Pink Ironstone

Yep, you read that right! PINK Ironstone is what I found last summer at a yard sale. I snatched up the whole box for $8! I knew it would be hit or miss on what exactly was in the box but from what I could see I was in love!

Don't you just love the detail and the pretty pink flowers?
I ended up with 5 good cups (the 6th has a hairline crack),

8 saucers, 2 dessert/salad plates and 7 dinner plates.

Love the shape of the cups...

I am more of a white ironstone kind of gal but I have a Sweet Girl whose favorite color is PINK so I figured this would be perfect for parties in the future.

What about you? What color ironstone pieces have you come across?

Also, if you find white ironstone that you pick up at yard sales and Goodwill and pass up pieces with dark spots and discoloration, I read a blog post over at Red Door Home that gives you step by step instructions for getting the discoloration out.


~Victoria~

How I Have Used My Thrift Store Finds

Recently, while editing pictures, I realized that most of my photography props are Goodwill and garage sale finds. Most of these have been shown here on the blog at one time or another.

A brown picnic basket found at Goodwill. No painting, just add a precious newborn and a barn gate.




This little stool has been painted twice and I'm sure it will get many more coats of paint. Check out the before here. Huge difference from the early nineties fabric and paint.



Sweet baby in a basket. Check out the basket before a creamy coat of white paint here.



When not in use for photo shoots, this basket is often filled (or partly filled) with towels in my bathroom. Other times it holds books or magazines.



Oh and I used the stool above as a prop for sweet Annsley. This stool was a scary laminate brown table in its previous life. See here.




Love putting my finds to good use. Now to find a great place for the new Goodwill baskets that I brought home today.

Christina

Summertime Lunch

I was thrilled to find that I had basil coming up in a huge pot on my deck this spring from my basil going to seed last year. Yesterday I realized I had enough basil that Sweet Girl and I were able to make our first batch of basil pesto. How I love me some basil pesto!!!!

Today for lunch we made mini basil pesto chicken pizzas. First we started with a round flat bread that might be more for gorditas...these came from Christina's food co-op and are in my freezer.
Then I spread a layer of my basil pesto on the bread.

I had a box of grilled chicken from Aldi that I buy for suppers in a pinch so I cut it up into smaller pieces.
Sprinkled a little mozzarella on top and voila, lunch is served!
I had my pizza with a side of Magazine heaven (won as a giveaway from Jen at thecottagenest - check her out today, she's having ANOTHER giveaway!)...

followed by a banana smoothie (choice of Sweet Girl).
What are you eating today? Do you have any summertime favorites?

~Victoria~

Recipe

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts (I left out the nuts as I didn't have any on hand)
  
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Kitchen Storage Solution

This past weekend my husband bought me an industrial shelf to use as open shelving in my laundry room.



We have very little cabinet space in our kitchen and what we do have was poorly planned. I now have this shelving just around the corner so we can quickly grab bowls, pots, and baking stones when needed. The bottom shelves house things that we use less often. I keep adding to the shelves and so you are seeing pictures from earlier in the week and then again today.



I couldn't get a picture of the entire shelf in one frame. It is such a tiny room.

It just dawned on me that everything except for the cooking utensils and the little pitcher were either bought at Goodwill or a yard sale. We found the pitcher on clearance at Marshalls. The gold tray on the second shelf is also a favorite find from Goodwill.



I plan to use the basket to house a few longer items such as a carving knife and other seldom used but important utensils. If that doesn't work I have a larger basket that will take its place. The lamp will stay as long as it doesn't bug me or I need to space for something else. Things continually move around at my house.

It doesn't take much to make me happy and you can't believe how happy I am.

Here is the jumble under my cabinets before:




Now to the question of where I will put the large container of dog food and the box of treats that used to be housed on the new shelf wall? Right now it is just sitting on the floor in the kitchen. lol.



Have a wonderful Thursday.

Christina

I'll Have Rain and a Side of Grilled Cheese Please

(I found these old aluminum cups at a garage sale for $1.00 a few weeks ago)

So welcome to a rainy Monday in Georgia. The sounds of rain, music and the washing machine fill the background. The kiddos are quiet, one laboring over a writing class assignment, and the other quietly reading. I think grilled cheese sandwiches are in order.

I will be adding another layer of yummy to the old standard grilled cheese. This idea came from Victoria's friend, Joanne, a few years ago and boy does it take the classic grilled cheese to another level.

Layer fresh sliced tomato on buttered bread between the cheese. Sprinkle the buttered sides with Shaky cheese (what my family calls parmesan cheese in a shaker can). Grill to yummy perfection and enjoy.

Some with tomato.

For the more boring and picky among us, without tomato.

Oh and I think a side of music will just make this day perfect:

How about a free download to chase away the rainy day blues. This is the song featured in one of Amazon's Kindle commercials. Click on the album image below to get the free download.

I am a sucker for creative advertising and interesting music videos. They get my creative juices flowing.



If you like the sound of Little & Ashley you will find more of their music here and for a similar sound try the She & Him Volume Two album for $5.00 during the month of May at Amazon.

How about a little Joshua Radin. He is one of my very favorite artists.

try these out
I'd Rather Be With You
Brand New Day
Today



Forgiven Sanctus Real

Wonderful song and interesting video.

Happy Monday to you!

Christina

Things I'm Lovin' This Rainy Saturday

1. Some fantastically wonderful muffins.


Oh.My.Soul these are so good for a special treat.



All Recipes from Colleen

To Die For Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar (I use Rapadura)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

2. Moss from Home Depot


OK, so this was new to me. I whipped out my phone to take a picture and my brain immediately started coming up with plans for this lush green goodness. I think it was $1.97.

A terrarium. We have only ever used the short moss dug from the woods, but this is a fun difference.

Planted in a little white bowl or a creamer. I don't know how it will do indoors, but if and when it starts to die I will move it outside or Chloe can make a terrarium.



A ground cover for a very shady corner of the back yard.

To cover the dirt of a pot planted with something taller.

3. Rainy Day Listening So Far:

Gotta have something to listen to while editing pictures.

Snow Patrol-Chasing Cars

Ben Lee-Rise Up

Jack Johnson-His new single

Donavon Frankenreiter-hear him here

Sam Bradley-Sea Blue

Seabird-Don't You Know You're Beautiful and the Rocks to Rivers album.

Brandon Heath-What If We

All For Love from The Three Musketeers soundtrack-you can find a great video from the recording here.

Danny Gokey-I Will Not Say Goodbye

4. Advil


For headaches from looking at the screen too long while editing lots of pictures and various other computer tasks.

5. Watching Everest Beyond the Limit with my son


5. Oh, and Blogging

Victoria has e-mailed me to say that she is handing me the blog baton and that I need to post something. I haven't been pulling my load, so I have to change that. Hi everyone!! : )


What are you enjoying this weekend? Have a great one!

Christina

Spring time cake

Since my life has been busy with getting our old house on the market, moving final items and digging up plants I can't bear to leave behind I thought I'd share a repeat of a yummy recipe for a spring time cake today. This cake is sooo easy and delish!



My sister Beth always has dessert, whether it's cookies, cake or something else, under her pretty glass cake dome at her house and she is the one that shared this recipe with me. I LOVE cakes that use a cake mix and additional ingredients. They seem so much easier than scratch and taste so yummy.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup plain or vanilla nonfat yogurt
3 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Combine cake mix and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and next four ingredients and beat on medium speed for six minutes. Stir in poppyseeds. Pour into well greased bundt pan and bake for 40 min at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 min. Remove from pan and drizzle with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Lemon juice

Sift powdered sugar into bowl. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice and stir. Add enough lemon juice until glaze if of drizzling consistency.



Look at the longing in my Sweet Girl's face! :)

(Picture from 2009)

Hope you are having beautiful Spring weather wherever you are today!

~Victoria~