Amy-Nicole Luncheon

On one of the last beautiful days of the summer -- I invited my sister Ronda and her "girls" over for lunch. Amy, Nicole, Ronda -- and, of course -- Memphis...
We ate popovers -- and Grandma Little's chicken salad. What they DIDN'T REALIZE...was that after lunch, there would be a "bonus round"...

In my persistent "go through every box, get RID OF SOMETHING" -- Amy and Nicole got to take "turns" picking out their take-home-treasures...

There were some embroidered words of wisdom that used to hang on my wall...and a few books, some kitchen equipment...a few things from our mother or Aunt Rozella...

A book about games for kids' parties...and a vintage Yahtzee game...Nicole is taking a new interest in doing laundry -- and I had some Oxyclean gel for her to try. Amy has been looking for the original Grissom Grizzley -- and I FOUND ONE in my basement...

It was a stunning day. They are two incredible young mothers -- and I am so grateful to be a part of their families.

I would be lost without those kids...

Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

As you read this post -- I am in Chantilly, Virginia -- at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo -- working and teaching in the Schmetz booth with the marketing director, Rhonda Pierce.

Rhonda is great to work with...she is always open to new ideas, has terrific energy and wonderful follow-through. Sometimes I go to Chicago for meetings...sometimes, we meet at the Morton Arboreteum....last summer -- she came to Princeton -- and we had a hummingbird lunch...

Although you can't see them in this picture -- about 40 hummies attended that luncheon...

AND, as I set the table -- with the plastic plates that matched my wild flowered pants -- I used the VERA napkins....

WHICH, of course, ended up being Rhonda's luncheon gift...

And, as it happens -- she brought a gift for me as well -- which will be another post...

Today, I'm teaching my favorite quick gift class, "Gift Ideas That Are Faster Than A Speeding Bullet and Cheaper Than Dirt".... -- come to the Chantilly show TODAY...

Bye Bye Oliver

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PLANNING THESE CHALLENGES?? I mean -- c'mon!!

This week, Heidi is thrilled to announce a Project Runway "First" -- an unknown band playing an unknown song wearing garments made by unknown designers.

Is it just me -- or are these clothes really, really bad??


I have never watched an episode when I thought every single garment sucked. But these outfits were so contrived...I honestly can't pick the loser.

That said -- at the end of the day -- I AM DELIGHTED THAT OLIVER was finally voted off the island. He deserved to go because he had absolutely no range and very little "game".

It used to be his accent that worked on my nerves -- but the last two weeks -- it's been his constant insensitive remarks about FAT PEOPLE. OMG...

Where was this boy raised? And by who?? He was so incredibly rude -- I was hoping his bearded band member would punch him in the nose.

That said -- it was another goofy episode. The only memorable moment was when Tim was critiquing Joshua's jeans -- he said the exposed zipper would bring attention to the crotch -- and Joshua looked at him and said, "I know..."

I felt sorry for the drummer guy. He had to wear Anya's hot mess (it couldn't even hold together for one song) and Kimberly's ugly Halloween tunic...

Those two girls should thank their lucky stars that Oliver had NO CLUE how to deal with a REALLY BIG MAN...

Chantilly, Virginia

Tomorrow I'm heading out to the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Chantilly, Virginia --

COME ON DOWN!!

I'll be doing my most favorite seminar in all my world -- LIFE IS NOT A DRESS SIZE...



AND I'll also be doing my favorite quick gift seminar -- "Gifts to make that are faster than a speeding bullet and cheaper than dirt"...

So -- there will be some great baby gift ideas....


And if you insist -- I'll show you how to DECORATE YOUR OWN ONE-OF-A-KIND LUGGAGE..



Look for me in the Schmetz Needles booth -- I'll be hanging out with Rhonda Pierce -- and you'll get to see MY FAVORITE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE...

SEE YOU IN VIRGINIA!!

DIY ART SIT

For Landon and Garrett's actual ADVENTURE -- I was taking them to a "Sit & Create" art house in LeClaire. As you can see -- both boys were proud of their original creations...



The sunny room was beautifully set up -- with plastic covering EVERY SURFACE... lol...lots of supplies they could use...

Really. It's in an old two-story farm house -- and the theme is to "recycle, upcycle"...things that would normally be thrown into the landfill. The boys wore old shirts (backwards) as art aprons...

It was a joy for me to spend the day with these two boys. They were bright and polite and inquisitive. We talked about ALL KINDS OF STUFF...and we even did a little garage-saling on our way home. They each had a $2 limit -- and Garrett bought a black wooden violin.

No kidding. Sure -- it only had one string -- but he was making music.

Landon bought some old Christmas jingle bells...

Treasure everywhere, people...well, sorta...

American Pickers

After a very scarry week in the hospital, I finally got to take Garrett on his summer Aunt Rita Adventure. Sometimes it's more fun for them if I take two kids -- and on this day -- I have Garrett and Landon. We're headed off to an "artistic" adventure but they don't know that....

It was a hot summer day, so we started at Big Dave & Holly's in LeClaire, Iowa --

To my surprise, Garrett knew the owners -- and they had a little visit while we waited for our delicious shakes...

THAT'S WHEN THE MAGIC HAPPENED....our American Pickers moment....Also friends of Big Dave and Holly -- Frank and Mike often eat here...So, who did we see? Was it Frank? Mike?

NO -- IT WAS THEIR FILM CREW!! Here's my poor cellphone picture of Garrett and Landon with the American Pickers production team....If you look carefully, you can see there are 5 crew members....but I'm pretty sure the guy in the orange t-shirt is in the witness protection program.



No -- wait -- I think it's just the owner, ducking out of the shot...

Both Landon and Garrett are fans of the show -- and meeting the "crew" was a real thrill for them.

But this was JUST THE BEGINNING of our adventure on that day...

Elliott's Zombie Preparation

If I don't see Lillian at least once a month -- I start to worry that I might be missing some important developments -- so I sometimes have to make a quick trick up to Wisconsin.

Elliott is one of those guys who has MANY, MANY HOBBIES. He has always been a gifted mechanic, and enjoys wrenching on cars...and he loves to golf, and hunt. But his big lifetime activity is guns.

This little video is me experimenting with my new compact video camera...the sound isn't great...but if you hang with it, you'll feel more secure, safe in the knowledge that somebody is preparing the country for the zombie apocalypse...

My Basement Archeological Dig

This summer, I've spent half a day a week (Monday's, when Carrie comes) going through boxes of treasure in my basement. Most of the stuff I find has been buried for MANY YEARS. In some cases, I didn't even know I had it.

Take this stash of six delicate necklaces, for example. I found them folded into a very old envelope, wedged in a box of vintage women's magazines....most likely bought at an auction for maybe $2.50...
My favorite necklace was this one with the hands holding a marble...there was also a diamond (I'm sure)...and a little gold cross...a ship's anchor...well, you get the idea...

I took my gaggle of necklaces to breakfast club "show & tell" -- and because Aunt Ada looks so good in diamonds, I gave her that priceless treasure...(lol)...

Of course, I'll give the small gold cross to Lillian. Maybe in a fancy velvet box, eh? (it sure LOOKS expensive...)

But my favorite find this summer was this pair of SPECTACULAR LEATHER BOOTS. Oh My God. I completely forgot I owned these fabulous boots...




I purchased them in 1996. I sooo loved these boots -- I made an outfit to go with them to photograph for my book, "Life Is Not A Dress Size".

And, judging from the pristine condition of the bottom of the boots -- they've been hiding in my basement under a protective mountain of fabric ever since the day of the photo shoot.

But I am delighted to report that THEY FIT CARRIE. And she promises me they'll get some good use. Finally. As a matter of fact, they are her new fashionable new "spider boots"...

Once again -- my Carrie is the hippest cleaning lady in town!!

A New Naming Trend

I was reading an article online about women taking on their husband's last name after marriage. (written after the Kim Kardashian wedding). Then -- it got to this part:

Some women and their fiancés sidestep the decision -- and potential judgment -- by taking a different path altogether.

Eric Jankstrom, 28, formerly Eric Jankowsky, works in television in New York and is among the small number of men giving up part of their names. He and his wife Laura Lindstrom got married last August and are calling themselves the Jankstroms.

"My wife is a very progressive woman," Jankstrom said. "She was like, 'I don't like your last name. I’m never going to be an 'owksy.'"

Emily Zeugner, 32, who works in media in New York, and her husband, Amos Kenigsberg, made a similar decision -- they changed their last name to Zeeberg.

*************

Really? Is this going to catch on? Hummm. My maiden name was Little. I married a Farro.
So what were the possibilities?

Lirro?

That wouldn't work...

Oh...I see it now. The first three letters of John's last name...then the last four letters of my maiden name.

Do you see it?

Gee...I crack myself up....



Farttle.

This proves what we've all known for a long time. Every new idea is not necessarily a winner...

Deborah's Ultimate Recycle, Part #2

So, after our pleasant BLT lunch -- we are enjoying Deb's usual "sew and tell" projects.

Her son, Mitchell, owns his own business. "Hammertime". He does remodeling, additions, decks on houses, etc. And he is a gifted mechanic. Recently, he got his kids involved in Go Karts. Remember Austin? My guest to the Living Land & Waters barge party? Well -- turns out he LOVES RACING. So Mitchell is spending most of his free time "wrenching" on go carts.

AND HE NEEDS AN APRON. Really? When is the last time this happened? A son called his mother and asked, "could you make me an apron?"

Deb was delighted. Although, it needs to be heavy duty -- it needs pockets for gauges and greasy car parts.

So, she was thinking about how she'd make the apron...and what fabric she'd use...when it hit her.

Deb has a pair of our Dad's bib overalls.

OH MY...

Mitchell was very close to his Grandpa Little. As a matter of fact, my Dad was the best man at Mitch's wedding -- on the day he married his beautiful bride, our Stacy.

Yep. Making a "man's apron" out of Dad's bib overalls is a brilliant idea...Deb was so inspired, she actually got TWO APRONS out of Dad's bibs. I'm wearing the apron made out of the front of the bibs and Deb's wearing the apron she made out of a pantleg...note the stunning embroidery...

Deb was very clever with the pocket. using the existing pockets, she opened them up and added some heavy canvas to the back -- making one big tool pouch.

She's a genius, I'm telling you. Pure genius...

How Many Jackets Does Rita Have?

It has become painfully obvious that I have WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES. Yikes. When Carrie actually stacked up my black pants, she firmly told me that nobody needs 34 pair of BLACK PANTS. I reluctantly agreed to pick my favorite 10...

And she was right. Of course.

But -- here's the deal. My name is Rita and I am addicted to jackets. I have specific "show clothes" -- of course. Which always means a new jacket for each day of Sew Expo -- and I've been doing that for years. I love every one of them. This is me with Mary Mulari -- I'm wearing my 2011 Day Four Sew Expo jacket...
In my new-found spirit of "less is more" -- and in my ongoing effort to NOT becoming an episode on the "Hoarders" show -- I have been working to reorganize my house. I have sorted through tons of stuff. Old papers, business documents and magazines have been shredded or burned. Books, clothes, sewing stash, old toys, and outdated computer equipment have been donated to the Goodwill. I've made some wonderful progress. Lillian has her own room -- the new treadmill has a spacious area -- and my family can actually SEE the top of the pool table.

But what can I do with all these wonderful jackets?? In the basement, I have the off-season jackets hanging up and covered with a sheet...

One of those portable "wardrobes" is completely packed tight with fabulous jackets...some of them were photographed in my book, "Life Is Not A Dress Size"....how can I get rid of them?

THESE are the in-season jackets that have overflowed from the actual closet in my bedroom...

Oh-oh -- another area stuffed with Rita's-jacket-collection...


The bigger problem is that any time I see a jacket that is embroidered, or has some kind of textile detail -- if it's a bargain -- I BUY IT. If it fits me -- I BUY IT. If I think it might one day fit me -- I BUY IT. If I think I could cut it up to add the parts to another jacket that fits me -- I BUY IT.

YIKES -- HOW MANY JACKETS DO YOU THINK I CURRENTLY OWN??

SO -- here's the game.....did you ever play that "how many jelly beans in the jar" game? Well -- here's the Rita Jacket Game. GUESS how many jackets I own.

Because it's hard to comment on this blog (unless you are registered with gmail) -- just email me your guess. I'll give you this hint -- it is more than 50 and less than 1000.

ritafar@aol.com

Missoni Melts Down Target...

DID YOU GET YOUR MISSONI??

You probably know by now that it is SOLD OUT everywhere. The pop-up store in Times Square sold out in 6 hours....the Target website was so overwhelmed, it had a picture of a dog for almost 24 hours...

From the 9/13/11 Chicago Tribune:

The Missoni for Target collection, made up of 400 items with the Italian luxury design house's hallmark zig-zag patterns, was slated to run from Tuesday through Oct. 22 at 1,762 Target stores in the U.S. and online. But buzz in the fashion blogosphere leading up to the opening, stoked by Target's advertising campaign, created what Target officials described as "unprecedented" demand.

Shoppers lined up outside the stores before openings, as many as 100 deep at some stores, and blew through with shopping carts, loading up on everything from Missoni boots to bedding to bikes. Most stores opened at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., and within an hour much of the merchandise was gone. The Target.com website also crashed and was still not fully functional early Tuesday evening.

Joshua Thomas, a spokesman for the Minneapolis-based retailer said, "Many of our stores are sold out or close to sold out of the collection," said Thomas. "We've never seen anything like this before."

There are no plans to restock the shelves beyond what Target stores received for the opening day, he said.

Within hours of Target's Missoni opening on Tuesday, eBay sellers began posting Target's Missoni merchandise online at inflated prices. A chevron zig-zag tote bag, originally $34.99, was listed for more than $100 on eBay, with bids starting at $50.

Target apologized on its Twitter account Tuesday for the difficulties with its website. And throughout the day, Target.com showed a picture of Target's mascot dog saying, "Woof! We are suddenly extremely popular. You may not be able to access our site momentarily due to unusually high traffic. Please stay here and we'll try to get you in as soon as we can!"

Target had been working with Italian luxury knitwear design house Missoni for the past year to develop the line of 400 items. The Missoni family viewed the deal as a way to bring one of Italy's best-known luxury brand names to a wider audience.

*************

I GOT LUCKY. My cousin Kim and I went to the Clinton , Iowa Target store after supper on Tuesday (launch day) -- and they had some stuff. I bought the thing I wanted the most -- but you'll have to wait for the picture. Next week, I'm having a Missoni unveiling at my house...

THE NEXT DAY, Mary Mulari called me from the Virginia, Minnesota Target store. They had a surprisingly large selection -- of many things I never got to see in Clinton. Mary walked around the entire store, talking to me on her cellphone, describing the available Missoni items -- and this is the "stash" she bought for me...my second "Missoni" score of the week!!




BUT YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET, FOLKS!! I have yet to reveal MY BIG MISSONI SCORE...

Really...this is so much fun...

As Lillian would say, "Me Happy!"

Project Runway -- SPOILER

There are nine designers still standing...



The Challenge: Nine random men walk on the stage -- and the designers take turns picking their "guy". Terrified about designing "menswear" -- they go to the workroom only to discover that -- Eureka -- they are SAVED. The challenge is actually about having the guy help them design an outfit for his wife.

Whew! That was a close call...

AND a completely bogus twist -- because the "women" walked into the room during the sketching phases and the designers listened to them -- not the "men". It MIGHT have actually been a legitimate challenge if the women had to do their fitting blindfolded...or with a bag over their head...and WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK.

Oliver, I know, would have paid for that to happen...

Anyway -- the clear winner was Anya. No, wait, I loved Viktor's outfit the most. For me -- Joshua Anthony was a distant third.

But, instead -- Joshua gets the win?? Hey -- they put Burt in the bottom because they'd "seen his dress before". If that's the criteria -- who hasn't seen Joshua Anthony's little black dress a hundred million times? His win completely baffled me. For one thing -- it was the anti-Joshua dress. They rewarded him for ignoring his own point of view and designing something that reflected what the woman wanted, NOT what he wanted to do...???

Thanks, judges. With two wins, his head will be so big you'll have to widen the doors at Parson's..

Oliver should have been in the bottom three. His outfit was completely boring. Navy pants and a beige top? Neither one of them fit his client or had a single memorable detail. Ugh...

Instead -- they put Anthony Ryan in the bottom?? NO WAY!! He did the same thing Joshua did -- designed a dress his CLIENT loved. His dress was beautifully made, wonderful flirty skirt, great fitting, flattering bodice, it was perfectly suited to his "client" -- and she looked great in it. The judges said it looked like a cheerleader outfit?? Yet, at the same time, it looked too old, like "for a grandma"...??

Bryce went home for trying to make a dress for a kangaroo out of Pepto Bismal bottles. He won't be missed, as I can't remember anything he ever made...

Anya is pulling ahead...I'm loving her point of view...and every single week, Viktor surprises me in a very good way...

But the arbitrary, inconsistent judging is making me crazy...

Deborah's Ultimate Recycle

My sister Deb was coming to town for Labor Day Weekend. She called and said, "you've GOT TO SEE my recycled sewing project"...and I could tell she sounded really excited.

So, on her first day in town -- we went over to Stacy's house (her daughter-in-law) for a BLT lunch. (yummo) and the first thing we saw was this gorgeous embroidered totebag.

Deb has embroidered several Jenny Haskins quilts -- and she was well on her way with another one when -- well -- we've all experienced it. Things just weren't going as planned...

So, she took a right turn and decided to make TOTEBAGS out of her completed squares.

Stacy was delighted...

WAY TO GO, DEB. Soo creative!!



BUT -- this was NOT Deb's ultimate recycle project...

Wait until you see what she did. That girl is so clever....

And it started with a phone call from her son....

Project Runway Team Challenge

Okay -- so last week, I was traveling on Thursday -- so I didn't post about Project Runway. Mary Mulari and I were doing our Ya Ya gig at the QSC show in Cincinnati. Fortunately, our hotel did have Lifetime on their cable television...so I was able to watch.

I didn't mind this team challenge so much because every designer got to make their own garment. But the constant commercials for HP is beginning to annoy me.

So -- okay -- it's the HP episode. I get it. And -- HEY -- if you are a designer -- being able to DESIGN YOUR OWN FABRIC is an amazing opportunity....I always watch the show thinking about what I would do...which, sadly, not one of the remaining designers has ever done. The "create your own fabric" seemed like a complete surprise to all of them.

I would take my HP digital camera to the Guggenhiem museum and snap about 20 pictures. C'mon, people...you ALWAYS KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN...YOU ARE IN NEW YORK CITY!!

With ten designers -- nobody could think beyond taking disjointed videos of the crowds of people in Times Square. ugh. Their concepts were boring, similar and WEAK...

Chaos on one team, with a busy woman bustling about town. Time is short on the other team, with a busy woman bustling about town and a clock theme...both teams produced boring video of cabs and people rushing...wha???

They both came up with terrible, boring black & white fabrics. HP should be able to issue a fine for "failure to design"...

Hey -- after my visit to the art museum, I would have hand-painted one large artpiece with Kandinsky-like design -- to be used in a wrap, or a jacket or maybe on the bottom of a long skirt -- and design coordinating fabrics on the HP thing...to make the other pieces for the collection. This challenge should be SO AMAZING...

C'mon, people -- DESIGN !!

Kimberly didn't even pretend to play in this episode -- her garment was boring, way too short and had nothing to do with any of the HP fabrics. Becky went home even though she actually designed the only memorable piece of fabric in the entire show...

Anya's win was a mystery -- because that dress was just so-so -- and can you tell me what fabric she designed? Oliver's jacket was okay -- but, again -- it had NOTHING to do with the challenge. For me -- Viktor's long dress was the clear winner.

Sadly -- the ONLY PRINT I liked on this show was the shirt Josh Anthony wore on the runway. Now -- THAT was an inspired piece of fabric.

The Missoni Collection at Target!

TODAY, September 13, IS THE DAY they launch the Missoni Collection at Target. If you want to see some great pictures of all the amazing things that will be available, click here.

I WILL BE THERE AT 10:00 when the store opens. I can hardly wait....I'm pretty sure I need some new plastic dishes (this is a new passion for me -- always from Target)...



Last week, I heard that some Target stores were getting their Missoni merchandise early -- so I called two local stores -- one in Clinton and one in Davenport. Neither store seemed knew what I was talking about.

Could it be possible that the people at Target don't know the Missoni collection is coming??

On Sunday, I actually went to the Target store in Clinton to see if they had a hint of Missoni...nothing....

As I was checking out, I asked at the cash register about the "Missoni Collection". Two clerks gave me blank looks...

Now I'm worried. Because I think it's such a big deal, I figured every Target employee in the country would be involved in this designer launch...

Here's what I learned. The local employees -- the store clerks I was talking to, for example -- will have nothing whatsoever to do with stocking the shelves with Missoni.

The trucks will arrive in the middle of the night on September 12....and a crew will completely set up the Missoni. When the regular employees arrive at work -- the re-merchandising job will be all done.

That's how it works? Wow.

I think I'll buy a suitcase...and -- hey -- THERE IS A CHILDREN'S COLLECTION...!!


BOOTS??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Lilly loves boots!!

Welcome Home Andy

After his army enlistment -- and two tours in Iraq -- Andy -- my niece Kelcy's husband -- is FINALLY coming home for good. OUT OF THE ARMY!! Yippee Kayee...

Kelcy wanted to do something special. Since the whole family is going to be home for Labor Day -- of course there will be a picnic. And -- hey -- since the little neighboring town of McCausland is famous for their Labor Day parade...maybe there could also be a float??

Deb is up from Nashville -- and, as luck would have it -- she's driving her hot new red sportscar.

PERFECT...!!

Emily is great with letters -- so she is in charge of PAINTING the words "Welcome Home Andy Hanson".

Excellent...

Andy's Homecoming, Deb's sportscar, Emily's banner, and a cast of dozens...


No kidding. The banner looked amazing. We used blue painter's tape for the border...and you've gotta admit, Deborah's car was PERFECT...

Deb -- with Stacy -- walking around town before the parade...we are all excited, and Andy has NOOOOO idea....

The Schroder crew -- milling about BEFORE the parade. Saving our good spot. In the beginning of the route (before the floats all run out of candy)...

And here's my little video. Remember -- I'm still learning. But you'll get the idea...




This is my best picture of Kelcy and Andy -- taken right after the parade...(yes, I did want to stop the parade to take my pictures, but even I have my limits...)

Deb's husband, Rod, was helping to "recreate" the parade moment for my after-the-show pictures...



GREAT JOB EVERYBODY...and Welcome Home, Andy. We think you're going to love it here...

September 11th...

Mostly, I don't post on Sundays anymore. This morning, on the tenth anniversary of September 11th, I really wanted to say something...but words are so inadequate.

Then, I saw this Budwseiser commercial today. They made it for the 2002 Superbowl and their intention was to only air it one time.

Today, on the 10th anniversary -- they ran it again.

It is a fine tribute...

Easy Bake?? NO WAY!!

I bought an Easy-Bake oven for Lillian -- thinking it would be a really fun activity. I gave it to her during my recent visit. I mean -- it's nice to walk into the house with a gift, right?

First of all -- Emily had to find a 100 watt lightbulb (no easy task in today's energy-efficient world, people).

Two hours later, after some assembly and reading the very poorly written, confusing incomplete directions -- we are finally ready to go.

But, to be clear -- this thing should NOT be called "Easy Bake". It should be called the "Disappointing Bake Oven"....or maybe the "one-time-only" play oven. Because I'm absolutely sure NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would put themselves through this torture TWICE...

The door doesn't even open -- it's just a decal. You have to use a long plastic "tool" to place the tiny pan into the baking chamber and then remove it...ugh...

But we went into our activity with lots of enthusiasm. Lillian is really excited...it's just possible we have oversold this piece of crap....

After 15 minutes to preheat the oven -- it takes another 15 minutes to "bake" the single thin little 2" round cake....ARE YOU KIDDING ME....oh, dear...

Time to whip out A REAL CAKE MIX, MOMMY...!! GET A BIG BOWL!! GRANDMA -- TURN ON THE REAL OVEN...

Good idea. Lilly can do some serious finger-licking with a real bowl of cake batter. Gheesh...I love her little apron....

Emily is expecting company on this night -- so with a can of frosting, Lillian is delighted to be MAKING ENOUGH cupcakes to share with her friends...Andy, Mandy and Ember.

This is the first can of frosting I ever bought -- and I was impressed. IT IS DELICIOUS. You have my permission to never make frosting again -- BUY A CAN -- IT IS AWESOME!

Of course, the sprinkles are the important thing....

AND -- note to self -- next time, give the toddler her bath AFTER frosting the cupcakes...

Hanging Clothes Outside

During my recent "walk" over to my sister Ronda's house -- I took this picture of the clothes hanging on her line. Mom would be very pleased with you, Ronda....

Ronda is, in many ways, a 1960's woman. She bakes the best apple pies, puts up her own pickles, butchers pigs and deer, cans an incredible number of green beans, tomatoes and assorted vegetables...

And -- Ronda HANGS OUT ALL HER CLOTHES. As a matter of fact -- she doesn't even OWN a clothes dryer...


Our Mom judged other women by the quality of of their clothes-hanging-techniques and habits. If they didn't get their sheets on the line early Monday morning, they were considered low class. And if they didn't line up their clothes in the proper order (jeans with jeans, socks with socks) -- Mom knew they were lazy.

As you know -- I ONLY HANG SHEETS OUT ON MY LINE. For most other things -- I am a big fan of the modern clothes dryer.

Here's a recent shot of my own clothesline -- with just a few of my "clothespin bags". Apparently, it's something I have been collecting for many years...because during my recent digging-out-and-throwing-away-something-every-week-activity -- I discovered I actually own 14 of these suckers...!!!

Here's another shot of the best eight bags -- doing what God meant for them to do -- hanging on the clothesline.

I WISH YOU LIVED NEAR ME....because I would happily give you a clothespin bag. Carrie told me that I can only keep two of them...the rest of them are headed to the Goodwill.

Which two should I keep?