Loves for the moment

When you come upon something that reminds you of something you used to love, well, then sometimes it gives you a desire to search out other things you love.

Hence, another list.

I know, it's a habit.

And just so we're clear, when I make a list, these days, I make it in these.  Which are beautiful and great.

But with all these dreary, rainy days, it makes me want to make this.

Or this.  Which I've made, and they are delicious, so I want to make them again.

I want to sit down in my living room, looking at this, or this, and at the same time be watching this, which is one of my all-time favorites, or this, which is by far my favorite Christmas movie that we always start watching in November!

And since we're talking about things to love, any of these items would be great to wear.  This would be super comfy, and these would be adorable with anything.

If I made a TON of money, and had it just to throw around, I would have this in my purse. Because you know, everyone needs a $198 wallet.

Now, all I want to do is curl up under a comfy blanket and start watching the above movies.

See ya!

It's a Fall list

In the blog world, the posts are all about lists lately.

So, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. 

You all know I love lists anyway, so it's perfect.

Here are some things I've pinned from Pinterest lately, that I thought I would share with you.  Maybe one or two or more of them will inspire you too.

1.  Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins.

 I'm completely in the mood for fall baking now that the weather is cooperating.  These look DELICIOUS, and I plan on trying them.

Along the same lines, this recipe looks delish too.

2.  Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder.

Yum.  Cozy, warm, curl up in a corner, movie watchin' kind of meal.

I'm currently working on a project that involves something like this...(but my own version)

3.  Distressed Coffee Sign.

AND something like this...

4.  Coffee bar on my counter.

I'm gonna leave you hanging there, and post details and pictures when I'm finished.

This week I'm going to have to start doing this...

5.  Canning Grape Juice.

My grapes (concord) are ready, and this is pretty much the same recipe I use. Easy peasy.

And since the weather IS cooperating like I said, these two things would go very nicely in my wardrobe.

6.  Grey flats.   (strolling along flats to be exact)

and

7.  A puffy vest.  Any color, although I do like mustard yellow.

This is what I've got on my mind lately, these 7 little things. 

What would be in your list?

Friday Five

I have traded one teenage girl for 5 -12 year old boys...doesn't seem even does it?

After track practice, Grace went home to spend the night with a couple of her BFF's and Evan is having his friends over for a belated birthday party.

He turned 12 this past Tuesday.

Three of them are spending the night.

It might get loud., so to escape, I'm picking my first 5 favorites from my Pinterest.com feed today.

This makes me want to buy a house by the sea.    The muted colors are just beautiful.

Just proves all you need to do to any 'ol jar is add some cute paper and a ribbon or twine in this case.  Easy.

My love affair with Coach bags continues.  I don't actually own one because of the price...but I can dream can't I?

This and it's twin would be perfect hanging over the enamel topped table I use as my kitchen island.

and lastly...

I've been doing a lot of dreaming of how I want my new patio out back to look.  I have a table similar to this, only painted...now...for some chairs.

So, what are your 5 favorite things?

My Day-lees

First and foremost, I want to thank ALL OF YOU who read this little 'ol blog of mine.

I wouldn't sit down and try to come up with stuff to write or show you if you weren't out there commenting and giving me great ideas!

So, THANKS.

That being said, I want to share some of my "daily" blog reads.  Most of them are on my sidebar and you can link up to them, and some are new.

Whenever I open up my blog, I literally scan for these ladies first.  They all bring something different to my life, and I just wanna share...

First of all, my blog crush...(I have two)

Meg at WHATEVER.

She rocks my world.  Her craft ideas are amazing, and what I wouldn't give to be able to afford to go to one of her craft weekends.  I. would. die!  She is hilarious and heartfelt all at the same time.

Shannan at FLOWERPATCHFARMGIRL.

She is a local girl that I am totally in awe of.  I become speechless when I'm around her.  I don't know what it is about her...her incredible heart, her eye for fashion, her spunkyness, or her decorating sense.  She gets me every time, and everyday, I MUST see what she has to say.

Chris at REDGATEFARM.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest.  Enough said.  It's a place I've always wanted to visit, and she makes it look beautiful.  She makes the cutest craftiest things, and I feel like I know her when I've never even met her.  She leaves the best comments that always make me smile.  She is a gem.

Leslie at FARMFRESHFUN.
I already have a sister, but I think Leslie is my sister from another mother out east!  She always knows how to cheer me up, and we have very similar views about so many things.  Her life with all her horses seems a little glamorous to me, but she seems very down to earth!  She is my idea of a very "green" farmer.

Katie at KATIESPENCILBOX.

Katie's blog is new to me, but her pictures are AMAZING.  If you haven't seen them, you must link up to her!  Right now.
What are you waiting for...go.

DIYBYDESIGN.

Best linky parties EVER!  She's got a lot of great ideas, and her design taste is impeccable!

THEFARMERSNEST.

This is another new blog for me, but it is cute, cute, cute.  It will be in my links on the side soon, if not tonight!

And lastly, you all know my fetish with organizing, so my favorite blog to satisfy this fetish is
IHEARTORGANIZING.

Jenn has the most amazing ideas, and I've used several.  You know why I read this blog.  You should too.

That's my list.  If you have favorites, please share them with me!

Busy Bee...

One of the things I LOVE best is making things.

It's hard for me to take time out to do this, because I feel guilty that I'm not doing some kind of household chore.

BUT, sometimes I just need an outlet.

I added some new things to my ETSY store today, so I thought I'd share...

Some new pillows...

Paper covered composition books...

another distressed framed cork board...

distressed brass candlesticks...

and finally, my newest invention...paper covered magnetic clothespins.

Whew...I'm tired, but a good tired.

Next week, I'm thinking of having a giveaway for some of my new ETSY items if you check out my store.
More information on that later.

Have a great LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

Above all the rest

I never realized how many shelves I have in my house until I came across the linky party over at The Lettered Cottage.

I always think their decorating ideas are inspirational.

So, I got out the camera and walked around the house and started snapping pictures of all my shelves.

I have several in the living room...First the "game ones,"

and then my favorite books/maps ones...

I have some in the dining room by our table...

for all the new pictures I take of the kids every year.

I even have some in the foyer.

And some with a purpose.

There is even some above the bed.

Do I have a shelf fetish?  No, it's just a great way to display things!

So, I'm linking up to the lettered cottage shelf/mantel linky party.  Click here.

or on the picture below.

A reading fiend

In the past week I've read 3 books.

Well, they were REALLY GOOD!

One is from one of my favorite authors...Kristin Hannah...

It was all about what a dad faces with raising two daughters when a wife goes off to Iraq...

and the next two were by a new author that was in the "New Book" section at the library.

I couldn't put hers down.

Have you heard of Joshilyn Jackson?  If you haven't, scurry right on over to your library, and check her out.  Her books are funny, sad, fiesty, and truthful all at the same time.

I read these two...

They were page turners...all of them.

Now, don't fret, I'm not neglecting my children.  I read at breakfast, lunch, and when I'm waiting in the parking lot for Grace at volleyball camp.  I've also been reading at night too since I don't have to get up early for work.

It's been a treat.

Now run I tell ya.  Run to your library!

Found objects

It's Saturday.

I had errands to run.  It's the only day of the week with no softball practice, or games, or PTO meetings, or church bazaar meetings, or...well, you know.

It's my one day of the week to catch up on cleaning, or outside chores, or, well...everything that doesn't get done on a weekday.

I wish I could just sit around with a book and read every Saturday.  It would be heaven.

But it's not reality, unless I'm sick.  Which I wasn't today, so it was errand and hard work day.

Grace went with me in the morning.  We got gas, went to Menards for more insulators for my tiny tomato plants (which went in the ground today...along with peppers and cabbage that I grew from seeds in the kitchen window), the library to return books, the resale shop where I sell our clothes, and then I asked if she wanted to stop at Goodwill.

Well,  her answer is ALWAYS the same.  Um, Yes.  Hello.  It's shopping.  There might be something for me.

You know the drill.

When I drove up, I noticed it was a 50% off day.  This can be a good and bad thing all rolled into one.

You see, we pulled in about 1 hour after they opened. On 50% off days they can be extremely busy, like no carts available busy, or...like today.

Today, it was a good thing.  It wasn't too busy, and I stumbled upon some GREAT things.

Now, stop right there.  I know what some of you are thinking.  "What in the world are you gonna do with that stuff?"

That's WHY I surf Pinterest.com People.  For ideas for stuff like this!

Now, I'll be honest...the Penmanship book.

I really don't know what this will be used for...unless I sell it in my ETSY shop when I get it opened.  It was vintage looking and full of unused school lined paper.

The small tin...
It will become a very cute little pin cushion with vintage fabric.
The knives...

I just stumbled upon the idea for them last night in a magazine I was purging.  Old stainless steel knives were used as plant markers.  Just use a small sharpie marker to write (in beautiful script of course) the name of the plant, and stand it upright in your pot.  Adorable.  Could also be used outside to mark rows in the garden.  $.25/each, and then at half price...come on!  Now, I may be wrong...but were these not the same exact pattern of the knives I grew up using Mom?

The small file folders...

I just saw an idea for a small vacation scrapbook made out of file folders stapled together, or bound however you wanted.  Each folder had a page for each member of the family to tell their favorite things from the vacation.  Great idea!

The frame...to be used...I'm not sure how, but it will get a dose of spray paint once I decide on the color.
The large piece of Styrofoam will be used to stand up the rings I'm making for my ETSY shop.

I also scored a new pack of scented vacuum bags, a large container of small paper cups for Evan's state project  on Wednesday, an Elle shirt for me, and some brand new Velcro curlers that Grace wants to try in her hair.

I used my $5 off coupon, and my total bill....$4.75.

Seriously.

Made a great start to my day.

Then I came home and worked my tail off in the garden, and got a farmer's sunburn to prove it!

How was your Saturday?

Freezer meals

The other day I posted a list of all the things I hope to get finished over Spring Break.  One of them was making some frozen meals.

One of my followers posted asking for some recipes/ideas for frozen meals.  First, I LOVE when people ask me questions...ask away...anything...I think...so, here goes.

I started this frozen meal thing years ago when my kids were much smaller, when it felt like I had less time...but then again, I wasn't working full time.

The ladies in my Sunday School class would get together and decide one recipe they would make.  Then we would count up how many ladies were in on this, and make our recipe, that many times.

We would bring our dishes, already put together, (but not cooked), and trade them.  There were times I made 10-15 of the same recipe, but I brought home that many DIFFERENT meals for my family and my freezer.  We only made the main dish in an 8x8 or 9x13 container (we all agreed on the size before we made the recipes.)

Today, I don't do recipes in that volume, I only one in awhile double my recipe, and freeze half.  So, no matter which way you do this frozen meal things...for yourself, or in quantity, you'll need these things...

disposable foil pans

foil

2 gallon size freezer bags

Here are also some of the recipes I use that don't require too many ingredients or at least ingredients that aren't too costly.  Since I also freeze my own garden produce, I use some of that to help with the cost...

Recipe #1  Sweet and Sour Meatballs

***Make this in whatever quantity you want...

1 egg

3/4 c milk

1 c shredded cheese

1/2 c crushed Ritz crackers

1 t salt

1 1/2 lb. hamburger

1/2 c flour

4 T olive oil

Sauce:

2/3 c ketchup

1/2 c brown sugar

1 1/2 t mustard

Stir all ingredients (except flour, olive oil, and sauce) together in a bowl.  Roll into whatever size balls you like, and put on a cookie sheet in the freezer for 1/2 hour to firm up.  Take out and roll in flour and brown with the oil in a skillet until golden brown.  As they brown, put into whatever size disposable foil container you have.  Stir together sauce and drizzle over meatballs. Cover with foil, put in a freezer bag, and freeze.  When ready to eat, defrost, and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Recipe #2   Poppy Seed Chicken

2 lb. chicken, cooked, and cut up

1 can cream chicken soup

1 c sour cream

1 roll Ritz crackers, crushed

1 stick butter

1 1/2 T poppy seeds

1/2 t salt

Dice up chicken and place in greased 8x8 disposable foil pan.  Mix sour cream and soup and spread over chicken.  Melt one stick butter in the skillet.  Add crackers, poppy seeds, and salt.  Stir to coat with melted butter.  Put over top of soup/sour cream mixture.  Cover with foil, put in freezer bag.  When ready to eat, defrost and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until bubbly.

Recipe #3   Lasagna

1 jar Prego (your favorite)

1 15 oz. container cottage cheese

1/4 c grated Parmesan

6 uncooked lasagna noodles

2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 9x13 disposable foil pan

In 9x13 pan, spread 1 c sauce.  Next, layer 3 lasagna noodles (uncooked), cottage cheese, then 1 c mozzarella, 1/4 c Parmesan, and 1 c sauce.  Repeat with 3 more noodles, remaining sauce, and remaining shredded cheese.  Cover with foil and freezer bag.  Freeze.  To eat, defrost and bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Recipe #4   Taco meat

Brown hamburger in 1 lb. quantities, mix with taco seasoning packet, and freeze in container for later.  Makes eating tacos so much easier because it's already made!

Recipe #5  Tuna Patties

2 small cans tuna

1/2 t Lawry's seasoned salt

1/4 c milk

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 c crushed Ritz crackers

3 inch wedge Velveeta, cut in cubes

Mix all ingredients together and form into patties.  Place patties on greased cookie sheet in freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.  Take out and place in disposable foil pan with parchment paper layers in between patties.  Freeze.  To eat, defrost and fry up in skillet without oil.

Recipe #6  Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2-5 oz. cans shredded chicken, (or 2 lb. cooked, shredded chicken)

1 4oz. can chopped green chilies

8 (or more) corn tortillas (warmed in microwave, and cooled)

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar

1 10oz. can enchilada sauce

9x13 disposable foil pan

Combine chicken , chilies, and 1 c cheese in a bowl.  In bottom of 9x13 pan, spread 1/2 can enchilada sauce.  Fill shells with 1/8c chicken mixture, roll up, and place in pan seam side down, until packed tightly together.  Pour rest of enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover with foil and freezer bag and freeze.  To eat, defrost and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Now you have a good base to start with.  Pretty much any casserole that is your favorite, or usually any soup too, can be frozen.  Just don't bake it first.

Have fun!