Tins and Treasures ~Some Big Finishes ~Teaming with Hubby for New Creations

 

This weekend Hubby and I put the finishing touches

on some new projects for our Tins and Treasures Shop.

We had a little supervision from our Helper Cat.

“What’cha Workin’ on here?”

We had several projects on the work table.

Hubby really enjoys working in his Wood Shop

when he comes home from the office.

Working at the Lathe is his preference,

so when I can pull him away from that,

he cuts out projects for me.

Then I paint them and edge them

before taking them back out to his shop.

Then he stains them and nails pieces together.

“These are coming together nicely.”

You can see I use my mother’s old baking sheets

to keep the projects together and to transfer them back and forth.

Back on my work table, I make final embellishments.

The shorter and wider shelf-sitting angel joins

the tall and slender hanging angel in my Etsy Shop.

These cool cats say you should stop by and check out our creations.

Click this link to visit my Tins and Treasures Shop

https://etsy.me/3c84cbO

Local friends, if you see something you’d like,

please send a message to make arrangements

and avoid the shipping costs.

Take care,

~Natalie

What’cha Workin’ on Wednesday ~When Great Grandma’s Garden is Ready for Harvest

A favorite meal at our house is Italian Spaghetti.

Making our own sauce is labor intensive, but so worth it!

Great Grandma loves her Garden,

however it requires the work of the whole family.

On Monday, I came home with a box of ripe tomatoes.

Aren’t they beautiful?!

The pepper is from her garden too.

Blanching and peeling the tomatoes goes much faster

if there are two people in the kitchen.

I took charge of the boiling step...

...and after their ice water plunge, hubby handled the peeling.

We used both red and yellow tomatoes.

We filled our 20 quart stockpot,

and simmered them for a couple of hours.

Since hubby is not fond of big chunks of tomato,

I ran small batches through my blender to make a smoother sauce.

On the second day, I add the rest of the vegetables...

...and the browned meats.

It simmers for hours.

The house smells sooo good!

We package it for the freezer in portions that are

Perfect for these Empty Nesters.

Of course, we have to sample it right away

with fresh Parmesan Cheese and a Green Salad.

This fun pasta shape was a part of a gift

from our daughter and son-in-law.

Thank you!

Take care,

~Natalie

Sunday Funday ~Where the Week Went ~Quarantine Highlights ~Much Misc ~Etsy Shop ~Face Masks ~Our Grandson ~Pizza Friday ~Grandma’s Garden ~Helper Cat

Over a week has passed since my last blog post.

I had to look at my photos to see

if anything blog worthy had happened.

I’ve been to the USPS with a couple of Etsy Packages...

like this Scarecrow.

 

And Hubby’s Wood Turning Creations

have gotten a lot of attention in my Etsy Shop, too.

I’ve had a few requests

for youth size face masks...

And it warmed my heart, when one of my former students

tagged me in her First Day of School post

with her children wearing the masks I created.

That was just the motivation that Lizzie and I needed

 to bring out the Cutting Mat and Ironing Board to make a new batch.

This is the black, white, and gray collection

I created for a neighbor’s request.

Let me know if you want to see what else is in my inventory.

Good friends traveled out of town to visit their children...

And brought us some treats when they returned!

Papa and Gigi are always over the moon

when we get photos and videos of our Grandson.

Doesn’t he look like such a big boy here?!

It was too hot to turn on the oven last week. So we ordered Pizza.

That darling pizza cutter is a gift from a friend...

A thank you for my making masks for her and her hubby.

I’ve been into making No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes lately.

And I love this crust that uses Ritz Crackers.

It is just the right amount of salty with the sweet.

My Mother-in-Law’s Garden has been producing...

and she generously shares tomatoes and cucumbers with us.

No store-bought tomato can compare to

the color and flavor of a tomato from Grandma’s Garden.

Last and certainly not least...

this photo was in my Facebook Memories.

This Cat.

She was really my best helper cat,

faithfully following me from room to room

as I worked on my daily house chores.

Stay safe and well, everyone.

Take care,

~Natalie

Tortilla Spirals ~Chile & Cheese Mexican Pinwheels ~Appetizer Recipe included

 Mexican Pinwheels

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 4 ounce can diced green chilies

1/4 cup diced red pepper

6 green onions, sliced

1 6 ounce can black olives, chopped

4-6 taco size flour tortillas

Chop, dice, and slice ingredients.

Drain the chilis thoroughly.

Combine Cream Cheese, Cheddar Cheese,

Chili’s, Green Onion, Red Pepper, and Black Olives.

Spread a generous half cup of the mixture on each tortilla.

Roll up and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Chill for one hour.

They can be made ahead and

kept in the refrigerator for up to two days.

 

Remove plastic wrap and slice each roll into 3/4 inch pieces.

Garnish with Cilantro, if desired.

Guests can serve themselves with a toothpick. Enjoy!

I had some requests for this recipe after

I posted about my Hubby’s Birthday Party.

Let me know if you make them!

Stay Safe and Well.

Take care,

~Natalie

When your Hubby Turns 60 ~Celebrating Pandemic Style ~Birthday Party Report

We “Partied” here all weekend.

Starting on Friday Night...

It was Pizza Friday.

We enjoyed a Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza with

black olives, red peppers, and green onions.

Hubby said it was my best homemade pizza yet.

 

Saturday was for the final party preparations...

Hubby blew all the sawdust out of his woodshop

and set up our outdoor chairs for social distancing.

I spent my day in the kitchen with food preparations...

...and organizing serving pieces for the evening.

These were available for those wanting extra protection

while serving themselves.

Wendy and Chuck created these

toothpick skewers for the appetizer table.

They made my Tortilla Spirals look festive.

Hubby set up the Cornhole boards and bean bags,

and sanitized the darts and dartboard.

All the guests were content to just sit and visit...

I guess we’re all getting “old”.

Fresh blueberries added to the cherry pie filling

adorned the top of the Black Forest Mini Cheesecakes.

We ended the evening by singing Happy Birthday

to the Honored Host along with the dessert.

Another reason to celebrate the day...

It has been five years since these two tied the knot.

I borrowed this lovely photo from Emily’s Instagram Post.

Sunday was Hubby’s actual birthday.

It was great to have a morning for the Birthday Boy to sleep in

and I had a chance to put away the Party Paraphernalia.

We closed out the weekend with good friends and dinner at the lake.

It was a lovely evening to sit on the patio.

Thank you to everyone that sent Greetings,

that chatted with us on FaceTime,

and celebrated in person.

Stay Safe and Well, Everyone.

Take care,

~Natalie