Dear Country Family and Friends:

It's been a long time since we visited; I did not fall off the planet. Life happens even in the country and in country hearts.

I've not posted any new pictures or projects lately because my dinosaur computer is slowly but surely giving up the ghost! Not to worry! Very soon, the old HP will go to that great cyber-heaven in the sky. I'm moving all my ''stuff'' to another system, so I should be popping up in your in box more regularly once again. Thanks for your patience.

What a delightful adventure it's been, moving from winter through spring; now we're in the throes of the start of summer ... loving the warmer weather and I assume you are as well. Very recently, a wonderful things has happened due to the "magic" of cyber life and social networking. I've reconnected to an "old" friend with whom I lost contact more than twenty years ago. I've added her to my blog email. Welcome, Isabel! What a blessing!!!

Daughter, Greta in Illinois, suggested that I compose a blog about uses for plastic zipper-style bags. I would love to get all of your ideas for this category and I'll add a few of my own. Hopefully, by the time I get your input, my other system will be up and running.

 I'm especially interested in how you not only use, but REuse and REcycle and REpurpose those bags. I have a theory about the evolution of plastic bags; rather from whence they came, but I'll save that for another day.

I would also love to hear from you regarding things you would like to see and/or read on my blog. I'm thinking about putting together a tutorial or two. Whatcha think? Right now, I'm baking clay red chili charms for ornaments and jewelry, getting ready for a July bash; also loving my country life in the city. How about you?

Must get to the laundry ... dirty clothes happen no matter where you live. Have a wonderful country weekend.

Country Jars Part III

Glass Jars and Bottles and Decanters, Oh My!!!Reduce .. Reuse .. Recycle .. Repurpose .. Redo

If any of these “RE” words are in your regular vocabulary, then I imagine that you use and “REsomething” your glass jars, bottles and decanters. Welcome to my world.

A while back I asked for “your” Glass Jar ideas and I got some wonderful responses, so, here goes:

My sister, June, suggested this article. We grew up with canning jars and glass jelly jars that were reused for juice glasses. They were cute, and were indicative of the current “hero or cartoon character”.. I remember one with Howdy Doodey, and another with Hop A-Long Cassidy. I also remember when Clorox® came in dark brown glass containers.

From June in New Mexico:

I use them regularly to store left-overs. The food can easily be reheated and the storage is vertical, taking up less refrigerator space. Make hanging lights: put votive in jar; fasten wire around grooves and wire hanging handles from wire. Paint the jar, etc. hang and light the candle. Or just put candle in jar and set on table. Pretty and quite countrified. I do all the above.

(Author’s note … not only can you store food in glass, you can reheat that food in that container in the microwave and not worry about noxious chemicals emitted from plastics).

From daughter, Greta in Illinois:

I realllllly liked your wine glass... btw!! (Author note: Thanks, Greta). OK Jars...
First, the BEST way to clean labels off... Fill jar with HOT water. Immerse jar, at least up to the label, in a larger container filled with HOT water, add up to a TBSP of Dish Soap, I like Dawn® best; let sit at least 10 minutes. Use a green scrubby to get remaining glue off... it'll be easy! Do not put jars with labels in your dishwasher, it will clog, and the works will get gummed up from the glue. 
I like big mason jars for drinking out of. With Kids around, they don't break as easily. Sweet Tea is best! 
To store stuff. I have a button collection, and I use washed out Jars of various shapes and sizes for holding ‘em. 
Baby food jar lids can be nailed onto the underside of a shelf. Anything from spices to stamps and paper clips to screws and bolts can be put in the jars, which you then screw onto their lids. This makes a wonderful father’s/mother’s day project! 
Baby food jars are also great for sharing a portion of your favorite beauty product (like lotion) with a friend, so they don't have to purchase a full size to see if they like it. The mouths are wide enough to get a couple of fingers in. 
Make mini terrariums! 
Make a 3D scrap-book page of someones interests, or a recent trip. 
Make Candles!

From Niece Maria in New Mexico:

We buy marinara sauce that comes in re-usable canning jars so we have boxes of the jars. Some summers we have our act together and can our own pasta sauce (I can send you the recipe & directions if you like). We have boxes and boxes of these jars. 
Last Christmas, I found a great jar use in NM Magazine®. They made biscotti (biscochito & pinon*) and other pretty cookies. They put them into quart jars and decorated the lid. I made their biscotti and some cocoa biscotti. I put them in the jars alternating the colors, then put some chocolate covered treats (espresso beans, almonds, cranberries) and some that were Christmas colored too. I used a Christmas cocktail napkin on the top of the jar with gold elastic bows. They were pretty gifts for co-workers!
This could be used for Valentines Day, St. Pats, Easter too. enjoy!
* (author note: Away from the “Great Southwest: you know this nut as a Pine Nut and is pronounced Peen-yohn’).

VA friend Marty:

for the man in the house, my dad used jars in his garage for storing nails and small items. He would screw the lid into the wall and then screw the jar full of bits into the lid.
My niece used all different sizes and kinds of jars for her reception dinner. She put wild flowers in them and it looked really cute.

Friend Susan in CO:
We have always used mason jars to make sun tea: two to four tea bags in a quart of water set in the sun for 4 hours makes some great tea!

Friend Eva in VA:

In Sweden I used to pick mushrooms in the forest, then I dried them on newspapers for 3 day's and stored them for years in jars. Also I used to grow alpha sprouts in an upside down jar with a cloth as a lid. just rinsed the sprouts once a day thru the cloth. Here in the United States (son) Tray came home from school and told me that; he was supposed to do a project and grow beans... He needed 8 containers and then I found a box of jars at Kroger that he used...It worked perfect.

And,
From your author, Cat.
I have a plethora of uses for glass containers, here are just a few.  I do NOT like to look at modern labels, so I store analgesics in clear glass containers, such as little bottles and jars (one of my most favorite jars to repurpose is a horseradish jar).  Most of my pasta, potatoes, dry milk, dry beans. homemade tea and hot cocoa mixes are all in large jars and containers on the counter. Some of the lids are cork, some are screw-on, some are hinged.  A wide-mouth quart Ball®  rests on my desk. holding several pairs of scissors.

© 2011 Cat Brennan © 2011 Aunt Cat's Place

♥♥♥Hearts in the Country♥♥♥

Hopefully, the Groundhog’s prediction this year is RIGHT ON! Don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough cold weather to last me for quite a while.


Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Are you ready? Think beyond that hideous red silky, satiny, velvet heart shaped box, the stale candy and the over priced cards. Okay! I wouldn’t turn down the long stemmed red roses, but the rest is just tacky.


Love comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes; so don’t leave out anyone when you’re making heart cards and candy. Your little ones at home would love to get Valentine Cards just like their older siblings do at school. Perhaps your sister, aunt, Grandpa or nephew needs to know your love. Make them some cards, or some hand dipped chocolates; they’re not hard. I’ve included a recipe for my very special recipe for Chocolate Tumbleweeds. They are easy, delicious and very impressive. If you’re working on your grocery list, just add some chocolate bark, flaked coconut and some little paper candy cups. These are so easy and no dipping is required.  You'll find the recipe on my CAT FOOD page above.


Perhaps you want to fix a delicious meal and prefer a recipe different from the norm. Here’s a great source. Check out a web site entitled: www.BackOfTheBox.com . There you can find all the recipes you’ve grown to love and just never copied down, such as Libby’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe, Fantasy Fudge, Campbell’s soup recipes galore, and more. Each week day, Back of the Box features a new “brand name” recipe and you’ll also find Monthly entries for seasonal or holiday ideas. Check it out and get cookin’.


One of my all-time meal saver sites is www.AllRecipes.com Use the existing recipes, if you know the name, or type in the ingredients you have and would like to use, and voila! A recipe is almost always there. If you have a favorite that you make and are very proud of, you can add it to the site as well (Mary’s Macaroni Meal, Paul’s Peppy Pizza - or whatever).


Make some special cards yourself. Grab some card stock, red paint, an ordinary kitchen sponge, paper, pencil, Sharpie® and scissors. *Draw a heart that you like on a piece of paper, cut it out and draw the outline of it onto the sponge with a Sharpie® pen. Carefully cut out the heart and make sure it doesn’t have any ragged edges. *BEFORE you trace and cut out your sponge-stamp heart and to make the sponge “work best” - wet it, and then ring out. Then, roll it in a towel and squeeze to remove excess water.


Pour a small puddle of red paint onto a paper or foam plate (if your paint is water-based, you can use a “real” plate if you wash it before the paint dries hard – thus not adding to the landfill). Gently dip the sponge into the paint, and then lightly press the heart onto your card.


Add an appropriate poem or note after it dries and you have a card made with your hands from your heart (see my napkins on the CAT FUR to KITTEN BRITCHES page above). I used this method to stamp/print the napkins with washable fabric paint.


The sponge I used is just an ordinary kitchen sponge without a scratcher side and about ¾” thick; any thicker that this and it would be difficult to cut with clean edges. This idea is similar to the potato stamps we made in Vacation Bible School, but the sponges can be used over and over. Once you are finished with your sponge-stamp, be sure to wash it thoroughly. When you want to use it again, go through the wet and dry procedure as above.


I hope your Country Hearts are full of Love and Laughter!

© 2011 Cat Brennan   © 2011 Aunt Cat’s Place

Country Jars #2

http://www.thumbtack.com/Sewing-Pro-Henrico-VA/service/117544
I would love for you all to check this out .. and let me know what you think.

JARS!  Mason®, Kerr®, Ball®, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Pickle, Water, Canning, Baby Food, Spice, Spaghetti Sauce. All JARS . . .What wonderful thoughts this little word does conjure.
When I was about 12, I wanted a camera .. notice, I didn't say "new camera" .. I didnt' have one. I wanted a little Kodak® Flash Camera. My mom told me that if I saved half the cost, she would match it. I covered an old jar with paint and tape and whatever, punched a line of holes in the lid to resemble a coin slot, and proceeded to save my change. When I had finally saved enough, true to her word, Mama matched my funds and I got my camera, complete with film and some little flash bulbs. One of the first rolls of film I shot was of Elvis Presley on television. When I got my pictures back, I had a pile of pictures of the flash in the TV screen. That was an expensive lesson.
Another jar-of-savings-adventure was for paint for my as-yet-unpainted bedroom. This was earlier when I was probably 10 or 11; right after "we" built a frame-stucco addition onto our adobe house, adding central heat, 3 bedrooms, a second bath and converted our old bedroom into a den. When I had reached my goal again, and with matching funds from my parents, I purchased the paint and Mama helped me paint my room. In a word, it was BLUE! Not a wimpy pastel, mind you! Think of the blue you see when your PC screen gets into trouble...yep, THAT BLUE.
In the summers and fall of 1968 and 1969, I learned a lot about canning. Seeing all of those jars lined up full of colorul and good food was such a rewarding feeling. Some of the things I canned that year were, Solid Pack Pumpkin, Sweet and Spicy German Chunk Pickles, Bread and Butter Pickles, Apple Sauce and Butter, Pepper Hash and Peaches. These were all so pretty, not to mention quite tasty.  The German Chunk pickle recipe that I use requires several days to make, soaking and brining and cooking, but the result is a delicious, sweet and spicy chunk pickle. The original recipe calls for GREEN food coloring, but they are pretty in RED and GREEN for the holidays.
Next time, I will share all of your ideas for using JARS.
Have a great country week, and stay warm!.

© 2011 Cat Brennan
© 2011 Aunt Cat's Place
Sewing Pro

Country Red Neck Wine Glass

Christmas is but a memory now, but I must tell you, I had a lot of fun this year!

By now you know that I make many, if not most of my gifts, and this year was no exception.  Throughout the next few weeks, I'll tell you about more of them and publish pictures, too.

I made a "one of a kind" gift for a good friend.  His wife is one of my best friends and she ENCOURAGED me to make it for him.

This one-of-a-kind gift is a Red Neck Wine Glass. I had heard about this "item" from a co-worker and figured I could make one. The process was fun.
I started with a clean, chip-free, pint-size Ball© canning jar and a clear glass candle stick. Then, I went to Michael's® for some glue to attach glass to glass. Do you have ANY IDEA how many choices for glue there are at Michael's?  Holy Cow!  I found one with directions that included "curing in the sun" and I'm wondering, WHAT SUN??? That one was O-U-T.  I finally chose Goop®; a really, really good adhesive.
I allowed the jar and candle stick to set for 24 hours and added an appropriate charm.
You do know, don't you, that all self respecting wine drinkers must use a charm on their wine glasses so as not to pick up someone elses beverage? That rule is written somewhere, I'm sure.
My friend, being the sophisticated man that he is (No tongue in cheek here - he REALLY is) deserved an appropriate charm to go with his one of a kind glass. I made his very special ... using a plastic tie wrap/zip wrap, I attached a tiny pair of pliers to the stem.  I've posted a picture of this extraordinary creation on my CAT LITTER page. 
Until next time, have a Country good time and stay warm.                

© 2011 Cat Brennan
© 2010 Aunt Cat's Place

A Social Network Christmas

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS PART III

Christmas is nearly upon us, and I want to give you a couple of easy and quick ideas for your last minute preparations.


We draw names in my family and pull out the stops for that person. These gifts are usually opened on Christmas Eve, then, we all load up and go to church.


Afterwards, once the kids are snuggled down, Santa makes his visits; he never misses because the grand kids have Reindeer Dust .. it guides the Deer and then gives them a little snack while waiting for Santa. See my recipe on the CHRISTMAS page. I got this idea from a girl friend, then I Googled ® the idea and came up with my own mix.

No fireplace? Give Santa a key to the front door. Pick up some skeleton keys, new or used, and spray paint gold. Write a little note to Santa to leave outside for him to get in the front door.

Make some lanterns with large glass jars you would normally throw away; pickles, mayo etc. Paint a thin layer of Elmer’s Glue ® on the outside of the jar, then add torn strips and pieces of tissure paper in your favorite colors. Red and Green for the holidays. Add a layer of sand (or clay-style cat litter) and a votive candle. These are a modern version of luminarias that you can save and use year after year (multipurpose: if you have covered your “lanterns" in red, green and white, think red and white for Valentine’s Day romance, green and white for the wearin’ o’ the green in March, add a few blue ones, and you have red, white and blue for Independence Day, Memorial and Labor and Veteran’s Day – see where I’m going with these?).


Here’s another nice last minute (or planned) gift. With each candle you want to give, add a tag that says something like this: When you light this candle, remember that when Jesus came into this world, He became the Light of the world. Then, add or note the Scripture John 8:12. Add some colorful and appropriate clipart if you’re making your tags on the computer, print in color on card stock. If you’re hand printing them, add some pretty stickers, stamps or for the artistic, draw a bright candle.


Cookies in the oven? And snacks are ready. Fudge, divinity and peanut brittle fixed? Find a website for the little ones to track Santa Claus - NORAD  is a good one or perhaps you have a favorite radio station that will be tracking Santa’s trip from the north pole. Christmas music playing and all is well.


May your life be full of His perfect Peace, Joy and Love. Merry Christmas, from the Country.

©2010 Cat Brennan


©2010 Aunt Cat’s Place