Today's Goodwill Treasures 7/27

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Everyone, you must go over to Rhoda's place to see what everyone has found. Her blog is at http://southernhospitalityblog.com/ Thanks Rhoda for hosting this. We love to show our bargains! Look what I found below!!

First I'll show you these two little apple dishes, salad size, I got at Hobby Lobby in their 90% off aisle! I wish there had been four of them.

Yep, that's right $.60!!! A pretty good buy! I can see these fitting in with fall tablescapes too.

Here is my "haul" from Goodwill. (I had NO luck with garage sales today!) Below I show each item.

The little tea pot is the first thing I spotted today. It just holds one cup. Then I found those two dishes that almost matched perfectly! I love when that happens!

I thought these old dishes were pretty. They are like salad size. Lots of different choices for colored chargers under them. I got 4 of them at $1.00 each.

These are white plaster doves for the wall. I don't know . . . they "spoke" to me : )) (They were $1.50)

I like this little wire bird cage. I think it will look good with a fat candle in it. However, maybe I should paint it white . . . . (It was $1.50)

Yep, I like it painted white!

I was watching this lady in Goodwill. She drew my attention because she was on the phone the whole time talking. She'd pick up a few things, put them in her basket then change her mind and put them all back. Then she get some other things and do the same thing. Well, I saw she picked up this shabby chic tin basket I had missed!!!! so I just kept my eye on her and sure enough she put it back. That's when I pounced. Success!!!!! (It was $2.00)

I had to get the Thomas The Tank book for my granddaughter. He's her favorite at the moment. The clear jar I am going to put cornmeal in. I've been collecting them for my baking items and pastas. (The jar was $1.00 and Thomas was $.50)

Well, here is my big buck item from GW. It was marked $25. but with 35% off it was about $16. It's begging to be sprayed white I think. The mirror is beveled and I hope that smokiness I see is just dirt. I know just where I want to put it. I liked the shape of it.

Well, I hope you had fun looking for treasures too. Now, I'll go look at yours.

Happy Monday.

Shirley

From a Non-Chef!

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Thanks to Gollum for having this party every Friday. I always make sure I visit but this is my first post here. Be sure to visit all the wonderful things participants are cooking up at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Anyone that knows me will be shocked that I have entered the "Foodie Friday" blog world! . . . because I'm known for my non-cooking. However when I put my garden in this year, I of course, made it bigger than I had planned and now all these vegetables are coming in at once. I am giving away as much as I can but I live in the country and everyone has a garden. So I have to take my produce to the barn and give it to my daughter and a couple other "city people". I also feel I have to eat as much as I can. It's all organic and healthy. This is a zucchini bake I made. I put it over brown rice and of course , as I do every night, had a side of green beans. I wrote up the recipe below. I got it from the Kraft site but made it my own with some changes. No meat in this recipe. I wrote it out below. ME giving you all a recipe! If you only knew how funny that is!!

Zucchini Bake

Cut up a large zucchini in slices or chunks and saute it with some onions in a pan till it is crispy tender.

Put into a square baking dish and add a few cut up tomatoes.

Mix 2-3 eggs with 1/3 cup of Miracle Whip.

Pour mixture over top and scatter any shredded cheeses you may have over the top.

I used a lot cheddar and some pizza cheese I had.

I love cheese.

Bake at 375-400 till it bubbles.

That's it.

I served it over rice.

I eat alone most of the time unless my sister & her husband are visiting. So since Jack died, I really cook very seldom. Now that doesn't mean I don't eat! I'm lucky to have a local grocery store that makes and sells homemade dinners which have become my mainstay. I do bake sometimes because I'm a carbaholic!! I have always been a slow eater but eating alone makes you eat faster. Not so good for you. I like to play with dishes and tablescape which is new to me too since I've started to blog here in this community. Never would I have imagined, at my age!!!!! I would've been taking that up! This isn't a tablescape below, this is just how I ate at my kitchen table tonight!

Well, have a good Friday. It's my day to do grocery shopping, get things done around here and yes . . . make a stop at Goodwill : ))

Nice talking to you.

Shirley

Tea on a Tray

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Thank you again Susan for hosting this event that got us all started in collecting dishes!!!!! I love it. After you have a look here, visit the participants at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ There is always the most beautiful and inventive ideas.

How about a spot of tea?

Pretty little porcelain cups with coasters that match. The teapot I've had forever, and the tray table, remember, I got a few weeks ago at GW and painted it white.

I got this little tea set (minus the pot), at Marshalls. It also came with a long little tray in the same design. All for $10.00.

Little silver sugar tongs. I was going to sell them on eBay and now I'm glad I didn't.

Delicate little napkins. Oneida Community silverware.

Hope you all have a chance to be served tea in bed.

Have a great Thursday and thanks for the visit. Please drop me a little note.

Shirley

Three or More & Outdoor Wednesdays at the Barn

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This is my first posting at Three or More. But I have 3 horses and this is about my day with them so I suppose it qualifies. Be sure to visit Tam and all the participants at http://gypsycorner.blogspot.com/ I'm making this a double post along with Outdoor Wednesdays.

Here is my Wednesday outdoor report! Thank you Susan for hosting this fun time. Now, after you take a peek at my day with the horses, go see what everyone else has been up to at http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

A lot of my "Outdoor Wednesdays" will be photos from my "other home", the barn. I'm always there on Tuesdays and every other day I don't have to babysit. This is a big part of my life. I wanted horses ever since I was little and it took till I was nearly 60 to have them!!! I totally enjoy every minute with them. It's true, there's something about women and horses. And here's another truism: "Every horse should be owned by a little girl at sometime in their lives."

They're coming to see what I'm doing. My two there have fly masks on.

That's Preacher

Oh, that fence makes a good scratching post!

I braided Echo's mane today. His mane is very long and gets tangled with knots if I don't keep after it. Echo is part clydesdale, part thoroughbred and his sire was a paint. (So that makes him a warmblood) He's big boned but not too much higher than my quarter horse.

(15.2 hands)

Satire, munching away, enjoying the summer day.

That's our "boys". From left to right . . . Echo, the black one, is a warmblood, 5 yrs old still training him; Preacher, a quarter horse, 15 yrs., my all around guy; and Satire, my daughter's senior Arabian. He's 30, a retired show horse and in great shape.

Leading out to the front pastures.

Some of our horse's stalls. You can see the inside arena through the big door there. Oops that's an inside picture!

The mountain of manure that WAS here gets hauled away every so often by landscape people who use the wonderful compost. Maybe that's more than you wanted to know but that's life at a barn : ))

OK, I'll "end" with this! That's me with shorter hair last spring, standing on an enormous mountain of manure! (20 horses make a lot of "debris" through the winter!!) Hope you enjoyed my horses and a day at the barn photos. I have at least a gazillion photos of our horses. Let me know if there are any "horse people" out there. Next time I'll do some riding photos and tell some horsey stories!

My daughter took this photo. She's a professional photographer. Go have a look at her beautiful website http://www.mzezulakphotography.com/

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Wednesday everyone. Drop me a line.

This Week's Thrifty Treasures

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Well, these are the things I hunted down this week. Be sure to visit Rhoda at http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/ to see what everyone participating has found! Isn't this fun!!

I think I did good this week at the garage sale and at Goodwill's 35% off day sale! These things below I got at one garage sale.

Closer look at the garage sale finds. Three Currier and Ives cups for $.25 each!!! This pretty little tin ($.25) and the decorative hand made, signed, red pottery snowman plate. (It was $3.00 (my splurge of the day!!!)

Here's a better view of the little lamp. I really like it. It's brass with a faux leather shade. I couldn't believe at but the lamp was $2.00! By the way that little picture of the dried flowers I got a few weeks ago. The frame was black and the matting was green I like it a lot better now!

Oh, I think I like it on the little table next to my bed!

I've started to collect clear jars and bottles to store things in. These will have pasta and tea in. I hope to have shelves in my kitchen to display them. Plus it's a handy way to know where things are.

Remember, 35% off day. Four black and white plates (Corelle) and a cute little porcelain bell.

Plates $.65 and bell $1.30.

Four glass plates and four Currier and Ives saucers for $1. each. 35% off day so each were $.65. I love Goodwill!

OK, yes it's roosters but some other farm animals too! It's a brand new long table runner. I couldn't really show it off as I don't have a big table yet! The second photo shows the ends. (All those rooster table settings are getting to me : )) This was at GW also for $.50

Here's a pillow sham that will blend in with the colors in my bedroom right now. ($.50)

I got this wall basket at GW for $.50. I'll paint it white and hang it on my kitchen porch door with maybe some pretty daisies in it.

And last but not least, another garden cat. I have one of these way back in my "secret garden", But this one will be out and more visible. I'll have to hide it when my granddaughter comes because she loves kitties and this is breakable.

Have a great Monday everyone! It is babysitting day on Monday!!! Pray for me!

He's quite handsome sitting on the deck isn't he?

Black & White Tablescape 7/16

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Thanks to Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for hosting this weekly fun Tablescaping adventure. I'm blaming her for my recent addiction to dishes! It's great finding all the inexpensive places to find them though. Visit her site for a list of everyone taking part in this.

Yes, I'm still setting up outside on the deck. A few of you have asked how I was coming with my dining room furniture search. Not good! Can't find the chairs I want. I passed up two dining room sets at garage sales last week. One was $30!! And a more Queen Anne one was $50!! They both had 6 chairs with them. Neither was really the style I have in mind BUT if I had had a truck I'd probably own both . . . just because. The table tops needed refinishing so they were the perfect ones to PAINT!!

All the dishes here are from Goodwill at $2.00 for the black and $1.00 each for the white with black edging. I'm becoming a GW fanatic! Tomorrow is 35% off everything and I can't go because I have to meet the farrier at the barn!! RATS!

You may be wondering why the cream & sugar?? I have recently gotten black cups but didn't have them when I set this up. Just pretend they're here : ))

I didn't know if this setting was a little too formal for the cabbage s & p but I like the color here. Oh well!

I have quite a few crystal candlesticks but as I discovered when I set this table, I have no tall tapered candles! They've probably all gotten out of shape and I've thrown them away! Well, something else to shop for : ))

I love how these napkin rings look. I got them and the napkins on sale at Pier 1. The rings were a little over $1.00 each and the napkins were .69 each!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silver chargers are from Big Lots at $1.50 each. Always look great with the silverware.

I actually remember getting this pitcher as a wedding gift from my mom's best friend. I've always used it for flowers.

I thought I'd try the apples on the plates for the heck of it and I really liked how it looked.

The metal tops of the little jar candles held the apples perfectly! The silver ware is Community Onieda.

I really like this stemware and I got it at GW for $1.00 each! Got four : ))

"Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?" (from my favorite movie "You've Got Mail")

Have a fabulous Thursday. I'm visiting with a kitchen planner this evening!!!