VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Tacky Vintage Christmas Wreath.....That I Love!

Welcome to this weeks segment of Vintage Thingies Thursday. Thursday is the day to showcase your vintage treasures and to share your special things with everyone. If you are visiting and would like to join us, please do. It is very easy!
To participate, all you have to do is:

* * * * * * * Please everyone, follow these guidelines!

(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the link at the bottom of this post, please use a perma-link to link in with, that way, anyone can refer back to your post if they can not get to it on Thursday.
(4) Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, and if you like include the VTT button in your post. Please be sure to have your post up before linking in.


This week, in between shopping, cooking and cleaning....I finally got all my decorations for Christmas put up....That will no doubt leave a lot of blog post between now and Christmas..hahah....

I'd like to show you my vintage Christmas wreath I purchased last year from a local antique mall. I had dropped hint after hint last year about how bad I wanted this wreath with all of its vintage goodness....well the week of Christmas, I went back to the mall and asked the owner if someone had purchased one for me as a gift....and well.....since this was still there, I knew no one had taken me seriously and did not do anything about my "hints"....ever wonder why folks bother to ask you what you want for Christmas sometimes? I do....just sayin'.

So at 50% off....this baby came home with me, and I had to wait a whole year to really enjoy it....and I must admit, enjoying it I am......my family thinks it is tacky.....it might be....but I love the tacky vintage goodness.....

This is full of vintage ornaments, cups, bulbs, lights, and of course the tacky colored garland.....it is totally not a classy decoration but certainly a display of vintage goodness....and I just love it...

I remember my mom had Santas and the little mouse exactly like this one on our tree when we were small. I remember the ornaments with scenes on the side of the balls, my grandma had some like this too, this little decoration is full of nostalgia and memories.

Here is a shot of the vintage garland.....I paid $35.00 for this at 50% off....and well, I usually try to be a bit more thrifty, but when something speaks to your heart....sometimes money does not come into play......hope Steve misses this post he might not be too happy.......

Have a wonderful holiday to all my blogging friends who live in the States, and those that are not celebrating Thanksgiving this week, have a wonderful weekend.....see you guys next week!~

Do You Ever Wonder What People Say About You???

This was mailed to my husband last week.....hhmmmm......makes you wonder right??? I won't name any names as to who was a party to this....but let's just say.....everyone seemed to think this was hilarious........ hope it brings a smile or a laugh...at my expense!

My Action Plan For Thanksgiving Dinner and Recipes......

I am wise to say, this next week being Thanksgiving will be a major hurdle for me when it comes to food. I have planned ahead....and have a plan....for myself. It may mean, I have to cook extra food, (mainly for myself) but that is OK....it is a must for my success.

I usually cook the traditional Thanksgiving meal....and will this year too for my family. But along with those "must have" dishes, I am going to prepare the following for myself....as a substitution to some of the must have sides......of course, my family are welcome to try these new dishes out...but they are so stuck in tradition....I am sure I will be eating leftovers for days....

Turkey....as always, I will not eat the succulent honey baked ham that I love.....won't even taste it.....I will live!

Mashed potatoes.....southern, homemade potatoes.....no Thanksgiving would be complete without them....Here is my new version:

Mock Mashed Potatoes
extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup chicken broth
sea salt & Pepper to taste
3 lbs. fresh cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 Tbl. butter
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. In lg. bowl, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over cauliflower, toss to coat. Spread evenly on a 10X15 jelly roll pan. bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Toss garlic over the cauliflower for the last 5-7 minutes of roasting to bring out the garlic flavor. Remove from oven and place in large bowl. Add garlic, broth, butter, salt and pepper, mash with a potato masher or use a mixer. Stir in green onions.

Dressing - southern cornbread dressing....my family thinks I am the only one who can make dressing.....Here is the version I will be having:

Wild Rice Stuffing with Sage & apples
2 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup wild rice
1 whole bay leaf
4 oz. onion (1/2 small onion, diced small)
6 oz. green apples (1 apple, peeled, cored & diced)
1 stalk chopped celery
2 teas. orange zest, grated
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup diced tomato
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
2 TBL. fresh sage

In a small pot bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add wild rice and bay leaf, reduce hear and simmer partially covered for 35-45 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. Add tomatoes, fluff rice mixture with a fork and set aside. Spray a nonstick pan with vegetable oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add celery, apple, sage and orange zest and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in cooked wild rice, parsley, salt, walnuts, pepper and mix well. Serving size is 3/4 cup.

The family will have Green Bean Casserole....I will have fresh steamed green beans with garlic.

And lastly, because this is one of my favorite recipes, and the original version is found HERE, I am able to substitute ingredients to enjoy this dish and I am super excited.

Broccoli Salad

2 bunches fresh broccoli
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound of uncured bacon (nitrate free) available in several brands at Target, cut in pieces and cooked
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup Vegenaise (available at central market) taste just like mayo..promise
1/2 cup Truvea (in place of sugar)
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

The how-to:
Cook the bacon until crisp, drain and crumble into small pieces. Us the whole pound of bacon. Next, cut the broccoli crowns from the stalks. Mix onion, cooked bacon pieces, pecans in a serving bowl.
Mix the dressing. Mix vegenaise, truvea and vinegar. Stir well. I use a whir whisk for the mixing.
Pour dressing over broccoli crowns just before serving. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with tomato wedges if desires.
For broccoli to remain crisp, eat within an hour of mixing dressing on broccoli. Dressing will last several days if refrigerated. This makes this easy to make ahead of time and transport to any location at a later date.

Now, I have no substitution for homemade rolls, pie, cranberry sauce, gravy....etc...but with this plan and a few changes, I feel pretty confident I can make it through Thanksgiving and not slip.....I will have fresh strawberries available in my refrigerator if I do want something sweet later on after the meal when everyone else is eating homemade pecan and apple pie......no worries.

All of these recipes are from my nutritionist and approved by her. That in and of itself gives me the courage and confidence I need to make it through this meal....and not have any set backs. I have not tried any of these versions, so I will let you know what the taste factor is on these dishes after Thanksgiving. I have to believe they will be wonderful!!

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Ironstone Bowls

Welcome to this weeks segment of Vintage Thingies Thursday. Thursday is the day to showcase your vintage treasures and to share your special things with everyone. If you are visiting and would like to join us, please do. It is very easy!
To participate, all you have to do is:

* * * * * * * Please everyone, follow these guidelines!

(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the link at the bottom of this post, please use a perma-link to link in with, that way, anyone can refer back to your post if they can not get to it on Thursday.
(4) Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, and if you like include the VTT button in your post. Please be sure to have your post up before linking in.

****** Thank you Elizabeth for pointing out the fact that November 20th is my anniversary for one year hosting Vintage Thingies Thursday.....it slipped my mind....I took over VTT from Lisa, The Apron Queen when her life took her in a different direction, and had to give up blogging....this day was just too good to let go that easy, so I took it over.....thank you girls for your support over the last year and for showing up each and every week.....and Thanks Elizabeth....for keeping me up to date......I really appreciate it!!!

This week, I have some really neat bowls that I came across at out local Goodwill a few weeks ago. I loved the design and the pattern and of course, I knew they were old, so I loved that about them.

Too bad I did not have a whole set....the looks sort Thanksgiving-y to me......but I do love the color. I got 5 bowls for $2.00....bargain.


Here is the marking on the back of the bowl. If you look closely, you can see the crazing in the ironstone....love that too!

This one is displayed on top of my cabinet in the laundry room, and I have the others tucked away in a safe place!!

I hope everyone has a great holiday week ahead....I will have a Vintage Thingies post up for Thanksgiving....I am sure most of you will by busy, but some of us...well....we are creatures of habit and will show up! I am listing my holiday plan on Friday, with a few healthy recipes....if you care to take a peek! Have a great Vintage Thursday everyone!!!

Weight Loss Journey Part 6

Earlier post: Introduction thru part 5 on sidebar under weight loss journey:


...When I say this lady is hard core...I mean just that. She is serious about what she does and tells her clients what to do. She is in a women's clinic here in Ft. Worth and they treat mostly women. The first thing she did was weigh me, and as I stepped on the scale and she asked how I was....I busted out crying.....confessed I was an emotional mess......embarrassing...to say the least. I weighed 203.9 pounds with a overall body fat percentage of 40.2 percent. OMG.....I can not believe I just told you that. I have never felt this bad or been this big.....I know some people are much larger, some smaller, but if you have a weight problem, or any other problem, it does not matter, the numbers do not matter, it is the same pain no matter what. The starting point is just different......

She spent an hour asking me about what had been going on, why I got off the program two years ago, how I felt, asked me things about my health I did not even think to tell her...she was right on the money.......she told me part of my problem was hormones, I was going through menopause and things were so out of balance that was a lot of the problem. She also told me I was showing signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and we needed to get that under control right away. First and foremost was to get me feeling better, and of course back on the diet plan. I purchased the supplements she told me to take, and started the diet right away.

I tried to load an insert from their website, but it did not fit here on the page, if you would like to take a look, click HERE to read about the program as an overview.

So that afternoon as I walked out of her office once again, this time I knew I had to stick with this program. I had an appointment in one week, and I knew I had better see some kind of results as my patience and mental state was on a very short fuse.......to be continued.

Side note: I tend to be a person that would rather "see" for myself than have someone "tell" me something....so I found an online questionnaire that measures if you are at risk for hypoglycemia. I took the test, and as I was doing so, quiet surprised at the questions. A total of 20 or less is within normal limits. My score was a 84....it is a wonder the computer screen was not flashing red warning signs and sirens going off.....seriously....84.....I was advised to see a doctor right away......good grief.

Sunday: I will give you the one month progress, what my plan for the week is per week and add some recipes.......and I guess I will be able to admit whether I am exercising like I have been instructed...if I commit to posting about that, maybe it will motivate me to do just that....exercise.....I will most likely only post on Sunday, and want to thank you for sticking with me while I slowly let go of a lot of junk in my life....it has helped, and knowing someone is reading it, makes it real for me, and has helped me stay focus....if I can do this...anyone can....and I know we hear people saying that all the time...but it is so true.....you can....if I can!!!

Weight Loss Journey Part 5

Related Post:
Introduction: HERE
Part One: Here
Part Two: Here
Part Three: Here
Part Four: Here

.........That was the blow below the belt...even if it was above the belt....sorry...could not help myself. My greatest fear of cancer had come to pass....I was certain I was going to die.....
My grandmother, grandfather, aunt, dad, mother in law, even my precious dog of 13 years had all died of cancer and here it was knocking on my door. I know that is a horrible thing to admit, panic and assuming the worse but I was not thinking clearly. I went on line to self diagnose myself...big mistake....some of the symptoms I had experienced were right there in black and white.....I panicked....big time.....this was it....I could not imagine what I was going to tell my kids.....would I be here for their weddings?, would I ever know my grandchildren?....my heart was in dispair. Then the next fleeting thought was "I have never been to Hawaii, and now never will." Now, why in the world in the middle of a panic attach that came to mind, I will never know...but I am being honest...and that is what I thought...shameful to admit.....believe me.

It took two agonizing days to get into my gynecologist office. By that time, I was in so much pain it was unbearable....she sent me for a mammogram and a sonogram the same day. To make a long story short, I went to see a breast surgeon for a needle biopsy and it was determined the lump was benign and nothing needed to be done about it right away. I was so thankful for my husband's support but honestly, I was so pissed at the same time. I felt like he was just being nice because I thought I had cancer and thought I was going to die....how horrible is that??? He is a nice person, it has just been my perception of things that has been so off balance.....and again, it has been all his fault in my mind.

I go back to see the surgeon this month for a follow up checkup. Honestly, I think this was caused from an injury to myself by lifting something much too heavy and scraping my breast with the object.....I was mad, at my husband for not doing something the way I thought it should be done and that is what happened that day.....at least that is what I think....I caused this five alarm panic I am sure of it now.

Some family members do not even know this happened, so if you are one of them, please forgive me, I could hardly deal with it myself.....and did not want to bother anyone with this unless it was necessary. I try to protect the ones I love the most, so I keep things to myself. It is not because I don't love or care about you, it is just I could not bring myself to worry you if there was not reason in it.....and it proved to not be a reason....thank goodness.

But it took me three weeks to recover from that biopsy, it was so painful, and my mental state was just worn out....like I said before, the least little thing would send me into a tail spin and this was so hard to deal with, even when I had the results....it just wiped me out.....it should have been a wake up call....in my mind it was...but I was helpless to make any changes...in fact, my old eating habits returned, sweets were my comfort.....

If I tell you I never thought things could get worse, that is an understatement. From May, my life has been so hard, it is hard to imagine. Emotional, irrational, angry, panicked, stressed, feeling sick, tired all the time, you name it, I have felt it. I knew at the end of the summer when my husband had made two trips to Colorado and I had not gone with him either time, things were really bad.....I don't know if he realized it, but I certainly did. The things I loved no longer were important enough to leave home for. I used up all my vacation time and sick time at work to stay home....because that is were I felt safe, home with my dogs, my computer friends and cookies, chips or cake.......I can hardly imagine I let myself get like this.....when I had to, I'd put on a happy face so no one would know how bad things were. I could not help it, I could not do anything about it. I thought I was going crazy. I even tried to distract myself with quilting classes, that helped, but only for a short time.

Then....I joined facebook. Now I know you have read those sad tales, of my struggles, emotional roller coaster with that. Never did I think that this single thing would be the bridge to help me out of this funk I was in. Sure I was an emotional wreck over facebook...but I was a emotional wreck over everything in my life....I just kept it to myself. Suddenly, I was in the middle of reconnecting with people who meant so much to me a lifetime ago.....they looked wonderful, just the same as I remembered them....and I looked at myself....and I did not even recognize myself or the person I had become. I was so afraid my long ago friends would pick up on something...I have been so guarded....and so ever afraid to show a picture of myself......that was even more depressing......they looked great, and I looked so bad in my mind. I was slipping into a deeper depression by the day. My friends of long ago played such an important part in my starting this journey. They were the spark that I needed to move forward, painful as it has been. The very hope of reuniting with these friends on a more personal level was what joilted something from deep within to wake up....call it fear....call it shame.....call it embarrassment, call it whatever you want....but after 23 years of not having certain people in my life, funny how these very friends are ultimately the ones who have saved me....and they have no idea.

Then one afternoon about a month ago, I was talking about my weight with Steve. Now, I know he would like me to be slim like I used to be, but I really have not cared one way or another what he thought..Truth. Just Sayin'. Anyway, I asked him to join weight watchers with me. In order for him to not have to commit to doing that, which is so "him", he told me to go back and see my nutritionist. He would pay for it. All of it. He reminded me how that worked for me in the past, and if I would stick with it, he would pay all cost. I felt like he was just getting himself off the hook about going to weight watchers with me.....but if he would follow the diet I could eat at home, then I would give it a try once again. I made the call, got the appointment and went to pay her a visit..........to be continued

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Buying Back My Childhood

Welcome to this weeks segment of Vintage Thingies Thursday. Thursday is the day to showcase your vintage treasures and to share your special things with everyone. If you are visiting and would like to join us, please do. It is very easy!
To participate, all you have to do is:

* * * * * * * Please everyone, follow these guidelines!

(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the link at the bottom of this post, please use a perma-link to link in with, that way, anyone can refer back to your post if they can not get to it on Thursday.
(4) Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, and if you like include the VTT button in your post. Please be sure to have your post up before linking in.

Like I said, I am buying back my childhood....one piece at a time.....ever feel that way? About a month ago, Steve and I visited an antique mall in Canton, and I stumbled upon these dishes....these are exactly like the dishes my mom had when I was a kid. I had to have them because as all of you know....I don't have any dishes...poor me!!

Funny how a pattern of dishes, or a shape of a glass will spark a memory of long ago...that is what happened when I found these plates that day. Steve just walked to the truck and sat down....he said the last thing I needed was more dishes...I told him that was exactly what I needed.

Seriously, I can remember staring at this design trying to imagine I was in a field of flowers.....most of the time it was because I was forced to eat something I did not want...like Brussels sprouts or Broccoli....I think I thought if I stared long enough the yucky stuff would go away. True.

Now, this pattern holds a lot of nostalgia for me and a few good memories. I am sure these came from either a box of laundry soap or at a gas station as a freebie...maybe they were even at the grocery store and you could purchase a piece with a book filled with stamps. I am sure back then, the price was not much if anything...I was surprised when I looked them up on eBay, they were a little pricey....guess childhood memories come with a price these days!!

Here is the label on the back of one of the dinner plates. I got 6 large dinner plates, a platter and five little plates for $10.00 that day....I was happy.....I have seen single pieces of this pattern before at estate sales, but never picked them up because they were just one piece...
I jumped for joy....well....nearly, when I found these glasses sitting on a shelf at Goodwill the week after I found the dishes. I found a set of 4 of these juice glasses for $1.50. My mom had one or two of these, and I remember drinking juice and milk out of glasses just like these. I am sure these were small jelly jars....can you not see they look like grapes in shape? At least as a kid, that is what I thought...

So, yes, I am trying to buy back my childhood....one piece at a time....and of course, my mom has long ago gotten rid of the dishes and the glasses.....but....I have some just like them!! What about you??? Do you find things that remind you of your childhood and have to have them??? Or do you even need an excuse?

Weight Loss Journey Part 4

I want to say, this is the 4th post in a series of 6 before I bring this story to the present. All these were written at the same time. I thought about shortening these post, but this has been more for me and my being able to move forward and felt I needed to include the "all of it" in the story. I promise...soon the gloom and doom will end, and hope will begin. I hope you continue to follow along...and hope that you take something with you from reading about my own struggles. Suzanne.

Related Post:

Introduction: Here
Part one: Here
Part two : Here
Part three : Here


When the weight came back....it stayed. I thought about trying again but I did not have the energy or will power to return. I began to hate the way I looked, hate myself for being so weak and not being able to change, I hated the way I felt. It was horrible. I read every weight loss magazine there was, watched every TV program about weight loss that was guaranteed to work, however, nothing motivated me. I felt so bad mentally and physically, I just stopped trying.

If I ever felt my life had spiraled out of control before, nothing could compare to the last 2 years. The joy was gone, even food did not help. The worse part for me was I knew I had to lose weight, how could I not know it? But I knew I could not do it either. There were people in my life who would constantly comment on my weight all the time , every single time they would see me. I know they meant well...but it really made me mad. I got so sick of hearing about my weight, I finally just said, "I had given up.... it is what it is...get over it". The more someone mentioned my weight, the more I gave up..... It was horrible. No one could possibly know how bad I felt, and no amount of words whether directly, or indirectly would prompt me to make a change.

Along with the constant weight issues, I was having female problems too, each month my cycles were so bad, I'd miss work.....horrible.....my moods would swing from one end of the spectrum to another. If I was happy, it was for a fleeting moment and then it was gone....I was back being mad at the world and everyone was to blame......if you have ever experienced any of this.....Please know, I know how you feel....it is an out of control, can't get a grip...horrible feeling. And if you have experienced this for yourself, I know you feel like you are the only one who feels this way. Everyone was at fault, especially my husband, poor thing. I stayed mad at him, no matter what he did, it was not enough. I have even talked about a divorce.....life had gotten so horrible for me, I really felt like if I was on my own, alone, I would be better off...then there would be no one to blame for my unhappiness except the dog...and well....I could not see that happening.

I know some of you who have read my blog for a while, are surprised. I discovered blogging and it filled up some of the emptiness I had felt for a long time, and I truly loved it. This was a new outlet for me, I felt like I could write about what I wanted....within limits of course, and still be accepted and no one would ever know my many faults and issues and most certainly not my weight issues as long as I did not post a picture of myself...it was safe territory. I love all my online friends, and to even consider writing about what was really going on.....unimaginable. And if I might add, this has taken great courage to do so now..... So, I chose to write about the good things that happened, and avoided the sad, bad things that consumed my life. I hid this from most family and friends too, my own husband did not know how bad it was...oh, he knew it was bad....just not how bad.....

I often have wondered where I have disappeared to? What happened to the person I once was? In fact, when I would read my blog post...some days I wondered who exactly this person was....certainly not me.....I felt like two different people.....it is so hard to explain and I am sure I sound like crazy person....but honestly I felt that way, like I was seriously loosing it, day by day.

I felt so bad all the time, stressed out, mad at the world and a weight problem with which I could not get a grip .....I had no idea what to do or even how to make a change.....then one night in May of this year....I found a lump in my breast........to be continued. FRIDAY - I won't make you wait until Sunday.

Weight Loss Journey Part 3

Introduction: HERE
Part One: HERE
Part Two: HERE


In 2004, my weight had climbed into the 180's. I may have failed to mention that I am 5 ft. 5 in. so, my weight was really out of control for the next several years. Also, my mental state of mind was still in a fragile state. I found I could not handle any kind of stress at all. I always felt like I was living on the edge, about to tip over the top.....it has been most difficult. The most simple of tasks became overwhelming. I was lucky to accomplish one thing on a list to do each day and felt like I had been productive, my husband on the other hand did not see it like that. But then again, I kept my state of mind to myself....and put up a front the best I could. Honestly, I think he thought I had just become lazy, and that was just not the case.

In the fall of 2005, my youngest child went off to college, and all of a sudden, I found my self in the empty nest category. Another life shattering moment for about four months.....

....then, my husband bought me my precious Sophie...and all of a sudden I was needed again and felt so much better.....and well....you all who know me, know where that led to......3 dogs, 3 years later!

But seriously, life as I had known it was changing so fast, it was scary. My best friend was gone, busy with her own life at school, just as it was supposed to be...only I was angry, sad, depressed and felt like my life was over. In fact, I was sure of it. I was mad that I had not had more children, if I had had more children, I would still have one at home. I ranted and raved to my husband that we could adopt, that we were not too old to have another child.....he thought I had lost my mind.....and bless his heart, he was not willing to give me another baby....but a puppy was a different matter! It was just more fuel to the fire of my emotional state and eating habits. The adjustment of my daughter going off to college, was one of the hardest things to accept, silly as that sounds. When I felt bad, I ate.....and I felt so bad all the time...so I ate all the time.....before I knew it, my weight was 198. How did that happen?

In the spring of 2006, I went in for my yearly exam and my blood pressure was sky high. The Dr. asked if I had seen my family doctor and did he know of the problem....unable to face this, I said yes, they know it is high.....but I don't want any medicine.....I had no idea my blood pressure was out of control....but did not want to admit it and had not been to my family doctor. I think she knew I was not telling the truth, She referred me to a nutritionist and recommended I pay her a visit. The nutritionist had helped her (the dr) lose weight and keep it off and she looked great. In fact, she was the same age as I was, only she looked about 20 years younger. All of a sudden, I felt old. But was encouraged that there was hope and help, I just needed to make an appointment.

The first appointment I had with the nutritionist was a real eye opener. I weighed 198 lbs. After a lengthy talk, I was given a diet to follow, what foods to eat, what foods I could not eat...and the latter was a much longer list. I thought she was crazy, I did not eat this type of foods, and certainly my family did not eat them either. If I started fixing this type of things, they would think I had lost my mind....healthy, organic foods were not in my kitchen. The main thing for me was sugar. I could not have any....foods that made sugar or fruits that made sugar in my body were off limits. No more baked goods, donuts, pies, cakes, ice cream..... No soft drinks, and believe me, I could drink a 6 pack in a day....no joke.....if I needed a pick me up, I'd have a soda......all the time.
I was given supplements from the nutritionist (well, I purchased them) to go along with my new " lifestyle change" and reported in each week with a visit. For three months, I ate mostly the same thing each and every day, I did not eat out hardly at all, and when I did, was very careful what I ate. In 3 months I got down to 165 lbs. I felt better. Really Better. I was in a size 12 from a size 16.

I felt better about myself, and confident I could do this on my own. After all, the visits were not cheap and they were not covered by my insurance. So guess what...I stopped going. Stopped taking my supplements because I felt better, and slowly....went right back into my old routine.....cooking my old favorite foods that I had missed so much, eating at the old favorite restaurants. At first, nothing really happened, I maintained....but then slowly but surely, the weight came back and along with the weight, the blue clouds starting rolling back in, you would think I would have made the connection........to be continued

We have a Wiener.......UMM.....I mean a Winner!!!!!

Well, it is time to announce the winner of the General Dollar gift card, so the winner can anticipate all the wonderful hand lotion they are going to make!!!

I used a fancy Random Generator to chose this winner this evening.....

Bailey, was most eager when I sat a bowl of little pieces of paper on the floor.......she was excited......

and quickly dove nose first into the bowl and chose a winner....but was headed right back in the bowl to chose another winner......she did not understand I was only wanting her to chose just one.....

Jane....you are the lucky winner....chosen by Bailey this evening.....please email me your address.......Congratulations, and thank you everyone who played along....I have missed holding giveaways.....

Say Goodbye To Expensive Department Store Moisturizer and a Surprise!

Earlier this year when I sent out my Pay It Forward gifts, I included a little jar of lotion that I made. With the holiday season upon us, and I know lots of folks are strapped for extra cash, I decided to share this recipe for the most wonderful moisturizer you will ever use...and you can tell those expensive cosmetic counters at the department store goodbye...

These make great shower favors (which I use at every shower I give, just change the theme on the container), stocking stuffers, co-workers gifts, or just extra gifts to have on hand during the holiday season....something small...but says a lot!

Now, this is easy as can be.....and ANYONE whom I have ever given this gift to, simply raves about this lotion....they think I am a genius, super girl, the whole kit and caboodle....it has been fun riding that wave of genius for so long, but now I want you to have a turn too.....ready? Let's begin.....

All you need are three ingredients: From DOLLAR GENERAL.....Shhhhhhh, yes, I did just say Dollar General. You will need one large baby lotion, I used the Shea and coco butter today, the pink is great if you are doing a girl baby shower, the lotion will be pink. Next, a large jar of Petroleum Jelly, and finally, a jar of the vitamin E skin cream.....simple...three things that is all...now, lets get started.

See, here is the Shea and cocoa butter label......but the pink baby lotion will work too.

First, empty the jar of vitamin E cream in a large mixing bowl, get all the goods out of the jar. Now, I save these jars, they are plastic, and the labels peel right off with no effort, and they can be washed and to store the final lotion product back in the container....Recycle made easy!

Next, add the Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline).....sorry, I'll try to keep it simple.

Make sure you get all the good stuff.....I have had no luck at recycling these containers...so I toss them.

Lastly, pour in the lotion....all of it.....

I was not joking....ALL of it. I slice the side open, and using a spatula, get the rest out of the container...can't recycle this except inside the recycle bin.

Now, get your hand mixer out and begin to whip all of this together.......

whip, whip, whip..........don't stop....I said, whip, whip, whip.......

When all is mixed really well...it will be light and fluffy....almost like icing.....see, how pretty is this?

Next: fill your containers. I used recycled baby food jars. I had to really work at taking all the glue and labels off the jars, but these jars are a good size for a small gift, so totally makes a little effort on your part worth it.

Fill to the top......just like so.......

once again...don't waste a single drop.......

I used Mod-Podge to add some scrapbook paper on the spray painted lids, and embellished with vintage lace, buttons and rhinestones....


What do you think?????


Now, top off with some vintage rick-rack or ribbon...and there you go. See what a little creative work will turn an ordinary baby food jar into something really cute....

If you are making a big batch, then just do the same process with however many of each ingredient you think you might need. One of each will fill about 6-7 baby food jars. I have made big batches of this using about 9 of each.....works just the same.....

Once you have tried this, you will be sold....this is all I use. I use it as a face cream, hand and foot cream and all over body cream.....it is wonderful. I will tell you this, all my co-workers ask me for it without fail....I always get "When are you going to make me some more lotion?...Christmas is coming!"

They think I am a Rock Star......LOL

Here is a photo from a baby shower, used the same jars, had a little round sticker with shower theme printed and stuck on top of lid, and presented inside a organza bag.

Same lotion for a wedding shower, used containers from the container store, glued rhinestone on top for some pizazz and printed a tag and attached that to a little bag. I used the pink lotion here as this was a pink themed shower.

GIVEAWAY TIME

Now, if you leave a comment on this post....I am giving away a $10.00 gift certificate to Dollar General...that will buy you 3 of each container, and all you have to do is follow this recipe.....maybe this will jump start you on your gift giving this holiday season! If you do not have a Dollar General in your area, just tell me, I will send the products to your home using the gift card to purchase them.....Winner announced Saturday evening....

Tip: If you do not have access to baby food jars, (like I did not) place an ad on Craigslist under the "wanted" section...your email will be flooded with wonderful folks wanting to give these to you for free.....how economical is that????

And if you want to keep this recipe your secret....go right ahead.....you can be a Rock Star with your friends too!!!!

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Pink Rose Delights

Welcome to this weeks segment of Vintage Thingies Thursday. Thursday is the day to showcase your vintage treasures and to share your special things with everyone. If you are visiting and would like to join us, please do. It is very easy!
To participate, all you have to do is:

* * * * * * * Please everyone, follow these guidelines!

(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the link at the bottom of this post, please use a perma-link to link in with, that way, anyone can refer back to your post if they can not get to it on Thursday.
(4) Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, and if you like include the VTT button in your post. Please be sure to have your post up before linking in.

I decided to show you some really sweet rose pattern treasures that I have picked up here and there. There really is no rhyme or reason to my purchases, if I see something I like, well, that is all it takes, it comes home with me.


This little shoe was sitting on a shelf at Goodwill. I love the little roses on the shoe itself, so dainty looking. I especially love the lacy top of the shoe and the little flowers that are on the lace. Very delicate looking. This was a $1.00 bargain.

Here is the bottom stamp of this little rose decorated shoe.

This little trinket plate was found at a hole in the wall thrift store. I had never been inside this store before, but one afternoon, decided to have a look around. This measures about 3 inches wide, small and dainty....and had a small price too.... 25 cents.

Here is the mark on the back of the little dish. I looked this mark up on ebay, and there were several pieces with hefty prices on them, but they were much larger pieces than this one. I don't know how much it actually is worth, but I love it....and loved the price.

This set of four little rosy dishes are quiet small...see the penny, wanted you to see in retrospect how small they are. These are very delicate, you can feel how delicate and fragile the china is, these are just precious to me....estate sale find...$2.00.

Here is the up close to show you the details of the little roses...so sweet.

and this is the back of the little dishes.....I was going to try and research these markings, but I have Jury Duty on Wed (today) and my work schedule changed on Tues, so I am frantically trying to get a post scheduled and up because...well with Jury Duty, you just don't ever know.....if I am late visiting each one of you this week, it is because I am doing my civic duty....and not happy about it!

Have a great week everyone.....as always thanks for your love and support.....enjoy your fall weekend.