Category: HOLIDAYS

Flea Market Fun

Yesterday was our anniversary and we stole away for the day and roamed the back roads, visited a great Flea Market in St Germain (you know the old kind with all the junk) and antique stores in Eagle River. We had dinner at the Riverstone Restaurant & Tavern which we thought was adequate, but not worth all the hype for the price, view or service*. We did find the Chanticleer Inn & several others for future special events, all of which came highly recommended after the fact! *After MANY years in the food service industry, I am a hard person to please, I know this about myself. But, I also know from experience that there are certain minimum standards for a restaurant that claims this level of quality. First and foremost is that as a server, you not serve a plate that is not as ordered. You can blame it on the cook, but ultimately it is your responsibility if it is a visible flaw. Secondly, as a server expecting a hefty tip in a higher class restaurant, check back with your table fairly soon after they first take a bite – MAKE SURE the meal is as it was ordered. Thirdly, don’t serve fresh baked warm bread and rock hard butter – it just isn’t that complicated to coordinate this!

At the flea market and antique stores we found all of this and for really (An anniversary gift from hubby) is my favorite find. They are cream testers from a local dairy farmer and each bottle had the cow’s name on it. (Rosemary, Nyoka, Martha, Bonnie, Thelma, Raggie, Beulah, Charity, Beverly, Marygold, Sharon, Beachie, Rogella, Reva, Stella, Hetta & Laverl). I’ve washed them all and am using them as spice bottles. Th antique coffee jars were probably the biggest value find. She must have not wanted to pack up glass at the end of the day as it was all priced very much below it’s actual value!

I also found 6 great new cook books, all for only $1 each. I love taking these old recipe books and adapting the recipes to current day! My favorite find in an antique store is an old beat up recipe box full of handwritten recipes. I almost always find several recipes that will become family favorites in nothing flat.

This doesn’t look like much now, but it was the rummage sale find of the weekend ($25). It is metal and is actually a bar. Hubby is taking off the netting for me and we’re going to paint it to match our other metal furniture (which it matches PERFECTLY) and then put on the deck next summer, after the deck is done! There are 2 sets of lower shelves behind the netting and we’ll use those for flower pots. The top is out of “dog” range and will be perfect for food at BBQ’s.

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Anniversary thoughts after another great year together…

Today is our anniversary. While we have had MANY ups and downs over the years, we always love, laugh and are extremely lucky to still be together when so many of our friends aren’t. I never doubt my hubby’s love for me and I treasure every moment we spend together. We truly have a blessed marriage. On a side note we were married in the same church his folks were 60 years ago which is a story in and of itself. The church has been moved several times during that 60 years and now has a permanent home and a place on the National Historic Places Register.

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Blogiversary

So today is my 1 year blogiversary and Barbara over at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers surprised me last night with this post and cupcakes (well her hubby ate those, but she did take a picture for me. Hop on over and check out those amazing cupcakes and say hello. I just want to thank her again. So in the distinguished words created by Meredith:

4th of July – Small Town USA

This is one of the reasons we left the hustle and bustle of large town west coast. Small town 4th of July parades. It seems like you either helped set up the parade, were in the parade or both. The kids on the floats call out to the kids on the street by name, everyone waves and smiles and politeness abounds. They honor the war heroes and veterans. The kids hang out waiting for the parade to start and then run out to cash in on the candy thrown by the floats.
We’ll try for some fireworks pictures later, but no promises, I may just enjoy them. Because it gets dark so late here, they won’t go off until 10PM.

Tamy

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Favorite Ingredient Friday ~Easter Edition~Heavenly Hash

My entry is actually for after Easter, what do do with those leftover ham scraps.
hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy

1 – 2 pound package frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of celery or cream of mushroom soup
2 cups diced ham
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups grated sharp or longhorn cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
1 cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, finely diced
1 cup crushed potato chips

Mix soup, sour cream and thyme until smooth. Add the ham and green onions. Add in the cheese and blend well. Fold in the hash brown potatoes. Bake until top is slightly golden, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with crushed potato chips and bake an additional 10 minutes.

I like to serve this with fluffy scrambled eggs.

Great for brunches or large groups.

It's Easter and I'm so Blessed – Look what was just delivered!

My Easter Swap Pal Jill, over at Baliwick Designs, sent me this super fantastic Easter Basket full of goodies.

Up through the center of the adorable ivy covered basket was this beautiful purple German bearded silk iris which I ironically have a bouquet of here in the house to remind me of my antique ones in the garden. I only get to those in the spring and summer.

All around the flowers were all sorts of goodies: a new pair of gardening gloves and packets of flower and herb seeds, purple floral lavender sachets (which are perfect for the spare bedroom), black currant scone mix (which is my favorite by the way), a See’s Candy Bordeaux Egg (my absolute favorite all time candy that I can’t get here), hand made scrap booking tags, a loofa and some wonderful smelling soap, pastel Chinese take out boxes full of candies, the cutest resin rabbit, a “B” magnet, a floral initial T, a spiral note book that will fit oh so well in my purse, C Howard’s Violet mints and the most wonderful surprise of all was the bag addressed to hubby and one to the dogs too! How perfectly sweet she is to remember them. I have been so blessed with this Easter swap partner. THANK YOU JILL!

Easter Swap Basket

I participated in Bella Enchanted’s Easter Swap this year and was partnered with Jill over at Baliwick Designs. I had a lot of fun putting together this basket for Jill. I started with a Vintage 1980’s Hallmark Easter basket with stenciled blue bunnies and pink crimped paper grass. I found this adorable wire chick in my stash and put a cute purple bow on him and filled him caramel filled Hershey’s sticks, Ferrero Rocher and a bag of pink gourmet jelly beans. Easter baskets are all about fun right?

Oh, and lots of candy. I found an adorable shaggy bunny, a Mr. & Mrs. Resin bunny statues, some sparkle painted egg refrigerator magnets, a couple of egg tripod stands and pastel painted eggs, blue and green polka dot napkins, 3 fat quarters in Easter prints, mini stringed carrot garland, cherry bath crystals for a bubble bath, and I peppered the basket with Hershey’s kisses, Chiclets (remember those?), Russell Stover Marshmallow eggs, Ghirardelli dark chocolate caramel filled squares, caramel filled Cadbury eggs and chocolate truffle eggs and then accented the basket with yellow lilies and of course PEEPS, green chicks and pink bunnies. I sure hope she likes it.


I had to borrow Jill’s picture as hers is adorable!