Red Trucks and Birds

You may recall me saying "All I want for Christmas is a vintage truck..."

Well, my sweet sister-in-law and family got me one for Christmas! Only this red truck is a bird house and feeder! I hung it from the gazebo and filled the bed up with bird seed. Seems as if the birds finally discovered it while I was eating my lunch yesterday! I looked out the window to find a mockingbird perched on the truck, so of course that meant I had to get my camera out! 

I'm not sure what this first little bird is (can anyone help me out?) I knew if I went out the door, it would scare him away, so I shot through the glass door.

I called this one "You looking at me?"

 Our "screen door" is missing its screen. I was able to raise the glass and still stay in the house to get a few more pictures, so I wouldn't scare the birds away. I was able to catch the mockingbird's picture this way.

 I got the stink eye for telling her she was "an over-sized load!"

Love all of the birds expressions! I had fun watching them for a few minutes and capturing a few pictures, before I got back to work. The tree limbs around the yard added to the blurred effects on the pictures.

They just about emptied the truck bed this afternoon, so it looks like I need to load her up again soon! There was several more birds in the yard this afternoon and their was a line to take a turn in the red truck! It'll be fun to see the activity and maybe I'll get a cardinal picture.  Hopefully this spring, we can also get pictures of someone nesting in the cab of the truck.

Do you feed the birds? It's been a while since we've put out seed in a feeder, although judging by the bird population, they have been finding things to eat and shelter in our yard. 

Chippy, Peely, Vintage...Be True to What You Love!

This time of year, we see all the post about trends for the new year. Such is the case with a podcast I recently listened to. All the painters interviewed said that distressed white was a trend of the past and 2018 would be a year of bold colors. I nearly caved into their thoughts. Should we start incorporating bold colors in our home, even though I'm not crazy about them? Maybe I should repaint my desk, the walls in our booth, yada, yada, yada??? While I love navy blue for clothes and wedding bouquets, I don't think I want it on my walls or furniture. Same for black or hot pink... I'll admit, some of the designer pieces are fabulous, but I they don't match me and my personal taste.

Then I saw this post on Facebook by Junkin Addict and reminded all over again that the vintage, shabby, chippy, linen and lace look is absolutely gorgeous!

I've even got a whole Pinterest board called Chippy Peely Vintage Love, devoted to all things chippy white, with a little color thrown in. It's the things that make my heart go pitter patter! I love this style and must remain true to myself, no matter what big time designers say the "trends" are. Our homes and style are suppose to be the things WE love, not what someone else says we should. If you can pull off the bold colors, do it. If you love distressed white, own it, keep it!

I've had white cabinets and furniture way before Fixer Upper Farmhouse Style was so popular. I went through a faze where I painted my kitchen cabinets deep green, because I saw it in a magazine and thought I liked it... A couple of years of that and I was so sick of it and went the peaceful vintage white look. I still love the look till this day, with no plans to change anytime soon. I have many of my grandparents and great grandparents kitchen gadgets displayed on my walls.

  I mean, vintage kitchen gadgets against a loud wall... I don't think so!

Last week, Angea and I rearranged our booth and took down the Christmas decorations. We went with the rustic, vintage romance, shabby look on the mantle this time. I had been dreaming of the big chunky frames on the mantle for a few months and it finally happened on this trip. Along with the frames, we added several heart themed items, wings, and vintage lace.

A few other new pieces in our booth include this vest / kimono / duster. The lace added to this denim vest was originally the skirt of a vintage wedding dress! The rosette brooch pin was also created from the lace and tulle skirting of the dress. 

 Old hankies, vintage lace, and linens were added to the pearl snap flannel to create a one-of-a-kind duster.

 Be one-of-a-kind and don't feel like you have to follow what everyone else is doing.

 This mantle makes me giddy... not bold paint colors or some trends, I'm told I should like. Granted, we are discussing painting our booth again, but I can tell you, it will be something Angea and I both love and will have that timeless feel to it!

We've got big plans for creating a new feature in our booth, so stay tuned to see if we are able to pull it off like we envision! 

So tell me, are you planning to paint or makeover your home this year? Will you be using new bold colors? 

Or are you planning to keep or paint white or lighter colors?

What ever you do, I hope you remain true to what you absolutely love! 

(The last five pictures above are from our Uniques and Antiques booth in Mineola, Texas. 

You can shop there Tuesday-Saturday 10:00 to 5:00. 

Some items are also available in my GypsyFarmGirl etsy shop, with worldwide shipping.)

Pizza Poppers Recipe

Our family does appetizers and finger foods for Christmas and I wanted to take something different this year, so I ask my Facebook friends for some recommendations of their favorite recipes for easy appetizers. Courtney from Timeless N Chic, said Pizza Puffs and shared a recipe from Pinterest. 

I love pizza, could seriously eat it all the time (but I don't) and they looked good, so I give it a try! I did tweak the original version, because we are beef people, instead of the sausage that was called for in the original recipe. I also added more spices and seasonings. They were a hit at the Christmas gathering and Jeff has been asking "when are you going to make more Pizza Poppers" almost every single day since then! 

I made Pizza Poppers for supper one night this week and documented with pictures and wrote down my version, so I thought I would share with all of you! I think it would be a hit for Super Bowl parties or any other party where finger foods are on the menu. I love to dip them in marinara sauce. Jeff likes them with spicy mustard. Ranch dip would also be an option. 

First step - Brown a half pound of ground beef in a cast iron skillet, coated with olive oil cooking spray.  I chopped two cloves of garlic, threw in a generous portion of minced onion, some salt, fresh ground pepper, and about a teaspoon of garlic and herb seasoning. Somehow, I ran out of Italian seasoning and didn't realize it, so either one you have will work just fine. 

On a side note, how neat is this skillet handle? My mom crocheted a set of towels, pot holder, and this handle cover for a Christmas gift! 

While the meat is cooking, grate 2 cups of Parmesan cheese. 

At this point, I was reminded of another recent Facebook conversation where we discussed the 

"oldest thing you own and still use." 

I have many of my Grandmama's old kitchen utensils, including the All-in-One Cheese Grater, the copper colored measuring cups, and stainless steel mixing bowls. While probably not that old, I love the mixing bowls. They are light weight and those little thumb hooks are the best! We've got newer ceramic mixing bowls and I seldom, if ever use them. I believe the cheese grater is from the 1950's.  

My kitchen is not fancy or full of the newest kitchen gadgets. We have a small house, therefore space is limited. We use what we have and what works best for us. My sweet Grandmama died just a few months before we got married and I was fortunate to get some of her kitchen items and sewing machine (that I can't date, but that's another post.) You may notice that I used a pudding bowl for serving the marinara in. I've also been known to serve dips in wine glasses or cute coffee mugs! 

 When I post a picture of my vintage style canisters, someone will always ask where I got them. I've had them for years, although I did a search and found them on Amazon, so you can still get them!
(aff link)

Now, back to cooking - stir together the two cups of cheese, 1 1/2 cups baking mix (such as Jiffy or other biscuit mix), additional teaspoon of Italian or garlic and herb seasoning, and a third of a cup of chopped pepperoni in a mixing bowl. I used pepperoni with jalapenos for a little extra kick.

When beef mixture is cooked, stir into biscuit mix. (I use lean ground beef, so I don't have to drain meat.) Add 6-7 tablespoons of buttermilk to create a batter. Then spoon or shape into balls on cookie sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown.

You can easily double the recipe for a crowd or reheat leftovers. This made 26 pizza biscuit bites this week and we will eat about 3 meals (6 servings from this recipe). All the flavors of pizza, without having to roll out a pizza crust. 

Hope you enjoy them and please let me know if you try them!