My recent interest in everything hygge, had me on the look out for fondue pots. I found 2, the orange one was $1.50 and the white one was $2.50. I wanted one for savory and one for sweet.
While visiting Anna, we found the cheeses at Hennings Cheese Factory.
Here is how I made it:
Melt it all in a kettle on the stove first, till nice and smooth, before you transfer to the fondue pot.
Rub a clove of garlic in the kettle and the fondue pot - I don't know why, that is what all the recipes said...
Grate 2 C Gruyere and 2 C Swiss cheese, put in the kettle and sprinkle 1 T corn starch and stir it around to coat the cheese. Put on low and slowly melt, when it starts to melt, add 1 C white wine (chicken stock), pepper and a few grates of nutmeg. That's it, simple! Savory done!
For the sweet one, I made a simple caramel sauce. Here's how I did it:
1 C brown sugar in a kettle with 1/2 stick of butter. Melt, stir constantly. Add 1/2 C heavy cream, 1 T vanilla and pinch of salt. Cook, stir, until bubbly and thick.
I was so tickled to find these. Over 30 years of resell, I've sold, donated and maybe even tossed several of these.
I made a crusty bread and a pound cake for dipping. Here are the recipes. The bread recipe is my own.
Crusty Bread:
2 C flour and 1 C whole wheat flour in a bowl. Add 2 1/4 t dry yeast and 1/2 t salt, stir together. Heat up 1 1/4 C water to 115 degrees and put in 2 T honey. Add this to the flour and stir together. It is dry, I knead in the bowl until all the flour is blended...I even kneaded it an extra 2 minutes or so. Prepare a pan with butter and corn meal. Let it rise right in the bowl, cover it with a damp towel, rise until doubled about 2 hours and bake at 350 degress till done.
Pound cake - I found on pinterest - sorry I don't know who it was...
12 T butter
1 C sugar
1 T vanilla
4 Eggs
1/4 C heavy cream
2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
Beat butter and sugar till fluffy, add vanilla and eggs 1 at a time, add heavy cream. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into a prepared loaf pan, bake 350 for 60 min.
I love the fondue pots, I want to do one with broth now like a Chinese Hot Pot.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin
Linked to: https://mythriftstoreaddiction.blogspot.com/2020/01/vintage-charm-party-217.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MyThriftStoreAddiction+%28My+Thrift+Store+Addiction+%29
One of my blogging friends, Sharon from: My NEW Uneventful Life:
https://mynewuneventfullife.blogspot.com/
who also is an amazing photographer:
Tales From Over the Garden Wall:
https://overthemichgangardenwall.blogspot.com/
inspires me in many ways. One of them, is how she has created an accountability for her progress on projects. She is part of my UFO (unfinished objects) group on facebook, but sad to say, that group is a UFO for me.....teeheee....
So, in keeping with more of my accountability, using my word of the year - Progression - I plan to post on the last Wednesday of each month - that month's progression. It's really to keep me in check, some days I need checking on...
I have a list of "monkeys on my back" so to speak, for January that I have been working on. Truth...I have a list like that every month. It is unfortunately, some of my thoughts during my laying awake hours at 1:30 am!
Most of my blog posts this month have been on setting goals, budgeting - money, time and emotions and cleaning out. My progression on those has actually been amazing - even if it's guilting myself into doing it - "you should really do this, rather than that" kind of thing. We did Netflix a new season of a show we like, all in one day....but now it's over...back to work.
One little thing I will share with you is about cleaning out the freezer. I did make the apple sauce and a Motivational Monday post to boot...but, I didn't share about the "mystery containers" I found. Well, it's not really a mystery, but I didn't remember what meat was in them. Often times, when I roast something I will cook the carcass and pan drippings down and make stock. Sometimes, I don't have the time that day so I will freeze it. When I have several of these, I will make a bone broth. These ended up being turkey...from Thanksgiving...
After this cooks down for a few hours, I strain off the broth and put it in the refrigerator until the next day. I do this because, I skim off the fat from the top. I put 4 cups in a bag for the freezer for later use in soups or sauces. Also, I picked through the bones/meat and had 2 meals; turkey and gravy over biscuits and turkey vegetable soup....speaking about budgeting....money saving and good too. There is a completeness I get from cooking this way. I feel I've done my part in using every last bit of it.
If you don't do this, give it a try. I can tell you, once you've tasted the difference, you will keep doing it.
So, on to February and I hope my progression is productive!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I started writing this blog almost 10 years ago. 10, wow! While writing and sharing my personal trials and triumphs, I've made some really nice blog friends. About 4 years ago, I noticed many of my favorite bloggers left, dropped off, no longer writing on here. It was actually shocking to me. Some of the most active, popular bloggers were gone. I've searched for them on YouTube vlogs, social media sites; some I've found others not. I continued to write and share, but the loss of reading my favorite blogs was tough.
I recently had several ladies ask me about writing a blog. Now the avenue of which one can do this is so much broader than the road I took 10 years ago. So many more social media outlets to be "seen and heard."
If you don't have a large social media presence, you may not know that many sites are keeping your "numbers" hidden. In doing this, the most popular ones are upset. I've noticed that "blogging" for some is their "new" way to connect with an audience. So maybe, we will not only see...but read more than 40 some characters...teehee...
On to my 5 Tips for Tuesday - Blogging
1. Write what you know about. Share your talents and interests. This one is very important. Readers know the difference. Also, be honest and real. This is a big one...keep it short. You may think your the "world's expert" on a subject, but no one wants to read about it all at once. If your posts are too long, readers will move on to another.
2. Share your posts to your other social media sites. Link to a "blog hop" - join in and share your post. I do this for several of my posts a week.
3. Have nice photos. By all means, share the best ones when possible. If people are scrolling 50 other searches on caramel apples...or whatever...make sure your photo stands out. People search with their eyes first.
4. Tag others. Share their information. Comment on their posts. We all love compliments. Go over and find someone you admire and tell them. Write a post about, "I was inspired by..." tag them. I had one of my posts:
https://dickybirdsnest.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-willow-tea-rooms-glasgow-scotland.html receive the most views in 1 month ever, because I tagged the Willow Tea Rooms. They shared it on their site as "what Americans think of our tea room." I say that to tell you, it works!
5. Don't get discouraged if you think you don't have followers. Blogger says I have only 139 followers. However, my posts reach far more than that as my page views reflect it. Many times, people look, but don't follow. I was in "my" department at the fair one year and a lady came up to me and handed me a cookbook. She said she loves to read my blog and shared one of my recipes in her church's cookbook. Yep, right there in black and white "Dicky Bird's ...." So, it's only a number. Who you actually reach is a different story.
By all means, if you are thinking of writing a blog - start. If you do, let me know so I can start reading yours as well.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
When life gives you...I know it's lemons and lemon aide...but, mine was apples and applesauce.
I like January, I really do! It's a time to take an inventory of things. One of those things is the freezer (s - we raise our own and have a big garden we have more than 1). Another thing I like about January is that sometimes you get "snowed" in. That was what happened this past week. Perfect time to organize and use stuff in the freezer.
These are our apples. From the trees Al planned, planted and protected (wire cages/deer) on our farm. I can image, my preparing these apples in the fall, thinking on a day in January when I could use them for sauce or baking. I sweetened it with honey from the bees that spend the spring and summer here on our farm. Robert, Straight from the Hives: https://www.facebook.com/straightfromthehives/ is such a hard worker. We love that their bees live here and pollinate our plants and in turn give us a sweet reward.
Sometimes, when you are given a "gift" (apples), maybe you aren't able to use it at that moment. Prepare, plan and put away for it's future use. You may even have to rely on a "friend" to help "sweeten" when you have the time to use it. Be motivated by thinking on the "sauce."
As a dreamer, I often times get ahead of myself. I have grandios plans, put the cart before the horse and jump in with both feet. That process often times leaves me hurt or defeated.
While I was cooking these apples down to sauce - this came to me. This sauce, from our apples with honey from the bees that pollinated them...so much sweeter...it took time to get it. Not when I was rushed to make it in the fall...sometimes I do it then...but, rather after I prepared and planned for their use in January.
You know, not every idea or plan you may have comes to fruition instantly. Many we need to prepare, work, plan and wait. Wait for some cold, snowed in day to reap the rewards. How much sweeter will that be?!?
My motivation for this Monday would be to look at the situations you have going on in your life. Maybe you have something that needs you to plan, prepare and wait. Maybe, you can't do it all by yourself. Tell a friend about it, they could help you. Keep in mind, if you push yourself to complete X,Y and Z, will it hurt you or leave you discouraged? Think on the apples and sauce, I know I will.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I was asked to babysit 2 days this week, however with a change in plans, cancellations due to sickness and all this snow we've been getting, they didn't need me. So that left me with "free" days, what's a Dicky Bird to do? I know what she wanted to do (I'm addicted to a new YouTube channel), but after my Motivational Monday - Budgeting post: https://dickybirdsnest.blogspot.com/2020/01/motivational-monday-budgeting.html I decided to spend that time more productively. So, I started to tackle the corner of my laundry room that was supposed to be a little office. It started out that way, but it just became a "dumping/collecting" of things I didn't want to deal with right now...ya, I'm like that.
Sometimes, I'll bring in boxes of inventory to work on. You know, when you box out an estate, most times you are in a hurry - money -vs- time - kinda thing, I don't see or remember what is in each box. So, it's fun, like a treasure hunt to open them...find the good stuff...but, then it gets to be boring and a bit too much like "work." So, I'll fill a box with this and that - some, my own stuff - close it up and stack it. "What to Keep, What to Sell, What to Donate".... sign ME up for MY class...ahahaha
This is what it looks like.....
....ugghhh can you see why I don't want to deal.....
Several boxes, garbage bags and text message "do you want this?" later....I have this......
That sad plant...was buried, but I think I can save it.
What you can't see, intentionally mind you, is this shelf above my washer and dryer....
Oh, I'll share an updated version....once, I get it all organized...why can't it look like this now?? I stuff all kinds things on those shelves.....miss matched socks, things found in pockets, feathers I picked up in yard....I'll stop...
So, when your budgeted time is changed and you have some free time, invest that in working on your "to do" list. I even found some cute MCM (mid century modern) inventory for the antique show.
Yes, they were stuffed in a box, probably because I wanted to keep them...now I'll sell them....see I know what I'm teaching....
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to: https://www.commonground-do.com/2020/01/all-about-home-link-party-24.html
"Don't 'clack' that egg on the table" my mom said to this little Dicky Bird. "Those are old, you put them in a hen's nesting box to trick her into laying eggs." We did not have chickens, however, I was fascinated in the glass egg then and now. Thinking about it today, that fascination was probably some of the inspiration in my chicken collection. That and my love of collecting things....eek...
I didn't understand the "trickery" of chicken keeping, until I had a flock and coop of my own. I've never used one of these eggs, however I do understand the why to the trickery. When a hen sees an egg, she and her friends, lay theirs in the same little "clutch." Then one or two of them will become broody and want to set on them. If they are fertile eggs, it'll take 21 days for them to hatch. Leaving a little glass egg in a box will get the hen to thinkin' I'm gonna lay mine here too. Then you go out and gather up the real ones. Unfortunately, my hens are rogue, they hide a clutch and 21 days or so later, here a hen will come with a line of little chicks. I love it!
The last two of these I found, while setting up an estate sale. They were inside a cardboard cottage cheese container up on the rafter of an old shed. As dusty and dirty as that was, I knew what they were. Score, I bought them.
Every time I think I'm done collecting chicken stuff, I find something too cute to pass on. Happy Thrifting!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to: https://mythriftstoreaddiction.blogspot.com/2020/01/vintage-charm-party-216.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MyThriftStoreAddiction+%28My+Thrift+Store+Addiction+%29
Coming from a very simple (I hate the word poor, we were rich in what mattered!) background, I grew in the knowledge of all things thrifty. I honestly didn't know the difference until I entered junior high school.
Even today, with all the blessings God has given me, I still have a thrifty mindset. Truth be known, I could go buy everything I wanted new, we all could. Having it be paid for, or being debt free is another thing.
I know other friends, whom grew up similar to myself, that now have wonderful careers...professionals...I still see them at the thrift shops. One day, I stopped an old friend and said..."I know you don't NEED to shop here...LOL" She said "neither do you, but here we are...ahahah." Old habits..sometimes are good habits.
I had to laugh at last night's 4H meeting. O.K. it's stereotype time...for a good reason....ready? We have several home schooled children, whom all attend the same church, who have mother's at home, single income kinda group....I have a point here, I do.... 3 of the girls were in the same "budget" group. It was a game where you placed value (candy pieces) on items you felt were things you would spend money on. Insurance, car, phones...etc. They had several pieces of candy left and questions with empty boxes under "entertainment." They could have put a piece of candy on all of the choices, they had enough...but, this group chose all the FREE entertainment...hiking, biking, library...I had all I could do not chuckle...yep, that's what I'd do too! Then, to my suprise, they added the extras to....savings (good job mamas!).
So, I thought for my Tips on Tuesday - Being Thrifty, I am taking some cues from my "Thrifty 4H girls"
1. Know what you spend your money on. Keep track of every little thing you spend. It's often times the little things that add up in a big way. Figure out where your money goes. Then you can create a "needs -vs- wants" mind set.
2. I would suggest you set aside a percentage of your income for savings. If you have automatic deposit, take it out of that account and put in an actual savings account. I still have paper checks, so therefore, I "squirrel away" cash...either way, start saving.
(Money I found that someone "squirred away" too!)
3. Shop second hand, social media sites or marketplace. If this concept is new to you, try it out on something you are comfortable with. I wouldn't suggest buying a tractor off eBay, however we did - sight unseen, it was even delivered here. But, we're experienced thrifters...lol.
4. Cook at home more. Make your own coffee. Look for FREE entertainment opportunities. Volunteer your time in exchange for some goods/services. Barter and trade with friends and others. I have 50 squash, I'll trade you 20 for a bushel of tomatoes. Or, I'll watch your children this day in exchange for you doing the same for me another. Tons of ideas here.
5. Look on YouTube for "how do I fix this?" or "how do I do this?" Often times we are able to do more than we thought we could by just trying. My husband has saved us thousands by doing just that. "The washing machine is making a funny noise" I can guarantee you there is a YouTube video on how to fix it. Look up how to do your own things on the Internet or pinterest. Making your own (____) not only could save you money, but you can have pride in doing and learning it.
So, that is a bit more than 5. Your thrifty savings could be put toward something you need or for someone else's needs.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I am preparing a little game for 4H tonight about finance and money. However, it had my thinking today, for Motivational Monday, about budgeting.
Budget: An estimate of "income" and "expenditure" for a set period of time.
Outside of the monetary concept of budgeting, I was thinking of other things we "budget." You know, like money, time and emotions.
Budgeting Money:
It is easy, in this "cashless" society to lose sight of what something actually costs. Whether you debit or credit - using 'plastic' - diminishes value. At least that is how I see it. I'm a cash kinda gal, I like to see where my money goes. In fact, while cashing a check at the bank, the teller told me; "Jacky, you aren't going to be able to do 'this' forever." No more checks? No cash? What?! I plan to hold on to my "cash" as long as I can! I recently went to pay a rather large invoice, I asked "if I paid in cash, would you 'knock something' off the bill?" Yes, they did and it was significant. It was something we were "budgeting for" for 3 years. I squirreled away some cash to pay for it, not that I was going to pay in cash, but it saved me. I wanted to spend that cash on so many other things....but, I wouldn't let me. So, in this case, budgeting paid me...teehee.
Budgeting Time:
This is where budgeting is fair to start with. As we all have the same 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year - 365 days. This "budget" of our days, may be determined by work, family, hobbies, etc. However, how we spend that time and plan to budget it, is up to us. Time, they say ... "is or isn't" on my side. We've all heard it said both ways. How do I make my time work for me. I started last year with "Myonday" - where, Monday is my day. I would love to spend all day doing everything I want to...but, that's not realistic. However, I still plan for this day for me. Whether I get 1 hour or 5 hours to do what I want, I've budgeted that day. Start by looking at what you spend your time on. Are my expenditures positive or negative? If I am going to expend my time doing something, I surely want that experience to be worth it. I've been feeling guilty for "netflixing" - but, this is January in Wisconsin...no, stop it, you have plenty of other more productive ways to spend your time!
Budgeting Emotions:
Our emotional response to things, ultimately costs us. It could be with our time, money and mental status. That is the part of emotional budgeting I want to share. O.k. we all know the one person (truth be told, I'm guilty of being it at times) that just takes so much out of us to be around. We all know of situations that are hard to deal with. We all know of places that may take the "wind out of our sails" to go to. We even, or maybe it's just me, have examples of things we do that just totally wipe us out. We need to budget for them. Yes, we do! If I know I'm going to need to (_____), next week Tuesday at 3 p.m. I can budget for it. An hour of that (check). Or, if we get into a disagreement, words are said, feelings hurt - only you can budget for the emotions that are needed to expend yourself thought it. Have a "savings account" for that one. Either way, emotional spending needs to be budgeted for.
I know this is a simple post, written by a simple author. I do all things openly and haven't always been good at budgeting. One thing that comes with age, is experience. I have lived through some experiences that have helped me budget for my future.
My motivation for you today, would be to look at these areas in your life too. Plan a budget for them. Find where you need to put more in savings, squirrel away some cash, schedule some time for you or even not spend time with a person or thinking about a past hurt. After all, we can control what we do and how we do it - budgeting for "it" is the key to getting through "it" - whatever your "it" is. Good luck!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I've seen so many #tags trending; #smartstorage. In keeping up with selling to this new group of homemakers, young families and savvy, sassy 20 somethings...I need to keep a pulse on the trends. I've done my fair share of asking them too.
It seems to me, that if something is useful, serves a purpose, isn't too crazy in design, has a "pop" of color, they will buy it. So, while I was thrifting with one of my savvy, sassy 20 something on a recent visit with her, I had her give me some ideas.
I found this little tray or caddy for $1.49. Yes, it's probably from 1990 something, brown wood however, it had potential. I wasn't sure what yet, but I bought it.
Sand, prep and paint and I would add...save (I saved it).
I also found these ironstone coffee mugs.
These are called restaurant ware: " Restaurant ware, or most commonly hotelware is vitrified, ceramic tableware which exhibits high mechanical strength and is produced for use in hotels and restaurants. Tableware used in railway dining cars, passenger ships and airlines are also included in this category."
Ironstone is everywhere now, reproduced and expensive. Hey, I found these...on the bottom shelf...1/2 off day....$0.19 each! I would rather have old than new any day!
I think this qualifies as simple, useful, clean lines, pop of color. This little ensemble will be my January Grouping Giveaway. To enter, leave me a comment. Tag my blog for an additional 5 entries. Thanks!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to:
https://mythriftstoreaddiction.blogspot.com/2020/01/2019-vintage-charm-feature-of-year-and.html#more
I was recently at a Marathon County meeting, where we had to break into groups. The speaker gave us direction using S.M.A.R.T. goals. It was a useful concept that was beneficial in our planning.
I "googled it" "Who came up with S.M.A.R.T. goals idea?" This is what I found:
It is generally accepted that the SMART acronym was first written down in November 1981 in Spokane, Washington. George T. Doran, a consultant and former Director of Corporate Planning for Washington Water Power Company published a paper titled "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives".
S.M.A.R.T. (I usually limit myself to 5 tips...5 letters, perfect)
S: Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
M: Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
A: Achievable (agreed, attainable)
R: Relevant (reasonable, realistic, resourced, result based)
T: Time Bound (time based, time limited, time sensitive)
After that meeting, I have to admit, I do think on this concept in setting my goals. I will also tell you, I think on the "smart" concept in a more personal sense. Is this "smart" for me to continue, do, participate in....kind of way....too. I've fallen pretty hard this past year, several times, carrying furniture, so that wasn't "smart".....I'm thankful, I didn't break anything.
When setting goals, daily or long range, the S.M.A.R.T. concept is really a great tool. For me, it reminds me to "pull back on my reins," "whoa before I go," because, I know all too well that getting the "cart before the horse" is not a smart idea. (teehee...)
So, my tips for today is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals and be "smart" about it.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I've not been sleeping like I use to. "This old hen, she ain't what she usta be, ain't what she usta be...." In aging one must just laugh, accept and keep moving forward.
I've had some insomnia issues. I know it is linked to the stage of life I'm in. When I wake up at 3 am, I go downstairs and try to fall back to sleep in the recliner. This was the case the other night.
I was able to fall back to sleep and had the craziest dream. Probably due to some apnea from sleeping in the recliner...eeeeekk... The dream was so interesting. Our brain is an amazing organ. Not only does it control our physical ability, it is our internal computer; doing a multitude of tasks and keeping track of them. So, it is easy for me to believe, when I'm dreaming in this semiconscious state, my mind is helping me work out my problems, ideas, difficulties; whatever it is, my mind has been pondering. I believe that is the "why" of this dream. I will share part of it with you.
In my dream, I was conducting an estate sale. It happened to be here at my house. Well, a customer brought up some items to buy and they were from my kitchen...I said..."hey, I'm not selling 'everything' here!', some of this is mine." Then I looked at it and said "well, o.k. I guess I can sell that." The customer tells me, "I'm so excited...I'm going to open a shop called "ConJUNKtion JUNKtion." In true me fashion...I started to rattle off all kinds of ideas..."oh, you could find a depot to rent, or a box car, put up this kind of a sign...that kind...." I do this while I'm awake. I always try to help other entrepreneurs and give them my ideas, whether they want it or not.
So, when I woke up I was singing..."ConJUNKtion, ConJUNKtion, what's your FUNKtion" - you know like Schoolhouse Rock. That little ditty, sure stuck with me all of these years. So the idea came to me to set up an event, here at my farm.
I created an event called: "It's a conJUNKtion FUNKtion" link here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2489450904626407/
To motivate you today, I would encourage you to take note of your dreams. Try to figure out their meaning, what is your body and mind telling you? Some of my most impactful healing came to me in my dreams. Vivid, colorful, wonderful dreams. Thanks noggin...and thanks for the inspiration for a new event.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
