Supper at Ma-T's

Last weekend Emily kept Kelly & Karen's children so they could have a weekend date. Emily & the kids came over for supper Saturday night and we had red beans and rice and fried chicken. They had to eat in the family room because the dining room table is full of stuff from Dan's mom's house. I think they enjoyed eating at a table by themselves. They got very talkative and giggly as you can see. In a few years they will probably hate me for putting this on the web.

Emily was keeping Steve's & Amanda's girls this weekend and they came over for supper Saturday night. We had meatballs in brown gravy. They all like rice and gravy and ate well.

They love to play dress up with all the costumes I get at garage sales. Here is a video of them all playing together. Excuse the messy house, Dan's mom's stuff hasn't found a home yet. The laundry also needs to be done...but fun things first!

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Hwy 127 Yard Sale

My husband and I decided on Wednesday to leave Thursday after work and go to the Worlds Longest Yard Sale. It goes from Alabama to Ohio and is held the 1st Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in August each year. We got to the the sale on Friday a little after noon and shopped till about 4:00 that day and shopped Sat & Sun all day. The areas close to the little towns were usually busy with many vendors in one area. There were antiques and lots of tools and yes....even some junk. Most vendors were willing to haggle. Dan got a 40 gal black cast iron jambalaya pot for $135. He was happy about that.

I bought lots of little sewing supplies and buttons and a couple of washboards to hang in my laundry room.
After the yard sale ended on Sunday we continued north to Shipshewana, an Amish community in northern Indiana. I had a good time there shopping and Dan squeezed in a float trip and a little fishing. There was a huge flea market on Tuesday and I spent way too much money. We headed home Wednesday and stopped at another Amish community in Nappanee Indiana where we toured an old Amish house and farm. It was a busy trip, but I had a great time. I might go back again next year.

Crabbing at Grand Isle

Yesterday we went to Grand Isle to try our hand at crabbing. My husband did this when he was a child, but hasn't done it in 40 years. My son and his girlfriend came with us. Grand Isle is a barrier island at the south end of Louisiana. We caught at least 16 dozen blue crabs using beef melt as bait. My son and his girlfriend did most of the work, but my husband had the expertise. We had a great time and will likely do it again one day. We are having a great big crab boil this afternoon and will feast on as many crabs as we can. We'll peel the rest for the freezer for some yummy crab dishes later.

This is a picture of a crab with eggs. Thought that was neat.

Out of Pocket

I have been sidetracked lately. My dear Mother in Law passed away last week from a sudden onset of acute Leukemia, another friend's son was killed by a drunk driver in a head-on collision, and a friend I hadn't seen since high school passed away. All within a week. I've heard trouble comes in threes, I hope this is it for awhile.

The garden is still growing, lots of weeds, but some tomatoes to pick and maybe a few cantaloupe left. The okra is coming along and so are the peanuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and watermelon.

The chickens are hanging in there, but no eggs yet. Should get some in about a month.

Took a little camping trip to the Paragon Casino in Marksville for a night with my daughter and her kids. They enjoyed swimming and seeing the live alligators in the lobby of the hotel.

I'll be getting back on track soon and posting more.

Smokin Hot Crockpot

This week my crockpot is smokin! Sunday evening I came home from visiting my friend Jan in Birmingham for the weekend. Because I hadn't cooked over the weekend, I realized I didn't have anything for my lunch the next day at work. I was going to have to go out into the unbearable heat and find something to eat. Oh, woe was me! Didn't have anything planned for supper Monday night either. Monday morning I put some red beans in the crockpot, sauteed some onions and ham pieces and threw them in too. They cooked all day. On the way home from work, I went to Winn Dixie and bought a whole chicken and some ground meat. The beans turned out great and I had some left over for lunch today. This morning I put the whole chicken in the crockpot and tonight I am going to debone it and make chicken salad for sandwiches the rest of the week. The chicken cost about $5.00 so Dan and Danny and I are having lunch all week on five bucks! Sure beats eating out everyday. Not sure what else I'll use my trusty ole crockpot for next, but I am sure I will be using it more these days.

Frogs & Princesses

The 3 oldest girls caught a big bull frog and had some fun playing with him before they let him go the next day.

We told Emma to give him a kiss and he would turn into a prince. It didn't work, but she was a very brave little girl anyway.

Pillow Talk

My 3 oldest granddaughters Bella 8,Hannah 7 & Caecilia 7, came over last weekend to learn how to sew. We decided to make some pillows. We went to the store and they selected the fabric. They mostly watched me cut it, then they pinned it themselves and stitched it on the machine after I threaded it for them. They turned it and stuffed it. They all threaded their hand needles and Bella sewed her opening closed. She did a wonderful job, probably better than I can do it. I think they learned a little and had fun . The pillows came out beautifully. They enjoyed it so much they each made small bean bags to use as pillows for their stuffed animals.