Friday, July 10, 2020

Sewing box

I have had this sewing  box for years, bought at a yard sale somewhere. It is handy, it is large enough, and deep enough, to actually hold quite a lot of supplies. It is rather strong plastic, and looks kinda like wood, but is plastic nonetheless. And over the years, it has gotten uglier (so have I, but that is beside the point)!

Anyway, I decided to try to do something to sort of brighten it up a bit. I have not

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Just here for a moment

Hi, Guys! I am using the computer at the library in Arkansas. They will not allow me to use my laptop, I have to use theirs, which they would not allow me to use before because I did not have a PO box. No home delivery, so one must have a PO box in order to get a library card.
I just wanted to let you all know I have safely arrived at the cabin. I called yesterday to arrange for my internet and after AN HOUR AND A HALF, I have it set up, but it will be the end of next week, or possibly the following Monday, before it is set up. Sheesh, I love the slower pace here, but that is a bit much, in my opinion! Anyway, I will be back as soon as I am online. Thanks for hanging in with me. No time to answer comments or check any blogs, my dog is in the car, but know that I appreciate each and every one of you.
Hugs and blessings
Sandra

Sunday, March 10, 2013

I escaped!!! (Don't pay the ransom!!)

Hello, dear friends! I am so sorry to have been MIA. Big changes going on in my life! I "escaped" to Northeast Arkansas, intending to be gone a few days, and ended up staying for weeks! No internet. That was the bad part of the whole thing. Here is what happened:
My oldest daughter, Donna, was widowed some years back. She had lived near New Orleans for years, but wanted a change, so she bought a precious log cabin in AR. She lived there for a few years, but missed her kids and grandkids in LA, so she went back down there, and put a tenant in her cabin. Fast forward, Donna is remarried, with no plans to ever leave LA. The tenant turned out to be a nightmare, and did a lot of damage to the cabin. We finally got him out (actually, he went to jail, which helped get rid of him). I went down intending to spend a couple of days cleaning and supervising the repairs. But I so love  it down there, always have, so I kept extending my time. Then Donna came for four days, to list the property. Long story made not quite so long, I have decided to sell my huge house here, and buy a cabin in Arkansas! Not Donna's cabin, as it is two-story, which is not good at my age. OK for now, but not looking into the future. So I am searching for a cute little cabin of my own, something secluded in the woods, but not totally isolated from civilization. There are lots of suitable properties available, I just have to get mine sold. Since the market is not great, I am going to auction mine off, probably in late June or early July. That way I have a definite date for selling. I will set a  minimum that I am willing to accept. Of course, there is no guarantee that I will get my minimum, so I might not be able to sell it, but I am going to set the minimum low enough that I am very hopeful. And if it doesn't sell, I will just list it with a real estate agent and stay on in Donna's cabin until mine does sell. I don't think her's will sell right away, as it is more expensive than most around there.
Anyway, I have had no internet!! I tried to get on at the closest  McDonald's, but for some reason,  my laptop wouldn't get online there. I am at my house in Missouri now, picking up a load of things I need for the cabin. I have basically been camping there, with not much more than a few clothes and a toothbrush.  I am heading back down there tomorrow, and will have internet put in as soon as possible, now that I am definitely staying. My daughter, Sandy, is taking care of my property here.
I have missed you all so much, and appreciate you hanging in with me. I am taking lots of pictures of the damage that idiot did to the cabin, and the repairs I/we are making. Of course, you are all invited to tag along as I house hunt, and hopefully get settled in a new home of my own. I am going to look for something about a third of the size of my current house, which is 3000 sq ft. So I am going to be doing a LOT of clearing out and disposing of belongings. I am so looking forward to a fresh start!
I hope you are all well and happy. I don't have time right now to catch up on all your blogs, but I will just as soon as I get the internet in, hopefully within the next week.   I thank you all for coming by.

Hugs and blessings
Sandra

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Easiest Cinnamon Buns











Want a really quick and easy treat? All you need is a package of Crescent Rolls, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and marshmallows.


Preheat the oven to 375. Melt the butter (maybe half a stick?). Mix the cinnamon and sugar together. (Umm, maybe half a cup of sugar and a couple of teaspoons cinnamon? Just do it how you like, as if you were making cinnamon toast).  Separate the crescents into sections. Seal the perforations to make rectangles. There are eight rolls in a package, I chose to just make four large rolls, but if you want to make smaller ones, you can press the dough together to make one piece, then cut into rectangles or squares to make more, smaller rolls. 



Roll each marshmallow in melted butter, then into a mix of cinnamon and sugar, repeat, so each marshmallow is dipped twice. Put the marshmallow on a piece of dough.

 Wrap the dough around the marshmallow, sealing the edges, and form into a ball shape. Dip each into the melted butter, and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mix to coat. Put them into cupcake pans that have been brushed with melted butter, or do as I did, and use small baking ramekins. ( Mine are actually clear jelly jars for canning).

  Bake in preheated oven (375) until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

 I didn't get all the perforations sealed well!

Remove the rolls from the pans immediately (Careful, the insides are VERY hot)

When you cut into the roll, it will be hollow inside, but coated with a yummy melted marshmallow-cinnamony coating. They smell heavenly, and taste divine!!

It doesn't get much easier than this, and they taste like something you spent a lot of time on. And, if you really do want to spend time in the kitchen, these are even better if you make them the same way, using your own homemade roll dough!
 Hugs and blessings!
Sandra

Saturday, December 29, 2012

I Won A Giveaway!!

I hope everybody had a  blessed holiday, and I wish each of you a most beautiful New Year!!


BJ at Sweet Nothings, had a recent giveaway, for a free Ramsign. And I won, woohoo!!

The signs are beautifully made of iron and porcelain enamel. Porcelain enamel is a glass mass (mainly composed of silicon) with particularly strong adhesion properties, and the signs are coated with porcelain on the back as well as the front, and made to last forever.

 There are a number of choices as to color scheme, size, trim, etc., and they can do lettering, such as names, street names, etc., as well as numbers.
If you have not visited the website of Ramsign, you really should, just to read the very interesting story of how the process works, how the company revived a very old process, and see the wonderful things they can do. The production is entirely by hand, so no two pieces are ever exactly alike. I love that!

This is the sign I chose. It is called Highlander, and makes a sign that is very visible, so works great for address plagues. 


I am so happy to have won this beautiful sign, and I want to thank BJ at Sweet Nothings for the chance to win, and Ramsign for being so generous. I hope you will visit both of them!

Thanks for coming by today, I appreciate it! Hugs and blessings
Sandra

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Mug Reveal

This should have been posted a few days ago, but since so many of us have taken a break from blogging due to the recent tragedy, I decided to wait until today.
I had never participated in a swap before, but Heather, from Heatherly Loves, set up a Christmas Mug Swap a few weeks ago, and I decided to take part. It was a great experience, and I can't wait for another swap! Heather kindly collected mailing addresses from those who wished to participate, and assigned names for each of us to send a mug to "our person". I received my lovely gift from Gail, at Purple Hues and Me. WOW! Gail was more than generous. I was so excited when my package arrived, before I had even put mine in the mail. And what a package it was---first off, it was wrapped in the cutest paw print paper.


 Inside was a darling basket, and in the basket was a wealth, not just a beautiful mug, but a gorgeous potholder, a tea towel, an adorable angel for the tree, and the cutest pin cushion chair on Earth! Have you ever seen anything so darling?


 Gail made this herself, and I love it! She also made the beautiful lace angel ornament. I collect angels, so how perfect is that?!

The mug is very large, perfect for my coffee!
My kitchen is done in a sort of European Wine Country theme, so this grape potholder fits right in!

Love the basket, and the tea towel!

 My pictures don't do any of this justice--not the fault of the camera at all, my own lack of skill and the combination of a very dark and dreary day. I wish you could see all of it in person, it is wonderful. AND Gail included a beautiful letter telling me about herself, and we have so many things in common. She lives in Arizona, wish she was not so far away.
Gail and I have exchanged emails, and I feel I now have a new friend. AND, she has a lovely blog, if you are not familiar with it, do yourself a favor and check it out.
She blogs at Purple Hues and Me.

I sent my mug to Claire at The Rustic Pig, and she, too has a wonderful blog!
This was a great experience, and I urge to participate in a swap if you have a chance.

Many thanks to Heather for setting this swap up for us!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Silence for Sandy Hook

                          





Charlotte Bacon (2/22/06), 6 years old
Daniel Barden (9/25/05), 7 years old

Rachel Davino (7/17/83), Staff member, 29 years old

Olivia Engel (7/18/06), 6 years old

Josephine Gay (12/11/05), 7 years old

Ana M. Marquez-Greene (4/4/06), 6 years old

Dylan Hockley (3/8/06), 6 years old

Dawn Hochsprung (6/28/65), Principal, 47 years old

Madeleine F. Hsu (7/10/06), 6 years old

Catherine V. Hubbard (6/8/06), 6 years old

Chase Kowalski (10/31/05), 7 years old

Nancy Lanza, 52 years old (mother of shooter)

Jesse Lewis (6/30/06), 6 years old
James Mattioli (03/22/06), 6 years old

Grace McDonnell (11/4/05), 7 years old

Anne Marie Murphy (7/25/60), Staff member, 52 years old

Emilie Parker (05/12/06), 6 years old

Jack Pinto (05/05/06), 6 years old

Noah Pozner (11/20/06), 6 years old

Caroline Previdi (9/07/06), 6 years old

Jessica Rekos (5/10/06), 6 years old

Avielle Richman (11/17/06) 6 years old

Lauren Rousseau (June 1982), Staff member, 30 years old

Mary Sherlach (2/11/56), Staff member, 56 years old

Victoria Soto (11/04/85), Staff member, 27 years old

Benjamin Wheeler (09/12/06), 6 years old

Allison N. Wyatt (07/03/06), 6 years old