Here Goes My Life

It's been a long time!

2010-12-08T08:50:00.007-06:00

A very long time LOL! Wow where has the time gone? Last post in August? HMM what have I been up to you ask? Life!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the family. Great food, great company and a few laughs.

My Dh and I took our yearly trip to St Charles MO this past weekend. It was so beautiful there. Really gets you in the Christmas spirit.

I have been busy making cards for Christmas and getting ready for the big holiday, as I am sure all of you are. The house is decorated, the trees are trimmed and the wallet is empty LOL!

Seems everything is so much more expensive this year. Even with sales everything seems to be ten to twenty dollars more.

Going to leave you with a couple pictures of the the decorations and a wish that you are all having a joyous holiday season!

The first picture is my new Santa that I purchased on the trip. Purchased this in a lil country store in Lebanon, IL called Simple Country Treasures. The owner is so sweet. She had opened up the back part of the store and moved her counter different from last year. So that meant more stuff, LOL. It's a beautiful store. I look forward to making this a destination every year. If you want to check it out go here.

Another Santa and prim decor

Cabinet in the dining room

New blog,video & my new red door

2010-08-09T09:32:00.009-05:00

Hey there everyone! Just a short post on what I have been up to. Yep you did see the post title right. I started another blog. So go on over and check it out when you have time and if you are interested in my blog, I would luv for you to follow. There's a button on the side bar------>
I also wanted to share with you what we did to the front door. I love red doors and think it makes the front of the house look so welcoming. Here are the before and after pics. I think it looks awesome. It turned out great. Yesterday I was out on the front porch and noticed there was a hummingbird that was very active. So seeing how I had all this free time on my hands, I thought why not try and make a video. So here it is. Sorry for the shaking. I was doing this with my camera and I must have had a weeee bit too much coffee LOL! Enjoy!

That's it for today. Need to get moving and get something done. Not really in the mood to do anything on my list. Kind of a dreary cloudy day but very warm. High humidity and temps yuck! but I would take it over below zero and snow any day.Have a great day! TTYS :D Sherri

Hi Everyone!

2010-07-27T10:11:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to pop in and say hi and let you know that I am still here.

I have no excuses as far as why I haven't posted. I guess I just haven't had anything interesting to say. We have been busy here at the homefront. Summer always goes so fast.

As far as the house, we havent really done anything lately. We did buy paint to paint the front door but it's been too darn hot to paint it. As soon as we get it painted I will post pics.

The flowers are really filling in this year and looking beautiful.

I have also been busy making cards. Here are a few that I have made.The first card was made using Lizzieanne patterened paper. I luv there paper designs. I lifted the card design from ummmm omg I cant remember. I will find out and post it. The last card I ran thru my cuttlebug embosser using the divine swirls folder.

Since my last post we have had a couple holidays some summer fun and some crafting. Most of all I have been enjoying the summer and the time to be outside(when it's not 90 and humid LOL). Before long we wont be able to get out and enjoy the warm weather so I try and take advantage when I can. Sitting on my porch with a glass of ice tea and reading up on some of my magazines is so relaxing.One of my very favorite things to do. Well better get back to my To Do List for today. Hope everyone is enjoying there summer and hopefully it wont be another 4 months before I post again. Have a great day!

SHERRI

New Craft

2010-03-15T08:05:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to post and say Hi and update you on what I have been doing lately. Recently I started a new craft hobby. I know I know, like I don't have enough craft projects to do but this is very near and dear to my heart, my family and kids pictures. You see, after the fire, I realized that these are the only link back to our past that we have. That terrible day of the fire, I had a firemen ask if there was anything I wanted out of the house and of course the only things that I really wanted were my pictures. These are really the only things that can bring you back to those first birthdays, school plays and family gatherings that mean so much. The nice firemen went in and saved most of them. I was thrilled when he came out with the albums that my dear daughter had put together for me a couple years earlier for Christmas.I balled and balled. I couldn't believe he went in and saved them for me. After that, I realized that it was so important to save these precious memories. Not just for future step back in time moments but to pass down to my kids and they can share them with their kids. That's the reason I felt it was so important to start scrap booking. I know I have so many craft hobbies but none that are as important as this. So with that being said, I want to share three layouts that I did over the weekend. I went to a SB retreat for 2 1/2 days this past weekend and had so much fun. It was just so relaxing to just put your mind away from the everyday chores and cooking and cleaning and just sit there and concentrate on scrap booking. I also got to spend time with my beautiful sister. We always have so much fun .
This first layout is a Christmas one of my daughter and oldest son.Now be nice, don't forget that I just started scrap booking a few months ago, LOL!
The second one is of my DD. She lives in Texas and these are the new boots that I got her for Christmas one year.
The third layout is my DD at her Senior year prom. She looked so pretty with her lavender dress. I still have to do some journaling on this one.

That's just a few that I have done. I still have allot to learn but I am having so much fun.
I hope everyone is doing well. I also want to thank everyone for following me and being interested in what's going on in my life.

Well that's it for today. I need to get back to laundry and cleaning, YUCK!

Have a great day everyone!

Until next time,

Fabric covered books and a lil Spring

2010-02-17T12:36:00.007-06:00

I hope every ones week is going well. Just wanted to share my project for this Wednesday. I have been wanting to make some of these fabric covered books. Over the weekend, I went to an antique shop and picked up these books and thought they would make great craft projects. Besides they were next to nothing for the price and couldn't pass that up. I used Chars tutorial over at http://charsethman.blogspot.com/. The only thing different that I did was left off the pocket because I wanted to display these closed.

Here they are after I finished covering them. I used blue fabrics that have been coffee stained to give them a very prim look.
Here they are after I wrapped them in cheesecloth. Think I might get some of those hang tags that are stained to hang on the cheesecloth just to add a little more interest...... and here they are displayed in my dry sink.
Thanks Char for another great tutorial. I have also been doing some spring decorating around the house this week. I took my snowmen down a couple of weeks ago and everything looked so bare. I know it's a little early but nothing wrong with making it feel like spring in the house. Especially since it's been so cold and yucky outside. It kind of lifts the ole spirit to see new things. So go ahead and pull out the bunnies and flowers. Put a little spring in your life.Oh BTW, another project this week are the eggs you see in the picture. I just used paper mache eggs from Hobby Lobby and painted them and stained them to make them look old.

Well I hope everyone has a great rest of the day and week.

Until next time,

~~~~Sherri~~~~

and the winner is....

2010-02-02T08:06:00.002-06:00

Kim at theprim schoolmarm. Kim I tried to email you and it was sent back to me. Get in touch with me and I will send out your magazines ASAP. Just go to my profile to get my address.Thanks to everyone that follows my blog and for all the nice comments. Have a great day!
~*SHERRI*~

MY CS magazine giveaway

2010-01-21T12:40:00.004-06:00

Hello everybody. I have been cleaning and organizing for the past few days. As I was cleaning out my magazine baskets, I came across two of each of these Country Sampler magazines. Why you asked? maybe I got too impatient while I was waiting for my subscriptions to come in the mail but I can't believe I would do that hehehe! Anyway, one is the July 2008 issue and the other is the May 2009 issue. I really do not need both so I am going to send these out to one of my faithful followers. I also wanted to point out that the May issue is the one that Karen from http://mycolonialhome.blogspot.com/ is featured in.
There are four criteria for this giveaway.
1. Please leave me a message on this post stating why you would like these issues.
2. You also need to be one of my followers before this post.
3. I would also like the winner to have their own blog.
4. If you already have these issues, please give someone else a chance.
That's it. The drawing cut off is January 31st. I will draw the name February 1st.
Good luck!
Until next time,
~SHERRI~

My latest project

2010-01-19T12:36:00.008-06:00

Hi everyone. Just wanted to share a couple pictures of my latest project. My DH made this mini stove board. I guess it's really not a stove board since I have it displayed on my counter so I am going to change the name to counter board. We just looked at the larger stove boards and made a scaled down version. I painted it khaki tan and went over it with dark walnut stain to make it look old of course. This is before I got it decorated..........

and this is after.............

My Dh and I have been working on another project for the past couple weeks. Since our son moved out and went to school I have been dying to get in his room and paint it. It was painted a blue color that really didn't go with the rest of the house. We painted it two different colors and put up a chair rail and I have to say it looks so much better. A while back I bought a new quilt and a much smaller bed knowing that I was either going to have the computer room in there or my craft room. So I was really feeling kind of bad for taking over his room because I knew he would still be coming home every now and then. We talked and he had no problem with us moving the computer room in there,so that's what we did. Now I have a room all to myself for crafting and scrap booking. YIPPPEEEE! I am so happy with it. Yesterday I went and bought some baskets and decorations and have to say it turned out so nice. I am not completely done with it yet so I am going to have to wait until it's completely done before I post pics :(sorry! Same thing goes for the computer room. I am waiting on curtains and still have to decide what I want on the wall. Not really much else going on other than waiting for spring to get here. Does anyone else feel like hibernating in winter? I just feel like curling up in a ball under the covers and not coming out until the weather changes. It's almost the end of January so really only about a couple more months of this. I really don't like wishing my life away. My mom would always tell me to not say that because it goes so fast anyway. I really didn't know what she was talking about at the time. Now that I am older, I know exactly what she means. I just keep myself busy and try not to think about it. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Hope it's filled with lots of accomplishments or fun. If you can do both that's even better.

Until next time,

~Sherri~

Heart Bowl Fillers

2010-01-07T11:35:00.008-06:00

Hello everyone. Just wanted to share some pics of what I have been working on but first take a look out our back door. It's a sea of snow. We probably got 5 inches of new snow since last night and more expected tonight with the winds picking up. Needless to say, I wont be venturing out any time soon. So no better time than now to get some of my crafting projects done that I have been wanting to do. My DH got me a new sewing machine for Christmas and I couldn't wait to try it out. I have to say that sewing is not one of my talents but now that I have a machine, I can practice and maybe get a little better. I wanted a machine to make simple things like pillows and new I could find some easy patterns to do. So I started cruzin the net and found this easy bowl filler heart pattern over at http://www.rabbithollowprims.com/patterns.html. I thought they would be cute tucked in my wood bowls since Valentines day is just around the corner. I normally don't do much decorating for Valentines day but these just looked so cute and easy. You could also put some string on them and use these as ornaments.

Here they are in one of my lil wood bowls.
They were so simple, I thought why not make some bigger ones? So I made a pattern and cut these out and stitched these up last night. As you can see I still have to sew them and stuff them but I think they turned out pretty cute.

Well that's it for now. I will be back with some more projects soon. I have a little side table that's just waiting for a coat of paint. I will post pictures when I get that started. Everyone enjoy your day and stay in safe and snug. Not much else you can do with the bad weather. IS IT SPRING YET?

Our St Charles MO trip

2009-12-14T11:11:00.009-06:00

Hi everyone. Yeah I am still around. I know it's been awhile. We have been so busy decorating and getting ready for Christmas, it's been a little overwhelming but I am so enjoying it. My DH and I did manage to arrange a weekend away. Today I want to share some pictures of our trip to St Charles Missouri. This is the most quaint little town with so much character. I think this is going to have to be a tradition every year from now on. It just really gets you in the Christmas spirit. There is a Christmas festival that starts November 27Th and ends December 26Th, complete with storybook characters and Santa's from around the world. There is also an ice skating rink. I didn't get pics of that, of course, being the cold blooded person I am, there was no way you were going to get me out there on that ice.To read about this Christmas traditions festival, just go to this linkhttp://www.stcharleschristmas.com/index.html.
Here are pictures of some of the historic buildings. They were all decked out with fresh greenery and beautiful decorations. The streets and sidewalks were all brick. Here are the carolers. They walked along the street and sang.(sorry for the blurry pictures. It was a little cold and I couldn't stop shaking long enough to get a good picture)

Sometimes they would stand underneath one of the buildings awnings and sing.

This is the Christmas angel.

This tree was huge. The ornaments were as bis as basketballs. The building to the right is a restaurant. We ate lunch there one day.We were seated in the top section and could look down on all the beautiful scenery. I wanted to get pictures of the parade and it was going on when we were eating. Oh well, maybe next year.

This is the sugarplum fairy. She was one of the more popular characters. She would take people off of the street and dance. She really had the personality for this character.

Here is one of the Santa's. I believe this is Father Christmas.

If you want to read and get the history of some of these characters, just go to this linkhttp://www.stcharleschristmas.com/christmashistory.htm

I just realized that I didn't really get many pics. I hope you enjoyed what I did get and maybe I will get more next year.
Well I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season. It will be here before you know it. I will try and get pictures posted of my Christmas decorations soon.

Until Next Time,

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T09:13:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to pop in and tell all my blogging friends to have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day with your family and friends. I am thankful for so much. From my healthy family to my blogging buds. I have been so blessed to have what I have. A wonderful husband and kids and a loving family. Caring and thoughtful friends. That's really all that is important in life.
Tomorrow all the fall decor comes down until next year and Christmas things come out. Yeah, I absolutely love this time of year. There is nothing like the feeling of Christmas. There is a chance of snow flurries today. No accumulation but just the site of snow gets me in the spirit of the season.
Take the time today to hug your kids and family. It really is special to have them close. You never know what next year will bring.

New recipe and craft project

2009-10-30T08:36:00.004-05:00

Good Friday morning to all my blog friends. I want to share a couple of things with you this morning. First is my craft projects I have been working on. I purchased these wool ornaments pattern over at http://www.prairiepointjunction.com/. I think they turned out so cute for my first try with wool and learning all the new stitches.

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The second part of my post is a recipe that my sister shared with me and it is so delicious. I linked it so you can print it out.http://sites.google.com/site/goodeatsorg/cajun-pasta-chicken

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I hope the past couple of weeks has been good to all my friends out there. I know the flu is going around here and everywhere else, really bad. I have been fortunate enough to have dodged it so far(knock on wood). The boys have had it but nothing serious just coughs, sore throats and low fevers. I leave the hand sanitizer and lysol right on the counter handy. I spray and sanitize constantly.

Hopefully I will be able to stay healthy.

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That's it for today. Better go so I can get my list of things accomplished.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween.

Until next time,

Mexican Veggie Bake

2009-10-16T08:41:00.004-05:00

Good Friday morning everyone. The week weather wise not so good. It has been raining, gosh I can't even remember when it started but I know it's still raining. Suppose to until Sunday. I have been finding myself being a home body this week. Don't feel much like going anywhere when it's rainy and cold. I guess that's good though, I have been getting some things done that needed to get done.
This weeks recipe is something I tried for the first time this week. I found it in the Gooseberry Patch "Speedy Suppers" cookbook. I have used alot of recipes from this book. This one is yummy and I served it with tacos.

Mexican Veggie Bake
1/2 c. green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. carrot, peeled and chopped
2 c. cooked rice, I used minute rice
16 oz. can refried beans
15 oz. can black beans, drained
1 c. salsa
12 oz package shredded cheddar
Saute veges in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender. I just sprayed my pan with cooking spray. Remove to a large bowl; add remaining ingredients except cheese. Layer 1/2 the mixture in a 13x9 pan; sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese. Repeat layers, ending with cheese. Bake 350 degrees untl heated thru, about 15-20 minutes. Serves 6
That's it for today. I hope everyone has a nice day and weekend. Until next time,

And The Winner Is......

2009-10-10T08:13:00.004-05:00

Jayne! and here is what she had to say...........

Just look at this bucket! It was overflowing. Thank you everybody for signing up for the giveaway and for all your kind comments on my home and on my blog. I appreciate each and everyone.

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Happy weekend everyone! The sun is shining but boy is it deceiving. I stepped out to take Kaci out and couldn't believe how cold it was, 30 degrees. Oh well at least the sun is shining which it hasn't done in a couple days. It was so funny when I got up this morning. I went into the bathroom and peaked thru the house and there was a bright light coming from the office room. I thought somebody left the top light on but nope it was just the sun coming thru the window,LOL. I forgot what it looked like!

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Our son is home for a couple days from college. It's always so good to see him. It seems like he has grown up so much. He walked in the last time he was home with this new haircut and it made him look so much older. It's amazing how it seems like they just grow up overnite.

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That's it for today. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather,well hopefully beautiful wherever you live, cuz the snow will be flying soon. Until next time,

Fall giveaway and New recipe

2009-10-09T08:38:00.007-05:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let everyone know the deadline for signing up for the giveaway is today. So if you want your name in the pot, just leave me a message.
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I also want to share a new recipe that I just tried this week. It came from the GP cookbook "Speedy Suppers". It's another one dish meal. The less work and clean up the better, in my opinion. Kielbasa and Peppers
2 T. olive oil
2 lbs. kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 red,green and yellow pepper, sliced into strips
1 onion, halved and sliced
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat; add kielbasa. Saute for 3 minutes; add vegetables. Cook until kielbasa is golden brown and vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Serves 4-6.
I serve this with white rice and a lettuce salad. Would be good over noodles also. So simple and very good.

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I hope life is treating everyone well. It's been rainy and cold here for the past two days. I see some of you have already gotten snow. They are calling for snow flurries here Sunday night, YUCK! Maybe if we get snow early, we will have an early spring. We can only hope.. That's it for today. I will let everyone no who won the giveaway soon. So stay tuned. Until next time,

My fall giveaway and APP featured home

2009-10-01T09:40:00.001-05:00

As some of you know, I have been chosen as the featured home for October at

http://aprimitiveplace.org/index.html. I can't even express how honored I feel

to have Kristine and all the support from the girls over there. They have truly been best friends to me over this past year and I can't thank them enough for all of their support and encouragement.

So in honor of this and the wonderful fall season, I want to give back. I am having my very first giveaway. I wish you could all win. Maybe when I win the lottery,LOL! But for now I am going to have to stick to a few things.

So do you want to know what you might win...........................

oh, I think I will wait to let you know.................

ummmmm no really do you want to know?........

nope not til the end....

OH OK, i give in....here it is

one of my Gatherings jars

Two Yankee votives and glass candle holder

and last but not least an Autumn plate with stand

So if you are interested in winning this grouping just shoot me an email or leave me a message on this post and I will be glad to enter you in my drawing.If you want to be entered twice be one of my followers and if you post this on your blog, I will enter you three times,YIPPEE!

Do all of this before October 15th and you might be a winner!

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That's it for today. Hope everyone is enjoying this cool fall weather.

Until next time,

Whatcha Workin on Wednesday

2009-09-30T10:31:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone. Just want to share what I finished today. My Believe stitchery that I have been working on, seems like forever. Don't look too close cuz it's the first one I have ever finished. Usually I start stitching and it isn't coming out the way I want so I don't finish. This one was so simple. It's a pattern from Shelly Auen over at http://primitivestitchin.com/. I love her patterns. Actually I started this on linen and boy was that hard to do. I couldn't even see the holes where I was suppose to be stitchin and it wasn't coming out to good. So i decided to go with aida cloth instead and glad I did. It was alot easier for me to see. I still have to do something with the back and not sure what to do or how but I will get it figured out.
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Last night my DH finished the deck so now I have another place I can do some fall decorating,YIPPEE! I will probly put a bench some pumpkins and mums and not sure what else. I will post a couple pics as soon as I get it decorated.
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That's it for today. Hope everyone is having a great week.
Until next time,

Recipe Pool

2009-09-25T08:06:00.004-05:00

Hello again everyone. Want to share another recipe that I just tried this week and WOW what a hit with the guys. It was really very good and very easy.

One pot pork chop supper:

1T. butter

4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

3 redskin potatoes, thick sliced or quartered

2 c. baby carrots( I cut these in half lengthwise)

1 onion quartered

1 can cream of mushroom soup or soup of choice

1/4 c. water

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add chops,3 minutes per side or until brown. Add vegetables. Mix soup and water in a small bowl and pour over chops. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

I only had bone in chops on hand so I used these and it was still very good. I also used white potatoes. The recipe said to quarter the potatoes but thought it would cook faster if they were thickly sliced. I also cut the carrots in half for the same reason. Serve with bread of your choice and applesauce.

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My dh is going to try and get some more done on the deck but I just heard that it is suppose to rain all weekend. Also, my DSIL is going to get another grandchild today. Her DIL is having a c-section today. They already know it is a little boy. I know my DSIL is very excited right now and very anxious. I will post when I know more.

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Hope everyone has a great weekend, Until next time

Whatcha Workin on Wednesday

2009-09-23T15:05:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone. Just a quick post on what I have been doing today besides catching up on laundry. Found this tutorial today http://rk-creations.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=40 and thought why not try it. I had everything on hand to make them.

Here they are drying.

and here they are in a display. I think they look so real. Just like dried

up fall leaves. If you get time go on over and check out her website.

She has alot of great patterns. Need to go for now. Going out to dinner with the family. It's my mom's birthday and we

always do dinner with the family when somebody is celebrating a birthday. Have a great rest of the day and I will be

talking to you soon. Until next time,

Back to School Recipe Pool

2009-09-18T08:03:00.004-05:00

Another weekend is upon us. Where does the time go? Oh I know, taking care of the house and family and if time allows, you get to sneak some time for yourself. As all of us wives and mothers know, that time is few and far between.
I am not complaining though, I love taking care of my family. Nothing gives me more pleasure than having my guys come home and making a nice dinner for them to enjoy after a long days work. So after saying that, I thought I would join in the recipe pool this week and share one of the recipes that they love.
So go on over to Colleen's blog http://andbabymakesfive-colleen.blogspot.com/ and check out all the other yummo recipes when you get the time.
I am going to share an easy salisbury steak recipe. Sorry no pictures today :(
Quick and Easy Salisbury Steak
1 lb.hamburger
1 lb.turkey
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
4 shakes worcestershire sauce
couple dashes garlic powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 cans cream of mushroom or golden mushroom soup
Combine turkey, hamburger and 1/2 pkg onion soup mix, garlic and worc. sauce. Shape into patties and fry. Combine remaining onion soup mix, mushroom soup and milk and add to patties. Simmer 20 minutes. Make gravy with pan drippings. Serves 6.
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I received my Country Sampler yesterday and just wanted to congratulate Janae over at http://coopriders.blogspot.com/2009/09/snowman-has-landed.html. Her home is one of the featured homes. Go on over and take a peak. Congrats Janae! Well deserved.
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Hope everyone has a great weekend! Until next time,

Our trip to Amish country

2009-09-14T09:00:00.025-05:00

Hello everyone.Hope all is well. I just wanted to post a few pictures of our little trip from last week to Shipshewana, Indiana. The amish have such a simple life. There homes are absolutely gorgeous and so simple and clean.The first day we got there we went to the flea market.What a dissappointment. It was all commercialized and only a couple booths that had handmade things and no antiques. However,downtown Shipshe was very nice. It was the quaintest little town.The best part was the food. I did find what I was looking for which I was very excited about. It was very nice to get away. Below are a few pictures that I took to give you an idea of what it looked like.

There was a horse and buggy just sitting there with no one around so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get a picture.The amish do not like having there pictures taken which is understandable.They are people just like us except they happen to dress differently and have a very different way of life.The second picture is some landscaping.It was beautiful.This was at one of the bed and breakfasts.
The next three pics are of one of the best shops there.It had the most different things and OMG how it was decorated was totally awesome.
This is along the side of the building. Those birdhouses were amazing.I wanted so badly to get pictures of the inside but she had a sign posted "No Pictures"

Isn't this just the cutest quaintest little place you have ever seen? It's a little cafe.We sat out on the porch and ate our lunch.My Dh didn't like the way it was decorated on the inside.He said it looked like a nursery,haha.It kind of did but it was decorated with cottage decor.I guess I don't ever have to worry about him wanting our house decorated that way.Not that there is anything wrong with cottage,it just happens to not be the way I decorate.Although I know it is very popular right now. If you walk back in there to the right and left are other little shops.The little red building to the left was a sweet shop with homemade candies and fudge.

This is a picture of one of the shops on main street.

This is a picture of the front of another one of my favorites there. The lady here was so nice. I ended up buying a shelf here for my entry.Stay tuned for pictures. There was also this antique/vintage shop there.I didn't take any pictures of this but when I walked in I couldn't believe all of the vintage aprons.They had a peg rack that was probably 7 feet long filled with them.As soon as I seen them I immediately thought of Carey over at
http://americangirlprimitivesnsuch.blogspot.com/

Carey you would have gone crazy in this place.Wish I would have taken some pictures.

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I have been a very busy little bee getting everything ready for fall. I am just about ready.Still have a little tweaking I need to do. I still have alot to do as far decorating but can't do everything so some of it will have to wait.
My youngest son moved out and now we have an empty bedroom that's just waiting for some attention.I have purchased some things but need to paint the room.Yes I said paint the room.I know we just moved in but a girl has a right to change her mind RIGHT? I also need to finish the main bathroom and put some decor in there.Right now it has empty walls. Which is kind of driving me crazy.That's it for today.I will be posting fall preview pictures very soon. Hope everyone is having a great Monday,Until next time,

Busy weekend,flea market results and gathering jar

2009-09-06T13:04:00.006-05:00

Hello all my bloggin buds,just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I will be gone for the next three days.MY DH and I are heading to Indiana to get away.I am wanting to find a couple things for the house and hoping the flea market and antique shoppes there will have what I am looking for.

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In an earlier post I told you I was going to try and get rid of some of my things I had left over from the store.Well that turned out to be a great move.I sold alot of things and my DH is sooo happy.He can actually see part of the back wall in the shed and might be able to fit another vehicle in there now.
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Yesterday we also attended our sister in laws mothers 80th birthday party.She had it all decked out for a hawaiian luau.I forgot my camera,of course, but Steve's brother did get a picture of us being silly.Just wanted to share that.

I told my DH that we had to do this cuz it's going to be the only time in our lives we will be perfect "10"'s,LOL!

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I also wanted to share my prim gatherings jar that I made this week.I think it turned out pretty good and very easy to make.

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and hope your week is even better.
I will check in when I get back and let you know how it went.I will have alot of catching up to do too.Until next time,

Textures of my home Part 2

2009-09-01T08:04:00.002-05:00

Good Morning everyone! Well here it is September 1st.The days are just flying by. Yesterday I bought my first mums of the season and I will be planting those later today.I will post when I get them in the ground and decorated.Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Until next time,

Sherri

My newest creation

2009-08-31T08:10:00.004-05:00

Last week I made this sign but was waiting on the rusty stars for the ends.I got it done this weekend and wanted to share.Hope everyone had a great weekend. I have alot to get done this week before our lil trip next week. Yep,that's right.We are heading to Shipshewana,Indianahttp://www.shipshewana.com/.It will be the extended flea market this next week.I am hoping to find some more furniture pieces for a couple of the rooms in our house.I am very excited to get away. Also,this labor day weekend we will be setting up a spot at the Threshermans reunionhttp://www.threshermensreunion.org/ to try and get rid of some things that I had left over from the store.So it will be a crazy busy week.Everyone have a great day and week.Until next time,

Back to school recipe pool

2009-08-29T08:04:00.007-05:00

I wanted to join in Colleens recipe pool.Sorry it's a day late:0( Cooler weather is on the way,so I thought I would post this delicious chili recipe. I know there are alot of chili recipes out there but this one is from my favorite cooks, Paula Deen.You can't go wrong with one of her recipes.It's hard to believe but this one doesn't call for butter,hehehe! It's so simple,just throw together in crockpot and let simmer all day.It's YUMMO! I did make some changes.Instead of whole tomatoes I use a can of tomato juice.My family doesn't like tomatoes and I don't care for thick chili.I also used petite diced tomatoes.Also,I used chili beans instead of black beans.I also like to shred my onion.It says to simmer for 4 hours but I just put mine in the crockpot.
http://recipes.pauladeen.com/index.php/recipes/view/jamies_chili/
Rather than typing this out,I am just giving you the link to her website.If anyone out there tries this,let me know what you think.If you would like to join in Colleen's Friday recipe pool just click herehttp://andbabymakesfive-colleen.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-to-school-recipe-pool-week-1.html?
Have a great weekend everyone. Until next time,

What I am working on and Textures of my home Part 1

2009-08-26T08:18:00.012-05:00

Just wanted to share what I am working on this Wednesday. My lil stitchery from Shelly Auen http://picturetrail.com/primitive-stitchin
When I finish it will be "Believe"primitive santa.Hopefully it will look a lil bit like it's suppose to.I have never cross stitched on anything but aida cloth. I am having a hard time seeing the lil holes.It's not as easy as it seems.I will post pictures as soon as it is completed.

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The second part of my post is textures in my home. Alot of you girls have been doing this and thought I would join in. It is very easy to get carried away. I will post a second part soon and maybe even a third! Hope everyone is having a great week.Have a wonderful day,

Until next time,

My new above door shelf curtain holder and "redware"

2009-08-24T07:42:00.005-05:00

Hello all my bloggin buds.Happy Monday everyone! Start to another beautiful day here in central Illinois.We had temps only in the 70's this weekend and have to tell you it's really getting me in the mood to start pullin out all my fall decor. I can't get myself to let go of summer for some reason. I do luv summer when you can get outside and enjoy the sun.We have had such a mild summer.Not much heat which has been really nice.One of the nicest summers I can remember.Well onward to better things. After reading Jens tutorial on redware plates http://taylorsfarmhouseattic.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-offeringredware-tutorial.html
I knew I just had to try this. I had purchased a wooden plate at Hobby Lobby and was wondering what I could do with it.When she posted her tutorial,I couldn't resist. I think if it weren't wood,it would look more like redware but for my first try I thought it was OK.I went cruzin the internet for pics of redware and found this bird on a limb.In case you were wondering what it is,LOL!I also used delta ceramcoat craft paint in cinnamon and I am not really happy with the color.Next time I am going to try light cinnamon like Jen used.

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Now for the second part of my post. Ever since we had the big doors in the house,I have visualized valances and a shelf above.I just though it would soften it up a bit.Well one of my web friends,Teresa over at http://teresasprimtreasures.blogspot.com/ had these brackets for sale and I knew I had to have them. Over the weekend,after hours of figuring out what to do and how to do it,my DH and I, finally got it figured out,and yes we are still married,LOL! OK,so I exagerated a bit, maybe it wasn't hours but it sure felt like it. At one point, I didn't t hink we were going to ever get it figured out,right Teresa? After purchasing two different kinds of hooks,dowel rods,wood,brackets,L brackets and screws,we finally got it done.I think it turned out great and can't wait to get it decorated.I know it's hard to see the valances but they are lovers knot pattern. I am going to get better pics when I get it decorated.
Well I hope everyone has a great day.I also hope my post inspires someone to get out there and do something they have been wanting to do.Cuz if I can do it anybody can.

Until next time,

Joining in on Watcha working on Wednesday

2009-08-19T18:29:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! Just a short post tonight. I am joining some of you ladies in Watcha workin on Wednesday. I have been wanting to make some gameboards and I finally got my stencils this week. This is my first try at one and I think it turned out pretty good.Thanks Char, over at the Pickled Pepper Patch, http://charsethman.blogspot.com/for your great tutorial! Michaels had a great sale last week and I picked up this board 30% off. My next one will be from wood out in my DH shed.It will be alot cheaper even though it was on sale.I used Americana Old Gold over black.

Here is a picture of the cutting boards that I painted last week but didn't get around to posting.

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Today we had thunderstorms go thru and tornado warnings.It was pretty scary.We had high winds and alot of rain.We are suppose to have a very nice weekend here.Only in the 70's and sunny all weekend.School started here yesterday.I can't believe another summer is gone. I hope everyone is having a nice evening,until next time,

One last "summer" post

2009-08-14T09:06:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone.Just a short post this morning to let everyone know I am still here. I wanted to post summer pics one last time.Soon the fall will be coming out,YIPPEE!
I posted a picture of this in a previous post but wanted to show how it turned out with all the landscaping done.

This is a picture of the front door.

Front porch to the right of the front door.The red geraniums will soo be packed away for the year.It's hard to believe another summer is almost gone.

Front porch to left of the door.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Until next time,

Sherri

The process has begun

2009-08-05T12:18:00.005-05:00

I have to warn you this will not be the most flattering picture you will ever see of me. Yesterday was my first orthodontic appointment for my braces. He put the top ones on and then 4-6 months they will put the bottom ones on. This is going to be a 2 - 2 1/2 year process. They warned me that my mouth will be a lil soar for a few days. A lil soar!, that's an understatement.OMG,my mouth feels like a toothache all over my mouth. I can't eat anything that is hard to chew cuz it hurts so bad.I might be living on ice cream for the next few days which I guess isn't so bad.Except for all the sugar that I am not suppose to be eating.Oh well guess I gotta do what I gotta do.Better get going and try and get something done today.Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.The sun is shining here and it's beautiful.Until next time,

Dining room pics

2009-08-04T10:08:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone! It's a rainy stormy day here in central Illinois, a perfect day to take some pics and post on my blog. I have been doing some tweaking and wanted to share some dining room pics.
This quilt shelf doesn't look right to me.I don't know but I think I have too much on it.It feels cluttered. Anyone have any suggestions?
This is my favorite piece,my big green cupboard with all my treenware and Maple city pottery and of course Lisa's prim sign that I luv.
Here's a view of everything together.
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I am off to the dentist later to start my braces.I am so excited to finally get my teeth fixed.I know it's going to take awhile. I will have them on for 2 to 2 1/2 years but it will definately be worth it. I asked the dr if he could speed it up cuz I aint no spring chicken anymore,LOL! Anyway I will keep you posted on the braces progress and more pics of the house when I feel it's picture worthy.I wanted to show pics of the drysink,quilt area but don't feel it's quite ready.
Until next time,

My first RS redo's

2009-07-31T08:13:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone!Well I got the makeover bug.My blogging friends give me such inspiration.I just love all the wonderful makeovers and now when I go antiquing I search for things that can be redone.So here's just a short post on my first resale shop makeovers.The first item is a jar I found at my favorite resale shop and happens to be where I work http://oncenagain.com/.

When this came in I saw potential and I knew axactly what I wanted to do with it.

I sanded the lid,painted it black let that dry,painted dried basil green over that then sanded.Put a coat of dark walnut over that and WAHLAH!

Then I went to APPhttp://aprimitiveplace.org/featuredhome.html and looked under crafts and one of the girls on there so graciously had free labels to download and print.http://s588.photobucket.com/albums/ss329/manda47446/ Thanks so much Manda!I wanted a darker label so I took a brown paper bag and cut a piece out of it the same size as a regular size paper to fit in the printer.Then I printed the label out on that and cut.Used mod podge on the back of the label then went over it with mod podge after I attached it to the jar. Here it is all done.Not sure what I want to put in it yet but I really luv how it turned out.

My second makeover is this cutting board I found at a local antique store.I sanded it so that paint would stick.Painted it black.Let that dry and sanded it off to give that used look.Then took dark walnut stain over that and here it is....................................

This was so much fun.Thanks so much friends for such great inspiration.It's great taking inexpensive things and turning them into something that you love.Have a great day!Until next time,

My New Finds

2009-07-27T07:47:00.002-05:00

Good morning everyone! Well yesterday my DH and I went for a lil road trip.We ended up in Sandwich.Go figure! All the places we went into had sales going on.All but one shop.Here are a few pics of the things I purchased.I think my favorite is the lil basket.
Jug lamp,lil stool,buttocks basket and sugar bucket

Cherish yesterday,Dream tomorrow,Live today stitchery

Old bucket and sifter

This is a towel rack but I turned it over and used it to hold my treen cutting board and old slicers.I hung it above my cooktop.

I am going to try and get some full size pics of the rooms now that they are getting closer to being done.I would love to get a better camera first.My camera is a lil outdated.It doesn't take very good pics or maybe it's just the person taking the pics,LOL!

Everyone have a great day.
Until next time,

Chicken Chimis

2009-07-24T06:47:00.006-05:00

Good morning everyone.I just thought I would share this delicious recipe with all of my blogging buds out there.I have been wanting to make these for awhile after finding the recipe in my new Gooseberry Patch cookbook.This is the first of many that I have found in this wonderful book. Chicken Chimis
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts,cooked and shredded
salt,pepper and garlic salt to taste
1 Tablespoon butter
10 8" flour tortillas
8 oz package shredded monterey jack cheese
6 green onions chopped
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Toppings-sour creme,salsa,guacamole

First of all I doubled this recipe.Are they kidding? only 2 chicken breasts!My family happens to be big eaters.I boiled my chicken first but you can microwave it also.I let it cool a bit and then shredded with 2 forks. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings.Heat butter in large skillet,add chicken and saute 3 minutes(I like my chicken done so I turned it and cooked another 3 minutes).Spoon chicken evenly onto tortillas.Top with cheese and green onions;fold up sides and roll up,burrito style.Heat oil in large skillet on med high heat and add rolled up tortillas & saute until golden brown.Watch very carefully so they don't get too brown.I just put 2 at a time in the skillet.This made 8 chimis but I put quite abit of chicken in each one.Serve with choice of toppings.

These were YUMMO! I used shredded lettuce, salsa and sour creme,extra cheese and served with mexican rice.I wanted refried beans but didn't have any on hand.

That's it for now. Hope someone out there tries these.It really is a super easy quick dinner and is very good.Until next time,

We are back

2009-07-12T18:32:00.007-05:00

Hi all my blogging friends.Just wanted to let everybody know we are back safe and sound from our lil mini vacation to Wisconsin. We went up there for the weekend and did some camping and river tubing.It was the first year we were able to go and we had a great time.I didn't really want to come home.Well maybe to shower cuz I was getting a lil ripe.I love camping but that part of it I don't like.

Here is a picture of my DH(Steve),our friend Duey(Mike) his wife Uli,what a sweetheart and our friend Scott.Mike and Steve were friends in high school.I just luv this picture.Uli looks so little,which she is,but when she is standing with the guys,she looks like she was being invaded by the three giants.Here is just one group on the river.There were about 50 of us.It really was a kewl site to see all of us floating down the river.
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Well I probly wont be posting much this week.I have to work everyday except Friday.I will check in and see what all my blogging buddies are doing though.Everyone have a great week,Until next time!Sherri

MJ-Gone Too Soon

2009-07-08T14:53:00.006-05:00

OK OK I know this is the second post for the day.It's rainy and cruddy outside so thought I would post this song.I love Michael Jackson and when I was watching 20.20 last night,they brought up the song that he wrote for Princess Diana.It gave me goosebumps to listen to it.I grew up listening to MJ and the Jackson Five.I remember putting on there album and singing and dancing.It brings back so many memories.My favorite back then was Ben.Now I don't know what my favorite is.He has so many good ones.I think on the top of my list is" You are not alone".That gives me goosebumps to listen to that one too.So in honor of Michael Jackson I want to post this song.

Pump fountain

2009-07-08T07:12:00.015-05:00

Hello all my bloggin buddies.Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend.The weather here was awful.It rained all day.All the events were cancelled.Although some of the fireworks around the area still went on.We stayed home and had the family over.It turned out to be a very nice time.We stayed in and played cards and listened to my dad tell us about some of his childhood memories.It's always so interesting when he tells us about some of the things he did.He and my mom both lived way down in the Kentucky mountains.One day he decided he was tired of waiting for his mom,my gramma,to order some things from Sears that he had been wanting.So,being the lil stinker he was,he got the order form out himself.I believe he said he was only 6 or 7 years old,and he filled it out alright.Everyday he would go down to the local store and see if his order came.When it finally did get there,the people down at the local store couldn't believe it.He had ordered a bicycle and a whole lot of toys.There were boxes and boxes of stuff.It's so funny to hear him tell it.There are so many stories that my mom and dad tell us about when they were growing up.My mom was a tomboy.She had a twin brother and she would protect him.There entertainment was climbing the mountains.She tells us about all the snakes they would see up in the mountains and it's so hard to believe that they never got bitten.Well sorry for the rambling.Now on to my reason for the post.
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On Sunday the weather was beautiful.My DH and I worked in the yard.We got our pump fountain installed and I just wanted to share.We don't have the mulch down yet so you can see the tubing and electrical cord.Just pretend they aren't there,LOL!As you can tell we have been doing a little landscaping also.Our very nice neighbor is a landscape designer and he was kind enough to draw up a plan.We did get the front pretty much done except for the mulch.We still need to get a few more things for the side of the garage.We had all that area done and then we had the fire.When we started the new house,everything had to be dug up and moved and some of them didn't make it.Next year we are planning on building a deck and doing the landscaping in the back.When we get the mulch down,I will post more pics.Here are a couple of pics of the fountain.The pump we found at a flea market in Sandwich IL.http://thirdsundaymarket.com/There are flea markets once a month,April thru September each year.
Well that's it for today.Hope everyone has a great day and great rest of the week,Until next time :0),

My first try at pantry boxes and new cookbook

2009-06-30T14:16:00.009-05:00

Hello everyone.I hope you are having a nice Tuesday.I wanted to share this with my crafting friends.I absolutely love old pantry boxes and when Char over at The Pickled Pepper Patch http://charsethman.blogspot.com/2009/06/tuesdays-tutorial.html had a tutorial on how to make these,I knew I had to try.Besides the fact that when I went to Hobby Lobby all the paper mache was on sale which I took as a sign.I thought they turned out pretty good for my first try.

This is the top box

This is the middle box

This is the bottom box ......I know the suspense is killin ya..........................................................................................................

Here they are all put together.

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Now for my second part of my post.I was so excited when the mail came today.I got my Gooseberry Patch cookbook in the mail.Just like Carey over at http://americangirlprimitivesnsuch.blogspot.com/ I too luv cookbooks.But not only did I get the cookbook but I also got for free this insulated casserole cover.Yippee! I can't wait to sit down and look at my new book.I will study it from front to back.I know there is going to be lots of great family recipes that I can't wait to try.Until next time:0)

My new finds

2009-06-24T08:29:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone! This past weekend my DH and I headed off to the Third Sunday Market.Now if there is anyone out there that is from central Illinois,you will know it was a terrible day weather wise.It rained and was very humid.Needless to say I wasn't really in the mood to shop.I know,I know it's hard to believe I wasn't in the mood to shop.Anyway, I did happen to find this ivory color antique sugar bucket and it was exactly the size I needed to almost finish off my collection.I also found this wreath with the bird for my front porch.I will probably replace my americana wreath that's on the door after the fourth.After we left the market we had some time to kill before meeting the family for dinner at Cracker Barrel.So seeing how we had all this time on our hands, I figured why not go to Country Gingham?One of my most favorite places to shop and it was air conditioned!Well I didn't buy a whole lot there either which is really hard to believe.I did find this little colonial mirror and hung it above my antique high chair in the entry.Well I better get off of here for now it's my day off and have lots to get done.Everyone have a great day,Until next time!:0)

It's been a year

2009-06-20T11:34:00.006-05:00

It's hard to believe but Saturday was the one year anniversary of our fire.We have come along way in just a year.I am not sure reflecting back now how I actually survived.I know the help of others helped tremendously.I love my new home but still really miss our old house.Sure not as much as when it first happened but those overwhelming feelings of loss are still there.I suppose it's a grieving thing as bad as losing a loved one.I don't know if those feelings are ever going to go away.I have posted pics in honor of our old house and a picture of the new house in honor of all the new memories being made.

New house Old house

Blog Award

2009-06-19T07:38:00.004-05:00

I received an email from Sharon over at http://primthymesblog.blogspot.com/.

She gave me a sweet award.Thanks so much Sharon for my very first award.

I would luv to send this to all my blogging friends but time is not on my side right now so in honor of this award,I am passing this on to only a few of my favorite blogs.

1.http://gardenjunk.blogspot.com/

2.http://americangirlprimitivesnsuch.blogspot.com/

3.http://primgalsprimitivepalette.blogspot.com/

4.http://homespuncountrytreasures.blogspot.com/

5.http://primsbylisa.blogspot.com/

My first pantry cakes

2009-06-18T07:48:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone.I just wanted to share what I have been doing.I finally made some of these cute lil pantry cakes.I bought the molds at a local antique shop awhile back.When Char over at The pickled pepper patch posted her faux pantry cake recipe,I knew this was the recipe for me,easy! Thanks Char! I think they turned out pretty good for my first try.I think my next batch I am not going to put as much spices on the outside.It was so funny when my DH came in last night and they were on the counter.He picked it up and said they looked good enough to eat.They actually do look just like lil cinnamon cakes.

Here they are after I took them out of the molds.I have to admit,My DH had to help me with this part.They weren't coming out very easy,so he told me to put them in hot water and after little pounding they popped right out.

Here they are all spiced up on top of my old board with cheesecloth underneath.
AND......

with my screen that I made.

Everyone have a great day! Until next time,SHERRI

New ebay auctions

2009-06-15T08:16:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone.Just wanted to post this really quickly.I have to get ready for work.I have listed some things on ebay.If you go to the very bottom of the page you can view my slideshow.It didn't turn out the way I wanted but it will do for now.Just go to http://www.ebay.com/
and under advanced search put in my user id which is macknsnstuff. Thanks everyone,Hope you have a wonderful day,Until next time,Sherri

My new signs from Lisa

2009-06-10T15:08:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone.Well it turned out to be a beautiful day here in central Illinois.They were calling for rain but it must have missed us.It's a gorgeous 81 degrees.Kind of cloud covered but that's OK. as long as it's not raining. I was so excited when the mail came today. My signs from Lisa are here and as I promised her,I am posting pictures.I just luv how primitive they look.Thanks so much Lisa for the great customer service. If anyone is interested in any of her perfectly prim signs here is the link http://primsbylisa.blogspot.com/

I put this one in my green cupboard with all my treenware and pottery

This one I put in my newly painted brown cupboard in the entry

Siding Hooks

2009-06-08T07:59:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! I just had to share what I have found over the weekend.Siding hooks! I have been wanting to hang my sign on my porch but didn't want to put a hole in the siding.If I had only found these BEFORE I had hung my twiggy wreath with a nail :0(. I didn't even know these things existed. So,being the curious person that I am and knowing you can pretty much find anything on ebay,I searched for siding hooks.What do you know,there they were. I know this is probly a silly post but I was just so excited to know there was such a thing.I also thought maybe there were others out there that didn't even know these existed.So happy hook finding everyone.Hope this helps,until next time,Sherri

Look,NO HOLES.It just slips under the piece of siding.Isn't it amazing?!

The greatest invention ever made,hehehe!

Antique cupboard redo

2009-06-03T09:44:00.005-05:00

Hi again everyone. A couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted to paint my green antique cupboard. I painted the outside brownstone by Old century paints and dry brushed black over the top.The inside is linen white with a stain over it.

BEFORE

AFTER

This is a picture of the entire entry wall. I still need to do some tweaking.I want to get something for above the high chair and the bench needs something else.I would luv to know what everyone thinks.Wether good:0) or bad:0(

Until next time,Sherri

Patriotic New Look and Porch Pics

2009-06-02T15:31:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone. I took the plunge and took about an hour or so out of my day to get this new look.Whew,didn't think I would ever get that one figured out but glad I did.It was well worth the trouble. Hope you like,:0)!
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I have been a busy lil bee.I had my sons graduation party this past weekend.It went well.We had beautiful weather.Sunday I just layed around and recuperated.Yesterday I worked all day and this morning felt like I was hit by a mack truck. Today,I have been trying to catch up with all my blog friends.Honestly,I was doing so much catch up that I don't even remember where I found this album but boy am I glad I found it.Check out this home.http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/572535542ZWeACe

Well isn't it a good one?I thought so. She has some great collections. I also absolutely love the colors she has used thru out her home.

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Now I want to share some pics of my front porch.My blog header is one of them.This is the wreath I made for the front door.I have been wanting something for the door and didn't want to pay a fortune.I found this flag at an antique shop.I had the wreath,picks and greenery so didn't cost me much.My kind of decorating.

This picture is of the bucket bench I found on ebay.I bought it intending to put it in the entry but when I got it home I thought it looked nice on the porch. I just used all my watering cans instead of buckets.Well that's it for now.Hope you enjoyed my new pics.Until next time,SHERRI

My "babies" HS Graduation

2009-05-27T08:21:00.008-05:00

Yes,I know, If he knew I was calling him my baby he would kill me.Yes, he is our last one.It's hard to believe that he is 18 and going to college this fall.It seems like yesterday that I was laying in the bed with my feet up to keep from giving birth 6 weeks early. How time flies. Even more shocking is thinking that we are old enough to be empty nesters,arghhh! We have spent the last 26 years raising our kids.I guess I should look at it as our time now until the grandchildren start coming(can't wait).
This picture is of Justin and his buddies.He's the one with the aviators.Our oldest son,Kyle is the one in the blue shirt and hat directly behind him.I didn't even realize I had gotten him in the picture.

Here he is walking down the aisle to get his diploma with his good friend,Ed. Justin is the one on the left.

Well that's it for now.Didn't want to bore you too much. I am off today to get things for his graduation party this weekend.Hope everyone had a great memorial day weekend and I will be talking to ya soon,Have a great day!

Fly Screen

2009-05-13T11:52:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone.Well it's another rainy day here in central Illinois.Thought it would be a good day to post a picture or two of my recent creation,an old fly screen.I purchased an old colander,cut the wires off and spray painted it.I wasn't real sure of the color.I wanted it to look old and rusty and I wasn't sure if it turned out that way.I was going to purchase a wooden knob but my DH reminded me that we had some of the old glass knobs that we could use.I thought that would be ok.It was something different.I think it turned out pretty good.I still want to get something to put underneath or possibly make something if I can find some old molds.

My sons prom pics

2009-05-11T07:48:00.007-05:00

Good morning everyone.I just wanted to share pics of Justins prom pics from this past weekend.Here he is leaving for his last prom,:(I can't believe he is going to be graduating.Where did the time go?

Here is the picture of him and his friends waiting to leave in the limo.

Him and his date are the ones wearing the aviator sunglasses.They bought those instead of flowers.

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Hope everyone had a great Moms day weekend.I did. It was a beautiful day here.I bought some flowers and did get some planted yesterday.Hoping the weather is nice tomorrow so I can get out there and finish.Well I have to go for now.Have a great day everybody!

Happy Friday and pic of my thermostat cover

2009-05-08T08:29:00.009-05:00

Welcome back to my blog everyone! I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Friday and great Mothers day weekend.

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I also wanted to share a picture of my thermostat cover.I purchased this a while back and forgot to post a picture.

Now you see it...................

Now you dont.....................

PRAYER CHAIN

2009-05-06T07:53:00.003-05:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to post this but feel every prayer can help. There is a wonderful family that is going thru some very hard times right now. Their beautiful daughter went in to have her first child and they discovered soon after her delivery that she had lymphoma.You can go to her blog and check out her progress and view pictures of her and her family and read her story.Here is the link.http://thosebanes.webs.com/ So please pray for her and her family.This is just another victim of this horrible disease.

My day away and new finds

2009-05-04T06:57:00.009-05:00

Well it was a beautiful day here in Illinois yesterday which prompted my DH and I to get a well deserved day away. We took off in the truck to a small town called Sandwich. This is absolutely one of my fav places to go for antiques and decorations.I neglected to grab my camera for pics and wish I would have remembered to bring it along.There were not one but three awesome antique and country stores.The first one we popped into was called The Red Geranium and oh boy did I have fun in there. They were having a great sale yesterday and I got everything 20% off.I wish I could have walked out of there with everything in the store.I didnt,well cuz my Dh would have killed me and the simple fact that I was trying to stick to a budget but oh man was it hard. I did find a cupboard for our entry and lots of great prims.The second store we went into was called Two Sisters and OMG how awesome.It had been awhile since I had been in there and she had moved every thing around and had lots of different stuff.This was the kewlest prim shop I had ever seen.I found some really kewl stuff for the laundry room.

The third awesome place we ventured into was called Farmers Daughter. It was so cute the way she had everythingdecorated.This is where I found

my big lantern for the porch.

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I also found these cute little rubber tips for my tealights.I just wanted to share what they look like.I thought they were so cute.

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That's it for now.Thanks for checking out my new finds.Hope everyone has a great day and I will be talking to you soon.

My new pinkeep

2009-04-28T13:32:00.004-05:00

Hi again everyone. It's been a busy day.My two friends came to visit and see the house.When I answered the door,here they were with a beautiful hanging flower basket for me. We sat and chatted and had coffee and coffeecake.It was so nice.They are two great ladies.Then,I was off to get some grocery shopping and errands ran.It ,of course,started pouring rain,so I made my little excursion short.My hair and rain don't mix too well.If you could see me now,LOL!I also heard that we are suppose to have rain thru Friday.At this rate,we might get the landscaping done,ooooooh by JULY!Anyway,now to the reason for my post.My awesome little pinkeep from Teresa at http://www.ezshoppes.com/shoppe/?sid=teresasprimitivetreasures came in the mail today.Thanks so much Teresa.I absolutely luv it. It looks so cute in my laundry room cubby shelf.
Well I have to cut it short again.Need to get some paper work done today.Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

Organizing office

2009-04-28T06:36:00.006-05:00

Just a short post this morning.Wanted to touch base with everyone and keep my promise to post more often.For lack of knowing what to post,I thought I would let everyone see what my weekend consisted of.Now I know it's not very interesting and you could prolly care less but I have organized all the papers and it makes me feel so good to get this done.Actually,we have a desk ordered and it should be here soon and I wanted to be ready so I can just concentrate on decorating the room.Well I have to go for now(told you it was short).I have a couple ladies coming this morning to take a peek at the house and I want to be ready.I have some straightening and cleaning before they get here.
So have a great day everyone and I will be talking to you soon.

Picture of dining room cupboard and laundry hamper

2009-04-24T08:27:00.007-05:00

Good morning everyone.Just wanted to quickly post pictures of my dining room cupboard that's pretty much done.I want to find something else to put on the second shelf.

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Also,here are pics of my laundry room hamper and shelf unit.The cupboard hangs above the hamper.Well better go for now.Need to get ready for work.Hope everyone has a great day and wonderful weekend.The weather is suppose to be really nice here this weekend.Warm but windy,go figure.

Kitchen counter display

2009-04-22T08:08:00.003-05:00

Hi again everyone! Yep that's right,another post,two days in a row.I just wanted to share one of my kitchen counter displays. I also wanted to get everyones opinion.Should I change my blog description background to this picture or leave it for now? I want to get a grubby votive to put in my little stoneware bowl or does anyone have any other suggestions?

I have been home for two days.That's amazing in it's self.I have alot of catching up to do and it feels good to get it done.I have a full TO DO LIST today. Well, as much as I would love to stay on here,I better get going on that list. Everyone have a wonderful day and I will be talking to you soon.

Some bathroom decorating

2009-04-21T09:50:00.004-05:00

Hi as I said,here are some pics of the master bathroom so far. It's not done but wanted to show everyone my shelf and decor.The shelf is one I had before the fire.It was in the basement of the old house and needed cleaning up.My sweet hubby painted it black for me and ,wala,works perfectly,and better yet,it cost nothing.The bath sign I purchased from a great shop in Clinton,IL.Heres the link... http://www.countryjunctionstore.com/
Well that's it for now.I will post more when it gets closer to being done.I am having so much fun decorating my new home.It's been a very long 9 months.We have been thru alot but now we can enjoy our lives and move on.

New look,New post

2009-04-21T08:51:00.009-05:00

Well hello everyone! No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.I thought

to celebrate the wonderful change in our lives ,I might as well make changes to my blog.Hope everyone likes the new change. As some of you prolly know,on February 28th we officially moved into our new home. I have come to the conclusion that there really is "no place like home." We have been enjoying it so much.We have been very busy unpacking,organizing and of course my favorite part,decorating.I am trying to do one room at a time.It has been really hard to concentrate on just one room.I am a little overwhelmed by it all.When you have to start over after 25 years of collecting it's really hard but I have managed to concentrate on the master bedroom.I have almost got it to where I want it.Here are pics to show you what I have done so far. The wall color in the pictures make it look a little pink but it's not.It's more of a dark tan.The pics do not do it justice.I love my new quilt and was so excited when I finally go to use it.The curtains are from JC penneys.We didn't want to put holes in the woodwork so I used tension rods for the inside of the windows and cut a berry garland for the tiebacks.The oak shelf above the bed is from the resale shop where I work. It matches perfectly and I didnt spend a fortune.Don't ya just luv those resale shoppes? The items on the shelf are from Gordmans and some items I had left over from my shop.The items on the dresser are from my favorite country shop,Country Gingham,in Bloomington,IL. The barnwood bench is one that my DH made awhile back.The quilt on the bench, I found at a little country shop in Clinton called,The Flower Shoppe.This is only the first of two post for today.Don't forget to check out my bathroom decorating. I am not finished but thought I would give you a little preview.

Old House....New House

2009-02-23T09:52:00.005-06:00

Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I have posted. We have been very busy getting ready to move into our new house. We are very excited to get in and move on with our lives.Make new memories in our new home.It seems like it has been forever but only 8 months. They are finishing up this week on the interior.The interior doors are in the kitchen cabinets are up and they are working on the trim.We are moving in this weekend,woohoo!Here are pics of our old house and of our new house.Both very different but are still called home.

Look at the temp

2009-01-24T08:34:00.003-06:00

Ok everyone,see the weather widget on my blog.Yes it says it's 7 degrees.That's right 7 degrees. Ok is this the arctic or Illinois?
I really dont ever remember having such a yucky cold winter but I am sure it's like this every year,however,who remembers from year to year?I do remember last January though.We had so much rain and water,Pontiac flooded. I am sure those of you that went thru such a terrible time remember. Can't beleive it's been a year already. Here is the link to one of the Pantagraph articles.It does have a photo gallery if anyones interested.
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/01/12/news/doc47879cdd1051d258543638.txt

My new quilt and house update

2009-01-21T11:36:00.003-06:00

Well everyone,I know it's been along time since I posted.Things have been pretty much crazy. The house is coming along and hopefully will be posting new pic's soon.The inside is painted and they are starting on the tile floors today.My DH and I painted the entire house this weekend,Does anyone know a good masus(sp)? My entire body feels like someone ran over me with a mack truck.Anyway,I ordered all the lighting fixtures and those will be installed hopefully this week. Our appliances are being delivered tomorrow.Really the only decisions left to make are the counter tops and closet inserts and of course the smaller decisions like the curtains and of course the decorating,my favorite part.I am so excited to get in there and start decorating. I posted a picture of my new quilt for our bed.The quilt has alot of my favorite colors,red,greens,black.The walls are painted the dark tan color in the quilt.I think it's going to look awesome,I hope,LOL!

Well I hope everyone's week is going well and I will be talking to you again soon.

Roof is shingled and the siding is on

2008-11-24T07:42:00.003-06:00

This is before.

This is the after.Just wanted to share whats going on with the house now. They have most of the siding on. The front isn't finished but this gives you an idea of the color we went with. This is the sliding glass door off the back .We are planning on building a deck,possibly next spring.The next step is the electrician and plumber. There sure is alot of work in building a house and of course nothing is moving fast enough.How come when you aren't waiting on something time flies? Well I hope everyone has a great holiday and a fantastic Monday.

Calendar Journal

2008-11-05T10:12:00.003-06:00

Well I have taken up a new hobby. I friend of mine makes these journals and I thought they were the neatest idea. This is my first one,can't you tell?LOL!. They are very easy to do and not very time consuming. I also posted a picture of the November one I got started on. The first one,I glued pictures and stickers and cut things out of magazines as I was going along all month. I think I will wait til closer to the end of the month to decorate it.

Busy Busy Busy!

2008-11-04T14:00:00.008-06:00

Oh forgot to post this after Halloween.This is my niece dressed up as a hobo. My sister took a wig and spray painted it black to look dirty.Love the idea of the sign.

My DH says I am the messiest cook.!

Kinda feeling icky today. Don't have much energy but did muster up enough to bake some cookies,chocolate chip/peanut butter. Take a looksy. Look pretty good,HUH? I think the crazy weekend has caught up with me. Hope I am feeling better tomorrow,have to work next three days. It's such a beautiful day and I am inside baking. Oh well,when I get those craving for something sweet times,I have to have it.This must be one of those times.

The walls are going up!

2008-10-22T08:30:00.004-05:00

Well here are some updated pics. The roof is on and will be shingling today.The windows shoud be here by the end of the week.

Here are pictures of the house with the outside walls. They should start putting up inside walls today if the weather cooperates.The first picture is looking into the kitchen and front door.The second picture is the great room.The big opening is going to be a sliding glass door.The third picture is looking from west side of the house into the bedrooms.One of which is going to be an office.

More new house pic's

2008-10-19T12:45:00.003-05:00

Well they are coming right along with the house. DH took a few shots of the foundation flooring. Next step is framing the walls.That's when I think it will start taking shape and you will be able to tell how big the rooms are going to be and what it's going to look like. We went yesterday to Arthur IL to meet with the cabinetmaker. Arthur is an amish community.We got there early and the gentleman we had to talk to wasn't there.Pretty soon we heard the hooves of a horse on pavement and there he was,horse and buggy.Him and his two little boys got out. There lifestyle is just so fascinating to me. They live so simply. He is going to draw up kitchen plans for us.I can't wait to see what he comes up with.They are even going to get us prices for the trim and interior doors so that everything will match.I think we are going to go with quartersawn oak shaker style kitchen cabinets and regular oak on the interior doors and trim.The bathroom vanities will be regular oak also.He showed us pictures of the homes he did and they were beautiful. They use only solid hardwood and the craftsmanship is impecable.

Well that's it for now.When the framing starts going up,I will post more.

Ella's Baptism

2008-10-13T09:20:00.005-05:00

Pastor Linda,Robb,Ella and Laura

Our family,me and my hubby Steve,Robb(his brother),Ella(our niece),Laura(Robb's wife), Mark(Steve's brother) and his wife Sue.

Robb,Ella and Laura 10/12/2008, Ella's baptism.At the same church they were married in,10/14/2000.

Beginning of our new house

2008-10-09T10:23:00.004-05:00

Well finally took pictures of the new house.Well not a house yet but this is the beginning. This is the foundation and you can see how it's going to lay out. The first picture is looking at it from the back yard.Yes that is our existing garage.We have to put on a new roof cuz it's a different pitch.There will be a master bedroom and bath behind the garage. On the other side of the master will be the great room connecting to the kitchen. The second picture is looking from the side where three bedrooms and one bath will be. Well two regular sized bedrooms and one smaller that we are going to use as an office/guest room. The third picture is looking at the front of the house.The kitchen will be to the front on the right and a bedroom will be on the left.The kitchen will have an eat in bar with a great room that opens up to it.There will also be a small half bath coming into the house from the garage.There will also be a long narrow porch on the front.The fourth picture just shows where the house will be sitting from the garage.The garage will be out alot further than the house.The house sits back in the lot more than our other house did.There will be no basement.All one level,yippee!Well that's all I can think of now.I will post more as it goes up.

Yes I Did

2008-09-30T14:19:00.004-05:00

change the title of my blog. I thought my new title describes my blog better than my business name. My life no longer evolves around a business and thought I would make this a tribute to that change in my life. I am loving my life now that I dont have deadlines to make and no longer have the stress of owning a business. Most of all, I am loving being able to spend time with my family,something I havent been able to do for years. I feel like I have missed out on alot.I guess the important thing is the new memories being made and not thinking about the times I missed out cuz I was busy or tired from running my business.Of course there were advantages to owning my own business but the disadvantages really out weigh the advantages.In the beginning I was so excited.In the end,not so much.I am very proud of myself for doing it for nine years. When businesses were coming and going all the time,I hung in there.I can honestly say I am glad I proved I could run a business. If I ever had the chance to do it again,I probably wouldn't but if I did I would definately do alot of things differently.

Just had to

2008-09-30T13:25:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY
I just had to post this. It is just the cutest thing.It will definately put a smile on your face.

As if I didnt-

2008-09-30T07:37:00.003-05:00

have enough to do,I took up another hobby,beading. My 10 year old niece has been making jewelry. So when we went shopping over the weekend she helped me pick out beads, wire and tools to get started.By the time I bought everything I could have bought 2 bracelets that were already made.I guess that would be defeating the purpose,the thrill of seeing what you can make and watching it come together.I have to admit,it is pretty fun.So fun,that when I went to WalMart yesterday,I had to check out the bead section. UhOh, this is going to be addicting. We had a beading party Sunday night.My niece Allyson made the bracelet with the red beads and I made the bracelet with the blue beads. The trickiest part is getting the bracelet at the right length to fit your wrist.I think I will try making earrings next. Of course I will have to go on a all new shopping trip to buy the things I need to make those.Any excuse to shop!

Fish Pond

2008-08-12T14:50:00.004-05:00

Here are pictures of one of the fish ponds that's at the house we are renting. The two ponds are at the front entry to the house. My DH laughs at me about these fish. He says he's going to put in a fish pond for me at the new house.We have a frog in there too. I tried to get pic's but couldnt get very good ones.Every time I go out to feed the fish,it jumps and scares the bajeebers out of me.There is a fountain that comes down the rocks too. It's set on a timer.I will have to try and get pictures when it comes on. I also put a picture of the beautiful purple clematis that sits right beside the pond.

New baby for brother and sister inlaw

2008-08-11T07:31:00.005-05:00

Just thought I would post a picture of the newest member of the family.His name is Teddy.He is a cocker spaniol and so adorable. They just picked him up yesterday. He is such a cuddler.When you pick him up he lays his head on your shoulder and wants to cuddle. Cant wait to find out how he did on his first night home.Hope he didn't keep mom and dad up all night.

We had a major house fire

2008-07-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything new. There has been alot going on in our lives lately.
On June 20th our home burnt. We lost pretty much everything. We did save some items in the basement and our closet. The firemen were also able to get my photo albums out before they were destroyed. We are blessed that no one was hurt.This has been the most difficult time of our lives. It's definitely a grieving process. I do have pictures that my relatives have taken but cant bare to show them now.Still too hard to look at. So it may be a while before I can post pictures but someday I will. I will look back and tell myself that it definitely made our family stronger and that family and friends are all that really matters. I also want to post a THANK YOU to all our family and friends that were supporting us during this difficult time.

tornado Cornell, IL June 7,2008

2008-06-10T09:47:00.002-05:00

Ok this was one of the scariest moments in my life. The news said there was a tornado in the Flanagan area moving in our direction,we of course,being the curious people we are,went directly to our back door and looked out and low and behold there it was. A cloud the size of Texas rotating and we new what was going to happen.We stood there about 5 minutes maybe longer and could start seeing the funnel cloud at the bottom of the cloud.I kept saying it's going to come down it's going to come down.Needless to say I was freaking!Grabbed my camera,and of course hubby was yelling at me to get the ground and I was shaking so bad I could hardly get the pics.I was also crying cuz i didnt know where it came down and I was praying that noone got hurt.It did land in a field and nothing was damaged and there were no injuries but it did come back down about 20 miles from our home in the Dwight,IL area. There was one farm that was hit but no one was injured. They did lose there home,barn and one cow.

Storm June 4,2008

2008-06-05T10:19:00.005-05:00

This is what it looks like out our back door when we get storms. Pretty scary sight. We did have tornado watch and warnings also. There were two spotted west of us. One did touch down but there were no damages or injuries.

My new Perennials

2008-06-04T10:19:00.006-05:00

OK Like I promised, I am showing some pics of my new perennial, butterfly garden. Now dont laugh at the plants,they do seem so dinky but they will grow,Hopefully!
Look close,the windows on the side of the garage arent real.I mean they are real windows but we made them look like they are in the garage.We took old windows and painted the back black and hung barnwood shutters.The window boxes are baskets I found at the craft store. I filled them with red geraniums,my favorite flower.

Prom Pictures

2008-05-16T13:36:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of prom pictures of my son Justin and his friend Stacey. Aren't they adorable?

It's been awhile

2008-05-16T13:23:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been forever since I posted anything.Hope everyone is doing well. I have been busy working in my yard. We put a perennial garden on the west side of the house. Looks pretty good but will look much better when the plants start to grow. I will have to post pictures when we get it completely done. Tomorrow we will be getting our pool ready. Not a fun job. I just hope the weather stays nice enough to do it. Won't be able to use if for awhile. The way the weather has been lately,we may not get to use it until August!LOL.

Kiddies finding eggs

2008-03-24T09:11:00.004-05:00

Took a few shots of Ally,Kadyn and Kaleb looking for eggs. They were sooo cute.Cherish these moments before you know it they are grown

My webshots

2008-03-18T13:27:00.003-05:00

Here is the link to my webshots albums.

http://community.webshots.com/user/sherrishots

Our nephews Kadyn and Kaleb

2008-03-18T07:53:00.004-05:00

We had the boys Saturday night and just thought I would put a picture on here. They were so cute and just wanted to share with everyone. Kadyn is the oldest,he is three and Kaleb is 15 months. We had a great time playing with them.Of course the biggest kid of them all was the one on the left,his name is Steve and I wont tell you his age.

WAY TO GO LADY FALCONS!

2008-02-25T07:17:00.006-06:00

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/02/25/news/doc47c1ff3d117eb023685259.txt
I want to congrats the lady falcons for a job well done. Saturday they had a game of a lifetime.An experience that will never be forgotten. The girls managed to hold off Newark to a 62-60 victory for the state championship.

Some of my favorite recipes

2008-02-20T07:28:00.001-06:00

I just tried this recipe the other night and it's delicious! The whole family loved it. I got the recipe from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook.

Farmhouse Pot Roast
3-4 lb chuck roast
4 oz can mushrooms,drained(I chop these up)
8 potatoes,cubed or(I use whole small potatoes)
1/2 lb baby carrots
3 stalks celery,chopped
14 1/2 oz can beef broth
2c.water
26 oz can cream mushroom soup
First I rub salt pepper and garlic powder on roast.Place in a slow cooker; top with vegetables. In a medium bowl,combine water,soup and broth,pour over roast. Cover and cook on low setting 6-8 hours,until roast is very tender. Makes 6 servings.
Gravy- pour 2-3 cups of juices into saucepan.I also add salt and pepper. Add 1 cup milk mixed with 1 T corn starch and bring to boil until thick.
Serve this meal with noodles and good bread or roll.Pure comfort food!

Kyle's Mushroom Chicken
6-8 boneless chicken breasts
season salt
1 quart whipping cream
1 chopped onion
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms,diced
2 sticks butter
1 1/2c olive oil
Cook onion&mushrooms in 1 stick butter and 1/2 cup olive oil until tender.Season chicken with season salt. Cook chicken in 1 cup olive oil and 1 stick butter until done.Put cream in with the chicken and add onion & mushroom mixture and mix until it is combined.Let simmer 20-30 minutes or when starts to thicken.This is delicious with mashed potatoes.

Store information

2008-01-09T15:07:00.003-06:00

My business is located on Madison St in downtown Pontiac, IL. I am 100 miles south of Chicago.I have been in this location for almost 3 years. As you come in the door you will see the quaint space that has a barnwood roof type cover over the counter.The whole back wall is made of barnwood with old tin roof.I use antiques to display my products. I sell from many different companies. I sell alot of home decor and some gift items. Among the gift items I sell are jewelry, Maggi B handbags and alot of Ganz products along with the new hot item Webkinz. Webkinz clothes are now in but still waiting on charms and trading cards. Among the home decor items I sell are candles, different candle accessories, window treatments, table linens, framed prints, barn stars, lamps and shelves. The most popular items I sell are the Webkinz, Yankee candles, McCalls candles,Park Designs, barn stars are still popular and wood signs. Well thats all for now. I will come back tomorrow.Hopefully I can post pictures soon.

About my store

2008-01-09T07:53:00.001-06:00

I am not sure how many years ago I took tole painting classes. That's when the "bug" started. I started taking classes at a local craft store. Found out that it was a stress reliever and something I love to do. Soon after I took these classes I found out the city was trying an incubation with the old firehouse.It's called Old City Hall Shoppes. They decided to take the old fire house and turn it into a craft and antique mall. I heard about it and thought it might be a good way to sell some things and make a little bit of money on the side. So everyone that was going to have a space in this building went in and helped remodel. We plastered walls, painted and did some major renovations. I am not kidding it was awesome. Some of the best and talented people in town went in and decorated. It was beautiful. Since this was an incubation people were suppose to go in and get started and then sometime down the road open there own stores. Well guess what? It worked. Several of the vendors opened there own stores. I was one of them. Although the first store I had wasn't Simply Country. It was called Kountry Kloset. It was located in downtown Morris. Juanita McDermott, Karen Mackinson and myself started this craft mall in with Juanitas medical supply store. It worked for awhile until we got tired of driving to Morris all the time. Well after that I started cleaning homes for people. It brought in a good amount of money but it really wasn't what I wanted to do. I had a dream of having my own craft store someday. After several jobs and few years later I decided to take an adventure and open a store. My husband and myself went searching for just a little building to get started. We looked in Morris, we looked in Streator and even contemplated opening one in the little town of Cornell.So we decided to take a drive one day over to Flanagan, IL. A small town just west of Pontiac. There it was. A small but quaint building that only needed some paint and a little fixing up on the outside. We called the landlord and struck up an agreement and that's where I started. Well only a few months later about a year,needless to say we ran out of room. There was no storage in this building and we were tracking stuff from home to the store.We had to decide wether we wanted to stick it out and find a bigger building or just call it quits. Seeing how this was my passion and what I loved to do,we looked for a bigger building. I had several customers from Pontiac and they encouraged me to go Pontiac way.So I did. We looked at several buildings and found one a block off the downtown square. We stayed in this building for 4 1/2 years. Then another building came open right on the square. Of course the overhead was going to be more but was assured the foot traffic would be so much better that it would definatley make up for the extra expenses. Of course being the sceptical person I am, I really didnt know if it was worth the hard work to move and headaches of doing it. Well it was probably the best move I could have made for my business. I doubled the square footage and traffic was so much better. Who would have thought just one block would have made a difference? The route 66 museum is directly behind my store which brings in alot of people from all over and the Old City Hall Shoppes (where I started) is behind me also.
Over the 7 years I have been in Pontiac, I have seen alot of businesses come and go.You could definately say that Pontiac's downtown hasn't been really booming with businessess in the past but now we have several new stores which is bringing more people to the downtown area.I have a wonderful coffee & sweet shop next to me. It's great for business but not so great on the figure if you know what I mean. We have a new floral shop, two new gift stores and a nice resale shop coming in the spring. In the future I hope to see many more and wish all the new businesses
great success.

About me

2008-01-09T07:26:00.002-06:00

HI everyone. This is my very first blog. I want to just tell you a little bit about myself. I am 45 years old. I am a wife of 26 years to my wonderful husband Steve. I have three kids.Well not really kids anymore. I have a daughter that lives in Joshua Texas. Miss her more everyday.It doesnt get any easier. I have a son that works at a local truck repair and a son that is a junior in high school. I live in an old farmhouse that we have been remodeling. It's actually an old victorian but I do not like victorian too much so I decorate country.
Some of my favorite things to do are taking care of my family. I love trying new recipes. I love decorating.I also do tole painting of which I have no time right now to do.I also like to make floral arrangements. I also love to spend time with my family. I love having the whole family over for a dinner. I have several nieces and nephews that I love with all my heart. It's so much fun having them over and spending time with them. I will also be posting pics of them.
I will be posting pic's of my home remodel, post pic's of my country store,keep every one updated on happenings in the store and Pontiac area, letting every one know when and what new items I will be getting in. I will post pics of my customers.So look out you never know when I might ask to take your picture.Wouldnt you just love to be on the world wide web?I will post some recipes and tips and keep you updated on things happening in my life.