Traditions

The handing down of customs from generation to generation.

I sometimes wonder what traditions we have in our family that will give my children great childhood memories. What traditions will they carry into their own families?

My husband grew up with many family traditions. I love to watch him tell the boys stories about "when he was a kid". One favorite family tradition was their annual car trip back to Oklahoma for the family reunion. Once, they made a stop at the Grand Canyon. They all got out of the car to take a look...and after 2 minutes Poppy (my father in law) said "Okay, you have all seen it now get back in the car so we can get back on schedule."

Coming from a farming family there was a lot of time spent in the kitchen. Big breakfasts of biscuits, gravy and sausage. My mother in law makes THE BEST scrambled eggs. Why is it that farming wives are the best cooks? I have done my best to take one of the husbands favorite traditions and introduce it into our family.

Apricot Jam

Summer no longer seems complete without a day or two of slicing apricots...

Chopping them into little pieces...cups and cups and CUPS of little pieces...

Standing over the hot stove, stirring, stirring and stirring some more...did I mention that we do this in Summer??? The HEAT of summer?

And in the end...having beautiful jars of jam to share with our friends.

I will never forget the first time I joined in on this family tradition. I was 9 months pregnant and because I was ready to burst, my mother and sister in law gave me the job of stirring with the reasoning that I could sit on the stool and do it. Looking back...no air conditioning and being 102 that day...I don't think sitting had anything to do with it. They were breaking me in and they did a good job.

My mother in law no longer participates on those hot summer days but she still enjoys the bounty of our hard work. I wonder if one of my sons future wives will be interested in joining our little summer party. I think she will have to start off by stirring...

Mark Your Calendars

An intimate new show featuring some of the nicest women you will ever meet...oh and they are wonderful artists too! Their work has been seen in Artful Blogging, Victoria, Somerset Studio, Art Doll Quarterly, Somerset Workshop and more. Sign up to be on the mailing list...you won't want to miss it.

What is it...

about the end of the school year that makes kids go all loopy? My kids anyway? It never fails that as we enter in the last week their minds start wandering...what kind of crazy outfit can they put together...what can they write across their foreheads...their arms come home covered in the signatures of their friends...and sometimes their clothes too. Is this their way of celebrating? Their way of showing they are soon to have freedom?

This one...



...who is all too conservative, never likes attention on him and pleeeeeze...do not tell him he is cute or that you like his freckles. He decides he wants a new haircut for the last day of school. A mohawk maybe? A reverse mohawk!! yeah...that's it. Ummm...no...could you just shave my name into the back of my head? Thanks mom!

Whatever!!

Halloween in June

In case you missed it...Yesterday was the Pfreaky Pfatt Pfright release. Pop on over and see all the wonderful art...

Hooray for the Red, White and Blue

New Arrivals at the Lazy K House in Lafayette

I love Americana. I love creating it, decorating with it and if I had a great big house I would have a room dedicated to it. I'm not sure what it is...maybe the red against the white, maybe the old flags so worn yet still treasured. Whatever the reason ... Happy soon to be 4th of July.

Pleeeze...who cares?

I have been tagged by this brat to name 6 UNimportant things about myself. Hhhhmmm..."Isn't everything about me important?" I asked my dear husband. "Yes honey, of course it is." (smart man) I asked my kids to name a few and they came up with the first 3. I was expecting something like...you take too long to get my underwear washed or you make peanut butter and jelly for lunch too often. They surprised me and came up with these...and they are all true.

1. My family does not allow me to eat cherries (don't even ask why).

2. I walk...alot.

3. If there is chocolate in the house I can't concentrate on anything else until I have eaten it. For years I started my day with a Diet Coke and a 3 Musketeers. I have since traded in the candy bar for a protein bar but stand firm with my Diet Coke. And yes...I do believe that is the breakfast of champions. And you all were wondering where my big hiney came from!

4. I met my husband on a blind date and knew by the end of the night...he was it. (oh wait...that is important...but we will count it anyway)

5. When I was little my mother made me wear a Pixie hair cut. People used to ask me if I was a boy or a girl.

6. I love all those television shows where someone dies in the first 5 minutes and the next 55 minutes is spent trying to figure out who~dun~it.

So there you have it. You can now see what an exciting person I am.

The rules:

1. Link back to the person that tagged you.

2. Post these rules on your blog.

3.Share six unimportant things about yourself.

4.Tag six people at the end of your entry.

So TAG...YOU'RE IT

Sylvia Anderson

Christy Myers...CC's Whimsies

Sandy Wood...Sam I Am

Gina Gabriell ...Eleven Morning

Joyce Stahl...Enchanted Productions

Iva Wilcox...Iva's Creations (who was already tagged by the bum but I thought if she was tagged two times...she might actually do it)

Pretty...Then Poof !!

I always do a major work room clean up in January. It starts my year off right and January 2008 was no exception. In addition to cleaning up, I go thru my space and look at how the "set up" of it is or isn't working for me. This year I got rid of a table that was up against the wall that...when I brought it into the space...I had grand plans for. Well it ended up being a dumping ground so out it went. I then moved this table into the center of the room. I got some bed risers and put the table up on them so the table is now counter height. I also added some small shelving under the table (a girl can never have too much storage space) and wrapped the table in the skirt. The skirt is attached to the table with velcro so when I am working...it is easy to get to the shelves under the table.

Is it this clean and tidy all the time you ask??? Absolutely...NOT!

That is the "poof" part...It was pretty and clean and then I started a new project. It was great while it lasted!!

To see more pictures of my space, pop on over to the side bar and click on the link.