Christmas Cookie Exchange

Last Friday I hosted a Christmas Cookie Exchange. There were 5 of us ladies total with lots of different cookies to try! This was the first time I'd hosted, or been to, an exchange. I think it turned out pretty well.

I made chocolate cookies with a peanut butter filling and toffee espresso fudge. This was my first time making either recipe. The cookies turned out great and the fudge made an excellent dip with graham crackers after I realized it was never going to solidify enough to be cut into squares! I don't know where I went wrong, but it was still delicious!

As for appetizers, I made mini shrimp and chicken calzones, cheesy wafers with jalapeno jelly, and rosemary bruschetta bites. Our cocktail was the Poinsettia Mimosa. All the unlinked recipes can be found in the BHG Appetizers Magazine 2010.

For my guests I picked up baskets at thrift stores so everyone had something to take the goodies home in. In the baskets I put a green dish towel and red rag that I got on clearance at Target. While at the thrift stores, I also picked up Christmas themed mugs and filled each mug with hot chocolate and green tea packets. My cookies were packaged in cute little boxes that I got at the dollar store. As for the fudge that I wanted to send home with everyone, I scooped up what I could and put it in plastic containers and added that to the baskets as well.

All in all, it was a great night of fun, food, cookies and girl time.

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving and I thought I'd make a list of all the things I am thankful for this year.

- my health
- Scott's health
- Scott still has a job
- my amazing experiences working for NASA
- Maggie's recovery after getting into bleach
- my puppy slowly growing out of puppy-stage
- my sister living back in the US
- my parent's concern for my wellbeing
- my precious Baby Alice, she makes the house so much fun
- a more managable house to take care of
- a new sense of what's important in life
- my really amazing friends
- being forced to purge and downsize, and not missing anything that's gone
- our veterans
- Scott's family accepting me as one of their own
- Colby's long life, he came from horrible conditions and my dad brought him to our house to live for 12-13 years
- a full pantry
- being raised to believe that purchasing items from a thrift store is perfectly ok
- the beautiful fall leaves, each year the beauty amazes me
- a fantastic trip to Florida with my friend Marissa
- the opportunity to make Kitty's Vintage work
- my perfect little family; Scott, Me, Tini, Magnolia, Mr. Bella, Baby Alice and Bohdie
- the wonderful Christmas season to come, I can't wait to decorate this weekend!!


There are many more things in my life that I'm thankful for, but that could take days to write. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

My Competition

So this morning I searched Etsy Local for other vintage shops in Huntsville, AL. I found 2. After rummaging through their listings, I must say my shop is the best. Maybe I'm partial, but I really think mine is best!

After all the hard work yesterday, I made 2 sales overnight. All the hard work paid off. I'll be mailing out a skirt and a cake platter later this morning. As for today's activities, I need to run a few errands, clean up the house a bit, like any good retro homemaker would do, and photograph all the Christmas items I have for sale. I hope to have them online next week so be sure to check back!!

Lots of New Items

I decided that if I really wanted to get work done, I had to leave the house! Those sweet little kitties keep coming to me for loving and I just can't tell them no, so I'm sitting at Panera, where there are no distractions, except for asiago cheese bagels - yummo!!!

I can't believe that a week from today is Thanksgiving, where has the year gone? It's been a good year though, I must say. Lots of changes in my life have lead me to a much better place. This year I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's family. His sister is hosting and her boyfriend is frying a turkey. Since this is his first attempt, we'll see how it goes!!

As for Kitty's Vintage, we're trucking right along. A few coats, dresses and skirts have been listed so far today. Still to come are a few kitchen items and lots of books, mostly Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks, but some educational children's books are in the wings too, along with a few purses. Next week the Christmas items will be photographed and put online.

I have had this really great idea for Thanksgiving, but I can't seem to find all the pieces I need. I want to offer a full table setting. All the plates, glasses, serving pieces decorations, linens...I have found 60% of what I need, and was hoping to have it ready for this year, but that hasn't been the case. I'm still on the hunt for the dishes I need and I can't imagine that it wouldn't be ready for next year. If you like white gold and wheat, be sure to check back!

Today's Treasures

It's been a while since I've been to the local thrift stores so I thought today was the perfect day to go again and I made some great finds!!

My favorite finds:

1. A dark green velvet long sleeved maxi dress
2. A burnt orange skirt suit, very 70s chic
3. A tomato red Pyrex bowl
4. A few great Christmas items, including 5 little vintage ornaments (I think I'll be keeping those!!)

The clothes are now in the washer and the dishes in the dishwasher. Soon they will be clean and ready to photograph and put online.

Also, I've been working hard on an inventory list. It's hard to keep up with everything I have and how much everything cost. It's coming along great and I already added everything I bought today. Now I just have to go into my "office" and finish adding everything in there.

My Little Obsession

I have a confession, my name is Megan and I'm addicted to Pyrex! All colors, all styles, all patterns. Before I decided to streamline my kitchen, I had many colors and patterns of mixing bowls and bakeware. Some of my favorites I was unwilling to part with, even though they don't match my turquoise and red kitchen.

In my quest to find and own each Pyrex pattern, I have turned to the smallest item they offer, mugs. There are 2 types of mugs, "D" handles and "C" handles. The D handles are larger, more like a coffee cup while the C handles are more like tea cups. I have 8 tea cups and 5 coffee mugs and I'm looking to expand!

For those of you who don't know much about the Pyrex brand, here's some history:

The idea for Pyrex Glassware came from the industrious wife of a Corning Glass Works scientist who was frustrated with her unreliable casserole dish. Knowing the strength of the railroad signal lantern glass her husband worked with, she begged him to bring home something she could use in the kitchen. Voilà, the Pyrex baking dish was born. Two years later, Boston department store Jordan Marsh placed the first order for Pyrex Glassware. The rest, as they say, is history.

According to Barbara E. Mauzy’s Pyrex: The Unauthorized Collectors Guide, there are 3 basic types of collectible Pyrex: Clear Pyrex Ovenware (introduced in 1915), Pyrex Flameware (1936 - 1979) and Pyrex Colors (1947 - ?). Of the three types, most people are familiar with the Colored Pyrexware because it is very distinct and there is a considerable amount of it still being used in households.

And, all Pyrex Glassware is made in the USA.

Just What I Needed

Sometimes, when you are venturing out on your own, trying something new, you are pretty unsure of yourself and your future. This has been my way of thinking for a few weeks now. But today, a long lost, recently reunited, best friend of mine gave me the boost I really needed. Living 500 miles apart it's hard to rekindle a friendship, but she makes it so easy. Calling or texting almost daily and picking out all the items in my shop that she's going to ask her family to buy her for Christmas.

She's the kind of person who tells it like it is, she doesn't sugar coat, and she expects the same from you. Her words to me today was the swift kick in the ass that I needed to have confidence in myself and believe that what I'm doing is worth my time. So, thank you Christy, I owe you so much!!