Celebrating 18 Years Together

Our anniversary started out with a goodbye kiss and happy anniversary wishes at 2 AM when Don was heading out for work. After a couple more hours of sleep for me, I baked our anniversary cupcakes. While I was waiting for them to cool, I had the great idea to dig out some of our wedding things.

I was completely surprised that our silver champagne goblets had not tarnished. Yeah, I won’t have to polish them. The cake knife and server are also looking pretty good. I had forgotten that I had them engraved. They are so pretty I will leave them out so we can use them every once in awhile.


Just as I planned, my bouquet looks just as good as it did 18 years ago. I decided to have the bouquets and boutonnieres made out with silk roses, ribbons, beads and lace. Here is my bouquet along with the fabric and lace swatches for all of the bridal party. I made my dress and the flower girls dress. My bridesmaid made her dress and the maid of honors dress. A couple years ago she brought me all the left over fabric. Wow, I bought a little too much satin for their dresses. I guess it was better that way instead of not having enough.

Here is everything setting out...

I cannot wait for Don to see this and see what he says...sometimes he is pretty sentimental.




And here is my favorite picture that I took today, my bouquet with my engagement ring...









Since our anniversary falls on a weeknight this year, I am planning dinner here at home with a new recipe that I found in my Kraft Food & Family magazine. It sounds simple, quick and yummy. So it will be a quiet, laid back night...just like old folk should have.

Back to Stitching

It does not seem like it was ten days ago when I finished setting up my stitching area and needed to try it out. From the progress that I have made on Smokey Joe, I would have to say that I must have it set up correctly.

Unfortunately, the white latticework on the outside does not photograph well on the buttermilk colored fabric. I am thinking I will really have to play with the matting to get it to pop out but that is a little ways off. Okay, maybe not that far off. Tonight I am planning on finish the rest of the latticework and then that last leaf. Oh my I am really getting close...keep checking back.

Gardening Runs in the Family

A couple of weeks ago my grandma sent me a package filled with autographed books, souvenirs from the Boys & Girl Conference in San Francisco and an email regarding their garden. I put things away and set the email aside with the thought that I would view the new photographs later.

Let me back track a little. My Grandparents have been gardening for as long as I can remember. They have scaled back from when I was younger but it is still spectacular. They combine both flower and vegetable gardening, and have two greenhouses to keep their gardening season going through the cold winter months.

Last year Mark Turner from Inland Northwest Gardening asked my Grandparents if he could photograph their garden. The weekend that Mark stopped by was a busy weekend with lots of visitors so Mark strolled through the garden taking photograph after photograph. When he posted the photographs on the Inland Northwest Gardening in the Swift Garden Gallery, he email my Grandma, who forwarded the email to me. The pictures are wonderful and it is to bad that he could not be there for the whole season to bring justice to their garden. The last I heard he was going to come back in the spring since my Grandma has a beautiful spring bulb collection. So I figured that the email was regarding the spring bulb spectacular. I was a bit disappointed not to see a sea of daffodils and tulips, but I was delighted to see the bountiful garden that my Grandparent produced this summer. So I thought I would share the bounty with you through Mark’s photographs. Swift Garden Enjoy!!!


The photographs in this posting were either taken by my Grandma or myself.

Blog Name Change

Since my blog was not entirely about Sadie Jo, I decided that a name change was in order. I also felt that the other family members, especially Cash, were feeling a little neglected. Like any of the furbabies around here could ever claim neglected. A majority would claim they don’t get enough food but I would have to argue. Last month when everyone was out or extremely low on food, I with almost $100...spoiled and fed very well is all I can say.

So I racked my brain trying to come up with something catchy and smart. So here is how I came up with Easy Street Ramblings...first of all we really live on Easy Street and I tend to ramble when talking and writing or that is what hubby, step dad and dad would say.

Stitching Update

Of course, after the installation of the pellet stove, I had to rearrange the furniture in the living room. We even moved the heavy entertainment center...oh my goodness! This was the first time in almost three years. Both the entertainment center and TV are heavy so I usually move everything else but not this time. I still have not gotten everything back to an acceptable location so no pictures at this time. I created a stitching area again, but I need to sit down and stitch before I can decide if it’s in the correct order. So I thought before I started stitching again that I would take a picture of the progress that I have made on Smokey Joe.











Hmmm....I think I am getting close.

The Essentials:
Pattern: Pam Kellogg’s Mystery Stitch, Smokey Joe
Fabric: Not quiet sure since this piece was given to me but I think the color is Buttermilk, the count either 28 or 32 and the type is Lugana.

Constitution Day, September 17th

"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

I believe that every year each US citizen should read this important document that our country is based upon. It does not take very long. If you do not have a copy of it laying around here is the National Archives site, US Constitution, and there is also a link for a printer friendly version. This document is not complete without the 27 amendments and these two items together have gotten us to the present day and the 2008 Presidential Election. Okay, I will hop off my soapbox before I do make sure that if you are a US citizen and over 18 years old that you are registered to vote.

Food Mission

I came across this mission on Cyndi’s blog, Just One More Stitch. This was a blast even though I had to keep going back to Wikipedia to find out what some of the items were.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafel
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at a vegan restaurant
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and cheese
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and cream cheese
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

I decided to bold and change the color of the items that I have eaten. I was surprised by how few items that I crossed out...only seven. I must be adventurous in food...must have been all those new recipes that my mom used to try out on us. I was so glad when we adopted the one new recipe a week policy.

Remembering

Today would have been my mother in laws 80th birthday. It is hard to believe it has been two and a half years since she left us, and not a day goes by that we don’t think of her.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of her and Don. She was so tickled to see Don unexpectedly and then get into his semi-truck.

We miss you dear sweet Corienne Louise.

Here is the finished piece that I had started for Corienne after she moved out here in 2000 after her husband, Dick, suddenly passed. Back at her home in Kansas, she loved to watch the birds eat from the feeder that Dick strategically placed on the deck so Corienne would have something to do when her MS flared up.

Pattern: Rain Drop (now Stoney Creek) book 11, Peace on Earth. I believe that my fabric is 28 ct Waterlily.

Great Monologue, Craig Ferguson

Kudos!!! Your September 10th monologue was outstanding and very powerful. Hopefully it will inspire more US citizens to get out there and due their “duty” and yes those who do not vote are “morons”. Also thank you for taking the stance on celebrities keeping their mouths shut about whom they will cast their vote for. Voters need to make up their own minds and not do what someone else is doing or says. Another excellent point that you brought up was confronting others about who they are voting for. This was done to me over the weekend by a family member that has obliviously has forgotten our unwritten family rule on politics...“respect the other persons right to choice and don’t ask them who they are voting for”. I was very disappointed in this family member and thought it was very disrespectful.

Thank you, Craig Ferguson, for reminding us the importance and duty that we have as US citizens.

http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/comedy/monologue/video/20080910.shtml

Remember Today & Everyday

Firebike built by Orange County Choppers. If I remember correctly Paul Jr was given the bolt by a fire battalion chief who lost fellow brothers and sisters on 9/11. This picture was taken in Spokane, WA at the end of July 2006.