Ornament Christmas Cards

I haven't made my Christmas cards in years. A good 5 years ago I worked with my friend in Indiana and we made a few prototypes  of some Christmas cards and I decided to make them my cards this year.

I have a embossing machine that I bought from Stampin up many years ago and I used it to emboss snowflakes onto the background and the punched out ornament for the front of the card. I had some sage card stock that I used and I also had some gold paper that was already embossed with poka-dots and I embossed the snowflakes onto that paper for the background, but left the gold ornament just the dots.

The items needed for this project were:
Plain cards and envelopes
Card stock in Sage, gold, cream or white, and red.
An ornament paper punch
A paper cutter
Gold cord
Thin red ribbon
Sticky dots
Double sided tape or glue
Greeting rubber stamp
Red ink pad

First I stamped the greeting onto the inside of the cards and let them dry while I cut out the card pieces.

I used 5 by 6 1/2 cards, so the large piece for the background of the card (sage and gold) are cut into 5 by 3 3/4 rectangles. I then ran the cut sage and gold pieces through the embosser.
I cut the sage paper into strips that were wide enough for the ornament punch and ran them through the embosser before I punched them.

I cut the red paper into 3 by 2 1/2 rectangles and the cream into 2 1/8 by 2 1/2 rectangles.

I cut the gold cord into pieces about 2 1/2 inches long.

For the red ribbon I tied the ribbon into a bow the right size for the ornament and then untied the bow and used the cut piece to measure the ribbon for the rest of the bows. You can cut your cord and ribbon ahead of time, or cut them one at a time while you are putting your card together.

I assembled the card with the doubles sided tape. You put the embossed sage or gold onto the middle of the card. Next, tape the cream piece onto the red piece. Then the red/cream piece onto the sage or gold embossed piece.

I turned the ornament over to the back and put sticky dot on the upper back of the ornament piece and then folded the cord in half and push them onto the dot on the ornament.

Now tape the ornament onto the middle of the cream top piece.

Take a sticky dot and put it onto the top of the front of the top of the ornament and add the tied ribbon bow to the sticky dot. Finished and ready to spread some Holiday Cheer!

Carrot Souffle

One of our traditional foods during Thanksgiving is a carrot souffle. If I remember correctly, my Husband's Cousin's wife brought this to a family Thanksgiving many years ago and we loved it. I have been making it at Thanksgiving ever sense.

You start with a bag of baby carrots. The recipe calls for 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, I just use the whole 2 pounds. Boil them in a pan of water until they are soft. Drain and mash them.

Add the eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and margarine and stir them until blended. Pour into a tall casserole dish.

For the topping I pour cornflakes into a gallon plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. I then put walnuts into a plastic bag and use a meat mallet to crush them. Mix the topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the carrot mixture.

Carrot Souffle
1 1/2 or 2 lbs of soft boiled carrots
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick melted margarine

Topping
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp melted margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil carrots until soft, drain and mash. Add eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and margarine to the mashed carrots and mix together. Pour into a tall casserole dish.

Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of the carrot mixture. You can sprinkle a touch of cinnamon on top if you like. (I do not use the cinnamon).

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm.

Eat it up, YUM!

Inserts to Enlarge Shirts

Go Stars!!

I can never find a button down shirt/blouse, or a long t-shirt that fits me well. If the shirt fits in the shoulders, it does not fit around my hips. So, I saw on Pinterest some projects where they put lace or material inserts in the back or sides of the shirt, and I thought I would give it a try.

I went to Kohls and found some button down shirts for under $10 each on clearance and I found a Dallas Stars shirt from Costco. I went to JoAnn Fabric and bought a half of a yard of several types, and colors, of lace fabric, and I found a green and white stripped material at Walmart for the inserts. Pretty simple and they turned out really cute.

Two of the four shirts I bought for under $10 each.

For the button down shirts I folded the shirt in half matching the seams and pinning the back at the fold. Then I cut right up the middle of the back of the shirt to the yoke. For the t-shirt I opened the seams on both sides.

The shirt is folded up the middle of the back and pinned.

I cut an opening at the fold.

I opened up the side seams of the hockey shirt.

Next, for both shirts I folded the edges under, about a quarter of an inch, of the newly cut and opened seams, and pinned it in place. I turned the shirts over so that the inside of the shirt is facing up, and pulled it apart to make a large V.

Then I laid the coordinating lace and material over the V opening and cut it a few inched larger than the V.

The lace is laid on the top of the V.

The lace is trimmed.

The material was laid on the open side seam and trimmed.

I turned the shirts over and laid the opening over the insert. I pinned the lace/material to the shirt at the pinned folded edges. I folded a hem in the bottom of the panel and pinned it.

Insert is pinned in place and the hem is pinned.

Then starting at the bottom of one side of the panel, on the sewing machine, I sewed the insert to the the shirt. Sewing up one side to the yoke or armpit, and then down the other side and then across the hem.

The last step was to trim the insert close to the seam.

Trimmed sewn insert.

You can change it up a bit by pleating the insert at the yoke or armpit before pinning and sewing. Or, you can gather the top of the insert at the yoke or armpit before you pin and sew. Both will make the insert fuller.

This insert was pleated and ironed in place.

This insert was gathered at the yoke.

The button down shirts look cute buttoned, or open with a tank top or camisole under it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Yes, I love the food, but more importantly I love our family time together. When was a kid I loved the smells that filled the house when my Mom would cook her home made pies the day before Thanksgiving. I loved the smell of the turkey that always went into the oven very early on Thanksgiving morning and would fill the house all morning long. Mom would make all the regular dishes: dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn casserole, green bean casserole with dried onions, Grandma's homemade egg noodles and homemade gravy. There was nothing better than a big spoon full of mashed potatoes with a spoonful of noodles put right on top! Carbs for everyone!!

The kitchen table was covered with flour and noodles being rolled out, cut and left to dry. There were pots of water boiling for potatoes and noodles. The mixer humming and spoons hitting the side of bowls while my Mom was whipping up her Thanksgiving master pieces. I cherish those memories. As I start my pie baking on Wednesday my Mom will be in my thoughts as I use all the tricks she taught me to make pies lip-smacking good.

As I got older and we would go to my older siblings' houses for Thanksgiving, there were always some of the old dishes, but also something new and delicious ones. When our extended family was small we would all still get together and bring a dish to contribute to the old regular dishes. Then the families just got too big and wanted to start their own traditions and family get-togethers. We also had years when we went to our in-laws for Thanksgiving and shared in their traditions.

Now, I have my own family with adult children and grandchildren, and we have our own family traditions and traditional foods. The pie baking has stayed the same as when my Mom made them.  I make my turkey with a mixture of recipes from both my Mom and my Mother in-law. But I still make the dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes the way my Mom made them. Our traditional foods now also include a broccoli casserole, carrot souffle, and grape salad. I save my Grandmas homemade egg noodles for the left over turkey. I always make turkey and noodles, and turkey enchiladas with our turkey leftovers. So, I now have Thanksgiving traditions and after Thanksgiving leftover traditions. We are overachievers, LOL!

As on all Thanksgivings I am thankful for the memories. The memories of Thanksgivings as a kid in a house full of love. The memories of the great food made by my Mom, the prayer of thanks by my Pop, and the fun and games with my brothers and sisters. Now I get to help my kids and grandkids form their Thanksgiving memories and hope they look back at past Thanksgivings with as much love and happiness as I do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum

When we bought our membership for the Dallas Arboretum everyone told us about the Autumn display, and we were so excited to go see it. We picked a beautiful Sunday in early October and took our 3 year old grandson with us. We had a blast. The only thing we didn't like was the crowds. The place was wall to wall, or maybe I should say tree to tree, people. The reason; the pumpkin displays. They have a pumpkin village that is made of pumpkins, gourds, hay and cornstalks. The kids love it.

One of the pumpkin huts in the Pumpkin Village. There were pumpkins and gourds on the fences, on the ground in patterns and even on stands that made them look like flowers.

The cool pattern on the side of this hut was made with mini pumpkins.

This was the only hut made with white pumpkins.

The Cinderella Carriage (which in the fairy tale was made from a pumpkin) is pulled by horses made of  hay and cornstalks. They were really spectacular.  

They are awesome!

Cool decoration on one of the huts.

Design on the ground

Another yard design

The walkways are lined with pumpkins, and the flowers and plants are such beautiful fall colors. I think because Texas does not have many trees that change color, the Arboretum is the only place for a Midwesterner to see all the fall colors. Once we got away from the Pumpkin Village the crowds were a lot more tolerable.

Pumpkin lined walkways!

Beautiful design displayed by the pumpkin lined walkway.

The plants were in full bloom and in the most beautiful Fall colors.

Fall planters surrounded by huge pumpkins.

The trees are green, but the plants and flowers are such deep rich Autumn colors.

On this trip we went to the Children's Adventure Garden and our Grandson had a blast. So did we! The area is huge, 8 acres, and is divided into sections that were designed to help children connect with nature. There were over 150 kid friendly activities. No pictures for you of this sections without my Grandson in them, so you will have to visit to see it. We were there for hours and barely scratch the surface. We can't wait to go back!

Election Day

Election 2016

It is finally here, Election Day!

We will vote to give our country away
To a women named Hillary who is deeply despised
Or a man named Donald who has been demonized

Neither is loved by their countrymen
Both of them lie time and again
Scandals and secrets follow them both
Yet one will eventually be taking the oath

For months we have listened to each make their case
Their vicious attacks to pump up their base
Television and radio ads spewing hate
With so many Americans taking the bait

No matter who wins, we will have to adjust
To a Commander and Chief the majority distrusts
A President that is seen as dishonest by most
Or named untrustworthy from coast to coast

So, no matter how the votes are returned
Or, who has the 270 electoral votes earned
The question that will always ensue
Is this really the best our country can do?

The Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum

I have always been a firm believer that you should go out and see everything this country has to offer. Everyone goes to the main museums, parks, and sporting events, but I love the little out of the way places that you never hear about. My husband and I love to go out on a Saturday or Sunday for a convertible ride and visit one these hidden gems. We have done this forever. Over the years the car has changed, and so has the state, but our sense of adventure has not. This weekend we scored again with the Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum in Greenville, TX in Hunt County.  We had a great drive and a fun visit to the museum.

The Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum in Greenville, Texas.

This pasture was beside the parking lot, I guess this would be the 1800s convertibles.

First you may be asking,  "Who is Audie Murphy?". Audie Murphy grew up near Kingston, TX to a very poor family of sharecroppers. He left school in the 5th grade and worked odd jobs, like cotton picking to help out his Mom, who was abandoned by his father. His mother died when he was a teen and he wanted to join the army. He was a small kid, and by the time he was 18 years old he was still only 5'5" and weighed a whopping 110 lbs. He was turned away by the Army for many years because he looked so young.  In 1942 he was able to enlist at the downtown Greenville Post Office, but not before he had to have a document signed by his sister that stated he was old enough to serve, along with a notarized copy of his birth certificate.

Audie Murphy and his medals. The Medal of Honor was in a different case.

Audie was sent overseas to fight in WWII. He returned after
the war as the "most decorated" solider of WWII. Audie earned every medal possible, including the Medal of Honor, and he also received awards from France and Belgium. He did all of this before he turned 21. When he returned home from the war he had a lot of mental healing to do. Audie suffered from PTSD, or back then what they called Shell Shock, or Battle Fatigue. He was put on the cover of Life Magazine and was then approached by James Cagney, a famous actor, to come work for him.  Audie went under contract with Cagney Production Company, and even though he didn't star in any movies for Cagney, this gave him time to heal and take some classes on acting. He went on to other production companies to star in many movies, including one based on this book "To Hell and Back". Audie stared in movies, mostly westerns, was a screenwriter, a poet, a songwriter, and he bred and raced horses.  He went on to marry twice,  and have two boys with his second wife. He died in 1971 at at the age of 46 in a small aircraft crash in VA while on a business trip. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His is reported to be the second most visited grave site, after JFK, at Arlington.

This was the instrument panel from the plane that crashed, killing Audie , 4 other passengers, and the pilot. Creepy!

The museum also had sections on the history of Hunt County, the importance of Cotton in the region, and a section called the Hall of Heroes. The history of Hunt County was interesting, it had exhibits I found gross, but most were rather interesting. The wreath of hair being the grossest display I have seen in a long time.  The fact that people in the 1800s would use human hair to braid and weave into a wreath is completely out of my comfort zone. I saw the wreath at first and thought it was pretty until I read what it was made of. Yikes!

From a distance this is really kind of pretty.

Then you look up close and read the sign and it is grossly fascinating. The only parts not made of hair are the center of the flowers. Really creepy!!!

Some of my favorite Hunt County displays were of the stores and items from the early 1900s including a Hair Salon's permanent wave machine. I also liked the barbed wire display. Who would have ever guessed that there could be so many types of barbed wire. The question that comes to my mind is, "Why?".

This was a permanent wave machine. The curlers were heated to 120 degrees and the fan in the back was to keep the customer cool. The charge was $1.00 per curl and took all day starting with a wash and ending with a wave. Not cheap for the late 1920s.

This was just one of the displays of barbed wire. Oh, how to choose?

Different phases of cotton.

The Cotton section in the museum was pretty cool. They had miniatures of electric cotton gins and one of a horse operated cotton gin. The gin would pull the cotton up a vacuum, it would go into the gin where the seeds were separated from the lint, then the lint was put into bales and taken to market. The seeds and the small fibers still attached to the seeds (linter) were also used for many item. The kernels would be made into refined oil (like cooking oil) fertilizer, livestock feed, fish bait, and crude oil (for explosives, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more). The hulls were used for livestock feed, mulch, poultry litter, synthetic rubber and petroleum refining. The linter was used for many thing like, dynamite, fingernail polish, smokeless gunpowder, hair care products, food casings, ice cream, salad dressing, felts, yarns, plastics, films, fiber pulp and the list goes on. I truly had no idea that all parts of the cotton plant was used to make so many items. It really is the fabric of our lives, lol.

This was a picture behind one of the cotton gin miniatures that showed the bales and bales of cotton that was produced at the Greenville cotton gin. The largest number of bales ginned in Hunt County was 90,833 in 1931.

This oil was made from cotton kernels.

The Hall of Heroes in the museum had a movie and display about Audie Murphy, and also had sections on the Civil War, WWI, WWII, The Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It was not a large display for each war, but they still had some unique items, and the displays were full of information you don't hear about. One thing I learned, for example, is that in WWI the men that were killed in the trenches were buried where they fell. So, when soldiers went to dig new trenches, or dugouts, there were decomposing bodies right under the surface. This along with the soldiers disposal of trash and food attracted hundreds of rats. So the trenches were swarming with rats. The rats would run over the soldiers while they slept and the last few years of the war the rats spread Weil's disease, an infective jaundice that could be treated with penicillin, and in some cases could be fatal. Is it not enough that these poor men had the enemy shooting at them, bombing them, and gassing them, they also had to put up with being in the trenches with rats and lice?

There is a memorial in the front of the museum grounds that have plaques listing the names of the men from Hunt County that served our country in each war up to the Vietnam war. The statue is of Audie Murphy depicting him in one of the battles that earned him a metal.

I hope you enjoyed the recap of the the Museum. If nothing else I hope y'all go out and see the little out of the way historic homes or museums in your own state. It is an amazing country we live in, and you could spend every weekend just learning about the people and places that made it that way.