This evening I went to a friend's farm just outside town. I went for farm fresh eggs. She has twin daughters who are raising chickens. They have a large chicken pen with hens and roosters as well as pet ducks that come when called. It is lovely to hear the farm sounds; quacking ducks, cooing hens, crowing roosters.
Lorraine was making peach jam from Michigan peaches. She had at least a case. The girls showed me 'their' peaches, each absolutely enormous! They are going to the Illinois State Fair with their family tomorrow. Their cousins are coming in from California for a visit. Lorraine also told me that her daughter is coming in from Indiana this weekend, bringing her Belgian waffle maker. The twins' birthday is Saturday. Their birthday breakfast includes homemade pancakes topped with apples, Belgian waffles, and bacon.
I always love being around the Coffey's. Lorraine has so much knowledge and experience in so many areas. She and her girls are always pleasant, attentive, and welcoming. I went for eggs and came home with farm fresh eggs, peaches, and a small gourd. I love the farm life.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Bride for a Day
On Saturday I went shopping with my two sisters and Mom for a wedding dress. Kami drove up from St. Louis on Thursday just for the occasion. We had planned on going to Bloomington, but I decided against that and we instead went to Champaign Urbana. I had made an appointment Saturday morning for Michelle's and it happened to be the last appointment available! We went to the seamstress' home so she could measure Kami and Annie for their MOH and flower girl dresses.
At 11:30, we arrived at Michelle's. I was a bit nervous as I had neer had to try on dresses like this before. I am not a fancy person, but these gowns were beautiful. The girls helped me pick out 6 dresses to start with. The dressing rooms were huge, with large mirrors, but there was also a platform out in the store to stand on and look at the dress. After trying on a few, I came to one that I really liked. I had liked lots of them. It came down to 2 dresses- both were made by the same designer, the only dresses of this designer in the store.
I picked The One and asked that we get extra material, the same as the dress, in order to have sleeves made. There were other sleeves to choose from, but I didn't care for them as much. I can't go into a lot of detail or someone may read about it. But, I really am pleased with the dress I got.
After the final details were ironed out, the four of us went to lunch at McAlisters. Yummy. I really like that place. Next, we went to the mall to Bergner's and I found a dress for my bridal shower. I was glad that was a quicker decision to make. It was rather tiring trying o nso many dresses! We ran to JoAnn's to look at material for curtains, but I didn't get anything, just ideas.
I can't wait to get my dress and try it on again. By then, it'll be very close to the wedding day!
At 11:30, we arrived at Michelle's. I was a bit nervous as I had neer had to try on dresses like this before. I am not a fancy person, but these gowns were beautiful. The girls helped me pick out 6 dresses to start with. The dressing rooms were huge, with large mirrors, but there was also a platform out in the store to stand on and look at the dress. After trying on a few, I came to one that I really liked. I had liked lots of them. It came down to 2 dresses- both were made by the same designer, the only dresses of this designer in the store.
I picked The One and asked that we get extra material, the same as the dress, in order to have sleeves made. There were other sleeves to choose from, but I didn't care for them as much. I can't go into a lot of detail or someone may read about it. But, I really am pleased with the dress I got.
After the final details were ironed out, the four of us went to lunch at McAlisters. Yummy. I really like that place. Next, we went to the mall to Bergner's and I found a dress for my bridal shower. I was glad that was a quicker decision to make. It was rather tiring trying o nso many dresses! We ran to JoAnn's to look at material for curtains, but I didn't get anything, just ideas.
I can't wait to get my dress and try it on again. By then, it'll be very close to the wedding day!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Blessings...
I just want to say how blessed I am to have the family and fiance I have. It is amazing how much a simple word can mean to me sometimes. How often I take for granted the people in my life. They are special, lovely, and I am proud to call them mine.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
French Style
I have had so much fun this summer with our garden. I'll admit, I have not been in it hardly as much as one should when maintaining a backyard garden. But, what I have done I have enjoyed. We got some corn [see Sweet Corn entry] from some roadside boys in Rossville. I cooked it and froze it. I know it'll be a treat this fall and winter. My favorite garden veggie is the green bean. They stand up to so much and produce quite a lot per plant. After our radishes were finished and Mom had pulled them up, I planted some more green plants in their place. They have not produced any beans yet, but it is nice to have them staggered. Hopefully when the plants producing now quit, these baby plants will be full of beans! Yesterday Will and I made an important stop at Rural King [my favorite place...seriously]. I have been wanting a green bean frencher for a few weeks now. Finally, today I was able to take it out of the package, put the crank on, and french some beans. It took some manuvering. It is hard to crank unless it is clamped to something. I tried the table first, but it wasn't tight enough. So, after Jacob's suggestion, I clamped it to a tray. It worked perfectly. Now I have some freshly frenched and lovely, I might add, green beans. Perhaps we'll enjoy them this week!
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