2013 127 Yard Sale Finds

Can you believe that another 127 Yard Sale has past?   It seems like a distant memory now.  (Partly due to the fact that upon my arrival back, I had to work a 46.5 hour work week.)  This week is being spent as a time of reflection and restocking my short term goals.  My artistic soul has been rejuvenated, and I am ready to tackle the world with a new more organized vigor. *sigh*  

 

Kentucky and Tennessee had cool temps for the duration of our trip with mornings being in the late 70's and highs in the mid to low 80's.  The lowest temps that we have ever had on a Yard Sale trip. :)  The amount of attendees appeared to be up tremendously... hopefully the sign of a recovering economy... and the vendors were out in full force.   We had three full days of flea marketing/garage sale fun. 

 

Below are a few of my finds for this year.  I always say that the treasures are a small part of the trip, compared to the time with family,  the wonderful people that we get to meet and all the wonderful vintage items that we are fortunate for the chance to see. 

 

Here are a few finds pulled from my sewing items.  Of course, I cannot make it a year without bobbins. ;)  I was a yearly return customer to the bobbin vendor, and he gave me a generous discount. :)  I couldn't resist the feed bag tote from a talented fellow upcycler.  It is so simplistic in design, roomy and amazingly durable.  My son is going to bring me a few of his to make some more.   I do so love recycling!!   Finally, I was lucky to find some 9 patch squares that were hand sewn.  The vendor wanted $20 but settled on $15.  She was a neat lady that had purchased an estate.  We looked over them together, and I confirmed to her that they were made from vintage feed sack.  After counting them later, I was pleased to find 113 blocks. :)

 

Okay,  every once in awhile my querkie artsy side comes out!   I fell for the Goebel Crayola banks in three colors.  They were dirt cheap, in like new shape and perfect for my studio. :)  And how about the Helping Hand from Hamburger Helper??   He was a giveaway in 1990.  I saw him last year from the same vendor, and this year snatched him up.  Farmerboy is a huge fan of the brand and may be lucky enough to inherit this gem someday... LOL ;)  Finally the odd purchase, there is a gentleman that sells returns and floor models from Sears.  He has a store that we frequent every trip.  I purchased a brand new Kenmore microwave for less than a 1/3 of the retail price.  Score!



Here is my small haul from the last stop on my trip.  I never thought I would be transporting  home some vintage Shiney Brites.  The yellow Santa ornament caught my eye.  He was a design that my collection did not have!  There were two in the same color with the same design, and I am the proud owner of both.  :)  The blue Santa in the upper right corner is in slightly rough shape, but I am pretty sure this is a new design also.  The remaining ornaments were purchased due to the fact that I have the designs but not in those particular colors.  It is such a joy to find new members to a collection.

 

I have some more photos to share in follow up posts.  If you have the opportunity and love to flea market, the 127 Corridor Yard Sale is a must!  

Backyard Pond Critters

I have been spending my free time enjoying the natural wonders in our small pond.  Each year we stock the water feature with fish, but this year was different.  We decided to let the pond have a more natural overgrown appearance.  The pond lilies look wonderful, since they have kicked into high growth this year.  While the fish are still enjoying themselves in the indoor tank, the little critters in nature were allowed to take over the pond.  

 

There were days and nights when the visiting frogs were so loud!  It was the meet and greet spot and apparently a little bit more... Since there weren't any fish to spoil their activities, it wasn't long before the pond was filled with tadpoles.  It was so exciting to watch them get their little feet.  I haven't observed this phenomenon for years. :)

They love to munch on the algae surrounding the lily pads. 

Here is one of the little guys that already has his legs and is a fully developed frog.  He is still sporting a tail...  The last remnant of his early aquatic life. *sigh* 

While watching the bugs skate on the surface of the water, I had an unexpected visitor swim up to check out the action...  A snapping turtle who had made a very long journey to our pond.  He has been named Gary T. Snapper and is the self professed King of the pond.   It is so much fun watching him swim between the lilies and sun himself.  I've spent many a moment pondering how he made the journey to this small obscure pond.  He has definitely earned the right to claim this water as his home.  :)  

Father's Day at Gavilon

As luck would have it, Father's Day was marked by my son having to load a train at work.  His Father and I spent the morning in Jefferson, WI at a flea market.  (Let me say that the weather was perfect!)  When we got home, Mr. Hollow settled down to catch the NHRA races and lounge around for the afternoon... But that plan soon changed.  Farmerboy called and said that he was able to get permission for us to see him working at his job.  I do not know if my son realized it, but the visit was one of the best gifts that he could have given his Dad.  Mr. Hollow was thrilled to watch his son at his job.  :)

 

Here is Farmerboy as he loads the cars.  The big screen shows the different bins that he is pulling the wheat from (and lots of other stuff that I did not know! ;) ).  The smaller screen shows the amounts that he is dumping and different viewing angles of the cars as they pass by.  To the left of my son  is a window that looks down on the cars.   He keeps in radio contact with the driver as they carefully move the cars into the loading area.  I believe it is a team of 5 men plus 1 supervisor that loads the train.  It is a small crew that does an enormous amount of work in about 8 to 9 hours.  AMAZING!! 

 

** NOTE** Next to this room, there is a room where the inspectors do their job of making sure the product is of the right quality.  These gentlemen came from 3 hours away to do there job.  YIKES!

 

I ventured out with a hard hat on to get a picture of one of the outside workers.  You might need to click on this picture to see him walking down the cars to flip the top doors open.   There is another worker on the other end that will close them after loading.  They wear a wire and harness for safety in case they should ever lose their footing.   There is another man (not pictured)  that checks the underside of the cars, and another that drives the engine.

Mr. Hollow and I had a wonderful time visiting with some of the members of the team and watching them all at work.  They should be very proud of themselves.  For being a new facility, all of the crew (which consist of all local residents)  work like a fine tuned machine to turn these trains out and get the grain on its way.  :)

Introducing The Dark Knight ~ LLama

Let me introduce you to "The Dark Knight".  This is the papered name of Farmerboy's newest addition to his flock.  He is a handsome black and white llama that has the most endearing large brown eyes that you have ever seen!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Dark Knight" has been christened with the more common name Luke by Farmerboy.  Luke's long curly tresses are so soft.  They took me by surprise.  I thought they would lean more to the texture of sheep's wool.... definitely NOT the case.  :)   

 

As you can see, he isn't very tall but has long ears that remind me of a donkey's.   Did you know that llamas do not have teeth on the top of their mouth?  Just a hard pallet.  Their lower teeth are similar to the shape of our upper teeth.  Luke is the most fascinating animal and was as curious about me as I was of him.  He kept walking up to me and allowing me to pet and talk to him.  He is a very endearing 2 year old.  :)

 



 

 

 

 

I wish that this photo had sound.  Luke kept humming as he walked around.  Here he is with Farmerboy as they hummed a tune to each other.  After they were done, Luke put his nose up against my son's.  I have never seen such a gentle soul as this wondrous critter.   The little lambs were not sure what to think of him (his hair is trimmed in a show cut), but Ariel and Lego accepted him into the group.  I am sure Luke will win them all over, and they will soon be great friends.

 



Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt ~ Prim Rearranging

As I was measuring my "Sister's Choice" quilt for its border, my eyes wandered over to my wicker work basket where my very first quilt was folded and tucked away.  The "Disappearing 9 Patch"  was composed of my very favorite fall themed fabrics.  It was folded and set aside, because I couldn't make up my mind on a border.  Enough procrastinating...  The border will be black.  I unfolded the top, measured, cut, sewed, and viola. 

 

The finish to this quilt has been on my mind ever since the discovery of my newest obsession  The Free Motion Quilting Project blog by Leah Day.  Leah has inspired the designing artist in me to take a stab at some thread art.  Her blog is a wealth of knowledge on the "how to" of machine quilting.  Leah is such an inspirational quilter and human being.  Her blog is full of helpful videos, and she has classes available for purchase on Craftsy.   After a lot of reading, Kenna and I have decided to create some loose spider webs on the black border of this quilt.  You know, the kind that cover the garden plants in the fall. *sigh*  :)  

  

 

There's been a little delay in the practice of free motion quilting, as I awaited some supplies to get Kenna and myself prepared:   quilter gloves, a soapstone pencil, a darning foot, and a walking foot.  I am so excited to take this next step.  I have some mini projects planned for the upcoming week! :)

 

 

Here is a pic of my new work area in the front room.  Due to the addition of the kitchen island, my oak table had to move to the front of the house.  I am not a big fan of the heavy pattern to oak furniture.  The table definitely needed to be toned down, so I folded up one of my garage sale quilt scores.  (It is a hand quilted beauty that if I remember correctly was $10.00.)   It makes a nice runner and adds a very homey feel to the front room.  My wooden trencher fits in nicely after I darkened the wood with some instant coffee. ;) 

 

 



Got to get some mowing done today.  Hopefully, I will be able to get some sewing in after work tomorrow! :)

Easy Enchilada ~ Recipe

Now that my kitchen is back in order, I have a new zest for cooking.  Here is an enchilada recipe with little prep time (big plus after a long work day) that is a big hit with my family.  The only change for the next batch would be to off set the filling slightly to one side to make rolling easier.

 

Ingredients needed: 

 

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 of a medium onion (chopped)

1 pkg. Old El Paso taco seasoning

 2 c. shredded taco 3 cheese mix 

2 (16 oz.) cans of Old El Paso refried beans 

 2 (10 oz.) cans of Old El Paso enchilada sauce 

1 pkg. of 8 large flour tortillas (room temp) 

1/2  can black olives (sliced)

 

 

Directions are simple.  Prepare a 13 x 9 pan with a light dusting of cooking spray, drizzle one can of enchilada sauce over the bottom, and set to the side.  Cook ground beef (consistency of tacos) with onions in a medium skillet and add taco seasoning per directions on package.  While your doing this, arrange your 8 tortillas (as below) and begin the assembling process.  First, distribute your 2 cans of refried beans to each one and smooth in a line.  Second, add a scoop of your taco meat and spread over beans.  Then, top with a sprinkling of taco cheese (reserving some for over finished enchiladas).   Now, fold over the top and the bottom of the tortilla and roll into a burrito (offsetting the filling would make this step easier).   

 

 

 

 

 

As you finish each one, set them in the 13 x 9 baking dish.  After they are completed, pour the second can of enchilada sauce over all of them, top with the reserved cheese, and garnish with sliced black olives.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes.

 



And here they are finished.  By using the larger tortillas, one enchilada makes a meal for me.   If you are cooking for children, smaller tortillas would be just the ticket. :)   Although my family prefers the flour tortilla, one could try the corn ones for a more authentic twist.  We didn't need to have all 8 enchiladas for our family; so, I took two from the prep stage, and before rolling them shut, drizzled a little enchilada sauce on top of the filling, wrapped them tight for storage, and froze them for a weekend lunch.  Quick and Easy... :)

Primitive Island ~ Kitchen Renovation

Mr. Hollow and I decided it was time to say good-bye to the table in the kitchen.  Since I love to cook and was in desperate need of the extra counter space, we decided to go with an island.  Plus, we made an overhang to create a bar on one side to accommodate 2 people.  Just perfect for us! :)

 

My big purchase was two counter top height chairs in a dark oak from Overstock.com.  They are very sturdy and comfortable.  Since it is nearly impossible to match my cabinets, I went with my love for a darker oak.  ;)  I am very impressed with the quality of the chairs which was a relief, since I was buying without testing... Yikes!



 

 

 

 

 

I will do a post later on a new method (to me anyways) that I found for distressing wainscoting.  Believe it or not, my original plan was to leave the island a stained brown.  It was Mr. Hollow that came home and kept suggesting that a distressed look would be better to tie in with the garbage holder that my son made and makes it completely different from the cabinets.  What the man is allowing painted furniture and distressed to boot?   I wasted no time and surprised him by faux finishing it the next day while he was at work.   He said it was better than he could have imagined.  WOW... this was a great compliment coming from a terribly picky man! :) 

Mr. Hollow and Farmerboy finished the cabinet out with some vintage barn board.  Here is where my Hubby's non love of prim comes in... Flaking paint!  I had to promise to run it over lightly with a wire brush and finish with some matte sealer.   That will be easy enough! ;)

I was adamant that there wouldn't be any doors on this island with the proximity to the stove.  Farmerboy wanted to make some with chicken wire, but it would have been unappreciated in the back and a pain to open.  So, Mr. Hollow left the back open and made a short removable shelf to store lighter food items. 

I can honestly say the island was one of the best decisions that we have made for our home.  It makes our kitchen... Well... More like a kitchen! ;)  Plus,  I found out how great it is to NOT be leaning over a table all the time to prepare meals.  It is absolutely heavenly! :)