Finished Project & Guests

Happy Birthday to George Washington & Abe Lincoln ! I just might have to eat cake today; you know to wish them birthday happiness and all not because I like icing or crave desserts :) I'm very patriotic! Even though I have been known to make brownies just so I can have the batter that's left in the bowl! Oh come on...you do that too!
I actually have some great desserts in my house right now and a fridge full of food. We had visitors yesterday evening and not only did we have all the food and desserts I made, but they brought a bunch of good stuff too! My husband's cousin and her husband came for a visit and we had such a wonderful time catching up! I know they like Mexican so I  made my chicken enchilada recipe that we all love and they did too! I made some Mexican Rice and Sweet Corn too! Sweet corn is so yummy! You bake it like corn bread and scoop it out with an ice cream scoop. And of course we had seven layer dip! Caitlin and Billy love seven layer dip so they were happy there was some of everything left over because since school is closed this week, they can pick on whatever they like all day long! We've got some pigs in a blanket and more! For dessert I made brownies but for some reason Ghiradelli brownies don't work well for me! I can never judge when they are done even though I check them and check them. They are so fudgy and good but such a mess. Upon further reading on the box, I realize I should make the cake -like recipe so that they are thicker. Thank goodness I put the reading glasses on and read that or my relationship with Ghiradelli brownies was to be short lived :(    Crisis averted. Upon consulting with my Caitlin, we decided not to serve the brownies since their presentation was less than attractive and instead we chose to just eat them with a spoon by ourselves.....
My other dessert was terrific! Christine and Jeff (the cousins) loved these little mini crumb cakes so much, I sent them home with some. This was a little recipe I got in the coupon pages a while back for chocolate chip coffee cakes. The easiest recipe EVER and so good. Hungry Jack had the recipe! I will put the recipe at the end of the post and believe me when I say you can make these in no time at all. I also had dutch apple pie and then our guests brought cheesecake and a delicious cake with whipped cream and chocolate shavings! Jeff said I made the best coffee he ever had too (just wanted to throw that in) and we had a great time!
I posted a picture of my Caitlin on Valentine's Day with a gift from Daddy. My thoughtful husband went to Walgreens on his own and filled a gift bag with valentine items just for her. I didn't even have to remind him!  She was excited for her Valentine party at school and the class made bags to collect all their valentines in!
I also posted some photos of  more little changes I have made with various shelves and knick knacks! Every time I dust, I think of something else to do!

Not quite 2" but that's okay!

I forgot to turn the picture the right way. Sorry!

Plate Rack

Now I'm just looking forward to this nice week with kids home. I love when they are home and we don't have alot planned but simple things. We plan to go to Sunshine Acres with our friends. That's a park we can walk to that they just recently redid! I love it because I can walk there (I'm a non driver, remember!) I pull Caitlin in the wagon and my son rides his bike. There are some trails behind the park too that are nice. We are also going to the mall one day. I literally go to the mall ONCE a year! I am not a mall type person but the kids and I have a tradition that we go on Winter Recess and spend the day and have lunch and I just go with them into whatever stores they like and don't rush them! My son loves Barnes & Noble for his books, he likes going into a store called FYE and some others. Caitlin loves the Disney store and we have a gift card for Build A Bear so that will be fun! ME?  Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works! This is not a big giant mall so it's not too annoying. I like to be able to look up, see a sign above my head and navigate the three of us where we want to go! Then we have lunch, maybe walk around a little more and then back home! I plan on getting more projects done and new ones started too. Because the weather has been fairly mild in the high 40's I'm also getting the Easter bug but I plan on holding off decorating for Easter until March. We have been rewatching- some of our Disney favorites her too. Billy always liked Stitch from Lilo & Stitch so we already watched Lilo & Stitch 1 & 2. Caitin wants to watch Sleeping Beauty. I know my son would really love to work with my husband on his job site this week but unfortunately there isn't anything Billy could do to help his Dad right now. Maybe Easter Recess!
Remember the window box I had gotten from the old house my husband was working on? Well I redid it and hung it up in my parlor! The only thing that I added since this picture was taken is a small burgundy barn store and a battery votive to light it up! I hope you like it! Barn stars are the recurring theme of my house! They are in every room in one form or another whether it be a metal one, a candle holder, a light fixture or a fabric!
Below is that recipe! Try them! You'll Like Them! Oh, and before I go remember to have a piece of cake...for George & Abe!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COFFEE CAKE
2 1/2 cups of Hungry Jack Complete  Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup mini cocolate chips
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
TOPPING
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Coat 8 or 9 inch square pan with cooking spray.

Combine pancake mix, 1/3 cup sugar and chips in a bowl and add sour cream, vanilla and water. Blend well. With an ice cream scoop, shape dough into 2" dough balls. Sprinkle with topping ingredients. Bake 24-26 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with fresh coffee!

Sunday Snowflakes!

Looked outside my windows to see some snowflakes are falling! They almost look as though they are falling in slow motion! Did they slow up so that I could look at them closely? :)   It's funny cause a few minutes before this occurrence, my husband said to me "It looks so gray outside; it looks like snow!" and ten minutes later I saw the flakes!

Yesterday it snowed too but it did end up melting. I think Mother Nature is trying to fool us this Winter. She's getting us into a comfort zone and then LOOK OUT! BLIZZARD! I recall the March 1993 blizzard we had. Lets not put those snow shovels away too fast. My husband said it isn't going to snow this year because we bought three new snow shovels! hahahaha We seriously broke the wooden handles on three shovels last year with all the snow we had!

It was a cozy day yesterday to be in the house. I made a big pot of turkey soup! The house smelled delightful! I made a great big pot and sent some over to my neighbor. I use turkey thighs when I make turkey soup~~lotsa meat on those bones! It was so nice to see my family really enjoying it last night especially when my husband came home from work and had been outside all day! It warmed his bones, I'm sure!

I did some touch ups around the house~~I'm actually in the process of rephotographing some of the rooms to show you all. I have an album on the "Pages" section but I would like to update some changes I've made. I did some crafts and repainting this weekend. I had bought the little bucket with the spigot item in a store several years ago and it was ready for a paint job.In the past I had displayed it outside on a rear porch with some flowers but the weather hadn't been kind to it. So now I cleaned it up and gave it a repaint! I love freshening things up! You get excited about them all over again! I also posted a picture of the cabinet in my first floor bathroom. It hangs above the toilet. On top you will see a duck and next to the duck is a find my son brought home last Summer. While going through my closets I came across it and found a spot for it. He knows good stuff when he sees it! It has little ceramic pictures on the front of it.

I posted a picture as well of a hanging craft that some of you might find useful. It is branches carefully bent or folded , you might say. They are then secured with floral wire and it makes a cozy place for a nest or a little flower basket or something that would snugly fit.  I would like to do this with some of the thinner branches I find in my yard or on walks. I love the fact this is a simple craft that can be made with what you find in your yard. It doesn't even have to be this big! I bought this particular one in Lake George several years along with other twig wreaths and wall hanging. I will try to remember to post pictures of the others. They may influence alot of people!

The bunnies got a bath on  Friday! I thought it would be nice to let them play in some nice warm water and freshen their little hides up! They loved it. After I dried them off, they spent a half hour preening themselves! SO cute. That is little Bandit shown in a fluffy towel.

My son celebrated his 13th birthday on February 2nd! Can't believe it! I still remember bringing him home from the hospital. We celebrated with a family dinner at his pick of restaurants and he chose a local Commack one--The Spare Rib. I have to say with all the gifts he got, I think his favorite was what my good friend Mary gave him. Knowing my son loves vintage Halloween like I do, she gave him two orginal blow mold plastic light ups! Frankenstein and Dracula! They are about 3 feet tall. He was thrilled. They aren't ugly or scary. My son likes the Halloween I like--not gory or scary but traditional! Caitlin's birthday is coming up Mrch 28th and she will be 7! We made a bunch of Valentine crafts for Girl Scouts together at our last meeting, and she will be having a Valentine party at school on Tuesday. She's busy writing out all her Valentines right now!

The last thing I wanted to show you was the house I grew up in. I recently passed it and I saw that it is for sale. We sold it after my Dad passed away in 2005, and my Mom relocated to the town next to mine. The couple that bought it has since had three children and I'm guessing they are moving for more space or perhaps jobs are taking them elsewhere. That house is in Franklin Square, about 40 minutes from where I live now and it was such a lovely neighborhood to grow up in! My Parents lived there happily for 49 years! It was truly "The House That Built Me" as the song says. It made me a little sad to see it for sale again. I had hoped that the young couple who bought it from us would stay there themselves for 49 or 50 years! But that's just me and my thinking! Oh, and when I lived there there wasn't that wooden fence...just saying....

Bandit gets a bath!

I love Americana!

That's Betsy Ross & Ben Franklin on the table!

More changes!

Well, I guess I'll get going. I'm having company next Sunday night and I'm making a mexican menu of food. I want to take out my recipes to compose my shopping list! I'm a big time list maker! Good night friends!

Can you smell the turkey goodness???

Some New Projects & Fixins' !

Good Monday morning to you all! Hope this week starts off well for you!It's cold here today but supposed to get more mild tomorrow with a high in the 40's! Not like our typical January at all! I have to say that although I am a snow lover, I find just as much pleasure in 2" of snow as  I do 12"! And of course it doesn't interfere with my husband's work too :)  We'll see~~I heard on the news the other night that February and March are actually more snowy months for our part of the country than January is. Soooooo that being said, I'm sure I have jinxed myself ;)

I've been working around here creating a few things and changing some others! I'm so looking forward to hitting some flea markets this Spring. The Elephant's Trunk in New Milford, Connecticut opens in the beginning of Spring and I'm waiting for Stormville in upstate New York. Yesterday we were treated to a visit
from my husband's sister and her husband from Moscow, Pennsylvania. That's in the Poconos. They came down for a visit since we didn't get to see them for Christmas. We had a great brunch with them. I satisfied their appetite for bagels! Apparently you can't get a good bagel out of New York---it must be our water. Anyway, it was great to see them and they too are collectors who are going to Adamstown, PA (aka as the antiques capital of the country) in two weeks. They try to go every couple of months and have picked up great stuff! They collect vintage stoves, roosters, and advertising products especially. I was showing them some of my finds from Stormville and the various garage sales I went to this summer and all the stuff my son brings home. We had a really nice time and plan to meet them for a future trip to Adamstown.
 Incidentally, they gave us a 20 ft flag pole for Christmas! My husband will be cementing that into the ground this Spring! They always come up with unique gifts!
I've been doing some sewing and did a few pictures that I now have to frame. Some are done with some vintage appliques (flowers) and the others are vintage buttons. I just can't leave them in a can--they're too pretty! The cat buttons I had purchased at Michaels several years ago. Speaking of cats, checkout Mommy Cat and Red Cat snoozing on my couch....not a care in the world those lucky devils.
Did some rearranging in my hallway (the teddy bear shelf pictures) and finally put up my Holly Hobbie plates! Yahoo! I've had them for three years! Always tryng to expand my Holly Hobbie collection! I just love her so much and it brings back the happiest memories of my happy 70's childhood! I tookout the Holly Hobbie sewing machine. Not sure if she's working. I'll have topost that photo in the future! SAdly, I never got to the attic to take down Holly Hobbie stove before Christmas like I had wanted but you can be sure that I will be getting her down just as soon as I can get my husband to put the ladder in the loft of the garage! You see, we've filled our shed already and now we have the top floor of the garage filling up...oh, and I have a couple of huge storage closets upstairs that are not for clothes but for MY stuff...I'd rather fill my closets with goodies than a wardrobe!
The pictures that show the blue box that says CORN is filled with straw and I added my old vintage roosters. I have a bunch of these cute roosters and chickens. I got the box at Christmas Tree Shop. Always bargains there! You can go in with hardly any money and always come out with stuff!
I redid the flower arrangement in the americana milk can. I added the porcelain birds on the branches. Love how that looks. I've had a really creative week! Right next to the chair I refinsihed recently and what's that behind it...that white swirl...looks like a poltergeist to me....maybe I disturbed the ghost that was relaxing in the chair when I snapped the picture. Sorry ghosty!
I want to give a shout out to Carol of Old Glory Cottage! She left a comment on my last post and I have been a fan of her blog for ages!!! One of the first ones I read back in 2009. We all need to go to the estate sales and garage sales Carol goes to! AND what a talent she has for displaying crafting! Illinois is the place for vintage. Check out all the stuff she finds. It's slim pickings in our stores for good stuff like she finds!

Well, I did have a good week  finishing up some odds and ends! I hope to keep the flow going! Have a glorious day and as my little picture says, remember your many "BLESSINGS"!

Snowy Saturday!

Good Evening! As predicted we got some snow today! I was excited it came but also a little disappointed because we were supposed to go to a post Christmas family party at my sister-in-law's home and it had to be cancelled. My  husband is the oldest of five and two of his siblings live off of Long Island--his brother lives in upstate New York's Putnam County and his siter lives in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. The other two sisters live here and we usually all get together before Christmas but this year the plans were changed due to an illness and the party was rescheduled for today...and cancelled. I think we may wait till the Spring to get together as a group at this point as the Poconos and upstate New York are prone to get lots and lots of snow! Part of me was kind of happy to stay home though as I really didn't want to be driving in this weather! I was also looking forward to seeing everyone. It just would not have been safe to try and round everyone up though! AND if you remember I had mentioned about my blizzard list of foods so I got to work early this morning! Nothing makes me happier than cooking for my family.

By 6:30 am I had my slow cooker going-- cooking up a batch of pulled pork and on top of the stove I made a pot of turkey chilli. Turkey chilli is my Mom's recipe. It was originally a beef recipe,but she substituted the beef with turkey and we all liked it better! It's the only way I make my chilli now and it does save the fat calories.  I served the pulled pork on big, crusty rolls. Yummy!

I made a Mexican 7-layer dip too, and we enjoyed that downstairs in front of the fire. My son wanted me to post a photo of the fireplace because he built the fire! He's gotten quite good at it! We just have been having such a cozy day and now that evening is here, the feeling continues! Cupcakes (vanilla & chocolate) for dessert!

In my backyard...

back steps lantern

pulled pork is cooking!

cupcakes waiting to be iced!

7 Layer Dip!

fire is blazing!

They really sparkle & glisten in person!!!!

I pulled out a box of some unfinished craft projects I had and saw these candle holders I had bought a couple years back and had added little rub on transfers to.  Little cherries! SO cute! I did a few more and filled them with glitter snow and tea lights! so dainty and sparkly in person--my camera doesn't give this precious little project justice! How pretty to scatter a few out on a table for a luncheon just for a little light!

I'm gonna settle back now with my cocoa and the fire and enjoy some country decorating magazines from the past. I had gotten a load of oldies from the 90's! Country Samplers, Country Collectibles, Country Almanac and I have been enjoyed going through them! I remember when I got married in 1988 the decorating trend was country blue and everything was ducks! I had ducks everywhere! Funny how now, 23 happy years later, I'm still decorating with feathered friends---especially roosters! 

Have a great night!

Making Memories! & Happy New Year!

That's my little angel baby dressed as a cowgirl for our Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance! She was so excited to go and had so much fun square dancing! Even Daddy had a grand time! He was beaming with happiness when he left with her!

Now to back it up a little :)  Happy New Year my friends! I wish you all a healthy and happy one! I hope you can achieve all that you want to! This will be just a shortie post as I am still in the middle of getting my house back to normal after putting the Christmas items away! It's amazing the dust bunnies that like to hide around my house~~hidden beneath and behind the decorations! I put away most everything but like to keep out the snowmen and some other items that, to me, just symbolize Winter! I got lotsa goodies this Christmas and my favorite is a wood burning stove! Not a real one as I have a fireplace but one of those artificial ones. You know how you plug it in and the logs start gleaming and giving off the heat! Well, I had wanted one for a long time to put in my foyer. My husband remembered and bought that for me and it looks adorable in my foyer. I placed it on an angle and I can see it from my kitchen and eating area!!!Very cozy!

Hope you all have a cozy night! I'll be back soon!

Happy Eve of New Year's Eve!

Everyone is talking about how fast 2011 went! I agree! Where did the time go? I hope 2012 does not go at such a quick pace! I have so much I want to do! Again, in my mind, there are so many things I'd like to accomplish, learn, change, master, begin.....We will be spending a quiet New Year's Eve home, and I am so happy to do just that. We may live only an hour from Manhattan but you won't find us in Times Square! Just my nephew who will be patroling as a NYC Police Officer! Not sure if my husband is going to work or not. He is currently building a clocktower for that shopping center he built. It's coming out so nice! I was never one who wanted to be with the crowds on New Years. A quiet dinner out in a local, inexpensive restaurant or at home suits me just fine. Early bird specials are our favorites! I never wanted to leave the kids and party with the adults---hey, it's New Year's for the kids too, right? Besides the fact I have to struggle to stay awake till midnight (I'm a morning person), the idea of being out so late and driving kind of scares me. People over indulge and drive and I think I will just stay in my nice warm home surrounded by those I love!

I've been going through  my various magazines as a Winter project and I've decided to compile a section in one of my many notebooks for snowstorm meals! Sounds funny, right? Well, I know we will be in for our fair share of Winter storms, and I love having great food during them! Or when we do our sledding it is so nice to come in to the house and have some great comfort food. But what happens sometimes, is my mind goes blank when I am at the supermarket about what I want to make!  SO I thought I would compile lists and recipes of good SNOW food so that when I hear there is going to be a storm, I know what to get for extra special foods! Here is an example of stuff on my list:  A plate of loaded nachos, cheesy bacon and cheese casserole, chicken corn chowder, chilli, chilli burritos and chicken enchiladas, salisbury steak, and a whole bunch more! Finger foods, soups, quiches...if you think aboI got this great calendar they were giving out for free from a local supermarket Key Food and it is done retro style and they printed recipes from the past and it was so cool! They have a great recipe for Depression Era Corn Chowder! and SPAM Casserole. Now I personally have never tasted SPAM but the recipe sure sounds interesting! Best of all was a meal called Steak Diane which I had heard of before but never saw the ingredients or the prep for it. It looks so good with nice mushrooms and cream sauce! On my list! ut it, you can come up with great foods you would enjoy  sitting down to after an afternoon of sledding and being outside in the cold!

I guess because I am a list maker and a menu planner, planning for a storm was a no-brainer for me! I'm having fun going through all my many years of saved Taste of Home magazines and Kraft Food & Family magazines!

I have posted some pictures of Christmas morning. Of course the cats are in the middle of it all in a sea of wrapping paper!  One of Caitlin's gifts was a pop-up tent for her dolls to sleep in and camp out. As you can see, Robin & Mommy Cat made it their own personal little clubhouse!

Have a wonderful day!

Decorating & More!

Good Morning! I'm trying to remember everything I want to write about. I really should make notes this time of year! I'm so happy to be getting caught up with all of you! I may not post every day, but I do read many of the other blogs! All of you Ladies inspire me!Everyone has been doing such lovely crafts and creations, decorating like professionals, and baking up a storm. I love reading about your menus and seeing all your pictures!
My decorating was slow this year and I am still missing a box of some of my favorite things. Sadly, I do not have the time right now to hunt for it. I'm thinking it got into the Easter section of my shed. I will find it, but not before Christmas, I'm sure. So much has been going on! Between shopping and decorating and the general housework, I have also been enjoying some lovely events. The month started off with a Christmas brunch with my Ladies Bible Class. We break for the Christmas, resuming in January, and we had the nicest brunch together. It was a "bring a dish" style and what an amazing array of foods there were. What great cooks! I had butternut squash ravioli for the first time and it was DELICIOUS! Quiches and salads and desserts...oh my! All good stuff! Besides the great food, we had a great time! And I wasn't the only girl in the family with a party to go to as Caitlin was invited to a Christmas party at her friend's house where they made mini gingerbread houses and paper plate tambourines! I love little house parties! So much fun and so simple! I have a few for the children during the year, and I think house parties can be very special. I love doing an Easter egg coloring party.

Caitlin participated in our Church's Christmas Pageant. Her Sunday School class, Promise Land, sang Silent Night and Joy to the World! See the photos of her? That's my girl! She's in the dress with the gray & plaid bottom and red jacket. She was very shy but she did it! AND we had our Girl Scout Daisys Holiday party on Friday! Soooooo.....I've been a little busy :)

Now here's a strange story with  a happy ending....my neighbor across the street put out his trash one day last week and next to his garbage pails was a manger. How does someone put a manger out for trash? It's like trying to throw out a flag...Anyway, we scooped it up and brought it inside and it was NEW! I mean NEW! There was bubble wrap on the light bulb inside it! I already have a manger that my Dad made but this one was lovely too. I filled it with the figures my  Mom bought in 1949 from Woolworth. I treasure them. Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, all the animals,the wise men, the shepherd. All made of chalkware and handpainted. Some of them still have their original price tags of .29 on their base! I have two sets cause my Mom bought one set for herself, one for her Mom. Our new manger looks magnificent and glows in an alcove in our kitchen. So our story has a happy ending! BTW, I noticed on Friday an empty box across the street by the garbage pails. That same neighbor bought himself a new set and put the empty box on his curb....at least I hope it was empty!

One of the reasons I'm thinking my decorating was slow this year is because Dutchess has been sleeping in all my cartons. Yes, that is her sleeping on the lights! That can't be comfortable. She actually growled when I moved her....silly girl!

Some other things I wanted to show you --my Santa's workshop! My Dad made that for me. Probably my most treasured Christmas item. Just as he made me a haunted house for Halloween, he made this workshop. He made everything except the obvious decorations which I added. He made the desk, the fireplace, the maps on the walls, the little tools on Santa's workbench. He even made the chair & ottoman. My Mom crocheted the little rug. Over the years I have added more toys, wrapped gifts, etc. My favorite addition I put in is the little cat playing with the string of lights! I would leave this workshop up all year long! I just might! My kids adore it. As you know, my Dad is no longer with us so it really means the world to me.

I hope you enjoy my other photos! I will do my best to post before Christmas Eve!  Love you all!