Alice in Wonderland

My sister and I went to see Alice in Wonderland yesterday. It was amazing. The 3D was fabulous. I really wanted to reach up and touch the Cheshire Cat. It looked like he was hanging just in front of my nose. The characters were wonderful and so imaginative. It truly was a wonderland. I highly recommend it if you want a couple of hours of pure enjoyment and escape.

I really like Johnny Depp movies. I think my all time favorite is Benny and Joon. I know it is an old one but I love it. I think he is such a great character actor.

It is misty and cold here today but by Thursday it is supposed to be 79 degrees and 76 for Easter Sunday. Happy, Happy, Happy! Maybe I can get out in the yard and work some. Hope your weather forecast is as nice. Have a great day.

Have you read a good book lately?

I love to read. We have access to four libraries in our area. I guess you could say that I'm an eclectic reader. I read almost anything and I have to read before I go to bed or my day is not complete. Books just seem to follow me home. Anytime I go to a yard sale, or on a junking trip I always seem to find lots of books (or maybe they find me). I usually have a book in the car or in my bag in case I have to wait for something.

I have added a list of books that I have read lately that I really liked. I went to see Sherlock Holmes at the movies last week. I realized that I had only read a few of the Holmes stories. I went to the local bookstore and to my amazement there were two volumes (the first one has over a thousand pages and the second one doesn't look that much smaller). I have read over 200 pages so I guess I am hooked. They are very interesting.

I must tell you about the movie theater that is in our local high school. It is part of the media program there. It has one of the largest screens in southeastern KY and Dolby surround sound.

It gets the current movies just out of the theaters before they are released on DVD. Adults get in for $2.00 and children are $1.00. Seniors get in free. Lots of times they have free shows for the school children. Popcorn and drinks are available for less than half of the regular theater. It is open on weekends year round unless there is a special presentation that is being held there. Our fine arts society has some of their programs there and the high school drama class presents three plays a year there. Two weeks ago I saw The Blind Side there and this week Alvin and the Chipmunks is on. They try to get a variety of PG and PG13 shows. It is a great program and we have a really great school system.

Try a good read this week and please share the good ones with me.

Fairy Door, One World One Heart

I took part in the One World One Heart giveaway. Some very generous bloggers allowed non-bloggers to enter. I had been reading blogs for quite a time but had never had one of my own. The giveaway was what really encouraged me to start my own. I can hardly wait to have my own giveaway next year.

I was lucky enough to win two marvelous prizes. One is a magazine subscription to Heirloom Gardener. I will tell you all about that as soon as the first issue arrives. I can hardly wait.

The other was a fairy door from kdottiedesigns.typepad.com. This little door is so precious. My pictures do not begin to do it justice. My little peeps love it. I am in the process of making a little fairy figure to go with it. At the moment is will be the "clean plate fairy". No, I am not going to make obese children by encouraging them to eat, but I am encouraging them to try new foods, so I only put a small taste on each plate and if they try it then they can see if the fairy has left a small treat for them (sometimes a coin for their bank, a sticker, a ticket for a trip to the playground, etc.)

The little door is absolutely beautiful. I really appreciate the work and the generosity of kdottie designs. The detail is really fantastic. The little packet next to the door contains fairy dust of course! Isn't that wonderful? You should see the door knob up close. Visit kdotties blog to see more of her creations.

Junking pictures (I hope)

I have pictures of the wonderful junk my sister and I found when we went to Peddler's Mall in Richmond last week. Somehow or other they are not in the order I wanted them and for some reason I can't cut and paste them so you will just have to see them in the order the computer wants them. I always seem to find books. This time I only got a hymn book and the neatest little dollhouse book. It opens up and has rooms and furniture that you can color and make a little house. I really think it is neat.

I have always loved those old stamp holders that they used to have at the post office. I just had to have this one. Now if I can find enough stamps with handles to fill it up. The bell is a cookie cutter. There was a basket of the wooden spools. I only wish I had bought more. The little butter knife will be used with cheese balls.

We stopped at Hobby Lobby and I found some goodies there. Crepe paper, tissue paper, stamp pad, embossing ink, a rubber stamp of a key, a brush holder that expands and some markers.

Obviously, I didn't rotate this picture when I downloaded the pictures. Believe me, it will be easier for you to turn your head sideways than for me to try to change it. This is the plate that you will see in the next picture after I turned it into a picture frame. This is a picture that I downloaded from someone's free images, (Thank You). I will actually put a picture of my children in it later.

This is the pretty little plate before. I seem to have a tendency to purchase dishes. This one is hand painted and I love the colors. There are three little bottles above it. I'm sure I will find some use for them.

This picture is also out of order. I think it is probably a cover for a baby pillow. It is a front and back that are laced together with a little white ribbon. It is very delicate and pretty and I intend to make a small pillow for it.

Linens and whitegoods. Oh how I love them. The little slip is probably for a doll. The lace runner was all rolled up and I thought it was just lace. It is in good shape and I don't know if I can cut it up or not. The little rabbit holds bunny note paper.

Tiny ornaments for tiny Christmas trees. I love little trees and couldn't pass these up. The price was right.

Madame Alexander Dolls that were in happy meals at McDonalds some time ago. I have been picking these up. I have about a dozen now. I want to put them on a Christmas Tree for my little peeps.

Seam binding and tapes. At 10 cents a package I couldn't resist. The one thing that amazed me was the price of old paper sewing patterns. The cheapest one I saw was 85 cents and they went all the way up to $3.00. Wow.

I am trying to make a little fairy and I needed wings and hair. The package in the middle has wings and the one behind it is hair. How lucky can I be. The birds are iron ons and the brown looking package is cardboard frames.

Here is the inside of the dollhouse book. The left page is one of the walls of a room and the right is furniture. Isn't that neat?

We had a lot of fun and a great day. Junking is one of my favorite things to do. I can hardly wait for yard sales to start.

I have a new keyboard. The old one quit printing certain letters. I had no idea that I used the letter k so much but evidently I do. Computers are absolutely wonderful when they work and the person using them knows what she is doing (which most of the time I don't).

I hope as I go along that I will improve at this and you will not see pictures out of order or have to turn your head or stand on your head or whatever. Have a great day.

Hobby Lobby purchases

These are the Easter presents I bought at Hobby Lobby for my little peeps. The bunny is for the little princess (age 3) and the garden tools are for daddy's little helper (age 4).

I really don't understand what I did to this entry but I'm evidently not a fast learner.

Springtime

The weather here has been beautiful for the last four days. It was so nice to go out this morning without a jacket or sweater. I love this time of year. There will be some more cold days but spring is definitely here. We were at the window this morning and saw three pairs of bluebirds. They were so pretty. Evidently they were building nests because they were collecting grasses.

When I was teaching one of my little kindergarten boys expressed the weather at this time of year the best I had ever heard. We were out on the playground on a March day and he came running up to me and said, "It's nice out here today. It's just a little bit cold and a whole lot warm." Hope wherever you are, your days are the same.

Good junking day.

Beautiful day today. It was in the 60s and felt wonderful. My sister and I went junking and found lots of goodies. Pictures tomorrow. We went the scenic route through the forest because I love the hills so much. The sun was setting when we came home and the sun was bathing the bare trees with a golden touch. It was beautiful. Reminded me of one of my favorite Psalms. "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help is from the Lord."

Even though it is so warm there were still large icicles hanging from the cliffs along side the road. I'm sure that many places will have piles of snow for some time yet.

We went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some goodies there and then on to Peddler's Mall in Richmond. I found lots of items to play with. I will take pictures tomorrow and share with you.

New soup recipe

Friday was soup and sandwich night. We have one about two or three times a month. I tried a new soup from Taste of Home's Heartwarming Soup Book. I love this book. We have had so many delicious soups from it. This recipe was sent in by Brenda Thomas of Springfield, Missouri, and I must really thank her because my family loved it. My son-in-law walked in and asked what smelled so good.

Pasta Fagioli Soup

1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed, crumbled
1 small onion, chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups water
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into strips
5 teaspoons shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion in oil until tender. Ad garlic; saute 1 minute longer

Add the water, beans, tomatoes, broth, macaroni and pepper; bring to a boil. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until macaroni is tender.

Reduce heat to low; stir in sausage and spinach. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Yield 5 - 6 servings

This is a thick delicious soup that is very quick to make. I forgot the Parmesan cheese for the top until we had already emptied the pot but it was still yummy. Sorry that I didn't get a picture but it disappeared too fast. This one is definitely a keeper for my soup file.

Forecast for the Day

Forecast for today.

Early morning will involve light housekeeping with periods of cooking. Flashes of inspiration will follow and may be accompanied by burst of creativity with a 50% chance of accomplishment. Later today a front will approach that will bring small whirlwinds whose energy will require constant monitoring. The atmosphere will become calmer as night approaches and some additional blogging may appear.

Hope it's a good one for you too.

Venture over to firecrackerkid.blogspot.com for a rolling pin dough bowl keep giveaway. If you like country or primitive you will love this little rack.

Also, Imasleepybaker.blogspot.com is giving away 2 Le Creuset square baking dishes. They are 5 inch and 9 inch and are beautiful.

I always bring my hibiscus in for the winter and it rewards me with lots of lovely blooms. They don't last very long so I have to enjoy them while I can.

I collect rose bowls and have quite a few of them. I love to float one large bloom in them, sometimes a lily, a rose, a spider mum, or at this time of year one of the hibiscus blossoms. They add such a bright spot on a winter day and make me think spring is near. I actually saw three robins today. They are back! They know spring is really on its way, even if they are predicting snow for tomorrow. Unpredictable March has arrived.

Here is the picture of the chili. I hope this works.