THE BEST PART

of the Thanksgiving holiday is family.  This year most of the second cousins were together for the family meal and they had a blast.  There were six of them between the ages of 2 and 6 and they blended immediately, first at the family gathering and then later, on play dates.  First cousins who hadn't seen each other in years were also busy playing catch up.  It was just a great, feel good day!
Our son and daughter in law spent time during their visit looking for a house while HB and I watched the grandchildren, who are busy, entertaining and sometimes very loud :).  I listened in amazement as my 2 year old granddaughter used the word "actually" in a sentence.  Her vocabulary is just mind blowing to me.
All in all it was a wonderful holiday, and now a sweet memory, I've locked away for a too quiet day in the future.

CATCHING UP AGAIN

First I had my bead show, then an unexpected 5 day trip to Florida to check on my mom who has been in the hospital.  Now I am back home preparing for the onslaught arrival of some of our family on Monday:)  Actually, we are looking forward to the arrival part. It's our son, his wife, and 3 of our grandchildren and they are bringing with them the news that they are moving back to Louisville!  HB and I have hoped for this for a long, long time.  Having the opportunity to be involved in the lives of the little ones on a frequent basis is heaven sent.  The kids are 6, almost 5 and 2, so there are lots of dance recitals, baseball games and cookies to be made and tasted.  I love being a grandmother!  I enjoy all of my grandchildren in a way so differently than I enjoyed my children.  I guess it's because in the end they are not my total responsibility, as long as I protect them on my watch.  I get mostly the fun parts, except for an occasional meltdown which is over quickly with the offer of chocolate....shhhhh don't tell !

MESSAGE

Dear Whoever is in charge of it all,

Thank you very much.

Me

ALMOST READY

A bead show consumes me so that's all I have been writing about.  I don't want this blog to be just about beads, but right now it's the only thing on my mind.  To the right is a bracelet that will be for sale.  I love the turquoise bead that is close to the center.  I almost left it out so I could just keep it and just look at it, but talked myself out of it.  Sometimes I get attached to certain beads and have a hard time letting them go.  I think it's because all of them are one of a kind and I know I can never duplicate it again.  The colors are always what draw me to a bead, or anything else for that matter.  I took some pictures of the maple tree in our front yard today.  It's at the very end of loosing it's leaves, but it was so beautiful when the sun was shining.  It's one of those late blooming maples, so it's one of the last trees on the block to become bare.  I think the colors are so wonderful, even though it means that winter will soon be upon us. Winter...my least favorite season, the one that drags on forever.  Okay, I'm stopping now.  The reasons winter and I are not friends are too long and too whiney.  I'll just add that I hate being cold.

CHAOS

This is what  am doing next Sunday and if you live in or around the Louisville area, you're invited.  I love to do bead shows, but getting ready is well, just general chaos.  Here is a picture of my work area, and this was taken a week ago, it's much worse now.

I wish I was one of those neat and tidy people, but I'm not.  I work much better under pressure.  Tomorrow, or maybe the next day, I'll show you some of the things I've made for the show....if I can find them :)

VEGETABLE SOUP

Here is my veggie soup recipe, per request.  It's best made over two days and you've got to be one of those a little of this a little of that kind of cook.  First I brown a package of stew meat in a small amount of oil.  Use a large pot and brown slowly.  Season meat with salt and pepper first. You want those brown bits in the bottom of the pan, nice brown bits.  As the meat is browning add one chopped onion.  I add this after the brown bits are starting to form. When the meat is done add one large can of crushed tomatoes and one large can of whole tomatoes,  2 chopped carrots and one can of water. Add one large soup bone, Lawry's seasoned salt, and cracked pepper.  Let this cook at least two-three hours.  I usually let this cool and put it in the frig over night, at this point .  The next day I heat the soup up and add 2-4 chopped potatoes and 2 carrots, 1 can creamed corn, 1/2 cup ketchup and cook for an hour.  Stir frequently because the ketchup has sugar in it.  Next add 1 small package frozen peas, corn, green beans, and any other veggie you like. You might need more water at this point. Add 1/2 to 1 full jar of red currant jelly, depending on your taste.  Cook for another hour. Sometimes I add a small can of tomato sauce instead of more water.  This is kind of a personal choice.  I do not add cabbage, as it overpowers the other flavors.  Lima beans are not allowed in my home as the result of a promise I made to myself as a child.  Even the thought of them makes me shudder.  Watch the soup closely as it will stick because of the jelly...ask me how I know.
Soup can be frozen.  Best served with homemade applesauce and corn muffins.  There you have it.  Now go make some!

WHO MADE THIS MESS?

I'm getting ready for a show.  I'm not a well organized beadmaker.  Truth be told, I work much better under pressure.  However, I don't work well without supplies and right now the 25 handmade toggles I ordered are still sitting in a flooded Thailand.  They were suppose to be shipped September 25th but as of yesterday they were still at the point of origin.  My heart s sinking, since these toggles are beautiful and I think they add a special pizazz to my beads.  If necessary I will take the toggles off my own bracelets, but I haven't kept that many, so it really won't help much.  I guess I better order some ordinary toggles huh?  I know some of you are wondering how I know what I have in my studio considering the disarray you see in the pictures, but trust me I know where everything is, and I WILL find it........eventually :)

COLOR

         
This is my newest addiction, crocheting.  The yarn I am using is from New Zealand.  I found it on the Internet, where else :)  I also made a new friend.  Her name is Helene and she hand dyes all of her yarns.  This yarn is all cotton and it is beautiful.  Here is a link to her store and this site is her blog.  She's also on Facebook.  I just ordered some more yarn from her to make more "things".  I'm telling you, retirement is wearing me out.  I've been taking a knitting class, but I like crocheting better.  There's only one hook to keep track of and it takes less time to make hexagons and squares than it does sweaters and scarves. I have found that it is the color that draws me to most of the crafts I get involved in.  When I first learned to knit and crochet, colors like those above were not available in yarns.  Actually I think the world is a lot more colorful than it used to be.  Look at these hats that Helene makes.  When I was a kid we wore plain colored things.  The whole world is just prettier now don't you think?

                                           

SIGNAGE

                                                          

I found this on Facebook and couldn't resist.  One person I would recommend highly is the truck driver who stayed right on my bumper as we traveled over Mount Eagle, in Tennessee, on the way home from Atlanta.  I was driving in the left lane, along with 6,311 other cars, as we passed slow moving trucks who huffed and puffed their way up and down the winding roads.  Apparently this truck was not as full and the driver was hell bent on going as fast as he could until he got to the next upward climb.  It was terrifying looking in the rear view mirror of my Mountaineer and seeing nothing but the grill of a 16 wheeler. It was white knuckle driving for a good 15 minutes.  I don't want anything bad to happen to him, just a little reminder that he is big and scaring us little people. Am I the only one who remembers the days when truck drivers were polite?  They flashed their lights when it was safe for you to come back into the lane after you passed them.  When your kid pumped his arm out the back window the truck driver would blast his air horn.  My son could occupy himself for hours seeing how many drivers would respond to him. Now when I'm on the road, I feel like it's me against them.  I miss those earlier times.  I wonder why things changed?

GETTING READY

I really don't mind fall, in fact I kind of like it, but I dread winter, and since it follows fall I'm kind of ambivalent about the season.  However I have certain things I do every fall in preparation for the cold days ahead,  First I make applesauce.  Lots and lots of applesauce.  So far I have 10 medium sized containers in my freezer, and I'm not done yet.  My grandparents made applesauce and I loved it then and I love it now, plus it's so simple to make.  I get at least 3-6 different kinds of apples, cut them in quarters (no peeling), add a little water and cook until done.  Then run through a food mill, add sugar, put it in containers and freeze. Next I make vegetable soup and chili and freeze them.  I am now ready for cold weather.  Believe me these are not the only foods we eat during fall and winter, but I love knowing that if I don't feel like cooking (and after 42 years of it those feeling are much more frequent) there is something in the freezer.