Move along....

....there's nothing going on here today....
....just daydreaming.....

Itchin' for fall

I love the colors of fall. All of the local craft stores have fall decorations on display and I have been anxiously waiting for AT LEAST September before pulling out my seasonal things. BUT, today I ran into the dollar store and spent $5.00 on a garland, 2 candles and 2 picks:

And then I decorated two large glass candle globes:

And then I just had to put them on the sofa table:
It's only the beginning, but I will wait a few more weeks until I pull out the rest of my decorations....and I will TRY to wait til October 1st to pull out the pumpkins!

Diet

I have a sweet tooth...no, I have sweet teeth...I crave SUGAR...I want to wake up tomorrow and weigh 30 lbs lighter...ok, 20 lbs will do...I would even settle for 10....I'm serious, I want to be skinny...and I have no motivation. I have the photos of me years ago and I have saved my favorite jeans in size 10, and I know that skinny body is hiding inside me somewhere, but I just can't seem to lose a pound.

Should I remove the candy jars from the counter? Somehow I think they will lose their decorative effect filled with rice snacks, raisins or carrots!
I think I will have a cookie and make a plan...

A few lucky finds...

I've decided to join Leigh at Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday. This is my first time participating, but I have spent a few weeks traveling through her adventures and as well as her "followers". I have come across some pretty clever people!

I am showing off a buffet that I re-did....I can't even say that I "refinished it" because all I did was slap some paint on it. I also will share my latest garage sale bargains:

This buffet was given to me by my Mother-in-Law and it was in pretty bad shape (although this photo makes it look beautiful!)...it had numerous scratches, a warped door, and a drawer that wouldn't open. The legs were all marked up...

So, I decided to "slap" some paint on it and voila:
I recently stopped at a garage sale and found a piece of Fenton milk glass for $4.00, but actually paid only $3.00:
And 2 Possible Dreams Santas for only $2.00 each.....
With the tags and original boxes!



Don't forget to visit Leigh.

Great find

My neighbor has a pair of the most beautiful wine racks. They are wrought iron and resemble trees. I've always wanted a unique wine rack and I lucked out at a garage sale this weekend: and it was only $25.00...just imagine what it will cost me to fill it up!! I think a "Finger Lakes Wine Tour" ought to help me solve this dilemna.

A morning in the kitchen...

I am having a barbeque on Saturday and want to try some new recipes. I have learned to be cautious in preparing and serving foods that I have never tried before so today I got the urge to be in the kitchen. It doesn't happen often, but today was one of those days when I wanted to make a mess. The first recipe was a cookie my friend Denise made last Easter. It's been in all the magazines lately so I made a "test batch".

You simply crush up a box of Oreos in a food processor and blend in 8 oz of cream cheese and roll into 1" balls:
You then decorate the balls with white chocolate....you are supposed to dip the balls into the chocolate, but that didn't go smoothly and I made a mess, so I put melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie and drizzled it onto the balls...I am sure a cake decorator would do a lovely job with this, but no cake decorator am I , so, I SQUIRTED it:After chilling for about an hour they are ready to eat. They taste decadent and I will make them again on Saturday (mainly because there won't be any left by then)

Then I decided to make pickles for the party....I know - PICKLES?? My grandmother always made pickles and I have her special recipe and no, I can't share it...at least not yet. My house smelled like vinegar, and it reminded me of summers in Maine. They came out great and will be ready to taste on Saturday.
I canned 3 jars to keep as gifts....the nice thing about pickles is that they seal themselves in jars and do not need to be processed:
Now to plan the rest of the meal for Saturday...any ideas?

Queen Anne's Lace

I love Queen Anne's Lace....I love how it grows wild, everywhere, and always looks dainty.So the story goes, Queen Anne, the wife of King James I, was tattting lace and pricked herself with the tatting needle, bleeding all over her lace.... the dark red dot in the center of the flower represents her blood:

It's hard to believe that it is a wild carrot plant!

What a view...

Here I am again, wishing I had a flower garden, wishing I liked to garden, wishing this was my garden. Oneida Lake is only a few miles from my home and a lovely place to have lunch
The Bass Fishing Tournament is taking place this weekend - $100,000.00 to the winner. I don't know any more than that - "fishing" is below "gardening" on my list of things I don't like to do! I'd much rather have lunch and cocktails on the lake and watch!

More stone spray paint...

Years ago, in the late 60's, my mother worked for Chapman Lamp Co. She purchased 2 of these lamp bases and somehow I ended up with them. She had painted them gold and they were a bit garish, but at the same time, timeless pieces. So years ago I painted them in pastels, and most recently tried a white-wash over black.
And, as you know, I recently discovered the stone spray paint...and voila:


I'm not sure if it will stay here or in a garden or on a table in the house...or the 40 year old lamp bases just might get wired one day...but anyway the rest of the spray paint went to good use.

Back home in NY

The pedestal made it home safely from Ohio...well actually it has a chip on the bottom corner...husband claims it didn't happen while he was SHOVING it in the back of the car...whatever...

And it looks lovely on my front porch:And I found a better spot for the black and white table - in the guest room:
I moved it myself, rather than ask my husband - didn't want any more chips!

"Garage Saling" in Ohio

I went to a few Garage Sales in Ohio and purchased an old pedestal for $3.00. It was dark green and chipped but I could see its potential. I purchased stone spray - and if you haven't used this yet, you must try it because it sprays much neater than a regular spray and leaves a great texture. Of course "before and after" photos would have been the smartest thing to do, but, oh well, I must admit I was too anxious....


And this is what I ended up with:
When I return to NY, I will take another photo of it, on my front porch, with a plant on it.

Nuff said