Button, button . . .

I love buttons!   I am a sucker for a bag of buttons at an estate sale or garage sale.   Some day I’m sure I’ll find a real purpose for all of them.  This weekend I came across a fairly large bag and they were really dirty. 

So, they got  washed . . .

sorted . . .

and put in jars with the rest of my “collection.”

Thrift Store Find

Don’t you just love thrift stores?   I have to check my favorites whenever I am in the area and today I found this lily pad plate.  This picture does not do it justice.

I found it online for $42.00 – I paid $3.75.   Now, do I love it enough to keep it or should I try to sell it on eBay?   Keep it . . . sell it . . .keep it . . .sell it?   I just don’t know.  I’ll have to sleep on it.

A Lovely Giveaway

from Castle & Cottage Signs.  Go over there and comment to be in line for this hand painted sign.   Paula is also selling one on eBay with the proceeds to go to Save the Children to help in the relief efforts in Haiti.  Bless her!!

Pomegranate Wine

Today I was drawn to the wine section of the grocery store in the hope of finding a nice (hopefully blue!) bottle for my bottle tree (see my last post).  I came across this and the bottle wasn’t so special, but I had to buy it because I had never seen pomegranate wine before.   Have you?  It is pretty darn good!

Then  I “googled it and found out that pomegranate wine has 3 times more antioxidants than red wine.   I think I might have found a good excuse to drink wine . . .

My Bottle Tree

I have been wanting a bottle tree for some time and my husband surprised me a few weeks ago by making one.   We finally got it “planted” in the middle of my herb garden.   I almost hate to show it to you now because everything is so dead in the yard, but this will give us something to compare it to in spring when it has a better background and more “blooms” on it.   I have encouraged all of my wine drinking friends to save bottles for me and I’d really appreciate it if they would choose their wine by the color of the bottle – blue, please!  (Since I’m not a big wine drinker that makes as much sense to me as any method.) 

If you don’t know the folk lore of the bottle tree, it is a southern tradition, brought from Africa by the slaves.  Legend has it that evil spirits in the yard are trapped in the bottles at night, keeping them from the house, and the heat of the sun kills them during the day.   Evil spirits are not something I am afraid of, but I just love bottle trees!   Okay, everyone, start drinking (or I’d be happy with vinegar or any long-necked bottle.)

Am I blind?!

I bought this cute little hooked rug for my cherry laundry room yesterday.  The colors were perfect and I thought it was a real find (at Marshall’s) for $9.99.  This morning as I was leaving, I got a real surprise and the laugh of the day – where is the “i” in cherries?   How come I didn’t even notice it?   Also, the first “r" looks like a “p”.  Well, you know what, I still love it and now I will have a reason to smile every time I walk through my laundry room!   (My hubby offered to “fix” it for me with a marker – I declined!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.   May 2010 live up to your expectations!  (Are you a resolution maker?   I am . . .)  My resolution this year is to read at least a book a month.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!  

We hope you have a blessed day with loved ones and remember the reason for the season!

My little Christmas gift

to the girls I work with.   I got each of them a Christmas pin, but then I had to make it more complicated by making a card to put it on.  So, 18 cards later, I am finished with that project.   It was fun, I must admit.

I’m getting close . . .

are you?

I just have a few hours of shopping left to do today and some more wrapping.   Then, I can just stay home and finish up a couple of little embroidery projects.   When I saw this in print, it doesn’t look so simple, but I’ll have it all done by the weekend.   How about you?   I hope you will have time to breathe before the Big Day.

Pecan Pie Muffins

I love recipes that don’t require a lot of “equipment”.   For this one, all you need is the bowl, a few measuring cups and a spoon (and, of course, the muffin tins).

Melt the butter in the bowl that you will mix everything in and then just add all of the ingredients.  If you have three mini-muffin tin pans, you can do them all at once and, from start to finish, you have 3 dozen little muffins in less than 25 minutes.

PECAN PIE MUFFINS

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup of finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients with a wooden spoon.  Pour into greased muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.   Makes 3 dozen mini muffins.

  I would try to get a better picture of the baked muffins, but they are gone already!!

Back in the saddle again . . .

Well, ladies, while I have been here physically lately, I have been emotionally distracted.   I have had several weeks of mammograms and a biopsy and am thrilled to say everything was okay.  I decorated for Christmas half-heartedly because, while I knew in my heart everything would be fine, I couldn’t help but play out the other scenario in my mind.  I am faithful about my mammograms and I hope you all are too – and let’s pray that the government doesn’t get in the way of our getting them young and yearly.  Now I am decorated and ready to let the holidays begin!!!

My Sign Arrived!

Several weeks ago I won the giveaway from Paula at Castle and Cottage Signs.   She paints beautiful signs in many styles and I received a custom-made sign as her gift.   After deciding what I wanted on the sign, she sent me pictures of several versions on different boards, with different lettering styles and the final product suits me and my house perfectly.   See what you think . . .

I can’t wait until I need to send someone a special gift and I can work with her again.   (She also has a blog and an etsy shop. – check them out.)   I’ve told Paula this in our emails, but I want to say again – Thank you and I love, love, love it!!!

Still in awe . . .

It’s been 60 years since this picture was taken of me with Santa and I still love to look at him!

Christmas Decorating – Part 2

Today – the tree.   Before . . .

 and after . . .

 

It has birds, nests, snowy branches, berries and silver and gold poinsettias.

Another project tomorrow.

Christmas Decorating – Part 1

I just accomplished the first part of my decorating – my Christmas village.   I enjoy it so much that I could really leave it up all winter.   So, it’s usually the first thing up and the last thing put away.  Tomorrow – the tree!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Count your blessings, but don’t eat too much!!   Enjoy your day with family, friends -- and football.

Another Frilly Dilly Bag

I promised a friend of mine that I would make her one of these purses for her birthday.  I made one earlier this summer and you can see it here.  We went together to pick out the fabric and, yes, that’s the Pink Panther you see in there!  It will be a belated gift for her, but I just had to get it done before the holidays or it would have been a New Year’s gift . . .

My Butter Pats

Sometimes you wonder why you collect what you do and then you look at it and you remember.   I have been collecting butter pats (I have 45) for years and they are in a desk/curio in my upstairs hall – not really where I can enjoy them.  But, I love them just the same.

Brrrr – it’s cold outside!

We may have a light freeze tonight so I had to put all of my plants in the greenhouse and I cut the last of my zinnias and one gerber daisy.   I don’t think I’m ready for this!    I so hope the sun will be shining tomorrow . . .