Been Junkin' Again!

My daughter and I love to visit collectible shops ... and we know where the best ones are in our neck of the woods!  I've been collecting for decades and while she blurted out ... when a teenager ... "I'll never collect that stuff" ... she does!   We've already ruined 7-year old Phoebe ... too.  We have one shop where we take her because they have a huge collection of children's books ... and from an early age, she has obeyed the 'don't touch anything' rule and done really well.  She ventures through the shop and always finds things in addition to the books she finds ... and spends her money wisely!

In the past few weeks, I've found a couple things that have prompted memories and a little research!

Here's the cute vignette I placed on the kitchen counter!



Here's what I bought!



This cute arrangement in a 1950s coffee server brought back memories!  When I was a little girl, the folks that managed the bus station in my hometown had a pet mynah bird that talked!   My family didn't have many occasions to visit the bus station, but I remember my oldest brother taking me there a couple times just to see the bird!  It lived in a cage on top of a tall refrigerator ... and talked up a storm!  They served coffee in a pot just like this one.   It may have looked like the drip pot below.  I  don't remember if they had a big coffee machine or not, but I distinctly remember the waitress pouring coffee for my brother!



At another shop, I found this oookbook ... It was published in 1949 and it is filled with recipes from my childhood!   Baking cookies was an effort for my mom who cooked for a hungry husband and five kids!  For special occasions, Mother made Spritz Cookies ... with one of the old turn presses (which I still have) and hers were always perfect.  She excelled in baking pies and Daddy preferred pies over any other kind of sweet!   This book is pretty cool ... and categorizes cookies based upon how long they keep!  That was really important in the days before everybody had a freezer!


I found this cute cookie cutter wheel the same day I found the cookie cook book!   I've seen many modern versions, but this one was made in the 1950s or possibly earlier by the Foley Manufacturing Company.  Maybe you've heard of the "Foley" food mill.  That was one of the first kitchen appliances made by the company in the 1930s.  Lots of things came after including a "Gravy Fork", lemon juicers and dumpling molds.  Foley was located in Minnesota and provided household kitchens nationwide!


This cookie cutter wheel ... just rolls across the cookie or biscuit dough and makes a couple different shapes.

The last picure is the Foley Gravy Fork.  I've never seen one, but thought it was an interesting early whisk!  My mother used a table fork to beat lots of things ... and the big jobs were done with the old fashion egg beater!  She whipped cream with that thing ... and even the egg whites for divinity were whipped with the rotary beater!  I remember when she bought her first electric mixer, and it was a glorious day!


Hope you enjoyed this post ... I love junkin'!

I'm sharing this post with ...
Creatively Living for Monday  Funday Party 
The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday 
Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphosis Monday  
Rain on a Tin Roof for Give Me The Goods Monday  
The DIY Dreamer for From Dream To Reality Tues  
Our Home Away From Home for Tuesdays @ Our Home  
Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tues  Inspire Me Tuesday  
Tweak It Tuesday The Scoop Wow Us Wednesdays 
Tablescape Thursday-BNOTP  
Thrifty Thursday-Tales from Bloggeritaville  
Vintage Thingie Thursday-Coloradolady  Inspiration Gallery
Alphabe Thursday-Jenny Matlock  
Full Plate Thursday-Miz Helen's Country Cottage   

Biscotti with Amish Friendship Bread Starter

We love biscotti and when I found a recipe to use Amish Friendship Bread Starter to make it ... I was thrilled.  











It is easy to make ...

Ingredients:

1 cup starter
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

I just put all the ingredients in the stand mixer and use the dough hook to mix it.   The dough will be sticky and you'll want to put water on your hands to divide it in half and form it into two logs. 

Bake the logs at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it stand for 30 minutes before slicing it into 1/2 inch slices.

Place those back on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 20 minutes to crispen.  You can turn them over once, if you'd like.  I usually do.  

Let them cool completely ... You can dip them in melted chocolate ... or melted white candy coating and then in additional nuts.   Switch the flavorings ... We love anise, orange, lemon ...


If you don't have a recipe for the starter sponge, just go to my Friendship Bread tab on the menu and you'll find it ... and other recipes to make.

I'm sharing with a party ... so make sure you click through to see the other posts!


Full Plate Thursday-Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Verdigris Springtime!


I love verdigris garden decor ... and have had this cage cloche for several years.  It usually sits on the front porch filled with something seasonal.   Last week, it had plastic Easter eggs in it ... but out they came, so I could use it for the centerpiece of a special tablescape!   Really ... the tablescape was born from a purchase I made yesterday at one of my favorite little shops ... a set of 8 Fostoria Argus stemmed glasses. The clerk, who is a friend of mine, asked me if I didn't have that color ... and my answer was "yes" ... then she said, "so this is your pattern" ... and I had to admit that I have lots of green, but nothing in Argus!



It all started with the glass in the upper right of this collage!  Fostoria produced Argus in olive green from 1963 to 1984. The pattern originated in the 1850s, when Bakewell Pears & Company made it.

The other green glassware was made by Imperial Glassware and is the Provincial pattern, also called "honeycomb" ... and the color is verde.  It was also made in amethyst and amber.  "Provincial", as made by Imperial, is the reissue of an A. H. Heisey & Co. glass pattern. The pattern was originally called "Whirlpool" when it was introduced by Heisey about 1938. The name was changed to "Provincial" about 1952.

I do love my colored glassware!



The place setting begins with Mikasa English Country Garden, which is one of the most perfect patterns for tablescapers to own!  I've been collecting it for years and have purchased it directly from Mikasa and at Goodwill!  

Yep!  I found four place settings one time at Goodwill ... and another time, I found a stack of dinner plates and rimmed soup bowls ... for one dollar each!   I think the clerks had confused it with the many 'wanna be' patterns! 








Don't you love this cute napkin ring?  I've had these so long that I've forgotten where they came from!  They have graced several outdoor tablescapes!   I have a pair of the cute flower pot holders that are garden chairs.  They get used in a variety of ways, but today they are holding artichokes and faux succulents! 





Here's to our celebration of Spring ... in green!  The Southern Illinois winter was so nasty ... we were all longing for green grass, flowers and sunshine!  It has finally arrived!

Stick around and visit my home page to see other posts.  

I'm going to share this post with some parties, so make sure you click through to see all the other neat posts!   


Happy Verdigris Springtime!


Mix It Up Monday    Masterpiece Monday


Inspire Me Tuesday   Tweak It Tuesday  
The Scoop   
Wow Us Wednesdays

What We've Acccomplished Wednesday

Polka Dots on Parade



Cuisine Kathleen
Home Sweet Home - Thursday

Home Sweet Home - Thursday   Tablescape Thursday-BNOTP
Thrifty Thursday-Tales from Bloggeritaville
Vintage Thingie Thursday-Coloradolady
Alphabe Thursday-Jenny Matlock
Full Plate Thursday-Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Grace at Home - Thursday    Simple and Sweet Fridays


Fabulously Creative Friday
Show and Tell Friday     Simple and Sweet Friday
Sunny Simple Life
From the Farm     Pink Saturday     Saturday Sparks    

 Creatively Living for Monday Funday Party
Mod Vintage Life for Mod Mix Monday
The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday
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Dwellings-Heart of Your Home for Amaze Me Monday
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The DIY Dreamer for From Dream To Reality Tues.
Our Home Away From Home for Tuesdays @ Our Home
    Knick of Time for Knick of Time Tues

Inspiration Gallery      Seasonal Sundays










Easter Silver

Not long ago, my daughter and I were visiting antique stores in my hometown and I found these adorable pieces for my Easter table!   So ... shiny and silver became a part of my Easter tablescape!



I used my Villeroy & Boch "Basket" china with silver tone chargers.  I found the best supply of glittery Easter decorations at Big Lots!   I used a couple of cut out paper decorations to piece together for a table runner.  




Our Easter Dinner is always ham ... and traditional sides.  I try to add something different ... and this year I made fluffy pink salad ... smashed red potatoes and Friendship Bread ... rolls.




I put my Cricut machine to work to make Easter baskets ... and filled them with Reese's eggs and bunnies.   My baskets are just little treats ... the real baskets show up at Miss Phoebe's breakfast table at home!


I hope you've enjoyed this post ... and encourage you to visit my home page to see some other posts.  I'm going to share this post with a few parties, so make sure you click through to see all the other posts!



Show and Tell Friday at,  http://romantichome.blogspot.com

Simple and Sweet Friday at,  http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com

Saturday Sparks at,  http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com

Thrifty Things FridayFabulously Creative FridayPink Saturday The TablescaperShow it Off SundaySunny Simple LifeInspire Me TuesdayFriday Farm Blog HopSeasonal Sundays!




Who is Debbie Moore?

UPDATE!

Things have changed in my life in the past year!  I have a job that takes me back to my earliest part of my career, when I helped manage a skilled nursing facility. In April 2016, I became employed by a company that owns 13 nursing homes ... and I handle marketing ... and that includes managing a big website, 13 mini websites and 13 Facebook pages!  Wow!  The best part of my job is that ... everything I do ... enhances the lives of the thousand elderly people who live in our nursing communities!  I love where I am at this point in my life!

The other part of my life that has changed since I launched this blogsite ... is Phoebe!  Look how she has grown!  She is ten years old now ... and in this picture is ready for a dance competition.

She is beautiful.



THE OLD ME!

I'm a very happy semi-retired grandmother! I spent 40 years in a professional career, most of which was devoted to the tourism industry. Now I have a not-for-profit agency that I set up so I could continue to work in the tourism industry, developing more tourism attractions and businesses ... and working to train and educate the tourism workforce!

In all the years that I worked, I always said my most important jobs were wife and mother. The career came second and life was well balanced!

After 35 years of marriage, I lost my husband a few years ago and miss him desperately. Life goes on, however, and I have a constant reminder that I need to continue to do all the things that keep a family healthy and happy! Her name is Phoebe and she is my
main partner in everything fun and exciting!  You'll see lots of pictures of Phoebe on my blog ... and you will quickly find out just how important she is ... to me!

I've written four cookbooks ... authored a couple newspaper cooking columns ... still free lance for a magazine called Life & Style ... love to entertain ... am an excellent cook ... and hate to clean house! I love crafting and sewing ... and depend on my Cricut to help me out!

I love my dogs! Junior helps with dinner parties ... He's always under my feet and is pictured with me in this post! MeMutt, also known as, Jimmy Mutt ... is less talented than Junior ... but he is a happy boy!

I hope you'll love this blog site ... and visit often! You can contact me via email and I always encourage my visitors to leave comments!


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