You are so welcome! :-)

I am truly sorry to hear y'all are going thru such a rough time. Doug and I have been there and back. Thank God you have been able to avoid the credit card trap! When I read the part about Big Bear's wanting to treat yards, a light went on: take it one step further and get his commercial chemical applicator's license. This is what Doug does, treats turf and shrubs for pests and diseases. It's very lucrative. The best part is being his own boss -- no one can lay him off! It's just a thought. If you want to know more on the subject, email me. Good vibes coming your way, Alice

Miss Sue, everything you touch becomes a work of art. Love your choice of fabrics/colors. If I owned a laptop, I'd pay you to make me a cover.

Excellent, excellent post. The right thread does make a difference, and you thoughtfully have provided a very informative guide. Thank you!

Very interesting, informative post! As a lifelong seamstress, too, there is always something to learn with this fascinating, practical hobby. It's wonderful how machines have evolved with technology. Thanks for the links. I have to get out of the brick Hancock Fabric mind set! That's all we have here, although I do love wandering among the bolts and trims, seeing and touching fabric.

Daddy used to tease us kids with: With a knick knack paddy whack Give a dog a kitty cat ... "Oh, Dadeeeeee!" Cute contest. Nice work there, Susan. Obviously, you care SO much for your family. Congrats to Kim.

I loved these. Well done, young lady.

Hahahahaa!

This sounds scrumptious and hearty, perfect for these cold, wet winter days in South Louisiana. Go Saints!

Talk about getting younger, hey, 58 is the new 48! Happy Birthday -- Alice (58)

Where's a kleenex when you need one? OMG, what a beautiful story. Your love for each other just leaps off the page. You bring out the best in each other.

Don't ya love spunky older folk? She reminds me of the "street" people in the French Quarter of New Orleans, where the locals are a cast of characters. Also, your photo of fall color is awesome. Would you post some more? We don't get much of a display here in South Louisiana. Thanks!

Zounds, Susan ... you've met my mother-in-law! How she produced such a wonderful son is a question for the ages. Love the wisdome in this post, and I'll give face/vase ye olde college try.

Gimme a sec while I pick my jaw up off the ground. I went to that site, Sara. On the 1-10 scale of toxicity, my Loreal med. blonde hair coloring is an 8. An *8*. Thanks for blogging on this topic, Susan. You may very well have saved a life. That was very good research and eye-opening discussion. You see this pic of me here? It isn't recent -- I run from the camera these days -- but at the time, I was having it frosted (woven). Now I color my own hair, have since high school. I tire of the hassle. The only way to let it go naturally gray is to let it grow out, cut it, let it grow, etc. What the heck. Put on that list of beautiful women one Ms. Jamie Lee Curtis with her short, glorious gray. Hmmm, been looking for a reason(s) to cut my hair really short in this South Louisiana heat. This is the kicker. "If you think organic food is expensive, have you priced cancer lately?" Cindy Lou, that is so true.

I bet ya can do this, Beth, and do it well. You're a creative person, an awesome cook and published author, after all! You had to walk before you crawled, learn the cooking basics at someone's knee or from a book. And I'm betting Susie Q will say the same is true for 999 out of 1,000 artists. You've said before that you want to be la artiste. Whatever your other reasons are, desire to accomplish is up there, desire to please as well. So, I say you will succeed! It's also important that as we get older we continue to exercise those brain muscles by learning new things. As I turn 58 in a few weeks, I'll take my own advice and learn to draw with Madam Vaughn (don't you love the way that sounds ... really ... so elegant!), exercise those crystalizing brain cells by something other than crossword puzzles and the Daily Cipher. Thank you for sharing your awesome talents with us, Susan! Can't tell you how much I've enjoyed Raisin Toast.

Yeah, she does seem level-headed, and even driving a tractor is practice in judging speed, distance, caution. She'll be a great help ferrying herself & sib around, too.

How touching! Thanks for sharing. Kids love nothing more than being taught at a loved one's side. Big Daddy's generous love and attention shapes your son into a man who knows how to give. You are so right about his future wife being lucky to have a hubby who loves to cook. My Doug not only hunts it down and drags it home to the cave; he also cooks it! And yeah, sometimes it is wild game.

Yeah, it only takes once. Who says the body doesn't remember pain? Your knowing spanish is like my knowing Cajun French. (I live in the heart of Cajun country.) We either have the opportunity or need, or we don't. And here my mother was Cajun French; traced her roots to France. I can only say a few words and phrases, like "lache pas la patat" which means "don't drop the potato." Pretty useful, huh!

Beth, that looks good, something hub Doug would love, anything that hints of Mexican food, and stuffed baked potatoes are a **fave**. I like pickled jalapeno and fresh jalapeno for their own character, two different tastes, both good. We usually grow our own jalapeno, and Doug makes pico de gallo with it or he just plain old cooks with it. If I may offer, after seeding those suckers, ya gotta be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. Anything you touch will burn like the hinges of Hades. One time I forgot and rubbed my eye. Ayeeee, caliente! Many thanks, Susan and Beth. Y'all are so talented!

I just got your e-mail that I won. So sorry, I guess that was a senior moment, forgetting to check who won. Thanks again. My grandkids will love these books as much as I will -- also my husband who loves to cook! :-D

Hey Sweets, Thanks, and glad you liked it! I love those nifty littlehints that save money while making life easier.

Very nice touch, the pleats. Anyone who sews can appreciate the effort you put into this, but then, it seems you do nothing half-way. Really nice, store-bought shower curtains are so expensive! In the past, I've made a curtain out of a twin bed flat sheet. It's the perfect width of a standard bath stall.

We were three girls so Mom divided the chores, and mine was ironing ... such that I didn't get to learn to cook as sis Jeannie did, to my chagrin: Mom could make shoe leather taste good. I loved homemade crafts, though. Christmas ornaments: Flour, salt and water and a cookie cutter or your imagination. The recipe is probably Googleable (boy, what a word). Make a hole for string or ornament hanger. Then let dry; paint, use glitter, whatever's available. We also decorated styrofoam balls using straight pins and sequins. Christmas candy wreath: Open up a hanger into a round shape. Use yarn or ribbon to twist around the hanger, starting at the top, catching the tail of hard candy's wrapping in it. Do this for the whole wreath, wrapping tightly. Finish by attaching a length of ribbon/yarn to the wreath's neck, and a small safety scissor at the other end for cutting the candy off, then hang the wreath on your door for guests to cut a piece off. I guess you could do this for any holiday, keeping with the colors like pastels for Easter. Thanks for the memories!

Thank you, Michele. That's what I get for being married to a plant. :-D Actually, I worked while Doug got his degree in horticulture so I learned a lot thru default, helping him study. Afterwards, we had a landscape company & I was the grower of annuals and shopped the local nurseries for plant material. You learn a lot real fast!

Starting after paddleboat: red daylily, white amaryllis, shasta daisy, blue hydrangea, pink buddleia (a/k/a butterfly bush 'cause it attracts them), purple salvia, red/yellow gazania or dianthus?, then pink dianthus, orange pansy, blue pansy, yellow daylily. This is a very lovely yard and such nice photos. Sure wish I could walk around with you ... I need the exercise, too! Kathleen, you're so right. My Doug had a hard time finding work after we moved back here from Memphis. Potential employers lacked the manners God gave a gnat. Eventually, he started his own business & couldn't be happier.