National Route 66 Museum Elk City, OK

These are a few photos from the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma. This place is awesome if you ever traveled Route 66. It has so many different things to see that I can't get them all in one blog, so I will be sharing more photos with you in my next post. 

My husband is so wonderful to go with me to get "blog material" and be in the photos.

This Myrtle statue is awesome and really big.

Check it out tepee and train!

Apple Pie

Apple Pie

1 deep dish premade pie crust

1 premade pie packaged pie crust for the top

8 apples - peeled & sliced (half Granny Smith, half Macintosh)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter - chilled and sliced

1 1/4 cup sugqar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons flour

preheat over to 400 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, combine cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and flour. Add the apples and toss to coat with spice mixture.

 

Pour apple mixture into the pie crust. It will be heaped full.

Put the sliced butter on the top of the apples.

Lay the top crust over the pie mixture and crimp the sides to seal the crust.

Add four slits to the top of the crust.

Lightly brush egg wash on top of dough. Sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top of dough if desired.

Place on a baking tray and put in preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Be careful removing hot pie from the oven. Allow pie to rest until cool before slicing. Refrigerate any uneaten portions.

Valentine Sale Alert!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! This is a AFTER VALENTINE'S DAY SALES ALERT tomorrow and the next few days the stores will be putting all of the leftover valentine stuff on half price.

Think about events you might have coming up for the rest of the year. For example last year I purchased pink plastic 54 inch by 108 inch tablecloths for 35 cents each and was able to use them for my granddaughter's birthday and a baby shower we gave for a mother expecting a little girl.

I purchased red plastic 54 inch by 108 inch tablecloths for 35 cents each to be used at my grandson's birthday. Red tablecloths go with just about every kind of cartoon character or super hero theme. You will also find solid color pink and red cups, plates and napkins on half price that can be used for other occasions.

I also purchased valentine sacks and lots of little toys to put in the sacks for my grandson to take to his school party this year. I love half price items and being prepared ahead of time!

Do you plan on giving a bridal shower? Well check out the after valentine half price sale for items you can use to decorate for the shower. Lots of the heart stuff will be in white that works well for wedding showers.

When my sister was planning her wedding she purchased Dove chocolate heart candies and put them in the freezer. When it was time for the wedding reception she took them out and unwrapped them an put them on a beautiful tiered serving tray. These could also be used for a shower.

Think outside the box as you look at the half price items after valentine's day. There will be baskets, gift wrap, candles, flowers, stuffed toys, cookie cutters and all sorts of things that you can use for other events if you think and look ahead at the rest of your year!

25 Uses for Coffee Filters

My friend Dee Ann sent me this e-mail and I thought it should be shared on this blog post. Some of the ideas for using coffee filters you probably already know, but some of them I had never thought of before. Coffee filters are really cheap.
#26 Uses should be............ If you have house guests that overstay their stay, replace the toilet paper in the guest bath with coffee filters. That will run the buggers OFF !
COFFEE FILTERS
Coffee filters ..... Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Store for almost nothing even the large ones.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter..
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds.. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.


OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS TOO.

My grandchildren have made butterflies out of a coffee filter, pipe cleaner, marker, clothes pin and magnetic strip. Color on the coffee filter with a marker, gather up the outer edges into the middle, clip together with the clothes pin, make antennas with the pipe cleaner and clip in the clothes pin with the coffee filter, attach magnetic strip to the underside of the clothes pin. This is a easy craft project for even the youngest children.

Do you have any other ideas for using coffee filters? Leave a comment on this blog post and share your ideas.

Bird Tracks/Snow

My husband saves the ends of loaves of bread and sticks them in the freezer. When this snow storm was predicted he got out the bread and lightly toasted it and broke it into chunks. When the snow ended he took the bread pieces and tossed them all over the front yard for the birds.

Our cats have laid on their tummies at the front door or on the back of the couch to look out and watch the birds eat. The birds know the cats can't get out to get them, so they really put on a show for the cats hopping around the yard.

I only caught a couple birds eating, because when they saw me in the doorway they flew away.

Look how the snow is sparkling in the afternoon sunlight.

I took these photos from standing on the front porch!

From the number of tracks there must have been lots more birds when I took my snow day nap!



Snow! Wind! Cold!

I am taking this photo from INSIDE the house! I scraped the frosty window to show how COLD it is in Western Oklahoma. Cold is when your storm door frosts over on the inside! I was up checking to see how much snow we had and how bad the roads were to determine if I needed to get ready for work. Thank goodness I received a very wonderful text saying we were closed!

Then I decided to stick my head out the door and snap a couple snow photos.

We have been having 40 mph winds, so the snow is blowing everywhere and making big drifts.

These three photos were snapped at the same time, just using different camera settings.

Snow is pretty and we need the moisture, but burrrrrrrrr minus15 degrees wind chill.

They are forecasting temps in the 60's just three days from now....Oklahoma weather!

In the flat part of the front yard we have five inches and it is too cold to measure any more!

Good day to stay in, drink too much coffee and find something to bake in the oven.

Pop Can Tabs

Note the little gray paw at the top of this first photo...Lizzie Tu tries to help me with every craft project and every photo I try to take. She is our cat that has to know about everything going on in this house.

For this craft project you will need to collect 110 or more pop can tabs to make a 35 inch belt.

Ribbon or cord at least 2 feet longer than the finished belt measurment. As you connect the can tabs together it will use more ribbon than the belt length. This is my first attempt at making a pop can tab belt and I will use more ribbon next time!

I used two pieces of ribbon to weave through each side of the pop can tabs. My thought was that it would make the belt stronger. Next time I will only use one piece, because it was too hard to get both ends through the small holes in the tabs.

Tie the ribbon or cords together about 8 inches from the ends. Thread the ribbon through each hole of one tab. Thread on a second tab so it overlaps the first tab. Push the ribbon back through the holes of the second tab and the holes of the first tab. Turn it over and cross over the ribbon to make an "X" on the back side of the tabs. Continue threading through the tab fronts and crossing over the ribbon on the tab backs. It is hard to get started, but easy to do!

You will need to leave enough at the ends to knot together and use the extra ribbon to tie the belt. I also plan to check for belt hooks later to see if that would look better on the finished project.

My granddaughter thought this was a cool belt when I got it finished. When I first started putting the pop can tabs on the ribbon she thought I was crazy. Funny how a finished project can look different!

What craft ideas do you have for pop can tabs? Leave a comment on this blog....

James N. Walters

Goodbye friend. This is a tribute to James N. Walters. A wonderful man who will be missed by all who knew him. He and his wife Rita Marie Walters were always the first to offer a helping hand to those in need. He always had a big smile and I can hear his laughter as I write this post.

BENTON COUNTY — James N. Walters      1926 - 2011

BENTONVILLE — James N. “Jim” Walters, 84, died Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, at his home in Bentonville.
James was born Feb. 25, 1926, in Kansas City, Mo., to the late O. Neal and Martha Ellen (Watters) Walters.
James moved to Bentonville in 1964 with his company, Neal Walters Poster and General Business Forms Inc., of which he was president. He was an active member of Rotary International and the Mason’s for 64 years, president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1966-1967, a recipient of the Chamber Outstanding Achievement Award in 1978, a founding member of the NWACC Foundation and a member of the Benton County Fair Board since 1964.
He was chairman of Ozark Guidance and a board member for five years and a recipient of the R.E. “Ed” Buck Leadership Award in 1982. James was appointed to the State Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in 1974 by then Gov. Dale Bumpers and was re-appointed by subsequent governors for 23 years. In 1986, James was made Knight of St. Gregory by Pope John Paul II for outstanding community, church, and political service, the highest award for a Catholic layman. James was also the county campaign manager for Dale Bumpers for U.S. Senate, David Pryor for U.S. Senate, and Gov. Bill Clinton.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Bentonville, with a private burial at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in James’ name to St. Stephen Catholic Church; or NWACC Disability Resources.
Online condolences can be made at http://www.callisonlough.com/.

One year Rita sent out their Christmas card with a note that she was sorry the cards were late, because she and James had gone to the White House to have dinner with President Clinton and Hillary. It made me laugh because how many people would be worried about Christmas cards if they could be having dinner with the President of the United States.

James was a YELLOW DOG DEMOCRAT, but he was loved by all...Democrats and Republicans alike. The photos below were taken at my uncle's 80 birthday party. My uncle was a Republican County Judge. Senator Jim Cauldwell and Preston Bynum are both members of the Republican party, but James Walters brought out the best in people no matter their party!

Rita Walters, Senator Jim Caldwell, James Walters

Preston Bynum, Rita Walters, James Walters



My daughter, who grew up with James and Rita in her life, wrote this beautiful note on the online guest book:

Rita,
You and James were a very memorable part of my childhood. I learned the importance of being a "YELLOW DOG DEMOCRAT" at a very early age. I even received a letter for my 18th birthday from President Clinton because James pulled a few strings. I felt very special and it is still a topic of conversation in my home, because its proudly displayed on my living room wall. Anytime I have a visitor they ask me how I got a letter from the President and I simply reply because I'm special. Thank you both for making me always feel special.

Love,
Kennda

THAT IS EXACTLY HOW JAMES N. WALTERS MADE EVERYONE FEEL....SPECIAL! BECAUSE HE WAS A VERY SPECIAL MAN. GOODBYE FRIEND.

Crazy Weather & Gas Prices

A couple of days ago I posted on this blog about how cold it was here in Western Oklahoma. Well, today as you can see from this first photo, the temperatures have gone up and the gas prices too! On our Saturday outing to the grocery store I snapped these photos of gas prices along main street. Can you believe 2 degrees to 62 degrees in the same week.

This is the temperature reading from my van as I waited for my husband to grab the groceries.

I can't get excited about the weather, because we are suppose to get more snow this week!

Ella Hunter Building Ardmore, OK

On a trip to Ardmore, Oklahoma I saw this neat rock building and wanted to know more about Ella Hunter. Doing a little research I found that Ella Hunter was an early day business woman in Ardmore, Oklahoma. She owned a boarding house and a small cigar stand in the Whittington Hotel.      

According to the information I found Ella Hunter was a young widow and reared three children. She would buy property anytime she had extra cash. She ended up owning property as far away as Houston, Texas.

This building at A Street and 2nd Northeast was listed for $59,900 on a recent website.

Brrrrrr It's Cold Outside

On the way to work yesterday the thermometer in my van was showing a few degrees warmer than the radio had just announced. The radio DJ Vanessa said it was 0 degrees on Coyote Hill. Brrrrrr It's Cold Outside. So I took the photo to remember just how cold it was in February 2011.

About that time the thermometer changed to a degree colder. Which was still one degree warmer than what the bank sign said. So it was either 0 or 1 or 2 or 3 degrees, depending on what was giving the report. Doesn't much matter, because that is really cold!

Later in the day on my way home the temp kept switching from 26 degrees to 27 degrees. We were having a regular heat wave! Since the photos I shot on the way to work turned out a little fuzzy, I decided to wait until I got parked to take the heat wave photo.

I had just shut the van off, so it was not out of gas, the gauges had stopped for the day. I was glad to be back home after another long day of work. Brrrrrr It's Cold Outside!

Black Olives

Black olives are always a part of our family dinners. They add extra flavor to a variety of recipes. Black olives provide color on the relish tray and we love eating them.

Granny's Love found another use for black olives.

He likes to have his own bowl of black olives. He puts them on his finger tips and then eats them off. This gives another meaning to have fun with your food!

1st Loose Tooth!

Granny's Love has his first loose tooth at the age of six! I have been saving this book to give him for this special occasion. He is all smiles about having a loose tooth!

He thought it was great fun taking a photo of his loose tooth.

He showed me how loose his tooth was by wiggling it with his finger.

He opened wide to show me a new tooth was coming in to replace his loose tooth!

Cotton in Oklahoma

The History of Cotton in Oklahoma information provided by OSU Extension Service via the internet. OSU Extension Service provides more information and so many learning opportunities across the state. If you have never been to the extention service office in your county you should stop in and check out the free brochures and other educational materials they offer. If you live in another state check to see where your extension service office is located.

I found this field of cotton right along Interstate 40 in Custer County, Oklahoma. I only caught my shirt twice on the barbed wire fence trying to get close enough to get these photos.

Amazing how they pop open and there is the cotton.

During the years after the land runs of 1889 and later, farmers in Oklahoma were just learning what would grow well in the new territory. During the 1890s, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station bulletins featured research on such subjects as wheat, fruits, potatoes, cabbage--even wine making. In 1895, George L. Holter published research entitled "Food Value of Corn Scorched by Hot Winds."

However, by the early part of the century, researchers were beginning to look at cotton as a valuable crop for Oklahoma. In 1908, the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, at Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University), published Bulletin No. 77, "Cotton Culture." The authors, L. A. Moorhouse and J. F. Nicholson, concluded:


Cotton is a banner crop in Oklahoma. This crop has been tested for several years in succession in the two territories, and the practical grower has reached the conclusion that cotton can be cultivated with profit in the new state.

(NOTE: In my research about my husband's hometown Ardmore, Oklahoma in Carter County, I found information that said Carter County was the largest inland cotton market in the world in 1890's!)


By 1922, cotton was the most valuable cash crop in Oklahoma. In fact, in that year Oklahoma ranked fourth among the cotton-producing states, and the Experiment Station had been doing cotton variety tests for several years. In 1928, Oklahoma A&M cotton specialist L. L. Ligon published his report on "Varieties of Cotton for Oklahoma."


Today, cotton is still an important cash crop for Oklahoma's farmers. During the 1990s cotton has consistently ranked within the top three or four cash crops for the state, behind winter wheat, hay, and at times, peanuts. The year 1996, with unusually good corn and sorghum crops, was an exception. The value of the cotton crop for that year put it in sixth place. Nationally, Oklahoma ranks 14th in production of cotton.


Most of Oklahoma's cotton is grown in the southwestern part of the state, although cotton can be grown as far north as Kay County, bordering Kansas. Wheat and cattle may be the dominant agricultural commodities in Oklahoma today, but cotton, which has played a significant role in the state's agricultural history, continues to be one of Oklahoma's most valuable crops.
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OCES Cotton IPM            Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Oklahoma State University

THANK YOU OSU EXTENSION SERVICE FOR THE HISTORY OF COTTON IN OKLAHOMA.

COTTON AS FAR AS I COULD SEE

THANK YOU FARMERS FOR GROWING SO MANY THINGS WE USE IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES!