Chanel's Melange

2009-05-18T20:45:00.001-04:00

Another Blessed Day

2009-05-14T14:06:00.003-04:00

Dropped off a dozen eggs to a friend this morning before work and got paid back with a breakfast of gravy, biscuits and bacon. Now you can't beat that.

It's certainly spring time around our house.

All of the flower beds are full and although I had given up on my Angel Trumpet, I saw a small shoot of green yesterday.

I planted 58, Cherokee Purple heirloom tomato plants started from seed. I posted a picture of them previously my starters in their 5 gallon bucket. The other veggies plants have really taken off so we will have plenty to can and share this summer. Thinking about building some cold frames from old windows and getting an early start next year. hhmmmmm.

Our Banty hen hatched off 6 new babies and I will post pictures as soon as I can get my camera to working.

I have been making soap every night trying to get ready for Memorial day Weekend at Brasstown Valley Resort. North Georgia Mountain's Horsin' Around BBQ Showdown http://www.brasstownvalley.com/resort/horsin_around.asp.

Changing my look a little and setting my booth up in a shabby country chic. I am getting great ideas from my BFF's the BBB's, lot's of feedback, so I am excited. I hope at least to make my booth fee back. Hopefully some of those "resort vacationers" will take pity on a poor old mountain girl and buy some soap from her.

I also have caught up on melting my beeswax and used a variety of molds to get some great results. They all turned out beautiful, golden yellow and you can just smell the honey in them.

I am probably going to pot some of the rampant Lemon Verbena I have at the house along with some Pennyroyal and see if it will sell. You never can tell.

A whole new outlet for my "wildcrafting". Wildcrafting is a term for the age-old practice of collecting plant materials in their natural habitat for food, medicine, and craft. I might get adventurous and start me some shroom log's.

Ya'll have a great day, ya hear.

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

2009-05-10T10:22:00.005-04:00

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

Hope it's a wonderful day for everyone.

My plans for today are to do yard work. I can't think of anything I would rather do that I enjoy so much. The kids are going to help and we are spending the day together. I am appreciating the gifts that I have been blessed with by God. All of the rain has my flower beds looking like little jungles.

I have to tell ya'll about a wonderful blog by my friend Dana. I thought she was all about soap, but when she gave me her blogspot link WOW! is all I can say. It seems we have alot more in coomn then I thought. http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/ She has some great giveaways and beautiful post.

Still Raining

2009-05-06T14:37:00.003-04:00

Well the rain just comes and goes. ICK!

The bees don't know whether to work or rest. One thing we do know is that they are probably starving, becuase they can't get out to plants and flowers and we can't get in to feed them.
We will probably take our chances this weekend, pop those tops off and put in feeders and if we get covered up we will have to deal with it.

The soap scents have arrived and are at home waiting on me.
Tonight's plans are to melt wax and make soap.

My first show is this weekend and I am getting anxious about products.

Did some bartering this past weekend and ended up with a Yarrow plant, 2 evening primrose, some Dahlia bulbs and a small heirloom tomato plant. Can't wait until a break int eh rain to get them into my little herb garden.

2009-05-04T14:18:00.003-04:00

QUILTING ACROSS NORTH GEORGIA SHOP HOP

QUILTING THE HOLIDAYS THE WHOLE YEAR THROUGH

MAY 7th—9th
9 am—6 pm Daily

Pick up your passport at the first shop you visit and make sure you get it stamped at all of the shops. Also, get your goody bag from each shop. Each goody bag will contain five charm squares, plus a cute, little silver charm to add to last year’s collection.

Blairsville - The Fabric Center

Blue Ridge - Mountain Holly Quilters & Country Stitches

Dahlonega - The Common Thread & Magical Threads

Dawsonville - Sew Memorable

Hiawassee - Log Cabin Patchworks

Happy Monday

2009-05-04T11:25:00.003-04:00

IT STOPPED RAINING!! Briefly. I am starting to get webbed feet.

Hopefully the bees can get out today and work. The rain keeps them in the hives, washes away the pollen and knocks blooms off of plants. So I am praying for blue, clear skies.

I finished some delightful bookmarks for my swap and of course I forgot to take pictures, but I am making some more. When they are finish I will post pictures and you will see how easy they were to make. Great project for fast, last minute ideas. The kids can do them for teacher gifts or for their friends who read.

Thursday is the 'THE NORTH GEORGIA QUILT SHOP HOP." I have mapped out the shopes for me and lilred and if all works as plans I will manage to get 6 shops in 1 day and catch the 7th shop on Friday.

We are starting out in Blairsville at The Fabric Center, bright and early, 9:00. Then head down to Blue Ridge to catch Country Stitches and Mountain Holly Quilters. Then hit the famous "52" over to Dahlonega to visit the wonderful lady at Common Threads and Magical Threads. Finally over to Dawsonville to Sew Memorable and then lilred can hit the outlet stores.

We will get pictures at each business sign to mark our way and post about our visit hopefully on Friday evening. Pictures to follow, of course.

Happy May Day

2009-05-01T10:56:00.002-04:00

First let me say Happy Birthday to pork chop.

Thumbs Down: It's rainy outside and the bee's can't work.

Thumbs Up: It's rainy outside and the cars are clean and we can breathe.

My veggie garden is loving it, my flowers beds and herb garden are loving it. My hanging veggies and bucket plants, are loving it.

Finally my soap scents have been released from customs and are heading this way. I never knew they were coming from Canada. I will have to be on the search for an affordable seller in the USA.

We put on about 30 supers last night and moved some bees from nuks to hives. We have a couple of hives that are too aggressive and if they don't calm down soon their queen will be replaced.

Working on handmade bookmarks for my swap-bot swap. If ya'll haven't joined swap-bot you need to, it is so much fun and can get very addicting. http://swap-bot.com/
I have made new friends from around the USA and from foreign countries and received some very nice gifts.

It's tomato weekend at the local bank this weekend. Headed to Murphy today for a free hot dog lunch and to get my 6 pack of maters to plant. Will hit the Blairsville bank tomorrow.

Tomorrow the county farmer's market is gearing up for a plant day and garden crafts. Gotta get some soap and plants out there early and sell, sell, sell.

I have plans with the sewing machine this weekend, I have to get those potholders and headbands made before next Saturday. I just love that last minute adrenaline rush, don't you?

That's all for now, ya'll bee sweet.

Our 4th Swarm In 3 weeks

2009-04-29T21:41:00.003-04:00

Getting the swarm out of the tree.

They are dumped on a screen (our choice) and herded into the hive. Meanwhile we are on our hands and knees desperately searching for the queen. If we didn't get her, then all of the bees will head back up to the tree looking for her. After all she makes the decision on if they should stay or if they should go.

The top of a hive in one of our yards, just so you can see it.

In The Yard

2009-04-29T21:05:00.004-04:00

Elephant Hosta's, huge aren't they.

Lemon Verbena and mint. You just can't kill it. So you dry the leaves and use it for teas and fragrance.

The last of the Bleeding Hearts, they were plentiful and pink this year. Because they are
succulents you have to be careful in cold weather.

The Dogwood Blooms have lasted longer this year, then normal. I believe it's because the weather has been cooler. However, the blooms are starting to fall and the petals look like a bridal trail.

Wild Azalea, Flame Azalea, Burning Bush, it has several different names but the end results are amazing. As it fills out I will post more pictures of it's progess.

My beautiful Calla Lily.

Heirloom tomato seeds. My friend Barb who lives in Florida said they don't have good dirt
for growing them. She saved last year seeds for me and ask if I would grow them for her.
I have never started tomatoes from seeds before. Getting back to my roots ya'll.

These are my hot & spicy pepper plants started from seeds.
See anything odd in the pot?

My upside down tomato plant. It did so well last year, thought I would try again.

Thoughts for Today.

2009-04-29T11:22:00.002-04:00

I guess Spring is officially here.

My hubby brought home ramps and polk salat for his supper. He can have all he want's, peee-uuuuuuuu.

The red birds are out in full force, the bluebirds are flying around and saw each gathering supplies for their nests. You can hear the birds singing most all through the day now.

I am keeping the windows open 24 hours a day now, enjoying the weather before it get's really hot. The pollen, well it can settle with the dust. I make notes to myself in the dust / pollen on the furniture, of stuff to remember not to forget.

My Whippoorwill has finally made it back and it sounds lonesome but beautiful, way up into the night and everything is really still outside.

I watched a big ol fat groundhog this morning, grubbing around, looking rather fat and sassy.

We are getting frames and supers ready tonight to place on the hives. Let the bees start making us some wildflower honey. I can't wait for a fresh crop.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

GMS Soap

2009-04-28T14:25:00.002-04:00

Having a great time with new scents.

I have 160+ bars in the drying trailer, waiting to be package and sold.
Bay Rum, Ocean Breeze, English Lavender, Peach and unscented.
3 more scents will be arriving tomorrow Lemon Blossom, Peach Blossom and everyone's favorite baby Powder.

My first show this year will be in Hiawassee, Ga.
Heritage Festival, Saturday, May 9, 11AM - 5PM on the Square.

Little Drone

2006-06-30T12:57:00.001-04:00

Little Drone Apiary & Crafts
Sourwood & Wildflower Honey
Bob & Chanel Cordell

Blairsville, Ga 30512

chcordell@hotmail.com

Wildflower Honey available mid-July
Sourwood available mid-August
$5.00 1 pound

$8.00 2 pounds
$11 quart

$6.00 comb honey 1 pound

$11.00 comb honey 2 pounds

Half-Gallons & Gallons available per request call or e-mail for price
{shipping charges will be calculated at time of shipment}

Being Southern

2005-03-03T15:45:00.001-05:00

It seems that a lot of people have trouble with southern accents, traditions and our way of life. Therefore this page will be all things southern in my life.

The North has double last names, The South has double first names. {My son's first name is Jon-Erik}

The North has Indy car races, The South has stock car races.

If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits.

If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

Naked- is you got your clothes off. Nekkid-means you got your clothes off and your up to somethin'.

Get used to hearing "You ain't from round here, are ya?"

Be advised that "He needed kill'n" is a valid defense here.

All true Southerners, even babies, know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl on the middle of the table

Only a true Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.

A true Southerner knows that "fixin'" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb. (As in, I was fixin to go over to BettyLou's. Or, we had a huge Christmas dinner with all the fixins. Or, are you fixin my car next?).

Only true Southerners make friends while standing in lines. We don't do "queues", we do "lines," and when we're IN, not ON, line we talk to everybody

Down here you can say what you want about folks, as long as you follow it with a "Bless it's heart".

My daughter is a true G.R.I.T.S. {girl raised in the south}. She is the only female I can recall in my family that, at the drop of a hat, can cry, faint, or argue her way out of anything. The fainting spells we worked out by telling people "She's all right, she will come to when she get's her breath". She has her daddy wrapped so tight around her finger that it is ready to fall off. All she has to do is pucker up, squinch her eyes together and holler "DAAADDDDYYY!" She calls her daddy "Fat Boy" our boys (20 & 24) just shake their heads and question how she get's away with the same things they would have got their heads slapped off for.

She tells me that when she get's married (currently 11 yrs old} that she is marrying a wimp that she can boss around.

My kin' on my daddy's side, the Hilliard's, seem to be outlaws {bless their hearts}. I've got uncles who would run shine {deliver moonshine} and do their best to try to have each other put in jail. You will have to visit my genealogy page to get the best stories. My great-grandaddy told my great-grandmother that he was going to town to buy her a stove and it took him 6 months to get back. He decided while he was in town {Georgia} to go to Texas. {That's a fact with my hand up}. I also found out they were cousins, their daddy's was half brothers. It seems my gr-gr-grandmother didn't want ot give up her widow's pension when her husband died in the civil war, so instead of marrying her 2nd husband they lived together and had 5 kids.

We sometimes put gravy on out grits, cuz it taste real good. The best gravy is always made from sausage or bacon grease. Just fry up some sausage or gravy and when it get's done take the meat out of the pan and leave the grease in. Sprinkle in a couple of table spoons (not the measuring kind, the eatin kind} of self-rising flour and use a whisk to mix it up. You can't make good gravy without a whisk. When it get's kind of think start pouring in whole milk {not skim, 2% or soy} just a little at a time until it get's thin, whisk it again until it starts getting thick then add more milk. Don't overdo the milk or it will get thin and thin gravy will not stay on a biscuit. Measurements you say, no true southern cook uses measurements. My boy's can make biscuits from scratch and don't even own measuring cups.