~Dishes & Sweet Tea~

Today is Project Friday over at Sugar Plum Cottage. And my project is washing dishes. I know, I know, how exciting is washing dishes? Well, I'll tell ya'll a little secret.....it is therapuetic. My pretty little tea dishes were in need of a good washing. And there's something fun and relaxing about sticking your hands into a hot bubble bath, even if it's just in the kitchen sink. LOL

I like lots and lots of bubbles. Then I put all the dishes in very carefully and let them soak for a few minutes. I use a soft sponge to wash them with. For the very delicate flowers, I pat them with the sponge.

I like to air dry them instead of using the towel drying method. They come out so sparkly clean after a good washing and my hands are so soft too. :) (Remember the old Palmolive commercials?)

While the dishes were soaking, I organized my coffee mug shelf and also put on a kettle to boil water. I had pics of my shelf redo but they keep going to the top of the post, so I can't use them. :(

And I made a pitcher of iced "sweet" tea with my favorite Luzianne. :)

Now that I've played in the bubbles and washed my dishes, I can sit down, put my feet up and relax with a tall glass of my sweet tea. :)

FYI....I use the dishwasher for all my everyday boring dishes and things that are hard to clean. They wouldn't be therapuetic to wash....LOL

***Special Note***

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway Here

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Tea For One~

This is my "tea for one" teacup and teapot that my sweet Mama gave me for my birthday a few years back. I like to use it while I write to ya'll at my desk. It's been so cold here that I'm drinking a lot of hot tea to keep me warm. :)

Hugs & Blessings,

~Katherine~
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~Snowman Soup Bowls~

Thank you for all the sweet comments about my dentist appointment yesterday! I am feeling much better today. :)

It has turned really cold and windy here today and I am in need of some warmth. What a perfect day for soup and in my snowman bowls. These bowls are perfect for soup. My soon to be sister-in-law, Melissa, gave these bowls to me and I just love them. I like snowmen decorations and even building a snowman outside with the kids when there is a good snowfall. But today I'm having my "good for the soul" chicken & vegetable soup.

My recipe is pretty simple but very old fashioned. You know the kind that your Grandma gave you when you asked for her recipes. :)

I add a little water to my pot. (Enough to cover the bottom about 4 inches) Then I add some cooked chunks of chicken. (About two good hand fulls) Then I add about a hand full of sliced carrots and another handful of diced onions and chopped celery bits. I then add a cubed potato or two. A little sweet corn adds color, sweetness and protein. Then I just spice it up with salt, pepper, dill and chicken bouillon cubes and a little parsley to satisfy my taste. Serve with crackers, rolls or biscuits.

That's how my Grandma used to tell me her recipes. I would say, "but how much of this or that," and she would always say, "just about a handful, pinch or just eyball it." LOL Was this how your Grandma gave you recipes? :)

Enjoy your day wherever you live, whether it be warm or cold. Try this soup.....it really is "good for the soul."

****Tomorrow is the last day to enter the "Friday Giveaway"....even if you don't have a blog or can't post the pics just for entering you will receive a free gift****
~Katherine~
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I Am A Dishes and Glassware Fanatic!

I know that I have too many dishes. My family has kept telling me that over and over throught out every move that we've made.

Especially when they had to help me wrap them, box them up, and load the boxes on a truck. LOL

But I enjoy my dishes. I don't wait to use my china for a special occasion.

I like eating on pretty dishes everyday. And it makes it nice that I have a lot to choose from because we never get bored eating off the same dishes all the time.

Yes, we have had some misshaps. A few pieces have been broken along the way. But they are never missed and it is so easy to find replacements for them these days, on the internet.

These pics are just a few of my shelves of my dishes.

This is a small teaset.

The bride and groom cake topper are from our 20th wedding anniversary cake.

Some more small teacups and tea for one.

These are the glasses leftover from our Tea Room days.

This set of china is from my early teenage years when I started

a collection of dishes for when I had a home of my own.

This is my china that my Dad bought for my Mama

over 40 years ago when he was in Japan.

This is a new set of glassware that my Mama bought me for Christmas.

She has a set just like them, so I grew up using these.

Some more of the set.

And a cakeplate and dome that my husband bought me for Christmas.

~~~~~~~~~~

Katherine

Too Cold For Ice-Cream?

I know it has been really cold and not at all what you would call

"ice-cream weather," but my husband likes to have some sort of dessert

or snack every evening. So, last night I decided it had been so long

since we had made ice-cream that I would make that our dessert.

(It was also a way for me to use my new dessert glassware.) LOL

I make my ice-cream in my little Rival maker. I really like using it

except for two things. One, the canister has to be put in the freezer for

at least 8 hours prior to making it, which takes up a lot of room in the freezer

and means that you either have to plan ahead and put it in the freezer or leave it in there

all the time, like I do. And two, it only makes enough ice-cream for 4 small servings.

That would be fine IF we ate small servings and only had 4 people to serve it to. LOL

Last night we only needed 3 since one of the girls was out at the movies.

Can you see it spinning through the peep hole?

Voila! It is done in record time. Only 20 minutes.


Here's the recipe:

2 cups of chocolate milk
1/3 cup of sweetened, condensed milk
1/2 cup of whipped cream topping

Mix well before putting into the freezer. It only takes 20 minutes for soft serve ice-cream.
(If you like it harder, you can go up to 40 minutes.
My brother likes his after it has been put in the freezer and it makes it really hard.)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katherine

Dinner On My New Plate

We had Beef and Broccoli stir-fry for dinner tonight.

I wanted to try out my new dish. :)

There were three plates.

One for me, one for my husband and one for my daughter.

But my husband couldn't wait for me to take a pic of it. LOL

I think it looks prettier on my square plate.

Shanna had to add some parmesan cheese and ranch dressing on hers.

If you would like the recipe click here:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Beef-Broccoli-Stir-Fry

We call our evening meal supper usually, unless it is a big meal.

Do you call your evening meal dinner or supper?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katherine

New Plates

I just found a bargain!

Our little town has a square, with a park in the middle, and lots of cute shops surrounding it and I love to go browsing through them. Fortunately, I live just a short distance from there and can enjoy shopping there often. If only my budget would allow me to buy everything that I want. :(

On this shopping event, I was very excited to see these three little plates. They were priced for $1.00 each. I looked them up on the Internet to see how much they sell for retail and they go for $25-$30 each. Wow...what a bargain!!!

I am going to actually use these plates for special occasions.

But may use them for wall decor later on.

This one is my favorite.

I love the detailing on the corners.

They actually have a pretty shine to them.

This is how they would look as a potential wall grouping.

Katherine