dusting...

really cool living room found here

Last night I was cleaning the single-wide in preparation for the 4th of July week-end blastin' its' way towards us.



I have come to the conclusion that flat surfaces = dust.



My next house will be minus flat surfaces. And not on a gravel road.

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide... where I'm wondering... are you busy getting Fourth of July supplies and decorations ready? We've got a county wide burn ban going on so the only fireworks I'll get to see are the ones that occasionally shoot out of my toaster oven... hee-hee

towmaters...

A new magazine came in the mail today here at the shop and on the cover it has a tomato tart thing...

Ingredients:

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
1 garlic bulb
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
4 large tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Press refrigerated piecrust on bottom and up sides of a square 9-inch tart pan. Bake at 450° for 9 minutes or until piecrust is lightly browned; set aside.
Cut off pointed end of garlic bulb; place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with olive oil. Fold foil to seal.
Bake garlic at 425° for 30 minutes; cool. Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into bottom of baked piecrust.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup fontina cheese over the garlic.
Slice tomatoes, and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place on folded paper towels, and let stand 10 minutes. Arrange tomato slices over shredded cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until tart is lightly browned.

Mom, if I bring the tomatoes - will you make this?

If "the mama" can't be talked in to it... I'll ask you. If I bring the towmaters and my own dinner fork (and proll'y "the mama")... what time should I be at your house for dinner?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide...hee-hee

pop!

I spent the week-end hiding from the heat and wishin' for some rain drops. I even considered doing the red.neck rain dance out in the middle of the cow pasture.... but I wasn't sure if anyone would be convinced that me running around with the sprinkler flyin' around over my head like a lasso - sportin' my saw'd off overalls and cowgirl boots - was REALLY an old... very old... extremely traditional rain dance and not just me watering the rocks that I grow.

None of the redneck neighbors would think twice about me running around in the pasture like a crazy lunatic while chanting rain song lyrics.

I don't know what that says about me...
*sigh*

What did you do over the week-end?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where sometimes I sprinkle Parmesan cheese on my popcorn...hee-hee

Senora Fran.cis

If I had to choose one country to go loiter in, it would be Ireland.  I WILL go to Ireland before my duct tape roll runs out.

So... when needing some Paris inspiration - I struggled!

Until I found Sharzad Photography.

I think that this has to be one of my favorite photo blogs that I've tripped over in the past month.

I like seeing Paris through her eyes... "the girl with the camera".

*sigh*

Now I would be okay with stopping in Paris on my way back from Ireland.

And when I go through Paris I would carry...

Christine dubbed her "Senora Fran.cis" and Mama Debinator's "goes to the Eiffel Tire"... spoken in Cat Daddynese... hit the right note 'cause you gotta have that lil' bit o' red.neck in Paris!

Thank you to EVERY ONE of you crazy red.necks who threw suggestions in the duct tape roll... I've been SEW busy - be sure and stay tuned for more "wanted" opportunities... which really means - I'm gonna need your help in the name department. :oD

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide vient à vous en direct d'une unique à l'échelle...  where I'm wondering - if you could go to any one country RIGHT NOW  which one would it be?

this and this and that

I had a "saddle tramp" shirt that needed short sleeves...

Sew... I cut the sleeves off. Then:

I had a dish towel that was opening a twitter account needed some birds...

"the Mama" flew off with the dish towel... now it's in her nest!

Then I had some pillow cases that needed some longhorns.

in case you wanna sleep 'til the cows come home. *snicker*

I still have a little of the shirt sleeves left. Hmmmmm..... what should I make next? Do you think I'm a scrap fabric hoarder? *pfft*


Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I'm still trying to decide on a name for "Mrs. Fran.cis something-or-another"... what if I combined two of the names ya'll have offered up?... hee-hee

wanted! or.... voulu!

Are you ready for some fun my lovely lovely red.neck rustre friends (I translated "redneck" in to French... red.necks are so cool they transcend language barriers...) - here's a new pocketbook for you! I want you to meet: "mrs. fran.cis something-or-another"

"mrs. fran.cis something-or-another" needs a name 'cause she can't remain "something-or-another"... remember how it goes?

I give you the name of the Pattern:

Pattern name is "mrs. fran.cis"

Some history of her ingredients ('cause you know each pocketbook is cooked up with fun!):

Vintage "souvenir de Paris" handkerchief, recycled Mexican skirt (the embroidery is GORGEOUS... and yes, I'm totally mixin' countries here...!), a thrifted brooch, recycled upholstery vinyl and... a striped fabric sample!  Oh - and some recycled red purse handles.

Then I say Go!

Don't forget - the name I duct tape to "mrs. fran.cis something-or-another" gets a link to YOUR blog (or website - even your Etsy Shop!) in the product description in my Etsy shop! Are you game?

Go! 

comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide vient à vous en direct d'une unique à l'échelle... where I love reading what ya'll come up with... it makes me laugh. out. loud... and I'm going to learn how to laugh in French... hee-hee

confessions of a bum

In the second grade I was reading my way through the Nancy Drew series.

The third grade saw me with my nose constantly buried in Barbara Cartland novels. (My Grandmother and I used to fight over who was reading which one first...)

In the fourth grade I was worming my way in to my Mom's room to grab up harlequin romance novels out of her night stand. (Just so you know... I think she knew 'cause I remained sheltered...)

Somewhere in all of that I read the "Sweet Valley High" series... do you remember those?  Oh... teenage love life angst...

I always have with me somewhere "The Promise" by Danielle Steele and "Ice Castles".

My ALL TIME favorite movies are "Princess Bride":

That Vizzini, he can *fuss*. 

Fuss, fuss... I think he like to scream at *us*. 

Probably he means no *harm*. 

He's really very short on *charm*. 

You have a great gift for rhyme. 

Yes, yes, some of the time. 

Enough of that. 

Fezzik, are there rocks ahead? 

If there are, we all be dead. 

No more rhymes now, I mean it. 

Anybody want a peanut?

the original "An Affair to Remember", and "the Notebook". Oh, and "The Little Mermaid".

Spongebob Squarepants (my leading jammies man) and I spent the week-end with the remote control in one hand and the kleenex box in the other - watching nothing but the Hallmark channel... with the Love channel on recall so I could switch back and forth... I'm such a girl. And a BUM!  Oh my gosh - I searched for and found my inner lazy, love-lovin', die-hard romantic - BUM and lived her life for a couple of days!

PLEASE tell me you were more productive than I was this week-end?!!? I don't think I've ever been so lazy in my life!

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I didn't know all these things about sunflowers 'til now... and I'm wondering where the "Hallmark Channel anonymous" group meeting is...hee-hee

Things I've learned...

Things I've learned from my Dad:

All Ice Cream is eaten with a fork. No exceptions.
And! Ice Cream fixes everything. We solved many of life's problems sitting at the ice cream counter.

image found here

Things I've learned from my Step-Dad:

How to doctor up my breakfast cereal with ice cream so that it's the breakfast of champions. (Ice Cream and Cereal. The two main food groups... he's very wise.)

image found here

Things I've learned from my Grandfather:

Eat the Ice Cream as fast as you can before your Grandmother catches you.

image found here

What valuable life lessons have you learned from the important men in your life?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where it's hotter than blue blazes in red.neck land... I'm holin' up in the single-wide with 10 different flavors of Ice Cream, a few boxes of cereal and the air conditioner.


Before I go in to lock down - I wanna wish all the Dads out there (biological ones - step ones... and the ones that got duct tape slapped on their forehead and found themselves owned by a kid) a Happy Father's Day week-end filled with ice cream, forks, breakfast cereal... and lots of laughs! hee-hee

red.neck Glam

Mama Debinator (aka: Debbie at Talking Trash) thinks I should call the jewelry line that I've always had:

and she's got me thinkin' about tinkering with my bead boxes again...

after I dig them out from under yards of fabric and junk and more fabric.

Fun fact: I've always marked each piece with a lil' "bling" of duct tape and pearl (my signature... so you know I wuz thar!!!)... red.neck. glam. *snicker*

I think Mama Debinator is on to something, don't you?

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where you and I already know duct tape rules... and red.neck has always been Chic and glam... it just took Debbie to tape an official name on the sparklin' thangs!!!  hee-hee

Happy Flag Day!

via

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide... hee-hee

ride, ride, ride...

These are going on my Dear Santy Claws list this year (yes, I'm aware it's only June... but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...):

via

And... just so you have something to sing all day:

Comin' to you LIVE from a single-wide where I'm wishin' you a happy - song filled Monday!!!

music to your nose...

*giggle*
I just had to use that for my title...

I found a fun little 45 vinyl single case at an Estate sale on Sunday.

Drilled a hole in the top.

And plopped my kleenex box in.

I was going to sell it until I went digging for "the perfect" handkerchief to use for the photos...

when it occurred to me as I dug through the pile thrown on a shelf it would be perfect storage. What do you use to store your kleenex (or handkerchiefs!) in?

Comin' to you LIVE where there will be no more hanky panky on the shelf in my "la.bor.a.tory"...heehee