MEMORIAL DAY 2010

Today we remember and thank all those who served in wars and especially those who died so we may live in freedom. I have relatives who served in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, my dad served in the Navy in World War II, my father-in-law flew with the Army Air Corps in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. We thank my three brothers in law and sister in law who served in the Air Force and my nephew who is currently at the Air Force Academy. We miss you, we thank you, we honor you.

Enjoyed seeing my daughter this weekend, even if it was for only a short while. She and my mom had a few laughs on the deck. (photo overexposed!)

And below, is our little Daisy who is almost 17 years old. She can't jump up on her chair anymore............so I bought her a little bed for the floor. I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us, but at least she knows she is loved.

BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!

Bank of America tickets on the 9th row behind Braves dugout, seeing Chipper up close, Heyward homerun, rain delay plus fireworks = a great Saturday night at Turner Field!!!

Below is Medlen pitching. I swear he looks like he should be playing T-ball, I don't even think he shaves yet! But he pulled it off, a Braves win.

We got to see a great Jason Heyward homerun! He is awesome! We also found out why he chose the number "22". When he was in high school playing baseball, his best friend on the team was number 22. His friend died of cancer in their senior year. Jason has always gone back to check on his friend's mom. When he was offered a position on the Braves, he called her and said he had a surprise. He took the jersey to show her and tell her that he would always be thinking of her son when he wore the number 22. Everyone in the stadium was crying!!!

Chipper up to bat.

The Coke bottle in the outfield. Each one of those panels is an LCD panel and the "Coke" label lights up with video before each player starts to bat. I remember when Chief Knock- A -Homa used to come out of his tee pee in far left field everytime the Braves hit a home run. Not politically correct!! Boy has technology changed from smoke coming out the top of a tee pee to swirling video on a Coke bottle..........

My sister in law and her friend Rick.

The rain held off until the 8th inning and then it came out of NOWHERE in huge drops. These guys have a rain delay down to a science. No problem, I had my trusty green ponchos that were left over from the Georgia Tech games when everyone made fun of me! But I seem to remember everyone saying "Pass me a poncho!"

Victory after the rain delay!

Ha! All decked out in our ponchos.........

The fireworks were spectacular after the game! And two turns out of the parking lot we were back on 75 N..............thanks for the tix, Neets!!!

WHAT'S ON MY NEEDLES? plus a little coffee cake

I started knitting a new felted purse. It will primarily be white but will have camel and shimmery accents. The yarn on the left has a little gold shimmery thread running through it along with an eyelash type texture. I plan on making the handles out of the white and using the camel again at the bottom to hide dirt. Can't wait to see this one felted! I'm using the FELTED FANATICS BAG l pattern from The Whole Nine Yarns.

.............and while you're knitting why not munch down on some of the best COFFEE CAKE? One of my mother's friends makes a dozen of these coffee cakes every Christmas to give away as presents. IT IS THE BEST coffee cake I've ever had. Here's the recipe if you want to try it out.................

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

2 sticks butter, room temp.

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb mix:

3/4 cup chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar very well. Add eggs, cream thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients and stir into cream mixture alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla. Do not over beat. **I mix the crumb topping first so it's ready.

Pour 1/2 mixture into well buttered bunt pan. Add 1/2 of crumb mixture, add remaining batter and then rest of crumb mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn onto rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!!

GREY DINING ROOM

My husband just finished painting our dining room today. I really love the grey paint. It is very neutral and gives the area a little more contemporary look. I polished the silver that we inherited from my husband's grandmother Fly who lived in Tennessee. The crystal canister was a wedding present and the mirror belonged to my grandmother who lived in Mississippi.

My brother in law brought us the chandelier from Czechoslovakia when he served in the Air Force. Painting is from World Market.

My dining room furniture belonged to my grandmother. I love the dark brown against the grey walls. We bought the bird paintings back in the late 70's when I worked in Greenville, SC. I like changing things around and mixing styles. Now I'd like to make some side panels for the windows and recover the chairs. Those JoAnn's coupons will come in handy!

SHRIMP CREOLE

Publix had shrimp on sale this week so I thought I'd buy some before the price skyrockets because of the Gulf Coast oil spill. I found a WONDERFUL cajun creole recipe online. I made hush puppies and bought some fresh sweet corn to finish off the meal. See below if you want to try it too............

CAJUN SHRIMP CREOLE

2 lbs shrimp

2 16 oz cans Cajun stewed tomatoes

2 medium onions, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 cup green onions

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

Creole seasoning

hot sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons oil

Cooked white rice

Make a roux with flour and oil in large skillet. Add onions and saute. Add bell pepper and saute. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and bay leaves. Cook 30-40 minutes on medium low. Add water and sugar and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add green onions, celery and parsley. Simmer 20 minutes. Add the seasoning and shrimp and simmer 2-5 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve creole over rice.

HAVE FUN IN VEGAS!

My son is heading off for an internship in Vegas. Car packed, check. Life size road atlas, check. Money from mom, dad, and grandma, check. Instructions from everything from how to drive 2,000 miles without getting a ticket to how to cook salmon on the grill...........I promised myself not to act TOO much like a mother whose youngest was leaving on his biggest adventure of his life. But, things kept popping out of my mouth like "Remember it's a desert out there, wear sunscreen". Then I'd remember he was old enough to know that! Then out popped "Remember to stay hydrated, it's a desert out there" and I had to physically hold my hand over my mouth to keep those words from popping out. But as I took his photo getting into his car, I saw his pure joy and I know that he will have a great adventure. "Remember, if you see Tiger Woods, just walk the other way!!!"

COLLAGE BOOKMARKS

These are two bookmarks I made for friends at work who recently celebrated birthdays. One loves to knit and the other loves to quilt. I was just playing around with collage materials, stamps, acrylics and transfers.

KNITTED PREEMIE HAT

My daughter was a preemie 27 years ago. She weighed 3.5 lbs. While going through her baby box recently, I found a little white knitted hat that she had worn in the hospital. I'm sure it had been hand knit by someone in Greenville, South Carolina where she was born. It was SO tiny! I decided to look on the internet for a pattern to knit some preemie hats for my local hospital. Below is one I knitted last night. It's a sweet little eyelet pattern and is only about 4" tall by 5" wide. If you'd like the pattern you can find it here. And if you'd like to knit some for the preemies, let me know. I plan on giving them to a friend who works in the NICU at Kennestone.

BLUE SOCKS FINISHED

I finished my second pair of socks tonight. I made them a little shorter than the pattern and they fit my feet better than the first pair. These are so much fun to make and you can whip up a pair in a day or two. I should start making Christmas presents now!

CRITTERS FOR THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY

What do you do with all of your recyclables? I've decided to make some paper mache figures for the Children's Library for the summer. The summer reading program theme is "Make a Splash" this year so I'm making a few of the more popular figures and putting them into a water theme. I think I'll put little floaties around Froggy's arms and some flippers on his feet. Below I gather my materials.............an old Tide container, toilet paper rolls, wallpaper paste, newspapers, masking tape, paper plates, etc.

I start by looking at the shapes of the materials and figuring out how to make Froggy out of a Tide container! I roll newspaper balls up for eyes, tape paper plates as lips, and tape the toilet paper rolls as arms.

I then tear newspaper up into small (somewhat) pieces and dip into the wallpaper paste. I start applying to the figure and keep adding newpaper balls where needed. The masking tape keeps things in place. It also helps to use a hair dryer to quickly dry the wet newspaper. Below, you can see his face developing.

Here he is so far with the first layer of paper mache applied. I will let him dry today and add arms and feet tomorrow. When he is dried, I will paint white gesso to completely cover the newspaper print and then paint with acrylics. I think these figures will add a touch of whimsy to the Children's area at the Woodstock Public Library. Come see us this summer and sign your kids up for the Summer Reading Program!

LITTLE DANCERS

Could there be anything cuter than a three year olds dance recital? My great niece is in the back row with the strawberry hair. (actually the PLAY button is pointing right at her) Enjoy!

FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE CHOCOLATE HIDEAWAY

Exciting times at the Woodstock Library tonight during National Children's Book Week. We were the location for the kick-off of a new children's novel, THE CHOCOLATE HIDEAWAY - THE RIDDLE OF WALLACE. Brian Baer read the first chapter of Penelope Fieldstone's new book. Below are a few of the patrons on their way to the reading.

Caroline, one of the characters in the book, holds a lantern and leads the way into the meeting room where the reading will take place.....

And here is the new book!

Vicki is our Children's Coordinator and introduces Brian Baer, an actor who will be reading from the book.

Before the reading, Brian asks for volunteers to help him with a few riddles. He had a lot of volunteers and they did a great job and as you can tell from the photo, they had a great time too!

Brian reading from the book "The Chocolate Hideaway". He is a very talented actor and made you feel like you were a character in the book. I can't wait to read my copy tonight!

After the reading, children stand in line to receive a ticket for a chance to win a T-shirt or book.

Brian Baer and Woodstock Library's manager, Sue Stephens. Now, quickly go to Barnes & Noble and buy your copy, or go to the Woodstock Library and pick up a copy to read

MY DREAM LAMPS

We are still remodeling, repainting, recovering and removing! I've been IN LOVE with some lamps from Restoration Hardware called the "Palladian" lamp. (middle photo) I just couldn't justify paying $440. for a lamp. I keep scouring Home Goods for something new and TODAY I found my copies of the RH Palladian lamp. Mine, below, is taller, which I like and the price was $99. which I like. Check out Home Goods if you haven't done so.

Below is the Restoration Hardware Palladian lamp which I think is so classic.

We are painting our upstairs hallways a nice warm shade of grey. The downstairs will be painted the same color. We decided to paint the banister all white. Now I need to frame some photos for the walls. A work in progress...................

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS

This is one of my favorite photos of me and my daughter, Kelly. I think she is about 3 so it must be around 1986. Kelly was always running around playing with friends and sooo busy. This was one time I caught her and someone took our picture. Ohhhh, I wish my hair was still that dark. I love Kelly's little smile for the camera, and the yellow jasmine on the mailbox. My dad hand carved the hanging numbers on that mailbox in Greenville, SC. That was a great little house and we have so many wonderful memories there!

HOLY CRAP

I painted this figure for an event (a reading from the new children's novel, "The Chocolate Hideaway") we're having at the library tomorrow night. I put it beside the door so I'd remember to take her to work today. When I got up a few minutes ago to take my dog out, it scared the CRAP out of me!!! I thought someone was standing by the door!!!

Kelly and I cut her out of pink foam board that we bought from Home Depot, painted it with black gesso. I thought I wanted just a black profile of a figure, but later decided I wanted to add a little color. I'm glad we did because now you can tell she is holding a lantern.

My kids always told me that my National Velvet doll that is downstairs in the storage closet always freaked them out! They said everytime they open the closet door she scares them. Haha! Now I know what they're talking about. Guess I need to find her a shirt!

SALMON WITH BROWN SUGAR AND MUSTARD GLAZE

I LOVE this grilled salmon recipe! It not only is delicious but it only takes a few minutes to whip up the marinade. Pop the salmon on the grill and presto..........a tasty and healthy meal!

recipe:

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (I use the tube version in the produce dept.)

1 whole salmon fillet, skin on about 2 1/2 pounds and 3/4" to 1" thick.

I make a shallow dish out of aluminum foil, folding the edges up to contain the marinade. Place the salmon, skin side down.

In a small saute pan over medium heat, melt the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and ginger. Allow to cool. Coat the flesh of the salmon with the brown sugar mixture.

Place the aluminum foil with the salmon over medium heat until the edges begin to brown and the inside is opaque, 25 to 30 minutes. The internal temp. should be 125 degrees.

Turn off the heat and serve fish directly from the grill. Slide a spatula between the skin and flesh and remove the salmon pieces to a serving platter.

ENJOY!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day! It's a rare occasion to have all three of my children home at one time but the planets were aligned yesterday and I was lucky enough to spend some time with them. We took my mom out for dinner. She is 81 and awesome! I remember growing up in the 50's every Mother's Day my dad would buy my mom a corsage to wear to church. Hers was always white roses (white because her mother had passed away). My husband sent me some beautiful flowers (below) for Mother's Day this year and it was great to have everyone together again for a little while laughing and remembering old times.

THE CHOCOLATE HIDEAWAY

My library is celebrating National Children's Book week by hosting a reading of a children's novel THE CHOCOLATE HIDEAWAY. I am working on some artwork to go above the doorways to advertise the event. Below is the first of three. Join us May 13 at 6 p.m. at the Woodstock Library to hear a reading of this debut novel.

MY FIRST SWEATER

Well........it's starting to look like a sweater! This little sweater pattern is the reason I wanted to learn how to knit. A friend of mine made this same pattern in yellow for my daughter when Kelly was a baby. It was my favorite sweater because it zipped up the back and little Kelly couldn't take it off. I had a hard time trying to find the pattern and finally wrote to my friend. She still had the pattern...............after 27 years!!!! Now, I'm making one for a special little boy. My friend Jenna, from The Whole Nine Yarns helped get me started. I have about 4 inches left to knit. I'll post a "finished" photo after I sew the side seams, insert the zipper and block it. This size is 12 months, made with "Dream in Color" Blue Lagoon which is a 100 % superfine Australian merino superwash wool. It is so soft and the color is yummy!