Coming soon....

Next in my line of Cozy Cottage Home Organization Products will be magazine storage boxes. These will be much more attractive than stacks of magazines on top of the coffee table and floor other places we just won't mention right now! Plus, now you will be able to have all of your Romantic Homes, Romantic Country, Victoria, Home Companion, Country Living, Cottage Living, Coastal Living, Tea Time, and all of those other wonderful magazines organized!Keep watching my Little Pink Boutique and Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor this week for the debut of Cozy Cottage Magazine Keepers.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

HUSBAND-PLEASING MEATLOAF
With Valentine's Day right around the corner I thought that today I would share my meatloaf recipe and the story behind the title of the recipe. Actually, this is the same meatloaf recipe I've made for the past 30 years; however, about eight years ago shortly before my husband and I married, I cooked dinner for him at his place one evening and decided to make meatloaf. He took a few bites, looked at me and said, "Honey, will you marry me and make meatloaf for me the rest of my life?"

Well, I didn't say yes that time, but when he proposed again on Christmas Eve with a diamond and garnet ring in hand I couldn't resist! And yes, I do still make him his favorite meatloaf....

Ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely
1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 eggs
3/4 c. fresh bread crumbs

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands. Place mixture into a shallow baking pan or casserole dish that has been sprayed with no-stick spray. Shape meat mixture into a loaf leaving about 1" of space around the edges of the pan. Squirt ketchup across top of meatloaf in a zig-zag manner. Cut remaining half of bell pepper into 1/4" strips and place across the top of the meat loaf. Bake at 400* for about an hour. Check after 30 minutes to be sure it isn't browning too fast and decrease oven temperature to 375* if necessary.

Serve with baked potatoes (they can bake along with the meatloaf to conserve energy), and your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!

I've been tagged again......

I did this several months ago but I was just tagged again by Francie at The Scented Cottage and Georgia at Grandma G's so I'll bump my original post up and choose seven lucky people to tag. I'm supposed to tell seven things about me that you don't already know and then tag seven other people. Hmmmm...well, here are seven pieces of trivia about me!

1. I have 12 grandchildren ranging in age from 8 months to 16 years!
2. I have worn several hats in my life.....I worked for the local newspaper when I was in high school, was a secretary for Getty Oil Company, worked as a medical transcriptionist for 20+ years, have been a teacher for 12 years, and own an online boutique.
3. I live on a farm in Arkansas where we raise cattle and donkeys.
4. I am a night-owl...I can stay up all night working on whatever my current project is, but don't do this very often because I usually have to get up for work the next day.
5. I believe in God, but I also believe in reincarnation.....I think God will keep sending me back here until I get it right!
6. Some of my best friends are online friends.
7. In my next life I would love for interior decorating and design to be my fulltime job!

So, now it is my turn to tag seven people.....I choose:

Roxie of Jorabeel's,
Sharon of C'est Chouette,
Cathy of Treasured Heirlooms,
Sita of Silverspoon Scraps,
Lori of Katie's Rose Cottage,
Susie of The Polka Dot Rose, and
Carol of Clutterbug Studio .

Ladies......we have a winner!

Eileen of Forget-Me-Not Dreams has guessed correctly what my new product is with her comment stating, "I think you are working on a line of recipe holders. Not boxes, but the books with pockets to insert all the billions of recipes we all have floating around in our drawers! I know I need one!" Well, you have just won "Queen of the Roses", the first in a line of one-of-a-kind Cozy Cottage Recipe Keepers which you described very accurately....good job!

Each Cozy Cottage Recipe Keeper contains six pocket pages with a Table of Contents on the face of each pocket so that you can write down which recipes are in that particular pocket.










Also included will be a set of Cozy Cottage Aged to Perfection recipe cards.

Final Countdown.....the clock is ticking!

My new "niche" product is finally ready......and so far no clearcut winner in the guessing game. Here is a rundown of the hints so far:

*Every woman has something that goes inside this.

*They will be handcrafted and one-of-a-kind.

*They will be used to store something specific.

*Georgia and Lori (ellenay) are getting very close to guessing (read their comments on my previous post.

New and final hints:

*Since I redesigned the product there will be little or no painting involved.

*They are NOT boxes (or clocks).

*They would generally be kept in the kitchen.

Okay.....guess away! First one to guess correctly wins the prize!

I'M STEPPING OUT OF MY BOX........

.....and specializing. That's right, I'm about to start a new venture. Before long, I will be adding something new (and pretty!) to my website (shabbycozycottage.com). But for now I think I'll keep it a secret, and the first one to guess what it is or the one who comes closest will receive one absolutely free. Here's a hint for you: they will be handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. So, while I will still have products in several categories, I have decided to step out of my box and create my own little niche. Be sure to check back and see what I've come up with!

If you would like to get in on the give-away just leave your guess in a comment to this post.

The History of Aprons

(I don't know who to credit the text to but I received it in an email from my sister-in-law, Bertha Mae Sutliff. Photo courtesy of General Foods Cookbook, 1959, Random House.)

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carr ying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had beenshelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so may purposes!

Several of my online friends have aprons on their websites right now so I thought this would be the perfect chance to showcase their work and/or products. Why don't you take a look and see what you can find?

Britta's Tea Parties
Cherry Blossom Cottage
Katie-Bug's Cottage
Preserve Cottage
Shabby in Pink Boutique
Sweet Necessi-Tea's
Treasured Heirlooms
Grandma G's