The early bird gets the...

DEALS! Yes, the early bird gets the deals. It dawned on me the other day...I should be shopping year round for the various "drives" we have at work. There's always the food drives, sometimes a drive for the local BETA house, school supplies, and of course Toys for Tots. This year I was very last minute on my Toys for Tots shopping and I didn't get as much as I would have liked because well...it was expensive. So I've already started rounding things up for 2012.

Today I went to Beall's Outlet hoping to snag the remaining FL Gator flags, but alas...I snoozed and losed. No flags. But I snagged a cute sweater for myself - it was 50% off. I had to wander the clearance aisle of course - you just never know what might be there. Frankly, not a lot today. Then I saw the rack of kid stuff on clearance that didn't have a giant "Clearance" sign on it. Sweet!

I picked up a backpack for $3, 3 themed school supply sets for $1.25 each (Spiderman, Dora and Disney Princess), and a mesh bag full of sand toys for $1.79. In the Christmas clearance section I picked up a cute toddler book for Georgia next year. It's My Little Pony Christmas something or other and it has little tiny lights that light up and twinkle in the back. It was $1.49. Picked up a couple of other things for stocking stuffers.I figure I did well - I mean my sweater was originally $16.99...throw in the tax and you're at the $18 I paid for all of it. 


If you support Toys for Tots or pick Angels off the tree, or fill shoe boxes for the homeless or to send goodies overseas for our troops - I highly recommend peeking at what is in the clearance section of the stores you shop in - stores don't always clearance "junk" they clearance "last one" and "returns" and "making room for more new stuff" you just have to look thru the junk to find it - make some one's Christmas!

So in Pinterest type fashion...

It's only been...ummm well, over a year since I posted about my FREE spindles that I snagged on Craig's List.


You can read (or re-read) that post and my ride on the emotional roller coaster HERE I've had some projects on my mind during this uhhh past year and as any good thrifty trash picker knows, you can't always get what you want. At least not right away. My procrastination wait paid off this week! CEILING FANS! What? Yes, ceiling fans. There were THREE sitting on the curb at a house across the end of our street when I came home from work one night. I know Mr. Paisley hates not being involved in all the fun (ha ha), so I walked in the door and said "I have a project for you! Go get me the fans that are on the curb down the road" - he gave me that WTF look...you know the one.

Yeah, that look.


Then he walked out the door and came back with my treasures. He's a good man...I promise honey - as soon as I dig the spindles out of the storage unit I will have the fan scraps in the trash!


I saw these dragonfly pictures awhile back and thought I'd do a couple of these and then I took some photos of some random things made with spindles at a local antique mall. 

I have a three day weekend coming up - so i'm thinking it may be a spindle kind of day off :-)

I'd do it before then, but we already have plans in place for the weekends between now and then.


Photos to follow...of course.

Happy Birthday!

Wishing my "little" brother a very happy birthday -

Please donate

'Tis the season -

Earlier this year the wife of one of my colleagues was in the hosptial and it didn't look good. We sent a card wishing them the best for a speedy recovery and offering any help we could provide.

I didn't hear anything else about it. A few months ago this colleague became a coworker. I still didn't hear anything, and frankly, months had gone by and I didn't even remember anything about it.

He attended our department Christmas party with his wife. This was the first time I met Jody Green. Seeing her bandaged up and in a wheelchair still didn't spark my memory of this past spring. She was all dressed up for the holiday, she looked beautiful, she was happy, bubbly and a complete delight! Her eyes sparkled - I remember thinking to myself "I need to tell Jack how sweet and adorable his wife is next time I see him at the office".

Jody is a miracle and she needs our help - as with many people in tight spots, they would never ask for assistance, even though everyone wants to help! She's already reached her lifetime benefit from her health insurance. Everything is an out of pocket expense now. Can you imagine? I can - my husband could have been in the same situation after his accident in January of 2003. I can totally relate to how Jack and his family were feeling when Jody was first taken to the hospital. If you haven't been in that situation, count your blessings.

You can read Jody's story here at The Jody Green Project - you can also donate there or you can contact me.

We were lucky to have Mr. Paisley's employer behind us - they took care of a lot of things while he was off his feet for 6 months - 6 months, try to imagine waking up one morning and going about your regular business and just a few hours later something happens and you can't do anything for yourself for weeks...then months. Add to that not being able to work during that time. Then your insurance runs out. What would you do? How do you choose what bills get paid? How do you pay for surgery? Medication? How do you pay for home renovations now that you have to use a wheelchair? (again, Mr. P was lucky that he got OUT of his wheelchair, but when he was in it, we moved out of the Paisley Cottage and moved in with my parents - taking over their master bedroom - why? A wheel chair won't fit thru doorways in a 1940's house -) Obviously, not everyone has that luxury and in today's economy, i'm not sure we would have had the same financial support from Mr. P's company -

Enough rambling from me - if you can donate anything, please do.

All that glitters...

All that glitters is not gold...except when it is! I needed shirt boxes to finish my Christmas wrapping so I hopped in my trusty blue steed and ran up to the Dollar Tree to pick some up - as luck would have it, the shopping plaza wasn't particularly busy and I parked right in front of the store. Crazy!

After grabbing my boxes, I decided to bebop on in to Ross next door and see what I could see. Good decision on my part - I scored a Quicksilver tee for my brother for $6.99 and 2 Guayabera shirts for my grandfather - he loves those things. Both on clearance for $13.99 ($60 retail for each). One is black with 4 cream stripes in the front, the other is dark brown with 2 cream stripes. Nice looking shirts I have to say...and can't beat the price. 

  

 

 Evidently these are like a Charlie Sheen thing? Maybe he wore them on whatever that show was that he got himself booted off of...I never watched it.

Moseying on down the plaza I checked out the Beall's Outlet and scored myself a new Florida Gator flag - funny, just this last week I said "I need a new Gator flag" - my blue and orange flag is now faded purple and peach - compliments of the Florida sun. I found my new one in the men's underwear section in a bunch of clearance items. It had a pink "dot" so it was 50% off...$6. Sold! I will probably go back up there Friday (I get an additional 15% off on Fridays) and pick up the other 2 if they're still there - hello e-bay :-) 

After that, I went to Goodwill - because you never know. I made my regular rounds looking for my usual items of interest and found nothing...then I was sort of forced down the chrome rack "aisle" because of the party of 12 that shops together and stands there not knowing what to do. This aisle usually has broken stuff, open packages and the stuff from Target on it. I stopped in my tracks. A pair of sparkling gold finials (not sure what else I would call them) - sort of like mercury glass. $1.99 each. MINE! 

 

 

 Not overly exciting (to most) but I also scored 3 bundles of wood "clip" hangers - the type for pants and skirts. I hang most of my clothing to dry to keep it from shrinking, to save money and to keep the color longer and using the plastic hangers that the stores send home with you is all well and good, but the Florida sun is a killer on the plastic. They get brittle and break really fast so when I spied the wood and metal hangers - 3 bundles of 5 for $1.99 each bundle, SOLD. Love them - I found them on a website for $2.95 for a set of two. 

Hangers make me happy. :-)

To all my readers...

SNAKE!

Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like a snake moving into your walls. Yes, you read that right.

Mr. Paisley and I went out to dinner last night and upon our return I went to unlock the front door while he dragged the trash cans to the curb. It's yard trash day :-) Go green!

Currently there's a black, vintage milk can sitting to the left of the front door at the Cottage. The Cottage was built in the 40s and the exterior walls are essentially 2x4 studs clad in wood "novelty siding" on the outside and drywall or paneling on the inside. Most of the walls don't have insulation in them either. There are some places that do - any time we have had to pull off siding for one reason or another, we've insulated, but we're not at 100% yet. 

Anywho - because of the siding, the corners of the house have 1x4 trim boards wrapping around them. The front door is nearly at the corner of the house. It was almost 10pm and it was dark, with only the light from the Christmas lights behind me. I noticed the "mass" but frankly, up until  3 or 4 days ago, one of my fake black ravens from my fall decorating was still perched on top of the milk can - roughly the same spot as this slithering creature. It finally dawned on me that it was a snake. I don't like snakes. Thus I'm standing at the door, keys in hand and yelling "snake...snake...SNAKE!" and Mr. Paisley ignored me. I have a mini Mag-lite on my key ring and I turned it on, aimed at the wiggly mass and it backed into the "hole" - the hole being where the notch at the top of the siding board goes under the next board - leaving a "hole" so to speak...I don't know what kind of snake it is. I do know that it's NOT a black racer. It was lighter colored (maybe red? maybe brown?) with a pattern down it's back.

It was too dark for a picture...and I was too freaked out to have taken one anyway. Plus the snake chose not to stick around.

Great...now every time I walk to the front door I'll be watching the corner for that dang serpent to pop out! 

Get your GroupOn....

Do you shop Groupon? If you don't you should.  Go here to sign up - it's FREE, it just gives you access to good deals. Trust me - totally worth it!


I used Groupon to do some of my Christmas shopping. What? Yep - they had a deal for 50% off at Old Navy. Well, really it was pay $10 for a Groupon worth $20 in-store. Gladly! I bought 2 (there was a limit).


Groupon - it's a cross between Group and Coupon. Basically, they throw an offer out there and when enough people buy into it, it's "on" - in the event that there aren't enough people buying in to it, you just don't get charged for it. They also have awesome customer service, so no worries!


Mr. Paisley and I will also be going over to Deland to visit the reptile house - with a Groupon that is good for 2-for-1 admission. 


Other recent deals I have taken advantage of:


$5 for $10 at our local Dairy Queen
$10 for $20 at our local Dairy Queen (will be using that for a birthday cake - mmm ice cream cake!)
$10 for $20 at our new Twistee Treat (this one you actually take the Groupon and they give you a gift card, most of the time the Groupon is used more like a coupon and you have to use the full value in one transaction)
$10 for $20 at Bento Cafe (I got here for lunch frequently, if I get a Bento Box and a side of edamme it's $16 so even if I don't spend the $20, I still saved $6)


They do all kinds of offers, in cities across America - see if they're up and running near you! I check out the deals here in Central FL and near the Robin's Nest in TN.  


Some deals I've gotten thru Groupon for TN have been 2-for-1 admission to Country Tonite show and $10 for 2 adult movie tickets, 2 large drinks and 1 large popcorn at the little movie theater right down the street (which is awesome by they way - not only are the concession prices reasonable, but they also have $.25 refills on the drinks AND popcorn - ANY SIZE! - I don't know about your part of the world, but here in Central Florida - it would cost Mr. Paisley and I $30 for 2 movie tickets, 2 drinks and a popcorn - which is why we never go LOL)


PS today's Groupon is $10 for $20 at Old Navy again ;-) RUN

Freebies

It's never too early to start stocking up on freebies for stocking stuffers! Here a couple of freebies - as with any offer, they may be "out" of samples or end the offer at any time. So grab them while you can!

Dove Nourishing Oil Care - help fight frizz!

Bird Watching Calendar - compliments of Cornell

Biker or Not sticker - got a motorcyclist on your list?

David Yerman perfume sample - click the "request sample" button bottom right

Do you Freecycle?

Do you Freecycle? If you don't, the short version is - it's kind of like Craig's List - only everything is free. It's based in Yahoo Groups, you join the group in your area. Some kind souls are forum moderators who spend their free time granting requests to join, blocking people, deleting inappropriate posts, etc. For the most part, it's a people getting rid of more or less good stuff. Stuff they no longer need, but that isn't really ready for the landfill. Go green right?


I was on the Central Florida group for awhile, but the emails got overwhelming and frankly, I got tired of all the requests. Sure, it never hurts to ask, but really? You *need* a laptop, and it has to be new, with Windows 7. Really? I need one of those too...


On the flip side, I used it to give away a lot of stuff. If your house needs a good purge - go for it. It's like the FREE section of Craig's List.


At any rate, in the spirit of the season - and I know it's down to the wire, but I read this 'tidbit' and thought i'd bump my planned post for something that might just make someone else's holiday. 


Be a Freecycle Santa.


Read about it here. Freecycle Santa 


We all know the economy is so-so and lots of folks are without jobs. Maybe that old (still working) iPod in your desk drawer would make some kid happy. 


I'm not a good candidate for electronics. We don't have ANY game consoles. I have a 2nd generation iPod that I still use - it's bigger and heavier than my smart phone...it's also bigger than my external hard drive - funny since that's pretty much what it is. While my degrees are in IT, I no longer keep up with it. As you know, i'm a bargain shopper. $100 isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but $200 for an iPod (in 2004) was crazy and if Mr. Paisley hadn't bought it for me for my birthday, chances are I wouldn't own one period.   But since he spent the money on it, I use it and I enjoy it...and I will use it until it works no more...because i'm cheap and i'm not going to spend $100 on a nano or whatever the latest and greatest iPod is...this one works. Why does it need to be replaced? I know i'm not normal in that respect, I know lots of folks have last year's model tossed aside for the new one. Why not pass it along if that person is you? 


It's not just electronics - anything goes. Have a toddler quickly outgrowing clothes and shoes? There's probably a single mom near you that can't afford those things for her kids. Pass them on to someone who can use them. It'll make you feel good. It will make them feel good. 


It's Christmas time...

I love moments like these...

Mr. Paisley and I were out Christmas shopping and we popped into a super fantastic store that i've mentioned here before - Lightstyle of Orlando. Aside from the most amazing selection of lighting, they also have artwork, some furniture, accessories, rugs...you really never know what you're going to find, but it will be great. There are also some smokin' deals to be had in the clearance section. This particular day there were some fantastic pendant lights for under $20 (among many other things). I was looking for candle sconces, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for...but I did find this -

Look familiar? Unexpected Score - indeed.  Please note that Lightstyle had it on sale for $49.95. I bought it back in July...for $6.99 at Ross.

I love finding things that give me that "atta boy!" affirmation of my mad shopping skills...

Make a fun Santa video for...well...anyone!

Portable North Pole allows you to make a free personalized video (though there are some limitations - on names - you just have to try it out).

Click here- PNP

I made one for Mr. Paisley...you can watch it here - Mr. Paisley's Video  tee hee...

Last Minute Deals!

Need to do some last minute shopping? Want to pick up a few things for yourself?

Here's a printable coupon for Old Navy - 30% off your entire purchase - expires 12/21 so hurry up! Too bad I didn't find this before I spent $100 there on Sunday! *ugh*

Old Navy

Here's one for Bath & Body Works. Free Item with $10 purchase - good in-store and online - check coupon for online code.

How about Kohl's?   20% off your order  - use coupon code PRESENTS4U
If you have a Kohl's charge card you can STACK (use both) that code online with coupon code GIFT4KC and get FREE shipping - no minimum purchase required.

Victoria's Secret - you can usually stack 3 codes.  Try SHIPVS2DAY for free 2 day express shipping on orders over $100, plus DRESSY30 for 30% off Sweater dresses, and code PERFUME for a freebie with a sleep purchase.

Don't forget to earn your cash back using Mr. Rebates - if you don't have an account, click the goofy little guy below and sign up! No strings attached! I currently have $53 (almost $54) sitting in my account waiting for me to click the "request check" button. Get it on the action!

Visiting Orlando?

If you're coming to Central Florida any time soon, check out the MagiCard (it's free!) - it gets you discounts on lots of things. Food, attractions, shopping, even travel to Orlando on Amtrak!

This one expires in March 31, 2012, I would bet there will be a new one available after that.

Pinterest #4 - clean silver quick

Greetings oh so patient blog readers. I have returned. I can't believe how fast time flies and that it has been nearly a month since my last post. Bad blogger, bad!

Well, Mr. P is working all weekend, so aside from catching up around the cottage since we've been out of town, I thought it was time for another Pinterest Post.

This one involves the dreaded task of polishing silver jewelry. I'd sooner slam my finger in the car door. Again.

I pinned a link to Crafted Love on how to make that task less painful.

First I gathered a few pieces of jewelry that I want to wear in the near future. Nice and tarnished....and a nightmare to polish.

Then I grabbed a glass pie plate

And added foil

Then I put the water on to boil

Then I dumped some baking soda on the foil

And laid my silver in

The key is for the silver to be touching the foil - everywhere.

This was taken with the flash on - the heart on my Tiffany bracelet there is indeed THAT dark. Sad I know.

Then when the water was boiling, I poured it over the jewelry

 You can already see the heart and clasp turning all shiny and bright!

Then you get hit with the stench of rotten eggs...two cheers for chemistry!

As you can see in the photo above, most of the chain links weren't touching the foil enough so I did another round and...ta da! No more tarnish!

Rinse off the baking soda residue and dry with a soft cloth - then slap that shiny goodness on and wear it proudly.

Garden score

So we stopped by Lowe's and they had some really great stuff on the clearance rack. I went looking for mums for my three large flower pots sitting in the front flower bed. Large mums are crazy expensive in Florida and they weren't out when I was in TN.  Imagine my surprise when there was a 7' rack stuffed with 1 gallon pots of lavender mums! For $1 each! ONE DOLLAR. Now the lavender ones don't scream fall to me, and they are a little dull as far as color goes, but hey, Mr. Paisley chose to do the flower beds in a bunch of shades of purple with a little white thrown in for good measure back in May and being Florida, everything is pretty much still growing well. The multi-colored petunias that were in the pots is what crapped out and that's all I was replacing.  Why were they $1 you ask? All the "current" blooms were dead, however the plants were full, lush and LOADED with buds for the next round of blooms. Sold. I loaded up 6 in my cart, plus a flat of some little fringe petal flower in purple and white that was $3 (18 in the flat) I don't know why these were on the rack, maybe it was the one that looked a little wilty - the rest were just dandy. Into my cart they went and for a little more height I paid full price ($3.49) for some multi-color leaf plant that sort of resembles a Croton, but the leaves are a dark green at the edges with pinky purple streaks in the middle. I ended up putting these in the middle of my pots and surrounded them with the flowers from the flat. The mums ended up in my new urn and in the tree line flower bed. 

Here are photos as of 6:06pm - a lot of the blue daze flowers have already closed up for the day, but you can see how much of the May plantings are still there and doing well!

PSA

I was wondering about all the "remember, it's just a test" commercials that I've seen on TV lately. Now it makes sense...what doesn't make sense to me is the lack of a message. Why isn't there a message?

Please take a moment to review the following and share with everyone;







FEMA Emergency Alert System Test - November 9th






Please be advised of an upcoming national emergency alert test that FEMA will be conducting. Please forward this to others in hopes of eliminating, or at least substantially reducing, unnecessary anxiety related to this event.






On November 9th FEMA, DHS and FCC will conduct the first national test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System test. This test will kick off at 2:00 p.m. (EST). The test will be nationwide, running concurrently across all time zones.





The test will run on all radio and TV bands and the message will run for three minutes. The fear is that the lack of an explanation message might create panic. Please share this information with your family and friends so they are aware of the test.






Below are two Web sites that will provide more information.






http://www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/eas_info.shtm  






https://nationaldialogue-emergencyalertsystem.ideascale.com/

Better late than never...

And since I had a last minute "Friday" event come up, followed by a Saturday watching my very busy 9 month old niece, my "special" winner is...well, both of you ladies (Liberty and Priscilla) since there were only 2 comments, I will just hook you both up with a little something extra from the Paisley Pumpkin.

Thank you for visiting my blog :-) Your goodies will be on the way tomorrow and I hope you enjoy them!

Burt's Bees

If you've  left me a comment for the Burt's Bees samples, email me your address so I can drop your things in the mail! PaisleyPumpkin@gmail.com

Goodies to give away!

Y'all know i'm a member of http://www.bzzagent.com/ - once in awhile I throw a giveaway up here when they send me something good that I want to share. Today is your lucky day because *I* got a box in the mail. It was a small box, but it's got great stuff in it! Ready for it?

 

Burt's Bees! 

Yep - told you it was good stuff! 


This is a product line for sensitive skin...in my little box I got a full size tube of facial cleanser and a full size daily moisturizing cream. That's not all, I also got coupons and sample packs of the fantastic moisturizing cream with cotton extract. It's 99.0% natural, fragrance free, hypo-allergenic, Allergy-testes and dermatologist-tested. It has no parabens, phthalates, or petrochemicals and it's not tested on our little furry friends. How great is that?

Look at all that BEEutiful stuff!  I can't give away the full size products because I have to use them and report back, but I can and will give away the samples and coupons!  The first 5 folks to leave me a comment will get a sample (there's also a coupon on the back). Friday 10/28/11 we'll generate a "special" winner from everyone who leaves a comment.

About that cleanser - I love it. I was just about out of my regular cleanser when this box showed up. After realizing I had to remove the foil seal (duh) we were in business. This is a non-greasy, non-foaming, non-soapy, creamy cleanser. There's no scent to irritate my eyes (i'm currently having some scent related allergy issues) and my skin feels soft and smooth after washing and patting dry. It's not tight, no tingling, no redness - it's just fresh and clean. A little bit goes a long way - so I expect this trial tube will last me at least until the end of November. That's some bang for your buck right there. 

About that moisturizer. I like it, but i'm not sure I love it. It leaves my skin feeling nice, but almost sticky, almost greasy. It's better after it's had a little time to soak in. It may just be me, i'm not big on facial moisturizers. I will, of course, continue to use it and see how I adjust to it. I might love it more this winter in Tennessee...

Wow what a day!

Today my friends Rebekah (yes friendS - two of them, both Rebekah with a "K") and I hit the streets of Central Florida for some yard sales, thrift stores and Habitat ReStore. 

This whole day was based on a Facebook post. You see, I "like" the Seminole County ReStore. Mostly because they always post photos of the stuff they get in (unlike the other locations around here). So I happened to check Facebook when I was at lunch yesterday and there it was. Most awesome table EVER. I immediately texted it to Rebekah #2 because she and I just "get" each other with upcycling. Text was "OMG - WANT! Seminole ReStore" and her response was "OMG buy it! If you don't I will!" Done. This was mid afternoon Friday. ReStore is only open until 6. So we made plans to go yard sale shopping today. Which turned into girls day doing a little of everything. 

So - here's what started the whole day. I'm going to refinish it - and this is not the most stellar photo, so you'll have to live with it for now. I have to go pick it up Monday because - well, the SUV was FULL by the time we got there. Chairs, headboards, iron scroll work, we got good stuff today. More on that later.

 OMG can you totally dig this thing?! It's a coffee table - the "knot" on top really just holds the glass on top.  It just sits there with a little 1/2" or so peg thru the glass and into the table.
It's solid wood and...AND...A.N.D. the whole top turns. It's like a giant lazy susan!  When I first saw it, I immediately thought "Ballard" "Pottery Barn" - it's like a giant gear. 

$45 + tax - mine mine mine! It's not as huge as it looks. Cannot wait to refinish it! I have a couple of thoughts, but i'd love to hear your suggestions. 

ETA - after a little Googling... I found the same table (for real...) that sold (price not listed - boooo) on a site I have seen before. CRAZY Expensive.

Sultana - For Sale and  Sultana - SOLD

I've also found out (I love Google...I mean seriously) that it's vintage 1970 and it's from Ethan Allen. 
Popular Table - and lots of people really want to get their hands on one! 

$200 for sale in Maryland.

$380 in Houston comes with a matching lamp/table. I have a friend who just moved to Clear Lake...where these are located. Probably not her style though. 

Apartment Therapy - in a cool blue finish - blue doesn't work for me either, but I like it. I'm beginning to think I might ditch the glass top.

Throwing my find in for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday over at Coastal Charm it's been awhile since I had a minute to join in the party!




 

No bueno!

Yesterday afternoon my husband called me at work to tell my a message was left for me on his cell phone voice mail. Color me confused. 

Turns out it was the fraud department for our credit union. Three guesses what i'm about to say...first two don't count.

Yep, someone got my debit card number and went to town. 

• Entertainment Weekly subscription
• Netflix
• several online gaming sites
• match.com
• etc, etc, etc...

Luckily, they thought it looked weird. #1 because there were like 50 transactions in a matter of minutes and #2 I rarely use my debit card. And by rarely, I mean like once a week...maybe.

Generally Mr. Paisley stops by the bank and takes out cash for each of us for the week. We used to have a $100 each "allowance" for the week, but recently, we dropped it to $80 after crunching some numbers and deciding that paying off the TN mortgage (principle) at $1000 a year wasn't cool. So beefing up that payment and curbing our more or less wasteful spending. The fact that I have cash, is why my debit card is collecting dust. We pay for Sunday breakfast, gas at BJs and whatever store purchases we make at BJs with Mr. P's card usually. Why I don't know...I think he just likes to play with the card reader. This week, I did pay for groceries with my card (on Sunday...after going to BJs). Frankly, I can't tell you the last time I was in Publix, but I couldn't find ANYTHING in there. What a pain! Maybe I should grocery shop more often...that's not the point though so i'll move on.

I also NEVER use my debit card when I shop online. Sure it has a Visa logo on it and does indeed act as a credit card, but call me old fashioned, i'm a little paranoid about using it online when it's connected to my checking account. Oh and I do indeed have the card in my possession so no one "took" it.

So the card was inactivated and today I got copies of my credit reports from the big three. Nothing suspicious, but I put fraud alerts on them just in case. I have no plans to open any credit card accounts any time soon, so no skin off my back and better safe than sorry.

So - word to the wise...keep an eye on your accounts! Even if there are fraud units doing it for you. 

Here's a link to the government's identity theft site...because you never know.
http://www.ftc.gov/ 

Nutella Frosting....yum!

Continuing on my "cooking" trend with the cooler weather, I whipped up a cake to take to work. Nothing fancy I assure you...

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 can of diet ginger ale

Yep, that's it. I go all Weight Watchers on cake. Partly because i'm lazy (i've mentioned that right?) partly for the calorie savings. It's fast, it's easy, you can lick the beaters without fear of dying because of raw eggs...oh and it results in a yummy, moist cake. What's not to like?

Dump the mix into a bowl, add the ginger ale (or your lemon-lime soda of choice, you won't really taste it anyway) - add it a little at a time as it will foam up. Mix it up! 

Grease your pan(s), pour the batter in, bake according to the box.

While the cake was baking, I whipped up this Nutella Frosting that I found a recipe for on Tartelette

Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 oz Nutella

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar over the bowl and whisk for a few seconds. Add the Nutella and mix until completely incorporated. 

Turns out that the day I took it to work it was "Do Something Nice Day" - it was almost like I planned it. 

 I even used that 500 pound fancy schmancy Kitchenaid Mixer to make the frosting.

Mmmm - yummmmm

More fall cookin' at the Cottage and Pinterest #4

It's still in the mid to upper 80s here in Florida, welcome to "fall". At least it's breezy so it FEELS cooler than it is. 

This time I whipped up another pin from Pinterest. Cheesy Corn Casserole. Recipe from Saveur.com

Serves 12

4 slices bacon, finely chopped

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup flour

3 cups milk

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

2 oz. Velveeta, cubed

2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp. paprika

3 lb. fresh or frozen corn kernels

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 375°. Heat bacon in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add butter and garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in milk, and bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, Velveeta, cheddar, and paprika, and cook until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in corn; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9″ × 13″ baking dish and bake until top is golden brown and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Let cool before serving.

 I should have used a bigger dish...

Holy Southern heart attack in a dish. The only healthy part of this dish, was me using skim milk! Let me tell you, this is pretty good, but needs some tweaking. Being my first try at this one, I followed the recipe. Dear God, 12 servings...and there's just two of us. I will be dropping some of this off at my brother's house on my way to work in the morning. Speaking of my brother, little Georgia is 8 months old now (time flies...), cute as a button and she's sick :-( First illness of any kind and straight to the hospital. Well, not straight, they took her to their pediatrician (they have Sunday hours!) and were then sent to the hospital. Poor little pumpkin...

 

Here she is with daddy at the beach. She's got a couple of teeth and she started crawling last week. Into everything of course. She's a super happy little girl. We all love her to bits. Auntie Robin can't get enough of her :-)

 

Minor Cottage Updates

After the usual breakfast at IHOP this morning, we did the usual boring routine of going to BJ's - only we took a detour to Home Depot first. It's kinda in the same plaza. I wanted to pick up a towel ring for the master bathroom. We have the Glacier Bay Innburg toilet paper holder, so of course something matching would be nice. Luckily, they still have that line in stock. 

Simple. Basic. Probably more contemporary / modern than me, but I wanted plain and this is what I chose. Brushed nickle of course. Looking at the companion pieces online I decided I disliked the actual towel ring.

I just don't like the curve. So being the plan ahead kinda gal that I am, I ran to the bathroom, removed the roll of TP and hung a hand towel on the TP holder. Perfect...well, a little low, ok, a lot low...and on the wrong wall. Point being I was just going to get another TP holder and put it on the wall by the sink. Then I actually got to the store and decided my sink space was crowded enough, I didn't need another thing there making it visually crowded. So I just grabbed the matching robe hook. 

 

It was also half the price of the towel ring...which was $1 more than the TP holder. 

Of course now I have to get Mr. P to put it up...

On a semi related note, it has rained here pretty much non-stop since before dawn on Friday. All day Friday. All day Saturday. ALL DAY. Then it was raining this morning. It would drizzle, then pour. Then drizzle, then mist...the pour. Lather, rinse, repeat. Luckily we were in a misting period when we walked out of IHOP. I did use my umbrella though. On the way to BJs (and Home Depot) it stopped. Not only did it stop, but I started to see a few patches of blue sky. Then the sun came out - a little. It was still really cloudy and windy. Gusting up to 22mph according to the local all the time news channel. One lucky iguana got to go lay outside in the sun for a little while. It was short lived...after a few hours it starting raining again...right as Mr. Paisley had gotten up on the roof to clean out the gutters. Fall Cleaning at the Cottage! Luckily, it was only one downpour and it's just been cloudy and windy ever since. It was like 87 and HUMID as all get out thanks to that little bit of sun after all that rain...but with the higher winds it's still cool enough to have the house opened up. So...I gave Mr. Paisley a list. He's cleaned the screens on the front of the house. I cleaned the windows. He hung up the last two sets of wood blinds (for my office) that have been sitting in the corner by the front door since...oh...right, the Memorial Day party (yes...that was in May...practically June)...then I had him rehang the mirror over the 2x2 Expedit in the living room.   

Entry way / message center. While I was cleaning out the guest room for a yard sale, I found the wire magazine basket. Yep, forgot I ordered that. A LOOOOONG time ago. It's now a designated spot to deposit the mail.  The pumpkin board above it is a chalk board / magnet board (the smaller pumpkins in the corners are magnets). Fabulous. Now the only things on top of the Expedit are a pot of wheat, a stack of mini jars (which you can't see from this angle) and the soapstone dish that my boss brought me from her last trip to Egypt. I put my keys in it so as not to leave scratches.  I also added a twiggy pumpkin since it's fall. $2.50 in the Dollar Spot at Target.