Friday Five - 1.27.12

1.  In my last post, I shared a photo of one of our gorgeous Camellia blooms.  Here is a pic of the entire Camellia shrub.  Isn't it lovely?  I think I need to research how to prune and maintain these beautiful shrubs so that they continue to thrive.

2.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, my mom is teaching me how to sew.  When I'm in Tulsa for any length of time, we often tackle a sewing project since my mom has a sewing machine and I do not.  (Actually, I "have" my late Grandma Johnson's sewing machine and cabinet, but we have not yet transported it to SC.)  Over the holidays, my mom and I made several burp cloths to give to my friend, Laura, and we made them differently than the ones we've made in the past.  I think they turned out really well!

3. For my 30th birthday, my mom gathered a ton of old photos of me, and we really enjoyed looking through them.  Here's one from Christmas morning many, many years ago...26 to be exact.  :)

4.  This is random, but it was so helpful that I have to share.  I don't know if any of you have smooth top stoves, but we do and I have had a hard time getting ours completely clean.  I've purchased the specialty cleaning products and followed the instructions exactly, but they haven't removed the faint cooking stains that come from liquids sizzling on the surface.  While looking for something at Walmart recently, I stumbled upon this cleaning tool and I was happy to see that it was safe for glass and ceramic stove tops.  I gave it a try when I got home, and it worked (without scratching the stove top)! 

5.  I attended a baby shower recently, and I saw something I've never seen before...a diaper tricycle!  Isn't it clever and adorable?!  I had to take a quick pic with my phone so that I could save the idea for future reference.