Embroidery, it's a lost art...

These pictues are the individual squares of a doll blanket my friend Marti gave me for my daughter-in-law, Deanna.  She knows how much she loves vintage so she gave me this darling little doll throw to give to her.  She also gave me a child’s blanket that will be perfect to lay in the grass and sit Lexi on.   Deanna will love them, they are really special, especially Hansel and Gretel’s Gingerbread Cottage.

Women don’t embroider anymore, it’s becoming a lost art and it’s so sad.  In today’s busy society there seems to be no time or desire for the old crafts and I have wonderful memories of mother and my aunts embroidering when I was a child.  I still have some of mother’s pillowcases, oh what a treasure they are and what a treasure this will be for sweet little Lexi...

Kenny and Dolly, You Can't Make Old Friends...

 

 

I'm such a Dolly fan, and there was nothing better back in the day than Dolly and Kenny singing Islands in the Stream.  They've teamed up again and the magic is still there, this video is guaranteed to give you goosebumps!

It was a gentle reminder of how lucky I am to have friends who have weathered life's storms with me.  I have wonderful women who have been in my life for years and years, and I cherish their friendships.

This video is for you dear hearts,  you  know who you are.  Love you always,  Jan...

Oh, I must give credit to my sweet daughter-in-law, who thinks Dolly hung the moon.  She posted this video on her blog, Harris Sisters GirlTalk earlier today.  I just had to snag it...

And one more time, just for old time's sake, this is pure magic, one of my all-time favorite songs, they just don't make music like this anymore...

A very special treasure...

  

My friend, V, was visiting  last week and we were discussing our favorite things.  I told her that my favorite thing of hers was this vintage cow pitcher that she bought at an antique store in the 80's.

She replied, "it's just sitting in my cabinet, I'll give it to you."  OMG, she wanted to give me her prized pitcher!  You have to realize that V and I are really good friends, we don't have that, "oh, I can't accept this" filter, and so I accepted it greedily graciously.   At first I  gave her the halfhearted "I can't take your pitcher"  and then realized she really wanted me to have it and I really wanted to have it, too!

So we visited them on Saturday, and sure enough, she comes into the living room carrying that pitcher.  I was so thrilled, it's found a new home, front row and center on my entertainment center. 

It's wonderful, I love it, thank you thank you, V!  I'm so excited about this!!!

The Internet has made my world a better place...

 

 

I've made such good friends online, people that I would have never known existed had it not been for Jan's Daily Dish.  

My friend, Holly, is from Oklahoma and is such a talented lady.  Holly read my blog, contacted me and we've become great friends!  She makes the loveliest cards, very original, very intricate, every one is a work of art and  just beautiful.   She sends them to me and I save every one of them, they are a treasure.  I put them on my bulletin board and it makes me happy just to look at them.  This is the St. Paddy's Day card she sent.  Isn't it wonderful?  This one has a painted background with torn pieces of paper that she stamped, painted, and glittered, it's so special!

My world is a better place thanks to friends like Holly.  Just puts a smile on my face on this yet another gloomy, cold dreary day.  Thanks so much, Holly, you are the best!

 

Minnetonka Moccasins….

 

I have loved moccasins my entire life.  I had soft soled ones similar to the ones above when I was a teenager.  I also remember white soft soled and turquoise.  Oh, I thought they were SO cool.

Now, let's fast forward to 2013.  Just the touch of leopard brings out the Thelma Roper in me.  I do like these a lot!!!

 

 

Oh, and these feather ones, they are ringing my chimes.

 

And if I was twenty-something, or maybe even early thirty-something, I would be all over these like butter on a hot potato.  I'm old(er) now, but I could wear those feather ones or the leopard ones, I'm not that old yet.  I could wear them, yes I could, I  just might need a pair of these...

Are you a Moccasin lover, too?  Just click here and drool over Minnetonka's entire line.  They are wonderful!!!!

There’s no friends like old friends…

LC and I went to dinner tonight with friends of mine that I’ve known since grade school, first grade, actually.

They were hysterical, we were laughing so hard it’s a wonder we didn’t get thrown out of the restaurant.  Not only have they not changed over the years, thank goodness, they are still as funny as ever, but now they’re all bawdy as well.

It was such a good time, I recommend everybody reconnecting with childhood friends, I didn’t realize what I was missing.  Those childhood bonds run deep, and it’s nice to come together again after all these years.

Carolyn, Donna, Jeanie Beth, Barbara Jo, and their husbands, too.  I’ve laughed until my stomach aches.  Old(er) friends are such a good time…

Are my jeans tight? Or how I managed to gain 4 lbs. in 3 days…

Okay, so these pancakes aren’t the entire reason I gained 4 lbs. in 3 days.  It was also, fish, fries & hushpuppies, broasted chicken, a baked sweet potato, Pizza King Pizza, and best of all, that I didn’t take a picture of, a spectacularly yummy sandwich that I’ll be recreating at home. 

We went to Concannon’s Bakery, Café & Coffee Bar, and I ordered their turkey sandwich and baked potato salad.  It was thick slices of homemade potato bread, and sandwiched inside was shaved turkey breast, a big pile of it, fresh spinach leaves, and the bread was spread with cranberry sauce, instead of mayo.  Oh my…

But back to these pancakes.  We went to Sunday brunch at Eva’s Pancake House, where Nish and I shared a biscuit and bowl of gravy, because biscuits and gravy are quite possibly one of the seven wonders of the world. Let’s just say it was kind of an appetizer, ya, let’s just say that.  But front row center on the menu were the Hawaiian Pancakes, and I looked no further, they were calling my name. This plate of decadent goodness was composed of strawberries in syrup, pineapple, bananas, chopped walnuts, honey and whipped cream.  Aren’t they the most delectable looking things, possibly ever?  Of course it was all amazing, and was the weight gain worth it?  Oh heck ya it was.  I also neglected to mention fistfuls of Peanut M&M’s, a huge cone of cherry chocolate ice cream, and another huge cone of one of the the best ice creams I’ve ever put in my mouth, salted caramel.  Let’s see what did I leave out, oh, I forgot the coffee cake Nisha served, it was so good, that I bought one, froze it, and brought it home to take to the kids for Thanksgiving.

I guess that about covers it, but I’m sure I left out a few things.  And now back to reality.  But I did get on the scales this morning, and that 4 lb. gain didn’t even make me cry.  Maturity, maybe?  Nah, it was just that totally sated, satisfied feeling.  I haven’t had it in so long, I forgot how wonderful it was!

OMG, O.M.G!!! I forgot the best part, how could I do forget this, the biggest blowout of it all.  Okay, so we’re on the way home, going thru Amish country, and we stopped for lunch at an Amish restaurant.  The parking lot was packed, it had to be good, right?  Oh, absolutely!  It was a trough, you can’t go wrong with an Amish trough and a full parking lot!

And what did yours truly have??? I know you’re dying to know!  I’ve told you everything else, I might as well fess up to all of it.  Okay, are you ready for this?  Noodles, puddled on a big ole’ pile of mashed potatoes, dressing, corn, a piece of fried chicken, homemade bread, cucumbers in sour cream, ambrosia salad (2 kinds) and for dessert, the piece de resistance, a huge wedge of pecan pie.  But I did drink unsweetened iced tea.  *blush*

So yes,  Miss Piggy deserved each and every one of those four pounds!!!

Some days, make that YEARS, it’s a struggle just to zip your jeans…

Every spring and fall, it’s the samo bitch.  I get on here and rant about switching out my closet!  And let’s face it, it’s not the switching that I detest, it’s the fact that most . of . the . closet . doesn’t . fit ! And you all probably are all sick to death of me talking about it, it’s like a bi-annual ritual for me, to whine about it.

I always swear that I’m going to throw it all in the trash, and then I don’t.  I just stuff all those clothes in there that I never wear and try and forget about it.  Why do I do this??? Year . after . year . after . year . after . year !!!   For gawds sake, Jan, they sell this crap at the store, why hang onto it?  But it seems like every single time I take the proverbial deep breath and pitch things, it isn’t a week later until I want something I’ve thrown away.  I have jeans in every size I’ve worn since kindergarten, and I didn’t even go to kindergarten!  I don’t, however, have mom jeans, those things were gone with the wind ages ago.

So is this the year, will I finally take a deep breath and give it the ole’ heave ho???  I should just replace everything in there with yoga pants and thermal t-shirts, my uniform of choice in the winter.  Just have one pair of jeans, a sweater and a vest for when I actually do go someplace and that’s it.  Wouldn’t that be a freeing experience? 

Shoes aren’t so much of a problem, because with no feet, you tend to not go shoe crazy.  All of mine have to be the same heel height, I seem to gravitate to BORN, it’s a brand that works well for me, and I like the boho look of them.  And I have boots, I love boots, I’ll always wear them, but all in all, it’s not the shoes that give me fits.  Duh, Jan, it’s only because your shoe size never changes.  HELLO!!!!!!!!

I’m not feeling particularly in the mood to do this today, so all the crates of winter clothes are sitting in my bedroom.  Scarlett is definitely going to worry about this tomorrow or maybe even Tuesday!
And if I get a wild hare, and throw it all away, I will definitely let you know.

My favorite lipstick, Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze

Pioneer Woman blogged about her favorite lipstick this week, so I’ll just follow down the yellow brick road and do the same, since I have a great one to share with you.

The older I get the more I like nude lips. Well, not nude Kardashian type lips, but shiny lips, with just a hint of beige, not pink, color, it’s just really natural looking.  Bold lipsticks don’t work for me anymore, they just make me look hard.

So here it is, my absolute, hands down favorite.  Deanna tried it, didn’t work for her, she does brights really well, so I inherited her stash!  I tried it on Lindsay, looked great on her, as she doesn’t wear a lot of color either.  And added bonus, it’s ColorStay so it stays on for several hours, of course not 8 hours, it is a gloss after all, but you can get 3-4 hours before you have to reapply.

Oh, did I mention the price is right, too?  Love that drugstore makeup.  This will only set you back about $6-7 dollars. 

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Lipglaze (Glacis Mineral).  The color is Lasting Shimmer

It’s Hooterville’s birthday!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Jeanne Lynne!!!!!

Wasn’t she a cutey? 

Love the flip…

Girlfriends, it’s a sisterhood…

There have been books written about it, movies made about it, songs written about it - that mysterious, bonding that occurs between women that men can never understand.  It’s a beautiful thing, girlfriends, more so when you’re as lucky as me and have friends that have been in your life for years.  I’m at the age, that we’ve watched our children grow up, marry, and some of us, including, lucky me, have or are about to be grand’meres.

Why is it that girlfriends have such a good time together?  We laugh, and talk, discuss everything, clothes, makeup, diets, health, men, sex, children, you name it, we can talk about it.  We’re never at a loss for words, or things to talk about.

There is a newly published book, The Girls from Ames, a story of 11 girls and their lifelong friendships, you might enjoy reading it this summer.  Here’s the Amazon link.

"Time passes," it begins. "Life happens. Distance separates. Children grow up. Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't do what they're supposed to do. Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favours. Careers end.

"But ... a girlfriend is never farther away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end."

We’re lucky women to have this connection, and if you haven’t talked to a girlfriend in awhile, pick up the phone, or text, or email her.  There is no time like the present…

 

Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Breadsticks Recipes…

Heads up on this, ladies.  I found these recipes in my June/July issue of Food Network Magazine, courtesy of my buddy V.  Anyway, if this really tastes like they say it does, you all owe me for rest of your natural born lives.  I mean, let’s face it, most of us would kill for these recipes!!!!!

I posted these on Jan Can Cook, tonight…

Salad and Dressing

Breadsticks

Last night's scrapbooking project...

 

I had started building this scrapbooking page before the crash of 2008, the sweet little girl picking fleurs in her sundress is is Larkin, my friend Trish's adorable two year old granddaughter.

 

It was just a plain book, I added two initial pages, the trees and the sky, and then added layer after layer of elements to create the pages.  I took the background away from a picture of Larkin, so I ended up with just her body, added it and finally,  I used a Gaussian Blur to soften each element,  and this is the result.  I needed a break last night from all the not-so-fun stuff I've been doing, and this is te result...

I actually like this, yeah, I really do...

Just another day in the life....

I'm the world's worst at remembering birthdays. I remember the month, just not the day. So, naturally I'm texting Ang last week asking her which day her birthday is. I remembered first week in May but not the date. Amazing, huh, since I've only been friends with her, like FOREVER!!! So she texts me back May 2nd, and I write it on my calendar reminder.

I get up this morning at 6:30 am, bake her a cake, have it iced by 7:30, kitchen cleaned up and I'm calling her at 8:AM, singing her Happy Birthday! After I get the the whole little ditty sang, ya, it was offkey, anyway she starts laughing and says that her birthday isn't until Friday. ...FRIDAY, HELLOOOOOO. I could have sworn she said it was the 2nd, not the 5th. Holy Crap I did it again! I must have read that text message with my glasses off!

Naturally LC wanted me to let him eat the cake and bake Ang another one Friday. In his dreams. IN-HIS-DREAMS!!!