All the joy $3.35 can buy.  More .79 primula from Home Depot.

Well come on, not everything can be white!  A heads up, I just listed the last two heart and home pillows in etsy.  I'm moving on to other things.  Cleaning house today, it was distractingly messy!  Packed up the remaining winter decor that was still tucked here and there in corners. Now I am making soup (Chicken noodle and Potato and Leek soup from Julia Childs cookbook) for a Church dinner tomorrow. It smells so good cooking! Then a trip to Borders is planned and a movie on the sofa later.  A full day and a good one.  I hope you all have a fun and full weekend too!

White Wednesday

My friend Rhondi over at Rose Colored Glasses is having a White Wednesday party.

I think I have mentioned how this time of year I crave a bit of white in my home.  It is so calming and bright. I am sure it is the brightness, more than anything that I appreciate.  It is so often gloomy in Michigan in January.

I found these beautiful creamy white primroses at Home Depot for 79 cents last week. I wanted to load up my cart but I had some self control and only bought three.

They just glow in the sunshine, and even when it is dark, they are a bright spot in my home.

I think I found these little birds at a yard sale. cheep. lol:>)  The fine embroidered lawn tablecloth came in a bag of vintage linens from my Aunt Sharon.  It is crisp and so delicate you can see through it.  I love how the embroidery adds a little texture in such a pretty way. The tureen was a gift from a friend who knew I would enjoy it. It doesn't have a lid but that means it is perfect for displaying plants and other things around the house.  I appreciate the crackly finish and the aged white. 

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has purchased a heart from my etsy shop. I am slowly getting around to making more. Anyone else have time management issues?  I know I do.  I appreciate everyone who visits, each comment, each new follower.  It is a constant amazement to me that my ramblings draw any interest at all.  I thank you humbly for your interest and friendship!

January is almost over, I am so thankful for that!  Christina at Soul Aperture is having a link party and encouraging everyone to think about the simple things in life that bring us joy.  What are some of my simple joys?

Every ray of warm sunshine that peeks from behind the clouds. 

 Flowers, fresh air, the hope of Spring. 

A hot cup of coffee on a cold day.

The feel and smell of a babys  buttery soft skin.

A soft warm bed at night, with fresh sheets!

A cuddle from my daughters.

My husbands warm arms around me.

The sound of leaves in a gentle breeze.

Soft grass beneath my feet. (Can you tell I need some spring?)

All such simple things that mean so much to me.  Hop over and say hello and maybe join the party.  We all have so many things to be thankful for! And don't forget to visit Rhondi and say hello. She is another lady who believes in thankfulness:>), just one of the many things I appreciate about her.  I hope you are all able to find some sunshine today. Thanks for stopping by!

I've been working on a few hearts for etsy. This burlap beauty with a chocolate brown velvet ribbon hanger is one of my favorites, but there's a little something for everyone.  To hang on a peg, a chair, a bedpost.  A little token of affection for Valentine's day for someone you love, or for yourself.  For my blog  friends only, I'll wrap it up pretty and send it directly to a loved one, no extra charge. Just convo me and let me know where to send it and what message I should include:>)

A bit of blessed sunshine today and I can show you the table runner I made from the oops squares left over from the girls quilts. What? You've never heard of oops squares? :>) Remember, I am a pretty good seamstress but this was my first time making quilt squares. Real pieced quilt squares. So I had a few that weren't square at all. I was able to salvage them by cutting them down in size and by not expecting perfection. I let myself off that hook.  And I love the runner. It is bright and cheerful even if it isn't in the colors I usually sew with. Can you believe there is no red? That's next on my project list, a quilt and maybe a runner that better matches my dining room.

I sent the girls quilts out to the quilter Saturday, I am so excited to get them finished and in their hands.  It should be 3-4 weeks and I can't wait to get them back so I can bind them. It has been a long process, and the girls have been so patient! The runner gives them an idea of what their quilts will look like:>)

Can you see the little bit of green outside? It is supposed to be in the 40's this weekend (oh happy day!) I suppose winter will return eventually but these little warm ups and sunshine sure make it easier to endure. 

Got it! The compact flash came in the mail and I have been noodling around with it just a little. The cold white days of January may be a time for new beginnings but it seems to also be a time when I just can't seem to motivate myself to do anything. The weather has been slightly warmer but grey, and grey just saps my energy.  And it's Tuesday already! How did that happen?   I am trying to get sewing done but once the sun dips below the horizon I just can't do anything but count the hours until bedtime. Now you know why winter is not my favorite time of year. But each day is a nanosecond longer and eventually I know I will see the sun again. Right now I'm getting ready to leave for work. I just wanted you to know I'm alive. Sleepy, but alive:>)

A quick post before I head off to work. I haven't posted as often as I would like because I am still waiting for a media card for the camera. I lost the old one, ordered a new one from Amazon on Jan. 1, and didn't realize until a week later that the order had been cancelled because they were out of stock. So I had to reorder and it will be a week before it gets here because I chose free shipping (I'm cheap like that). Victoria thought I was all set and took her camera with her back to college.  I hate posting without something pretty to look at so I haven't posted. I'm improvising today.  So today I have a question to pose to you and an answer to some inquiries I have gotten. First, you may have noticed that there is a link to an advertising info page on my sidebar.  Now, in the past, I have been dead set against advertising. This is my space to do what I want with and I really didn't want to share it. I am not crazy about going to a blog and finding ads all over the place, but if it's a blog I really enjoy I go anyway. I mean, I understand the need to make a buck. Believe me, with a husband who is still looking for work and myself working part time, I understand. So now, I am willing to give it a try.  I have had some inquiries and decided to put up the advertising page. If someone wants to do it, great, if not, ok.  I am limiting the ads to 6 right now because I don't want my site plastered. I'm sticking a toe in the water, that's all. We'll see what happens. How do you feel about that? I would love to know, although I can't say it will change my mind. This is, after all, my baby.

I am having a huge problem with ads being placed in my comments section, I may have to turn on blog owner approval if it continues. I won't make you type in those awful codes.  It is a shame when someone hijacks a blog like that. I hope that you never reward it by clicking on the link.  In my opinion, anyone who leaves links to a business in a comment section is a jerk.  It shouldn't benefit them to advertise like that.

I also wanted to give you the link to the White Chocolate Peppermint popcorn you saw here.  I know that right now we are all on the diet bandwagon, but I had some people who wanted the recipe and I thought you might like to file it away for next Christmas...or whenever you have a bad diet day. So, if you want to visit my dear sis, she has the recipe posted here.   Go at your own risk though because this stuff is truely addictive.

Now I'm off to work.  I am working on a few things while I wait for my media card. I need to get some things listed in etsy and I am still working on a giveaway.  Ahhhh, I NEED that card, come on Amazon, don't let me down:>)

This time of year makes me crave white, as if the blanket of snow outside isn't enough white for anyone, I need the clean simplicity as the new year begins. I need to repaint my dining room after the unfortunate Thanksgiving ceiling incident and since it connects very openly to my kitchen I want to paint them both the same color. I have light oak cabinets (bleh) that I am dying to paint white. I may get to those during the doldrums of winter.  Here are a few photos I have been saving in my inspiration folder. I love them all. Sunny, bright, and white makes a great background for any color accessory. Black seems like my go-to color for things like curtain accents and such. I have black and white toile valances in the kitchen and DR already so I wouldn't even have to swap those out.  So right now I am dreaming of the perfect white. 

I also wanted to alert you to a beautiful deal I found last night. Primroses at Home depot for 79 cents each! A huge rack displayed in the store that I just couldn't resist. I got three pure white ones and popped them into a big silver bowl for my table.  I tried to take a picture but I got a new camera for Christmas and the first thing I did was misplace the media card! Arrgh! I was sitting at the computer making my new header, removed the card from the slot in the computer and set it on the desk and an hour later it had disappeared. I had been sitting there the whole time. Earl and I tore the office and desk apart the next morning and still couldn't find it. Office gremlins obviously.  My new card is supposed to arrive sometime next week which should give me a chance to sit down and try to figure out the manual for this camera.  It a Sony a100 slr that we found at an incredible clearance price and is a big step up for me.  I NEVER READ INSTRUCTION MANUALS, never, but I am going to have to read this one, or get a digital SLR for dummies book, (do they make those?)  So that is all the news for now. It is bitterly cold but sunny today and I have a slew of projects to start/finish. I hope you all have a fantastic winter weekend:>)  Are you all enoying the whiteness of January?

P.S. I have been tweaking things and my list of favorite blogs is now located on another page that can be reached by clicking on the button on my sidebar.  I have more to add and update.  Click over and visit someone new:>)

Comfort Food

Victoria has made it her own personal Christmas tradition to shop for some exotic food items for her father.  He loves to try new things and she loves to look for good things that she thinks he would like. This year she gave him a gift of saffron.  Not something we have ever tried before, and Earl couldn't wait to find something to try it out in.  He searched that great wonderland of recipes called the internet and came up with this.  A Spanish/Portugese dish called Paella. You can find the recipe here.

It is quick, easy, delicious, and perfectly wonderful on a cold winter night.  Rice, chorizo, (a mexican sausage which I had no trouble finding at both Meijer and Kroger) red peppers, frozen peas and shredded roast chicken. If you are looking for a little something different, you should try this!

I am still not quite back to posting as regularly as usual. With youngest daughter home from college until tomorrow, and all the parties and chores that came with getting things back to normal, I have a lot of catching up to do.  It has been bitterly cold here in Michigan. 4 degrees here Sunday morning! The snow is falling as I type this.  I feel a bit like hibernating but I have way too much to do.  Tomorrow we drive Victoria back to school. I'll miss her, but I have had such a good time having her home I can't complain.  Besides, spring is right around the corner right? Right!? lol, well, maybe not, but I'll be looking for the sunshine anyway:>)
I am looking forward to visiting again and getting back to normal. I have some projects floating around in my head that need to get out. The dining room needs to be painted.  It looks like I'll have plenty to keep me busy.  Stay warm, enjoy the snow, and I'll be around soon.