Going to the Winter Farmers Market in Scottsbluff.

Dan is selling beef and eggs in the Open A Bar 2 Ranch booth.

Last week Bob and I went down to Danny's (Dan the Man) farm in Nebraska.  We spent a couple days at Stock Show and then came back to the farm.  Stock Show Time Again  (click to see it.)   I wanted to go the their Farmer's Market to see what it was all about.

Some of Kathi's hand painted pillows at the summer Farmers Market.

  Kathi and Dan have been selling their chickens, eggs and beef as well as some of Kathi's art work at the summer Farmer's Market for some years but there never was anywhere to sell those things in the winter.  This past summer Kathi got together with some of the vendors and they all thought it was a great idea to try a winter Farmer's Market.  Of course no one was ready to ramrod the whole thing so Kathi took it on.

Vendors are making plans in October for a winter Farmers Market.

  A friend of one of the vendors worked at the Hampton Inn and got them a really good deal on renting several of the conference rooms 2 Saturdays a month.

Live music by the Green Valley Homesteaders.

Kathi got quite a few vendors lined up and a live band that entertains every time.

Old fashioned country music was fun to listen to all afternoon.

The band had some help from one of the vendor's daughter.

  They also try to do a different charity every time to collect items or money to give.  They have done face painting for the kids as well.  It is especially nice because it is indoors and goes from 1 PM to 4 PM.  No more getting up before the chickens do and freezing until the sun gets up high enough to shine over the buildings in downtown Scottsbluff!

"Summer" Farmers Market.  Notice the warm clothing.  This was in early October.

 Bob and I went into town Saturday afternoon and spent it at the Farmer's Market.  I got to see many of the friends I had made at the summer market and met some new people too.  Danny and Kathi had some new items to sell--beef jerky and beef sticks made with no sodium nitrate!  They sold like crazy along with the 26 dozen eggs they had brought and the ribeye steaks, English roasts, probably over 20 lbs. of hamburger, stew meat, soup bones and believe it or not the only tongue they brought.  Three other people asked for tongue that day--I was the one they asked so I know it's true!  They had a special on marinated round steaks that day too.  Anyway it was a very successful market day for them.  This is the fifth one they have had and they seem to be very popular.

The sign needs to be updated!  This was a picture from an earlier market.  Thanks Kathi!

Some of the booths that were there were a bread lady,

Oh!oh! the bread lady is almost sold out, again!

a gluten-free baked products booth, goat cheese and pork, goat milk soaps and bath oils, fresh vegetables (mostly root veggies since it is winter!)

That's a big leek!

  There were spicy meat rubs, honey, home baked items of all sorts, hand made items including tutus for little princesses

Sweet tutus and other accessories for the little princesses.

 ruffled aprons for little girls,

MMMMMMM!  Fresh baked cookies of all kinds and those cute ruffled aprons!

beautiful knit scarves, hand painted trivets and clothing and of course the live music which livened up the afternoon!

The kids love the music and you can see them dancing all around the room!

  My friend Christina who makes unique jams and jellies did not have a booth this week but went home and brought me back a jar of her delicious jelly!!!  What a great person she is!

Christina selling her jellies and jams at an earlier market.

We got home and I have been inspired to get creative again after seeing all the great things.  I am now making lace goody bags for the little girls for Valentines day!

This lacy bag is in the process of being embroidered.  It did get done before the crash but no more!

  Carla and I are planning a quilting day next Saturday to make a quilt to donate to the Alzheimer's Organization.  Now, hopefully, my machine will work properly with no down time!!!!  I also know that JJ and Tunita are making plans for my machine when we get to Elko.

PS:  I just jinxed the machine and believe it or not, it completely shut down and will have to go back to Twin Falls to be fixed!!!

My faulty machine still working on the lace but about to crash!

PPS:  for more information on the Scottsbluff Winter Farmers Market you can go to ScottsbluffWinter FarmersMarket

Stock Show Time Again!

Bob's new look for Stock Show.

This year Bob had decided he was not going to go to Stock Show again.  We get the free badges and other stuff every year but haven't used them or have given them to Danny to use the last few years.  So when we were leaving to go to Casper for the month we didn't take all that stuff with us.  No sooner had we gotten there than Danny was on the phone wanting to know if we wanted to go with them.  They had a bull they wanted to look at and maybe buy one.  Bob said no he didn't want to go and walk around all day and freeze down in the yards.  Also we had left all the badges at the cabin.  Danny said OK and that was that.

I still love the gentle Hereford bulls.

About a week later Danny called again to say they were getting a room and were we sure we didn't want to come.  I put Bob on the line and Danny talked him into going!  We did a little shopping before going and Bob got himself a new cowboy hat and a walking cane.  We were all set.

Kathi and I visited the horse show ring.  8 to 10 year old kids were showing horses riding English saddles and wearing the appropriate attire!

Children can sit on the Clydesdale and Long Horn so their parents can take pictures.  I guess no kids were there this time.

We drove down to the farm in Nebraska on Sunday and left the next morning for Denver.  It was raining in Lyman but by the time we got to the Coliseum it was 58 degrees out with a slight breeze.  We didn't think about it but Monday was Martin Luther King Day and there were tons of school kids with their parents there to attend the rodeo and see the animals.  We had to buy tickets to get on the grounds and had to stand in line a long time!  It was so warm that day that I did not take my coat out of the pickup and realized too late that I had left my camera in the pocket of my coat.


  Oh well, I'd get some pics the next day.  Bob and I strolled (well, more accurately, elbowed our way through the throngs)around the perimeter of the Coliseum and quickly decided we needed to go over to the grounds side because it was about 1/2 hour before the rodeo and everyone was coming in early to get to their seats!  We were not going to the rodeo and just wanted to see the sights.

We got over to the other side of the interstate and headed for the old arena.  We watched them showing some Angus Bulls and when that was over we strolled around looking at the vendor's wares.  I got my hand washed with mink oil and tasted some nuts.  Then we went up into the Hall of Education and looked around a little before we met Danny and Kathi for lunch.  So far Bob was doing fine with his cane.  After lunch Kathi and I wandered through the aisles of the trade show.  Kathi had her camera so took pictures of some of the weirder or more interesting sights we saw.  She will have them on her blog sight (Country Chicken Girl) sometime soon. 

Where we started out to eat.  We'll have to try it next year!

We had to meet one of Danny's beef customers at our motel at 4 PM, so we left pretty early so we could check in.  That evening we had a hard time deciding where to eat but finally went over to Northfield Mall thinking we would eat at an Asian restaurant over there.

  As we were walking to the restaurant (Ling and Louie's) we noticed Toby Keith's restaurant, I Love This Bar and Grill, across the street.  It had just recently opened and looked like it was doing a good business.  We ate there and took pictures as well!  Food was good and we enjoyed ourselves.

A new place we had to try.

A huge bar dominates the restaurant.

Toby Keith's jacket he wore to Afghanistan for a USO concert.

Jack Daniels in front of the guitar!

One of several little nooks along the sides of the restaurant.

Next day we needed to be at the bull sale at 1 PM.  Danny had us down in the yards by 9 AM and there wasn't much to see!  Only the Lowlines were left.  All the other pens were empty!  Kathi and I checked out the boot store and embroidery places in the exchange building and then were done!  We told Bob and Danny we would meet them back at the sale ring at 1PM and headed up on the hill.  We went to the Western Art Gallery, looked at the chickens, bought a new leather purse and saw booths displaying all types of clothing, food, gadgets, horse trailers, corral systems, etc.   I had my camera this time and only took pictures of Roy Rogers Nudie Car! Here they are!

Check out the following pictures!  For a better look click on the picture and hit the back browser to get back.

Entire interior is hand tooled leather!  Silver saddle console!

Are those silver dollars?

We went to the Lowline sale but did not buy the bull--he went too high for Danny's pocketbook.  We came home just in time to beat the snowstorm that hit that night!

Danny and Kathi check out the catalog at the sale.

Danny and Bob wait for the next heifer to come into the ring.

Selling heifers, a young one but so small!

A little girl showing her little Lowline!

Making Carla's Jacket

Carla and her dad at the Thai restaurant.  Carla is wearing her new jacket and doesn't Bob look dapper?

About 3 or 4 years ago Carla finally told me what she wanted for her jacket.  I have to go back a little farther to say that several years before, I made myself a teal colored wool jacket embroidered with colorful Jacobean flowers.

My jacket is made from 100% wool I had for my tailoring class in college!  I kept it all those years!

The back and sleeves of my wool jacket.

Then I made Marianne a fleece lined denim jacket with snowflakes on it.  After that Carla and I bought the material for her jacket and decided to think about what to put on it and the style.

The first jacket I made for Marianne using a sweatshirt for fleece lining and denim.

I used snowflake patterns and made up the border.

 Next Marianne called to see if I could make her another quick fleece lined denim jacket with lots of glitz, flowers and fringe, so I did.  Also during the last 5 or 6 years I embroidered pants for Kim and JJ plus a lot of gifts and stuff for my business.

Lots of fringe and crystals on this quilted jacket.

Marianne models the front of her glitzy jacket.

Finally about 2 years ago Carla decided she wanted me to Sashiko the jacket and have cherry blossoms on it.  We got a kind of fitted pattern which I had to adjust to fit her.  I made a muslin jacket and we fitted it to work for her.  I had to make a lot of changes in the pattern in order to Sashiko each piece with the lining, embroider the blossoms, and then sew it together and try to make it so the seams didn't show.

A closer look at the Sashiko pattern on the back.

A closer look at the Sashiko Quilting and the buttons.  Also a look at the cherry blossoms.

It took a lot of doing but I finally got the basic bodice and back parts together and about a year ago she finally got to try it on.  It was a total disaster!  Way too big and very funky looking through the front bodice part.

I decided I had to tear it all apart, and recut the embroidered pieces.  I did get it torn apart but then I was so discouraged and needed to "think about it" for awhile, that I put it away and didn't look at it.  Last summer I finally got it out and just decided to cut out the pattern exactly like the company made it and let the chips fall where they would!  I got it cut out and then my machine broke down and all fall I had problems with it so didn't do any more on it.

This winter when we had to leave the cabin I insisted on bringing my machine with me so I would have something to do while in Casper.  I finally got out the jacket and went to work sewing it back together.  Holding our breaths, Carla tried on the bodice part again.  It fit almost perfectly!!!  At that time we also decided it needed more cherry blossoms so I spent a couple days adding more and then the final fitting test came.

  I had to recut the sleeves, put on all the flounces, bind the front edges, and finally add the sleeves.  Oh, and refinish every seam on the jacket so it wouldn't show!  Carla tried it on and voila!  It fit with just one minor adjustment!  Now to make buttonholes sew on the buttons and figure out how to finish the armseyes (sleeve hole seams).  I think Carla may have a spring jacket very soon!

The back of Carla's jacket shows off  two types of Sashiko.

The front of the jacket.

 A few hours later and the jacket is done!  Carla is planning to wear it out to dinner tonight so I will take pictures.

Carla shows off her new jacket for us.

Lookin' good, Carla.