Check Out My Antique Godin Coal and Wood Cookstove!

I have secured the ultimate Craigslist find! Those of you following along on my journey know that I have been searching high and low for the perfect wood burning stove for the farm. I will say it again, it is not easy to find a good condition vintage wood cook stove in Arizona. We simply do not need them and, as a result, they are often neglected. However, check out my find! I am convinced this stove was intervention from a higher power. This is an antique French stove made by Godin. It is capable of burning both coal and wood. Hand painted enamel and solid cast iron make this a stove that is not only practical, but absolutely beautiful. I cannot believe the luck at finding this gem!

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere!

I am very pleased to announce that the packing of my home is almost 90% complete. I have boxes stacked in the sewing room to the ceiling and three courses deep. I was forced to begin stacking them in the living room as well. I still need to tackle the garage, but it was 107 here this weekend and I said, "To hell with that." So, hopefully, I will be able to get to it tomorrow night when it is cooler. Cooler being relative since it is expected to be in the mid 90's, but that is still better than triple digits.

The garage is really not that bad. I need only to stack all the containers I have on shelves on top of one another and disassemble the shelves themselves. I need to organize my workbench and look over my tools. Other than that, the garage is pretty simple. It looks cluttered because there is a refrigerator, stove, bathtub, dresser, and patio furniture in there. I have to keep reminding myself of that. Every time I walk through the garage I have a mini heart attack. I don't do chaos well.

Husqvarna Viking 600 Embroidery Sewing Machine

Husqvarna Rose 600 

I got the best gift from my best fried, Liz. She recently purchased a new embroidery sewing machine and sent me her old one. Her old one was my dream to own back when I bought my sewing machine and serger, but I could not afford the thousands of dollars to buy it. Imagine my delight when Liz told me it was on its way to me! I was so excited when her friend and Bishop, who happened to be visiting the Phoenix area, hand delivered it to me.

Today my mom and I sat and played with the machine figuring out the function of each of the multitude of buttons. This machine has a ton of bells and whistles. We started with some simple redwork designs just to get familiar with the settings and to see the machine in action. Once we mastered one-color designs we dove right into one with 14 colors! The first attempt at the basket of flowers was a good learning experience and allowed us to see what colors worked and which did not. The second attempt was so much better and the end result was amazing. You can see the final result in the picture on the left below. The picture on the right shows the pattern in the book. I just adore this machine!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Midland GXT1000VP4

Debbie Hite heeded the tornado warning and sought the safety of the shelter she had installed in her garage. Climbing down into the concrete and steel hole, she slid the top shut and waited out the storm. After the storm passed, Debbie realized the real danger wasn't the tornado, but the shelter she was in - the storm shelter door would not open. No amount of wiggling, kicking, hitting, etc. would release the latch. Debbie was trapped. She stayed trapped for 56 hours until co-workers came looking for her.

I  have been thinking a lot about storm shelters and tornadoes lately simply because I will be moving to a place where the potential to experience one is real. I have a list of items I will keep in my shelter, just in case. You have to consider that when you enter your storm shelter, you may emerge later to find nothing left of life as you knew it. Your house, car, everything, may be gone in seconds. Keeping some clothing, food, water, etc. in your shelter just makes sense.

New vs Old Refrigerator - When Should I Buy A New Fridge?

A few months ago I bought a refrigerator off a friend. Unfortunately, because there were some problems with it, it was not usable. I was bummed simply because I now had to add "find a refrigerator" back on my to-do list. I hate having to add things back on my list once I cross them out. Anyway, I was lamenting and singing the woes of my refrigerator needs to a friend when she said she and her husband have an extra fridge in their garage that I was welcome to. I was a little reluctant at first since I definitely need a black refrigerator to match my other appliances and, guess what? Yup! It is black. Oh, but things got even better.

We took a walk out to the garage to give the fridge a once over. I was very pleasantly surprised that it is a model that I had admired back in the day when I was appliance shopping for a prior home. Part of the GE Monogram line of appliances, this unit was quite expensive then and was way out of my budget. What made the fridge was so cool was an extra small door in the regular door that is known as a "Beverage Center." Built into the door of the refrigerated side, this small door is a convenient way to grab a soda or bottle of milk without opening the larger door which, in turn, allows all the cool air to escape forcing the refrigerator to have to work to cool itself back down. The freezer door side has a water and ice dispenser as well, so you can get water and ice without ever having to open the door.

Shaker Jars by Ball - Mason Jar Monday

While perusing my local big box store the other day I came across this box of Shaker Jars. I have never seen them in the store before and I was very excited to lay out my $5 to take a set of four home for my very own. I also saw that just the lids were sold for $1.47 for 2. I snatched up a box of those as well. I really like them so I thought I would share them with you here.

The box labels them as herb jars, but I saw all kinds of potential. For example, different kinds of finely shredded cheeses would store quite well in these airtight containers. Homemade seasoning salt is another thing I think these jars would work well for. I like that the lids can transfer to any wide-mouth canning jar because the small jars that come with them would just not be large enough to store larger quantities of shredded cheese. The holes in the lid are not very large, but not too small. Soft cheeses such as Velveeta shredded would not do well in this type of jar, but then Velveeta is not made to be sprinkled like a cheese such as cheddar or Parmesan.


I love that the jar makers are expanding the possibilities for the uses of the simple jar. They continue to be the most important staple in my kitchen and the opportunities to utilize them are endless.

What do you think? Useful or useless?

Simple Joy of the State Fair

September 11 - 21, 2014

Every state in our union has this delightful tradition annually known as The State Fair. The state fair is a gathering of food, rides, and exhibits that normally lasts a week or two and allows for family-friendly good times. This year the Oklahoma State Fair will be from September 11 - the 21st. I am excited because for the first time in many years I am going to exhibit some of my photography work.

The state fair has been a gathering place since the very first one held in New York in 1841. The purpose of the state fair was as a way to promote agriculture through exhibitions. Eventually various forms of entertainment such as rides and concerts were introduced. In Phoenix our state fair brings well over a million visitors each year. Oklahoma State Fair, held in Oklahoma City, brings in over 900,000 visitors.