Calgon, take me away...

Ever have one of those days when you just want to crawl under the covers and hide? Yesterday was one of those days. NOT a good day at school. So bad that if someone offered me a job at just about anywhere else yesterday, I would have seriously considered it. And to top it off, Derek and I didn't seem to jive too well either. Let's just say there was a serious disturbance in the force. One even Obi Wan Kenobi would run from. So what's a girl to do? Go shopping, of course! And I did find a few nice things. Not a big haul, but just enough retail therapy that I am feeling much better (I think I can even face my students Tuesday!).

I knew before I left home that I wanted to look for something for the flowers in the master bathroom. They had been in a crystal bowl that we've had for, well, since we married 10 years ago (it held a bouquet on the guest book table at our wedding). Its pretty, but being crystal, doesn't hide the fake flower stems very well. I found this urn at Goodwill for $2.50:

Later I went over to the Dollar Tree. I was searching for those little Ballard-like pumpkins that Susie over at Bienvenue... found at her DT. I'd looked at the Dollar Tree in my town last week with no luck, but today I found them at the store in the next town over. They'll look great when I get my autumn decorations out.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a thing at Vendor's Mall. I was looking for a small table for the corner of the dining room (found one that would be perfect, but apparently it wasn't for sale-it was their display table) and for a dining room-type chair for next to the piano. I found a few chairs, but they cost way more than I want to spend. I'll keep looking though. I know the right chair and the right table is out there somewhere!

A thrifting we will go...

I had a pretty good day thrifting this afternoon. While Derek kept the kids at home, I got out for some "mommy time" on my own. My first stop (which is also my new favorite place) was Vendor's Mall. You never know what you'll find at VM! This time, I found this footed milkglass bowl for only $3. It now sits on my bathroom vanity and holds our contact lens cases.

My next stop was the Dollar Tree. I went in search of these pumpkins that Susie over at Bienvenue found at the DT in her neighborhood. The only ones I found at my store were styrofoam. Oh, before you start to feel sorry for me, look what else I found to console myself..
this easel for one of my favorite pictures of the kids:

and this candleholder and candle that sits next to my newest rooster plate.

I got the rooster plate last month at the Bread of Life Cafe in Liberty, Kentucky. We went again yesterday and I picked up this one:

Liberty, Kentucky is situated in some of the most beautiful country about an hour away from us. There is a rather sizeable Amish and Mennonite community there, and we love to shop at a few of their shoppes. This time, we went to Sunny Valley general store, Zimmerman's cheese shop, and an Amish roadside produce stand. We're planning on going back in a couple of weeks, and hopefully we'll bring back some of their beautiful mums, ready for Fall planting.

Blessings...

" These are the children God has given me. God has been good."

Genesis 33:5

Party Time...

Have you heard? There’s a party going on over at the Nester’s place! We’re all joining in to share how we’ve mistreated our windows. A “mistreatment”, in case you don’t know, is an cheap and easy way to dress a window without sewing, measuring, or spending a fortune. As I thought back to my single days, I realized that I’ve been mistreating for years. You can’t imagine how many pairs of curtains and drapes I’ve made out of bed sheets! Even though most of the curtains in my home are actual store-bought curtains, I do have one sort-of mistreatment in Gaven’s room.

These curtains were bought several years ago for the French doors in our dining room. They served us well, but I eventually got tired of them and put them away in the linen closet. When we took Gaven’s crib down, down came the valance that matched his bedding. I went shopping at home and found these:They fit the window perfectly, but the tiebacks were a problem. A couple of the rings were broken and I couldn’t find any cuphooks. So here’s my solution (sorry for not so clear pictures):
The back may not be pretty, but it works!

Breakfast of champions...

For some odd reason, unbeknownst to me, I've been cooking a lot more than usual. Now, normally, I don't enjoy cooking that much. I do like to bake, but everyday cooking is more Derek's thing than mine (he's a great cook!). But this week, I've found myself in the kitchen making things like fried chicken and lasagna. My husband has been especially pleased by this sudden turn of events, although it isn't sure to last, since Monday marks the beginning of school and the end of my summer vacation.

This morning I awoke to discover that we were not only out of all three cereals, but we also had no cinnamon rolls in the fridge either. What is a girl to do? Then the idea hit me...I could make biscuits and gravy. Now, I know some of you out there are are healthy, organic, no fried/processed/laden-with-fat eaters. In that case you're sure to be disappointed with my breakfast choice this morning. However, for me, it isn't just that I really love biscuits and gravy, its that it brings up fond childhood memories.

My grandmother used to make biscuits and gravy for us when we'd come to Kentucky for a visit every summer (we lived in Michigan at the time). I remember tearing each biscuit into little bite sized pieces and smothering it in her sausage gravy. Mmmmm. Imagine my delight when local restaurants started serving b & g, the local Dairy Queen being my favorite. Whenever Derek says he's going to get us breakfast on Saturday mornings, I always hope for DQ.

A few years ago, my mom found something in the store that would change my breakfast-making life forever:
There it is. The mix that DQ uses for their heavenly gravy. And now it can be mine. Whenever I want, even if I sleep past 10:30 (like that ever happens).

So this morning, when a bit of domesticity overtook me, I found myself in the kitchen, pulling out the baking mix and heating up the oven. I actually made biscuits from semi-scratch. Well, at least they didn't come out of a can or were frozen. Here's proof:


Look how pretty they turned out...
Now this is a matter of some excitement for me, since my biscuits usually turn out like rocks.
And here's the finished product...come to mama...

Totally not low-fat, totally not low-carb, and not even close to organic. But totally yummy!