Priscilla's Earthly Delights ~ 1

Every Darling should take a ShoPPing Holiday...and as often as possible. 

{After you take care of bills, of course. 

Priscillas' must put priorities first to indulge in the Delights}

When My Oldest and I were Two peas in the pod of Our humble home, those days would come on Tax Refund and Student Loans. We'd splurge a little, go out to eat, do some treasure hunting, go to the bookstore, or a movie. 

Or maybe even buy the video! 
{oh the excitement of a new video!}. 

Really lets You appreciate the things you do get.  Now a days, I'm lucky enough to be able to do a little more shopping, but the appreciation is still there.

Here are My Treasures for Today's Earthly Delights:



These charming, accidentally discovered dishes. All the way from Rome. I want to try and collect as many pieces as I can to put in My Daughters Make~This~House~A~Home Secret Stash. I have also started one for My two older Sons, and they are based on their favorite colors. 
Pink, Of course, is Hers.

I'm a big fan of Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, and spotted the Lavender scent at Whole Foods, and just thought "oooohhhhh".
I think it would go really well with French Green Clay 
{I order my clay through Mountain Rose Herbs}

I was also out of my Burts Bees Moisturizing Cream. 
So was Whole Foods. 
I desperately needed something for my parched face and decided on Kiss My Face Honey & Calendula lotion. 
I was skeptical at first, due to having oily skin, 
I have to be careful with the grease factor 
{which is why i love Burts Bees, soaks in quick, with no residue}. 
But Desperation is being Desperate, right?
And besides, I like Kiss My Face. 
Surprise!!! Although it does go on a bit "wetter" than Burts Bees, its soak factor seems to be quicker. Sigh of relief and a wooHoo for that!

Also picked up a few packs of these really pleasant Incense sticks. These are nice when you want a soft to moderate smoke and scent. You're house will love you for it!

Sewing is on my New Additions to the Life's Resume for this year. I've been collecting some vintage patterns since last year. 
I found this on Etsy, thought the Cupcake would like it; 
I was wrong.....She Loved it. 
I'm really looking forward to this one since it will require My MoM to help, from which I will learn, and Cupcake will be there, learning also. Especially since She got Her first sewing machine from Santa this year.

and, a walnut brownie.  

A Sit down Cup of CoFFee~Mystery bOOk~Snack to My Self~Walnut Brownie.  

Dat is true!

it was YummY, too. 

{hence, no picture}

http://mountainroseherbs.com/


http://www.thayers.com/

http://kissmyface.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Retrocall

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TenderLane

HaPPy Birthday to The Man and Chicken & Dumplings

and all He asked for was a pot of Chicken & Dumplings.
Got ya covered, DuDe.

This is how My MawMaw cOOked them. She taught Me; and now I'm teaching My Little pEEps.
She told Me, how Her Mother would Love the little brown bits of dumplings at the bottom of the pan {a concept I ToTaLLy understand}, but She always Loved the Dumplings themselves.

1 whole chicken
a Big Arse pot
water

4 cups flour
2 cups water
salt & pepper {White PePPer actually makes a Great flavoring for this}


Place the whole chicken in the big arse pot of water and cook until done. 
The Chicken is ready when it starts falling off bone and there's no pink, or verra verra little, because You will cook the Chicken more with the Dumplings. Honestly, I didn't time it, but watch your water level.


I always let it cool down completely before I do the next step, but its not carved in stone!
Either which way, most especially if You DON'T Let it cool, CAREFULLY remove Chicken from pot and place in a bowl. 
Strain your broth. 
Debone and break chicken into strips/chunks, hmmm, 1/2 inch thick, 2 or 3 inches long.
Place the deboned meat back into the broth.
When finished turn the heat back on to get Your Chicken and Broth boiling.
I sift My flour through a crank sifter, add salt and pepper to taste and then start with a Cup 
or Cup and a Half of water, mixing with my wooden spoon.

THESE ARE GENERAL MEASUREMENTS.
I've been cooking these for years, so Its easy for me to tell when the dough is ready. You want a nice soft "play~doh" consistency.  If your dough cracks and is stringy, its probably to dry. Quite obvious when its to wet, too pasty.  You can adjust your dough by adding TEENY~TINY {sprinkle here, splash there} of flour or water.


When the dough is ready, grab a chunky handful of dough, and firmly shape to patty cake shape. Dust your rolling pin, and begin rolling out dough in all directions. 

WATCH YOUR STICKY LEVEL.  
Make sure and do a light dusting if your dough starts sticking, and don't forget to flip flop the dough. 
Now, I love thick dumplings, not quite chewy but not far from it. Some people like theirs thin.
You really will have to decide Your Self and roll accordingly.
Using the tip of a knife, sharper the beTTer, cut dough in strips of about, 1 1/2 x 10 inches, and lay on top of Chicken and Broth. 


Using a spOOn {I prefer, as did My Mawmaw, a slotted spOOn: it allows the broth to come through and doesn't tear up Your Dumplings} push the Dumplings down into the Broth. When My pot is about half full of Dumplings, I do a full stir, bringing the bottom to the top and vice versa.

Continue working Your dough until finished.







Here, again, adjust your cooking.  I go by the basic 20 minutes. Thin Dumplings will obviously cook faster. 
You don't want to over cook the dumplings. 
It's not a pretty sight. 
No. No it isn't.  
They will cook down and melt, and You'll be left with a mushy soupy mess.
Stir often, and scrape bottom to keep dumplings from sticking, because burnt dumplings can ruin Your batch too!
Salt and Pepper to taste. I like to let My pot of Dumplings set/rest for at least a few hours.

Chicken & Dumplings are absolutely divine with Fresh French Bread, Caeser Salad, Iced Tea, and if You really want to splurge, Rice Pudding for deSSert.  And for gOOdness sakes, Sugar, Don't forget the Tabasco!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!

Fig Cake & Sessions beer

http://www.tabasco.com/main.cfm

Simple Meals ~ Mac & Cheese

We just don't do fast food that much.

Holiday Road Trip,

Holiday shopping,

Occasional wEEkends,
maybe 5 times the whole year.

Other than than, if We eat out, its usually a restaurant.

If you think about it, fresh foOd is just as easy, 

and once you get in the habit, its quick.

Bonus: Kids can help, Kids love to help, Kids want to help.

Got to start with the simple stuff.

Mac and Cheese is about as simple as it gets.

The only thing simpler and easier is eating an apple.

Ingredients:

Pasta ~ get all different shapes. We like Shells, Twisties, and Spaghetti {which is great for baked mac&cheese}

Grated cheese ~ we use medium sharp

Timer

Big Pot

Boil the pasta according to its directions on package 

{angel hair will cook a lot faster than shells} in Big Pot.

TEACH YOURSELF AND THE CHILDREN TO TURN HANDLES TOWARD BACK OF STOVE!!

Set your timer!

While pasta is cooking, grate the cheese.  

Make sure and grate a bit extra for kids to eat, cause, they will.

Divide pasta into bowls and sprinkle grated cheese over pasta.

Add cut up apple or applesauce {or other fruit~ veggie choice}.
as a side.

Enjoy.

Kelly's Frontier Shadow Boxes

This is a Shadow Box that I made for a Friend. 

I had much Fun creating and putting this together. 

Unfortunately, I made it before I became a Bettie Blogger, 

so I only have completed photos.

Supplies:
*************
One picture frame Shadow Box {purchased mine from Hobby Lobby}
Decorative PaPer
Fimo clay {or any other type of clay}
Silver transfer in Dragonfly
Scrap Fabric
Jewelry findings
Bell Beads
Fabric Flowers ~ small
Small Seed beads
Alphabet RuBBer Stamps
Face Rubber Stamp
Wire {thin and medium gauge}
Acrylic Paint
Plastic sheeting, med to thick
Ink
Flat top Headpins
Mod Podge or other suitable Glue
Hot glue
X~Acto knife and a NEW Blade
Various small tools: Flat nose pliers, wire cutters, jewelry pliers

The fascinating thing about projects like this is that it can look complicated

because of all the details but actually its just putting things together.

The KEY to any project is to be ORGANIZED!

{same with cOOking}

The DREAM LeTTers

Take your Clay; roll out a slab, approx: 1/2 inch, a smidgen thinner. 

Use the Alphabet RuBBer Stamps to make your LeTTers.

Cut them out with the X~Acto Knife.

Bake in oven according to package directions.

Once cooled, use the Flat top Headpins for support. 

I cut mine to length first, and then glued the flat top to the back of the Letters.

The Shadow Box has a removable back.

Remove this and using the Decorative PaPer,

trace to size, cut, and adhere to the INSIDE of the removable back.

I used a piece of Scrap Fabric to cover the OUTSIDE. 

Set aside to dry.

The Shadow Box also had removable wooden sides on the inside.

I took those out and painted them.

I used a Magenta.

Set aside to dry.

Goddess Face

Place the Plastic Sheeting on a flat surface. 

Ink the Face Stamp generously but not overly;

too much Ink will make it slippery on the plastic surface.

I stamped the whole sheet and picked the best one.  

Cut carefully around the edge. 

Now, for the next step,

I used the Flat top Headpins as support for the Goddess Face.

Play around with this part, experiment with differnt types of support. 

For this particular piece I wanted the Goddess Face to look as if it was floating, 

so I had to find the piece that would look most Invisible. 

The Headpin was perfect: it was straight, strong, and had support.

Use the Flat top for surface support.

Set aside.

The Roses

Cut lengths of {medium} Wire, about, 8 inches.  

Use the 8 inch strip, push through the Fabric Flower,

and twist one length around the other, a few times, not all the way yet.

Cut lengths of {fine} Wire, about 8 to 10 inches. 

Use these for the Seed Beads 

for the stalks & leaves kind of thing.

Twist and Bead the Flowers to your design and like. 

You may even find a way that's easier for You.  

These are created to your tastes.

The Bell Clouds

I used Jewelry findings create these Bell Clouds. 

I don't have a clue what "official" shape that is,

but hey, a picture is worth a thousand words!

I used the {medium} Wire 

to create the hooks for the top of the Bell Cloud. 

Use the {thinner} Wire to attach the Bells.

I always have trouble getting a clean wire wrap but I do my best.

The Silver Dragonfly

Once the back piece is dry,

take the rub~on transfer sheet, 

cut your Dragonfly out, make placement, and then rub.

Lift gently.

Hanging the Clouds, Planting the Roses.

Get the Top and Bottom two pieces of the inside wood strips that you painted. 

I drilled a couple of very tiny tiny holes 

for placement of the Bell Clouds and The Roses.

Slip the ends of the Wires through the holes, 

and make any adjustments. 

Bend wire flat against wood 

and place a small {flattish} blog of Hot Glue to hold in place.

Let dry. 

Attaching the Goddess Face and DREAM LeTTers

Lay the back piece flat, and place pieces where you want them. 

Use your Glue Gun to attach the Headpins to the back piece. 

Let dry and gently test to make sure it is secured.

Putting it all Together.

Replace your Inside side pieces and then the back piece.

Mine were snug, but you can slowly and gently push them back in. 

Make any adjustments or changes { my flowers kept hitting the glass}

There ya go.

The possibilities are endless. 

Plus, these kinds of Projects are great for

using up Extras, Scraps, and all those LiTTLe Pieces that are to good to get rid of.

Happy Birthday PJ mOOndoGGie

Anyone who has kids will understand this:

The Blu~Man is My Heart
The Secret Agent Cupcake  is My Dream Come True 
and P.J. { a P, a J, and Two dots} is My Firstborn.

He loved Mo the mOOn growing up,

hence the nickname mOOndoGGie.

and now here he is all grown up.

Talented, Quirky, Sassy, and Finally beginning to understand!
Graphic Design, Silk Screen and Miniatures are His forte'.
I'm trying to talk Him into creating stuff to sell.

His favorite Cake is Sacher Torte. Um, YuMMM!!
We just order it from Our local La Madeleine.

And if He's Lucky, there'll be a piece left over for Him to take home.
Mucho Loves, mOOndoGGie!


Happy Birthday!

Glass Candle Jars ~Recycled

 

ok, I'm bored. 

I'm in the mood to do something creative or just something. 

The studios still a mess, so that's out. 

These are the perfect times to do those little things you put off.

Like my candle jars.

Most especially after the Holidays when You've burned a gazillion of them.  

If they are nice enough I will stash them away to use Later. 

Well, its Later.

So I decided to clean them up and put them to use.

I fill a pan with water , as close to the top as I could and let the jars boil. 

The wax melts and collects on the water,
and as the jars are dewaxed,
I carefully take Them one by one
and putting under hot running water 

{it should be hot to keep jars from cracking if cooled to fast} 

and scrubbing the Dickens out of Them.

Dispose of the hot water/old wax when its cooled.  

 









Voila! 
New clean jars to store stuff in. 

and I did!

Pink

A Cold and Grey day, 

The Sugar Plums get an unexpected day off of school 

because it was "supposed" to Ice and Sneaux, 

and, No Surprise here ~behind Schedule.

                       So what to do for some chEEring Up?!

Why, Treats~for~My~WishList~ShoPPing! of course.

  

and Thanks to the World Wide Web,

I can do it from Home

while siTTing on My Bum and drinking CoFFee.

and what CoLoR do I chOOse?

Pink!

Not only does it go well with Grey,

         but darling! its so chEEry.... 

 

One (of the Many!) reasons, I want to learn to crochet better,

and also knit, is SLiPPer Socks!

I wear Them constantly, 

I go through Them like most PeoPLe go through Their cell phone minutes.

These Dark Pink Mary Janes are right up there on my Cozy Factor Standards. 

I Love everything about the Look of them.

Now, here's something to chEEr ya right Up!

This exquisite set of Organza PoPPy Flowers.

I am envious of Those that can sit down and 

whip up a Shirt, Skirt, Scarf to aTTach these to!

Oh the Dream....

Any type of chEEry shoPPing requires some JeWeLry.

This necklace is just Delicious. 

Even the name ~ Pink Currants ~ is Delish.

And that Smokey Gunmetal chain, takes it from Little Girl to Saucy Woman.

 

I already have the perfect dress for this 

{see previous blog~ Betty Paige wear}

Need something Spunky Punky to set off those Combat bOOts?

This'll do Ya.

Pink & Orange PiCaSSo Ring.

I really liked the simple design of this belt but the color sets it.

This was the color of My most adored Lipstick in the 80s & 90s.

sigh, I can no longer seem to find it any more. So I shall wear it another way....

Flowers in My Hair, is not a new concept for Me,

while PoPPies are a Life~time favorite of Mine  

from Wizard of Oz  to my Turkish Heritage.

Oriental PoPPies Headband

Its natural, that I would yearn for these Flower Hair Treats.

After all that Bum Sitting and CoFFee Drinking,

searching for New Wishes,

{hey, its REALLY hard to pick some times!} 

it would be so scrumdiliupmtious, to eat some Curry or Lentil soup

from these DragonFly Bowls

I would end the day on a Rose Scented note.

This soap sounds really Heavenly, a combined scent of Rose and Musk.

Seductive MeoW. 

I am, 

Smitten like Eartha Kitten.

PS. The Cute Little Pink Ceramic Deer was Sold.

Crochet Mary Janes

http://www.etsy.com/shop/brokenhallelujah

Organza PoPPy Flowers
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JujaCrafts

Pink Currants Necklace
http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftscafe

Pink & Orange PiCaSSo Ring
http://www.etsy.com/shop/taylorseclectic

Hot Pink Bird Belt
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cassieart

Oriental PoPPies Headband
http://www.etsy.com/shop/jiorji

Flying Dragonfly Bowls
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShebboDesign

Rose Soap
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewDaySoapCo

Pink Ceramic Deer {sold}
http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageVenatic