Suzie's Sausage Balls

Suzie is one of the BEST cooks in the world!  Her recipes are always simple and delicious.  These are magnificent!  The recipe is easy to double or more and freezes well.

Suzie’s Sausage Balls

Balls

1 lb. country style sausage

¼ cup bread crumbs

1 egg

Mix together. Form balls. Fry until crispy.

Drain.  May be frozen at this point if desired.

If frozen, thaw before adding to sauce.

Sauce

¾ cup ketchup

¼ cup brown sugar

2 T. soy sauce

2T. cider vinegar

Mix ingredients in a saucepan or crock pot.

Add sausage balls and simmer 20 – 30 minutes.

They may be kept warm for a long time in a crockpot.

Hurray for the Winner!

Amy A. is the WINNER of the wonderful pencil sharpener giveaway.  Congratulations Amy!!

Sharpen Your Pencils! {a giveaway}

Do you ever use a pencil?  If so, have I got a treat for you! I teach first grade and we go through a LOT of pencils.  My little ones can sharpen a pencil into oblivion in one session with an electric sharpener.  This nifty new gadget has saved the day, or at least some pencils....

I bought an amazing set of pencil sharpeners for my school classroom.  They were recommended by a colleague and I am super appreciative.  I've never had such well sharpened pencils before, and my first graders can sharpen all by themselves without turning their pencils into nubs.  This sharpener stops when the pencil is sharp!!

These are available at  www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com. The reasonable price of $54 for THREE sharpeners make these quite affordable. They are available individually for $25 each, but why when you could have 3 for $54? This INCLUDES shipping!

These come in colors to suit your needs (red, green, black or blue) and quickly attach to a desktop or bookcase with a clamp that is included.  I have found that even when clamped down the sharpener needs a hand resting on top to keep it stationary, but it seems a natural part of the process.  You will find videos at the website with great directions for sharpening.  You will be truly amazed at the points on your pencils.

What color do you want? Just enter for a chance to WIN your very own sharpener!  I promise you'll be so delighted you'll want to give these as gifts to everyone you know who uses a pencil.

Here we go with the giveaway, good luck! (Winner must have a US mailing address.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


WHEN you win, you'll just need to let me know what color you'd prefer and the kind man at www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com will send you a pencil sharpener right away!

Update and a New Plan

It seems that I only blog in spurts.  I'm going to change that and blog at least weekly. :)  Well, at least that's the plan.

I spent the summer working on this nifty new blog design with the EXPERT help of Lindsay at Happy Potamus Designs.  What a dream experience.  She could read my mind!  I filled out her questionnaire, sent virtual color swatches, told her I was an old woman at heart {you know, I love doilies and fringe!), and POOF I had a blog design I loved. -- She may not quite agree with the POOF part since she had to be the mind reader, but honestly, she made it a fun party and was patient and kind through the process.

Somehow, during this process I have amassed more than 100 followers!  I am planning a couple of prize giveaways and sharing of some nifty products.  Please have patience as I learn to be a real blogger.

For now, please check out my blog. I'm especially happy with the Recipes link.  I've just begun creating the "book" but I will continue to add recipes that our family loves.  If I post it I promise its a keeper at our house.

Check out the other links in the header bar too.  I hope you enjoy your visit at my little place in cyberspace and I DO plan to blog more often.  "See" you soon!

Folded Books

I tend to go overboard when I find something I love to do.  My current passion is folding books. Luckily for me it has proved to be a hobby that even makes a little bit of money!  The summer before last I began folding patterns and shapes, and participated in a WONDERFUL handmade art fair, Bijou Market, that was held in a pear orchard. Here's the  link to that post if you'd like to see pics from that event.(http://www.thewhitesilkpurse.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html)

At that time I was really wanting to learn to fold WORDS into the pages of books... And now, I have!!  I think this is really my niche.  I love looking for just the right books and choosing just the right word(s).

As with all my creative endeavors, I rarely keep any for myself.  Each time I've folded a book for my house it has left with a visitor or been purchased through my etsy shop.  I think I'll fold one to keep soon!

Here are a few MANY of my favorites:

A Love Story {just right for any day or anytime}

Akiva {special order, name}

Believe {this was for Christmas, the cover was pinecones and hollyberries}

{star} Cal {star}

for a brand new baby

Clark

Although this is my son's name, this was a special order last name

Elli

special order - check out the cute endpages peeking out

This is just a pillar fold, but I LOVE the endpages, they are flocked.

Gardner (my maiden name... folded for my brother's family)

H {heart} H

one of two folded for a wedding

HOOP

nickname

Hannah

{This is one of my favorites, the red on the end is a little heart.}

HAYES

This one is the very first word book I folded.

Heart

a book of few pages with a heart.

J {heart} K

from a thoughtful husband for a loving wife

Loved

folded into the pages of a much loved, and therefore retired, library book

Nielsen

last name

READ

vintage children's book

READ

another vintage find -- cool cover

Robinson

This was a poetry book.  I love how the page frames add to the overall look.

Sarah

The Coles

This photo is blurry, but I liked this idea.  It was a wedding order.

Wicked

(a Halloween request)

Zoe

for a Bat Mitzvah

Hmmm.  If you've looked at all of them you are a trouper!  If you'd like to order, my Etsy shop address is:  www.etsy.com/shop/whitesilkpurse

Everyone ought to have a creative outlet... What's yours??

I'll Love You Forever

The Wordful Wednesday challenge from Chocolate on My Cranium was: What fictional character do you identify with the most?

My thoughts immediately turned to the hard-working mama in "The Five Little Peppers."  It certainly isn't because I feel I am like her, but I've yet to snip a thread in my lifetime when I don't think of her carefully taking the thread out of clothing she was mending or repairing and laboriously winding it up to use again since she was too poor to purchase more thread.  I tried it once.  I don't have the patience! I am grateful each time I snip a thread and toss it away that I can afford sufficient thread for my way of life.  She is certainly the fictional character I think of most often.

However...

I love to rock babies.  Many of my fondest memories are of time spent rocking my own babies and now my grandbabies. {I think that makes me a ROCKSTAR.}  The mommy in "I'll Love You Forever,"  by Robert Munsch rocks her baby to sleep saying,

"I'll love you forever

I'll like you for always

As long as I'm living

My baby you'll be."

As my children have grown and begun families of their own these little words become more and more true. Maybe as we get old{er} we begin to reflect more on the truly important things of life. To me, some of the most important hours are those we spend holding tight to those we love dearly.  -- So, I've decided the fictional character with whom I identify has her claim to fame in a simple children's story.

I hope YOU ROCK too!