Creations by a Georgia Peach

A gift from God - a new grandchild is on the way!

2010-11-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

Motorcycle Man called me yesterday afternoon and said "Hello Granny "again". It took a second and then I realized what he meant - our oldest daughter, County Gal and her husband The Hunter just found out yesterday that they are expecting their second child in July. Thank you God!

Can you imagine what gear my mind immediately went in to? The quilting, the knitting, the garment sewing - do I have enough time if I start today??? I will keep you posted throughout the next 8 months. :o)

My mind is running like a screen of never ending pictures of all the goodies I can (and will) make for this newest grandbaby.

Stay tuned!

What an Amazing Girlfriend Retreat!

2010-11-15T15:43:00.001-05:00

A group of girlfriends I am proud to be a part of attend a yearly Girlfriend Retreat each year. I was not able to attend last year but was so lucky to there this year! Thank you God!

We were so very blessed to be the guests of one of the original Girlfriends and when we arrived we each found robes laid out across the bed along with a stack of towels and washcloths and the most amazing gift basket on the night stands. If you have never experienced this luxury I pray that it will come to you in the near future. Then as if this was not enough, she went to Panera's to pick up fresh bagels and brought them to us to go along with the many flavors of coffee and creamers we each experienced.

Anywhere we went was done via the golf carts at our disposal. I was there from Thursday evening through Sunday morning and went out to eat, Wal-mart, the movies, a book store, a Mexican restaurant about 20 miles away, visiting other friends houses, Bealls Department store, an awesome dress shop, took breathtaking pictures of a sunset and did all of this on a golf cart! That is the life I tell you!

And did I forget to mention .....

2010-11-09T04:10:00.001-05:00

that I was also asked to design a custom fit Do-Rag by Motorcycle Man? Here is the prototype in muslin and then I have production-line produced 4 more, 3 for him and one for One Stop, using U of Tenn, U of GA and Pow-Mia fabrics. Awesome!

Shower Gifts Pictures

2010-11-09T03:57:00.000-05:00

Where has the time gone?

2010-11-09T03:29:00.000-05:00

I have spent almost no time on the internet since my last post. I have been on a mission that finally came to light last Sunday - the shower for my dear niece and her soon to be born sweet baby girl.

I decided to see just how far out of my comfort zone or box I could step and see what I was able to teach myself on my Babylock Esante sewing/embroidery machine and my new Babylock Imagine serger. It was so fun going through the manuals and trying out only a fraction of what these amazing machines are capable of producing!

I made a cute quilt - started piecing the top my hand and finished it on the machine, added the binding and then hand quilted it.

Then I decided to really test my comfort zone and made a Christening Gown, slip, bonnet and matching blanket with her name embroidered on it.

Then I wanted to make double sided bibs with a cute embroidery on one of the sides - I made two newborn size ones.

Then so the cute little mommy would not be left out I made her a small shoulder strap bag that would hold her smart phone and iPod with a pocket for her license, debit card and cash.

As much as I missed being on my blog, it was amazing to see what I was able to believe in myself to do. From time to time I admit I would start having DT's so I would pop in on your blogs to see what you had been up too.

Oh yeah, I also took advantage of a great sale at one of my local fabric stores and bought a new dress form and am back in the process of making my own clothes again now that I have a serger! I used to make all my work clothes and most all the kids play clothes but the insides were a mess. This serger gives it such a clean finished look!

I will post pics of her shower gifts shortly.

Serger Opinions and Reviews please....

2010-10-04T00:31:00.000-04:00

I have made a beautiful dress over the last few days and it looks so great on the outside but flip it inside out and it is loaded with stings. Lots of strings! I have a serger in the closet, a Euro Pro, that I have had for probably 15 years. It stinks. Yes, that is my opinion and review! I have only been able to use it for the first few pages of examples and it came un-threaded and I have never been able to get this machine to work properly since. I also had Motorcycle Man and several other people try their hand and they had just as much trouble as I did.

This leads me to my questions:

Do you own a serger?

What make/model?

What is your opinion and review of it?

Would you buy it again?

And if not, what brand would you buy?

Thanks in advance for you part in helping me make a decision on what brand serger to buy since I have a ton of dress material and a drawer of new patterns.

WIP Wednesday

2010-09-29T10:38:00.000-04:00

My WIP Wednesday project is for my unborn great-niece who is due in November. I found this fun material in TN last week at one of the wonderful quilt shops I visited. I started hand-piecing it while I was there and finished it last night. Today I added the borders and sandwiched it together and am it is ready for the quilting. I am undecided whether to hand or machine quilt it. I have plenty of time to hand quilt it and it gives it a vintage look in my opinion so I may choose that route. Her parents are very "green-earthly" college professors so I think that completing it with the hand quilting might be pleasing to them as well.

Hopefully I can have this finished before next Wednesday so it does not show on the list twice. :o)

I did not spend alot of time working on my poncho last week after ripping it out and starting over. Here is the latest picture of it.

And here is a newborn washcloth that I just finished I need to weave in the ends and it will go in the finished stack of things to give to my niece and her husband.

You know, looking at this post and the pictures I actually did get alot done this last week without my beloved Internet!!! Hmmmmm - is this something I might want to do once a month? The answer is.............

No Internet for over a week!

2010-09-28T07:24:00.000-04:00

A sudden unscheduled trip left me without internet (and my beloved blog!) for over a week! I could never imagine what that would be like and after having lived it recently I can tell you it is horrible. Right up there on my top ~~ten~~ five things I never want to have to go through again.

However, I did find that without my laptop attached to me I was able to knit a newborn washcloth, get a third of a newborn quilt sewn together by hand since I did not have time to even grab a sewing machine. I keep a bag of yarn and needles always packed and ready to grab but had taken apart my sewing/quilting bag. Thank goodness two awesome quilt shops were within 10 miles from me and I was able to pick up the baby quilt kit, thread, thimble, needles and scissors for a very fair price.

I am so overcome with the need for sleep right now but when I am back online later today I will post pics of the things I was able to work on as well as pictures I took while I was gone.

TTYL

Rip It, Frog It - no matter how you say it I still want to cry

2010-09-18T12:17:00.000-04:00

My lovely poncho I have been working on and told you about. My beautiful poncho I planned on wearing soon to stand between me and the chill that is coming. My amazing poncho I recently shared

with you when I discovered I have been missing 4 key stitches on it for oh maybe 50 rows!

Well here is a picture of my lovely, beautiful, amazing poncho in the process of being Frogged, Ripped or however we knitters want to term it. In short, here it is with hours of work ripped out.

And oh yes, I felt a slight chill in the air this morning while I was having my coffee on the front deck. What is going to stand between me and the forthcoming chill??? Several balls of yarn? With curls in it from being knitted and ripped out?

Stay tuned and send me good thoughts that I stick with this project and it does not end up in the UFO cabinet in my studio. I would love to wear it this winter and for winters to come.

When we are asked to serve...

2010-09-18T03:58:00.002-04:00

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

This came to my mind when I was asked to help sit with Sheriff without a Badge's mother who had a massive stroke this week and was just moved from ICU. I met this lady when I was a mere child of 14 and my sister introduced our family to her friend, who would later become her future husband.

Now she is 80 and it was the day for her standing weekly hair appointment of which she still drove herself to. Her husband, 81, heard her say "Oh" and went into the bedroom and there she lay from a fall, unable to move or talk. A call to 911 and she was transported to the local ER and was given a miracle shot, one that 4 days later even have the doctors amazed at her ability to move and respond to requests.

She still has not been able to speak a coherent word but smiles when her son tells a joke or cries when the phone is held to her ear and a beloved family member from her home state says a few soothing words across the miles.

I had the pleasure/honor of sitting with her yesterday and knitting there instead of at home.

She is a fiercely independent woman still maintaining her spotless home and putting three meals on the table at the same time each day. She is a woman from the earlier generation of helping to "bring home the bacon and cooking it too". Still gets dressed up plus hair just right and makeup in place every day. She was always a very kind, loving woman but I never remember her being a touchy freely person. I went on trips to her beloved home state with her as a teenager, I spent many nights at her home - treated like the daughter she never had.

Nothing, NOTHING prepared me for who I saw when I opened the door to that hospital room!

I think she must be thinking why are all these people seeing me like this - confused, bruised and I mean bruised horribly from the fall, in a hospital gown that takes away any persons' dignity, what happened to my hair, my makeup and where are my teeth. She is a tiny woman and she does not have the strength to pull that horrible gown up over her tiny shoulders.

I immediately talk to her like I normally would - helping her to cover her shoulders and did something I have never done - I reached out to touch her - I stroked her hair and instead of the pulling away that I would have expected from this lady that was not one to cuddle, she pushed her head into my hand and a soft moan escaped her lips. Two tears streamed out of the sides of her eyes and she did not pull away. She pushed her head further into my hand. I spent many hours with her yesterday, talking, stroking her hair until she would slip back into a soft sleep and talking.

In the blink of an eye this woman and her family's lives changed. No warning but changed for how long no one knows. She was approved to move to Rehab yesterday. Two weeks of rehab and then they expect her to be changed enough to go home or if recovery is not as expected than it will be a nursing home.

It is true that statement, 'we never know'.

Surprise Me Thursday - my blog was featured on two of my favorite blogs!

2010-09-16T20:38:00.005-04:00

I have been busy today with dreaded chores:

1. making sure money was in the bank via the internet
2.   making a token deposit in person
3.   paying bills online and in person
4.   giving the tag department $502.28, or so it seemed as I wrote a large check for tags, tags and tags!
5.   dropping "The Kind Life" off at one library so it could be shipped across the state for another lady wanting to be a vegan
6.   go to another local library to check out their copy of "The Kind Life" that had been returned by a local patron also wanting to be a vegan
7.   stop by and let Motorcycle Man take me to lunch at the newest Chinese Buffet in town
8. forget to pick up his eye drop prescription
9. come home and knit about 30 more rows on the WIP poncho
10. Realize I have been missing four key stitches on the last 50 rows of the WIP poncho!!!!!! Now I have to rip it apart and start over!
11. Cry and give up and take a much needed nap!!!

However, there was a silver lining to the day believe it or not! My beloved blog was featured on two of my favorite blogs!

Seams Inspired
Cozy Little House

I want to thank you ladies again so much for featuring my blog! I love blogging and had made up my mind when I started this new one (I have been blogging since GEOcities was a host many years ago) that it did not matter if I was ever read by anyone but me as long as I wrote about my favorite things in life. It is my way of journaling and sometimes just letting my hurts and frustrations out in a constructive way. I write it just like I talk to my children, husband, grandchildren and friends.

I am learning so much from the blogs I read and look forward to visiting them everyday. This has turned what was becoming a not so good day into a blessing - Thank You ladies!

Welcome Wednesday 9/15

2010-09-15T12:49:00.003-04:00

WIP Wednesday

2010-09-15T12:07:00.000-04:00

I have not felt good for the last three days/nights. Lack of sleep and pain register off the chart has taken away my desire to create. However, while looking at the blogs I follow this morning, I came across today's post over on Zibeline Knits I was reading her WIP Wednesday post and was inspired to get my camera and take a picture of what I have been working on for several days in anticipation of cooler weather coming.

I am not a coat wearing person so I usually wear a large comfy sweat shirt jacket or a thin sweater. However, last winter I was at a cute little yarn shop across town and found the Women's Poncho #246 pattern and some yarns to blend together and have been working on this shawl. Hopefully I will have it ready by Thanksgiving which is when I will finally be cool enough to wear something besides long sleeves. I can remember before middle age visited me I was bundled up in layers and layers just to be semi-comfortable. Now, just long sleeves and I am good.

Can't sleep so I may be visiting your blog right now....

2010-09-14T00:46:00.000-04:00

When I can not sleep I try first to turn over and go back to sleep. Second, see what is on the Food channel or HGTV or, you get the picture. Third, watch The Closer or any cooking show I have recorded. Fourth, get up get a Fresca or glass of ice water and walk out on one of the decks and listen to all the night time animal sounds. Fifth, if all else fails - grab the Mac and head to a comfy spot and start visiting folks that have visited my blog. I have just finished leaving comments on 6 blogs and entering two contests and thanking Just Married With Coupons for an earlier win I had on one of their Brain TeaZers. They are well worth a visit if you have never been to their page!

What do you do if you are not able to sleep??? Leave me a comment and let's compare how we all deal with this!

TTYL

Golden Girl and The Menace waiting on their Mommy this morning

2010-09-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

Pictures I took of my Golden Girl and The Menace while I was on the pool deck reading all the wonderful blogs I follow.

Such beautiful eyes

Hurry up Mama!

My spot on the pool deck for reading blogs

My Little Girl - The Menace

Homekeeper’s Journal ~ Struggling?

2010-09-13T11:09:00.001-04:00

While visiting Cindy's site I was reading this post and decided to take the challenage myself even though it had been closed for over a month. Here goes:

This week’s Journal is about struggles and what we do when we find ourselves struggling.

I struggle in my kitchen with ….. what to cook for two people with totally different eating choices. I am a vegetarian flirting with becoming a total vegan and my husband loves meat and hates vegetables and nuts and milk and.....

Struggles of any kind have a tendency to make me …… very tense. And off-track. When you are trying anything new it seems that anything out of the norm can throw you off track easily. Plus I am a worrier and I do not need to borrow trouble.

I struggle more when ……. my family is in pain. I remember hearing when my children were young that old saying "Now they are pulling on your apron strings, later they will be pulling on your heart strings." Oh how I wish for the apron strings days back!

When it comes to people, I struggle ….. I have to agree with her post as well! Dishonesty and trust by loved ones can do you in easily. It does not matter if they are 2 or 82 - the pain is still the same!

When it comes to struggles, I believe the Lord wants me to know ….. that I am always the one that walks the other way - not him. That I need to slow down and hear his voice and place all my trust in him.

It is amazing what reading her post and then taking the time to stop and listen to my heart and my head and answer these questions did for my soul this morning! Please visit Sylvia at Christian HomeKeeper Network to read what others were struggling with during the week of August 10th.

Finish Me Friday

2010-09-10T08:35:00.000-04:00

I think I am going to start a theme for Fridays so why not be "Finish Me Friday"? I have so many UFO's that I think I can keep this theme going for a month of Sundays with no problem. Or, I could finish re-potting all the houseplants I got at such a great deal. Or finish an item on my Fall Cleaning Schedule. Or finish reading a book, sorting my digital photos, organizing all my recipes. Get my point? It could be anything - just Finish It!

If you chose to participate in the Finish Me Friday theme what would you do today? Leave me a comment with your ideas.

And if you read my blog on a regular basis, you already know that I blog like other people tweet so I will be back on here several more times today. :o)

Let's all work together on this today and come back tonight or tomorrow morning and post what you were able to complete on Finish Me Friday! Look forward to hearing from all of you!

Thursday Blog Hop Time

2010-09-09T10:38:00.000-04:00

Update on Motorcycle Man's Eye Surgery and new Eye Prosthesis AND NEWER UPDATE

2010-09-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

I want to cry! We naturally feel so much for our family members and want to take on their happiness or their pain. Yesterday it was going to be pain I knew. A manila bubble protected envelope addressed to MM was in the mailbox along with the junk mail, a bank statement and a bill or two. It had the return address of the artist, the miracle man with a paint brush, the man that makes eye prosthesis so amazing that no one can tell they are acrylic eyes and not the God given eyes. We were both under the impression that MM had to return across town to pick up his new eye and of course make sure it was fitted correctly. Surely to God he had not mailed it in the US Mail along with the Redplum coupouns!

I mean he took great pains in making sure that it was going to be fitted correctly since it had been several decades since MM had had the first one made as a teen. After all, he was only one in less than a handful of people in our area with his talent. Just look it up and see how many are in your area - I was surprised to see that there are only 3 that I could find here. And to make it even better we thought, he was the nephew of the true artist that made the first one for MM years ago that I have heard him sing his praises for years. Plus, he trained under him so he has to be good!

Ok, cut to the chase now. Motorcycle Man called me on his way home from work and asked several things and then asked one of his daily questions - 'Did we get any mail?'. I told him all of the mail and then the envelope from across town. He asked what was in it. I replied 'You know I never open your mail (knowing that if it had been a check it would have been ripped open already)'. He respects that I don't open his mail (whew!) and asked me to open this one because we both know it is not going to be his eye. I hesitated and he asked 'Are you scared to open it cause if it is the eye it will be looking at you?' cutting up with me. I told him that if it had been mailed that I really wanted him to be the first to see it plus I wanted to see his initial reaction too. He asked me to open it anyway and that is when I wanted to cry.

Motorcycle Man has the most beautiful GREEN eyes with twinkles and sparkles and stars that caught my attention 28 years ago. What I was looking at was a BLUE glazed over sad looking eye with no life, no twinkles and sparkles and did I say it was BLUE. I could not catch myself as I mummered "Oh my God!" Did I say that out loud? Please God, don't let me have said that where he could hear it. Motorcycle Man asked me 'What - what do you mean OMG?'.

He made it home and checked it out himself - his face dropped at the sight of it. But being a trooper, he retreated to the master bath to see how he would look with a green eye and a blue eye telling me after all that our beloved Golden Girl has her brown eye and gold eye and we love her cause it is one of the unique things about her.

He called me in to look and I honestly was speechless (this is a miracle all within itself too!) . Do not ever ask me to play poker in your place cause I ain't got no poker face! He told me that not even looking at the blue color, it looked like his eye did after the accident when his eye "died" and turned a glazed over dull blue. He just put it back in it little white circular case to be returned to it's manila bubble protected envelope with the return address of the artist, the........

How do you explain all of this to the artist, the miracle man with a paint brush, the man that makes eye prosthesis so amazing that no one can tell they are acrylic eyes and not the God given eyes? Do I send him an email with a link to this post? It goes without saying that it has to be returned and remade but how do you tell him that the pictures he had in his office for us to look at that were breathtaking and this eye are at two total ends of the spectrum?

My man is a "you get one shot and I am through" kind of guy when it comes to things like this. I have to stay on him and try to convince him that it will be fine - that no one is going to make a fool of him or take advantage of him. After having spent years as a child with other kids making fun of him he still has that one little sore spot that does not need to be punched - and when we get results like this it is so so much harder to get him back up there again and finish. I am putting this in God's hands and know that the artist will do a wonderful job on the next (and last!) one.

Please pray with me that this will turn out with another beautiful GREEN eye with twinkles and sparkles and stars to match the God given one that he has.

(I pray I did not gross anyone out with this post but after being married to this man for 28 years I can only see the beauty in his eyes and always look for that in others we encounter that have other obstacles in their daily path as well.)

NEWER UPDATE: 

I took it upon myself to call the artist and calmly explained to him that the eye was BLUE and not GREEN and the pupil which was supposed to be black was a glazed over gray. He immediately apologized and said he would make it right and asked when was MM available to come in starting at a spot he had open at 9:30 tomorrow morning. I knew that Motorcycle Man had appointments at work tomorrow so I booked the next available spot of next Tuesday. I asked him to please look at his eye like I did to see the amazing colors and stars, etc and he kinda laughed and asked me to be sure and accompany MM to the office too. Say tuned as it will only come out right - remember - this is in God's hands - it does not have any other choice!

Fall Cleaning Schedule

2010-09-09T09:04:00.006-04:00

Click here to get the Fall Cleaning Schedule

Thank you so so much to House of Grace for posting this awesome Fall Cleaning Schedule! Click on the link to her blog to see her more detailed list of how she cleans her home. Also, if you want to get in on this cleaning party link it to her page too. Let's all keep each other motivated and up-to-date on how our cleaning is going! I love, love, love to clean! (What is wrong with me and who has taken over my mind and body???) Think of all the fun we are going to have and what an amazing and clean home we will have!

Also, please leave me a comment if you decide to join this too so I can follow you!

What to do Wednesdays?

2010-09-08T08:35:00.000-04:00

I am starting my "What to do Wednesdays" thread today. I am sitting in my studio having just finished reading my emails and find myself wondering what to do today. I have so much I need to do and plenty I want to do but what will I do?

1. Do I read another chapter or two in the books I am reading which are:

The Kind Diet - Alicia Silverstone

Suddenly Frugal - Leah Imgram

What's a DisOrganized Person To Do? - Stacey Platt

The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom - Suze Orman

All of these are great books and I am taking away many positive findings from each on. Alot are just plain common sense and some are ideas I would have never dreamed of.

2. Do I work more rows on the Socks for Soldiers tension blocks?

3. Or work on the gusset on the Self Striping Socks?

4. Finish re-potting my houseplants that are root-bound?
5. Wash 2 loads of clothes in my new Homemade Laundry Soap?
6. Just get back in the bed for much needed rest that my body and mind is screaming for???

What would your vote be?

Card Making Tuesdays

2010-09-08T07:51:00.000-04:00

I took my first ever Stampin' Up Card Making class yesterday at the house of a fellow knitter. She is a Stampin' Up demonstrator and gives classes at her home at least 3 times a month. I was so impressed with all of the inventory she had but more so with the knowledge and the amazing teaching ability she has. Hmmmm? I wonder is this has anything to do with her being a retired school teacher???

She had each of our stations set up and fresh popcorn popped and met us at the door to welcome us to her home. I had visited there once before and felt very welcome by both her and her husband and was again met with that same warm feeling.

She had our kits pre-made an ready for us to get right to work. Three kits, three different layouts and two cards in each kit. She had a premade kit/card ready for us to use as a guide and walked around to each of us for personal one-on-one attention. I will definitively be returning for future classes! Thank you Card-Teacher that Knits.

Strawberries by the quart for 99 cents!

2010-09-06T05:33:00.000-04:00

We stopped in a local small grocery to pick up a bag of dog food for Golden Girl and Holy Terror and as I passed the produce section (which is on the complete opposite side of the store from the dog food aisle OMG) I noticed a huge display of very large, fat, beautiful strawberries for only 99 cents! Normally we have to pay $2.50. Needless to say I stopped immediately - no brake lights - no warning signal - just another frugal shopper that found a fantastic deal that I could not pass up. I grabbed 8 of the best looking one while using my best double-elbow block moves to keep any other like minded frugal shoppers at bay.

I knew I would have to freeze them as soon as I got home and I am very proud to say that out of all those strawberries only one was bad!

Happy Birthday to The Matriarch and 'lil Jarhead

2010-09-04T15:24:00.000-04:00

My mom and 'lil Jarhead are both celebrating their birthdays today! She turned 82 and he is 30 - no wait - 22 - no, no, no - he is just 9 today.

Happy Birthday to you both and love you lots!

Almost finished with Self-Striping Knitted Socks

2010-09-03T23:27:00.002-04:00

I am knitting a pair of self striping socks on size 2 dpn (double pointed needles). They have actually been very fun to do and the pattern was free! It can be found here and I am using the Red Heart "Heart & Sole" No. 3965 Razzle Dazzle yarn. Although it is rated as Intermediate skill, I found it to be very easy and comfortable - especially with this being the first time I have used dpn's. Knit on! as Vickie Howell of Knitty Gritty always says!!

Made my first batch of Homemade Laundry Soap

2010-09-03T10:42:00.004-04:00

I first heard of making Homemade Laundry Soap when I was watching an episode of 18 Kids and Counting and have wanted to try it ever since but was skeptical. Would it clean like I wanted my clothes to be clean? Would it get the stains out of Motorcycle Man's clothes that seem to appear by
days end? Would it really get all those grass, chocolate and who-knows-what stains in the darling grandkids clothes?

Well, the more reading on other folks blogs I did, I found that quite a few of you had already started using this soap and was raving about it - even doing visual tests for us to see with white shirts smeared with yellow mustard, grass stains, juice drinks and chocolate. That was more than enough confirmation for me and the last time we were at the store I picked up the few - yes - very few items needed to make this wonderful money saving and cleaner clothes household miracle.

I bought a box of:

20 Mule Team Borax - use 1/2 cup per batch

Arm and Hammer Baking or Washing Soda - use 1/2 cup per batch

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha soap (you can also use Zote's pink or Ivory or any all natural soap)

5 gallon bucket with lid (I bought mine at Lowe's)

6 cups water

4 cups hot water

1 gallon plus 6 cups water

Use 1/2 cup per load

I grated 1/3 bar of the Fels Naptha soap and poured it into a large saucepan. I added 6 cups of water and stirred over medium heat until the soap melted. Then I added the baking(or washing) soda and the 20 Mule Team Borax and stirred over low heat until dissolved. Remove from heat.

I added 4 cups of hot water into the bucket. I had already heated this water in my tea kettle and had it ready. Then I poured in my soap mixture and used a whisk and stirred until it was mixed well.

Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir well. Let the soap sit 24 hours and it will gel. It will have the consistency of something like "chicken noodle soap liquid". It will not gel completely.

This is how it looks under the suds. BTW, this plastic glass is one of our iced tea glasses that we have only had a few months and it had turned a dingy brown color from the tea stain that even the dishwasher could not get out. After dipping in this this picture, I poured out the soap and rinsed the glass and it was amazingly clear! I of course had to the all the others and dip them in the soap too before putting the lid on the bucket.

I will post pictures in the morning of what it looks like after the 24 hour period. This only took me 20 minutes to make too.

Coupons and savings...Can anyone help me out there to learn this magic?

2010-09-02T20:21:00.004-04:00

I have done very well with getting back into the organized way of life that I always loved so much. I have done alot of reading on other blogs and websites, checked out books at the library and browsed through books at Barnes and Noble and have also started a Household Notebook that is coming in very handy. It makes so much sense to watch every penny that we have, live on a budget, look for creative and delicious recipes and anything else I can do to manage our home more economically.

Over and over I keep reading about saving dollars with coupons but having never really been one to use them I really do not know where to start. I have paid careful attention to the other shoppers for the last two weeks that are standing there going through stacks or wallets of coupons.

I have a question - who out there can lead me to a place that will help me learn this art of collecting and using coupons? I am honest enough to admit that I see this is bigger than me and I will need some help.

Thursday Blog Hop

2010-09-02T19:45:00.003-04:00

Motorcycle Man has follow-up with Eye Surgeon and ends up in ER tonight

2010-09-02T03:38:00.002-04:00

I realized while I was not able to sleep tonight that I had not posted in several days and felt the pull to the laptop and my "comfort zone of journaling". Now to catch you up...

Motorcycle Man had his two follow-up appointments with the eye surgeon and he is on the road to recovery and his eye is doing great! He is able to see with such clarity now as well as be able to see
colors too. I had no idea that he had not been able to see colors - only white and gray tones. He had kept that part to himself. Plus, he has 20/20 vision in now - they implanted a contact lens and with each day of recovery he sees clearer and clearer.

He has also had his first appointment for his new prosthesis which will be ready late next week. He let us watch while he worked and what he does is an art in itself. He explained to me what he was doing as he was doing it and I was just in awe at the art he is able to bring to life! He showed us an album that of other people that he has made eyes for and his work was just amazing! Oh, and the biggest shocker of all was he is the nephew of the man that originally made Motorcycle Man's first prosthesis when he was 18!

Then when we got home he hit the remote for the garage door as usual and instead of it raising normally it went up whoppy-jawed as MM says. I was too tired and had told him that I was headed for a much needed nap so we would deal with that later. Well long story short, it was dark before he asked me to come downstairs and "help" him get the door down for the night. It is a old wooden double door with glass windows all across the top. I am not quite sure how or what happened but all of a sudden there was an explosion and one of the windows imploded and came crashing down on top of him. I was horrified as I watched it happening in slow motion. He had glass all over him and his head was bleeding profusely. I am trying to hold a cloth to his head and stop the bleeding and he is pulling against me and calmly says to forget his head and check out his back. Oh crap! He had a long jagged piece of glass sticking out of his back through his shirt. And did I mention that every time his heart beat blood was pumping out around the glass too? His white shirt was largely red on the back.

Fast forward to the ER and the wonderful care he immediately received as he came through the entrance, First he had to convenience them that he had not been stabbed by someone with a jagged piece of glass. Once that was straightened out and all the policemen that had gathered around him went back to what they had been doing, several nurses taped bandages to his head and back to control the bleeding and he was taken into triage. Where again he had to convince them that he had not been stabbed by some wild-eyed woman grasping long jagged pieces of glass. (Me???) Then the chaplain was brought in - but not for him - for me who was having an "anxiety attack"!?!? What is that I ask! It was just a small reaction of relief I had since he was now safe in their hands and the glass was out of his back. LOL

He was given excellent care by every person that we came in contact with and after x Rays, gluing his head together in two places and staples in his back we were finally headed back home.

By the way, did I mention the new windowless door is being installed in the morning?

Retro Glider and Chairs at Lowe's look great in our yard

2010-08-27T08:21:00.003-04:00

A "quick" trip to Lowe's with Motorcycle Man yesterday ended with finding the most awesome retro glider and chairs that reminded both of us of our childhood and being at our grandparents' houses. It would not do until he picked out 4 chairs and one 2-seater glider. They had the retro colors of green, yellow or blue and all of them were really very beautiful. We bought 2 green and 2 yellow chairs and
the yellow glider. Then we find some cushions that are yellow with greens, blues and darker yellows that match both colors great.

I also found some great deals inside on their signage. Most of the larger items were $12 - 16 earlier in the summer and the most I paid for any of them was $5! I love to put these in our yard and on our decks.

Motorcycle Man in surgery today and Update

2010-08-24T10:44:00.006-04:00

I am at the Surgery Center trying to somehow sanely pass the time while Motorcycle Man is having surgery. Due to a childhood accident at 11, he lost his right eye. Today he is having surgery to save the
sight in his left eye. My Hero is depending on the skill of a good eye doctor and his staff and of course the watchful care of God. My heart is in my throat but I know for a fact that he will be fine. He is my Motorcycle Man, my Hero - he has to be fine.

Update:  

Thank you God - he did just fine in the surgery. We are still waiting for the patch to come off later today to see what he sees and how he sees it. He is sleeping off the meds right now. It was funny - they called me back to his room and as I gathered my bag I asked her how he was and the nurse said 'awake and hungry and ready for you to get him some food'. Whew! At least I knew he had not lost his sense of humor.  

I entered the room and there he sat on the bed - his "good eye" patched and his hand reaching towards my voice as I called in and asked how he was doing. It hit me like a cold chill at that moment - my Motorcycle Man was sightless at that moment in time. A patch taped down covering his eye that had just gone through the trauma of invasive surgery to give him the sight he needs so desperately. He is the head of our home, my lover/husband/best friend, our children's father, our grandchildren's PawPaw, second in the chain of command at his daily job, the rider of the Harleys in the garage, the driver of the motorhome and all the other vehicles in the driveway and also to his newest toy in the yard - the golfcart - for the folks that do not play golf - just want to ride in one on those little short trips to here and there.  

It is amazing how we can all take some things for granted until we do not have them. I have always been the one that leaned on him and today as I guided and talked him into the garage, through the laundry room, up the stairs into the kitchen, into the living room and finally onto the couch that I realize how he has done this for me for years and never complained - has always been there and it was an honor to be able to do the same for him! That is until he needed to get right back up and go to the bathroom and whether it was meds or not seeing the toilet or what alot of that 'I am really doing good blah blah blah' feeling dropped a bit when I was jerked back into reality - please tell me I am dreaming - please tell me that the tub just sprang a leak - just please don't tell me he is peeing on my shoe. I just love it! There is always humor in every situation - some you don't even have to look for - it might just be as close as your shoe.   

Also, as the other day when my Golden Girl kept her vigil next to me, she is faithfully laying on the floor next to the couch watching out for her Daddy. Right before she laid down she sniffed all around his face, especially the patch and gave his check a nice lick and settled in to wait.  

Sleep it off dear man, sleep it off.

Standing Guard...

But again, Let us pray...

I forgot to mention that I love gardening too!

2010-08-24T10:29:00.004-04:00

We built a 20x20 deck on the front of our house in 2005 and the last time I was able to really spend time decorating it with plants was in May 2007. Motorcycle Man had bought me approximately a pickup truck bed full of plants - annuals and lots of perennials. Plus I had about 50 solo cups with
seedlings of Moon Vines and all other kinds of wonderful climbers. All of these beautiful plants were lined all over the deck floor and the tables just waiting for me to grab a shovel and get out in the yard looking for just the right spot for each one.

But.....that was when I got "the call" from my doctor telling me that the MRI did indeed find what was wrong with my legs and feet - it was an egg size tumor in the spinal cord. I had been going to doctors for over six months trying to find out what was wrong with me. Either I was in such intense pain I was barely functional or my legs and feet and abdomen would start burning - I would describe it as going to McDonald's and standing in oil in the deep fryer.

Off I was to surgery the very next morning, leaving all my beautiful plants and seedlings at home alone. I stayed in ICU for over a week and then in a step down room for another week. When I came home all I saw was my sad plants on the deck - drying for a drink of water, looking out over the deck rail just wanting to jump into the ground and find their home. I could only feel sympathy for them as i was ushered quickly into the house. No, Mama would not be able to help them in their time of need - she was not able to walk at all and was bedridden for months - many, many long months. As she still had two more emergency spine surgeries and another month in the hospital plus staff infection and a tear in the spinal column causing spinal fluid to want to get out. My poor little plants were on their own and all Mama could do was watch them from her post at the window and pray for them.

Now about this time, Motorcycle Man took pity on the poor pitiful plants and opened the blinds in the bedroom so I could watch as he loving planted each and every one. Picking the dead leaves off and brushing the dust off of them and them stood there with that lovely watering hose and gave them a huge gulp of much needed, much wanted, life giving water. He was their Hero and mine too. My plans ws to have planted them scattered all over the yard - front and back - but he in his knowledge of where I would spend the rest of the next several seasons planted each and every one where I could view them from my bed or the front deck as I was able to be moved out there. He gave me a sanctuary.

Ok, now long story short. Here are before and after pics taken of this deck that has not had that much thought and love in 3 years. And once again guess who was at my side helping me trying to get slowly back in the swing of my love for gardening? You guessed it - Motorcycle Man. My Hero still.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

This is in the shade so I am calling it a day LOL.

What did I get myself in to? But...there is a silver lining - precious video found!

2010-08-21T20:01:00.003-04:00

I bought a MacBook Pro. I bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. I sent off for Adobe PSE8 - Classroom in a Book. I am being a good student and learning this very comprehensive program. Most of my photos (or so I thought) were already loaded into iPhoto on the Mac. Then I remembered that I had alot backed up on 2 external hard drives as well as some on a desk top in my studio and of course

that old laptop tucked away in my bill desk. And maybe a few on Motorcycle Man's computer that he had taken and downloaded there. Long story short, I stayed up till after 2:30 this morning downloading all these pics on the Mac so that I could organize them. And then noticed that I had to start double checking and deleting the duplicates.

Got up early this morning and rode with Motorcycle Man across town for him to do some work and took the laptop with me - spent over 5 hours (until the battery went dead on Mac) continuing the delete the duplicates and naming the pics, grouping them, sorting by child and their families, the trips and the date. This is a full-time job! No really, this IS a full-time job - one that might take me weeks. But in the end I will be able to open the pics in Adobe Bridge CS4 and edit them all different kinds of ways. I already tried it on a few and let's just say it blew me away!

I love the added bonus of seeing memories that had been placed away and all of a sudden there it was in front of me. Our children very young, our children grown and with their children, the trips we have taken alone, with family or friends. The wildlife that travels through my yard and I caught pics of. Just a flood of memories.

By far one of the best part was finding the short videos I took of Our Angel that I have been searching for that his mother has never seen or heard. He lived just 6 1/2 short months and all of it in hospitals but he was a fighter! He taught me SO much in his short life that I will carry with me to my grave. Seeing his pictures since he passed away has been a blessing but hearing him for the first time in two years was the most touching thing all of this venture has brought me. I can not wait to burn all his pics and the videos to a CD and take them to Mother Goose and let her have a blessing through this too.

An hour after he was born 2 months early

3 months later with his Mom

2 months later at 5 months with me singing to him

2 Bucks came to visit today

2010-08-20T13:52:00.002-04:00

Looked at the back door on the way to the kitchen and there were several of my deer family friends. These were two young bucks - both 6-pointers - feeding on the polk salad that grows wild behind our fence. Motorcycle Man told me that this is one of the last times we will get to see them together before
the season and they divide up to hunt on their own. I remember when they were half this size last year and we have another set of twins this year that have recently lost their spots.

Golden Girl at play and sleep

2010-08-19T23:54:00.002-04:00

Pictures I took of her in her first snow, begging with her Tweety cup (while hiding her tennis ball in her mouth at the same time I later saw after I zoomed in on the pic!), "listening" to my iPod with her nose,
sleeping on her back after she covered herself with a towel and just being out and out beautiful! I love this dog! We are so blessed to have her as part of our family!

Resting in the sun

Listening to her favorite music on the iPod

holding the Tweety cup AND her tennis ball

begging with her Tweety cup

Priceless

A 'lil snow on my nose Mama

her and her Tweety cup again

while camping with Mama and Daddy

she has two different color eyes

taking a nap under her play towel

My Golden Girl - One who loves me

2010-08-19T23:30:00.003-04:00

Today was the needle in the spine day - takes most of the day to sleep off the effects and hurts for days more than I can describe. The best part of this you ask? There are two - one is the relief it will bring me for hopefully several months and two - my Golden Girl who laid on the floor next to the couch all
day keeping watch over me.

I will just hold Mama's hand

But first, let us pray....

What's that??? My favorite commercial on the TV? Got to turn around for a better view!

ok girl - you are turning this into a food blog...NOT!

2010-08-18T23:57:00.004-04:00

ok - I am having to stop myself - I am doing it all over again. I had another blog for about 3 years that was supposed to be about all of my loves. Basically what this blog is going to be. The other one turned into more of a just quilting and knitting blog and all my other passions kinda got lost in the mix.
However, after reading my last post tonight I see that it is turning into a food blog. Soooooo here goes - here so some of the things I love to do.

I love to quilt

and quilt

I am learning how to make cards

I loved this one

with a tree and presents

before all the finishing touches with ink edging

need to still add presents or more to the tree

one for a grandchild

still wondering what else it needs

grow plants of any kind...

Christmas cactus

Houseplants

build and paint birdhouses

of all colors...

and styles

paint ceramics

scrapbook

which requires tools

and tools

and paper plus I made the totes and purses on the door too

study and use all types of softwares

dabble in photography of all the birds that come to visit

the feeders at the window of my studio

some even in flight

some just sitting and resting

some in the tree waiting their turn


while these are having seconds.

Ginger Dijon Glazed Pork Tenderloin and....

2010-08-18T21:04:00.004-04:00

Dinner tonight was recipes from my South Beach Diet cookbook. I bought this book several years ago and we both did great on it! The food is delicious even Motorcycle Man loved it (shock!). He lost 13
lbs the first two weeks in Phase One and is already at 6 lbs in 6 days this time.

Tonight was Ginger Dijon Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Hearts of Palm "Potato Salad", tomatoes and Cocoa-Nut Mousse. Okay, here we go. You will need to grab the following items:

Tenderloin Ingredients

1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 lbs pork loin
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper
salt

Then prepare it like this:

Heat the oven to 450 F

In a small bowl, stir together mustard, sour cream, ginger, thyme and a pinch of salt; set aside.

Make several 1/4-inch slits in pork loin. Slip garlic into slits. Brush loin with oil and season w/ salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add pork loin and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat.

Spread mustard mixture over pork, then transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150 F, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer pork to a cutting board; loosely cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I could not find my all purpose iron skillet - just my seasoned cornbread skillet - so I just used a regular skillet to brown it and then transferred it to a glass casserole dish and covered with foil. It turned out really good but I can not wait to see what difference the skillet makes.

All ingredients needed

whisk first 5 together

getting the skillet hot

chop the garlic

insert garlic in meat and brush with oil

brown on each side

transfer to pan and brush with mustard glaze

cook in oven at 450 F

for at least 30 minutes

While that is baking I had time to make the Cocoa-Nut Mousse and get it chilling.

Ingredients

¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granular sugar substitute
2 teaspoons almond extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup light or fat-free whipped topping
A few slivered almonds for garnish (optional)
A pinch of coconut for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 275°F.

Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Transfer to a plate to cool.

Spread coconut on the baking sheet and toast until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a plate to cool.

In a large bowl, beat ricotta with an electric mixer

Use high speed until light and airy, about 4 minutes.

Add cocoa powder, sugar substitute, and almond and vanilla extracts;

Beat just until blended.

Fold in whipped topping, almonds, and coconut.

Spoon mousse into 8 dessert cups; cover and chill at least 2 hours.

To serve, remove mousse from refrigerator and sprinkle lightly with a few almonds and a little coconut, if desired.

Ingredients

ricotta cheese

add next 4 ingredients

grab 8 dessert cups or glasses

divide mixture into cups

Now with the pork in the oven cooking and the Mousse in the frig I needed to get the last part ready. It is the Hearts of Palm "Potato" Salad. It is pretty good!

Ingredients

2 tsp fesh lemon juice
1 tsp DIjon mustard
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cans (14 oz each) hearts of palm, drained and cut into 1/2" slices
2 Tbsp chopped chives

Whisk lemon juice, mustard, and garlic in large bowl;. Continuing to whisk, ass oil in a low and steady stream. Add hearts of palm and chives and toss to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve.


grab all these ingredients

mix lemon juice, mustard and chopped garlic

slice hearts of palm into 1/2" pieces

stir all together

Slice the pork tenderloin and serve.

ready to slice

Making buttercream from scratch and coloring it for class

2010-08-18T16:02:00.002-04:00

Had to make a double batch of Class Wilton Buttercream Icing and divide, color and seal to take to class this week. And the half-dozen cupcakes we needed to bring in to decorate too. I had to double
this.

Ingredients:

1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon Wilton Flavor (vanilla, almond or butter)
7-8 tsp water or milk
1 lb pure cane confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Wilton Meringue Powder
Pinch of salt (optional)

Makes: About 2 1/2 cups

Ready to divide

Ready to color

1 and 1/4 cup medium consistency

1/4 cup thin consistency

1/2 cup medium consistency dark color

1/2 cup medium consistency dark and light colors

cupcakes made from Wilton's Butter Cake recipe

Grilled Tilapia, squash, zucchini and onions last night

2010-08-18T15:33:00.008-04:00

Motorcycle Man and I have decided that we need to eat healthy and lose these extra pounds that have been hanging around our house for too long. Last Friday I took the time to plan out our menus for the
next two weeks after much reading on what you should have and what you should not - kinda like eat this, please don't eat that!

We are so pleased that 6 days later we are still sticking to the decision and have each lost weight - me 5 and him 6 - and this includes eating some of the most wonderful desserts too. Below are pictures from dinner last night; I can not wait to see what shows up on our table tonight!

We love grilled veggies even if they are not on the outside grill.

Just look at that steam coming from the lemon on the fish.

Ready to pull the fish off.

Add what tomato was left for me to the plate to round it off.

Some of my favorite pictures I have taken - Part 1 Flowers, trees, wildlife...

2010-08-18T14:09:00.003-04:00

While organizing my 1,000's of pictures I am again caught up in the images that caught my breath enough to stop and capture it for all time. The wildlife are passing through my yard and I was
privileged enough to be there to share in that moment with them. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Tower Dog's 30th birthday cake

2010-08-17T20:48:00.002-04:00

Rapunzel had wanted to have a 3D tower cake made for Tower Dog's 30th birthday in March but instead had this beautiful poker cake made. I loved it! She did good!

ET's birthday cake

2010-08-17T20:17:00.001-04:00

ET lives in OKC so I don't get to be at his parties but I do get pictures. These are pictures of his cake last month. I love the Pirate theme.

Happy Birthday ET

Wilton's Decorating Basic Class - 2nd night

2010-08-17T17:25:00.007-04:00

Here are pictures of the cake I took to Class 2 for decorating. I was surprised to catch myself OCDing using the fondant smoother and a Visa paper towel in class trying to get the buttercream icing as smooth as I possibly could. This ended up in me packing it all up and decorating it the next day at
home. I think I did pretty good with the icing but did not end off the blue flowers just right - too pointy.

I love our instructor - she is so patient plus explains and demonstrates in remarkable detail. If you leave there not understanding it is not because she did not try. She has two other classes that I plan to take plus she told us last night that she may be offering specialty classes soon. Even if I only continue to bake and decorate for the grandchildren, children and Motorcycle Man I hope that I can make cakes that will leave them speechless - and not from the way the cakes/icing taste ha ha.

Ready to start the piping of the fish.

Another close up to show you the icing was not so bad for a first time using a new method.

Piping gel of the copy of the fish stencil from the book.

The piping gel reversed after I brushed it on the cake.

That sure is a fat fish.

Here, look at all that yellow icing!

Yep, my little fat yellow fishy.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

2010-08-17T10:18:00.006-04:00

I love making my own salad dressings. I have already had to make this 3 times this week it was such a hit! Here's what you need:

1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tbsp low-fat mayo
2 tbsp nonfat sour cream
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp Splenda

Whisk all together in a small bowl. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate. This is SO good.

Wilton's Decorating Basic Class

2010-08-17T00:40:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned I love to bake? I finally decided to sign up for the Wilton's Decorating class at the local craft store and took my third lesson this week. I will post pictures from the first two weeks ...
I still have to decorate the cupcakes from tonight's class so I will post those tomorrow.

Butter recipe cupcakes with blue buttercream icing

Toaster oven sheet cake with buttercream icing

Looks shaky but hey - it was my first night.

Hello World, it's me - Georgia Peach

2010-08-16T22:50:00.001-04:00

I have decided that I too want to share my creations and life with the internet world. I enjoy reading other blogs so much and have tried blogging myself but I want to this one to cover all the things I love to do instead of just quilting. I am a wife, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. I dabble in so many different crafts that it is hard to remember them all sometimes. I love to cook and bake.

I view myself as more than an amateur photographer that is still learning the love of doing more than just taking a picture. I love using the computer so much that I try to teach myself something new every week - this week it is Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. This might take longer than a week. I used to be organized - very organized. Now I am lucky if I can remember how to take the first step in getting started. This is a serious goal of mine! I miss not knowing where everything is. I am tired of repeat buying just because I did not see the ketchup or mayo bottle in the frig - right now I only have 3 open bottles of mayo! I recently started camping - motorhome style - this is going to become a serious habit - I can see now.

So, you never know what you are going to be a part of each time you visit but I promise you this - I will document it with lots of step by step pictures and make being as fun for you as possible. Grab a cup of coffee and put your feet up and enjoy - I look forward to your company!

BTW - a few of the cast in this life of mine:

Motorcycle Man - my husband

Semper Fi - oldest son

Honeybee - Semper Fi's wife

Gamemaker - Semper Fi and Honeybee's oldest son

The Songstress - daughter of Semper Fi and Honeybee

'lil Jarhead - youngest son of Semper Fi and Honeybee

Tower Dog - middle son

Rapunzel - Tower Dog's better half

ET - son of Tower Dog

Paratrooper - youngest son

Country Gal - oldest daughter

The Hunter - Country Gal's husband

'lil Tomboy - daughter of Country Gal and The Hunter

Mother Goose - youngest daughter

Man of Many Miles - Husband of Mother Goose

The Skateboarder - oldest son of Mother Goose

'lil Mother Goose - youngest daughter of Mother Goose

'lil Hannah Montana - oldest daughter of Mother Goose

Our Angel- youngest son of Mother Goose who is with The Storyteller

The Storyteller - my dad who has passed away

The Matriarch - my mom

Not Just a Pretty Face - my sister

Sheriff without a gun - Husband of Not Just a Pretty Face

Grand PawPaw - my father-in-law

One Stop - close family friend

The Librarian - One Stop's wife