Twitter's Down

Random advertising these cute Pyrex bowls listed in my shop!



If you read my blog, well first of all, thank you!  You know I love twitter!  You may also know, when twitter is down, I usually have to blog about it!  It's my way of staying connected with my twitter friends when I can't chat with them on twitter!

So since twitter is down, I guess I'll do some random chat here!

More random advertising

I had some great ideas for stuff to talk about on my blog, but I can't remember what they were!

I will tell you about our New Year's Eve tradition.  It's crazy and kooky, like us!  We've been playing this 80's electronic game called "Mall Madness" since my older daughter, Lindsey, was little!  The object is to buy a certain amount of items in the mall, and be the first out of there. 

Well you would think I would win at that, since I've been know for my addiction to shopping (which I am proud to say I have curbed)!  Nope!  My husband Bob has one most years.  My son Mark comes in 2nd, and even my Dad joined in on our fun one year, and he won!

So I guess it's a guy's thing!  There object is to hurry up out of the mall, where as most women usually like to linger awhile!

So that's my random chat while Twitter is down, I'm hoping when I go to check on Twitter now, it will be up!

If not...I will be posting again!  I have a lot to say, if I could only remember!

Stay safe-Happy New Year!

Jen

Party Retro Style

Libbey Silver Leaf Pilsners

Ring in the New Year retro style!  All things in moderation, of course!

Mod Chip-n-Dip Set

And what's a party if you don't have chips and dip!? 

Frosty Orange Pitcher

Mix up your favorite drinks in this frost bright orange pitcher!

Black and Gold Coin Glasses



Mad Men style cocktail glasses are another "must have" for your New Year's Eve party!

And remember...don't drink and drive!

Cheers!

Jen

Write It Down!

It's that time of year again (yes I'm trying out a new, larger font!)!  Time to make those New Year's Resolutions!

One of the best ways to stick with your resolutions is to write them down, and then tell your friends about them, and/or blog about it!

That will give you a little more motivation to stick with it!

The first 3-4 weeks are crazy busy at our recreation center, and then slowly, we loose most of the people that started out with such good intentions (I bet they didn't write down their resolutions!)

So what are my resolutions? Good question!  I'm still thinking about it!

I have a few that come to mind and will post more before the end of the year!  Here's a few to start with:

1. I want to increase my sales on Etsy, and make more money in 2012!
2. I will start working on my 2 year goal of moving to Savannah GA!
3. I will organize my shop stuff so that my house doesn't look so much like a warehouse!
4. I will think of more resolutions soon!

So that's a start!  What are your resolutions?

Happy New Year!! Cheers!

Jen

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Thanks for reading my blog!

Jen

Etsy Search

http://www.redredcompletelyred.etsy.com/

Happy Friday! 

If you're not familiar with http://www.etsy.com/ you should be!  It's a great place to get quality (and unique) handmade and vintage items!

There's a search thingie at the top right, you can click on handmade or vintage, then search for whatever you want!  I did a search (the handmade drop down) for deer. 

http://www.byrdiegraphics.etsy.com/



I love these removeable graphics you can get for your walls these days! 



http://www.darkcycleclothing.etsy.com/



You'll find a great selection of fun t-shirts on Etsy too!

http://www.nonesuchgarden.etsy.com/



I want this deer (slight hint).

Merry Christmas, on this eve of Christmas eve!!

Jen

I'm Trying, I'm Really Trying

Cute stuff from shabbyblogs.com

Thanks to a friend on twitter, she directed me to http://www.shabbyblogs.com/ -you should check it out!

I really want a cute header on my blog, and I've been listening to her tutorial, but I still can't get the size right on this. 

My brain can only handle a little bit of this tech stuff at a time.  So I'll leave the header the way it is, for now, and play with it again later!

I wanna have a giveaway just so I can use this!

Next thing is to add more pretties on the side of my blog!  But I need a break now!!  Thanks Shabby Blogs!!

Jen

Jenny's Crappy Craft Segment

If you read my blog (well first of all, thanks!), you'll know I am definitely "craft challenged".  I do try, but it usually just looks like a crappy craft!

And why is my font so small? I don't even know how to fix this.

I love to gift wrap!

But I do love to gift wrap and offer free gift wrapping in all 3 of my Etsy shops!  I'm actually thinking of charging a small extra fee for this service, as I've had more buyers using this service, and all these little extra's do cost $$$!



I like my crappy craft!

So this what a gift from one of my Etsy shops looks like when it gets sent out!  I will then send a separate thank you letter to the buyer.

I would hand write the card, but my handwriting is horrible!  So I type up the personalized note, add a coordinating piece of stock paper, hole punch it, and add a cute brad (this one happens to be a festive Martha Stewart brad!).

So there you have it, Jenny's crappy craft!!

Happy Crafting!

Jen

Happy Friday!

Finally got a "breather" so I thought I'd ramble on my blog for a few minutes!

But I have to sit here and sit a second to decide what I want to chat about! 

The obvious would be Christmas, so I'll go with that!

So, yeah, it's Christmas time! The question everyone asks "have you got all your Christmas shopping done?"  Not a chance!  Bought some things for my daughter Lindsey, and that's about it!

My husband, Bob, is easy to buy for.  He just wants beer!

My other daughter, Katherine, may want a crazy pair of shoes (I guess it's some great shoe designer).  So I'm still waiting to hear exactly what she wants.

My son Mark, well, his b-day was 12/9 and he bought a computer, which was his combined birthday and Christmas gift.

So I guess that's it, not too bad.  I'll scramble at the last minute!  Oh...I did get my grandpuppy, Cosmo some stuff!!  And I always wrap up some fresh bacon and let him hunt under the tree for it!  It's so funny!! (He's small, so it's not like he's gonna wreck anything.)

So that's my quick Christmas ramble!

Now I need to get to listing some stuff in my shops and keep the sales going (hopefully).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  and..one more thing! Don't forget, for the person on your list who "has everything", it means he/she doesn't NEED anything else.  Think about the people that truly need basics, like food, clothing, etc.  Donate to a charity in that persons name!  That's a good gift!!

Jen

Debt

Christmas-the time for giving



Debt as defined in the dictionary:  "the condition of owing".

It's not fun.

It's Christmas time, a time for giving, right!?  Your real friends will understand that you don't want to go into debt to buy gifts for them!  Pay cash, leave the credit card at home!

This is coming from my own personal experience!  If you can't pay for the "stuff" with cash, don't buy it! It's a simple fact! Speaking of stuff, I just spent a lot of time getting rid of a lot of my stuff, that I wasted money (or shall I say, credit on).  Bags and bags of clothes, and other "stuff" (I did donate it to charities).

My definition of debt:  "a heavy burden".

Happy Debt Free Holidays!

Jen

Thanks Lynda!

This should be a picture of me & Lynda!

Since neither Lynda or I like having our picture taking, I thought these vintage ornaments would be a nice replacement!

I just had a lunch with 2 of my works friends, Lynda and Barb.  Lynda and I worked so closely together that we referred to each other as half a brain, together we made up one brain!  We both worked part time and did administrative work, and we had fun while doing it!

So it was nice to finally see her again!  As Lynda reminded me, it had been 3 1/2 years since the last time we had lunch together.  I still cannot believe it's been that long!  But Lynda never ages and she still looks as cute as ever!

Hopefully you'll read my blog today Lynda, dedicated to you!   Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2012!!

Thanks Lynda!

Jen

Caramel Dumpings

I wish I could find my Mom's recipe for the Caramel Dumplings she used to make!

I did find some recipes that looked similiar, and made these one awhile ago!  I'm going to try to make them again soon and post a pic, but here's the recipe!  FYI, yes, I am sure it has a lot of calories and it is a heavy dessert, but just workout a little extra, it's worth it!

Sauce ingredients:\
1 C brown sugar
2 T butter
1 1/2 C water

Batter ingredients:
1/2 C white sugar
2 T butter
1/2 C milk
1 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:
Sauce: Combine brown sugar and butter in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat,stirring frequently, until sugar is carmelized.

Slowly (be careful!) add the water, stirring constantly.  Boil for a few minutes.

Pour into a small casserole.

Batter:
Cream the butter & sugar together.  Add the milk and then the dry ingredients.  Mix to blend.

Drop by spoonfuls into the caramel syrup.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Serve warm.  *I would add whip cream or icecream!

Bon appetit!

Jen

Sit back and relax!

Between my 3 Etsy shops, I have a gift for everyone on your Christmas list!

Vintage Beer Stein

Check out http://www.jenscloset.etsy/ for more retro gift ideas for the guys on your list!

Frosty Orange Snack Bowls

Don't forget to bring a gift to your hostess!



Vintage Pyrex Baking Dish



Vintage Pyrex is the best (and most unique) gift for the baker!  I have over 100 Pyrex items in my shop!

Festive Teacup & Saucer

For under $15.00 you can purchase a pretty vintage teacup & saucer set for the tea drinker!



Avon Mouse

I even have cute items for the kids on your list, like this adorable collectible Avon mouse!

So sit back, relax, and shop 'til you drop!  I gift wrap for free, and can even send the gift directly to the gift recipient, along with a personalized gift tag!  http://www.thechinagirl.etsy.com/ (great gifts for the newlyweds)! http://www.mymilkglassshop.etsy.com/ (tons of classic Fenton pieces)! and http://www.jenscloset.etsy.com/ (a great eclectic mix of fun vintage)!

Happy Holidays!

Jen



Happy Birthday Mark!

Cute little Mark!

My son Mark, is officially not a teenager anymore!  He turned 20 today!  I'm know it's been said before, but I'll say it again, "time goes way too fast"!

Lindsey, Katherine (check out that widow's peak), and Mark

Mark is a nice young man, and I am so proud of him (and all 3 of my children)!  He's going to school locally this year, so it's nice to have him home!  He spends a lot of time helping his Grandmother (Bob's Mom, Grace), with choirs around the house, grocery shopping, etc. Grace loves him and I'm so glad they have a close relationship!

Mark off to his high school prom with little Lindsey (she's older than  him)!

 

Lindsey, Mark, and Katherine a few years ago on summer vacation

I'm one lucky girl!  Now if time could just stand still for awhile!

Happy Birthday Mark, I love you!



I'm Ready!

Ready for packing and shipping, that is!

Not quite as ready for Christmas in my house! I have actually managed to put a wreath on the door.  Oh, and my husband put up the lights outside last week, and I finally got a chance to see them when I was pulling into our driveway a couple of nights ago.  Boy, did I have a good laugh!  I'm sure everyone that drives by does too!  Picture this, the lights above the garage have a row of them that are out, then the lights on the bushes are white, but different whites (it's more obvious than it sounds), and the lights around the door, are really weird (and hard to explain, just believe me)!

So I had to tell my husband, in a nice way, of course, that the lights are too awful to turn on!!  But of course, he had to turn them on last night!

Fenton

Just thought I'd throw this random Fenton milk glass hobnail basket in the middle of my blog, that's my smart marketing technique!

Anwyays, so where was I?  Oh, the lights!  Well, if my husband insists on turning on the lights everynight, so be it!  I'll want to drive by my house more often for a good laugh!

Royal Albert

Think of these pictures as annoying commercials come on at random times!

Oh, and my title was about packing and shipping! Yes, I have everything ready for a busy time of year for me, and all of you that have an online shop!  I have a good supply of all my packing stuff!  Last week I went to Office Max to get something, can't remember what it was, but it doesn't matter, I got lucky (yeah, this is what I call getting lucky these days)!  There was this huge stack of large bubble wrap and the sign said $3.99 each).  That couldn't be right, because it's usually like $30 each.  Sure enough, it was right!  I filled my cart up twice and bought it all.

Whoops, forgot, I have a small car! Silly me!  So called Bob (he's my maintenance man aka husband), and he was sweet enough to run up with his old minivan (which is really worth a lot of money, since everytime he takes it to the car place Bob spends at least $1000 to get it fixed)!!

Not sure why I'm rambling so much! Maybe I'm just freaking out because I haven't started Christmas shopping!

So Happy Wednesday!!!

Jen

Cauliflower Soup and Buttermilk Biscuits

Thanks to my daughter, Lindsey, who gave us this recipe for Cauliflower Soup!  My husband made it the first time, and last night I made it!

Melt 4 T butter in saucepan (med heat)

Add 1 C diced sweet onion, 3/4 C diced celery, and 3/4 C diced carrot

Cook for about 8 min, stirring occassionally

Add 1 head of cauliflower (could use asparagus instead), coarse chopped

Cook covered for 5 min

Add 1/4 C flour and 4 C veggie stock (I used chicken broth).  Stir together.
Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to med-low, simmer half covered for 25 min.

Blend all together (okay, here's where we got confused, we were supposed to actually blend it it a mixer to make it smooth, we didn't, and we liked ours chunky!)

Add 1 C heavy cream, pinch of nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste

We added some parmesan cheese to our individual bowls.

I finally had success with biscuits!  I found this recipe at allrecipes.com, here it is:

2 C flour, 2 1/2 tsp bak powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/3 C butter flavored shortening, 3/4 C buttermilk

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in the shortening until crumbly.  Stir in the buttermilk just until moistened (I did end up adding a bit more buttermilk).  Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute.  Roll out to 1/2" thickness, cut with a 2 1/2" biscuit cutter (I just used the end of a glass). Place on greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for approx 10-12 minutes.

Moist and yummy!

Enjoy!!

Jen

Tis the Season!

Yes, it's here already!  We start feeling a bit frazzled with everything that needs to get done!

hohoho



When you start feeling overwhelmed with everything and you feel like you're running around in circles, take my timer tip! 

I find myself glued to  my computer way too often, and that's when I put the timer on!  I allow myself 15 minutes on the computer, then set the timer for 20-30 minutes,  I cannot go near the computer and must do other chores!

Repeat until you have some of your "to do" things crossed off your list (yes, make a list)!

Then by the end of the day, you can treat yourself to a longer period of time on the computer!  Or, you may decide watching a movie or relaxing with a good book, is a better idea!

Happy Holidays, take time to relax and enjoy the season!

Jen