Sam's Teepee

For Sam's 3rd birthday I wanted to try and make him something special. My friend sent me this link and I knew immediately it was the perfect gift!! It's called a Twin-Sheet Teepee Tent and I highly recommend making it for any toddler you know. Here is the finished product.

You can make it even cuter by adding flags to the top and other embellishments, but I was running out of time so I made the basic teepee. And the best part is you can just roll it up when their done playing for easy storage in the house (your welcome sister)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM! I hope you're enjoying your teepee!

Elvis baby!

Hannah enjoying the swinging sounds of an Elvis impersonator at
concerts in the garden

Museum Trip

Hannah enjoys filling her cart with food at the grocery store in the
museum.

Bowling

Bowling with Anne!

Summer Dresses

So, I finally finished my first clothing sewing project. When I started I was thinking I was making a bathing suit cover up, but when I finished I realized I could wear it as a dress, or a long shirt with tights or skinny jeans....the possibilities are endless!!

The finished product!

Here's a close up of the top. It's basically just smocking done by the sewing machine....so easy!

I dressed it up a little with this yellow cardigan and wore it to church on Sunday.
(Scott wasn't suppose to get my head in the picture...he said he didn't, but this is what I got).

I had enough material leftover to make Hannah a smaller version with straps. I had all these happy thoughts of making matching outfits for us in my head. I was getting really excited, but was very disappointed when Hannah's came out too small. (I'm sure she'll be glad later in life...it saved her from some embarrassing pictures). I think Scott was relieved too. He didn't want to have to go to church on Sunday and explain why his wife and daughter were dressed exactly alike. I told him I could make him a shirt too...he politely declined the offer. Anyway, next time I will measure a little better.

Moo cow

Down Home Cookin'

This week while I was planning our menu, Scott requested that I make collard greens to go along with our meatloaf. Collard Greens...really? Several red flags went up in my head:

1. I'm not good at making side dishes. I do good enough to get the main course on the table.

2. I've never cooked collard greens before....I don't know how.

3. And most importantly....YUCK!!...right? I remember my mom and grandmother cooking these over the years and it was the stuff I either chose not to put on my plate or refused to eat it if it ended up there.

Well, it's time to turn over a new leaf (or green if you will). So the first thing I did was call Me-Maw to ask her how she cooked such good greens. I caught her at the perfect time because her sister, Joy, was there visiting.
Now picture a southern, feisty, tough-as-nails, yet very sweet lady and that's Aunt Joy. She is also known for her mouth-watering cooking so Me-Maw gave her the phone and I naively asked, "How do I make these greens Aunt Joy?" She replies, "Well, baby, they already made...you just got to cook 'em." I hear Me-Maw giggling in the background. I laughed too because I love it when my Me-Maw giggles. She looses her breath and can hardly stand it.

Anyway, I digress. She told me the best way to cook them and, surprisingly, they turned out great and so much better than I remember.

First, you "get your water ready." I put onion, sweet green pepper, bacon (I cooked it and added it later), a little bit of sugar, crushed red pepper, and a pork hock in 2 cups of water and brought it to a boil. Aunt Joy said, "Don't add a lot of water because that's what you'll end up with...just a pot of water! Then after you have washed and cut up your greens, add them to your pot, reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for about an hour.

This is what they look like after that....mmmmm!

I served them with Mom's meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Hannah even liked them!