I’ve had this recipe since the days of keeping all of your recipes on recipe cards!  It had been some time since I had made this salad and I made it for a Christmas party.  It was so good!  I made it again for a luncheon we went to a week later. I forgot how good it is and how easy it is to make.

(click the picture to make larger)

Recipe -

1 Large can of ripe pitted black olives – drained and halved.

1 Basket of cherry tomatoes – halved.

1/3 cup parmesan cheese – grated – I use the store bought kind.

3 Tablespoons of Salad Supreme seasoning – find this in the seasoning isle of your supermarket or by the salad dressings.

1/2 cup Italian Dressing – Bernsteins with cheese is good.

1 Package of spaghetti – cooked and rinsed.  I break mine in half.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

I will usually add a bit more salad dressing before serving if needed.  You don’t want this salad “wet” .. it will be great just the way it turns out .. a bit dry.

Enjoy!!

My newest cross stitch Kit or Pattern is now available!!  It measures 5 x 7 - a Home away from Home –  ”Home is by the Campfire”!

Link to Etsy – HERE

I’m close to having my website / shopping site up and running!  I’ll post the news once it’s up!  www.CampCrossStitch.com

I received the magazine “Real Simple – How To Break Your Bad Habits”, and started flipping through it last night.  I came across this article -

“Sentimental Clutter – It’s hard enough to purge junk, let alone boxes loaded with memories.  Here, seven steps to understanding what – and how – to let go.”

After my parents died – I lost them both 4 months apart – it seemed like I brought box after box of stuff home. I have kept some things I know I should part with … it’s just hard. For instance, my Mom’s purse and wallet. I hold onto it because it’s her. I miss her. I have my Dad’s swizzle stick collection … do I need it? No. But, it was his. I miss him. I have things like his old watch, key holder, things from his wallet. I have one of his old sweatshirts and one of my Mom’s jackets .. because they always wore them. I miss them.

This article has given me a gift. A suggestion of what you can do with sentimental clutter. Take pictures of the things I should really get rid of and make a book of memories – like on Shutterfly, or a site Real Simple recommended – Blurb.com A book of memories will take up a lot less space and I can actually flip through it and remember them ….

After they died I started writing down memories in a journal. My Mom used to warm the dinner plates. My Dad loved McDonalds Milk Shakes and would take the lid off and lick the underside I have many, many memories and will add them to the pictures.

I have every card sent for my parents memorial and cards sent to Mom after my Dad died and she was ill. Yikes. I really don’t want to keep them, but it’s too hard to throw them out. I can scan those and keep them that way … then I won’t feel so bad. I must be like my Mom, because she kept cards sent to her after my Grandma passed away. How about I scan those too and throw them away… recycle them!

Some old treasures I will keep, like my Grandfather’s navy wallet. But, I think I will take pictures of it, and all the contents, and make a book of those types of things too … like my Dad’s teddy bear, my Mom’s bride doll. I mean, right now they are all packed away in boxes and it would be nice to pick up a memory book and “see” them.

Thank you Real Simple for this great article! I will now be able to get rid of some Sentimental Clutter.

A link to Real Simple – http://www.realsimple.com/

To Shutterfly – http://www.shutterfly.com/

Blurb – http://www.blurb.com/

I found these picture frames at Michaels for $1 … can’t beat that!  I thought I would have time to paint a bunch for Christmas presents, but just got to my first one today  — 12/22 –

I just love the recycled wood picture frames, but they cost a fortune … so decided to try and paint my $1 picture frame to look like one.  I didn’t do so bad on my first try.  From across the room it looks pretty good like wood.  I might sand a few areas and see how that looks.

Here is what I copied -  (At OverStock for $59.99!)

I used -

I measured my strips to be 3/4″ and used the blue tape on one side and the ruler on the other.  The strips could be smaller to closer match the one I copied.  I used a ruler up against a painted strip and painted the brown line as thin as I could.  After that I just added some worn wood look and the nail holes using the same brown.  I probably should use a darker color for the nail holes.  I tried some Martha Stewart paint.  It was fine, but the hole in the top of the paint is really small and you can’t put extra paint back into the bottle very easily, unlike the other craft paint with a big opening on the top.

I just got back from Lowes.  I had to return a door lock.  The lady in front of me was returning a dead plant.  I’ve seen people bring in their dead plants before.  They are usually still in dirt, with the root ball attached ….  Today’s return wins the prize for “You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me!”

The lady behind the counter had that look on her face “You’ve got to be kidding me”, and asked her co-worker for the okay … I heard her say “Just give it to her”.   I had to go take a picture of it … as I just couldn’t believe it !!!!