bowl!

Later...

SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2011-08-10T18:25:00.001-05:00

This week I have been spending with the grandchildren. Their mother, my oldest daughter, went back to school, not studying, but teaching, andhas no one to keep the kids now that they are school age.
On Monday, we went out to the Inn at the Mill and looked around and took some pictures. It's a beautiful place, although no longer "in the country" as growth and progress knocks on its door. Christopher wanted to look at the old wheel and the grindstones, which are all still in place.

We took a few pictures. Then a couple of days later, it rained, thank goodness, and the heat wave has abated.
To see other Outdoor Wednesday shots, visit
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

The big wheel.

Waterfall from the spring into the pond. This mill was owned by the Johnson family. When it operated as a mill, the spring fed the wheel to keep it turning.

Inside the lobby area which is the old mill part.

Christopher and Olivia check out one of the Remingtons.

And check out the Indian out front.
If you are ever in the Northwest Arkansas area this is a great place to stay and has an excellent resturant on the hill above it.

Enjoy ! And thanks for the rain!!!

SG

Crafty days

2011-08-02T10:29:00.001-05:00

I attended a wedding on Sunday last. It was a wonderful wedding of friends and I wish them much happiness because they just deserve it!

My gift was a gift card so I did a fancy wrapping...I had no idea what her colors were, so I used pink because I have a lot of pink....I just like pink...
I made crepe paper flowers and a custom handmade tag for this. I wrapped the envelope in a layer of pink lace, gauzy ribbon and crepe paper, then attached three flowers with double stick tape so they could be removed easily...here is the result...

Here is the tag. The little top tag on this one has a small copy of their wedding invitation on the back...

And the flip side is a vintage picture of a wedding dress pattern....

This was super easy and made a card look nicer!

Stay cool...

Love,

SG

Fresh Pesto

2011-07-11T11:06:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I made my first ever batch of fresh pesto using the basil I am growing in my garden. It is so hot that most of my garden is just burning up in spite of it getting late afternoon shade and my watering efforts.
I planted 2 basil plants which are doing pretty well, and I am keeping the blossoms pinched off of them. I went out and harvested 2 big handfuls and made Pesto, which I didn't take any pictures of. This is a stock photo of basil...

I first put 4 cloves of garlic and a handful of walnuts in the food processor and ground them up. ( used walnuts because they are about $2 a pound and pine nuts are $30 a pound!)
Then I added the 2 handfuls of basil with a small sprig of fresh oregano I also grew in my garden. Then I threw in 2 big handfuls of fresh spinach and processed it until it made a paste. Then I added about 1/3 cup of parmesan, and with the processor running, I streamed in olive oil until it became the consistency I wanted, not too thick, not too runny. I also added some sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

I tossed this with some hot angel hair pasta, and garnished it with chopped fresh tomato and some more parm.

It was yum! The spinach kept it from getting so strong, and the walnuts added a nutty taste. All that planting and watering was worth it! If I had to buy the basil, the cost would be just too much.

Hope you are keeping cool today!

SG

Just a little something I made

2011-06-16T09:27:00.003-05:00

I found this idea over at one of the blogs, but since my computer was re-vamped, I have lost the link. She first made these for a tablescape in February and then re-did it for July. She used illusion for the "whipped cream" but I decided to try a white crepe paper flower, smooshed down. I also substituted the truffle she used for the cherry with a red cinnamon candy my husband had in his office. I'll keep looking for this lovely blog, and maybe she will see it and let me know!
UPDATE!!! I found it at Between naps on the Porch.
Check out this great blog at:
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/06/4th-of-july-craft-or-party-favor.html

My sorority group has its annual weenie roast tonight and the gift theme is 4th of July so I had to do this for my gift to share. It's supposed to be a $5 limit, but I kind of exceeded that! I hope whoever gets this likes it!

I took this with my phone and left my messy work area in it! The tools I needed were a sewing maching and hot glue gun. The hardest part was pushing those pins through the candy wrappers!

Happy 4th! (it's my birthday also!)

Outdoor Wednesday

2011-03-22T17:14:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we visited Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. We did not go to the regular garden walk, but instead visitied the gardens and chapel they have there for weddings and such.

Enjoy the pictures and visit Susan at Southern Daydreamer for more!

If this looks familiar, its because the buildings were designed by Fay Jones' firm. They are in the style of Thorncrown.

Dogwoods

Ornamental Cherry

Garven is owned by the University of Arkansas and there is always something in bloom there. If you are in Hot Springs, go out to see it! Next time we will take the regular tour.

It was a nice outing on the first day of Spring! What did you do that day?

Love,

Weekend update

2011-03-21T15:01:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we spent 3 days in Hot Springs, where I lived until I was 13. I love going back and always hate to leave for some reason.

The good part about going in March is this place:

Oaklawn Race Track
These horses are beautiful and watching them do what they love to do is a treat!

My favorite sign!

This year I came out ahead, actually doubled my betting money. For the first time I hit a Daily Double that paid $52.80 on a $2 bet!

This last Saturday was the Rebel Stakes and a horse called The Factor had it in a runaway. I thought Bill O-Reilly owned it, but its just named after his show. That horse is a really fast horse and I think maybe we will see it in the winner's circle at the Kentucky Derby.

Of course when we first got to town on Friday we timed it so we arrived here at the end of the lunch rush:

And had us a plate of ribs! I took 2 of mine with us and thats what we had for dinner!

We stayed at a nice old hotel up Fountain Street from the Arlington and had dinner after the races in their very fine italian restuarant called Angels on the Park.

Sunday we went out to Garvan Woodland Gardens and walked around to see the chapel and buildings, but didnt go into the garden part. We will save that for another time. I'll post pictures of that tour on here for Outdoor Wednesday!

Next year, same place, same race, hopefully as good a turnout as this year!

Love,

SG

Weekend update: Grandchildren, storms and earthquake!

2011-02-28T16:37:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a weekend! The lovely grandchildren came to spend the night Friday night. We picked them up at home, and dead skunk count was an all time high of 10!
Then while Pawpaw, aka Alex, fixed a gourmet dinner of chicken nuggets and Kraft mac n cheese, I took them to the neighborhood D-G to pick out a new toy. Christopher of course got a transformer, then later informed me that there were two more there that he could use, I guess if I found myself in the D-G with nothing to buy, and Olivia got a dinosaur. Then we went home for dinner, playing, a movie on the DVD and bed. Christopher went off to sleep, but Olivia stayed up through Blues Clues and Bambi. I think she would stay up all night if we let her.

At 5 am the next morning, Christoper wakes me up.
Gammie, is it time to get up?
No, go back to sleep.
Gammie, do you have bedbugs?
No, go back to sleep. (where does he get this stuff?)
Gammie, is it light outside?
No, go back to sleep.
Then the cursed alarm goes off at 6:30.
Christopher pops up.
Is it time to get up?

So we got up

Later on, after Alex got up, we took them to the IHOP for breakfast. That went amazingly well, I guess they are growing up! Olivia had little pancakes, eggs and bacon. Christopher had grilled cheese and fries. And half of Olivia's bacon. Then I had to give her one of mine. Then he wanted more bacon and I had to give him half of mine. I ended up with a half piece out of two! Oh well, less calories!

Then we went home, they played outside. Overheard Christopher saying to Olivia: Well that's just stupid!. Not sure what that was about. Then Susan showed up and I took them home to get out of her way. They slept all the way home.

Then I went to flea market on the way home. Alex avoided this by staying home and working on his schoolwork. He avoids flea markets at all costs.

Sunday night, what a night. About 10:15 pm it started to storm, lots of lightening, much thunder, much rain, much wind. And in the middle of it, an earthquake. I didn't feel it, but a friend who lives a few blocks away did. As did almost everyone I know. How did we miss that?

And then Pioneer Woman put Chicken Fried Steak on her blog today and thats all I can think about.

So we are off on another work week.
6 years, 6 months, 3 days from retirement.

Love,
SG

Back from the Snow of the Century!

2011-02-14T09:05:00.000-06:00

Today, its back to work. And it's Valentines Day. Last year my new hubby bought a Moleskin journal and wrote me a sweet entry in it. The thought was that we would write in it on special days, or whatever days and leave it for each other.
I forgot.
For a whole year.
I forgot.
I apologize.
This morning I wrote in it and left it on his pillow. And I didn't make up the bed. So...if he decided to make up the bed (he is retired), then he will find it.
He drove me to work today. When I got out of the car, I told him to have a plan by 5 when he picks me up.

We will see.

Last year my daughter and I made a bunch of Valentine Tags (see my tab called tags) This year, I didnt make one stinkin' tag. You would think locked up in the house for 8 of the last 14 days, I would do that. Nope, I read 4 books and watched a LOT of tv. Then I decided that it's true...there really IS nothing on tv in the daytime!

So back to the grind, and Happy Valentine's Day to you and your sweetheart!

Love,
SG

Another snow day....

2011-02-09T13:29:00.004-06:00

Well, we are having another snow day here in Arkansas. This time it is from 10 to 24 inches. I have never seen that much snow at one time. I'm just so over snow!

This is the pot on my porch, and it's under the porch roof!

This snow is so deep, its up to the bottom of the seat of my garden bench and it's still snowing.

This is my lawn chair and the lawnmower on my patio...

And the trees...

These people were trying to get up the street, and it took them about an hour to go 2 blocks!

To see other neat outdoor shots, visit Susan at Southern Daydreamer

Enjoy!

My First Award

2011-02-06T20:06:00.004-06:00

Holly over at Beneath The Big Oak awarded me a Stylish Blogger Award the other day.
She has a wonderful blog full of thoughts, pictures, decorating and recipes.

So go on over and visit her and the other stylish blogs I have awarded. I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself and link to 15 other delightful blogs...so here goes

Seven things about me...
1. I am an Andy Griffith Show Fan-atic. I will also spend unreasonable amounts of time watching re-runs on TV Land.
2. I am the 3rd great-granddaughter of a Confederate veteran and the 6th great-grandaughter of a Revolutionary veteran and the daughter of a World War II veteran.
3. I have come to dislike snow very much in the last few years.
4. I have aspirations to become a Parrot Head.
5. I read anything I get my hands on, even cookbooks.
6. I can ride a horse.
7. I have unreasonable fears of rodents,heights, escalators, needles, walking and being in a car on snow and ice (see #3) and interstates.

Here are some blogs I love to visit:

1. Mindy @ Apron Girls

2. Aunt Ruthie @ Sugar Pie Farmhouse

3. Debi and the Sorority Sisters @ The Blogerette Sorority

4,

Outoor Wednesday and the Snow!

2011-01-25T15:26:00.003-06:00

Last week we had a little snow, and got a snow day out of it. I took these off the porch...didn't want to put the boots etc on and get out in it!

Thank goodness the rental property is empty, it needs some major foundation work!

See more cool outdoors shots at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Later,

After Christmas Confessions

2011-01-11T15:55:00.001-06:00

I did not decorate for Christmas this year. There, I said it. I don't know why I didn't...I just never got around to it. I did make individual handmade tags for everyone on one gift...that took an incredible amount of time and made an incredible mess! I'll start that about July next year!

I did hang my Santa Face. One of my daughters thinks this is a little creepy. The other one thinks its not Christmas if he is not hanging up somewhere. He is a plaster Santa face that a little old lady who lived next door to us when I was in jr. high gave to me. I just liked him and she liked that. I have had him ever since, and that was 46 years ago.
Here he is in his place...

I didn't put up a tree either. How bad is that? I just decorated this little tree that sits in the corner of my dining area all the time. I decorate it for Christmas, Easter, July 4th and Halloween/Fall.it actually has lights on it so its cute when they are lit...but this was it for the tree...

Now for news...I think I'll try a food blog..a learning experience for sure. I need to learn more about cooking so it may turn out to be a "OOPS, don't do that!" kind of thing. It will link here so check back later!

Happy New Year...

Fall, Thanksgiving and Outdoor Wednesday

2010-11-24T11:27:00.001-06:00

The trees are almost bare now. Last Saturday the grandkids came over and we played in the leaves. They also filled a leaf bag and my 30 gallonyard waste can full of leaves. Then they collected a dollar each and played in the rest of them.

The Big C buried his sister

When I told them I was going to have

to cut this little oak tree down,

they decided to try to take it down

with their bare hands!

For more outdoor wonders visit Susan at Southern Daydreamer!

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2010/11/1110-outdoor-wednesday-96.html

Happy Thanksgiving to all. The day after Thanksgiving, Alex's grandson Nathan graduates from boot camp over at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Congratulations to him!

If you are traveling this weekend, be careful and safe, and take a moment to count your blessings, number one being an American!

SG

Outdoor Wednesday - Fall trees

2010-11-09T15:27:00.001-06:00

It's a strange fall this year. Sunday we took a drive and the trees were just not in sync! We have been having cool nights and warm, sunny days, which are supposed to be ideal for the trees.

So I took some pictures of the maple trees in my front yard which are doing pretty good this year with the colors. Hope you enjoy them!

I haven't posted in Outdoor Wednesday in a while. Join Susan at Southern Daydreamer for more outdoor shots.

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2010/11/1110-outdoor-wednesday-96.html

See you later!

SG

Voting Day

2010-11-02T10:38:00.004-05:00

Today is voting day. Its one of the most hotly contesed mid-terms I have ever seen!

Franklin Roosevelt said that in America, the only person who can deny you the right to vote is you yourself - by not voting. I think it was FDR...might have been Calvin Coolidge. What DID Calvin Coolidge say???

Anyway...

And I'm talking the real vote - for those who make our laws at the polling place...not for Dancing With The Stars!

And they will give you a really neat sticker to wear too!

Go Vote!

Love,

SG

Friday at last.

2010-10-08T12:08:00.002-05:00

It's Friday at last! This was a busy week, and hopefully I can kick back this weekend.
The Andy Griffith 50th Anniversary party was fun, not as crowded as I would have liked, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. We had fun, the kids played outside, most of the food was eaten and thats what counts, friends and family.

Here is our own Potato Queen. I think her prince won the whistlin' contest since he was the only one who actually whistled. His prize was a harmonica so he can learn to play "Juanita" for us. He didn't take it with him, I don't know why!

Yes, there is a potato, its on top!

You know it's on the 50th once!

Have a marvelous weekend.

SG

It's all about the RED!

2010-09-22T16:23:00.005-05:00

It's football time in Arkansas, and to me that means one thing....GO HOGS!

Razorback Red is our favorite color. Red Cars. Red Shirts. Red Purses!!! RED SHOES!!! It just goes on and on.

http://www.hogwired.com/

The best thing is going to Razorback Stadium on a warm sunny fall afternoon and watching the fun. The cheerleaders, the band, the majorettes, the big trailer that carries Tusk out to watch the game. We have gone through several versions of Big Red, and now it's Tusk III.
Here's that bad boy! Waiting for the fun to start.

Oh and they also manage to put on a football game! Who am I kidding? It doesn't have to be warm and sunny, we will go in the rain, the cold...I draw the line at sleet, snow and lightening though. I don't drive in the first two, and well, lightening can kill ya!

This week, it's Bama...so Go Hogs, turn back the Tide!!

To see more red posts join sue at:

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Have a great week and a RED weekend!!

Thursday and its been a month???

2010-09-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a month since I last posted? wow, how can that be? I think I am still recovering.

I found this blog today by linking up with Southern Dreamer's Outdoor Wednesday. This is hilarious, and makes me glad I grew up a few short years later, but I recognize this theory, brother do I?

Housewife Rules
Check it out!

October 3rd is the 50th Anniversary of the first airing of The Andy Griffith Show. We are celebrating at our house with a watch party because TV Land is having a marathon. Actually they have been airing several episodes a day for some time now, a 50 day countdown to the 50th anniversary, so I am enjoying that for sure! So we are having some friends over and some good (I hope) food and watch the greatest show on TV!

Barney is my favorite!

So look forward to this!

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-08-04T09:11:00.002-05:00

Here is my contribution for Outdoor Wednesday. See others by joining Susan at Southern Daydreamer:
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Some shots from Monument Valley

It was rainy...

This dog was sitting outside a McDonalds close to the turnoff to Four Corners Monument, very politely waiting in the rain for someone to buy him a hamburger. He had very nice manners.

Thats it until I have more pictures or next week, whichever comes first! By the way, I dont have a background from Cutest Blog on the Block anymore, but I can't seem to get rid of that advertisement! It's driving me crazy! Anyone know how to do that?

SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-07-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

Here's my contribution to Outdoor Wednesday. See more at:
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

More shots from the trip!

Mount Rushmore

Sea Lions at Monterrey

Four Corners

If you are thinking of going there, its closed. No signs to warn you of this before you get there. However, they have provided a "fake" four corners for you to stand on!

Monument Valley

Dead Skunk Count = 16
Dead Jackrabbit Count = 8
Dead Coyote Count = 3

Not bad for 5,800 miles in 20 days!

Till next week....

SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-07-21T21:59:00.002-05:00

I can't believe its been a week since I posted here. I have been doing all of it at Facebook, its just faster and its been a busy week!
I have so many incredible shots from this trip, I have Outdoor Wednesday covered for 5 years!

To see more incredible shots go to:
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

I have so many...The Redwoods at Muir Woods...

Fisherman's Wharf in San Fancisco...

The Pacific....

The Grand Canyon North Rim, that was today's adventure...

Have a good week, I think maybe I'll focus on one part of this trip every week for Outdoor Wednesday (the cotton patch hasnot worked out, but I'll go by and look at it first thing when I get home!)

The trip continues....

2010-07-15T22:19:00.002-05:00

After Reno, we drove over to Sacremento, Roseville, and Alex visited his friends, Steve and Tammy. We had two wonderful dinners with them, one at a casino, the other at a place called Claim Jumpers, where we had jambalaya. It was good, but it wasn't really jambalaya, and you could get it with rice or ..get this..noodles! how wrong is that?

On the way to Sacremento, we drove around Lake Tahoe...what an incredible color that lake is!

On Wednesday, we drove through Napa and had lunch here...

We stayed the night in a small town on the way to San Francisco and rested, we are getting pretty tired at this point!

Thursday we went to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach. I didnt take pictures at the beach, but here are some pictures of the woods, with those incredible redwoods, and my first glimpse of the Pacific. At the beach I of course took off my shoes and got my feet wet in the ocean..and there were no shells! So I picked up a little pebble...I think thats what they call rocks here...

When Alex saw this sign, you guessed it, he just had to bark....

And this is my first view of the Pacific.....

We went into San Franciso over this landmark....

And went here....

Where we had a wonderful dinner at Scomas....

So thats up to date....

Dead Skunk Count = 14

Not seeing any dead jackrabbits!

I just lost count on the antique stores... we didnt stop at a single one in Napa...

Must be over 10 million now....

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-07-13T17:46:00.001-05:00

Join Susan over at A Southern Daydreamer for more outdoor posts!
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Here is my contribution to Outdoor Wednesdy. We are on vacation and visited Temple Square in SLC, and I had to get some pictures of the gardens!

Enjoy!

Reno

2010-07-13T17:34:00.005-05:00

After a thrilling drive across Nevada, where pretty much the big thing was the salt factory...

This is the only tree that will grow on the salt flats....

Then we finally pulled into Reno, after stopping off at this famous landmark...the Mustang Ranch.

More later...

Dead Skunk Count = 11

Dead jackrabbit count = 8

Antique stores we have passed by remains unchanged...I didnt see a one in Reno!

The vacation saga continues....

2010-07-13T17:04:00.002-05:00

Greetings from California.
I didn't blog in Nevada because we stayed at Harrahs and they charge $10.95 to use the internet...and little by the road motels and McDonalds has it free! Give me a break.

So last time I promised Salt Lake City, and here it is...

We first stopped in Morgan for the Browning Outlet and dinner at a chicken place Alex loves. See pictures under what we ate...

Then on to SLC, where we stayed in a really lovely hotel that was not very expensive. They provided a great breakfast and free internet...

We went out to the Lake, once you get across the causeway to Antelope Island, it doesn't stink at all.

We went to the visitors center and got some great pictures... and a great view.

These rocks are ledges that mark the shoreline of the glacial lake that once covered much of this area and formed the salt lake.

We visited the ranch that was worked on this island until the 1980's.

The Ranch house

This is the bunkhouse

There is a bell on that post

The barn - it was a great barn!

There are supposed to be a lot of antelope and buffalo on this island...this is the only antelope we saw...and these are the only buffalo we saw...

It was an interesting and awesome place...very ancient. I was so glad to be able to see it!

That afternoon we went downtown to Temple square and visited the tabernacle, the outside of the Temple and the grounds, which are truly lovely.

The Tabernacle

The Temple

The back

The front of the Temple with the reflecting pool in front

The statue dedicated to the seagull.

Then we left the next morning and drove across the state of Nevada to Reno, which is the next post.

Dead skunk count unchaged

Dead jackrabbit count = 6

antique stores we have passed by = 6,545,999

We enter UTAH

2010-07-10T20:24:00.000-05:00

Then it was....

Utah has some pretty incredible scenery,and we went through mountains that took my breath away. Maybe it was so overwhelming because we were driving through the base of the mountains, not the tops and ridges as I am used to.

This is called Devil's Slide.

Next post, Salt Lake City.....stay tuned!

Vaca....Day 5 and 6???

2010-07-10T20:15:00.001-05:00

I think this is day 5 and 6. We left Rushmore...on the way down the mountain, I saw a buffalo...

He was dressed up for July...

Then we did this...

Wyoming has some pretty scenery, lots of ranches and then mountains...We stopped at a little gas station to get some water and the bathroom, and I bought Gaga an antler chew toy.

We spent the night in Laramie.

Vacation and I forget which day it is, they are all running together!

2010-07-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

Days are starting to run together, but we drove across South Dakota, and we stopped off at Wall Drug. What a cool place! We had lunch there, Alex bought him a Stetson hat and I got a T-shrit.

Alex found a friend...I think maybe he had to pay to do this....

And this was just too funny..

By the way, rest areas in SD have big concrete teepees...

Then it was time for the biggie...Mt.Rushmore....

It was pretty awesome!

Vacation Day Two and Three - Iowa,Minnesota and Wisconsin - and TAYLOR HOME INN!

2010-07-07T21:51:00.006-05:00

Day 2 and up at the crack of 8 am...breakfast in the breakfast room with other people's annoying children...such is traveling.

Then we were off, up through Iowa. Then we came upon:

Welcome to Minnesota.

The trip through St. Paul was harrowing at best, construction everywhere, and we were dumped onto local streets with no idea where we were or where to go. After purchasing a map, and checking out another one, driving around a while, I figured out where to turn and we were on our way, a different route than Google said, but it worked and we finally pulled up to the Taylor Home Inn. This is a wonderful B&B that is a reproduction of the Andy Taylor house in The Andy Griffith Show.

I was totally unprepared when I walked in. I had seen pictures of it from groundbreaking on...but it just hits you when you walk in. It is just indescribable.

We were greeted by Marsha and Ellie Walker, the cutest little black miniature schnauzer ever. Ellie spends a great deal of time with a golf ball in her mouth, which she will let you throw for her if she decides she trusts you.

We stayed in Aunt Bee's room, had a pop at Wally's , went over to a lovely town called Amery, were I ordered the spaghetti and meatball, and was presented with a meatball about the size of my head. See pictures under what we ate.

I will post more later on this wonderful place and the lovely hostess, Marsha, when we stay at a place with a better internet connection. This one takes 5 minutes to upload a picture!

So after a trip back across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and we crossed over to:

While here we stopped off at the Corn Palace

Where I had my picture made as a corn, and Alex refused to cooperate. I told him, he needed to lighten up and have some fun with it. He said he didn't like having his picture made...so I pointed out that I don't either, but if you don't, it won't even look like you were there!

We drove through some beautiful farmland, lots of corn, flat land but just beautiful. Rain storms and sunshine, then we topped a small hill, and right in front of us, unexpectedly, was a breathtaking view of the Missouri River and hills on the other side. and that's were we stopped for the day.

More in a day or two, when the internet is better!

Dead Skunk count is now 5.

Should have done coons,cause that number is about 5000

Number of antique stores/flea markets that we have passed by = 4,642,899

Later,

Vacation Day One!

2010-07-05T19:40:00.001-05:00

Day one - we start out after a wonderful breakfast at McDonalds. Then go by Colliers, then we are off!
First potty stop - Bentonville.

Then we are off again! For some reason some of these pictures came out in
B&W so just ignore that.

We are chugging on toward KC, and we notice the old highway next to the interstate...I am pretty sure the last time I went to KC, it was on this highway....and by the way, it's really hard to take pictures from a moving car...

And lots of corn for some reason.

And then it was...

We made a pit stop at this visitors center/Amish Country store, where I over paid for some kitchen towels with crocheted cherries hanging off them and bought Alex some chocolate covered cherries so he would pose for this picture...

Then we made a stop at Exit 52, St. Charles, where we found this...

One of the Bridges of Madison County..(it was raining)

Then went down the road to Winterset, the county seat of Madison County and the birthplace of John Wayne....

And apparently this church, now the St.Charles visitor center, was in the movie I'm not sure how...

Now we are in lovely Akeny, Iowa at the ever popular Days Inn...heck $69 and they throw in breakfast! Dinner at the Village Inn, check out what we ate on the What We Ate tab.

tomorrow is day 2!

Dead Skunk Count = 2

See you later...

Countdown to vacation!

2010-06-28T11:31:00.002-05:00

One week from today we will be on our way for our Griswold-like summer vacation, minus the kids. Just the two of us in my little Hyundai car (because it gets a whopping 30+ mpg) and 21 days, and 5000 miles.

It's quite a plan and its on a spreadsheet...I'll blog about it and include pictures as we go and as we are places with wi-fi that is free.

Here is the second stop, first night is Des Moines, because its 5 hours from the second day..The Taylor Home Inn in Clear Lake Wisconsin...

It's a reproduction of the Taylor home in The Andy Griffith Show, and we are staying in Aunt Bee's room.

I'm just excited!

Long time no Blog!

2010-06-08T14:07:00.000-05:00

I havent been blogging lately, just too darn busy. I am going after work today to snap the cotton patch for tomorrow's outdoor Wednesday though...

We are planning the big trip to take place starting July 5th. Leaving my daughter in charge of the house...oh boy. NO PARTIES do you hear me????

I told my husband that I thought in addition to places and peoples, I would take pictures of everywhere we ate and what we ate. He said he didnt think people would want to see a bunch of pictures of McDonalds food. If he plans to feed me that stuff, he better be prepared to stop at every bathroom on the road!

Aside from that, if you live in Arkansas, its voting day. Primary runoffs are today and the country is watching to see what happens here. So go vote....

Outdoor Wednesday - What's blooming in my yard today

2010-05-12T09:02:00.003-05:00

Well, it's May and here is what's blooming in my yard -

I still have some iris in bloom

My purple clemantis by the front porch has bloomed out. The last time I posted a picture of this trellis, it was in 13 1/2 inches of snow! You can see some of my purple Dutch Iris still blooming behind this and past it the daylillies.

And the peonies are coming out. They will need to be tied up soon, they will be so heavy!

To see more incredible outdoor shots go to:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

I have planted the wading pool gardens, I put some more dirt in them, and planted tomatoes, lettuce, arugual, 3 kinds of squash and a cucumber. And the requisite marigolds to keep out the squash bugs! Later I'll post pictures of them as they grow and hopefully produce!

The Cotton Patch is still just dirt, but I'll try to get it posted next week!

Have a great week and a great Outdoor Wednesday All!

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-05-05T13:14:00.000-05:00

This is what is growing in my yard this week. I planted these from one plant given to me, it took them 3 years to bloom andnow they have spread to around 50 blooms! They are so cute, I grow them by my front porch.

I have decided that for Outdoor Wednesday this summer, I will chronicle my favortie cotton patch. It's down the road from my house, at the experimental farms and I watch it develop every year. The professor who does his research in it let me cut some of it a couple of years ago before they plowed it under. I keep them in a bowl in my living room. When we got married, he had some shipped to me from south Arkansas to use in our table decorations. I just love to see a cotton field for some reason. So what do you think? Want to see a cotton field go from tilled soil to burst bolls? Check back here each week.

Enjoy other Outdoor Wednesday offerings at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

See you next week...

Another Successful Season!

2010-04-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

Here's to another successful season for the University Theatre! The last production of the season was this week, the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It was a delightful play and was just plain hilarious!
It involves audience participation also, so if you get a chance to see this performed, don't miss it!

The University Theatre puts on about 4 or 5 plays every academic year and a couple over the summer. The last one is usually a musical. They do an outstanding job at all of them. If you live near a college or university with a theatre program, check it out.

SG

Outdoor Wednesday and whats blooming now....

2010-04-21T11:52:00.001-05:00

It's spring..I am sneezing, my eyes are watering and things like this are popping out all over:

I'm glad I live somewhre that I can find wildflowers without going very far!

And this is blooming in my yard this week:

My mother planted a lot of irises in the 70's and they are still around today for me to enjoy.

The yellow and purple regular iris are out now. Later the purple dutch iris will come on, I love those little things. These iris always remind me of my mother.

Enjoy more at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Love,

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-04-14T10:24:00.003-05:00

This is what is blooming in my neck of the woods these days. The dogwoods and redbuds are in full bloom right now, Old Main lawn is lovely and so is Washington Street.

To see more outdoor wonderfulness, go to:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Dogwoods .... and

Redbuds!

Don't you just love Spring!

Outdoor Wednesday, Tags and Easter and Mother's Day and the new puppy...

2010-04-07T13:56:00.003-05:00

Check the tags section of my page for pictures of the tags my daughter and I make. I'll put new ones up and take down old ones perodically. These are so simple to make, we use scrapbook paper, shipping tags and public domain images to make them (at least I am reasonably sure these are public domain. These are not any we are selling though, I make them for family and friends to use.) We really enjoy doing these together and we find we are more creative when we sit down together and work on them! Its more fun that way too.
We did have to organize it and get a big tub to put supplies in, because we needed the dining room table for Easter Dinner! When I get my new husband's boxes unpacked and gone through, we will have what I refer to as the "craft/crap" room available. I'll post pictures of the transformation there. I have my grandmother's dining room table in it, its a drop leaf table, and it will be the work table. It was my mother's when I was growing up until she gave it to my grandmother. Then my daughter used it and now I have it. I'll be glad to get a special work room and get the computer set up and re-worked. I gave my new husband the study, which used to be my office/workroom, to be his office/study/den. Its a manly room with that wonderful old fashioned knotty pine paneling which some people hate, but I love. It's my favortie thing in this house I grew up in.

The new puppy at hour house has won everyone over and is the darling of us all. She is so cute! Pictures below..she is a schnauzer mix and has adapted to our family very well. Even the cat is warming up to her and was playing with her last night!

And what does this have to do with Outdoor Wednesday? Well, the last picture was taken outside, of course! She loves to play outside, and has brought a stick in the house..so now we outdoors inside....
See other great posts at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Have a great rest of the week!
SG

My weekend at The Park Hotel and the races

2010-03-28T11:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend we took my younger daughter to the horse races in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She had a wonderful time and loved the races as much as I do. Such beautiful animals they are a joy to watch.

We stayed at the 20's era Park Hotel, which is next door to the Arlington. It costs almost as much as staying at the Arlington, but nowhere near the class of that fine old hotel.

The Park has apparently been undergoing some renovations, and to someone like me who is dedicated to the idea that we should cherish and preserve these fine old hotels, a welcome respite from the usual chains of Hamptons, Economy lodges and Holiday Inns, this is a wonderful process. However, they seem to be doing this on the cheap and taking a wrong turn.

This hotel is a 20's era somewhat Art Deco construction. They have attempted to give it some kind of Italian flair, and are gilding some of the fine old architectural details and adding a lot of fake Tuscan crap to it. Why oh why do they do this? It is beautiful in its simplicity, leave it alone and restore! The redeeming feature, which doesn't seem to go with the rest of it, is the bookstore in the lobby area. Its a civil war bookstore/library and is a wonderful space that looks like a fine old wood paneled library, which you can imagine was a men's library/smoking lounge/club area. It is dark wood bookshelves, and has a fine old roll top desk and one of those great rolling ladders. Beautiful haven in garish fake Italian.

Our reservation was for 2 adjoining rooms with 2 double beds. When we arrived we were told one of the desk agents had given one of our rooms away and the other one was not ready yet. So we were given a key to a room in the "new" area, which is an area maybe added on to the original hotel at some point, and under renovation. We were told they would call us when the room was ready, so we went to our room. Total shock, all white, tacky curtains, horrible view. Very small, one double bed. A 20's era chest with a small tv on it, and 2 plastic upholstered chairs from the 60's. Industrial carpeting. And no phone in the room. My daughter and I left to walk down to Central Ave for some shopping and found the front desk agent polishing brass out front. I told her we had no phone, and she said there was one in the hallway, that they had not installed phones there yet. okaaaaayyy...

When we returned it was 4:30 pm and still no other room. We checked at the desk and they said it was ready, gave her a key and we went to find it. Much better, it was in the old part. Window on the front of the hotel, view of the park, still small, one double bed, 60's era early american furniture. A small, small shower, but much better than our room. Our reservaion was for rooms next to each other, we were 2 floors apart.

I went back to my room, to rest and it became increasingly chilly in the room, so I asked my husband to turn up the heat. He found a thermostat and turned it up. Then turned it up some more...to 75 degrees. Nothing ever happened, so he took out his cell and called the front desk. They brought us up a portable electric heater, which might heat the room up a couple of degrees in several hours. They said there was no heat in this part of the hotel. It became apparent to us they had put us in a room that was not ready to rent.

To their credit, they tried to make it better and comped us 3 dinners in their resturant, which is a very good Italian resturant, and we had a wonderful dinner there.

Would we go back? Maybe, if the room rates were the same and we got rooms in the old part of the hotel. In old hotels you dont expect the amenities you get in some places, but you do expect a phone and heat! I hope they don't do this renovation so much on the cheap and make this hotel live up to its former splendor.

By the way, I ended up losing about $25 at the track, but still had milk money for school on Monday.

SG

Outdoor Wednesday - the First Day of Spring

2010-03-23T20:12:00.001-05:00

Here are some lovely pictures taken out my front door on Sunday, the first day of Spring!

Yes, thats right...we had 13.5 inches of snow. Yippee...

Here it is on my patio chairs...you can see how deep it got.

My garden bunny is covered...and behind it you can't even see the daffodils that had bloomed...they are covered up and now they are drooped! Today, Tuesday, it was almost 70 degrees and most of it is melted. It was weird sitting outside on Monday, with several inches of snow on the ground, and we didnt even need a jacket!

See more sights at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Love,
SG

Wednesday

2010-03-17T14:22:00.003-05:00

I don't have a picture today for Outdoor Wednesday, although my daffodils are blooming! I did add some more pictures of some tags I made for a couple of friends.

I'm now making tags for Easter and Mother's Day for my friends. This is a creative outlet I am really enjoying. I am going to try to make sure my friends all get one so they know they are special to me.
Go under my "TAGS" page at the top of this blog to see the new ones. For some reason I am too challenged to get posts on these, so I just update them. If anyone has a suggestion, I am certainly open to them.

I am off next week for vacation and I hope to get out in the yard to do some work. I"ll take pictures!

SG

Postcard Friday

2010-03-12T11:49:00.002-06:00

Go here to see other Postcard Friday offerings!

This is the Park Hotel in Hot Springs, AR. It is still in operation and we are staying there in a couple of weeks when we go to the races. It is next door to the Arlington Hotel and I am looking forward to staying there!

Hopefully I won't forget the camera and get some pictures. It still has an elevator you can ride that uses an operator.

Dear Friends....

2010-03-10T12:46:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I lost a friend who came into my life in high school, more than 40 years ago. She lost the battle after several heart attacks and hospitilization for over 8 months. I spent the afternoon with her Friday, her 60th birthday, and she seemed to be doing well, and was transferred from an ICU unit to a rehab hospital. We were all so hopeful and expectant that she would be coming home. But it was not to be.

She faced this last trying time as she faced everything...with grace, fortitude and an incredible sense of humor. She never lost her faith, or her concern for others.
She was a loving and dedicated wife, mother and friend. She was a talented artist and musician.

I will miss her more than I even know myself.

She has gone to be with her maker, her faith will take her there...
I love you Linda Lou.

SG

Today's recipe

2010-03-08T11:40:00.003-06:00

Here is my favorite recipe for Shrimp - a Low-country boil. I don't have pictures yet, just the instructions.

Louisiana Shrimp Boil (Low Country Boil)

Fresh Shrimp with the shells on and the heads off, washed.
About ½ to 1 lb per person (depending on how much they like shrimp!)
2 lemons
2 white onions
Small red potatoes ( about 4 to 5 per person, depending on the size)
Corn on the cob
(break the ears in half and cook a couple for each person)
One package Crab Boil
( this is a small bag of mixed spices you can buy in the grocery)
Hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil ( if you like it spicy)
Optional - 1 lb. Smoked sausage sliced ( I like the cajun spice variety).

Use a big pot for this, and preferably out of doors. Fill about ⅔ full of water, slice up the onions and lemons and add to the water, along with the bag of Crab Boil. Bring the water to a boil, add the potatoes, cook a few minutes, then add the corn, let this boil about 5 minutes. Add the sausage( if you want to use this in it ) when you add the corn. Add the shrimp and let this boil until the shrimp turn pink and are floating. Use a big strainer and dip the whole thing out on a big platter or a pad of fresh newspaper and paper towels on a picnic table. You have to allow for some water drainage, so pad this with the paper. If you want it hotter, add the hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil to the water. You might want to cook one batch, then take it out and throw in another batch with the hot sauce. Be sure to leave the bag of spices and as much of the lemon and onion in as you can for the second batch. Serve this with hot french bread and a salad.

First buds of Spring! and Outdoor Wednesday

2010-03-03T08:28:00.006-06:00

Today it is 18 degrees out, but I saw the first buds of spring on my way in to the office! They may have been there a couple of days ago, but I just now noticed them. So I went outside and took a picture of the cherry trees in bud. Of course the flash didn't go off because it is so bright outside, so they are in the dark, but there they are! This is exciting, it means Spring is actually on the way....

For more Outdoor Wednesday entries, visit Susan at:
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Love,
SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-02-24T15:53:00.008-06:00

It's just too darn cold outside right now. The sun is out, but its coooold!

So here are some interesting pictures I took a couple of years back when it snowed after the cherry trees outside my office had bloomed.

Cherry Blossoms in the Snow!

Enjoy more at:http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Postcard Friday

2010-02-19T09:22:00.009-06:00

I don't actually own this one, its posted on a Fayetteville History website. This was the first actual building built for the University of Arkansas. This building was completely restored in the 1980's and is a beautiful building. I had classes in here when I was a student. Interesting note is that a clock appears in the South Tower. There was not actually a clock installed until 2005 although at one time numbers were painted on it. The plans included a clock, but it was not realized until 2005. Senior walk begins at the front steps of this building and the grounds in front of it are now an arboretum.

Just a piece of Arkansas history!

See more incredible cards at:

http://www.cpaphilblog.com/

Outdoor Wednesday and how I feel about snow now

2010-02-17T09:47:00.004-06:00

We have had more snow this year than I have seen in a long time. I like snow, in moderation...I think this picture says it all. I got it in an email...

To see some better outdoor posts go to:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Valentine Party!

2010-02-12T09:31:00.011-06:00

Here is my entry for The Valentine parties! My daughter and I made these...

I can't seem to conquer putting images where I want them on here! enjoy though....

SG

Join the parties at:
http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

http://thepottingshed-anythinggoeshere.blogspot.com/

Postcard Friday

2010-02-12T08:33:00.004-06:00

Here is my entry for Postcard Friday, sponsored by Marie at:

http://www.cpaphilblog.com/

This is a postcard from what they used to call motor courts. When I was growing up, my Dad worked for Southwestern Bell, and one summer they sent him to the small northern Arkansas town of Berryville to work. We went with him and this is where we stayed. It was a great summer, we ate in the cafe there, swam in the pool all the time. I have not been back to Berryville in a long time, so I dont know if it is still there. Since it is a small town, it may very well be. Note the phone number...
So enjoy my post today and happy weekend...!!!

SG

Outdoor Wednesday in Arkansas

2010-02-09T21:47:00.007-06:00

More snow! Sunday night it snowed again, and I have been stuck in the house passing another kidney stone. At least I had drugs this time, and I slept a lot! So I dont have any new pictures for outdoor Wednesday, because I didnt get out to take any. So here is a picture of my grandchildren and great nephew at our Wedding in October....ahhh..Those were the days, sunshine, warm weather, greenery. Be patient, it will come again...

Meanwhile enjoy some other outdoor shots:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Love,

Valentine Tags

2010-02-03T19:54:00.005-06:00

My daughter and I have been making Valentine tags. This is lots of fun, and we have sold a few of them! They are made on shipping tags....

These two are birthday tags...

This is a whole bunch..all lined up...

Outdoor Wednesday

2010-02-03T19:17:00.009-06:00

This week we had ice, and 6 inches of snow on top of it. One day the sun came out and the sky was blue...and it was a great picture out my window...

First was ice on my clemantis...

And snow on the hedges...

see more at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Love,

Postcard Friday

2010-02-02T11:55:00.006-06:00

Postcard day, how cute! Here is my great one...I bought it because it had Diamond Cave on it and one of my family discovered Diamond Cave! Yeah, I know its not Friday...

Have fun! and check out more at:

www.cpaphilblog.com/

Love,
SG

Pie making

2010-01-28T09:28:00.003-06:00

The other day my daughter and I decided to make a pie together, so we cheated and bought a store crust, since we were also making dinner at the same time and our kitchen is a one person kitchen. It was made with Granny Smith apples, my fav for pies...and here is the result. It just oozes juices, ( now I need to clean the oven). We baked it in a Pampered Chef deep dish stoneware pie plate. I love Pampered Chef!

I also got in the mail this week, the Farmers Market cookbook from Gooseberry Patch. I sent in a recipe and they used it. I love going in the Cracker Barrel, getting down their cookbook from the rack and seeing my recipe in it!

Ice storm is coming our way, so maybe tonight I'll bake another pie!

Robert E. Lee's Birthday

2010-01-19T12:11:00.007-06:00

Today is the birthday of Robert E. Lee, West Point graduate, Virginian, husband to the grand-daughter of George Washington and Martha Custis Washington. Commander of the Confederate Army. True Southerner...And above all, an honorable man.
Some people think that secession and war were about slavery. Here is a quote from R.E. Lee:

"So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained."
General Robert E. Lee, May 1, 1870

Happy Birthday General Lee.....

We get wedding pictures!

2010-01-13T21:12:00.010-06:00

Last weekend we got the cd with our wedding pictures on it. I was home with the stomach virus on Monday and Tuesday, so I amused myself by putting them on facebook.

My niece Stephanie took them. She is a great photographer. I'll post a few here to amuse you...

The Wedding was on October 24th at Gaylord's Mountain Cafe.

Here were the centerpieces...incorporating some of our favorite things...lavendar, cotton and moon pies. The moon pies were our favors.

Here is the artsy picture of the rings ... We used a copy of Washington's Farewell Address to the Troops and other writings, instead of a pillow.

We had several different cakes instead of one. This one had a Mayberry theme:

In keeping with the southern theme, the other was this....

We loved him, I named him Art...he was eaten later on. It was sheer carnage....

Go to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ for more Outdoor Wednesday...

In keeping with Outdoor Wednesday, here is a BW of my grandson and great-nephew outside at the wedding...We think they are adorable...

After Christmas lull

2009-12-30T21:35:00.002-06:00

Wow, Christmas is over and my youngest has moved back into the nest. I am liking this having her here again. I wish the grandchildren would come visit more.
We went out today and had a nice lunch and were going to go to the movies. The snow is almost all melted away, and I didn't take pictures. I can't get used to having a digital camera in the house now! We ended up coming home after a cruise through BB&B, but we will go to the movies tomorrow.
This year was the first white Christmas since 1975. I remember that one! We drove from Ft.Smith to Clarksville to my grandmother's on I-40...one lane down the middle. I wouldn't do that today...It was a pretty snow, and it melted off the streets by afternoon, so we went to a movie, Sherlock Holmes - along with a lot of other people! It was a nice relaxing Christmas, and ended it with a pot of chili.

I am already dreading going to work on Monday!

Love and Happy New Year,
SG

Friday...

2009-12-04T09:09:00.003-06:00

It's finally Friday, and I am looking forward to it! When I left this morning the cable guy was there to install the cable, so now I will have cable tv and internet at the house...hooray!
Shaun fixed the wall in the bedroom and the one in the ceiling in the living room, so I can paint them on Sunday. I am so glad to get that done!
My spider bite/staph thing is getting better, it must be healing because it is itching like crazy!

This weekend I will start putting up Christmas decorations, maybe even post some pics on here.

Happy Fabulous Friday to everyone!

Love,
SG

Moving Day is over....

2009-11-30T15:53:00.002-06:00

Well, moving day has been accomplished. I couldn't have done it without all the help from my sister, my daughters and my cleaning wizard. They are all such a blessing in my life.
Now we live with boxes, but today we had to have the rotor-rooter man out, having only the low-flow toilet flushed for a month, no showers or such, created a slow-down in the sewer line, but now its flushed, and Shaun is fixing the wall. I'll probable be able to paint it on Sunday.

I'm glad to be back home and that the house is all clean again.

SG

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T19:06:00.002-06:00

This is my Dad in WWII. He was 18 when he went to Italy with the 10th Mountain Division, US Army. Thanks to all the Veterans and active military for what you did and continue to do.

Work goes on...

2009-11-06T12:15:00.003-06:00

Work continues at the house, maybe I can get some pictures this weekend. I finally got Racheal over there and I think she actually enjoyed herself. I think if I am there with her and we make it a together thing, she will be more cooperative.

And I have found someone to clean...so that will be great. We are going to do some work before he moves his things in, so I am really happy about that!

The weather is beautiful here, and its a football weekend, I love those. Of course I'll be working at the house, but its always a fun time in town, everything is so busy and upbeat and so much going on!

Have a happy weekend...
SG

Time goes by

2009-10-28T16:47:00.002-05:00

Wow, I haven't written here in so long...lots has been happening. Wedding plans, cleaning out the house to get it worked on. We are staying in his apartment for another month so I have more time to work on it. He keeps offering to hire me help, I may have to let him.
The wedding was Saturday, and it went off pretty well. Pictures later.
I took 2 small truck loads to the dump today, and then I had to take a shower and wash my hair, I couldn't get the smell off me! But I got rid of an old couch, 2 mattress sets and a barbeque grill, plus a few assorted things. This helps.
I have a lot to do...and I guess I'll hit it again on Saturday.

More later....
SG

Fabulous Friday

2009-10-09T13:36:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it's Friday. Tomorrow the Hogs take on Auburn in Razorback Stadium. Last week they whupped up on the Aggies, hope they are on a roll!

I gave away my tickets to stay home and get some work done at the house. The wedding is in 2 weeks and I have a lot of stuff to get rid of to make room for his stuff....wow, I just feel like buying another house and moving off and leaving it!

At least he is hiring movers, so I dont have to hide to avoid the moving in stuff...I hate moving!

The 40th reunion was a blast. And the FHS Dogs beat the SHS Dogs, which was a stellar thing!

Happy weekend.

SG

Thursday

2009-10-01T11:38:00.004-05:00

This weekend is my 40th high school reunion. I am going to the Saturday night dinner, to see some old friends.
I'm worried the list is not so long, and that the list of those no longer with us is too long. That's one reason I am going.
My wedding is 3 weeks away, yikes!

SG

Saturday

2009-09-26T22:36:00.002-05:00

Well, it's Saturdy and in the South, well, the whole country, it's football day...and the Hogs took a bad beating in Alabama...dang it. Nuff said

I took the grandson to bowl...his first time, and he beat me. I wanted him to win, but not that much! He had a good time, so it was worth it.

SG

Thursday

2009-09-24T15:52:00.006-05:00

Wow, its Thursday already. This time last week I was happily ensconced in the Doubletree in Little Rock, enjoying that free cookie. And thanking the powers that be (you know who you are) that I made it down I-40 in one piece.

Tomorrow I leave at noon to go pick up my grandson from Kindergarten and spend the afternoon with him. He is out for parent teacher conferences, and his mommy (my daughter) has to DO parent teacher conferences, because that's what they pay her for. So we get to spend the afternoon together. I have no idea what we will do. Probably something that involves spending my money.

Oh well, what else are they for but to love and spoil, right?

Enjoy the weekend ahead and the unusually cool temperatures.

SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-09-23T09:48:00.007-05:00

Go to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ for more Outdoor Wednesday...

I just dont have anything for Outdoor Wednesday. I do have some shot I made last weekend, but they are in my phone and I can't get them out. So I will resort to professional ones.

I visited the William Clinton Library in Little Rock. The last time I was there was not long after it opened, and the grounds are now just lovely and mostly green...

Photo Credit - A.C. Haralson

It's worth the visit, and no, it does NOT look like a trailer! It is a beautiful, clean lined space.
Enjoy and Happy Wednesday...

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-09-09T10:29:00.008-05:00

Go to: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ for more Outdoor Wednesday...

Here is my contribution to Outdoor Wednesday. Sunday we went for a drive/let me out at the flea market outing. One of the times I got to get out of the car was at Thorncrown Chapel. It's a wonderful chapel in the woods outside Eureka Springs. We were lucky, no weddings at the time. It's a popular place for that...and it was designed by Fay Jones, who is a local, was on the faculty here at the U of A, and a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright.

It has a lot of trees around it, and when you sit inside, its a wonder....it looks like it is floating in the sky!

It's hard to get a really good shot of it with a small digital, So this is a professional shot. It's worth a trip and a popular wedding place!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Gooseberry Patch

2009-09-02T12:53:00.002-05:00

Gooseberry Patch has a new blog and they are on Facebook and Twitter! I love this site. They are putting out a new cookbook and I haved a recipe in it. This is the second time I have gotten a recipe in one of their books. They sell them online, and in Cracker Barrels. Check them out!

You'll love them.

Today's Giveaway

2009-08-21T12:21:00.002-05:00

I found this great site that hosts give-aways every day! Go check it out....
(Click on the title of this post for the link)
SG

On cooking....

2009-08-20T12:53:00.002-05:00

I went to see "Julie and Julia" the other day and it was such a sweet and funny movie. I may have to buy the DVD on this one!

What fun it would be to do that, although I dont think I am up to Julia Child...anyway, its been done. However, I do have a LOT of cookbooks. So here is what I decided to do. My younger daughter and her friends want to cook. They want to, they just dont know how. So we are going to have cooking school at my house once or twice a month, and I am going to document it and post it to this blog.

Stranger things have probably never happened....stay tuned!

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-08-18T16:47:00.005-05:00

Here is my contribution to Outdoor Wednesday. Link here for others:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

We went on a little drive this weekend, checking out the place where we are planning our wedding, and stopped at this little country cemetery, because it is so pretty and interesting. It is called Crosses Creek Cemetery, and I think one of my friend's family is buried here.

It has a small, neat chapel....

A lot of the graves are marked with rocks, no names.

It has tables I think they use for decoration day most likely,

And an outhouse.

Did I mention it is in Madison County?

Nice gestures

2009-08-04T12:40:00.000-05:00

On Monday I received a nice surprise from one of our graduate students - flowers! In appreciation for helping her. Sometimes they mention me in their dedications, but I think these are the first flowers I have gotten. Really brightened up my day....

It has some lovely full size roses

Some tea size roses and some Zinnias.
And it came in a mug with seashells on it...love that beach stuff! What a great girl, and her husband picked it out. While he was at it, he sent her roses. He is very well trained for an engineer....

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-07-29T16:20:00.000-05:00

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

This is not a new picture, but it is interesting. Its a spring built by my Great-grandmother's Grandfather, James Hudson. It's called Hudson Spring and its in Johnson County, Arkansas. It looks rusty because the water has a lot of iron in it. This spring has survived for over a hundred years. I love it...

Harvest

2009-07-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally harvested from my wading pool garden...2 tomatoes! They are not really ripe yet, but I put them in the kitchen window. I had to throw away one that had been eaten on..probably a bird.

Then I put the soaker hose in them and gave them a really good watering, I think it will work better than me with the hose..and I gave them a dose of Miracle grow.

There are lots of tomatoes on them right now, and I have a few peppers coming on.

I feel so in touch with my farm roots right now....

SG

Time for the weekend

2009-07-24T11:09:00.001-05:00

Thank goodness its finally Friday! I'm looking forward to a weekend.
Here is a new recipe posting for this weekend. Speaking of which, I ordered a cookbook off Amazon that I had checked out of the library. I really like it, it has some great southern cooking, some history and they are traditional recipes..check it out if you can. I posted its picture under what I'm reading.
This is a cookie recipe I got from my neighbor who lived across the street from me for many years. I really miss her!

Marion’s Unbelievably Good Sugar Cookies

This recipe came from my neighbor across the street who was a well renowned baker in her circle of friends. It is a very light melt-in-your-mouth version.

1 c Sugar

1 c Confectioner's sugar

1 c Butter or margarine; soft

1 c Oil

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cream of tartar

1 tsp Vanilla

4 1/2 C. Flour

Combine the sugars, butter oil and eggs, beat well. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well. Refrigerate dough until well chilled (2 hours)Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into balls and dip into granulated sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass which has been dipped into the sugar-- it keeps the dough from sticking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.

These are incredibly good and light - a perfect cookie for tea in the afternoon, or with fresh fruit.

enjoy...love,

Back to Work...ughhhh

2009-07-20T08:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I did accomplish one thing during the time off...I cleaned 2 rugs and the couch. And did some laundry.

I have a lot to accomplish this week at work, so I probably won't do much at home. However, I do have lots of tomatoes on the vines, and the roma's have a few that turned red too soon..and they are suffering from blossom end rot. So today I have to go get some bone meal and work into the soil. Then I am going to put the soaker hose in the pools to water them. I dont think the hose is getting the job done.

My week at home

2009-07-17T08:22:00.000-05:00

My week at home is almost over..and I didn't accomplish a blessed thing...The Salvation Army didn't benefit...I didn't cook, I didn't clean.
I did however make a custard pie, spent a day with the grandkids going to the library and lunch...I think I got the red jell-o out of my white pants...and did some great reading. So it's been a nice time off. Frankly its too hot to go to the flea markets or hang out by a pool!
Today I came over to Alex's house for breakfast and then we are going to go out exploring. Maybe hit a flea market....

A week at home

2009-07-11T11:10:00.000-05:00

This week I am spending at home. Hopefully to get some things done and spend time with the grandchildren. And Little Rock this weekend.

Maybe even do some cooking!

Salvation Army will benefit from this....

Later.

SG

Happy Birthday America!

2009-07-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday America. This is the greatest country ever to exist on this earth. I'm proud to be an American.

What more can we say about that?
Have a safe and happy holiday!

SG

July 4th and a salad recipe

2009-07-02T15:04:00.001-05:00

July 4th is my birthday. I did get some nice diamond earrings from Underwood's, which I am very proud of!

Here is a wonderful salad I made last July 4th:

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch of broccoli (separated)
3 stalks of green onion (chopped)
1 cup celery (chopped)
1 cup raisins
2 cups green or red grapes (sliced)
1 cup roasted sunflower seeds

Mix together the following and pour over salad:

1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar

It's really good and different!

July 4th will be a good time to go back and read the Declaration of Independence again. If you haven't read it as an adult you should, it might just be an eye-opener. Heck, while you are at it, read the Constitution!

Go here if you dont have a copy:

http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm

It's good after all the fireworks and burgers, to think about how gutsy this document is, and what it took to make this country.

Sooooo....Happy Birthday America!

Today's recipe

2009-06-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

Since the lettuce is ready to pick in my garden, I thought I would share how to make good wilted lettuce. I learned this from my mother in law when I was in my 20's.

One big bowl of freshly picked leaf lettuce, washed and dried. If you don't grow it in the backyard, get a head of leaf lettuce at the store.
I like to roll several leaves up and slice them across, but you can also tear it into bite sized pieces.
Add in about 6 green onions sliced medium thin, include some of the tops. Toss it togther with about 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Then heat about 2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease until it is just about to start smoking. Pour it immediately over the lettuce in the bowl, and toss it. Serve immediatley, don't let this get cold.

This is great with any summer meal.

Enjoy!

SG

Gardening thoughts

2009-06-25T09:08:00.000-05:00

So many people commented on my garden pools, that I thought I should post some of the instructions here. You can't just dump in dirt and plant, so here is what I did:

First, I drilled drainage holes about 6 to 8 inches apart all around the sides, not the bottom, about an inch up. This will let some water stay in the bottom, but not a lot of it.
Then I put in a good layer of straw that I had. Pack it down good.
Then I put in topsoil, and mixed in some garden soil and peat moss.
After I planted I put in a layer of straw on top for mulch. You can also use mulch in place of the straw, but I had the straw already and needed to use it. I have added a layer of straw once since the original planting.

I hope this helps and I will certainly be updating on the progress!

Love
SG

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-06-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

This is my Outdoor Wednesday picture. See others at:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

This is my wading pool garden I am trying this year. Last night when I was watering, I found 2 tomatoes on one of the plants! They are about the size of a grape tomato so far.

So far so good!

How My Garden Grows!

2009-06-22T10:34:00.000-05:00

With all the rain, then sunny days, then no rain and heat, my garden is really growing. The pepper plants are not as big as I would like, and have started blooming. The tomato plants are blooming, and the lettuce is ready to harvest.

Tomato plants are starting to bloom, I may have them a little crowded, time will tell.

These are Better Boys, with one Roma in the center.

This is the squash and cucumber. They haven't started to bloom yet, but I need to watch them closely and do the pollinating, so I won't get strange crossbreeds. I forgot and put the cukes and squash in the same pool.

Also, the marigolds I planted don't seem to be coming up very well.

These are the pepper plants, with lettuce and spinach sowed about them.

All in all, so far this experiment is going pretty well. I just hope I get some produce out of this! The pools should last 2 or 3 years, then I'll transfer it all to a raised bed.

Today's recipe, Pink Stuff

2009-06-18T11:28:00.000-05:00

Every family has funny stories that revolve arouind food, we have one that involves this salad we all just call Pink Stuff. And years after it happened, I saw a sitcom episode with this very thing in it! I wont go into the whole thing, but it involved a big disaster at a family dinner, and the only thing that survived was the Pink Stuff.

Pink stuff is a staple of pot luck all over the south. Its easy to make and will keep in the refrigerator a long time.

Pink Stuff

1 Large carton small curd cottage cheese

1 large carton whipped topping, thawed

1 small pkg. strawberry gelatin

1 small can crushed pineapple (partially drained)

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Keeps for 2 weeks.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-12T08:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, he isn't here to enjoy it with his granddaughters and his great-grandchildren, but he is still missed and in our hearts.

Here he is in his WWII uniform.

Lemon Pasta on Monday

2009-06-09T10:21:00.000-05:00

I made this last night, and it was really good. Take it literally about drying out if you cook it a minute too long though! I think I'll add a little cream to it leftover. I also didn't have any fresh parsley or basil, and didn't want to go to the store, so I used dried parsley and put it on the stuff before I baked it. It would be sensational with fresh herbs!

I can't wait for my herb garden to grow.

Here is the link to Pioneer Woman's Baked Lemon Pasta:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/baked-lemon-pasta/

Try it!

Love,
SG

Thoughts for a Friday

2009-06-05T16:14:00.000-05:00

It's Friday and a weekend looms ahead. Hopefully I can get some yard work done on Saturday, although I still can't start that mower!
I have been so excited with my wading pool gardens that I bought some seeds to turn part of the beds (neglected so many years) around my patio into an herb garden and plant some flowers and other plants I got for it. Hope to get that done on Saturday!

My wading pools have plants thriving, and the seedlings coming up. I have little bitty lettuce and spinach. And the squash and cucumbers are growing daily. Tomorrow I will fertilize a little and see how they like it.

Wish me luck!

Summer eats - Low Country Shrimp Boil

2009-06-01T14:07:00.000-05:00

A Shrimp Boil is the easiest thing, and it's soooo good! I learned this from friends in Louisiana, but it's actually a Low Country food. It works the same, however for Crawfish. I had this one published in a cookbook.

Louisiana Shrimp Boil(Low Country Boil)

Fresh Shrimp with the shells on and the heads off, washed.
About ½ to 1 lb per person (depending on how much they like shrimp!)
2 lemons
2 white onions
Small red potatoes ( about 4 to 5 per person, depending on the size)
Corn on the cob(break the ears in half and cook a couple for each person)
One package Crab Boil( this is a small bag of mixed spices you can buy in the grocery)
Hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil ( if you like it spicy)

Use a big pot for this, and preferable out of doors.
Fill about ⅔ full of water, slice up the onions and lemons and add to the water, along with the bag of Crab Boil. Bring the water to a boil, add the potatoes, cook a few minutes, then add the corn, let this boil about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and let this boil until the shrimp turn pink and are floating.
Use a big strainer and dip the whole thing out on a big platter or a pad of fresh newspaper and paper towels on a picnic table. You have to allow for some water drainage, so pad this with the paper. If you want it hotter, add the hot sauce or liquid Crab Boil to the water. You might want to cook one batch, then take it out and throw in another batch with the hot sauce. Be sure to leave the bag of spices and as much of the lemon and onion in as you can for the second batch. Serve this with hot french bread and a salad. And of course, iced tea and beer!

Me and flea markets

2009-05-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

I have been having some amazing luck lately at flea markets. I have looked for at least 15 years for a McCoy wall pocket, the fruit kind. I wanted one with a pear or bananas on it, because they are yellow. They cost so much I needed to find one that was imperfect..and I finally did. On a return run from my 4 times yearly one day trips to Little Rock, I stopped off at the Three Sisters Antique Mall in Alma, and there was a whole booth of McCoy, and 2 wall pockets! One was a pear, that had been repaired, so it was priced at $25. The other was in perfect shape and was grapes, and it was priced at $125, which is still a good price. So I snapped up the Pear one...now I need to decide where in my kitchen to hang it!

Then Memorial Day weekend, I visited one of my favorites, the All My Treasures flea market on Hwy 16 East in Fayetteville. There I found a booth with a blue McCoy Shoe, it was only $5! I think it has been re-glazed, but I don't really care. And there was a yellow vase matching one I already had in blue, for $8 and a bamboo pot that looks perfect to me, for $8. Is this stuff coming down in price? or am I a fool? Who knows...

Oh and I also found some great stuff for my best friend's birthday. I wont say what...in case she reads this...

Happy Weekend!

Amazing food facts you find out about people you thought you knew...

2009-05-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

I asked the guy in my life some food questions and found out some disturbing things about him. He is a very good cook, and I let him feed me all the time. I love it.
But, I found out, number one, he does not like wilted lettuce. And he has never eaten a baked sweet potato, one of life's good things. And I asked him if he had ever crumbled up leftover cornbread in a glass, poured buttermilk over it, and eaten it with a spoon. He then looked at me like I was crazy. I thought he came from a good Southern family....
Hmmmm....

Time for a new recipe

2009-05-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

This will use up that hambone you have left from Easter . I always put mine in the freezer so we can get over the original ham first.

A Tribute To White Beans
“I ate four bowls, if that ain’t a tribute to white beans, I don’t know what is!”...Andy Taylor

One ham bone with a good amount of meat left on it

One to two pounds dried white beans (Great Northerns)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ C. of each chopped fine:

Onion

Celery

Carrots

Place beans in a big pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and let set for an hour, then drain. Cover with water again, add the ham bone, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then turn it down to a fast simmer. When the beans are about halfway cooked, take out the bone and let it cool. Add the onion celery and carrots. When the ham bone cools, pull all the meat off and chop coarsely. Add to the pot, and simmer until the beans are soft and the broth is thick.

Serve with cornbread. This will serve about 3 hearty appetites per pound of beans.

A new garden

2009-05-18T12:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday I made a garden for the first time in many years. I tried to grow a garden before, but got good plants, and no fruit!
Now I made a garden in 3 plastic swimming pools. The large one has many tomato plants, mostly Bigger Boys, and one Roma. I also planted green peppers, spinach, lettuce, yellow squash, zuchinni, cucumbers and some marigolds. I think marigolds keep out squash bugs.

I hope this works, I'll have to water this week, because it is not supposed to rain at all, for a change!

Stay tuned for results!

Strawberry Pie

2009-05-11T10:49:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year, so I'll just post my recipe for fresh strawberry pie, without using that nasty premade glaze they have in the store. Still no pics because I don't have a digital camera...

Fresh Strawberry Pie
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Water
2 T. White Karo Syrup
3 T. Cornstarch
Cook, Stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.

Add:
3 T. strawberry Jell-od
ash salt
½ t. red food coloring

Fill a baked and cooled piecrust with whole strawberries. (If the strawberries are those huge honkers they have in the store these days, cut or quarter them. You dont want a big thing to have to try to cut.) Pour cooled glaze over berries. Refrigerate until chilled. Top with whipped cream or cool-whip. Keep refrigerated.

For fresh peach pie:Use peach or orange-pineapple jell-o, yellow food color and fresh sliced peaches.

What do I have to do?

2009-04-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

to get a pepperoni pizza in this town?

Last night I left work, tired, blood sugar down, needed food. Craving pepperoini pizza, which Eureka Pizza advertises and fast and fresh, ready now or little wait. So I stop by, its on my way home...go in...ask for one. I am told by the girl behind the counter, it will be 30 minutes. I could go home and order it delivered from there in less time! No apologies, she was too busy being un-helpful and rude. So I left, went out to the Grill, one of my favorite places, who make very good pizza. Order one, few minutes later, they tell me they are out of pepperoni. Who runs out of pepperoni? This seems to be a problem at this place lately...

So I go back to town, and stop at Dominos...fast place, right? Ask the girl, how long to get a pepperoni pizza, and she says about 6 or 7 minutes. So I order one, and 5 minutes later, she still can't get this order into the computer. So she asks for help, and 3 minutes later, I tell them never mind and leave. By now it has been 30 minutes, so I go back over to Eureka. order a fast and fresh...and the guy (who is no better that the girl earlier) tells me they dont have any, and it will be 10 minutes. No apology, no offer to put my name on one like he did the young thing who ordered before me. So I went home and made myself some cheese nachos.

What do you have to do to get a pizza? I guess the answer is , go home, order it delivered!

Easter Dinner

2009-04-15T14:49:00.000-05:00

Easter dinner was fun...I cooked for 2 days and when they all left, I took a 3 hour nap.
Here's the menu:
While I was finishing up what I couldnt do before church, we had

Sharla's Cheese Ball
Sausage Balls

Then for dinner we had

Ham
Mashed potatoes
Green Beans
Fruit Salad
Layered Salad
Deviled Eggs
Olives

And for dessert

Sour Cream Pound Cake with strawberries and whipped cream
Karo-nut Pie (what we call Pecan Pie)
Easter cookies

A good time was had by all. The kids got baskets full of toys and candy, and had some yogurt drinks. Then they went home and I took a nap. It was the best nap I have ever had!

Love,
SG

New Blog - New Posts

2009-04-08T11:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my food blog. This blog will zip to Foodbuzz.
I'll be posting recipes no Southern Girl should be without...or those who like to channel Southern Girls.

As soon as I get the camera problem solved that is.

So stay tuned!