Gratitude

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I recently found a journal that I kept for awhile a few years back, before blogging! It's called "The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude". (by Sarah Ban Breathnach) I think there was a book that went with it too. I was reading it and decided that every once in awhile, I'll just put some little thing that makes me smile or I'm grateful for on a little sticky note. So when you see these stickies, that's what it is; my gratitude notes.

See, just a tinny post.

Have a great day too.

Shirley

Pinks of the Week

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Thank you Beverly for hosting this Pink Saturday every week. I never think I'll find anything else pink but I seem to! Go over to "How Sweet the Sound" and see all the participants for this week! http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/pink-saturday/

Here is an old foot stool with wonderful needle point on top . . . . however if you look at two of the corners you can see where some puppy of mine, (probably a lab!) has chewed! I had labs before Rocky the pointer and they'll eat your whole house until they're about two!! It was around then that I realized I either would have a perfect house or animals. And I chose animals, of course!

Here's the needle point up close.

These Knock-out rose bushes keep on spitting out these little roses! It's November in northern Ohio and getting quite cold!

Here is one pink Sunbonnet Sue on an old baby quilt I have on a quilt rack in my room.

And lastly, a pillow with little roses that I use for the bed when it's made.

That's all this week. Have a happy pink Saturday everyone.

Shirley

Foodie Friday - Easy Danish

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It's Friday again and this week I have something nice and easy and delicious! Thank you Michael for hosting this beautiful party every week. Please visit her beautiful blog for all kinds of inspiration and the list of participants with more recipes. http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Here are all the ingredients you'll need for this fun cream cheese danish. The recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Combine the egg yolk, two (8oz.) boxes of cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. (my egg had two yolks and I used them both!) Save the egg white. Mmmmm, that's bowl lickin' good!

Carefully unroll one can of crescent roll dough and press into your 9 X 13 pan. (Excuse the look of my pan but it's the old pan I use for everything!!)

Spread creamy mixture on top.

Now, you can use plastic wrap or waxed paper for this. Spread out second can of crescent rolls and press to the size of the pan, being careful to press together all the seams.

Flip over onto the creamy filling in pan and peal off the paper or plastic wrap.

Paint with the egg white and sprinkle on your sugar, cinnamon and nut topping. Now it's ready to put in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

All done and nicely browned.

Doesn't that look good? My middle is a little yellower than usual because of the double yolk. (Richer too!)

Mmmmmm, delicious!!!!

Easy Cream Cheese Danish

2 cans of refrigerated crescent rolls

2 (8oz) boxes of cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk (save egg white)

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

1/4 C sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 C chopped nuts

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla

Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan

Pat 1 can of crescent roll dough into bottom of pan

Spread on cream cheese mixture.

On waxed paper, pat out the other can of crescent rolls to fit the pan.

Flip over on top of cheese mixture and peal off paper.

Paint top with the egg white and sprinkle with the topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Have a great Friday everyone.

Shirley

Thrifty Buys 11/5

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It's Thrifty Thursday again at Tales from Margaritaville. I did pretty well this week I think! Be sure to visit Leigh's blog to see all the other participant's treasures. http://lbratina.blogspot.com/

This first find wasn't from a thrift store but an antique mall. These four solid maple fan back windsor chairs were $195. I thought that was a real good price. All you wood lovers out there, don't jump on me, but I'll probably be painting them black but waiting first for the table! I'm trying to put a dining room together!!! Now I need one more windsor type chair and then a harvest or farm table. (Or something colonial looking.)

OK, now here yet is another button bottle. Love them. It was only $2.95. (Sorry for the blurry photo!)

Really cute dishes I couldn't pass up at $1.00 each. It was 35% off day at Goodwill so all the prices of the following things, take another 35% off. Don't you love it!

This chicken covered casserole was $4.00.

Big jar, metal wall pocket and 2 herb pictures were all $2.00 each before the sale. (Oh, and 4 place-mats were $.50 ea.)

Old hand mirror, $4.00

Picnic basket in really good condition . . .

. . . comes with the table cloth that I think I'll use to line it. $10.00

Metal shower hooks that I needed! ($1.50)

See, don't they look nice? : ))

That's it folks. Hope you all did good too.

Shirley

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup

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Thank you Debbie for hosting Crock Pot Wednesdays. Who knows when I would've ever used my crock pot again! So go to Debbie's blog and see all the other recipes that the participants are posting. http://diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com/

This week I made another recipe from Stephanie O'Dea's slowcooker book! I always liked split pea soup but no one else in my family did so I'm making it now for myself! More for the freezer for those winter days.

Here is the recipe. I made it almost exactly except I didn't have crumpled bacon on the top when I served it to myself.

I diced up carrots, half a big onion and half of this size of potato in that gadget I showed you in the last post! (with, of course, a bag of slit peas!)

I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth because that's what I had, about a half pound of bacon then I diced up half a slice of this ham steak. (Plus 1 cup water and salt and pepper)

Dump it all in there and it looks like this. (The peas are all on the bottom.)

It's cooking. I did stir it a couple times during the 9 hours!

When done, take a fork and remove all the bacon. (My dog got some of that on his dinner : ))

Here's another handy gadget. It's my immersion blender tool. It's definitely needed to get split pea soup consistency!

OK, it's all ready. It actually looks a little greener than the picture. Of course the carrots color it too.

My dinner. Yummmmmmm.

Have a happy Wednesday everyone.

Shirley

Favorite Gadgets

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Since I'm having back problems today and shouldn't be sitting too long, I'm just going to write a quick post on one of my favorite gadgets. I don't even remember the name of this thing because it's got to be at least 10 years ago that I got it at a big home show where the guy stands up on a little stage and demonstrates the product by slicing and dicing everything in site.

I don't usually buy these things because they either don't work at all or you have to be some real talent like the demonstrator guy to make it do all those things! Well, I bought this and it works exactly as promised by turning the little handle which makes the razor sharp knives inside fly around like crazy. I've used it a lot on even tough things like celery and carrots and the knives seem just as sharp as when I got it. It only requires your own power.

You cut up things to about 2" X 3" and put the lid on and crank it. It will dice things as small as you want them. It's really great for onions!!!! No more tears and having your hands smell all oniony! I wish I could remember the name of it. It was probably like $14.99 and it is sure worth it!!

Well there you have it, probably my most favorite gadget. If you ever see it you should get yourself one!!!

Now I'm going to go lay flat!

Shirley

Blog Metamorphosis!

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This is the week of my blog's metamorphosis. I wanted bigger pictures, so I went to Susan's instructions that she posted a few months ago, and practiced and practiced on my "test blog" like she suggested. So here it is for now. I may change this background and my blog title photo in the weeks to come but I think I've mastered the "big picture" ordeal! Please visit Susan's beautiful blog which was the inspiration that started me blogging in the first place!

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

To make this post a little more interesting, I just had to tell you that this past Thursday I went to the local antique mall and found these 4 fan back windsor chairs!! I have been hunting for the sack back ones (with the rounded back) but have had no luck at all. So when I saw all four of these for $195. I jumped on it. (After mulling it over for a day of course. You know me and decisions!)

They are maple but are a real mustard paint color.

I had intended on painting them black but the more I look at them the more I like the colonial mustard color!

You can mix and match windsor type chairs so I have one sack back black one and I will find one more for the head of the table.

Now, I've got to find a nice old harvest or farm table that's 5-6 feet long. That's got to be easier than finding these chairs, right???

Well, thank you Susan for such good instructions on changing my blog. I finally got up enough nerve to do it : )) Now if I can just figure out how to get my blog title over to the left!

Have a happy Monday everyone!

Shirley