Baby shower tables

Here are some ideas for baby shower tables (or for any party, wedding reception, etc):

*Cover used, clean tin cans with scrapbooking paper (or fabric, newspaper, etc)

*Save glass jars for candles

*Put flowers from your garden in cans and/or jars

*Use scraps of fabric, burlap, etc. as runners on table to add color

*Print old photos to scatter on table

*Use brightly colored, old school candies in old glasses (I used lollipops and pixie sticks)

And this was my favorite idea....actually didn't even need pinterest for this one. haha! I picked out the perfect branch and carried it around in my truck for 2 weeks just so it would be dry!! I hung photos from twine and hung some fabric owls I made. I hung the whole branch from the ceiling with twine. The banner is made from scrapbook paper and decorative tape.

To make these, stick a paper straw in a marshmallow (wish I had gotten the huge ones) and stick in the freezer for a few minutes. Dip in melted white chocolate, then in sprinkles, colored sugar or toasted coconut.

Fancy Water bottles

This is another idea I found on pinterest...we bought pretty duck tape (found in the craft department) and wrapped around some water bottles. We filled a galvanized tub with ice and put them in it along with a tub full of juice boxes beside it for the little ones. You can't see it in the picture, but we filled a punch bowl with some crushed ice, Milos tea and some orange slices.

Homemade frozen pizzas

Like I mentioned, I have been filling my freezer. I am trying to:

1.) Save money by not eating out and going to to grocery store as much

2.) Eat healthier

3.) Save time by not having to cook every night

So far, things are going well! It is so easy to buy those cheap little frozen pizzas for when you are starving and in a hurry, but they are so greasy and full of calories & sodium! So that was one of my first "freezer projects".  First, I made 2 recipes of pizza dough. (Find the recipe for the dough here.) This dough is easy to make, freezes well and tastes so good! I save a couple of dough balls for the freezer for making a bigger pizza for dinner. The rest I cut into smaller portions to make smaller 1 serving pizzas. After letting the dough rise as directed, I made them into small pizzas and cooked in the oven about 5 minutes. After cooling a bit, I added store bought pizza sauce (maybe the next time I will make my own sauce too!), toppings & cheeses. I tried a few different version (spinach, pepperoni, veggie...). After topping them, I wrapped in parchment paper, then aluminum foil and put them all in ziploc gallon freezer bags. (I can get 3 or 4 in a bag.) Both I & my husband have enjoyed them and they are so much better and better FOR you than the ones from the store! You can cook them frozen, but I recommend removing them from the freezer a little while before cooking. Let me know if you try these and how you like them!

I'm still taking my sunset photos....I liked this one from yesterday. I took these at the

boat ramp, so there were boats coming in as I was there and I caught one in the photo. It ALMOST makes me want to go out on a boat....almost!

Kitty News

There is a story behind this picture that makes it even funnier. Mr. Spock had been sleeping on this box of stuffing for about a week. My husband walked in my room and saw Pumpkin lying on it and said, "aw...Mr. Spock lost his spot." I told him not to worry, if Mr. Spock wanted it, he'd get it back. Later in the day I walked in my room and saw this! LOL! Mr. Spock DID get his spot back, but he kind of had to share it with Pumpkin after all!! This isnt' the first time I've caught Pumpkin sleeping this way with the other kitties either. He's just a snuggly kind of kitty, I guess!

The other night I couldn't sleep so I made some spicy pickled peaches. I don't eat this kind of stuff so I gave them to Daddy and he liked them. I mostly wanted to make them because they look pretty in the jar. ha!I guess that's the reason I like to make jelly, salsa, etc....I love the way it looks after its made!

I'm planning a trip to Chattanooga this weekend--I will be at Chattanooga Market in booth H-26 (if nothing changes). If you're in the area, look for me there. I'm excited to check out the farmer's market. I just hope I can get a chance to get away from my booth and do a little shopping myself!!

Halloween Party

 I know...its been too long since I posted! (I know, because some of you have told me so. lol!!) I've been getting ready for some shows and haven't gotten around to blogging. But I DO have lots of pictures to share with you! First of all....the Halloween party! We had so much fun, almost as much getting ready for it as we did at the actual party! I drug so much food, decorations, etc to Momma's that it took me & Tyler (my nephew) all afternoon to get everything set up. We play a game we call "fear factor". We come up with foods that look like something disgusting and the kids have to eat them. They were tough this year and we didn't have just one winner. Guess we will have to get a little more disgusting next year!! Below are pictures from the party....enjoy! More cat news tomorrow, I promise! :)

 

 
  
  
 
 

I could never find any good "eyeball" recipes so I came up with my own! I bought canned pears and used a melon baller to scoop them into round shapes. With a paring knife, I carved a little hole just the right size for a blueberry (fresh or frozen). I put a little strawberry jam in the middle, put the blueberry in the hole and poked a toothpick through it. For the "blood", mix grape jelly and red food coloring and enough water to thin in just a little and pour around the eyeballs. These actually taste good and the fruit is good for you!

Hangin' with Poncho

I've been pretty busy with graphics & cats lately! Poncho is one of the new strays that I recently got neutered. I thought he was feral, but it turns out he is a sweetheart! He finally let me near him a few weeks ago, then I got him fixed. He was so scared at the vet and I really felt sorry for him! I had to keep him in a kennel overnight and he was so upset. But he was back within a few days and has been putting on weight and getting more comfortable around me every day. Now he'll climb in my lap and follow me around like a little puppy dog. He pats me on the ankles if I'm not petting him and meows at me constantly. He must really have a lot to say!! The other kitty I got fixed has a new home just across the road from my studio, so I get to see him every day still. He spends most of his time indoors, but does get to come out and visit.

I am getting together with my family today--we're going out to eat and to Crow Mountain orchard. Should be fun and I know I'll come home with way too much fruit and will probably be busy all weekend canning and freezing. It will be worth it when the winter gets here and I'm eating a buttermilk biscuit just out of the oven with some peach preserves I made myself! If anyone has good jelly, jam or preserves recipes, I'd like to hear them! I think they now have peaches, apples, blackberries & plums, maybe nectarines. Mmmmm...I can't wait!

My studio is coming along....we built a small closet on the back of the house connected to the back bedroom. This is where my hubby's music room will be and the closet will be for storage. (So he can get his stuff out of my way. ha!!) The closet is painted and the bedroom primed. I'll pick up more primer and paint today and we'll probably have it painted by the weekend and ready for flooring. (I saw "we", but my husband has done all the painting in this room!) Can't wait to get started on the last 2 rooms of my studio so I can officially move in and start creating here!!

Magnolia in Create & Decorate!

Check out my new project in Create & Decorate magazine...this is Magnolia. She's in the February 2010 issue. If you can't get a copy, you can click here to buy it. Also have some snowman noses here .... hoping to have even more Snowman making supplies soon!

I put up my Christmas trees and decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving got here. That's the first time I've ever done that! I didn't mean to wait so long to share pictures of it! I put up two trees--one in my living room and one in my bathroom. If the cats weren't so curious about them, I'd have one in every room! They can't be in the rooms with the trees unless I'm in there--they climb the tree, knock off ornaments and chew on the limbs. Sookie has even tried to carry off a few of my ornaments! Jackson enjoys the trees too-- as soon as he gets to my house he points at one tree and says "lights on". When I get that one lit, he runs to the one in the bathroom and says, "lights on!" Then any other Christmas decorations that light up have to be turned on too!

  Also wanted to share a yummy new recipe for brussels sprouts!

Creamy Brussels Sprouts

Nonstick Cooking Spray

1 medium onion, quartered & thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. butter

2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved (or green beans, trimmed)

1 t. snipped fresh thyme or 1/4 t. dried thyme, crushed

3/4 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. whipping cream

1/2 c.  shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 t. salt

1/8 t. ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a skillet, cook onion & garlic in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until softened. Stir in brussels sprouts and thyme. Cook 4 minutes or until onions start to brown. Add broth & bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until broth is nearly evaporated. Add whipping cream. Cook 4 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. Transfer to baking dish. Stir in half the cheese, all the salt & pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

3. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until brussels sprouts are tender. Makes 8-10 servings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving....and don't eat too much!  

Carving Jack-o-Lanterns

We finally carved our jack-o-lanterns last night! Mine is the classic looking one on the left and my husband's is the one on the right with one eye! While we were carving, I roasted the seeds and they were yummy! I had 1½ c. of seeds, so you can adjust your recipe accordingly. Be sure to wash the seeds, remove any stringy pulp and pat dry. Mix seeds with 1/4 c. melted butter, ½ t. garlic salt, ½ t. onion salt, a dash of paprika and a dash of chili powder. Mix well, spread in a large casserole dish or cookie sheet and bake at 300 for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until roasted. We could barely wait for them to cool!

I have some new patterns, new doll hair, glitter, etc. on my supply site! Click here to see my newest stuff. I have Pee Wee the cat (pictured)...he's so funny, don't you think? I have Pineapple Annie & Sissy the cat--they were recently featured in Create & Decorate magazine. Then there's Snowflake the Snowgirl. I don't have any finished stuff listed lately, but I'm working on a lot of paperclay things now. I like to let them dry a long time, to be sure they won't crack, so it will be a while before they're done. I'm planning to go to a show in May, so they are for that show. Trying to get started early this time. :)

I haven't really started much Christmas stuff--anyone else working on anything Christmas-ey or for the holidays? I have all this cool new glitter that I'm dying to try on some Christmas projects. I even have a new Christmas CD to listen to while I'm working on them. But I just can't make myself listen to that CD until after Halloween. ;) Sometimes I do listen to Christmas music during the year to inspire me, but I just can't do it too close to Halloween. Its my favorite holiday so I want to enjoy it all I can! But I'd love to hear what y'all all have planned for the holidays. What about your menus? Planning those yet? You know I always love a new good recipe if any of you want to share! (Hint!)

 

Brrrr....its gettin' cold!!

Hey, Strangers! I've been pretty busy--cooking, canning, going to the beach working....etc, etc. etc. I was talking to my friend,

Helena

this morning about how long its been since I blogged. Shame on ME!

For some reason, when the weather starts to cool off, I love to cook and do stuff around the house. The other night I made one of my favorite cold weather recipes, White Chicken Chili. I toasted some sourdough bread and poured the chili over it and it was SO good! I promised Helena I'd post the recipe....

White Chicken Chili

4 T. olive oil, divided

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½" pieces

1 T. ground chipotle chile pepper (I couldn't find this--left it out and it was fine)

2½ t. ground cumin

1½ t. salt

1 t. ground coriander

1/4 t. ground red pepper

1½ c. chopped yellow onion

3/4 c. chopped pablano pepper

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & minced

2 T. minced garlic

4 bay leaves

1 quart chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles

2 (16 oz) cans canellini beans

2 (16 oz) cans navy beans

4 c. grated monterey jack

1 c. sour cream

Heat 2 T. olive oil over med-high heat. Add chicken, chili pepper, cumin, salt, coriander, ground red pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes or until browned. Remove to bowl. In same pan, heat remaining olive oil. Add onion, pablano, jalapeno, garlic & bay leaves. Cook 4-5 minutes, until tender. Add reserved chicken, broth, green chiles. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans. Cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove & discard bay leaves. Add grated cheese and sour cream, stirring until cheese is melted.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Pumpkin Patch with 2 of my sisters, brother-in-law & nephew. We had a good time even though we missed the ones that didn't get to go! My pumpkin is still sitting out there waiting to be carved. Maybe I'll carve it this weekend! I finally ordered Hocus Pocus so I can watch it before Halloween. I planned on dressing up as one of the Sanderson sisters for our party this year, but we decided not to have one this year. I guess I have a head start on next year's costume!

 

Canning & Canning & Canning....

I guess today turned out pretty good! I got up early and got started on my tomato preserves, now they have to sit for 12-18 hours. Think those are really going to be good! Then I canned a bunch of crushed tomatoes and had a bowl of fresh tomato soup for lunch. Yum! In the past few weeks I've done a lot of canning, even though I didn't grow a  garden this year. Daddy has shared a lot with me, especially tomatoes! I've canned vegetable soup (my favorite in the winter), watermelon jelly, pickled watermelon rinds (better than they sound!), corn relish and some tomato and apple chutney. My watermelon jelly is more like syrup, so I'll be re-making it tomorrow when I work on the tomato preserves. I got a neat little book--The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life by Jennifer Worick. It has 50 projects and I thought it might be fun to just start at the beginning and do all the projects, or at least most of them. So first is brining an baking a turkey-since its just me and my husband, I baked a chicken. Its cooking now--will share pics and how good it turned out later on.

 Jackson is enjoying the tomatoes and other stuff out of the garden too. ha! Daddy brought me a big bag of tomatoes to the store and he loves to poke his little fingers in them and take bites out of them. I can't blame him-- you can't get much better than a fresh tomato!

Strawberries are planted!

Hey, y'all! I guess you wondered where I disappeared to! I've been trying to get a little gardening done when its not raining. I planted a small bed of strawberries, a few tomatoes, roses, bamboo, zinnia, sunflowers, nasturtium, cardinal climber, pineapple sage, bleeding hearts, ferns, peonies, cherry trees.....there may be more I forgot. So you see, I've been busy! I wanted to share a picture of Jackson so you can see how he's growing. He was enjoying getting his picture made here, as you can tell. (And we were about to go see the new calf too!)

 I did pretty well eating all my fresh veggies! Just didn't do as well sharing my recipes. LOL! I do have a good one to share--you can use fresh corn for this one, but I didn't have any and used canned corn. It is yummy that way ....this is one of my favorite new recipes! The kitties enjoy the fresh veggies & fruit too--Pumpkin likes Strawberries! lol! Strawberry loves greens & corn, so they all get a little when I'm cooking.

Corn & Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 8  6-inch corn tortillas
  
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
  
• 5  scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
  
• 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
• 1 1/2  cups  fresh corn kernels (from 2 medium ears)
  
• 1/2  cup  whole milk
  
• Salt
  
• 2  cups  grated pepper Jack
  
• 1  10-oz. can enchilada sauce

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stack tortillas, wrap in foil and bake until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.

While tortillas are baking, oil a 7-by-11-inch glass baking dish. Warm 1 Tbsp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in corn and milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Remove tortillas from foil. Set aside 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of corn mixture in center of a tortilla. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon of cheese. Roll up tortilla and set in dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, overlapping them slightly. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with reserved 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Pictures from Langston

  Last Sunday I took the scenic route home from Momma & Daddy's house....I drove through Langston. I always loved driving throug there. When I was little, sometimes we'd all load up on the back of the truck and go to the river to swim. Those are two things I'd never do now--ride on the back of a truck or swim in the river with the snakes!! We had to drive through Langston to get there and I always thought it was so pretty. You can see the farms through the trees and I always thought when I grew up, I'm go there and paint a picture! Its hard to get pictures driving down the road, but there are some pretty sites along the way. I especially loved when I could see a house and pasture with cows grazing. I guess that's what I always thought I'd paint. I didn't think about house I'd get the photo of what I wanted to paint. Maybe some day I'll try it!!

Lisa, here's that recipe I promised you....the one I found in Healthy Cooking magazine. Serve this with the fresh baked bread and some roasted garlic. That's my favorite meal these days!!

Blackberry Spinach Salad

6 c. fresh baby spinach

1 c. fresh blackberries

1 c. chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes

2 T. chopped walnuts, toasted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2½ t. honey

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t. Dijon mustard

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

Combine spinach, berries, tomatoes & walnuts in large bowl. In small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard, salt & pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Dill Pickle Relish

Thought I'd share another recipe. This is for Dill Pickle relish--I like to use it in tuna salad. My mouth is watering right now, thinking of taking a big bite of it!! Remember the onion chopper I mentioned for the squash relish? It works good for chopping the cucumbers into tiny pieces too.

 

Dill Pickle relish

 

3 lbs cucumbers (8-9)

2-3 sweet onions

1/4 c. pickling salt

3/4 c. sugar

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

2 t. dill seeds

2 t. celery seeds

1/2 t. turmeric

2 T. cornstarch

3 c. white vinegar

 

1. Finely chop cucumbers & onions. Place in large bowl & spring with salt. Stir well. Let stand for 1 hour.

2. Drain mixture in colander, rinse under cold water & drain again, pressing out any excess moisture.

3. In a large pot, bring vinegar, sugar, garlic, dill seed, mustard seed, celery seed to a boil.

4. Add cucumbers, bring to a boil again, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After 9 minutes, add corn starch to a bit of the summering juice until no lumps remain. Add to relish mix and mix well until thickened.

5. Remove from heat, add turmeric & mix well.

6. Pour into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Seal with lids and rings. Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Here Comes the Bride....

This is my favorite picture i took at my sister's wedding....you can probably tell that's my sister standing. ;) I just wish her new hubby had been in the picture too! Her wedding was at her husband's aunt & uncle's house. Its surrounded by trees with a really pretty yard--a perfect setting for a wedding. We did the decorating and food and I think everything turned out great! I even helped Jamie get ready--something I've done for her since she was little. That made me sad in a way, but I was happy she still wanted me to help her now that she's all grown up! I was almost 15 when she was born, so even though she is grown up now, its hard for me to believe it....they spent the week on the beach for their honeymoon. What fun!

Crow Mountain Orchard

  I was so excited to take a picture of my new booth setup to share with ya'll....I got it all set up and didn't try to take a picture until later in the day. Then I realized I didn't have my media card for my camera!! I called my husband to bring it to me, but as I was calling him, he walked up behind me. Maybe next time!!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I went to Crow Mountain Orchards with my sister, Lisa, and Jackson. That was fun--Jackson seemed to have a good time and tried to talk to everyone he saw! Its so pretty there--the picture below is a view from the parking lot! I bought way too much--I thought I'd have more time to put the stuff up, but I just got carried away, I guess! I bought the biggest bag of apples they had and I ended up chopping them up, coating with sugar & cinnamon and baking them with some butter. We ate some and froze some. Last night I put some in a tortilla and fried it in butter like a fried apple pie and it was really good! Those should be good this winter....Then I bought some peaches. I started some peach butter, but I miscalculated and ended up making peach preserves and I made some juice for some jelly when I get a chance. The nectarines were gone pretty quickly and I still have some grapes in the fridge but I had to throw out some pears. (Don't know why I got those--I really don't even like pears that much. ha!)

My next show is Oct. 3 and I've been trying to get some Halloween stuff done. I'm hoping to have Halloween only in my both. Won't that be fun? I just hope I can get a booth full ready in a month!!  My sister's bridal shower is tomorrow so I've been getting ready for that....then I'll concentrate on Halloween tomorrow night. I even ordered some Halloween movies from Netflix to inspire me--nothing too scary, stuff like Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas and I even have Alice in Wonderland here to watch next! And I have this picture of my nephew, Tyler, pulling all our pumpkins at the pumpkin patch last year to get me in the Halloween spirit. I love this photo! We can't wait to go back to Crow Creek again this year!!

And I don't want any of your asking why I didn't post a kitty picture....so here's Sweet Pea. I think he loves to get his picture made!!

Congratulations to Cindi!

Congratulations to Cindi--winner of the contest! Yep, that's an heirloom lemon cucumber! I ordered some heirloom seeds and got a free packet of seeds for these. I had never heard of them before--maybe I'll grow more next year. They were pretty easy to grow from seed. I had lots of tomatoes, plus Daddy had a bunch so I canned some salsa last night. I ended up with one quart, one half pint and 6 pints. Doesn't seem like much for all the work! Right now I'm getting a lot from my garden--seems like the squash, okra and cucumbers are slowing down, but now I'm getting onions & beans. The watermelons and some winter squash are almost ready and I have a few Jack be Little pumpkins ready. 

So Pumpkin had a problem the other night....he was playing with Mr. Spock and apparently things got a little rough. I couldn't resist taking his picture before I helped him out!! He's full of energy and sometimes its funny to see him trying his best to get the older kitties to get up and play!

Here's a picture of the "big kids"--Tara, Jeffrey & Tyler. When in the world did they all get so grown up? Jeffrey's about ready to get his driver's license--maybe I can start sending him on some errands for me!! I'll miss them when they go to school--they spend a lot of time at the office, which is about a mile from here so I can just pop in when I get time. There is usually at least one of them there at all times!

I picked up this typewriter a few months ago and thought I'd just display it in my office like it is. But now I'm thinking I might want to take off the keys and use them, but how in the world do you do that? If you know, tell me! lol! I just can't figure it out.....

Happy Memorial Day!

Bilbo hopes y'all are all enjoying the holiday today....I'm working, but since its a fun kind of work. Well, except I have a virus on my computer and I'm trying figure out how to remove that. But besides that, its fun stuff.  I'm still loving cooking on my new grill....the other night I made one of my favorite recipes I got from a "Every Day with Rachel Ray" magazine. I decided to try it on the grill and it was even better! Here's the recipe--the only thing I changed was the jerk seasoning. I couldn't find any so I added a little chili powder and brown sugar to the pork and just left it out of the slaw--its really good that way. And this time I didn't have bacon and I didn't miss it. What makes it so good is the slaw!

Jerk Cheeseburgers with Green Apple Slaw

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated & patted dry

Grated peel of 1 lemon plus 1½ Tbs juice

½ cup chopped chives

3 Tbs pure maple syrup

2 Tbs Jamaican jerk seasoning

1½ lbs ground pork

8 slices bacon

4 oz smoked cheddar cheese, thinly sliced

4 kaiser rolls, split & toasted

1. Toss apples with lemon peel and juice. Add mayo, chives 1½ Tbs jerk seasoning; stir to combine & refrigerate.

2. In a large bowl, whisk remaining syrup, 1½ Tbs jerk seasoning. Add pork & combine. Shape into 4 one inch thick patties, pressing your thumb in the center to prevent bulging.

3. In large skillet cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cook pork patties in bacon drippings (or on the grill!) and cook for 4 minutes, flip, lower heat and cook 3 minutes more. Lower heat to low, top each patty with cheese and cook until the cheese is melted and patties are cooked through, about 2 minutes more. (On the grill, I add the cheese after the patties are done.)

4. Place a pork patty on each roll bottom, top with bacon and slaw and a roll top.

You have to try this recipe....it is delicious and easy!.....

The other day Kenyon & I went to the park--one of my favorite things to do when its warm enough....in the summer when its really hot there is usually a cool breeze too, so its nice to go at night sometimes. But the main reason I like to go is the feed the ducks! This time there were some babies....so exciting! They ate as the momma & daddy ducks stood guard. They were the cutest little things! I wished I could grab one up and pet it but I patiently sat in the truck and watched them eat. I took some cute video too but I just can't figure out how to share it....maybe I'll figure it out one of these days!!

About my day....

Have you ever tried to change the sheets with a cat on the bed? Its not easy! I had to roll Mr. Spock around and get the fitted sheet on. I thought if I put the flat sheet on, he would want out, but he didn't . Then I added the blanket--nope, he still liked it. Then I put the comforter on and he still liked it! He stayed under there about 15 minutes before he decided he'd come out. ha! If you wonder what those humps are holding the covers around him, its Sweet Pea on one side and Pumpkin on the other.....

I've named the new kitty "CJ"--he's hanging around every day now and rolls in the garden with the rest of the cats. So his appointment to be neutered is next Wednesday ..... maybe he will stop trying to be a bully. ;)

So Momma & I had a little misunderstanding about our shopping day. I thought it was today, she thought it was tomorrow, but we ended up going today anyway. Thank goodness--I rolled my hair and everything! That's a rare occasion for me!!! I barely had any breakfast and couldn't wait to eat a salad from Atlanta Bread Co. and Momma was wanting some sourdough bread--that's the main reason we went. We got there and they were closed for oven repair. Really! We went to Old Navy--bought myself a shirt and necklace and the cutest hat for Jackson. I believe that's the first shirt I've bought for myself in a long time that wasn't from wal-mart or the thrift store! I used my re-usable bags and the cashiers didn't know what to think. They would look for the bar code to scan it and I'd have to explain. The young guy at Old Navy said, "oh, you mean to go green?" I said, "yeah"....he said "Niiiiiice." lol!

We went to Michael's and I bought every bottle of neon purple paint they had--its my favorite color to use and they don't carry it at wal-mart anymore and its usually out when I go anywhere else! I got some other goodies there--most imporant, Somerset Studios and Altered Couture magazines that I can't buy here, so I was happy about that. I filled my reusable bag in there! (By the way--I found 3 nice MarthaStewart.com bags at the thrift store for $1 each! You could easily make your own from old jeans....) Went to PetSmart to get some goldfish for my pond and reflective collars for my outside kitties. I put one on Frazier and he ran and ran trying to get away from that dang bell! Kenyon said he will probably run away. LOL! Too bad I don't have any shopping pictures to share with you, so I'm sharing one of a lazy, sleepy Pumpkin....because that's about how I feel tonight! Oh--can't believe I forgot to mention that we visited Jackson on the way home--Momma got him a new outfit and I bought a matching hat. Can't wait to see him wearing that--I love to see babies in hats! So cute!

I worked on some dolls tonight and got some hair put on a couple of them. I cleaned out my suitcase full of them yesterday ... Pumpkin & Mr. Spock piled up on it as if they could keep me from going on another trip! These are all pieces of dolls from the segments I taped, so I'm trying to put them all together now. I have to clean off my desk for another fun, exciting project.....another one that you will have to keep checking in with me about. Another surprise!!! Alyssa--if you are reading this, you know what I am talking about!!