Date Night With Robbie

Hey Y'all!
Yesterday Robbie and I began doing our very own "Date Night" together.
He told me that he wanted to take me out on a date!  I was so excited!  I asked him where he was planning on taking me.  His reply, " CHUCK E. CHEESE Mama!"  Umm....No.
I did talk him out of going to see the big mouse and eating cardboard pizza.
Instead, when his bus dropped him off at my school yesterday afternoon, we hit the road.
I had all these plans!  I had talked to some of my students and had some pretty amazing ideas!  (Or...so I thought!)
I really wanted to go see the new movie, "Journey 2 The Mysterious Island." 

 My kids said that since it was only rated PG, Robbie would LOVE it!  (Isn't that just like a middle schooler?!!)
So, on the way to the theater to catch the 4:30 show, I told him what we'd be watching.  He absolutely refused to watch it.  He said that he had seen the preview and it looked too scary.  I begged.  I pleaded.  NOPE...he wasn't having it!
So, we bought tickets to:

He had already seen it with Pop Pop and MiMi, but he wanted to watch it with me!
We ended up having the whole theater all to ourselves.  My daddy still cannot believe that the theater "Ran that movie just for two people!"  Robbie and I were so glad they did.
Since the movie didn't start until 4:50 and we purchased our tickets at 4:00, we went to The Goodwill store next door to kill some time.  I found two pair of jeans for me. ($4.99 each)  One pair are from The Avenue and the other pair are Levi's.  I also bought a board game for Robbie and a marionette clown puppet.  It looks really old and was hand painted.  I'm going to do some research to see if I can find out anything on it.
After the movie, we went to Cato and The Dollar Tree and then to a wonderful restaurant in Gastonia called Shogun.  YUMMY Japanese food where they cook at your table.
Finally at around 9:15, we made it back home to The Doublewide.
After doing homework and reading and laying out everything for this morning, we didn't get to sleep until around 10:30.
I am surely paying the price for it today!  I just hope Robbie's holding his eyes open while at school too!
We will surely have another day together---just me and him.  I feel like I need to get in as many moments as I can while he still thinks it's cool to hang out with mama.  I was so tired that I nearly fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
On my way to La-La-Land, I heard him talking to his daddy....
"Daddy...how about this Saturday me and you have a Father/Son day.  It wouldn't be cool to say a Date Night since we're both boys, but I want to spend time with just you too!"
See why I love me some of that boy?!!
Hope you have a great weekend!
We'll be making our Lye Soap this evening for the first time!  I can't wait!!!

Vintage Sheet Sun Dress

Hey Y'all!

I just wanted to share a super fast, super cheap, and super easy way to use an old sheet.
I have this love affair with vintage sheets and pillowcases.  I can't explain it whatsoever, but I remember going to my Mammaw's house when I was a little girl.  Her sheets always smelled so fresh and clean.  It was such a wonderful feeling when I would go to bed with my hair curling on brown paper bag strips, and smell those wonderful clean sheets.
Maybe I connect the sheets with Mammaw.   Maybe I connect feeling safe, secure and loved with Mammaw and the sheets.  Who knows?
Anyway....
I was looking around on ways to make things using these sheets that I have too many of.
I came across this image and loved it instantly.
I do NOT have the figure to wear this dress, but I knew there had to be something I could do to make one for me.  So I got busy...
I took an old sheet, turned it wrong-side out and wrapped it around me just above my bust line.  I cut it to fit.  Then I measured the length I wanted it to be and cut that.  Hemmed up the bottom and sewed a casing so that I could add elastic around the top.  I sewed the open sides of the sheet together and that's the back seam.  This was so quick to work up and it's fun.
I already had a denim shirt/jacket so I ran to my closet, put it on, and had Big Daddy use my cell phone to take a picture for you.
Here it is:

So, go grab an old sheet and get busy sewing.  Your Mammaw would be so proud of you!

Happy First Day of Spring Y'all!
I hope you have a wonderful day today!

Homesteadin'

Sometimes I think I may have been born during the wrong era.  I love all things vintage and antique.  I enjoy wondering how they did things "back in the day."
I'm sure part of the reason was my Pappaw Fred.  He would tell us so many stories while we were growing up.  Pappaw was a true historian--no doubt.
I love my job and I love having indoor plumbing, electricity, cars, air conditioning, etc.
But sometimes I enjoy thinking of what it would be like to not HAVE to work and just wonder if I could have thrived or barely survived during The Great Depression times.
Anyway...
I have been experimenting with making my own soy wax candles lately.  They're so much fun to make, I can control the amount of scent I put into each one, and they're pretty inexpensive to make.  So far I've made the following scents:  Apple Jack N Peel, Blueberry Cobbler, Birthday Cake, Banana, Frosted Carrot Cake and Hillbilly Homebrew. (<---Smells like toasted pecans, vanilla, sugared plums, and red hot cinnamon sticks.  Just like Tony the Tiger used to say, "It's GREAT!")
So yesterday afternoon, I was looking around on Youtube for some candle and soap making videos.  (Now I'm getting back to the reason of this post to begin with!  Sheesh!)
I came across Misty.  She's a "homesteader" with her husband whom she calls Mountain Man.  They have some children (not sure how many) and they live in Tennessee.
She is amazing.  Makes her own butter, cans bacon, cooks on a wood stove, and makes their home a success.  Bless her heart!  She works SO hard!
Anyway...I'll include two of my favorite videos of hers.  The first was actually a soap-making video where she visits her friend Marsha.  Here you go:

WOW!  Embedding a video from Youtube was SO easy!  Y'all are in trouble now!

And here's my favorite....
How to make Strawberry Jam



I hope y'all have a wonderful day!