Clothes, Cooking & Cars!

While ‘out and about’ yesterday I happened upon the most glorious thing – a wondrous garage sale! Wondrous because the ladies running it were just having it to ‘get rid’ of ’stuff’, which was very much to my benefit. They had a sign which read: “Fill a bag for $1.00″…this was on their clothing items and, Momma, did I make a haul! Let’s see if I can recall the total number of items: 2 very nice Spring/Fall jackets, a winter hat, 2 boxes of very nice stationary (something people don’t use much these days), 3 ‘every day’ tops, 2 sweaters, 5 embroidered sweatshirts, and 7 (all white) fancy church blouses with varied embelishments like lace, pearls and/or embroidery. I made my ‘pile’ then asked “How much for all this?”  They responded: “How about $3.00?” After trying to convince them it should be much more, I gave them $4.00 and went home a very happy woman! There was a story behind all the very nice white blouses: it seems their mother worked as a Supervisor at KMart and all supervisors were required to wear white tops; all I can say is, their  Mom had some very nice taste in tops! This garage saling adventure was also spurred on by a comment last Wednesday from a friend who, after observing my casual clothing, said: “Pam, you’re going to have to invest in some new clothes here…the ones you’re wearing are way too big!” (and she was right). I had been in a bit of a hurry and grabbed a top and matching cotton slacks and threw them on; I thought they went together well, albeit they WERE too large. Even my husband commented that I needed to find smaller clothes. Yes, I’ve lost another 5 lb. but am not ‘working at it’ like I was 3 years ago when diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic (at that time I lost 50 lb.). I’ve still got quite a ways to go, now weighing 180 and could probably get down another 25 lb. to a healthier weight and size, but it’s kinda nice to know that you need to wear smaller clothes. I’ve always been ‘large’…and at times, XLarge (size 22; am now between 16-18). As I used to joke: I was born at 175 lb.!  Anyway, I digress…me thinks I’ll be looking for more garage sales in the near future-hey, it’s almost the end of the ‘garage sale season’! It’s not often you find a place like the one above mentioned, though…or find nice clothes at really reasonable prices; it was definitely a blessing!

Just so you don’t think I’m just rambling on about anything that comes to mind, I thought of you and found another easy recipe which works nicely when you need something quick to ‘make and take’ to a breakfast/luncheon, etc.

Bubble Nut Ring

1 loaf frozen bread dough (or 36 count frozen dinner rolls)

1 small pkg. butterscotch pudding mix

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. chopped nuts

1 tsp. cinnamon (or more)

8 T. melted margarine

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place melted margarine in a small bowl or pie tin.  Pull off pieces of bread dough and roll into 2-inch balls, making approximately 32.  Mix all ingredients together (except melted margarine) and place in a separate bowl or pie tin.  Spray Bundt pan (or Angel food cake-type tube pan) with non-stick cooking spray.  Place melted margarine in a bowl or pie tin. Dip dough balls into melted margarine, then into dry mixture. Place balls into bundt pan, evenly layering as you go. Sprinkle any remaining dry mixture over top and pour extra melted margarine over top.  Let rise until doubled in size, then bake 20  minutes. Let cool before turning out onto a plate and serving.

(This was another of the simple recipes I taught the homeschool cooking class a few years ago; they loved the ‘end result’ of this one.)

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It’s Saturday, a ‘day of rest’ around here, so I’m going to ‘take it easy’ and probably finish a book I started yesterday, one in a series by Debbie McComber. This one is her latest “Knitting Group” book; the series catalogues the adventures and lives of members of a knitting group; to say that my knitting group loved the series is putting it mildly – we ALL love her books. Also planning on arranging more squares into future afghans; got a lovely email yesterday from a friend in my old knit group. She detailed that some of her friends are still knitting squares for me and ‘would I be so kind as to meet her at their church to pick up 3 paper bags and a garbage bag full of squares?” You bet! How neat! I wrote her that their ‘gift’ comes at just the right time, as my collection of squares is growing rather thin. (It usually does around the end of summer, as most people don’t knit in hot weather; the packages should pick up soon.) She made me feel like some sort of celebrity by saying that there is an 80 yr old lady in her church who knit most of the paper bag squares and she would like a picture of me with her squares; how nice, eh? Still working on #203; this one is taking a little longer as it is “a little longer”. This particular afghan (and one other I’ve already completed) consists of 7″ X 9” squares (my required size is 7 inches by 7 inches). Because these are rectangles instead of squares, I laid them on their long sides, 4 squares to a row and am sewing them together that way. The end product is a nice afghan, just not the same as the others but I’m sure the child receiving it will not complain that theirs is different; they all accomplish the same results . . . keeping someone warm and cosy.

It’s a grey, cloudy (and a bit chilly) beginning of the day – around 60 degrees; am hoping it warms up sufficiently later.

OH! Almost forgot to share our GOOD news! Middle son (he of the “multiple car troubles” episodes) has purchased a “new” (to him) vehicle: a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am…red with really ‘cool’ racing tire rims, black interior. Later today he’ll be selling his ‘free/gift’ Neon for $300, to a local dealership (it’s beginning to show signs of major problems – needs some sort of a seal, as it’s leaking oil big time). We’re thrilled for him (as a Mom, I’d have preferred a less ‘racy’ car, but he’s a guy and you know their attitudes on cars…Vrooom, Vroom!). It’s been an almost 2-week ordeal with him going to various dealerships; he’s checked out 2 foreign car places and the insurance was just too much for his age and budget, several (what I would call ’shady’) older car dealerships and I thank heavens the one deal fell through…I really didn’t trust the place OR the car! We kept telling him: “Go to a respectable dealership and ask for a used car with a warrantee”; he FINALLY listened and is very happy. That dealership even was able to locate an insurance company with much lower rates (but still in his requirements for the car), so he’ll be able to afford the loan, the insurance and still be able to afford paying for college classes; now THAT’S a blessing! He is now the proud owner of the NEWEST car in our entire family, older son included!

That’s the latest news around here; hope you have a great weekend! Remember to take a little time for yourself!

Hugs;

Pammie

You Know You’re Getting Old When…

you don’t see the things around you in the same way/manner others do. Let me explain: I am NOT a person who likes to go shopping at large malls but yesterday my youngest asked if I would take him to our local gigantic mall and we went.  I don’t know about you, but I was inundated with the continual feeling of being ‘just plain OLD’! Mind you, I haven’t been to this mall in probably 4-5 years (I hate malls, remember? It’s the agoraphobia-’fear of large places/crowds’ thing-I end up having a panic attack … not pleasant, for sure!).  We walked around and through several of the areas and stopped in several clothing stores to purchase youngest’s clothing (earnings from his job). I was totally amazed; no, guess that’s not the right word…shocked would fit better here, at just how much the ‘world of merchandising’ appeals to the younger (teens to 30’s) group. My last impression of this mall was ’spot on’ with yesterday’s: shoe stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, more clothing stores, etc. I’m not a ‘clothes horse’ at all; give me a good garage sale find and I’m happy, so you can imagine my feelings at having all this ‘junk’ stare me in the face. My family says I’m ’sheltered’…I guess in this instance, they’re right! For example:  we were at American Eagle clothing store and youngest picked up a pair of jeans . . . these were the ‘distressed’ look: very faded blue jeans with what I would describe as ‘wear marks’, holes all down the front of both legs and some on the back. This pair of ‘new’ jeans sell for $49.99!!! (he didn’t buy them…thank Heavens!). Next store: Hot Topics; a very ‘trendy’ teens store full of more (JUNK!) items to appeal to the younger set. In this store he picked up a pair of turquoise high-top tennis shoes which sold for, you guessed it, another $49.99! (we went to PayLess shoes and found a black pair of high tops for $29.99…with my $5 off coupon, they were just his price!). I know I’m getting older, but just looking at ‘what’s fashion in the teen world today’ made me sick to my stomach! Walking around the mall I had feelings of being WAY out of date (I kind of knew that, but maybe not as much as now); I was wearing a knit top, blue jeans and sandals. All around the mall were various ages of women with several things in common:  all were wearing tight fashion jeans with a leather belt, most were showing some skin at the waistline, and various kinds of shoe wear, all very ‘in fashion’ and, I’m certain, very expensive.  I’m not criticizing them, just making an observation. Do I feel less ‘chic/hip/in fashion’ after this experience? NO! A little ‘old’ because I’m certain I didn’t ‘fit in’, but really if you get down to it,  my body was covered, I was comfortable and the clothing I was wearing was totally affordable for me, therefore I declare:  I’m JUST FINE in my own skin! It’s sad to know that others feel the necessity to spend such exsorbitant (definition: “exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size”) amounts on ’skin coverings’; I’ll get off my soap box now…

Went to the office supply store today and saw an item I didn’t know existed: print them yourself bumper stickers! They come in a package of 6 for $9.99; you put them in your printer -  interesting idea! (yes, I do see that they ‘could’ pose a problem for those who decide that the world needs to know their inner secrets or where they think YOU should go or where they think you should stick things, but I’ll leave that to your imagination … grin)

Lately I’ve been immersed into the world of organizing a fund raiser for our special needs group. It’s been decided that we’re going to have a baked potato dinner with silent auction.

My job, so far, is to research the costs involved food-wise and design tickets (my fun project!). We’re shooting for the third week in October and 100 guests. Our silent auction will consist of donated ‘baskets’. Years ago we did a bowl-a-thon and had baskets; they were a hit so we’re hoping to do this again. I’m making two: a “Baby Shower” basket which will have a hand-knit baby blanket, three coordinating baby hats, a pair of crocheted ‘Mary Jane’ baby shoes for a girl and a crocheted pair of ‘high topped tennis shoes’ for a boy (my very talented friend Kim did the shoes for me). Also in the basket is a large, very soft stuffed cat. I haven’t decided yet whether to add a few small infant toys (like teething rings) to it. We’re hoping each basket will have a value of around $25-50. The other basket I’m putting together is a “Pie Time” arrangement consisting of a Pampered Chef pie dish, pie roller and flour/sugar sprinkler and then I’m still working on the rest of the items. Thinking maybe a set of measuring spoons, measuring cups, perhaps an apron or linen dish towel…who knows. We’ve composed a list of basket ideas and are in the process of asking people for donationed baskets. (Don’t worry…I’m not hitting you up! These will be to the ladies of the church where we meet). Our ultimate goal is to raise $300-400, which will cover our expenses for about a year. In years past we held garage sales (my favorite) but the other two ladies on the board felt we were not getting the profits and expending far too much effort for our work, so hence the potato dinner idea. We’ll see how this goes; if it works well we might do it again next year.  There are only three of us doing all the organizing/work, so you can see why we’re trying to conserve energies and get the most for our efforts.

That’s about ‘it’ for me lately; just got back from the chiropractor and he said that my back is now ‘better than when I first came in’; I’m feeling ‘well’ and it’s down to 2 visits a week for the next week then he’ll see if it will become once a month (YAY!). It’s not as painful to go through the manipulations, which I’m very glad of!

Next up is getting my organizing skills working towards tonight’s “Gym Night” for my special needs group. Once a month in the fall/winter months we hold a Gym Night for our kids. From 6:30-8:30 we have a meal (hot dogs, chips, pop and cookies tonight…I’m the hot dog cooking queen), a short Bible devotion, then the students are free to play basketball, bowl (using sets of childrens plastic bowling pins), color, do jigsaw puzzles, or just chat with their friends. We also host another church’s special needs group, so we’re expecting a total of 35-50 people tonight; ought to be fun!

I was listening to a gentleman at the chiropractor’s office talk about  now that he’s retired all he does is golf and rest and he only golfs twice a week; the rest of the time he just rests. My thought on that was: I’ve been retired now 26 years and I’ve NEVER been as busy in my life as I am now; guess it’s all in how ‘old’ you feel, eh?

On that note, I’ll close. It’s a wee bit chilly here today: in the 60’s, overcast with brief bits of sunshine (it’s supposed to rain today).  I’m not letting the cold air bring me down…still looking for the sunshine!

Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Surviving the “Garage Sale”…

Today is the first day of returning to some form of sanity after spending the past four days engulfed in our annual mega garage sale for my special needs group. With outstanding efforts by my two compatriots and myself, plus side help from a few others, we managed to survive ,unscathed, from the ordeal. Don’t get me wrong – I love garage sales but each year as the dates approach for this colossal sale my joints start to ache at the thought of going through mountains of boxes, unpacking loads of various dishes & glasswares, huge piles of clothes, shoes, etc…it is a bit disheartening. The three of us have made an agreement this year that this was THE LAST garage sale, after many in years past. Why, you might ask? Because first, we just don’t have the help we’ve had before, the three of us are all in our ’50’s (with me closely hedging 60) and we’re just ‘plum wore out!’ We’ve decided that next year we’re going to have to come up with another form of fund raiser for our group, with various suggestions being a spaghetti dinner, or some sort of food-related activity. Our group consists of approximately 45 special needs adults, some of who come from group homes. Our parents are getting up in their years (70’s+) and also do not have the energy/stamina to help out in these events, so after all of our efforts, we sadly say “Adieu” to the mega garage sale. Our totals for Day 1 of this event were somewhere in the area of $500, and I’m sure Day 2 did not bring in that large an amount ( we reduced clothing to 25 cents an item). I’m guessing that our totals will be somewhere around $650; all proceeds will go into the General Fund to pay for things like our paper products, plastic wear, pop and snacks, birthday cakes, printing ink & paper for our newsletter, etc. It was a well-spent four days and I gave it my best efforts.

Today begins “Digging Out the House!” I noticed (who could miss it!?) that during the four days I was ‘in absentia’, the total condition of my abode deteriorated to almost “Health Department Quarentine”! Just finished cleaning out the microwave (numerous spills ‘baked’ on, splatters untold, etc.), ‘finding’ the top of the diningroom table under piles of papers, a belt, a pair of socks (remember I live with all guys) and other unusual objects that have no reason to ‘be’ where they were found! The sink is overflowing with dirty dishes, as well as the laundry basket & surrounding floor….oh, this will be a busy day for one Mom…ME! Did I mention that I also need to go grocery shopping as the cupboards are pretty bare? (Just call me “Old Mother Hubbard” for the time being…). It’s going to be a very busy day around here (perhaps spilling into tomorrow, I foretell) just trying to return my house to some semblance of the order I left it in four days ago. I can’t fault my dear husband, though…he called me at the garage sale yesterday while he was at work to ask me approximately when did I think I would be coming home (answer: “Hopefully somewhere around 6/6:30 p.m.) to whit he replied: “Would a Shield’s pizza be in order?” (I need to insert here that Shield’s pizza is at the pinnacle of my favorite pizzas-expensive but ohhh so tasty!) When I dragged my very tired body home at 6:30 there was awaiting my taste buds TWO Shield’s pizzas (one Meat Lover’s and one Veggie…for me), a large Greek salad AND bread sticks with dipping sauce! WOW…he did GOOD!!! (I, of course, showered him with numerous compliments and gratitude for his thoughtfulness). He said: “I’ve seen the work you put into the garage sale and thought you might need a little something ’special’ to help make your day”….WHAT A SWEETIE!!! (there was enough leftovers for dinner tonight, as well!!!).

Well, friends, that’s ‘the way it was AND the way it’s going to be’ for awhile…I survived!

Hugs;

Pammie

Summer Fever Saturday!

The weather today is just gorgeous! Last time I was out (a few hours ago) it was 70 degrees! The sun is shining it’s most glorious, the bird’s are all happily filling the air with songs, I have the windows open and am about to go put my shorts on-how wonderful is that!?  Who could be sad on a day like this?

   It’s been another of my ‘usual’ busy days: took youngest son to church by 8:45 a.m. for an all-day Youth Convention. I know he’ll be having a great time, they have ice skating on the agenda and that’s something he’s never done-he was excited! Have to go pick him up at 6:15 this evening.  Went grocery shopping with the added items to include fixings for Sunday School class snacks tomorrow and two offerings for “Simple Cooking” class which I’ll be teaching Monday.  Since I try to keep things to: (a)  few ingredients (b) cost-efficient items and, (c) (for the cooking class)-must be able to be made, cooked, and eaten in less than 50  minutes it made for interesting shopping, to say the least.  For Sunday School Snacks, I’m making a Cinnamon Coffee Cake and a Raspberry-Walnut Coffee Cake; that should feed our class of about 50 adults (not everyone indulges). For Simple Cooking, we’re making a Frito Casserole and Chocolate Bubble Bread; two very simple recipes which taste really good. The Bubble Bread is one I’ve never tried, but sounds very good and very easy-Hershey Kisses hidden inside buttermilk biscuit balls which have been dipped in butter then rolled in sugar and cinnamon! Yum!   (Have to remember to allow time later on this evening to make the two coffee cakes for church tomorrow!)

   Since today is such a ‘lazy-feeling day’ (warm weather always does that to me), I finally decided to stop procrastinating and put together a collection of all the simple knitting stitches I’ve been writing down on little scraps of paper.  Got out the 3″ x 5″ cards, wrote the directions on the cards (for those that had photos from the internet, I glued a photo on, also), then punched a hole in the left top corner and put them all on a split-ring loop-thingie (forgive my lack of a better name; it’s one of those circle key ring things that, when opened, is hinged and forms 2 “C’s”…husband just informed me they’re called a ’snap-ring.”) This way, I’ll have all the directions in one place and will be able to (hopefully) just flip to the one I need at the time! We’ll see about it being a ‘better idea’…sometimes they just come to me and make sense….time will tell if it’s actually a ‘good one’ or not!

    My other ‘big adventure’ today was going to my first two garage sales of the season! First one was a bust, but the second one was a moving sale and I found a beautiful clear glass footed cake stand for $2., a Pampered Chef cheese grater for 25 cents, and a really large, very nice tin for 50 cents!  I happily carried my ‘treasures’ home and showed them to the family; even my husband thought I did well (happy grin inserted here).  Haven’t exactly found a place for the cake stand yet, but just couldn’t pass that one up. I said, questioningly, to the lady seller: “Looks like circa ’40’s, maybe early ’50’s?” She said: “We got it as a wedding present; you’re right about the time.” (Bingo! Can I spot an antique, or  not!). For TWO DOLLARS? IN MINT CONDITION?! What a deal!  It has a simple fluting pattern around the edge and a small foot underneath…simply elegant, to  my way of thinking.  The large tin will work very nicely for holding baked Christmas cookies; I’m always looking for nice LARGE tins for exactly that purpose, as mine seem to gather rust after a few years and have to be disposed of.  This one is a very nice emerald green with gold lines on the cover, no writing…just a very nice container.  I feel like I bought gold today…three very nice, very useful items and all to the tune of $2.75! What a deal! Do I LOVE garage sales, or what!?

   Anyway, that’s my day so far; hoping you are able to enjoy this lovely prelude to Summer in whatever way warms your heart. Enjoy the day! Carpe Diem! (Seize the Day!)

Hugs;

Pammie

It’s Almost Spring and…

there are new resale shops popping up in my neighborhood! I love to go to yard/garage sales in the summer-it’s one of my ’secret’ passions! Recently a rather large resale shop opened and, driving by it this morning, I was feeling that old urge to ‘go find treasures’. My only problem? When I have the time, I don’t have the money and….on the reverse, when I have the money…I don’t have the time! Ain’t life interesting that way?  Oh well, “Cheer Up” I told myself, Spring is just around the corner and soon there will be the definate signs of Spring…garage sales, again! (sigh of contentment).

Hugs;

Pammie