Lots of Strawberries

We went picking strawberries on Saturday

It only took half an hour to pick these two baskets!

I had rhubarb too, so that means a strawberry/rhubarb pie - Pyrex Pink is perfect for this combo

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Meringue - yummm!! The recipe is from Taste of Home - click here for the recipe - I used my own recipe for pie crust - Pyrex Pink is perfect!

I made this Strawberry Arugula Salad twice this week - of course, I used Pyrex again! My mother in law gave me this bowl, and it turned out to be one that is really used a lot!!  This could be our new salad for the summer - another one from Taste of Home - here's the recipe

I love the strawberry/rhubarb combination - so I searched for a nice muffin recipe - these are really tasty!!!  The recipe for Nut Topped Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins is from Taste of Home too!

The main reason I went picking was to make strawberry jam - here they are, crushed  and whole - of course, the Pyrex was put into use again..

Two batches of strawberry jam - I used the recipe included with in the  Certo package - here it is!

I'm linking up to Rednesday - it's a perfect post for everything red!!  I'm also linking up with The Bunny Hop Party and Open House Party for the very first time!

A Great Week for Thrifting

Even though the yard sales were terrible again here yesterday, I don't think I'm going to break $1 this season, I've spent 75 cents so far,  I bought  nothing  again - I guess if you're looking for novels, baby clothes and toys, you'd be all set - but, I'm not, so I came home disappointed.  But, I really shouldn't be because I was at the thrift shops on Thursday and went to a church sale in a nearby town on Friday- those days are why I can say it was a great week for thrifting.  The first seven pics are all from the thrift shops

An ice bucket - complete with tongs which the clerk was going to charge me extra for!!   It's a tin bucket, the inside liner is removable, the handle is leather like.  It's called Barret Ware - a Celebrity Ice Bucket, made in England - as soon as I saw that sitting there and the cute design, it went into my basket - it was $3.99

Three juice glasses made by Dominion Glass of Canada - 30 cents for the three!

I thought this was for condiments but after researching, I see it's part of a cream and sugar set with a stand - made by Gemco - I think this will be put right to use as I broke the every day sugar dish just yesterday!!  Price - 25 cents!

This beautiful 525B Pyrex hostess bowl was just sitting on a shelf at the Salvation Army with a bunch of plastic bowls - if you can believe it, it was $2...

I know this is an odd thing to buy at Value Village and I thought it was really a strange thing to even see there but it wasn't opened, for 99 cents a package, I was buying both of them.  I use parchment all the time for baking,  it's $2.99 at the grocery store.  

These little deer were in the showcase at Salvation Army, I asked how much they were, 50 cents for you she said, they were marked $1.  They are a heavy plastic - the material reminds me of somecolored dice we have - they were made in Hong Kong.

Fifty cents for each Vera scarf!

I went around twice at the church sale and this was the only item I had picked up, I thought to myself, this isn't going to be very good if this is all I can find.  They're cute though, I think I need to straighten up Mrs. Claus' glasses.

I know this isn't a very exciting purchase, but Carla is looking for older jars, I don't know if this is really what she wants but I took it anyway, I imagine she'll take it!  It doesn't seem like that long ago that we were still getting peanut butter in glass jars.  

Then I spotted the games...

I remember Mousie Mousie from the fair - when they used a real mouse - you would never see that now!!   I think we're going to be playing Mousie Mousie.....

I know how much old tv related board games are - we just saw some last weekend selling for $30 and up - no way would I ever be buying those..

The Partridge Family was my favorite show growing up - and for some silly reason, I still like it!!!   Sure wish I had saved all my Partridge Family trading cards, I spent enough allowances on them, all I have are some albums... When I saw those magic words sitting at the bottom of the stack, well, you can imagine, I  put that jar and Christmas ornament right down so I could get my Partridge Family game..  I don't think it was ever used, if this post wasn't so long already, I would have included the boards too....  I paid $7 for the games, jar and ornament - the games will be going right to the game room....

I'm linking up with Flea Market Finds, Thrifty Love and Thrift Share Monday

Summer Food from Forty Years Ago

How about a nice gelatin based salad?  Maybe a cool green salad made with Wesson oil.  Top your meal off with Strawberry Shortcake, made with Dream Whip.

Kraft Dips on crackers - remember when they came in metal cans and cream cheese came in a glass??  Of course, Ritz was the cracker to use - maybe some Parkay margarine as well.

Summer-proof Saltines - sounds good to me!!  Salad dressing just looks so much better in the old glass bottles.  No BBQ would be complete with Kraft BBQ sauce - the only kind that was ever used at home.

You could order the Bummin Bag for $1.50 plus a plastic top from Accent.  Weight Watchers Snacks came in apple, peach, and strawberry, and cinnamon, guess it must have been apple cinnamon!   We might have wanted to use some Chun King for the BBQ instead of the regular sauce.

A turkey sitting on a dock - now, that is something different!   Maybe some Beef Kabobs were prepared with St. Lawrence oil.  And finish a hot summer day off with a Frosty Float made with Spanada - a beverage made of grape wine and natural pure flavors.

Summer begins today so I thought it was a good day to get out the old magazines and hunt for some ads for Rednesday - check out all the goodies here, time again to link up with Vintage Thingie Thursday.  We still use most of these products today, only the packaging and the ads have changed!

Weekend Away - Of Course, I Brought Something Home!

We went away on the weekend - of course, I did buy a few items but we did a couple of fun things too - like going to see the great play - War Horse and seeing all the animals at African Lion Safari - it's so neat driving along and there are the animals right there beside your car!  The giraffes were my favorite!!

Of course, I picked up a few items as well, I had to bring something home...

These containers are so handy - it was $1

Woodland 043 - no lid - $1.50

I have a pink 403 but this one was in much better shape, even if has scratches too -  it was $4.99

I paid 10 cents for this Queen Elizabeth Coronation Mug - it's not in the best of shape, but for 10 cents......  It's a great old souvenir...

Luck was on my side, I found a few Vera scarves.

And some more - except the one on the left that arrived in the mail from Erica.  Thank you!

I'm linking up to Flea Market Finds  and Thrifty Love

We're Painting!

I've been on a spray painting kick lately - I bought galvanized pails at the dollar store, spray painted them black, the pink planter was purchased there too, it was green and it's plastic,  the paint really perked it up!   I also spray painted the little green chairs, they were black. Regular paint was out too, I painted the entire deck and also the little plant stand.

A couple of weeks ago I salvaged this retro red lawn chair, from the dump - I have NEVER brought anything home from there before, but I just had to rescue this chair - I spray painted it green!!  

This little birdbath had seen better days, the pedestal broke so my husband attached it to an old can and I spray painted it!!!

Nothing is safe at our place - everything here (except the picture) was spray painted to match our new cupboard handles.  What a saving that turned out to be - we have two light fixtures and two vents in the kitchen - that would have easily been $200-$300 to replace.

We have been working on a partial kitchen renovation for four months, finally, it's done!!   More painting!!!  

We made this corner shelf out of an extra door we had - my husband made the shelves, I did the painting and while I was at it, painted this kitchen shelf.

I wonder if there's anything else I can spray paint???

I'm linking up to Tell it to Me Tuesday - there's ideas galore over there....

It's Wednesday and that means Rednesday -it's great!

Where is All The Good Stuff??

There is just nothing at the yard sales in my town this year,  so far I have spent 85 cents, my total went up by 10 cents yesterday, yes, I paid 10 cents for this Verde 403 bowl - but I already have it - I couldn't leave it there - not for that price!!  And, it was the only thing I could find to buy - I must have went to ten sales.

There wasn't much at the thrifts this week either - but I  did find this ladybug Vera - $1.99

I wouldn't say this is the prettiest Vera I've ever seen, but it is one and it was only $1

These I am giving away

People must have kept more of the winter and Christmas issues of these old magazines - these are issues from November, December and February - I shouldn't complain, I don't often find them.  They're all from the 70's

A few weeks ago I found an old bread box at Value Village for $2.99 -  took the door off and now it's a planter!!

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl, Flea Market Finds, The Penny Worthy Project and for the first time, Thrifty Treasures

Chocolate Confetti/Squeaky Squares

If you're looking for a quick and easy recipe that doesn't require turning your oven on, give these morsels a try!!  They are just so easy to make, with only four ingredients.  The official name is Chocolate Confetti, but we started calling them Squeaky Squares, one of the kids said they squeaked when you eat them and now that's just what we call them!!    The recipe calls for a stove top preparation, but I always use the microwave for them.

1/4 margarine or butter

1/2 c. peanut butter

6 oz. chocolate chips

1 bag coloured miniature marshmallows

Melt margarine and peanut butter in microwave, best in a Pyrex bowl!!!  After it is melted, stir in chocolate chips until they are melted as well.  Add marshmallows and stir until all are coated.  Pack in 9 x 9 square pan.

Always keep the squeaky squares in the refrigerator,  I used my Pyrex lime pan for this recipe.

Children love them, adults love them - make them - they probably won't last long!

I'm linking up with Delicious Dishes at It's a Blog Party and Strut Your Stuff Saturday