The Hound from Hell . . .

I bought a new iPhone today . . . fiddled with it all day (got absolutely NOTHING accomplished!) and finally got around to taking a photo.

Now, I am not certain whether I need more phone practice or I should worry about the the dog?

What do you think??

It's a bird, It's a plane . . Oh Noooo . . .

Someone dropped off a box of cookies at the office (for which we are EXTREMELY thankful for!!) In the box were a variety of gingerbread men . . . and the "thing" on the right.

I was forced to put it out of it's misery . . . along with its companion (along with a cup of coffee) . . YUMMMM. But we are still uncertain what it was.

Any guesses???


Shades of Mr. Bill LOL

End of the Season

Great times with great friends. I hate to see the end of the outdoor entertaining. But, the last party of Fall is always the best!

The air is crisp, the fire warm and the friends plentiful!

Every year the week before Thanksgiving, we deep pit meat for the holiday. This year, we invited friends to bring their turkeys and briskets and throw them in! It takes 4-5 hours for the coals in the pit to burn down to cooking temp (then 12 hours to cook) . . . which allows plenty of time for trading lies around a bonfire, endless rounds of horseshoes, beer, food and laughter! The weather cooperated for an evening cool enough for a fire but nice enough to not have to wear a coat!

We roasted dogs and feasted on homemade mac n cheese, couscous salad, bratwurst, pecan pie and fresh made salsa and chips.

Many thanks to good friends Dave & Holly Jamin, Ray & Lori Haworth, Walter, Andi & Felicia Gourley & Lu Brown . . . we really enjoyed the evening . . we hope you all enjoyed your delicious smoked treats for Thanksgiving!!

It could work . . . I think

I bought this totally awesome vintage chalkboard at a yard sale for $4 whole dollars! (go me!)

I scrubbed it down, shined up the frame.

Now, what to put on it??

Since it most likely started its life off in a school, I thought it would be appropriate to honor its roots and draw something "educational" . . . like HOW TO MAKE A PIG FLY!

I got out my chalk and started doodling. Now, I don't know if the math is quite right . . . but in theory it should work . . right?

Either way, it makes a great addition to our living room wall and is always a conversation piece when someone new comes to visit!!

Toad Jam "There's something in my shoe"

He was just lookin' for a place to stay warm! This is what happens when you leave your shoes on the porch too long . . . nature moves in!

I pried him out and put him in the garden, I'm sure he's thinkin' . . "what a bitch"

Who cares about the steaks

This is for Lori . . . who nags me about updating my blog . . . who would see posts like these if she would grow up and get a FACEBOOK page dammit . . . but since she finds FACEBOOK impossible to use, I am reposting here JUST FOR HER!! (LOL . . . LOVE YA!!)


I just got a box of Omaha Steaks . . . now the best part of getting a box from Omaha Steaks (at least in my opinion) is the DRY ICE in the bottom of the box WOO HOO

My house is looking like a mad science experiment! I have cups on the windowsill smokin' and bubblin' . . . the toilets are smokin' . . the dog's water dish (insert evil laughter).

Seriously . . this stuff is SO COOL

Who cares about steaks! I have new toys!!



I posted it Omaha Steaks fan page on FB . . here is what they told me LOL


Omaha Steaks Thanks for being a fan and enjoy your order, Kala! We do not recommend playing with the dry ice. It can be harmful/dangerous. ;) ~ TawnyNovember 3 at 11:34am ·


I told them that's what kitchen tongs are for . . . duh . . . they just don't know how to have good ol' fashioned fun!

I sent my dad a box of steaks too . . . he called to thank me for the dry ice . . . so I guess I come by it naturally ROFL

Yummm Salmon Night

I have the very BEST clients LOL

A very lovely client of mine (Elaine Geerdes) thoughtfully brought me a slab of fresh Alaskan salmon when she picked up her printing a while back. I stuck it in the freezer and waited for the "right" moment to bring it out (BTW . . . that is code for "when Jim is gone"). When Jim goes flying for several nights . . I go cooking! All the stuff I love that he won't eat (like Salmon).

I stopped by the store before heading home this evening and picked up a bunch of fresh cilantro, a clove of garlic, a lime and a bag of white long grain rice . . my mouth was watering on the drive home.

I started a pot of rice and the outside grill. When the rice was done and resting it was time to throw on the salmon (brushed with olive oil and garlic). Into the rice I tossed a handful of minced cilantro, the juice of one lime and let it sit. I sauteed some red onions, chopped garlic and capers in a little butter to dress the salmon and tossed the rest of it into the rice.

I am in HOG HEAVEN!


I snapped a cell phone pic and texted my best friend (it took her less than a minute to call and demand I box it up and send it over LOL . . . NOT! . . . sucks to be you Kitty. . that's what you get for being 1500 miles away!!)

I have some great movies saved on the DVR . . . just me and the cat and 3 dogs (who are ALL gazing with adoration upon my plate)

Bon Appétit

Making something old new again

I always look for old chandeliers at yard sales but rarely see one this great. It was the perfect size and shape to make a candle chandelier!

I wish I would have taken a "before" picture, but at least I got one during.

I ripped out all the wiring, took it all apart and cleaned it with acetone and then painted it black (black paint and a glue gun can fix just about everything.




With the addition of citronella votives . . it makes a GREAT patio or garden chandelier. I think I will hang it from a tree on side patio (I'll post a pic when I do.

The COOLEST yard sale find . . EVER!

I love yard sales, they are treasure troves of marvelous stuff. I am not a professional shopper, and only tote home useable or interesting vintage items that suit my fancy.

Today I purchased an item that I admired for it's sheer "uniqueness" and since I am a graphic artist, it spoke to me in other ways.

While looking at a pile of frames, I found a framed gravestone rubbing. You could tell the gravestone it came from was very old and English (written in middle english -- Chaucer style).

It was well framed and I thought it would look cool in my office. The old guy that had it said "I tried to read it but I don't understand most of the words". (Middle English contains a lot of odd spellings and the "u's" were printed as "v's")


So I read it to him:
In modern English, retaining the literary style it says:
Good friend, in Jesus sake forbear (forbear meaning refrain in modern times)
To dig the dust enclosed here
Blessed be the man that spares these stones
and cursed be he that moves my bones

He was like "that's cool, I didn't know what it meant" and said he really like the way it looked when he bought it at an auction awhile back.

I took it home, removed it from it's frame and cleaned the glass. The rubbing is done in black crayon which in 1962 was most likely the preferred medium . . it flakes slighty when you scrape it with your fingernail. Wedging it tight into the frame were old pieces of rolled up newspapers (dated 1963)

On the back, in pencil is a note that says: "Grave Stone Rubbing" Edwina Powell did this rubbing all morning in the winter of 1962 at cemtary [sic] near Westminster Abby"

The saying on the rubbing nagged at me all the way home, so I started looking for pictures of gravestones at Westminster Abbey to see if by chance there was a photo . . no luck. So, on a whim, I typed in the last line on the rubbing and BINGO!! I found it at Trinity Chapel NEAR Westminster Abbey!

And . . here's the bonus part . . . this rubbing is of the gravestone of none other than William Shakespeare who died April 23, 1616 at his home in Stratford Upon Avon.

How flippen' cool is that?

I paid $2.00 for it . . . my favorite yard sale . . . so far

It's alive . . .

I was picking green beans in the garden and caught something out of the corner of my eye.

I thought it was a snake at first glance.

We are going to let it keep growing so see just how big it will get!

Lori made me do it!

My friend, the best and fabulously talented (and loyal) Lori Haworth called and asked if I would teach her how to can tomatoes . . . so over she trots with 150 pounds of those buggers!

It took us all day to peel, chop and can. We make most of into quarts and a few in pints. She wanted hers plain, I made mine with onions, peppers, garlic and basil in the jars (Italian style!)

We set the canning pot on the patio so we wouldn't heat up the house (that was a GOOD move!) .

Right now, we really hate tomatoes! Our feet hurt, our backs hurt and my fingers are sore from the tomatoe acid . . . but looking at those rows of jars and imagining home canned tomatoes all winter and all the wonderful things we can make with them . . . YUMM!!

And just before Lori left with her haul . . . she says "Hey, I know where we can get a couple of bushels of peaches . . . " Oh boy! here we go again!

It's official!

I'm late getting this on my blog for all those who have asked!!

The wedding went off without a hitch. The entire family pitched in and everyone did their job. There were no fits, no snits . . only extreme happiness and as always, when our entire family gets together . . . loads of laughter! (I'm sure a few bars in Catalina didn't know what hit them after the wedding! especially Luau Larry's -- boy, was THAT fun!! -- who knew that Aunt Kristin could bark exactly like a seal? -- got pics I have been THREATENED not to post)

The island was so beautiful (and so was the bride!!) and the weather so nice that no-one wanted to come home.

Now . . . we have the prep for the reception on August 7th (I'm not off the hook yet!! . . . wish me luck . . dinner for 100+)

The new Mr. & Mrs. Leveridge

Standin' on the corner . . .

in Winslow, Arizona!

We are on our way to Catalina, Island to marry off our daughter! It has been a fun road trip so far! We spent the night in Winslow, AZ on Route 66. They have created a corner to replicate the Eagle's song . . "Take it Easy"

You can read more about it here
http://www.standinonthecorner.com/

and . . being the good tourists we are . . we had to stop and take a picture!!

Parked directly behind our car was indeed a "Flat Bed Ford" (no sign of the girl though . . .)

Tor & Jim, standin' on the corner !! (such a fine sight to see . . .)

Yummm Friday night CSA dinners

Picked up my CSA bag today (lots of sweet corn . . which makes Jim VERY happy) Tonight we had Artichoke & goat cheese fritters, (I will post the recipe when I get it just right . . still experimenting!) garlic buttered sweet corn and 3 kinds of salad . . green, crunchy cabbage salad and a chunky salad of tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers.

I love Friday night dinners in the summer!

Grans Troll Bell

Digging through the boxes from Grans garden shed, I found this great troll bell carved from wood. (the tongue is the bell clapper) I imagine she brought it back from Ireland on one of her many trips there. Jim says it's creepy . . . I think it is hilarious! It's getting a good home in the vegetable garden (maybe it will scare the birds away!!)

New Candle Lanterns from Trash

I found five old solar lanterns in a box in my mother in-laws garden shed. After a cleanup and new batteries . . we found they work but the light was really faint . . . these are some of the first solar lights on the market . . they have a soft, faint yellow light. Compared to today's solar lights they are dim and pathetic. Jim said "toss them" but since they are all metal and glass and a really cool design, I thought I would tear them apart and make candle lanterns out of them . . they turned out AWESOME! Actually, I like them better as candle lamps than solar lights!

The tops are held on with two screws and the insides were easy to pop out. The space where the solar panel was left a great hole for the candle to vent.

The candles are old baby food jars that another artisan on Etsy sent me for the cost of the postage. I have about 100 of them that I am going to make into hanging candle lights for the trees. I took them to a local candle shop and had them all poured in bright tropical colors. (I will post the hanging lights when I get to making them in a week or so . . .)

The bottom of the lanterns had a great cross piece that I hot the jar to . . they can be popped off easy to put a new candle on when needed.
They came out GREAT . . . they are way brighter than the solar lights ever were. I am thinking of putting two in the guest bathroom on a shelf . . they would great in there!

It amazing when you can something you were going to throw away and make something new and better! (makes me want to yard saling!)

Tonights dinner courtesy of Fisher Farms CSA

Friday and Saturday night dinners are my favorites! Friday is when we unpack our surprise bags of vegetables from one of our two local CSA's here.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Before the growing season begins, you pay a share to the local CSA farm, they use the money to plant their crops and during the season you receive a weekly bag of fresh from the farm vegetables. By the end of the season, the produce you receive more than pays for the share cost . . plus, you get to try all types of vegetables you may not normally buy. If there is a CSA near you, don't hesitate to join . . . you can't get produce this fresh unless you grow it yourself.

On Friday, we normally eat an all vegetarian fare . . . this Friday we had fresh sweet corn, so tender it about melts in your mouth and a tomato, onion, basil & mozzeralla salad.

We ate until we popped!

Saturday dinners are usually a combo of CSA goodies and what can be scared up from one of the local farmer's markets. (we skipped Bristow's market today and headed to Tulsa for the Cherry Street FM).

We had sweet corn again, pod peas from our own garden, a cherry street vinegarette potato salad, a huge plate of tomatos & onions with fresh basil and White balsemic vinegar and bratwest off the grill (washed down with a bottle of "V" from the local Stone Bluff Cellars . . . Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmmm

Can you tell summer at our house is all about the eating?

Mmmmm . . .breakfast from the Farmer's Market

Don't you love farmer's markets?

I woke up early today and gathered up a box of herbs to take the Bristow Farmer's Market. I included Flat Italian Parsley, Sage, Sweet Marjoram, two types of Basil, and Winter Savory. My car smelled like perfume all the way to town.
I came home with new red potatoes, fresh bread, lemon/poppyseed cake, green beans, blueberries from JoAnn & Willie Peeper (my neighbors just up the highway) and red cabbage (Bob Wyatt said his wife Kris calls it "fish taco cabbage" . . . which just gave me a GREAT idea for dinner!! (thanks Bob!)
When I got home, I had breakfast on the patio (Homemade blueberry jam, stillwarm, sweetened with honey on toasted home baked bread and an endless pot of coffee) . . . .
mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm!. . . .


I love corner fruit stands and farmer's markets and all the different goodies you find! It is a new adventure each week. I love the smells, the sounds, the mingling and visiting with townsfolk . . . it seems to bring out the best in people!

Earth Day -- Forty Years Later

Tomorrow, April 22nd, is a day of historical signficance for me. On this day, forty years ago, I sat cross-legged in a Southern California park and listened raptly to my grade school teacher explain about the FIRST Earth Day celebration.

I'm sure to many students that day, it was just another speech from a teacher that went in one ear and out the other. But to me . . . it has colored and changed every aspect of my life from that day forward.

In April of 1970, the Los Angeles County school system was in the midst of a five week teachers strike. Now, for most students, it was a free ticket to play . . an unexpected vacation from the confines of school (we didn't care about striking teachers . . LOL). Things unfolded just a bit different for me though . . . at my school (Rhoda Street Elementary in Encino, California) we had a few teachers who would not cross the picket lines to teach at school, but through their caring and dedication to their students, donated their time teaching kids in the local parks. One teacher in particular holds a special place in my heart . . . I TRULY wish after all these years that I could remember her name. What I will NOT forget, is the lasting values she taught me in a make-shift classroom in the park. Her selfless donation of time to gather her students in the park every day, taught me many things . . . one in particular was about a new movement taking shape . . Earth Day. That lesson has stayed with me my entire life and has shaped everything that I do . . including my own business that focuses on environmentally friendly printing, recycled papers and papers you can plant (yep . . . they GROW as they recycle)

As a ten-year old, five weeks of classes in an open air park was sheer heaven in inself . . little did any of us know of the historical significance that April 22, 1970 would forever hold in history.

A bit of background on Earth Day: In 1969, U.S. Senator and Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishmetn and force this issue onto the national agenda. "It was a gamble," he recalled, "but it worked." Senator Nelson was later awarded the Presidental Medal of Freedom -- the highest honor give to civilians for his role as Earth Day founder. Ten years later, on Earth Day 1980, Senator Nelson said "My primary objective in planning Earth Day was to show the political leadership of the Nation that there was broad and deep support for the environmental movement. While I was confident that a nationwide peaceful demonstration of concern would be impressive, I was not quite prepared for the overwhelming response that occurred on that day. Two thousand colleges and universities, ten thousand high schools and grade schools, and several thousand communities in all, more than twenty million Americans participated in one of the most exciting and significant grassroots efforts in the history of this country."

"Sit-ins" in the '70's were the protest medium of "norm". So a political sit in on April 22, 1970 was not out of the ordinary, however, what it acheived was. Millions of Americans, from all walks of life, Republicans AND Democrats, young and old, flocked to parks and the streets to demonstrate, work together and rally against the decay of our environment. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. I feel so honored to have been included from the inception.

I think that a lot of people have the attitude that Earth Day and the "green" movement that is so rapidly growing is a fairly new thing, and a passing fad. As a person who has celebrated every Earth Day for forty years, I find myself troubled by those who jump on the "green" bandwagon only for financial gain. This is our future . . our very survival on this beautiful blue orb we call home depends on US. How we take care of it now will depend upon how our future generations survive. This means many things . . . reducing our carbon footprint and leaving a cleaner, healther Earth is the first step each of us can take.

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states "The longest journey begins with the first step" My challenge is to all of you . . take the first step. Change ONE thing in your lifestyle that will make an impact on the Earth . . . reduce, reuse, recycle and remember that EVERY day is a day to celebrate Earth Day!

Peace, love and green thoughts!!

Gracie