Okay...there is LOTS to blog today! I have been a busy little bee.....here is a before picture(s) of my guest bathroom and here is after...I certainly hope you can tell the difference! LOL! Anyway...I tried removing wallpaper from drywall that had not been sealed properly....what a mess....but finally researched and asked around and found out how to fix it all....VERY proud of the result and I have never mudded or messed with drywall compound before plus there were deep holes in the drywall too. I still have a lot to do in there but the worst is over!

This is just one small corner of my friend, Jamie's The Quilted Heart Quilt Shop....it is just the cutest best decorated quilt shop in all of Arkansas! Yea Jamie!!!! Every Wednesday we gather after she closes the shop and we bring our supper and our projects which can be anything and we stitch and talk and laugh and have the best time. I feel very blessed to have this group and I really look forward to it each Wednesday and NOW I am starting a Beginner's Quilting class at Jamie's shop on Tuesday nights so I will show you my progress (hopefully I will have some) while taking the class. Can they REALLY teach and old dog new tricks???
This is Sally, quilter extrordinaire....she and her friend Dian (not in the pictures) are going on a quilt spa retreat and have been working on their "challenge" quilts which are turning out SO CUTE!
This is Jamie....the owner and sole proprietor of The Quilted Heart.....a nicer and more talented gal you will never meet and decorate???? She could teach the experts....everything she touches turns into cute and marvelous immediately! She's holding up a bag of wool squares she's been cutting for months now....you should see the cute stuff she makes with them.
This is Linda and she is hooking a wool rug that she designed herself! First time she has ever done it too.....this gal does everything and anything and she is good at it right out of the box!
No, I did not make this.......Jamie's daughter , Kelly did! Cute cat quilt just waiting for Jamie to quilt it on her long arm quilting machine. The little pony tail belongs to Abigail....Jamie's grandaughter.

It's Spring in the Ozarks!

Yes...it's Spring here for sure! I hung 2 loads of clothes out and the wind is really whipping today and they dried in record time. The daffodils are blooming everywhere....they come up in the woods all around here too. The white blooming tree is in my side/front yard and is a Bradford Pear. It's about the only tree that didn't get damaged from the ice storm. So, for those farther North.....get ready! Spring is on it's way to you too!

I found it!!!! Whew!

But now the batteries went dead so this was all I was able to get pictures of before it bit the dust. The dish I got at the moving sale and it is from Portugal and has a little chip but I love the dish! It has all kinds of frogs and leaves and it has some Portugese potter's name on the bottom.
The chair I got from a friend yesterday who is"downsizing" and it was FREE!!!! It came with the arm covers and the matching ottoman and matches my bedroom carpet which I don't like but for now it is just fine and it was FREE! That is 3 FREE chairs in a week! WOW! I think I am going to clean my garage and have a little thrift store of my own 4 or 5 times a year....hmmm....not a bad idea. The town will only let you have 4 or 5 sales, be they garage or otherwise, per year. Yes, I think this is what I am going to do! I'll post more after I get batteries for the camera. It was in my craft bag because I took it with me to my Craft Group who I was going to photograph and then forgot! LOL!

Where oh where is my camera?

What a week this has been....was yours like that....it made a "whooshing" sound as it flew right by me! And I found a Thrift Store today...a real one. Of course, it in no way compares to Nancy Jo's but then I would go broke if there was a store like that near me! But it benefits a local pregnancy center which always makes it easier to spend when it is for a good cause. But I will just have to tell you because I cannot find my camera. I know it's here someplace but I'll be dipped if I can find it right now. Anyway....when I do I will catch you up on the pictures. Wait...let me go look one more time...NOPE....I probably put something on top of it.
Anyway, it wasn't too much stuff....just 3 things. A Lee Ward's embroidery pillow kit never even opened, the LAST Jan Karon book of the Mitford series which I haven't read and a "moose" shelf. Yeah...without pictures it just doesn't do it justice. But.....there was also a beautiful table that I fell in love with but couldn't get in my Tahoe by myself but a friend is going with me tomorrow and we're taking her truck! YES!!!! Now, that's a friend! So, I've got to find that camera cuz you've GOT to see this table...Happy Dance, Happy, Dance, Happy Dance!!!!

Hungry, hungry, hungry!!!!

The recipe is really simple: 6 hardboiled eggs, chopped, some green onions chopped, mayonaise, currry powder and salt and pepper. This watched pot is NOT boiling!
Ready, set, go!
Almost ready...above....there are chopped green onions in the bottom of that bowl too.
Here's the finished sandwich on my own sourdough bread.....YUMMO as Rachel Ray would say!

Okay....bread maker extraordinaire I am NOT! But I am sticking with it! I was really good with my little breadmaker but now I have crossed the line into natural yeast via sourdough. This is my 2nd baking from my loving and living starter named "Lizzie" in honor of my Mother. This time I made San Francisco sourdough bread made from a recipe shared with all of us by Ronna on Mary Janes Farm chatroom. It tastes scrumptious...but don't let it fool you...there were some errors along the way....1) I did not add enough flour so the dough not only rose but it spread 2) do not put both loaves on a cookie sheet TOGETHER....I ended up with siamese loaves and 3) do not heat the oven even if you turn it off, to help your bread dough rise.....you get a crust WAY TOO EARLY! And 4) do not use a vacuum sealer to prepare your loaves for freezing....they now look just like the pancakes I made last week! Oh well...it tastes great and looks aren't everything, I oughta know!

Free!!! Free!!! It was FREE I tell you!!!!

Do you believe it???????????? I am still pinching myself....Ouch! I went to the "flea" to pick up my stuff since they are closing and these 2 chairs were there and I asked if they were for sale and the owner said no, but you can have them for free if you'll get them out of here. No need to tell me twice!!!! I went home and emptied all my stuff, called a friend to help me and the rest is history! They're mine...all mine!!!! Now, they have a few spots but no tears and I will shampoo them good and see how it does or if need be reupholster and/or slipcover. Aren't they just awesome...for Free???? My friends wanted me to go "junkin" with them today but I told them no, I had to get my stuff at the flea. I bet they can't top my "buy of the day"! I'm jumping up and down I am SO HAPPY! Oh.....did I tell you there are 2 of them!!! YES!!!!! A matched pair!

Needlework projects I'm working on.......

I am hand-quilting a little "doll" quilt...my first quilting project with help and advice from my quilting friends and a girlfriend that has her own quilt shop. Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m is when my Craft Group meets and we are a varied bunch....quilting, embroidery, rug hooking, punch needle, penny rugs and felted wool projects. We used to meet at each others house and the hostess would serve a meal and then we would "craft" but since Jamie opened her quilt shop, we meet there and just pack a supper to take with. Her shop closes at 4:00 so we have the whole place to ourselves! It's really nice because she has the cutting tables, sewing machines, iron and ironing table and of course ALL those pretty supplies!!! And GREAT camaraderie to boot. She also has 2 long arm machines and does long arm quilting for people too. If anyone wants her prices just let me know...I think she is probably pretty reasonable compared to other parts of the country.
My other project is crocheting 7" x 9" rectangles for Warm Up America. TheresaB on Mary Jane's Farm chat room started this and many of my fellow farm girl sisters are participating. I had one panel done but then discovered I was doing it wrong so I took it apart and am starting over. But I need to get a "move on" because these gals are really pumping them out and I am slower than snail do-do! But it's all fun and challenging and I love it all....so many neat projects and so little time!
Oh!!! And here are my pansies that have bloomed ALL Winter despite it all.....they're like farm girls......pretty and delicate but strong and dependable too!

This was my reward for balancing all those bank statements! I received my flour from Mary Janes Farm that I ordered plus she included my chapter kit (I'm going to start a chapter here in our Tri-County area called The Tri-County Farmchicks) and a bumper sticker and one of her organic chocolate bars...YUMMO!!! Thank you Mary Jane...you Sweetie you!!!!

Ugh! Bills, balancing checkbook...woe is me!

Okay....I haven't balanced my check book in awhile...okay so it's been 7 or 8 months....but I do log on to the bank's website and make sure I have money in there. It's not like I'm out bouncing check or anything but I switched pc's because my other one got hit by lightening so I had to start over with VISTA (Yuck!) and Quicken which I always liked better than Microsoft Money and I lost all my financial data so I had to start somewhere balancing so I did but then couldn't find the following month after I started it sooooo.....to make a short story even longer I figured the bank statement would turn up eventually and it did....so today I balanced 10 months of statements! Yippee!! Yahoo!!! I had the statement all along...it is the dating on the outside of the envelope that tripped me up...oy vei!!!

Great Sunday yesterday!

Oh, it was a great day here at the homestead....just one of those days where everything flows and it was cozy and warm and well, I just don't know how to describe it but suffice it to say it was very satisfying! I changed the sheets, did laundry, took a nice hot bath in the a.m. to get the joints going, had a fire in the fireplace and made peanut butter cookies....the smells and the warmth of the kitchen and the fireplace just added up to a great day! Here's the recipe for the peanut butter cookies...an old one from my Mother's BH&G's cookbook that I would have to say are my very favorite cookies. WARNING: I like crispy cookies and the browner the better so adjust to your own taste when baking. These are by no means SOFT cookies but so full of butter they fall apart in your mouth....crispy, not hard.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Thoroughly cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients; blend into creamed mixture. Shape into 1 inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Crisscross with fork tines dipped in the sugar (otherwise your fork will stick to the cookie!). Bake at 375 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan. Makes about 4 dozen and takes about 2 hours start to finish. I think if you wanted a softer cookie you could bake it at 350 for about 9 minutes but I never do! LOL! I like mine almost burnt! Happy baking and I hope you enjoy! They are DELISH!

Also...in celebration of Mardi Gras and a gal from Louisiana who was nice enough to post the recipe for this on Mary Jane's chatroom (again... www.maryjanesfarm.org) I am simmering a big pot of red beans and rice on the stove which smells very good I must say. So, I guess you could say today was 'cookin' day here at the homestead. I think I'll whip up some cornbread to go with it. I swear I was Southern in my last life!

Okay....I apologize BIG TIME for not posting for so long! I really do apologize and promise not to do that EVER again except if we have another ice storm where I have no electric 7 days straight! But God Bless our coop linemen/women who worked night and day to get us back "online" and also the hundreds of people that came from all over the U.S. to help us....bless you all!
Now....I'm not going to try and make excuses or try and catch you up on what I've been up to for the last SEVERAL months...I'll just start from today so here's what going on at my little town homestead this Saturday.
I've started some sourdough starter according to Mary Jane Butter's recipe which you can access at www.maryjanesfarm.org and after 7 days my starter was READY to Rock n' Roll so in order to wait for my starter to get "stronger" I just made sourdough pancakes today and they turned out delicious! Thanks to Julie at Willow Creek for her recipe. Here's the finished product...the recipe made enough for all these which I vacuum sealed 2 pancakes per package. I live alone so I have enough for weeks and weeks!

Halloween Decor....ahhhh......FALL is here!

Okay...it's my favorite time of year and my favorite holiday! Here's a little Halloween "flavor" from Arkansas........OH.....by the way look at the plant on the table. It is one of my Christmas cactuses and it is in FULL BLOOM! I think it felt pressured since it was on the table with my Halloween decorations...plants can be VERY competitive you know.
Did you notice my "elegant" window treatment? Tension rods with pillowcases held on with clip clothespins! HA! HA! Farmgirls are inventive for sure! I have 13 windows on that porch and it will be awhile before I get ALL that material for curtains so that's my solution for privacy in the meantime. The rest of the windows have ALL different "curtains" from pillowcases to tableclothes to dresser scarves! It is a VERY interesting room!

Fall & Halloween....my FAVS!!!!!

Sorry I haven't posted here in a few days...I have an elderly cat that is "fading" and I had to take her to the vet, give her meds and coax her on and off all day to eat and drink. But she is making a comeback! It won't be forever I'm sure but she is not suffering and I try to make her as comfortable as possible. Her name is Patches and I got her from a shelter years ago and the vet and I figured she is anywhere from 15 to 18 years old. She sleeps with me EVERY night and is THE BEST cat I have ever had. When the time comes, I will miss her VERY much!
I can't include Patches on the blog without including "my faithful companion" Serenity...Nitty for short, who is my bestest friend. She is smart, brave, friendly and a beauty inside and out.
Here are some pictures of my flowers..mums on the bench and a gorgeous Trumpet plant in full bloom in my back yard (a first year plant I might add).

Pictures at last!!!!!

There are many miracles that happen around here every day and one of the ones today was that I not only found the camera but I found the cord to upload the pictures too!
Unbeleivable! Even if I find one I usually never find the other but today it all came together and so I took pictures, uploaded them, wrote and published pictures to my blog and then BOOM!!!!! Internet Explorer went down...so.......here I go again....
The pictures that follow are of my current project here on the "homestead" (just a ranch house in a neighborhood) but I like the name "homestead" better. Anyway, last year I repaired garage door frame, painted it and the garage door and the front porch railing and part of the steps in back. This Spring I painted the front door, and window boxes and a bench and then it got HOT here and I had to stop. Now it is cooler and I am back to painting again. I am painting the front door trim and the back steps but it is a slow boat to China as I am using oil based paint and having to paint about 3 coats over previously white painted trim. I am on the second coat now but it is truly a beautiful excuse to be outside in this, my favorite season of the year!

Disorganized by organizing!

Well...I have been looking and looking for my camera to take pictures and put on this blog but since I have been cleaning and organizing I can't find anything! Does that ever happen to anyone else? It LOOKS better around here but I can't find anything now. So, since I can't show you any pictures I figured I would tell you about 2 events that happened to me this week that were pretty interesting...to me at least.
Event #1 - I was on my way to the county seat to pay my yearly property taxes and out in the country in the middle of nowhere I came upon a "chain gang" which I had never seen in my life. There were prisoners all dressed in white...pants, shirts, and even caps that went over their ears to prevent sunburn I'm sure. They weren't in chains...at least I don't think they were but they were clearing brush in a big field and there was a big bonfire. There were police on horseback guarding them while they worked. It was really creepy and I have no idea why they were there as it didn't seem to be public land and the only prison I am aware of is over an hour away. I would hate to be on the wrong side of the law...that would be pretty terrifying to say the least.
Event #2 - A little more on the bright side of things. I was bringing in some plants that had been outside all summer and as I was carrying one of them into the house, something fairly large jumped out of the plant and landed on my arm! I screamed but thank goodness I did not throw the plant in the air when I did. It was a frog or toad...not sure what the difference is. He jumped under the chest of drawers by the front door and I had to chase him out the door again which thankfully I was able to do. Once I discovered what had landed on my arm I laughed at my foolish fear! Nothing like a little scare to get the old heart pumpin' in the morning! Now I am off to find that silly camera which is hiding from me!