Winners!

It is Sunday morning and I just picked the winners, actually, Random.org just picked the winners. The plumpkins, kitchen tools and potholders go to
Michelle in Florida! She does not have a blog, so Michelle, Email me your mailing info and I will get your box right out to you. stwoliver3@yahoo.com

There were so many entries and I have a second set of potholders, so I picked a second place winner too, the winner of them is
Kamewh at Blueberries and Peanut Butter. I need your mailing info too.

Thanks so much to everyone that entered! It was lots of fun and I hope to do another giveaway on my 350th post.

Show and Tell Friday - finished dining room

This is the whole room - with new curtains, art work, corner shelf and table cloth. I think I would like to add a few more things to the walls.

Some "plumpkins" for our table.
I bought the black tablecloth at Linens and Things - and of course I used a coupon!

Keeping it real.....my motto is "if you do stuff, stuff gets done"
maybe it should really be, "if you do stuff, your crafting area will be a mess!"

For other show and tell Fridays, go to Kelli's blog. You will not be disappointed......

but while you are here on my blog, scroll down and register for my giveaway

Butterscotch Brownies from Debbie

Debbie is a good friend of mine, but we have never met and we only know each other through our blogs and occasional emails. We seem to have a huge amount in common though.

She posted this recipe earlier this week and I baked it tonight.
The recipe is from Betty Crocker and is very similar to a Caramel Squares recipe I have baked for years. My Caramel Squares recipe calls for 8 T of butter and Debbie's Butterscotch Brownies calls for just 4 T of shortening. Some grocery prices that have really gone up are all fats - oils, shortenings, butter and even margarine.
So besides using less fat for health reasons, it is also smart to use less fat for thrift.

I also like this recipe because it is just uses one mixing pan and it is just stirred - up. No need to get out the mixer!

The recipe from Debbie at Homemaking Dreams.

Butterscotch Brownies

1/4 cup shortening (I used butter flavor Crisco)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( Debbie used peanuts, I used chopped almonds, and I think choc. chips would be yummy too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

(If using self rising flour, omit the baking powder and salt)

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of square pan, 8 X 8 X 2 inches, with shortening. Melt shortening in 1 1/2 quart saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into about 2 inch squares while warm.

Thanks, Debbie, for sharing this recipe!

Orange and Black giveaway for my 300th post

I started blogging in January, 2007 because I had recently discovered the blog world and was enjoying it so much. Today, I think I am enjoying it even more. I don't post every day so it has taken me almost 2 years to get to 300 posts.

I have a small giveaway to thank everyone who has been interested enough to read my blog.
And I hope Everyone Who Reads this Will Please ENTER!

So what will the winner of this orange and black giveaway get?

a pair of black potholders, stitched by me

a set of my favorite silicone cooking utensils in orange

and a set of orange and black "plumpkins"
Thanks to Heidi at Celebrate the Seasons for sharing hers, I expect I will be making lots more of these, a set for me and a set for Nina. They sew up really fast and were lots of fun to make.


To enter, just leave me a comment. And if you don't have a blog where I can contact you, please check back on Sunday to see if you are the winner so you can give me your mailing address.
I will pick a winner Sunday morning so that, hopefully, I can mail this assortment off on Monday.

Thanks, everyone!

Aren't Awards Fun?

Thanks so much to Em, at Bunch of Scrap Awards are fun. Em's blog is really fun too, she has some great seasonal decorations if you have time to go take a look.

Em says these are the rules for getting this award

1. List 6 things about yourself
2. Pass this award on to other bloggers


1. I gave birth to my 3 children in 3 years, all in military hospitals with absolutely no frills - as in no pain meds of any kind.
Bobby was born aboard Camp Pendleton and in the labor room, there was hole in the wall where they said a TV was going to be installed very soon. 14 months later, I was back in that same labor room with Jimmy, the hole in the wall was still there and no TV.

2. My parents names are Richard and Rowena, my 2 older brothers are Robert and Rex, both named after uncles. So I have an R name too. If I had been a boy, I would of been Rhett.

About names, I am very amused and frequently annoyed by names with weird spellings (I work in a personnel office and this week did applications for Sean-Lee, Alisonn and Kortnee)
I don't know if this story is true but I think it is pretty realistic.

OK. How would you pronounce this child's name: 'Le-a' ???

Leah?? NO
Lee - A?? NOPE
Lay - a?? NO
Lei?? Guess Again.

It's pronounced 'Ledasha' Oh yes...you read it right.
This child attends a school in Livingston Parish, LA. Her mother is
irate because everyone is getting her name wrong. SO, if you see something come across your desk like this please remember to pronounce it correctly.
When the mother was asked about the pronunciation of the name, she said 'the dash don't be silent.'


3. When I get a new magazine, I go through it and pull out all those pesky advertising cards before I read it. I passed this on to habit on 2 of my children too.

4. People tell me I look very young, I am 50. I think it is because I have young looking women in my family, I don't smoke or suntan and I have been using cold cream to cleanse my face and Ponds Moisturizer morning and night.

5. I have worn eye glasses since I was in the 3rd grade. But I can't do contacts, something about a stygmatism or something. I currently have 5 pairs of glasses, all with the same prescription. I think that is probably enough glasses for one person.

6. I get bored easily. I like to change things around. I rarely sit still and watch a movie all the way through.
Whenever I get something new, one of my kids will ask "can I have that when you get tired of it?"



I am passing this on to

Nina, my daughter, at Love Sweet Love

Dawn at A Home in the Country

Jen at Frugal VegCafe

Vanessa at Ramblings of a Texas Housewife

My next post will be my 300th blog! So I will be announcing a giveaway- it will have something to do with black and orange.