Old Mommy Sews

Carolyn is a peach....she is my greatest fan and biggest promoter. She sent out an e-vite to her friends for a sewing class led by me.

It started with one of Jen's friends being pregnant wanting to learn to use a sewing machine and make baby clothes. She and Jen came over and I introduced Tracey to my machine. She made flannel burp cloths for the new baby. She had fun and posted on Facebook.

That is where Carolyn pops in. She saw the post and jumped on the idea for me to teach her and friends to sew. I charged $30.00 which included a small sewing kit and fabric for an apron. Five gals turned out on Saturday night. I had a blast. I truly believe in the Biblical truth of teaching the "younger" women to be good wives...not that sewing has much to do with that. Sewing is a way to express yourself and make something useful or fun in the process!

A good time was had by all! Every gal finished her apron but one gal who had to leave and make dinner. We talked about maybe doing other classes for making tote bags or table runners. I hope I get another class.

Crazy Love by Mindy Gledhill Lyric Video

Old Mommy Grills

Jennifer, Greg and the girly girls are out of town and Poppy and I are babysitting the "granddog", Rosie. Rosie is a good dog and we enjoy being here taking care of her. For many years we had dogs for pets, but now living in a condo has made it difficult to have pets. So, we spoil Rosie almost as much as we do the girly girls. We go for long walks and play lots of ball fetching in the backyard. Even though she is still a puppy she has developed a few quirks....mostly about eating her dog food. But, for us our stay here is perfect!

When Jen and Greg give us their scheduled time to be away we start planning what we are going to put on the grill back on the deck. We have rules at the condo NO Grills! For two senior citizens who have grilled all their married life, that was something we knew we would miss. But, staying here allows us to use the grill for every meal if we want??

Grilled steak, grilled shrimp, grilled salmon, grilled veggie kabobs, and more veggie kabobs and for lunch grilled hotdogs. Poppy tells me I am a superb griller and I accept that compliment with pride. I was just telling Poppy tonight one of the best perks about grilling...no pots and pans to wash. It is a good thing as Martha Stewart would say.

Come home gang, but not before we have pork chops please!

Mac, wind and rain!

My son, John, sent me his older (2years) Mac. I opened the box and the only thing I could say was "WOW!' The computer monitor is 24 inches..taking up half of my desk....it is wonderful. The color and the sound are awesome. I am still playing with everything, but for only having it for less than a week....I think I am doing pretty good for being technically challenged!

Hurricane Irene came and went somewhat uneventful...thank God. The temperature was in the low 8Os so it felt great outside...sat on my porch and felt the wind in my face aaahhhhhh. We didn't get much rain and the farmers could have used some, but as an weather event it turned out okay. Of course, we were over prepared and that is always an insurance policy that things will not get too bad. The worse weather happens when you are not prepared, like going to bed in February and expecting a couple inches of snow and waking up and not be able to open your back door to let the dog out because of drifting snow.

Looking forward to a great week. Blessings!

Sunday Night Sleepover with the girly girls

Amanda and Autumn spent the night last night. I know I talk a lot about sleepovers and the girls, but last night was so much fun. I guess part of it is the fact that they are getting older and Autumn does most of the same things that Amanda does.

We watched a funky movie while eating homemade cookies from the freezer. Freezer cookies are remarkably delish....and really easy. We ate all 15 cookies and enjoyed every bite!

Our main activity recently has been making murals with paints or markers. They turn out amazing. We just start with maybe a fun picture of a sunshine or a rainbow or maybe a volcano and make everything go together. One of our favorite things to draw is big names.....AMANDA or AUTUMN in puffy letters and then decorating them with designs.

Last night we had both markers and new paint sets.....the pictures were amazing and the colors were so clean and bright. They are taped on the big slider closet doors in their bedroom. Looks good!

Breakfast was uneventful, but after breakfast the girls went on a sketching mission to the third floor of our condo unit. They took pencils and notebooks and drew the decorating and furniture in the hallway upstairs. They loved it....you never know how much fun takes place with a simple idea and lots of imagination.

Next....we went to the Kangaroo for slurpies.....they were so goood! I must remember to buy them more often when it is hot! They can really cool you off!

Lunch was hotdogs and chips....Jen came and took them home around 1:30. A great time was had by all.

The girls are tracked out for three weeks, but will be traveling for two weeks. They are going to California to visit friends...just Jen and the girls. California is great all year, but especially this time of year. Take me with you!!

When the moon hits your eye..like a big pizza pie...that's amore!

Well, Heidi and I did it! The pizza turned out great. Everything being roasted ahead of time was the best thing we did. The roasted tomatoes made the pie just perfect. We could even pick it up and bite...no fork or knife involved. To me that is success!

We sat at my kitchen table and ate pizza waiting for the hummingbirds to visit my potted Rose of Sharon. They visit most every day....they are so cute.

After I had praised Heidi and Heidi had praised me and we had praised even the oven and the pizza stone, we decided we will do this again.

We talked at length about our next cooking adventure....scones or quiche??? Which one should we do??

Pizza......a success story in two parts!

Thursday started out busy busy. I knew Heidi was coming over at ten and I had things to make....I prepared my tomatoes for roasting and put them in the oven..next go the potatoes very finely cut and next go the sweet banana peppers and sliced onions. I reused the same baking pan (less clean up) but, the best thing about using the same pan was the olive oil and spices just kept making everything better. By the time I put in the peppers and onions the pan was well seasoned and made the flavors very tasty!



I run downstairs to let Heidi in....it is ten o'clock. Heidi, you are always greeting me with a smile...thanks for being my friend. She brings in bacon and breakfast sausage and tiny round zucchinis for a baking experiment later?


Now, the magic begins! The pizza stone is heating in the oven at about 475 degrees. The dough we had purchased was easy to work with. We made four small pizzas with everything on them....tomatoes, bacon, sausage, peppers and onions, potatoes and cheese...easy on the cheese! We watched the pizzas bake and we anticipated failure because we really didn't know exactly what to do, but......part II.

Breakfast Pizza

My friend, Heidi, and I went to the farmer's market and ended up going to an additional market in Hillsborough. Great little market...but what we liked best was the hot from the oven breakfast pizza. Thank goodness there was a pizza wagon on the property. Heidi and I both ate pizza with bacon, sausage, potatoes and sauce + cheese! It was so good and so different we decided to make it ourselves.

Soooooooooo, we have a pizza making date for Thursday morning. We are getting our dough from Trader Joes since everyone says they have the best dough.

You guys are going to "wish you were here"! Yum

Monday Monday

I love Mondays. They are a clean slate for a whole week of expectation. I have nothing planned for today but sewing and catching up on making the condo shine!
I plan to see the girly girls today...missing you guys!

I wish the weather had plans for rain. It is too hot and too dry for gardens and my pots on the porch. My potted rose of sharon attracted the cutest hummingbird while we were sitting at the table. It took nectar from both blooms, but nothing else on the porch looked yummy!

Have a great day and a great week.

Does this song paint a picture of summers' past?

Lazy Afternoon
It's a lazy afternoon,
And the beetle bugs are zoomin'
And the tulip trees are bloomin'
And there's not another human in view but us two.

It's a lazy afternoon,
And the farmer leaves his reapin'
In the meadow, cows are sleepin',
And the speckled trout stops leapin' up stream as we dream.

A fat, pink cloud hangs over the hill,
Unfolding like a rose;
If you hold my hand and sit real still,
You can hear the grass as it grows.

It's a hazy afternoon,
And I know a place that's quiet,
Cept for daisies runnin' riot,
And there's no one passin' by it to see;
Come spend this lazy afternoon with me.

Words and musisc by John Ltouche, and Jerome Moross

I want to know...where is the willow tree, a quilt on the ground and a glass of
sweet tea?

I am going to post more often!! Surely my life is not sooo boring?

I am in love with summer! Yes, it is hot here and suppose to get hotter later this week, but summer brings so many great veggies and things to do.

Living in North Carolina has brought veggies into my life that weren't there before even after living north, east, south and west in the USA! I fixed purple hull peas for Sunday dinner and even Bob loves them. With mashed potatoes they are the best! I went to the Carrboro Farmer's Mkt on Saturday and saw something I had never seen....plum tomatoes that looked "tiedyed"....yellow and red stripes. Next time I am getting some of those.

The Farmer's Market always has a variety of produce. This Saturday just happened to be tomato day at the market. They put together an area solely dedicated to tomato samples....needless to say we joined the line and tasted everyone!! I brought home a tiny cantelope about the size of a ball of yarn....it is soo sweet you wish it was the size of a watermelon! But, the best thing I brought home was a loaf of artisan bread. It has a taste unlike any bread I have ever eaten.....sage, rosemary with small cut up potato chunks in different colors. Toasted it is amazing.

Catch you later....blessings

Life is full of changes!

February and tired of winter

February is one of my favorite months. My sister has a birthday and of course, Valentine's Day. Don't you just love red and white together.....hearts, quilts, redwork embroidery, and cherries and cheesecake.

I have been busy and involved with lots of activities. I have been sewing , sewing, and sewing! The older I get the more I enjoy sewing. I am making a quilt for my sister, Brenda, for Christmas this year. It is a bom from Thimbleberries.....so cute with pieced birdhouses. I have three blocks finished and they all turned out the same size...yea!!
Do you ever just think about what a talent it is to sew.....God given and very much thankful for? I want to make little dresses for Africa this year. I have a bunch cut out and I am waiting for a coupon to buy the bias tape. They are fun to make and you can really gussy them up cute.

We have started attending church for the first time in years. The church is friendly and the teaching and music is fantastic. We are very blessed to be there!

I will be working on a bag for my granddaughter, Nicole, for the remainder of the weekend. It is fun and the fabric is seriously funky!

I will be posting again soon.