..."I AM NOT A CONSECUTIVE WRITER."

I'm back!

"MAYBE CHRISTMAS, THE GRINCH THOUGHT, DOESN'T COME FROM A STORE."

Life at the 'LastChance Ranch' has been running Full Steam Ahead!!

...now it is time to take a ((deep breath)),

HOW DID IT GET SO LATE SO SOON?

IT'S NIGHT BEFORE ITS AFTERNOON.

DECEMBER IS HERE BEFORE ITS JUNE.

MY GOODNESS HOWTHE TIME HAS FLEWN.

HOW DID IT GET SO LATE SO SOON

and enjoy the Season!

 "FROM THERE TO HERE, AND HERE TO THERE,

FUNNY THINGS ARE EVERYWHERE."

 Shows to see...

"TODAY WAS GOOD.

TODAY WAS FUN.

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER ONE."

Friends near and far to catch-up with...

(including ALL of my 'blog-land' Buddies!!)

"STEP WITH CARE AND GREAT TACT,

AND REMEMBER THAT LIFE'S A GREAT BALANCING ACT."

Decorating to be done...

"DON'T CRY BECAUSE IT'S OVER.

SMILE BECAUSE IT HAPPENED."

 Memories to love...

"Bell-tree" ('...everytime a bell rings...')

honoring J's Mom, who left us a few days before Thanksgiving; and others who will be missed throughout the holidays... 

 

 "I LIKE NONSENSE;

IT WAKES UP THE BRAIN CELL."

New 'toys' to play with...

We acquired this 'short' Concrete Bird Bath in Mid-November, and I KNEW it had to be part of our Holiday Displays... seems only appropriate it should hold a 'BIRD tree'!!

"YOU'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE

FOR THE SHAPE YOU ARE IN."

Dress-Up to play...

Sesame Shimmer was Happy to model the Courtly check Apron/Chef hat that we found this Summer, as long as it included her 'Festive Beverage' - garnished by TWEED!!

"ADULTS ARE OBSOLETE CHILDREN."

Traditions to be carried on...

(Annual Cookie-Baking just came to a close - GREAT time with my College Besties!! ~ and their kiddos!)

 

 "YOU HAVE BRAINS IN YOUR HEAD.

YOU CAN STEER YOURSELF IN ANY DIRECTION YOU CHOOSE."

and a time for reflection...

"UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT

NOTHING  IS GOING TO GET BETTER.

IT'S NOT."

*Dr. Seuss said it best, and all of the quotes are his!

...BAH HUM BUG!

Just.NOT.right.

BAH! HUMBUG!

~OOPS~

I mean...

 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!!

~or if YOU prefer~

HAPPY DAYTONA WEEK!

(yes... NASCAR is upon us again...)

Not much thrifting / saling of any sort happening in these parts.  So how are we spending our time?

CREATING with BEADS & WIRE

BAKING

...and our newest 'commisioned' works...

 Still playing around with proportions and tweaking more 'bits'...  Will have LOTS more to show you soon!

 (IF I don't get struck down by lightening!! ha,ha)

Be Well.

Stay Warm.

&

Love the one your With!!

...WHOOO !?

GOOD MORNING!

I've begun to 'update' our porch, in a FALL Theme, and I realized that I hadn't shown one of my Fav. Summer garage sale finds - This Great OWL that I picked up for a 'song'!!

NO Saling this past weekend, we put our veggie garden to 'bed' for the season.  Always a sad time - the last harvest.  We had some GREEN TOMATOES left on the vines, soo...

This morning was Gr Tomato bread day at our house!  It sounds GROSS, but it is SOOO YUMMY!! (and smells Great baking too!)

Yesterday I made a quick trip to The SEAGLASS beach to soak up a few of our ever-fading rays of SUN!

'QUALITY' not 'QUANTITY' !!
I HAVE to relay this conversation I had with one of my 'usual' Postal Clerks (T)...
I went to the P.O. yesterday with just one package to mail out for work.  I set it on the counter, T looked at it and...

• (T) "Is this for REAL?!?"
• (now, T has a GREAT sense of humour, and we often joke about peoples addresses... ie:  "Short Dick Drive"?????!)
• (S) "Why?" (nothing out of the ordinary in the address!)
• (T) "Is this really going to him??"
• (S) (more confused than usual..) "Yeh... why?"
• (T) "Wes!..."  "Wes Craven!" "-Los Angeles!!"
• (S) "umm, yeh?."
• (T) "YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THIS IS??!!"

and such goes my life folks - completely under a rock when it comes to 'Movie Stars' (well, movies in general...), TV icons, etc.  I had to go home and Google the name to get the full impact.  Then J did some 'earth' search thingie of the address, and we got to see the house.  Pretty sure now that the package may have been going to 'HIS ADDRESS'! 

Back to 'my' more familiar -

At the beach I have been picking up pieces of 'Beach Brick' lately - they have SUCH a Wonderful patina and feel...  Now to dream up some projects for them ;-)


Speaking of projects, Here is PHASE II of the 'What to do...?' with my acorns ~

I made up a few of these the other day - hot glued one as the focal point of the bow of a Autumn dried 'weed' arrangement (as J so fondly refers to them!).

Now, the bread is out of the oven

and it is time for me to get busy with some of the days activities!
HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GOOD ONE!



~'PLARN PUMPKINS'~
COMING SOON TO AN ETSY SHOP NEAR YOU!

...somethings are better left 'UN-PINNED'!!

Come on, fess up - I know that I'm not the only guilty one.  Spending Way-Too-Many hours, drooling over Pinterest!  Sure, I 'claim' that it is research.  Keeping on the pulse of the latest trends, what will sell, etc... ((HA!))

Sweet little Mushrooms/Toadstools as first seen on Monkeybox


MANY of them I have 'actually' gotten a "round tuit" and TRIED -
Some with FANTASTIC results!
Some were miserable FAILURES!!
others, just 'eh, not MY style, but I got TOO Far in not to finish'...

First time using a recently inherited iron skillet to make another pin - CLAFOUTI!!

Well, one was a keeper, and one was a 'What was I thinking?!'

Have you figured it out yet???

Yep.
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. The Berry Clafouti,
~BUT~
Shroomies with Polka dots - as adorable as they may be,
Have NO PLACE in MY GARDEN and they GOTTA GO!!!
Better luck next time PINTEREST!

...Yummy Cobbler.

Looking for something 'special' for Sunday? (psst: it's Mom's Day, just in case you forgot!!)  here is a quicky that I just stumbled upon that I thought I would share.

This dessert speaks of SUMMAH TIME, spur-of-the-moment gatherings to me,  something to whip up quick-n-easy!!   These ingredients are usually handy...

Frozen berries, dry cake mix, and 1 can of sprite.

Yummy Cobbler.

 It sounds so easy - and it is good and weight watcher friendly!

 Ingredients:
Two 12-oz bags fro...zen mixed berries (good way to use up some of last Summer's berries from the freezer!)
1 box white cake mix (no pudding)
1 can of diet 7-up or sierra mist (clear soda pop)

Instructions: Place frozen fruit in a 9x13 baking dish. Add dry cake mix over the top. Pour soda slowly over cake mix. DO NOT stir the cake mix and the pop - this will give you a 'crust'. If you stir the two, you will have a cake like topping.

Bake 350 deg for 45-50 min.

You may be able to use frozen peaches instead of mixed berries.

Serves 16

Weight Watchers: 4 PointsPlus

...cup of 'treasures'

The only interesting looking sale advertised for Friday was a 'Rummage Sale' at a closed Catholic School, in which the building needed to be emptied. Hmmm... the possibilities, to say the least!!

 Arrived just before the doors opened.  No idea what to expect, but with the snow coming down outside, I was happy with 'any port of thrift in a storm'!

A bit disappointed that only the first two room on the first floor and the Library on the second floor were open for the sale.  Was hoping to get to see more of the old 1940's style building.  After all, isn't that half of fun of going to 'estate-type' sales? - checking out the building/house?  Or is that just the designer in Me coming out?

 The first room I went into was mostly office-type, clerical supplies: teacher's desktop tape dispensers, metal/wood file boxes, rulers, yardsticks, staplers, paper clips, envelopes, wheeled carts, cardboard storage boxes, etc., etc...  

I did grab quite a few things in Room #1 for packing & shipping. I mean how can you pass up LARGE padded envelopes at a dime a piece? A box of 100 ct 6"x9" envelopes for .50¢?!

 The hallways were loaded with the old wooden desks and chairs.  I REALLY tried to behave, but there was (1) sweet little oak desk/table ~ about 36" x 18" w/ a pullout writing tablet and small drawer that I just couldn't leave without.  Perfect size for a Sofa Table, or maybe just a nice thin studio table (sorry no photo right now...)

Then. The other Room. Was all of the art supplies. Pottery clay. Tools. Glitter. Knives. Dyes. You name it. It was in here. I was on SERIOUS OVERLOAD!

I was STRONG.

I have WAY-TOO-MUCH-ALREADY!!

I walked out with...

 

ONE Coffee MUG Full of enameled copper bits and pieces.

You know the stuff I'm talking about, right? A lot of mid-century jewelry was made out of it... pendants for necklaces, cuff-linked bracelets...   THIS was a whole cup of what I assume was 'test' pieces or 'unclaimed' artwork - but I have had SO. MUCH. FUN. going through this Cup!!!  Many pieces are ready to be made into pendants, earrings, pins, etc.

COST: .25¢

 

 

 

And now, my fellow 'peeps', I am off to go lunch with some of my Gal Pals, and for dessert...

Sunflower Brownie ala Pinterest... (have I ever said before what a 'bad, bad thing PINTEREST is?!?)

...another 'love' ~ 'hate' relationship!



Didn't Hit a LOT of sales Fri & Sat, but certainly found an array of items!! (and had fun!)

Sweater Clip 2012 #9 - for future trading!! Sweet Compacts for M.E. 2/$1. & Rhinestone Choker $1

Retro Sarah Coventry metal link belt for M.E. $1.



1950's boxful of cocktail napkins that I had better get rid of SOON or else I am going to be
TOO attached to - loving them - so rude- sure fire way to put a smile on your face
 at the end of a long day... well, one of these AND a cocktail!



...AND I found a good-sized tub full of 'old' canning jar rings... ~'cause I'm sure you have all seen this cool 'I could do that' primitive wreath on pinterest... right?!

http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/30147/junkified-christmas-decor-part-1



Well, I hope anyone else who tries this has a LOT MORE MARTHA GENES going for you than I do, 'cause there is no amount of rafia, rust or pine branches that are gonna help this baby (picture below...) - the only thing that can help this is inserting it inside of a brown paper bag, sealing the bag shut, and NOT opening it again!

I think I need to open a new PINTEREST board labelled 'WARNING: STAND BACK: FAILURES!!'

That's okay, I compensated by snagging this pinterest CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE recipe from Shara over at MONKEYBOX and making cupcakes for our new neighbors.  Of course, they only got half of them, so I drowned my wreath failures in chocolate...  8-)

So, back to the rest of my Fri-Sat goodies...

Red Morning Glory (?) Recipe box

M.O.R.E. FUN! Cocktail napkins by DROODLES that I had better get into our ETSY shop SOON!!

 

The most adorable Golden Book EVER. ~ 'My Little Brother'

...and OH, if they could all 'Dress like Italians'...

10" MIAMI MOUSE BANK to kick off CHRISTMAS IN JULY!

For anyone who might be curious on my progress...

My 'A.P.B.' for corks is serving me well (and proving just what wino's I have for friends - LOVE YOU ALL!!!)  Current count is up to 308 - KEEP 'EM COMING!