Weekend wrap up

Saturday, my daughter took me to the antique store she had found my Pyrex bowl at. I didn't buy anything but she did have some items that had good prices. I don't collect the state plates, but I am starting to see them everywhere I go. She had one from Maine, Oklahoma and West Virginia. 

When we left there, we went to Old Tyme Pottery. They were setting out some new items. I fell in love with the new distressed tables. I would love to have something in this line for my beach room.  

I also fell in love with this window seat bench. It would be perfect for the kids room and would provide much needed extra seating. 

Here are some more little tables that would look good in the beach room. 

So would these little cabinets. 

As I redo my office for 2013, one thing I am trying to incorporate are some geometric designs. I don't know why, but I am just loving geometric shapes. I have a spare TV in my office and need a small chair for in there. I may have to go back and get this one. It is unique but I really fell in love with it. I didn't even think to look at the price.

This is a cute piece of furniture too. 

So you are probably wondering what I ended up buying. Nothing. At least not from there. It was more of a "scouting" trip. But I did find some new blue yarn at Walmart that I really fell in love with. 

I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. But I went through my yarn at home and found these colors that I thought would compliment it pretty good. 

I cut out a piece of plastic canvas and decided to try to create a "Chevron" style pattern. I was so pleased with the result that I think I will make a box out of this. The green looks kind of olive on my computer, but it is actually a medium sage green. 

I put all my supplies I needed in my Thirty One craft bag. I love this bag. I've had it for two years and it is so handy to just pick it up and start working on my crafts. 

When going through my plastic canvas to cut my pieces for the box, I found these coaster forms I had forgotten I had bought. I am going to make some assorted coasters once I finish the box.  

I also found these heart shapes. Not sure how or what, but I am going to do something with these for Valentine's. I have several shades of red and pink yarn. Throw in my white and I think I can make something cute out of these. 

I did pick up a couple of weekly planners on Friday. I had looked at Walmart and Staples but just didn't want to pay from $8.00 to $20.00 for a weekly planner...especially since I needed two. One for each of my businesses. But I got these at Dollar General for a total of $3.50. I just love a bargain. 

On Sunday, I went to church. The last two weeks, I haven't sung in choir. I took a little "vacation" from singing. First because my rib was still sore from my fall and I didn't feel like standing long periods of time. Then the next week, I just decided not to sing that day. I was a little worn out from the holidays. But I'm back to normal now and went back to choir. I think our director was going to come hunt me down if I didn't. :)

All in all it was a relaxing weekend. Which felt pretty good after all the holiday hub bub. 

Sunday's Songs

No matter how stormy the seas of life get, God will step in an provide a way. I love this song by the McKameys. The words "sometimes He calms the storm and sometimes He calms me" really mean a lot.
One of the blogs I read has selected calm as her word this year and it reminded me of this song.

In "I've Won" it talks about the struggles we face and how God fights the battles so we can say I've won.

No truer words were ever spoken than "and down the road there came Jesus right on time." He will not put more on us that we are able to handle if we just put all our trust in Him,

Melmac Mania

When we were growing up, Mom had a set of Melmac (also referred to as Melamine) dishes that we ate off of everyday. I remember when she got her first set of Corelle and we were all so glad to quit using the "plastic" dishes. Now the melmac craze has hit vintage collectors everywhere. What used to be considered cheap dishes are now quite the rage. I am still trying to find me a small set for those occasions when we want to eat outside and I don't want to risk take the good dishes out there. 

I spent some time on EBay and Etsy doing a search for Melmac Dinnerware Sets. I was amazed at how high the prices were for what used to be considered the "cheap" dishes. 

Here are some from EBay.

This pretty pink set is marked at $54.95.

Since we all know anything in the original box adds value, I guess that is why the seller thinks this will go for $99.00. 

I love the turquoise in Melmac and would love a set like this. But not for $48.00.

This turquoise and brown is pretty but not $99.00 worth of pretty. 

The rest of these were found on Etsy. 

This isn't a complete set so the price is only $20.00. I do like this pattern real well. It is a change from the normal floral that was seen so much on Melmac. 

 This set in the box is only $32. Of course there are not as many pieces, but I do love this pattern. 

For $40.99, this is a unique pattern. It is not something you normally see in this line of dishes. 

This is a nice set for $40.00

This is really vintage looking to me. It is $42.00. 

This is another of my favorites. It is $49.00.

I would love to find a set like this. It is $52 which I still think is too high, but I love the woven look behind the flower design. 

They just have one of these saucers left, but oh how I love this pattern. But $7.00 for one saucer? I don't think so. And that was without shipping. 

Here is another box set service for 4. It is $76.00. I love the color of the cups but not fond of this flower pattern. 

And this pink set is absolutely gorgeous with a price of $85.00. 

I'll keep hitting thrift stores and yard sales this year to find me what I want. I don't need a whole set. Just a couple of plates and a couple of bowls would make me happy. 

Yay for Friday!

I am so glad it is Friday. Last week, I only worked on Thursday. This week I only worked on Wednesday and Thursday. Next week it is back to a 5 day week so I'm going to take today off for my last 3 day weekend for awhile.



My husband is constantly providing me with blogging material by saying "You should blog about that." I do crazy things sometimes that just crack me up at how silly I can sometimes be...and I end up sharing it on my blog, exposing my silliness to the whole world. So when I saw this shirt, I knew I was just going to have to order me one. 

As you know, I normally like to buy my Pyrex at yard sales and thrift stores. I will buy a piece now and then at antique stores, but never pay more than $10 for one individual piece. But I paid $14 for my green primary bowl to complete my set last week. Fourteen dollars. 1 .. 4 ... dollars. That is SO NOT ME! But you know what? I survived it. I didn't faint. I didn't have a heart attack over it. The world didn't come to an end. I was still able to put food on the table and nobody suffered because I paid $4 more than I normally would for a Pyrex bowl. So I guess the old saying "What's it worth to you?" is very appropriate when you find something you really, really, really want. 

The new Thirty-One catalog is released today. Check out all the awesome new products and patterns by visiting my site at www.MyThirtyOne.com/brendakeefer. For those of you who would love to add an extra income to your family, work from home, and set your own hours, email me if you want information how to become a Thirty-One consultant. My one year anniversary is next month and I have been so blessed with this company.

Well, we have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's behind us. I'm starting to see lots of Valentine's items in the stores. Knowing me, I'll be changing my blog template again soon. I've scouring Pinterest for some craft ideas for the day of love. I really like this wreath and it should be easy to make.

This one is cute and simple as well.

Of course, if I was a patient, talented crafter I would try my hand at this one.

These are cute decorations as well. 

Hubby and I are heading out for Date Day. I love spending Friday's with him. I'm going to dress up in my coral sweater and brown corduroys and wear my new "Born to Rule" charm bracelet today. I absolutely love it and the little flower matches my favorite sweater perfectly. I'll actually feel stylish for a change. 

Have a great day!

A chocolate lovers paradise

I love chocolate. In any form and in any fashion. But when it comes to baking chocolate, nothing can beat good old chocolate fudge. I have two recipes that I love to make for fudge. One is a creamy smooth fudge that you refrigerate and one is an old-fashioned fudge that "hardens" as it sets up and has more of a crunch when you bite into it and is more granulated but just melts in your mouth. It is by far my favorite. With Valentine's Day our next holiday to focus on, I thought I would share my two favorite recipes so you can make some sweets for your sweetie this year. 

Carnation's Famous Chocolate Fudge

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (4 ounces) marshmallow cream (Fluff)

1-1/2 cups (9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (we like milk chocolate so I use that instead)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional

Combine butter or margarine, evaporated milk, sugar, and salt in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips, nuts, and vanilla. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallow cream is well blended. Pour into a foiled-lined or buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Chill until firm. We like our fudge night quite that thick so I pour mine in a 9 x 13 cake pan.

You can use this same recipe and replace the chocolate chips with Reese peanut butter chips for a delicious peanut butter fudge. You can also add Heath chips with the chocolate chips for a delicious Heath bar flavor. There are many brands of chocolate chips, but we prefer Nestle when making fudge. 

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge (This is the one my Mom always made and still does)

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

1 and 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

4 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan. Set aside. ( I like to make mine on a large oval platter and grease that. It isn’t as thick).

Combine sugar, cocoa and milk and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir to blend, then bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cook to the soft ball stage. If you have a candy thermometer, cook until temperature reaches 238 degrees F. If you are not using a thermometer, then cook until a drop of this mixture in a cup of cold water forms a soft ball. Feel the ball with your fingers to make sure it is the right consistency.

Remove from heat. Add butter or margarine and vanilla extract. Beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge loses its sheen. Do not under beat.

Pour into prepared pan and let cool. Cut into squares.

ENJOY! Let me know if you try either recipe. I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Some questions, some soup and some donuts

I have a question for all my blogging buddies. How do you respond to comments? I get a lot of comments that might leave a question or may make a statement that I would like to comment back on. But I don't know the proper protocol. Do you you email anyone who leaves a comment and provide them with their answer or make your additional comment. Or do you just comment on your blog so everyone can see the answer and read your comment? Somebody please tell me the proper way to respond since I love comments and want to be able to answer all questions properly.

Yesterday was cold and rainy all day. I thought it would be a good day to make some soup. So I did. It turned out really good. It is Cabbage Vegetable soup. It hit the spot last night.

It is a very easy and inexpensive recipe. It can feed a large family or is perfect for freezing. Here is the recipe. 

After I finished the soup, I was in the mood for some cinnamon donuts. I must tell you that it is not as easy as you think. There are so many different steps and I remember why I don't like to make anything that involves rolling out dough. I'm just not that "neat" at it. But it was fun and they are delicious. Here is a link to the recipe I used with two exceptions. I made cinnamon sugar, not chocolate glazed. And the recipe says to deep fry 5 minutes per side. I started that way and they just about burned. I think my donuts were smaller than they called for. Just watch them till they are golden brown and then flip them over.

Cake Donuts Recipe

I gathered all my ingredients together. (I was in Pyrex heaven getting to use some of my Pyrex like the little grecian bowl with butter and the flamingo pink ramekin.)

I sifted my flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon into my primary yellow Pyrex bowl. 

I beat the eggs until they were foamy. 

I added the sugar to the eggs like instructed. 

I beat those until it was thick and yellow. 

Then I melted the butter and added the milk and vanilla to that.

I poured that into the egg and sugar mixture until it was well blended. I would be lost without my Kitchen Aid mixer. I love that thing. 

Then I poured the liquid into the dry ingredients. 

I stirred until everything was well incorporated as per the recipe. 

I didn't take a picture of the dough chilling or me rolling it out and cutting them out because your hands do tend to get a little messy in the process and I wasn't about to touch my camera with those hands. The end product was not as gorgeous as I had hoped they would be, and I think I deep fried just a little too dark, but I rolled them in cinnamon sugar and had some with a cup of milk in my Hazel Atlas cup. They were really good.