I Heart Thrifting Day!

Hey thriftin' buddies

what are your plans for 

Saturday July 7??

Me?

Well I plan to join some 

local thrift fans

for the famous

Mr. Goodwill Hunting's

(you've surely seen Mr. Rashon Carraway

on The Nate Berkus Show)

I Heart Thrifting Day!

 This designer/blogger has started 

a day in honor of thrifting!

This is event went global last year!

There were groups set up

in Canada, England, Australia!

It was so much fun! 

The Denver area group is

being hosted again this year 

by the lovely DeAnna

from the blog

A Little Junk In My Trunk 

I attended the first one last year

and not only did I find some incredible deals,

like this printer's drawer,

I met some terrific people too!

Even if you are not in the Denver area

keep an eye on

Mr. Goodwill Hunting's

blog for information

regarding meet ups in your city.

Plus, you can go to his
site and order your t-shirt
to wear so that 
everyone knows that you
heart thrifting.

If you ARE in the Denver area

and want to join in

leave a comment on DeeAnna's 

post here

Think about it,

a day of thrifting, lunch

and you get to 

meet other local thrifters 

(like ME)!

Seriously!

I wasn't even a blogger a year ago!

So don't let anything stop you from 

joining in!

Oh and do let me know if you are

going to attend in Denver because,

I really want to meet YOU!

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday - Week #6

Happy Tuesday!

How was your holiday weekend?

Did you have fun in the sun or

were your plans rained out?

Mr. B & I took our shed apart
moved it and
put it back together.

Well, not quite all together.

 Mr. B still needs

to re-shingle it.

I'll be posting a before and after

when he gets it all done.

Now on to Week 6!

 The post that received the most views was from

 Carlene at 
Organized Clutter
sharing with us her
Grandma's China Cabinet

I LOVE the lady's head vases!

 So let's get this party started!

The rules remain the same:

Feel free to link up anything you created, baked, mashed,
 decorated, wrote, photographed, discovered etc.!
Anything you are just so proud of
you must share it with others!

As always, I don't require that you
be a follower
in order to link up.
 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required

(Of course if you do decide to follow,
either with GFC or the newer Linky Followers,
you will be able to see on your dashboard just
when the party has begun each week
aaaaaaaaand,
you will make me smile and
I do love to smile!)

As always,  I will ask that you think
about disabling
your word verfication too.

 It makes it difficult to leave a

comment and some

bloggers, when they see 

you have it, won't bother to leave a comment.

I usually use my IPad to visit you all

and the auto correct kills me

when I try to type in the "words" required. 
As I keep telling you,

one of the best ways to meet new bloggers,
aka FRIENDS,
is through comments!

I would also love it if you would link back
in some way
so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your

 blog party page.
But again, it's not required. 

Only one real rule

  I do ask that you
please DO NOT link up

 anything for sale, Giveaways or etsy shops.

Link to your specific post URL instead of your main blog URL 

(no limit on the number of linkies, so add as many as you like!)

So c'mon!  

The party starts now!

Memorial Day Table

I set this table
for all of the service men and women
who have given us such great freedoms.

  Men and women

who have protected us

and continue to keep us

safe from harm.

 Men such as my father, my brother, my cousins, my friends.

Women such as my classmate Michelle.

When I found these plates at ARC Thrift months ago

I knew that I would be using them for this

table today.

 The steel blue gray 

made me think of

the dress uniforms of 

the brave men and women 

in the armed services.

Candles standing straight and tall.

Light fare to be offered.

 A table set

to welcome them home.

Flowers and flags 

in remembrance

to those that gave all.

A simple toast to

each and every one of them.

Thank you.

China~Mikasa Delacort

Chargers~Michaels

Flatware~Cost Plus World Market

Champagne Glasses~Walmart

Wine Glasses~Godinger

Candlesticks~Cost Plus World Market

Flowers~Grocery Store and The Dollar Tree

Vase~Thrift Store

Blue Runner~Ikea

Tablecloth~Bed Bath & Beyond

I always share my tablescapes with 

Kathleen at Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen 

Susan at Between Naps On The Porch Tablescape Thursday

and 

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday

Click here to see where else I may be partying this week.

Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

Ramsign Winner......

I am here to start off someones

weekend on a high note!

Is it you?

I know who it's not, 

ME!

It is...As randomly chosen by

Random.org:

Kelly!

 Lucky Comment #13...on a Friday...hmmm

All Kelly had to say to be the winner is

"I like Ramsign on Facebook"

Congratulations Kelly!

(Be expecting an email from a representative from Ramsign!!)

Now, don't be too disappointed

if you didn't win...

Check back next week

because I have another 

giveaway up my sleeve!

Happy Holiday Weekend 

to all of my USofA readers!

I hope you have fun and stay safe.

And please, take a minute to

remember those who sacrificed so much

so that we may enjoy our freedom!

Skillet Penne & Sausage Supper

As I shared waaay back at my very first post, here, my favorite cookbook is The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

In that very first post I vaguely mentioned the sausage, spinach & pasta recipe that we love.  It just so happens I made named dish over the weekend and thought ahead enough to take pictures along the way to show you just how fast and easy it is to make! I included some of my own personal tips along the way.

 Skillet Penne & Sausage Supper from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced (I only used less than half an onion cuz I am not a fan of onions but, I do understand their place in the food chain)
   Salt 
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage (you can use Italian turkey sausage if you'd like)
3 garlic gloves, minced (I use the minced garlic in the jar)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
8 ounces penne pasta (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 5-ounce bag baby spinach (I used about 3.5 ounces fresh from my garden! More would have been better but that's all I had at the time)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (about a half cup) 
Pepper

Fresh, organic, grown with love spinach.

1. Heat the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne over the sausage. 

Pour the broth and milk over the pasta. stir lightly to mix. 

Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.  Now I don't know if it's because I am at a higher altitude or what but it takes my pasta about 20 minutes before it is tender. YMMV is all I am saying.
Most of the liquid should have been absorbed by the pasta.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. I just lay the spinach on top and put the cover back on for the 2 minutes.  It wilts the spinach and makes it easier to stir into the pasta mixture.

Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I serve up in my pretty pasta bowls that I got on sale at Cost Plus World Market topped with some more Parmesan cheese.

As my buddy Jen would say "Get In My Belly Now!"

Serve along with a garden salad and some crusty bread and nom away!  

Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's
for the link party.

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday - #5

 Well Hello There!

Week 5 already?

Where is the time going?

Were you able to get anything done

this past weekend?

Me? 

Saturday was a cool and rainy day

so, I caught up on laundry, threw on
a pot of my easy pork chili,
and made a rhubarb pie.

Who lives the exciting life?

Yeah, not me.

I made up for it on 

Sunday though.

Sun was a shining,

temps were just right

and I finally got all,

well most, of my annuals planted!

I'll share some pictures once they get established

and I am sure the pair of doves

aren't going to make a nest in any of them.

So far I have had to shoo them away from

the hanging plants on the front porch

and the wreath on the front door (sigh).

What can I say?  I have an inviting home LOL.

Enough of my whining!

Let's get to partying!

We had another tie for most viewed last week!

 Shannon from Cozy Home Scenes

shared her awesome gluten-free flower-pot cupcakes.

Am I the last to know that 

you can buy gluten-free cake mix??

 And Jeanetteann at Heirloom Treasures

showed off her

lovely vintage tin collection and thrifty finds.

Jeanetteann, let me know if you need my address 

so you can send that Royal Albert tin to me ;)

Ready for Week 5?

The rules are the same:

Feel free to link up anything you created, baked, mashed,
 decorated, wrote, photographed, discovered etc.!

Anything you are just so proud of
you must share it with others!

I still will not be requiring you
to be a follower
in order to link up.

 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required

(Of course if you do decide to follow,
either with GFC or the newer Linky Followers,
you will be able to see on your dashboard just
when the party has begun each week
aaaaaaaaand,
you will make me smile and
I do love to smile!)

As always,  I will ask that you think
about disabling 
your word verfication too.
It makes it difficult to leave a

comment and some

bloggers, when they see 

you have it, won't bother to leave a comment.

I usually use my IPad to visit you all

and the auto correct kills me

when I try to type in the "words" required. 
And did you know,

one of the best ways to meet new bloggers
aka FRIENDS
is through comments?

I would also love it if you would link back
in some way
so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your
blog party page.
But again, it's not required. 

Only one real rule, I do ask that you
please DO NOT link up

 anything for sale, etsy shops or giveaways.

Link to your specific post URL instead of your main blog URL 

(no limit on the number of linkies, so add as many as you like!)

So c'mon!  

Let's get the party started!

Oh wait!  

Did you enter 

my 100th post giveaway ?

I am giving away a Ramsign sign!!

No??

Well then, 

link up your post here

and then head over 

and get entered! 

It ends on Wednesday May 23rd!

Now, let the fun begin!