Life Lately & Free Autumn Subway Art Print

Life lately has been quiet. The weather in Cali is still warm. The trees are slow to do their thing...Though there are small signs of Autumn...It does not feel like it has arrived as of yet. The nice thing about where we live is that we get a nice cool breeze in the evening...Not enough to get you in the mood for sweaters and jackets. Surely it will come at some point. It get's so warm here that we are still actually running our air conditioner. Crazy, I know. It is Autumn though...Even if it's hot I still like to do things and make memories with my family during whatever season it is. Baking is a big part of Autumn and Winter. A lot of time is spent in the kitchen canning, baking cookies or breads, making breakfasts and soups. My daughter informed me at age 15....She had never had a caramel apple!!!! WHAT!!!! What kind of Momma am I to keep this delightful treat from my kids? I was like. really!!!??? I don't know how this has happened...what kid has never had a caramel apple before? Well we took care of that right away and made caramel apples together last night...And it was good. Later we will be making candy apples as well. This girl is no longer going to go on without experiencing these Fall goodies.

Oh have y'all seen the new Pioneer Woman line at Walmart? So stinkin' cute...and yes I jumped on the band wagon and picked up some bowls and a buttah dish...It was a need anyway. The bowls will be perfect for soup nights...They are not only pretty, they are large and deep....The buttah dish...I needed a new one since my old one broke over two years ago...So there you have it...Go check it out if you haven't already!

Speaking of dishes...My awesome, thoughtful, beautiful Mother in Law AKA Momma Chickki sent me some Pyrex... Oh how she knows I love using Pyrex. It was like getting a Christmas or birthday package when it's not and just because. I just love sweet surprises!

I made this Autumn Subway Art several years ago...However I added in S'mores since selling them on Etsy. This is now a FREE Print for you! You can copy and paste onto your computer. If you are interested in a better copy to use for printing or a PDF...

Please leave me a comment and I can send it to you!

It looks adorable framed!!!

Happy Weekend!!!

Baking Peanut Butter Cookies

There is definitely one thing Freckles loves to do and that is baking. As a part of homemaking/kitchen skills, she is learning how to cook and bake different foods. Her favorite is cookies. After dinner, our sweet tooth's were getting the better of us...Freckles suggested baking peanut butter cookies. One thing...We didn't have all the ingredients for a typical peanut butter cookie...So we searched for one with minimal ingredients...and found one that was so easy....It's going to knock your socks off.

 

We have been dabbling a bit in a couple of our vintage cookbooks for recipes, which makes it fun. Things that most Gramma's would have baked in the 1930's~1940's. A good Peanut Butter Cookie would be found in a cookbook back in those days. So, I decided this would also be a great project, since we have been studying the 1940's.

 

 

 

And of course we used our vintage aprons and Pyrex...
We felt as if we were back in time, in a Gramma's kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The house smelled of comfort....The cookies were beautiful.

 

And they tasted delightful.
It was the perfect opportunity for a wonderful life lesson and bonding
 time between mother and daughter.
These are moments I know we will cherish together.
I love those moments.

My Pyrex

I've been collecting Pyrex now for several years. It's not a big collection by any means... It's been a slow process since I will only buy if I happen upon them in thrift shops or garage sales, antique shops or gifted. I have not bought any pieces online as of yet, since they are so pricey. I have seen some at great prices, but then the shipping is outrageous and I just can't see myself buying one bowl for over $20 bucks. So I'll stick to buying them as I have...Most of the bowls have been pretty darn cheap too. I'm so happy I have a place to showcase them too. The sweet hutch I bought about 8 years ago through Craig's list...It sat in my garage for many moons, until now, I painted it and have a great place in my dining room for it. I get to enjoy it all, everyday...filled with happy colors...Makes me smile.

 

 

If you want to start a collection yourself.....Start raiding your thrift store shelves. You may just find a piece here and there. Oh and never wash your Pyrex in a dishwasher. They will last a long long time if you wash them by hand. I learned the hard way on one colored bowl...It lost its shine and the color started to fade away. So sad.

 

 

I have bought some pieces that are well worn and washed the wrong way....One reason...They are really just great bowls for mixing and storing. I don't mind too much. But, I do love me the printed colorful bowls. They are so fun. I love mixing all the colors and patterns in one space. It's art.

 

 

 

I love them enough to use them, they don't just sit there for looks. They were made to use.
Pretty enough for art yet basic enough to use in everyday cooking, baking & serving...

I will on the other hand need more places to display
 them as my collection may grow.
Oh what's a girl to do?
*****

I Like Old Stuff...

Nope, this isn't a post about our move or our new place yet. We burned out pretty hard this last week from the moving and excitement. Freckles ended up getting sick this last week....So following suit is of course me and Mr. Darling. We are slowly getting somewhere with our stuff...Good thing is the kitchen is all unpacked. Other rooms will follow. So....I decided to share some goodies we found thrifting, before the move here. You know how much I like old stuff...Before our big move my family was having a garage sale, there lying on a table was my Grandpa's little Kodak Instamatic and his Polaroid, of course we had to save them from someone buying it for a buck. Freckles wants to get some film for it...She is now even displaying her Great Grandpa's cameras in her room on a shelf. Awwww, so sweet. You can still buy film for them too...So I was thinking when she goes on her Summer Camp trip, I'll get some film for her to take pictures with it.

Okay, so off we go to the thrift shops...I found this darling pull doggy, which reminded me of my childhood. Fisher Price toys are timeless. And, yes I was singing down the isles as I clutched him close, "How much is that doggy in the window" Soon I will show you our craft/guest bedroom/school room where this doggy resides with his other pals.

Sorry for the blurry pictures...I took some of these with my phone. Next up...Another little doggy made it in my bag along with some sweet yellow dessert dishes and a colorful tea tin.

One of the best bargains was finding another vintage typewriter for Freckles. This darling blue electric typewriter was 75% off the day we went in...So for $8.00.....I couldn't pass it up and it works wonderfully. Ever since she got her yellow typewriter for her birthday last year, she has been writing almost non stop every day with it...She is in the middle of writing a series of books. Shes so cool. Will share more on that another time.

I found this sweet Grannie square Ghanny...All pretty and pastel..this perhaps may be

 one I will part with in  my shop in the near future.

MMMMMM. I also found vintage sheets. Some will be used as our bedding and some will be for projects. I got more, which isn't pictured here. Can't wait to start sewing again.

I couldn't pass up these beautiful Pyrex and Fire King dishes. Yes, I am one of those suckers who love Pyrex...Especially the ones I can afford. They finally have a nice home in a hutch I refinished the other day. Will share pictures soon. Some of you may have seen it on my Instagram account: Check my Instagram/ user name is Junquemama if you want to follow along.

Lastly I found this sweetie for just a few dollars in a Thrift Shop here in San Jose...The weekend we came up to visit, before we moved...i had to scope out some of the Thrift shops I would be frequenting. I love this vintage German Irmi Child/Nursery lamp, it's brilliant colors are perfect for my sewing table. I just have to get it a lampshade.

I love the characters on it....Especially this cow. 

Well, that's it for now. I hope to show you our new digs soon.

 So come on back I will be doing some canning even this week...

We were blessed with some fruit trees. Yay.