Red Raider Nation!

I am here in the Treasure State again! It is good to be back! I have had quite the time already. I have had a lot of luck with the thrift stores too...ohhh how am I ever going to bring all this stuff back with me??

One of my finds has patience written all over it! Let me explain:

Last year I visited a thrift store in Whitefish that seemed more like an antique store than a resale shop. I ventured over to a pile of blankets and was amazed to see TWO Texas Tech Pendleton Blankets. There was one that was a lettered blanket for basketball from the 40s with a huge double T in the middle of the blanket. The other one had the Masked Rider with the Double T that spelled out Texas Tech University. I was soooo excited! To find my Alma Mater in Whitefish, Montana was pretty crazy. Then I looked at the price tag.. $150 EACH!! I was outraged and saddened. No way would I spend that much for nostalgia. Damn It.

Several weeks later I mustered up some courage to buy one of them. But once I finally got there, they were gone. I was pretty bummed because I talked myself into buying one for memories of Montana. Oh Well. It wasn't meant to be.

Well fast forward a year later..I am back here having a great time shopping at my favorite haunts. I still think fondly of those neat blankets from time to time.

Farmer suggested going by the Flathead Industries store in Kalispell...even though they anger me with their high prices. We stopped by but they were closed. So today I decided I would go there to kill some time. I moseyed around still flabbergasted by their prices, however I did find a great southwestern table runner for only $1. I snatched that. Then I headed over to their "Antiques Area." Everything high priced as usual. Then I saw it...I lost my breath..could it be??

It was !!!

It was my two Texas Tech Blankets! How in the world?? I mean I know that the Whitefish Thrift Store and the Flathead Industries Resale Shop are both the same company, but I looked for them and never saw them last year..and here they are.

Then I saw that they were reduced in price to $80 each. Now we are talking. But then I couldn't decide which one I wanted...hmm it would be nice if I got both of them?? Maybe I'll bring Farmer back so we can decide..no, I need to figure this out before they disappear again. I talked to the manager and asked if he could make me a deal.

"I know you have had these for awhile and I am a Red Raider Alum...so what do you think? $80 for both?" He pondered for a bit and then said. "well how about $100 for both?" It was then my turn to ponder the offer and thought about how wheelin' and dealin' is all the rage of late (Picker Sisters, American Pickers, etc.).

I countered, "$90??"

"O.K.!"

Yay! I got them for $45 each.. now that is a long ways away from $150.

So, yes my friends, patience is a virtue!!

Now what am I gonna do with them? We shall see. I just love the patches. I guess Farmer and I need to go to a couple of football games and snuggle up with them!

RAIDER!!!!

POWER!!!!!!!!

Oh Happy Rainy Day!!

Oh Glorious Day! Not even in 24 hours, the rain came falling down from the heavens above and gave us 3 inches of holy water..water to quench the thirst of our arid fields of grass and flowers. Giving the animals of all kind a break from the heat and a good glass of cool, clean water to drink. I saw a bunny cross the road yesterday evening drinking out of a pothole. I bet he was in heaven..bunny heaven!

I walked around today like it was a snow day. Watching nature at its finest..water raining down, water standing still, and water rushing by. What a sight to see! Thank you dear Lord. I know you heard our prayers and I thank you for every single drop!

this tank was completely DRY yesterday!

This morning I awoke at 5 AM to turn off the water timers for our sprinklers. It was not a chore and I did not curse the time..I embraced my duty with an umbrella and turned off each timer with a smile. I was so excited I could barely go back to sleep. I turned off my ac (it is rather loud) and opened up all the doors that lead to the porches so I could sleep with peace while listening to the rain falling down on the tin roof...pure bliss!


Yesterday I made a plea with God, Mother Nature, and the Sky. If it rains, I will stand right in the middle of it and let it rain down on me. And it happened. I stood out on the sidewalk and the rain soaked me to the bone. It was revitalizing and I knew I needed it as much as my garden did.




This picture summarizes this summer. Heat, lots of it..enough to kill some cows and dry up the tanks and the rivers. Then in a blink of an eye the water came down and quenched the earth and filled up the tanks with fresh water.


The rain started yesterday around 6pm and lasted for about 45 minutes to an hour. We received 4/10ths.

This morning (Saturday) the rain started up again with the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening aroud 5 Am (probably a bit before that) and lasted til 1pm.


Yesterday, when talking with Farmer on the phone (he's in Montana and I am sad that he could not see this miracle) and he wished aloud, "Well what would be best is if we got 3 inches!!" I told him, "well, beggars cannot be choosers..we should be happy with 4/10ths"....By noon the next day he got his wish!!

This morning while sleeping to the sound of music..err rain..i dreamt of waterfalls all over the property. And lookie here..my dream came true!

My Collection of Bunnies

easter bunny and peaches


ma and pa bunny


ma and pa again

i spy a bunny

nearly stepped on this bunny!

Feed Bags...Get Your Feed Bags!

Well, my prediction turned out true...making the next bag was very simple..so simple that I was able to make three in just a couple of hours. However, that does not include the lining. That takes a bit..and the strap. So far I have completely finished two and I think they have turned out great!

They are smaller than my prototype which I think is better. I also get more out of one sack. (about two and a half). I am pretty stoked about the bags and I hope others are too. I now understand why purses cost a lot of money. There is a lot of time and material that go into them. I have them for sale for $36 at the mall and it definitely does not cover my time..and if I had to buy the material..man this is a bargain!

But I have to be realistic as well. I am not a professional seamstress so my seams are crooked and the bags are not perfect. But they are sturdy and will hold your wallet and other junk. Thank goodness it is supposed to look a bit on the rugged side or I would be SOL!

This purse turned out pretty cool! The muddled colors that make up the old wagon and mules really does give it an edge. Also the pleats give it a bit of softness to accent the rough texture of the grain sack. The lining is super cool. It is a transparent floral fabric with colors of orange, brown and chartreuse on a white background. I made a pocket on each side of the lining to hold your keys, chapstick, etc.



It's a chic piece!

Glorified Moo Moo

Well I thought I would get a little crafty today so I found an easy to make dress. Wow! In the past week I have made a purse/bag and a dress! Not one pillow either! I think I have finally gotten past the nervousness that comes with sewing...alas these are easy projects. I don't see myself making a ball gown anytime soon...but that sounds tempting..haaa. Still need to work on cutting straight (kindergarten?) and sewing seams straight. I was extra careful with this project and I think I did pretty good! What do you think?

It really is a glorified moo moo.. I made it a little big but I like it! I will try to make another one, that isn't so big and will be more like a tunic than a dress. It sure is comfy!

Got Oats?

Lately I have had the itch to create. I like to have that feeling..I will go for a long time never doing anything crafty, but am so happy when it sparks back up. I have especially wanted to do something with the sewing machine..maybe something besides a pillow?! So I was looking on craftgawker.com and got a bit of inspiration. Now mind you, I have air conditioning going on in just one room in the house and that would be the bedroom. My sewing room (more like a sewing closet) doesn't have much of a breeze but I am thankful that I can stand the heat! Just don't come near me, I can literally call my sewing room a "sweat shop"!

Farmer has a plethora of burlap sacks in the barn so I grabbed one of them...I was very excited to see Lubbock, Texas on it! I made sure my college town would be visible. I washed it (pewwww weeee) and rummaged through the surplus of fabric on the shelves in the sewing room. It's like my own little store. I love the fact that I have everything at my disposal! This did not cost me a dime, just time! And I have lots of that right now!

I cut out all the fabric and figured out each step in the bedroom..and then headed to the sweat shop...errr...sewing room to do a little (a lot) of sewing. I am not very good so there were many times I had to tear the seams apart and start over. It took me a while to figure out how handbags work: Adding fabric to existing because I made it too short, I had to make the strap twice due to my inexprience, and...oh what a mess. It took me two days! I hope the next one will only take me half the time (or less!)

Looks like I'm ready to go feed Shotgun!

I also made some rosettes out of scrap fabric I found in my sewing wastebasket!
They were fun and easy to make too.

Albany

On our day trip adventure we stopped in Albany. We had fallen in love with this picturesque town during our jaunts through West Texas. So clean with sculptures scattered here and there, dropping hints to the travelers passing through that this is not just an ordinary little town. This is a town with culture!

We visited the incredible art museum that is hosted in the old county jail. From Renoir to Alexander Caulder..this is a place to visit if you appreciate the arts. Who knew that such a small town could have this vast collection.

My favorite piece, though, was the original blue prints of the courthouse. The elevations, sections, and floor plans were beautiful and so simple. Line weight that is created by the artistic hand is what is truly lacking in our world of Auto Cad...it makes me want to draft again but ahhhh I would be without a job.

For more information check out the Old Jail Museum's website here. It isn't that far from Granbury (about a 2.5 hour drive).

Farmer in "jail" reminds me of the time we were in Germany...