Great Yard Sale Finds

It was another great week of yard saling! Brad and I took the girls out Saturday morning to a couple and really got quite a bit of stuff, I was most excited about the Children's Place jeans we got for Alayna, three pairs for $5, can't beat that!

Rachel bought this chalkboard at our local thrift store, Anne's. She was so cute because she asked me if I thought the lady would take less than the $10 she was asking. I laughed out loud and told her to ask the owner, so she did! The lady chuckled and said that she would sell it to her for $8. Rachel was thrilled! I could have bought soooo much more there, but I've been put on a budget:( Boohoo...

I love the tin flowers, they were $1.50 a piece, and they look great sitting on Emma and Alayna's dresser for now. You can also hang them up, which I might do. The bucket wasn't actually for sale, but I asked the lady at the garage sale if she would sell it. She thought about it for a minute and said she'd give it to me for $2. SOLD!! I love it, I put my herb garden in it and set it out on the patio. The baseball bucket I bought for my nephew, as his room has the baseball theme. And last but not least, I found a Mary Higgins Clark Christmas book for .25.

Lots of fun looking for treasures, and I love the fact that the girls favorite thing to play right now is "thrift store", lol!! As always, I'm linking over to Rhoda from Southern Hospitality for Thrifty Monday, make sure to check out everyone's links!!

Lazy Saturday

Ever have those days where you feel like doing this all day??!! I sometimes wish I was a cat, what a great life. You eat, use the litter box, bat around a little toy mouse once in a while, and take lots of naps. Fluffy has come back to her fun, feisty self now since having her babies. I love it:)

Today was a great day of being with family. We had our great friends (who I have done daycare for their kids for 5 years. Yesterday was their last day, as they are moving:( ) over last night for the last "hurrah" if you will. We made venison cheddar brats that we had just gotten back from the meat locker, sweet corn and baby reds from the garden. What a great meal!

Today we decided to go garage saling, I found some great stuff that I will post for Rhoda's Thrifty Finds on Monday. Then this afternoon was mommy/Emma day:) We went shopping, bought her tennis shoes for school, a few tops, and a pair of jeans. All done shopping for her now! After shopping we hit the coffee shop, strawberry smoothie for her, and some delicious Echinacea Elderberry Tea for me. We came home and Alayna and I took a nap while the others went with daddy to help out at Grandma and Grandpa's for awhile. I believe tonight will be family movie night:)

Rooster Party

It's time for Bella Vista's Rooster Party! Basically, just a time for everyone to showcase their love for anything rooster:) I do love roosters, and have a smallish collection, although I just took down my big rooster print, not sure where I am going to put it?

The picture I got free with my hostess credits from Home Interiors about 4 years ago. I love this picture, but was ready for something different on my dining room wall:) The little pic next to it I found at a thrift store for $5. The rooster on the bottom I bought several years ago while up at my dad's, I spent $25. YIKES! Can you imagine paying that much, lol!!??. The little rooster salt and pepper shakers were given to me by my Grandmother, I remember her always using these when we were there for dinners. Love having that history!

So, those are a couple things from my collection, enjoy!

Organizing Thursday

Reading Cheri's post from It's So Very Cheri a few days ago made me start getting excited for Fall. I love Fall, love the trees, the smells, the colors, everything! I can't wait to start making pies and applesauce from our apple trees, taking the girls to different orchards and just enjoying the cool crispness of Fall.

So today, I was lucky enough to only have a few kids in daycare, which allowed me a little time to do some organizing. I made my Fall cleaning list last week, so I can work on it little by little. When the kids have quiet time, I try to get one thing done on my list. well, I'm happy to say that I'm almost done already! Today's task was to clean out and organize our closet. It's a great walk in closet, but it's so packed full that it looks terrible. I got rid of a whole bag of clothes, and got busy rearranging. It looks soooo much better and I *might* be able to find things in there now:) I was able to check several things off my list, which always feels good. On Monday I'll post pics of my kitchen cabinets, I rearranged and added some things, looks great!

My Mom came over yesterday to bring more things from Grandma and Grandpa's house for me. I love that Grandpa knows not to throw anything away, he gives it to me first! She brought some awesome HUGE old coffee jars. not sure what I will do with them yet, but this jar came from Grandma's. I filled it with some old berries, and then found an ornament that I took apart because I like the twine and berries. I think it turned out great. I got the idea from Cheri's post, so make sure and check it out!

Oh, and tomorrow I am taking part in a Rooster party held over at Bella Vista, make sure and check that out too!!

Outdoor Wednesday!

If you head on over to Southern Daydreamer you will find Outdoor Wednesday, how fun to look through every one's pics! I took these photos up at my Dad and Step Mom's last weekend. They have a fabulous yard full of flowers, plants, pretty much anything you could think of. I have a passion of photographing flowers and barns, there is so much beauty and mystery hiding in God's creation. I think I might blow this one up and frame it, beautiful!!

Oatmeal Pancakes

I am linking over to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Lisa at Blessed With Grace today. Tuesdays in daycare is pancakes day, so today I made oatmeal pancakes. I love these, as they really are good for you, I've made it without the buttermilk, and it still tastes wonderful. I have also added chopped apples, and bananas for something a little different. I love the fact that the kids gobble them up, but don't know that they are healthy, tee-hee!

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 C regular or quick cooking rolled oats

1 C whole wheat flour

1/4 C wheat germ

1/4 C non-fat dry milk powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbl brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups buttermilk

In a bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients. All at once, add to the moist ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Preheat griddle and grease lightly. Add batter, 1/4 cup full at a time, cook until tops are bubbly and flip. Enjoy!!

Porch Makeover

I've been wanting to really give my porch more "umph", but didn't know how to shake it up. I had bought the red bench at a thrift store last year, had the birdhouse laying in the garage, and bought the egg crate at an antique store for $2. So when Brad's family decided to tear down the old barn (which is about 120? years old), my little started turning. However, once I got the stuff home I thought, what in the world will I do with it all??!! I had about 20 little pieces of wood, one long piece, about 10 feet long, and a the beautiful hayloft door that still had the hinges! I put that behind the red bench, added a wire basket that was white (I had the girls paint it black, but not too much) and kept the birdhouse there. I'm not sure if it's going to stay though. I loved how it looked, but still felt like it needed balancing out, too much red. I went down in the basement and found a small laundry style wicker basket that was a light wood. I brushed it with some black paint (which made it look worse, lol), and added pieces from and old swag that I took apart. With some added berries, I think it looked much better, I placed it under the bench.

I really love how it has transformed the look of the porch! I am linking up to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. There are a TON of great redos, and ideas!

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ And don't forget Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality too!http://southernhospitalityblog.com/ and Cheri at "It's So Very Cheri"http://itssoverycheri.blogspot.com/

This weekend we were at my Dad's, it was great to see everyone, and Donna and I got some great deals garage saling! I found a box full of old glass bottles and bowls and things for $2, a small folding camping chair for Alayna for $1, a small lamp (you know my thing with lamps and candlesticks) for $2, some clothes, and my FAVORITE movie ever, "The Family Stone" for $1! It was a very successful run, lol!

Chicken and Rice

This is one of my family's favorite meals, and ohh so easy!!

Chicken and Rice

Sauce- Melt 4 Tbl of butter in a saucepan, add sliced fresh mushrooms and saute for a few minutes. Add 1 clove of minced garlic and saute, add 5 Tbl flour and cook for one minute. Add milk until the sauce is the right consistency.

Add 1-2 cups of rice (I use either all brown rice, or half brown half white) to the bottom of the crock pot or casserole dish.

Place chicken breasts (for our family, I use 3 large ones or 4 smaller ones) on top of rice, sprinkle one package of onion soup mix over chicken, then add sauce on top. Cook on low 5-7 hours, or place in oven and bake at 350 for about an hour, or so. I always check it after an hour to see of the chicken is done, sometimes it needs more time.

Homegrown Supper

There is nothing better than a supper that is homegrown, am I right? Last night I made meatloaf (which is hubby's favorite), baby red potatoes, sweet corn, and homemade wheat bread. The beef we just bought from our local butcher (we even know where the cow came from, lol!), the potatoes are from our garden, and the sweet corn is from Brad's parents garden. Absolutely delicious!

Biscuits

Who doesn't love biscuits? I mean really, what is better than eating a flaky, buttery biscuit right out of the oven? Between Emma and myself, we could almost down a whole batch, it's ridiculous. This is my favorite recipe, from one of my old Quick Cooking (which is now Simple and Delicious) cookbooks.

Basic Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon honey
Directions: In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine the egg, milk and honey; stir into flour mixture just until combined. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Roll out to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place 1 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Yield: 10 biscuits.

Bakers Rack

I just love this piece, here it is decorated up a bit. Not sure if everything will stay there, but I love it, especially the little lamp. And the wine rack, always wanted one.

Oops!

I forgot to post the pics of Emma and Alayna's room! The rocking chair I found at the thrift store in St.Joe also, the price tag said $15, and I had no intentions of buying. Alayna decided to sit down on it, and the lady said, "Oh look at how cute she looks in that chair, I'll give it to you for $10), seriously??!!!! It is in perfect condition, I will just need to repaint it. The "bookshelf" is actually a plate rack that has been in my closet for almost four years, lol. I rearranged the pics in their room, and had Emma make a scapbook page that I could frame, and then I made one also. The frames are the ones from my Grandpa that he made. Turned out super cute! Now, it their room could just stay that clean, lol.....

What I've Been Up To......

Saturday I headed out to Alexandria for a day of antique shopping by myself, it was pure heaven! Alex has so many cool thrift/antique stores, and home decor stores. I had lunch at this great little coffee shop, and enjoyed taking my time looking through every nook and cranny of all the stores. On my way home I stopped in Osakis to go through the stores, "Just Like Grandma's". They have three decor stores, and then a Tea Room where I had the most fabulous rhubarb pie and coffee! Such a great day, even though it rained during most of my trip, lol.



This lamp was $10, but it had an orangey looking jar, and an ugly shade. I found a different shade for only $2, and I used one of my Grandma's old blue bell canning jars instead of the orange one:)

I bought this, just the frame for $2, I added some scrapbook paper and a black ribbon, voila!

I LOVE this chair! I wanted to find a small chair for Rachel's room, and found it today at the thrift shop in town, the fabric matches so well, and Rachel picked out the pillow, she insisted that we get it! I added a small iron shelf that was sitting in a box downstairs so she could add some books. And I also added some coordinating ribbon to a votive candle, just to make it look pretty:)

Fantastic lamp that I got for $27, it matches the other lamps in our living room perfectly!

This is some sort of a hangy thing, my goal is to hang this in our bedroom, in my reading nook area. I'm thinking of putting a large size chunky type candle in it???

This divided piece of pottery I bought for $1, it said Bennington Pottery Vermont on the back, so I looked it up online and you can buy the exact same piece for $40!! I also found three little planters for $1 each, and a bunch of already cut barnwood for a frame for $2.50
Today on our way home from church, the girls and I stopped at Anne's sale, which is a thrift/antique store right in St.Joe that is only open one weekend a month. I got this fabulous bakers rack for $30! She was asking $35, and I asked if she would take $30, woohoo!

So, that's what I was up to this weekend! Don't forget to check out Rhoda at Southern Hospitality to see what new ideas she has!!

http://southernhospitalityblog.com/those-thrifty-finds/

Seriously

Now it obviously shows, grrrr......

Just So You Know....

I really don't write my posts without separating paragraphs! For some reason, they don't show up in my posts and it makes me CRAZY! I even triple enter. Hmmmm.....



Well, we lost another kitten tonight:( It was the cream colored one I didn't think would make it. I never really saw him nurse, and I always found him laying in a corner, never near Fluffy. So, we're down to one out of four. Cross your fingers that this one makes it!



Oh, and did I mention that I'm ANTIQUE SHOPPING TOMORROW???!!!!! I cannot wait. Iwill post my treasures this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend, and those of you in Mn, stay cool!!

You Likey??!!!

The new look of the blog, that is:) I found a fabulous website that offers free blog templates to use. I love how it looks, kinda scrapbooky, with my favorite colors. Anyhoo, onto bigger news...

Fluffy had her babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was quite an exciting afternoon in the house. About 4:30, Rachel saw a puddle on the floor by Fluffs, so I figured it must be time. She wasn't technically due until the end of next week. I got her box with the blankets and promptly took her upstairs to the bathroom where her food/water/litter box is. I heard her yelping about 10 minutes later so I went in to check on her. The kitten was breach, hind legs sticking out:( I was able to gently pull a little on the legs and got it out. Now, for those of you not familiar with cats birthing, did you know that they eat their afterbirth????!!! I didn't know, and was a bit weirded out by it. I left her alone so she could clean up the kitten. It was TINY, like a very small rat, with no hair. About 30 minutes later kitten #2 came. No problems there. It wasn't until 9:00 last night that she started pushing #3 out, and that one was coming out front leg first, and the head was all twisted up inside her. She hollered and screamed for about an hour, and I again helped very gently while she pushed. (I never know I'd be a kitty midwife! Hmm, maybe I should market myself.....) That one came out not alive:( Then about 9:30, she had kitten #4. That one was perfectly fine, however this morning when I went in there, that one had died too:(

Rachel was pretty devastated with the death of the kitties, she was so sad. So now, we have a cream colored kitty with tan, and then a grey one. Brad says they are premature, they have hardly any hair, and are so very little. Today they have both been nursing quite a lot, and Fluffy seems to doing very well. The kids (ok, yes and me, lol) are so excited, and we all love looking in to see how they are doing. Every time I walk in Fluffy looks at me like, "help me, mama!"

This Week's Projects

I am forcing myself to take time for "me". So, last night I worked on a srapbook page to put into Emma and Alayna's room in a frame that my Grandpa made. It turned out super cute! Then today I made a little framed page for a friend of mine who just had a baby boy. I left two spots, one for them to put a picture into, and another for her to write in the stats. I really loved how it turned out. It took me awhile, as I have never done a boys page, lol!!

The frames I used are frames that my Grandpa gave to me a couple years ago. He made them out of an old hayrack he used while growing up. How cool is that?! Mom stopped over this morning to show me some stuff she brought back from Grandma and Grandpa's house. Lots of old tins/boxes, and just some really cool old stuff. I looove that!

I decided this Saturday that I am going antiquing all day BY MYSELF!! Did you hear that?? Woohoo!! I cannot wait! Rachel and I went about a month ago, which was fun, but she hasn't inherited my love of anything old yet, lol. There is a part of me that feels a little guilty, as I *should* take Emma with me. However, I know that to be a good momma, I HAVE to have some alone time, which has been non existent. Cripes, I can't even go to the bathroom alone anymore. *sigh*

Granola Bars

http://joyinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2008/12/oatmeal-raisin-granola-bars.html

I found this fabulous blog, and am in love! She has some awesome recipes that I am excited to try. Her philosophy is very much like mine, everything from scratch:) I love that. Anyway, I tried this recipe for granola bars, and like she commented, they are really good, but dense, kind of like a snack cake. The kids gobbled them up for snack, so it was definitely a hit! Next time I may add raisins.....

For supper I was all excited to make "Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Sweet Mustard Sauce", until I realized that I had five bags of sliced almonds, but no pecans. Grrrrrrr. Oh well, Rachel found a recipe for "Tender Chicken Nuggets" that we made. She mixed all the ingredients in for the breading and they turned out great! Along with that we had corn on the cob (or cob on the corn, as Alayna would say:) and a pasta salad. Delish! After supper the girls and I went into town to get some things at Target. We finished up school supplies, and also got quite a bit of their clothes shopping done. Dang kids are expensive! It was great fun watching Alayna grab bras and say, "mom, I got my BOOBS". *sigh* It was funny at first, then got a liiiitle annoying, lol.

I have also been busy with the cucumbers. We have a TON, and I'm not even a huge cuke person. However, I made creamed cucumbers two nights ago for supper, and then made my Grandma Trellis' refrigerator pickles. They are soooo very good. Whenever I went to Grandma's, I looked forward to three things, her pickles, fried chicken, and monkey bread. Good stuff, I tell ya. I have tried to make fried chicken like hers, but of course it never turns out.

So, that's it from the Homespun Kitchen, Happy Hump Day to all!!!

Sweet Basil Pizza Sauce

This is my favorite pizza sauce. I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com (shocker) and it is just as easy as opening a can of sauce:)

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 Tbl olive oil

Mix all together! The only thing I do differently is add fresh basil instead of the seasoning. *I* think it adds much more flavor, plus I started a small herb garden where I planted Sweet Basil, so I add it to everything, lol!

We had a fabulous time last night with my step sister and her family. The weather was gorgeous, and it was so nice to sit outside and enjoy the patio:) We had burgers on the grill, homemade potato salad, corn and black bean salsa and for dessert a no bake raspberry cheesecake. It was all delicious, and so easy to make. I love cooking for gatherings like this!

Banana Apple Pancakes

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whole-Wheat-Oatmeal-and-Banana-Pancakes/Detail.aspx?prop31=2

These pancakes were AWESOME!! The only thing I did differently was added chopped apples. They smelled like something fresh out of the bakery and the kids gobbled them up!

Last night I made Garlic Chicken from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlic-Chicken/Detail.aspx?prop31=5 . It was good, but the coating wasn't very crispy, like I had hoped. We also had red potatoes from the garden and fresh asparagus, YUM! Tonight my Step Sister and her family along with Mom and Bob are coming over for supper. We are having burgers on the grill, homemade potato salad, corn and black bean salsa. For dessert I found a recipe for No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake. It looks awfully good!

I have decided that I am ready to start *really* decorating our home. I don't mean like remove everything and start over, but I'm ready for some changes. However, whatever I find either has to be from a yard sale/thrift store or on major clearance. I'm excited to see what things I can find to change up the looks of the house. I'm going to take pics of the rooms I want to change so I can have a before and after pic. One of these weekends that I have available (ya right), I want to dig out all the accessories that I have to see how I can rearrange things to, before I go looking for different things.

If anyone has ideas, blogs, etc for repurposing, let me know!