New Stash!

I was going to take some photos of my new stash, but since I didn't think it would turn out well on this cloudy day, just imagine it instead... I got two reproduction samplers. One is Ann Smith Blockley 1834 by Milady's needle. And the other is Lois Marshall 1832 by Threads of Gold. One reason I was drawn to this one - my Mom's name is Lois - and this sampler is thought to be from a part of Ohio near where I grew up! So that was exciting. I still have to get linen for both of these - will do that next week. I also picked up two issues of Sampler and Antique Needlework magazine - both had some nice reproduction samplers in them that I liked quite a bit. This magazine is a hit or miss for me - this time, it was a big hit! And then I picked up a cute eyeglass cleaning microfiber cloth that has a reproduction sampler on it (hard to describe). It is by NeedleworkPress. I'm going to use it to clean my Nook! I wish I could find the chart for this sampler! Love it! (UPDATE - I did find the sampler and have put it on order - yipppee!). And above is a picture of the microfiber cloth. I found one place you can get it from (altho I'm sure there are others). It is Needle In A Haystack at 1-877-Haystac or email them at haystack@needlestack (hope that is right!

Helping my Daddy....

with the taxes.....

YUMMMM-EEEE

I really enjoy the following meal! I would have taken a picture, but since I always put waaay more cheese on top than it calls for... all you would have seen in the picture was a big blob of cheese!

You need vegetable oil

1 pound of Sweet Italian sausage (whatever brand you prefer)... I like using the store brand. Sometimes I can't get it and when I use something else, it doesn't quite taste the same to me. Altho the Johnsonville mild sausage I used last night was a good substitute...

You will need one onion - chopped

You will need 3 to 4 (or more) green peppers. You cut them in half - so whatever you need for your family. Note....leftovers are even more yummy the next day!

2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (in a jar) or homemade if you prefer. I usually use the Prego Three Cheese or Four Cheese (can't remember the name)...

And about - as much shredded mozzarella cheese as you want. I use an entire package - probably about 8 ounces.

OK - take the casings off the sausage... then heat your oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the sausage with your fingers before putting it into the skillet. As it is cooking, I use a spatula to turn it over several times. When it is mostly browned, I cut it up smaller with a knife and fork. Then put in your onion and cook some more - until the onion is tender. Put in a little bit of the cheese - and get it all melty - this is to add flavor of course - but to also bind the meat together.

The green peppers are not pre-cooked. They still have a crispness to them after baking. Put your cut in half peppers in a shallow baking dish (whatever size you need for however many peppers you are using).

Put the sausage mixture into each pepper. Then pour the entire jar of sauce over the top - and then sprinkle on more of the cheese on top. I use a lot!

Cover the whole pan with aluminum foil - and bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes...

Eat!

Book Day!

When I'm not cross-stitching, I'm knitting. And when I'm not doing either of those, I'm reading... Sometimes, in one hour, I'll do all three! I just finished the second book (see above) in the Blackbird Sisters series by Nancy Martin. I had never heard of nor seen this series before. And with all the time I spend browsing in bookstores - and browsing for books online, that totally boggles my brain! I found out about it via one of the members of the yahoogroups bookgroup I run. I'm so happy I did! Three sisters - all of varying personalities.... likes and dislikes.... who get on each other's nerves at times - but who still share a strong bond.

If you like humor, engaging storylines and characters, love, and a bit of whackiness, you will love this series!

Hey Toto!

That is what these shoes make me feel like doing! Dorothy clicked them to get back home to Kansas. Maybe if I click three times, I'll get back home to Ohio!

Sampler Love - again....

I work on many cross-stitch designs...and enjoy them. There are a few , however, that make my heart sing. One of those is "Sally Spencer" by Birds of a Feather.... Every time I pick "her" up, I feel happy. I need to pick her up more often! Pardon the bad quality of the picture I took (well, I took many and this, believe it or not, was the best!). If you click on it, you can see the colors a bit better....

My Yellow-Ware collection....

Well, for wee folk that is!

Each day I stop in to read the posting at one of my favorite blogs "Notforgotten Farm"... It is such a delightful one!

One of these days, I'm going to get to Lori's shop. It isn't all that far from me afterall! And I totally enjoy stitching on her cross-stitch designs! Today she showed us pictures of her yellow-ware and asked us to post pictures of our collections. Well, here is mine! I only wish I could wave a magic wand and all of these pieces would be "big folk" sized!