Best Banana Bread EVER!!!

When we buy bananas, we usually buy one ripe and ready to eat bunch and one very green bunch. This past week there was so much fruit in the house, the bananas got over-ripe. I like to eat bananas when they are just past the green stage-once it has spots on it, I don't care for the sweeter flavor. I made a ton of banana bread tonight and boy did it make the house smell yummy!!

This is the BEST recipe I've ever found for banana bread. Try it yourself and let me know what you think!

1/4 C. Butter, softened
3/4 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
3/4 C. Ripe, mashed bananas (about 2 med.)
1/2 C. Sour cream ( I used Fat Free and it turned out just fine)
2-1/4 C. Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 C. Chopped walnuts
1 C. Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas and sour cream. Combine dry ingredients and add to banana mixture until just moistened. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

I made 5 loaves!! One is almost totally gone already and it hasn't even had a chance to completely cool!! I'm sure the bread will all disappear by this time tomorrow!

Another Flea Market this Sunday...

I just found out about another flea market in our area this Sunday!!! It is at the Flatrock Speedway and is put on by the Flatrock Historical Society. I'm thinking I will take a change of clothes in the car when I go to church and head out from there. Auntie will be just returning from a fun adventure with her hubby, so I will be on my own...unless I can talk Kevin and Eric into another trip! 

Have you been looking up lately?

I've been noticing some really amazing skies lately-have you seen it too?

Midland was sooo cold, but LOTS of FUN!!!

Yesterday was the big day! Auntie and I went to the Michigan Antiques Festival in Midland. We decided to leave an hour earlier than we have in the past to try to miss all of the traffic and waiting in long lines to get in to the fairgrounds. It was a GREAT idea! We breezed right in, got a closer parking spot-even though it was at the back and got us all turned around.

The weather was really crazy! It was cold and really windy and sometimes the sun was out, sometimes it was gray and gloomy and sometimes it was misty and rainy. It cycled through all of those weather conditions every few minutes, the rain at least, held off until toward the end of our visit. It was just enough to chill me to the bone! I just couldn't get warm when I got home! I guess it didn't help that I am coming down with a cold on top of all of it.

It was a lot less crowded when we first got there and that was really nice, but as the day wore on, it really filled up with shoppers. I was disappointed at how much smaller it was from when we visited in June. There were a LOT of empty spots. Last time we went, we walked for over 5 hours and didn't get to see it all-and only went into one building. This time, we went into all the buildings and even took a longer than normal lunch break and were still done in about 4 hours.

There still was a LOT to see and buy-even though the number of vendors was down. We filled my new "Treasure Haulin" cart right up!

This what we saw...

Made totally out of  motorcycle parts!

A shot of his face.

Our cart at the beginning...I forgot to take a picture of it when it was over-flowing!

This was in the parking area on our way out.

Since we were going through the festival backwards from how we normally go, we ended up in a different location when we were ready for lunch. We ate at the 4H cafeteria (a place I never even knew existed!). We ended up getting a sandwich, fries and beverage for the same price of just our old standby Italian sausage sandwiches-and we helped out 4H!! They had the BEST homemade cookies too-thanks Auntie!!

We had planned on going home, and relaxing for a bit then heading out to Williamston Antiques for their Moonlight Madness, but by they time we got home, we were tired and I was really feeling the effects of my cold and being out in the cold all day, so we decided to stay home. I'm glad we did-I was pretty worn out! 

This is what I got...

Auntie got a lot of fun treasures too-it was a FUN day despite the weather and my cold!

Now the count down and wait begins for the June 2011 Michigan Antiques Festival-I can't wait to go back! You should mark your calendar too-you won't regret it!

Applebutter Fest...

A friend at work who is from Ohio just told me about the Applebutter Fest. Have you heard about it? It sounds like fun-it will be about an hour drive from my house...I'm thinking of going, but none of my guys are interested-can you believe that???

Chomping at the Bit...

Tomorrow is the day! The last Michigan Antiques Festival at the Midland County Fairgrounds for nine long months!!! I have been waiting for this day since we went in June! I have everything ready to go...I am soo excited, I'm afraid there won't be much sleeping for me tonight!


Sunglasses?

Check!

Cell Phone?

 Check!

Disposable rain poncho-just in case?

Check!

Money?

 Check!

Comfy walking shoes?

 Check!

New Granny cart?

Check!

Extra bags to hold all of our fantastic bargains and treasures?

Check!

Gas in the tank?

Check!

GPS charged and ready to go?

 

Check!

Now I just need tomorrow to hurry up and get here, and I'll be good to go!

Are you coming?

You can check them out on their facebook page-they just posted a bunch of pictures of booths that are being set up for tomorrow!

Learning About McKee Glass Company...

I just picked up another really fun book at the library and thought you might be interested in hearing about it - you might want to check it out for yourself. It has big, beautiful photos of the full line of McKee glass from the depression era.

 I typically do not like Milk Glass (opaque white glassware), but add some polka dots, or stripes, or other small fun designs in bright colors and I'm all over it!


 This is what I learned...
 

In 1853, McKee and Brothers Glass Works originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They produced crystal glassware (not the glassware that is made from mineral quartz crystal, but in this case, the word crystal refers to the clear color). They operated successfully at this location until 1888.

During the spring of that year, H. Sellers McKee procured property from a couple of farms, in Westmoreland County (which is about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh). This area was rich in coke and coal as well as natural gas, and made it a very desirable location for a glass factory.

In April of 1888, there were so many employees and businesses offering goods and services to them, that a town was born. The town was named Jeanette after H. Seller McKee’s wife.  New brick home were built in rows, on lots that sold for only $400.  By April of 1889, those same lots were sold for $1200 due to a huge influx of people (about 4000) relocating to the area.

Most of their glassware was sold in the United States, with only about 20% of their total production being exported to Europe. At this time, they were operating six furnaces, on around six acres of land with between 500 and 600 employees.  They were becoming popular and making a name for their themselves with the production of  milk glass containers that were shaped like animals.

By 1901, McKee and Brothers Glass Works was acquired by the National Glass Company (which was operating 19 factories at this point), and the name was changed to McKee-Jeanette Glass Company. Many of their directors ended up leaving, to develop competing businesses.

In 1904, McKee-Jeanette Glass Company was awarded a patent for its Pres-cut trademark. Pres-cut glass was a line of glassware that was produced to simulate the highly popular cut glass designs. This line consisted of 27 patterns.  It was hand pressed glass made to resemble cut glass, but was produced and sold at prices the average working family could afford.

In 1908 the company became McKee Glass Company and National Glass Company reorganized and developed the Cambridge Glass Company and the Indiana Glass Company.

In 1917, Glassbake ovenware was developed to compete with the very popular Pyrex brand produced by Corning Glass Works.  Glassbake was produced until 1983.

In 1951, McKee Glass became a subsidiary of Thatcher Glass Manufacturing Company, who began their business around the turn of the century with the production of reuseable glass milk bottles.

In 1961, Jeanette Glass Company purchased Thatcher, and with that purchase, they acquired McKee. Jeanette Glass Company produced tableware until it closed in 1983.

This book is full of history and information about McKee kitchen glass. There are wonderful, bright pictures displaying their most collected items, and gives current prices. I really enjoyed learning about this company, and drooling a little over their products!

Look out Michigan antiques festival...Here we come!!!

Look what I picked up yesterday!!!!!

It is HUGE-and it was CHEAP!!! Can't wait to test it out next Saturday at the Michigan Antiques Festival in Midland!!! Are you going? It's the last one for 9 whole months!!! Auntie and I are going-we can't wait!!

Let me know if you are going and we'll try to find you so we can meet!

Girlfriends in God

A couple of days ago I subscribed to a daily devotional that comes right to my inbox. Lately I've been feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, frustrated and sometimes at the end of my rope from all the things that are going on. I've been also going through a flat time in my walk as a Christian and really needed something to speak to my heart-to encourage me. I tend to spend so much energy encouraging, helping and praying for others-yet I rarely ask my friends for that same kind of support for myself.

I've only gotten 2 emails from this site, but both of them were like a breath of fresh air to me. They spoke right to my heart and what I've been thinking and going through. I also subscribed to two other daily devotionals from this same site and I am really glad I did. Click here to check it out for yourself.

Fabulous Friday Find at Coloradolady-Check This Out!!!

I was catching up on my favorite blogs today and the first one I read was soo awesome-I just had to share so you could go read it too!! Click here to head over to Colorado Lady. It gets even better, because the company she is talking about is right here in Michigan!!!

It is such a neat idea that I can't wait to rifle through old family recipes and order up some towels and aprons for myself and for gifts! 

What is it???

Yep...teenage boys, playing with dry ice, dish soap and water! I got home from my volleyball match last night at about 10:15, so I missed the dry ice and water in capped 2 liter bottles -they are still talking about how much fun it was!!! I think I'm glad I missed it!