Talk About Going Postal

Nearly home on Friday evening after a long week of work I pondered how I was going to begin my weekend.  It would probably start like most by kicking my shoes off, replacing the work clothes with an over sized T-shirt, relax a bit with a cocktail and getting dinner started.

This is what I saw when I pulled up to the driveway.

Oh, this is just lovely.  Look, even the dog across the street is thinking, "holy crap!". 

I jumped out of the car and started to look around, resisting the urge to scream "Did anyone see who did this?!?!?!?!?".

 


Our neighbor across the street walked over to Lovey and myself and handed us a business card for the Window/Glass company whose truck had run into the mailbox.  I felt much better knowing that whoever did this was being accountable.




It would be interesting to see what the vehicle that plowed into it looks like.  The pvc pipe was part of the flagpole holder that was built into the side of the mail box.

Isn't this interesting "filler" that the original stone mason used when the mailbox was first built?

Lovey found chicken bones too.

Confetti Eggs

This past Spring Char and Miss Muffett were in town and we had a great day at Fort Worth’s annual Mayfest.  This was an event the girls always enjoyed when they were little so Char was excited for her own daughter to experience it.

One of the traditions of Mayfest are the confetti eggs, or cascarones.  This was Miss Muffett's first experience with them and she thought they were a blast.

I thought it would be fun to make up a bunch of them and ship them out to MM for her birthday party in July.

Here’s how I made them…

Supplies I used:

eggs – really???  What a novel idea..

dye (food coloring, liquid Ritz dye, icing gels, etc)

vinegar

confetti and/or bird seed

funnel

teaspoon

scissors

tissue paper

craft glue (I used Tacky Glue)

paint brush

Prepping the eggs:

I saved egg shells for a couple of months.  I normally buy brown eggs but switched to white since I was going to be dying them.  There is nothing wrong with using brown either because you can decorate them in so many other ways than dying them.  Your imagination can run wild. 

They have to be cracked a certain way so they can hold the confetti.  With the back of a knife blade or the tip of the knife, gently whack the egg across the top at the pointy end of the egg.

With your fingers gently peel away the shell until you have an opening about the size of a nickel but no larger than a quarter.  You don’t want the opening to be too big, but you need it to be big enough to put your confetti through it.

Twist a skewer around the inside to break up the yolk.  The contents will come out easier.  Rinse out the egg and turn upside down on a paper towel and let them dry overnight.

Dyeing the eggs:

I worked with three colors for her party theme.

To a wide-mouthed mason jar I added 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 1 cup boiling water.

Add your coloring.  I used icing coloring gels a little at a time until I had a nice rich color.  I also used liquid Ritz dye for one of the colors.

Submerge your eggs until you have the color you want.  For the first egg in each color, I checked every minute until I had the richness of color I wanted the eggs to be.  After that I set a little timer (I kept mine in 3 to 5 minutes for each egg).

I made this little drying wrack with a piece of styrofoam and straight pins.  I let them dry on this until they were dry enough to handle then I turned them upside down to drain and dry overnight.

Filling the eggs:

I used bird seed since the party was going to be held outdoors.  If you choose to use confetti you can purchase it by the bag at a party store or make your own by using colored paper and a three whole punch. 

Select a funnel that will accommodate the bird seed.  My seed blend had mostly millet and small shelled sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Use a heaping teaspoon of seed for each egg.

Finishing them off:

Now that you have the eggs filled, you will need to cover the opening.  I selected tissue paper that corresponded with the colors I dyed the eggs.

Cut circles out of the tissue paper that will nicely cover the opening in your egg (you may have to make several sizes).  I used a 2-1/2 – inch round cookie cutter and it worked well.

With a small paint brush, apply a small amount of glue around the edges of the tissue paper.  I kept a little cup of water on the side in case I needed to dampen my brush.

Place the tissues over hole in the top of the egg.  Gently mold the tissue around the egg with your cupped hand. 

Let dry completely

Then have some fun!!  What do you do with a confetti egg you ask???

Why, you smash it over someone's head.  Go ahead, they don't hurt!

Thoughts and Notes….

• If you’re able to plan ahead, this is one of those projects that you can do leisurely.  Prep your eggs over a period of time until you have the number of eggs you want; dye them another (or you can do one color a night); fill them and close them up another day.

• If you choose to empty a dozen eggs at a time, pour the contents of the eggs into a mason jar.  You can whisk them together then plan on using them in the next day or two for omelets, cake batters, etc.  They keep nicely in the refrigerator.

• Paper confetti or bird seed?  It’s really a matter of preference and situation.  If your party is outside where it will be hard to clean up the paper confetti, bird seed is the earth friendly way to go.  The birds and squirrels will love you.  On the other hand, there is something about that paper confetti…..

Road Trip - Reunion!

I recently traveled to my Alma Mater to attend a reunion in celebration of my sorority's 50th anniversary on the Oklahoma State University campus.  This was a celebration for members of the 1st pledge class up to the present.

It's been a long time since I've seen most of my sorority sisters and was looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones.  I'm happy to say that I got to do a little of each.



We had two banquets; one Friday night and one Saturday night.

Friday night dinner was held in the O-Club which one can become a member of if you lettered in any Varsity sport, cheerleading, etc.



The club has a very nice view of the new stadium.  Several years ago this looked like a high school stadium with the aluminum bleacher seating.  Thanks T. Boone Pickens!

This is probably the highlight for some of us.  The Tri Delta Washboard band was quite infamous 'in the day'.  Here, we're just good!  Delta Washboard Band re-united and performed. Sacre bleau we were good!

Facebook has served as a great venue to keep up with some of my sisters, but it just doesn't compare with the pleasure you receive from the hugs and visiting, and just hanging out.

We poured over the scrapbooks and photo albums; shared our stories; laughed about past antics and mourned those we have lost.

The years dropped away as we re-acquainted ourselves with "The Strip" until the wee hours of the morning.  It's been many a moon since I've had my hand stamped.

We danced

and sang

And had a great time.

The Strip has surely changed since the early to mid-seventies, but the Coney Island is still there.  And we confirmed it was still a great place to grab those yummy little dogs after a night of dancing.  It was a night full of fun and spending time with the girls the way we did in college made me feel young again....until the next morning.

Saturday was another day for lunch, visiting and touring (not to mention a nice long nap prior to the evening's activities).

Another banquet that evening in the ConocoPhillips Alumni Center.

The rest of the evening was spent spending time with each other one last time before heading home the next morning.

Over the years many of these ladies have remained close and celebrated many of life's events with each other -- weddings, school graduations, the birth of children and grandchildren.  They got together for concerts, vacations and any other reason they could dream up to celebrate.  I know this is a perk for staying in your hometown or home state; which I didn't do.

 

I regret that I didn't stick around and live in my hometown environs.  I moved away to Colorado, Texas and North Carolina.  As much as I loved these places I missed out on the people I had been associated with in college.  I was by myself and my compadres were enjoying each oher's company.

 

Time to come home!  This is the year of the season ticket!!!

I'm so very grateful for having had the opportunity to re-connect with so many.  It was great fun ladies!

Happy Fathers' Day!

I'd like to introduce you to my Daddy.   Everybody, this is James.  Daddy meet everyone out in cyberspace.  Not only is my Dad a father, a grandfather and a great- grandfather, he is, without a doubt, the most intelligent man I've ever known.

He's smart, witty and has a tendency to talk your head off.  I say that in love Daddy (daughter smiling).  I received the "talk your head off" gene from him.

Some other things about my Dad....

His mother died in 1933 when he was only 8. It was tough back then for my grandpa to raise 4 young children by himself. The youngest, Aunt Wanda, was sent to live with their Aunt Nettie and in 1934 Daddy was sent to Hollis, Oklahoma to live with his cousin George Gould. One of Daddy's and George’s playmates was Darrell Royal. They would play ‘WW I in the trenches’. One day “Darrell got his teeth loosed [sic] and was eating dirt for 6 days”.

Grandpa re-married in 1937 and Daddy & Aunt Wanda returned home to be raised by their step-mother. Daddy was in elementary school during the Great Depression and the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. Every hour the teacher and all the students would have to wipe their desk tops clean of all of the dirt that would settle on them. Each day Daddy would go home from school with red dirt all over his shirt sleeves. His step-mother would say, “Isn’t there any way to keep your shirt clean?” and my daddy would reply, “well, I have to write”. I wonder if that was considered sassing back in those days?

Daddy served in WW II, graduated from the University of Arkansas, married my mother and here we are!

I can actually remember looking at photos of him when I was really young and thinking, "my Daddy's so handsome".

One year he was traveling so missed my birthday. He typed me a birthday letter on the hotel stationery and brought me a little stuffed figure that was about 6” high.  He was a “Prisoner of Love”.

I still have him.  He's been doing time for almost 50 years now.

Our 4th of July's were always fun as kids.  When we were real young the only fireworks we were allowed to set off by ourselves were sparklers and snakes.  During those years Dad would put on a fireworks show for us.  He got a 4’ x 6’ plywood board and covered it by nailing pinwheels all over it and lit them all at once. Another thing he did for us on the 4th was create a chute for us to set off our pop-bottle rockets.  He took a six foot 3-sided piece of aluminum tubing and buried about a foot of it into the ground, at a 45° angle.  We would place the pop-bottle rocket in the tube, the long, delicate stem resting on the ground.  Then we’d light the fuse and it would shoot out of that tube like, well… like a rocket!!

He taught me how to write cursive.  I can remember sitting at the dining room table and he would place a piece of paper in front of me tilted to the left at a 45° angle.  He'd then give me a pencil and have me draw ovals, tracing them clockwise over and over; just to demonstrate the correct slant I should have on my cursive.

I remember him chasing me upstairs with the belt because I sassed him.   Yes, he eventually caught me and gave me my due.

It was probably Dad who made me take Algebra II in my senior year of high school.  I did not need to take the course in order to graduate.  I do recall Dad did not want me to drop the class.  Did I mention I did not get my Dad’s ‘smart gene’?  One night we sat at the dining room table until 1:00 in the morning; Dad starting at the beginning of the text book explaining it all to me.  I still didn’t get it, but thanks for trying Dad.  Oh, and by the way..I dropped that class... wouldn't be good to have an "F" on my transcript....sorry.  And, just as I expected...I did not need that class to get through life.

My love for cooking and food largely came from my Dad.  My allergies and hay fever come from my Dad.  And did I mention I got the "talk your head off gene' from him?

Happy Fathers' Day Dad!

Love you!!

 

Happy Mother's Day Mommy

I love this photo of my mother when she was a child.  I love it for so many reasons.  First of all, she is just so darn cute.  I love it that I see my niece & my nephew when I look at that face.  I see her eyes in everyone of us London kids.  I have her mouth.   I have her ears.

I love her bangs in this photo; I'm sure she was squirming when her mother was trying to trim them, just like I used to squirm when she tried to trim mine.

I love that little curl above her ear.  I love that her buttons match her scarf.  And you know, I love that great wallpaper in the background.  I'll have to remember to ask her if she recalls where this was taken.

I just love my momma.  She was gifted with the most beautiful singing voice that she passed on to her granddaughter.  She is the reason I love classical music, Broadway musicals, poetry, and the arts as a whole.  She taught me to not judge people just because other people judged them for some reason or another.

She came to my rescue and helped me through times when I couldn't figure things out for myself.  Thank you mom for loving me unconditionally and so completely.  I love because you taught me how to love.

Happy Mother's Day everyday...not just today.  I love you more than anything.
Love, Jamie

A Springtime Outing

Last weekend Lovey and I took a road trip down the highway towards Waco.  It was a lovely day and was perfect for mixing pleasure and business.

Our first stop was at Burgundy Pasture Beef Boucherie for a burger.  Sorry I didn't get any photos.  The minute we pulled into the parking lot I began salivating and foaming at the mouth and completely forgot everything except getting in there and gettting my burger.  It is family owned and they fire up their grill several days a week.  Seeing that it is a little over 50 miles south of where we live we don't get down here too often.

This is such a great place.  They raise their own 100% grass fed beef, pork and lamb.  The animals are raised holistically in pastures with no hormones, antibiotics, grain feeding or any other artificial circumstance.  They use no herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on their pastures.  All the meats are cut and packaged at The Burgundy Boucherie - with the USDA stamp of approval.  Then they make us hamburgers (actually 3 - we half the 2nd one). 

Their cuts of meat having been appearing on menus of Fort Worth and Dallas restaurants.

Tummies full, we roll back in the car and head for Homestead Heritage Crafts Village north of Waco on a 510-acre homesteading community.  They have blacksmithing, woodworking, pottery, a gristmill, fiber crafts, a great gift barn and a café and bakery.  The coolest thing there is The Ploughshare, which is an institute for sustainable culture where they teach you all sorts of agricultrual skills like raising bees, cattle or chicken to mention a few.   They'll also teach you how to build furniture and spin cotton, flax and wool then weave your yarn into all sorts of things.  That's just touching the surface.

Lovey had some business at the forge and the woodworking building so I walked around the property and enjoyed the beautiful weather. 

The wildflowers were in bloom.

Indian Paint Brushes

Bluebonnets

Love the Texas Bluebonnets.  They're my favorite.


Evening Primrose


California Poppies

I spent a little time and money at the Grist Mill.

  

You can watch them grind the red wheat.  Even though these people are hard at work they are so willing to share their knowledge with you.  On a past visit they were nice enough to walk us through the whole process.

You can buy the whole grains or purchase the meals and flours ready to use.  I usually buy their pecan waffle mix which is tasty, tasty, tasty.

 

I sauntered over to the Forge to see how Lovey was coming along.  It's really warm in there.

Partly because of this.

The bellows

Tools of the trade

One of the anvils in the shop

Our last bit of business was at the woodworking shop

We watched this demonstration on making dovetail joints

You can take several woodworking classes and make your own rocker, like this.

When I come here I dream of living like this; I'd work in the grist mill and raise bees.  But my life is back up the highway; with Lovey and an office in a high-rise.