Friendship Award Peeps

This award is given to the writers of blogs that “are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

A huge thank you goes out to Katie for sending me this award! I told her that I really don't feel worthy since I have been so missing these past couple weeks :( I really don't know how I am going to survive once the school year really begins with the regular school day, marching band rehearsals and activities, and the baby. Pfew. I'm tired just thinking about it. I hope that I am able to keep everything up (crafting, sewing, blogging, cooking). I guess I will just have to take it one day at a time :)

I do hereby claim these wonderful bloggers recipients of the friendship award! These are all blogs that I truly enjoy visiting. They are written by very friendly women, and I just wanted to let them know that their amiable styles have not gone unnoticed! Check them out and show them some bloggy love

Joanne at We Knit, Sew, Bake, and Grow

Maggie at Maggie Blue Designs

Felicia at Go Graham Go!

Linda at My Trendy Tykes

The Queen of Fifty Cents, the Garage Sale Queen

Monica from Black Olives on my Fingertips

MJ from Making Do with the Not-So-New

Jen from Lipstick and Laundry

Neighborhood Houligans

First off, let me publicly thank Katie for the Friendship award! I have been fuming over this whole mailbox thing for the past few days and was filled with glee when Katie told me she left me an award on her page! I'll perpetuate the award in my next blog, I promise! (which I hope doesn't take me 8 days this time!)

On to the mailbox makeover. Jason came home from work the other night and said that someone had bashed in our mailbox. It looks like someone took a baseball bat to it. They also hit some of my neighbors' mailboxes. Why do people think that it is okay to destroy other people's property? The disrespect that is running rampant in this country is very alarming. We need to crack down on these punk-kids. Teenagers should be prosecuted as adults. As a junior high teacher, I have had my share of experiences with teens, and I can say without reservation that teens know what they are doing. They know right from wrong. We are doing them a disservice if we do not penalize them by the fullest extent of the law. If we let them off with a mere slap on the wrist, then they learn that they can get away with it. Next time, their path of destruction becomes larger and more severe.

Of course, the punks who terrorized my block will never see any consequences since they will never be caught. But that's another story altogether...

On to the photos.





This mailbox transformation cost me eleven bucks. The mailbox is plastic and cost ten dollars, and we also had to buy a can of black spray paint which cost a dollar. I had the white spray paint already so painting the numbers was free. The numbers needed painted anyway because a few years ago my mailbox was graffiti'ed with green spray paint. I had painted the mailbox white again but never did get around to repainting the numbers.

I like the way it turned out. I especially like that the mailbox is plastic now so it should withstand a baseball beating the next time it happens!

Garage Saling and Thrifting

I just love community yard sales, don’t you? My husband sleeps until about noon every day since he works until 3 AM, so I loaded Joel up and we headed out Saturday morning. We walked around for almost two hours and made quite a haul. I got two books about daddies and father’s day, as well as several other children’s books, all for 25c apiece or less. Joel presented his daddy with the books, and he was thrilled. (Well either that or he sat aside the books without even looking at them, but it makes a better story to say he was thrilled).

At one of the first garage sales of the morning, I met a wonderful lady whose daughter is into sewing. She said she owns a company called “Sew What?” I came home and tried to look it up, however do you know how many companies out there that are called “Sew What?” Here a link to a “Sew What” boutique that sells some cool stuff, although I’m pretty sure it’s not her daughter’s shop. She and I got to talking about how toys just don’t leave anything to the imagination anymore. That’s exactly how I feel! Amen, sister! Kids today have to have the latest fifty dollar Transformer toys, etc… whatever happened to just playing with regular toy cars? Playing dress-up? I remember making cities in our basement out of blocks, Lincoln Logs, and basic ole Legos, then we’d add in our matchbox cars and plastic Cowboys and Indians (sorry, I know that’s not PC), and we’d have a good ole time.

I was happy to find these toys for Joel for when he’s a little bit bigger, as well as a pair of cute, barely worn Stride Rite shoes. I hope these toys will spark some good old fashioned imaginative play!

A whole bag of magnet letters and numbers for 25c... there's even a plus sign for practicing math problems!

I was so excited to find this little fire extinguisher. There's a crank you turn, and it even makes sounds. *Squeals with excitement* Now I will have to sew some firefighter dress up clothes. I also found this little treasure chest which will be wonderful for stuffing full of Mardi Gras beads. When Joel outgrows it, I can use it at school because it's our school colors, and our mascot is a pirate :) Both toys were 50c apiece.

Probably my favorite find of the day. I actually found this at a thrift store, hence the odd 90c pricetag. You can't really tell from the photo, but the blue part is wood. Yay, a vintage toy! Now I will have to sew a mailman outfit. Does anyone want to go postal with me?

A box of little boy fabric for 2 dollars. I need to get started on another baby quilt. We just had another pregnancy announced in the family... there's going to be ANOTHER baby boy born this year. That makes three baby boys all born within 10 months of each other! Isn't that going to be fun when they're two or three years old?!

A 25c binkie clip which will probably become a gift for Little One Number Three, an unopened birthday candle for 30c, and a close second for my favorite find of the week... a Wilton Christmas Tree pan, still new in the packaging for 90c. I have been dying to melt down some crayons, and now I finally have the pan to do it with! I was taking the paper off crayons for about an hour last night, and I think I got a paper-cut under my thumb nail. Ouch. There has got to be a better way...

And last but not least, a little something-something for me. Two bags full of sewing notions, mostly vintage and still in the original packaging. This came from the thrift store; each bag was 90c. I was especially stoked to see all the velcro. I love velcro. I'd like to give a big smoochy-smoochy to the man who invented it. *Muah!*

Garden Check-in

I'm still here, folks (Hi Katie; thanks for checking in on me!)

I got the call from my employer telling me that I can have a job back. A job, that is, not my job. It's a job that entails lots more work plus working throughout the summer for pretty much the same pay. Boo Hiss. I was really looking forward to being a stay at home mom, or at least to have six months with my son. Instead now I have an infant and even less time than before to spend with him. Don't get me wrong; I am glad to be working. I know there are lots of people who want jobs and can't find one. I understand that and am sensitive to that. I just had dreams of being a stay-at-home mommy and now my dream has crumbled.

I started back to work the day they called (last Tuesday). So that's where I've been. My school year has started already. My husband will be quitting his job to take care of our son because we really don't want to put him in daycare. Daycare would be half of his salary anyway.

So do you want to know what's ironic? I dragged my feet for years when it came to planting a garden. I finally broke down and planted a garden this year, and this summer, as it turns out, I have to work. Go figure. But anyway, here's some photos of my plant babies. Some people have "fur babies" ... I have plant babies :) I have two little peppers, a baby eggplant, and several little tomatoes.

Meal Planning Monday

I went a little nutso at the grocery with the yellow and honey mustard. I had coupons, and my hubby loves mustard, so I bought several bottles. Now I have to come up with some recipes for it. Hence I bring to you….

Honey Mustard Lime Chicken!

Some of you may remember I opened up a package of smoked sausage on Friday to put in my macaroni and cheese. I only used one and saved the other for this week. With it, I’ll be making Cheesy Sausage Stew.

And last but not least, a Paula Deen recipe. Last night a commercial for some ham came on, and Paula was their spokesperson. After the commercial, hubby asked, “What was up with that lady?!” I had to tell him, “That’s Paula Deen, dear. She’s only the most famous cook in all of the south! Remember when we were down in Savannah and I wanted to go to that one special restaurant? That was her restaurant.” But apparently you can’t just walk into her restaurant, so we didn’t go. My grandma went, and she said you have to get there in the morning to get tickets. That sounds to me more like the filming of the show than the restaurant, so maybe she got confused. Anyone out there been to Paula’s restaurant that could give me a definitive answer?

Anyway, Paula’s Meatball Casserole is on the Menu for the week.

Until next time, I wish you "best dishes" from my kitchen to yours! (I heart Paula Deen, don't you?)

Recycled Patio and Garage Sale Finds

Check this out, my peeps! This is the ultimate in reusing and repurposing. Katie has created a patio out of stones from an old barn foundation. She had to carry them barefoot, uphill both ways, and through the snow! Great job Katie ;)

She also make a planter out of an old treestump (how creative!) and furnished her beautiful patio with lots of garage sale finds.

Speaking of garage sales... boy did I ever hit the mother lode. I went out garage saling on Friday morning. I had mapped out all the garage sales I wanted to hit and when you add in the others I just happened upon, I hit about twelve to fifteen. Most of my luck was at the first few though. Then on Saturday, we went to my mother-in-law's fiftieth birthday party, but stopped at a couple garage sales near their house.

When we were a few blocks from the party, that's when I saw it. It was surrounded by a golden glow and angels were sounding their trumpets, beckoning me to come in closer for a look. It was a church flea market. I dropped off hubby and baby and headed straight back to the flea market. (And then I saw another garage sale so I had to stop there afterwards). Pfew. I made quite the haul this weekend.

At the flea market, they had clothes for ten cents apiece. Yes, for a mere fifty cents, I got five things for Joel. None of them will fit him now, however, how could I pass up ten-cent clothes? And they weren't nasty either; they were completely hole and stain free!

Other things I got include

• a kiddie construction hat for a dime
  
• four children's books for a dollar
  
• a baby carrier, new in the box for five dollars (the Sears $35 price tag still attached)
  
• two wool sweaters for felting for 50c each
  
• some red and black fabric like T-3 has been coveting lately (yes, girl, I found some too!)
  
• a chrome over-the-door rack in it's original box for five dollars (I actually just bought one of these online for Joel's room, and was excited to see this one for our bedroom door)
  
• a small enamelware pan just like I got last week, but this one only cost 50c. I am so addicted to enamelware. I wonder if Enamelware Anonymous exists for people like me who hoard the stuff.
  
• one of those red and blue toys with the yellow shapes that push down through the matching hole. I had one when I was little, so I had to get it for Joel. Who can pass up such an educational toy for 50c?
  
• a short sleeved polo for 25c
  
• a baby girl's binky set and receiving blanket, still brand new and unopened for 50c each
  
• several toys, all still brand new in the package which I'm hoarding for gifts over the next few years, including a jumprope, sidewalk chalk, action figures, rattle/teether set, wateringcan and sand scoop, and bathtub boats, for a total of $3.60. I hope Joel never stumbles upon my stash of gifts in the laundry room. Meh. He probably won't. Why would he ever go in the laundry room? That's a room kids avoid like the plague... the perfect place to store gifts!
  
• unopened birthday napkins, 25c
  
• an OSU longsleeved onesie, 12 months, for a dollar

One dollar. Geesh. I'm feeling guilty about that. I had previously set my limit at fifty cents for any article of clothing for Joel (except coats). I'm thinking of lowering my limit to a quarter. If I do that, though, thrift store shopping is pretty much out of the question. It's hard enough to find stuff at thrift stores for fifty cents. It's nearly impossible to find stuff for a quarter, at least around here. Prices at thrift stores are getting outrageous. Even at some garage sales, prices are getting outrageous.

For example, yesterday someone wanted twenty dollars for a beat-up plastic riding firetruck. If it was metal and an antique, twenty dollars, sure. But plastic? Um, no thanks. Five dollars, maybe. Three dollars, sure. But twenty? She must have been on crack.

What is your limit? Where do you draw the line? Talk to me, people!

Party in Your Mouth with Barefoot Contessa

Yum. She made macaroni and cheese! I of course did not follow her recipe (at all) but mac and cheese sounded so good. I do not have fancy schmancy mushrooms and butter like she has… (apparently the key to her mac and cheese is this expensive flavored butter…)

I do have some shredded cheddar cheese, milk, elbow macaroni, and Blue Bonnet margarine! Mine won’t be as elegant as hers. So what?! (*puts on my flannel shirt, tattered jeans, and sits on a bale of hay*) Elegance isn’t my strong suit anyway.

I decided to throw in some extras I had on hand. Barefoot Contessa did not do this, but I was just winging it. I had some smoked sausage thawed in the fridge, so I sliced it very thin and placed it into my BFF, my trusty 9x13. I also had some frozen broccoli and cauliflower (what’s not to love about cheesy broccoli and cauliflower?!) so I thawed it and tossed that in too. Meanwhile of course, make sure your macaroni is boiling in some salted water. The next part I just eyeballed so I can’t give you definite measurements. I put two globs of butter in my pan, followed by about 2 cups shredded cheese and enough milk to make it the right consistency. I also dumped in some onion powder for taste. I stirred until it looked like a good cheese sauce, then I stirred it in with the elbows. I then dumped it all in my 9x13 and cooked it for about thirty minutes in a medium oven. I cooked it at 325 because the other thing I made was supposed to be baked at 325. It’s just a casserole, and everything was already fully cooked, so the temperature really doesn’t matter, does it? I wouldn’t go cooking it at 450 or anything though.


Please disregard the spoon. I got hungry. So sue me.

Do you subscribe to the philosophy that you should never wash a half load of dishes or laundry? Me too. What about cooking? Do you believe that you should never just use the one rack in your oven? If the oven’s on, you might as well stuff it full of food so as not to waste all that heat, right?

So I also made some A to Z bread. Basically, it’s a use-whatever-you-have-on-hand-to-make-some-kick-@ss-bread recipe. You can use anything from apples to zucchini. Hence the name. How clever.

My babies


Today, I used four past-their-prime bananas with enough raspberry jam to make 2 cups. (You need two cups of A to Z ingredients for this recipe). It says to bake for an hour at 325, however I ended up baking it about ten or fifteen extra minutes. I think maybe upping the temp a little bit would have worked better. I’ll be taking one of the loaves to my mother-in-law’s fiftieth birthday party today. I’ll be hiding the other loaf from my husband so I can eat the whole thing myself. Funny thing is, you think I’m joking.



That reminds me. I went over and paid my in-laws a visit a couple days ago (I usually hang out with them a few times a week while hubby works). My father-in-law came home and saw me sitting on the couch, and he said to my MIL, “I thought you said you were cooking dinner? Not that you invited a cook over for dinner!” Well thank you, thank you very much. I’m known as the cook of the family. I feel so special!