Feel Good Friday!

Special thanks to Uros Petrovic

Wow! What a crazy week it has been! Even though the week has been crazy the weekend is going to be nice and relaxed. The sun is shining and it's actually going to be warm this weekend! Can you believe it? Since the sun has put a smile on my face, let's see if I can do the same for you.

Do you love aprons? I do! I hardly wear them to cook but I love wearing them around the house. Just so I can look like the cute little alt-country housewife. You should check out Calamity Kim's blog! She is giving away the cutest apron ever! Even if aprons aren't your thing, check her out anyway. You will find something you love-I know I have. 

Recently I was in the button swap on Feeling Stitchy and got the cutest buttons ever from Rectangel. They are going on my green cameo sweater.

Things I remember from growing up: weird beer shampoo that I always wanted to try but my mom said she didn't want me smelling like the town bum or Tangee lipstick-it goes on clear and turns the color you want (if you want orange) or my favorite shoe in the world-Tretorns in red or black if you wanted to be fancy. Well, if you are like me and pine away at the good old days and wonder where you can get that beer shampoo then I have the place for you. The Vermont Country Store has all these things and more. Are you looking for that candy you just had to have when you were a kid-they have it (except Marathon bars-shoot!). I could spend hours on this website waxing about the good old days.

I usually don't advocate having your pups help with baking. Some people are a little whoozy when it comes to dog fur (I just don't understand) but this is just too adorable! He's helping!

Well my little chickadees! Hope this helps lift your spirits, bring a smile to your face and  puts you in a better mood. I know it has me! I am off to enjoy some much needed sunshine. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Love is life.
And if you miss love,
you miss life.
-Leo Buscaglia

Puppy Patterns!

I was recently going through my patterns and found these adorable puppy patterns. I absolutely love vintage patterns. I truly believe that they are a piece of history. What better way to see what the average woman was doing during her day.

I love any pattern that shows someone or something stitching. Her little wink is just too cute.

This little lady has a lot of mixing to do! Her little puff cuffs are the best

Oh my goodness! Be careful and don't burn your paws! Poor little pooch!

This one reminds me of Lola Mae. I like to think she looks this cute and innocent while waiting for me in the window. Hey, I can dream. 

Happy stitching!

Tie One On Tuesday!

Arriba! I feel a fire in my belly and for the first time it's not the salsa at the local Mexican joint. It's my favorite Mexican cocktails to celebrate our annual Cinco de Mayo festival (by our festival, I mean Mark and I have dinner).

Lake Chapala is the largest fresh water lake in Mexico, and apparently a tasty drink. It is a very simple drink that has a wonderful fruit taste to it. After a few of these, you will want to go skinny dipping in the nearest body of water.

Chapala Cocktail
 1 1/2 ounces premium Tequila - I'm a fan of Patron
  1/2 ounce Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
  1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon Juice
  2 teaspoons Grenadine
  1/2 teaspoon Triple Sec Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Oh my goodness! I do love a spicy cocktail. The combo of spicy and lime will clear your sinuses and make you smell fruity fresh. This cocktail is so good, it could make the devil weep.

Sweet and Spicy Diablo
2 cilantro leaves
1 Serrano chili sliced 1/4-inch thick, seeds removed
4 ounces tequila blanco
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce simple syrup
Combine cilantro and chili in a cocktail shaker and muddle well. Pour in tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup and shake well. Strain drink into a rocks glass and garnish with a slice of Serrano chili.

Last but not least is a good old fashion Margarita. You can pretty much add any flavor to a Margarita and it will taste great. Strawberry?  Mango? Cucumber? It doesn't matter-it's still a tasty treat. A Margarita has three simple ingredients and really is one of the easiest cocktails you can ever make. You can have it on the rocks or blended (slushy) .

Classic Margarita
1 1/2 ounces Tequila
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1 ounce lime juice
Line the rim of a cocktail glass with lime juice, and dip in salt. Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into the glass, and serve.

Here you go muchachos and muchachas, some wonderfully delicious cocktails to celebrate your 5th of May! You can go sweet, spicy or salty-the decision's yours. Just remember to be careful and drink responsibly , don't go mistaking that jerk at the end of the bar in a bad colorful sweater for a candy filled pinata.

Dios Mio!

Hola Amigos! Cinco De Mayo is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate the victory of the Mexican Militia over the French army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 than with some of my favorite Mexican movies. So, when you are on your next siesta , sit back and watch some of Mexico's finest imports. 

Okay, so this has NOTHING to do with Cinco De Mayo, Militias or even the French but it does have to do with fighting for what's right and one of my favorite past times-Lucha Libre. I can not get enough of  Los Campeones Justicieros. Describing this movie is as easy to describe as making a Margarita. Take one part evil scientist, two parts Lucha Libre and sprinkle with little people wearing superhero costumes and you have the perfect recipe for a campy action packed fun. It doesn't matter if you can speak the language (there are no subtitles) watching a gang of masked wrestlers riding motorcycles through the lush  Mexican countryside is worth the price of admission alone. 

Keeping with the theme of not having a thing to do with Cinco de Mayo is my next favorite Mexican film, Brainiac. Baron Vitelius is convicted of consorting with the devil and the penalty is death. The Baron vows revenge as he burns to death. Fast forward to present day Mexico (well 50's Mexico) and the Baron is resurrected as the forked tongue beast that devours the brains of the living. There are so many questions concerning this movie but my biggest one is how many flamethrowers does it take to destroy the Brainiac? The world will never know.

The last but not least Mexican film in my Cinco  De Mayo tribute is an atmospheric Gothic tale of romance and blood sucking, El Vampiro (The Vampire), is one of the better Vampire movies ever made. You can cut the style of the film (and the fog) with a knife. Well acted, with a classic look that rivals a lot of the early Hollywood Horror flicks.

I'll admit it-these films have really nothing to do with Cinco De Mayo except the fact they were filmed in Mexico. I like to think that these wonderful actors channeled the fighting Militia on that May day and rose to the challenge of becoming their characters and entertaining us to the best of their abilities. Maybe that's just a tad too noble, but I for one, will raise my monster size margarita and salute those fine thespians of Mexican cinema.


     

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

I have three little dogs. The girls are my vicious  hunters. They can catch a mouse, hunt a bird and basically make sure that our yard is free of varmints..... then there's Pete-our boy Min Pin.

Pete lives in his own world. There's not a lot that goes on his world. He has mastered the art of being a gentleman of leisure. 

Some people say to let sleeping dogs lie - but I just can't resist tickling the belly.

Oh! I'm sorry, did I interrupt your nap? Sorry Pete - didn't mean to harsh your mellow.

I expect Pete to yell at me that there is a beverage here in his best Jeffrey Lebowski voice.

I think I want to live in Pete's world. Wonder if there is a vacancy.

If April Showers Bring May Flowers....

Remember the old riddle-If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? - Pilgrims! I always told my mom that joke and each time I thought I was pulling something over on her. Yeah - I was a funny kid. I've been getting a little tired of the rain but know that it will help the grass grow green, the flowers bloom a little fuller and provide us with drinking water during the summer time So, to tied me over when it's raining, I watch these enlightening movies about our puritanical friends - the Pilgrims.

The Devil and Daniel Webster, also known as All That Money Can Buy, is a 1941 classic tale of instant gratification, greed and sorrow. A poor farmer makes a pact with Mr. Scratch for seven years of good luck. Although it seems like he  has everything he wants - he is still lost. After 7 years, Mr. Scratch comes to collect on the debt. Daniel Webster steps in to help his farmer friend. A little known fact - there really is a Daniel Webster and he was highly regarded during the Antebellum period. The Simpsons did a parody of this story which is almost as great as the film.

I remember reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's book The Scarlet Letter when I was in high school. I was outraged that young Hester was singled out as such a horrible woman. Only the 1926 silent movie version of this book has truly captured the passion and sorrow of our young heroin. A beautiful Lillian Gish plays Hester and does a command performance as the shunned woman in a Puritanical society. It is well worth the watch.

A more recent film is The Piano. This is one of Holly Hunter's greatest roles. She plays a mute woman who has an arranged marriage to a man in New Zealand. Life is very rugged for her, not only the terrain, but also the relationship with her husband. Once she begins teaching piano to a very sensual Harvy Keitel (I can not believe I used sensual and Harvey Keitel in the same sentence) her life begins to change. It is a story of triumph and love set in the 1850's.

So, as I transition out of this rainy seasons and wait for my flowers to bloom, I'll sit back and watch a few of my founding fathers and mothers learn about hard work, break through stereotypical molds and find true love. It looks like not much has change in a couple hundred years-aren't we still learning those lessons and breaking those molds and as for love-we will always be searching for that. Okay-enough with the heavy stuff, I'm gonna see if my joke will work on OMP for the 20th time.

Scrappy Dog Sunday!

I think I found Lola's long lost twin.

Lola

Her twin Eddy. Now, Eddy really isn't her twin but he could be.

Eddy.......

Lola.....

And Eddy....

The resemblance is uncanny. Let's hope Eddy is a bit better behaved.