Carol's Heirloom Collection

Saturday, March 17, 2012

No Pinching

A little St. Patrick's Day trivia . . .

If you forget to wear green on St. Patty’s Day don’t be surprised if you get pinched. No surprise, it’s an entirely American tradition that probably started in the early 1700s. St. Patrick’s revelers thought wearing green made one invisible to leprechauns, fairy creatures who would pinch anyone they could see not wearing green. People began pinching those who didn’t wear green as a reminder that leprechauns would sneak up and pinch green-abstainers.

Now don't forget to wear green!

Enjoy the day!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Spectacular

I'm enjoying this spectacular sight from . . .

my dining room window . . .

Also, from my kitchen window . . .

View from the deck . . .

When we moved here 8 years ago this Redbud

was barely visible over the brick wall.

I love our state tree!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pinterest Inspired

Today I'm sharing a recipe I found on Pinterest.

I made it as a side for our grilled steak dinner Sunday evening.

Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower

Click on picture to go to the source.

I altered the recipe a little.

I cooked my cauliflower in the crock pot.

Cover with water, cook on high for 2 to 3 hours.

I omitted bacon, sour cream, green onions & Parmesan simply because I did not have them.

The mashed cauliflower was delicious!

Hubby even liked it!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Spring Green Bling

Spring is here!

Gorgeous, warm days & nights.

Easter is fast approaching . . .

three weeks from Sunday.

Mr. Bosley Reed wanted to be the first rabbit to make an appearance

for 'Spring Green Bling'.

A little green on the entry way table.

More rabbits & bunnies will be coming soon

to help greet spring in 6 days!

Linking with . . .
Share your creations

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Adding To My Collection

I enjoy collecting cookbooks.

I recently ordered 2 new books from QVC.

This book is fulled with recipes low in sugar, fat, and calories.

The pictures are beautiful & the recipes look wonderful.

I'm so looking forward to receiving this book in a few days!

Ree will be on The Today Show in a few minutes to introduce her new book.

Her show on the Food Network is my favorite.

So proud that she is a fellow Okie!

Have I ever mentioned I want to be just like Ree when I grow up?

What? You think it's too late?

You're right!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Just A Little St. Paddy Bling

Remember this cute green fella?

My sister, Susan send him to me a while back.

She came up with a perfect name.

I.H.O.P.

International Hopper of Pollywogs

The grandkids came over to hang out yesterday.

Ethan enjoyed riding his Daddy's tricycle that we had been storing in the attic.

By the way, our attic cleaning and organizing on Saturday was very successful.

I think the 'spring cleaning bug' has bit me hard and I'm ready to keep purging.

We're having a garage sale in April.

Emma was on the move not wanting to miss any of the fun.

Brother & sister being silly.

I added just a little St. Paddy's Day bling.

These fun friends are leftovers from my classroom decorations.

This little lady is growing shamrocks.

Ziggy is decked out in his green so he won't be pinched on the 17th.

Sparkle on the kitchen table.

The bunnies & rabbits are patiently waiting to come out & play.

They will start helping me decorate for spring & Easter very soon.

I'm linking with . . .
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Weekly Words To Live By #91

Grace . . .

Suppose you see some items at the mall that seem to be calling your name. Payday is still a week away, so you whip out your credit card and take those items home. When the bill comes, the credit card company tells you to ignore it and consider the items a gift.

Fantasy? You bet. But, there is a wonderful gift that God has made available to you. His grace is a gift that keeps on giving, when you least deserve it. Unlike credit card companies, God's grace period is eternal. He'll never call in the debt you owe. Jesus has paid it in full. Take a moment to reflect on God's grace. Then, offer Him a gift in return ~ your thanks.

Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.

~John Stott

Linking with . . .
Spiritual Sundays

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saturday Snapshots

What a beautiful day!

We had some crazy weather this week.

Thursday was a very cold rainy day & we even had some sleet.

Spring begins in 10 day!

Hooray!

Did you see the beautiful moon coming up last night?

Gorgeous!

I snapped a picture from our deck,

but it doesn't even come close to showing

how awesome it looked.

The little white dot is a street light.

I found this great bargain at Sam's today.

$20.83 for 300 sheets = 14 cents each

I can't wait to start some craft projects!

Hubby & I are organizing the attic today.

Wish me luck!

Don't forget to spring your clock forward tonight before you go to bed.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday Show & Tell

Top 'o the mornin' to ya!

I'm so happy you stopped by for Friday . . .

I got crafty yesterday & created something for the mantel.

I bought a couple of scrap book paper packs last

week at Hobby Lobby.

50% off of course!

I stamped a little shamrock on each letter for a little extra luck.

Grandma Minnie's green glasses added the perfect

touch of green along with a pretty plate from sister, Susan.

My mantel is already for St. Patty's Day!

I'll be adding just a few more items that the grandkids can enjoy.

Check back to see . . .

I'm linking with . . .
Delightfully Inspiring Thursday

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Collections In The Dining Room

I've been piddling around in the dining room.

I thought I would use a mix of this 'n that to give the room a look & feel of an English or Irish dining room.

I started by hanging an old lace table cloth for

a window treatment.

No sew!

I just used some ribbon to tie it up.

Next, I placed some pitchers & plates on the window ledge.

The dining table . . .

a mix of items collected through the years.

my Mother's teacups

the side table

An old teapot

like the one my Mother used for years.

Mother's flatware & candle wick salt & pepper set.

Come back tomorrow for . . .

I'm linking with . . .

Feathered Nest Friday

Seasonal Sundays

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Pinterest Inspired

Fry up the bacon Pinterest style . . .

I tired this idea from my breakfast board.

It was a great success!
The clean up was super easy!

click on picture to go to source

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 20 minutes
Here's How:

Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.

Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away.

Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.

Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses.

That last sentence of the instructions took me back to my childhood.
It reminded me that my Mother & Grandma's always kept a canister on their stove filled with bacon drippings.

This is very similar to what theirs look like.

I bought this grease teapot at an antique mall.

This morning I found one on Etsy that is selling for $23.00.

Mine cost something like $3.00 or $4.00.

The other day my Hubby said,

"Why don't we start keeping some bacon drippings
for seasoning food?"

Hummmm . . .

Grease, fat, cholesterol . . .
I'll have to give this idea a little thought.
1 teaspoon of bacon grease is 38 calories, 4g total fat, 2g saturated fat.

My Grandma Ruby told me that my Great Grandma would sop up grease with a piece of bread & eat it.
She lived into her 90s.
I'm still not sure about bacon for seasoning.
Maybe I'll display my cute grease pot as a kitchen accent.