Simply Home

 A Much Loved Vanley Family Recipe      Many years ago- 41 to be exact, I was given a recipe by a friend.  We were stationed in Germany at the time.  Oh what an experience! (I'll save that for another post.). You can tell by the picture that the recipe card has been well loved!!   These beans  been with me for all these years and has proven to be one that I've made made many, many... many times!  I've made it consistently for every summer bbq,  family get together and sometimes it just showed up on the weekend menu.       I've given it to more people than I can remember as it seems everyone loves it as much as we do! Since the 4th of July holiday is coming next week I thought maybe you would like to add it to the menu for your gathering.  Clearly it isn't a "diet" recipe but oh my... it is SO SO good!      Over the years, I've played a little bit with the recipe, substituting molasses for the corn syrup...

CARING FOR TEAK FURNITURE                         Several years ago, our son had major double hip surgery.  I knew that one of his challenges with recovery would be showering so we bought a teak shower bench to go in our walk in shower.  It was indeed a great help to him as he  recovered.       Fast forward a few years when Brian and I were doing a pool/patio remodel and were looking for outdoor furniture.   We found two beautiful, large, teak rocking chairs that I immediately knew we had to have.  I love wood furniture.  Whether inside or out, wood requires care.  Cleaning and moisturizing are important in order to extend the life of a piece of furniture and keep it looking its best.       After purchasing the rockers I realized that although they are incredibly durable they do require some upkeep.  Taking care of teak isn't hard and doesn't even r...

Repost from September 2012 A friend asked me today to post this recipe so here it is! 1 (15 oz) can chick peas, drained and rinsed 1 avocado, pitted 2 cloves, garlic minced 1/8 cup lemon juice (may need to add more if it seems dry) 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp.olive oil 1 Tbsp. Tahini Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Serve with Pita chips or fresh veggies. Enjoy!   Posted with Blogsy

AMAZON FINDS I LOVE      Before we left Texas I purged quite a lot of things.  Knowing that the home we were moving into was smaller (only approximately 150sf) and with far less storage, getting rid of things was necessary.  It was quite a chore going through 40+ years of collections, Christmas decor, gardening things and clothing that wouldn't be necessary in the tropics.      As we've settled in we've continued to get rid of a lot of things that we either don't have room for or don't need.  Some things we knew we would upgrade to a quality that would serve us for many years to come.       Like most, we have found Amazon to be a great resource.  Ive found several items lately that I've really enjoyed.  Here are a few.     This blanket is absolutely fantastic!  It's the perfect weight for our weather here in Florida.  It washes up nicely and comes in several different colors.  I got it in...