Photograph copyright or protection question

I have a question for you guys about your personal photographs, pictures you have taken of your quilts, crafts, etc.  Do you put a watermark or copyright mark on your photos before you put them on your blog or website?  The reason I am asking is that last night I found something that has me more than a little irked.  I was googling images last night for quilted star ornaments and came across one of my own that had been on my Etsy shop a couple of years ago.  I sold that one and made the listing inactive until I get another one made, assuming I still have the fabric.  I clicked on the image (my original picture, my original creation) and it took me to a Flickr account from another person, a site called "paperbilities4you."  I visited this web site and there are things for sale.  I have absolutely no idea why this person added my picture to their Flickr unless they are trying to get traffic by any means necessary.  I went back and looked at my expired listing on Etsy to make sure I had put "Cobblestone Quilting" on the picture and, sure enough I had but this person had cropped it out!!!  There was a place on their Flickr to send an email to them, which I have done.  There is also a place to report use of a personal photo by another person, which I did.   I guess from now on I will have to put a big watermark right across the center of my pictures.  Here is my original picture of the ornament sitting on my mom's crocheted doily. As you can see, it is pretty unique in relation to the fabric and you can clearly see the doily it is sitting on.  You can also see the Cobblestone Quilting at the bottom, which had been cropped out by the person who used it on her Flickr. 

Goodwill Shopping bargain

I stopped in our local Goodwill store on Friday to just browse a bit and see if I could find any hidden treasures or simply a bargain.  I was in the last aisle and headed toward the exit when I found this bar stool. 

I am not an expert on wood by any means, but it looked cherry to me.  

There is some very beautiful dove-tailing of the rounded parts.   

The price was definitely right.   

My husband works with some very talented Amish wood crafters.  He is going to take the stool to work tomorrow and get the top off and see what it looks like.   He is going to ask them to make some sort of a top and I am going to use it for an occasional table.  I would love to have a round top for it, but also have a spot for a corner table if they are up to designing something like that.  Square, rectangular, it really does not matter.  I will find a spot for it.  I will have after pictures just as soon as it is done! 

I really love going junking, especially when I find a real bargain.  Can't wait to get this repurposed! 

Lambert's Café Throwed Rolls

I cooked Father's Day dinner one day early so both of our children could be here to celebrate as my son works all day tomorrow.  I fixed my husband's favorite meal --- chicken and dumplins, butter beans, and dressing.  Uh yes, we were carb loaded.  We do not eat like this very often.  To add to the carbs (and a touch of heaven in a pan), I tried the Pinterest version of the famous rolls from Lambert's Café, Home of the Throwed Rolls.  There are only 3 locations in the US, 1 in Alabama and 2 in Missouri.  If you have been lucky enough to eat at Lambert's --- well, you are lucky.  If you have never had the experience, you really should plan a vacation to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama, where the Lambert's in Foley is just a short drive.  If you make a trip to Branson, Missouri, hit up the Lambert's in Ozark.  All you have to do at Lambert's is raise your hand and a roll will be on its way to you, you guessed it, thrown in the air.  Servers walk around with the biggest muffin pans I have ever seen in my life full of hot, tender rolls.  In addition to their menu, they have "pass arounds."  Basically, servers walk around carrying pans of macaroni and tomato, fried okra, black-eyed peas, cooked cabbage, and fried potatoes and load you up while you are waiting for your food to arrive.  Not kidding.  For the link to Lambert's web site, click HERE.  For the link to the Pinterest recipe for the famous rolls, click HERE.  The recipe is easy to follow.  I did use a kitchen thermometer to make sure my water and milk were the right temperature when mixing up the yeast and the dough.  I also used bread flour.  My favorite flour is Martha White but I could not find the bread flour so bought Gold Medal and was not disappointed.  My house smelled wonderful when these rolls were baking, and the pictures speak for themselves.  Total success.  We cleaned up this pan of rolls at supper and I will definitely be making them again.  I will not change one single thing because they were perfect.  

Here are the rolls after they rose in the muffin pan (yes, there is a pan under there).

 Here are the rolls fresh out of the oven (again, yes there is a pan under there).

And one more ....

I hope each and every one of you is having a wonderful weekend!

Lemon Amish Friendship Bread

Well hmmmmm.  The lemon variety of the Amish Friendship Bread was not quite as good as the regular.  I am not sure, but I think it may be the combination of the yeast and lemon that just did not jive.  I really think the Martha White lemon poppyseed muffin mix is pretty hard to beat, considering you only add milk and bake for a few minutes.  But, I will make more homemade lemon bread again and try it without yeast the next time.  I had planned on trying butter pecan and pumpkin varieties of the Amish bread but am now a little hesitant since the lemon did not quite turn out the way I hoped.  Hmmmmm.  Might just stick with the original recipe.  

On the other hand, my breakfast biscuits turned out perfect...

 

Aunt Flora's Sourdough Bread

I have been MIA for too long.  I do peep in fairly regularly to quickly read my blogging friends' posts but just have not had time to do any of my own.  My mother-in-law is still with us and her Alzheimer's continues to get worse.  I know she will probably never be any better but we are hoping the decline slows down.  Spring came, oh yes it did.  We finally, for the first time in YEARS, had a real spring.  We have had a great combination of warm days, cool evenings, chilly nights, and the perfect amount of rain.  My tomato plants are nearly chest high already and are loaded with green tomatoes.  I will have cucumbers and jalapenos in about two weeks.  I planted lots of sunflowers and tried some new things this year, caladium, lantana, and a couple other things.  I will take pictures one day this week and share because they are beautiful. 

Onto another subject, years ago I was given a starter for Amish Friendship Bread.  That was during a period in my life when I had just started my own medical transcription business, was working 12-16 hour days, and had two teenagers in high school, one cheering and one playing football.  I never got enough sleep and was barely keeping up with the laundry, cooking, and keeping the kitchen clean --- I am sure every single person reading this has been there.  Anyway, the Amish starter never made it past the starter stage in the bag.  I was given another starter a few weeks ago.  This time, I MADE the time to see what all the fuss was about.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I used the basic recipe the first time and it tasted like a big cinnamon sugar donut.  My daughter said she thought it tasted like a big loaf of Snickerdoodle.   I just never dreamed it would be so light, so delicious.  The smell of it baking brought my husband downstairs to see what kind of lovin' was in the oven.  I am on my second round of the starter and tonight I am making the lemon version.  It smells divine and just came out of the oven.  

While we are on the subject of baking with yeast, I have a confession to make.  I am 55 years old and have never made homemade sourdough bread.  I have an Oster bread machine that I have been very happy with and that is how I make my dinner rolls for holidays.  Before that, we bought the most wonderful rolls from an Amish bakery in the next county.  Of course, there was again the "time" factor.  Let me just put it out there that I can bake cornbread and biscuits from scratch with the best of them.  Paula and Martha have nothing on me in that department.  Back to the sourdough bread … my husband's Aunt Flora came to visit from southern Mississippi a few weeks ago.  She had never been to Kentucky and we were so happy to have her with us.  She is a sister to my mother-in-law.  She is 83 years old and the queen of southern cooking.  She brought us 24 homemade sourdough rolls and a loaf (which made the best French toast ever).  She shared her recipe with me and tonight I made the starter.  I am documenting my first time…

The starter will stay at room temperature for 24 hours, then in the refrigerator for 5 days before it is ready to use.   Her advice to me was just to not rush the dough during the rising process.  Let it take its time for the first and second rising and also in the pan before baking.  I am open to any tips from you ladies who have experience with sourdough bread.    I will take pictures of the rising and baking process when the starter is ready, even if it is a flop.  I am determined to master this and keep her recipe in the family and pass it on to my kids.  

I have had zero time for quilting and this makes me incredibly sad.  But, my to-do list for the weekend has "clean sewing room" at the very top and I have several projects lined up.  I will have more time now that all flowers and vegetables are planted.  

Big hugs from Kentucky, I hope all my blogging friends are having a wonderful spring, soon to be summer.