This 'N That

I'm never "ready" for Christmas. However, I do have a bunch of cards ready to mail tomorrow - maybe they'll get there on time....

And - I've been trying for 2 days to order gifts online. I got a couple squared away, but messed up on the rest. For me, it really is faster to go to the store (but hard on the feet).

Think I might visit the Super Walmart tomorrow.

One thing I won't do is shop on Christmas eve. I did a few years ago and had a bit of a disagreement (shall we say) with a lady at Target. Back then I didn't have a cell phone. If I had, I would have called the cops.

She was no "lady" - and neither was I!

So I'm spending my days cleaning up after the puppy. She's getting it - slowly - and is probably wondering in her little head why Momma is so interested in her bodily functions.

She eats like a little pig. Gained 2 pounds in the first 10 days we had her!

On another note, there's nothing like a good movie to take one away from holiday stress and puppy stress. Last night I watched Super 8.

If you're a sci-fi fan, make sure you see it some time. And if you're not, I think you still might like it. It's got kids, zombies, a space monster, a sweet romance, lots of action, explosions and mystery. It might scare little kids, but for grown up and half grown kids it's a great movie:


The Kids - Amateur Movie Makers

Here Comes the Space Alien!

.... And There It Goes!

Did I mention it was produced by Steven Spielberg (think ET)?

That's it for now. Hope you're having a wonderful day - and don't worry about being "ready" for the holidays!


Found Treasures

Look at this beautiful Oscar de la Renta dressing gown:

This is a size small gown made for a tall, thin rich person, but I got it at Goodwill for four dollars. The photos don't do it justice, but I think you get the idea. It's in perfect condition - maybe never worn.

It's missing the belt, but that's no problem for me, since I will be shortening the gown for a very short size small person. The fabric I cut off will be enough for a belt and a few other things besides - makeup bag, slippers, whatever.

It's a lot of fun shopping for "finds" at Goodwill.

The stuff I donate to Goodwill is usually so worn out they probably sell it for rags. But other people's donations are sometimes just wonderful! And Goodwill gets the money to continue their programs. Some years back they provided job placement and training for Beth, helping her work at Publix Grocery for awhile and then Wendy's Restaurant for about six years. Love those people!

Speaking of people helping people, a certain young lady has shared with me two excellent projects:

• http://www.reallyreallyfree.org/
• http://www.thredup.com/how-it-works

I don't have personal experience to report on, but the premise - people sharing what they don't want free or next to nothing - is a wonderful way to go.

Reminds me of the 60's. Guess I'm really just an old hippy after all....!

So, for all you old hippys out there, and non-hippys, here's another drawing:

Hope you're checking out all my prints via the link in the upper right corner of this blog. They're all for sale (hint!). Even if you're not shopping, you can have fun playing with different color mats and frames, and how they affect the pictures. Oh, and there's other artwork on there too, including photography....

Next time I write, I'll talk about the backgrounds on my drawings.

Mother Daughter Day

So, Beth and I had a "Mother Daughter Day" yesterday. I picked her up at 2:30 and we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides on the BIG SCREEN, as she says. Here's a link to the preview of this really fun movie: 

http://disney.go.com/pirates/#/characters/

The theater was very quiet, even though it was raining. I haven't been to a movie theater for a couple of years and I was surprised at the price of tickets. But it was pretty nice, almost a private showing. There were only 2 other people in the theater.

After the movie we did a little shopping at Target and then ate supper at Steak and Shake.

On "Mother Daughter Day" one does not worry about eating one's vegetables, etc. We had big greasy cheeseburgers and chocolate mint milkshakes. Kind of a shock to the system but, oh, so fun!

To top off our "Day" we stopped at Michael's and looked at their latest crop of craft supplies. Boy, that place is as tempting as Jo Ann's. I had to get out quick so I wouldn't spend all the money I don't have!

We got home at 8:30 and vegged out in front of the TV 'til bedtime. I was too tired even to draw!

However, I do have a picture for you. Anyone want to guess how the color was done?

Hope you're having a great day!



So Many Projects, So Little Time

In addition to the Recipe Book I'm working on, here's a little more of what's keeping my Meadville visit varied and busy:

The newest member of the family is little Paige. I got to hold her today. She didn't like me much, or maybe I've just lost my touch with babies.

I whispered in her ear. Told her to give me a call when she's 15 - heh, heh!

Now, on to another project. Meadville has a wonder ful JoAnn's fabric store, and you know I just can't go in there without buying something. This time, some cute molds caught my eye. I got the idea to make some sort of doll item. Here are my supplies:

I made four faces from the mold, out of Sculpey clay. And now I'm sewing and decorating. More on that later.

And, finally, I turned my little smart fish on his side and he became a pelican. What do you think?

Mother made a cozy fire in the fireplace so I'm going to go enjoy it with her now.

Bye bye - and count your blessings, every one - for there are many less fortunate than you!

Still Life, With Potatoes

....because they were on sale, buy one bag get another one free....

BOGO gets me every time!

So - what to do with all these potatoes. In some households, not a big deal, but there's just two of us here, and one of us much prefers rice as a "staple."

OK - we had pot roast the other night, which included potatoes and was delicious, and I have another piece of that meat (it was buy one get one free also).

And, I splurged on fresh parsley, the curly kind. Now, for flavor, they say to use the flat parsley, but that stuff costs three times as much as curly. I'll settle for curly and make parsley potatoes with .... something....

And here's something Caroline taught me. She's very good at quick meals, as opposed to my sometimes over planned, over prepared and over cooked (she says) way of doing things.

Grate a raw potato, skin and all (wash it first), or chop it finely in a chopper or food processor. I use our handy cheese grater, which is metal and has four sides, each with a different kind of grating surface.

Now, squeeze out the excess moisture, using your hands or a dish towel, whatever. Make a patty out of the raw potato and toss it  into a frying pan on a little bit of oil (even if it's no-stick) and, voila, you have restaurant style hash browns with your morning eggs! Or Sunday night omelet. Or, whatever!

Thanks to recipematcher.com for this picture. I haven't used the site before, but it seems to have a lot of simple recipes, presented in an organized format. I intend to check it out more thoroughly in the future.


By the way, if you're someone who limits your egg consumption because of cholesterol, here's my take on that:

• eggs are cheap and easy to cook, high in protein, iron, and certain vitamins
• there are lots of high fat foods which have little nutritional value and raise people's cholesterol levels. I do limit them somewhat, like baked goods, etc.
• our bodies make cholesterol anyway, and how much they make is affected in large part by genetics
• God gave us scientists who have created these wonderful little anti-cholesterol pills, and
• life's too short. I'll be damned if I'm going to make it miserable too by worrying about every little thing that goes into my mouth.

So relax and have eggs and hash browns once in awhile! Love ya!

Jazz Up the Vegetables

My preferred way to eat vegetables:

Carrot Cake

But I recognize that what Baby wants isn't always what Baby needs.

I got this recipe for carrots from Web MD. Those people are always telling me to eat my vegetables! They call this farmhouse carrots:

About 15 carrots
1 cup thinly sliced spring onion
Thyme (3 tablespoons fresh, or 3 teaspoons dried)
Rosemary (1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2  tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
salt & pepper
Fresh chives, for garnish

Warm the honey, butter and vinegar or lemon juice. Add the onion and spices and set aside to marinate. If you like, do this ahead and keep in the fridge for  few days. You can also substitute flavorings according to your taste (or what's in the cupboard)!

Oven method: Preheat to 400. Clean the carrots and dry with a dish towel. Put on a baking sheet in a single layer, drizzle with the butter honey mixture and gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast on the upper rack for about 20 minutes. Garnish with the fresh chives. Cooked this way, the carrots will be very crispy.

Stove top or microwave method: Steam the carrots 5 or 10 minutes to soften them. Remove from water, add the butter honey mixture and saute a few more minutes. Garnish with the fresh chives. This is the method I prefer.

It really doesn't take much to jazz up a vegetable, but it's definitely worth the trouble. I usually do it myself, rather than buying those flavored in the pouch things you get in the grocery store freezer. I don't use the canned or packaged sauces much, either. A lot of those things are high in salt and sugar.

Don't get me wrong. I like salt and sugar. I probably eat too much. But at least if I'm putting it in myself I'm aware of it. One of my favorite ways with carrots (already a starchy vegetable) is to slice them thin and saute until tender in butter, adding a bit of brown sugar near the end.

As for clever ways with no-cal lettuce: Sorry, I'm all out!

By the way, it you've ever wondered how to convert the fresh herbs in a recipe to dried, maybe this will help. I found it on O Chef:

"In general, you can substitute one teaspoon of dried herbs for one tablespoon of fresh herbs and vice-versa (which is a one-to-three ratio, by the way). But let taste be your guide. Packaged dried herbs start out with a stronger taste than fresh herbs, but lose their pungency as they age. So if you've recently purchased the container, you might want to use a light hand, or add a bit more if the herb is older. When possible, use fresh ingredients to gain the most flavor."

Of course, but I'm not that well organized yet!

All I want is for vegetables to taste as beautiful as they look:

If people didn't have to eat their vegetables, God wouldn't have created V8. The Original, please; none of that low salt stuff!

Progress

I hate grocery shopping - what a royal waste of time!

But - If I have to go grocery shopping, nothing beats "buy one get one free," BOGO!

Anymore, if it's not on sale I don't buy it. And if I can find a coupon for what is already on sale I'm very happy. This week I got some great deals in the meat department. So tonight I packaged everything for the freezer:

From left to right: 6 pork chops, 12 skirt steaks, 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, and 14 bone in and skin on chicken thighs. The pot in the back has all the skin, fat and bones I trimmed, plus celery, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and sage for the stock I am making.

At the very least, that's meat for 15 meals, and I could easily stretch it to 20.

Shopping for groceries took about 2 hours, including travel time and unloading the car. Packing up the meat was half an hour or so, and stocking my little pantry with the canned and dry goods, about twenty minutes. Caroline and I, between us, spent at least an hour reviewing the ad and making the list. As for coupons, I couldn't say because that's sort of an ongoing activity at this house. I believe that  I am getting closer to my goal of cutting the time and expense involved in food shopping and storage. This was my first major shopping trip in January. Let's see how many times I do it again this month.

In the meantime, I sure love a neat (and full) freezer!

Soon - hopefully - I'll begin the fun part. That, of course, is a garden. It'll be trial and error, because I've never gardened in Florida, but I have help and expert advice available. And I have my first seed packets:

My choice of cantaloupe and pumpkin was purely by chance. I was getting seeds for Caroline to use in a lesson and I bought three kinds that were relatively large seeds that first graders could see easily. Caroline took the corn to school and I kept the other two.

If that funny white pumpkin grows I'll have another challenge - how to cook it!

I'm tellin' ya - this retirement business is great!

To Infinity and Beyond!

When I grow up I'm going to make an interesting quilt like this:

I borrowed this image from Kathy's Quilts. Please check out her blog to see some really beautiful work.

I'm looking forward to January and making something more complicated than the baby quilts - or maybe just making a more complicated baby quilt.

It's been a while since I challenged myself. The last was almost a year ago when I started a course in Medical Transcription at the local vocational school. I enjoyed it, but had to work very hard to keep up with the class. Learning new things used to be easy, but it seems now I have CRS Disease (Can't Remember S---!).

Anyway, that was not the reason I quit the class. I quit because it turned out that the cost was much higher than I had expected, what with purchasing a transcription machine and software, etc. I decided it didn't make much sense to be spending all that money if my goal was just to work in the field part time.

So, after some down time looking after the house (happily!), I then embarked on the Tupperware project. Tupperware has been enjoyable and profitable. Since signing on in October I have earned some extra cash and collected lots of great plastic. I also learned something about this type of company, and myself.

Companies like Tupperware have a "pyramid" structure, by which status and income increase according to how many people you bring in under you. As soon as I signed on, I was encouraged to bring other people into the business. Not a bad thing, but I was interested in the bowls and boxes, and really have no interest in being a manager or team leader, etc.

For much of my life I've been  a government worker, a "public servant," and a social worker. Success in my line of work was always defined by my ability to help people. Instead of scrambling to acquire money and power, I was expected to give away the money, and "empower" my clients.

Which explains why I'm a liberal Democrat.

I suspect that successful Tupperware reps are strongly conservative and Republican.

All this is to say that my venture with Tupperware will soon be ending. I still say it's a good company with a fabulous product. But selling it just isn't a very good fit for me.

I can't complain. Look at my Modular Mates:

I have more stuff coming this week - Freezer mates! It's going to be so much fun getting my kitchen organized!

Thinking of the class thing and the Tupperware thing, do I feel like a quitter? Only a little bit. I prefer to define myself as adventurous and courageous; someone who is willing to try new experiences and learn new skills.

Besides - life's too short.

Preparing for Christmas Part Two

It's a wonderful day and I'm so glad you came by! It's always a wonderful day when we decorate the tree, and this year it was super easy besides, because last year I sorted through and refined our collection of ornaments. The ones we didn't want were tossed if necessary, or sent to Goodwill if still usable. I wonder whose tree they're on this year?

This is what was left. It doesn't look like much here, but there were plenty of items to make our tree look very full!

See the tree shaped red boxes? They're large enough to hold a lot of small ornaments, and they all have lids. I have four of them, which I bought after Christmas one year for fifty cents each. After they're emptied I put them on top of the wall unit:

I suppose they could be used as gift boxes for cookies or candy, but so far I've just used them to store the ornaments.

When we sorted through everything last year, we made sure to keep all the special ornaments, such as this little angel Beth is holding for me:

I made her for Caroline one year. She's made of yarn and lace, stitched in some places, glue-gunned in others. Whatever would I do without my glue gun?

Remember the year everybody was buying those lacy and beribboned angels? Well, why buy one? I made this one, and several others that I sold at a nice profit. Aside from buying the doll heads, the rest is fabric scraps and left over ribbon.

When JoAnn Fabrics has a sale, I grab stuff for pennies. The year I made these angels, several JoAnn's and the Rag Shop were closing stores.

My find this year for ornaments was at Walgreens. They are made of something like pipe cleaners and covered in glitter. They're packed 10-18 per box and priced at 2 boxes for $5. I'm bad at math, but I think that's less than twenty cents each. Some are on the tree, and here's what I did with the rest:

So, here's our tree. It does not have a hole in it - something I put in that spot is very reflective:

And here's the beginnings of the wrapping, done by Caroline. I still have mine to do:

Yes, that huge red bowl (Tupperware, of course) is part of a present. Guess who's getting it? And guess what's going to be in it?

Hey, thanks for stopping by; it was great having you. Have a cookie or two before you go, OK?

So What's a Person to Do?

Saw the doctor yesterday: Everything's fine except my blood pressure, despite the pill I take. Doctor says, "Eat less salt." Sigh.

Here's what I learned about salt this morning:

It's in everything.

There's way too much in everything, even if the label suggests the food is "healthy" "natural" "low sugar" "low fat" or whatever.

So what's a person to do?!!

I'm having tomato soup and a tuna sandwich for lunch. Here's the salt content:

• 4 oz. tuna = 360 mg. salt
• 2 tablespoons mayo = 230 mg. salt
• 1 tablespoon relish = 90 mg. salt
• 2 slices pumpernickle bread = 380 mg. salt

Total salt in my humble sandwich?  1060 mg.

One cup tomato soup = 960 mg

My humble lunch includes a total of 2020 mg salt, which is the recommended daily allowance.

I haven't a clue about mg., but I looked it up and learned that one teaspoon of table salt contains iodine and anti-caking substances, and about two thousand mg. of actual salt.

I should make homemade tomato soup, and cook a piece of fresh tuna, and make sure my total seasoning of the lot is less than half a teaspoon of salt.

An even better option would be a piece of fish and a tomato but, oh, I do love my bread!

The salt thing is just one reason why eating food that is as close to nature as possible, as less processed as possible is worth all the trouble.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to make tomato soup, mayonnaise, bread and tuna salad from scratch, and I'll bring you pictures and a salt breakdown of it all. If I could send you all a soup and tuna salad lunch I would.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Back to the Basics

Our kitchen is pretty well organized, but I'm refining it a bit. And I'm making a list of "basics," stuff I should always have on hand.

Now, I like the feel of a well-stocked kitchen. I like a kitchen - and fridge - that prompts the comment, "Well, I could eat for a week out of this!"

We used to say, "There was nothing in the cupboard but a can of tuna and Mom could make a meal!"

When I was a stay-at-home mom with 3 little kids, no car, and a husband who got paid only once a month, I learned how to feed everyone all month and not run out of groceries before the next check. On my monthly grocery shopping trip I always bought these items:

• 2-3 rolls of Jimmy Dean sausage (they freeze well)
• 6-8 cans tuna (they were 7.5 oz back then, not 5 or 6)
• 2-3 large packages of chicken (most went into the freezer in small packages when I got home)
• 2-3 large packages of hamburger (same as with the chicken)
• 1-2 large packages of beef (mostly chuck roast, most put into the freezer as above)
• 1-2 packages of pork chops or pork roast (again, making good use of that freezer)
• 2-3 packages of hot dogs
• 1 small canned ham
• 1 large ham steak - or a ham if on sale and I had the money
• 2 lb brick cheddar cheese
• 2-3 dozen eggs (eggs keep a long time)
• 1 large box powdered skim milk
• 1-2 cans baked beans
• 1 box saltine crackers
• 3-4 large cans frozen orange juice
• 4-5 cans tomato paste
• 2-3 large boxes of spaghetti
• canned and frozen vegetables
• fresh fruits & vegetables for the first week (although apples easily last a month)
• 1-2 large boxes of Cheerios, Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies
• one 6-pack of Pepsi (for me - I hid them)
• 1 roll of quarters (lunch money for the first grader - exact change required)

There were certain staples I kept on hand, always:

• flour (white and whole wheat)
• yeast
• wheat germ
• rice
• sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• pepper
• baking soda
• corn starch
• vanilla, cinnamon, maple flavoring
• spice cans of parsley, oregano, sage, chili powder
• dried beans (always navy/pea beans, sometimes kidney beans)
• honey
• peanut butter
• oatmeal
• cream of wheat
• cocoa

I think that covers most of what I depended on. What I did not want, need, or buy were:

• bottled water (did they even sell it back then?)
• Lunch ables and such
• bologna, salami, pepperoni, etc.
• individual packages of anything, like hot chocolate, oatmeal, crackers, etc.
• deli meats
• prepared bread crumbs, or croutons
• pre-packaged salads, pre-cut fruit in the produce department
• sodas or Kool-Aid for the kids. They were deprived; had to drink milk, fruit juice or water. 

All the stuff I listed above made for a very full grocery cart (or 2). I remember at least one time being asked by the bagger, "Are you opening up a camp or something?"

I looked like I had a daycare with me: Andy on my tummy in the baby carrier, Beth in the cart, and Paul hanging onto the side (there was hell to pay if he let go!).

Where was my husband? Working 60+ hours/week for K-Mart. He hated shopping.

I think he worked a lot of evenings and ate out quite a bit too, especially toward the end of the month. And I know he had his own stash of Pepsi!

Are you wondering what I did about things you have to buy at least weekly - like milk and bread? Well, stay tuned....

Stop the Supermarket Merry-Go-Round!

OK - so I had to go to the grocery store today. Can I tell you how much I hate shopping for groceries? Can I tell you how much time I spend shopping for groceries? Counting making my list, clipping coupons, driving to and walking around a huge store, I estimate that every grocery shopping trip I make takes at least 4 hours of my time.

Now, if I do that every week, we're talking about 16 hours a month - two whole working days!

I'm thinking that I'd like to cut that time at least in half.

And the money I spend? People who study these things say that the merchandizers have us as soon as we walk in the door, with their "product placement" and "impulse" items. I'm just as helpless as the next person when faced with all the stuff they've convinced me that I "need" so, clearly, the less time I actually spend in grocery stores, the less unnecessary stuff I'll buy.

There was a time in my life when I lived in another country, a country less affluent than the United States, where buying food meant getting staples and in-season produce in the only food store in town, and then stopping at the butcher shop on the way home to choose meat from a very limited selection. My husband and I had good jobs there, being school teachers, but we weren't highly paid. However, we felt like we were very well off because it was so easy to live within our means. We simply weren't faced with the huge variety of consumer goods and heavy advertising aimed at convincing us that we must have stuff!

The whole process of "grocery shopping" was simple, stress free, inexpensive and quick. And I'm determined to return to that state. I've decided to:

1. Make as few trips to the store as possible;
2. Eliminate waste/spoilage as much as possible;
3. Eliminate unnecessary packaging as much as possible;
4. Improve my cooking skills and prepare more foods "from scratch" and
5. As a result of the above steps, cut the cost of our household food by 20%

Wow! I feel like I just came up with the "Five Steps to Shopping Sobriety." Yeah, I know, I'm not the first to discuss these ideas, but maybe I can be the one who will fill in the details which will lead to a more practical way of living.

I intend to start by always having my cloth shopping bags in my car, so I will no longer be putting plastic bags into land fills. And I challenge you to do the same, OK?

Today I'm a Bag Lady - Part 2

First of all, Odie is in hiding (see his picture on yesterday's post). You see, his other Momma was having a ferocious battle with a monster in the living room and hall, so Odie tucked his tail and scooted into the office, where he is currently hiding under a desk. Brave Momma. Bad bad Monster!

Now, to Part 2 of the bag making from yesterday. First, a correction. Ever the careful reader, Jude noticed I said wrong sides together when I meant right sides together. It's a general rule that we put right sides together when we sew. So go by the picture, not my instructions.

Now that I've said that, I'm going to tell you just the opposite in a few minutes, because the bag is going to be made with FRENCH seams.

First, however, hem both 18" ends of the large piece of material. Do this by turning under about 1/4" and sewing straight across.

Now, fold the piece in half with WRONG sides together. This is where the French Seam part comes in. See below:

Stitch up both sides about 1/4" from the edge.

Starting to look like a bag, isn't it? Now, turn your bag so that you have RIGHT sides together, and stich both sides again - a little bit more than 1/4" in.

OK, now for the fun part, and the trick that will make your bag better than ordinary. Keeping the bag wrong side out, put your hand in one corner and spread it until you have a triangle shape that looks like the picture below. Make sure the seam is in the middle of the triangle. Draw a line across the bottom of the triangle about an inch and a half from the corner. Try to make it even, but don't worry about perfection (which is much overrated). Now pin it so it doesn't move, and stitch straight across the line.

Do the same on the other corner of your bag, making it the same size, of course.

Turn the bag so that the RIGHT side is on the OUTSIDE and your nice neat french seams and beautiful triangle corners are on the inside. Now you're ready to hem the top and attach the handles.

Turn under the top about an inch and pin it in a few places. Place the handles where you want them (I like 2 or 3 inches from each side) and pin them on.

Stitch around the top of your bag 2 times, and stitch the handles as you go around, like this:

And that's it! Your bag is done! Does it look something like this?

Once you've made one of these bags, you know what they say. Well, I hope you know, 'cause I'm trying to remember. I guess, "It's like riding a bicycle; you never forget."

Of course, in my case, I never learned how to ride a bicycle in the first place. Guess I'll talk about that another day....

Today I'm the Bag Lady

If life is a drag and you haven't done anything new lately, maybe you can try this. All you need is a piece of material, a sewing machine and thread. Actually, the sewing machine is optional if you don't mind hand sewing - it'll just take longer, that's all.

This is simple sewing, on a simple sewing machine. Quick, and uncomplicated:

Start with a half yard of poly-cotton material. That's the stuff that's usually about 44" wide, is machine washable and permanent press, and feels like a dress shirt or blouse. Do not buy anything heavy, textured or stretchy. And get an all over print, not a border print or "picture."

So, you have a piece of fabric that is about 44" by 18"

On the short side, measure and cut off 2 strips, each 3" by 18"

Now you have 3 pieces of fabric - one about 38" by 18" and two that are 3" by 18"

Time to sew:

The two 18" pieces are for the handles, so you do the following for each one:

Fold lengthwise, with wrong sides together, and sew across one end and down the open side.
 

By the way, the white strip next to the pencil is the selvage (border) I cut from my piece of material. I don't need it showing on my finished product. Do the same with yours if needed.

Now, turn your handle right side out. With a nod of thanks to my sister Suzie, here's how to do this:

Push in the end you just stitched, using first your fingers and then an unsharpened pencil. Keep pushing the pencil through and pulling/sliding the fabric down the outside. When you get the whole strip right side out, just shake out the pencil and your bag handle is "turned."

Finally, turn under the unstitched end, and sew around all edges (both sides and both ends). Now you have a nice finished handle for your bag. Do the same for the second handle.

Making the handles is the hardest part of this, so we're more than half done. Now for the tease: Instructions for completing the bag will be on this site tomorrow.

Are you in suspense? Are you at least a teensy bit curious about the exciting conclusion?

Life is stranger than fiction, they say, so tune in tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a picture, because Odie demanded equal time when he heard Faith was here the other day:

....showing his best side.