Join Me for Color Me Happy in Texas!

Can I tempt you with a treat?  I hope so.

You see, this is the last post at Mom Wald's Place.

I have a new blog for a new me!

Color Me Happy in Texas!

Ironing Board Cover How To

Perky Polka Dots!  

This light twill washed up nicely, so I did not bother ironing it before starting this project.  It is going to spend the rest of its life being ironed, so it seemed redundant.

My assistant is showing you how you simply use your own cutting board for a template.  Lay it on your fabric, and trace around it allowing four or five inches for the cover to wrap over the edge of the ironing board.

Make sure that when you fold in a bit around the curves, that all of your folds lay the same way.  It makes threading the tie or elastic through much, much easier.  I added extra pins in-between the folds to keep the presser foot up at the same level, because  I sewed right over them.

The hem is folded over a quarter of an inch to make a nice edge, and then folded over again to create a channel for the tie or elastic.

Did you think I had placed Tilda the Turtle on the ironing board for a cute photo?  Nope, she followed me around like a puppy dog through the whole thing.  With Little Miss is public high school, Tilda is my daytime buddy.  I know, I know, she just wants me for food.

Anyways, back to business.   When you are done pinning you will have a folded channel all the way around.  It does not matter how wide it is as long as a safety pin, and your choice of tie or elastic will fit in the channel.  Just make sure to leave a small opening at the squarish end in order to insert the tie or elastic.

Off to the sewing machine!  Use any stitch you want in any color you want.  This is a really casual project.  Stitch next to the folded edge all of the way around making sure to leave that small opening at the end.

Who has cupid spied?

Yep, my supervisor, Tilda the Turtle.

In Wisconsin she would be hibernating right now.  Here in Dallas she is perky and peppy.  She is a Southern Three Toed Box Turtle after all.

The two of us did a good job!  No need to buy a new ironing board.  The old cover was a thin cotton one, and lasted sixteen years.  Since this one is a light twill, which is two to three times the thickness, it should last a good long time.

 Colors, colors, colors!  Why should an ironing board be dull?  It even goes with the table scarf on the coffee table.  That is pretty handy, since I have been known to use it as an extra buffet table.  

Remember, if we have to use something, we may as well enjoy it. 

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Anniversary Tulips!

Hubby is so romantic.  Maybe that is why twenty-four years only seems like four.

I crocheted this blue doily for a bit of color, and it is perfect on our rainbow tablecloth.  How do you like my vintage Rosaline Pitcher by Arcoroc?  I found the whole set including the six glasses in its original box from the eighties last summer.  Those are the only glasses and glass pitcher I brought to Texas, and they are just right for three people.  Besides the pitcher is perfect for tulips!

Lunch, Lunch, and More Lunch

Good afternoon all!  I hope your lunch is as tasty as mine, leftover homemade chicken pot pie with thyme and lemon.  My theory is, if there is one serving left the cook should get it!  

We made it to the Dallas Zoo on Sunday, and had a blast.  They have winter pricing on the tickets and parking, and only some of the animals are put away to stay warm.  It was a great way to see if it is worth paying full price later.  

It IS!

Our afternoon was spent in the new half where there are more naturalistic habitats for a variety of animals together.   We got the impression that "Stubby" over there on the right is the boss.  I wonder how she lost her tail.  Then again, maybe I do not want to know.

Have I ever shared my key to having a nice Sunday afternoon?  It is one word, crockpot.  Seriously, they are even better than eating out.  You get to take your time changing your clothes and calming the kids down after church.  You get the peace of mind that it is healthy, hot, and probably cost a lot less than eating out.  

Most of you know we downsized.  Yep, I only have three crockpots now.  Hey, a gal has to have her priorities!  

Hey, what are YOUR favorite crockpot recipes?

Sunrise Poetry

Good Morning!

Whenever I am a little late having my morning coffee and planning out the day the sunrise shoots sunbeams right in my eye.  If I am on schedule I get a soft colorful sunrise.  Thanks God.

I was tickled to find a Half Price Books store yesterday.  It was a rough morning with nasty businessmen, so I treated myself to a break before getting Little Miss from school.  Not only did I get to spend time perusing seemingly endless  books, I found two to bring home from, The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, and Persuasion by Jane Austin.  

Here is a poem from Emily Dickinson that is perfect for my morning coffee.

(Nature #4)

The day came slow, 'till five o'clock,

Then sprang before the hills

Like hindered rubies, or the light

A sudden musket spills.

The purple could not keep the east,

The sunrise shook from fold,

Like breadths of topaz, packed a night,

The lady just unrolled.

The happy winds their timbrels took;

The birds, in docile rows,

Arranged themselves around their prince

(The wind is prince of those).

The orchard sparkled like a Jew, -

How mighty 't was, to stay

A guest in this stupendous place,

The parlor of the day!

Find a sunbeam today!

I'm Back

Little M's Room

Good Morning Folks!  

You may have noticed that I shut the blog down for a day.  Since most of my photos lately are for close family and friends, I was just going to share them through emails.  That "went over like a lead brick".

Be forewarned though that from now on I will be including photos that are not "picture perfect".  Obviously, I need to learn how to take interior shots.  Also, we do not lead a picture perfect life.  We lead a real one, and we are having too much fun to look like a magazine.

Take for example the bar missing from Little Miss' headboard.  What do you do when you are a little girl, and a piece of your headboard falls out?  You whack your brothers with it of course!  She did not get it back after the third or fourth time.  (I still wonder if she figured out how to remove it intentionally.)

So from now on instead of being mainly for my vintage loving friends, this blog is going to be mostly for friends and family who are wondering what the heck we are doing way down here in Texas.  Besides avoiding snow, that is.

We have two extremes here in Little M's room.  The fine dresser on the left loving built for her by Hubby, and box shelves on the right.  We have several spots that are waiting for cool, funky, vintage, or upcycled shelves.  I am teaching Little M to be patient and have fun instead of going to a department store, and getting a generic shelf built by slave labor.

We already have one, and it is mine, mine, mine!  That is a later post though.

This is the mirror in the girl bathroom with a bit of sheer fabric to soften it up.  The door opposite it has been papered with antique style floral hearts.  Why not?

This is the guy bathroom.  I am IMpatiently waiting for some vintage atomic era pottery for the back of the stool to hold stuff.

We have two bathrooms now.  Funny how without a teenage boy or  two it takes less time to clean two full bathrooms than it did one.  These are the kind I have been wanting for years where the sink area is separate from the stool and shower.  We can all get ready in the morning at the same time!

Aha, I know Dear D is cringing, because the greens in the fabric clash with my favorite chair!  Nobody here cares, because we love them both.  I have not decided whether to trim the dowel rod, or paint it white and hang "thingies" from it.  Little M votes for hanging stuff, and Hubby does not care.

There you go, a bit of where we live.  I am having to much fun moving around and being active in this great weather to take lovely photos with pretty things. 

I hope you all are having a lovely day too!

Hail by Golly

How many turtles do you know have their own "balcony condos"?  That's what I thought.  Tilda is on special turtle!  She is craning to see what those strange sounds are.  First they were rain, which she might have liked a bit.

Then  those sounds were hail pinging off of everything.  This is our view of a pretty nice tree, and a gully that became very full very quickly.

When I glanced over I could see these poor folks trying to get their cars under the overhang.  We have heard that hail damage is pretty high down here in Texas.   Everybody was really nice, and trying to squeeze more in.

It is a good thing that Little Miss and I took our first adventure in downtown Dallas after school yesterday instead of today.  We were such tourists!  (No, do not know what this sculpture is called.  I forgot to write down the name of the building it was in front of.  We will just have to go there again!)