frozen banana split

This is my variation of something I saw on Paula Deen.  It is sinfully good.  Hey it's got fruit so it's not too bad.
Line a 9X13 pan with parchment or wax paper
Lay 8 icecream sandwiches in the bottom
top with: 3 sliced bananas
1 jar marachino cherries
1/4C toffee bits
1/2C carmel ice cream topping
1/2C hot fudge topping
Add the rest of the box of ice cream sandwiches breaking them to fit
Cover with Cool Whip and top with more toffee bits

Freeze until solid, use to parchment to pull out of the pan and cut to serve.  Try to be a little neater with your serving than I was.

Weird flowers

I think my hydrangea is bipolar.  It has always bloomed in white all these years.  Not this year, it is pink, blue, white, green and lavender.  It's only one plant.  You can pick the color you want in some hydrangeas by manipulating the acid or alkalinity of the soil.  I haven't done anything different this year.  I'll just enjoy the show, it's stunning, fat and full of blooms.

table redo

This table started out as our son's patio table, when the glass broke he gave it to us.  We put a plywood and tile top on and used it as a project table for several years.  Time took it's tole and the top finally rotted through.  AH wanted to pitch it at this point, but knew better.  A removeable top from barn board, stained and sealed with polyurathane, tightening the frame and it has a few good years left.  This time it will be used on the new brick patio when that gets finished.

Try not to stain or add poly when it's 97 outside.  It's like painting with pudding and it drys so fast you can barely see where you've been.

Give thanks

Today is Memorial day.  Originally started as a day to remember those who lost their lives during the civil war.  Now it is a time to thank all of our military members, past and present for their service.  Our small town VFW has a service on the square and decorates with flags.  Around here it is also time to decorate the grave sites of those who have gone before us and reflect on how they have affected our lives.  So say thank you to every vet or service person you can.  And take the time to say a little prayer of thanks for the family and friends you no longer have here.   Oh yeah a little BBQ chicken and potato salad would be great too.

kitchen work

People have a hard time believing the Kathy and I make all of our products in our kitchens.  It's true every thing from the butter to soap, tags to favors are made right on our counters.  When I make our logo flowers that go on our tags and packages I usually do them 100 at a time.  I cut the shapes on the Cricut then lay them out, glue them together and add the button centers.  It fills the counters all day waiting for the glue to dry but the actual work takes about an hour per 100.  Not too bad for the handcrafted touch we want for our company.



soap samples



100 flowers for tags and favors

 

cherry coke salad

I had this at a cook out a while back and loved it so much I tried to replcate it at home.  It turned out great and if you use sugar free products it's guilt free.
1 can cherry pie filling I used the lite version
1 box (small)each raspberry and cherry jello
1/2C chopped nuts
1 can coke or cherry coke
Heat the pie filling until almost boiling, mix in the jello add the nuts and coke.  Chill until firm.
Serve with whip cream
I can see this with lots of different fruit and jello combinations.  How about peach pie filling and raspberry and peach jello not nuts. 

pork temderloin dinner

One of the things I love most about summer is cooking meals on the grill.  The mess and the heat are outside instead of in your kitchen.  One of the things I like to do is cook a tenderloin, turkey breast, or roast on indirect heat on the grill.  It takes a little longer than a burger or steak but the flavor makes the wait worth it.
Pork tenderloin roast this one was 3#
season the pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place on indirect heat on the grill and cook according to package directions.  I turned on the 2 outside burners of the grill and put the tenderloin in the center. Turn frequently and brush with a mix of olive oil and lemon juice every time you turn.  You could also use Italian dressing.  Mine was done in 75 minutes.  About 20 minutes before the meat was done I filled my grill pan with sliced onions, peppers split in half and potaoes.  Brush every thing with the same marinade and watch every minute.  These can go from perfect to charcoal in seconds.

My favorite new product.  They just started carrying these in my local store, and they are sweet and delicious.  The bag lasted through several meals over a 2 week period and stayed fresh and crisp.  At about $3.50 a bag they are a little pricy but the price of red peppers around here is rediculous and farmers markets haven't gotten strated well yet.

paper making

Yesterday I told you about taking the paper making class.  I thought I'd share some more pictures, this time of my experiments.  Of course when I try something new I want to know how to do everything, all at once.  Patience does not run in our family.
Never get so set in your ways that you can't learn something new.  You don't know what you've missed.


my large piece wet, you can see the threads, yarn and flower petals I added




some color and texture experiments everything is still wet and laying on pelon or flanel at this point




lavender and rose petals




free form with flowers





large piece almost dry enough to peel off the pelon backiong







experiments with color



still learning

I truly believe that you are never too old to keep learning.  It's what keeps your mind sharp and your spirit young.  This last weekend I had the opportunity to take a paper making class through the local arts council.  I had a blast.  The instructor was nationally know paper artist Dennis Morris.  He was full of knowledge and absolutely fascinating to watch.  Of course we had to get our hands wet too.



Dennis showing us the equipment



starting to work on a large piece outdoors.  It was a perfect day to make paper

 everything set up just right



the pulp and additional color added ala Jackson Pollock




smaller screens for indoor use, perfect for beginners



wet and messy, what fun



wire form for one of Dennis' 3D sculptures



a dip in pulp

it will take dozens of dis and drying time for this project to be finished

VCB Friday

One of the things I really wanted to do when we started this business, was to keep the individuality and creative touch.  I think we've done that with the special order program we have.  We'll do any of our products in your choice of scents and do the wrappings in your choice of colors.  A dear friends son is getting married this weekend.  Kathy wanted to give the women in the party a special treat.  We did soap and solid lotion in pom/ginger and then wrapped the packages in the coral color of the wedding.  I think they came out great.
I stamped glassine bags with flowers.  I then added a tag from scrap book paper with a heart from coordinating paper and the wedding date.  The tags were attached with removable glue by Elmer's.  They can be taken off and used as a bookmark.
What could you use for your next party, shower or event favor?  Our minimums are low, 12 pieces, and we'd love to work with you.

Saying goodbye



 The 90 year old high school where I work will be torn down at the end of the school year.  I'm sorry to see an old building go, but it is time.  To comemorate the occasion the town organized a memorial tour and service for all the graduates and families.  So many people came you could barely walk through the halls.  I didn't go to school here but my kids, husband, in laws, mother and father in law and their parents all went here.  After spending 13 years teaching in this building I feel a touch of sadness to see it go.  When I go to work tomorrow it will probably be my last day there.  Although that is sad, I can't wait to see and work in the new building that's been built.  Best of all it is air conditioned.  If you ever spent ime in the old school with 25+ students when it was close to 100 degrees in the room, you can really appreciate progress.



This school was built in 1921 and has served the community well




Time for one last pictue on the steps of Andy class of 1966




My MIL made it  almost to the end of finding the oldest person there.  She's still young at heart and climbed all those stairs better than I do.  Class of 1943






More uses for tin cans

When the cafeteria director gave me these cans I wasn't really sure what I would do with all of them, so I've been giving my imagination a work out.  I hate to waste anything.

I painted 3 cans with some of the aqua paint I've been covering everything with.  I then cut our house numbers out of vinyl on the Cricut and  sealed them with clear spray sealer.  I poked holes in the bottom, planted them with inpatients and set them out on the short brick wall along side our drive way. I forgot to take a picture after they were in place.  I'll try to remember to do that when I'm outside next.

even more garden projects

Now that Mothers day has past I feel better about putting out more plants.  Illinois springs are notoriously unpredictable and I usually don't put things except cool crops before Mom day.
This was a project iIthought would be a fun way to use up more of the large cans our school lunch lady gave me.



mesh trash can from the $store




weed barrier also from $store




Plant herbs in the tin can, be sure to add drainage holes.  Line the trash can with the weed barrier, tuck moss down between the asdes of the barrier and the trash can.  Put in a half a brick to lift the cans up to the top.  Add planted can and tuck in more moss for a finished look.  Not counting the plants this is a cute container for less than $1.50




The herbs will fill out very soon and the container will be full.



I'm back

There is nothing like a vacation to renew your soul.  There is also a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed after time in your own shower. 
AH and I spent the last week on vacation in Branson, Mo with Nathan, Barb and kids.  Branson is not exactly my kind of town, too touristy and commercial, but we did have a good time.  We spent 2 days at Silver Dollar City.  Now if you know me at all you know i hate heights and anything that goes round and round you'll not want to be nearby.  I sent the family off for all that fun and I took classes at the Midwest Living(yeah the magazine)Culinary and Craft School.  The building is country charming, the kitchen would make any cook envious and the staff is professional and kind.  The master craftsman chef Debbie taught the lessons.  She was fun and informative and gave a lot of tips on how you could adapt the recipes to your family's likes.  The recipes she demonstrated are in the current issue of the magazine.  I haven't been home long enough to make any of them yet, but they will be coming soon and I'll make sure you can see them here.  right now you'll have to settle for pics of the school.



The school looks like a home.  Country charming




Knock out roses almost cover the front of the wraparound porch



The porch goes all around the building with great views from all sides.  It's filled with comfy rockers for resting in the shade.



Vies into the amphitheater from the back porch.

 After all the traveling there really is no place like home.

break time

Taking a break for a few days.  See you next week with all new projects and adventures.

VCB

My special guest blogger today is my partner, Kathy.  I asked her to write her thoughts on business in general, something she's learned, or about one of our products.  She chose her favorite product.  This business thing is a whole new experience for both of us.  I appreciate her doing it for me.

Terri invited me to write about our Vintage Cottage Beauty products on her blog.  Terri does such a great job with her blog site that it's been difficult for me to come up with an idea
worthy to be on her site.  As in life, I think I've made this a bigger challenge than it needs to be.  I decided to write about my favorite Vintage Cottage Beauty product.  My favorite Vintage Cottage Beauty product
changes from week to week but I really think we have a winner in our Fabulous Face Moisturizer.  We have experimented with different ingredients to add to the our beauty cream base.  To our face moisturizing cream base we have added vitamin E oil, sweet almond oil, hemp butter, and rosehips oil.  Rosehips oil is a very moisturizing product and rarely do you find it in commercial
products because of it's cost.  The quality of the ingredients in each product makes all of the difference.  For years I have faithfully used Clinique beauty products.  Due to sensitive, dry skin, I've always had to be very
cautious about trying new products.  Our Fabulous Face Cream works so well for my skin it has really been a totally eye opening experience for me.  It takes just a small amount of our cream to moisturize your skin.  It's not greasy
 and goes right into the skin instead of sitting on top of the skin.  Again, it's the quality of the ingredients that make it work so well.  I have saved so much with using our product rather than purchasing the expensive
commercial products.  With our moisturizing trio of face cleanser, eye cream and face moisturizer, I'm set with products that last three to four times longer than commercial products and make my skin feel so much better. It's easy
to talk about a beauty product that really works for you and you believe in 100%.  One of the benefits of visiting different festivals and fairs this past year has been that it opens up new ideas to you.  From talking to people at these
events we have found that women are really looking for better products that are produced locally.  We are wanting more quality in the products that we all purchase.  Our Fabulous Face Kit contains all three of our face products:
cleanser, eye cream and face moisturizer.  It's a real bargain getting all three products for $21.00.  You can't purchase one small jar of commercial moisturizer for $21.00. The products are 100% guaranteed so you can't go wrong.  Hope you have the time to try our face products. When you believe in what your are doing so strongly as we believe in our products, it's really easy to talk to anyone about them.  Hope you have a great weekend and thank you Terri for letting me share my thoughts
on your site.

more garden projects

Kid size bench.  The slats were repainted in aqua, teal and black to go with the new out door decor.



This is hard to see but I just took the pizza pan top off the plant stand I got from Habitat and spray painted.  A brand new look.




Large tin cans, spray painted black, holes punched in the bottom.  Added hot pink geraniums and put them in an aqua wire basket I found at a barn sale.  Easy centerpiece for the patio table.

 Changing up your garden accents is an easy, quick and cheap way to give them a new look.  A couple of cans of spray paint can go a long way in brightening your accessories.

antibacterial handmade wipes

With a 17 year old cat who has decided she must live on the kitchen counter, I wipe off my counters frequently during the day.  I keep them in the bathroom for quick wipe ups as well as in the camper.  They are safe enough for a baby's bottom.  These are really easy and cost about a penny a piece to use.  Compare that to the store bought wipes and that's a big savings every month.
Here's what you need:
1 roll Bounty paper towels(don't go cheap they fall apart)
13/4C water
2T baby shampoo $store is fine
2T baby oil
20drops tea tree oil you can find this in health food stores and on line.  If you can't find it use lemon or lavender essential oil
Cut the paper towel in half I use my electric knife.  Run a knife down the center all around the tube and pull it out.
Pop towels into a plastic bag or container
Mix the water and other ingredients and pour over the towels.  Turn over a few times to get the liquid dispersed through the towels.  Use as needed.

aniversary

Forty-one years ago today I married the love of my life.  We were, young, dumb and poor.  Sometimes it feels like yesterday, some days it seems like twice that long.  Anyone who has been married a long time knows how hard it is to keep a marriage working without loosing your mind or your temper.  When I've been asked how to stay married many years the best advice I can give is to have a very long memory of the good things and a very short memory of the bad.  Not always the easiest thing to do.  Tell your spouse you love them every day.  Try to make them never regret staying.  Marriage is not a 50/50 deal  It takes 100% from both of you.
Today we will celebrate with a steak dinner and small gifts.  We're taking a vacation soon as our gift to each other.