Antiquing

I had a birthday a couple months ago, during the time time I was away. LH bought me a great gift. I get comments from everyone who comes in my house and thought I would share.

LH and I were walking through a little antique store in Troutdale that always has some great stuff. As we were walking toward the back a little something caught my eye.

Isn't it great! I didn't care if it was worth anything, I had to have it.

We found out that it was made in the 1890's (cant remember the exact date right now and LH doesn't remember either) and was made by the Corn Planter Co. in Grand Haven, Mich. and it is called the Challenge Iceberg. We did a little research once we brought it home and discovered that this company was only in business for about a year before they were sued for patent infringment. Very interesting.

If anybody knows anything more about this company of how much this could be worth, please let me know.

Any way, here it sits. In a nook in my kitchen... until I find a better place for it.

Don't you just love her? Do you have any special antiques? Ever find something you just had to walk away with? I would love to hear your stories.

Last Nights Dinner

Amazing! So good! I can't stop picking at it!

Last night I made Pork tenderloin in the slow cooker. I had it sitting in the fridge for two days wondering what I was going to do with it. When I couldn't decide, I turned to the internet. I happened upon this recipe. Only 4 hours in the slow cooker ( I lost track of time, so mine was probably in there for 30 minutes more than needed) and it is so yummy.

If your thinking of a quick, no-fuss dinner idea, you should try this.

The recipe does call for some red wine but I did not have any and didn't feel like running out so I just omitted it. 

Sorry, these pictures are a little less than great. I had to take them on my phone since my camera was charging. In addition, I don't think these do the food justice, you'll just have to trust me on how tasty it is.

Let me know what you think. Did you try this recipe, and if so, what did you think? Do you have a favorite way to cook a pork tenderloin? Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe?

Laundry Day

.... Or should I say week.

We finished the flooring in the spare room and moved down the hall and into the master (by the way; the master is NOT finished... But, I'll leave that for another post). Once we had the hall finished, we were able to work off of that to lay the marble in the laundry room.

Another room down and I must say, I think this is the biggest improvement yet. My LH did such a great job. I love my new laundry room. It is beautiful!

The Cure For Anything is Salt Water

I have been gone for a while... about four months. But, I am back with a vengeance.


Quite a lot has gone on in these four short months; I was laid off from my job, my best friend's sister died; I found a new job (in fact, I had three places offering me positions), then my cousin died... and then, after all that, my best friend and I have grown apart. My cousin and her sister had a lot in common, including how they died.


I have been grief stricken for my friend, not knowing what to do for her and I do not truly understand the loss of a sister and I hope to god I never do. I would be broken if I lost one of my sisters. I can only assume that is how she feels... If she would only talk to me.


I have also been grief stricken by the loss of my beautiful cousin. I will always miss her and think of her from when we were kids playing together. She was taken too soon.


From all of this I have found a saying that I will always turn to;

The Cure for Anything is Salt Water;

Sweat, Tears or The Sea

The Etsy site I have linked to here is great. I hope you enjoy it. I hope you all are doing well and I can't wait to start blogging again. I have a lot of great things coming up.

Jams, Pickles, & Chutneys - Oh My!

I am so excited for this weekend. Although LH has to work a couple hours each day this holiday weekend, on Sunday, we are making time to go picking. We will be getting Pickling Cucumbers, Peaches, Pears, Apples, and maybe some vegetables. I probably should have started this at the beginning of last month but... better late than never, right?

[from http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20189/lemon+curd]

Maybe I should pick up some lemons too...

This will be my first attempt at creating these goodies solo. My Nana makes the best of everything!  There has never been one thing that this brilliant woman has made that was not consumed instantly. And for that reason, I will be following her recipes so hopefully some day I can pass them on to my grand kids. I have always thought homemade products tasted better and were better for you and I cannot wait to get started.

Have you ever canned before? What is your favorite thing to can?

Cheers!

Addiction

Hi,
My name is Amanda and I am addicted to.... Pinterest!

I found Pinterest only a little while ago but I can't seem to spend enough time on there. And the best thing for me is that it is going to totally cut down on my clutter... I am one of those people who, when they see something (online or in a magazine) I print/rip it out and put it somewhere... On my night stand, dresser, kitchen counter, dinner table, but mostly my purse. Now it is ALL posted in one place and easy to find.

Dinner ideas, party ideas, decorating, things I want for my home or to do to my home. It is so easy to just pull it up and do it. Why didn't I come up with this idea?

Here are a few of the things I have pinned;

 For over my garage

 Cute idea above a crib

 Can't resist this chair

 A snowball tree

 DIY pillows

 A fire pit for my backyard

 Full-length mirror storage

 Coffee table made from an old deck

Jute rugs for all over my house



If you haven't discovered it yet, you simply must try it. Think of it this way. If you are planning a wedding, you have one place to put all your wants, dreams and ideas; if you are planning for a baby, you can pin nursery ideas, or pregnancy photo ideas; if you are designing or remodeling your home; you will have one place for all your ideas for your home for your designer, contractor, or your self to pull from for what you ultimately want accomplished.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week and "Happy Pinning".

Cheers!

The Birthday Boy

My son turned 4 on Sunday.... at 6:08 AM to be exact. The day before LH, Hunter, and I went out to Otto's to pick up the sausages and dogs for the BBQ and it was such a beautiful day, we ended up having lunch there as well. They have a bunch of park benches out in front of their store so we got to sit and enjoy the sunshine. My sister, Becky, stayed the night on Saturday to help me set up and get ready on Sunday. She was such a great help. The only reason everything was accomplished was because of her. Thank you Becky!

LH and I went out in the afternoon on Sunday and bought Hunter some presents and had some nice time together before the party. We had decided to have a BBQ for our friends and family and LH did a great job grilling it all up. Some friends even made it out that we hadn't seen in a while and it was so nice to see their faces.

[This is the invitation that I designed]

I keep telling people about Hunter's birthday and how old he is, and every time I feel a twinge of sadness... He is growing too fast! Where is the pause button? I am even willing to rewind a year or two.... I want him to be my baby forever. To always fit right in my lap and tickle him awake every morning to "You Are My Sunshine".

I will cherish these days as they come to me and soak up every second I can with him.