Happy Dad's Day!

Don't forget:  Father's Day is this Sunday!

Don't worry, I'm here to give you a few ideas straight from Etsy!

Cute soap on a roap

 Trout on a roap! What a cute gift for the fisherman!

Awesome leather belt!

 Every guy needs a nice belt!

Great man cave idea!

Don't forget his man cave!  

Create personalized beer labels

A personalized gift is always perfect!

Happy Dad's Day!!

Jen

Cookin' Vegan!

Vegan Stuffed Peppers

My lovely daughter, Katherine is home from college!  She is vegan, so it's fun coming up with new recipes for her!

This one I whipped up today is vegan stuffed peppers.  

Cut the lids off of green peppers (or any color for that matter), gut out the seed stuff, then put them in a big pot of water, on high, and after they start boiling, boil them for about 5 minutes.

While that is going, cook up some quinoa, it usually cooks about 15 minutes, but I took it off the stove after about 8 minutes, and then added Birds Eye frozen winter squash (I thawed it).  You could add whatever squash you like.  I'm one of those cooks that improvises and tries to use what I already have in my kitchen.

I sauteed red, yellow, and orange peppers, red onion, white onion, and celery in just a tiny bit of olive oil.  Add whatever seasonings you like, I added some salt, pepper, and a little bit of italian seasoning.

My pictures are coming out wrong-you'll have to tilt your head!

Add the sauted veggies to the quinoa/squash mix.  Drain the peppers, add them to a loaf pan (with about 1/4" of water in the bottom of the pan so the peppers don't stick/burn).  Stuff the peppers with the yummy mixture, pop it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes (when there's about 8 minutes left, cover with foil).

Katherine and I decided corn would be good in the mixture too, but really anything you like can be added!  You can add nutritional yeast too~!  Make this recipe your own by adding brown rice, tiny pasta, etc.  

I almost forgot, I added a dash of fresh grated nutmeg to the squash mix, and also some tiny pieces of garlic to the veggies.

Hope you like it!!

Jen
 

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!  Thanks to all that have sacrificed for our country!

I thought I'd share some patriotic items I found on Etsy.  I sure did find some "interesting" flag items when I did a search, you might want to check it out!

For the crafty people

Patriotic decor

USA

Red white and blue sun catcher

 Enjoy your day!!

Jen

My birthday fun!

My "baby" Katherine & I (or me!)

My birthday was May 20th!  Yes, I turned 25 again (25 x 2 +6).  Our birthday celebrations always last at least a week or two!  My husband Bob, Katherine and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Pier W for dinner.

Bob & Katherine

 I love that close up shot of Katherine!  You can see just a bit of Cleveland in the background.  

Speaking of me, the dress I am wearing is a Jessica Simpson dress (in case you wanted to know).  The sleeves were my favorite part, since they open up at the shoulder, and reveal just a bit of the shoulder!

Group shot

 Then it was on to Columbus to celebrate with my oldest child, Lindsey, and her hubby Thomas!  That's Mark (my sweet son), Katherine, moi, Lindsey, and Thomas (acting shy).

Newlyweds, will be celebrating their 1 yr anniversary in June!

 

Mark & Katherine

The party isn't over yet!  Today I will go to lunch with my Dad, and tomorrow night my sister Susan is making dinner for me!

I love my family!!

Jen

Jenscloset 15 and Under

If you read my blog (thank you!) you know that I have three Etsy shops!  I started my first shop (jenscloset) in 2008.

Pretty Kitty

 "They" say you're supposed to picture your customer.  Imagine what they look like, what they wear, they're income, etc.  Well, that's just creepy!  I have such a variety of vintage and antiques in my "jenscloset" shop, that I really cannot pinpoint a certain customer!

Vintage Gardening Book

 I have a section called "15 and under", and I have 9 pages of great vintage items under $15.00!

Shabby chic tin tray

 Variety is the spice of life!  Man, woman, old, young, something for everyone!

Girly vanity mirror

Check out my 3 Etsy shops! 

Fun eclectic mix of antiques and vintage 




Classic vintage milk glass

Okay, I give up on the china link- here it is! http://www.thechinagirl.etsy.com 
 
Have a great weekend!

Jen

Grandpa Picker

I believe I've created a monster!  My Dad, who I now refer to as "Grandpa Picker" is really starting to enjoy the vintage hunt!

Proudly carrying our "loot"

 Yep, that's my Dad!  This is a man who had is own actuarial business (super successful too!) for years!  I actually worked for him off and on for more than 25 years. That's what makes this even more interesting! Now he's kind of working for me!

Who would have thought my Dad would love being a picker like me!?  We try to go to an estate sale or thrift ship almost once a week.

Charlie the Estate Guy

 I'm so happy my Dad finally was able to meet one of my favorite estate sale guys, Charlie!  What a sweet guy he is!  Charlie was a local police chief for years, so it just goes to show you, you're never too old to find a new passion!

I told my Dad we should have our own picker reality show.  Most of the time, you'll find my Dad hanging out on a sofa somewhere while I scurry around finding things I just have to have!

Enjoy your weekend, and don't forget, my birthday is this coming Monday, so you should go shopping this weekend!!

Jen  

Tags

Tags are important in our Etsy shops.  It helps potential customers find us by using important "key words".

It's not so important when talking about humans.  I think the only categories should be human and sub-human.

There is no distinction between colors, origins, sexual preference, religions, etc.  

There IS a distinction between humans and subhumans.

The lastest event in Cleveland, where the "sub-human" man tortured and kept 3 girls/women for 10 years.  This is what I mean by sub-human.  These people should be on an island by themselves.  They should not be given the privilege of prison, where they are treated much better than a large percentage of our wonderful "humans" who work hard for a living.

Let's not judge people by tags, after all, you could just tag me as a crazy old lady! I don't like that (although it is slightly true)!

Don't judge!

Jen 

    

Happy Mom's Day!

Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful Mom's and Mom's-to-be!

This card is one that I keep at my desk and look at everyday. It was from my Mom/best friend years ago.  She passed away suddenly in 1994 (and only 59 years old).

I would like to nominate my Mom as Mom of the Year!  My Mom didn't have the easiest childhood, and she basically help to raise her younger siblings (6 of them), when she was just a young woman in high school.

My Mom went on to have 5 wonderful (if I may say so myself) children.  She was always so loving and best of all, she was the best cook!  Honestly, gourmet meals every night, how did she do it!?  I think that's why I love to cook so much now!

I always say being a Mom is the toughest but best job in the world!  You need patience and a sense of humor for sure!  My Mom certainly made it look easy!

I miss all the crazy fun times my Mom and I had together!  She would come over everyday when Mark and Katherine were little, so I could get a "break" and get out of the house to pick up Lindsey from school.

We would laugh about silly things.  One of my favorite memories was when she brought her food processor over, and she clearly did not know how to use it; she put carrots in the thing, and well...let's just say, it rained carrots all over my kitchen!

It helps to remember fun times like this and know my Mom is still here, I can feel her presence.  

Thanks Mom! I love you!!

Your daughter,
Jennifer     
 

I'm lucky to know Jerry

My wonderful friend Jerry and some of his coworkers

With all the terrible news in the world, it's nice to hear about a person with an absolute pure and kind heart!  That is my friend Jerry!

Jerry was so excited to open his b-day gifts!

 I met Jerry years ago at our local Goodwill.  He was working there, and the first time he came up to me and said hello, I was kind of "taken a-back".  He was so friendly, and a that time, I thought, a bit strange.  It did not take me long to realize he was the "real deal"!

The girl on the left shares the same b-day as me!

 Everyone that came into the Goodwill store was greeted by Jerry, and everyone loved him!  A few years ago, he was transferred to a rehabilitation center where they teach them to put together packets for hospitals (he showed me all of that).

I visit as often as I can, and truly, every single person there is so friendly and they can't wait to shake me hand, or hug me, and introduce themselves to me!

Jerry is a "special needs" person.  That is just a silly thing to call him.  I don't think of him that way at all.  He is the sweetest and most kind person in the world, and I'm so lucky that he's a part of my life!

He emailed me a few days ago to see if I could visit him today, for his birthday.  I've been bringing him gifts every year on his birthday, even when he was at Goodwill.  He loves Pokemon, dogs (actually he loves all animals) and video games.

When he opens his gifts, he is shaking so hard with excitement, that I have to tell him to try to relax.  

He showed me the goldfish that have at the center, and he named all of them.

Just talking about him brings me joy.  I love Jerry-I love his heart.  Pure.

Enjoy your day!

Jen      

Mom's Day

Artist from Ireland!

In case you haven't heard, Mother's Day will be here soon!  Here are just a few of my favorite things from Etsy!

Vintage clothes are the best!

I want everything in this shop-please!

This feminine dress is only $42.50!

 There it is! Just a few of my favorite Etsy shops!  Happy Shopping!  Happy Mom's Day!

Jen