37 years ago today...

 

At Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Chicago we were married.
Father Tom celebrated Mass and we were surrounded by family and friends.
Father Tom, a friend to all of us "kids" had a beautiful homily.
  Father Tom placed mums on the altar,
since, he said, " they are perfect for every season."  I'll never forget that kindness
and his support for two crazy kids.  I was 21, my sweetheart 20!
 

My future SIL Lynette (a few years before my brother Larry fell in love with her...) and her sister Laura made this altar banner.  It says, "Love is an Endless Season" just like our invitations.
It was and is beautiful, of course I still have it.
I would use those same invitations today, they are timeless and
beautiful, and the sentiment perfect for our love.

 

My Mom and Dad...aren't they lovely.  What a beautiful example of love we
had to follow.  They only shared 36 years of marriage before we lost my Mom.
That makes this anniversary especially meaningful
to me.  Thirty six years seemed like a long long time, until you are there yourself...
It's like the blink of the eye.
 

We went to the park to take photos, and had balloons, long before
they became popular.
Looking back, we were so very young but loved
each other so much then, and still do now.
We have been blessed with a strong love, a great faith and
the comfort of knowing that we belong together.
We may have been young, but our hearts knew what our
heads didn't.
 

This is the first time that we won't be together for our anniversary. So this message is for you
dear husband o mine...
I am missing you babe! Thanks for making all my dreams come true, and filling my life with happiness and love. I can't imagine a happier life than the one I share with you and our family. Happy Anniversary my love. We'll dance on the beach when you return... I LOVE YOU!


Thanks dear readers for indulging me and for stopping by.   Enjoy this beautiful day!

Before & After

 

A long time ago I garbage picked this frame.  I thought the shadow box
type frame had some possibilities.
It sat and sat in the laundry room until the other
day when I took it apart.
I painted the frame and papered the mat board with scrap booking paper.

 

I had this scrapbook paper with the eggs...

 

I added a few personal touches.
The feathered friend, some mossy type artificial green,
a W for Willoughby, a couple of feathers from a Horned Owl
who who lives in my neighborhood. ;-)

 

Some tiny eggs, a ginkgo leaf.

 

Well, what do you think?

 

I found this chair at a rummage sale this weekend. It weighs 10lbs, at least.  What to do?  It has the
comfort value that only a steel and wood chair can give, aka a pain in the seat!  I've seen them painted and used as chalkboards... Any  other ideas? Well, this may take a while!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day my friends.

It was supposed to be mine...

 

Not my usual weekend update, though we have a few tales to tell.
Last week seemed to fly by, with not much to write about...
except this vintage clothes drying rack.

 

A few weeks ago there was an estate sale on our block.  I knew the story of
the woman who owns the house...a friend of a friend.  So when we saw the signs
on a Saturday morning, we stopped by.
The very first thing a saw was this drying rack.  It is tall and and sturdy.
It was filled with beautiful old linens, but at estate sale prices, not the rummage
sale prices that are more my speed.
The rack itself was priced at $65.  A fair price, if you were at Kane County or
the Country Living Fair.  Even at half price the next day I wasn't spending that kind of money.


 

The price tag!

 

Fast forward to garbage night on my block last week.
We walk every night, heading in all directions.
This night we walked up our block...
In front of the home where the estate sale was held were boxes
of stuff and some things stacked against the
garbage bags.  There was the drying rack!
I was thrilled to garbage pick it!

 

Thank goodness that my sweetheart is such a good sport.
He picked it up for me and carried it home.
We left it in front of his car in the driveway, while we walked,
so no one would steal my fresh pick!
It's holding a beautiful apron I found recently.

 

I need a long skirt to wear it with.
Very Tasha Tudor.

 

I also found this tablecloth.  Though it looks vintage,
it's Laura Ashley.

 

100% cotton.

 

All of the vintage linens on the rack are from the little flea market.

 

A kind man was selling them for a quarter apiece and then threw in
one for free. 

 

Here is the start of a new collection.  Show you what I'll use them for in a future post.
The temperature is back to normal today after a few really cool days.  A hint of things to come
I guess.  Thanks for stopping by my friends and enjoy this beautiful day!

It's feeling like Autumn...

Such a cool gloomy, rainy day. Friday already, and my week didn't go as planned.
I didn't accomplish much, watched my girls, laundry, groceries...



I have some things to photograph, but not in this weather.


Last night we had soup for dinner, in July! Hoping for a sunny weekend for you and for me. Take care my friends!

Love, Penny

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The zucchini that ate English Valley...

These are the first zucchini from my garden. I swear they got some gamma rays or something, because the last time I looked I had one tiny zucchini. I wasn't really moving the leaves around to look since I am irresistible to those biting pests that hang around dark places in the garden. Anyway, I have these two giant zucchini, what's a girl to do? Make Zucchini Bread! So here is the recipe I use for zucchini bread.

I start by peeling and seeding the zucchini. Some of my baking friends use the whole zucchini, skin, seeds and all. I use my food processor to grate the zucchini and store it in zip lock bags in 2 cup packages. Just enough for 2 large loaves. I keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I have added a couple of my own additions to the recipe. I always add orange zest to my zucchini bread. My micro plane gets a workout, but the addition of this simple ingredient makes this bread aromatic and delicious. I also add a little nutmeg, a little goes a long way so just a half teaspoon is plenty. I use a crumble topping, made with one half stick of butter, half cup of brown sugar, half cup of flour and half cup of chopped nuts. I use pecans. This topping is mixed and crumbled on top of the bread before it goes into the oven.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
zest of two oranges

Directions
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and zest until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans, add crumble topping.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
I've also baked this recipe in small aluminum pans. I make 8 loaves from this recipe and bake them for about 40 minutes.

I just remembered something from way back. There was a sketch on SNL, a take off of the movie The China Syndrome,(about the meltdown of a nuclear power plant) where President Jimmy Carter, played by Dan Aykroyd, grows to giant proportions due to the Pepsi Syndrome, someone spilling a Pepsi on a keyboard at a nuclear power plant...and causes a meltdown and the radiation starts leaking. President Carter comes to the power plant after the accident and starts growing and growing due to his exposure to the radiation...(perhaps like my zucchini;-) His giant face is looking into the window, and Rosalind, his wife is screaming, Jimmy, Jimmy! My mind is filled with useless, but humorous things...sadly most only amuse me. Oh well...You can actually google Dan Aykroyd , Pepsi Syndrome and read the complete script of this sketch, oh how I love technology!

Enjoy this beautiful day my friends, thanks for stopping by!

Love, Penny


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Weird Weekened Update/Little House on the Prairie Edition

 

A single flower of Queen Anne's Lace came up in my hostas...
I was sooo happy.  One of the highlights of a weird and wonderful weekend.

 

The weather was crazy.  Storms blew up out of nowhere, but before we had any
rough weather, our guest, the lovely and delightful Charlotte went
thrifting with the old folks. 

 

You could actually watch the thunderstorms grow.

 

I'm only posting this for my thrifting idol Kathleen at Charm Bracelet Diva, At Home.
She has the best thrifting skills of anyone, anywhere.
Recently, Kathy found a cloche at the Goodwill...I was like, who finds a cloche at the goodwill?
Until Saturday. With a 25% of coupon in hand we went to the local Goodwill.
My hands already had several things in them.
I looked up at a high shelf and I thought I was seeing things.
There was a perfectly beautiful cloche.

 

Charlotte held all my stuff while I carefully took it off the shelf.
I carried it like a baby all around the store!
I am just a grasshopper at your thrifty feet Kathy...
but thrifting dreams do come true!  ;-)


 

I made this sign last week.  My sweetheart and I will celebrate
37 years of wedded bliss this month.
I like to commemorate our anniversary with a craft project.
I've made pillows, decorated canvas',
and cross stitched
samplers in the past.
I found this scrap of lumber and wanted to make a barn board,
rustic looking sign.
 

I even sanded the edges for a more authentic look.
When I showed it to my honey, he was impressed.
He also didn't know that we had an electric sander...
(It took me an hour to find it.  I kinda knew where it was... ;-)
(I also got rid of two huge boxes of stuff I found in the basement while looking for it!)

 

Yes we were married in the bi-centennial year of 1976,
back in the olden days for you whipper snappers out there.

 

I almost forgot, the Little House part of the weekend. 

Our power was off for over 4 hours Saturday evening. 

We sat with our trusty lantern and candles in the dark, and talked and listened to the radio.

It was lucky to have the boys and Charlotte home with us. 

 Everything is better when we have the kids home! 

 Funny thing was that we didn't get a storm until after the lights when out. 

Then Sunday when a huge twirling storm came up,

the lights flashed on and off four times until they went out again. 

The lights were only out for an hour or so,we are so spoiled with electricity on demand. 

Having handheld devices helps, but they are no fun without Internet access! 

 I read a Tori Spelling book by lantern light,

 just like Laura Ingalls did so long ago... ;-)

OK, You may not approve of  my choice of reading material,

but it was a quick and interesting read. (Tori Spelling is misunderstood, there I said it!)

Besides the royal baby, we are waiting for another baby.  Kristen's dear friend Jen is expecting and ready to deliver anytime.  She is the other half of Penny Jennifer, my grand daughter's namesake with me. 

Speaking of Penny, during our face time yesterday she kissed the screen, giving me the sweetest kisses, but as she went to stroke my face, both Mommy and me broke down crying.  The sweetest moment ever!  She makes me the luckiest and happiest grandma. Penny is the sweetest girl.

I miss her and her Mom and Dad so much.

Hope to have some crafty things to show you this week since I seem to be on a roll. 

 Have a great week my friends, and thanks for stopping by!

The Big News... Little Pumpkin!

 

It's true, we have one little pumpkin!  I didn't search too hard,
I didn't want to stir up the mosquitoes.

 

I have at least one zucchini too.  (in the top left hand corner)

 

The vines are crawling across the lawn. 


 

Remember the green Envy Zinnias I planted from seed ?...


 

Just one flower refuses to be like the others and
popped up orange with a red and yellow center.
Really cool!

 
 I wanted to show you this old boot with wire vine.
It is growing so lush and full. I just love these small successes...
Seriously, isn't everyday in a garden a success?

Be safe my friends. Today's temp will be well into the 90's.
 Water, water and more water is my advise for today...yourself and your garden! ;-)
Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by