My Featherweight Case

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.

~ Bernard Meltzer

A few years back, I went through a rather nasty divorce, as so many of us do. It always seems to leave us cracked and bruised. It was during this time I lost my Featherweight. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to give it up to him, it really wasn't and I hope having it has made him happy.

A friend of mine had one in her closet and she had never used it. I was able to purchase it from her. The case had a slightly musty smell I could not get rid of no matter what I tried, and believe me, I tried every thing. My dear friend, Penny offered to help me pull all the black paper from the case. My idea was to get rid of the paper, seal the wood underneath and paint the case and apply stickers. Penny took it home with her to finish with the paper as I have asthma and I had started to wheeze. She took the first two pictures in her kitchen.

Penny is a wood worker extraordinaire! She stripped the glue, applied beautiful trim, stained and worked her magic until I had something better than anyone could have ever imagined.....and it didn't stop there.
Note the little inlaid maching in the bottom right hand corner of the back of the case. All the wood, with the exception of the inlays are original to the case and was buried under the black paper.
I took this picture for you tonight and it does not do justice at all. There is now a little brass nameplate with my name on it on the outside of the front. Penny made me a precious gem that I will treasure all the days of my life. I have to admit, this machine runs better than my old one, it looks better. And now, it has an incredible new home that was made especially for me. Thank you, Penny!

The Eagles Are Playoff Bound!!

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

~ Anatole France

The day went the way no one really expected and my boys are headed to Minnesota next week. I have faith......regardless of what my man says.....he calls them my Beagles.....
A little peek into what I have been doing. My Brother-In-Law is an artist. He liked the heart quilt on my blog so I offered to trade him his own for one of his paintings. This is the beginning of his. I am definitely getting the better end of this deal....Thanks Gary.

Sunday Moments From Home

Believe one who has proved it. Believe an expert.
— Virgil

Dad has been home from the hospital for about a week now. He drove for the first time today and he is getting back to his old self. I didn't think Mom and I would have time for any of this. I originally had leave planned to come out and make fruitcakes. We did it last year and I thought I had fun. This year was even better. Mom thought we should go into business.

Is this not the coolest pan you have seen in a while? It belongs to my Mother and you can bet I will be looking for one like it at the thrift stores and garage sales. It was perfect for mixing large batches of fruitcakes.

We chopped cherries and dates and mixed dried fruits, mixed them with walnuts and soaked the whole darn thing overnight in the very best Brandy from my Father's closet. Yes, he was aware we did it and we bought him a replacement bottle. I can tell you VSOP is much less expensive in Washington State than it is in South Dakota!

We made 21 fruitcakes. Yes, I meant to type 21. Mom has a home for each one. She does this every year. I can tell you I had the best time doing this with her. We talked and laughed until our stomaches hurt.

My Mom had a lot of good tips to pass along, so I will share them with you, too. Bay leaves in your flour canister will keep bugs at bay (no pun intended) without imparting flavor. Always line your pans with foil for these little cakes, since they are hard to remove without it.

She wanted me to take a picture of the mess we were creating. I preferred to think of it as a production line. I believe so far we have cookie dough made for at least 52 dozen cookies.

The house has that incredible smell of baking...spices, fruit, brandy. I am sorry the rest of my sisters weren't here for this! They don't have a clue what they were missing. Maybe next year.

Sunday Moments

Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Meet Bruce, the man in my life. We had a wonderful trip to the Badlands as you can see over his shoulder. He is very special, even tempered and we see eye to eye on most things, including politics.

It has been a quiet weekend after a hectic week. The last week of the month is always busy for me. My Father ended up on the hospital in emergency surgery on Thursday night. He is chugging on through. The path report is due Monday. This little quilt is hand pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted. I finished it a while ago, but was going through my little stash of table toppers, thinking it was time to change out the little quilt on the table, just for a fresh look. Since most of you have not been in my home, these will be new to you.

I was able to get to one of my favorite thrift shops after work on Friday and found a few treasures. The hot chocolate pot is from the Bon Jour collection at Williams-Sonoma. Very cute and a steal for what I paid for it. Someone named Molly made the pottery bowl and platter, I was lucky enough to walk away with seven of her pieces. They will be treasures here in this house.

Have a blessed week and get out and be patriotic. Vote!