3 Years......

Today, the little house has been mine for three years!

That day all those years ago I was such a nervous wreck. I knew this house was going to be mine, that everything would work out in the end, but it sure took a lot of work! 

Have I told you about the first time I saw the house? It was is a few blocks from our old house and Mandy and I were out walking our dog around the neighborhood. I noticed a paper in the window of the house, a paper that looked like it was a foreclosure. I pointed it out to Mandy and said that is the house we need!

Somehow I just knew this little house would be perfect for us..... and it is!

Autumn Mums

70 Magic Recipes- Borden's Eagle Brand

 I recently picked up this booklet at an estate sale. These advertising cookbooks are always entertaining! This one is from 1952 by Borden's Sweetened Condensed Milk. Who knew you could do so much with it?!

This summer we tried an ice cream recipe with sweetened condensed milk that On Sutton Place had posted. It was so delicious! Very very rich, but very very good! I was curious to see if this little booklet had ice cream too and sure enough it did!

 These recipes are slightly different then the one we tried. There is a half a cup of water added. I wonder if that would help it not be so rich. Now we will have to give this version a try!

Doesn't this one look good? I think I will have to try this one too.

Thankful Moments

I wrote this post last year and for some reason it never got posted. It seems very fitting right now. Autumn is such a nice time to slow down a little, a time to stop and breath deep after summer's goings and comings and a time to pause before the holidays are here.
 This year fall is not quite so early. The leaves haven't really changed yet. There are a few scattered around, but the majority are still hanging on the trees. And the weather can't make up is't mind to be hot or cold, rain or shine.....

Sometimes life is tiring, sometimes it whirls by so fast it is all one can do to keep up...... I was reminded yesterday that even when life is crazy, to stop and be thankful, to enjoy the moments. Carmella at Assortment posted a simple, thought provoking post "Today, I love.....". She always inspires me. 

Today I am loving the sun that has finally come out after almost a week of dreariness.

And I am loving my cozy house in the Autumn.

Have a great weekend Friends!

Sewing Closet Wall Art

Even though we will be starting on our third year in this house, there are still a few things to decorate. Like my sewing closet walls. 

I had been planning on hanging something on the wall above the table from the beginning. But I was undecided as to whether I wanted the same vintage adverts or not. They didn't feel right, so I kept thinking on it. Then I came across these French illustrations from the 1920's. I love the colors! Just what the sewing closet needed!

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon and the sun was shining in so nicely! And for some reason it made everything rosy pink. (Which is fine with me!) 

I know the pictures are not hung the straightest, but they really aren't that crooked in real life! 

Of course my favorite is the pink hat! Don't you love their expressions? So chic!

I love how this picture captures the curve of the ceiling. ..........And the not so glamorous window air conditioner. But I am very proud we actually got one in the window (took a bit of diy engineering) and it is a neat and tidy job!

 Another new addition to the sewing room is a pin dish. I ran across this idea on Pinterest and have been keeping my eye open for pretty saucers.

It is so simple to just add magnets on the bottom of a dish and Voila!, you have a pin dish! Because this dish has a very small rim, I ordered tiny earth magnets that are thinner and they work perfectly!

 It has been so fun collecting dishes! I ended up with too many options! But one can always use several pin dishes right? 

 It is so nice to have a clean and tidy sewing room! (It was a bit overdue for a clean.) And now I have something inspiring to look at!

A Shiny Vintage Toaster

This past weekend, my sister and I went estate sale-ing. The find of the day was this 1950s GE Toaster! I didn't know I needed a vintage toaster until I saw all that shiny chrome. It was the first thing that caught my eye when I went down the basement stairs. And there is was just waiting for me! 

I found a few advertisements for this model of toaster. Let me tell you, it sure does make toast the way you want it! It makes some of the best toast I have tasted in years! Who knew there was good toast makers and bad toast makers. 

I certainly didn't pay anything close to the original price of $21.95!

With a bit of cleaning of the edges, it looks good as new! I am amazed at how fast this thing heats up. I tested it before purchasing, and was shocked to feel heat in seconds of plugging it in! It is hard to see the modern decorate lines on the side, its so shiny!

Here are a few fascinating toaster facts!

~ 1909 first electric toaster patented. 

~ 1926 First pop-up toaster. 

~ 1940-1960 pop-up toasters became the standard design. 

~ Toasters heat up to 310 degrees to caramelize bread.

One of the ladies at the estate sale remarked on how heavy it was. These toasters are made to last a lifetime and are known for never giving up.

All that shiny chrome........ makes for very hard picture taking!

Apple Crisp Deluxe

Apple picking means yummy apple things to eat. This weekend it was Apple Crisp Deluxe. Well.....that is what I call it. I made a few changes to the standard recipe to make it a bit better. I don't know if it is "deluxe" or not, but that is what I called it.

An apple peeler is a necessity for apple lovers! How can you go wrong with this old fashioned device? And it makes peeling quick as a wink!

So what makes Apple Crisp Deluxe? That was my thought exactly. Since crisp is all about the crumb topping, more topping would make it better, right? Or two layers of apples and topping. And how about adding extra apple cider for a crisp fall flavor? 

Apple Crisp Deluxe

6 cups peeled and sliced apples

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour (if I made it again, I would try it without, it didn't seem to need thickening)

Crumb Topping

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup shortening or butter

 Mix apples, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour in a large bowl.

 Mix oats, flour and sugar, cut in shortening until crumbs form. This takes a bit of mixing to get the shortening dispersed evenly.

 Place half the apples in a 9 x 9 baking dish with half the crumb topping. Layer the rest of the apples and topping in the pan. Drizzle 1/4 cup apple cider over everything.

 Bake at 375 until the apples are soft. About 35 minutes.

Yum! It sure didn't last long!