Friday, November 18, 2011

Fried Friday

Yes, the name of today's post is "Fried Friday".  No, no fried anything, with the exception of my brain and my energy.  Energy can be fried, I promise you.  And it started frying about 11pm last night.  I know, an hour before Friday, but hey, I can not help the "fall" back time clock in Ohio. 

I am going to bore you with this little story, and at the end, I am going to share some pretty cool things happening in the blog world. 

Wednesday, Vandy comes home with the biggest frozen turkey I have ever seen.  Seriously, HUGE.  And all I can think is, Martha Stewart JUST said, two small birds is better than a large bird.  I already knew this, but Martha was my validator.  So, I blinked my eyes and said, "Babe, I thought we decided on duck for Thanksgiving since there is just three of us."  He says, "No. Turkey." and grins that impish boy grin that tells me he just told a tale.  He has decided to do the turkey for the work Thanksgiving party on FRIDAY! 

Yep, this is at 6:30 pm on WEDNESDAY. 

FROZEN 26 pound turkey needed on FRIDAY.  And how in the world do they get those birds so dang frozen anyway?  My ice cream melts before I can get home, and a frozen turkey can barely thaw in 4 days, let alone 36 HOURS!

So, I'll speed it up here.  Thursday night, yup last night, I am watching Private Practice (2 hour special, 9-11pm) and shopping on the internet and have several times said, "Babe, you need to work on that turkey."  To which he replied, "Okay, in just a minute."  At 11:00PM, the frozen bird is still frozen and he gets up only AFTER I said, that bird is still frozen.  So, I walk out of the room to go get some cleaning stuff to clean out the sink to start a water bath and upon re-entering the kitchen apartment he has that FROZEN bird in the sink cutting away at the netting. 

I scream. 

Yup, SCREAMED. 

Didn't he hear me say I was going to get some cleaning stuff to clean the sink out for the water bath for the FROZEN turkey.  Oh, sorry, he says.  So, I clean the sink.  And then I tell him what to do before I return to the other kitchen to put away the cleaning supplies. 

Upon returning to my husband and the FROZEN 26 pound turkey, I see steam.  Guess what I do?

Yup.  I SCREAM! 

"What are you doing?" 

He looks at me shocked.  Shocked I tell you.  He tells me he is thawing out the turkey.  I inform him you can not run hot water on a turkey, you want everyone to get sick?  And he looks at me like I have said the stupidest thing in the world.  I said, "cold water bath".  And I thought, "You are the smartest guy I know, where did your smarts go?!"

I told him to move.  I would do it.  Go on to bed.  I had already made the stuffing that he HAD to have in the turkey for flavor, so I was just in a holding pattern.  (Stuffing adds more cooking time, more cooking time to a 26 POUND FROZEN turkey)  You can see it can't you?  He says, ever so lovingly. " I'll get up to get it out of the oven." 

I know.  I know.

So, finally I loaded that giant bird into the bag, a feat all by itself and got it in the oven. 

Yes. Stuffed. 

I am a 10-14 pound turkey girl.  A 26 pound turkey might as well be 50 pounds when you have to man handle the thing.  In the oven it went.  To bed I went at 12:30am.  I woke up at 4:00 AM.  I smelled the turkey.  I heard the timer going off.  My husband didn't stir.

Down the stairs. 

Insert thermometer. 

170.

UGH 

Another thirty minutes.  Finally, 180 after another additional 15 minutes. 

I let it rest.  I grab all the juices with a spoon because someone has misplaced my juice sucker.  (Fried Friday, what's that things name again?)

Turkey rests.

I get all the stuffing out, way too moist.  I stick it back in the oven to dry up a bit.  I carve the turkey.  The 26 POUND turkey.  I try to be neat and pretty.  I watched MS the other day on turkey carving.  Yes, the same show where she said, 2 small birds.

I know.  I know.

So anyway, at 6am when my husband finally stirs from his wonderful night's sleep, he comes down the stairs and says, "Hi babe, how's the turkey?"  How's the turkey???????  Not fried!!!!  So, now that all the work is done and he has his coffee, he is cleaning the bird.  He likes this part of Thanksgiving.  I do not. 

Especially when I am fried.

Especially since I have to be ready for Breaking Dawn in 2 hours.

Especially since I have a photo shoot at 3 pm.

The end. 

Now for four really cool things for you to do this weekend and it has nothing to do with a FROZEN turkey.  You have to go check out my "Wine Not" giveaway HERE.  And if you want to learn how to make them yourself,  you have to go HERE.

Then my cousin Jenny, (I know you all want to have Jenny as your cousin, but I am don't share well under friedness) has this super cool giveaway HERE.  I have already ordered my books from Miss Terra at Campbell Lawson. Jenny has never led me astray in the cool arena. 

And then, on Donna's blog at Funky Junk Interiors, she is having this AWESOME giveaway and introduced me to Lori at Katies Rose Cottage Designs.  I rarely win anything, but this one I WANT, NEED to win!  Okay, okay, I want to win.  I ordered one of the hat's that Donna is sporting because I, well just had to have it.  Lori's stuff is right up my alley.  LOVE LOVE LOVE her stuff.  And, this is where I was shopping when my husband was ignoring me about that dern FROZEN 26 POUND turkey!

So you see, a fried Friday looks like this ^.   

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Wine Not, A Tutorial Debut

So, my first tutorial .... Wine Not!  Remember the dimensions from yesterday?  Good thing you can go check out yesterday's post to get them!!  Okay, so after you follow the instructions from yesterday, this is how it should look.  And I hate to admit it, but I tore my fabric.  Yup, I can not cut in a straight line to save my soul!  And don't even get me started on a rotary cutter.  Another story, another time!


The two pieces of fabric, right side to right side.
Here is the tie piece.  I kind of tri-folded the fabric and just went to town with it on my sewing machine.  I just went back and forth, back and forth until I was happy with the way it looked!


The tie.
Remember to tuck the tie on the inside of the two pieces and sew over it a few times, just to make it extra secure.  If you use thin cotton fabric, while you are sewing around the three sides, every now and then, put your machine in reverse and go over that spot a few times.
 
This is what the bag looks like after I sewed it all around and
pinkied/trimmed the excess fabric.
Isn't so cute?  I thought I would make a birthday bag and add a little tag to it for my girlfriend with the December birthday!  I made the tie a bit longer so I could tie a bow, all birthday presents need bows!  Don't you think?  You all know I love wine, but these would be cute with old fashion candies in them for the kiddles too?!!

Super cute!
Now, remember to go to yesterday's post to get the measurements and to post a comment so you can get in the running for one of these cute bags!!  And tell your friends!!!  Wine not??
Wine Not?

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Wine not! A giveaway!

Hi ladies!

I wanted to give you a fun little gift to keep or give away or make yourself!  Aren't these the cutest bags?  They are so simple to make, but easier to win!  All you have to do is make a comment and tell a friend or two friends to come visit my blog and make a comment that YOU sent them. 

Simple enough? 

I think so!! 

This bag has sparkles in the stamped Bubbly. 
What a great gift wrapper for a party!

So stinking cute I tell you!!!
So, they are easy peasy to make!!  Grab your favorite fabric!  Cut two pieces 14 1/2 inches by 7 inches.  Take a piece of scrap fabric at least 20 inches long an inch of more wide and make something that looks like a piece of bias tape.  I sewed up and down the strip a couple times.  This is how you make the tie. 

Take the two pieces of fabric, laying them so that the outside pieces are facing each other.  I hope I said that right.  Anyway, sew around them about 1/4 inch seam.  So starting with the long side, sew down, across the bottom and when you get about 11 inches up the other side, slip in the tie you made, and continue sewing until you reach the end of that side.  (Of course leaving the top open)

Now, invert it and you have the cutest wine bag.  You can stamp whatever you like on the outside!!!

I should take pictures, shouldn't I? 

Dern it! 

Okay, I will. 

Umm, tomorrow. 

That's right, tomorrow I will post the "how to" pictures. 

In the meantime, I will leave this giveaway open until Sunday!  Cute eh?

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

How does it happen ...

I am going to say it again ...

I am so blessed.

Perhaps I am not so in charge as I think. 

Yep, I am sure I am not.  Which is very disconcerting when I thrive on being in control.  Hmmm.

So, remember I did Eric and Nickie's engagement pictures, and wedding, and then I did Amanda and Chad's engagement pictures and doing their wedding next month?!  And then I had a family shoot last weekend and a senior photo shoot the following Tuesday and another family shoot this Sunday. 

WOW.  God blesses me so often, and I do not thank him enough or take the time to thank my family and friends for sending business my way.  So thank you. 

Here are a few shots I love from Stevie's shoot. 

his skateboard

On the tracks

Senior Rah!


Another success story .... a bless filled day!