OLD-TIME TREASURES, FATHER'S DAY, AND GOD'S CREATIONS

I have been vintage-store and second-hand store shopping and garage saleing as of late and have found some good deals and some just plain fun deals!

This picture is blurry but is a picture of some long white gloves that I found at a local vintage store. I will use them because I like the style but also to keep the sun off of my arms. Each year my skin gets worse, and I am trying to slow down the damage. (Isn’t it funny how as teenagers we worshipped the sun? I would lie outside with baby oil slathered all over listening to the radio, and the hotter the sun the better!)



This hat was purchased at the same little vintage store. Again, the picture turned out blurry, but try to imagine a black dress hat circa 1950’s with small feathers plumming outwards…



Same store…different trip, I purchased this cute little red gingham apron…





My girls, the grandbabies and I had fun at our local spring fair recently. They have all sorts of crafts, food, and locally made goodies. Last year I bought a rose colored sunbonnet from a woman and was happy to see that she had returned this year. She had one sunbonnet in her booth, and I got it! It is a nice country blue fabric and very well made…



Garage sales were good to me last week…I procured 1 summer skirt, 2 tops, 1 bun pocket, 2 lipsticks, and 6 lip liners all for only $2.70! You can’t beat that! At the next sale, I bought 3 canisters for a total of $2.00…



Well Father’s Day this year was very pleasant. We had a barbeque on that Sunday afternoon. The crowd turned out to be small but intimate and just a perfect day…



The little ones had fun…







The big ones had fun…



And all in all, it was a beautiful day…Thank the Lord for fathers!

And…speaking of beautiful…Hubby and I took a day trip the other day. We saw some lovely picturesque scenery…





Now tell me that that isn’t God’s creation..

Do you see the baby deer in this picture? Mama had just slipped into the brush...



Cows in the distance…



A country lane…



May we all look for the blessings in life. I have been told before that when we pray we should always thank Him first and then ask for our needs. I have found that when I think of all the blessings that I can in my prayers, I keep thinking of more and more, and I end up feeling so very thankful.

May you all have a blessed weekend.

BIRTHDAYS, COMFORT FOODS, AND FAMILY

Well, my man turned 52 on Saturday! He doesn’t care for real big ta-dos, so we had the kids over for cake, which is always nice. The little ones LOVE birthdays, and it seems like there is always someone having one around here! dad’s was the day after Steve’s, Mom’s is tomorrow, their anniversary is Saturday, and Fathers’ is Sunday. Whew!



I made a really yummy ice-cream cake. Steve LOVES ice cream, and that isn’t being extreme. He also really likes butterfingers, so this cake was a hit.

LAYERED ICE CREAM CAKE

(Makes a 9”x 13” Pan)

24 Ice cream sandwiches **I actually ended up only using about 21 sandwiches plus 2/3 of another.

8 oz. Cool Whip™

1 Hershey’s™ chocolate syrup bottle **I used Dove—Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!

1 Smuckers™ caramel syrup bottle

2 king size Butterfinger™ candy bars chopped up

1st Layer: 12 ice cream sandwiches

2nd Layer: Half of whipped cream

3rd Layer: Half of Butterfinger™ bars, Squeeze 1/2 of caramel &
chocolate over that.

4th Layer: Rest of ice cream sandwiches

5th Layer: Cool Whip

6th Layer: Rest of Butterfinger, caramel & chocolate

You can freeze this and eat as desired! Yummy! Yummy!

I got this recipe from the Duggar Family’s website







Happy birthday, Sweetie!



COMFORT FOODS

I really like to TRY and eat healthy. Sometimes, though, the German in me has to come out! Gramma was 100%, and she cooked the best German food that I have EVER tasted. Oh, how I miss her…and her cooking…and her quilts…and her…Well, you get the picture...

Mom was and is 100% German, and let me tell you, she took after her mama! She can make about anything there is to make, and my best memories of growing up are the meals that she cooked.

So, even though it’s not always healthy, comfort food just brings home the goodness and warmth that a family needs.

For last night’s dinner, I had thawed some boneless skinless chicken breasts. We get ours at Costco; they are comparatively cheaper, and I like them over Wal-Mart’s. I also had some left-over baked potatoes that needed to made up.

I steamed the breasts and simply added pepper and garlic salt...a real easy dish to make. In a separate pan, I sautéed onions in butter (real butter not margarine). When the breasts were ready, I scored them diagonally across the top and then topped each with a serving of buttery onions.



For the potato dish, I skinned them, cut them up into bite-sized pieces, and then added them to some of the butter and onions that I had left. I fried them up, adding extra butter as needed. They’re especially yummy if you fry them to a crisp golden brown!



To add some fruit (albeit canned) and a cold dish to the mix, I made an Angel Hash Salad. I have had this recipe for I don’t know how many years, and it’s always a favorite.



It has a custardy-pudding-like sauce that is very good…

ANGEL HASH SALAD

1 (1 lb.) can crushed pineapples
1 (1 lb.) can fruit cocktail (I usually use two to make it go further)

**Reserve 1c syrup from pineapple and fruit cocktail**

1 small can mandarin oranges
2 T cornstarch
¼ c sugar
2 egg yolks (beaten)
1 c heavy cream whipped
2 c miniature marshmallows (The colored ones are fun)
2 bananas sliced
Coconut to taste

Drain fruit well reserving the 1 cup syrup (discard mandarin orange syrup)

Combine in saucepan: Cornstarch and sugar

Mix well and add to saucepan mixture: Beaten egg yolks and reserved syrup

Blend well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool thoroughly.

Fold in:

Whipped up cream
Marshmallows

Pineapple
Fruit cocktail
Mandarin oranges

Cover and chill overnight. Just before serving, add sliced bananas.

I was out of bananas but usually decorate the top of the salad with the slices, which makes it look more finished.

Dinner was served on Gramma’s plates, which I received when she passed.



Notice the blemish at the top of this plate? It is where a piece broke out and she glued it. Gramma was so very frugal…one of the things that I adored about her.



Grape juice (another fruit serving) was served in Gramma’s juice cups. I only have two; someone broke one, which makes me sadder than sad. It seems that I am the only one who has the sentimental heart strings when it comes to things from my past. :( At least one of her precious plates was also broken. Oh well…

I remember Gramma serving us “choosss”, as she would say in her little German brogue, from the time I was wee…



Ah, the memories…isn’t that what life is about? It’s not about the going to work every day. It’s not about the bills and the trials and the car break-downs. It’s really about family and love. The others will always be there…But, family won’t, (at least not in this life) so cherish your families, as if tomorrow they’ll be gone because we never really know do we?

HAPPY HOMEMAKER

Monday was a happy day. I went in to work and wasn’t on the schedule, so I was able to go back home and be a homemaker!

Here is a list of things that I was able to accomplish. I did them in a more relaxed state of mind than coming home from work and feeling tired and rushed.



Laundry (Hung my freshly washed sheets out--Oooo, I love the smell!)
Made breakfast (14-grain cereal)
Figured the bills
Made a green smoothie

Julian drinking one several weeks ago...



This version of my green smoothie (they vary depending on what I have on hand) contained these healthy ingredients:

Spinach
Strawberry yogurt
Vanilla yogurt
A large juicy sweet apple
An orange
Frozen green grapes
Frozen banana
Quinary
Spirulina
Flax seed meal
Coconut oil
Skim milk
Ice cubes

You can find a rough recipe for green smoothies here. The great thing about them is that you can put in whatever and however much you choose!

I also...

Changed my bedding
Swept the laundry area
Went thrift shopping
Turned the compost
Made dinner (Hillbilly Spaghetti Pie—again ;) We love it!



You can find the recipe at Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farmhouse.

I made some great thrifty finds that day. I purchased two lipsticks (Estee’ Lauder) and five pair of earrings for $2.55! I LOVE second-hand stores!

Here is a skirt I got yesterday during another thrift-shopping spree…



My outfit rundown…

Pink Lipstick
(Thrift-Store, Unused)
Earrings
(Wal-Mart)
Necklace
(A gift from my daughter)
Blouse
(Given to me by my mom several years back)
Belt
(Mom and Dad bought clothing for everyone for family pictures in 1988. Yes, I have had it that long! Styles do return)
Skirt
(Thrifted)
Baby Doll shoes
(Bought a few years back when I worked in an office and had to dress every day)



Total cost of my outfit without the shoes (I don’t recall what I paid for them)…

Earrings $3.50 (Approximately)
Lipstick $0.20
Necklace Free
Blouse Free
Belt Free
Skirt $5.49

Total cost $9.19



This is another beautiful peachy flowered dress that I purchased during yesterday’s shopping…





Though I don’t know if I’ll wear these earrings with it (they are more of a country peach color than a light peach), I got them for just $1.00…



We closed out the day with a down-home-southern-goodness Buttermilk Pie! Mmmm…mmmm…good!

You can find the recipe on this fun you tube video with India Galyean



Have a blessed day!

A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY

Last weekend was busy with wedding showers and graduation parties. This Saturday was full of activity as well. What a beautiful Saturday we had.

It started Friday…



Because little girl kitty decided that she would like to dump the remaining amount that I had all over the floor, I found myself in need of more laundry detergent. So, DD and babies came over for some laundry-detergent making time. The children milled around, the stove wafted out the aroma of clean, and we visited…like family should. (Have you ever noticed how no one REALLY visits anymore? Neighbors turn the other way to avoid eye contact, co-workers busily text as they walk the hallways… It’s all so impersonal even if at times, I am part of the problem.)



Yesterday, Saturday, I met DD downtown at a local historic mansion where she was to drum for a belly dancing troop. We were joined by my other DD and my own dear mommy, who I didn’t know would be there.

Some of the pictures are blurry.

One group is finishing playing music while the dancers are getting ready to perform.



DD drumming for a bellydancer...















This woman is demonstrating spinning. She was working with alpaca wool and had many different kinds as well.

I wish that our part of the country had real re-enactments, which includes the period dress. I’m not sure why there isn’t a greater interest. It would lend so much more to the event, I think.



Nonetheless, it was still quite interesting…



This gentleman is exhibiting how to make cordage, or what we would call rope. It is very fascinating to see how it used to be made. As he said, “You couldn’t just run down the road to Wal-Mart if you were out.”

He had yucca, dogbane, stinging nettle, and other plants that he stripped down and used.





Good old-fashioned kettle corn…



Though we didn’t know it, there was a parade in town…



So, of course, we went…







One of the many historic houses downtown…







Afterwards, it was off to a restaurant to have some hot chocolate and warm satisfying soup, as it was a rather cold and rainy day in June…





Yes, it was a beautiful Saturday, indeed.