Vintage Thingie Thursday: Beauty Engulfed with Flames

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

Today, in following the rules...I am resharing one of my vintage Colorado Plates. My heart is so heavy this evening, I am just not up to being creative and doing a new post. 

The mountains my husband and I love so much are engulfed in flames....the memories of past time spent in these mountains and the beautiful landscape is forever being turned to ash. I am sure none of it will return in my lifetime.....and my hearts hurts from it.

I am sharing some photos of the devastation in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado. All photos are via the web. Please pray for the workers fighting these fires and pray they make headway in getting them contained.  Please pray for those whom have lost everything.

My mountains facing west from Colorado Springs....this was taken from the mall, and Pikes peak is behind the flames.

It is hard to believe these tree filled mountains are reduced to ash.

Homes in the Colorado Springs area......heart breaking.

Hwy. 24 Closed from Colorado Springs going west. This is the road we take to go to our cabin only a few miles away......

Hwy. 25.....never would I believe there would be an orange sky, and not crystal blue beauty to look at while driving down this freeway....

Heartbreaking......

looking at part of Garden of the Gods....a well known tourist spot.

I can not imagine how it would be to see my home going up in smoke and flames.

I have a friend from High School that lives in the area and please keep her and her family in your prayers...her name is Patricia and she is ever close to all of this destruction.
Ingulfed
Thanks for linking in today, and thanks for understanding why I am just not up for it. The familiar beauty that my husband and I call home is being wiped away in a blink of an eye....it is almost more than one can actually believe would be possible.

Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I have been busy....always working on a project or two....or three.....or four....or......ahem.  But...I did manage to find a couple really cute vintage pieces for a song and a dance.

This little elephant planter was a great find. He is so cute and in very good shape! He is a cherry red but I used a vintage wrap to edit his photo!!

This little guy was a bargain at a yard sale for only .25 cents. It is a little toothpick holder. He is in perfect condition and will be put to good use soon. was lucky to find him when one of my long time friends and I were spending the day together. It was an afternoon spent enjoying lunch out and stopped at a few yard sales and local thrift stores in her area.

I was looking for specific things and as hard as it is to believe, at each and every stop we made,  I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a great day all around and I told her she brought me good luck!! Thanks Renea for a wonderful afternoon, I am still smiling when I think about it!! A good day with a good friend while hunting for good junk...it just does not get any better than that!

Have a great Vintage Thingie Thursday!!

Great Options for Keeping Cool and Refreshed during the Summer Months - Michelob Ultra Light Cider Review

What does summertime mean to you?? For me, summer is the perfect time for kicking back and enjoying a cool refreshing drink with lots of friends and family. I like to splurge and have a cool drink every now and then and not worry about the added calories I am drinking along with the yummy food I am enjoying with the summer cookouts.

Just recently, I have found the perfect solution for a cool beverage that is great on taste and low on calories. Anheuser-Busch's Michelob ULTRA announced the newest addition to its portfolio, Michelob ULTRA Light Cider, a naturally sweetened and gluten-free cider made from crisp apples. *Michelob ULTRA Light Cider has 1/3 less calories than an average of the leading regular hard ciders, 120 cal./serving in light hard cider vs. 180 cal./serving in an average of the leading hard ciders. Please take a moment to visit Michelob ULTRA light cider page on BlogHer.com. Likewise, feel free to visit our Sponsor's site Here. I am sure you will agree that Michelob Ultra Light is the perfect choice for enjoying a delicious refreshing drink and not having to worry about counting calories and sacrificing great taste.

Myself along with several of my friends certainly enjoyed the naturally sweetened cider made from hand-picked apples. The taste is crisp, light and so refreshing on a scorching hot Texas day. The plus to this cider too is it can be served over ice in a glass or straight out of the bottle. We had old vintage metal buckets packed with ice and loaded with Michelob Ultra Light cider and it was a great way to display for a party. Not to mention, the packaging was really cute too! This was a real crowd pleaser and will be sure to make the menu options for future summer get togethers.

Are you planning lots of summer parties or hosting weekend get togethers? Which favorite summer meal or activity do you think would go best with Michelob ULTRA Cider?

When my facebook status is put to the test........

For those of you who follow me on facebook, you may very well remember my status about two weeks ago. My husband had been gone on vacation for only about two days and I soon discovered a real eye opener....my status read:

"dear husband.....I have discovered you do more than just watch TV......I will never say that again.......hurry home......but enjoy your vacation...... ♥"


So imagine yesterday if you will, the day after he returned home from his extended vacation. I was running around the house trying to unpack his bags, start a mountain of laundry (his laundry), all the while doing all the normal housework chores for a Saturday.


I walked down the hall in the middle of all of that and this is what I see......at 2:00 pm in the afternoon......

.....somehow, I think he got wind of my facebook status a few weeks ago and intends to take me at my word......ahem!!!


Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there....Happy Fathers day to my husband who is an amazing dad and friend!! 

I am cooking his favorite meal today, and canning some more pickles..(we have cucumbers running out our ears) I hope to maybe find a minute to do a little sewing.


One thing I have learned....be careful what you say on the internet...there are too many witnesses.... and you just might have to keep your promise!! Have a great Sunday everyone!!!

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Christmas lights

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I found some great deals at an estate sale a few weekends ago....among some of the treasures  were some great vintage Christmas lights. The best part of the find was that they were still in the original boxes....and they work!!



I just love the graphics on the box!! So retro!!!



I am amazed that the cords and bulbs were in such good shape......love them!!

Thanks for linking in to Vintage Thingie Thursday....I'd like to leave you today with this thought....try to give a smile or a kind word to everyone you meet in any given day....you never know when that very person is trying their hardest to hold it all together in spite of their hearts being shattered into a million pieces....that one kind gesture just might make a huge difference.

Vintage Thingie Thursday: Vintage Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe

Welcome everyone to Vintage Thingies Thursday. If you have a love for vintage things, well....you have come to the right place. We have a really good time each and every week!!!
If you are new to this party, please take the time to read and follow the instructions for participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday, click HERE. I try and keep things fairly simple, so please make sure you follow the instructions. Please only ONE link per week. Lastly, if you link in, LINK back to my blog, so everyone can see all of the vintage goodies on display that day. If you don't link back here, they won't know who to visit......thanks so much.

I had several friends comment on facebook this week for my canning recipes I have been using. You see, when you have lots of vines that are loaded with things that look like this.....

You have to make a decision to not let them go to waste and start canning. Honestly, it was a good excuse to put my hubby to work.....he sliced and sliced until he got a brilliant idea and starting using the food processor....he proclaims now, he will never chop again!

I was able to snap this photo before he got so smart!!! If you ever want to have a couple of extra hands in the kitchen, husband really chop vegetables pretty well....try it sometime!!

Here is a recipe that was in a very old cookbook I picked up an estate sale a few years ago....very easy and very good!!!

Bread and Butter Pickles

3 pounds medium size cucumbers
2 medium white onions, sliced thin
1/2  large red pepper, washed, seeded and chopped
2  Tablespoons canning salt
1  1/4 C. sugar
1 1/4  C. cider vinegar


1 1/2  teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon  ground cloves


Wash cucumbers and cut off  both ends.  Slice cucumbers as thin as possible. A food processor works great, or slice by hand. Next,  layer cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in a bowl. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain cucumbers and onions and peppers and rinse in cold water.


Next: Combine vinegar, sugar and spices in large none reactive pot and bring to a boil. Add cucumbers, onions and peppers to pot and heat, but do not boil. Remove from heat. Pack pickles into clean jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Wipe jar rims. Seal. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes 4 pints

I doubled this recipe and made 8 pints. I'd say I had about 10-14 cucumbers ranging from mid size to a few large ones. I had two bowls full of sliced cucumbers, onions and peppers. I know it is hard to gauge how much will make from the cucumbers you have, but this is as close as I can get to what we used. They are sliced very thin, not thick.


We also have canned two batches of jalapeno peppers, and I will be canning more sweet pickles and peppers this weekend. I can hardly believe we have had enough peppers to can so many already...the vines are FULL of peppers...so I have lots to do!! I am also making dill pickles from a vintage recipe too! I am thinking I will be canning all day on Sunday, as I am over run with vegetables this year. 

If i decide to try something is must be easy and quick as I start doubting myself if it is not that way. I will see how it goes and post that recipe next week on the dill pickles  and show you how it is done....step by step so if you want to try it, that way you can follow along.

Here are the peppers from the first batch we canned. I used a great recipe from a fellow vintage thingie thursday participant, Potholes and Pantyhose. You can find her step by step recipe HERE....very easy!!!


And to keep with the rules....here is a vintage canning jar......

......the only thing canned in these jars are vintage buttons!! Now that is one easy canning job here folks...fill, close the lid, sit on a shelf and done!!!


Happy Vintage Thingie Thursday!!! If you try the pickle recipe, I'd love to hear how it went!! 

Tell Me Tuesday: Week 21

Welcome to Tell Me Tuesday.....First off the title is a bit deceiving.....it really is not about you telling me anything.... but answering a question truthfully and maybe telling yourself a little something you had not thought about.

I'd love for you to join me each week, and copy the question onto your blog and answer the question....and link back here. I am sure it will be interesting how there will be many different answers to the same question.....and hopefully give each of us something to think about as this new year progresses. My thought is so many people (including myself) are looking for some answers to various things. I have a feeling that the answers are inside needing to be jiggled loose and maybe a question posed a certain way will have a cause and effect in a good way. We will see how it goes! I have committed to this once a week for the whole year of 2012. I'd love for you to take the challenge with me!

I am keeping the rules simple...I'd love to watch this grow as the year goes on.

1. Grab the button on the sidebar if you like so others can find this new writing experience each week.

2. Once you link in, visit the person who linked in before you and leave them a comment. It would be great to visit and leave comments for as many as you can. But at least try and leave the person ahead of you in the link a comment of support.

3. Please link back to my blog and mention Tell Me Tuesday somewhere in your POST. That is it....easy.

Most of all, look at this writing experience with an open mind. Sometimes the questions will be hard...and require some thought. That is a good thing. Other times it will be easy. You can add photos, or whatever you like to your post. It is about you after all. ~ Thanks for joining me.....I hope you enjoy this each week.
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Week Twenty-One Question:

What is something you don't want to regret when your are older???


If I was to be honest here, and being honest is really what it is all about.... In all honesty, there are lots of things that I do regret at this stage in my life....but going forward I can answer the question and not worry about past regrets.


I think for me, I don't want to regret getting to the end of my life and realizing that once I am gone, I left without leaving an impact or something tangible for those I love. I don't want it to be like I was here for however many years and then I was gone and not even the footprints of my life are left behind.


Have you ever known anyone who has left this world and although they were loved and are remembered, they just existed during their life and really once their life was over, there was nothing? It is hard to put into words, but I have known people like that, and I have known people who at every turn in life impacted others and left their footprints on the world around them and the ones they left behind. It is as if their presence still lingers even after they are gone.


I suppose there are lots of different ways to accomplish something like this, but it is something I am working on all the time. Is it something that will really matter to us once we are gone??....most likely not, but it is important to me for whatever reason.  I don't want to feel I let myself down when the time comes to look back on my life and feel like my footprints will blow away with the dust.


What about you?? Is there something you don't want to regret?

A Moment When You Want To Kick Yourself......

Do you ever have those moments......moments you want to kick yourself for doing something crazy.......well, if not....good for you!! I have them frequently and I am wondering about that very thing and how to correct it.


In April, I participated in Bonnie Hunters Yard Sale on the first Saturday. I sold the vintage quilt blocks below as I had them for a while and really felt I was not going to ever put them to good use. Funny thing about that is a lady kept emailing me she wanted the blocks for about a month before I listed them for the  yard sale. That particular lady never followed through and so they were sold right away to Joan.

I received an email from Joan, who purchased the blocks and she wanted me to see what she had done with them. Not many people take the time to follow up on things they purchase and I so appreciate her taking the time to send me a note and these photos of the blocks she purchased. But tell me true.....do you blame me for wanting to kick myself to ever thinking I would not have the time to make a quilt out of those blocks thus deciding to sell them?
 

Here is the note from Joan along with the pictures she sent:

Thought you might like to see what I made from the vintage blocks I bought from you at Bonnie Hunter's yard sale. I have a friend expecting her 4th baby (a girl) on my birthday in August. I thought she deserved a very special quilt. The mom loves vintage everything.

          I cut all the blocks down to 6-1/2". Lost a few points, but who will notice?

The quilt ended up being 51" by 60".


~Joan

Yep....I felt like an idiot for selling those blocks at first, but then I decided that yes, indeed Joan's friend deserved a special quilt for the baby she is expecting and this certainly (in my eyes) turn out to be one special quilt. I simply love what she did with these blocks and truth be told, I don't think I ever would have been able to take the time to actually turn them into a quilt. I hope this treasure is much loved and enjoyed!! I really feel that these blocks did not sell to the first lady, as they were meant for this quilt all along.


 Great job Joan, and thank you so much for sharing it with me!! I hope you don't mind I shared it here for all to admire your amazing work!!