Valentine

Valentine is the theme for Creative Tuesday this time!

In keeping with my bird drawings, I decided Mr. Barn Swallow

would be a cute postman delivering loving sentiments to

all of the mailboxes! Valentine's Day is a great time to

remember all the people you care for. It isn't only

for romance, is it? No, I want to say "I love you" to

all of my sweet friends who visit here!

If you like to doodle or sketch, come join us!

Click HERE to visit Mr. Toast's blog!

Farm Auction

I worked an auction last Friday! Out on the farm in the frozen

weather, most of the auction looked like this... 300 farmers in their

Carhartts, pockets bulging with cash and checkbooks.

They even came from neighboring states!

I took a minute to look around while standing at the sandwich truck.

There was something beautiful about a quiet, retired farm.

I felt like an ant standing below the silo! Some things made beautiful still life pictures! Being a city girl, I was amazed when the hay bales sold for thousands of dollars total!

Isn't the pattern pretty?

I wonder if a young farmer and his family will move in and

start fresh. Maybe some new milk cows will fill these stables!

Need a pitchfork? There were several along with scoop shovels! Next auction we're back inside with estate items and antiques! :)

Happy Thoughts

Things that made me smile this week....

1. chocolate cookies with coffee
2. girl-talk over vanilla lattes
3. heated seats in the Jeep
4. cherry flavored lip gloss
5. Taylor singing in the shower
6. realizing that this is the first winter in ages we haven't had mice in the house
7. white cupboards, white snow and sunshine makes me tempted to wear my sunglasses in the kitchen
8. sleeping through the night without coughing...finally!
9. the feel of freshly laundered sheets after a hot shower and a long day
10. looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday!

Mourning Dove

This sweet little guy was napping outside my window...

As I watched I noticed his tail looked a little funny... Could it be that...hey...yes... There are two! LOL!

They looked right at me! Do you think they heard the camera

shutter? Sorry birds! Go back to sleep!

Boys in Pajamas

In my post a few days ago I listed my 'happy thoughts' for the week which included seeing my triplets in matching flannel pajamas, bird prints in the snow, and Spencer giggling until he cried. Well, the talented Catherine was inspired by that post and sketched the above drawing. Isn't it adorable? I just love it. Go take a look at her blog, Catherine Constance Today by clicking HERE.

Thanks, Catherine! You are TOO sweet! :)

♥

Snow Day

Harry and Spencer, 1-21-11

Lounging in pajamas

All day snacking

Zero degrees

Yawning lazily

.

Sporting bedhead

Nestled into couch cushions

Objective is relaxation

Watching snow flakes

.

DVD marathon

Afternoon napping

Yearning for one more day

Snowy Weekend

sparkly snow

brilliant sunshine

frigid temperatures

winter wonderland

♥

Happy Thoughts

from my week...

1. Evidence on the snowy back porch that little friends had come to visit.
2. Gorgeous snow falling! Taking time to sit with a cup of tea and enjoy the show. It's the sparkly kind that looks like glitter in the sun. Nice!
3. Spencer laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face! It was quite contagious, let me tell you! I found myself giggling too, and I didn't even know what was so funny!
4. Watching Mr. Bird give Mrs. Bird (my parakeets) some TLC. He sings a sweet little song to her and scratches her head with his beak. Awwww! I think he's in love. :)
5. Thinking that triplet boys look adorable in matching plaid flannel pajamas no matter how old they are!
6. Excited to work my first auction of the year on Saturday! I'll be sure to take my camera just in case something blog-worthy happens! ha. Single digits, though! Brrrr!
7. Loving the serendipity of leaving a comment on a friend's blog while their comment pops up on my blog at the exact same time. That happened three times this week!

♥

Scents

I have to laugh at the way The Mister walks through the door each night and says, "Something smells really good!" And without fail I respond with, "That would be me!" But he never gets it! He just lifts the lid on the simmering saucepan to see what's cooking! So, I've been thinking, why do I wear perfume every day (Calvin Klein's Eternity) even when I'm just staying home? Maybe he'd notice if I dabbed a little Alfredo sauce behind my ears? LOL!

*****

photo is of my chicken minestrone soup

click HERE for the recipe

♥

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

oats, peanut butter, whole wheat... yes, I think they count

as a healthy snack....or a breakfast bar! LOL!

*****

Recipe

3/4 c butter, softened

3/4 c brown sugar

3/4 c white sugar

1/2 t vanilla

Cream above ingredients in mixer. Then add...

2 eggs

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

3/4 c peanut butter (I used chunky)

Mix well. Then add...

1 1/2 c reg. or whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c oats

*****

Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

Cool. Frost with...

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 c cocoa

3 c powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

1/4 c milk

♥

Where is January Going?

Smiling again at the serendipity of another color-coordinated

spontaneous still life sitting in front of me. :)

And can you believe January is half gone?

I was sick for the first half so I feel like I'm just starting the new

year. The Christmas tree was up and twinkling until the 14th!

I've never had it up that long before! Oh my.

My grandmother once left the Christmas tree up until

March when her military son would be home since

he missed Christmas. I'm sure that live tree was

completely brown by then, not to mention a fire

hazard with those old lights that got hot!

Bach, wasn't that you? :)

******

Now, I really need to work on the rest of the house

as it is straightened up but really filthy if you look closely.

Well, actually you don't have to look closely to notice! :)

I think I mopped the kitchen floor last on

Christmas Eve. Oh my!

OK...let's have a cup of coffee and then I need

to get to work! haha. Cream and sugar?

*****

How has your January been so far?

♥

Scarf

click to enlarge

The theme for this Creative Tuesday is scarf.

Mr. and Mrs. Jay are sharing an extra long cable knit scarf.

It's keeping them warm and cozy this winter!

And here below is my inspiration for my drawing...

the real Mr. and Mrs. Jay, as seen from my "window nook

kitchen office". You see why I'm happy the feeder is in

view? I never miss a thing while sitting at my desk!

You should see them swallow peanuts whole! At least

the chickadees nibble on them and savor every bite! LOL!

Come join us over at Creative Tuesdays!

Mr. Toast is the best host and we have a lot of fun.

No talent required. And it's only twice a month!

Click HERE to see other drawings or join in!

♥

Farm Fresh Eggs

Although I have access to farm fresh eggs in my little

village, I will admit that I've never taken advantage

of that luxury. I guess this city girl just never

really thought about it....until recently!

Remember my friend that was shopping for 'layers'?

I thought she was getting her hair cut, but she was

shopping for some egg-laying hens. She's also the

one that was shopping for nesting boxes, which

I assumed were like the pretty floral patterned ones

in my closet. Well, since that time, she's gotten

the layers and the nesting boxes and her little hens

have been busy! For Christmas, she dropped by with

a carton of fresh eggs and a card. Don't you just love

practical gifts like that? Well, I could tell right away

that the eggs were better...thicker shells, bigger yolks

and yes...better taste. I was surprised at how different

they really were! See the difference in the picture?

Both are 'large' sized eggs.

One is from the grocery and one is from a village hen.

Omelette anyone? Maybe we should sprinkle them

with a little Fleur de Sel? :)

♥

Chocolate and Sea Salt

The Mister has always loved chocolate and salt paired together.

One of the first things I thought was strange about him

(yes, there are a few things!) was the side of

potato chips he would have with a piece of chocolate cake!

Seems 30 years later, the rest of the world has caught up with

his obsession! I bought him several kinds of dark chocolate bars

that had sea salt in them to put into his Christmas stocking.

Some had Fleur de Sel, a premium French sea salt sprinkled on top.

Fleur de Sel ("flower of salt")

is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape

only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large

salt pans. It has a flaked appearance instead of granule.

Personally, I like coffee with my chocolate. :)

But I do like sweet and salty together. Things like kettle corn,

chocolate covered salted peanuts...things like that.

As far as potato chips, I prefer them as a side to my turkey

sandwich! LOL! What about you, have you been enjoying

the salty chocolate craze?

Got ELK?

I got a sweet little card and gift in the mail the other day.

ELK from Red or Gray Depends on the Day is known for

her beautifully created birds and such. And she sells

on Etsy! Her blog is a daily must...gorgeous photography

and brief but thoughtful words...that instantly relax and

bring peaceful feelings. If you don't visit her, you should

add her to your blog roll and resolution list. :)

I guess you could say her blog is a stream in the desert!

Thank you ELK...I'm especially excited that my little bird

with lacy wing can be hung by her little thread.

She's going to be fluttering at my desk as a daily reminder

of your thoughtfulness. xo

♥

Like A Stream in the Desert

googleimages.com

"I need wide spaces in my heart, where faith and I can go apart and grow serene.

Life gets so choked by busy living, kindness so lost in fuzzy giving, that love

slips unseen. I want to make a quiet place where those I love can see God's face

...can stretch their hearts across the earth...can understand what earth is worth,

can count the stars, watch violets grow and learn what birds and children know."

Streams in the Desert

******

I saw this quote on my friend Dee Dee's sidebar and immediately

recognized it from a little book I have, Streams in the Desert.

Someone gave The Mister and I the book after hearing that our

triplets had been diagnosed with autism. They thought the

words would be a comfort to us. I kept the book on my bedside

table and read a page or two each morning as I had my coffee

in bed. She was right...the words were comforting...just like

a stream in a dry desert.

******

We all get too busy. We all forget that we need simple, quiet

thoughtful spaces in our routine. We need to schedule them

in, or the business of life will squeeze them out!

Be good to yourselves dear friends...don't forget to

have time to renew and reflect!

♥

New Hope for Lonely Singles

Newly single tanned male seeking Ralph Lauren Polo mate for life.

*******

My dear friend Alan Burnett from News From Nowhere has a brilliant idea!

We all have poor lonely socks who have lost their mates, right?

A new website could just be the answer! And since

nobody can say it quite like Alan,

here is the idea in his own words... "I have

therefore established a new organisation which will be known as NNOSE (News From Nowhere Orphan Sock Exchange) and which henceforth will be dedicated to reuniting orphaned socks, wherever they may be. This truly global initiative requires nothing more than for you to post a weekly scan of any orphaned sock in your collection and agree to post if off to any other member of the NNOSE Network who has a similar available orphan. I urge all my friends and followers to post (digitally) a sock in the hope that soon they will be able to post (logistically) the same sock to a grieving partner. The movement could become viral within a matter of weeks. At long last a real reason for the Internet will have been discovered. Mankind will be happier....." Click HERE to read more (you won't be disappointed!)

*****

And seeing as I live with 5 men who are famous for owning socks who have

tragically lost their mates, I am happy and excited at the possibility

of becoming a charter member of the NNOSE.

Finally, there is hope for all orphaned socks of the world! :)

*****

Brilliant, Alan! Simply brilliant!

And thank you for saving the orphaned socks.

Betsy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe

1 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c brown sugar

1 egg

1 t vanilla extract

2 t cream of tarter

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 1/2 c flour

2 c chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients and mix in well.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop golf-ball sized balls of dough onto parchment lined

cookie sheets. I use an ice cream scoop.

Press lightly down to flatten a bit.

Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cookies should be golden and crackly on top.

♥

Home Cooking

"Things taste better in small houses!"

Queen Victoria

1819-1901

And supper smells especially good in the winter, doesn't it?

Something that simmers all day and fills the whole house with

that mouth watering smell...beef stew, chicken and dumplings,

or what about a loaf of bread?

Mmmmm.

****

And thanks for all of your get well wishes! As of today I feel

I've been upgraded to sick from deathly sick. LOL!

♥

Happy Thoughts

Thankful for the little things that filled my week....

1. getting on an antibiotic after being sick all week.
2. hours of beautiful snowflakes floating to the ground
3. a couple of IM chats that made me laugh, roll my eyes, reconsider my opinion, reflect deep in thought and smile until my cheeks hurt.
4. that cherry-almond scent of Jergens lotion
5. a cheery new plant that jumped in my grocery cart and said, "Take me home!"
6. a new laptop purchased with my own money
7. enjoying the Christmas tree another week instead of worrying that it didn't get it put away before I got sick
8. pretty pasta in freshly washed canisters

"I'm thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose!"

Woody Allen

♥

Winter Sunset

From my front porch earlier this week.

Love those pink winter skies!

To see more amazing skies from all over the world,

click HERE to go to Sky Watch Friday

Hey, Betsy.....

Would you please fill up the feeder?

EnterTRAINment Junction

Over Christmas break, we took the boys to EnterTRAINment Junction,

the worlds largest train display. It's just a year old and only an hour

from our home. Needless to say, the boys had a wonderful time!

I love the way Harry senses when Alex is feeling anxious.

He's such a sweetheart and loves on every body. :)

We spent several hours there, just letting the boys dictate

where we went and how long we stayed. Spencer was in charge

of course and he had to do a quick once-over of the whole facility

before he'd settle down and actually appreciate what was there.

Two miles of track... Aerial views and up-close-and-personal ones, too. Old time steam trains with cow-catchers in the Old West to the contemporary diesels running through skyscrapers. They left more than their share of fingerprints on the glass!

We had a snack at the cafe.

Looked around at all the scenery.

Stopped in at the movie room. Boring documentaries are their favorite!

Seriously! They find them on youtube all the time!

We did a lot of walking around.

And picked out some fun things at the gift shop.

We were really glad Taylor went along.

Another pair of eyes is always helpful! :)

The boys stood here for a good 30 minutes.

We thought they'd never leave!

It was their favorite view.

Fun times! I'm sure we'll go back again!