{Some Of My Favorite Things) with Reviews

I thought I might share a few of my favorite things today with you all and even give you a few reviews. I love it when other's share things they like or love and give their honest opinions on it. Doesn't mean we will all LIKE it or LOVE it but who knows? We might just want to give it a try. Right? 
Since I posted a picture of a pineapple I do love fresh pineapple. I actually have tried to get in the habit of eating more fresh fruits. My husband eats fruit all the time so I try to keep some kind of fresh fruit around. His favorite is apples. I love fresh pineapple salsa with grilled salmon. Here is the recipe if you'd like Salmon and Pineapple Salsa.
Salsa: 3 limes or lemons juiced but juice 1 lime in a small bowl and juice the other two limes in another bowl. 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. 1 tsp. honey, I use raw. 1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple. 1/4 red onion, chopped. 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro. I grow herbs so right now I have plenty of cilantro. Kosher salt and black pepper. In a bowl whisk together the juice of 2 limes, olive oil and honey. Grill your salmon as you normally would. We use a gas grill and cook it about 5-6 minutes per side. Brush mixture on each side of salmon as it cooks. We grill salmon with skin on so I brush one side. Next, mix remaining lime juice, cilantro, pineapple, onion, salt and pepper together. Serve with salmon. **I like to scoop some of the salsa on top of my salmon**. My man doesn't care for salsa on his salmon but likes the taste the brushed on rub gives.

Another thing that we both like are the Sandwich thins. I have been buying this product for a long time.  You can get the  wheat, multigrain, honey and etc. There are different ones to choose from. We like them all. Now when it comes to a good old BLT...oh it's white fresh bread all the way for me and my favorite white bread is Wonder.

I think I have shared before that I discovered the L'oreal Infallible eye shadows. I stumbled across this brand one day when looking for a cream eye shadow that doesn't crease and that lasts all day. I have several different colors and what I like about this brand is  there is an eye shadow applicator attached on the bottom of the product. They have an array of colors to choose from though I am a pretty basic stick to a few colors kind of gal. Price is good. But, it does what it says it will do. It last all day. The thing I like most about is that for older women such as myself, it does not clump up and appear to have that dry look or painted on look. LORD KNOWS I need all the help I can get so I have found a keeper! I watch for sales ads from Walgreen's. You can often catch these on sale.

I love pretty nail and toe polish and I am a fan of reds and berries. Matter of fact I have on dark berry now. But, my favorite fall back on color for summer has got to be Cajun Shrimp. 

Several movies that I would like to share and I know that so many of you have seen "I can only imagine", but if you haven't you need too. It is the best movie ever. Such a perfect reflection of God's grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, and redemption. 

I think this movie got a lot of mixed reviews. Some excellent and some not so good. But for me, I loved it. To me a movie most often speaks to everyone different. For me this movie spoke on some realities of life whether we like it or not. But Kindness spoke the loudest to me. The truth is, all we really want is for people to just be kind. 

For many years I have been a Cetaphil fan. With such sensitive skin it was hard for me to find something that I liked everything about the product but Cetaphil does that for me.  I have tried Aveeno Facial scrub and really liked it a lot too. I did not see that it cleaned any more or any less than the Cetaphil. Cost: I actually get more for my money in the Cetaphil. But, for a change up, when I catch the Aveeno on sale I buy it. 

And lastly, only so that you can have a good laugh today.....I highly recommend a good ole stop at a thrift store! LOL! 

You know what they say, "another man's junk is another man's treasure". I truly don't go thrifting a lot and I take it by spells but I just so happened to snag a few treats that made me smile recently.

The bowl was 50 cents and since I have lots of dishes in this pattern you know that I had to buy it! The cute little white dish...Awe...I just loved it. Especially for 25 cents. 

The white pitcher was 50 cents and I was NOT going to pass up those pretty white napkin rings trimmed in gold. 12 of those in a bag for $2.99. NOPE, I am not a big spender but it sure does do my old heart good to do a little thrifting.  I recommend it highly! LOL! 

And...you know I cannot do a post without posting something about my family! They are indeed my FAVORITE....I have been enjoying a few pretties from my yard. I have two granddaughter's that love PICKING Nana's flowers....even though I might not want them picked right then... So we made a pretty little bouquet recently. 

This cutie loves my flowers....

And this silly girl. 

But, I am just thankful I have these kiddos to share flowers  with. Here's to wishing you a great day and remember, 

Today, show a little kindness...even if you feel it's undeserved.

And....let a child pick a flower....even if you don't won't it picked. Chances are the flower will grow again. A chance for making memories may not. 

Joining my friend Jann from 

https://jannolson.blogspot.com/2018/06/share-your-cup-295.html

Be sure to visit with her. She's a doll. 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy

{Yard Sale Drawer Makeover and Hutch Completed}

I found a single drawer at a yard sale for a whole dollar and decided to give it a little makeover to use in my kitchen. 

Took the knobs off, gave it a good sanding, and took a damp cloth and cleaned it up. 

The White can of spray paint went to town! I sprayed three coats to get it like I wanted. Sanded the knobs down and gave them two coats of gray with a clear sealer.

Remember when I showed you the chair and tote box makeover? I love having that cute little chair as it serves many different purposes. I decided to move the herbs outside on my carport ledge and put them in small flower pots with drainage. Just so you know I was having a horrible time with roots rotting in the mason jars. My cute  dollar drawer makeover would now sit in the chair for a while.

But first, I needed to add some cute things to help it look complete. Love this cute little wooden sign. Two of my daughters has this sign on a wall in their in dining room. But, their signs are huge. This was just big enough that I could use it on this chair next to dining room table.

I grabbed a couple of things I had stashed in my she-shed to go into my drawer.

Decided to fill my drawer with a few dishes,  white milk glass pitcher and candlestick with bird. I placed cookbooks in the bottom of the drawer to give my cute things some height. The dessert plates in the drawer has already proven to be efficient for me too.  So many different ways I can decorate that little drawer in that chair. Just plain and simple but cute. I am already thinking about 4th of July! I've got lots of ideas for this $1 drawer. 

As most know I had have my small corner hutch for a while now and that was a huge makeover. If you missed this makeover you can see it at https://creationsbycindyphotography.blogspot.com/2018/04/chair-and-hutch-makeover-brownies-and.html

Gave the top of hutch a small basket of green sprigs I've had for years and just a touch of green vine. 

All the dishes displayed belong to my Grandmother and Motherinlove whom both are walking the streets of gold with the Lord.

The Blue Onion canisters belonged to my Motherinlove. As you can see the sugar dish has a different lid. The original one was missing so I improvised. I have been looking for a replacement but no luck yet. 

All the blue and white place settings shown belonged to my grandmother including the cute blue jay. 

Since I have two shelves at the bottom of the hutch with a door this gave me a chance to store a few dishes. I love these blue and white dishes and more so since they are heirlooms. I have more of her dishes in my she-shed.

The blue and dishes stored on the bottom shelf are just a few pieces that I bought a long time ago while out of town for a weekend. We came across a 50 plus family yard sale and I heard the word "STOP"! YES!  I am a fan of blue and white dishes. 

I am very happy with how my hutch turned out and I love it that I can showcase a few pieces of my favorite heirlooms. I have several things that I will share with you when I can that belonged to my grandparents and even my great-grandparents. I am such a sentimental fuzzy gal about this kind of stuff. 

And I can't do a post without showing you this sweet girl today. She is already two weeks old! Ooh, I could just kiss her sweet lips off! 

I would like to leave this with you today.  "Always Stay Humble and Kind". 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy

{Family, Fun and New Toy}

COFFEE anyone? Oh Yes, I must have coffee.  If I could not have my coffee daily, someone would just need to take me out behind the wood shed and leave me there for DEAD!  

All my close friends know what a coffee lover I am and I was so happy to arrive to work one morning to find this sweet gift waiting for me on my desk. Do you like coffee? 

For Mother's Day my daughters gave me a brand new toy. The 8 quart Instant Pot. The 8 quart is perfect for my large family especially since I cook for them each Sunday. However, you can also cook for two in it. So, here is what I have made in the Instant pot so far. I have boiled eggs twice. 5 minutes and they are done. I have boiled peanuts three times now in the instant pot. I usually boil at least 3 lbs at a time because Marty and I love them. It takes about 45 minutes.  I have made some of the best BBQ chicken wings ever in 12 minutes and then I put them under broil for 2 minutes to caramelize them. I did fix a chicken and veggie dish with pasta that was not my favorite. I personally felt the pasta tasted overcooked. However, that dish was ready in 30 minutes. I am enjoying trying out different recipes.  Do you have an Instant Pot? If so, what do you like or don't like about it?  

On my way to the grocery store recently I saw a sign that said YARD SALE. Yep, my vehicle turned immediately! LOL! I found a couple of goodies. The pretty colored silverware was brand new in the box, cute easel and a shadow box. I spent a whole $5. My kinda of sale. 

Tried a new cake recipe and it must have been good as I only had one slice left to carry to a friend.

We had the opportunity to see our oldest granddaughter perform in a recital on Friday night. She amazes me. She plays piano, electric guitar, sings and writes songs. She played the electric guitar for the recital and sang the song "Set it all free" from the movie Sing. Well, I had not watched that movie but from what I have heard, the kiddos love it.  But, I know all about that movie now! LOL! My grandgirl ROCKED it! 

The new grandgirl's first outing was to Papa and Nana's house. We enjoyed the girls so much. 

Annaleigh Faith is just a bundle of joy. New life always brings a freshness in the air. 


I will leave you with this today.

A carrot seems strong but with heat or left out without protection the carrot will wilt, become soft and lose it's strength.

The insides of an egg will change when under heat. The shell becomes hardened and stiff. The outside of an egg looks much differently than the inside of an egg.

The coffee bean changes totally in hot water. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of the bean. No matter how hot the water is the bean will always smell it's best. 

Hugs and blessings, Cindy