REPAIRING POPUP PLASTER DIMPLES WHILE PAINTING 2020

It's painting time again.  Mr. Thrifty suggested that paint one of the bedrooms over the Memorial Day weekend. That means my job of prepping begins now.  Besides taping off the doors, windows and baseboards, I also patch the holes left from pictures.

We have had a problem of pop up holes in the dry wall plaster where the plasterer did not recess the screw.  As a result, there is a dimple in the wall.

First, Mr. Thrifty cuts out around the screw.

He removes the screw from the hole and places it right above the bad dimple. He makes sure to recess the screw in the new hole.

It takes two sets of spackling to completely fixing the hole.  Spackle, let dry, sand, re-spackle,

sand and paint.

It is a small thing, but when you see your walls freshly painted, you will be glad that you stopped to repair the dimples.



ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RED PEPPER MANICOTTI

I apologize for missing my posting dates.  Life gets hectic at times.  Let’s get to it!

I made this recipe  for an elderly Italian couple in our parish.   The lovely wife wrote back, “that’s a keeper!”

 

Mr. Thrifty loves Italian sausage and red pepper recipes. I found this manicotti recipe and tweaked it a bit. This recipe feeds a generous 7 helpings. 

Follow the easy instructions.   

I DID SALT AND PEPPER THE FILLING  

Great meal to deliver to friends. 

SILVER PLATED COFFEE POT WITH A FLORAL BOUQUET

Just wanted to share a pretty sight of a bouquet in a silver plated coffeepot.



FEBRUARY 2020 THRIFT STORE FINDS

I originally wrote this post back in February. This was my last junkin’ haul..

On a recent trip looking for projects, I picked up a slew on items.

The first two included a urn for $2.00 and a chalk artichoke for $1.00.

At the next shop, I found this wall organizer for $5.00.  It would look good painted out and maybe something one of the girls could use in a future apartment.

I could paint the artichoke like the one I found for a quarter at Goodwill years ago.

This group of glassware came to a total of $6.12.

This candlestick was $12.00 and will be used in a later posting.

The turquoise vase would also be used in a later posting.  It was $15.00, but I couldn't pass it up because I loved the color.

The final item was this embellished wedding veil.

 I know you might ask yourself, why would I buy a wedding veil?  The cost was $5.00.  That is why I bought it.

 Stay tuned to see the projects I have in store for my February thrift store finds.

GRILLED CORN AND TOMATO SALAD

I found a perfect cold salad for picnics.  There is no mayonnaise in it, so it will withstand the heat of the summer.

When you are grilling out, throw 6 extra corn ears on the grill.  I sprayed them with a bit of Pam spray before  putting them on the hot grill.  Grill 10 minutes on each side.  You might like them more charred.

Cool and remove corn from cobs.  Halve 1 container of grape tomatoes.  Make your dressing.  A lot of times I don't have fresh basil on hand so I use fresh basil paste. In this recipe, I used one good squirt of the basil paste.

Fresh ground pepper is a must.  Mix all ingredients together and add corn and tomatoes.  Tastes better overnight.

This was a great salad and very refreshing to eat.



FREEZING FRESH THYME IN A RAVIOLI PRESS

Fresh herbs always taste better, that is a given.  By the time I would buy an herb planting, I wouldn't be able to keep it alive.  While at the store, I purchased a container of thyme sprigs.   I only used about 1/10th of the package and wanted to freeze the rest.  

In my younger days, I would have pulled out an ice cube tray.  But who has one of those laying around these days?  Exactly. 

So, let's get started with my package of thyme.

What container could I use to freeze the tablespoons of fresh thyme?  I opened up my cabinet where all the contraptions I use rarely, you know, like the waffler maker?  And what should I spy but a RAVIOLI MAKER!  This could work in a pinch.

I pulled out the plastic tray and started filling each circle with a tablespoon of thyme leaves.

The remainder of the package filled the tray.  Carefully, I added water and tried to submerge the leaves.  I placed the tray on a cookie sheet and popped it in the freezer.

Later that day, I popped the frozen thyme popsicles into a zip lock, marked it and put it in the freezer.  Next time I need fresh thyme, I will head to the freezer, pop one out and place it on a few paper towels and let it thaw.

Ready for my next recipe!

SUMMER FRONT BED 2020

I wanted to get my front flower beds planted before Memorial Day.  As you can see, the winter pansies were still looking great, but the first hot days, they will wilt.

Because they still looked great, I transplanted the best plants into a planter to keep on the porch.



Here are the new plantings.  A few were perennials, so I won't have to plant so many annuals next year.



This year in the spring, I transplanted one hydrangea plant and used a recommended fertilizer from Garden Answer. It is called Espoma Organic Rose-tone Organic fertilizer.

This is the first year I have tried it.  Last year this set of 3 hydrangea plants had only 3 blooms total.  Look at this years yield. I can't wait until it blooms out.  I will definitely be using this fertilizer in the future.



So now, I can just sit back and watch the bed take off.  I just took these pictures this morning. The beds are filling out. The hydrangeas are exploding. I will definitely will be using the Rose tone fertilizer again.