Pioneer Woman Tried To Kill me

This story all starts out innocently enough. My good buddy Ree over at Pioneer Woman put out her 2nd cookbook a few months ago and I finally picked up a copy. Oh, and by good buddy, I mean I've never met her before in my life, but have been in love with her blog for a few years and, in my mind, she and I would be besties if we lived in the same city. That kind of good buddy.

Anyhow, I went back and forth over whether I should buy the digital version for the iPad or buy the actual hardcover book, and finally decided to go old school on it and buy the hardcover version.

The first thing I wanted to try was her infamous Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork, which you can also find on her website RIGHT HERE.

Normally, I am a huge fan of Coke Zero, but this recipe calls for Dr. Pepper which is probably my second favorite pop (soda for all your East Coasters out there). So, the whole idea of mixing pop with pork was quite appealing to me. And what could possibly go wrong?

Holy heartburn Batman, was that stuff hot!

Don't get me wrong here, it was good, very good and I loved the Dr. Pepperness of it, but I'm from Ohio here. Land of meat and potatoes, corn on the cob and other bland Midwestern cooking (as much as I love them, the Mennonite aren't exactly known for their killer Tex-Mex food). Sure, Ree had a little note in her recipe telling us wimps that we could cut back on the peppers if we thought it prudent, but why would I pay attention to that?

Seriously, you have to try this recipe. Just be wary of the hotness, it's a killer. Where is my water?



       

Auction Revelation

We went to an awesome auction on Sunday. It was at an older couple's house and these people kept EVERYTHING. Lots of vintage items and lots of deals to be had. I only bought one item though, mainly because the auctioneer was ridiculously slow. I didn't want to wait another 4 hours for him to get to some of the other stuff I had my eye on, so I ended up paying for my one item and leaving early.

And my one item was this square topped table with spindly legs, which you have probably seen a zillion times in antique malls. I don't know when these were popular, but I would guess around the 1930's.

The lady of the house had painted the original oak a light yellow color years ago and it had just the right amount of chippiness to it now. How did she know that chippy would be the in thing in 2012?

I don't know if I've ever been to an auction before where the people who owned the home were actually at the auction. These people had remarkably little sentimentality about their items being auctioned off. I was expecting to see some tears shed over some of the items, but I just saw smiles!

I know I could not sit through an auction of my stuff without having a major mental breakdown, curling up into a little ball and sucking my thumb. But you know what? That is exactly what will happen to my stuff when I'm gone.

If I am honest with myself, my son is not going to be able to use any of this stuff due to his disabilities. He will have no use for a 1925 Royal typewriter and just about anything else I have here. So it's not like I'm collecting this stuff to leave to him in my will. Off to an auction it will go.

So, why am I buying stuff at an auction now? That thought just occurred to me as I was writing the paragraph above and I can't answer that question. I may just be having a breakthrough here.

In mid-shot, I spotted something moving on the hydrangea blossoms.

Eek! Daddy Long legs really do have long legs.

I'd love to say that I brushed him off before I brought the flowers in the house, but it's more like I couldn't find him when I went to pick up the vase. I spent the rest of the day flinching whenever a stray hair brushed against my arm.

Frank update - there is no update!!! Why is no one looking for him? Why aren't there lost cat posters tacked up to telephone poles in town? I don't want to hurt his feelings, but it doesn't look like anyone is trying to find him :(

So, he's still camping out with us, at least for now.




       

Thrifty Finds And Lemonade

All the moons seemed to be in alignment for my garage sale-ing excursion on Friday. I hadn't carelessly made any appointments for Friday morning (I need to permanently mark off Fridays on my calendar from now on), the rain from early in the morning had finally cleared up, and I was all caught up on laundry.

There was a huge neighborhood sale in the next town over, so I headed in that direction. A good percentage of homes in the neighborhood participated in the sale and it seemed to have a party atmosphere. Sure, no mojitos were in sight, but it was quite early in the morning.

I did run across quite a few cute lemonade stands set up by eager faced little kids though. Am I the only one that buys lemonade from the kids, but doesn't actually drink it? Maybe I worked in the hospitality industry too long, but I have visions of them not using proper food handling safety procedures in the making of the drinks.

I didn't buy a ton of stuff, but what I bought I needed. Uh, sort of. I bought a picnic basket because you can never have enough picnic baskets ($5.00). They are great to stack in a corner and throw stuff in. I also bought some salt and pepper shakers ($1.00) and a thermos for my ever growing thermos collection (25 cents).



Aren't these little bird salt and pepper shakers so cute in a kitschy sort of way. The house where I bought these had a ton of different salt and peppers, but most of them were ugly in a kitschy sort of way. Kitsch goes both ways, I guess.



I bought a huge turkey platter (25 cents) and a glass cake dome ($1.00).



Up to this point, I was doing well on the money front. I had spent $7.50 on garage sale finds and 50 cents on lemonade and was feeling quite good about being Mrs. Thrifty (even though my thirst was not quenched). Then I found this yummy bread board at a sale.



I'm not even going to tell you the price I paid for it, because it's embarrassing, but I will tell you that I have been on the lookout for one of these for quite a while to use as a photography prop. So I bit the bullet and paid antique store prices for it. It has the nicest patina though.



How was your garage sale shopping this weekend? Did run across any hygienic lemonade stands?



Linking with Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday.

       

Mushmelon

On the way home from my garage sale-palooza Friday, my son and I stopped off at a local farmer's market and bought some corn and a melon.

So the question of the day is - do you call them cantaloupe or mushmelon? My Mom always called them mushmelon, so that is what I call them, but I don't hear that a lot in this part of Ohio. Is it cantaloupe or mushmelon in your neck of the woods?



BTW, Frank is still hanging around. He did let me pet him today, so he's starting to warm up to me. A lot of cat treats were eaten prior to the petting. By the cat, not me. I can't stand the taste of those things.



He's off the the vet tomorrow to see if he has a microchip in him. I'll be sad to see him go if he does, but I'd rather he be with his real family if they are missing him. OK, I'm starting to tear up, so have to go.



       

A New Porch Guest

We have a new squatter on our front porch. Nope, no more birds. A cat this time.



I saw him walking around out in the corn field a few days ago, but when I got close to him, he ran away. Then last night I happened to look out onto the porch and he was curled up in a ball, sleeping. Like he owned the place.



I got him a big bowl of food and low and behold, he was still hanging around today. Strange how that worked out.

BTW, when I say "him", I am guessing. I've not actually gotten close enough to determine its sexual identity. I found a dead mole sitting not too far from him, so I just assume a dainty girl wouldn't have ripped its head off.



So now, I have to try and find its owner. I've contacted two vet offices and checked out the bulletin boards at the grocery store. Next up is to check with the crazy cat lady on the other side of the railroad tracks to see if she knows where Frank lives.

Yes, I named him. Is that a bad sign?

On non-cat related news, there are some killer yard sales happening this weekend, and I am going to try to get to some tomorrow morning before the heat wave hits full peak. Stay cool and have a productive thrifting weekend!



       

Patriotic Table

I changed out the decor in the huge lantern on my dining room table, so it now has a 4th of July vibe. When I first bought this, I thought it was too large for my table, but I have sort of grown to love it now. Or else it has shrunk over the last few months.





I put a vintage postcard



and some run of the mill flags (that were probably bought at Walmart) in the lantern. There's a candle in there too, but you can barely see it with the other stuff.



A grain sack that I bought at a garage sale for $5.00 is used as the table runner. It is a little more "rustic" than I would normally do for the dining room,



but it has red and blue stripes on it and says "American Malting Co., Detroit, Michigan", so it was just begging to be used for a patriotic table. I know I am committing a cardinal sin by using a Michigan item on a table located in the Buckeye state, but you'll have to forgive me.



Do you decorate your indoor rooms for the 4th of July? Or is pretty much of a one day outdoor holiday for you?



       

A Girl And Her Swimming Pool

My husband had the idea that since Lacey loves running through the sprinkler, that maybe she'd like her own swimming pool.

I had my reservations, since she LOVES to chew on things, and I didn't think the inflatable whale would last five minutes.



At first, she wasn't too sure about it. She's not allowed in the hot tub, so I think she thought we were just teasing her with the pool.

No, really, you're allowed in this pool.

But once we involved her toys in the pool, we convinced her to jump on in.



She loves it now. Looks like she's smiling.



Hopefully, she understands the no peeing in the pool rule.