Summer Time Grilling!

I am participating in Kelli's of There's No Place Like Home Friday Show and Tell. {Click on this link to read more about it.}
I thought it would be fun to share a grilled meal with y'all. It is hot and humid here in the deep south and I just hate to heat up my kitchen. And I love healthy, low calorie meals!

The Menu (To feed 2 adults, 1 child and enough left over for one lunch the next day)

• 2 Tuna Steaks
• 1 lb Fresh Tiny Asparagus (on sale at the local market this week!)
• 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes

You will also need Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Lemon Juice & Greek Seasonings. And of course, a grill and a Microwave.

Marinade the Tuna in Olive Oil (1-2 Tablespoons), Juice of one Lemon and Greek Seasonings.

Microwave Sweet Potatoes for 3 minutes, slice about 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick and set aside. This will enable the potatoes to cook quicker on the grill and they will be ready to take up at the same time the meat and asparagus are ready to take up.

Wash Asparagus and pat dry.

Place the Sweet Potato and Asparagus on the grill, brush with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Sea Salt and Greek Seasonings.

Add your Tuna to the Grill. If you have never Grilled Tuna before, Grill it just like you do Beef Steak. We cook ours done, but like it moist, tender and flaky.

Make sure you turn your vegetables frequently.

Plate it up and
Enjoy!!!

This is so Cute...

...I just had to share. :-)
I got the pattern from Quilt Taffy. The pattern & instructions for this little cutie can be found here Elephant Tutorial and here is the link to the pattern Elephant Pattern

Y'all, this was fun to make. Fun to teach DD how to hand stitch. And just fun! And did I mention EASY! A good way to use up scraps. A good way to bring a smile to a child's face. The first one I made did go to one of DD's friends who was visiting us at the time. Like DD, she is a collector of 'plush' and she was most impressed with the elephant.

On this particular Elephant, DD added eyes with a sharpie. On the next one, I think we will use buttons.

Y'all go check out Quilt Taffy's Site I promise you will enjoy it.

Photos from a Walt Disney World Trip

I want to thank everyone for commenting on my Grandpa's favorite "inside" chair. (I am also blessed to have his favorite "outside" chair as well!!!) Having that chair has really brought back memories. Now, I need to educate myself on reupholstering and new stuffing. All of it is going to need replacing. The front left leg may need a 'real' carpenter to repair it. So... I will need to find someone who knows what s/he is doing. :-)

In the last few days, I have been looking at some old photos. I am a professional photographer, but when I go on vacation, I like to keep a small camera handy, even when I tote around professional gear. I remember this particular trip to Walt Disney World, I only carried what my little fanny pack would hold. My little point and shoot. My DH has laughed and laughed about buying me this camera. He said he should have done it years ago. It has paid for itself over and over b/c I never print the photos!!!! I just load them on the computer, burn them to a CD and look at them later. LOL! "I can buy you several digital cameras for what you have saved me..." Now I ask, "Where is my Nikon D3x? Huh?" Actually, I was still shooting film professionally. I was trying to get my feet wet and get comfortable with digital. As a film photographer for 20 years, and a medium format shooter, this was a hard transition for me. But, for a little point and shoot, these photos are not bad, not bad at all!
Enjoy!

A couple of photos taken with my trusty point and shoot camera (Cannon A/75). I love this camera because it will fit in my purse and no one is safe ;-D!
I believe this first photo was taken...Well I know it was taken in a gift shop somewhere in WDW.

This photo was taken outside the teashop in Epcot "England" right after Illuminations. I love china, I love tea, I love this shop and I loved the lighting of the wares displayed in the window after the store was closed.

I hope that you enjoy the photos!

My Grandpa's Chair

I am participating in Kelli's of There's No Place Like Home Friday Show and Tell. {Click on this link to read more about it.}

And this Friday, I want to tell you about one my my Grandpa's chairs. My Grandpa had two favorite chairs that he always sat in. His favorite inside chair is a beautiful chair and it has a mate (I have no idea who has the mate). Both chairs were sitting in the living room, in front of the big picture window with a marble top table in between them. Grandpa was a chain smoker and he was always smoking, half turned so he could look out the window and still watch us play in the floor. As we got older and became adults, he would still sit in that chair, look out the window and still be able to turn to face us for conversation.

Grandpa was a carpenter, a builder, a designer and an, uneducated by modern standards, architect. During the depression, building was slow. He would do odd jobs, repair jobs, handy man type stuff to make money, in order to feed my Grandma, Dad and his brothers. Sometimes, people who had very very nice homes and possessions... would call him to come do work for them. After he completed the job, they would not have any money to pay him..... Grandpa learned to never leave without some sort of compensation...

One such lady tried to get out of paying Grandpa for a job well done. When he looked around her beautiful home for something of equal value, that she was willing to part with, the items would be worth too little or too much. He did not want to take advantage her or be taken advantage of. He finally said, "Do you have anything else?" She took him out to the barn. There he saw two very old original Jacobean chairs. Webbing was all that was left in the bottoms. Hay had been loaded into them and the cows were eating out of them....

He knew the chairs were worth more than the job he did. But he did not see the situation as taking advantage of this lady. He saw it as rescuing two antique chairs from the fate of being feeding troughs.

He did what repair work was needed to them. Refinished and reupholstered them, cared for them, loved them. He acquired many antiques during the depression era in this fashion. I have two other side chairs circa 1840's-1850's that came from his estate. I know they were payment for a job as well.

This was one of my favorite chairs because this was the one he always sat in. I did not know what had happened to it until a few months ago my Aunt, (my Uncle's Widow) emailed me. "I have your Grandpa's chair (I knew which one she was talking about) in the attic. Your cousin does not want it... You can have it..." What a present!!!

It needs some repair work. A wheel has fallen off and needs to be put back on. The bottom of the leg where the wheel goes needs repair. (My Aunt kept and gave me the wheel.) Grandpa had it upholstered in a silk brocade. Someone has covered a seat portion in car seat velour. (YUCK!!!) I bought a beautiful silk blend brocade that I plan to reupholster the chair in. I will also need to get all new stuffing.

From my Grandpa's Estate, I have many treasures. But this is one of my favorites. This was his favorite 'inside' chair. He was the only person who sat in it. And I loved hearing him tell the story about when he first saw it, cows were eating out of it. LOL!

This is my Friday Show and Share. I hope you enjoyed it.

Outing with Internet Friend, Belinda

First stop... The Smocking Bird! (Lot's of pretty fabric!) Mary Esther (Missy's DD) was our photographer of the day. :-) She does a good job taking pictures.

Belinda (left) Missy (right) looking at fabric and talking. Belinda is holding a bag that contains the RTS Angel Bishop that Judy (sewneat) made for her to smock for Chloe. Missy is sporting the bag she bought from Pam (Sew Gracious).

Belinda has found some pretty fabric!

Mary Esther and Missy did too!!!

Mary Esther took a lot of pictures of a lot of fabric...

.....this one is in focus. ;-)

I think this photo speaks for itself. ;-)

Missy & Belinda

Thank you to Carol and the rest of the staff at The Smocking Bird who were so sweet and gracious to Belinda and me!

And now it is time for lunch!!! Chicken Salad and Fruit plate. Very good!

Belinda is a sweetie and loves her husband and children. :-)

We had a fun day!

Farmers Market Trip

Friday night, DD spent the night with a friend. Sooo DH and I had nothing to do Saturday morning, but lolly gag around. We decided to load up our cameras and go to the Farmers Market at Ross Bridge.

Ross Bridge is where the Senior PGA Tournament is held every year and is a beautiful. Hotel Spa Resort, golf courses, trails, subdivisions, etc. The Farmers Market is fun. Many vender's of Arts and Crafts, live music, etc.

And Flowers!!!

And I almost forgot.... Fruits and Veggies!!!

I bought the best watermelon I have eaten all season. It is so good!!! DD and I ate some this afternoon. :-)

And guess who else love watermelon?

Zoey Girl!!!!!!!

She can eat her weight in watermelon. LOL! We have to spell the word! She went nuts as she watched me cut it up. She cried and begged for it. Zoey loves watermelon and she gets her own bowl. Is my fid spoiled or what? LOL!

Check Out Old Red Barn's Give-a-way!!!

Dana of The Old Red Barn has made a beautiful quilt and guess what? She is going to give it away!!! Click here to read all the details about the beautiful Micheal Miller fabric Designed by Sandi Henderson... Oh, just click the link and read all about it! You can also get there by clicking the link in my side column. Good Luck!