Friday, April 30, 2010

Pink Saturday, bleeding hearts

I'm joining Beverly with this weeks "Pink Saturday".
See the list of all the other "pinks" at: http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/



This spring my bleeding heart plants are beautiful. I have 4 in my front gardens and a couple in the back by the pet cemetery garden.


Their single little heart blossoms are so amazing to me!!!


Perfect little hearts with a tear drop.


"Remember"
Have a nice Saturday
Shirley

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Show and Tell Friday 4-30

I'm participating in Cindy's "Show and Tell Friday"
She'll have a list of everyone that's joining in.



First I wanted to show you one of my favorite pictures I have in my house.
Framed, it's about 16 X 20. I got it a few years ago at an estate sale right across the road! (I think it was only $12.00) It's a signed water color of a little red squirrel. We have tons of them here. (Both inside and out!!!) I know I hear them in my attic!



Today I picked lilacs. I have two large bushes. One is old and one is newer. Really I have a third at the back of my property but it's too hard to get to.
The old bush has the more reddish purple flower and the new has a bluer color.




I couldn't find my vases. They are still in boxes from my kitchen and dining room reno.
So I used this old white graniteware coffee pot. A great look for the kitchen don't you think!!



Go ahead, put your nose up to the computer screen and take a big sniff. Don't they smell divine!!!



My dogwood tree outside my kitchen window is in full bloom.
Hope you enjoyed my few little things this week.
See you next time
Shirley

Foodie Friday's Parmesan Chicken

Hi all. I'm joining in on "Foodie Friday" at Designs by Gollum.
You must stop by there to see all the delicious recipes and especially to see Michael's wonderful food photography!!!! Here's the address!





Chicken Parmesan

But then, I guess you can see that! I must have torn this recipe out of a magazine. (Obviously an ad for Ragu'.) I found it when I was trying to organize my recipes!




I got everything together first. Things just go better for me that way! I mixed some onion soup mix with the bread crumbs.



Ready for the oven.



Like it said, add sauce and mozzarella cheese the last 10 minutes.




It was pretty and very delicious. I made fresh green beans and had cheesy hash browns that I had put in the freezer from a previous post.


Now, on to desert!! I didn't make this; I got it at the bakery of my favorite local food market. (Buehlers)
They make a lot of things for me when I don't feel like cooking : ))





OK, you can have ONE bite!
Mmmmmmmm
Enjoy your Friday
Shirley

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Vintage Kitchen Thingies

I'm joining Suzanne of Colorado Lady for "Vintage Thingies". Please visit all the participants. There's always really interesting "Thingies".




Vintage Kitchen Items

I'm posting a few of my favorite antique kitchen items. Most of these things I use.
The first is an old scale that I mostly use to weigh my flour for bread making. But I have had to weigh other things like apples etc. when the recipe calls for a weight.



Now . . . this has got to be one of my very favorites!! I REALLY LOVE milkshakes. This, of course, makes the best chocolate milkshakes ever!



I just found this cutie. An old egg crate. It holds 18 eggs. Now, as soon as I get chickens, I will be using it : ))



I've had numerous different flour sifters but I have a couple of these right now. They work just fine if you find it necessary to sift.
Those are my thingies for this week. Going to go see everyone else's things now.
Have a great Thursday. I'm hoping the garage sales start soon!!
Shirley

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Thrifty Treasures 4/26

I'm joining Rhoda for "Todays Thrifty Treasures". You can find all the participants at her blog.




The past couple weeks I've found some neat things. My sister and I went to a few thrift/antique shops while she was here visiting.
Here is a nice primitive looking sheep picture. (Love them) I will paint that frame black and it will be perfect. It was $2.95.
The gingham vintage apron was only $2.00 and that little bowl was, I think, $2.00 also.



Love this chicken picture but when I paint that gold frame black it will be so much better.



These were a bargain. A good size rooster/hen pair for $4.00



And isn't this the cutest thing. A real little egg crate. Do you see a theme going here! This will be handy when I someday have my own chickens. I need someone to build me a coop!!!!!!!!!!



I came across these 1984 Country Home magazines. They are no longer in print and I like the old ones the best! They have more of my type of decor in them (Primitive country) There are all sorts of the type of table I want for my dining room in these issues! Where did they all go!!!! I can't find one as of yet.



OK, now I got this little hound dog because we had one of these when we were little. Not exactly like this one but close. It was just one of those good memory buys : ))



And lastly, I found a sugar bowl to go with my Currier & Ives collection. I had to buy both the sugar and cream for $6.00. Now I have two creams but that's OK.
Have a great Monday everyone and keep on "Thrifting"!
Shirley

Angus, a Horse


Meet Angus

He is the most beautiful little quarter horse. He's not mine but I do look after him a little as he, for some unknown reason, isn't allowed out in the pasture with the herds. They say it's because he runs the fence and gets all stressed. Well, last year he was out every time my daughter and I came to the barn because we left him out to test him. He does kick at one of the oldest horses so we'd put the older horse back in his stall for the second half of the day and let Angus out. He was just fine.




This year they are still not finding him the herd he'll fit in with so he gets to just be in the runway area, but that only happens when we or our friend lets him. Otherwise he is in his 10 x 12 stall 24/7 and that's just not right. Horses are herd animals. Look at him looking longingly out where the herds are.



If I could afford another board, I'd buy this guy. He has a sweet personality. He cribs a little but I'm sure that's because he's in his stall all the time! BOREDOM will cause that and other vices.


So when we are at the barn, we let him out and he runs back and forth in the little runway and into the arena. But he wants to be outside. He wants to be with the other horses.


He NEEDS to be out!!! When he hears me come into the barn, he calls out. I feel so bad that he's not out. It's really sad.


He gets thirsty just running back and forth and I have to keep filling the little bucket.


Look how beautiful he is!!!


I'm hoping that special someone I'm thinking about sees this : ))
I love you Angus!
Shirley

Blues for Monday 4/26

I'm joining Smiling Sally for "Blue Monday" this week. Visit her site to see the rest of the participants.




My forget-me-nots are in full bloom. I love these because when they are done blooming you have the pretty silvery leaves the rest of the summer.






This is one of my birthday presents from my sister, She printed out an old picture of my husband on canvas paper and framed it for me. This was taken down on
Anna Maria Is, FL where we used to have a house.



Here's my collection of Currier & Ives so far. I pick them up piece by piece usually. Yesterday I saw a gravy boat in an antique shop but they wanted more than I usually pay : ))






I saw this in the same antique shop. It's a chamber pot but so pretty. I wonder why they had such beautiful ones considering what they were used for!!! That's the victorian era for you : ))
Have a good Monday everyone.
Shirley

Saturday, April 24, 2010

I Baked Bread!

Well, the bread was baked in my kitchen! My bread maker did it but I added the ingredients : )
I used to bake bread at least every other day in a bread maker. When I got my first one, a Breadman, I didn't BUY bread for over a year but then it gave out. I got out of the habit. Now I have this Toastmaster one that makes regular looking long loaves instead of the tall ones. However, until I found out the secret (I think), it never made really good loaves that raised right!




Now this loaf came out really good. It was bigger but my sister and I couldn't wait to have a nice thick slice of warm bread with butter and strawberry jam. Mmmmmmm.



Now for the secret. (I think) First of all I'm using my Breadman cookbook recipes again. And it always calls for the flour amount of 14 oz. (or 3 cups). Well, 14 oz. is a lot more accurate so I am back to using my scale to measure the flour and right away the loaf is coming out correctly! So that's why I think that's the secret!
I really am going to make bread the real way with the kneading and everything but I've got to work myself up to it : ))
Any real bread makers out there?
I just bet there are!
Shirley
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