American Idol Country Gal

If you are an American Idol fan you have to read this and go to the site linked below.

Yep, this here gal is frum not too fur frum me here in East Tennessee. Vonore ain't my town, but I drive thru it if'n I'm a-goin sumwhur else sumtimes. If'n any of you'uns don't believe she's the genuiine thang, ya'll kin trust me she is. Evun tho most of us'uns down here in the south ain't nearly that kuntry, there are bunches who are. I luved her, and I fur one, hope she does ok out thar in Kaliforn-i-a. I'm afeered that she'll git chewed up and spit out once she gits thar, though. She's nevur been on an air-o-plane (her word). She ain't nevur been nowhur but rite thar in Vonore, TN.
Vanessa Wolfe – Audition – Wagon Wheel
Vonore is a very small town that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 20 or so years because of the damming of the Little Tennessee River. There's a huge industrial park and a couple of very ritzy, gated communities. Lots of people from all over the US have moved there. However, this young lady obviously grew up there, as did her parents, grandparents, etc..... I don't know her personally, but I know others just like her. Most of us East Tennesseans aren't quite as country as this, but you know what, I think it's charming. She is definitely talented, and this could be her way out to make something of herself, if that's what she truly wants. I think she will be shocked by this big wide world. I just hope she doesn't get so discouraged that she won't keep on singing. I'm thinking she should go to Nashville first.

(Yeah, I'm sewing some, but my husband keeps taking his camera to work with him. How dare him! LOL I've finished 4 of the vests I'm making from the felted sweaters. I'm going to start on the skirts and pants today. I've got to decide what I'm going to make for Emory. She lives in the desert so doesn't need something this warm, and her skin is sensitive to wool anyway.)

Putting Things in Perspective!!

This photo is of Lane Kiffin, who until yesterday was the University of Tennessee's football coach. He has only been there for one year. He decided to take a job with Southern Cal where he had been the offensive coordinator for about 6 years earlier in his career. He reminds me of some of the spoiled, immature little sixth graders I taught, who thought that because they were really good athletes they deserved to be treated more special than others. Now, mind you, not all, or even most, of my athletic students felt this way, but there were those who did. We, at UT, have had recent incidents of both football and basketball players being arrested for armed robbery and having marijuana, a gun with the serial number filed off, etc..... These incidents have been an embarrassment to the whole state. Thankfully, the young men have suffered the consequences of their actions.
Kiffin is a young man, only 34, who doesn't know what loyalty means just yet. However, he may have just made the best decision of his life and for UT, as well. Perhaps we will get a much more mature and loyal person to take his place.
I think the thing that bothers me the most, is not that he's leaving, but that he is taking other coaches with him. Orgeron, who has been doing most of the recruiting for UT has supposedly texted some of the recruits and told them not to go to UT but to go to California instead. I think that is shameful. I have nothing against California, even though the last time we played them they beat us. But, to me this is a matter of ethics.




Okay, now to put this all in perspective:
This is just college football, a game, and is not something that is going to change the world for the good or the bad. Kiffin is just a man, however delusional he is; he is only human. I just hope he realizes that. lol
This stadium is a place where I have spent many a Saturday cheering on the Vols. I will continue to go there on fall Saturdays and have a great time.

This is our adorable mascot.

But...... to the people of Haiti, is any of this important?
What about to my 50 year old friend who was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and is to start the first of her 30 chemo treatments tomorrow at Vanderbilt Hospital? She goes for 5 days, comes home for 21, then goes back for 5, home for 21, etc... 6 times until this part is over. Then, she has to go for a whole month when she will have some kind of bone marrow, stem cell treatment. She has two children who are still young and has learned that this is genetic, and she could have passed this on to one of them.

What about to my mom and my mil who are suffering from Alzheimers?
What about to the family of the young man in the town where we used to live who was murdered the other night?
What about to all the folks who are lined up at the food pantry that is up the street from my house?
What about to the parents of the children with Autism?
What about to the children who are being treated at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis?
ETC..................................
Do you think any of this UT stuff matters to them?

Yes, I love UT sports, and I am sad that Kiffin is leaving, well sort of, but when I look at the large picture, I realize that it really doesn't matter. I hate hearing bad news about the university in any way. I get upset when we lose, but I get over it, and the world goes on.
My daughters are probably going to wonder what's happened to the mom they know who has UT paraphernalia all over her house, especially in the family room in the basement, and whose classroom was all decked out in orange, as well! I've seen the light, and realized that even though it's all fun, it doesn't really make a difference.

Crocheting! Me?????

Crochet is such a beautiful word, like most other French things: the food, the people, the scenery (even though I've never seen it in person), etc.... I learned years ago, from my aunt, the basic chain stitch and how to do a double chain? etc... However, I never learned how to "make" something with crochet stitches. I don't know how to read a pattern, because I don't know the terms, etc....
However, I decided that I knew "enough" to try to lengthen this sweater. I really like this sweater, but I don't like its length. It hits just below the waist, and I'm always pulling on it to make it longer.
So, I started with a yarn that was the closest I could find at my local Walmart. It picks up the turquoise in the sweater, so it works. I then started attaching a row of crochet around the bottom. I just kept going for about five rows. I decided this would take all day and night and maybe even a few more days and nights the way I was going. The yarn I bought was all nubby so it was hard for me to tell where the stitch was that I was supposed to go through next. So, I thought I could speed things up by making long 10 stitch chains, loop them back and stitch them to the last row. I did that all the way around the bottom. My thinking was that I would then go back and attach a straight row by catching the fifth stitch in each chain, chain one or two more stitches and then catch the next loop. Does this make sense? Anyway, I started to do that and it really looked ok, but then i decided I kind of liked this ruffledy look. Or, maybe I was just tired of crocheting. I decided that the sweater needed a touch of this color yarn around the neckline too, so I did the loopy thing again, but with only 5 stitches in each loop. I like the way it looks, until I put it on. The ruffles around my hips look like a miniature tutu!!! Maybe if I was a few????? inches smaller through the hips it would look ok. Perhaps if I had made it longer before adding the ruffle it would look better. Whatever, I will probably wear this around some to places where I really don't care how I look, like to the nursing home to feed my mom.



It looks like a really warm sweater but the stitches are loose and the wind cuts through it. I usually have to wear a camisole under it. Oh well, it was worth a try, i guess. It was something different for me to try. I really would like to learn more about crocheting and knitting.

Please continue to pray for my mom and my mil. They are both having so much trouble with confusion lately. My mil's is a steady decline due to her Alzheimers that was diagnosed years ago. My mom's is due to ????? It's probably Alzheimers added to UTIs, being nearly 86, being in a nursing home, and who knows what else. She is having very vivid dreams about her past and thinking it's now. She wouldn't let them put her to bed the other night because she had a "paper" to get done. She's had lots of "appointments," "conferences, " "reports," etc.... to get to because of her work with foster care children and families. I told her that she shouldn't be having so much work to do now that she's retired. She said, "I think I need to retire again." She worked with abused and abandoned children for over 20 years. She's also having conversations with her mom and siblings who have been gone for years. That makes me wonder if she is really seeing them in some way in her dreams. Mary at Sewfast said she had a very vivid dream about her mom the other night and that it seemed so real even when she woke up. Hum...???? I've never been one to believe in things like this, but who knows?

Oh yeah, and what about the Tennessee men's basketball team beating the number one Kansas team, even without the four team members who were arrested a couple of weeks ago for gong 80 min a 40 zone, having open containers of booze, marijuana, and guns (one with a filed down serial number). One of the players, the best one of course, has been thrown off the team for good. He apparently was the most guilty. I think the gun with the filed serial numbers was his. They other 3 are indefinitely suspended until the investigation is complete. These three were sometimes starters and always played in the games and were big contributors to their success. But, it appears that UT's men don't need them afterall. They have played and won two games without these guys, and like I said beat the number one team last night. I am so glad that these four guys are seeing that maybe they weren't needed so much and that there are consequences to their actions. I just hope these younger athletes are seeing this and understanding that just because they are gifted in sports doesn't mean they can do what ever they want. I love sports, especially college level football and basketball (men's and women's) but these players are just people who happen to be more talented in this area than most. They are equal in God's eyes. It bothers me when a player who makes a great play points to Heaven, as if God cares who wins the games and helped him score that touchdown or whatever!!!!

Bald River Falls - Frozen!!

This water fall is about 40 minutes from where I live. It is beautiful!!! I have seen it partially frozen before, but it has been years. This was posted on my friend's facebook. I hope the video works on here. Well, the video doesn't work, but you can see the beauty of the forces of nature just from the picture.

Bald River Falls - 01-06-10

01-06-10 - Thousands of gallons of water a minute make the nearly 100 foot drop into the Tellico River below. It's a rare occurrence to see it frozen like this!

Length:0:56
The snow this morning looked like glitter falling from the sky. The flakes were tiny, and the way the sun was shining on them made them glimmer!!

I got up to go to the bathroom at 2:30 am when something in my lower back snapped. It felt like a bolt of lightening had stuck it!!! It's done this before, but not this badly!!! I have 2 bulging disks. I think they are more than just bulging now. I am trying to keep from moving to quickly or bending the wrong way, etc... today. I've taken over my husband's recliner and using heat.

I am actually crocheting today. I'll show a photo when I finish.

Oh yeah, I have another book to recommend to everyone. It is titled, Still Alice, by ???? Genova. It is about a 50 year old woman who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers and is told from her perspective. Be prepared to cry. Have the tissue box handy. This is an amazingly well written book, and really seems to get inside the head of this lady who is a Harvard professor. I am taking it to my mom's nursing home and asking the staff to pass it around.

And the Green Grass Grew All Around, All Around.... And a felted vest!

This is the view from my front door during our snow "storm". I use that term loosely, because I know that many of you live above the Mason Dixon Line and would not consider this as snow at all, but here in the South, it really is! Actually, the snow is still falling today, and it isn't quite as easy to see the grass. This photo, though, shows that the snow did lay on the driveways, roads, etc.... right away. Actually, it's more like a sheet of ice!!! It crunches when you drive on it!! It is really cold; it hasn't been above freezing for over a week, now!

This photo is the view from the front of my house to my in-laws' house, next door. As you can see, we drive through the field between our houses when it's really cold out, or raining, or dark, or when we just don't feel like walking that far! LOL! It really does help my fil when he brings my mil over to our house, too. Of course, we could drive over on the highway, but they increased it from 2 lanes to 4, and we now have to turn right out of our drive, go a short way up the highway, cross over to the other side, drive down the highway to the next cross-over, which is across from my in-laws' drive. That's just too much trouble.


I have actually started sewing again. Well, I did make those curtains, but I don't count that as real sewing. I guess I would if I liked doing it and could do a better, more creative job when making them. Anyway, I posted a few posts back, a photo of some one dollar sweaters that I bought at the Dollar Tree. They are all either 80 or 100% wool. I felted them per Gwen's directions! Thanks Gwen. I cut out 5 vests, one for each grand child, from the sweaters. This is the first one I've gotten done. This one is for Jenna. The sweater started out as a dark gray with a pale gray window pane design on the front. In each corner, where the light gray lines cross, is either a red or a blue spot of color. I have one sweater that is solid red. I decided to save it to cut from for the designs on the other vests. Some of the hearts I cut out are from that sweater. Some are from scraps from some of the other sweaters. One had a really bad 80's design on the front with blocks of pink, turquoise, etc.. that I can cut from to make designs for the vests. I cut out one pink heart from that sweater. One of the sweaters has blue, hence the blue heart. As you can see, I used buttons from my button collection to decorate some of the hearts. I used embroidery floss to stitch everything by hand.

Since the fabric is felted, it will not ravel. I just butted the sides and shoulders together, and used a blanket stitch to join them. I used a blanket stitch, whip stitch, crisscross stitch, or whatever to attach the hearts.

I stitched one large heart on the back. The gray fabric with the white and red pinstripe is going to be used for a skirt, pants, etc... for each grand to wear with the vests. I was hoping I could felt it, too, but it must not have enough real wool in it.
I bought it at this little family run fabric store down the road from me. The cardboard it was wrapped on was labeled 100% cotton, but I knew better. The lady who runs the store told me it was wrapped on a cardboard left over from another bolt of fabric. Anyway, this is one of those stores that used to buy all of their fabric from factory overruns and seconds. Some of the fabric in the store has probably been there for 20 years. Some of the tables have fabric piled on them higher than my head. I have to hunt through the piles sometimes. However, they have recently been updating, buying much better quality fabrics (still at reduced prices compared to everywhere else), organizing, displaying the fabric so that it can be seen more easily, and generally making it a better place to shop. The lady who runs the store is the mother of the owner. She is in poor health, so sometimes I cut my own fabric. I always put away my fabric, etc...... They also have a barrel of buttons that you can buy by the cup full. They have vintage patterns, etc...... I have almost always found what I want when I go there looking for something I can't find anywhere else. This is actually where I bought my curtain fabric. I once was looking for fabric to make a tin man costume for my daughter. They had this shiny silver backed curtain fabric that was perfect! I have bought mermaid fabric that looks wet and sparkly and fishy, there. I always go there if I need any kind of costume fabric. I have bought fabric to make a turtle costume, all kinds of princess type costumes, wooly animal costumes, furry animal costumes, you name it. Lots of quilters go there because they sell great quilting cottons.If you are ever going to be in SE TN and want to find this store, email me and I'll tell you how to find it.

Scherenschnittes, The Ugly Curtains Replaced, and What's The Big Deal About a Hotdog!

Thanks to Gwen I found out that the paper cutting I've been doing is really called Scherenschnittes. This is a combination of a Swiss and German art form. I looked it up and found several websites that feature this type of art. All I know is that I am having fun with it. I would like to keep practicing until I'm good enough to frame some and maybe even sell them. I don't know if anyone would buy these, but I know I have seen paper cuttings in gift shops, etc.... Who knows? For now it's just fun and something I can do in the evenings while watching tv with my husband. I need to find a better glue that won't be so messy. Right now I'm having trouble trying not to get the glue on the front of the cuttings.





My husband has been wanting me to make or buy new curtains for this sliding door that leads out to our deck from our family room. I wonder why he thought we needed new ones? Lol! First of all, I washed them not too long ago and they shrunk so they don't cover the doors anymore. Second of all, they are just ugly. But, the main reason he wanted new ones is that we do have neighbors on the other side of the woods that edge the back of our property. Now, we can't see their house, but at night sometimes we can see a light on in their house through the trees. If we can see their light, they can see ours, so we need to black out this door. My main reason is that new curtains may help hold the heat in during the winter and keep us cooler in the summer.

This is the far end of the room. You can see that I like green. It's hard to tell, but the walls are kind of a khaki green kind of color. My cousin made that gorgeous quilted wall hanging. Those are pictures of my daughters when they were little. On the table are photos of some of the grands. The dark green chair is actually my mom's. It is one of those motorized lift chairs. It really takes up more room than I would like, but the few times she's been able to come to the house since she's been in the nursing home, it has come in handy. The tan chair is my husband's favorite.

This love seat actually sits across from the door that needs curtains. You can see my brother-in-law's grandmother's treadle sewing machine in the corner to the left. Behind the love seat is a small little desk that is my mom's. The ladder back chairs are my mom's too. My kitchen is in the background. You really can't see it in this photo.

This is the fabric that I found to make the curtains from. This is really the backside of the fabric. When the lady was cutting it for me, she asked which side I would use. I really meant to use the other side, but it is really dark, and I decided that this side matched the love seat, walls, and other chairs better anyway.

Here's the after photo. Those pictures on the wall are my girls' senior casual pictures. I blurred their faces because I didn't ask permission to show these. I didn't blur their little girl pictures because they don't look like those anymore. My husband hasn't been home to see the curtains, yet. I hope he likes them. I do not like to make curtains!!!

Now, for the hotdog story. I was at the nursing home today at lunch time. I go at lunch or dinner time every day to feed my mom. Today they were having hotdogs. My mother loves hotdogs so she was excited. I mean, when you are in a nursing home and you can't sit up, stand up, walk, or really do anything by yourself, there's not much to get excited about. So, when she saw the hotdogs she really was happy. A few months ago I asked if they could start chopping some of Mother's meat up somewhat because she was having trouble chewing it. She does not have trouble chewing a hotdog, however. I knew that when they brought hers to her it would be all ground up, though, so I asked them to please be sure she got a whole hotdog. The girl who is over the food department came out to tell me she wasn't allowed to give Mother a whole hotdog because she might choke on it. I told her that Mother didn't have problems with choking, just chewing tough meat. But, when they brought Mother's it was ground up. I asked Mother if that was ok and she yelled, "No, but I want a hotdog!" LOL!!! They had offered her a substitution. So, I went to find the girl in charge of the food again, and she told me she was sorry that this was just the way it was. I told her that, no, this wasn't the way it was and that I would take full responsibility of Mother choking, if indeed she did, which, of course, I knew she wouldn't. Anyway, I had to get pretty ugly before Mother got her whole hotdog. But, she did get it, and no, she didn't choke. Come to find out there was a regional food person at the nursing home today, and the girl in charge was afraid she would get in trouble of she let Mother have the hotdog. She wanted to call the doctor to ask permission. I told her that would take a couple of hours and Mother's lunch was already late. I told her that I was sorry, but that I would do whatever I had to do to take up for my mom, even if it was over "just a hotdog!" Mother has been having more and more days of really bad confusion, and on those days she wouldn't know the difference, but this was a good day with clear thinking. I was not going to let this happen. My cousin was there and he was offering to go get her something else to eat at his restaurant, which was really sweet. He's great. But, by this time it was the principle of the situation that mattered, not what she ate. I didn't get really ugly, but I was about to when they gave in and brought her the hotdog. I know this is a long story and rather rambling, but I wanted to tell it to make me feel better, and I do!

The Least It Could Do Is Snow! Felting???? And...What I've Been Doing

Brrrr....... It has been in the teens with highs in the 20s here in my part of the South. The least it could do is snow, right? I looked out a while ago and this is what I saw. Promising, but it was only a tease. According to the weather report it is supposed to really snow on Thursday and Friday, but I saw a teacher friend's facebook page. She jinxed us all by writing about it for all to see. However, she did say something about wearing her pjs inside out? I haven't heard that one, but if it works do it!!! We love snow here. We love to go to the store and buy out all the bread and milk, sit and wait and wait and wait. Well, you never know it could happen. After all we had some in November!!!!

A few weeks ago I bought all of these "lovely" sweaters for a dollar apiece!! Yep, at the Dollar Tree. They are all either 80 or 100% wool. I have washed and dried them according to Gwen's directions. When I cut into them there is no raveling. I am planning to cut into them and make vests for the grands for Valentine's Day. I haven't gotten it totally worked out yet, but I have the ideas bouncing around in my head anyway. Little Man may get a Dapper Dan hat instead of a vest.

Here's what I've been doing with paper and scissors while nursing a bad cold and not feeling like doing much else. I have really made a mess with little pieces of paper all over the house. I got the floor all cleaned up this morning, though. I even scrubbed my kitchen cabinet door fronts. I guess that means the holidays are truly over.






I have been reading a bunch too. I've read The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown's last book. I really liked it. It's alot like the DeVinci Code, so if you liked it, you will like this one, too.
I also read, The Help, which is a book about the racial injustices in Mississippi in the 60s. Thank God things have change, but have they changed enough? I don't really know. I guess the fact that OBama is our president proves there has been a change, but I really wonder? I am lucky in that considering that I grew up as a white girl in the South, I was taught that God created us all and that despite our outside looks being different, everyone is the same from the inside out. I used to tell my students that life would be boring if we all looked or acted exactly the same or had the same interests and abilities.
I read The Shack, which is a really, (uhhhhh.... I can't think of a word to describe it) weird. It is about this man who has suffered a tragedy and is on the verge of losing his faith. He gets a note from "Papa" which is what his wife calls God, telling him to meet Him/Her at "the shack" the following weekend. In a very short summary, he goes, he meets the Trinity, he has his eyes opened. It is worth reading, but remember it is really different. I am starting a new book, now. I do not have time to read, but I'm doing it anyway.
I also just recently did something that I have dreamed of doing for years, but I'm not telling what it is yet. I want to see if anything comes of it before I tell all.
I'm freezing here in my basement so I'm going upstairs to eat some leftovers and warm up. Besides I just heard my husband come in.