Yumminess in a Bowl

I made a really easy and really tasty pasta salad the other night.  If you like your pasta salad with a little "kick" then this might just be right up your alley...

I'm calling this "Fresh Market Spicy Pasta Salad" because the original pasta salad we tasted came from a fancy food store called "Fresh Market." They sell grocery items plus fresh fruits and veggies along with tons of prepared items that are good, but at the same time very pricey.

To make this one start out with some cooked angel hair pasta that you have drained and rinsed.  I have found that one-half pound (or half the box) makes plenty, but adjust to your needs.

Next, in another bowl, combine diced tomatoes (2-3) and diced fresh jalepenos (2):

To that add diced onion (1/3 of a medium-sized onion), olive and canola oil (1/4 cup each) and rice vinegar (1/4 cup):

I also added some small cubes of Parmesan cheese because that's what we had on hand. You could also add Asiago cheese and that would be equally as yummy.

To finish up the mixins' I added Italian seasoning (1-2 tsps.), salt and pepper, crushed garlic (3 cloves) and dried parsley.

Add the pasta and toss it all together. 

The first time I made this salad I added fresh basil.  This time I left it out.  I think the basil adds a really nice flavor so if you have it use it....I hope you try it and like it!

Papertrey Scrappy Cards

I decided this month to participate in Papertrey Ink's "Blog Hop" held on the 25th at 8:00 P.M. (EST).  This month's challenge is a fun one.  In observance of "back to school" month the challenge is to alter a brown paper bag.  This will be my first time participating and I'm excited!!

I spent some time yesterday digging out some of my Papertrey paper pads (Bitty Dot, Dotty Biscotti and Bitty Box) along with a few favorite stamp sets to come up with a cute project (at least I think so) and it will makes its reveal on the 25th....but, after that was done, I sat looking at the pretty leftovers and didn't want them to go to waste.  I decided to make a few cards using what was left.

The first one is really simple, using paper scraps, some twine and a few flowers from my stash.  I used a lot of Papertrey's Chai Blend ink on both of these cards.

The stamped sentiment is from a Stampin' Up set I recently purchased at a garage sale.

Next is a similar, but different card using the same scrappy pile:

I also used Papertrey's original ricrack die for the first time.  I love it!!  Bad thing tho, I guess I had the pad configuration wrong on my Big Shot because I actually snapped the end off of my die.  I knew these things could break, but I'd been lucky so far...until yesterday.  At least it didn't snap in the middle of the die.

This was my favorite out of the two.  I just couldn't make two of the same card, for some reason, I had to change it up.  The sentiment on this stamp is also from Stampin' Up. I added dimension on the flower to pop it up a bit. 

I've also decided to go back to my window shots....I'm not a fan of the lighting in my craft room.  See you next time!

Stacks & Stacks

Do you have stacks at your house? By "stacks" I mean, stacks of stuff? Come on, admit me....we ALL do!! Right now these are two stacks I'm looking at:

This is what my nightstand looks like.  As much reading as I've done this summer you would think that my "reading stack" would be a little smaller, but I'm a self-admitted magazine junkie and I love picking up new books here and there.  One day I'll get through them all.

And, this is what my desktop looks like.  Actually, I took this stack and widened it so you could see all of my lovelies.  We found an awesome fabric store this summer while we were on vacation and it wasn't until I was ready to leave that I found out they had a bargain room.....bargain room??? Well, I had to check it out and I was so glad I did.  I ended up finding some cool stuff. 

That's it....I'm actually in the process of finding designated "homes" for my stacks. Feeling the need to de-clutter for some reason.

Oh Henry!

Have you ever eaten an Oh Henry bar? I don't know where I've been all my life, but I have never eaten one, at least not one from a store.

Last week I was browsing through Becky Higgins' blog and browsed through her recipe section. I'm always on the lookout for new and tasty recipes.  She has some really yummy stuff...I've already tried three different things including these bars.

Aside from them being a bit on the sticky side, they were really scrumptious. And, perhaps they should have set up a little better, but I used a natural peanut butter and that might have made a difference.

Have you made anything new in the ktichen lately?

Well....

what can I say? I honestly have never taken such a l-o-n-g blog break, but I did it and I don't regret it. I won't go into all the [somewhat non-exciting] details about why...but it involved a little stress [on my part] and spending a bit more time with my girls. Blogging and uploading pictures [as we all know] takes a lot of time on some days, and a little bit of time on other days.  I just decided that I wanted to eliminate that part of my responsibility list and concentrate on other things.

On a lighter note, I have been doing some fun things this summer and have really enjoyed the "free" time. Here's a peek into what I've been up to...

First up is a cover I made for my iPad [which I LOVE dearly]:

 I used two pieces of Amy Butler fabric that I had leftover from my backsack project. The interior is lined with a coordinating fabric, even though you can't see it.

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I got the instructions, but I do have the measurements if you need them. I love this cover because, not only is it stylish....but the sides are made from a recycled notebook, so they are firm and will keep my baby safe and protected.

Next is another sewing project that I had on my to-do list for a long, long time.

We always use mats at Jazzercise and sometimes they can be a bit dusty, so I bought my own and, well, it needed a stylish bag....this project came from the "One Yard Wonders" book.  Unfortunately, even with my husband's help (because he is the math mastermind) this pattern needed a bit of altering.  Overall, I am very happy with it and my model was excited to pose for the picture.  :)

And now for a bit of randomness:

Hubby's [famous] BBQ Chicken

Lights from the Hilton Hotel lobby

And lastly, a big celebration we enjoyed last week:

My youngest daughter turned 8! We've had a good summer!! How about you?

Open House - Kitchen Tour

Welcome!! I am beginning today's "Open House" tour by sharing some pictures from my kitchen. I'll start off by saying that we've been in our home for a little over 10 years and haven't really done a lot of remodeling. I have hopes for different things: back splashes, new flooring, new countertops, a new kitchen sink, etc., but everything will come in its due time.  I am a patient person.  In the meantime, I love decorating, mixing old with new, but still maintaining a clean and uncluttered space.  Now let's begin (you can click on all the pictures to make them a little bigger):

This is the view of my eat-in space showing my garage sale table combined with a hutch that I found at the Goodwill.  The table was something that I fell in love with immediately and even though I had a hard time making the decision to purchase it for $180 I have never regretted it.  It came with four chairs and a table extension. It's been the center of many of our family discussions.

The hutch was a treasure of a find.  I just happened to be at the Goodwill store within minutes after the "guys in the back" brought it out. I was actually standing in line to purchase something when I over heard the lady behind me mention, "Did you see the hutch they just brought in? It's gorgeous!" I wasn't sure what she was talking about (because I had already looked at everything) so I got out of the line and went to check it out. It has three display shelves, two bookshelves underneath and two drawers. It was the perfect storage piece for my cookbooks and extra cookware. And, it was a bargain for $49.

I use the upper shelves to rotate my seasonal decorative pieces. Here's what I have on one shelf right now:

The silver bowls are from Pottery Barn, clearanced for .99/cents each. The patriotic balls are from Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale. The cream colored plate and Teak square platter are from the Goodwill.

Next, I will take you up...up to the tops of my cabinets:

These are the cabinets above my stove area. I have an assortment of painted shutters along with an empty frame and two (faux) potted topiaries. I believe the green shutter came from the trash. The white shutters and frame were purchased from a garage sale and the topiaries are cast-offs from a Hallmark store going out of business. They were just the perfect "something" I was looking for and at a bargain price.  Next is an old wooden box I found at an outside antique sale:

I was looking for some additional storage so I went to this outside sale with my measurements in hand. This box sits on top of my pantry closet. It holds a large coffee pot, holiday dishes and a few other small things. I love the hinged lid and usefulness of it.

On the other side of the kitchen I have another collection displayed:

I remember being at this church garage sale (outside) and not having much luck until I stumbled on a stack of these locker baskets.  There must have been 30 or so. Now, it is at this point that I won't mention the fact that I still kick myself for not buying every one of them, but instead I bought 10 and gave 5 to a friend. I perched them up on this row of cabinets for display and they've never been relocated.  These are one of my definite favorite finds!

Now for some smaller pieces that make up my kitchen decor. These are things I use almost every day:

Crocks that I use to hold my kitchen utensils. I have three, one for wooden tools and two for larger and smaller metal tools. These sit on top of my counters, next to my stove. These were purchased at garage sales here and there.

I use white pottery dishes everyday to hold simple things like my dish soaps, counter spray and sponges. I've picked up all shapes and sizes of these dishes. This rectangle dish was a great find at a neighborhood sale for less than $1.

This little iron lantern sits on top of my hutch and holds pretty red candle. I remember getting this from an outside antique sale.  I didn't like the $3 asking price (I wanted to pay $2) but I gave in and have enjoyed having it.

Can you believe I even found my drawer pulls from a neighborhood sale? When we moved in we had white pulls and they just seemed boring after a while.  When I saw these in a box for $8 I fell in love. They are from Pier One and I know the lady paid much more for them than I did. I bought 12 in all.

And to complete my kitchen tour I'll show you a little wall that sits next to my laundry room.  I started a rolling pin collection after seeing an example on the old show "Party of Five."  Since then I have purchased some rolling pins along the way, been given one or two from friends, and have even been honored to display the pins used by both of my grandmothers along with my hubby's Nanny.  The pin hooks were made by my husband.

And this completes the first showing of my "Open House!" I hope you enjoyed the little tour and please know that you are invited back for more. I'm not sure if I can make it a daily viewing, but it won't be too far in between.  Invite your friends to take a look! Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your comments.

Tasty Almond Butter & An Invitation

One of the things I most enjoy about spending time with friends over the summer break is thinking about what to bring as a "hostess" gift.  I love coming up with little ways to show my friends just how much they mean to me.  The last time I was invited over to a friend's for dinner I brought some homemade pesto fancied up in a little squatty mason jar.  This time I decided to go a little simpler. 

[Changing the subject for just a minute]: Did I ever mention that my husband and I bought ourselves a combined gift this past Christmas? Well, it was the first time I'd ever bought something from a paid commercial, but I was so impressed with this little guy we decided to splurge and buy it. 

Here's a picture of the Healthmaster:

It is similar to a Vitamix (and I've wanted one of those for a l-o-n-g time) in that it will juice and blend with ease and quickness.  We love to make homemade smoothies with it using only fresh and/or frozen fruit, veggies, a little juice and skim milk. And, the reason for telling you all that is....it also makes the most delicious peanut butter and almond butter.

So, for this last get together I knew I wanted to whip up a few batches of homemade almond butter to give out.  It is so yummy and good for you!

I bought two bags of roasted and salted organic almonds from Whole Foods and blended them with three tablespoons of Canola oil. That's it! I poured an equal amount into four containers and fancied them up using a computer-printed label which I attached to a scalloped die cut.

And, because it made four of these 6 oz. containers I was able to keep some for myself which we are enjoying this week for breakfast. (The little house image in the center of the label is a clear rubber stamp from the dollar bin at Michael's.)

I also wanted to invite you back for an "Open House" of sorts. I've been thinking for a long time about giving a tour of my house and some of its thrifted contents. I love seeing my stuff in all its "glory" and remembering back to the time when I purchased each item for just a small amount of money.  I have a mixture of items, some coming from garage sales, thrift stores, hand-me-downs, and even the trash.  I plan to go room-by-room and give you guys the VIP tour. (Because you are all VIPs in my book.)  I'll start off with my kitchen and we'll see where I go from there.  I hope you enjoy it!  Let me know what you think...good or bad.