An Old Tray And A Beautiful Vintage Graphic!

My youngest daughter loves to create

whether it be in the kitchen or craft room!

You give her a project and she is there!

She is a Taskmaster!

She created this lovely Christmas tray

with a 99 cent tray from The Goodwill 

and an image of a

Poinsettia Fairy from non other than

The Graphics Fairy!

Thank you to

The graphics Fairy 

for the

 Christmas Countdown on my sidebar!

Love it!

Mama Has A Fetish For Old Toys!

Toyland Toyland!
Decorating with old toys is so much fun!

Mama Loves Old Retro Toys!

Roy Rogers Rides Again!

Go Roy!

If you are a Seinfeld fan you will remember
the episode where Jerry dates a
girl who has an
old retro toy collection!
They feed her turkey and wine to
knock her out
so they can play with the toys!
So hilarious!
So have fun displaying all your old toys!
One is never to old to play with toys!
Check out the video below in the next post
from
The Island Of Misfit Toys!

Mama Is A Dipper!

 I love a good dip!  I will gladly pass on any dessert to be a participant in a good
dip and chip session!

So I am the queen mama of dips!

Here is one of my favorite and easy dips!

Great for pre Turkey Day festivities!

Baked Potato Dip

1 16oz sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled

3 green chives diced

sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and chill before serving!

Remember the key to serving holiday dips is to have an adult dip and a kid dip!  The kids are still in training on the proper way to dip!  Hopefully most of the adults know not to "double dip"!

I hate double dippers!  It just ruins the whole dipping experience!

And "triple dippers" are just gross!

Get a plate already!

Strange Thanksgiving Rituals Of The Victorian Era!

In the Victorian Era it seems that it was a

popular ritual to send the young children

all dressed up to go out and play with the

turkeys they were to eat at Thanksgiving!

This one was told to feed the turkey!

We want him good and fat for Thanksgiving!

She does not realize her pet

will soon be served up on a platter!

Therapy will be needed as an adult.

This Baby Mama likes to

dress her pet turkey up!

They play together until...........!!

Therapy for this one as well!

Now these babies have a smart mama!

They have coats on and they are

safe behind the fence!

We like this mama!

Notice her hands in her pocket!

Smart Baby Mama she does not want

to loose her fingers

She is having a nice talk with her turkey.

They are good friends until.........!

Therapy!

Let's take a picture of our Turkey!

So we can remember him!

This family opts for chicken

instead of turkey. They realize they

can get some eggs out of them

 before the Thanksgiving meal!

Smart family!

This Baby Mama was sent out to

whip the chickens into laying eggs!

She has also figured out that if she screams

her socks fall down and the

chickens feel sorry for her

and lay more eggs!

She is young but has already learned

to use her mama tricks!

After playing with the turkeys

some children had to

gather pumpkins for Mama's pumpkin pie!

Hard work!

Turkey and pumpkin duty!

No child labor laws back in those days!

So when your children or grandchildren are

whining about cleaning the
Thanksgiving dishes,

tell them it could be much worse!

Happy Turkey Day!

A Vintage Chic Named Mama Julie!

Mama Julie from a Vintage Chic is so talented let me tell you!

She makes the most magical cards you eyes will ever see!

She is happy, perky, sweet and crafty to
say the least!

Check out her latest creations!

How darn cute is that!

Give that doggy a bone already!

Hate to see him beg like that!

It is just so pitiful!

Warm and Cozy!

Makes you want to have a cup of

hot chocolate and sit by the fire!

Mama Julie's blog is full of

daily surprises which

almost always includes one of

her new creations!

She shares wonderful

stories and recipes too!

So skip on over and see Mama Julie, 

A Vintage Chic!

http://avintagechic.blogspot.com/

Makes Mama Laugh!

Leaving the port of Seattle last year on a cruise ship this is

what Mama saw through
the lens of her camera!

Colorful

Lovely

Interesting

FUNNY!!!!

I LOVE this shot!!  This guy is looking right into my lens! He sees Mama, Mama sees him! Click went the camera! Priceless!!  It still makes me laugh!! He is a cute and happy little fellow is he not!

A man who loves his job!
You gotta love that!
It is like he is saying....HaHa my boat is faster than yours!

Mama Loves A Good Cornbread Casserole!

This side dish is a favorite at my
house year round!
It is EXPECTED AND MUST
be served at all holidays!

I tried to get a pic before

 the heathens dove into it

but this was not to be!

I dished this up last night with some

chicken and baked sweet potatoes!

All went to bed with full bellies!

Yummy Corn Casserole

one 15 oz can of corn, drained

one 15 oz can of cream style corn

one 8-oz box of Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 and 1/4 Cup sour cream

1 egg slightly beaten

1 stick of melted unsalted butter 

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir.  Pour into a greased casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until golden brown and set.  Serve immediately!

So easy and so good!

Christmas Traditions! Photo Ornaments!

Mama Holli started the tradition of
photo ornaments

as a Little Baby Mama many years ago!

I made this ornament at Brownies as a gift for my parents in the 3rd grade!  Notice the crooked bangs!!  I remember my mom cutting them the day before picture day.  She could not get them straight and just kept cutting to the point of no return! To make matters worse I had a huge head! I distinctly remember her telling me to tilt my head when the photographer took the picture! Like this would help! I distinctly remember the photographer telling me to hold my head straight!!! So this picture is the result!  Priceless!  Yesterday my son's best friend took a picture of it with his phone and said he would save it for
when he needed it!!

So I am beating him to it and
putting it out there!! Ha Ha!

Take a picture and frame it!  Let the kids frame it however they want!  Proudly display it on the tree for years to come!

Just don't try to cut the baby's bangs 

the day before picture day!

Fa La La La La   La La La La!

The North End! Little Italy!

If you get the chance to visit Boston

you must

get down to the North End!

It is like stepping back in time!

Generations of Italian Immigrants

walk the streets.

It is colorful and very flavorful to

say the least!

The quaint family owned restaurants, expresso shops, grocery stores, art galleries, churches, bakeries, and brick streets give one a European feel.  If you perch for a spell on a sidewalk sipping a cappuccino one can see and hear the rich Italian culture.  Two men slowly walk by with newspapers in one hand and an expresso in the other speaking very loudly in Italian to each other.  Another gentleman singing Frank Sinatra's Mona Lisa as he strolls down the street.  An Italian mama carrying a brown bag of bread and walking her dog.  Two young Italian boys fighting over one of very few coveted parking spaces on Hanover Street.  Then come the smells! The heavenly fragrance of pizza and fresh baked bread.

Speaking of bakeries......no trip to

The North End is complete

unless you have been to Mike's Pastry!

This is a cultural event in itself!

The line is usually out the door and down the street at any given time of the day or night!  When you reach the counter you are greeted by an Italian Mama who quickly takes your order places it in a white box and ties it up with green string that is hanging from the ceiling!  Then quickly takes your money and out the door you go!  From biscotti to cannolis there is

something for everyone at Mike's!

So off you go strolling down the street with a cannoli in hand.

The Old North Church sits at the edge of The North End.

Just in front of the Church sits a park and a statue of Paul Revere.

Sit for a while and sink in the history!

If you would like to taste a bit of Little Italy without the travel, Mike's Pastry does ship a wonderful Cannoli Kit to your house!

I have done this for Christmas before!

http://www.mikespastry.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

It makes a great gift to any Italian Mama or Papa!

Photography courtesy of Mama Holli

Old Children's Books and A Red Baby Rocking Chair!

Mama Holli is a sucker for 

old children's books!

These sweet books were found at various book sales and such.  I especially love the ones which have inscriptions written on the inside covers. It is as if you are looking into the past.  Even finding a book with a scribble or two!  Some sweet baby's little fingers left their mark in time.  My old address book has two pages filled with

33 cent stamps!  I am sure I was less than thrilled at the time to discover that all my postage was used to decorate my important book.  Now when I open to the addresses under the letter D, it immediately puts a smile on my face!
So display your old books proudly!
Especially those with scribbles inside!

Honey I'm Home!!! What's For Dinner?

Honey I'm Home!

Look out Mama!

Ward Cleaver Is In The House!

So Whatcha Got Cookin For Ward Tonight?

That Should Take Care Of It!

Chicken Empanada's

June Cleaver Style

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. 

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine the chicken and all ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making as many circles as you can. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture.   Bake for 15 minutes.

Yummy Filling!

Perky Empanada Ready To Be Baked!

Plate It Up Mama!

Here Comes Supper Ward!

Madonna And Child

Madonna and Child Votive

I found this red vase at Goodwill last week for 99 cents! It reminds me of an old red vase my grandmother had.  I had to buy it!

Then while I was scanning through the Graphics Fairy's Christmas Graphics I found this beautiful graphic.

I think it is a perfect fit!

Christmas and year round it will proudly sit in my kitchen.

Thank you Graphics Fairy!

Mama Can Climb Trees! Yes She Can!

My oldest daughter loves a good climbing tree.  She would squeal with excitement when she found one. She would then stand under it staring up as if to develop a plan in her head to accomplish the climb to the top!  She would calculate her climb very carefully.  This is kind of how she approaches life as well.  She loves a challenge and is definitely not afraid to go to great heights to achieve it!  She is careful and wise plotting her path with great confidence and ease.  It is a beautiful thing I am privileged to witness.

This would not be a good climbing tree!

 

I'm thinking a good tree for a swing!

So as you step outside today take a good look at the trees around you!  Do you have any good climbing trees?  How would you attempt to climb a tree? Some may inquire how Mama Holli might climb a tree? ......She just grabs a limb, starts climbing and figures it out as she goes along!

Photos taken by Mama Holli at Butchart Gardens

http://www.butchartgardens.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

A heavenly place all Mamas should visit at least once!