Sewing Saturday - Pillowcase Dresses

This week I completed two pillowcase dresses.  The first one was for my granddaughter Lilly.  This one was made from a pillowcase set that a dear friend made for me about ten years ago.  The matching one was torn, so I decided to recycle the remaining one.  I love the way it turned out!

The second one is for a friend's granddaughter.  I really like the boutique style and the huge rickrack.

Next week, I plan on starting a baby quilt.  I'm not really a quilter, so I'm not real sure how that project will go.  Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll be able to post a picture of it.

Picking Blueberries

Well, we did it!  Another year of picking blueberries is behind us and I can't say I'm really sorry.  It was so, so very hot this year. And someone had the gall to feature our blueberry farm in the Dallas Morning News the week prior to our going.  That made 150 people rush out there on Saturday and pick those bushes bare!  But, anyway, it was a great experience for Michael.  How many little five-year-olds can say their grandma made them get up at 6:00 a.m. and drive 60 miles to pick little tiny berries in 100 degree weather?  What a lucky little boy he is!

Just see how happy he looks...

Here's the only picture of me you'll see....

Shortly thereafter I was sweating, I mean glistening, so much that I looked like a heat stroke waiting to happen!  While Michael and I frequented the water stand,  Mendy did a lot of the picking.

But we made sure that she had water, too!

Michael ate a lot more than he picked this year!

But that's okay. With a cute little smile like his, he's just fun to take along!

After paying and putting our berries in a cooler, we headed down the road to the Edom Bakery & Cafe.  We had a great lunch of southwest turkey rolls and a spinach, strawberry salad while Michael enjoyed a PB&J sandwich on homemade bread!  Yum!

Reflections on Jelly Making

   A few weeks ago, I picked blackberries at a local farmer's patch.  I spent several hours there and picked about two gallons.  The berries were just beginning to ripen and I had to work pretty hard to find them ...

but it was certainly worth it!  I brought them home and froze them and today, I thawed some to make jam.  I love making jellies and jams because it reminds me of my mom and all the canning she used to do. My dad grew a huge garden and Mother was expected to can or freeze as much as she could.  I don't think she enjoyed it the way I do, though, because for her it was a necessity and for me, it's just a hobby.

   Several weeks ago, I found this sieve in an antique shop in Mineola.

   My mother had one just like it, so I had to buy it.  I used it today and it worked great!  I was able to make my jam without all the seeds.  I made sixteen jars and next week I plan on making blueberry and peach.

   I guess to some, it's strange that I would make something that I can buy so cheaply at the store. I think that besides the fact that it reminds me of my childhood, I enjoy knowing that I can be a little self-sufficient.  I mean, I didn't grow the berries, but at least I know what to do with them.  I'm trying to pass that on to my grandson.  Next week, I'll be taking him to Edom, Texas for our annual blueberry picking trip.  I love watching him carry his little basket and pick those tiny berries.  Hopefully, our trip will give him some great memories and more importantly, the experience of working to provide his own food, because a  little pioneer spirit just might be good for us all!                                                                                                                                     

 

Wordless Wednesday - Won't Someone Please...Please Take Me Fishing?

Friday Family & Friends - Old and New Friends

   Last Friday, we had a visit from an old church camp friend of mine and his sweet wife.  Even though we became friends about 43 years ago, as teenagers, and I had only seen him once since (about 16 years ago) we renewed a great friendship.  I had only met his wife once, but felt very comfortable around her also and made a new friend that I cherish.  My husband also enjoyed our time with both of them and we hope to spend time with them again soon.

   They chose this particular time to visit because it was the weekend of Canton First Monday.  If you've never been to the trade days at Canton, TX, you've really missed out on a great adventure!  This event is held the weekend before the first Monday of every month.  It dates back to the days when a circuit judge would come through town the first Monday of each month and everyone would choose that weekend to come to town and trade vegetables, guns, chickens, etc. while entertaining themselves with the local court proceedings.  It has continued through the years and grown into acres and acres of crafts, flea market items, and yes, even some animals. 

   Here's the statue at the entrance...

It reflects the spirit of the early trade days  very well.  

   Since our friends, Danny and Leslie, really like antiques and the retro look, we headed out to the back of the trade grounds where we found lots of old glassware, guns and well...just about anything else you could imagine.  We even saw this...

                                                             

Is that a bed pan that deer is playing? 

        

   We spent most of the day at Canton even though the temperature was close to 100 degrees.  Leslie bought a beautiful quilt for their bed and some jewelry for their daughters. 

   On Sunday, we went to church and had a mexican dinner before they headed back home to Oklahoma. 

We had a great time introducing them to our family and friends. Danny and Leslie, please come back anytime.  It was a pleasure renewing an old friendship and beginning a new one!

                                                                              

A Little of This and a Little of That

Yesterday, we returned from spending four days at the lake.  Mickey did a lot of fishing while I worked on the trailer, read, watched movies and went shopping.  Here are a few pictures from our trip:

I painted the little kitchen area "cabin red"  and put up faux tin tiles.  Now, with the curtains completed and the chairs reupholstered....                                                                                                

I'm ready to move on to the teeny, tiny little bedroom you can see in the background.  Not sure what I'll do     with it, though.                                                                                                                                            

Friday night, we cooked hamburgers on the grill, then went out in the boat for a few hours.  It was really a lot of  fun after dark, with all the stars out.                                                                                                         

Mickey had some friends over to fish with him on Saturday, so I decided to drive in to Mineola and take a look at the downtown area.  I had heard there were some cute little shops there, and I wasn't disappointed. 

I spent several hours just looking around and I plan to go back when my daughters are with me.  Here's a sneak peek at one of the cute little antique shops.....                                                                                    

                          

On Sunday, after church services, we tore all the lattice work off the deck and raked up six bags of leaves.

On our next trip we plan on putting up new cedar lattice work.  Every evening I sat out in this chair with my diet Dr. Pepper and this little guy joined me.........                                                                                      

Mickey caught a lot of nice fish.....                                                                                                            

So, all in all, we had a great Memorial weekend and today celebrated our thirty-seventh wedding anniversary.

Happy anniversary, sweet husband!  I hope there are many more to come!

Just a side note:  I don't like blogger!  It has eaten one of my pictures and my text is all over the place even though I aligned it with the left margin!