Saving Shelter Pets

It's been awhile since I blogged, but today I'm blogging for a very good cause. One near and dear to my heart.

All Etsy merchants participating in the event in the link above (click on "Saving Shelter Pets") are donating 20% of their proceeds to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc. The funds from this event will benefit the Spay/Neuter program, and will be used to assist CatNappers in their ongoing TNR work on feral cat colonies in southwestern Georgia.

Please check out all the great shops!

Smoochies and a big MEOW!

Where is Matt?

I found this video very uplifting. It really shows people are pretty much the same no matter where on earth we may be! I hope you enjoy it too! Please be sure to have your speakers on (nice music). When you're through click the title bar to read all about Matt. Smoochies!

Click here to see Matt!

Beet Salad Recipe !

Okay, okay I can hear all the moans and groans! Beets? Yes beets! My Mother doesn't really like to cook. As a youngster beets were boiled and put on the table naked. This is probably why I learned to cook lol! But she has other talents! She can bring dead plants back to life, embroider beautifully and in her day was quite the seamstress. So if you like beets, or are willing to give them a try, here's a healthy, delicious and pretty salad you can make in minutes! I don't measure, otherwise it would take forever and I'd never put this recipe up!

Beets cut in slices about 1/4" thick.*
Red or white onion sliced very thin.
Chopped fresh italian parsley.
Extra virgin olive oil.
Balsamic or raspberry vinegar.
Herb-Ox powdered (salted) chicken broth or regular salt and pepper to taste. (The Herb-Ox gives it a nice depth of flavor. Don't add water, just use it as a seasoning!)



Put the beets in a bowl with the onions, parsley, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well. Then sprinkle with your preferred vinegar and mix. Always do this last, as it is the olive oil that will help your ingredients to adhere to the beets. Serve in a bowl or place on a bed of greens. Quick & easy!

*Use canned (drained) or cooked fresh beets; preferably small ones. If they're small enough you can just quarter them and not cut them into slices. If you use large beets cut them in half before slicing.

SMILE You're on Candid Camera !

Vintage cameras are so collectible and some are becoming increasingly hard to find. Ditch your digital camera for the summer and experience the fun of taking pictures the old fashioned way. If you're not up to the task then put it on a shelf or your coffee table; they're great conversation pieces! The Fujita battery operated, movie camera above can be found in my shop on etsy MrFilthyRotten

The Polaroid and Kodak cameras below can also be found on etsy in SuzisCornerBoutique

Memorial Day 2009

An Arts & Crafts House No Longer a Home

This past week a house two doors up the street was demolished. An old Arts and Crafts house, very similar to the one in the link (click on the title of this post). No explosives for this sweet, little house...it was practically dismantled a room, if not a piece at a time. Trees cleared away (always bothersome to me) and basement gone.

At one point during the week all that remained was the rear of the house, exposing the kitchen where the ruffled curtains still hung, waving in the spring breeze. I felt a great sadness. The man who had lived there passed away and the property was sold. The final act was the parade of trucks, rumbling down the street carrying away the cinder blocks, cobblestones, etc. and a lifetime of memories of the family that once lived there.

I'm sure when I see the new house being built my sad feelings about the old house will fade away. A new house, a new family and new memories created in a new home. It is of course the circle of life. Hopefully, they'll even plant a few new trees : ) Smoochies!

Bok Choy Becomes Bok Ciao !

Last night I cooked bok choy for the first time. I don't cook Chinese food. I let my local Rice Shop do it for me. I cook Italian food so I Italianized bok choy and it was great! From here on in I will refer to it as bok ciao lol!

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add as much chopped garlic as you like (we like LOTS of it) and a medium sliced or chopped onion. Cook until limp or just starting to brown on the edges. Meanwhile chop up 3 small heads of bok ciao. Start at the white end and cup into 1/4" slices. Add this to the pan. After a couple of minutes add the green part of the bok ciao sliced into 1/2" ribbons.

Then mix in some Herb-Ox chicken broth, in POWDER form, to taste (do not add water). I use this in many of my recipes instead of salt. It gives vegetables a nice, rich flavor in addition to the salt it provides (it is also available in a low-salt form). Add some Italian Seasoning (or any Italian seasonings of your choice) and black pepper. Mix all together and cook on a low to medium heat until the bok ciao is limp. About 5 minutes.

Bok ciao reminds me of escarole and makes a great side dish. It is delicious and a nice accompaniment to chicken or pork. Serves 3 to 4. Enjoy! Smoochies!

Superstitious! Who me? Kaboom!!

I am not superstitious. I walk under ladders, open umbrellas inside and pick up coins tails up. That was until three days ago. Here I was relaxing online in the middle of the night when the lights started to flicker. Was it my imagination? I continue to relax and then KABOOM! My computer made a loud and I mean very loud noise. All the lights went out for about 15 seconds. Not enough time for me to get out from behind my desk and run in the dark, winding my way through furniture to the nearest window to see if I am alone in my plight.

The lights come on. I turn on the computer and see A BIG BLACK SCREEN with the words "IT IS FRIDAY THE 13th". Actually the words were (and I'm paraphrasing here because I really didn't want to stare at the words for too long) "Windows files have been damaged". The black screen alone told me that. I tried to be big about it. I didn't cry. I didn't throw a fit. I went in the living room and did a crossword puzzle and made believe my connection to the outside world had not been lost.

Brought it into the shop, paid a few extra bucks to get it back within the day. Went to pick it up at which time I was told my pc could visit with me for a few days, but it has to go back...my computer has "issues". I have issues. Some people around me have issues. My Mother's cat has issues. But my computer? So it must go back this week for a stint on the couch and then it will be A-OK!

Fortunately I didn't lose any data. The lesson learned however is don't rely on a surge protector. Get yourself a battery backup. The sooner the better! Oh and stay offline on Friday the 13th! Smoochies!

Mr. Muggs a.k.a. "The Good Boy"

"No man can be condemned for owning a dog. As long as he has a dog, he has a friend; and the poorer he gets, the better friend he has."

I love those words by Will Rogers! Some twenty plus years ago I called Lost Pet hoping to adopt a dog or is it the other way around? We got to the house he lived in literally moments before he was going to be brought to the pound. He was the last of a mixed breed litter. He was 6 months old and he didn't even have a name.

It was meant to be...we had the same birthday! "He" finally got a real name...Mr. Muggs and we spent the next 16 years together. Not a day goes by I don't think of him. I have his picture on my desk and now on my blog. You can see it in the left column. It really shows his sweetness and his fun loving personality! He just got finished rolling in the leaves! Muggs was the best friend I ever had. He was also randomly called, "the good boy" and that he was. Other than the springs he had for back legs, which made him jump a bit too much, he never did a thing wrong and even if he did I wouldn't tell.

Mid-Century Aluminum Ware

I have this pretty Everlast aluminum tidbit tray up on etsy! Click my post title to see the listing. I don't collect aluminum ware. However, I have two pieces from my Mother that I'm keeping. She and my Father got them for engagement gifts in the late 1930's when it was all the rage!

Aluminum ware has gotten such short shrift. It's pretty, functional, relatively easy to keep clean and it helps keep hot food hot and cold food cold. At sales I often see pieces thrown around like old hubcaps. Okay some of them may look like hubcaps, but most don't! There are lovely pieces by Kent, Everlast, Alcoa, Buenilum, August, etc. It's likely your Mother or Grandmother had a piece or two! Smoochies!

Watch Me Sing!

Please have your speakers on!

Click Here to Watch Me Sing!

Then have some fun yourself with the link! Smoochies!

The Secret Life of Cats and Rats!

Strange bedfellows prove it's a wonderful world!

Breaking News For CPSIA Mandatory Testing!

Vintage and handmade sellers will be happy to read of the reprieve in the CPSIA's mandatory testing as written about in this Storque Article on etsy. It is also nice to see that vintage sellers got recognition for their participation! Never give up the fight! Always see the glass half full! Smoochies!

Who LOVES Vintage!

A favorite place of mine is the "Who LOVES Vintage" thread on etsy! Started by aPageFromthePast who has set the tone for a fun and friendly environment. Everyone is welcome; both buyers and sellers alike! At almost any time of the day or night you'll find people showing their latest and favorite listings from their own and each other's shops, sharing information and helping one another. There are linens, jewelry, clothing, books, luggage, china, collectibles, curious things and kitschy things and more! Please stop by and see all the vintage goodies offered and show us yours! Smoochies!

My Favorite Vintage Place on Etsy

"Fare" Weather Cooking

I've gotten quite a response to my recipe post. Pretty soon we'll be cooking up a storm!
Smoochies!

MFR's Home Cooking

I've been in the kitchen since I'm about seven years old. I love to cook and I cook mostly Italian foods. I'm often asked for my recipes and my reluctance to share has been because I don't measure anything. So, if you have a bit of experience under your belt (alongside that little roll of fat lol) and you can wing it a bit and trust your judgment for taste, I've decided to post some recipes along the way...in my own inveterate style! Smoochies!

Well Here Goes!

My very first blog post! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks lol! I'm hoping to make my blog fun and helpful! Hope you have a laugh here and there and enjoy some of my thoughts regarding selling vintage items online. Smoochies!

My Corner of the Vintage Village

Come on in and check out my goodies!

The Vintage Village

Vintage shops galore! You won't be disappointed!