Kathys Cottage

I ♥ My Day Off

2012-01-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

I meant to tell you all about the wonderful dinner we had with my niece last night. She flew in from New York, where she is attending culinary school, and baked a gorgeous and delicious Raspberry pistachio tart. I took lots of photos to share only to find this morning that the flash card for my camera was still in the computer from the last time I downloaded photos, so I have nothing to show you. I hate it when I do bone headed things like that. Sheesh.

I have today off and have decided to spend it doing some fun things I just haven't had time for until now. Making a Valentines banner with some felt and scraps was first on my list and I was up bright and early at 5:30 a.m. to begin. I didn't mean to be up that early, but I find it nearly impossible to sleep in. So I grabbed a cup of coffee and got to work.

Coffee and crafting are a pretty perfect pairing at 5:30 a.m. I had so much fun I plan to make a few more today, along with running some errands, catching up with all of you and maybe finding an old movie to watch. It's cold, it's grey, and I haven't had a day of indulgence for far too long.

What's your favorite way to do nothing?

Little Pots of Sunshine

2012-01-20T16:42:00.001-05:00

Hmmmm, I think I may be substituting the color yellow to make up for the sunshine I'm missing. Not that we haven't had sunshine, but when you work in an office all day you miss a great deal of it.

This sunshine courtesy of my sweet Lauren who knows her mother never met a flower she didn't love ♥

Baby daffodils in a sunny window fairly glow don't you think? And no, I didn't even bump the color up on these photos!

I dropped them into a milk glass container just the right size for a little pot of sunshine.

This is a quick post, I still have dinner to cook, and I may make cupcakes for work tomorrow. People who work a snowy Saturday deserve cupcakes don't they?

Just a few things to share and then it's off to the kitchen.

First, I had a few inquiries about what camera I use. I found a Sony a100 a couple years ago at a great price. I just use the lens it came with, but more lenses are on my wish list.

Secondly, I have had a few people ask about the lemon cookie recipe from the last post. I found it on Pinterest, you can find it here, although if I made it again I would try it with 1/2 the recommended vanilla and the other half lemon extract for a little more lemon ooomph.

And lastly, if you want to dig into photography a little more without waiting for me to find the time for the next installment you might be interested in my photography pin board on Pinterest. I have flipped through some of these sites and there is some really great information to be gleaned

That's it for now, I'm off to cook and clean and then probably try very hard not to fall asleep on the sofa at 8:30. Wish me luck:>)
This weekend will be spent catching up on all the blog reading I missed this week, which was considerable, and working on some projects.

What are you doing this weekend?

Photography 01

2012-01-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

That's right, photography 01, because I still don't know enough about photography for it to be 101. I have been playing with the manual, and even chatted online with the live tech support. I don't suggest you do that unless you have the manual in front of you (in which case why do you need tech support?) or you know what all the knobs and whistles are called. I don't know what he had me doing, but it was completely different than what the manual told me.

Another tip, write down what the settings were before you change them. I didn't think to do that and had a moment of panic when after diddling with the settings all my photos came out black!

I still have a lot to learn, but I thought I would share what I have learned so far.

I can change the settings.

That is huge. Maybe not for those of you who are brave and confident, but for a technophobe who never met a manual that inspired more than a glance as she tossed it in a drawer somewhere, it's like mankind's first step on the moon. Seriously.

So here it is, my first foray into settings. As luck would have it, my day off was met with rain and clouds. Dreary is really what I needed and it's what I got. So I shoved the table next to a north facing window and got busy. Lemon cookies were the subject, and I plan to reward my brave foray into photography with a few cookies and some coffee as soon as this post is done! This first shot was taken with the Auto setting. It's pretty dark, but I think that even with the settings changed in the following photos, they were all still dark enough that they needed editing. I didn't edit until the end so you could compare the settings untouched.

This next photo was taken in manual mode with an iso of 400. Clearly, automatic does a pretty good job of adjusting for light on it's own.

The iso was bumped up to 800 on this photo and you can clearly see the difference. Although, to me, the photo taken on Auto still looks a bit brighter. Don't you think?

And on this photo I bumped the iso all the way to 1600. I can see a difference but not as much as I thought there would be.

And finally, this is the iso 1600 photo after brightening it up in editing. I can see that the higher number does make it a bit grainier.

This is the iso 400 photo after editing to make it brighter. I like it better. It's clearer, the colors are more true. I clearly still have a lot to learn. But it is these side by side comparisons that help me see the differences in the settings. There are so many things to change and so many combinations! White balance, focus, I even found a setting to make the photos more vivid, I may try that next.

The most important thing is, I have finally taken a step toward learning more about my camera and how it works. Will I still shoot on Auto a lot? probably. I think it does a fine job in good light. Most of the photos we post were shot on auto right? And I have seen some beautiful photos. But for when the conditions aren't great, winter, rainy days, dark rooms, I want to be able to compensate and still post a gorgeous picture. Anyone else out there pulling out the manual for the first time? Lets learn together! I have pinned some tutorials on a Photography board in pinterest. I'll be looking for tips and tricks online and occasionally posting what I find. I hope it's an encouragement for someone else who is afraid of the settings to step out and try something too! From one amateur to another, maybe we can figure this out:>)

2012-01-07T08:46:00.001-05:00

I've started a little cupcake paper collection, Michael's dollar bin is a favorite place for pretty papers, cheap and far cuter than what you can get at the grocery store. In the jar is the only way I'll be admiring these beauties for a while. Ahem. Still, they're a colorful touch on the counter and they leave me dreaming of spring with their bright florals and ruby red strawberries and cheery dots.

I finally found my camera manual just this morning. I've made a little list of areas in the house that need to be purged and the first place on my list, there were the manuals. Proof that cleaning and organizing can be beneficial:>) Tomorrow I'll sit down and start going through the basics. Time to really begin to understand what I'm doing when I point the lens at something! How about you? Are you tackling anything new this month?

2012-01-02T16:49:00.001-05:00

"In my dream, the Angel shrugged and said, "If we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination." And then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand."

A new year always feels kind of like that quote to me, like the possibilities are endless, like the world in my hand. What difference can a day really make? We throw away an old calendar and replace it with a new one. Blank boxes with numbers but what has really changed? Our attitude? Our outlook? Is that all it really takes to leave the old behind and start new? Whatever the reason, it is always as if the weight of the old year falls magically away at the stroke of twelve and the slate is wiped clean.

Would that it could be that way each day at the stroke of midnight!

The fluff and clutter, (lovely and welcome as it is on December 1!), has been swept away and the house feels fresher than ever. The red geranium that I couldn't bear to throw on the compost, is blooming better than it did last summer. The brilliant red and green a subtle reminder of the past season, but so fresh and glowing in the scant winter sunshine that it can't help but make me feel more like spring than anything else.

I'm on the mend, still getting over my cold but back to work and feeling better daily. Thank you all for your kind words and wishes :>)

We did go to our friends wedding on New Years Eve. We toasted and kissed the new year in with the happy couple and it was beautiful.

I had to show you their favor boxes. Darling little chocolate robed cheesecake bites baked by none other than my talented husband at the request of the bride. Five hundred little one inch morsels were baked, cut and dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with tiny edible silver stars. Divine, if I do say so myself. That man has a thousand talents and he's all mine!

I am determined this month to spend some evenings watching the dvd that came with my DSLR camera and finally get a clue about how to use the settings rather than shooting on auto all the time. The darkest part of the year seems like the perfect time to practice don't you think? And since I'm now at work all day during the best light, if I don't learn soon, this blog is doomed to dismal photos 'til spring! Anyone else out there who has no idea what the settings are for? If I'm teachable, I'll try to share in the simplest way possible what I learn. Maybe I can help someone else!

I'm off to the mall now, I need a new calendar!

What a Way to Start the New Year

2011-12-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

Normally, in the week between Christmas and New Years, I would be packing away the fluff of Christmas and beginning my year with a fresh, clean home. This week found me lying in bed with a pounding head and other symptoms that you just don't want to hear about. As a die hard blogger I was able to snap this one blurry photo of the weak tea I have been able to consume. I slept through yesterday, something I never do. And have felt just enough better today to lay on the sofa rather than the bed. Needless to say, I haven't been visiting blogs or doing housework or preparing for the family party that is Sunday. I really need to get better. I have a big weekend coming up and I just can not miss it! I have a wedding of a dear friend that I have been looking forward to on New Years eve. Doesn't that sound fun?! A reason to dress up and celebrate rather than falling asleep on the couch at 9pm. Yes, it's a fairly comfy couch, but I'm not 103 yet and a little New Years Eve festivity sounds dreamy. Then Sunday the family party, and thank goodness it's at my sisters house.

So I'm taking the rest of the year off and I'll see you all after the New Year.

Happy New Year to All my Friends !

I'll catch up with what you've been doing when I feel better, right now...

I"m heading for the sofa.

To All My Friends, Far and Near....

2011-12-24T17:55:00.000-05:00

May your Christmas be blessed with love, and warmth and family as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the light of the world.

It's a Marshmallow World in the winter...

2011-12-14T17:22:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun, easy treat for the kids (and grownups too!) Two marshmallows on a short skewer, dipped in white chocolate and decorated with frosting for eyes nose and buttons make a sweet, fun way to stir hot cocoa! Add these to a gift basket, maybe with some home made hot cocoa in a jar and cute winter mugs, and you have a gift that can't help but bring smiles:>)

It's a marshmallow world in the winter,
When the snow comes to cover the ground,
It's time for play,
It's a whipped cream day,
I wait for it the whole year round.

Those are marshmallow clouds being friendly,
In the arms of the evergreen trees,
And the sun is red, like a pumpkin head,
It's shining so your nose won't freeze.

The world is your snowball, see how it grows,
That's how it goes, whenever it snows,
The world is your snowball just for a song,
Get out and roll it along.

It's a yum-yummy world made for sweethearts,
Take a walk with your favorite girl,
It's a sugar date,
What if spring is late?
In winter, it's a marshmallow world.

It's a marshmallow world in the winter,
When the snow comes to cover the ground,
It's time for play,
It's a whipped cream day,
I wait for it the whole year round.

Those are marshmallow clouds being friendly,
In the arms of the evergreen trees,
And the sun is red, like a pumpkin head,
It's shining so your nose won't freeze.

The world is your snowball, see how it grows,
That's how it goes, whenever it snows,
The world is your snowball just for a song,
Get out and roll it along.

It's a yum-yummy world made for sweethearts,
Take a walk with your favorite girl,
It's a sugar date,
What if spring is late?
In winter, it's a marshmallow world,
In winter, it's a marshmallow world.

What It's All About....

2011-12-11T12:49:00.001-05:00

2011-12-07T20:02:00.001-05:00

Gingerbread men, Inspired by BJ who got the recipe from A blog friend and then I tried it too.

Just one big happy family:>)
Run over to Sweet Nothings for the recipe!

Merry Christmas from Kathy's Cottage

2011-12-01T11:36:00.001-05:00

I know, December first is terribly early to be opening Christmas gifts. I just couldn't wait! You know how when you have a giveaway you wish you could send a little something to everyone who comments? I decided, rather than a giveaway, I would give you all something fun. These little boxes are perfect for small candies, cookies or toys. They can be perched on a co-workers desktop, or string ribbon through their hats and hang them on the tree or as a banner! I made four different Santas and the numbers and they are all available to download on my Graphics page.

I taped the corners of the numbered signs to Santa's hands for a 3-d effect.

Make one, or make them all. All you have to do is print, cut out and fold. Maybe a little glitter around the band of his cap? Some lace or trim here and there would be cute.

Just for you, from me. Thanks for visiting all year long, the kind comments, the endless support and advice. You all make my life better:>)

Hugs

Linking with

Savvy City Farmer

Where Women Create

The Charm of Home

Centsational Girl Holiday Home Linky Party

But A Thankful Heart Hath A Continual Feast...

2011-11-24T10:41:00.001-05:00

The turkey's in the oven, Victoria is preparing chili lime sweet potatoes and the rolls and green beans are on the way. We'll be topping it all off with our traditional pumpkin chocolate swirl cheesecake and pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream.

I'll be taking a break til next week some time to get my Christmas plans in order.

I wish you all a warm, bright Thanksgiving with family and friends and time to reflect on the blessings around you:>)

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude. ~E.P. Powell

It is literally true, as the thankless say, that they have nothing to be thankful for. He who sits by the fire, thankless for the fire, is just as if he had no fire. Nothing is possessed save in appreciation, of which thankfulness is the indispensable ingredient. But a thankful heart hath a continual feast. ~W.J. Cameron

Pumpkin Coffeecake

2011-11-21T06:32:00.001-05:00

Good morning! We are in the home stretch. Thanksgiving with all it's baking, family fun and warmth is almost here. Are you counting the days and planning the meal with anticipation? I know we are! I just saw one of the nieces facebook status was "4 nights until cheesecake day". Not turkey day, cheesecake day. Earl has made pumpkin chocolate swirl cheesecake for quite a few years now and I am afraid it outshines even Mr. Turkey on the big day:>) The recipe for the cheesecake can be found on my favorite recipes page, just under my header.

Today I wanted to share a pumpkin coffeecake that is just perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast. Moist and delicious with a streusel topping and drizzled with browned butter glaze. Make it the night before and you won't have to add breakfast prep to your big day.

You can find the recipe here. Don't you just love the Internet for finding great recipes?

I'm off to work now but I'm looking forward to checking in on everyones posts this week and seeing how you are preparing and decorating and anticipating:>)\

And one more thought....

What are you thankful for this week?

Veggie Lasagna

2011-11-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

This mornings bright sunshine, coupled with a day off from work, made me want to be in the sunniest part of the house this morning. That would be the kitchen:>) I whipped up some bread and decided that while it rose I would warm up the kitchen with my favorite lasagna. I got this recipe from a friend years ago and I just hardly ever make lasagna with meat anymore. I have served this to many people and never failed to get rave reviews!

I love to cook and bake from scratch, I think it's healthier, but it's also messier. So when I have potatoes or carrots to peel, I lay down a layer of newspaper so I can roll it all up and toss it when I am finished. It really keeps the mess off the counter!

Veggie Lasagna

32 oz jar of pasta sauce

2 eggs

1 lb. cottage cheese (or ricotta if you prefer)

1/2 lb lasagna noodles (uncooked)

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

10-12 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup thinly sliced,or chopped, parboiled carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray and add enough of the pasta sauce to spread a thin layer on the bottom of the baking dish.

Parboil the carrots, I microwave the sliced carrots with a little water for about 5 minutes, then drain them.

In a bowl stir together the cottage cheese, eggs, salt, spinach, and the rest of the pasta sauce.

In the pan arrange a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan, add half the cheese mixture and 1 cup of mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, filling and cheese, cover with tin foil sprayed with oil so it doesn't stick to the cheese, and bake for 50 minutes covered. Remove foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown the cheese. Yum! The lasagna noodles come out nicely al dente without the fuss of precooking.

Nice warm vegetarian lasagna takes the chill off these blustery, cool November days:>) Enjoy!

This and That

2011-11-14T06:12:00.001-05:00

Between my full time job and wanting to fall asleep every night at 6 pm,( because it's DARK for Pete's sake!) I don't have a lot to write about lately. Anyone else lose their energy with the shorter days? Note to self, must try to stay awake past 9 p.m.

Seriously.

I wanted to show you this, I still have roses blooming. I'm sure that's not a big deal for my friends in the south, but mid November in Michigan? It's fairly unusual. I cut this iceberg rose a couple days ago just to be on the safe side and I have another bud getting ready to bloom outside. I love this rose because it is one of the first to bloom in the cool springtime and it clearly can stand a mild frost or two.

Last week after work, Earl and I had an impromptu date. Out for pizza and a stroll through Pottery Barn and William Sonoma just to get out of the house. I love looking at stores, even when I don't buy. PB was full of Thanksgiving goodies and Christmas decor at the same time. The two best holidays both at the same time? How can you not love that?

I loved the mix of clear and mercury glass candle holders, and how easy would it be to wrap some inexpensive white candles with old sheet music?

I also spotted this cute burlap lampshade. I'll be honest, I am not usually a big fan of burlap in the home, it has an unpleasant odor and it tends to shed. But as a lampshade? It was beautiful. The light shone through the burlap in the most appealing way and I am pretty sure I have some old lace or doilies that I could sew in the center like this for a sweet knock off.

I am pretty lucky that I have a husband who enjoys pizza and shopping as date time. After 31 years together we still date regularly and I think it keeps us close. But after 31 years I'm looking for some new ideas for dates! They have to be cheap and we aren't into sports. Truthfully we are both homebodies at heart.

So do us a favor, tell us, what is your favorite cheap date?

WIP

2011-11-05T17:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my day off. It was a perfect fall day, full of sunshine and cool temps. I just wanted to show you one of my Works In Progress. I have been working on this quilt for the past few months. All of my quilting is a stop and go process. I make the squares, get busy with something else, forget about the quilt for a while, do a little more...it can take what seems like forever to get one done. Some quilters can whip one of these out in a few days. I can't seem to work that fast.

I think I'm in the home stretch for this quilt top. Once I start putting the squares together it lights a fire under me and I pick away at it a little bit faster. I plan on hand quilting this over the winter while I watch t.v. We'll see how it goes.

How about you, any works in progress that you plan on picking away at over the coming winter months?

The Best Apple Cake

2011-11-02T06:44:00.001-05:00

Isn't that just the truth? *sigh*

Of course I'm always willing to share the joy. I found this apple cake recipe on Pinterest and with a huge harvest of apples from my mom-in-love I needed something to use them in, right?

This cake is wonderful, it made the house smell great and the brown sugar, vanilla and cream glaze on the top tastes like caramel. And just so you know, I took most of it to work and shared.

You can find the recipe here. Do a little daydreaming of your own while you have a piece:>)

2011-10-30T06:05:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, we all love a good rescue story don't we? My Roadside Rescued Buffet is being featured at Roadkill Rescue today. I just discovered this website and it is chock full of pretty things saved from the dumpster:>) Click on the button below and check it out. Oh, and have a great Sunday!

I WON!

2011-10-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

It just goes to show what some old sheet music, half a jar of gel medium and a lot of glitter will do. Lol

I won a $50 gift card to the local gourmet grocery store. How fun is that?

I think if I hadn't run out of steam (and time) I might have done the lettering differently, but all in all I was pretty happy with the results, and no messy carving.

Today is my day off and I have a huge list of things I want to accomplish. Odd how having less free time actually spurs you on to make the most of the free time you do get isn't it?

Cleaning and fluffing the house never felt so good.

Here's hoping you make the most of the time you have this beautiful fall weekend too. What do you have planned?

2011-10-25T16:32:00.001-05:00

Has it been over a week since I posted!? Wow, all I can say is the new full time job is kicking my hiney, for any of you out there who work full time and blog on a very regular basis, I tip my hat to you. At some point I will be finished training, know everything there is to know about this job (snort) and be better able to manage my time. In the meantime, bear with me if I don't answer all my emails right now ok?

In other news, I had to share my latest score from Salvation Army. I have been wanting brown transferware for ages, I found this set of 7 plates for about a dollar each, on sale, and snapped them up. Three of them are in a tiered plate holder with fruits and veggies in the kitchen. I would show you how gorgeous they look, and they do look gorgeous, but I'm losing the light and it would entail more work than my sad and tired self is able to muster at the moment. One of the reasons I don't care for the winter months is how quickly it gets dark. Time to haul out the owners manual for my DSLR and actually try to figure out how to use it on manual setting to adjust for light. I have only had this camera two years. Maybe it's time to read the manual?

Also, I wanted to tell you if you are in the market for cute knobs, run, don't walk, to Michaels. these were in the dollar section. That's right, a buck each. I had Lauren with me and she grabbed four cuties for a some day project. Now all she needs is a dresser that only needs four knobs. That's my girl:>)

I finished my pumpkin project for the contest at work last night after dark and didn't get a photo. (where is that camera manual!?) So I have to take my camera in tomorrow and get some pictures all unstyled and everything. But I know you want to see it, and you all have great imaginations so you can imagine it in just the right setting for me right?:>)

Hope your week is going swell.

Talk at you later.

2011-10-18T06:46:00.000-05:00

I think I mentioned that I started a new job. now let me say right up front, I don't blog about work (big sigh of relief from co-workers) but I have to tell you something funny. I work with someone who has read my blog for a while. (Hi Loretta!) Small world or what!? There is something freeing about blogging, and I bet you all feel it too. It's your own little corner and you can chat about only the things you want to and I have to tell you I was a little nervous about working with someone who read the blog.

Photo courtesy BHG.com

Why? Because, well, what if she finds out how boring I really am? What do you think she thought of that big stress zit and my bad hair day I was sporting on my first day, 'cause, I gotta tell you I was working the nerves about starting a new job. (Hi Loretta!)

I can tell you this, everyone was sooo welcoming and nice, especially Loretta. And guess what?

Photo Courtesy marthastewartliving.com

This place is so cool they even hand out pumpkins to the employees and have a pumpkin carving contest. You have to love a place like that:>) Do you think I can copy that Martha pumpkin up there?

Photo courtesy BHG.com

So far, so good. And that's the last work related post you'll see. Until I win that pumpkin carving competition......:>)

And the winner is.....

2011-10-16T12:21:00.000-05:00

A great big thank you to everyone who left such lovely messages celebrating my 600th post.

You make me smile daily when you stop by and leave a little hello. It's what has kept me going for 600 posts!

And the winner of the drawing is.....

Cora of Heartfelt and Homemade!

Cora has a really beautiful blog and she takes the most amazing photos! Stop by and tell her congratulations and take in some of the peace and beauty that is part of her trademark at her own little corner of the world:>)

Congratulations Cora!

Ticking & Toile Tablerunner

2011-10-11T05:15:00.000-05:00

I seldom decorate for fall. I do warm up the house with candles and throws and other cozy things, but I'm not a big fan of Halloween and somehow the autumn season seems so short I just never find the time to really fallify my home. I prefer longer lasting decorating, making and displaying things that can span the seasons but still add a little warmth and fun.

Something about ticking stripes has captured my fancy this year. The simplicity of the stripes has to be one thing I love, and their ability to pair with so many other patterns is another. I grabbed some ticking scraps recently and came up with this little table runner.

Kind of farmhouse, kind of cottage, I think it goes well with my red transfer ware and even with my plain white plates. I love the deep ruffles on each end, and the toile I paired with the two kinds of ticking.

This little beauty is in the shop right now, and I am afraid there won't be any more like it because with my new full time job I am having to focus on some other projects. If you need it, best get over there:>)

How do you warm up the house for fall?

Eye Candy

2011-10-10T07:05:00.001-05:00

Just a little Autumn eye candy from our weekend. It has been perfect weather here, in the 70's, sunshine, blue skies that make the oranges and golds and reds seem even brighter.

We decided to get out and enjoy it while we still can. There can't be many more days like this left. We stopped at a teeny little cider mill yesterday and enjoyed the beauty.

Have a great week my frends. I hope the weather where you are is all blue skies and sunshine.....except for my friends in Texas where I hope you get cozy rainy days that replenish your poor dry soil. I'm praying for rain for you:>)

And don't forget you have until the 15th to enter my giveaway here for the Cabbages and Roses book!

Autumn Decorating

2011-10-07T07:29:00.001-05:00

I have to admit. I see all the lovely autumn decorations that everyone is putting up, and, well, I still have my summer wreath on the front door. I haven't decorated the porch, except for a jug of the last of my garden zinnias by the front door. But my sweetie has been working on a new project that just got me jump started on adding a little bit of autumn to my home.

He's making dough bowls for the shop. I absolutely love them. Filling them with squash satisfies the ~~cheap~~ frugal side of me. I can cook and freeze these for later rather than just throwing them out like so many pumpkins, and I love the different colors and forms. I even threw in a few of the tomatoes and peppers from our garden.

You can find this listed in my etsy right now. For me, this was love at first sight. He has several more in the works and I love how they are turning out! This may be my only nod to autumn at the moment, but I think it satisfies my need for simplicity in my home and represents the bounty I feel we have been blessed with. So much beauty and color and so many blessings. I would love to hear how you feel blessed today:>)

New Seasons

2011-10-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

Change is inevitable. We've all heard that. Sometimes we embrace it, if the change is our idea and we know what's going to happen next, and we feel like we are in control.

Sometimes we fight it. If it isn't our idea. If we have dug ourselves a nice comfy rut over the years. We can look outside and see there are new things to experience, adventures to be had, things to learn.

But we are so darn comfortable with things just the way they are.

Sometimes God changes things just to shake us up. To make us grow. Because if we aren't growing we are stagnating, dying, missing out on things that can make us braver and stronger and better.

I'm one of those people who likes my little rut. I had everything going smoothly thank you. It wasn't exciting, sometimes my rut was irritating and frustrating and a little bit boring.

Still, better the devil you know than the devil you don't right?

Change sometimes makes me cranky.

I have a new job. A full time job. I always obsess about new experiences. Do you? I worry, I fret, I think of the worst thing that could happen. And then when I've worked myself into a tizzy, I deal with it and move on. I start to think about the best that could happen. I ask myself how I can make it work for me. How can I get around the obstacles I see and still make my dreams come true?

I'm looking at this as a new season. The pressure has already started new ideas and goals percolating in my mind. I'm looking forward to growth and moving forward and new ideas.

How about you? Any changes in your life right now?

What's the best that can happen?

If you haven't already left a comment here for my giveaway there's still time!

600 Posts and a giveaway!

2011-09-30T06:37:00.001-05:00

Goodness, tomorrow is October 1st?! Where has September gone?!

I have sadly neglected my little corner of the world. Busy, busy with lots of changes, projects and just life in general.

And guess what? This is my 600th post! Who would have thought when I began blogging wayyyy back on 2007, that it would go this far? So, with Autumn in full swing, and 600 posts under my belt, I feel the need for a giveaway. A thank you for the comments, advice, gifts, and encouragement you have all added to my life over the last 4+ years.

So here's what I am giving away

I saw this gorgeous book the other day and had to have it. I'm getting you a copy too because I know you all love decorating. It's brand new and full of beautiful romantic country style.

All you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment. That's all!

On the other hand, if you want an extra entry, post the giveaway on your blog and come back and let me know, I'll throw in an extra entry for you:>)

The giveaway will end October 15, and I will announce the winner Oct. 16th

Thanks for sticking by me and for all your kind words and friendship.

Happy Autumn!

Monday, Monday

2011-09-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

Tell me,

What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Detail from an original collage I made in Graphic design class last year.

Ever feel like you still don't have it all figured out? As an adult I thought I would have it all mapped out long ago. I keep plugging along, hoping my "someday" dream will turn into reality. A friend of mine thinks she is having a mid-life crisis. She probably is. Because what nobody tells you is that defining yourself, readjusting your reality, tweaking your goals, is an ongoing job. You sometimes wonder if you'll ever get where you want to go. On the other hand, what would you have to look forward to if you did?
Got a dream? Can you see it getting closer? Feel like it's a lost cause?
Don't give up. Share. Realize we all feel a little hopeless. Am I right?
Wrong? Talk to me....

2011-09-19T07:55:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all the well wishes, I am feeling much better this morning and off to work in a few minutes:>) I had to share this photo. Red currants, I have always been curious about them, they look so pretty and I had never tried one. These were on the markdown rack at Meijer last week, they looked fine to me and the fresh date was some time this week. For 75 cents I thought it was the perfect time to try them. Aren't they gorgeous? I just had to take a photo, and then I baked some lovely scones wioth these little jewels inside. I'm afraid they just aren't for me. Each one has a not so tiny hard seed iside that I just don't care for. The fruit itself tastes great and if you don't mind hard seeds in your food you should immediately run out and get some of these. If you prefer your fruit without hard seeds, but find them on the markdown rack, buy them anyways, they make a lovely photo:>) Hope you all had a great weekend, I'll be catching up with everyone tonight!

Happy Monday!

Tomato soup

2011-09-17T15:01:00.001-05:00

I have spent the weekend on the sofa with a snuffly nose, cough and fever. Yay. It's cool here, fall weather has come, and that coupled with the chills from the fever means all I could think about was some home made tomato soup. Soooo, good. With buttery homemade bread croutons It'll knock your socks off. This recipe is one my daughter, Victoria, came up with. She says it came from Pioneer Woman, but I couldn't find one exactly like this so Victoria may have tweaked a PW recipe and made it her own. At any rate, it is perfect when you feel crummy. Or if you're not.

You'll notice that even though I am sick, I could still pull together a photo session for the soup....sick in more ways than one I guess. And just so you know, I pulled that basil garnish out before I ate it. I am ridiculous. Anyway, I hope you aren't feeling under the weather, but file this away for when you are. You'll thank me some day, or I should say you'll thank Victoria.

Tomato Soup
9 x 13" pan of tomatoes roasted, peeled and blended (or 4 cans diced tomatoes drained)
1 clove garlic roasted
1 med. onion sauteed
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 tsp. sugar
Lots of ground pepper (to taste, we LOVE ground pepper)
1/2 tsp salt
A good handful of chopped basil (again, to taste)
1/2 to 3/4 cup white wine

Roast the tomatoes, or drain the canned tomatoes. If you don't roast the garlic you can saute it in with the onion, see the way we roll around here? All loosey goosey? It works.
Saute the onions, when they are all soft and starting to get a little golden, add the broth, wine, tomatoes and everything else on the list. Let it all simmer for 20 minutes. Run some of the chunks through the blender to make it thick and smoother. Taste and adjust seasoning, I like a teeny bit more sugar.
Add home made, buttered croutons and be prepared to be warmed from the inside out. I'm living on this for the next couple days until I feel better, then I may eat some more. Thanks Victoria:>) I ♥ you.

Pesto

2011-09-15T17:51:00.000-05:00

The furnace came on this morning. The temperature outside was a chilly 42 and there is the possibility that we will get frost tonight. Now you know why Michigan girls have a fickle love for Autumn. It's beautiful while it lasts, but the cold comes all too soon. I'm not ready to give up my flowers, the hostas, or the sweet tomatoes that are ripening in the garden. I was determined that I wouldn't lose my basil. It's like green gold and the crop was especially lovely this year. I have already cut it twice and made pesto. Earl harvested the rest tonight and I got it whizzed up in the food processor and ready for the freezer. It freezes like a dream. You know the wonderful spicy smell of fresh cut basil? That is exactly what this pesto smells and tastes like in the dead of winter, thawed and tossed with hot pasta or piled on a burger or sandwich.

I got the recipe from a little book called "In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprahs Favorite Recipes." It's the only recipe I use from that book but it was worth the price. Easy as pie and very few ingredients, oh, and no oil. I like my pesto oil free, but if you want to add oil do it, it won't hurt it a bit. Here's the recipe:

Rosie Daley's Pesto

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts (or you can use walnuts, just as good)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1-5 cloves garlic (I like 2 cloves)

Whiz everything up in your blender or food processor until smooth.

That's it. I freeze it in 1/2 cup plastic containers, just the right amount for a batch of pasta.

We cut most of the zinnias too, I won't leave them out in the cold.

What are you harvesting right now?

Art & Apples

2011-09-12T06:38:00.001-05:00

What a busy weekend! Saturday dawned gloomy and rainy but we had high hopes it would clear up later in the morning. This weekend was the Art & Apples festival in a nearby town and Earl had perfected his Carmel Apple cheescake recipe for the baking contest. We got up early and headed for our Saturday morning coffee date at Panera, discussed the days plans over coffee and a bagel and came home to put the finishing touches on his entry.

By the time we reached the park the sun was beginning to break through the clouds and within minutes it was shining brightly. There were so many delicious looking pies and desserts we started to wonder just what one has to do to get the honor of judging in one of these contests!Just look at those cute apple cake pops! It all looks good, and we knew it would be a tough competition.

And speaking of competition, it didn't take long to realize this was ours, the guy in the white cap, I stealthily snapped his pic to show you. His name was Kevin and he was a professional baker, and his entry was a cheesecake too! Hmmmm....

I kept a close eye on the judges as they tasted their way through the entries. The older lady was careful to give nothing away by her expressions. The guy who was judging was the local Mayor and was focused on eating . He wasn't giving much away either. But the cute brunette, a local newscaster, took one bite of Earl's entry and exclaimed "Oh my gosh!" I thought he had a good chance after that.

I was right. Congratulation on winning Best Apple Dessert sweetheart!

The prize? A handmade pie plate and blue ribbon, but the fun we had with this was even better. After he won we went out to lunch to celebrate, hung out in the bookstore for a while, he helped a friend set up for a party and then we went home and baked two pies for the potluck our church had Sunday to install the new Pastor. I think we finished the pies around midnight. Whew! Whirlwind weekend but it was all good. It's back to work this morning and the week ahead is full of possibility. Enjoy your week full of possibility too. I hope your weekend was as good as ours!

September

2011-09-01T10:09:00.003-05:00

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
- Helen Hunt Jackson

And here we are, the last weekend of summer. I know it isn't officially Autumn until the 23rd, but the days are getting shorter, the nights cooler, the trees redder, and school is back in session. I admit a love/ hate relationship with the season. The trees are all too soon bare and brown and if you have ever experienced a Michigan winter, well, you know where my slight melancholy comes from.

On the other hand, apples and pumpkins and cooler days that allow lots of baking and stews and other good cooking soften the blow of the grey days ahead.

This weekend Victoria heads back to school for her senior year. We are taking her back Sunday, a two hour drive in a van with no air conditioning and predicted temps around 90. What was that I said about cooler weather? Then home and back to our normal routine. The house will be emptier and things will settle into the autumn schedule.

What's that you say? You want to know what the photo above is? Oh, that is Earl's latest project. You see, there is a big Art Festival called Art & Apples, held this time of year in a local park . They are having a contest for apple recipes and Earl has decided to throw his hat in the ring. Or should I say his cheesecake? His Carmel Apple cheesecake? Yeah. He's still perfecting the recipe, and I can't promise he will share, I know, that's mean isn't it? But there are lots of recipes online if you search. I never heard of apple cheesecake until he started looking for an apple dessert recipe. Let me just tell you, apple cheesecake, it's one of the good parts of Autumn ♥
Have a great weekend, enjoy the last days of summer!

Spreading the Word on a Special Giveaway

2011-08-31T07:38:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, PJ @ Seens From The Backs Of My Eyelids, has a brother, Henry, who lost everything he owned to fire on Saturday, July 24, 2011. The outpouring of help for Henry was so overwhelming, PJ would like to thank you all in a special way.

On next Wednesday evening, September 7^th, she will have the computer randomly select three names from her Wednesday blogpost this week.

The first name selected will win a $100 e-certificate to Amazon.com.

The second name selected will win a $75 e-certificate to Amazon.com.

The third name selected will win a $50 e-certificate to Amazon.com.

All you have to do to enter the drawing is be a follower of PJ, leave a comment and MAKE SURE THERE IS A LINK TO YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT. Easy peasy, right?

Before the end of the day on Thursday, September 8^th, PJ will contact the winners and before the end of the day on Friday, September 9^th, she will have the e-certificates sent from Amazon to the winners.

So head on over to PJ's and enter to win!

Taming the Perfection Monster

2011-08-26T07:20:00.001-05:00

We entertained family last night. This weekend is the family "Non-reunion" (so named because a certain someone avoids anything named reunion like the plague. He is totally fooled by the non-reunion renaming, lol) With family members from far away in town that we just couldn't wait to see, we invited them over for some special time together.

May I admit here that this time I was a little stressed? I didn't plan well and with no time to make things fancy I was feelin' cranky. We bloggers tend to do that I think. Make everything a production worthy of Cecil B DeMille with our cupcake flags and tablescapes and whoop-de-doo fancy touches. Truth be told, I love a reason to make things special. But putting that kind of pressure on ourselves can make us entertain less can't it? Does it make us anxious before the guests arrive? What's the deal with that? Because really, getting together with family and friends is about these....

Laughter....

smiles...

Enjoying tarts that leave a whipped cream kiss on your lips:)

Hugs after a satisfying meal.

Gathering firewood with the littlest kids

So you can teach them at an early age how to start a fire...lol

The queen of hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summers day

The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.

It didn't take me long to take a look around and realize that high expectations and trying to make things "perfect" had nearly robbed me of the joy of just being with people I love.

We have promised ourselves to have people over more often. I am promising myself that I won't put so much pressure on myself to make everything perfect.

Because what's more perfect than sharing love?

Thank you Victoria for taking most of these photos while I was busy:)

Sam

2011-08-22T15:26:00.000-05:00

Our family is blessed with some of the sweetest nieces, and a nephew, in the whole world. Earl's sisters' girls are each 9 months different in age from my own daughters and I love them like my very own. We are blessed that they are willing to spend time with us and hang out and talk. I had coffee with my oldest nieces Kayla and Samantha this morning at Panera. We talked for two hours and I'm pretty sure we solved most of the worlds problems over those cups of java and breakfast:)

Afterwards, Samantha had asked her uncle if he felt like making cheesecake with her. He pretty much loves time spent baking with any of the kids so guess what his answer was?

Sam came home with me, tied on an apron and dug in with the Uncle. White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake was the cheesecake du jour. I grabbed a lick of the batter when they were done and, Heavens to Betsy, I think I need to make one for the next holiday!

Tasting is pretty much required for quality control don'tcha know.

And when they were done Sam went home with a cheesecake to die for.

Hey Sam, You are going to save us a piece aren't you:) Hmmmm?

You Can Make Your Own Greek Yogurt

2011-08-18T07:38:00.001-05:00

Yes you can. It's easy and with the price of Greek yogurt at $2 for a small serving it will save you a ton of money! I first saw this recipe here, and with these directions we have been making our own for over a year now. Grocery store cost = $2 for 6 oz. Our cost= $2.50 for about a half gallon!

Greek yogurt is thick and creamy and so good for you! We make the yogurt overnight in the crock pot and strain it through extra large coffee filters to get rid of most of the watery whey so it gets stand up on your spoon thick. With a little practice you will get pretty consistent results, and you can't beat the price! A little honey, a little fresh fruit, and you have a great start to your day:>)

I've added this link to my recipes page. If you give it a try let me know what you think. If you need help, email me, I'll be glad to help you through it.

Enjoy!

2011-08-17T09:39:00.004-05:00

In the shop now...This cutie patootie little rattan bag I found at a sale. Velvet and felt fruits and veggies. Have you ever seen anything like this? When I saw it in I just knew someone would love it :>)

Maybe you?

Ok, off to the sewing machine I go. Hope you're having a great day, found anything cool at a sale lately?

Jam Session

2011-08-15T09:36:00.005-05:00

I have gotten so much done in the last week. Some sewing, cleaning, a weekend away with the love of my life and Jam making! Our pastor has a peach tree and he shared some of the harvest. Bucket after bucket of fuzzy sweetness. We made five kinds of jam and two kinds of peach pie before we hit the bottom of those buckets. And oh. my. If I had to choose favorites they would be the Peach Melba with Raspberry, the Orange peach and the Vanilla peach. Since we make our own Greek yogurt in the crock pot, these are the bomb stirred in for a touch of peachy sweetness! We also made Grand Champion jam for those who like a little spice and a rockin' Butterscotch peach made with brown sugar that we tossed in the freezer.

The Peach Melba with Raspberry recipe and the Butterscotch Peach Jam come from this book, Well Preserved: Third Edition: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook. It is chock full of small batch recipes for jams and relishes, chutneys and pickles. You can find it in my Amazon store on my sidebar under the cooking category :)

Jam is easy and has lots more uses than just a topping for toast. Try it as a glaze for grilled pork or chicken, add some vinegar for the best sweet and sour sauce ever, or do as we do and add it to plain yogurt. We have even given some as gifts already and with fancy flavors you can't get in the stores, and a fresh loaf of home made bread it's a special treat for someone you love.

I would love to hear if you can special treats this time of year. What's your favorite recipe to put up for the winter or give as gifts?

Do You Wanna Be a Quilter?

2011-08-10T18:17:00.002-05:00

Hello, friends and followers!

I would like to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over at www.sewwequilt.com

They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks!

Mondays-Wednesday-Fridays you can win

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it…From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines…everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too…Tuesdays and Thursdays are days for us.

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too.

All you have to do is be my follower and a follower

over at www,sewwequilt.com

That is all! There are over 53 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER!

P.S. You will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with me (or with any blogger where you see this message)

Just email me at kathyscottage@yahoo.com and leave your name, email address and phone number. The info won't be used for anything but this contest!
You don't have to be a quilter to love these prizes! If you sew or know someone who sews, these prizes are gorgeous and with Chirstmas coming they would make great gifts!

2011-08-09T05:45:00.003-05:00

To my love,
You are my joy,
my laughter,
my confidant,
My sounding board,
my hiding place,
my encourager,
my fire in winter,
my explainer of all things,
my protector,
my comfort,
my best friend (forever!),
My strength,
my weakness,
my everything.
Thirty-one years. And counting....♥

Love Kathy

The In Between Time

2011-08-04T08:23:00.000-05:00

It's here, summers last month of heat and sunshine, vacation and play. To me, it is the winding down of summer and the beginning of fall. Our thoughts begin to turn toward crisp days of Autumn, going back to school (*sigh* :>{) and getting the house ready for the hours we will spend inside instead of out in the garden. In my mind it really is a time "in between".

I'll be taking the next week off to get some custom orders finished and get those last few projects done before my day job starts again in a few weeks. I'll be popping by your blogs to say hello now and again and I'll be back with, hopefully, a fresh outlook on the coming season.

In the meantime, I thought I would leave you with a few rooms to drool over from my Pinterest.

Lately I am just loving the warm pine furniture with white that I have been seeing. I have wondered all along if once we all get everything painted white, wood will come back into favor. I'm holding off on painting a few pieces just in case:>)

Although this Island from Habershamhome.com still inspires a little paint love..

All that apple green and distressed white, beautiful!

I love this room just because...well, who couldn't love that stained glass? Toile wallpaper? This looks like the perfect top of the stairs nook to me.

And I have always, always wanted a cozy little booth like this in the kitchen. I swear I would never have to go out for coffee again. This just has my name all over it:>)

What are you doing to get ready for the coming season? Do you feel summer winding down too, or is it still in full swing?

My First Pattern!

2011-08-01T11:22:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to announce my first pattern available in my etsy shop! It's no secret that I'm not a high production sewer. I make these designs, and I love them, but I always have this need to move on to the next thing. That means sometimes I don't make enough of whatever current design to satisfy demand.

So from now on, whenever I put out a new design, I'll do my best to make a corresponding pattern. For those who prefer to use their own fabrics, or personalize the design somehow. You can even make multiples for gift giving!

I hope this helps make my designs more accessible. You can find the pattern in my etsy shop now, and to celebrate my very first pattern, I am offering it postage free:>)

I also want to take the time to say thank you for all the support and encouragement you have given me with your comments, advice and yes, with purchasing my designs. You cannot know what it has meant to me. It has put me on a different path than I would have taken without your input and support.

So, Thanks. You're the best. All of you.

Love Kathy

Participating in:

2011-07-29T17:07:00.002-05:00

This weekend, lets go do some livin:>)

2011-07-26T13:55:00.005-05:00

Just a heads up, I have added more Ruffled Cottage Flag pillows to the shop. I'm working on the pattern and I plan on having it finished and in my etsy by Friday:>)

I think these are timeless. Not just for the 4th of July. I love our flag so much, I think it is the most beautiful flag in the world!

So these are my tribute, and I think they would look good in a cottage, a farmhouse, or anywhere else.

If you're interested you need to get them fast, I'm moving on to the next thing that is begging to get out of my head and onto my sewing machine!

I'm off to finish that pattern now, and then....well, there's always something new to do isn't there?

There is at my house. What's new at yours?

This 'N That

2011-07-25T07:33:00.001-05:00

Good Morning! One more week of July. I'm dragging my heels trying to slow down the calendar. If anyone has found a way to make that happen please share now. I avert my eyes from the Back to School sales. I literally look away. Because if I can't see it it's not there right? Don't even get me started on the HALLOWEEN merchandise that I almost let myself catch a glimpse of. Not ready.

Instead, let us meditate on the latest farmers market bouquet that dear Husband picked up for me this Saturday, along with the first fresh ears of sweet corn.

I came home and plunked each kind of flower in one of my old blue jars for the dining room.

I like how it looks like a mini farmers market flower stand:>) And I never get tired of that shade of aqua blue glass. The smaller zinnias came from the vegetable garden. They may be my favorite vegetable to grow.

This week, I'm working on finishing up a pattern for the ruffled flag pillow for my etsy shop. I hope to have it in the shop by the end of the week, along with a few more ready made pillows for anyone who doesn't sew. I struggle with time management, (bet you didn't notice), priorities, goals. Working from home for the summer I'm a worse task master than anyone else I've ever worked for. So many projects, so little time. I have to force myself to take time off to have fun, to spend face to face time with the people I love. It shouldn't be that way, but it is. At the same time there is a restlessness that I just can't get rid of. Flitting from one project to the next. Unable to sit still. Waiting for change, feeling it perched on the edge of the horizon and wondering why it doesn't. just. get. here.

Ever feel that way yourself?

What are you doing with the last week of July?

Living in the Moment

2011-07-21T08:11:00.000-05:00

I like to think ahead. While I'm busy in the now, I plan for the future. It's a delicate balance, this planning ahead. Sometimes you find your head so full of what's to come, that you can miss the beauty of now.

Like these lemony lilies.

Or these fiery, orangey ones, (which, I'm not usually all about fiery orange, but these were on the $1 rack at the farmers market a couple years ago, and I am ALL about $1 perennial surprises in the garden!)

Penny, this is as far as our tomatoes have gotten. I'm looking forward to the piles of red riches you are harvesting right now? See I do look ahead!

I'm loving the bee filled squash blossoms

And the hollyhocks in every shade of pink and red!

So what is all this talk of Christmas? BHG is sending my email Christmas gift ideas to make now.

I see Christmas fabrics in the stores and Tip Junkie is having a Christmas in July giveaway week, which, yes, I did enter to win a cute camera bag, but I won't think of it as a Christmas gift.

I dream of Spring and Summer all through the dark, cold days of winter.

So even though it is supposed to hit 100 degrees today, I may be hiding in my air conditioned house, but I'll be looking out the window as I sew at the garden. Watching the flowers bloom and the hummingbirds feast, and living in the warm sunshine of the moment.

How about you? When do you start planning for Christmas?

Hollyhocks

2011-07-15T11:33:00.003-05:00

I've always loved hollyhocks, their tall spires of cupped blooms that reach to the sky add so much to any cottage garden. A while ago, sweet husband and I were perusing an estate sale when I spotted these dishes on one of the tables. I fell in love with these immediately but the price was too high to justify buying them. I walked away wishing ...

Sweet husband went back and bought them for me:>)

Aren't these just the cutest, cottagey dishes ever?

Royal Staffordshire "Hollyhocks". Four cups and saucers, four dessert plates and a pretty little 10" cake tray.

I adore sweet husband:>)

Ruffles and Dots

2011-07-12T19:14:00.004-05:00

You can tell I'm on a bit of a "ruffle roll" with my sewing.
I think it's such a pretty trend and, so far, I haven't seen anyone who can't look cute wearing them.
So I went through my fabric stash, gritted my teeth and pulled out some of the fabrics that I love so much that I wouldn't cut into them before. If you sew you know what I mean. You're waiting for something really special to make with those fabrics and they make you happy every time you look at them. You might be surprised that neither of these beauties are predominantly red. I'm a little surprised myself. I do love lots of colors you know, I just love red more.
So I grabbed the daughters, tied one on each of them and the photo session began.

One of them is a little more of a ham in front of the camera:>) Love them both to the moon and back.

So which is your favorite? (The aprons, not the daughters, we don't play favorites around here!)

You can find them now in the shop.

2011-07-11T12:13:00.002-05:00

Donna, over at Funky Junk Interiors, has started a series on losing the "junk" we don't want. No, it isn't about cleaning the basement out. She's talking about the junk we carry with us everywhere we go. It's a battle that I have fought, sometimes half heartedly, for years. There comes a time when you have to admit it's time to get serious, and that time has come. Hours in front of the computer and sitting in class, have given me more than increased knowledge, if you know what I mean:>(

So it's time to get real, get off my hiney more, eat healthier and get some results.

I've been trying to get on the bike more this summer, early morning is cool and quiet and I am blessed to have miles of beautiful bike path to wander. I'm not pushing myself yet and I'm thinking of getting a softer seat because, darn, those bike seats are not for the faint hearted, or the fitness challenged.

It occurred to me last week as I was riding, when I was a teen I rode my bike for fun. I didn't go as fast as I could to raise my heart rate, or go as far as my legs would go before they started protesting. I took my time, I looked around, I felt the wind in my hair and I quit when I was good and ready.

When riding my bike became a means to burn calories, the joy went out of it. It became a chore, one more hurdle to jump and something to "get done". No wonder I quit!

So I'm putting the fun back in. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that when I make something that used to be fun just one more thing to check off my list, I lose all interest in doing it.

In other news, I just had to show off my really high tech photography skills with these photos I took last time I was visiting my mom in the country. For those of you who live where there are no lightning bugs, I send my deepest sympathy. They are one of the most magical and beautiful things on summer nights, and they gather in greater numbers where the grass grows tallest and there are lots of fields to hide in and feast on pollen. This night, as I looked out my mothers back door I saw hundreds of these little guys lighting up the yard and field. Do you see them? Those little squiggles of light?

Do you have any idea how hard these little stinkers are to photograph? In the dark no less. I'm a little amazed I got any image at all, but I'm thinking these squiggles of light they made as I took the picture are pretty cool.

I really wish I could capture the fields blinking with the light of these little bugs.

So beautiful:>)

Summer is slipping past, take time to stop and look for it's little wonders.

Happy July!

2011-07-01T11:49:00.005-05:00

I'm sorry to see June go, with the cool spring days and first of the flowers blooming, but July does have its sweetness. Hot and sunny, days at the beach, the lavender and roses are blooming, and fireflies and dragonflies have come out to play.

And of course, July begins with a bang! Red, white and blue celebrations, and cookouts and fireworks.

Who couldn't love that?

I spent a little time making over our tiny back porch this week. Sorry no before photos. Sometimes I get a bee in my bonnet and the next thing you know I'm checking the spray paint stash in the basement and dragging my latest victim to the yard for a fresh coat of color:>)

This is the view from the kitchen door way, down the stairs and through our little back entry. We have a humble little cottage, built in the 40's, with a humble little back porch. Earl built a pergola for me for our 25th anniversary. I love it so much! It defines the area and shelters this little wicker settee I picked up a couple years ago at a garage sale for $6.

I think I have spent more on spray painting it than it cost to begin with!
A faded but still beautiful yard sale oriental rug catches dirt and provides a little softness for my bare feet. At $5, it's disposable if it doesn't survive the summer.

This week, I decided the chipped and faded white settee needed to be black, and the faded cushion that came with it needed a fresh cover of red and white ticking. I found the ticking at JoAnne Fabrics in the sale aisle. Marked down from $25 a yard to $9 a yard, it was 50% off the sale price for a grand total of $4.50. I love a good sale.

Love it. And it's comfy to boot. A beautiful place for morning coffee.

I foofed the whole area up for the 4th of July weekend with one of my ruffled flag pillows and a couple quick bunting projects. The flag bunting was made from a single package of dollar store flags and some leftover skinny bias tape. We're having some cookouts and parties this month so I plan to leave them up all month.

Plans for projects this weekend and going to a friends house for a cookout on the 4th.

I hope you all have a spectacular weekend.

Happy 4th of July!
Linking with

And the winner is.....

2011-06-28T05:56:00.005-05:00

#36, Patti from Pandora's Box! Congratulations Patti, I'll get it out to you as soon as I get your address. I wish I could send you all a pillow, but I have some in the works for the shop if you must have one, and I'm working on the pattern so you can sew it yourself if you would rather:>)
Many thanks for all the kind comments. If you didn't win this time I have some more fun giveaways up my sleeve for this summer. Stay tuned!

A Blessing Of Berries

2011-06-25T16:01:00.003-05:00

Earl's favorite Uncle showed up a couple days ago with a load of fresh picked berries. This is the Uncle that sometimes drops off a big bag of wild Morel mushrooms or a fresh pheasant he got during hunting season. Once I asked him if he could save me some pheasant feathers and he brought me the whole pheasant.

Alive.

Don't ask me how he got a live one....but I digress.

This time he showed up with a big bag of berries. A blessing for sure. Enough for fresh strawberry shortcake and a batch of freezer jam. Yum!

This will taste like summer when the cold winds blow!

That is, it will if we don't eat it all before winter;>)

And just for a little extra fun, if you're making freezer jam of your own, you might want to print out these cute labels I made. I printed them on card stock, but if you have label paper, even better! Then just use some fancy scrapbook scissors to cut a scalloped edge.

You can find them on my new Graphics page, just click on the picture and print.

Have you gone berry picking yet?

Don't forget, this is the last weekend before the pillow giveaway ends. I'll be picking a name Tuesday morning so go leave a comment now!

Dahlia Cupcakes

2011-06-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

This weekend I helped a friend decorate cupcakes for an open house. It was getting dark by the time we finished and my photos didn't turn out. So I had to make a batch at home.

Darn:>)

These cupcakes are super easy and I think they are just the cutest ever. You simply cut mini marshmallows in half diagonally, toss in a bag with colored sugar and arrange the "petals" around the frosted cupcake in layers to make the flower. I used white pearl cake decorations for the centers, and I had to use red sugar because that was all I had. Go figure.

These look adorable on mini cupcakes too.

Don't forget to comment on my giveaway post for a chance to win my ruffled flag pillow. Giveaway ends Monday, June 27th so hurry!

A Fourth of July Giveway!

2011-06-17T12:03:00.005-05:00

Oh happy day! Summer is finally here for me. I have been wanting to do a giveaway as a thank you to all my loyal readers and friends, and now seems like a great time. You all mean so much to me, and I really mean that! Some of you have been friends for most or all of the 4 years I have been blogging, and I hope our friendship continues for many more.You've lifted my spirits when I was down, given advice, listened to my woes and cheered on my victories.

I love you for that and so much more:>)

So, I just couldn't wait any longer to post this giveaway. This is the prototype for my new pillow. I hope to have some in the shop by early next week, but for now, I am giving this one away and I'll send it out in time for you to get it before the 4th of July weekend. The giveaway ends Monday June 27th, that should give it plenty of time to get where it's going before the holiday. Here's how to enter:

Simple really, just leave a comment! If you want a second entry, just mention this giveaway on your blog and then leave me a separate comment to let me know you helped me get the word out. Please, please make sure you are either signed in to your blog so I can contact you, or leave an email address so I can reach you if you win. If I can't reach you, I will have no choice but to pick another name:>(

So tell me, what kind of fun do you have planned for the 4th of July weekend?
This giveaway is now closed.

Sharing this project on:

And:

Button, Button

2011-06-16T18:38:00.001-05:00

Don't you love these covered buttons? I had a beautiful old tablecover embroidered with these pretty blue flowers that was terribly stained. I hated to throw it out, so I purchased cover-your-own buttons at the fabric store and gave it a shot. I love how they turned out and they are so unique. Think of all the damaged linens that could be saved from the trash this way! I can see these down the back of a wedding dress as the something blue can't you?

I haven't forgotten the give away I promised you either. In honor of the beginning of my summer, I will be posting it tomorrow. Here's a sneak peek;>)

Oh say, can you see?

Bet you can tell what it is. ♥

My Bowl of Cherries

2011-06-13T06:39:00.001-05:00

I woke up this morning to the leftovers of our busy weekend. Dishes in the sink, the Sunday paper on the floor, laundry to be done. Not the kind of house that inspires beautiful photos of the latest makeover, upcycle, decorating binge. One more week of my school job before my summer truly begins. The week ahead is crammed with an open house, birthday party, baking, helping friends move, physical therapy sessions for a bunged up shoulder as the result of a spectacular clown like fall at work,( holding the remains of my birthday cake no less!) and lots of family time. I'm getting to the give-away I promised, really I am, but it may be the end of the week rather than the beginning. I think it's worth the wait:>)

This life may not be the perfect photo op at the moment, but it is beautiful. I'm betting that your summer is filling up too. So tell me, what is it filling up with? Family? Camping? Parties?

I can't wait to hear.

Salad Days

2011-06-09T06:44:00.006-05:00

I just looked up the term Salad days, Wikipedia says it refers to a youthful time, accompanied by the inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism, innocence, or indiscretion of youth. Well I don't know about you, but summer seems full of idealism and innocence to me, and it always makes me feel a little younger to grab a cool glass of tea or lemonade and a fresh salad and head out for a little down time in the shade!

With the weather heating up, it has been in the 90's here for the past two days, I love a cool, easy salad for dinner.Here is a good one to try.

Asparagus with Tomatoes and Feta, served warm or cold. We tried it warm and I added a splash of balsamic viniagrette. Delicious and healthy. You can find the recipe here.

How about you? Do you have any new salad recipes to share? Just add them to the linky below!

Six more days of work and then I am off for the summer, I just. can't. wait. I'm working on some fun things already and gearing up for a little give-away next week to celebrate my summer freedom, so stay tuned!

2011-06-04T11:23:00.002-05:00

Do you Pinterest? Need an invite? I have a few left, just let me know in the comments (I'll need your email). In the meantime, I'm having a blast! Happy Saturday:>)

Stash Busting

2011-06-01T07:01:00.000-05:00

Is it really June already? May went by in a blur of raindrops here. They say out of the last 60 days, 40 of them have been rainy. The inch of water in our basement confirms that. How I wish I could send some of it to those of you who are going through drought.

May was crazy busy, last Thursday Earl and I cooked an appreciation dinner for 21 volunteers in our churches Children's department. Yard work, cookouts, and I have been trying to get through the yards and yards of fabrics I have in my stash. Time to stock the shop.

I am having so much fun mixing and matching colors and patterns. Who knew I had this much pink and green? I hope to have some fun things for Hens in Daisies by the end of the week.

Now I'm grabbing an iced coffee and taking a quick walk in the cool morning garden before work.

Any special plans for June?

In Loving Memory

2011-05-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

In memory of all who have fought and died for our freedom, and in gratitude for all who serve now.

Lilac Time

2011-05-19T13:58:00.000-05:00

The rain has finally stopped, the sun is shining in the most beautiful way, and oh my goodness, the lilacs are in full bloom!

I don't believe I have ever in my life lived in a home without several lilac bushes on the property.

I have 4 big bushes here at the cottage.

Love.

Victoria just grabbed a basket and the clippers and harvested some for me:>)

You can't even tell she took any from the bush.

♥I wish you could smell these.♥

Do you have lilacs?

Cute Shoes Make the World Go 'Round

2011-05-18T07:44:00.001-05:00

Well ok, not really, but I really like them. These were my Mothers Day gift from Victoria. The girl knows what I ♥:>)

Looks like it's time to paint the front porch again.

And why did I paint it white last time? It gets too dirty.

Do you suppose the neighbors who were driving by on their way to work wondered why on earth I was taking pictures of my feet on the front porch? lol

Or maybe they're used to me.
Ah well, I've gotta be me:>)

2011-05-15T14:52:00.002-05:00

Cold and rainy today, and that always inspires us to head for the kitchen.

Stir fried veggies and toasted multi grain baguette slices with smoked Cajun salmon dip. Another one of the recipes we tried at the awesome fish place last weekend. Earl put together equal parts low fat sour cream and low fat mayo, some chopped thyme, red pepper, scallions, chives, dill and shallots to taste with the 1/2 lb. of Cajun smoked salmon we bought at the restaurant.

On the toasted baguettes it was heavenly:>)

Then it was time to try the caramel macchiato cupcake recipe I found online, here.

My daughters did the honors and baked these delightful cupcakes with home made caramel drizzled on top of the coffee flavored whipped cream. Did I mention they have mad skills like their father? They do.

Salad for dinner. I've had my allotment of comfort food for the day:>) Maybe for the week.

Oh my.

I Love Mail

2011-05-14T13:44:00.003-05:00

And who wouldn't when they get this kind of cute in the mailbox? A dear friend sent me this gorgeous runner for my upcoming birthday. In all my favorite colors and it looks sooo cute in my dining room:>)

Here's a close up, and see, she hand quilted this beauty and added Jumbo red ric rac. ♥

Thank you Trish, I adore my runner, and it means so much to me that you did this just for me!

And just a peek at springtime so far in Michigan. Finally we have warm weather and sunshine and everything is bursting into bloom. I cut my first vase full of lilacs for the house to go on my pretty runner.
The little speckled violets below are called "Freckles" and were given to me by my dear husband years ago, just because he knows how much I love violets.

The white blossoms are the old pear tree, the pink blossoms are the peach tree and I'm sure you all recognize forsythia. It doesn't grow in my yard, but the neighbors have some planted right up next to the lot line so I can enjoy them too. It's a rainy, easy Saturday here today, and apparently for the next week. Rain forecast almost every day. I'm ok with that. Time to hunker down and get some sewing done. I've been looking forward to getting back to the machine and letting mundane things like laundry and mowing the lawn and just generally messing around get in the way. No more, I'll have some fun things for you soon, and I think its just about time for a giveaway. I want to make it a good one, so it's off to the machine to whip up something fun:>)

What do you have planned this week?

The Best Restaurant Ever... and a Recipe

2011-05-11T17:10:00.000-05:00

I promised to tell you about the restaurant we found on our weekend away. A little restaurant overlooking the beautiful Saint Clair River called The Marine City Fish Company owned by a young couple named Jeremy and Melissa. You know how sometimes you go out to eat and end the meal feeling you could have really done better cooking at home? Not here. Earl and I know our way around the kitchen but I found myself wondering how much we could get for our home and what blogging would be like from this little town.

There are only about twelve tables but they are expanding this summer. A cute little place with kitschy fishing art on the walls, Dean Martin and other real oldies playing in the background, and dark wood tables. It was cozy and warm. We sat at a table where we could look across the street at the view of the river. Pretty.

We decided to have a "light" lunch of appetizers. They smoke their own fish so Earl had the smoked salmon and cheese appetizer.

I had the herb grilled feta bread with blackened tenderloin tips, but we shared, so we got a little of each dish .

These things were huge, and we loved every bite. We had the same waitress for lunch at 11:00 and dinner at 7 p.m. and she was as sweet and cheerful after working hard all day as she was when they opened. She informed us that everything on the menu, right down to the pasta and potato chips, is home made!

We loved the herb grilled feta bread so much that we decided to try to make our own at home! I used my Whole Wheat Honey French Bread recipe, but I used all white flour. I let it rise once and then rolled it into thin, 10" rounds brushed olive oil on one side, and threw it on the grill oil side down. It grills very fast about 2-3 minutes per side. I liked it hot off the grill with a little butter. Chewy and warm and the smokey flavor brought out the sweetness of the bread.

I thawed some of our frozen pesto and added olive oil. My pesto recipe doesn't have oil in it to begin with, so it is thicker than regular pesto. The oil helped me spread it on the crust.

Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives and fresh thyme, or whatever herb you like. I was winging it without a recipe and this is what we had.

Add Feta cheese,

Add fresh sliced tomatoes (I can't wait for real garden tomatoes for this!)

Some thinly sliced onion. The restaurant used red onions, but I had some vidalias so I used them!

And slice and eat! I looked at the photo I took of my restaurant appetizer and it looks like they added more herb/basil oil on top of the toppings. I would do that next time for the extra flavor:>)

Not exactly like the restaurant dish, but I'll keep tweaking it, and I still love it!

If you are ever on the East side of Michigan I highly recommend a visit to this restaurant. It is worth the drive:>)

Marine City

2011-05-09T06:14:00.004-05:00

Earl and I have a Saturday morning ritual that we look forward to all week. We reserve Saturday for coffee out at our favorite coffee shop (Panera!) and we don't rush. It's our time together to plan for the upcoming week and reconnect. After a long and stressful winter cooped up in the house, I wanted to surprise my sweetheart with a weekend away. So, Friday while he was out of the house I packed our bags and stashed them in a separate room. I couldn't put them in the car because we were headed out later that day to celebrate Lauren's birthday. I had to wait until he was asleep Friday night to sneak the bags out to the car:>) Then I laughed myself to sleep.

The next morning after coffee I told him I had planned a little adventure and that we were headed to Marine City, about an hour away. He was dubious. He had work planned. I could tell he needed to get his head around it. To his credit he did.

Marine City is on the East side of Michigan. It is on the St. Clair River and you can see across the water to Canada. The East side of the state doesn't get as much press as Traverse City and the west side, but it has some beautiful places to visit and is so much less crowded. It's also close to us so it was perfect for a quick trip. I had searched for a B&B for the night and found one called the Heather House that was right across the street from the river. It was beautiful and the hostess, Barbara, was one of the most accommodating and enthusiastic hostesses I have ever met. The house was amazing. Owned and decorated by Barbara's retired parents, and if you are looking for your own B&B, it's for sale!

Loaded with stained glass and beautiful details, it was a dream to stay here! Every room has a private balcony, ours overlooked the river and we spent Sunday morning before breakfast on the balcony watching the sun rise and the ships pass with a carafe of coffee. Did I mention the weather was perfect this past weekend? It was. *sigh* everything I hoped it would be. Sunny and warm. Who would think one day away could be so relaxing? We spent Saturday perusing the antique shops in town and took in a movie. We also found our favorite restaurant ever.

EVER.

I'll tell you about that tomorrow because it deserves it's own post. In the meantime, I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers day! I know I did. I got upcoming shopping trips with my girls for Mothers Day, who wouldn't love that?

And how was your weekend?

Happy Birthday Lauren!

2011-05-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

How did you go from this dear little girl

To this dear, beautiful young woman, so fast?

Refinishing a cedar chest for your new apartment down in the ~~dungeon~~ basement, all glam in your rhinestone earrings.

Looking forward to curling up with a movie and some of your dads triple chocolate brownie and ganache torte tonight with you after work:>) You'll always be our little girl.

2011-04-30T17:10:00.002-05:00

Since it's almost May Day I thought I would share some photos of today's first Farmers Market visit of the season. The colors were vibrant and beautiful and I wanted to take every single thing home. I restrained myself though. The market was only half full of vendors this early in the season, and the prices and choices get better with more competition. Besides it's still a bit cold to plant any of these lovelies. It was 33 degrees this morning when I got out of bed!

Yesterday Earl and I helped Lauren move into a new cute apartment. Still lots to be done but she had a place to sit and a bed to sleep in and most of her kitchen things put away when we left. In two weeks, Victoria comes home for the summer from college, and in the meantime I have been making long overdue phone calls to friends who have been very patiently waiting for my classes to be finished so we can get together for lunch out or a coffee date. I am taking some time to sit back and relax and just think about things, but I am kicking some great projects around in my head and looking forward to having more fun things to share. Forgive me if I've been antisocial, I'm Looking forward to looking in on my blog friends and putting together a giveaway or two.

Thanks for waiting for me. I'm back!

Linking up With Bev For Pink Saturday

2011-04-25T14:54:00.002-05:00

A few photos from our Easter celebration. I couln't resist this picture of the brilliant sunshine we had on Saturday. It's the little things that make me happy, like sunshine glowing on dishsoap:>)

Earl and Victoria worked on desserts for our family dinner. These Lime Cheesecake Tartlets were soooo good. Creamy whipped cream, cream cheese, and lime in a graham cracker crust. Delicious and easy.

They also worked on this Lemon Pistachio Cake with a lemony glaze. Really good buttermilk cake with a pistachio crust. Fun to try something new, and we had no complaints;>)

We also had the usual redskin potatoes with fresh chive butter, honey ginger glazed carrots, a beautiful salad and home made rolls, mom brought pickles and pickled beets and a glazed ham.. I'm still full. Did I get any pictures? Of course not, too busy getting it all on the table after church and then enjoying time with most of the extended family. Bad blogger.
In other news, I am thrilled to say that tomorrow is my last class for this semester. Yay! I am so ready to move on. I have learned so much but it has taken a huge amount of time away from other things.
I'm finishing up my final project right now. I think I might find a little more time for visits and posts and, well, just real life in the very near future. And how was your Easter?

Good Friday Blessings

2011-04-22T13:59:00.002-05:00

2011-04-18T08:13:00.004-05:00

Seriously? *sigh* 2-4 inches predicted, I'm feeling all blue and then I turn on the news and see what my friends down south have gone through with the devastation brought on by tornados. What a baby I am. I'll take the snow, thank you. Praying for everyone affected by the destruction in the south. Praying and hoping all my friends are ok.

2011-04-14T14:08:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness, golly

You know that list I'm making in my head of things I don't really need?

Flowers don't appear anywhere on that list

I stopped at Home Depot this afternoon on the way home from work, and lost my head and my heart to these Ranunculus and Violas. The lady who works there had to wait to water them while I tried to decide what colors to get. She was very patient.

Well red goes without saying...

But the rest took a while. I finally decided on different shades of pink and filled in with orange and yellow and purple Johnny Jump-ups. My front porch window boxes are a riot!

Aren't the ruffles on these amazing? I may have to cover them for a while at night, but it is well and truly Spring now:>)

Transitions

2011-04-08T10:57:00.000-05:00

This is the extent of my spring decorating. I finally got the wreath on my front door and I don't know if I'll get much more done than that. Decorating and fluffing are taking a back burner this Spring to prayer and meditation and planning for the future. I feel change coming so strongly. With the lack of jobs in Michigan, Earl and I have talked briefly about moving out of state and it has made me take a look around and start really paring things down. Do I really need everything in my home? What can I do without and not miss it? Come to find out, there is a lot that I'm not all that attached to. The thought of packing it, moving it and unpacking it sheds a different light on my possessions. I don't know if we will be moving, but I want to be ready for the adventure if the opportunity presents itself. Some of this stuff weighs me down. Some I just need to get rid of because I need a fresh start. So I've been boxing it up and taking it to Salvation Army, hauling it out with the trash (yes, some of it should have gone long ago!) and getting ready for change. It feels really good. It frees me to think of things in a new light.

How about you? When was the last time you sat down and thought about where you were headed and what changes you might make if you were free of all the little things that hold you down. Just because you're older or settled doesn't mean you don't have a future, or dreams, or ambitions.

Are you ready if adventure calls you?

Scam

2011-04-07T08:19:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone. Just a note. I was checking my spam this morning and noticed an email from someone named Kathy Lagoli. It read, "Haven't heard back from you, are you still in business?" and the subject referred to a give-away I had entered. I didn't see anything else from her so I emailed back that I was and what could I do for her. Then I did a search on the name and came up with several bloggers who have recieved the same message and who say it is some kind of phishing scam. Yipee. If you get a similar email from this person, don't open it. I just hope it isn't going to totally mess up my email or get addresses from it somehow. Just thought I would put the word out.

2011-04-04T10:16:00.004-05:00

Spring break began for me Friday. ♥Oh how I love the sound of those words. ♥

I hope I can post a little more than once this week, I have some major projects to do around the house and have some lunches sheduled with friends and, well, you get the idea.

It's catch up time for everything I haven't had time for.

Here is someone I always have time for. Lauren spends her Sundays with us. Love that. I think we will be cooking together a lot on Sundays. Lauren, her dad and I. She is moving into a new cute apartment at the end of the month and I have some decorating projects on the calender with her. Furniture to paint, fun to be had. But I digress. The kid knows how to cook, she just lacks a little faith in herself, and a good basic cookbook, which I didn't realize until this weekend. So her dad and I are walking her through some of her favorite recipes on Sunday afternoons. This week she made her favorite sausage and asparagus quiche with me, turkey burgers for the freezer with her dad, along with some tips on poaching chicken breasts to use in quick recipes after work. She went home with goodies for the freezer and fridge and we had a great time.

(Oooh, a sneak peek of the upper cabinets, still working on the lower ones.)

laughing together...

and having coffee

And just having fun. I think the mug says it all.

She's sweet:>)

I would love to hear what your go to favorite basic cookbook is. Mine is an old Betty Crocker circa 1973. Any suggestions for a good one for her?

Carnations and Characters

2011-03-23T15:05:00.002-05:00

The only thing that can take the bitter sting out of the ice storm we got last night, (I won't bore you with photos, I'm sure you've all seen enough ice for the year!) is the fluffy pinkness of grocery store carnations.

At $1.99 a bunch I can afford to chase the gloom and think of sunshine and warmth and all things spring.

Earl saw me photographing these and commented that he assumed I was posting a bitter rebuttal to the winter weather. Oh yes, the man knows me well.

On another subject I thought Iwould show you what has been taking up so many hours that I can barely keep up with blogging. Oh yes, it looks innocent enough, but when you're learning, it is hours of diddling around at the computer. The assignment was to illustrate a video game or comic type character, based on ourselves, that told something about us. I sew, of course, so here I am in all my superhero glory. I want you to know this is an exact replication of what I look like. Really. I have an outfit just like the one I'm wearing in this illustration.

And I'm that skinny.

And thimbles shoot from my fingertips.

Sometimes I crack me up.

Happy St. Pat's

2011-03-17T07:42:00.001-05:00

Forget red, green is what I crave right now. It's beginning to peek through the snow (which should be completely obliterated by warmth and rain by the end of the day!) and we have a predicted high of 64 today, which in Kathyworld means almost 70. I'm tempted to call into work with Spring fever but I'm just too darn responsible, so I'll open the window when I get there and count every ticking second til I can walk out the door. Although, really, Spring fever is a recognized malady isn't it?

I've been hard at work on the kitchen, homework, weeding out the house in an attempt to simplify and spending time with the girls, since Victoria is home on Spring break:>) It hasn't left much time for blogging but I won't apologise. Sometimes real life takes a front seat and there are only so many hours in the day. Did you find that setting the clocks ahead gave you an extra hour? Isn't it supposed to?

I'm Going Crackers

2011-03-09T16:52:00.001-05:00

So here it is, a week into March and I still haven't found the time to update the blog. Time flies ya know?

Today is cool and rainy, Spring weather if ever I saw it. I'll take rain over snow any day, but, Cool and rainy equals baking to me. I didn't want to bake something sweet, (well I did want to but I'm trying to be good), and I remembered seeing a recipe for homemade crackers in an old issue of Mary Janes Farm that I have hanging around. So I dug around in my magazine stash, pulled it out and tried these Italian herb and sun dried tomato crackers. Yum! They were supposed to have fresh basil in them but I was out so I used a grinder of Italian herbs and I think they turned out great!

There are several variations to the recipe, and I sure wish Mary Jane had them on her website because I just am not feeling the love of typing them all down here. But I will give you the recipe I used:>) They warmed up the house and didn't feed my wicked addiction for sugar. I just cut the shapes roughly because I have a lot to do tonight, but next time I plan on using some cute little cookie cutters I have just so they're purty. I prefer to think of them as rustic, you know I could make them awesome if I wanted to right?

So, here's the recipe:

Basic Farmhouse Crackers

1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 c water

1 1/2 t cream of tartar 1 med egg

3/4 t salt 2 t sugar

3/4 t baking soda 1 t balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup oil 1/4 c sesame seeds toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Lightly spray or wipe baking sheet with oil

2. In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients and mix well.

3. Add oil and stir until mixture resembles coarse meal.

4. Add water and stir until dough forms.

5. In a small bowl whisk together egg, sugar and vinegar and set aside.

6. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll out very thin, brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut, tear into strips or use cookie cutters to make any shape you want.

7. Bake 15-20 min. (depending on size and thickness of cracker) transfer to racks for cooling.

Store crackers in an airtight container. If they ever pick up moisture and lose their crispness just pop them into a 250 degree over for a few minutes.

Variations

Sun dried tomato basil crackers

1/4 c fresh basil

1/4 c sun dried tomatoes

2 T olive oil

2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

In blender of food processor, add all ingr. and mix well. Add mixture to basic dough after step 4. Omit sesame seeds.

Dreaming...

2011-02-24T17:34:00.001-05:00

I am so winter weary. It's been a long one and although we had a brief taste of spring last week, we have been inundated with snow ever since, with more on the way tonight. I am so tired of snow and cold that even the promise of another snow day doesn't make me look forward to more flaky weather.

Just look at these photos. Don't you long for the colors and scents of spring?

1. Chickadee After Breakfast, 2. Crab Apple Blossoms, 3. Vanity (365/175), 4. Basket Case, 5. Some More Bokeh for you Sherry..lol..:O)), 6. Spring flower, 7. Spring Flowers, 8. Desert Tissue Spring Flowers Joshua Tree National Park, 9. Happiness

I'm going to dedicate myself to revamping this blog for spring in the next few weeks. Out with the old and in with the new, I've ignored this creative outlet long enough. Hopefully I can inject some fresh air and sunshine here if nowhere else.

Any ideas for a spring blog party out there?

To Do List

2011-02-19T11:16:00.001-05:00

On the agenda today:

Decorate cupcakes

Make veggie tray (both for a friend who lost her mom a couple days ago)

Make chicken tortilla soup for lunch

laundry

clean the house

take pretty photos for blog post

Clean kitchen.

Oh my, here is the real deal. Still in the process of painting the cabinets and a dose of reality.

And don't think for a moment that I didn't wipe the counters and clean the fingerprints off the appliances before I took this photo. There is only so much reality anyone can take! Earl was removing the bottom doors as I decorated the cupcakes and let me tell you, have any of you ever taken the doors off and removed the fronts of your drawers? Lets just say I have a heavy date with a bucket of soapy water and a scrubby sponge. And can you see? That is tape that we are using as handles to be able to get the drawers open. It has to get worse before it gets better right?

A full day but a good one.

Late last night we got a call from this sweet girl, laughingly wondering if we minded if she came home for the weekend.

As if.

So whether the kitchen gets cleaned or not, time with her (and her sister!) gets bumped to the top of my to do list:>) The dishes can wait.

2011-02-17T09:03:00.001-05:00

February needs Valentines day to have any value at all. Cold, dreary, for those of you who don't like Valentines day, all I can say is you must not live in the frozen north.

Everyone should have flowers in February, and if Valentines day forces the issue, so be it.

I'm ready for Spring, and I can see that I am not alone.

Did you know that around this time each year I become a meteorologist? It's true. I start predicting the weather. Drives Earl a little crazy, but I need that optimism right about now.

You see, if the weatherman says the high will be in the mid to high 40's, I turn to Earl and say "You know what that means, It's going to hit 50, maybe even 55." I assume the weatherman fudges on the low side this time of year so people won't get all up in arms if the high he predicted didn't come true.

Earl scoffs, so I'm keeping a record this year. Weatherman's predicted high vs. my own prediction. Yesterday, the weatherman predicted something like a high of 44, it hit 54. I rest my case.

Today the weatherman says 55, (which, by the way, last week when he said it would be 50 today, I wrote 55 on the calender, who's a genius?) so you know what that means. 60. I need to wring every bit of warmth out of February that I can. Maybe I should consider a career change. I think I would be a very popular weathergirl:>) How's the weather where you are?

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T08:33:00.001-05:00

♥ Wishing you all a day filled with love. Thanks for being my sweeties ♥

I appreciate your year round love more than I can say.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-10T22:09:00.009-05:00

I saw these at The Farm Chicks . Brownie bites on a stick, dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with hearts,and wrapped up cute as can be for Valentines day. I thought they were too cute to wrap in tissue so clear cellophane did the trick.

Once again, I can't take credit for the baking. Earl did the honors with his triple chocolate mocha brownies. His brownies rock. Maybe I can get him to share some day, but he's pretty tight with his secret recipes so no promises. These are headed to the church bake sale Saturday. It's a good thing, These little bites are really rich. We had a blast making them and his brownies go pretty quickly at these sales:>)

The tags are made with some leftovers of scrapbook paper I had hanging around and a cute dollar stamp that Victoria pointed out while we were out shopping last time she was home. Thanks sweetie, it was just what I needed for these Valentine tags.

Happy Valentines day everyone! I think you're all sweet ♥

I'm linking with Bev for Pink Saturday today!

I feel a project coming on:>)

2011-02-09T19:03:00.001-05:00

Baking is on the schedule for tomorrow, and maybe for Friday too! We have lots of places to spread the goodies too, so we won't eat them all. Yay! It's cold here but a warm front is moving in soon and I can't wait for anything above 39 degrees. February is practically half way over with , thank goodness it's a short month, and then March. Oh sweet spring is on the way! I can feel it in my bones, can you?

I'll show you the fun tomorrow night:>)

Snow day

2011-02-02T09:51:00.002-05:00

The bad news, we've been hit with "the blizzard"...and it's still snowing. The good news,

SNOW DAY!

But don't think I'll be sitting around in my red polka dot pajamas all day,

(are you surprised I have red polka dot pj's? I didn't think so!)

Today I'm working on priming more of the kitchen cabinets, maybe a little sewing, and the husband has asked me out to dinner.:>) Lets hope we can get out of the driveway! And lets hope I get another snow day tomorrow....
Update: Thursday, another snow day:>) I got two coats of primer on the upper cabinets yesterday, just finished a coat of the good stuff and am off to do some cleaning and sewing until I can recoat. Last night we went out for steak and saw Green Hornet. Cute movie, really fun and funny. Now I'm off to get some work done! It feels great to get so much accomplished. Dare I hope for no school tomorrow?

2011-01-30T16:49:00.001-05:00

I never used to be into blue and white plates, and then I saw some of the beautiful blue and white displays around blogland and fell in love with them. I began collecting them here and there at Marshalls and yard sales and today I put a small display up over my buffet. The chalkboard was made for me by my sweetheart, the curlicues and flourishes were done by Victoria,the curlicue queen. I printed the words out in different fonts and used chalk markers for our family rules board. The lighting was horrible by the time I got all the plates on the wall today, so I apologise for the blurry photo, but I just couldn't wait to show you. I love it.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was the best! Friday off from work, Victoria home from school for the weekend, a little sewing, and sunshine and lots of cuddling and some movies. It doesn't get any better. Now another work week begins, but it sounds like I may have a snow day or two mid week. Eight to ten inches is the forecast. Batten down the hatches, have you had enough snow yet?

2011-01-21T20:42:00.002-05:00

Well it's been an interesting week. Last night the main computer came down with a nasty virus and had to be taken to the doctor. Ugh, why must people make those things? I'll be without it for 4 days which puts a crimp in my homework since I need a program on the computer to do it. Stink!

Of course all of my photos are on that computer, not the laptop which I am using now. So I went to Country Living and looked up white kitchens because we have finally screwed up our courage and begun the process of painting the kitchen cabinets white.

And I have to tell you I'm so geeked because when it's finished my kitchen is going to look just. like. this one.

Oooh, or this one!

But you know how I love red, so maybe it'll look like this. Oh I just can't wait!

So today we went to the hardware store and chose our paint, Benjamin Moore Snowfall White, (pretty!) and we got up to the counter and people, it was $47 a gallon! Holy cats, am I jaded from furnishing my house from the side of the road or is that a lot for a gallon of paint!? In the scheme of things it's a "cheap" way to freshen up, but that's a new record for us. We looked at each other and started laughing, Earl said "how much?" He thought he heard them wrong. We laughed all the way to the car.

Lets just hope it doesn't take more than a gallon!

I can only say, refer to the pictures above. I think it's going to be worth it.

Sunday

2011-01-16T16:01:00.000-05:00

Sundays pretty much belong to this girl. My eldest. My sweetheart. My clone. They call her Kathy Jr. :>) Her real name is Lauren. She works afternoons and evenings, I work morning and early afternoon, so the rest of the week it's hard to get together.

Today, we spent some quality time in the kitchen. It must be quality time when you bake cookies right? What higher goal than a batch of sweet sugar cookies wih pink frosting and sprinkles?

yup, Sundays are hers.

I ♥ you daughter.

2011-01-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when I got home from work there was a package waiting for me from a friend. You know the kind, a blog friend:>) Anita has a wonderful devotional blog and it has been my pleasure to get to know her a little bit better through it. What I didn't know was that she makes these beautiful lotions and soaps!

These are all her lemongrass and sage scent and it is divine. Light and fresh and pretty. I can't wait to try the soap. I actually started to unwrap it this morning but made myself stop so I could get a photo.

Along with the lovely soap and lotions came two of the most adorable cards, (well, three actually, but one was written to me:>) Anita designs these herself, aren't they pretty? This sweet cherry pie card has a front edge that is cut out around the shape of the pie.

On the cookie card she stacked the cut out cookies so they are 3-D. They're making me hungry. The inside of the cards are just as cute as the outside, with sweet sentiments and graphics.

This one says, "I love cookies, and you!"

Thank you Anita! I love everything ♥
I encourage you to visit Anitas Blog, In a Quiet Light and say hello.

Down the Primrose Path

2011-01-08T13:13:00.002-05:00

It is becoming tradition that every January I find some reason to go to Home Depot just in time for their .79 primroses. Pure serendipity I assure you. This time Earl and I were looking at new kitchen faucets, since ours leaks and is at least 15 years old. As we were leaving he saw the display and bought me a few.

Me + primroses = ♥

These little flowers always seem like a fresh start to the year to me. New ideas blooming and growing. I see lots of people choosing their word of the year and I have been giving it lots of thought, but I can't seem to settle on just one. I have a new semester beginning this week, taking just one class and hoping to spend the rest of the time concentrating on building some dreams this year. I have lots of work ahead of me to make those dreams come true. So I have my work cut out for me, but it's work that I love so it shouldn't be too hard to motivate myself. On the home front I need to get organized, purge the house of things that I don't love anymore, and I have finally decided to begin painting those darn kitchen cabinets. I don't have a huge kitchen so it shouldn't be that hard right? (Please say it won't be too hard!) and of course I have lots of sewing and designing ahead of me. One thing the doldrums of January/ February should be good for is concentrating on some big projects. So wish me luck! I also hope to be able to spend a little more time posting and visiting, yay! Seems like I've been MIA far too long. What are you going to do with the next two months?

Home Made Marshmallows

2011-01-04T09:11:00.001-05:00

Today we take Victoria back to school. I'm going to miss my girl! To make her return a little sweeter, we made home made marshmallows last night. First time ever and I thought they would be difficult. They are SO easy! I used this recipe, and just a note, she says to grease the pan, then line it with saran wrap. Line it first then grease it or your mallows will stick to the wrap!

Like I said, the recipe is super easy. No candy thermometer involved. Boil the syrup for a minute, add to the gelatin and water and whip on high for 12 minutes.

At this point it is like thick marshmallow cream, but get it in the pan fast because it stiffens even more pretty quickly!

We started out tossing them in powdered sugar, but we didn't have enough and Earl suggested we try cocoa. With the sugar in the marshmallows it isn't bitter at all! Just delicious.

And what did we do with our home made marshmallows? Packaged them up with hot cocoa and candy cane stirring sticks for a sweet new years treat for the girls on her floor!

♥ Love ♥

2010-12-31T12:55:00.001-05:00

2010 was a good year. A busy year, but a good one. It's fun to look back over the photos that represent each month. Looking at the best and most beautiful memories, dulls the less pleasant ones and who wants to relive those anyway? So here is my retrospective, full of projects, food, family, food....hmmm. Maybe a little less food in 2011. ;>)

Here's to a great year, and the great year ahead. Happy New Year my friends!

All is calm, all is bright....

2010-12-27T15:23:00.001-05:00

I think this must be the part of Christmas that is described by that line. Everything is calm, the rush and hurry is over, and today was graced with bright, glorious sunshine. I played with my gifts to make a new centerpiece for the week. Something that reflects the calm. Adorable faceted lantern and sparkling green Christmas tree candles courtesy of my darling husband. Large white rectangular ceramic platter from Victoria, (I got the pottery barn bowls on my wish list from Earl and Lauren, amongst other wonderful goodies!) The tree was down Christmas day, not because I was anxious to get rid of it, but because we noticed a hatching of hundreds of tiny bugs after opening the gifts and realized the tree we purchased from Costco this year was the source! Thank goodness they waited until Christmas day to come out. A quick undecorating and it was out of the house. Everything else is staying up until next week. Just a little more time to savor the prettiness of Christmas. Besides, I'm guarding my last week home from work closely and the downer of taking everything down can wait. I hope everyone else is enjoying the calm. My heart goes out to my friends on the east coast who are under a snow emergency. I hope you are all home where you can burrow in until the storm is over. Best wishes to all for a Happy New Year! I'll see you soon:>)

Merry Christmas to All.....

2010-12-21T16:22:00.000-05:00

Well it's here. I didn't get as many projects done as planned, I'll be honest, I didn't get any of them done. No handmade gifts this year, but next year for sure:>) My kids are around, we have plans to walk downtown tomorrow night with fancy coffee to keep us warm, and take in the breathtaking light display. Maybe it will snow, wouldn't that be magic? We've made spicy, sweet nut mixes and chocolate brownies to give to friends (ok, credit where credit is due, Earl made them!) The gifts are all wrapped even if the cards aren't all sent.

I have a few minor things to do in the next few days, but mostly I plan to make the house sparkle, light candles,plan Christmas breakfast and lunch and just hang with the family. I feel blessed beyond belief. Gifts and love have flowed this season until I am overwhelmed. I can't remember a more relaxed Christmas and I thank God for love, and friends who see us through, and family that wraps their arms around us when we need them and loved ones who rejoice when we rejoice. I remember you in my prayers, I really do, and I pray that no matter what kind of Christmas you are experiencing, you can find the love and blessings that God has sprinkled around you. I know they can be hard to find sometimes, but they are there. God bless all of you this Christmas season. I'll see you in the New Year:>) ♥

Finals week

2010-12-15T15:27:00.002-05:00

Final week of this semester, were there ever any sweeter words? Especially before Christmas, especially in the dead of winter, I just can't wait to be free of it. Don't get me wrong, it has been an interesting semester, I've learned some things, (thank goodness!) But I look forward to a few weeks off.

This was my finals project for my graphic design class. A sculpture made entirely of white paper, incorporating 5 or 6 different textures. I got the assignment and immediately ideas began popping into my head. This was one of them, a wreath. It is Christmas after all. I loved making it and it was easy. A little research online and I had figured out how to do it. The little angel was part of the composition. I made the piece so it could be disassembled and I could use the different parts when it was finished.

I love the texture of the leaves and the little flowers. I think they look a bit like hellebores, or lenten rose. I may do a tutorial on making this if I have time before Christmas.

Tomorrow, my final in typography and I'm finished with the semester! Yay! Friday, my last day at work until the new year and Victoria comes home for Christmas break. Triple yay! Things are looking up:>)

White Christmas

2010-12-14T11:36:00.001-05:00

Today is the White Christmas event over at Cuisine Kathleen. Kathleen does amazing tablescapes. I'm almost ashamed to participate in this meme, I am simply not a tablescaper. While I would love to have a butlers pantry filled with dishes of all kinds, the humble cottage has limited storage, so I tuck away what I can here and there and dream of the day I can indulge my wicked desires for crockery.

In the mean time, one of our loveliest holiday traditions in this household is the advent dinner. We take time every Sunday of Advent to sit down to some candle light, appetizers, sparkly juice and treats and just enjoy being together as a family. I fancy things up as best I can to make it special. Kathleens' challenge to do an all white table was tough for me. If you hadn't noticed, I'm usually all about color! I have been lightening up lately though, and I realized I have started collecting a lot of silver and white for Christmas.

I love the look of mercury glass, just like most of you do, so I pick it up a little at a time on clearance after Christmas. The beautiful mercury snowflake votive holders were gifts, as was the plainer votive holder that just gets better with age. I love how it sparkles and catches the light. The heavily embroidered, brilliant white tablecloth came from a church sale.

I picked up the silver chargers a couple years ago, cute with my new white plates and silvery snowflake napkin holders. I love snowflake motifs for the table because they are appropriate all winter. It's nice to get a little extra use out of these and I need even more sparkle in January than I do in December! Earl will be so thrilled that he has to pick glitter out of his mustache from that glittery pic! lol. He puts up with a lot having three women in the house! (Love you honey) A few white bottle brush trees, some sparkly silver candle trees (am I the only one who can't bring themselves to burn those things?) and a few snowflake ornaments scattered on the table and I'm done. It isn't as spectacular as Kathleens, and let me tell you, her table is spectacular! but it's just right for our little cottage. Head on over and see the table she did and all the other lovely tables in her linky. You'll love the sparkle too!

Oh Happy (Snow!) Day

2010-12-13T07:15:00.000-05:00

Throughout the afternoon I watched them there,

Snow-fairies falling, falling from the sky,

Whirling fantastic in the misty air.

Claude McKay

Just like many of you, we had our first real snowfall yesterday. This morning, just as I anticipated, I have a paid day off work called a snow day. Oh the joy! A bonus day just before Christmas to stay in my jammies late into the morning, work on Christmas cards, (and my final project for my Graphinc design class!) Listen to Christmas music and drink coffee.

These photos were taken after church yesterday, before the blowing and drifting started. It is much deeper now. I have to admit that, come January, snow and cold are not on my list of things to love. But snow before Christmas is magic. isn't it? Is it really fluffier, whiter, softer? It seems to be. So today I'll enjoy the bluster and sparkling whiteness. I'll revel in a paid day off work.....and yes, I'll hope the roads are still not clear enough for school tomorrow:>) Anyone else getting a snow day?

Dried Cranberry and White Chocolate Biscotti

2010-12-07T07:57:00.004-05:00

This week is the cookie exchange at Pleasant Home. I love this blog, not just for Jodi's gorgeous sewing, but because it's a beautiful, cheerful place to be, full of color and whimsey! Cindy at Rick Rack and Gingham also has a linky for cookies and candies and a lovely blog that you will enjoy.

One of my favorite Christmas cookies is biscotti. It's super easy to make, and I think because it is twice baked, it travels well and is less likely to get stale. Not that I would know, it never lasts more than a day or two here in the cottage! It's a really great treat with my morning coffee or tea too. There are a zillion flavors you can make, but this recipe is one of my favorites.

This recipe is actually called Dried Cranberry and White Chocolate biscotti. I was out of white chocolate, but they are just as good with dark chocolate, maybe better:>)

Rather than type out the recipe I'll give you the link. Epicurious.com has the formatting already in place for you to simply print the recipe and start baking, so go HERE and get it. How easy is that!?

Season of Sweet Surprises

2010-12-06T16:26:00.001-05:00

Isn't December the loveliest month for surprises? It has been for us. Today I recieved a large and unexpected box from the UPS man. Turns out it is a beautiful handmade wreath sent from my dear college room-mate. We recently found each other again after years of losing touch. I am so glad to have her back in my life.The wreath is made from pinecones and berries and greens. Try to ignore the dust on my door, (good heavens, looks like it needs some work!) and just look at my wreath!

Melanie knows how much we love to decorate with birds for Christmas so she added this adorable little nest and birds to the bottom of the wreath. I had a pinecone wreath years ago that I think I discarded because it had been used to death. I had really been thinking of making another, but now I don't have to!

Thank you Melanie, I love my sweet surprise:>)