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Giveaway Winner!

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Maureen!!
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Enjoy Life Anyway Giveaway
20 oz Jar Soy Scented Candle
from SCENTSATION CANDLES 

AVAILABLE IN-FRENCH STRAWBERRY, COCO MANGO, BLUE CHANEL, BORN WILD, POPPY LOVE, HEARTS & ARROWS, APPLE JACK, BLUBERRY COBBLER, SEXY GRAFFITTI , GUILTY PLEASURE, COCONUT LIME VERBENA, LOVE SPELL,ARABIAN ROSE, TRUE TO YOU ,AND  ISLAND NECTAR.


You can buy them here....plus lots of other wonderful handmade candles. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98444279/20oz-jar-soy-scented-candles




SCENTSATION CANDLES

HANDMADE SCENTED SOY CANDLES

SCENTSATION CANDLES

Roasted Summer Veggies

I love summer. For one thing I don't like to be cold. But I also love the ocean, I love being in it or by it. The smell of the salt air, the sound of the waves, yes i love it. But there is something else I love about summer, fresh summer vegetables. We have several farms here that sell produce and have "pick your own" strawberries. There is also a place about 40 minutes from me where fresh blueberries can be picked or you can buy them already picked. But, back to the vegetables. This is not a recipe, just a suggestion for preparing a mixture of your favorites.

Roasted Summer Veggies

Today I included summer squash, zucchini, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and onions.


I tossed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled with Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes total. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese 15 minutes before done.



That's it! All ready to eat. Hope you enjoy. Experiment with different veggies and seasonings. So many ways to do this.

Cold Bread Pudding

Way back when I was growing up...people didn't throw much away. They found a way to use it. We would call it re-purposing now. Old clothing was patched, and when it could no longer be patched it was cut into fabric squares for making patchwork quilts. Leftover biscuits or stale bread was used in meatloaf or made into Cold Bread Pudding. Its not really a pudding, but by no means cake either. Hard to describe unless you've had it. Isn't necessarily served cold either. I think it gets its name because its made with "cold" bread?? It was made by mixing stale bread with eggs, milk, sugar, and whatever else was on hand. Cinnamon and or nutmeg might be used, raisins or even pineapple, and a bit of vanilla. I don't remember anyone using a recipe, it was just one of those things they knew how to make without any measuring. There are lots recipes for Cold Bread Pudding now some with exotic ingredients. I prefer the simple old timey way.


Old Timey Cold Bread Pudding
5 small or 6 large biscuits crumbled (or you can use stale bread, about 4 cups of either)
1/2 c. raisins
2 c. milk
4 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in blender or beat well. Crumble biscuits in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle raisins over bread. Pour egg mixture over this. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve with cream if you like.

Easy Peach Crumb Cake

I'm no Paula Deen or Martha Stewart. I enjoy cooking but I don't want to be doing it all day! So when I saw this quick and easy recipe I knew it would be a winner for me.  I have to say it was simply delicious and one of the easiest recipes I have. And when I say its good...I mean the kind of good like hard not to just eat it right out of the pan good.


This was just a great hit at my house. Sweet and refreshing at the same time. It is best served warm and I think a spoon of vanilla ice cream would be yummy on it.



Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes




Easy Peach Crumb Cake

24.5 oz jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 X 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches.
No mixing...do not stir...at anytime during assembly
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or cold… with or without ice cream.

You are gonna have trouble staying out of this one!

I selected this post to be featured on and http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/.






Hard Crabs / aka Blue Crab that is not a Soft Crab. lol



We call them Hard Crabs (as opposed to Soft Crabs)....and we eat a "mess" of them meaning a lot of them.

When I was growing up we would walk down to the ocean at night and catch these as they tumbled in with the waves while the tide was coming in. They would be scooped up in a dip net and put in a big metal wash bucket that had handles on each side. They are cleaned while alive, yes I know..., and then immediately put in a pot with potatoes or rice, onions, a spoon of bacon grease and salt and pepper. The potatoes or rice would thicken the water to a stew consistency and then we would eat. We all knew the art of picking crab and could scoop solid pieces of meat out of the sections with ease. The large solid piece of meat by the back flipper is called backfin and is more expensive when sold in seafood markets.  Usually newspaper would be spread on the table for this messy feast.

I didn't know anything about steaming crabs until I was an adult. And I love them that way too but find that cleaning them as I eat a bit messier. Live crabs are put in a large steamer with "Old Bay" seasoning. Yep, that's all there is to it.

Steamed Blue Crab
 
I learned to clean crab fairly young. Pull the backs off, clean out the innards, mouth parts, eggs. Then cook, not later, you cooked right then. Telling males from females is easy just by looking at the under shell. Some people liked to eat the crab eggs but I never did.

As the years went on and the beaches became busier the blue crab disappeared from the surf. But there were other ways to catch crab like in a crab trap or on a string or line. Yes, I said on a string. This is how its done. You tie a chicken neck or back to a string and let in down into the water by a pier or dock. The crab will hold onto the chicken part and not let go so you just pull up the string and shake the crab into a bucket. Crab traps are put out in the water and baited with chicken parts or fish. A float is attached so the trap can easy be found and retrieved.
Hard crab in a dip net

A whole nother, yes that's I word here, way to eat Blue Crab is fried soft shell crab. Catching these is a lot harder and you are lucky to get even a few. A soft shell crab is simply a Blue Crab that has just shed. Its shell begins to harden quickly and they hid to protect themselves from being eaten by the other crabs. Crabs between soft shell and hard shell stages are called paper shell. To clean a soft shell crab the shell is partially pulled back and the innards removed. The entire crab is sprinkled with salt and pepper, coated with flour or a mixture of flour and corn meal, and deep fat fried. You eat the whole crab, shell and all. These are also great on a hamburger bun with slaw and ketchup. Soft shell crab sandwich!

Fried Soft Shell Crab
Any comments or additons to this post are welcome. I'm afraid that one day it will be next to impossible to catch these and they will only be available in markets. Please share your own memories of crabbing on the east coast.

Soy Candle Giveaway

NEW GIVEAWAY!
Subscribe to this blog to enter.
(Just hit the "Join This Site" button on the right)
20 oz Jar Soy Scented Candles

AVAILABLE IN-FRENCH STRAWBERRY, COCO MANGO, BLUE CHANEL, BORN WILD, POPPY LOVE, HEARTS & ARROWS, APPLE JACK, BLUBERRY COBBLER, SEXY GRAFFITTI , GUILTY PLEASURE, COCONUT LIME VERBENA, LOVE SPELL,ARABIAN ROSE, TRUE TO YOU ,AND  ISLAND NECTAR.

Want an extra chance to win? "Like" my Facebook page for an extra entry.

You can buy them here....plus lots of other wonderful handmade candles. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98444279/20oz-jar-soy-scented-candles



SCENTSATION CANDLES

HANDMADE SCENTED SOY CANDLES

My Terri Lee Doll

I needed to restring my old Terri Lee doll and decided to put a fresh dress on her as well. My mom would make clothes for her from the scraps after making my clothes. I think I got her around 1956.


Luscious Lemon Bars


Recipe here:  Luscious Lemon Bars


Who can resist really good Lemon Bars in the summer? This is a great recipe. Enjoy!

DIY Bird Bath


I got this idea from homestoriesatoz.com. I made mine almost identical to hers except the top flat piece for the actual bath part. In fact I even used the same color paint!

She had used a glass bowl from an old light fixture for the top. I didn't have one so I used a 16" saucer like the clay pots. I did have a problem getting the top flower pot to stay straight. I put a brace under it to hold it up straight.



You will need:
  • One 8" terracotta pot
  • Four 6" terracotta pots
  • One 4-5" terracotta pot
  • One 16" terracotta saucer
  • Primer (I used Valspar)
  • Spray Paint (I used Valspar Exotic Sea)
  • 5 ft rebar
  • I added a little frog statue that I had, but that's up to you.

You can use other sized pots and rebar. Whatever works for you.

Clean off your pots and spray inside and out with 2 coats primer. For me this took a whole can. Let each coat dry well.

Now do the same with the paint. Again let each coat dry well. For me this took less than a can.

Put the rebar into the ground. Measure first so you will know how much to leave above ground. For me this was 36", the height of all the pots. You want to have at least 2 ft. rebar in the ground for stability.

Put your 8" pot onto the rebar for the base and fill with potting soil.

Now begin to put on the 6" pots tilting them as you go. You can fill with potting soil before or after assembly.

The top pot will be the 4" pot. (No soil in this one) That one must be level as the saucer will go on top of that. I chose a 4" pot that was wider on the top than a normal 4" pot would be.

Now add the saucer and anything decorative you want to add. If you want to glue it down you can use DAP Household/Aquatic Adhesive. I chose not to as I think it will make for easier cleaning.


I selected this post to be featured on and http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/.





NEW GIVEAWAY!
Subscribe to this blog to enter.
(Just hit the "Join This Site" button on the right)
20 oz Jar Soy Scented Candles

AVAILABLE IN-FRENCH STRAWBERRY, COCO MANGO, BLUE CHANEL, BORN WILD, POPPY LOVE, HEARTS & ARROWS, APPLE JACK, BLUBERRY COBBLER, SEXY GRAFFITTI , GUILTY PLEASURE, COCONUT LIME VERBENA, LOVE SPELL,ARABIAN ROSE, TRUE TO YOU ,AND  ISLAND NECTAR.

Want an extra chance to win? "Like" my Facebook page for an extra entry.

You can buy them here....plus lots of other wonderful handmade candles. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98444279/20oz-jar-soy-scented-candles


SCENTSATION CANDLES

HANDMADE SCENTED SOY CANDLES

Shellac nail polish


I am in LOVE with shellac nail polish.


Most nail salons now offer it and the cost is about $5.00 more than regular polish. It doesn't come in as many shades as regular nail polish but it lasts for weeks! My salon guarantees it for one week or they do it again free. It usually last me three weeks. A normal manicure would start to chip within days. Anyway, I wanted to show you some pics of some of the colors I have had done with the shellac. These are not models hands mind you.

20 oz Jar Soy Scented Candles

I will be giving one of these away soon!
All you have to do is subscribe to this blog to enter.
(Just hit the "Join This Site" button on the right)
20 oz Jar Soy Scented Candles

AVAILABLE IN-FRENCH STRAWBERRY, COCO MANGO, BLUE CHANEL, BORN WILD, POPPY LOVE, HEARTS & ARROWS, APPLE JACK, BLUBERRY COBBLER, SEXY GRAFFITTI , GUILTY PLEASURE, COCONUT LIME VERBENA, LOVE SPELL,ARABIAN ROSE, TRUE TO YOU ,AND  ISLAND NECTAR.

You can buy them here....plus lot of other wonderful handmade candles. http://www.etsy.com/listing/98444279/20oz-jar-soy-scented-candles

SCENTSATION CANDLES

HANDMADE SCENTED SOY CANDLES

Making paper Bow using the leftover paper scraps!



I'm not a great giftwrapper. I'm usually the one who shows up with a store bought gift bag and some kind of bow. But this is totally doable! No need to spend time and money trying to find the right bow, just use scraps from your wrapping paper. This I can do.... see how at http://jswfield.blogspot.com/2011/03/wrapping-paper-bows.html.









Oranize the bath




Great idea from onegoodthingbyjillee.com. Hang little baskets on shower curtain rod on the back of tub. Keeps everything up out of the way and organized.

DIY Twin Adjustable Adirondack Chair

Going today to get items needed for 2 new projects!

The first one is a twin adirondack chair with table in the middle. Got the plans, hardware, and transfer paper from woodcraftplans.com. This is what we got.



This is what it is supposed to look like when finished except we will paint ours a nice bright color.
BTW, the backs are adjustable! Double Cool!


Grow some garlic


Check out this link for great information on how to grow your own garlic.http://themicrogardener.com/5-step-guide-to-growing-gorgeous-garlic/


BTW, here is my first garlic sprout.



Neat way to keep potted plants watered

This really works! I loved having impatiens on my front porch but I never seemed to be able to water them enough....

I filled an empty wine bottle (any bottle would do) with water and turned it upside down so the mouth of the bottle was in the soil. It has to be pushed down into the soil a bit. The water leaves the bottle as the soil dries. It worked so well for the impatiens I now have one in all my potted plants.

Life made simplier.  BTW, I always thought they were called impatients until I googled them. LOL






BTW, found this cute tea cup pot at Kmart.

Kitchen Tip: How to Keep Strawberries Fresh…



To keep strawberries fresh longer in the refrigerator, use 1 Part White Vinegar to 10 Parts Water.  Soak the strawberries, leaves and all in the vinegar/water mixture for a few minutes.  Drain in a colander until they are completely dry. Place in an uncovered bowl in the refrigerator.  The vinegar/water mixture kills any mold spores on the strawberries and keeps them fresh longer.  The vinegar does not affect the taste.  Also works for blueberries, raspberries, blackberries...

From thefrugalgirls.com

EASY way to clean stove burners with ammonia




The one chore I used to hate worse than cleaning windows was cleaning the stove's burner grates. I would get out the steel wool, put on gloves, and after applying lots of elbow grease they would be clean. But not now! I saw this trick on Pinterest.com and decided to try it. See the results for yourself.

Lemony White Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

From TasteOfHome.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


This looks sooo refreshing!

Yard work

I live next door to my Mom, who is in her eighties. She used to love working in her yard and now it drives her crazy when its not done. So anyway I have been cutting back some shrubbery over there today. It did really need it. Not that I'm any spring chicken myself but I am so thankful I am able to do that sort of work. We usually find ourselves complaining about doing chores. As I heard once, "don't complain about having to wash dishes...be grateful that you have food." Good thought.

Laundry Area Redo

Wish I had taken "before" pictures of this area....but I didn't. lol

I have some old kitchen items from the 40's and 50's, actually from my family so they have sentimental value, that I wanted to display. My first thought was shelves between the existing wall cabinets over the washer and dryer. Then my mind kept going....what about another shelf? Under the cabinets? And then maybe a base cabinet between the washer and dryer?

We found an inexpensive base cabinet at Lowe's Home Improvement and my husband made a top for it. We left the cabinet top and full shelf natural wood and painted the other small shelves white. I found blue baskets at Kmart.com. (I shop online using rebates.com to get more money back.) We had found some little blue and white fish knobs for the wall cabnets for free! So here is the result!





I hate clutter. Clutter makes me feel disorganized and just blah somehow. Anyway, here is another of my completed organizational chores.  BTW, this drawer has STAYED like this for a couple of months now.


Before
I had made some effort to organize this drawer but it never stayed that way. The few trays I had also kept slipping around....ugggg


After


Silver mesh organizer trays from Bed Bath & Beyond and some pretty blue waffle liner.
Some of these trays were expandable so I was able to use the whole drawer and prevent things from slipping around.

Cute way to serve chips at a cookout. Use scalloped scissors to cut top off brown paper bag and embellish with rubber stamp. Like it!



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Cute way to serve chips at a cookout.
Use scalloped scissors to cut the tops off of brown paper bags and embellish them with rubber stamps.

Organize a kitchen cabinet!

This is one of my kitchen cabinet projects.

Before

I would straighten this one from time to time but whenever I put a clean pan back I almost never stacked everything properly.



After
The solution for me was vertical organizers from K-Mart. Now I can easily take out whatever pan I need without moving any other pans and replacing the clean pan is just as easy.