It's My Birthday!

Today is my 54th Birthday!

I am off for a "Surprise Adventure" with my husband!

I will fill you in on my special day tomorrow!

Hmmm...what does he have planned!

In the meantime...

I have finally returned...with my "Cottage Cuties" in tow!

I had a lovely break enjoying the Thanksgiving Holiday with my family and friends and soaking in some special time with my sisters! Then, after everyone left for home...a nasty little cold/flu bug fluttered about trying to land on the members of my family...I think he is gone now! Whew!

So here they are...my "Cottage Cuties".
Years ago I made clothespin dolls for my then young daughters...and even sold some at my small boutique. I recently uncovered a few of them and thought it would be fun to craft some new ones. They are really quite fun to make as each one develops her own personality!
I hope you enjoy perusing my little sweeties!

They are all listed for sale in my etsy shop, Cottage Cozy Boutique , where you will find many more photos too!

"Annie Angel"
"Penny Bright"
"Pinkie"
"Peggy Ann"
"Bluebell"
"Lollie"
Each "Cottage Cutie" comes packaged in this domed plastic container perfect for
storage and gift-giving!

I am so happy to be back...I missed you all.
I am heading over to my "dashboard" right now to catch up!

Yipee...we have visitors!

My sister, Diane, Saturday Finds, arrived for the holiday from Southern California on Monday and my other sister, Mary and her three daughters arrive tonight! We have been busy thrift store shopping, holiday boutiquing and generally playing, crafting and baking....no time to post for now. But I can't wait to show you my "Cottage Cuties"! I promise they will make their debut after Thanksgiving. This is my sister, Diane's first visit to Oregon since we moved here 15 years ago, and Mary has not been here for 14 years! As you can imagine, we will be soaking up every minute we have with one another!

Have a wonderfully scrumptious and blessed Thanksgiving!

I miss you all!

I've Been a Cozy Crafter...

Yes I have been busy in my workshop!
I promise to show you my new "Cottage Cuties" soon!

Christmas is coming....

Paper Bag Popcorn!

Did You Know...that you can pop popcorn in an ordinary paper bag?

Just use a lunch size bag and cover the bottom of the bag in popcorn kernels...white or yellow.


Don't add anything else!
Just fold down the top of the bag a couple of times and place in your microwave.
I use the popcorn setting (I usually add on an extra 45 seconds or so)
Just listen for it to stop popping.

Voila! Microwave popcorn without any chemicals or artificial preservatives.
I never buy microwave popcorn from the market anymore!

It pops perfectly!

You can add whatever you would like for seasoning...

We use spray Canola or Oil Olive oil and salt. Extra Low-fat!

And it is so inexpensive too. You can even re-use the bag!

A quick, healthy snack!

Give it a try!

Blessed by Blogger Giveaways

You know how you just love to go to the mailbox and find an
actual letter

mixed in amongst the bills and the junk mail?
It just makes your day...right?
Well, a couple of weeks ago I was the lucky winner of two...yes two giveaways....
and of course I jumped for joy.

How lucky can a girl get?

So this Saturday I received two surprise packages in my mailbox!

Here is the first gift I received from Debi at Life in my Studio!

This was just one of the many gifts she gave to others to honor her birthday...awesome right?
These antique spools with lace trimmings are simply beautiful!
She also included some birthday magnets and a matching tag...sweet.

And my friend, Melinda, at Country Dreaming had a special surprise giveaway too, celebrating 1000 visitors to her blog....She sent me all of these Halloween Goodies! Fantastic!
The box was overflowing with holiday food & fun!
Don't you just love that Slinky?

It is just amazing to see the generosity, support and genuine friendship I experience in the blogging community.

Thank you so much Debi & Melinda for your wonderful gifts. I look forward to my visits to both of your blogs each day!

PEARed with Love

I promised yesterday that I would share what I baked in my kitchen today...
and here they are...
"PEAR BREAKFAST COOKIES"
...and they are indeed yummy.

Prepare 2 fresh pears by peeling and dicing them.

Cream 1/2 c. butter, 1/2 c. brown sugar and 1/3 c. honey.

Add 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla and beat... until light and fluffy.

Add 1 c. sifted flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Continue to beat until well blended!

Stir in 1 c. rolled oats, the diced pears, 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. chopped walnuts.

I know about the raw egg thing...but the batter is really good!
I can never resist tasting it.

I use a small sized ice cream scooper and drop the dough on to my lightly greased baking sheet. You can see I like to use stoneware.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes.
Let them get lightly browned.

Now share them with a friend or loved one....or maybe even a stranger....

Enjoy!

In My Kitchen...

Did you bake a good laugh today?

I will share what I baked tomorrow!

Giveaways Galore!

Their are two lucky winners of my October "Follower" Gratitude Giveaway.

Since I had two of these darling Mommy Magnet Boards I decided to pick two winners:

They are:

KORALEE of Bluebird Notes

and

RUBY RED SLIPPERS of Lions, Tigers, and Boys, Oh My!

and my Runner-Up winner is...

DARLA of Artistic Accents by Darla (Your goodie is a surprise)

I also have a special little gift for UTAH GRAMMIE at Main Street Memories

She left me a comment on every one of my posts in the month of October and made me laugh oh so many times! No pressure to do the same, ladies, I know how hard it is...I just thought it was awesome!

Please get your addresses to me so I can get your prizes sent out to you!

The Giveaway for November is this Country Friends Collection Christmas Booklet with a Coordinating Writing Pad! These are put out by Gooseberry Patch!

Remember: You just have to "sign up" to be a follower of my blog to be included in the drawing - that's all! You can do this on your "dashboard"!

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!

Mummy Loves You, Son!

Today is my oldest child's birthday...in fact it is his "Golden Birthday".

My son Sean is turning 28 on October 28th!

Here he is on Halloween a couple of years ago with his twin sisters.

And here they are just a "few" years ago! The girls are on the same sides...haha!

We brought him home from the hospital on Halloween day so Halloween is always a fun celebration for him. He throws himself a Halloween Birthday Costume Party nearly every year!

I made these Mummy Cupcakes to take to his party tonight!

After all...you're never too old for your "mummy" right?

They are all "wrapped up" and ready for the party!
Maybe we'll dance the "Monster Mash"!


Instructions for the cupcakes are HERE on the Wilton website.

More than Just Fried Green Tomatoes

So what do you do with a vine full of green tomatoes that have no plans of turning red anytime soon? Here's one idea I found...
Green Tomato Cake...yup cake...I decided to give it a try for our...

"Sunday Funday Family Diner" dessert!

Oh My Gosh...it is one of my new favorite cakes ever!

It is moist and dense and chewy and delicious! Similar to carrot cake...
No one was able to guess the "secret ingredient"!

I added a sweet icing with a touch of pineapple flavor! Yummy!
Green Tomato Cake Recipe

Our main course was a Fall Vegetable Beef Soup...

A very large pot of soup!
Our game for the night was "Mexican Train" (a game played with dominoes)
Another fun family night filled with food, fun, friends and family!
The count last night was ten...

By the way, thanks to everyone for their game suggestions for our get-togethers. We are going to add them to our "play list"!

I am Home Party Challenged!

For starters ladies...don't get me wrong...I have absolutely NOTHING against "home parties". You know the ones...Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Longaberger...I have been to many over the years, and I have had a great time, mingling with friends and shopping together. It's just this...I have a difficult time coughing up the money for products that I know I can totally replicate or find for a greatly reduced price!

So here was my challenge...Last night I was invited to a certain "Candle Home Party". The hostess was lovely, the food delicious and the company terrific. But when it came time to browse the catalog in search of the "self imposed obligatory purchase"...I just couldn't do it!
My wallet held my debit card captive...and though the guilty feeling swelled at first...eventually the sensation dissapated (maybe it was the wine) and I stuck to my guns.

You heard it hear first...I DIDN'T BUY ANYTHING!
There was one item I had my eye on. It was a set of three leaf shaped candle holders with some tealight candles...for $24.95 plus shipping! But I remained steadfast despite the "buying frenzy" going on all around me and came home not a single dollar poorer.

So today I decided... since I saved the $28 last night...what could I bring home from my local Goodwill Store for the same amount? My purchase would have to include at least one candle related item... Boy did I score!

Here's my fabulous "stash"!

Seriously...I got all this loot for $28.00!

This beautiful set of candle holders would have cost me at least $39.95 at the party. Try $3 for the pair. The tallest one stands about 16" high!

I collect these wonderful baskets! This one is in pristine vintage condition! The "cherry tin" is like-new and will be great for holiday goodies...and the little pumpkin is perfect to decorate for Fall.

Hopefully, my daughter will not visit my blog because she is an N'Sync nut and this lunch pail with thermos, pen and race car will crack her up! Perfect condition!

Three lovely "Chris Madden" plates and a brand new cheese knife from Pier 1.
These plates will make great gifts once they are filled with cookies or muffins!

And on one of my previous posts I added some of this special lettering to my house. They are not cheap at Michaels' or Joanne's...but this one was brand new for only $.99! My Goodwill gets the final sale merchandise donated from Target!
It says..."Happy is a home that shelters a friend"

These two magazines were only 50 cents...just in time for the upcoming holiday season.

There is a great article about Simone Beck, Julia Child's partner in Bon Appetit!

This is one of those "espensive" butter keepers! Love the color, perfect with my Fiestaware!

My husband loves bird feeders and gardening. Someone made this one out of beautiful crystal plates and a mason jar chicken feeder! $2.99...can you believe it!

This brass basket is about 10" in diameter and would make a nice candle holder too.

And this is a complete set of vintage Tupperware canisters. Love the color of these too!

A little red metal chair makes a cozy tealight holder.

And finally I got this Holly Hobbie figurine from the "70's and this absolutely wonderful wooden play sewing machine! It is so cool! I saw it in another lady's cart but then she changed her mind and put it back on the shelf. Lucky for me!

Ok...I know I know...maybe I wasn't the ideal home party customer...but they always say...
"No worries, you don't have to buy anything...just come for the party"...

SO FOR ONCE...I DID!