Tag: hobbies

Posted on

Oyster shell crafts

I love doing crafts when I have spare time. My crafts are diverse and seldom do I make the same thing twice. I come up with an idea and then I’ll make it, and after I make one, I don’t make another. I think I do this just to see if I can make my idea work and then when I do, I move onto something else.

My dear friend Rhonda sent me a box of oyster shells that are really unique. They are a whole lot different than clam shells…a much rougher texture.  Inside, they look like there is abalone in them, so some of the colors are beautiful.

Now, I have to figure out what to make with them. I keep looking at them and I have a feeling I’m going to come up with something soon. I am tossing a few ideas around in my head that might work. It would be nice to send Rhonda a gift made out of them.

Posted on

Shepard’s pie

Shepard’s pie comes in so many variations that I couldn’t be able to count them. My daughters boy friend who is a guest here until Saturday, wanted to contribute to one of our evening meals. I told him to go for it, and my husband took him and our daughter on their first “grocery trip” together. When they got home, they had gotten the ingredients Keg (we will call him) needed to make his take on the Shepard’s pie.

I have to admit that I tried not to hover, but I absolutely hate to have someone messing around in my kitchen. I even have a problem with my kids and husband cooking something in my kitchen. I mean, it was nice the young man wanted to contribute and show off his cooking abilities, but it still felt odd for me. Instead of hovering, I gave him a bag of potatoes, which I had told him I already had, then left the room. One other truth be known, I was sort of hoping my daughter would learn a few tips on preparing and cooking a new dish. She can bake like hell wouldn’t have it, but to say she is handy in the kitchen, would be a lie.

Keg’s mean tuned out wonderful. Yes, I was surprised. My two son’s and grandson loved it, V loved it, and I liked it. V did learn how to mash potatoes, somewhat. And bless Keg’s heart…he doesn’t measure, and cooks similar to the way I do. I don’t measure and it’s all basically taste test. I’m going to send the recipe to my blogging buddy Lindsay. She is starting to collect recipes for her blog. Her blog  is comprised of a little of everything. She knows my family, as she has kids the same age as I do, which is why we hit it off so well, so it’s going to be a sort of  ” Family and extended Family Cookbook ,”  which will fit right into her blog, since she has many hobbies and life stuff happening… but that is all I’m going to tell you about her surprises. 😉

Posted on

A great gift from a friend

My friend who I call Radiogal, or Radio, sent me a wonderful clip board she made especially for me. She has been buying clipboards and then decoupaging little pictures of things that remind her of whom ever she is making the clipboard for. It’s really thoughtful and also handy to have.

The clipboard she made for me, had a lot to do with sewing, and also my other hobbies. Clay jars, collecting buttons, a certain sort of stationary I use…things like that.

The clip board is going to come in handy she said, when I have surgery and am feeling great and want to write a letter to her. While I’m in the hospital, she said that I’d need something to prop on my lap to write on. I love this woman. She is so artsy and thoughtful. I am going to make her something special once I have surgery and am able to move well enough and bend my neck again.

 

Posted on

Memories through photographs

While the kids and I are in the process of some heavy cleaning, I’ve been sort of going through photographs. Believe me, as an amateur photographer who’s passion is taking photos, I have hundreds and hundreds of loose pictures. Some are in photo boxes, some are in a photo tower that as five shelves stocked up with loose pictures, and then there is my cedar chest and a big plastic bin full of pictures I have take over the years. These of course do not include the library of albums I have.

I worry about fire. I’m terrified of it. Photographs capture moments in a lifetime, that can never be captured again, and while going through some of the photos, I have to admit that some are pretty darn good. They look professional. I’m not trying to “toot my own horn”, but when I’m taking photos, I know instantly if they will be good or not. The right lighting and post or not a pose…which ever. Most of my really good ones were taken with my old trusty Pentax Zoom 60X. I love this camera, and now to find film for it is nearly impossible. Not to mention that it doesn’t work for one reason or another and there is no one around here that will touch it. I’ve got to still keep trying to track down someone to fix this camera for me. I don’t like digital cameras. When I find a camera I love, I’m happy and this Pentax was the best camera I ever had. It “fit” me and the photos were excellent.

The memories that flooded back while looking at some of the photos that I did last night, were nearly bitter sweet. There are moments I am so glad I captured.

Posted on

Ordering my seeds

I’ve been pouring over the seed catalogs that are now coming in the mail, trying to find exactly the seeds I want to plant in the front herb and flower gardens. Such a hard decision for me. I want the all, it seems. I found though, if I buy bulk from a few of the catalogs, I’ll save a lot of money.

In the back yard is where my son and I have decided to get serious about bale gardening and also a plot for veggies that I can take to farmers market and sell, plus have enough for the family to eat.

I’m a vegetable freak. I love just about any kind. I do plan on having some different kinds of squash that a lot of people haven’t even heard of. My mom is making me a list of the ones she has tried and loved. Right now, I just can’t remember the names of them. I’m really looking forward to spring. Plus, I didn’t know it, but my gardens are considered home improvement projects. (The insurance guy told us this). Guess you learn something new every day!

Posted on

A new Garden Trellis

Since I’ve been already planning my front yard gardening and also getting seeds, I decided I need new trellises. I’m really looking forward to getting them because I have been growing various climbing vines and they seem to be taking over the whole yard. I am going to get four, since I have four porch posts that actually look like they are holding up the roof of the porch, but are really for decoration.

I have tried a vinyl trellis in the front garden before, that my husband had gotten me for my birthday, but it didn’t last like the ad said it would. Within the season, it cracked and fell apart. I don’t think that he got it from a reputable place. I do though, give him an A for effort at getting me something that he thought I would like. I did too, but it just didn’t hold up in our weather here

I like a trellis that is strong enough to hold my runner beans, morning glories and my other types of plants that like to have something to climb on, other wise I end up with really pretty flowers laying in the lawn and they don’t look happy, plus they are really bothersome to mow around, if they aren’t picked up, then laid back down after the mowing is over. My husband used to try, but it was a loosing battle, since most of them were voluntary plants, and I had just let grow wild. I just didn’t have the heart to pull them up. This year, I’m going to do a lot of yard work and am looking forward to this new look also!

Posted on

Kids and X-boxes

My son’s X-box did something they call, red ring. Now, I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know it’s not good. In fact, my youngest son is very bummed out about it. Oldest son fixed it today, and it was working fine, the it did the red ring thing again.

Youngest son has asked me about ten times now, when his brother will be home. Shoot…I don’t know. I just know that youngest son is bored, and I also know that he spent entirely too much time on that game box.

I will indeed admit he is very good at the games he plays, and has been written about in games magazines. But when that is just about all he does when he gets home from school, I have to admit that he needs another hobby. He loves to garden if he can plant in an unusual way. It wouldn’t surprise me though, if he didn’t find a way to incorporate it into the games he plays on the X-box and computer, as well as his other game boxes the two boys have.

Posted on

School Christmas Craftshow

The start of the Christmas craft show at the school is today. I usually have my crafts finished and already set up to sell at the event, except this year I won’t be taking any. It’s the first year in a long while, but so much has been going on this year, that I haven’t had time to work on crafts like I used to. I’ll go to it and see what is new though. Some of these women are really talented and should promote their crafts. Others do have small shops or sell out of their homes. It’ll be nice to see what others have created.

Posted on

Another Monday

For the last few days we have had some really beautiful weather. A far cry from the rain, wind and cold of last week. This morning I took my dog for a walk and it was nice to smell the fresh morning air and feel the sun on my face. I’ve tried all summer to stay semi out of the sun without having sunblock on, as there is some pigmentation spots that is an inherited condition in our family. Little white spots or blotches. I forget the proper term for it, but it is caused by lots of exposure to the sun, and believe me, I used to be one of those “sun babies” who loved getting tan and indeed I did tan fast. Later on I might go for another walk after supper, and take some pictures. I’m thinking about getting a new camera also.

Posted on

Flowers and vines

My gardens seem to be coming along nicely! I love the fact that I started much earlier than I normally do, and had the time to do it. Now, if I can keep the dogs and the cats from tearing everything up, I’ll be a happy camper! We’ll have to wait and see how that goes. I’m thinking about planting more things in the front yard and also getting some potted plants to hang on the porch and set in various locations on the decks!