Just like Mom used to make.....

There are certain foods that remind me of my childhood and that bring back memories of growing up. Sunday lunch my Mom would make Sally Lunn bread & I remember it rising on the stove when we left for church. Christmas morning Mom would make a candy cane shaped coffee cake for breakfast, our week at the beach house always included a lemon pound cake.

When I graduated college I received the classic better Homes & Gardens cookbook which my Mom used quite a bit. Although it is a great cookbook for just starting out, it didn't have alot of those special recipes .

I started writing down my favorite recipes in a little notebook several years ago because I was not too fond of keeping them on recipe cards that I seem to easily misplace. When I began making notebooks & organizers I had a request for a recipe journal. At one of the first craft shows I had a very nice lady was looking for something to write down all her recipes for her daughter in law to give as a present. I knew from the one I use what my ideal recipe journal should include! The one I use is not really organized, I have my M&M cookie recipe right next to my chicken & dumplings so I added tabbed sections! I also added a pocket inside the front cover to put recipes that someone gives me til I have the chance to add them to my journal. Since then I have added them to my craft shows and Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14908270

I have also started two for my sons. It will be awhile yet before they are out on their own, but I am adding to it as they grow & learn to appreciate my squash casserole! I like to leave notes about the recipes too, like which ones were their favorite when they were 6!

Another thing I love about the recipe journal is that it is hand written by me. I am one of those who save old letters, there is something about the handwriting that

makes me feel like they are still close by.

Learning Experience

I have been playing around trying out new things for a little change of pace.

One of my boys laid a glass disc on my work table and I have been moving it around

my papers thinking magnets would be fun to make!

While I was out at the craft store last week I picked up the supplies to try a few.

The magnets I picked up were not very strong so I checked out a supplier on etsy

who had some rare earth magnets & ordered a few.

I packed a little busy box for me to work on while watching my son play football & off to the field we went.

I made quite a few and had them all spread out on top of my box getting ready to attach the magnets. I had a devil of a time getting the magnets apart, they ARE strong! I gave that job to my hubby beside me.

So I start putting the magnets on and these things are like Mexican Jumping Beans!!

If you get too close to another one it will jump, which in turn makes me jump, which in turn ends up with a blob of glass, glue & magnets stuck together!

It takes awhile for the cement to set up too!

You should have seen us driving home with me gingerly holding a tray of magnets & hubby trying not to it any bumps, potholes or quick turns!

I think I like less stress in my crafts!

Something Fun!

I saw these neat clear little pails awhile back and knew they would be fun to make into a cute decorative container. I played around with one and made it into a teacher themed goodie pail so I could give it to my children's teachers for the holidays or teacher appreciation week.

Last week I had a request for one of the banks in my Etsy shop to be custom made for a gal who makes these awesome cupcakes. (check out her blog http://www.cupcakeshop.blogspot.com/ )

!!!!!warning it will make you VERY hungry for cupcakes!!!!

Well I have a habit of running across different things and altering them as in the case with the banks. So I couldn't make any more like those, I asked if she was interested in turning the pails into banks instead.

Now the fun part!

The pails had solid tops, just like a paint can, and I needed to make a slot for the money to go into. Talked to my hubby to see if he could cut one with a dremmel tool, but he was worried about messing up lids trying to get it just right.

He did come up with a good solution though! One of the machinist where he works owed him a favor so he took the lids to him after I marked where I needed them cut & did a wonderful job cutting out the slot!

The banks were so much fun to make so I ordered more today to make for upcoming shows in October. I am going to owe that machinist some homemade cookies!

Thanks for the inspiration Charity!

Lucky!

I have an unusual hobby or past time that I started when I was about 5 years old.

'Aunt Lou', who was a next door neighbor who babysat me when I was little, and I were out in the yard one day. She stopped at a patch of clovers and asked me to help her find

a four leaf clover. As a 5 year old my attention span was very short and I gave up after a bit.

Aunt Lou played a trick on me! When I wasn't looking she pulled off a leaf from a clover and

stuck it in with another to make it look like a real 4 leaf clover! I was surprised and she said I

had to be patient and take the time to look closely or I never would find one. I took that as a
challenge and ever clover patch I came upon I would scan in detail for four leaf clovers. Soon I was finding them left & right! Everywhere I looked seemed to be a 4 leaf clover and sometimes

when I wasn't looking there one was staring back at me.

Last night at my son's football game I found three more. My husband is just amazed by this.

I was going to meet my best friend for lunch. Buzzing down a back country

road, thinking about all the things I need to do, errands, orders, who needs to be where & when.

I see a familiar car coming from the other direction and it is slowing down really fast.

Just about that time I see the 35 mph speed limit sign!

Too late!

I pull over with those blue lights flashing and start digging for my license.

I have not had a speeding ticket in almost 20 years.

I am going to be late for lunch now and I can't speed off after this!

The Highway Patrol officer was very nice and asked if I had seen the speed limit sign.

I said yes, but I saw it too late!

We chatted a bit while I was trying to find the registration and off he went to his car.

A few minutes later he returns with my paperwork & that little slip of paper.

A warning ticket!

That is lucky!

Geography Lessons

I love it when I get an order (or two!) at my Etsy shop! Not just for the sale, but I use it as a teaching tool! Etsy reaches far & wide across the globe. My boys love hearing about where my Bittybooks are off to live & I like learning about where they go too. So far they have traveled coast to coast in the US (still waiting to hit all 50 states) and to Canada twice! I have another that is hoping to travel to Australia soon! My oldest did win the school Geography Bee last year in 5th grade & did advance to the state finals as one of 100 4th-8th grade students!