This Vintage Chica

Real Life: Permission for Grace

I know I said life is all in how you frame it.  And I still feel that way.

Just keep looking at those beautiful peonies while you read this.

And if you have a friend (or a sibling, or a neighbor) who is currently active duty in the military, stop what you are doing and call them.  Offer to watch their kids, take them dinner or just come over for a chat.  Yes, it has been one of those kinds of weeks for us.

Last week S got back into town after being gone for three weeks.  Before that he was home a week and before that he was gone 6 weeks.

He is currently doing what they call a "work up".  This is the block of training they do before they deploy to wherever they are headed.  It is broken up into two and three and six week blocks, which means he is home some and gone some.

This is when I am so grateful to be living in an area where they are so many military families.  Because when I say "We're doing a work up" every military wife knows what that means.  It means that you are so amazingly grateful to have them home the little bits here and there that you do, but equally frustrated with the schedule shifts that come with it as well. 

It takes about two weeks for us to get past papa being gone and get into our groove.  Then just as we hit our stride, he comes back in and we have to adjust all over again.  This week has been week two where the fun of papa coming back into town is over and I have to be "the enforcer". Which is not easy for me.

The stress of it all is evident.

And it has shown up in several ways.  I got an email from one of the boys teachers about some serious lack of focus in the classroom.  I've seen uncharacteristic meltdowns over simple things such as shower time and bedtime.  The boys are getting up all hours and unable to get back to sleep...either that or waking up at 4 a.m. and then ready to go to bed by 6.  Right about the time S hits the door and is ready to play.

This leaves me a frazzled mess and extremely exhausted from navigating and peacemaking the emotions of the entire family.  All day.  Everyday.  Actually it leaves us all tired and a bit worn out.

Believe me, Im not whining.  Im sure commercial pilots' families are the same, and parents who have to travel for sales jobs, etc.  This is the kind of stress that you think you can handle.  Its not even enough to worry about.  But it sneaks up on you.  You think everything is hunky dory until one minute you find yourself ready to throw a plate across the room.  And you have to stop and ask yourself why.

And it takes a bit of time to process it all.

That's why I've given myself a bit of grace as far as blogging is concerned.  If I make it here fine.  If I don't, that's fine too. 

So, whatever is getting to you right now, whatever of lifes little stresses is getting to you...give yourself a bit of grace.  Take a picture or two.  No matter if you actually share them with anyone or not.  Take a walk with no destination planned.  Mindlessly cut some quilt squares whether you intend to actually assemble the quilt or not.  Make a yummy dinner and sit down with a good glass of wine.  Stare at your kiddos and take a minute to really check in with them.  Sneak into the neighbor's yard after the sun has gone down to snip a few of their peonies because they moved away months ago and no one is there to enjoy them like they should be enjoyed.  Just know that we all need a bit of grace sometimes.

Happy weekend to you all!

Strawberry Season

Dear friends,

If we are not back here in a few days, please send the authorities to the strawberry fields in Pungo.  Because i is quite possible that we have drowned in red, sweet goodness.

Either that or we might be found in the kitchen making smoothies and strawberry shortcake.

Thank you,

Us

Remembering and Celebrating

Yesterday in church, we heard from Irene Weisberg Zisblatt, author of the Fifth Diamond.  S and I both sat rivited with tears rolling down our faces as she recounted her story of the Holocaust and how she was delivered into freedom by two American soldiers.  I've been thinking about she and her brave mother ever since yesterday morning, and just can't seem to shake her story.  Honestly, I don't think I really ever want to.

We celebrated yesterday evening with a large gathering of friends, including 23 little ones running around amongst good food and lots of games.

Today we released our little duck out into the world to enjoy his freedom.  We thanked him for the time he gave us, wished him well and watched him swim out into the big lake, quacking away.

And tonight we'll remember a little more with a small gathering of S's friends, ending in a traditional toast to the brave men we have known who have given their life in the name of freedom.

Hope your Memorial Day is full of celebration and rememberance as well.

Craft Hope Update

Im sorry things have been a bit unpredictable the past several days.  My computer is still giving me fits and being very tempermental.  Im getting the feeling its time to do a full backup and learn how to download all of my photos onto my external hard drive.

But before that I wanted to share a bit of an update with the Craft Hope: Casa Bernabe project.

Our crew has outgrown the chair and we've had to move them to the couch in my sewing room.  So far, we have received a total of 41 dolls (and 15 doll blankets) from Louisiana, New Jersey, California, Wisconsin and even as far away as England and Australia.  Amazing!  The detail and craftsmanship being put into these little dolls is just incredible.  I can tell that each crafter has carefully chosen fabrics, thought about how to make the eyes just right.  You all are the best!

The mail carrier has noticed too.  Last week he said he couldn't help but notice all of the boxes and asked what we were up to.  I told him about Craft Hope and the smile on his face as I was explaining said it all.  Everyone has a need to be apart of something bigger than themselves.  He now hand delivers our mail to our front door and asks what the count is today.  He is now even thinking of going on his church's mission trip to Mexico this Fall.   

Many of you have asked if we are still needing dolls and if the need has been met.  Here's the deal.  Yes, dolls for the children currently living at Casa Bernabe have been met.  But there are always new children arriving at the orphanage with nothing to call their own.  And the organization I support, ORPHANetwork works with several other orphanages and feeding centers.  So the need goes on and on and on.

Here is the bottom line.  If you felt a twinge of "I need to make a doll" when you first read about Craft Hope and Casa Bernabe and this project, then I ask you to go ahead and make that doll you saw in your head at that moment.  I guarantee you there is a child just waiting for that exact doll that you are going to make.  And my promise to you is to find that very child, that one child waiting for YOUR doll, and show them how much you care about them from across the world.

Everyone has a need to be apart of something bigger than themselves.  Whether you are on the giving end or the receiving end. 

Cooking Fun : Everyday Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I received copies of Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make And Do With Kids and Cooking Fun: 121 Simple Recipes To Make With Kids both by author Rae Grant.

These books have been sitting next to my computer since then, begging to be opened.  This past weekend was very chilly and rainy, so after playing in the rain for quite awhile the boys came in, shed their clothing, wrapped up in towels and declared "Time to bake something for a snack".  Perfect timing.

They fingered through the Cooking Fun book and came across the recipe for everyday cupcakes.  The recipes are simple and easy to follow - even fore early readers like my boys.  And most of the recipes call for ingredients most of us already have on hand.  It is full of little recipes like cinamon toast and strawberry smoothies that we regularly make, but it is so great to have them in one place and presented in a way that my boys feel like were written down just for them.

The cupcakes were simple to make and oh, so yummy!  We didn't make the icing recipe that follows.  We instead used icing we already had on hand from Wyatt's birthday cake and smarties from our candy jar.  After tasting his creation, Ian asked "Does this mean we get to eat cupcakes everday?"  I'd take that comment as a good review!

The only negative thing I can say is that it doesn't contain many pictures, so for a little person it is difficult to flip through and see what recipes are available.  But for bigger people, the cute retro graphics more than make up for it.

We haven't gotten into Crafting Fun yet, but just flipping through it is similar to Cooking Fun.  Great retro graphics coupled with easy, timeless activities for kiddos.  This book is devided by season, so it makes finding the perfect craft super easy to find. 

The bottom line...Either (or both) of these books would make great summer birthday gifts for a little baker or crafter.

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This is the post that was supposed to appear yesterday but it just didn't feel right.  Thank you so much for your kind words.  It really is nice to know that we are all learning these lessons together.  My chat with the boys about death and life and the fragility of it all went well.  There were lots of questions and throughout the day, we revisited the subject again.  Thank you for the kind words...I read many of them to the boys.  They meant  alot to all of us.

When LIfe Happens

I've often told people that I know in my everyday life...the people that see my sink full of dishes, the people that see me loose my cool with my boys...that this blog is the way my life would be if "life" didn't happen.

Unfortunately last night "life" did happen. We lost one of our baby ducks. Im not sure what happened. The older two boys were already asleep in bed, but Wyatt had a late nap in the car so he was still up at 8:00 p.m. He and I checked on them one last time before we shut them up in the garage in their box. We changed their water, changed the towel in the box, put out a little more food and then went out on the front porch to catch a slug or two.

When we came back with our slugs, one of the ducklings was laying on his side not moving. Not that I know how to revive baby ducks, but I checked and he was not breathing. We held him for a long time.  Kissed him.  Told him what a good little duckling he was. Wyatt and I both cried.

I have to tell the older two this morning and am not looking forward to it.

I am having a bit of a deja vu moment - except I am the parent now and not the child. I don't know how many baby birds we tried to save when I was a kid. How many pets we lost. Im sure it was as difficult for my parents everytime.

I know, life happens. Its all in the circle of life. Yada, yada, yada. But sometimes life just sucks. Of course I won't tell the boys that. I will udder the same words my parents told me. "Life is fragile" and "that's why mama mallards have so many babies, because most of them don't make it". "Sometimes we just don't know why these things happen." And I am sure these words will be as inadequate as they have always been.

So today, I am not posting what I had originally planned. We'll leave that for tomorrow.

Its time to go wake the older two up now.  I don't want to.  Right now it is cold here.  (What happened to Spring?)  And they are all snuggled up, warm and happy.  I wish I didn't have to share this with them.  But there are lessons for them here, and there are lessons for me.  As much as I'd like to think, I can not protect them from "life"happening.  I can only guide them through it.

Bringing The Outside In

Good morning all!  It is a gorgeous morning here.

The windows have been open for weeks - being shut only when it rains sideways and threatens to get the windowsills wet.  (Every year a challenge myself to see how long we can last before having to turn on the a/c...last year it was May 12.)  But, right now the temperatures are just perfect.  The bugs are not bad yet.  It seems the back door is constantly standing wide open.  Scout and the boys run in and out freely.  We are eating almost every meal outside on the patio or on the front porch.  And bits of nature are coming inside by the handfulls.

The line between inside and outside is a bit blurry right now for sure.  But I like it that way.  Even if it means a bit more laundry, my serving spoons have become digging spoons and I have to clean the tile floor a little more regularly.

Who am I kidding...I don't clean the floor regularly to begin with.  At least I have an excuse now.

We're off this morning to do a little "junking".

Happy weekend!

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There is a breakdown of what each of these plants and flowers are over at The Magnifying Glass.

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Sorry, I am a bit late in announcing the winnter of the Americana Sponsor Giveaway.  My computer has been giving me fits the past several days.

The winner is Lisa:

Great Photos!
Beauty in the everyday...it just doesn't get better than that.
I really like Americana's simple web-page.

Early Morning Picking

The Gardener's Morning

The robin's song at daybreak
Is a clarion call to me.Get up and get out in the garden,
For the morning hours flee.

I cannot resist the summons,
What earnest gardener could?
For the golden hours of morning
Get into the gardener's blood.

The magic spell is upon me,
I'm glad that I did not wait;
For life's at its best in the morning,
As you pass through the garden gate.

- Howard Dolf

The Spring storms have passed.  I've returned to a very familiar Spring rhythm here.  A very grounding rhythm of getting up before the sun.  I don't need an alarm clock to wake me.  The birds singing away are enough.  I put the coffee on, grab my picking apron as I head out the back door. It does my soul well to get a little time to myself in the early hours.  When it is quiet.  Before the hustle and bustle finds me.  Soon enough there are lunches to be made and phone calls to make.  But for just a minute all I hear is the wind and the birds and feel the sun begin to warm my little world slowly.  I can't seem to help it.  Like I am being called to start my day this way from the generations of farmers and gardeners in my family before me who had it in their blood too.

This morning I had an early riser join me just in time for picking peas.  I asked him why he was up so early and he told me "Mama, the birds told me the sun was up.  I think is time to get up."  I don't think he can help it either. I think it must be in his blood too. 

Thoughts On Mother's Day

We had a quiet day yesterday, Mother's Day - church, handmade gifts brought home from school on Friday (hidden away until Sunday), a few phone calls, a visit to a good friend's house.  These are the things that made up our day.

But what really had me thinking was these little mallard ducklings.  Yes, we found two more in our backyard last week after a Spring storm.  Again, no mama.  Wildlife Rescue has been called again, but still has yet to get back to me. 

They are scared of us, but seem to have taken a liking to Scout.  Whenever she walks by their box and they hear the tag on her collar jingle, they start peeping like crazy and head for that side of the box after her.  She sticks her head in and gently sniffs.  I don't think the ducklings would be so eager if they fully understood what she is bred to do.   And I don't think she exactly understands them either.  But there does seem to be an common bond between them.  Something neither of them quiet gets, but an attraction none the less.  If I let her, I think she'd pick them up in her mouth and carry them around.  Of course we are not trying this theory out.

I would like to think that this mama duck would be grateful that someone has taken her little ones in after the storm.  That there is someone filling in for her in her absence.  Even if we are not quite the mothers she had in mind.

But watching them and her has me thinking about mothering.  About how there are so many different kinds of mothers - biological mothers, adoptive mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers, neighbors, friends, teachers, coaches, etc.  And how to become the people we are meant to be, the mothers we are meant to be, it takes more than one person can manage alone. 

I am so grateful to have had those kinds of "mothers" in my life. 

So, thank you Mrs. Franklin, my Campfire leader growing up in Oklahoma.

Thank you Julie Conatser, my first boss right out of college.

Thank you Anna, who watched my boys on Sunday evenings when they were babies and would stay late to chat.

Thank you Coach Hecksher for being so tough and expecting so much.

Thank you Mrs. O'Donnell for encouraging me to write in 3rd grade.

Thank you Joyce.

Thank you Ambre, Maggie, Stacy, Alicia, Jamie, Tera and Kari, for being my sisters and surrogate mamas to my boys.

Thank you Grammer. 

Thank you Grandmother. 

And of course, thank you Mom.  I know none of us can be a perfect mother, but you were pretty darned close.

I said a little prayer yesterday that God would send lots of "mothers" into the lives of my boys over the next many years.  Mothers that will understand them when I do not, teachers that will inspire, and neighbors that will catch them misbehaving, mamas who will come alongside my boys during their own storms.  Because we all know, one mother can't do it all.  Even if you are a mama duck.

Sponsor: Americana

Top
{"Pear Trees" was taken with my Diana + camera using Kodak Potra 800 speed film.
Diana cameras are wonderful cameras and create such dreamy, light-filled images.} - Americana

Bottom
{I love flowers...you wouldn't know that would you? These cosmos
are no exception, so lovely and graceful, bending with the light. Taken with my
Polaroid SX-70 makes it even more dreamy.} - Americana

I love picking up pieces of unique, inexpensive artwork here and there to hang in amongst our family photos and the boys' artwork- sketches, paintings, crayon and lately photographs all hang together in one large eclectic arrangement.

Today, I am happy to introduce you to one of my favorite photographers, Jenn of Americana.  I am enjoying her photographs so much these days and at $15 a print, they are a real bargain.  I love the two photographs that appear above.  The top one reminds me of my grandparent's peach orchard in bloom and the bottom photograph - well honestly, is there anything better than a field of wildflowers?

Simply comment on this post and one Vintage Chica reader will win a 12 x 12 print of your choice. A winner will be announced by 8am EST on Wednesday.

And if you can't wait for the drawing and must have one of Americana's prints right now, use the code "chica" when you check out and get 15% off your order.

Good luck everyone!

little things to love : happy weekend

I haven't put together a flickr favorites in awhile, so I thought you might enjoy these beautiful images to start your weekend off right.  I sure am.  Its been a bit of a tough week in the parenting department, so Im holding on to anything that makes me grin with both hands.  This collage of gorgeous photos are now saved as my background on my laptop, so I'll be starting at them for the next several moths to come.  Which is good...because they make me smile.

Here are a few other things for your weekend to make you smile.

::  A little sparrow flew in through the back door that was wide open (that's the way I like it) and landed himself right in my sewing room.

::  This photo from Samantha Lamb.

::  Granny guide over at The Magnifying Glass.

::  We rescued two more ducklings from our backyard (no mama to be found, again).  We're considering raising them for release since there are two this time.

::  Polyvore...a really fun way to waste an hour or so, found via the wonderful Toni

::  Erin's camera straps...hmmm, to go with the new bag, perhaps?

::  This post from Shutter Sisters.

::  Bob Dylan always makes me smile, even if it is a sad song.

::  My heart is so very full at how the Craft Hope project.  Word is spreading (thank you Claire and Jenny) and dolls are arriving.  I've pre-warned the mail carrier.

Hope you find lots of little things that make you smile this weekend too.  And if that isn't enough for you, check out the ever changing list of inspiration found in the upper right hand corner of the blog.

Happy Friday everyone! 

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P.S.  And so sorry, but I forgot to post the winner of the Old Red Barn Co. sponsor giveaway.  The winner is:

#68, Regan - i love citrus too. and almond with cherry blossom. oh, and lavender with vanilla. it is so hard to choose one. patchouli is my mother's favorite scent, so whenever i smell it, i am reminded of her. well, thanks for doing this! =)

Regan, send me your contact info. and I'll get it to Dana.

 

 

this handmade life

I have a whole shelf in my kitchen of nothing but cookbooks.  Some were given to us as wedding gifts, a few have been handed down from family, and many of them I have picked up at yard sales and thrift stores.  I have bought very few brand new.

On quiet evenings when I have the whole house to myself, I love thumbing through the vintage cookbooks the most.  I can always tell a good one when there are pages dog-eared and wrinkled from getting damp, or have bits of batter dried on them.  These are the cookbooks that were at one time a woman's bible so to speak - full of her "go to" recipes.  Maybe it was a cake recipe her daughter loved made year after year after year.  Or a fancy veal recipe that wowed her husband's boss.  A favorite cookie recipe that was similar to the one her mother made.  Sometimes, if you are lucky there are even notes in the margins.  And these are the same recipes I always try first.

There are several really wonderful blog reviews of Molly's new book, A Homemade Life floating around and I managed to get a copy of it from our library finally.  I only made it to page 22 before I had to hand it back in.  But I have to say, the way she gently weaves in the stories behind the recipes is just amazing.  We all know there is so much more that goes into cooking than just throwing the ingredients together.  But Molly explains it so perfectly.  She even manages to make hot dogs sound like a gourmet meal.  I found myself wanting to highlight whole sections of the introduction.  I knew I needed to get a copy of my own. 

Yesterday, we made the Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with Crystalized Ginger (minus the ginger).  It was as yummy as she made it sound...thick and heavy and even more perfect the next morning.

 

I'm sorry Molly.  I hope you don't mind.  But we got a little flour on one page of your book.

Its a good one.

I hope someday my grand daughter turns to this very page.

canvas and lace camera bag

;

You are going to see a bit of a theme in the next several projects that come out of my sewing room - neutral colors, canvas, denim, vintage lace, navy blue, ticking, khaki, burlap.  Not that I'm having much time to sew and entire shirt or quilt, but Im finding bits of time here and there to do little 15 minute projects.

This great OD green bag was originally a vintage WWII equiptment bag, originally purchased for $8 for the boys who are very into anything "army".  They didn't seem to like it as it was a bit big for what they were looking for. 

Oh, well! 

I found a perfect use for it.

With the two pockets on either side of the inside, it makes a great camera bag.  Perfect for holding the camera plus two extra lenses.  I cut a piece of prequilted batting for the bottom of the bag.  But the heavy canvas is perfect for protecting everything inside from water and sand.  And of course it didn't come with that pretty vintage lace across the front.  I don't think the US Army allows that.

I'm in love with my new bag and am finding excuses to get out and go for a walk, just so I can take my new bag out for a spin.

(Inspired very heavily by the gorgeous bags of Alice Saunders of Forest Bound.)

make way for ducklings

You can tell we're smack dab in the middle of Spring here in our neighborhood.  Remember those muscovies and mallards?  Well they have made their nests, the eggs are hatching and now the babies are emerging. 

S-P-R-I-N-G!

You can't drive down a street in our neighborhood without having to stop for a mama and babies crossing the street.  The mallard babies are first and the muskovies will follow in a few weeks.

We have been taking daily walks to check on the little mallards.  Yesterday we found this little fellow all by himself and squalking up a storm in the gutter next to the street with no mama in sight.  Against much pleading by my youngest to take him home, we went home sans duckling to have lunch with the promise that in an hour or so we would come back to check on him.  Sure enough, an hour and a half later, he was still alone, squalking, but this time was right in the middle of a busy intersection.  It was cold and drizzly and he was shivering, so we scooped him up, brought him home, and put him under a heat lamp.  I wasn't sure if he would make it, but he perked right up and drank some water.  The older boys got home from school and found a few slugs to feed him. 

After he was feeling a little better, we tried to take him back to the area we found him and send him off with another duck family.  (I was so hoping that he would get adopted in.)  But it didn't work. The mama (yes, that mama in the photo) actually ran him off. 

We ended up calling Wildlife Rescue who said that this time of year they are inundated with calls about baby ducks and could we keep him overnight until they could pick him up.  I was almost scared to peek into his box this morning, hoping he would still be alive.  But, our little duck was peeping and pecking all around this morning.  Wildlife Rescue picked him up a few hours ago, headed to a rehabilitator who has several other ducklings.

We are a bit sad even though we know this is the best thing for him.

But grateful for the opportunity to see him up close.  Grateful for the opportunity to care for him, even for a short while.  Good luck to you baby duck!

Sponsor: Old Red Barn Co.

Today's giveaway is from one of our newest sponsors, Dana of Old Red Barn Co.  I first came to "know" Dana as an amazing quilter and later found out about the yummy soaps and she makes.  I ordered a few things from Old Red Barn Co. a while back as a gift for a friend (and threw in a few things for myself ), so I can tell you her sugar scrubs are just about the best thing since sliced bread.  If you're like me and run around barefoot all Spring and Summer, this scrub is great for getting those "summer" feet clean and soft again.  And she offeres several different scents and uses all natural ingredients.

We handmake our skin loving goat milk soaps with the finest ingredients money can buy. ...This means that a child's delicate skin can trust a goat milk soap. Goat milk soap has even been recommended by doctors for sufferers of acne, eczema, psoriasis, rashes, and sun burn. Goat's milk does not leave your skin feeling dried out or irritated. It leaves you feeling naturally clean and smooth. The goat milk soap from Old Red Barn Co. for Kids is a GREAT alternative to the harsh chemicals and detergents found in store bought soap! (Old Red Barn Co.)

Old Red Barn Co. is giving away $25 worth of scrubs and soap, plus free shipping.  All you need to do is comment below answering this question: "What is your favorite soap scent?"  Do you do for citrus or rosey florals?  Spicy or no scent at all?  Just comment below and you'll be entered into the giveaway.  Comments will be closed at 8 p.m. EST Tuesday evening. 

signs of a full weekend

:: laundry on the line :: a bald eagle sighting :: fresh asparagus from a neighbor's garden :: a sleepover with a friend and the first outdoor movie night of the season, even drizzle made us come in for the last half :: more fishing :: the first craft hope doll arriving on our doorstep :: a glass (ok, its just a jelly jar) of wine in the garden admiring the black berry blossoms ::

 

Our weekend was a good one...a really good one.  Its a good thing, because S is off again for another 4 weeks.  Which leaves me feeling a bit sad and quiet this morning.  But these snapshots will remind me of how much fun we'll have when he returns.  How was your weekend?

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This month we are welcoming three new sponsors, which means three giveaways coming up!  Welcome Americana, Old Red Barn Co. and Wolfie and the Sneak.  Happy Monday all!

recipe: fried chicken

I think fried chicken is just about the most perfect summer food ever invented.  And I can't think of a more perfect meal to pack up and take to the beach with us.  Add a little potato salad and fruit on the side, some lemonade or sun tea...mmmm...summer in a basket!

My Grammer makes just about the best fried chicken in the world.  I remember it being perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.  I made her chicken once right after college.  I had to call her then to get instructions, but I didn't write them down.  I've been thinking about her fried chicken for weeks.

S had a good friend over for dinner last night (a country boy from the back hills of Virginia), so it was the perfect time to try to see if I could recreate her recipe.  There was not a piece of chicken left in the skillet, so it must have been good.  That's a whole chicken plus another package of legs in one sitting.

Oh, and a little side note...Can I tell you know how much flack I got from the two of them for making them wait to eat until I ran into the house to get my camera?  A lot.  A ton.  It went on for a least 10 minutes.

Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

one whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or you can buy whole chickens already cut)
large iron skillet...yes, it has to be a cast iron skillet
two shallow bowls
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of milk
2 Tbsp. course salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 qt. vegetable oil

Directions:

1.  In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil to medium high heat, about 350 degrees.
2.  Mix flour, salt and pepper in one of the bowls.
3.  Pour the milk into the other bowl.
4.  Dredge the chicken pieces first in the milk and then in the flour mixture.
5.  Gently place the chicken into the skillet being careful not to splash the oil.
6.  Brown the chicken on both sides, turning the pieces over once...about 12 minutes on each side.  Then cover the skillet and turn the heat down to medium low.  Continue to cook the chicken on medium low for another 20 minutes or so until the juices run clear.
7.  Drain on a plate covered with paper towels.

I drained the extra oil out of the skillet into a coffee can, then put the chicken back into the skillet and served it.  The warm skillet holds the heat well and kept the chicken warm while we ate outside.  I must have gotten pretty close to Grammer's recipe because, like I said, there wasn't a crumb left in the pan.

How'd I do Grammer?  My other grandmother's red velvet cake is up next.

Happy Friday ya'll!