Frances' Fried Green Tomatoes

Last week we went to a local farmer's market, and not a very good one. I'm hoping that it will get better as the season continues. I did get a hankering for fried green tomatoes after seeing some. They were $1 a piece, way too much. But I found some at our Food Outlet for $1.19 a pound. I was able to buy 6 for $3 and some change. I have never made these myself so I received a lesson from Chuck's Aunt Frances.

Chuck's Aunt Frances. I asked her to give me a sexy smile, she played along.


Here's how to make them:

Cut the tomatoes as thin as you can.

Soak them in buttermilk.

Dump 1 cup of self-rising flour, 1 tsp. of salt, and 1 tsp. of pepper into a large ziplock bag.
Shake a couple of the slices into the flour mixture.
Place the slices into a frying pan with an inch of hot oil.
Allow the slices to brown all the way around the edge of the slice then turn ONCE.

If you turn the slices over continuously they will be greasy.
Brown that side.

Place the slices into a rack on top of paper towels.

Eat while hot! They are crunchy goodness with a dash of salt.

Soloman Snow

I lucked up last week at the library when I picked this book up, "Soloman Snow and the Silver Spoon" by Kaye Umansky. I had both kids with me so it was a "grab what looks good and go" trip. Our library kindly puts the new young adult books on nice little stands with the covers facing out on a shelf, so convenient! However, I'm sure they don't find my snatching them all up convenient.

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The story begins in a small village where our hero lives with what he believes are his real parents. A chapter or two later he finds out otherwise and is off on an adventure to find out who he is. Of course he meets up with several characters who join him. My favorite is little Rosabella also known as "The Prodigy". Rosabella is a terribly spoiled child with awesome skills in manipulation. She also has the most adorable speech impediment, she can't pronounce her "R's". This book would be such a good read aloud.

Found on the back of the book is a quote from the author;

"A while ago, I went on a reread Charles Dickens' binge. Inspired, I cried, "I can do that!" I couldn't. What came out was Soloman Snow."

After returning this book, the librarian asked if I knew about the second in the series. Oh what joy! To find that there was another and it was available for checkout. Also surprising was the accommodating librarian. My mother and I have often discussed how cantankorous they are in general.

If you enjoyed the kind of humor found in "The Series of Unfortunate Events" you will enjoy these two books as well. I found them quite funny!

Summer Crafting

I love to craft, it's therapeutic for me. I've collected some ideas for Katherine and I to do this summer. I don't think it's going to be as therapeutic but it'll keep her busy for a few hours each week. Today's craft came from Deep Space Sparkle. It used oil pastels to create a lizard sunning on a branch. I knew Katherine would love it. Most 6 year old girls like Build A Bears and fluffy rabbits, our child loves reptiles.

I drew the lizard in pencil, copying the provided pic. Then Katherine colored in with the oil pastels. We used facial tissue to rub in the oil and to blend the colors a bit. It turned out great! I think we'll save it for a Father's Day gift. If you haven't worked with oil pastels before, it's not as messy as I was expecting. They are similar to crayons but have a more vivid color. They blend so nicely with some rubbing.




This is another site I used for ideas, ArtProjectsForKids.org. Kathy has so many wonderful projects with good instructions. This woman is definitely a great art teacher, she knows what kids enjoy doing. I really like her Monet Water Lilly post from this week.

Remember the two mirrors I picked up at yard sales? I'm happy to say that they've both found happy homes.

The first one was added to my collection of clocks and mirrors. This collection I built without even knowing. It wasn't until after we moved that I noticed they would all look very nice together. It appears I am drawn to round objects. The large clock on the lower right was a recent bargain from Winn-Dixie of all places.

The next mirror I spray painted silver and hung above a nightstand in our bedroom. Now both nightstands have some balance.

I must say thank you to my husband for doing all the hanging and in such a speedy fashion. Wow that obsessive compulsive behavior comes in handy!

Yard Sale Finds

I had a successful morning at yard sales last weekend. My yard sale buddy called in sick so I went alone. But I found quite a bit of interesting things! The most memorable was a huge iron birdcage for$5. I was tempted to put it the yard with some climbing vines but it was simply too enormous. My kids would have loved getting in and out of it but I didn't think about that until hours later.
Here's a rundown of what I came home with:
Plant stand (hidden behind the wreath)
Blue lamp with hideous shade (the shade is now in the trash)
Outside flag
Nice plastic child size hangers (I always run out around consignment time)
2 t-shirts, a pair of pj's, and a hoodie for Katherine
Some cheap jewelry (to rip apart and make something fantastic)
Two pumpkins, one mercury glass the other cardboard
A beautiful blue berry wreath (it was only $2!)
2 children's books
A large mirror (yes another mirror, but really, this one was on my list)
A basket full of small toys (for a project coming up)

All for a grand total of $28.00. I am pleased.

A Good Deal

Some of you have seen me with "my best friend twice a year". It's my collapsible four wheeled shopping cart! I keep it in the back of the car every spring and fall for shopping the consignment sales. It receives much attention from other shoppers who wish they had one. An opportunist could really make some cash selling these outside the sales.

You can buy this one this week at Walgreens for $14.99! That's $5 cheaper than what I paid. These carts can be elusive when you're specifically looking for one. Take advantage of this if you can.

Class Of 2010!

I remember sitting in the hospital calculating the year my youngest brother would graduate from high school, 2010 what a cool year! Patrick was born when I was almost 16 years old. He was one the best thing that ever happened to us. Life had become very boring before he came along. Here are a few photos of the two of us together:

This photo always makes me laugh, me and Grandma wearing entirely too much make-up.

Here I am with grandma again at my own graduation. I always end up crying at life changing events. I really don't handle change well. I was a mess at my own wedding. Patrick asked if I was ever going to live with them again and it broke my heart to tell him no.

We have another graduate in the family this year. Chuck's mom graduated from college last weekend after 21 years. It was a great accomplishment for her. Here she is with her two sons:

Way to go class of 2010!