Baby Sweater and Hat...But No Frog Legs!

      I love the quietness of Sunday mornings. :-] I love it even more when I'm getting served one of my favorite breakfasts in bed! ^_^ And 'NO!'...I'm not talking about pancakes! LOL I'm still not back in a pancake mood yet. In fact, when I think of pancakes my mind goes something like this...fluffy...sweet...YUM!...bloated...sweaty...exhausted...itchy!!! O_O Bad!...Bad!...Bad pancakes!!! LOL
      So...no pancakes! ^_^ Instead, hubby served me a delicious feast of fried catfish, scrambled eggs, grits and cheese, and hot green tea with honey and lemon. ^_^ Hmmm...there was something missing...hmmm...I'll think of it in a minute. 
      
      I have to tell you my other news! :-) My neighbor...the one that has been searching for a pattern and yarn, so that I can hand make a baby outfit for her to give as a gift...found one! :-) It's the one I'm showing you here...
 

      It's the cutest little baby sweater and hat!! :-) ...
 

      She doesn't want the mint green though. She bought soft pink yarn...Very pretty. :-) I already started it!...I was gonna try to show you what I've done so far, but it's too dark outside to take pictures...It's raining. O_0 YUCK!!!
      Maybe that why hubby made me such a nice breakfast. He's trying to soothe the aching complaining beast!....Uhhhhh...that would be ME!! LOL And guess what?!...It worked!!! ^_^ I'm a full and happy camper now! No bloating!...No sweating!...No exhaustion!...No itching!! :-)
      The only thing that was missing was....? O_O ...
 

 (Vintage Dr. Suess Childrens Book by AlloftheAbove)

 (Gourmet 12 Pound Stone Ground Sampler, Grits, Corn Meal and Flour by CountryClassicFarms)

(3 Signs Fried Eggs Frog Legs Catfish Restaurant Tiki Bar...Outsider Folk Art by RJFOLKART)

      Oh Yeah!!!...the frog legs!!! LOL...I'm just kidding. I'm not missing frog legs! ^_^ In fact the only reason I mentioned it was because I saw the three signs (above) and realized that this was my breakfast this morning...all except the frog legs!! ^_^

      And just in case you're wondering...Yes. I have eaten frog legs...but it was a looooooong time ago in a land far, far away...Georgia, to be exact. LOL I had them fried...of course! And, as I remember, they tasted like chicken!! LOL

      Okay...enough silliness! I've got a meeting to get ready for, and a baby sweater and baby hat to work on. :-) Not to mention, I also have a grocery list to write down, some laundry to fold, some expired listings to renew in my Wuglyees Etsy shop, and a few other things...Where does the time go so fast anyway?!!

      Have a good rest of the weekend, Y'all!...I said Y'all because you have to say "Y'all" when your post is including catfish and frog legs!! LOL

Down Home

When I say the words "Down Home"
my deep emotions come alive.
My memories of riding in the car,
heading south on I-95.

I pass right on through New Haven,
and the Washington Bridge flies by;
The "New Jersey Turnpike's" traffic
makes me almost want to cry.

But its when North Carolina's
scenes of country life begin
that "Down Home" becomes a feeling
in which I'm comfortable again.

When I'm close to route I-20,
"South Of The Border" is what I see,
and soon I'm "Down Home", feeling Georgia's
southern hospitality.

There are things about the north
that make me happy that I live there,
but the dirt roads of the south
I seem to need like I need air.

People fishing for their supper,
cooking bass and fried catfish;
On Sunday, rocking on the porch
(What's in the north as good as this?!)

From "Down Home" there's 'salmon patties',
'Beanie Weenies', pone and grits,
country music, rock and soul-
everybody's greatest hits.

But I know that what I'm missing
is more than "Down Home" southern pine;
Its the feelings and emotions
of the Georgia in my mind.

A Potato Chip Bag Tutorial For Those Who 'CAN' Eat Just One!

 (Savannah's Owens Thomas House Fine Art Photography by PetitePastiche)

      I don't live there anymore...Georgia, in the southern United States, I mean...but this time of year always makes me think of Georgia. I remember the milder temperatures of September and October, and the way the shadows of the trees danced off of the roads and buildings.

      I get that same feeling when the sun hits my current backyard in just that special kinda way. :-] But unfortunately the sun isn't warming the air in that 'special kinda way' here in Massachusetts right now!....IT'S COLD!!!! LOL

      But I'm not giving weather reports on the blog today ^_^. I'm giving potato chip bag tutorials!! LOL...

      I know...you're saying to yourself: "What????" O_O Let me explain...

      A little while ago hubby saw an interesting episode of "The Chew"...which is a sort of cooking show on television. It was interesting to him because one of the stars of the show, Paula, was showing kitchen tips. And of course now that he considers himself a 'make-shift' chef....Uhhhhh. It's debatable, but whatever! LOL...he was enthralled at tips that could help him out in the kitchen!

      But one of the tips has him now folding every half opened bag he comes in contact with!! LOL...It's a new way to close your half used bag of potato chips (or whatever) so that they won't go stale that fast.

      Here's how it works: You open your large bag of potato chips and, one by one, you eat to your hearts content!...Wait!...I still need to show you the tip. So, you reach into the bag, eat a few, or you grab a fistful, about four ^_^...Then you close the bag back up until the next day!....Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!....O_O Sorry. I digressed!

      Now, in order to close the bag back up, and have it stay closed :-), you fold the top of the bag, from both top end sides, into each other like this...

        You'll have a kind of point...or something close to it...

       
      Then you turn the folded side of the bag toward you, facing you, and you start rolling a tight fold of the bag away from you, from the point all the way down, until it looks sorta like this...

      When you turn the bag to the other side you'll have two pockets of fold on either side...which you will stick your hand in, and fold back over the side ends...
 

      What you end up with is a potato chip bag that's totally closed, and that will stand alone without unraveling to expose your dear, dear, leftover potato chips! ^_^

      In fact, it looks almost like a potato chip bag...or whatever kind of bag...with a 'hoodie'! LOL...
 

      If you haven't done it already, Try It! It's cool!!  ^_^ And I've got all kinds of 'hooded' leftover things in my house to prove it!!! LOL...Now if only they can invent some kind of contraption to make your husband be able to hear you, and watch television, all at the same time!! LOL I'd pay big money for that one! ^_^

      Before I go I wanted to share a different kind of bag...
 

 (LOVE Kitchen Plastic Bag Holder by TheMillersHouse)

      It's a great little 'homey' bag to hold your other bags...your plastic kitchen bags! :-) What a great idea!!!...especially for us, because we reuse the plastic grocery store bags as garbage bags. And we have them all over the place, in every crevice of the kitchen right now. ^_^

      How much prettier would it be to have these little 'plastic bag full' LOVE bags, with the expression "Home Is Where Your Story Begins" on the side, hanging in the kitchen! :-)... Hmmm...I wonder if it would hold an empty potato chip bag?! ^_^ 
         Okay...I'm off to get a Wuglyees boutonniere order wrapped and shipped. YAY! And that's where my story begins today!! :-) ... Have a good day, Everybody!

Down Home

When I say the words "Down Home"
my deep emotions come alive.
My memories of riding in the car,
heading south on I-95.

I pass right on through New Haven,
and the Washington Bridge flies by;
The "New Jersey Turnpike's" traffic
makes me almost want to cry.

But its when North Carolina's
scenes of country life begin
that "Down Home" becomes a feeling
in which I'm comfortable again.

When I'm close to route I-20,
"South Of The Border" is what I see,
and soon I'm "Down Home", feeling Georgia's
southern hospitality.

There are things about the north
that make me happy that I live there,
but the dirt roads of the south
I seem to need like I need air.

People fishing for their supper,
cooking bass and fried catfish;
On Sunday, rocking on the porch
(What's in the north as good as this?!)

From "Down Home" there's 'salmon patties',
'Beanie Weenies', pone and grits,
country music, rock and soul-
everybody's greatest hits.

But I know that what I'm missing
is more than "Down Home" southern pine;
Its the feelings and emotions
of the Georgia in my mind.

Sometimes You Just Have To Go "Home"!

              (The Georgia State Welcome Sign)

         Hubby has been on vacation from work this week, so my typical 'Friday Date Night' is a bit different this week. Reason being?...Every night this week has been like a 'Date Night'! ^_^ We've been enjoying each other's company, eating, playing Scrabble, listening to music, getting chores done, keeping up with our parents, napping, and eating. Wait....I said that already! LOL Well, it bears saying again.....Eating!! ^_^

      So home was our 'Virtual' 'Date Night' destination this week...And since we've been talking about 'home' all week. I decided to tell you a little bit more about my 'Home'...Georgia, my birth State home, I mean. I can't even say the word home without thinking of 'Down Home'. :-)

      Have any of you ever been to the Southern U. S. State of Georgia?! If not, let me tell you the things that bring back memories of home for me...and a few facts that even I didn't know about my home State of Georgia! (You can click on the photos to take you to the links for them too)

        As you can see from the map, Georgia is located in the southeastern part of the U.S...If I were to drive to my hometown from where I live right now, in Massachusetts, it would take me at least 16 hours!! I know because we've driven it numerous times over the years....NUMEROUS!! 

        Georgia, with it's 9,687,653 residents, (making Georgia the ninth most populous state) is known as the Empire State of the South, and as the Peach State...

      Georgia, each year,  is estimated to produce over 130 million pounds of peaches! And even though I'm allergic to the skin of the peach,...or at least I used to be. I haven't tried to touch them for many years now...I still have eaten a few tons of them myself over the years! ^_^ YUM!!!

          Georgia is named after King George II of Great Britain. {Even I didn't know that!}...Atlanta is Georgia's capital, and it's most populous city...Georgia is the largest U.S. state east of the Mississippi River in terms of land area....Georgia is bordered on the south by Florida; on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and South Carolina; on the west by Alabama; and on the north by Tennessee and North Carolina. 

       And if that was all there was to tell you about my wonderful state, it still would be great! :-) But Oh No!! That doesn't even scratch the surface of my poetic memories! Here's what I think of when I think of 'home'!...

      I think of going fishing...bass fishing...I was too little to actually do much fishing myself back then, but I remember going fishing, and having my mother come home and fry up some bass...and bass eggs. (Don't knock it till you tried it! LOL) 

      The most popular freshwater game fish in Georgia are trout, bass, and catfish...

         I remember my mother catching catfish every once in a while. I also remember her having some kind of gloves on, and using pliers, when she was skinning them...yeah, skinning them! ^_^ I also remember that their little whiskers could give you a nasty sting! Here's what I found out about these little 'babies'...

         All catfish, except electric catfish, have a strong, hollow, bonified leading spine-like ray on their dorsal and pectoral fins. As a defense, these spines may be locked into place so that they stick outwards, which can inflict severe wounds. In several species, catfish can use these fin rays to deliver a stinging protein if the fish is irritated. 

        The venom....{Venom?....Really?! O_0}...is produced by glandular cells in the epidermal tissue covering the spines. In some catfish, this protein is so strong it may hospitalize those unfortunate enough to receive a sting...In the Plotosus lineatus, the stings may result in death!...YIKES! Who knew I was that close to 'biting the big one'?!!! LOL

        Good thing I didn't have to see them swimming around that often! I much preferred seeing my catfish like this...

          

          And speaking of 'biting the big one', I also remember these 'babies' from my home state!...

(Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake)

(Copperhead snake)

       Both of these snakes are venomous, but the diamondback is the heaviest venomous snake in the Americas, and the largest rattlesnake. And while not known to be aggressive. He is BIG! (One got up to 7.8 feet long and 34 pounds!) I know! I've been up close and personal with one! O_0...

           A bite from him can kill in a matter of hours...In some cases, minutes!...The copperheads are usually non-aggressive  and their bites are almost never fatal.

      But considering that snakes of all kinds, (including cottonmouth snakes) black widow spiders,  salamanders, frogs, alligators and toads,.....about 79 species of reptile and 63 amphibians known to live in Georgia,...and all kinds of dangerous things, were what we were warned about all the time as kids,...{in fact I remember carrying a stick to tap the ground with whenever I went somewhere where there were bushes}...you can see why danger is a part of my Georgia memory!! O_O

      Something else that's a part of my Georgia memory is the weather. The majority of Georgia is primarily a humid subtropical climate...The highest temperature ever recorded is 112 °F (44.4 °C) in 1952. While the lowest is −17 °F (−27.2 °C) in 1940. It hardly ever snowed when I was a kid! In fact, it snowed so rarely that I remember people making a big deal out of it, making little snow-men in their yards and stuff! ^_^ Those little snow-men only lasted a 'hot second' though. The snow would be gone almost as soon as it hit the ground! LOL

    That has changed in recent years though. You might remember the recent snow storms in the Atlanta area. One blogger talked about it HERE.

     But something I didn't know about Georgia weather was that Georgia is one of the leading states in frequency of tornadoes!...though they're rarely stronger than F1, the info said...I 'do' have memories of little ground dust swirls coming up all the time. Us silly kids used to run and jump in the middle of them so our hair would fly up!...*Shaking my head*

     And with a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean, Georgia is also vulnerable to hurricanes! (although direct hurricane strikes were rare during the 20th century) Georgia often is affected by hurricanes that strike the Florida panhandle, weaken over land, and bring strong tropical storm winds and heavy rain to the interior!...WOW! I didn't know that! Maybe that would account for my over-excitement every time there's a hurricane citing!

    But wait! What about Georgia food...besides catfish I mean? ^_^ I have such good memories of homemade biscuits every day, grits and cheese, fatback, fried corn from the cob, collard greens, pinto beans, ham hocks, fried chicken and gravy, peach and blackberry cobbler, okra, pork chops, watermelon, plums fresh-picked from the bushes (and apples too), black-eyed peas and rice (hopping John), sausage, potatoes cooked in every form and fashion...

           ...and...and.....stinky cooking chitlins!...

        Stinky cooking chitlins that I have cooked MYSELF! LOL I don't trust just anybody to clean and cook my chitlins! ^_^ Yes, I do know that they are the intestines of a pig! LOL But you haven't enjoyed a pig unless you have enjoyed a pig like a person from Georgia!! ^_^ I've had the most delicious meals of pig! Pig tail stew, boiled pig ears, pig's feet....YUM!!! :-) {But I like my chitlins boiled, then fried with some onions...just saying.}

     There's lots of things, besides food, that you can love about Georgia too.  And some of them you probably 'have'...and didn't know it! Like, for instance, the fact that hundreds of feature films have been located in Georgia..Driving Miss Daisy...Forrest Gump (the bench Tom Hanks sat on in the main scene was in Savannah)...Fried Green Tomatoes...and Sweet Home Alabama.

      Georgia is also home to Ted Turner, who founded TBS, TNT, TCM, Cartoon Network, CNN and Headline News, among others. The CNN Center, which houses the news channel's world headquarters, is located in downtown Atlanta; The Weather Channel's headquarters are located in the Smyrna area of metropolitan Atlanta in Cobb County. 

        And besides good southern food, good southern movies...and good southern movies made from good southern books ('Gone With The Wind' y'all!!)...

               ....let's talk about good southern music!!...Music in Georgia ranges from folk music to Rhythm and blues, Rock and roll, Country music, and Hip hop...among many other kinds! And have you never heard of Augusta Georgia native James Brown...

         ...The Opera singer Jessye Norman, who is also a native to Augusta. (You can hear her voice HERE).
           What about Atlanta Georgia native, Gladys Knight...of Gladys Knight and the Pips?!...

       How many hours did we pretend to be 'Pips' when I was young?! LOL And what about singers like Otis Redding...Usher...Ray Charles...

         ...Country music superstars such as Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, and Travis Tritt? They all are either natives of Georgia, or have a big Georgia connection.
        And let's not forget Miranda Lambert and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland...

         ....some of the best country voices around (in my opinion!)...     

            (The house that built me)

(All I want to do)

      So that's my 'home'. :-) Not a bad place to be from, or have memories from, huh?! :-) Who needs a 'Friday Date Night' when you have memories like this in your head all the time?! ^_^ ....I DO!! See you next week!! ^_^

Down Home

When I say the words "Down Home"
my deep emotions come alive.
My memories of riding in the car,
heading south on I-95.

I pass right on through New Haven,
and the Washington Bridge flies by;
The "New Jersey Turnpike's" traffic
makes me almost want to cry.

But its when North Carolina's
scenes of country life begin
that "Down Home" becomes a feeling
in which I'm comfortable again.

When I'm close to route I-20,
"South Of The Border" is what I see,
and soon I'm "Down Home", feeling Georgia's
southern hospitality.

There are things about the north
that make me happy that I live there,
but the dirt roads of the south
I seem to need like I need air.

People fishing for their supper,
cooking bass and fried catfish;
On sunday, rocking on the porch
(What's in the north as good as this?!)

From "Down Home" there's 'salmon patties',
'Beanie Weenies', pone and grits,
country music, rock and soul-
everybody's greatest hits.

But I know that what I'm missing
is more than "Down Home" southern pine;
Its the feelings and emotions
of the Georgia in my mind. 

"Down Home" Poem in Illustration By Mr. Wug

      Hello AGAIN Everybody!! :-) For all of you listening to the hubby and my silliness last night....thank you for your indulgence and for the nice words of encouragement...No! We didn't rehearse it. BIG SURPRISE!!! LOL That was us just being US!! ^_^ 
     I know it was kind of hard to see his drawings in the video, so hopefully you'll get a real feel for them with my photographs of his 'story board', as I share them along with the poem right now...the story board which he is in the process of trying to figure out how to frame as we speak! :-] ... *smh*
     Okay, this was a poem I wrote a very long time ago. What hubby did for me was draw one of my poems by way of his 'Stick-People' illustrations. :-) The influences for me asking him to do it came from four places: 
     (1.) Silke, of Metamorphosis,...her sketching class she's been taking lately. {and thanks to her for doing a little write-up on ME in this post too!}; 
     (2.) Otto's mom's blog, TidbitsParenting,...her sketches of her son 'Otto's Comedy Hour' and 'How she got the black lung' will have you howling with laughter!!;....
     (3.) Jo-anne, of Blooming Lovely. She's been sharing crocheting tutorials that made me think..."Hmmmmm....I can probably do that!"; 
     (4.) some influence from looking at Alittlesprite's poem written on a photograph.
       So here goes!........"DOWN HOME" (written by ME, illustrated by the most agreeable, most handsome, Mr. ME! LOL)


When I say the words "Down Home"
my deep emotions come alive.

My memories of riding in the car,
heading south on I-95.

I pass right on through New Haven,

and the Washington Bridge flies by;

The "New Jersey Turnpike's" traffic
makes me almost want to cry.

But its when North Carolina's
scenes of country life begin

that "Down Home" becomes a feeling
in which I'm comfortable again.

When I'm close to route I-20,
"South Of The Border" is what I see,

and soon I'm "Down Home", feeling Georgia's
southern hospitality.

There are things about the north
that make me happy that I live there,

but the dirt roads of the south
I seem to need like I need air.

People fishing for their supper,

cooking bass and fried catfish;

On sunday, rocking on the porch

(What's in the north as good as this?!)

 From "Down Home" there's 'salmon patties',
'Beanie Weenies', pone and grits,

country music, rock and soul-

everybody's greatest hits.

 But I know that what I'm missing
is more than "Down Home" southern pine;

Its the feelings and emotions
of the Georgia in my mind.

       "Thank You Mr. Wug!! *Mmuah!!!* The poem wouldn't have been the same without you!"...Have a good day everybody!!! :-)