SMALL HOUSE BLESSINGS

Taking a Pecan Tree Break

We had just finished a relaxing three-day stay in Northern Georgia (a close-to-holy pilgrimage for many Florida residents). We needed to make good time to complete the 600 mile journey that day. My daughter’s good at driving like that, but I like to stop at way to many places along the way. I had just…

My House Main Color Scheme

So I really do live in a small house. It’s just over 1300 square feet. That’s not too small, but currently there are four of us living here, including our two young adult children and my husband, who works from home, and our fuzzy family member Belle. We don’t have room to spare, but I…

Hand Carved Wooden Goose

When I first walked in the rec center of the senior living facility, this goose screamed at me. I knew he was different from 20 feet away. I asked to see him immediately and told his owner that yes, I would give her the $30.00 she wanted for him. He was exquisite in so many…

A Visit To The Historic Smallwood Store

I love historic things that accurately take me back to the past. It’s a pleasure to know how people lived and shopped over 100 years ago, especially in rural places. Ted Smallwood’s store, which is now a museum, is a perfectly preserved testament to the people of south Florida in the early 1900’s. The most…

The Kansas Museum of History

While driving my daughter back from Colorado to Florida, we had a wonderful opportunity to stop in Topeka, Kansas to visit relatives. We were very excited to see their farm, horses and honeybees. However, they don’t yet live on the farm, as it’s just a piece of property without a home. That didn’t matter to…

Enjoying A Magnolia Bloom

Life is so busy. With two kids, a husband, a dog, a home and a mom whom I look after, life is so busy. I race in and out of my car, jockeying for groceries, new clothes, doctor appointments, yard sales, the list goes on. I seldom notice the beauty watching my frenzied schedule as…

Vintage Ironing Board Trash Rescue

Driving down my mom’s street I saw this pike of junk waiting for the garbage truck. I passed it once, but the second time something amazing caught my eye. The photo below shows the actual junk pile. Leaning up against the post, there’s an ironing board. Now I’ve been wanting a vintage wooden ironing board…

Going to Graceland, Graceland

I love nostalgia, and perhaps nothing is more nostalgic than Elvis Presley. Even though I was very young when he died, his music still plays an important role in my life today. I love all his classics, but my favorite is Suspicious Minds. But did you know that Elvis won only three grammys, and all…

Black Snowflake Pyrex Dish

I love deals like this! I was shopping at the St. Pete Garden Club’s semi-annual rummage sale on a Thursday evening. That’s ”Preview Night” where you have to pay $5.00 extra just to get in. They make it up to you with free wine, cheese and crackers, but the real deal is finding treasures like…

Memphis Cotton Exchange

My mom and I wanted a short girls trip, but more than an overnight. Neither of us had been to Graceland, so one week we flew to Memphis. The flight was ridiculously early, and we arrived in The Home Of Blues in time for lunch. With time the whole day to kill, we decided on…

A Day In Fanning Springs, Florida

If you’re visiting Florida and are looking for a quaint afternoon, be sure to check out Point of View Antiques in Fanning Springs. It’s 2 1/2 hours northwest of Disney, but worlds apart. Normally this place would have escaped my radar. It’s nowhere near any main roads. But back when I worked full time at…

Low-Sodium Basic Fresh Salsa

Salsa is one of those hidden dangers in the world of sodium. In the past I loved Chi-Chi’s Mild Salsa because it wasn’t too spicy. (Some mild salsas are too spicy for me.) But then I realized it has 150 mg. of sodium PER 2 TABLESPOONS. I’m sure that with a bowl of tortilla chips…

Betty’s Best Banana-Nut Bread

I’ve been making the same banana bread recipe for years. I got it from an old cookbook which has long been gone. I think it was a teacher’s recipe collection from Pennsylvania. The author was Mrs. Betty Brant of Shanksville, PA. And thanks to Google, I was able to locate her obituary. She lived to…

Honey Rosemary Salmon

This is a low-sodium recipe that the whole family will love. Because it’s supposed to have a sweet rather than savory flavor, the missing sodium isn’t at all noticeable. I buy my salmon at Sam’s Club. Even though it’s kind of expensive, buying it at a warehouse club makes it affordable. The slab I buy…

Visiting The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY

On a cross country trip from Florida to Colorado we passed by Paducah, KY. It went by virtually unnoticed until I saw a billboard for the National Quilt Museum. My daughter was driving, and we’re reaching that age where she is sometimes more the mom and I’m more the child. Such was the case that…