Coloradolady

Santa Dora, Elf Sophie And The Naughty List

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Every one big and small is getting ready for Santa to come for a visit very shortly. Most everyone around here is on their best behavior.....

Santa dog Dora is most ready....you see....she has declared herself the official Santa Helper....she has claimed the Santa hat as her own....I am not kidding....and is making a list of all wrong behaviors going on around here.

I began to wonder what was up when Elf Sophie got in on the act....She tried to convince me she had nothing to do with any shenanigans going on around here. Now you tell me....look at that face....how could any wrong doings come from a pup with a face like that?

Then...there is Bailey....trying her best to keep Dora quiet....promising to be good....begging for a second chance....hummm......something did not seem quiet right around here the other afternoon.......Dora told her, "she was not buying any empty promises"...she is one tough cookie, that Dora.

Believe me....this type of activity soared to the head of the naughty list, and quick.....

So much for my clean, freshly vacuumed floors....and if you look closely, the post of the bed must have tasted pretty tasty too.......

Just look at what happens when I leave for a few hours...sticks made their way in through the dogie door.....misplaced toys, and what a mess I found. Bailey is trying to remind me that it is very cold outside and this could very well be snow....Really??? Snow?????......well, sorry Bailey, that is a stretch at best!

Bailey tried to tell me she had a little help in the mess....and it was all in good fun....she begged Dora to tell me how much fun it was....however......

Dora is sticking with her story...and waiting to tell Santa exactly what has been going on around here. Only good pups get treats and toys in their stocking....and she is not going to miss out on any treats and new toys...no way......

Bailey on the other hand....has a few things to tell Santa herself...she is most convinced Santa does not care for tattletales.....and she has a little something she wants to share with Jolly Ole' St. Nick. At this rate....Santa may not stop here at all this year......

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Linens - a giveaway win!

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:00:00 +0000

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.

Boy...time is moving so fast, and I am not getting anything done....FIRST off....let me say, I have not dropped off the face of the earth!! Thank you to all of you who have emailed me wondering about me.....I am fine....just super busy.....but then again aren't we all?? I guess I am not doing so well at juggling things right now and need to work on my time management skills....hahahaha

I have not forgotten the fact that I have not updated on my weight loss journey......I promise that is coming soon with recipes.....hopefully next week I will be caught up some and get back to normal......

Now....I want to show you a little surprise I received in the mail. A few weeks ago, I entered a giveaway at New York Vintage Linens and was thrilled beyond compare when I received an email saying I had won. Seriously, this was right up my alley, and in two days time, I received this wonderful package of goodies!

Just look at this adorable apron, all trimmed in red and perfect for displaying during the holiday season...I just love this.

Also included was this adorable white trimmed in red table topper, or small tablecloth...it is so pretty, I just love it. See all those pretty roses? That is a wonderful table runner, and it is ever so pretty. Included also was two pretty embroidered pillow cases....oh, happy day!

Here is a up close picture of the table runner and the details......I love it.....

And finally, this really pretty doily......this is really a nice size and very pretty.

here is a closeup of the details.....this package was perfect for me...because...well....you know I love red, and no question vintage linens are a passion of mine.....These goodies will be treasured for always! If you have not visited New York Vintage linens, please do so, there are wonderful vintage things on display and I promise you won't be disappointed in your visit! Thank you Carolyn for such a wonderful giveaway, I will treasure these goodies and they will have a great home!

This sweet little manger sits under my pink Christmas tree in my sewing room....in keeping with the spirit of the season, I wanted to be sure to include a Christmas vintage thingie!

Have a wonderful Vintage Thingie Thursday, I can hardly wait to visit and see all the wonderful things on display today....I will be out of pocket for most of Thursday, but I will stop by each one of your post later on during the day....just did not want you to think I had forgotten about you!! Have a great weekend.....

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Silver Christmas Tree

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:33:00 +0000

The Pioneer Woman came to Dallas.....and I missed it........

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:45:00 +0000

I know there is no need to explain who The Pioneer Women is.....I mean, by now everyone knows her and her wonderful family.....Last night, she was in Dallas for her cookbook signing....and guess what??? I had to work.....I could not make it.....and I have only been talking about this for weeks....WEEKS....did you hear me?....Weeks!

Here is the review of the book singing by the one person who loves me beyond compare, who did not want me to drive to Austin on my day off, who was certain this was going to be a simple book signing.....that person is none other than my 26 year old son....

The day started out with him driving to Dallas to the Borders Bookstore to buy the cookbook and get a wrist band for the night event....He got a red band, which meant he was in the second group. I tried to warn him about the crowds, but guess what....he did not believe me....after all, according to him...who really goes to a book signing?.....are you laughing yet?

The crowds were just as I said.....huge....this poor man looks to be a little lost...just the way I pictured my son.....lost in a sea of women.....he did meet some nice ladies in line who kept him entertained while he waited. One lovely lady owns a quilt shop in McKinney, Texas and he has assured me he got all the details on that.....thank goodness I learned to quilt this past summer...at least it gave him something to talk about.

Now....when he agreed to go to see Ree.....I gave him strict instructions....take lots of pictures.....don't be shy.......oh....and be sure to take a picture and get Marlboro Man to sign the cook book if he is there.....my son asked, "What is a Marlboro Man?" I kid you not....Jeff has NEVER been on The Pioneer Woman's Blog in his life.....EVER.....I am willing to bet he was the only one in the place who could say that. On the other hand, I could tell him anything he would want to know.....he thinks I am crazy......anyway...

And just like the good son I know him to be ....he kept me updated via text messaging while I was at work.....

The first update I got read..."I am here in line, no Marlboro Man, think I heard the girls here, surrounded by women..... your age......." Well....so much for the notion of possibly meeting a young single girl in line.....I was certain with a sea of women, there would be some young single girls wanting to talk to a cute cowboy waiting in line.....the stars just did not align.....

After being in line close to 2 and a half hours.....he sent another text..."I am five feet away" and after about 5 minutes.....another text..."done and long" I am assuming he was talking about the line and wait, not Ree's beautiful long hair.....

I believe these are The Pioneer Woman's daughters in the background of this picture.....I was so sorry I missed seeing them, they are beautiful girls, so full of fun.

Another shot of the crowds in line......by the way, the red wrist band was the second group to line up to get a book signed.....I am sure Jeff was thanking his lucky stars he went in the morning to get a band.....or he might still be there in line......I understand from what I read online, the line lasted six hours....I know Jeff loves his mama, but I'm not going to ask if he loves her six hours worth of standing in line to see someone he does not even know......

I think this is when his text message said five feet away.....after a long wait....almost there.....

And here is my book......Seriously, Ree.....if you could only know how THRILLED I was to see I was missed....I mean, honestly, how could you even know who I am....but I can pretend you know me......and this signature....the next best thing to being there!! I asked Jeff what he said when he got to the table....because he had all kinds of things he was going to say....but he tends to get nervous around pretty women, and I am sure he forgot any conversation he might have wanted to have...but he did tell her how upset I was to miss the event, and that I had to work so he came instead.....He told me Ree replied,"How Sweet".....I wish I could have seen him blush.......

I am here to tell you, if Jeff had any notion of what to expect, it was certainly not what he experienced. He could not believe the crowds and the willingness of everyone to wait hours to see one person.....He was surprised at how gracious, patient, and sweet The Pioneer Woman is....I don't think he really expected that one.......but all in all, if he would have just paid closer attention to his mom talking about this for weeks....he would have known exactly what to expect.....

Thanks Ree for taking the time out of your busy life to meet and greet your fans....and thanks Jeff.....my wonderful son....who spent his free time waiting in a long line of excited fans just to get my book signed.....I will make you another one of Ree's Chocolate pies that you love so much........~Good Stuff

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:27:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:01:00 +0000

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......

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Weight Loss Journey Part 6

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:30:00 +0000

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

...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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:17:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:40:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:01:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:30:00 +0000

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!!!!!

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:31:00 +0000

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!

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:01:00 +0000

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

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Weight Loss Journey Part 2

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Related Post:
Introduction: click Here
Part 1 : click Here

In 2001, I had lost some of my weight, but it came right back. I would guess my weight fluctuated between 150 and 169 around this time, for some of you I know you are saying "That's not so much" but for my normal weight, it was. Life events, which I can not discuss, took a major tole on my well being. The "what" of the issues are really not the topic, it was the emotional stress, sadness, disappointment, the feelings I had failed, lost sense of self worth, and depression and anxiety attacks took me to a place I had never been too, and would not want to be. Something unimaginable happened in my life, and the happy life I had known was never to return. I have dealt with this for many years. It really effected me, paralyzed my thought process, and I felt I had no hope, guilt had over come my life. I had to accept some things were lost forever...I would never get over it, but I had to learn to deal with it. I sought professional counseling, and got myself back on track and feeling some better. However, the old way of dealing with stressful situations never returned, I was always feeling too weak inside to handle stress like I used to do. So I was really in a fragile state....like a time bomb ticking....only foods were a comfort and that became my new joy, eating unhealthy foods became my survival mode.

In March of 2003, I got a call from my estranged step mother, my father was dead. Granted, I had not had any contact with him in several years, but no matter, that was a shock and a great sadness that no reconciliation would ever take place, I did not realize at the time how this left a lump in my heart the size of a football field, but like everything else, I suppressed these feelings and moved on the best way I could.And as you can imagine, dealing with monument sadness and depression, again, I turned to foods.

Then in June of 2003, my father in law had a triple by pass surgery and I took care of his recovery until he had to go into rehab. He is not a good patient, very mean and rude and wants to blame everyone for his problems.....that is just the way he is when he is sick...the stress from that was so over powering I can not explain. I was racked with guilt for sending him to a rehab place, but I could not allow him to disrupt my already stressful household being the uncooperative self he was. I felt bad and felt like it was my duty to care for him as he was my husband's father. None the less, he went to rehab, recovered and things leveled off.

In early August of 2003, my dad's sister, my sweet Aunt passed away. This was the last living relative on my dad's side of the family, no grandparents, no aunts or uncles, no dad...all gone just like that...I can not tell you how hard even to this day it is to type the words, it was like someone wiped away all the loved ones from this side of the family, all the memories, voices, the laughter, all were gone just like that...... unimaginable to me still. The great sadness was dealt with by eating, I really developed a love of sweets during this year, and that is how I dealt with my grief....the sweets....they made me feel good.

My mother in law encouraged me to lose some weight throughout this same year (2003), even paid for my weight watcher visits to try and help me lose. She encouraged, prompted, and was my cheerleader. I thought she was going to weight watchers too, but she was not.....she was sick and we NEVER knew it. In late September, we found out she had stage 4 breast cancer. We had NO IDEA she was even sick, she kept this all to herself.....she passed away 3 1/2 weeks after we found out she was sick. The unimaginable had happened, this lady who has been my children's grandmother, my husband's mother was dying....she was in her 60's, this is not supposed to happen. How was this happening? I took care of her for the last weeks of her life. The things I saw, the things I had to do, the feelings I felt, these things that were so hard to believe imaginable happened and she was gone before I ever had a chance to save her. And in my mind, I thought I could....save her. I felt like if I took care of her the best I knew how, fed her the right kind of foods, offered support, took her to chemo, all would be good or at least give my husband and children a few more months to have her. It was not to be. One Wednesday morning, 3 and 1/2 weeks of learning she was sick, I went to wake her up...only she was gone....just like that....my world spun out of control.....I had to call my husband at work to tell him I had not saved his mother, I had failed him......it was too much of a burden to carry, inside I had fallen completely apart.

On the outside, no one ever knew.......I had endured so much stress and sadness during this short time span, I knew my life had spiraled out of control again and all comforts were found in sweets and salty foods. The year 2003 was one of the hardest years of my life.......to be continued

Afterthought: I believe everyone experiences similar things in their lives that cause the same feelings and behaviors I have experienced. No matter how small or large things appear to others, the only person who really knows how they effect you and on what levels are YOU. I know this is very important to acknowledge and deal with so this same cycle does not continue, because when I feel these old feelings and emotions trying to surface.....I am now armed and ready to not allow them to take control of my life.....think about the trigger things in your life, and then try and discover their roots....it will make all the difference in the world.....

A Weight Loss Journey - Part One

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:15:00 +0000

When your life feels like it has faded away...it is possible for life to bud again into something beautiful.
~ Coloradolady

To read introduction: Click HERE

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my new weight loss plan, and after much debate with myself...I have decided to go public with my story, my struggles, and my hope for a better tomorrow....I am sure I will most likely say more than some of my family members might be comfortable with....so please accept my apologies in advance. There is a lot to my story.....so I will update every Sunday and Tuesday.....in doing so, I hope to help someone out there that may be struggling with the same issues and give someone else the hope I did not have.....

I am 48 years old, that may come to a shock to some. You may think I am older than that, but I doubt anyone thinks I am younger....that is OK.....In my younger years, I was thin, with the exception of being pregnant and losing the baby weight, I stayed pretty thin. But like all good things...that too came to an end. In my late 30's I began to put weight on, and would diet, try fad diets, weight watchers...you name it, but after I would lose, it would be back up in no time at all. Now, it is very important that I tell you I am not athletic, and I hate working out, walking, etc. I am so much happier with a book, in front of the computer, or doing non-active activities. Just keep that in mind, and as you can imagine, that is part of the problem.

As I got older, my weight became a problem, and with lack of exercise, it could be nothing but a problem. The reason for this was partly because of the cooking I did at home. Southern cooking to me speaks of "good food" and my family loves to eat like that...Fried anything is better than baked....totally was the way it was no matter it be chicken, fish, squash, pork chops, potatoes...you name it...I'd fry it. I thought (and still do) that was my job as a good mom and wife...to fix good food!

After all, the best cook I have ever known was my grandmother and she cooked foods exactly like the foods I cooked for my family all of these years. Cakes, pies, cookies, pudding...always a homemade dessert went with the good meal. See, that is the types of meals I remembered from my childhood and those are the fondest memories I have are those times and meals at my grandparents house. So why in the world would I not want to repeat that for my own family? Well, I have done that for a very long time without really thinking about how unhealthy the foods really were. Oh, they tasted good, mighty good but from a healthy standpoint..not so much. I am sure this type of cooking is perfectly fine for a special occasion or for every once in a while, not every singe day. I think you get the picture here. Now, throw in a good mix of eating out A LOT the past 10 years...and well...slowly but surely the weight crept up and did not come off. I had no idea how much of an impact the eating out part has on my weight until just recently...more on that later.

Eleven years ago, I went to work for a company and unfortunately most of the hours are night time hours. I have worked nights for the past eleven years. That in and of itself is a stress on your body. I never feel right...always tired, not knowing what meal to eat and when, eating all night at work, eating when I got up during the day, trying to fix a dinner for my family and of course wanting to with eat with them....it was a real problem, and truthfully, it still is.

If someone has never worked at night, they just can not understand how one feels working those hours. I never feel rested, always feel like things are messed up and feel off balanced with the rest of the world. It is an ongoing problem.....the only reason I am bringing this up, is because truthfully, that has been a contributing factor as to where I am today with my weight issues, so I feel I needed to mention that. Never getting adequate rest and stress really does play a role in one's overall well being.

I have been married almost 24 years. If you think working nights when your spouse works days has not been stressful, think again. It is. No matter how much they try to understand, they really do not. After all, I am the one home during the day, therefore, I can run errands, make phone calls, etc.....it has gotten better, but seriously, it is hard to get into some one's head that my night time is their day time, and how exactly would you handle getting up in the middle of the night to run to a Dr. appointment or run errands, then go back to bed and get up in a couple of hours and go to work....I am not blaming my spouse, but it is hard, and like I said things have gotten better, but it has been a struggle.

Off days are even a challenge, I am used to being up all night, and well.....I am supposed to go to bed like normal people on my off nights, not be tired, not have a headache, in the mood, blah, blah, blah....and truth be told, it is not like that. I never feel good, rested, or relaxed. Stressed to the max. And feeling bad about ones self does not help, and feeling unattractive does not make for a romantic time in the bedroom.....just being truthful. I know I am not the only person who does/has felt that way.

This is where I can really pinpoint my weight starting to be a problem. Sleeping all day does not leave much time for exercise of any kind and what better excuse to have if you hate the exercise to begin with? Eating wrong on top of that, eating out because it was easier and more convenient and well.....this was the beginning of a long battle within myself.....and a problem with weight. Everyone if they will stop and think about how you have gotten to where you are today, I believe will discover a starting point. It may be painful to admit, to acknowledge, or accept, but for me, in order to better understand myself, I had to dig deep inside and try to figure out where it all went wrong and why......stay tuned if you think this story is going to get any better.....you are wrong....this was just a tip of the iceberg.....to be continued.

A Weight Loss Journey

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Ever feel like this??? I have for years.....I talked about my "Lifestyle" change a couple of weeks ago...so much has changed....not so much by the "Lifestyle" change (but that has made a huge difference) but the change I am talking about is much deeper than that.

Several people emailed me thinking it would be good to have a weight loss addition each week, one to offer support, ideas, recipes etc....because I am so orgainzed...Oh, if you only knew..... I knew in order to do that, it would take a lot of courage on my part....and where to begin??.....that was another issue for me.

So, one night, I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.....the longest darn post this side of the Rockies....and the words that jumped onto the page rocked my world. In an effort to understand how I got to the point I was at with my weight, it was more important for ME to understand why I got there. These are the things that are hard to face, hard to deal with, and certainly hard to read on print when they are about your own life. But with that being said, it is about understanding, forgiveness, acknowledgment, and desire to move beyond all the junk that litters up our lives and throws us off balance. There is hope....

So.....Starting Sunday I will post my first segment. These writings are so important for ME,to stay focused and serve as a reminder to forge ahead. So before I start posting the actual weight loss progress and support and recipes....this is a must.....I warn you.....these next few segments ( I think 6/7) are dark, stormy, depressing and real......and if there is anyone who thinks that no one in the world understands how they feel.....well I am here to tell you someone does....believe me.

So, Sundays and Tuesdays will be the updates until I take this to the present.....I hope I have the courage Sunday to push "Publish Post". This has not been easy, and I am very apprehensive about putting all of this out there.....and please understand none of what you will read is really an excuse for letting ones self over the years, get so off balance, overweight and miserable...but more of an understanding about how events, emotions and struggles can certainly contribute to one spiraling out of control. When we lose control.....we lose hope. Thankfully, I have found my hope...and am gaining control....that is what is important........

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: 1948 Vintage Apron Pattern

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:31:00 +0000

One of the companies most popular patterns was the Buttons and Bows apron used as a give away promotion in 1948 for the Movie "Pale Face" staring Jane Russell and Bob Hope.

Well, as you can imagine...I am thrilled to have this....and if any of you would like a copy of the pattern and instructions, I would be happy to send it to you..."IF YOU DON'T MIND WAITING UNTIL I GET THE TIME TO DO IT"....But, I promise I will do it!! You can email me and let me know...OK?!?

Now, on Tuesday, my mom emailed me this email...and it was so perfect to include in this post...hope you enjoy it!

The History of Aprons

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath,
because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses.
And they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing
hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tear, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding
Places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around
her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent
over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in
that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was
surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the
porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to
dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her Granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron, today.

* I don't think anyone ever caught anything from an apron.......
Of course not, they were washed and starched, ironed and put on clean every day.

Have a great weekend everyone!! And a Happy Vintage Thingies Thursday to every one of you! See ya' next week....same place and time!

Fall Giveaway....Calling all Quilters and Lovers of Fabrics

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Just look at this stack of wonderful fabrics.....this is a wonderful giveaway hosted by Pumpkin Patch Primitive Quilt Shop. And boy, oh boy would I love to win.....You still have time to enter the contest before October 31st.

What would you do with a stack of these lovely fabrics? Crafts or a new quilt...I can just imagine the fun this would be to win this stack of goodies.....and not only that, one lucky winner will receive a $100.00 gift certificate.....WOW!!

Hope on over to Pumpkin Patch Primitive Quilt Shop and enter for yourself....be sure to tell her Coloradolady sent you......good luck......

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Fabrics and Sewing Items

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:30:00 +0000

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 past weekend, my elderly neighbor and her daughter had a garage sale. Early Saturday morning, I walked over and picked up a couple of vintage Christmas items, that I HAD to have, and these will be saved for another day...I will say this, they took me back to my childhood....and they were still in the original packaging.....woohoo!

As the day progressed, I noticed she was still bringing boxes of stuff outside, so like all good nosy-neighbors I ventured back across the street...my husband tried his best to stop me, I think he was embarrassed....but I marched on like a solider....LOL And was I ever glad I did.....

I discovered in these boxes were VINTAGE fabrics. Some from the 70's some earlier...THIS is my favorite, just look at this sweet fabric print. I wish I had a larger piece of this, but it is a small piece, so it will be saved and worked into a most special quilt. I love this piece!

Now, look at all this wonderful vintage fabrics. Some of these pieces were 4 plus yards...never cut....I love the deep blue and purple piece, it has hearts and flowers and I think it would go wonderful with the current fabrics in the quilt shops. This had a tag tucked inside the folds and it said 4 1/2 yards. That is a lot of fabric. And look at the beautiful piece with the orange and yellow fall maple leaves...it is beautiful.

But this stack....Oh, Be still my heart! You girls know I am a nut over vintage fabrics, and that I used reproductions for my first quilt....LOOK at this stack....I just love it! most of these are pretty good size, at least a yard or more. Now, as you can imagine, with these vintage goodies came a "vintage-y" smell from the fabric being stored for years. I was so thankful for a sunny, breezy day because I marched home, and promptly added these vintage goodies in the washer....and after most of the afternoon spent in my laundry room and in front of my clothes line, they washed up wonderfully..

And in case you are wondering what I paid for this stack...ALL of this fabric....my sweet neighbor told me she wanted $1.00 for it.....we argued and argued...well as much as you risk arguing with an 80 something year old lady. Finally she took $3.00...for all of it.....she thought that was too much, she wanted 15 cents a piece....and reluctantly took the $3.00. She thought she had OVERCHARGED me and I felt like I had ROBBED her.......I think I will bake her a treat or possibly make her a lap quilt out of some of these fabrics (after all they were hers) to ease my guilty conscious.....just sayin'

I had to have this little pin cushion too, so sweet. It is a velvety feel to it and lots of bead work.
Just look at these pinking sheers.....with the original box.....

Here is another set.....love the box. Oh, see that little cowboy fabric? Well, that was in the stash too but it was still on the line drying when I photographed the others. I still have a couple of large pieces of vintage flannel, a large piece of possibly a kitchen curtain, and a cut up vintage tablecloth, that need to be cleaned. Those are going to have to be dipped in my vintage cleaning solution and soaked. I just have not done that yet......I will show you once I have those cleaned up....they are so sweet!

I scored one more DREAM item for me at this sale, a VINTAGE pattern with fabric for the project....I am saving that for next week. I am going to try and do a little research on that piece...it is a dream, trust me!!

Hope you enjoyed my new sewing treasures....I think they will be worked into some scrappy quilt design in the future, or just sitting on the shelf looking cute, as it makes me happy to just look at the stack!! Have a great week everyone! Hope you have a wonderful fall weekend.

facebook has brought a few smiles to replace the tears......

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:55:00 +0000

I know most of you remember my post about facebook....and the flood of emotions signing up for that started a few weeks ago. Boy, was that an experience dealing with all of that at one time for me. I thought I would share my thoughts now and sorta give you an update...because I know you are worried about that...haha....after all drama is drama no matter how you look at it and well....it makes for a good read....usually!

My best friend from school and her sister, whom I was close to as well have reconnected on a "safe" level. I say safe because neither of us has really extended an invitation to make it any thing more. None of us, has offered a phone number, or invitation to meet up.....not really, nothing really definite. I thought about that the other day, and wondered why I had not given my phone number or anything more....I came up with all kinds of excuses why I have not suggested a meeting in person.....

1 . Need to lose weight
2. Their lives are too busy
3. My life is busy
4. Need to lose weight
5.What would my husband think?
6. What if I changed so much, they would not like me today?
7. What if it is too awkward?
8. Nee to lose weight

I think you get the picture.....I have made every excuse in the book....and yet, I feel scared to make that effort....of what I don't know. I don't know if scared is the word but definitely insecure.

I have enjoyed the emails back and forth, and getting to know about their families, it is progressing slow...but I think that is OK too. It is a start and without a start, nothing can begin. A lot of time in our lives have passed, they have their own friends, and good friends at that. I also have thought about this time that has passed, and truthfully,I could have done something a long time ago and chose not to.

So it is no one fault or another...and I seem to really feel that my friends are still the same as always...and find that it is ME who has changed over the years....honestly, I am not sure I like admitting that...it is a hard pill to swallow for me. I guess the message I would like to get across is it is not too late to find childhood friends that meant so much to you in the past, things may be different now, but it still brings a warm sense of comfort from long ago to reconnect on any level.......it takes a lot of courage....and I know that.

Now....on a positive note.....my husband's family on his paternal grandmothers side of the family were originally from Sweden. Friday, his distant cousin contacted both of my children and myself....he is my husband's cousin from Sweden and found us through facebook. AMAZING. I still can't really keep the story straight who was related to who, but he was here in the 70's at my husband's Great Aunt's home and sent a picture he had taken of my father in law at that time....it was unreal.

I told my husband, that there was no reason not to plan a trip to Sweden soon and meet his cousin in person, and get this...the cousin lives in the ORIGINAL family home in Sweden. The home the siblings lived in before some of them made their way to the United States never to return to the homeland.....what a story, I know.

So I am amazed at the things facebook does, on all levels. I never would have believed what a difference signing up for a on-line network sight would make in such a short amount of time. I never would have believed that this experience has caused me to take a long pause at my own life, and the things I have chosen to believe were true for all these years...a real eye opener.....to say the least.

I will let you know when I find some courage to step off into uncharted waters with my new found friends from long ago....I am trying to look deep into myself and write about things that are sometimes not so comfortable to talk about....I feel it is something I need to do, and hope it will help someone else.

Next new thing.....a weight loss or weight problem topic once a week.......I'm still looking for the courage and am having trouble finding it to start that topic just yet....but it is close!

Have a great week......I hope it will be the best it can be for us all!

Before and After : Laundry Room Remodel

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:03:00 +0000

When I tell you it takes a lot of courage to post before and after pictures of my laundry room, that is the truth. Several of you have commented on how small your laundry rooms are, and well, mine is really small too. So fear of what you will think of the before pictures set aside.....here is the before and after shots I promised you..... the laundry room walls were a cream and brown as you see in the photo. I did not buy paint for this room. I used left over paint from when I painted my sewing room, so the new paint cost me zero for this room......

This is an utter mess...a catch all for anything that is not or has not been put away...I had all I could stand. Some of this stuff was moved around a bit before I took the photo, but honestly, not enough to make a darn bit of difference. Removing the shelves, and clearing out the clutter resulted in this......

A perfect place to put my plate rack that was practically in the middle of the floor of this small room before, and totally blocked the window. Amazing what a difference this made...I did have to lightly texture the walls from where the shelving unit was removed, but I know how to do that and did it myself.....if any one wants a tutorial on that, just let me know...it is not hard at all. I took a class a few years ago and paid a hefty sum to learn how to do this....not hard....

Here is the shot towards the washer and dryer. I almost forgot to take these two pictures, but I am glad I did now. All I had was shelving at the top of the walls and it wrapped around the wall to the right of the washer, and the shelves housed a lot of treasures and junk if I am being honest here.

Here is the after shot. My son put up a ready made cabinet from Home Depot. This was $99.00 and as far as I am concerned, the best money spent. We added the shelf (using the shelf materials we took off the wall to begin with. Installed it with some brackets I had after I painted it pink using some "opps" paint from Home Depot for $1.00. Not bad for $100.00.

Now my vintage plate rack looks right at home sitting on my uncluttered dryer. Best part is I get to see all my lovely plates...almost daily as I do use this room a lot.

This is the wall to the right of the washer, the long upper shelving system was removed and replaced with all of these vintage goodies.

This is what you see when you walk straight into the room from the hallway. I have had this old vintage ironing board painted with these adorable animals for about 20 years. This was a gift from my mom one year for Christmas, and I just love it.

Here is the window....now I really did a no-no with the window treatments on this....I had a vintage tablecloth that had the exact colors that was the wall color, and thankfully it was not in too good of shape, I cut it, lined it and made a window topper with this vintage treasure....shame on me I know.....however, I really do love looking at this when I walk in the room. I have a window blind that is ordered from Lowe's and it will be installed as soon as it comes in. The window blind is an exchange on a blind I had originally purchased and they cut the wrong size, so again, not charge for the new blind....YEA! So that is my big remodel project in a nutshell...all for about $105.00...the labor was my son and myself and that cost me a nice dinner....best help I could ever ask for.

Please know you do not have to have a large space to make a large difference in the space you have. With a little imagination, thought and planning and you can really update a space with very little money spent. I tried to use what I had, and only purchase what I absolutely had to.

The only thing I am wanting to get now.....and PLEASE don't laugh.....is a vintage screen door, painted white and installed on the door that goes into this room. You know the kind...one's like what used to be on your grandma's house....oh, how I wish I had her old door. I think that will the be crowning jewel of this room...not only that.....I can put my pups in there and they will have to stay if they misbehave...... not that that ever happens around here.....incidentally, I did take the door off the hinges to this room because it took up too much space in the small room....so yes...I need a screen door!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this project...now check out the spaces you have in your homes and see what a difference you can make with just a little imagination.

VINTAGE THINGIES THURSDAY: Vintage Goodies - Laundry Room Continued

smelkoski@yahoo.com (Coloradolady) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:38:00 +0000