Memories

I thought this was the cutest little Mary Engelbreit poster. I downloaded it for my desktop. It brought back a great memory of when my granddaughter, Rachel was two-and-a-half...Leaves were falling rapidly in our yard and I was taking care of her everyday then while her parents worked. I asked her if she wanted to go pick up leaves with me and of course, like any wonderful child, she did! Kids are so helpful when they are small...I'm not sure what happens at age 12. Before we gathered the leaves we pushed them into a big pile and she ran through them playing.

Anyway, I gave her a basket and she began filling it up. I grabbed my camera and took some photos which came out so adorable that I knew we would make a craft with those leaves. So that's what we did. We went and got a few picture frames and glued a variety of leaves on the frame...she dutifully pushed them til the glue 'took.' I had the photographs enlarged and ready to put in the frames a couple of days later. Then we wrapped them up and gave them for Christmas to her mommy and daddy and her other grandparents. I don't know how long those leaves lasted but it was a fun couple of days we shared making something meaningful for those she loved so much.

KARNA, THE MINIMALIST!

Sometimes you get nice gifts for your birthday or Christmas and other
special days or from a friend "just because. It's always nice to receive a gift!

I'm pretty old and over the years have recieved quite a few gifts. Now gifts are not something you can just toss out -- over time they become even more sentimental, whether attached to memories of a person, a season in your life, or other significant events.


I continue to sort and pack...I have even gone through all the boxes I packed a year ago trying to find my Mary Engelbreit Collection so I could sell it on Ebay to make some money.

I am happy to say I only have four more boxes to go through and all of the Mary E has sold or is being sold on Ebay. I have not had any luck with china or vases or other types of things at all. But Mary E lovers LOVE Mary stuff. .I've had to snap out of it! regarding my collection of Mary E. It only tore my heart a little bit.

At any rate, over these many years and though I've moved and gotten rid of at least half of my 'stuff' each time I do so, I still have so much to pack. I have gone to the Goodwill every week for many weeks now and still have another big pile by my front door to take this week. The more I go through my 'things' the less I care about paying to move them or have them for the long haul ... well at my age it would be the short haul!

I don't really need 50 cookbooks..cute as they are and darling as they looked in my kitchens..you all know I rarely cook or bake! I am finding it less important to keep certain books, so off they go into the pile to give away. These are the cookbooks I will keep. The I Hate To Cook Book was one I received in 1964 when I was married. I guess I have always had issues with cooking. There is one recipe from Peg Bracken's cookbook though that I have used for a company dish over 44 years now. It's EASY and YUMO! (long before that word was invented by Rachel)

-o0o-

Braised-Chicken-and-Artichoke Casserole

Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon paprika
3 pounds cut-up chicken or chicken pieces
6 tablespoons butter
4 ounces mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons flour
2/3 cup chicken broth or bouillon
3 tablespoons sherry
1 (12-to-15-ounce) can artichoke hearts
2 to 4 medium baking potatoes (optional).
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and the paprika and sprinkle on all sides of the chicken.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the chicken prettily on all sides, in batches, adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer the chicken to a large Dutch oven or casserole.
3. Pour off the butter from the skillet, wipe it clean and return it to the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over them, stir in the chicken broth and the sherry and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Halve artichoke hearts and arrange them between the chicken pieces. Pour mushroom-sherry sauce over them and cook in the oven, covered, for 40 minutes. If you choose, put your baking potatoes in the oven 20 minutes before the casserole, and things will come out even. Serves 4. Enjoy That!

Well I have more packing to do, this little picture only depicts a small number of boxes on my shelves in the garage, and many sitting waiting in my bedroom,but i'm paring down, down, down. So that's what I've been doing and why I haven't blogged lately...Ebay and Packing! Soon I'll be known as Karna, The Minimalist!

LIKE THE WORDS UNDER MY BLOG BANNER

I AM A WOMAN IN TRANSITION!

Feel free to send gifts, I don't toss or give those away!!!

It's all so very Mary!

Too busy to blog today - the remainder of my Mary Engelbreit collection is uploaded and ready for auction (well, they're already bidding).

Thus brings to a close my whimsical kitchen and time with Mary.

Moving on, but will always love the art creations of Mary E!

Ebay collectors are great. If you want to find me at ebay-i'm sweetiepie71257 :)

These are great gifts for Christmas, birthdays...anything, even if you are not a collector.

I tell you I sighed as I unpacked them to photograph, measure, note the markings and upload to ebay. They are from a special time in my life - they brought me color, whimsy, smiles and a beautiful collection.

My ME dishes will survive my selling though ... they are still in my brother's garage in Idaho along with the most beautiful Mary E fountain ever made. its a 3 foot tall beehive in her cool colors with little bees stuck in and about on copper curly wire. I think I'll keep that for another day of whimsy somewhere in the Pacific Northwest!