The Search for the Crock-pot!

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Hi everyone. This is the first "Crock-pot Wednesday". I'm not quite ready as you see but I hope you'll come a long while I hunt for my crock-pot. Thanks Debbie for hosting this event. You can all go to see Debbie at http://diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-here-welcome-to-crock-pot-wednesday.html

Well . . . before I can be a "Crock-pot Wednesday" contributor, I have to find my crock-pot. I know I have one. This week will just be the search. (And a look at my scary century cellar.) That's my cellar door. Notice the cat's little door. They have to get down there to their litter boxes after all!)

OK, Be careful, the steps are uneven. Now remember this is a cellar not a basement and it was built in 1852. So don't be too critical!

This is the boiler room. (See the oil tank?) I remember putting it in here with a bunch of other unused kitchen things.

I know it's in this mess somewhere.

Aha!!!!! There it is!

Look at the size of the hand-hewn beams holding this house up!! Well, It's been standing for about 160 years!

This is one of the mysteries of the cellar. We never did find out what that big tall tank was. It had something to do with the dairy farm that this house was over 100 years ago. Anyone know anything about something like that??

"Bar the door, Nellie". That's the storm cellar door leading up stone steps and outside. I'd show you but I'm sure it's full of spiders! OK, lets get out of here.

(By the way the white wall on the right is covered with a PVC-like paneling. It's covering up HUGE boulders that the cellar walls are made of. About 10 years ago we had the cellar waterproofed and french drains put in. It's been dry as a bone ever since.)

Now to find a recipe. That whole lower shelf is all cook books. I don't cook much but love to look through cook books! Strange hey?

OK, out of all those books, only one of crock-pot recipes. It'll have to do. Maybe by next week I'll have actually cooked something! Stay tuned.

Now I'll go visit Debbie and see about all the participants that made some good things. Have a great Wednesday.

I'll be babysitting! Think of me!

Hugs, Shirley

Simplify!

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See this little picture? . . . I got it to remind myself to rid my house of a lot of "stuff" and get down to the bare essentials! I guess that's why I like primitive type of decor. However since I've been blogging I seem to be buying more than I'm tossing or taking to Goodwill!! Soooo, for the next few weeks, I am going to concentrate on de-cluttering! I should have a big garage sale but that takes too much organizing. So I will either give it to GW or put it on eBay. I have a whole room full of scrapbooking stuff that I don't do anymore so that will go on eBay for sure, if anyone is interested. I'll let you know when I start selling!

My Little Makeover

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Thank you Susan for posting this event with so many ideas!!

Please visit http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ to see everyone's postings.

Here was my big bargain at Goodwill this week. This perfect little ladder back chair was $5.00!! But it was crying to be painted . . yes?

The seat was just on with two long screws so it was easy to remove before painting.

My spraying area in the garage. Yes, I moved the car : )) I'm waiting for it to dry which only took about 10 min.

I'm loving this satin black paint from Krylon Fusion!!!! Really goes on nice.

Some finds from Goodwill, but decided the mirror needed some painting!!

Here's the little mirror painted black. I almost did it heirloom white but changed my mind at the last minute.

I really like this satin finish. Turned out great.

Here are my 2 items after their repainting. I really like how they turned out. Now to find just the right place for them.

Have a great day on Monday. I'm off to read about everyone else's Metaphorphases'.

Shirley

Great finds This Week!!

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Today, (Monday really) it's Thifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality. Always a fun place to blog about your bargains from the week before. Check out all the participant's at http://southernhospitalityblog.com/

Thanks Rhoda for giving us a place to show our wares : ))

I stopped in only one garage sale this week and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a windsor chair just like the ones I've been searching for, sitting in the midst I don't know what else. I only had eyes for the chair!! I rain over and looked at the price. $20.00!!! I felt like I couldn't leave it's side (even though there were no other people there! ) I shouted, "I'll take this chair", without even my usual bartering with the price. I whipped out the $20 and ran to my car with the chair. It just fit in the back seat of my little Honda . . . it was meant to be mine. It's even painted black.

I just sit on my big leather chair across from it and smile. Now if I could only find 3-5 more and a dining room table!!

Then it was off to Goodwill.

This was my biggest bargain at Goodwill!! I got this little chair with the rush seat in perfect condition for $5.00!!!! Yes, $5.00. I'm going to paint it black.

I love the color of the sage green plates I got for $2.00 each and the iridescent tea light holders in the shape of snowflakes are so pretty. $1.50 each. All from, of course, Goodwill. Oh, and the 4 checkered place mats underneath were $.50 ea.

I found this cute little pumpkin candle holder with a hanger to use this fall. ($1.50)

The little pitcher to go with my small Currier & Ives set . . . now I'm on the look for the sugar bowl! It was half price so I got the little pitcher for $.50.

This was a day for shelves I guess. They were $2-$4 each at GW. I will have to do something to cover up the outdated hearts on the long one though. And they will all get a paint job. I plan to put them all on a wall in my kitchen to display my clear containers I've been gathering for flour, sugar, pasta, rice and the like.

My last stop was at Marshalls where I found this little cupboard that was exactly the right size for a space in my kitchen where I needed some extra storage. The tag is still on it here because I was still deciding whether to keep it or not but it's growing on me. Of course I'll probably paint it! It was $49.00. I am getting estimates now on getting my kitchen redone (that's scary!!) but I think I could use it other places too.

Well, have a great Monday everyone. The country fair starts tomorrow so I think that's where I'm going.

Shirley

Meals of Garden Veggies!

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The non-chef (me), is back again for another try! After peeking here, please visit Gollum at her wonderful site. http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ There are a lot of participants and wonderful looking dishes!

I feel I have to eat from the garden every night now. It's all so good and fresh. I'll have to be having lots of beets in the next few days! I've given tons of zucchini and green beans away!

Here is Sautéed Zucchini and Onions in tomato sauce and green beans. I sprinkled Asiago cheese over top. (Love that stuff.)

A nice light meal so I could have some more Chocolate Cobbler shown below!

Turkey Patti and Green Beans

The turkey patti has chunky Ragu sauce and Colby and Monterey cheese on top. Green beans, of course, and I've found I really like the potato chips and sour cream with these lighter meals.

OK, who is the one who put the recipe on for this Chocolate Cobbler!!!! I made it and it is heaven! So rich and definitely for the chocoholic!!! (me) I have the whole big pan for myself. I hope I don't get sick, I can't keep from taking spoonfuls of it! Here it is warm with vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmmmmm.

Salad, Calico Beans and Zucchini

I started this dinner off with a crab salad over my garden lettuce.

This is Calico Beans (doctored up a little with a lot more ground turkey than in the recipe.) My sister gave me the recipe and I fixed it as stated for a big picnic last summer and it was a hit! Also here is sautéed zucchini and onions and a leaf lettuce salad, all from garden.

I've included the Calico Bean Recipe below. Gosh, I hope it's not a secret of my sister's!!

Calico Beans

The name comes from the 3 kinds of beans used.

A 16 oz can each of kidney beans, butter beans and pork and beans.

1/2 LB ground meat, browned.

Add beans

2Tbsp molasses, 2 Tbsp mustard

1/2 cup onion chopped, 1/2 tsp chilli powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar

10 bacon slices cut and browned

1/4 cup BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup

Heat together on stove in a soup pot then bake in oven for an hour.

Great picnic item!

Well, that's my contribution for this week. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. (I really don't cook), but the garden is making me : ))

Happy Friday everyone.

Shirley

Tablescape and Apples

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Thank you Susan for hosting this event every week. As you can tell, we all love it!

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

I chose to do an informal setting for this weeks tablescape.

You knew I just had to do a tablescape with my $.60 apple plates from Hobby Lobby!! Aren't they cute. The place-mats are from Walmart. (Cheap, errrrr inexpensive!)

Just had to put an apple on the table somewhere! The white charger plates and yellow plates are from GW as is the little dish the apple is in. And there are those Target bird S & P again : ))

This plate was just slightly bigger than the apple plate to give a rim of yellow.

Kind of harsh shadows. The sun just dipped beneath the trees.

I got these handless cups from Starbucks. (On sale of course.) They are double walled so it keeps your drink either hot or cold longer. I just loved the color!

I used paper napkins for this informal setting. They have different veggies on them. I got them at Marshalls.

As you can maybe see from the tablecloth blowing, it was quite windy. It would've been impossible to have candles tonight!

Have a great Thursday everyone. Now be sure to go visit everyone's tables at Susan's site.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Thanks for visiting me!

Shirley

Riding Echo

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Went to the barn today. I spent the day letting horses run in the arena as it was muddy out in the pastures. I ran a little herd of 6 of them around to let them get some exercise out of their stalls. Thought you might want to see a video of me on Echo a couple months ago. My daughter was taping and incidentally she took this beautiful photo of him. Below is the link to YouTube.

By the way turn off the blog music before you watch YouTube as it has music too. ( The play list is near the top under my profile.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22f9aung8nA

Thanks and enjoy!

Shirley