Sock Bun Tutorial

The bun can be high on the head or down low.  Where ever you want your bun to be that is where you need to make your ponytail.  I wanted mine lower on my head so that is where I have it.  Make sure it is tight so the elastic band won't just slip off. I like to spritz my hair with a bit of water before I make the bun.  This will make curls or waves for when you take the bun out. Pretty easy. So, here we go. 

Step:1 Start with a pony-tail.

Step: 2 Pull your hair through the sock thing-y ( You can buy a sock bun thing or you can take the toe off of a sock and roll it up from the toe to the top and it will make a great sock bun form.  A more mens sporty sock will of course give you a bigger bun a dress sock will give you a smaller bun.)  and pull it to the bottom ends of your hair.

Step: 3 This is where the spritz of water helps.  You then fold the ends of your hair over and tuck them under the sock as above.  Try to get all the ends in the bun.

Step 4: Fold the sock & hair outward moving up the ponytail so that more hair is wrapped. 

Step: 5 Stick your thumbs into the center and flip it inside out again and again working your way up the ponytail.

Step: 6 Keep flipping try to keep the hair pretty tight.

Step: 7 Here is where it gets a little trickier. You need to keep the hair between the back of your head and the bun pretty straight while still twisting the hair around the bun piece and grab any shorter hair that would be loose ends and put in the bun.

Step: 8 Fold one last time so that bun is snug against your head like the picture above

You can finish off if you want with a hair spray or mousse to just hold it if you have lots of little ends but other than that, it is done.  If you find it loosening up just fold it in tighter during the day.  This needs no bobby pins or any fasteners.  Enjoy!  Let us know what you think.  Share your pictures with us!  We love to see pictures!

Anchors Aweigh Movie Review

Looking for a great movie to watch? Well, how about a classic?

This is a WWII era Navy movie that my grandma loved. The music is beautiful and lines are great and the little boy is adorable (no I am not talking about Frankie! :) Care to join us for some popped corn and a great picture, then this is it! Click video to get more information or purchase the film.

Anchors Aweigh is  about to sailors on leave in Los Angeles. Frank Sinatra plays an innocent choir boy from New Jersey and Gene Kelly his playboy shipmate.  After Frank's character is saved by Kelly's they are given liberty for a week and Frank wants Kelly to take him under his wing. This is such a cute movie! Our family just loved it. It kept us laughing all night. If you like musicals or military themed movies you will love this one.

Starring Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Kathryn Grayson. It won 1 Oscar and was nominated for 4 other awards. You can find the Anchors Aweigh Soundtrack by clicking the name in blue.


























We were discussing this post and the movie and my mom started laughing because she was in the "Sinatra" miniseries and was in the scene where they won the Oscar Award for this movie.  This is a picture of her that day on the set.  Pretty cool isn't it? 

This is a page from her movie scrapbook. 

 
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Apple Orange Preserves

This is one of my all time favorite preserves. I know it sounds funny, but I love it!!! Especially on hot biscuits. (Wink). So without further ado... Apple Orange Preserves. 

6 cups organic sliced, peeled & cored apples

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup sliced oranges (sliced as thin as you can get)

4 cups raw sugar

6 tablespoons ball classic pectin

Combine apples, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin. Bring to a boil, and stir frequently. Add lemon slices, and sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved. Return to a boil, and let boil hard for 1 minute while stirring. Remove from heat, and skim foam off of the top if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Adjust lids and process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Wild Roses Fashion - Pretty In Pink

I really love the classic looks.  I am not a lover of modern fashion which really is not modern at all but a recycling of the 60's, 70's and 80's. I've been accused of living in "the renaissance, a hundred years ago" Well other than being absolutely historically  inaccurate, it is wrong, I like soft looks of the mid 40's it is beautiful and romantic and frankly the women look like women. (But honestly is there anything wrong with the renaissance? Well other than regular showers, and AC.) The regular stores are out for me in my area anyway so we started going to vintage stores. This outfit is one of my favorites.  I love the soft pink with the pearls.  The important thing is you can get the classic looks you want without breaking the bank.

The skirt is made of cotton and is embroidered with a pink thread a the bottom. The shirt is a knit and it is so soft. Together I think they were $9.00 - $10.00 the clip is from Walmart and I can't remember how much I spent for it but under $6.00, The bracelet was a set of 4 and was from Claire's Boutique in the mall.  It was $3.00 and the necklace was my grandmother's. 

I don't normally have curly hair and my hair is really long and thick so normal methods don't work well.  We found this technique and it works so well that I had to share with everyone.

Here is the tutorial on how to do the curls. 

I really loved how they turned out and even the 2nd day they are still there but just a bit softer.

Making Butter - In 7 Easy Steps

What you will need:

Organic Cream (We got ours from a local farm but you can also buy heavy whipping cream from the store.)

Quart Canning Jar & lid

Ice and Cold Water

Plastic wrap

Something to use as a mold

Fine Ground Sea Salt (Optional)

Step 1: Pour cream into a canning jar. I only filled mine halfway but you can fill it up almost to the top. Secure the lid tightly to make sure it doesn't leak. 

Step 2: Shake it! Shake it, shake it, shake it. And shake it some more. The closer to room temperature the cream is the faster it turns to butter. (If you have littles who like to help you can have them roll the jar back and forth on the floor and make a game out of it). 

Step 3: Finally after all of your shaking it should look like this. Now you are going to want to strain the buttermilk (aka the liquid around the butter) off. Which make delicious biscuits or pancakes by the way. Use a spoon to press as much out as possible, then dump the butter into a bowl.

Step 4: Next you want to "wash" the butter. No, you aren't shoving it in the dishwasher or under water in the sink. Just pour some very cold water into the bowl with the butter and add a couple ice cubes. Use the spoon to press and stir more buttermilk out. 

Step 5: Drain off the water and ice with out losing the butter. Use the spoon to press the water back out of the butter. Now is the time to add the salt if you like salted butter. 

Step 6: Pick what you want to use as a mold. I used a small ramekin that we use for shepherd's pies. Line it with plastic wrap.

Step 7: Spoon the butter into the mold and smooth. Slip into the refrigerator until hardened. Remove it from the mold and wrap in parchment paper or more plastic wrap. Or skip the wrapping and go for a pretty butter dish.

The Palace Theater, Fried Pickles and Swaneys Swifts - Historic Downtown Gallatin Part 1

Today we stopped by the Palace Theater in Gallatin Tennessee. The Palace is the oldest silent film theater still standing in its original location in the state of Tennessee. 

It was opened by Bill Roths in 1913, and thrived under his hands becoming a focal point for the town until his death in the early 90's. 

It was the purchased at auction and donated to Greater Gallatin, who restored the theater and now 7 years later they have reopened this amazing piece of history to the community. Movies are shown weekly.




The website said they were playing The Greatest Showman! Mrs. Cottage hadn't seen it yet so we  decided to go.  

The theater was packed and the mood was buzzing. Everyone seemed to love the show and there was a great applause at the end of the show. What a great little place to take the family. We'd sure love to see some classic black and white films here and maybe Roy Rogers films for the kids. What a great opportunity this would be. Ticket prices were a donation of $5.00 cash only at the door which makes it a great price for families. 

After the movie we walked (well dashed, it was raining) up the street a little to Swaney Swifts, to have burgers and shakes. It's such a cute place! Perfect place for a girls morning out. 

We tried our first fried pickles today. They weren't my favorite, but they were okay. I liked the shakes better. LOL.




Gallatin Town Square is a really cute place, There are many shops and little places to eat along the walk.  We will have to come back and tell you more about all the fun places to go.

Blueberry Preserves

Summer. Sunscreen, picnics, and delicious preserves on fresh biscuits. Is there anything better? This is another of my favorite preserve recipes.

2 Pounds (2 Cups) Organic Blue Berries

4 Cups Organic Raw Sugar

Combine berries and sugar. Slowly bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to the gelling point. As the mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking, Remove from heat, if needed skim foam off the top. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Process 15 minutes in boiling water canner.

Summer Memories, Blackberry Picking

Blackberry picking is a summer tradition for our family. Every year for about 4 weekends we spend hunting berries and then hunting thorns out of our skin. For as long as I can remember this is how we spent Saturday mornings in July. Lucky for us they grow wild like crazy in our neighborhood.

Every clear Saturday morning loaded down with bug spray, sunscreen, buckets, and water bottles you can find at least two of us trudging around the neighborhood for 2 1/2 hours hunting for yummy berries. I'm pretty sure the neighbors think we are crazy, but hey blackberry crisp or neighbors thinking you are sane? Such a hard choice.

I have so many sweet memories of blackberry picking with dad as a little kid. He always goes for the ones that are harder to reach and I get the ones on the outside of the bush. And sometimes help him find his way in or back out of a big patch. Luckily I have never seen a snake while picking. We always joke that I would do more damage to myself if I saw one than it could. Did I mention I hate snakes?!?! Well if not, I do.

We've seen all kinds of animals while picking blackberries, from deer to turtles, to geese, to fox, to wild turkeys and ducks. It's always so neat, when we stumble upon them on a cool morning the dew still clinging to the grass as the slip back into the woods as we pass by. It's one of the best parts of living in the country.

Summer wouldn't be complete without these trips. No matter how many thorns I have to pull out of my skin, how many crazy looks I get from my purple hands. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Besides, what's summer without blackberry crisp, or blackberry pancakes, blackberry cupcakes, blackberry jam, blackberry syrup... Ok, I'm going to stop there because I am drooling!

What is your summer tradition?

See You At The Capitol - The Capitol Theater

The Capitol theater opened it doors for the first time to the people of Lebanon December 9, 1949. That night Betty Grable graced the screen in Technicolor! Tickets cost only 35 cents and a bag of popcorn 10 cents. 1,000 people could be easily seated in the theater. The Capital later became part of the Martin Theater Group but closed when Martin Triple Theater opened- Since then it's been sitting empty until Bob and Pam Black bought it and restored it. And began playing movies again.

Including some of the classics, we went on the night they were playing the Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, and Brian Keith. It was packed with families of all shapes, sizes, and ages. From children to grandparents. When the show ended the theater erupted in applause. It was such a great time! We can't wait to go back!

The Healer's Apprentice Book Review

The Healer's Apprentice written by Melanie Dickerson. This beautiful telling of a Christian fairy-tale loosely based on Sleeping Beauty is one that kept me enthralled until the last page. I love a good fairy-tale and this one was no exception. Of the books I've read by this author this is my favorite (but I could be just a tad prejudice because I LOVE Sleeping Beauty). I love how believable the characters are. 

Open the cover and dive head first into Rose's world. The daughter of a Woodcutter turned the apprentice of the towns healer and make new friends along the way. But beware not everyone is who they seem to be... 

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A Day At The Rodeo - Bold Enough Challenge

We spent Saturday night at a the Bold Enough Challenge Rodeo in Gallatin. We had such a good time, so I thought I would share some of the photos with you. 

Cowboy in the clouds.