Apron Sale~

Hey y'all!

I have a thing for aprons.  I'm not really sure why or where it came from, but I do. I always have a few hanging at the ready in my kitchen to help protect my clothing while I clean, cook, garden or bathe splashing pets. Because of this adoration of mine, I began sewing up a few almost a decade ago and then set up a little etsy shop to sell them in order to supplement our income.

I am listing some of the aprons I've made, and am offering for sale, on my social media accounts. The holidays are coming, and aprons make great heirloom gifts that can be passed down from generation to generation. They are also wonderful to present to the recipient as part of a beautiful gift basket. And each is a little different from the others. Dare I say...one of a kind?

And...let's be honest, also because the holidays are coming, making the extra money couldn't hurt us one bit right now.

I would love it if you would take a gander at them!

Children's Sized Aprons

GrandBaby's Favorite Apron

"Chubby Owl"~Red

$15

GrandBaby's Favorite Apron 

"Chubby Owl"~Yellow

$15

GrandBaby's Favorite Apron~Reversible (Plain)* **
"Holly Jolly"
TWO aprons in one!
$18
*see matching adult apron below to see reverse white material
**child's apron has regular length waist ties

And the reverse side of this apron...

 GrandBaby's Favorite Apron~Reversible (Plaid, no pockets)
"Classic Plaid"
TWO aprons in one!
$18


Adult Sized Aprons 

Mamaw's Favorite Apron 

"Baking Day"

$28

And the reverse side of this apron...

Mamaw's Favorite Apron~Reversible (Plain)

"Holly Jolly"

$30

TWO aprons in one!

{with extra long waist ties to wrap around to the front and tie a pretty bow!}

And the reverse side of this apron...

 

Mamaw's Favorite Apron~Reversible (Print)

"Holly & Candy Canes"

TWO aprons in one!

$32

Vintage Reproduction Half Apron

"Candy Canes in the Snow"

$18

Vintage Reproduction Half Apron 

"Fluttering Leaves"

$18

Vintage Reproduction Half Apron 

"Cherry Pickin' Time"

$18

Vintage Reproduction Half Apron 

"Butterflies in Flight"

(Pale blue & chocolate brown background)

$18

All photos are not filtered in any way and taken in various lighting conditions, in an attempt to capture the true colors. (A few days of clouds and rain haven't helped😉) 

I accept Paypal and Cash App and shipping is included in the price listed. I can also list them in my Etsy shop if you prefer but shipping will NOT be included through that venue.  I do accept returns within 14 days of receipt, as long as the item is in its original condition as when I sent it out and buyer pays shipping to return item.
*free shipping is only to US addresses. Outside of US, buyer must pay shipping.

• Smoke free home.

If you are interested in one and/or would like more details and/or detailed pictures, please ask in the comments below! I've sewn these babies with love in each and every stitch & don't mind sharing their info.

I will be adding more in the upcoming days, so please check back often! Also, if you kindly wouldn’t mind sharing this with your family & friends, I would be ever so grateful!

*first come, first served!

As always, thanks for your continued support AND for stopping by! ~TJ

Mama's Country Kitchen French Toast~A Non Recipe

No it ain't purty. But it's delicious and good cheap eats. It's real life around here. And it's what I do with the leftover ends, bits and pieces of our "day old" bread.

French Toast (My Way)

• An egg or so (depends on how much bread I have to use up)

• A sploosh of milk (no, I don't really know what a "sploosh" is)

• A dash of salt 

• A few sprinkles of cinnamon 

• A splash of vanilla extract 

Whisk that all together with something non fancy, like a fork. Or a whisk.

After the egg mixture is well combined, I put a few pieces of that stale (let's be honest here) bread into the milky egg bath to soak a bit (not too long or else it'll fall apart) while I heat up my skillet (or griddle) on a medium, to medium high, heat. When it's good & hot, I plop a few pats of butter in to melt, and then cook up some yummy french toast served with maple syrup for brunch! Mmm Mmm good! 

I would love to hear any french toast tips & tricks that you use!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

Earn Cash Back While Shopping and Eating Out This Holiday Season!

Sign up for the DOSH app to start earning cash back!

Have you heard of the Dosh app? I'm so thankful my DD told me about it, and just in time for the holidays so I can earn cash back while I'm doing what I would be doing anyway...shopping for gifts! (Eating out too!) Plus you get $5 just for signing up and linking a card! You can even make extra money when your referrals sign up & link a card.

Go here to find out more or sign up!

Spread the word! We can all use the extra money!
I hope this helps you save some dollars!

Good Enough Homemaking ~ Cake Mix Snickerdoodles

As a younger single mama of three (shudder), I used to HAVE to cook just about every meal, snack, treat and sweet. I've gone so far as to make crackers. CRACKERS!!! (Why?!😨) Because I had to. It was frugal and economical. 

Well, today's a new day. And I find the older I get, the less time I want to spend in the kitchen. BUT, and here's the clincher, I STILL must find ways to be thrifty. 

So what's a girl to do? Here's one thing I have been incorporating lately that saves me time, still saves a little money AND feeds our sweet teeth (we each have more than one 😶):

[!WARNING! Baking purists look away!!!]

Boxed cake mix cookies! 

I stock up on boxed cake mixes when they are on sale, usually .79 - .99 cents each,to have in the pantry for a quick dessert  (or cookie!) when I just can't fathom spending one more minute in the kitchen. 

Last night I made these Betty Crocker "Cake Mix Snickerdoodles"  using a (shhh! don't tell Betty!) Duncan Hines cake mix, since it's what I had on hand.

Hubby called them "addictive".

And that's good enough for me. 

Do you use kitchen shortcuts? Please share! As a recovering everything-from-scratchaholic , I can use all the help I can get right now. 

As always, thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

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Mama's Country Kitchen Chicken Broth~

A recipe that's not really a recipe...

• Cook the chicken  (in whatever way the occasion calls for. Bake,pan fry, etc.)

• Remove the chicken meat from the bones & add it to salads, recipes, or just stand at the counter nibbling on it, occasionally sharing a piece with your dog that is staring up at you and threatening to leave a puddle of drool on the floor for you to slip and fall in later if you don't. 

But I digress...

• Make broth from the bones. {Chicken bones, water & I add a titch of vinegar because I've read it's supposed to draw out the nutritional goodness from them. Most of the time (because it's fast and easy, and I'm a lazy housewife) I just add herbs and spices and salt & pepper to the broth since they're within arms reach of the stove. } No carrots, celery etc. Just a simple broth. I RARELY add onion so that I can add some of the broth to my pet's food occasionally (onion is supposed to be bad for dogs). If I want onion flavor in a recipe that the broth will be involved in, I can add that later. Then after simmering for 1/2 to one hour or so, cooling and skimming off the fat...

• I freeze the broth in various amounts. 1 cup, 2 cup, and LOTS of cubes made in the ice cube tray(s).

Now...if I'm feelin' wild & wooly, footloose and fancy free, I might take the time to make a "proper" broth. Ya know, #alltheveggies added to the aforementioned stuff, and then slowly, and lovingly😂😂😂, simmer that stuff in my slow cooker all day. Well, 6-8 hours at least. 

But...usually not. 

Do you have any chicken broth makin' tips you'd like to share? Please feel free!

Thanks for stopping by 

Veterans Day 2018~

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. ~John 15:13

To all our beloved veterans, "thank you" is such a very small sentiment to offer you for your service. You are very much appreciated on this day, and every day.

By the Dawns Early Light~

In the wee hours of the predawn, under the cover of darkness at 4-ish a.m, I was awakened by a crashing and clawing. I proceeded to get up and search out the source of the ruckus. All appeared calm. Two innocent looking cat bread loaf silhouettes in the darkness seemed to be coyly asking me, "Did you hear that too? Whatever could it have been?" 

Now too awake to possibly fall back asleep, I made my way to the coffee station  (what else could it be called when you have three coffee makers?) which seems to give the felines the go ahead message: "Lady and gentleman, start your engines!".

And so I sat, bleary eyed, me and my coffee, my coffee and me, while the sound of 1000 wild horses stampeded through the house. 

The sun is up now. 

And they doze. 

Good mornin' y'all!

Inward Reflections~

Sometimes I have to take a sabbatical from social media, blogging and the like.  Ya know...do a bit of soul searching, inner housekeeping and reflection. Sometimes I just wanna live my life, focusing on the here and now, without giving the world wide web a second thought.  

And that's exactly what I've done this past several weeks. Sometimes I've just gotta give myself permission to slow down & step away from the computer to regroup and refresh.  It's essential to my inmost being!

But then, I get to missing all the friendships and connections I've made through those very same channels.  I hope they, and you, understand my occasional silence.

Do you take time away from social media? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ