This Brave Stands Guard

Cowboy Hats At The Ready

A Star and a Stagecoach

More Gift Bag DIY

Back in February, I posted a DIY about decorating old gift bags using recycled Valentine and Christmas cards. The gift bags shown here use merchandise bags I have collected for months.

Simply cover up the name of the shop or business with colorful tape. I used a black and white checkerboard "Duck" brand tape which comes in many fun patterns and colors. Another brand is "Frog" tape.

You can tell from the big red star what store the white bag came from. Now the name of the store is covered up and the gift bag is ready for gift giving. Some pretty red tissue paper, a tassel or gift tag and it is ready to go.

 This is just another opportunity to re-use, re-cycle and keep the earth a little greener.

"Everyone Dance!"

The fourth Saturday in every month, the Patrick County Music Association puts on a big bluegrass music show in Stuart,Va.

Andy and I try not to miss it because there are usually 4 or 5 good bands, food and lots of nice people.

The headliners last Saturday were Jeanette and Johnny Williams. We all know them around here and so does Nashville.  They sang up a storm and it was so nice talking to them over dinner.

Bill and Maggie Anderson also played as did Jus' Cause. All our favorites!

Third Bay Cafe'

I love Third Bay Cafe, not only because it houses my friend, John Matthew's lovely paintings, but because Third Bay has wonderful food. Their luncheon soups, sandwiches and salads are just great and talk about fabulous - try their homemade coconut custard pie. To die for!!!!

This is the interior of the cafe:  Those are John's paintings on the walls.

John did not paint this Rooster but it is the logo for Third Bay Cafe. Look at the fresh tomatoes!

Third Bay Cafe
1163 Spruce Street
Martinsville, VA

Lunch, dinner and catering

A Day in Roanoke

A friend took me to a great little gem shop called "Blue Mountain Gems" in the Forum Shopping Center down from Froth coffee shop. Alan and Tina O'Hara are the owners and Tina was nice enough to show us around.

Not only do they make lovely jewelry, the sell the most beautifully handcrafted jewelry from all over the country and world. They also carry one of a kind pieces by local artists.

If you need a special piece of art/jewelry, drop by for a visit.

Blue Mountain Gems
The Forum
4714-C Starkey Road
Roanoke, Va 24018

Froth

Froth is an Internet cafe and coffee shop in Roanoke. We stopped there for lunch and it was so good.

The address is: 4710 Starkey Road.

Busy and friendly - give it a try!

My turkey, cranberry and Brie sandwich was wonderful and that cup of coffee: perfect.

My friend's Curried Chicken Salad

Cute Cupcake Stand To Display Jewelry

DIY Cupcake Pedestal

This little cupcake stand is easy to and inexpensive to make. I bought several matching bread plates at Goodwill for $2.00 each. I liked the feminine rose pattern.

The pedestal piece is a candle holder from the dollar store. I glued the candle holder to the bottom on the plate and let this cure for a few hours. E 6000 is an excellent glue for non porous items.

I wanted the base to be pink to match the flowers so I used a bubble gum pink enamel paint mixed with equal parts of pure white enamel. I used Folk Art brand. Paint with one coat and let dry overnight or until dry to the touch. Apply a second coat and dry. The paint should be solid and cover all of the clear glass. Give it one more coat if needed.

My cake stand will be used as a display piece for my jewelry so I touched up a few of the rose petals on the plate to match the base.

A word of caution: do not use paint on the surface of the plate if it will be used to served food. This paint should not touch food.

The finished piece should be hand washed. Do not put in a dishwasher or soak in water.

Valentine's Day 2013

It is 2:15 am on what is now, the day after Valentine's Day. Maybe it is all the chocolate I ate this evening but I am wide awake.

Andy and I have been married for six and 1/2 years and he is just as romantic as ever. Shown in the picture is what he gave me for Valentine's Day. I think this is the largest greeting card I have ever seen!

I hope all of you, Dear Readers, had a wonderful (and sweet) Valentine's Day!

If you have a minute or two, please go to the archives for February, 2012 and read "One Perfect Rose." which is a true story from my floral design days. It is a funny little memory and "Ellen" in the story is a real person. She is going through a rough time right now and I would like to wish her health, happiness and............. a perfect rose.

How To Turn A brooch Into A Necklace

This is such an easy tip to turn a pin or brooch into a necklace. You might just have the supplies in your kitchen and it will only cost a penny or two.

Take any brooch with a horizontal pin back, cut a drinking straw the length of the pin back and slide on.  Fit the small end of a chain or cord through the straw.

That is it!

Upcycled Gift Bags

I am on a frugal kick and when I can save a few dollars, I am all over it. After the holidays, I hated to throw away our pretty Christmas cards so I cut off the fronts and opened my "bag drawer."

I can't seem to throw away a perfectly good shopping bag from a gift shop or boutique. You know, the cute little paper bag with ribbon handles, stuffed with tissue paper that the clerk of some ritzy shop presents you with a flourish after you hand over a wad of money.

Now, usually this bag has a company logo or design on the front. I took those pretty Christmas and an old Valentine card, edged the back of the card with double stick tape, stuck the card front over the logo. Voila! Recycle chic!

You can get creative and add buttons, bows, glitter or stamped snowflakes. Do this with birthday, anniversary or any kind of card. Don't throw it away - reuse, recycle and make something pretty.

Shipping Hints

I don't know about you, but many of my friends and family members live in other cities. I always have several boxes of Christmas gifts to send out over the holidays, birthdays and though out the year. Rather than spending money on boxes and padded envelopes, I recycle the packaging that comes in my mail.

For storage, I break down larger boxes to save space and keep packaging material, including boxes, tape, wrapping and tissue paper, together so I can find what I need quickly. I usually print out address labels on my computer and tape it to package, covering the label completely with wide, clear tape.

Potato Joke

Dear Readers,

I have been cleaning out my desk and papers. I found this little joke and would like to pass it on to you. It is silly, I haven't heard/read it for years. I hope you get a little chuckle out of it.


Well, Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and got married. They had a little sweet potato and they called her "Yam."

Of course they wanted the best for Yam. When it was time, they told her about the facts of life. They warned their daughter about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like "Hot Potato" and end up with a bunch of Tater Tots.

Yam should get plenty of exercise too, so not to be skinny like her Shoestring cousins.

When Yam went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told her to watch out for the hard-boiled guys from Ireland, and the greasy guys from France called French Fries.

When she went out to the Westthey told her to watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped! Yam said she would stay on the straight and narrow and wouldn't associate with those high class Yukon Golds.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University) so that when she graduated she would be in the chips! But, in spite of all they did for her, one day Yam came home and announced that she was going to marry Tom Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Potato were very upset. They told Yam she couldn't possibly marry Tom Brokaw because he is just  .............................................................................................................................

(Are you ready for this?)...................................................................................................................

Are you sure??????............................................................................................................................

OK, Here it is!

Yam couldn't marry Tom Brokaw because he is a     COMMON TATER !!!!!!!

Handy Household Hints

I came across two great household hints and wanted to share them with you.

1....You can press roasted or simmered tomatoes through a potato ricer to easily separate the pulp from the skins.


2....To keep gift wrapping paper from unrolling:  take an empty toilet paper tube, split it down the center, lengthwise, and wrap it around the wrapping paper roll. It will hold the paper in place.

What great ideas!

Song From Grandmother

I remember Grandmother singing this song to me when I was a child.

Six little mice sat down to spin,
Kitty passed by and she peeked in.
"What are you doing my little men?"
Making good coats for gentlemen.

"May I come in and bite off your thread?"
OH NO! Miss Kitty, you will bite off our heads!
"Oh no I won't I'll help you spin."
That may be so....But you CAN'T COME IN! Author unknown

Grandmother Loved Poetry

When my sister, brother and I were children, our Grandmother would recite poetry and sing songs to us, like all good Grandmothers do.

  I have been going through many pages of my Great-Grandmother Kirkpatricks work. She was a song writer and publisher of music. I have her original sheet music and handwritten lyrics and poetry. I will treat you to some of it soon, Dear Readers.

This little poem, may have had music, but I don't remember. It was one of many that my Grandmother wrote down for me years ago. It has no title and I have no idea who wrote it. Maybe someone will remember it.

Baby's boat is the silver moon, shining in the sky,

Sailing over a sea of dreams, while the clouds drift by.

Sail Baby sail, out upon life's sea,

Only don't forget to sail, back again to me.

Author unknown.

Happy New Year!

Dear Readers, The stories that follow come from a trip to New York City a week before Christmas. I am a little late in posting but I am now up to speed and have many more fun things to tell you about in the future. Happy New Year and please come back and take a look when you can. Lynn

Flying is Hell

My flight at 2:45 PM out of Greensboro was delayed. I found this out when I arrived at the airport. I had spent an hour that morning trying to rebook from the cancellation to New York that had kindly arrived in the form of voice mail on my phone as I was pulling my suitcase out the door. The lady on the other end of the phone, earlier, was obviously from India and had a thick accent I could barely understand. She told me the only way to New York City that day was to layover in Atlanta but I would still arrive at Laguardia at 4:30 PM. Far from the non-stop flight I had just lost, I took it. Ok, fine, done, whatever gets me there. Now the ticket agent was telling me that my flight to Atlanta was delayed and when I did get there, I would have only minutes to catch my next flight. Or......I could sit in the Greensboro airport for the next five hours and if all went well, would arrive at Laguardia at 7:30 PM. I had a good book. I chose to wait. The sports bar seemed like a good place to pass the time with a turkey, bacon sandwich and a glass of white Zin. With kettle chips and my book, I was good to go.... er.... wait.

Sports bar. Big TV. Denver vs Baltimore. I settled in. The guy at the next table was yelling at the TV - just like my husband does. I called my son, already in New York, to tell him I would be there some time after 8:00 but from Greensboro, not Atlanta. I told him I was drinking wine to pass the time. I think I heard him mutter "Uh oh..." Finally, five long hours later, and on the plane. It was 6 PM. Only an hour to Laguardia. OK and we are off. Short trip after a long wait. But, all is good. Or is it? "Fog in New York and all airports shut down." Now that doesn't sound very good. Detour where? Allentown, PA? I never really had any desire to go THERE! Still don't!!! We land, sit on the tarmac. And sit and sit. Call son, call husband. We sit for an hour. OK.... "Ladies and Gentlemen - there is a break in the weather, please buckle up." We taxi.... about 3 inches. Nope, Fog alert! We aren't going anywhere. The engines shut down. I call my son. After another hour of sitting, we begin to smell something. Out of blue stuff for the toilet and it won't flush anymore and as our ever perky flight attendent passes out the last of the Biscoff cookies (now you know what airline I was flying) peanuts and pretzels, it seems we are also out of water. I think about easing my own personal bottle of water out of my purse and taking a gulp, but feel guilty and decide to suffer along with my fellow captives....er....passengers. As an aromatic mixture of bathroom and body odor waft through the cabin, I say a prayer under my breath and just then a miracle happens! "Buckle up" booms over the intercom. We quickly oblige. Maybe.... NO! Maybe..... NO! We are instead of racing down the runway, being taken to the Allentown, PA airport terminal. A chance to use the ladies room and to find an electrical outlet to charge my cell phone doesn't sound half bad at this point. Cell charged, call son who tells me there is food waiting at the apartment. My stomach growls remembering the last meal, which wasn't a meal at all but 2 red licorice whips, 2 cups of airplane coffee and 12 mini pretzels. I might still have a Biscoff cookie in my pocket. It only takes 16 minutes to fly from Allentown to New York City. We all sit close to the door at the gate in the Allentown airport. We are ready to dash toward the door and jump on the plane at a moments notice. All eyes are on that door as it opens and a man tells us we must hurry. There is a break in the fog. I call my son as I hurry onboard. We clap as the plane takes off. Another prayer seems in order. We fly low. It is rainy and very bumpy but I don't care. I just want to see this guy!

He was my driver, who had been on call all evening and who, I am sure, was very frustrated with the situation. But, he was there, grabbed my bag, held an umbrella over my head and then cheerfully drove me to the door of the apartment building on 150th Street. I peeked in on my sleeping grandson. My son and daughter-in-law chatted with me for a few minutes, gave me a bite to eat, showed me to my room and at 10:30 PM, we all turned in. It was a very long travel day.

Day # 1 in NYC

My son, Travis, walked eight blocks for coffee and Planet Donut donuts. They were so good. The best! Meanwhile my grandson, Macrory and I dressed and Travis' wife, Maureen headed for her office. She works for home in Portland, Oregon, but spends a few days out of every month in her office in Manhattan. We headed out to see the city, took the subway to Rockefeller Square, watched the ice skaters and saw the mammoth decorated Christmas tree.

We walked past lovely stores: Coach, Micheal Kors, Tiffany's and Harry Winston. Here are pictures of a few of the Holiday themed store windows.

Harry Winston

This "Glitzy" snake wraps around BVLGARI.

Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman

And this, was the window of a yarn shop. All the items in this beautiful display were knitted: the ladies dress, the swans, the balls of "snow." It was amazing!

We stopping to tour St. Patricks Cathedral,lit candles and showed Macrory the magnificant stained glass windows. Macrory's favorite store, of course, was F.A.O. Shwartz. It was the highlight of his day in New York.....

Especially The Lego department!!!!!

This lifesize guy was made out of Legos. I know he is some sort of Star Wars Stormtrooper, but I wouldn't even venture a guess WHAT KIND of a stormtrooper.

We lunched at a sweet little place called Pappillion. Vegie quiche and salad for me, steak sandwich for Travis and a hamburger for Macrory. Took the subway on the way back to the apartment but stopped at Coach for some quick shopping. This is the view from our 12th story apartment window.

That evening, Travis and Maureen were off to her company's Christmas party so Macrory and I read, watched "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and snacked on leftover chicken, pasta and asparagus. What a great day! I especially loved spending time with my grandson.

Day # 2 in NYC

We walked to a little cafe for breakfast, toured Maureen's office and took a cab to the 911 Memorial. I hadn't been to ground zero for nine years and it was very moving to see the two enormous pools with hundreds of names carved in the stone ledges surrounding them. Freedom Tower rises to the sky in the distance and stands as a constant reminder of the tragedy on 9/11/01.

Lunch was the crazy good hamburgers, fries and chocolate shakes at The Shake Shack.

We took the Staten Island Ferry out past the Statue of Liberty

Dinner on our last night in NYC was at Peasants, a cozy, rustic Tuscan restaurant on Elizabeth Street in SoHo. Tucked in a residential area, Peasants offers a tasty menu and great wine list. My grandson had "the usual" fare of pizza! It looked incredible. I chose the pear, beet and Gorgonzola salad, dense Italian bread and a good glass of white wine.

The next morning, I hugged my little family goodbye. Our time in NY had been magical, but it was time to go home. They were flying out of JFK, three travelers off to Florida, Portland, Seattle and then back home.

I was headed for Laguardia, back to Virginia, to my husband, cows and home.

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas, Dear Readers, and a very happy and healthy New Year.

Andy and I always have a long, drawn out Christmas season- which is OK with us.

I start decorating right after Thanksgiving and it usually takes me two good days to fluff and decorate the tree, hang wreaths and trim the banisters with garland and ribbon. Adding the finishing touches such as candles, nutcrackers, floral arrangements is always so much fun for me.

Maybe because I am a year older, but it took me an entire week to decorate my house this year. Maybe it was because I helped decorate my church at the same time or that I changed the candy cane table scape in the dining room this year. I will go with the older thing.

After the house was ready for company, I baked gingerbread, pumpkin/ cranberry/ nut bread and made four batches of Reindeer Chow to give away. There was a party with old friends in North Carolina, gift shopping and wrapping, a cookie exchange in Rocky Mount, Va, a fabulous trip to New York City to meet my son from Portland, Oregon and his family to celebrate Christmas. There was a visit from my son and his family from North Carolina and candlelight services at church. Angel trees, good will, Christmas carols and a party with Andy's family at the lake. Miracle on 42nd Street, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and The Shop Around The Corner. Such a magical, spiritual, hectic and fun-filled time of the year.

Home Alone On Christmas Day

After pre-Christmas get togethers with both of my sons and their families and before the post-Christmas brunch with Andy's family, we found ourselves alone on Christmas Day. A couple from church were nice enough to invite us to Christmas dinner but they came down with the flu so, again, we were on our own.

We had plenty of food from the visit with my son from North Carolina so that was not a problem. Facing the day with nothing much to do, we decided to take a ride in the country to visit Andy's childhood home place and old stomping grounds. It is now a historic place called "The Twin Chimneys." We took pictures and he told me of his ancestors who had been in the Revolutionary War. It was a mild December day and we thoroughly enjoyed our day trip.

On Christmas Day, as we all know, most business' are closed but we did find one convenience store when "nature called."

Not wanting to just use the restroom without purchasing something, I devised a game.

The Christmas Day $5.00 Convenience Store Gift Challenge

Rules:

1)   You must spend $5.00 and no more on the other person.
2)   You must buy thoughtful but inexpensive (CHEAP) gifts.

Back in the car, Andy showed me his gifts for me:

Five, one dollar lottery scratch off tickets.  Hum.......

I think my gifts to Andy were a little more thoughtful. I gave him one Tootsie Pop (because he is sweet), a package of peanut butter cheese crackers, better known as "Nabs" in the South (because he likes them,) and a package of cornbread mix for 99 cents, (because he is a little "corny.")  But, I still had $3.00 left over so I went the lottery scratch ticket route too. He got three of them.

We scratched our tickets and didn't win a thing but the $5.00 gift challenge was fun and we might make it a tradition.

The Big Cookie Exchange

My friend, Ibby, had a great idea! A cookie exchange for Facebook friends!

There were twelve of us in all so we each baked a dozen per guest. Twelve dozen cookies! Do the math.... that is 144 cookies! Plus we each baked another dozen to share at the party.

It was such great fun; old and new friends, yummy cookies to sample and dozens more to take home and share with family and friends over Christmas. (And I only gained 1 pound!)

My Mom's Snickerdoodle Recipe

My Mom's Snickerdoodles

2 + 3/4   Cups All-Purpose flour  
2             teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
1             teaspon baking soda                                                                     
1/4          teaspoon salt                                                     
8             Tablespoons real butter
1/2          Cup vegetable shortening
1 + 3/4    Cups sugar
2              Eggs
2              Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Sift flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, shortening and 1 + 1/2 cups of sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs and beat to combine. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add dry ingredients and beat to combine. Chill in refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon.

Form chilled cookie dough into one inch balls and roll in sugar/ cinnamon mixture. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet Bake about 10 minutes. They will spread out and the tops will begin to crack. The bottoms of cookies will be golden. Cool and enjoy these melt-in-your-mouth little gems. They freeze well too.

Makes 7 dozen cookies

Bye Bye Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 came to an end with a brunch hosted by Andy's daughter and her husband with also his son and wife, four grandchildren and one great-grandson. There was good food, sharing gifts, laughter and happiness watching the three youngest grands (ages two to four) run through the house with Thomas the Train, Spiderman and Star Wars characters. One little boy even sported a pink cupcake icing moustache.

Shown is the beautiful handmade log cabin quilt that Andy's daughter made for us. It was such a surprise. So special!

Recipe For Curried Artichoke Rice Salad

Since I haven't given out a recipe for a long time, I am including the Curried Artichoke Rice Salad that I served at Andy's birthday party. Scroll down to the picnic lunch post for a picture of it.

Curried Artichoke Rice Salad

1     Package of Chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni
3     Green onions, chopped
1/2  green pepper, chopped
Sliced green olives (as many as you like)
2     6 oz. jars of marinated artichokes (reserve the juice)
1     teaspoon curry powder
1/3  Cup mayonnaise

Cook Rice-A-Roni according to package directions and set aside.

Combine reserved artichoke juice with mayonnaise and add curry powder and pour over rice. Add green onions, peppers and olives. Fold gently. Chill for salad.

Note: You can make this a main dish by adding cooked chicken chunks and serving hot.

The Day After The Big Birthday Party

As I said in a previous post, there was a lot of food at Andy's birthday party. Guest's took food home but there was so much left over. On Sunday afternoon we packed a cooler and picnic basket with some of those leftovers and headed to the Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a lovely drive and only a little over an hour from our house.

We stopped at Lover's Leap and ate our lunch at a roadside picnic area.

The weather was cool and the leaves were just starting to turn orange and yellow.

How I love this time of the year.

This is the view from Lover's Leap (elevation 3,000 feet) on the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This is one of six lovely "Rock Churches" along the Blue Ridge Parkway, built by Rev. Bob Childress (biography: "The Man Who Moved A Mountain.")

The Bluemont Presbyterian Church was built in 1919 and is designated a Virginia Historic Landmark and  placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Stopping at the many produce stands along the parkway is fun. We bought boiled peanuts, mountain cabbage and country ham.

Andy Turns The Big 7-0 !!!!

My husband, Andy, recently reached a milestone - his 70th birthday! The big 7-0!!! He has a twin sister and, naturally, she turned 70 also. His older brother's was a few days later. So, I gave them all a party.

Twenty adults and three children including: siblings, children, grandkids, one great-grandchild and a few friends, shared dinner, drinks, games, ice cream and, of course, birthday cake.

There was SO much food!!! Fried chicken, broccoli salad, jello salads, potato salad, fruit platter, coleslaw, vegie casserole, curried rice salad, chips and dips AND..... Andy's famous 70 inch submarine sandwich. As you can see from the picture, it was huge. He told the group that when he is 95 years old, there will be a 95 inch sub sandwich !!!! Yikes!!!

I say we will have to have a new kitchen with a 95 inch counter top.

The 70 Inch Sub Sandwich !

The cake was beautiful! It was a moist yellow cake, iced with chocolate buttercream icing. Beautifully decorated with fall colored flowers tumbling out of a chocolate cornucopia. The bakery I used was "The Rinsing Sun Bakery" in Martinsville, Va. They did an amazing job.

The Corn Hole Game

For entertainment at his birthday party, Andy built The Corn Hole game boards you can see beyond the scarecrow in the picture. I made the bean bags, but filled with dried corn (hence the name "Corn Hole.")

We found the instructions online for building the game boards and bean bags as well as directions on how to play the game and how to score. The materials cost around $60.00 and will provide hours of fun for kids as well as adults. We will take the Corn Hole game with us on camping trips too.

There was even a little picking and grinning when Andy and Bill played their guitars.

Remembering 9/11

Eleven years ago, I turned on the TV with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, patted the dog and flopped in my chair. I was off work that day and was making a list of groceries I needed to purchase and errands to run. It was a nice, nearly fall day. A day much like the one before it until the horrible news changed the world forever.

It was surreal. The image of a airplane flying into the tower over and over and over again. Sickening sights. Not to be believed. But it was true.

I called my husband at work to tell him but he, of course, already knew. The entire country knew and watched in real time as our country came to a standstill. He told me how he and his co-workers were glued to the TV. We spoke briefly, so much in shock, and with a catch in his voice and me in tears, we said "I love you" and hung up. What more was there to say?

Eleven years later we remember that fateful day with moments of silence, speeches and memorials. Our young president and his wife bowing their heads. Solemn. Prayerful. Sad.

We came together as a country after 9/11. It was required as a nation, uniting as one, resolved to make this tragedy somehow right again. Someday. Somehow. We showed the best of the USA. Resolute and united, strong under the worst of circumstances. We struggled and cried our way through, remembered the victims, holding loved ones in our hearts and then we rebuilt.... together as a nation.

Today, we are a divided country with our elections, conventions, TV ads and rhetoric. Sometimes it feels we will never pull together, work together and love one another again. We are still healing after the terror of that day eleven years ago in New York City but now politics has divided us. We need to respect one another and help one another regardless of our political leanings.

Can't we do that in memory of the victims of 9/11?