got them done!
Gave granddaughter several choices for boutineers…she did the ones on the left, I added the little strip of ribbon to finish those. I don’t know what color the guys’ tuxedos are. When she tells me which one to go with, I’ll need to finish the remainder of the 12 needed.
Corsages There are 6 of these. I was told to use any other flowers I wanted to go with the purple roses…made the little net poufs last night, added the bow on left and the big leaf.
Bedtime!
Susan ~ Patchkat
I may have mentioned that we have 2 granddaughters engaged to be married this year….one in July, the other in September and both in Wisconsin! Daughter Christy has been up to her ears in wedding preparations for months and months. She’s going to be the typical Mom and be a nervous wreck by the time the first wedding happens, lol. Maybe she’ll be more settled by the time the second one rolls around.
In the meantime, she’s shipped the makings and list for the boutineers and corsages for the family and groomsmen. Ernie and I have spent two days looking for more flowers and ribbons. That was fun. Ernie has a terrific sense of color and was able to match and make some good suggestions. We’re home tonight with 3 shades of purples/turquoise ribbons and a few more flowers. I have the components made for the corsages. I’ll assemble them tomorrow evening.
Boutineers – Granddaughter Alex has a great start on those…Just need to assemble a few more and do a little more to what she has assembled. should have photos tomorrow evening.
This has been fun, but then, I’ve had lots of practice with corsages and mums. Hard not to with 4 teenagers in High School at the same time. With 3 girls, there were numerous functions that called for flowers for them and all their friends. Our son was in scouts and I did all the table decorations and corsages for their banquets. I really enjoy messing with the flowers then and I still do!
Think it’s time to close up the flower shop for tonight.
Susan ~ Patchkat
Several concerned residents of Burkett met 2 weeks ago to discuss a Crime Awareness Program due to all the robberies and problems around here. Tonight, we had our first official meeting. 39 residents showed up along with our Council Precinct Member, a Sheriff’s deputy and the County Judge. Got some good input from the officials.
There was an introduction with our purpose in forming this group and the proposed agenda. The residents asked questions with some positive answers from the officials. All in all, a good meeting… we established a contact list for residents to call if they see anything odd…and a couple of folks to be the contacts for the Sheriff’s dept…we’ll see how this works.
The officials have arrested 6 people in conjunction with the 20 robberies in Coleman County and they’ve solved 17 of the 20. If the criminals keep squealing on each other, they’ll get them all soon. They’ve got a huge amount of evidence to catalog and start returning to the rightful owners. That’s good news for those who were victims.
Not only did we discuss the crimes, but also got the scoop from the Judge as to what we can do to clean up some of the local properties. Other than some unofficial threats, we can file complaints under the “Nuisance Ordnances” of the State Statuates…and fines can be assessed. If the properties are considered a health hazard, that falls into a different category with more fees and legal action. We did get some positive reactions from some of the property owners present. 1 lady who rents her property out went straight to her tenants and gave them a week to get the place cleaned out! I hope she will get them gone soon. A good beginning. Maybe some of the other problems in town will start feeling the pressure of being watched all the time and MOVE ON.
Ernie and the VFD missed most of the meeting as they were called out on a burn gone wrong. Every time the county lifts the burn ban, some fool decides to do a major burn and the VFD ends up having to go put it out. Today the wind got up and the sparks flew…and lit the neighbors field. 4 and a half hours later, the fire was out. Crazy.
Time to crawl between the sheets for tonight.
Susan ~ Patchkat
Not only was this a pretty photo, but it gives hints on foods that are good for you.
We’ve been trying to eat better…more fruits and vegetables and I’m trying to cut down on the meats. We’re baking, grilling more and trying to fry less.
Ernie gets up and makes breakfast every morning…he’s a terrific cook (and baker!!!) He’s still making fresh biscuits every few days and we have a biscuit and an egg daily. We’re both taking vitamins and I take 4 or 5 supplements. My calcium rates have come up and seem to be staying in the good zone….and that’s a good thing.
I’m taking low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt for lunch with some type of fresh fruit (blackberries, blueberries, black grapes and cutie oranges. Pretty much whatever looks good in the store.)
Dinner is a small piece of meat, fresh from the garden greens, and a vegetable or some roasted new potatoes. Occasionally rice and stir fry vegetables or spaghetti with chopped zucchini and onions mixed in…when we’re splurging, it’s tacos, burritos or pizza.
I’m drinking green tea (Ernie is still a coffee drinker) and lots of water. Sometimes ice tea with dinner. Sadly, Ernie has a sweet tooth and I have no will power! If he brings it in or makes it, I’ll eat it. That’s NOT a good thing, lol.
I don’t know about y’all, but I get tired of the same dishes. I need some inspiration for foods that don’t require lots of time consuming efforts, that are nutritional without being loaded with sugars or fats. I like to cook in bulk and freeze meals ahead. Feel free to comment with your favorites…or post a link to your blog or web-site. I’m not supposed to be losing weight, but I want to be healthier with less processed and more natural foods. The cancer cells grow on sugars and bad fats, so this is a health issue for me. I’m open to new foods…we’ve tried and like Quina, I’ve finally found a way I’ll eat white hominy and we’ve decided we like cactus! The Nopales cactus ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nopal ) cut up and lightly battered fries just like okra and tastes like green tomatoes. I understand they are a great addition for burritos.., and I think they would be the perfect substitute for green tomatoes in the green tomato soup I like so well.
Your ideas are welcomed~
Susan ~ Patchkat
Ernie is busily putting the grape arbor together. Since we’re using reclaimed materials, it’s like fitting a puzzle together! The arches are welded to the basic framework. He’s cutting the cross bars for the grapes to grow on and trying to get them screwed into place. Something about the types of metal and he doesn’t have the right thing to weld them together. He’s adding longer sections to the legs to raise the whole frame to about 8′ tall once it’s driven into the ground. I’m so excited as are the grape plants. They’ve been climbing the window (to the ceiling) in our spare bedroom. Gotta get them into the ground before they take over the whole room!
We’ve had 3 really cold nights…one down to freezing (in MAY for pete’s sake!) The high one day was 46 degrees. Winter is really hanging on for dear life. Looks like we’ll have another cold front pushing through midweek.
Nice Boss lady treated all the employees + spouses to dinner at Prima Pasta. Lately, we’ve been so busy that we haven’t been able to do lunches, so we combined several months of birthdays and went out for dinner. Food was yummy…and we all got to enjoy visiting outside the work environment. Fun! Servings were huge…we brought at least half of our meals home…they became dinner the next night with the addition of salad fresh from the garden.
I had a visit with the oncologist. X-rays from the last visit show I have 2 hairline fractures in the left pelvic arch…no wonder it’s been giving me so much trouble. Of course, outside of pain pills, there is nothing to be done. The radiologist indicated in his report that they would probably heal over time. I cannot carry anything, cannot lift anything…and have to be very careful of how I step, sit, whatever. Keep those prayers going us please. This too shall pass with the help of our Lord.
We made a run into Brownwood last night for some hardware for the arbor, then stopped at Jordan’s for dinner. Servings in the restaurants are too large for most people. I did finish my BLT and a few fries. Came home, took care of kitties then crawled into the recliner.
Ernie was up before dawn getting ready to attend a men’s fellowship breakfast about 40 miles away from here. I slept until 8:15. Started the day with a handful of pills and then scrubbed the bathroom. I’ve had a late breakfast so now it’s time to turn my attentions to the kitchen…and maybe, just MAYBE a little sewing. Wouldn’t that be nice.
Susan ~ Patchkat
We’ve had 5 burgleries in Burkett in the last couple of months…and Coleman has had as many or more in the same time frame. The County Sheriff seldoms comes out here. You can call, but there’s no telling when they’ll respond. The excuse is not enough man power to cover all of Coleman County.
Anyhow, there are several interested parties in town who want to form a loosely structured Community crime watch type thing. With so few people in town, everyone knows when you’re gone…they watch the cars in the driveways…and know when everyone goes to work, church or just out. They seem to be most interested in fire arms and jewelry…easily disposed of things and whatever money they can find. Two houses here were totally vandalized…wiring striped out of AC units, walls and other appliances. (copper is apparently easily sold). Both houses were uninhabited…one lady died, the other is in a nursing home, so plenty of time to rip them off.
We’ve locked our important stuff away for awhile and taken a few extra precautions around the house. People shouldn’t have to live like this…I feel sorry for the people who’ve been broken into and burglerized. We were broken into in El Paso, and let me tell you…it’s true that you feel violated. Just the thought that someone could get in so easily, prowl and touch all your stuff and take what they want….leaves you with a very sour taste in your mouth.
My co-worker’s son and daughter in law were broken into last Friday….they got in a bathroom window, riffled through their dressers and closet. Got out with a PS3, laptop computer, small hand held video camera, all his guns and all the jewelry they could find. When the Police were called, they examined the house, fingerprinted a window, took a few pictures and left. AND in broad daylight…no one saw a thing! In a residential area! Give me a break. I don’t think the Police even canvassed the neighborhood. Hopefully, they’ll put the stuff out to the local pawn shops…and recover some of the things.
So, we’re going to have a few meetings and try to patrol when many are gone from home…and to patrol the neighborhood in the evenings. The electric company came out and replaced the street light, so it’s not so dark on this end of the street. We have motion detectors on both carports…and all the doors/windows are double locked. Cannot stop them, but we can certainly slow them down a little. If we can keep enough heat on them, maybe they’ll move on.
My thoughts are that so many are unemployed or don’t care to work…many of them moved here to get away from town where they were being watched for drug doings. Now, they’re out here away from prying eyes, unemployed…with no social services…and who ever was helping to support them no longer can afford to…but the habits are still there. I guess theft seems like an easy way to keep things status quo.
Either way, I’m tired of having to watch every car coming through town, every new person walking down the road…and laying awake at night watching cats and raccoons triggering the lights. This has to stop.
Susan ~ Patchkat
Well, I think I”ve chosen my pattern and my fabrics. The challenge was to use the big floral fabric and either 4 different fabrics OR for those of us who only work with scrappy fabrics, we can use any 3 fabrics and other shades/prints in those 3 color families.
I’ve chosen PURPLE, BLUE-GREEN and YELLOW-GREEN with assorted prints or other solids to match. Everything came from my stash except for the floral piece (“Summer’s End”) which was donated by Hoffman fabrics. Thank you to Hoffman for supporting Mission of Hope!
I’m not going to share my pattern yet, but I think it will show off the big floral pattern nicely.
You’ll just have to stay tuned to see how it all turns out. The colors are brighter than shown here…my flash washes it out too bad.
Being a creature of habit, all my stitching will be done on a 1949 Singer FeatherWeight machine. I adore that little machine. It’s been with me for years and traveled to all the retreats.
Susan ~ Patchkat
