Speed Scrap!

Tonight I participated in my first My Memories Sunday Night Speed Scrap. Here was my entry. The more I play with the software, the more I am learning. For the spped scrap, you are given specific elements to include on your page and then use your imagination to implement the directions.

I figured out hot to make the scalloped edges tonight and "found" more of the embellishment goodies that are included in the software. I had fun experimenting tonight and hope to participate with more of the Speed Scraps soon!

Fall Means County Fairs!

Fall means that it county fair time! Our local festivities were held last week.

As a 4-H and FFA member growing up, I competed in the livestock show and have always loved this time of year. As an adult, I can't compete in the livestock events, but there are several other contest that I entered.
I entered the Yam Pie Contest in the footsteps of my Grandmama and Aunts. Needless to say, we have ate a lot of sweet potato pie during October! Sadly, my pie didn't place this year:( I think they must have dropped it or something.

I submitted five of my favorite pictures in the photography contest and my moth picture received an honorable mention! I was excited about that.

I captured a few pictures of my nephew exploring his first county fair! He didn't ride any carnival rides this year, but by next year, I bet he can convince me to join him on the hobby horses or bears, or motorcycles! In about 8 more years, he can follow in the footsteps of his dad and aunt and start competing in the livestock contest. (You have to be 9 years old or in third grade to show livestock.)

It was a fun week. I got my yearly corny dog and walked around the fair enjoying all the sights and sounds and sharing the festivities with my nephew and his mom for the first time.  I enjoyed the fair while it was here, but I'm glad town is back to normal now.

No Faces

The My Memories Blog is hosting a No Faces Allowed Challenge.

Here is my submission with Farmall Man and Trixie at the Tractor Show we recently attended. I love to capture pics of them on our adventures, even if they have no idea I'm taking pictures.

Daddy Let Me Drive

While driving to work this morning, I heard the Alan Jackson song, Daddy Let Me Drive and I had a flash back to the first time I remember driving.

It was a dreary, cold winter day and my dad and I were out checking cows in ol' blue, our  1980 Ford three-quarter ton truck. Ol' Blue was a standard transmission truck that haunted me til right before I was 16, but that's a whole other story! My mom was pregnant with my little brother and she stayed at home that day, while we went to check cows.

(This is not the pasture I was driving in!)

We pulled up to the hay barn and loaded square bales in the back of the truck and headed out to the field to feed the cows. That's when Daddy put me in the driver's seat, stuck ol' blue in granny gear and told me to "Drive Straight". He was going to get in the back of the truck and throw out the hay to the cows as I drove the truck.

Now I was scared of my daddy and did just what he said, so I drove the truck straight across the field. I came to a big water/sink hole in the field and my four year old brain was worried about what to do. Should I go around the hole or drive straight? Hmmmm, but daddy said drive straight and why would he point me in the direction of the sink hole if he didn't want me to drive through the hole? So I drove right into the water hole and when the truck got stuck, Daddy ask me why I did it and all I could say was, "But Daddy, you told me to drive straight!"

Yes, I was 4 years old, the first time I remember driving! Of course he couldn't get on to me, because I was just following his directions. Daddy shouldn't have pointed me in the direction of the sink hole and said drive straight!

We had to walk to our house and we got on our John Deere tractor with my mom and all went back to the pasture and pulled ol' blue out of the water hole.

I will probably remember that day for the rest of my life and took a ride down memory lane this morning, thinking about the time that Daddy let me drive. Truth be told, I think I had driven before this day and drove crooked. I think that was the reasoning for Daddy telling me to drive straight, but I don't remember that day!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

While I'm not the Halloween, ghost and goblin type of person, I do love fall/harvest decorations and the taste of fall foods.

Occasionally I get to gut a pumpkin at work so that I can design a floral arrangement inside the pumpkin. When I clean out the pumpkin, I always save the seeds to roast when I get home. I came across the original recipe in a magazine several years ago, although, I seldom follow any of the measurements.

So for all of you who are carving pumpkins this week, DO NOT throw away the seeds, roast them instead for a great snack!

I rinse off the seeds and place in a sauce pan with salted water and boil for about 15 minutes. Drain seeds, blot dry, and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. On a foil lined baking sheet, spread out seeds and then you can add any seasoning that you please. The original recipe called for 1/4 teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of salt. Here is where I stray from the recipe and leave the measuring spoon in the cabinet! I generously add the paprika and salt, then break out the chili powder, ground red pepper, or cumin...whatever I am in the mood for. I have a few friends who really like the pumpkin seeds to have a spicy kick. Then I put the seeds in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees until light golden and crisp.

Its that simple! So next time you clean a pumpkin, save the seeds for a great fall snack!

Moth on the 4 o'clocks

I'm using the Blog This Button on Picassa and testing to see if this photo is visible to everyone. So please give me a shout out whether you see this picture or not. Thanks!

Butterflies and Fun Free Stuff!

I've been trying to catch up on some scrapbooking this weekend.

 I look at the calendar and realize this year is almost over and I've hardly scrapped since Christmas of last year. What have I been doing all year? Hmmm...Taking lots of pics, but not getting them successfully in my scrapbook.

I think I have pictures screaming to get out of my computer! Remember that commercial?

While I haven't had many butterflies in the yard this summer, I happy for the ones that stop and visit and felt as if they should have a spot in my scrapbook!

I've been doing some digital scrapbooking to with My Memories Suite as well as using up a few of my 10,001 pages of paper I have in my stash! I need to start printing my digitally scrapped pages and get them out in the real world!

Speaking of My Memories, they are having a fun giveaway on their New Facebook Page. If you go and like the new page you are entered to WIN an iPad2! When the new facebook group gets to 10,000 fans, they will choose a winner for an iPad2 plus there is a

EXCLUSIVE Fan Freebie kit

available to facebook fans!

But that's NOT all! My  Memories is offering

FREE Designer Packs!

Yeehaaaa!!!

Who doesn't like a great deal? This 2 page pack with all the embellishments comes in two of my favorite colors! I can't wait to rescue some pics that are stuck on my computer to use with this layout. Hurry and Click on the link to go to My Memories and get your free scrapbooking goodies! They will be hosting new pages every two weeks, so if you like this page, GO NOW!

If you haven't got the My Memories Software yet, you can use my

code:  STMMMS41634 

to receive $10.00 off the software purchase and a $10.00 coupon for purchases from the My Memories store!

Now that's lots of fun, great bargains from My Memories!

 What are you waiting for, we got pictures to RESCUE off our computers!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Farmall Man!

I baked him a Yam Pie for his birthday and got him a card that has a COW on the front that says

"OH, POO! I lost my recipe for Birthday Cake!

Hope you like pies."

Judging by the amount of pie that he's already ate this morning, I think he likes the Yam Pie better than Cow Pies!

Tractor Shows & Gypsy Markets

On Saturday we headed out to the Autumn Trails Tractor Show and then headed down the road a spell and checked out the Gypsy Market. Twas a great day for a Gypsy Farm Girl...lots of tractors and an arts and craft fair, all with my man and my dog!

 I knew on our first date, that we were meant to be, because we both grew up driving Farmall tractors! We both worked on our families farms growing up and were fond of our Granddaddy's red tractors. Today, we have quite the collection of our very own Farmalls on our farm.

 Trixie likes going to town, but hasn't been able to travel with us much this summer because of the heat. She knew that there was something different about our travels Saturday and that this was not just a routine trip to the grocery store, were she would have to sit in the truck. Trixie demanded that we were taking her with us and said she really wanted to go to the tractor show, after all she had a new Farmall collar and lease to show off!

 There were lots of antique tractors on exhibit of all brands and sizes, some restored with shiny paint, while others were original. Some exhibited plows and hay balers, while many showed a patriotic spirit with Texas and American flags.

 There was even a pink Allis Chalmers tractor! I didn't get close enough to see if there was a story to go with the paint scheme or not.

 Some of the owners participate in the tractor pull event. Tractors are divided into different weight classes and compete against each other to see who can pull the sleigh the furthest down the track.

My peeps are checking out some more Farmalls!

We went to the Gypsy Market after we left the tractor show. I'm not sure how I managed to not take a single picture at the downtown arts and crafts event. I would love to be a vendor at the event next year! Farmall Man and Trixie decided that we needed to visit the Dairy Queen and get a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard before we headed over to the feed store, so we stopped and enjoyed a cool treat!

While we were at the Gypsy Market, we noticed the one screen theater was showing The Help on Sunday afternoon, so Farmall Man promised to take me to see the movie. We had made plans to see the movie right after it came out, but our schedules didn't allow it to happen. Have you seen The Help? I don't want to spoil anything if you plan to see the movie!

It was a great weekend travelling about and enjoying the fall festivities in the area. Our big county fair is next week and we are making preparations to participate! Do you have any favorite fall festivals/fairs that you attend each year?

Summer's End Garden Party

Donna from Funky Junk Interior's is featuring

SNS's Summer's End Garden Party 2011.

While Summer 2011 has been a rough one for us with the Texas drought and with Farmall Man getting hurt , there have been some bright spots along the way. The blooms have not been as abundant as some years, but we enjoyed them all the same. We were excited to complete a makeover on our gazebo and built a privacy fence as well.

Enjoy Summer's End Garden Party 2011 with a few of my favorite pics from our yard and garden this year!

Let's go shopping in the yard!

Trudy the Lawn Mower!

 With grass in the pasture in short supply and an injured husband, we let Trudy help with yard mowing duties this summer. I think the lawn mower has been cranked less than 5 times this year! 

I'm always glad to have butterflies in the yard.

My favorite project of the Summer was the Gazebo Makeover. I love how it all came together for less
than $20.00!

Suzy enjoys sitting in the gazebo!

Our privacy wall hides some of the equipment behind the house. If next spring brings some rain, I hope to add landscaping in front of the fence.

Thanks for stopping by and joining my Summer Garden Party! Hope you enjoyed your time here!

My Vintage Kitchen Makeover

I've been pondering ideas for re-doing my kitchen for a while now. I seem to repaint my kitchen every couple of years or so. Recently, I've been inspired by everything I see in the Flea Market Style Magazine and lots of things in blogland, so when I got a surprise three day weekend, I had a kitchen makeover project!

My cabinets were already painted white and had a sanded, antique look, which I love. The walls had been sponge painted shades of brown, several years ago. I liked it at the time, but wanted something different. I have been seeing all the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint buzz; but really $39.00 a quart, yes I said quart, is not in my budget. (I'll share how I created my own chalk style paint in another post!)

I managed to get one before picture, prior to everything coming off the walls!

My chalk-style paint went on really easy. It was the fastest I had ever painted my kitchen. It was really thick and I only used about a quart to paint all the walls. The best parts were that it matched my cabinets, I did not have to sand or distress the wall to achieve the same look as the cabinets, and I didn't have to purchase anything! The paint dried really fast and then came the fun part!

I used vintage family heirlooms, garage sale, flea market, and Goodwill finds, farm junk, as well as some gifts and free items to decorate the kitchen.

The wine bottles have been gifts from friends (who drank the wine) that know I love the vintage style labels and signs. I found the red pedestal at a estate sale, the softball stripped of its outer shell came from Canton, and the ice picks were my great-grandparents. The measuring cup and funnel also came from my great-grandparents and made great decor resting on the wine bottles. The "Dinner is served at the sound of the smoke alarm" sign was a wedding gift as was the big wooden spoon. The sign has been right a time or two and I was told that when I have kids, I will know what the wooden spoon is for! The shutter came out of a house that was torn down and I covered the bottle that holds the sunflower with old seeds. Each utensil hanging on the shutter came from my great-grandparents as well. I was told the hand-made chicken wire gadget was a egg whisk.

My canisters were a Christmas gift a few years ago, the yellow coffee pot was my dad's, the old jars came from my grandmother and mother-in-law, the blue bowl was my great-grandmothers, the sifter was Grandmama's as was the green tray leaning against the wall. I can remember eating many meals in the hay field off the green tray. When I was little, Grandmama would fix dinner and we would go eat in the hayfield where Granddaddy was cutting hay - good times. Some of the tins and signs have came from garage sales over the last few years.

Previously, I had a cheap wire utensil rack hanging on the wall and decided that an old rake would be much better suited for our house.

I never, ever, ever, ever, never thought I would have a lace curtain in my house, but now I do! The May Basket burlap sack was my previous curtain, but I was ready for something different. I had picked up the vintage lace at Goodwill a few weeks back. I didn't know what I would use it for; but felt like it called my name!

There was a garage sale across the street from work last week and a couple of us walked over to the sale. Nothing I was interested in was marked and when I picked up two metal sconces, my friends both said "the glass is missing." When the lady said 25 cents a piece, I said "sold". I hung them on the wall and the lace is draped through the holes!

When I took the wooden rectangle shelf off the wall, I realized there was a American Beauty Lettuce advertisement painted on the back and decided it was time for it to be displayed for a while.

A Happy Home Recipe always hung in Grandmama's kitchen and now it hangs in mine.

I took on my first upholstery project over the weekend as well. The only thing I bought specifically for my makeover was a few decorative tacks. I bought two packages for $1.29 each at Tractor Supply. For several years I have had a canvas style apron that I could never find the just right place to display. Low and behold, I decided that it would look great on one of our bar stools!

I'm really excited how my make over project came together. I feel as if our kitchen fits our personality better; its a collection of who we are and tells the story of where we came from at the same time.