before i squiggle out of the warm blankets each morning and before my first sip of instant caffinated coffee reaches my lips and gives me a jolt, i start my day this way:

dear heavenly father,

-use my brain to think good thoughts
-use my eyes to see the good in people
-use my nose to smell the sweet things you created
-use my mouth to speak kindly and thoughtfully
-use my heart so that it's always in the right place
-use my belly to keep the laughter and giggles coming-
-use my arms so that they may extend out to someone in need
-let my hands to serve where they should
-use my feet to take me where You know i need to be

-in Jesus name Amen. and Amen.

how sweet it is!

i'm all for the recycled, inexpensive and fast crafts! and this one is no exception. i had a sweet little collection of mini-cake tins. which i've never used. and instead of them being pushed aside in my baking cupboard everyday, i decided to make them into sweet, little cupcake pincushions!

-find a print you like (i used a little girls outfit), cut it a little larger then the cake shape, stuff the tin with batting, lay the fabric on top and mold it to make a cupcake shape... then hot glue the fabric to the inside of the tin... and sew a little topping on.... i used a crude in and out stitch and an old button. this took me about an hour or so to make from start to finish. sweet in more ways then one!

i did it. i finished the grapes of wrath. the book was spectacular. outside of the bible, it's the best i've ever read. the beginning was slow and i admit, i wondered what i got myself into. as the story progressed with a titanical thrust, i felt i actually had a relationship with the characters and a certain connection. i felt steinbeck's voice echoing in my head... as if he was reading it to me. his simultaneous writing levels of human existence reflects much of what is happening today, 2010. the greed. families loosing homes, their dignity, farms and traumatic job loss, big business slaughtering small business, and yes those of us drawing on the spirituality of each other to survive in these times, our commitment to fellow man and the earth we inhabit. i will most defiantly be reading this again. and again. and again. yes-it's that good. the grapes of wrath, is a lyric in the battle hymn of the republic. in turn, the battle hymn of the republic refers to biblical passage in revelations 14:19-20.

in the souls of the people, the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

okay... now that i spilled my passion for this profound nobel prize winner... how about taking a look at this recycled pillow i made out of dyed fleece (i used kool-aid) and recycled flowers from an old skirt. the pillow- retro green from the 70's came from goodwill. .99 cents.

no more boring brownie blues!

i know you've been wondering, "how can i make my brownies-not so boring..

... not so blah in that rectangular baking pan?"

and not to mention how miserable they looked when cut... crumbly and gooey.

well friends... sleep easy tonight! because i found a fun trick!

drum roll.......

i mixed a betty crocker mix up, poured half the batter into one of these bowls and the other half in the other bowl. make sure to spray-grease the bowl for easy-slide out! bake as directed on the package--but you'll need to watch the time yourself-because of thickness! then i just sprinkled a little powdered sugar over the plate, turned out the baked brownie cake onto a plate and antique bowl, then sprinkled some more powdered sugar. humbly, i think it looks pretty impressive. and it was so super easy to do! i imagine, you could use any bowl that's oven-safe.

see now, aren't you glad you came here?

your boring brownie blues are over!

smile, wink, nod!

JARS!

here lies part of my collection of empty canning jars. obediently lined up in a disorganized fashion. they were once filled with treats from last summer's harvest. pizza sauce. raspberry jam. pears. pickles. all kinds of pickles. applesauce. they're just waiting around in my basement... for another six months until they can be water-bathed and be the holding tank for 2010's harvest.

but i said to myself.... "myself, why not fill up those good jars with homemade mixes?" cookie mixes, bread mixes, soup mixes. so that's my plan. and i think i will really like having things organized and pre-mixed, with the recipe attached to the jar.

now the best part.... this website!

everything from rice mixes to pie mixes.

smile, wink, nod!

sunday night, will find me flopped on the couch with

popcorn and soft quilts, watching julie & julia!

have you seen it? what did you think? i found this copy at

redbox. i love redbox.

i made these recycled change purses, last night.

you can make them, too. it's easy. here's how...

find a wool sweater that is banged up and distressed.

cut a desired size and shape... rectangle or square?...

fold in half and stitch. i use my favorite stitch, the

blanket stitch.

then i took a rose colored velvet blouse

i had and made rosettes from the fabric!

and attached a vintage button in the middle!

i have a difficult time watching "boy" movies, with

my son and husband... hence, i do most of my crafts

while they tune into their

westerns or car chase shows (varoom, vroom!)...

i'm still in the same room... yet doing something i enjoy.

so, give it a try... go find a wool sweater and start your change purse!

smile, wink, nod!

at the grocery store last week, i had 3 good coupons for free

(before tax) mission flour tortilla shells!

tossing the packages into my grocery cart, i suddenly (lightbulb moment!)

remembered a recipe i had for oven-baked tortilla chips:

*slice the shells into wedges

*spray with PAM

(i brushed mine with extra virgin olive oil instead)
*mix and sprinkle parmesan cheese and garlic salt on top!

*bake *350 (i'm not sure how long i bake them... i just watch)

maybe 5-7 minutes? or until they look like my snap above!

i served them with homemade chicken vegetable soup! really cheap meal-big hit!

**********************

if you're not busy... you should check out the new blog i've discovered! i like it so much, i've added it to my sidebar: click here!

ring-a-ling a-ling!

ring-a-ling-a-ling!

my mom called me first thing this morning

and told me she had an extra special surprise for me!

she gave me a couple of clues, to tied me over

until she arrived at my thimble-sized home!

she bought it at (drum-roll) salvation army!

this is what it was! my very own radish shirt!

perfect for gardening! perfect condition and color!

i've never seen a radish shirt. never heard of a radish shirt.

never even thought i'd own a radish shirt! but, i do now!

and i love it! and i know this for sure..... if my cousin cathy and my dear

friend rhonda are reading this... they will be green-bean

jealous!

and what's this? didn't my mom meander through meijers this morning

and pick up two packets of radish seeds to go with the surprise!?!

thanks mom.

thanks again!

what's baking on wednesday?

zucchini muffins with strudel topping!

scrumptious!

***********************************

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 c. nuts or raisins

1 c. oatmeal

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 eggs beaten

2 c. shredded zucchini

3/4 c. oil

beat eggs. add sugar and oil. mix. stir in dry ingredients. mix. add zucchini and nuts or raisins.

topping:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

1/3 c. plus 2 tbsp's flour

1/3 c. plus 2 tbsp's butter

mix and sprinkle over the muffin batter!

you are welcome

to cut and paste this recipe...

(along with the muffin picture!)

to wordpad and print yourself off a copy!

smile, wink, nod!

my aunt joyce sent me such a cute article, which was in country living magazine.

she knew, i'd jump on this quick craft as soon as i could! and i did.

all you do is........ gather a few clean bottles, bowls, even a lampshade! find interesting

knit sweaters that you no longer need or purchase at a thrift store. plug your hot glue gun in.

then, slide the sleeve of the sweater over the bottle. measure, cut and fold the bottom to

the bottom of the glass... hot glue it into place.

this is how my finished project turned out!

i need to venture out and pick a winter bouquet of dried weeds

to stick in the bottles! i think dried goldenrod should do the trick!

i just love this bowl.

i used an old knit hat from the gap.

i wiggled it on the bowl and made a knit rosette!

and topped it off with a vintage button!

it sits on my coffee table...

holding my rug hook, scissors and sewing odds and ends.

so now, why don't you meander into your closet... pull out that shrunken cotton sweater that you never wear... rinse out a soy sauce bottle

and make a vase!

it's fun.

it's addicting.

it's a fun-addiction!

smile, wink, nod!

i'm thinking this dude's socks have to go!

how about you?

happy valentine's day!

what kind of plans do you have for today?

my plans include: church,

grocery shopping-we're totally out of everything!,

listing some things on ebay, and probably a low

carb dinner... since we'll be fondue-ing with

chocolate and fruit! finally... i bought my

very own fondue pot- new in the box, never

opened at goodwill. the only problem is... it's red.

not pink. not aqua or turquoise. but fire-engine

red. bright. but, cheap as i am... for $2.99, i will

just pretend that it's pink.

smile, wink, nod.

afterthought:

as close as this man's wife (yes, let's think it's his wife) is sitting...

it's probably a good thing his shirt is untucked. tee hee hee!

2nd hand rose fashion show! day 5

day 5 at the second hand rose fashion show.

i'm still loving the skirt and dress days!

i have no complaints whatsoever... except

i could use more printed skirts. but, that's the

fun of thrift store shopping, right?

1st snap: black hoop earrings. i bought them very cheaply at walmart... 3 on one card for $5. 1 pair of black, 1 pair of silver and 1 pair of a really pretty red.

2nd and 3rd snap: my mom bought me this tee-shirt dress w/ an empire waist. since it's cold and damp in michigan... i pulled on a long sweater over top of it. the sweater came from the church thrift shop... .25 cents.

so. what do i think of wearing skirts and dresses everyday?

will i do it on a regular basis? yes. i've thoroughly enjoyed it. my husband, (surprise to me!) really likes it. i thought he would tease me all week... but instead, was disappointed when he came home yesterday, to see me in my workout clothes.

i thought i'd share another snap of my valentine's decorations.

i recycled three animal cracker boxes, from our homeschool co-op...

and thought they'd be a cute little ornaments on our tree!

happy friday night! smile, wink, nod!

second hand rose, day 4 (already?)

favorite shoes ever: maryjane's from a church garage sale last summer. something like .50 cents or a quarter. nice black immigrant cotton tights. $3.

sitting on my man's tractor. that'd be me... in a super soft black knit scarf from the thrift shop .25 cents. eddie bauer grey embroidered and even lined...skirt .25 cents- church thrift shop. same black specs: $1. goodwill.

this outfit was a little difficult to meander around in. my hips need a fuller skirt.. not pencil-thin... but it worked. i just couldn't take my usual big, uncoordinated steps in it.

still loving to dress up everyday. you're right miss sallie dee... i do feel more girlie!

if you were here in real life, you'd find this

slightly tacky cupid vase, under my valentine tree!

it is ceramic white. also, found it at the thrift shop for .39 cents.

now, how about a really good freebie? a free regular sized bottle of excedrin medicine? click here... it took me only 30 seconds to apply for this. just make sure not to choose, "excedrin."

click right here!

second-hand rose day 3 thrift shop fashion show!

warm embroidered headband: .25 cents at the church thrift store.

black specs $1. goodwill. warm knit scarf .25 church thrift store!

black cotton skirt: $3.49 at goodwill. ivory long john shirt: $1.49 goodwill half off day, black polar fleece donna karan sweatshirt .25 cents at the church thrift shop. wild turkey.... free. it was blowing around on the side of the road and we picked it up... just for fun!

black leg warmers... a real must-have in michigan for skirt-wearing chicks! just a couple of dollars at wally world. yep, and there's my boots again! i was off to run "mom" errands: grocery store, post office, bank, etc.

day three finds me still loving to wear skirts!

they are not complicating my life at all.

because i'm just over 5 foot tall...

i find that i look ridiculous in long skirts.

hence, the above the knee style.

i'll leave you with a snap of homemade felted heart cookies, which

i made last year. they sit on a pretty floral plate, near my valentine

tree!

day two of secondhand rose glad-rags show!

day two of skirt-wearing week...

in the snowiest part of the year...

finds me very pleasantly surprised!

i thought dressing up, would have a stifling effect on me....

but no, it's the complete opposite.

i seem to have more energy for doing domestic

work. maybe that's why maids used to wear dresses?

(think alice... brady bunch)

skirt: $3.49 goodwill.

you're probably thinking... aren't her feet cold? well, yes. yes

they are. but, i pulled off my chunky handmade wool socks, so

you could see my footless tights. which, by the way... are

totally fun to wear! footless tights: $1.49.

looks like someone needs their roots done! aside from that... i pulled my hair back in a rhinestone headband, i found at a garage sale. .25 cents.

i'll end with showing you a picture of my valentine's tree.
it's barbie-doll pink, with bright pink lights!
my cousin robin gave it to me.
the color illuminates the entire house...
(remember, my house is teeny-tiny!)...
i would love to keep it up year round!
it makes me happy.

teresa in texas, marti and janet m...

thanks for helping name Xylona-Xena Xango.

look for her and your names in my sidebar!
smile, wink, nod!

second-hand rose day 1

my very sweet friend, lynn at a mother's journal, inspires me daily.

last week, was no exception.

she enjoys wearing skirts and dresses, practically everyday!

last week she gave us viewers a little delightful daily fashion show.

adding the price of what she paid for her

unique items...most found at thrift shops!

that said... i thought it would be fun to be lynn for a week.

what would it be like to wear a skirt or dress everyday?

will it slow me down? will i be chilly? will i follow-thru?

i'm challenging myself...

to get out of my jeans and tennis shoes and brad's sweatshirt.

that's right... me in a skirt or dress everyday for a week!

starting today, i'll be giving you a "second-hand rose" cyber fashion show!

(hopefully, you'll enjoy and be inspired to take the challenge!)

*black sequined pull-over top $3.42 at goodwill

*khaki skirt from faded glory $1.49 at goodwill

acrylic leg warmers $3. at wally world

ug copycats a christmas gift

paul mitchell freeze and shine hairspray $1.49 goodwill

total: $8.00

(all will mix and match!)

now.... how about this deal? free burts bee toothpaste sample?

click here: burts bee toothpaste sample!

i sure love making crafts that cost next to zero.

crafts that i can zip through!

- yet are zany and add zest to my really teeny-tiny home!

i picked up the shabby chic vintage dishes above...

at goodwill for .39 each.

i then made a trip to the dollar store and picked up beveled mirrors~

next, i came home... made a cup of coffee, grabbed a big handful of

valentine m & m's

and

dug out my super-duper, heavy craft glue and mounted the

mirrors to the plates!

i'm anticipating my kitchen being painted... then using

these in a grouping!

i think they'd be adorable in a girly bathroom, or you could use them

as a tray for gems and perfume~

smile, wink, nod~

letter Y

how about a few snaps of me when i was younger.... i'm the one on the right- standing next to my cousin sherrie. being on bozo the clown, not once... but twice during my childhood was definitely a privilege in the 1970's!

santa brought me this huge cardboard grocery store. it even had a cash resgister! i remember my favorite thing about playing store was making store announcements like, "there's a kid lost.. if your his mom... come and get him." note: groovy 1970's t.v and drapes behind me.

looks like someone had a hard day of play... note the braids. we all had them. it was the jan brady (brady bunch) trend!

me when i was even younger... with my cousin jeff. both only children, we grew up like brother and sister. still have that bond today. in fact he is the one who introduced me to my husband!

happy, happy saturday night!

xoxoxoxoxoxo!

the letter x has me scratching my head.

i have nothing clever to come up with.

except this snap i took of a weird doll i have

in my upstairs hallway. perhaps we should name

her something that starts with the letter X.

so, how about it? post your name suggeston in

my comments!

happy, happy friday.

what? what? what? what?

what a deal! February 5th only!~ click here for free burger king breakfast sandwich!

what i ate for dinner? winter squash-bean crockpot soup. different... probably... no, for sure, won't make it again.

what i watched tonight? not one less, an international film-award winning movie... about a teacher in the countryside in China. wonderful true story!

what i am wearing: hand-knitted wool socks, polar fleece baby blue pajamas, thermal undershirt, long johns. and, i'm still cold.

what a picture above! can you even imagine how cold this postal workers job must of been? i'm sure the houses were far and few between... but, let's face it... there still wasn't heat in the cab!

just jumping in here this morning to answer a few comments left in my previous post.....

sue: i have lots and lots of books stacked on my night table, in pile on the floor and in a big basket. errrrr, some are even under my bed. book-aholic, that's me. about the grapes of wrath book.. it is very interesting... but it's taking me forever to read it. how did you like the red tent?

lisa: i has been too long in between. you are welcome to stop over anytime-- maybe when the girls are at their keepers meeting? robyn p., stopped by out of the blue, yesterday.. we had a wonderful 1/2 hour of catch-up. she is doing very well!

jamie: i can't twist my clip-on light on the right angle either! how is the weather in kentucky?



you are more then welcome to copy and paste the picture above and use it for your own use.