New Recipe Alert!

My first sponsored post!  I'm so excited!  Why?  Well, not because it's a sponsored post, but because this noodles and cheese side dish turned out really well and I have added a new dish to my repertoire.

 I received a sample pack of some new Campbell's products in the mail.  I don't often try new recipes, since I have tons that I already love, plus I tend to do a lot of "winging it" in the kitchen.  I received a recipe booklet in the box and everything looked really good, so since the ingredients were right in my kitchen, why not?  I'm always checking out new recipes in magazines and on Pinterest, but most of the time I say "I'm going to try that one day", but rarely get around to it.  Not this time though!  This looked so good and I needed a side dish for dinner one night so I decided to make this creamy mac-n-cheese recipe.  I didn't have elbows on hand, so I substituted flat noodles, which I happen to like better anyway.   

 The Creamy Poblano and Queso condensed soup came with my sample box.  It was super easy from there.

 Onions, tomato, red bell pepper cilantro and ginger.  I like the grated ginger in the jar.  It tastes good and the hard work is already done. 

 In went the noodles. 

 Melted butter.  Looks so good it deserves two pictures!  Actually, I used a heart healthy spread. 

 I went a little heavy on the onion, but I love them so!  

 I added the tomato and ginger to the onions once they were tender. 

 Kinda pretty, don't you think?

 Add milk.  Working my way up to creamy goodness!

 And a hearty helping of grated cheese.

 The pot's too big.  I do realize this.  Add the sauce to the noodles.  

Pretty!  I served it with turkey patties and salad.  This was a great dinner!  We'll definitely be repeating this. 

Here's a link to the original recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-poblano-mac--cheese/

#DiscoverCampbells
#CampbellsTasters

The Vortex is Back!

Yes, that means that we're experiencing colder than usual temps, even for Chicago.  It was 5 degrees (with the wind chill) yesterday and the day before, and the wind was blowing hard pretty much all day.  I braved it and did my errands run on Monday, hitting two post offices, the bank, the grocery store, the library and the gas station.  It was grueling, but I made sure to get it done.  Back at home with a full fridge, it felt good to get so much accomplished.  It was a much better feeling than what I started out with that morning.  For the first time EVER, I ran out of gas.  This happened to my son a few days before and I was sure that he just didn't pay attention to the gauge, but no, my gas gauge, like so many other things on my 10 year old car, has gone AWOL.  I have nearly 180,000 miles on this car, so it's served me well.  Even with the vandalism (think sugar in the gas tank) it's held up amazingly and has taken me and my kids on tons of road trips, both short and long.  If you're still stuck on the sugar in the gas tank thing, my insurance company took care of everything since it was an act of vandalism.  I never knew I had vandalism coverage until I was stalked by a vandal.  But more about that later.  No, never mind that.  No weapon formed against me is worth talking about...it's all good.  

Back to the cold.  We got a reprieve today, in the form of a 32 degree heatwave.  It felt so much better!  We're expecting 50 degrees by Saturday, which means that the yard work I procrastinated on will get done.  Cue the teenage son.  When he gets up at noon, he has plans, whether he knows it or not.  

I'm in the shop three days a week, with at least another one just working on merchandise and displays.  This is so much fun and I know that it's something I want to pursue on a more permanent basis.  I also know that I want to choose my "roommates" because there's some interesting personalities working in there that I really don't have time for.  Some people seem to thrive on discontent, which is probably the by-product of discontentment.  Me?  What Sweet said:


Determined not to let this crappy weather get the best of me (or my kids) I started in with the home remedies.  My kids have been drinking warm tea since they were toddlers so there's always plenty of it in the house, but I decided to make my own.  The tea bag "blanks" have been so handy!  I've been using dried sage, but at the grocery store I picked up some fresh mint (my favorite) and rosemary.  I recently read that sniffing rosemary helps your memory.  'Nuff said.  I put a few sprigs into a teabag and tied it up for a pillow sachet.  I'm used to rosemary having that evergreen-y scent, so while I don't find it unpleasant, it's not anything I'm attached to.  While lying down and relaxing for the first time all day, I breathed it in as I fell asleep.  Warm notes?  I never noticed that before.  Almost vanilla-y.  Yes, if you add a "y" to any word it becomes an adjective.  My rule.  Anyhoo, the tea was great and I'm brewing more as I write.  

Mint, rosemary, sage, lemon and honey.  Mmmm, Mmmmm, good!  I love this lucite cup.  Great for steeping, then the lid becomes a coaster.  Thrift find...but you probably knew that.  

I also found this sequinned dress which I've had for awhile, but couldn't find.  Moving and all that jazz.  A friend asked me to keep an eye out for one, and I told her about this dress.  It took me nearly six months to find. it.  Luckily, she still wants it with holiday parties on the horizon. 'Tis the season!

And who doesn't need a great set of matching glasses?  This vintage set is in mint condition and I'm tempted to get rid of all my mix and match stuff and just go with this gorgeous cobalt, green and gold set.  But first, let's try selling it.  I have gifts to buy.  'Tis the season for that too.

Man, I love these!  

Here's hoping that the selling picks up.  Waiting for better weather is a waste of time.  Just get out there and buy stuff!  That 50 degree thing is still looking good though.  Feels like selling weather to me.

Mission Accomplished!

The pop-up shop is keeping me busy!  Even though we're only open three days out of each week, I spend the other four rearranging, tagging, and searching for new things.  At least now I have a legitimate reason for shopping and hoarding.  In an effort to not let my inner do-it yourselfer get too lost, I decided that this week I would make a real effort to get my house in order.   First, the toilet in my bathroom was broken, causing me to have to take the tank lid off and lift the plunger to flush.  After a few days of this, the whole handle just fell off.  One day of reaching into that cold water was enough.  I remembered that my handyman had left a bag of "toilet parts" behind, telling me to return them and get my money.  I'm terrible about returning things, so I ignored his advice and figured that I'd give it to someone or sell it at a yard sale.  Amazingly enough, I had exactly what I needed in that bag.  Now this is an incredibly easy task but still, I'd never done it.  I felt like Rosie the Riveter with my newly functioning toilet.

In fact, I was so full of myself that I dragged out the step ladder and tackled the living room drapes.  A couple of well-placed cup hooks and suddenly, no more sagging curtain rod.  No more dragging drapes.  No more duct tape, my sister's solution to EVERYTHING. 

In true "Rosie" fashion, I took it a step further by hanging a vintage Scandinavian curio shelf that had been literally lying around for over a year.  

After going to the shop tonight and moving some furniture, I returned to a lethargic teenager who is really getting nervous about leaving for school next year.  I made him some tea, his favorite comfort food/drink, which he's been drinking since he was a toddler.  Since he wasn't feeling well, I added fresh lemon and sage to hot green tea.  

I just love herbs.  This looks, smells and tastes really "herby".

As I was making a cup for myself, I remembered the empty tea bags I bought awhile back.  Previously only used to create my homemade pest repellant, I realized that they'd likely make a mean cup of tea.  See why it's so important to keep random things around? 

Dried sage.  Just hanging around!
  Look closely and you'll see that my sister and her duct tape have been at it again.

Those tea bags!  Fifty cents well spent.

If I stay this productive, I expect to clean house, grocery shop, make ornaments, run errands, pay bills, take and post some vintage dresses online. After I finish all that work, I'll work.  Being single for six years now has taught me that I can really take care of everything, even if sometimes I don't want to.  

The Skirt My Sister Said I Didn't Want (People Who Don't Get Thrifting.)

Bummed. I just typed this whole blog, then somehow deleted it.  Here's the condensed version. 

I've been super busy with a pop-up shop that I was invited to join just three days before opening. It's looking good.  We rearrange everything every week or so, which creates even more work.  But it also creates more awesomeness:

Now if I weren't so frustrated right now, I'd explain how all this came to be, but that will have to wait for another time.  (It was really well written, btw...)  When I get over the loss of about 300 additional written words, I'll fill you in on how the shop is going.  In the meantime, if you're in the Chicago area, I'm at 2045 Ridge Road, Homewood, IL. 

The other thing I explained in great detail, but now I'm too angry to do it again, was how this outfit came to be.  It has to do with my sister telling me that I shouldn't buy this skirt.  "You don't want that" is what she said.  She knows nothing, at least not about how awesome a fuchsia pencil skirt with an elastic waist that fits me really is.  But, she knows now! 

My hypersensitive neck wasn't having it today, so while I know I needed a necklace with this outfit, I let my wrists do the talking.  I'm never without tons of bracelet options.  The clutch is a vintage 80's thrift store find. Two bucks! The Tottyblu "vintage" bag is a gift from my niece. She's an excellent source if you catch her on a closet purge day.  The pointy pumps were thrifted from Savers' a few weeks ago.  It's been awhile since I've been seen in a pair of closed-toe pointy pumps.  That shoe stretchy stuff they sell at Walgreens' actually works, FYI.  The shirt is another Dina cast-off (I think I've gotten all of my black tops, skirts and dresses from her.  She loves black and she's fickle.  Score for me!) 

AND since I lost my original post, you'll be spared my rant about how my car has been down more than it's been up these past two weeks.  Oh how I wish I was posting pics of my new car, but a girl can dream...

Meanwhile, in addition to selling vintage clothing, furnishings and home decor, I'm working on some original pieces for a holiday gift show.  And now, I must say goodnight because there's a shot of NyQuil on my nightstand with my name on it.