Monday, March 30, 2009

Vegetable Chicken Pasta

With the promise of Spring coming and gardens are being planted, I want to share a wonderful pasta recipe that involves maybe cooking some of those veggies you may be getting out of your summer garden. It is never too early to start planning...you know?

Trust me, this is really good! Even the men around here liked this dish.

What you will need: fresh mushrooms, zucchini squash, crushed basil, olive oil, pasta, 14 oz. can of tomatoes
Not in photo: chicken, salt & pepper, garlic, onion and water....sorry, what was I thinking?

In a large skillet, cook garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and onion in oil until tender, but not brown.

dice up your cooked chicken, you will need 1 cup of cooked, cubed chicken.

Toss in chicken, stir about 2 minutes.

Add the rest of ingredients except pasta; simmer 15 minutes.

If the sauce is not as thick as you would like, you can add about 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to thicken the sauce to your taste.

Cook pasta per directions on box. I used bow-tie pasta, but you can use any type of pasta.

That is it! Super easy and super good. And dinner is on the table in no time!

This is a great pasta dish, healthy and full of flavor.

Makes 4 servings.

Vegetable Chicken Pasta:
1 pkg pasta
1 clove garlic minced
1 small thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 thinly sliced onion (small)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can 14 oz.diced tomatoes, undrained.
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Using a large skillet, cook garlic, zucchini, mushrooms and onions in hot oil until tender, not brown. Add remaining ingredients except pasta. Simmer 15 minutes or so. Cook pasta per packaging. Serve chicken and veggies over pasta.

Friday, March 27, 2009

A Storm is Brewing...

One day, the storms of life come rolling in...and you know in your heart...things have forever changed.
~Coloradolady

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday: A touch of Red

Hello Everyone! 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!
All you have to do is:
(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
(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. Thanks so much.

This week, I want to continue with some purchases made at the same estate sale I talked about last week. Remember the pink milk glass? Well, here is another set of white milk glass. Both sets are unusual and I am very pleased with finding them.

The description on this set said "VERY RARE - I don't know why" HUH?? What kind of description is that?? Are they really wanting to sell this or what? Rare, but you don't know why? Well, it was priced to be a very rare piece. I passed on the first day.

But I kept thinking about the delicate red flowers on the white milk glass and decided to go back on the last day of the sale, when everything was discounted and see if the set was still there. I guess you can figure out that it was within price range on the last day!

Here is a really great set of red striped salt and pepper shakers from the same sale. These are glass with red plastic tops. I guess I could have cleaned them up a bit before they had their photo shoot, but you get the idea....they are a yummy red. And a bargain for $3.00.

Yes, I am glad I made the trip back over to the sale to see if this little set was still waiting for a new home. I still don't get the RARE part of the description nor the remark about I DON'T KNOW WHY part either.

Do you have any idea why someone would put a description like that on a piece they are trying to sell? Do any of you professionals out there really think this is a rare set? If so, why? All I know, I like the set and I am glad I brought it home with me.

Oh, and the pretty little white and red stripe kitchen towel in the photos. That is from the same sale. It was not white, however. It was a faded yellow and rusty red when I brought this home. And with a good soaking I told you about here, really makes this little towel look new again.

Have a great week everyone! There are lots of estate sales in my area this weekend, so you know I will busy in between working and sleeping......but it is just so much fun to explore other people's treasures, I don't mind sacrificing a little sleep!

Vintage Thingie Thursday Participants
1. i luv retro things
2. CC
3. SueLovesCherries - My Secret Garden
4. Paula - Cup from Occupied Japan
5. Marjorie
6. Bea
7. TLee
8. Anne Fannie
9. fitty
10. Roslyn
11. Barbara Jean
12. Rechelle
13. Miri
14. Susan
15. Elizabeth
16. Elizabeth-correct link
17. mannequin
18. Ulla
19. bj
20. Dawn
21. Cheryl
22. Erika
23. Jeanne
24. ClassyChassy
25. Ann-Marie
26. Pammie Jo
27. Stuff for the bedroom
28. gin
29. Carolyn
30. Little Pink Houses
31. Kelly
32. Mary - Mi Vida Azar
33. marian

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URGENT: Pray for Stellen

Prayers for Stellan

If you’ve been reading here awhile, you know about MckMama and her little boy, Stellan. We all kept watch together last October when he was born – healthy – despite the fact that he almost died when she was pregnant with him. And despite the fact that doctors were thinking immediate surgery would be necessary when he was born.

I have been following her blog this week and to summerize what has happened, I copied a post from Gitz blog below...but today, Stellen has taken a turn for the worse....Please take a minute and pray for Stellen and his family and the Dr.'s who are trying to save his life. He is just a precious little boy and needs all the prayers he can get.


He had a condition called SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) that kept his heart rate way too high, but he hadn’t had any reoccurrences since he was born… until now. Stellan had a bad cold, and when they took him into the ER his oxygen levels were low so they had to give him a nebulizer treatment. Nebs can often make your heart race and it flipped him back into SVT, with his little heart beating around 290 to 300 beats/minute.

They’ve tried many medications to regulate his heart, some that actually stop his heart in the hope that it will go into a regular rhythm when it restarts. It works for awhile, but then it bounces back up to the high rhythm, and his blood pressure isn’t regulating either.

They are having a hard time with IVs, so they may need to do a central line, and the pediatric cardiologists have big treatment decisions to make. I’m praying for Stellan and his parents, but also for the doctors, nurses and staff that will be treating him. I’m praying that they have the knowledge, compassion and skill to pull him through this.

I’d really appreciate it if you’d all say prayers for him. There are so many of us that have fallen in love with this little guy… You can follow along on McMamma's blog by clicking the blog button on my sidebar or the top picture that says Pray for Stellen at the top of my post.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Rain, Rain go away...this pup wants to play...

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, Sophie really enjoyed sunning herself in the spring sunshine. Dora on the other hand enjoyed running, digging, chasing birds and enjoying the fresh warm air. And I could tell Dora was anticipating another day tomorrow of much of the same....

Only problem is.....Rain and storms are in the forecast....

I almost wish I could have prevented Dora from hearing the weather report on the news...she has not been the same since.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Signs of Spring & Pay it Forward Update

My Wisteria is in full bloom, I love the blooms in the Spring...speaking of Spring...I am beginning to see signs of spring everyday more and more. Even in the weather forecast with spring rain and possible storms in the forecast for the week. Let's not talk about that.....


Last week, I received my pay it forward gift in the mail from Elizabeth at Thoughts of an Evil Over Lord. Was I ever excited when I opened the package and saw this adorable Spring garland and lovely handmade note cards from Elizabeth.

I decided to hang this adorable garland over my computer. Not only does it remind me of spring in the air, but also this has a double meaning for me....Bloom.....inside and out.

I have been struggling lately with some issues, one that has really has been a focus of my attention is the fact I sorta feel like I have lost myself somewhere along the way. No...I don't mean I am lost physically...it's just seems that over the years it is almost like I no longer see the real me, but someone else. My life has been filled with so much junk for years that my real self was lost somewhere in this shell of a person.

Life can be a struggle, especially trying to please everyone and trying to be what the people around you want you to be. You can easily lose oneself. I am ridding myself from the junk....slowly but surely....and I am re finding my real self....and it is a good feeling.....

I want to thank Elizabeth for this wonderful garland. I know you had no idea when you made this for me that it would soon be my new mantra....Bloom....just as the flowers bloom in the spring time, I know my real self is blooming once again, slowly but surely. And that is a real joy.

* * * The winner of my Birthday giveaway is:
comment Number 4: Kelli

Please email me at my blog email address, I don't think you have a blog yourself and I can not email you without you contacting me first. Congratulations!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

A Walk In The Park.....With a Mission :UPDATE

Update: On Saturday, we drove back to the park to check and see if Ol' Blue Eyes had found a new home. I am happy to report, he was not on the stair rail, so we can only assume he has found a home!

Earlier this week, I talked about The Toy Society and Ol' Blue Eyes, my first handmade toy. Today, my daughter was home from college for part of spring break....we had a mission....

This is part of a large public park called Trinity Park in Ft. Worth. We drove through the park looking for the perfect spot for leaving a toy. The park was full of people believe it or not, lots of kids and families enjoying the nice weather. It was not an easy task to find a spot that was not full of onlookers!

At last, we found a spot located on a stairway that lead to the street that ran above the park. Safe, shielded from the rain, should it decide to rain before someone took him home. A nice spot to just hang out, if you know what I mean.

Alisha helped me with this task. She gave me the thumbs up! This little guy was placed on the railing of the staircase in the park about 4:00pm on March 19, 2009 in the heart of Ft. Worth, Texas.

All went well, and I don't think we drew too much attention. I felt pretty good until Alisha decided to tell me how sad it was to leave him behind...and ask what if someone did not find him? What if it rained? Too many "what if questions" and I was not prepared for that type of reaction. It was beginning to be hard thinking about driving off and leaving him behind. If I thought about it too much, I might have choked up a bit....

...But I had to remember that this was not something for me to change my mind about. I made the decision to leave him, and the right person was going to find him and give him a good home......and we walked away with a bit of a heavy heart. And as I write out this post....I really hope he is snug in a warm bed with a new friend....the right friend.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Pink Milk Glass & A Giveaway

Hello Everyone! 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!
All you have to do is:
(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
(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. Thanks so much.

This week, I have some really pretty vintage pink items to show you. Of course they are kitchen related, as I do so very much love vintage kitchen things.

This sweet little salt and pepper set was a garage sale find. The bottom of these are stamped Japan. They are light pink and gold polka dot. Notice the small "s" and "p" on the top rim of the shaker itself. These were a bargain for $1.00 for the set.

This is a beautiful, vintage creamer with “Baltimore Pear” embossed decoration in popular “Shell Pink” milk glass. This color glass was produced during the late 1950s by the Jeannette Glass Company of Jeannette, Pennsylvania. I really love the soft coloring in the glass.

Here is the creamer. I was wanting to show the detail in the glass with a few closeups, hopefully you can see how nicely detailed these are.

Here is the sugar bowl. I really like the double handle. The creamer and sugar bowl was an estate sale find. I paid about $4.00 for the set and was happy to do so. Normally, pink is not my first choice, it usually is red, but I liked this set and besides, is pink not a lighter shade of red??

Hope you enjoyed my pink vintage items today....and because my Birthday is Saturday I have decided to have a giveaway for my birthday and because it's the first day of spring this week. And because I like giving things away...it's just plain ole' fun!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leave a comment to this post to be entered into this giveaway and be sure to mention you would like to be entered in this giveaway in the comment, I would hate to tell someone they won something they really did not want!

The shirt is a denim shirt jacket with brightly colored poppies on the front sides and the back of the jacket. This is a ladies size XL, and it is brand new from Cracker Barrel. I am throwing in a set of floral note cards that remind me of the spring weather I know is on the way. And who knows, by Saturday, I may have a surprise to add to this package. *wink*

Winner will be drawn randomly by a very well known and credible source on Saturday, my actual Birthday. Just my way of saying thanks to all you wonderful blog peeps who visit everyday and because I love to give things away.....and because everyone likes a giveaway!! Right?? Good Luck!

Be sure to visit all the Vintage Thingie Thursday participants and have a fun day looking at all the vintage treasures.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Eye Have a Big Problem

I got new glasses. I picked them up over the weekend, and guess what?....This is the third pair of glasses I have purchased and CAN NOT see out of these when I am at work, any better than the other two pairs I have had. I have a very stressful and busy schedule for the next two weeks and can not deal with this right now....I think I have a problem.

Oh, to be a dog.....maybe eye replacement is in the future!?

Friday, March 13, 2009

Finished For Friday: Ol' Blue Eyes

Lit and Laundry
Honestly, I am rather proud of myself this week, I actually have something to post about for Finished for Friday which is hosted by Lit and Laundry. That really does not happen very often. I may not be able to finish things like a bathroom remodeling project, but I was so determined to finish this project.

Let me introduced you to Ol' Blue Eyes, named for his baby blue button eyes of course.


Last week, I read a post on Pip Stitch, Patty's Blog about The Toy Society. Once I had a look around the website, I was hooked, and I joined the Society right away. Now, my job was to make a handmade toy and leave it on the streets for someone to find. I saw a toy someone else had made fashioned the same way Ol' Blue Eyes is made on the website, and I thought to myself...Self....I could do that! And that is how this little guy came to be.

Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up, I decided to make his body green. And, I think if the weather permits, that is the day I will deposit him somewhere on the streets. I will post a follow up post and let you know where he will sit and wait for his new owner to find him.

In a world of such uncertainty and so much turmoil, you just never know how finding something unexpected can give you a bit of hope and encouragement at just the right time.

A simple toy, and an idea has changed and brought comfort to so many lives. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. Click HERE and then if your are still not sold on this idea, click HERE and if you are not looking for a tissue by then, well....I really hope you happen upon a toy one day on the streets to help soften your heart. This is a wonderful idea, and I am so happy to be a part of giving out hope and comfort.

Thank you Patty, for posting about this wonderful project taking place all over the world. Thanks to Lit and Laundry for hosting Finished For Friday's, I may not be able to post often, but I sure feel good about myself on the Friday's I have a project finished to talk about.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Vintage Thingies Thursday: A Bit of Green for the Irish

Hello Everyone! 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!
All you have to do is:
(1) do a post about something vintage.
(2) Visit all the participates and leave a comment.
(3) Link in with the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.
(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. Thanks so much.

Since St. Patrick's Day is next Tuesday, I thought I'd make this week my week to show some of those treasures with green......just for luck's sake mind you.


And could we not all use a little luck these days??? Here are a few of my favorite treasures I wanted to share with you today. The little tin is from my kitchen and I could say it is vintage..but it is not, maybe I could say it is a vintage reproduction, but then again, it most likely is not. But I had to include it in the post...it just goes...I mean with the Shamrock and all!

This adorable little bowl was purchased at my child's Catholic School Rummage Sale several years ago. I paid .50 cents for it. I am really sorry I did not buy more than just this one, someone had donated loads of pottery and in my younger days, I did not feel the need to "have" tons of stuff....today....well, not so much. This is stamped "Jackson Vitrified China, Falls Creek, Pa" The vintage Hankie is chiffon with flocked clovers all over it. This is really old according to the lady who was peddling junk in her yard a few weeks ago at a tag sale. I paid $1.00 for it, and I really do like it....and I believe it is vintage. I did a little research on chiffon hankies and they do indeed date back to the 40's.

Now, I know you remember how I collect platters, Is this not a pretty little stack of green rimmed platters???

The platter sitting on the stand is one of my favorites. This one is stamped "Sterling Verified China" Liverpool USA. I just love the detailed rim of this platter. The cute little platter in the front was an estate sale find about three weeks ago. This is stamped "Buffalo China" made in the USA.

Would you like to hear a funny story??? Good. I hope you smile or at least appreciate the fact that possibly your mind is not as far gone as mine. I was at said Estate sale and this place was small...so small that I felt trapped like a rat with about 100 people crowding in such a small place. Well, they had 5 of these platters and I wanted one. I debated on carrying one around, or getting it on my way out. Well, I picked up several things and stood in line forever to pay, my arms were killing me, my back was killing me and my legs were killing me with everyone bumping into me. I paid for my purchases, not really paying attention because so much was going on. I got to my car, and realized I did not get the platter. Dang. So what do I do? March back in there, to purchase the platter. Paid. Left. Well, guess what? I got home and unwrapped my finds for the day...and believe me when I say I really must have fell in love with this platter because after I unwrapped everything, I discovered I now was the proud owner of TWO of these beauties. That is what you call shopping without a clue....or memory... one or the other. So, I have two of these.

Here is a close-up of two other platters. The one on the left really is lovely, I love the detail on the rim. This is stamped "H&C Selb Bavaria", Heinrich & Co. The platter on the right, is a smaller platter and it is stamped "Walker China".

See this platter resting on the plate stand? This is rather new to my collection and it is really one of my favorite finds. The detail is just wonderful, and of all my platters, I paid the most for this one. Now, I can not reveal what I paid for this little treasure, because my husband does read this blog, but let me just say, I never pay as much as I paid for this platter for anything I usually buy....remember, I am cheap. But the green and the detailed white rim really called out to me and, I could not resist this one. This is stamped "Harker Ware Pottery Est. 1340"

These two pieces are not the same, but they do sorta match, right? Vintage goodness!

I want to wish everyone a little bowl of good luck for the St. Patty's day next week. Have a great week everyone! Be sure to link in and show us your wonderful treasures.

Oh, and for all of you lovely ladies who wanted the recipe for cleaning vintage linens...I posted that on Monday, just in case you missed it.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Because You Asked So Sweetly..Cleaning Vintage Linens

I would like to thank everyone for their comments to my post last week for Vintage Thingie Thursday. If you missed the original post you will find it HERE.
And because so many of you were interested in knowing how to clean your vintage linens, and you asked so sweetly, here is the post you asked for.

Warning....there are lots of pictures, and if that is annoying, I am sorry. I happen to like a lot of pictures when I want to learn how to do something. So, this is the method I will use to show you how to clean all of your vintage treasures so they sparkle like new.

These first two pictures are of some recent estate sale finds that were not in perfect shape. The top picture is of a set of napkins, and the napkins were yellowed especially around the creases and folds.

You can see in this piece of vintage fabric, the yellow spots in the middle of the picture. This fabric was a wonderful vintage find, but it was riddles with yellow spots from age. I was pretty certain I could fix this problem.

Important: You will need to spot test your fabric using the method below and make sure there will be damage to the fabric or colors before you soak the whole piece. I do this only on brightly colored items and so far, all have been fine using this method.

You will need the following things:

White Vinegar, Biz Detergent, Oxi-Clean, large bucket.

First measure one gallon of water. If you are going to be cleaning several items at once, you will need to measure out the water accordingly. I usually use about 4-5 gallons of water at a time and wash several pieces together.

Heat the water on the stove. You need to use hot water, not boiling water. This is about 4 gallons of water I used on this particular day. If I am going to be soaking mostly whites, I heat the water a bit longer than if I am soaking reds or darker colors. You will know if the water is warm enough if you can stick your finger in the water and it is not scalding. Like I said for whites, I heat the water almost to the boiling point.

Next: while the water is heating, pour your soaps into a large bucket or tub. I use this red tub from Wal-mart and it works really well.

You will use:
Per gallon of water
1 scoop of Oxi-clean
1 scoop of Biz (Use the Oxi-clean scoop, not the scoop in the Biz)If you are mixing up 4 gallons of water, like I did here, you will need to use this recipe times 4 for it to be the correct mixture:

For example:
4 gallons of water
4 scoops of Oxi-Clean
4 scoops of Biz - using the Oxi-Clean scoop

Once your water is heated, poor into the bucket and mix well. Warning....the first time I did this, I thought I would just pour the soaps into the water on the stove, stir and then add to bucket....DON'T DO THAT!! Why?? Well, this will bubble and expand and my stove top looked like a Science Fair experiment with soaps oozing and flowing out of the pots. Trust me...it was a mess!

Next, add your linens. Stir well and mix well. I use a old wooden spoon for this step. Soak all of the items well.

This is what your bucket should look like once everything is wet and mixed well. Leave the mixture alone and let it soak. This can soak for up to 48 hours. For whites, I usually soak the full 48 hours. If I am soaking colors like reds, I will check on them after about 24 hours and if they look clean, pull them from the mixture. Do not be alarmed if the water begins to look like this:

You will not believe what will be pulled out of the fabric. If the water turns too gross, I will repeat the process after the first 24 hours and let the linens soak another 24 hours in fresh soap mixed water.

This is what a batch looked like after I had a tablecloth soaking that had lots of red in the fabric. I don't really know if it was the red in the fabric or if it was just that this stuff was so dirty. I got scared none the less and thought I had ruined everything and pulled everything out and checked it. Nothing was ruined at all. I did re-mix the mixture to soak again, and soaked the red tablecloth by itself....still no damage to anything. Just a bunch of gross looking water. Can you just imagine the years of dirt and grime trapped in the fibers of this fabric?

Once you have soaked the linens for the instructed time frame, Gently squeeze the soapy water out of the fabric and rinse in the sink by hand in fresh water. You are going to rinse, rinse and rinse some more.

The key is to remove all of the soap from the fabric....so rinse...rinse....rinse.

If you are having still a lot of soap appear in the rinse water, you can use the following in only ONE of the rinse sinks and only use it one time.

Pour 2 cups of white vinegar to two gallons of fresh water.

Now, rinse all your linens by hand in the vinegar water. Follow with a rinse in plain fresh water.

I usually will rinse these about 4-5 times, some fabrics seem to hold more soap than others, you will be able to tell, you want the rinse water to be without soap residue before you go to the next step.

Now, take all of these freshly rinsed linens and put them into your washer. I use the hand wash cycle, double rinse option on my washer. Add a very mild detergent to wash your linens with. Be sure to check your last rinse cycle....If you rinse water looks like this.......

Rinse again. You want to remove all the soap from your fabrics before they are dried.

I line dry everything. Heavy tablecloths can be dried flat on the grass on top of large towels as can all vintage linens. I make sure everything is hung out straight on the line, the sun does wonders for whites.
Don't worry if you do not have a clothes line, this method of drying works the same way when you lay them out flat on towels to dry.

The final step would be to remove from drying method, and press with hot iron.

This seems like a lot of steps, but really it is not. The results are so worth the effort, trust me. This was a quilt block I acquired from an estate sale, the white was all yellowed and dingy. This is the final result after I removed it from the line. It is sparkly clean and white again, looks like new. I think this will make a really cute pillow.

All the spots came out of everything. If you have any rust spots, this will not remove the rust. I am working on finding the perfect solution for those spots.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on cleaning vintage linens....Be sure to report back here and tell me how it worked for you....I am quiet sure I know what you will have to say! I even used this method to soak a batch of vintage lace last week. You have to be very careful with the lace however, because it is so fragile when wet, but it worked well, and the lace came out very clean and bright.

Recipe for Cleaning Vintage Linens:
1 scoop of Oxi-Clean
1 scoop of Biz Detergent - use the Oxi-clean scoop
Soak in one gallon of hot, heated water for up to 48 hours.
Rinse well....Use 1 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of water to rinse out soap residue
Wash in washer on gentle cycle using a mild detergent. Rinse well.
Line dry or dry in the sun. Press with iron if needed.

Now, go on and get your vintage treasure out of the closet, and give them a good cleaning...you will be so amazed at the results!
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