Finished For Friday - Or Not!

I have been in such a funk this week. Not sure of the reason, but I have not wanted to do anything. I have an apron I am working on, but do not feel like sewing. There is a basket of embroidery sitting beside my chair but I would rather (?) watch reruns or read blogs. I need to get motivated.

This meme is about sharing what you have finished this week. It is hosted by threeundertwo at Lit and Laundry. You can click here to see what more motivated people have accomplished this week. As for me, I am going to take some *artistic liberty* here and share with you my goal for NEXT Friday.

***WARNING***
The following pictures may be disturbing.
Viewer discretion is advised.

This is supposed to be our second guest room. Since we moved into this house almost two years ago, it has been the storage room. There are still boxes in here that need to be unpacked. My collection of vintage mirrors are stashed in one corner waiting to be hung in the now painted center hallway. There are odd pieces of furniture that have yet to find a place in our home. Who knows what else has been thrown in here.

Since my mom and her sister are planning a visit in August, I thought it would be nice for them if they each had their own room. But I have miles and miles to go before this room is ready for any one to inhabit.

By next Friday, I would like every thing out of this room except for the king size water bed frame and draws, a desk and an entertainment center. I know! You can't even see them for all the other *stuff*.

I have a long rope to tie around my waist so Hubs can find me in case I should get lost in this MASSIVE MESS. Wish me luck. I'm going in...

Vintage Thingies Thursday - Little Things

Welcome to one of the favorite memes of lovers of old, retro and vintage. It is hosted every week by the fabulous Suzanne at Coloradolady. Click here to see all the wonderful things others are sharing this week.

I have some small vases I would like to share with you this week.








The little vase in the middle was found in a box lot at an auction. Who knows what item the box held that I got me to bidding. The other two vases were bought at the local flea market.



I have no idea what it was in the box that had me bidding at the auction. After getting home, I found this little thing buried in the bottom. It is mostly white with a splash of light green on one side and is only three inches high. I love its classic shape.

The whimsy of this vase is what drew me to it. The price of fifty cents didn't hurt either. It is five inches tall from the base to the tip of the middle finger.

I should have put a flower in it so you could see it looks like a hand is holding the flower.

This little vase is four inches high. I love the colors. The red flower stands out on the base.

Here is the back. It says "PAT-PNG. O.P.CO. ZAN.O" I know that the first letters mean patent pending, but a search using the other letters lead me no where. Below the letters is some lovely scroll work.

Thanks for visiting me this week. Make sure you hurry over to Suzanne's. Tell them I sent you.

Tuesday Tidbits - Clutter

Does it seem like Monday to you? Pa-Pa and I had a busy weekend. We picked up the grandson on Friday evening. Lots of time was spent outside the entire weekend. There were lots of squirrels and birds to chase. Long walks to take with the dogs. Trees to climb.

All of that makes one thirsty.

And tired!

Do you have a place in your house that just seems to "attract" clutter? Ours is a kitchen counter right at the back door. I know this doesn't look too cluttered compared to what it can look like.
Kelly at (un)Deniably Domestic has her office to clean. I have a room upstairs that I call "The Storage Room". It should be the second guest room but before the painting and redecorating can begin, all that is stored there needs to be put away/donated/recycled/trashed. Kelly and I are talking about challenging each other with our cluttered rooms. Do you have a room that needs decluttered? Care to join us in this challenge?

Blue Plate Monday - Momma's Oatmeal Cake

Blue Plate Monday is hosted by Kelly at (un)Deniably Domestic. She has some yummy goulash cooking at her place. Look for the recipe here.

Summer often brings lots of gatherings that revolve food. This is a great cake to take to the neighborhood barbeque or family reunion. You won't need to worry that someone will bring one like it and you will come home with a clean cake pan.


Here's the recipe:


Momma's Oatmeal Cake

1 c. quick oats
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping
4 TBS. butter, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 c. flaked coconut
1c. chopped nuts (Mom's recipe does not call for nuts, but I add nuts to almost everything!)

Add the boiling water to the oats and let stand while mixing the other ingredients.


Cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs and mix well.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Add oats and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.



Bake in an oven preheated to 350F for 30 - 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
While cake is baking, mix together the butter, brown sugar and milk for the topping.


When cake is done remove from oven. Pour topping over hot cake. Sprinkle with coconut and nuts, if desired. Place cake under broiler until coconut begins to brown. Watch carefully, as once it starts, it browns quickly.

Make sure you take a copy of the recipe with you because you will be asked for it again and again.

Finished for Friday - Domestic Goddess Stuff

With the wedding reception preparations and the trip back to Kansas, the house cleaning took a back seat. This week I managed to get the house clean. I'm sure I swept and dusted up enough dog hair to make a complete dog.

There was a pile of linens that had accumulated from yard sales, auctions and flea markets. They all got a good soaking in Biz and OxyClean, then rinsed a thousand times, sun dried and then ironed.Since I had such pressing business, I thought I would iron some new fabric waiting to be put away.

I got Phase I of some Christmas presents finished. Since they are Christmas presents, I can only give you a little peek.

I hope I got enough rest this week as my weekend will be filled with this little firecracker.

Finished for Friday is hosted by Threeundertwo at Lit and Laundry. See what others have finished this week. Tell us what you have accomplished.

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend. Be safe!

VintageThingies Thursday - Tea Towels

It's Thursday! That means all kinds of great vintage things are being shown at Suzanne's. She has some great dishes to share this week. Go to her blog here to see where she found these dishes.

This week, I have some tea towels we could use to dry those dishes. Over the last couple of weeks, I have acquired these lovely kitchen linens. (Sorry, these pictures are not very good.)

Let's take a closer look. I found some lovely towels with flowers.




Some red and blue ones.



This one is circled with fruit.


The last three are embroidery.



Now hurry over to Suzanne's and see what every one is sharing this week.

Tuesday Tidbits - Bumblebee and Award

It rained almost every day while we were in Kansas. Since returning, the temperatures have been cool to down right COLD last night. Our heat kicked on. The wet and cool weather has been great for all the things growing in our yard.

Last summer, Hubs gave me another "bee" gift. He gave me two iris rhizomes and said they were Bumblebee iris. They went in the ground with a lot of other bulbs and rhizomes last fall. While on a walk around the yard this weekend, I was delighted to find this bloom.

It was a tiny bloom and didn't last but a couple of days. The lower petals are a dark purple. Wish I had an entire bouquet of them.

My blog was visited by Annie of "Annie's Home" and she gave me this award.

Thank you, Annie!

The rules for accepting this award are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

This was the perfect challenge for me as I have been wanting to do a little traveling around the blogsphere to see some new sites. These are some of the places I landed and really enjoyed while visiting. Check them out as you may find some one new to read.

Anna @ Boogers, Bibs, Books & Bubbles
Michele @ Country Vintage
Whoopsiedaisiesgal @ Whoopsie Daisies Days
Julie Thompson @ Jane's Apron
Cammy @ Freckled Farm
Pat @ Back Porch Musings
Dana and Daisy @ A Cat in My Lap
Jemm @ Jemm in the Flint Hills
Bella Della @ Bella Della Farm
Big Hair Envy @ Big Hair Envy
Busy Bee Suz @ Day by Day...My Life as a Busy Bee
Karen @ Karen's Korner
If Sew: @ If Sew:
Jenny B @ Allsorts
Nanette @ Freda's Hive