My Five Men

Blue Jay

2012-02-01T18:47:00.000-05:00

♥

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2012-02-01T08:12:00.000-05:00

What I did today.

Yum!

And yes, I had to test one.

Okay, okay. I tested four. :)

Melt Ghirardelli dark chocolate in the microwave. Dip strawberries. Set on parchment paper.

Enjoy.

♥

Strawberry Julius

2012-01-31T08:02:00.000-05:00

Does this profile remind you of anyone?

Black Interior Doors

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned that The Mister was watching Property Brothers on HGTV and saw a renovation where they painted all the interior doors in the house black. He said they had grey and taupe walls just like us and the black doors were gorgeous. Well, I said, "Let's do it!" And before he could even blink, I had purchased the paint!

I did a little bit of searching online to see if I could find some photos, since I didn't see the program that he did. I guess the rage of black interior doors began a couple of years ago! There were several interior design websites that showcased them, and I loved the look. I was imagining a full two-day weekend to get the job done, but it ended up being 3 Saturdays and we still have a few more doors to do before the project is complete! I thought we would paint them right where they hung, but when we decided to switch out the brass hardware to brushed nickle, each door had to come down and that added a lot of time.

We used Olympic Interior Semi Gloss in Soft Black.

A before and after shot. I love the change! And I don't miss the typical builder's white doors. It was kind of like getting rid of that 'builder's beige' on the walls of a newly built house. They look richer and more custom than the traditional white six panel doors that we had before.

Before and after in the laundry room. The first of three coats. Three doors at a time. One on the dining room table and two on the kitchen island.

The brushed nickle, which I think goes well with the grey walls and black doors. We needed 5 types of knobs and all new hinges, too. I made a paper template of a hinge to take to the hardware store with me, to make sure I got the correct size.

I thought they might make the rooms seems too dark, but that didn't seem to be the case at all.

I'm linking up with Metamorphosis Monday!

Click HERE to see other home make over projects starting at 9:00 A.M. EST. ♥

Random Thoughts

2012-01-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

I've been on a green tea kick lately. After I've finished my daily pot of coffee, of course. Did you know that green tea is extra good for you? Just 4 cups a day helps fight cancer, dementia, high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity.
I can tell winter has really settled in. Static cling in my hair brush, dry noses, and skin have brought out the humidifier in our house....and lots of body lotion!
I cleaned my jewelry this week. Would you believe I had cookie dough under my diamond that I think was from the holiday baking? ha.
You know it rains when ever I run errands and go to the grocery, right? Because of having sick kids home from school on and off, I changed my grocery day three times this week. It rained every single day I chose. ha.
My bangs need trimmed. Just sayin'.
Speaking of my hair, I received my Certificate of Appreciation today from Locks of Love. My ponytail arrived safe and sound and they said thank you.
I'm craving a peanut butter cookie, or two. :)

♥

Stand Out In A Crowd!

2012-01-27T07:50:00.000-05:00

No color editing on this photo. Pretty amazing, huh!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #20

2012-01-26T08:40:00.000-05:00

I worked an auction today!

It was full of collectibles, antiques and lots of interesting stuff.

This completely refurbished Standard Oil gas pump with crown shaped globe light went for $2900.
The boss. :) The wood barber shop pole went for $150.
The wood advertising boxes and tins went for over $100 each.
We had a nice crowd. And it's always fun to people watch. :)
This large pig, made of antique license plates, had a winning bid of $750. An owner of a local car dealership bought it for his showroom.
He did have a cute face. ha.
The huge flour sifter and storage tin only went for $40. Wish I had bid!
No junk at this auction, not even anything left for the trash pickers! (me, included! ha.)

What did you do today?

I'm sitting here listening to sleet beating on the windows!

Brrrr!

Song Sparrow

2012-01-25T16:46:00.000-05:00

He loves the seed in my yard, but during the winter I miss his loud, boisterous song! His whole body puffs up as he sings. In the winter he is quiet! See the snow on his tail?

I think he looks like Ben Franklin here. Or maybe he's suffering from S.A.D. ? ha.

I think he was posing for me!

♥

Fittonia

2012-01-24T12:16:00.000-05:00

Fittonia argyroneura

Remember that pretty pink plant that hopped into my shopping cart and said "Take me home with you!"? Well, she's been planted in a new pot and thriving quite nicely beside the kitchen sink. I don't normally name my plants, but she came already named! And I think Frankie is an adorable name. :)

♥

Random Thoughts

2012-01-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

A typical winter sunset in Ohio. It has a little bit of everything. Thick grey clouds, bits of blue sky here and there, a pink and purple glow, and a golden sinking sun. I took this photo last week and haven't seen the sun since! It's been grey, dark, raining, sleeting, snowing and foggy. And cozy. Did I mention cozy? :)
Harry and Spencer woke up with head colds. Harry slept all afternoon, which is a good thing because while he's awake, he wipes his nose on his sleeve. In one hour this morning, he had chapped the skin between his nose and mouth. Sigh. I thought maybe I wouldn't send him to school tomorrow but when he got up he was happy, laughing and bouncing up and down the hallway. Hmm. Feels better, at least for now! ha.
I'm still getting comments on my "Dear Betsy" post. Thank you so very much for all of your sweet words. Some of you have written your own letters to yourselves. The ones I've seen have been so touching.
It's so foggy here this afternoon, I can't see the neighbor's trees three houses down!
The NASCAR seasons starts in a month. Just sayin'. :) Google spellcheck doesn't recognize NASCAR. What's up with that? lol.
Spencer has lost 22 pounds since August simply by giving up his 2 lbs a day cheese obsession. (not voluntarily...his mom made him do it!) ha. He looks great!
Did you know that ostriches can weigh up to 350 pounds, grow to over 9 feet tall and run at 45 mph for up to a half an hour without stopping? Whoa. (I told you this was random stuff!)
We've enjoyed letting some kittens inside lately to get a break from the cold. This weekend it was 60 degrees warmer inside than outside. They got a little treat, some warm water to drink and they laid under the dining room table and stretched out for a while. Some still won't let me pet them but I'm doing my best to turn them from wild to domesticated. :)

I hope you've had a nice weekend!

Tomorrow starts a fresh new week!

I love Mondays. I'm in the minority, I know. :)

♥

Dinner Guest

2012-01-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

This little guy flirts with me every day!

He makes eye contact through the window and does this cute little

head tilt. What a charmer. :)

♥

Lava Lamp Love

2012-01-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

Who knew it would be so fun?

♥

Marmalade

2012-01-20T08:32:00.000-05:00

Marmy has taken on the role of big brother to the second litter that adopted us. Although he's still just a 9 month old kitten himself, he's really taken his self-imposed responsibility very seriously.

1. He makes them all settle down for a nap and sleeps while still at attention.

2. And I look up at the roof almost daily and see him walking the beat, looking out over the neighborhood and doing surveillance duty.

3. And when the kittens get stuck in a tree, he climbs up and shows them how to get down.

Everyone should have a big brother like Marmy. :)

♥

For Gloria

2012-01-19T07:55:00.000-05:00

Gloria was talking about a White Tailed Dove who was sitting on a nest in her yard in Chile. She had a pretty photo of Mrs. Dove as her header photo last week. So when I saw this Mourning Dove in my backyard, I thought I'd post it here to show her. They look very similar. Although, I'm sure Mrs. Mourning Dove would rather be in Chile where it is now summer! She has all of her petticoats fluffed up to keep her warm, doesn't she? Dressing in layers, you know! ha. So here you are, Gloria! I wanted you to see my dove from Ohio! And if the rest of you haven't been to the lovely Gloria's cooking blog, click HERE. She's also funny, intelligent, lovely, and a great photographer. :)

♥

Dear Betsy

2012-01-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

Dear Sweet Betsy,

It's only appropriate that you looked like Tweety Bird as a baby.

You'll grow up to be an avid bird watcher and lover!

You will cry when your younger sibling is born another sister, but don't worry. Some day you will be in a houseful of men. Hard to believe but it's true! Don't fret about moving from town to town and state to state during your grade school years. It will be hard always being the new girl but you will grow up to forge your own way. You will be independent and common sensicle. People will always say that you are private and quiet, preferring to listen rather than talk. Believe me, it's always wiser to listen than to run your mouth. And friends appreciate a good listener every time. In high school you'll be known for your long hair. And even though you will go through a dozen hairstyles throughout your adult years, you will grow it long again only to cut it off and give it to a child with cancer. And don't worry about being so shy. You will do things in life that will stretch and mold you. Every experience will give you strength to care for some really special boys. They will need someone to go above and beyond normal parenting and love them sacrificially. Don't be too sad that your parents never let you have a pet. You will more than make up for this in your own home. You will have a zoo-ful of fish, birds, cats, and a rabbit. You will care for orphaned baby birds, hurt bunnies and an occasional praying mantis.

Your parents and sisters.

This dysfunctional family will permanently split ways and you'll be left alone.

You will try to be a peacemaker but it will not work out.

Don't blame yourself. You did everything you could do. Stay honest and true to yourself.

And Betsy,..... you will be OK!

Enjoy the ride!

♥

I got this post idea from the lovely Susie Harris. Go check out her post HERE. Thanks, Susie. We all need to be reminded to be kind to ourselves. And gee, wouldn't it be nice to start out life with a letter like this? ha. Oh, but then why would we need any faith?

♥

Bubble Gum

2012-01-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

please click to enlarge

Bubble gum is the theme over at Creative Tuesdays!

I had to figure out how to get my trademark bird in the drawing! I almost wove Bazooka comics into a nest but thought maybe that wouldn't count since it didn't actually show the gum. I opted for a bubble-blowing bird and an impressed audience, too! ha. And I changed brands from Bazooka to Double Bubble. Actually, the wrapper is my favorite part! So, there you have it. :)

If you'd like to join in or see other entries, click HERE!

Please consider joining us. No talent required and it's lots of fun!

♥

Laundry Room Redo

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

This is the only 'before' photo I have! Here is the laundry room in green paint and pink floral border. The shelf hung high to the ceiling was used for hangers and clothes from the dryer. Now it's grey, a little more organized, and much more pleasant to use!

please click on photos to enlarge

My laundry room is actually a hallway. Things like that happen when you do renovations and build on additions. :) We have a long "L" shaped hallway in the house. I'm standing at the corner of the L, just in front of the master suite. The hallway in front of me extends the length of the ceramic tile and ends at the triplet's bedroom (which used to be a two-car garage!)
I had some custom-made wood shelves in the attic that The Mister installed above the washer and dryer for me.
I'm loving the grey color! Across from the washer and dryer I hung a memo board and cork board. To see how I made them, click HERE. Halfway down the hallway is a door opening that used to lead to the garage.
The shelves got a fresh coat of paint, too.
There aren't any windows, but the triplet's room has a very large window that lets light come down the hallway.

Standing at the second doorway, halfway down the hall.
This space is what started the redo to begin with. We had an upright freezer here. I decided to move it to my workroom so I could get one of these rolling laundry sorters.
Looking at the wall across from the hamper.
Since my laundry sorter came with a hanging bar, that freed up the space above the washer and dryer for the shelves!
Standing at the door to the boys' room and looking back. Beside the laundry sorter is a 2nd pantry, which comes in handy for storing extra canned and paper goods. It also holds seasonal things like the pressure canner, punch bowl, light bulbs and the carpet steamer. Across the hall from the pantry is my workroom for my gift basket business and crafty stuff.

I'm really enjoying my display of collectibles. Here's my vintage Cream of Wheat advertisement. It's nautical, too!
This framed photo I picked up in the auction trash. It was in the grass in the freezing rain. I picked it up thinking I could use the frame, but when I got it home and took a closer look, I fell in love with the four kids, balancing on a floating log in the water. They are poised to dive in! So cute! Can't believe nobody in the family wanted it! I decided to clean it up and keep it with my nautical stuff. Besides a little water damage on the mat, it was in good condition.
The big crock with the spigot is holding my liquid Era. And it looks better than the big red plastic jug, too. :)
I painted the cherry branches on the bird house years ago. It's held a few nests while hanging on the front porch, but was beginning to show a lot of wear, so I brought it inside. It's new home is with the wicker lidded jar holding some wooden clothespins.
The old metal ice bucket is holding baking soda and a scoop. I'll add a scoop to a load of Taylor's basketball and workout clothes. :)
A collection of brown bottles. Love the one with the fish on it.
My favorite big yellow metal bucket with wooden handle. I think it's been in every room of the house and even in the garden at some point in time. :)
The shelf above the laundry sorter holds my vintage picnic basket, wooden ammunition box and some extra large blue Ball jars with zinc lids.
The antique washboard with copper board had a broken top. I filled in the broken space with cork and am using it to display my sterling nautical broaches. Click HERE to see how I put it together!

Thanks again to Susan for hosting Metamorphosis Monday. I hadn't participated since last March when I redid the triplet's bedroom! I'll be back with her next Monday to show you what I did with all the doors in the house. That project is still in progress today. In fact, three doors are laying on my kitchen island as I'm typing up this post! They are looking good, though! :)

♥

I've linked up with Metamorphosis Monday!

To see more decorating redo's click HERE!

Starling

2012-01-15T13:15:00.000-05:00

please click on photo to enlarge

A flock of Starlings flew in for seed this afternoon. This one especially caught my eye. He had three times the numbers of stars in his feathers, not to mention, his face being covered with them! I thought he was beautiful! He posed nicely, too! I loved how his feet still have snow stuck to them!

♥

Frosty Friday

2012-01-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

please click on photos to enlarge Have I mentioned that I love snow?

♥

Memo Board and Cork Board Tutorials

2012-01-13T07:54:00.000-05:00

I worked on two of my projects today. Both were for my newly painted laundry room. These are easy and inexpensive to make and I love the way they look! For the memo board...

I bought a poster frame.
Remove the Plexiglas and cardboard back and lay a piece of batting, the same size on the top of both. Cover with fabric, which has been cut a couple of inches larger, wrap around the edges and attach on the back with a staple gun.
Lay back into frame.
Arrange ribbon pieces in a decorative pattern. I held mine in place with straight pins until I got them symmetrical. Tuck into frame and secure entire board into frame. Attach upholstery tracks where the ribbons cross, letting them puncture into the cardboard securely.
Finished!

for the cork board...

I used an identical poster frame. No need to take apart.
Fit top with thin cork tiles directly on Plexiglas. Trim pieces if necessary.
They should fit inside the frame snugly like puzzle pieces.
Secure with hot glue on all corners of the tiles.
Finished!

Completed laundry room reveal will be this Monday. Fun!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #19

2012-01-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

please click to enlarge photos.

Watched the rain drip off the crab apples. And of course it was raining. It was the day I planned to be out and about! Sigh.
At the grocery, had this hanging plant jump into my cart and ask me to take it home. How could I refuse? :) I know, I know. This happens to me a lot. ha.
Did the weekly grocery shopping. I felt like I bought out the store. ha.
Dropped 2 bags of stuff off to the thrift store. Always nice to purge the unwanted stuff! In this case it was Christmas lights we haven't used in years.
Bought myself a set of acrylic paints and some brushes. I have a project in mind. :)
Caught this sweet Song Sparrow outside my window.
Enjoyed some Starbucks Caramel coffee that was in my Christmas stocking.
Noticed Socks, perched on a fence post, also watching the sweet Song Sparrow!
Ms. Ladybug continues to live on the poinsettia. Thanks, Birdie, for all of your information about them. Did you know that they come into your house to hibernate but usually die of dehydration? I gave her a drink and she looks fine so far. ( the bug, not Birdie! ha.) One brings good luck. An infestation, not so much. I hope she doesn't invite any girlfriends to join her. ha.
Stopped at Lowe's Home Improvement and bought some things for a major home decoration project. It was The Mister's idea, actually. He saw something on HGTV that he thought was 'gorgeous' so before he could change his mind, I bought all the supplies we need to do it. I need his help on this one, so had to act quickly before he looses interest. lol. More to come on this later.
One more pretty plant that came home with me. I love it when the stores start putting out a fresh supply of houseplants this time of year. I need a little color in January. :)

How about you? What did you do today?

Hope it was a wonderful day.

♥

Texting Gloves

2012-01-11T08:08:00.000-05:00

I gave some to Taylor about a year ago. They're great for college kids that text more than they speak. lol. But this year I bought myself a pair! They are great for working outside at an auction in the cold weather. I type on a laptop most of the auction hours, so these have come in really handy. Although, I have to tell you something funny. Two weeks ago I worked an auction. It was a really cold day and we were out on a farm. I was in a barn, but I was still very cold. My texting gloves were doing a great job of keeping my hands warm, but my feet were numb by 9:00 A.M. even though I had on wool socks and boots (standing on a concrete slab)! I knew I'd be there until about 6:00 that evening, so I slipped off my gloves and boots...and put the gloves on my feet over my socks. Ha! I folded the tops down over my toes and slipped my feet back into my boots. Much better!

I was ready for anything, even if my toes had to text! lol.

♥

House Guest

2012-01-10T08:08:00.000-05:00

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Harry's Hair #2

2012-01-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

It was way past time to give Harry a haircut. The curly mop was getting out of hand! The biggest clue I had that it was really past time, was the hair I found in my desk drawer, where the scissors are kept. :) I new right away who did it! This has happened before! Fortunately, he only cut the one curl that was bothering him at the time. ha.

So last night we got out the clippers. :)

The most entertaining parts of this post are those expressions. Oh gosh.

♥

Tufted Titmouse

2012-01-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

This little guy is so fast and active that it took me 50 shots before I caught him still long enough that he wasn't a grey blur in the photo. I'm quite certain he can help himself to the seed without any cats catching him! Isn't he sweet? He's been entertaining me outside my window for about a week now. Maybe Mrs. Titmouse will join him in the spring!

♥

Homemade Granola

2012-01-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

Granola

4 c oats

1 c pecans, chopped

1 c brown sugar

1 c puffed rice cereal

1/2 c wheat germ

1 t cinnamon

1 t salt

Mix all the above in very large bowl. Set aside.

~~~~

1/2 c honey

4 T vegetable oil

1 T vanilla extract

1 c apple juice concentrate

1 T vanilla extract

Microwave these ingredients 1 minute.

Pour over cereal in large bowl and stir to combine.

~~~~

Spread into large greased pan

(lasagne pan is great, or use two 9x13 pans)

Bake 60 minutes at 300,

stirring every 15 minutes.

Cool completely, then add remaining ingredients, below.

Cereal will crisp as it cools. Don't keep stirring as it cools

because this will break up all the nice little bite size pieces.

~~~~

1 c dried cranberries

1 c coconut

1 c dried dates

1 c dried apricots, snipped with scissors

******

I shared this recipe back in 2008 but since I made it today, I thought I'd share it again. This time I replaced the apricots with dried mango and the dates with dried blueberries. I also added dried pineapple. This is such a good recipe ~ whole grain, healthy and naturally sweet. I like it with milk or sprinkled over yogurt. The Mister eats it by the handful just like it is. :) It doesn't get super hard...still a little chewy.

******

Anne, I did the watermark just for you. :) Thanks for the suggestion.

******

Click HERE to see other sweet recipes at Sweet As Sugar Cookies.

♥

Tonight's Sunset

2012-01-06T08:53:00.001-05:00

No words needed, right?

♥

click HERE to see more skies at Sky Watch Friday!

What I Did Wednesday #18

2012-01-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

Finally got my pony tail packaged up and in the mail to Locks of Love. I have to tell you that it is really weird to see your own pony tail laying on on your desk, unattached to your head. It was kind of creepy. ha.
I needed a new winter coat so I shopped on Overstock.com for one. I didn't want something everyone else was wearing. I wanted something unique! I found a 1930's style short swing-coat in faux beaver fur. Ha. Perfect for those fancy business dinners The Mister is always dragging me to. But I'm crazy enough to wear it with jeans to the grocery, just like I did today. :)
One of the younger kittens. Haven't been able to touch this one yet. Don't even know the sex. But it sure is beautiful. Especially those eyes!
Barely got out of the village this morning when I drove past flair after flair along the road. Hmmm. Here's what I finally came upon. Had to turn around and take another route.
Noticed this beautiful farm as I drove to the grocery.
Noticed the snow on the neighbor's gazebo this afternoon.
Saw the first icicles of the season!
Watered the house plants.
Chatted with Spencer.
Enjoyed this barn with it's pretty decor.
At the grocery, I perused the table of Christmas clearance items. Lots of tacky stuff. ha. But this box of pretty glass pine cone ornaments hopped in my cart and said, "Take me home!" so, I did. :)
When I came home 3 hours later, that accident was still blocking the road! Oh my. That usually only means one thing...a fatality. And sure enough, I was right. So sad. And you know, I was running late this morning and left about 20 minutes later than I had planned. The accident happened 20 minutes before I arrived. Wow.
Found a stack of Wolfgang Puck stainless mixing bowls with non-skid bottoms and fitted lids. 75% off because they were the display model. They jumped in my cart along side the pine cone ornaments. :)
Really enjoyed this little Titmouse eating seed outside my kitchen window.

What did you do today? Hope it was wonderful!

♥

2012-01-04T08:18:00.000-05:00

frozen crab apples

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything,

they make the best of everything!"

♥

The First Snowfall

2012-01-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

Socks thoroughly enjoyed chasing snow flakes! And I thoroughly enjoyed photographing him! Look at those back legs and you'll know how he got his name!

Big fluffy flakes, 40 mph wind gusts

and an 8F degree windchill!

Spencer seemed mesmerized, too!

Then all was calm and beautiful!

♥

Keeping An Old Resolution

2012-01-02T09:23:00.000-05:00

please click to enlarge

When you've mastered a resolution and it's one that you really enjoy, it only makes sense to continue on with it, right? I've always tried to notice beautiful things around me. And the sky, (being so big and all!), is hard not to notice! It's different every day! I love that! Today we had a little bit of everything from ominous dark grey, to rain and heavy winds, to sunshine peaking through huge fluffy clouds. The huge clouds floated overhead, putting on a show to rival any Macy's Day Parade, with big balloon creatures. Then the sky finished off the show with a beautiful red sunset and a clear half moon.

Lovely!

♥

A New Year

2012-01-01T14:51:00.000-05:00

May you always be blessed

with walls for the wind,

a roof for the rain, and

a warm cup of tea by the fire.

With laughter to cheer you,

those you love near you,

and all that your heart might desire.

an Irish blessing

Wishing you all the best in the year ahead,

no matter where the road may take you in 2012!

Love and prayers to all for a wonderful new year!

♥

Dinner is Served

2011-12-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

Nine Kittens

Two Moms

One Dad

One Zoo

One Mrs. DoLittle

♥

Flying Fish

2011-12-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

The sky was full of goldfish tonight!

"I have as much privacy as a goldfish in a bowl!" ~Princess Margaret

"No one can feel as helpless as the owner of a sick goldfish."~Kin Hubbard

"I've got a new invention. It's a revolving bowl for tired goldfish."~Lefty Gomez

"There is a natural hootchy-kootchy motion to a goldfish."~Walt Disney

See other sky photos at Sky Watch Friday

♥

Vintage Washboard Repurposed

2011-12-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

please click to enlarge

Our laundry room got a fresh coat of paint yesterday! The same favorite, lovely grey I had done in our bedroom. :) I thought it would be a good time to give it some fresh decor, too. I picked up this damaged washboard in the auction leftovers a couple of weeks ago. I cut out a piece of cork shelf liner to fit the top part and hot glued it into place. Now I have a spot to display my vintage sterling silver nautical-themed brooch collection. Hey, how did that bird get there? ha ha.

********

I have custom-made white painted shelves in the attic that used to be in my dining room. I'm hoping to sweet-talk The Mister into putting them above the washer and dryer for me. If he scowls, I'm getting out my girlie tools and doing it myself! I hurt my wrist last week, so maybe he'll have pity on me and help. :) More of the laundry room redo to come soon!

♥

Christmas Angel?

2011-12-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

I was making a fruit salad on Christmas Eve and found this

in the package of strawberries!

♥

Partridge ~ A Creative Tuesday Post

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

please click to enlarge

The theme at Creative Tuesdays this time was to choose one of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I hope you like my little partridge perched on a pear!

To see other entries, click HERE.

♥

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T18:09:00.000-05:00

inside lights, outside branches

"My dear children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the history of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about him."

Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

I'll be back Tuesday with a festive Creative Tuesday drawing.

In the meantime, I hope to visit all of you with the best of

Christmas wishes and some holiday kisses.

xxoo

♥

Key Lime Fudge

2011-12-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

I tried this new recipe and it's a keeper!

I'm posting it especially for Brian, my twin of sorts, who loves Key Lime. :) And isn't the plate pretty? I picked it up at the thrift store today while out and about with friend Julie. And yes, Pat, I washed it before using it. ha.

Key Lime Fudge

3 c white chocolate melted with one can of sweetened condensed milk.

Stir in 1 T lime zest and 1/4 c lime juice.

Spread in a buttered 8x8 pan. Chill 2 hours.

♥

The Best Gift I'm Giving This Year

2011-12-22T09:54:00.004-05:00

Yep, that would be my hair! Sometime in 2012 a child with cancer or one with an incurable hair loss disease will be wearing a wig made from my ponytail!

That just makes me smile.

Do I miss my hair? Well, yeah...but it will grow. In fact, it's already a little longer than when it was cut this morning, right? ha. In fact, who knows, maybe I'll do it all over again!

Since I was donating my hair to Locks Of Love, my haircut was free! But I was happy to give a generous tip. :) They even had the form I needed to fill out and mail in with my hair.

Please watch the 51 second French advertisement below. It's SO sweet!

♥

December Beauty

2011-12-21T09:10:00.000-05:00

Golden ornaments and red accents.

Nature does it better than we do, don't you think?

More Little Gifts

2011-12-20T08:56:00.000-05:00

Colored canning jars with wire handles make great lanterns!

I filled them with dried beans to hold snowball candles

and added little wood home-sweet-home signs and ribbon.

♥

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

2011-12-19T17:01:00.000-05:00

We were too busy scarfing these down for photographs, so I've used some from onesavorylife.com

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

These pancakes were SO good that we've decided to have them Christmas morning! I used my regular buttermilk pancake batter, recipe HERE, then did the steps listed below.

Cinnamon Swirl Mixture

2 t cinnamon, 5 T melted butter, 1 c brown sugar

Mix together. Can thin with a little milk. if needed. Put in a squeeze bottle, pastry bag or you can even use a Ziploc and cut the tip off of a corner. You just want to be able to squeeze the cinnamon mixture out onto the pancake batter.

Frosting

2 T soft butter, 2 oz soft cream cheese, 1/2 t vanilla, 2/3 c powdered sugar and a little milk to thin frosting to the right consistency. Mix all together. I made it thick but still able to drizzle with a spoon.

Make pancake batter, cinnamon swirl mixture and frosting all before starting. Pour batter on griddle as with any pancakes and immediately swirl lines of the cinnamon mixture. Continue making pancakes as you normally would. After they come off the griddle, drizzle with cream cheese frosting. I served these with sausage and red seedless grapes. Yum!

♥

Corn Cob Pipe

2011-12-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

We are having snow flurries today!

Now all we need is enough for a snow man.

I'm all set to dress him in style!

♥

Russian Tea Cakes

2011-12-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

What do you call this Classic Christmas Cookie?

Snowballs? Russian Tea Cakes? Mexican Wedding Cakes?

Whatever they are called, they melt in your mouth!

Recipe

1/2 c powdered sugar

1 c softened butter

2 t vanilla

2 c flour

1 c finely chopped pecans

1/4 t salt

Blend sugar and butter, stir in remaining ingredients.

Form into balls. Bake 15-20 minutes at 325 until set but not

browned. Cool slightly and roll in additional powdered sugar.

and visit HERE for Lisa's blog and more yummy desserts!

♥

Follow The Leader

2011-12-16T14:19:00.000-05:00

I watched this scenario unfold while sitting at my desk yesterday.

Have to admit, it was quite amusing!

Mr. Jay didn't seem to feel threatened and kept

his perch throughout the whole escapade.

Can you see him? He's in the top right corner of each picture.

♥

What I Did Wednesday #17

2011-12-15T16:59:00.000-05:00

Put my little pink auction bowl on the pink table and filled it with Godiva Strawberry Cream Filled Truffles.
Made the last batch of sour cream cut out cookies.
Had some new insulation added to the crawl space under the house and up in the attic. After 23 years, we needed a new layer! Not the best group of men to work with though. They took a smoking break in the crawl space directly under my desk in the kitchen and the tobacco smell filled the house. After a kind request NOT to do that, they stopped. Then they left quite a mess in my workroom where the attic entrance is. Most businesses that come in clean up after themselves. The Mister is making a phone call this afternoon. Good grief! :)
We had a new front door installed last week. (those men vacuumed up their mess! just sayin') I just got around to wiping it down and cleaning the glass today. Very nice! Although, you know the sounds of your home that are so familiar, like the way the front door sounds when someone comes and goes? Well, this door is silent! Not a squeak, pop or click! Nothing! I've been startled a few times by my men walking about and I didn't even know they had come home! ha.
Enjoyed hazelnut creamer in my coffee....and wearing my favorite grey woolly sweater.
Caught this cute little kitten from the new litter looking at me while I sat at my desk.
Scheduled THE haircut. Oh yeah, it's time for my ponytail to be sent to Locks Of Love. I guess that story will be a part of What I Did Wednesday of next week! :)
Cleared out a bunch of old phone numbers from my cell. Several of my friends have cancelled their land lines and only have their cell now.
Removed the border in the laundry room. Friend Kris is coming next week to paint.
Have this red wooden sleigh and it's kind of plain. I have plains to make it look a little more special. Details to come at a later day. First coat is drying as I type. :)
Misted my pine wreath on the front door. Will that make it last longer? I hope so!
Enjoyed the view of the Christmas tree from the kitchen.
Put a batch of pecan bars in the freezer.

I hope you're having a wonderful day!

What did you do?

♥

Decorated Marshmallows

2011-12-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

A Wilton Food Writer marker turned these marshmallows into

something a little more special.

This wintery gift basket was SO fun to make!

♥

Alex

2011-12-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

When I ask him to try to say a word, he gives that little smirk.

I love that he loves my cooking.

Sleeps in that headset and I sneak in around midnight,

slip it off and kiss his forehead.

When he's feeling shy, he looks up at the ceiling.

Baby of the family by 30 seconds and a mama's boy.

Sweet young man of mine.

♥

Pink

2011-12-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

♥

Random Thoughts

2011-12-11T08:07:00.000-05:00

Made some Christmas cards yesterday. Once I figured out how to draw a realistic pine cone, they are showing up every where! :) Silver and blue seem to be a recurring theme here this Christmas.
We woke up to a temperature of 12 degrees this morning. Blue sky, no clouds and beautiful sun. The snow flurries of yesterday didn't stick and the grass is green! ha.
My favorite part of the day was when Spencer kept going over to the stockings and peeking inside them. :)
You know, I never did find my Christmas spirit! Maybe it will elude me altogether this year. It's been a sad year for me on several levels. Real life doesn't change just because it's a holiday, you know? But I'm still thankful for a thousand things and have too many blessings to even count.
Spencer has had a bad cold all week. He missed school Monday and Friday. How do you teach a child with autism how to blow their nose? If you hold a tissue to his nose, he sniffs. lol. I've tried everything without success.
The triplets need haircuts. Oh boy, was the bedhead funny this morning. Actually, it still is...I never combed it. Come to think of it, they are still in their jammies, too! :)
I kept my Christmas Cactus alive all year but there aren't any blooms! I did have one large bloom in September, though. Maybe it got Labor Day confused with Christmas?
I have 4 different kinds of Christmas cookies in the freezer so far. The gingerbread men never made it, though. They were gobbled up before they got into the Ziplock bags. ha. Sugar cookie dough is chilling as I type. I'm thinking fluffy icing and red sprinkles will be nice. There sure are lots of yummy recipes floating around the blogs this week. I've enjoyed browsing through and picked a few to try.
What is error 404? Blogger keeps saying it to me. ha.

♥

Betsy's Pastry Swans

2011-12-10T12:59:00.002-05:00

This is by far my favorite Christmas dessert. I have a tray of these sitting on the dessert buffet every year. They look complicated but really aren't difficult.

Pastry Swans

Bodies ~ Pate a Choux

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside. Combine butter, salt, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until butter is melted and the water just comes to a boil. Remove from heat, add flour, and stir rapidly. Return the pan to the heat, and cook mixture, stirring constantly, until it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating until they are completely incorporated and the pastry is smooth. Transfer the pastry to a bag fitted with a small coupler. Pipe about 1/2 tablespoon of the pastry into an oval mound on the prepared baking sheet; continue piping until 12 'bodies' have been made, spacing pastry about 1 1/2 inches apart. Then pipe 12 long "S" shapes for the heads/necks on a separate sheet. Combine egg white with remaining 1 tablespoon of water, and brush the top of each mound and the necks with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown all over, about 20 minutes for the bodies and 10 minutes for the necks. Watch closely to prevent burning. Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Cream puff shells can be made in advance, and frozen in resealable bags. When ready to use, defrost and warm in a 350 degree oven for three minutes until crisp.

Filling

3 oz cream cheese

1/2 c powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla

6 oz Cool Whip

In mixer, blend softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla

Stir in Cool Whip with a spatula.

I put my filling in a pastry bag, which makes it easier to fill the

bodies, but you can just spoon it in just fine.

To Assemble (just before serving) ~

Cut tops off of bodies and divide the tops lengthwise to create 2 wings.

Fill each body with a large dollop of creamy filling

Arrange neck and wings to create swans by sticking ends into filling.

Can serve each in their own 'pool' of chocolate sauce, or drizzle chocolate on top.

Yield: Makes about 12

Seven Swans A-Swimming!

I'm joining in with Lisa and Sweet As Sugar Cookies.

Click HERE for more great recipes!

And also Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party HERE!

♥

Little Gifts

2011-12-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

I needed some little thank you gifts for the boys' church helpers and teachers. I found these little bottles of hand soap shaped like fruit and thought they were really cute. But...they were kind of boring! So I got out my glue gun, ribbon, tiny ornaments and bits of dried berries and leaves. After a little makeover, I think they look much more special, don't they?

***

And, shhh...don't tell anyone that I only paid $1.50 each. You can't beat that, can you! They look much more festive now. I wouldn't mind getting one myself!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #16

2011-12-08T08:20:00.001-05:00

Added a little Christmas cheer to the pot of ivy on top of the frig
Put out some candy in the crystal ice buckets I picked up from the auction trash.
The little Homer Laughlin Christmas plate is from the auction trash, too. It fit perfectly in my vintage metal stand. Now it sits in the foyer, offering candy to anyone who knocks on the door.
The last of the gift baskets were shipped today. I love that you can now print labels and pay postage online and even request that the post office pick up your packages from your home. How easy is that!
Finally finished decorating the Christmas tree!
Watered the little pink variegated poinsettia that jumped into my grocery cart last week.
Tried my hand at baking shortbread for the first time.
Brought out Mr. Penguin. See, Pat. It really is a zoo here!
Watched a little dusting of snow fall this morning.
Baked a few dozen ginger bread men.
Let Tiger come in for a visit. He sat like a prairie dog beneath the bird cage most of the time.
Noted the new extra large yard lake from days and days of rain!
Baked and decorated snowflake cookies.
Enjoyed putting out my glass bird ornaments
Hung a big shimmery star about my desk.
Noted a petrified slice of banana on the floor in the foyer. Yep. I need to stop making gift baskets and clean the house. ha.
Fed kittens this morning. Two large kittens (Whiskers and Tiger) and 5 little kittens (new litter who 'found' me). I thought it was funny how they lined up on opposite sides of the bowls. ha.
Put a little bird tree in the kitchen. Because, if Susan Branch can do it, so can I! :)
Set out my vintage Christmas postcard collection.

I hope you had a wonderful day!

What did you do?

♥

Hot Chocolate

2011-12-07T07:54:00.000-05:00

I usually top it with a spoon of marshmallow cream, which can give you a really good and gooey mustache. :) But I had leftover whipped cream tonight. Of course, it was perfect this way, too!

And a little splash of Kaluha didn't hurt, either.

Yum.

♥

Mistletoe ~ For Creative Tuesday

2011-12-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

please click on drawing to enlarge

Mistletoe is the theme at Creative Tuesday!

Looks like Mr. and Mrs. Bird are keeping warm with a little smooch under their mistletoe! I'm not even sure they notice the beautiful snowflakes falling around them! I think I need to hang some mistletoe in my house! Harry is the man around here always willing to give a kiss. Maybe he'll give mom a little peck if I stand under it. :)

If you'd like to join in, this theme is due by Tuesday, December 6th.

Click HERE to see other entries or join!

No talent required...just come have fun!

So when you kiss, do you keep your eyes open or close them like me? Or does that depend on who you are kissing? ha.

♥

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-05T07:54:00.000-05:00

Have you ever started out the holiday season without feeling the holiday cheer? Some years I do this and just about the time I start to feel a panic of, 'Oh dear, where is the Christmas muse?', it finally hits. Then I feel like Santa's elf and enjoy the decorating, creating, baking and giving. But so far, the Christmas spirit hasn't arrived! The tree is up but the decorations are still in the boxes! I pulled out a few things and they are sitting in piles on the floor. I have a gift list completed but only 4 of them are purchased! Uh oh!

Maybe I need to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" or crank up the "It's A Charlie Brown Christmas" CD.

Am I the only one feeling like this?

How do you get in the holiday spirit?

♥

PIcking Through the Auction Trash

2011-12-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

I worked an auction on Wednesday and looked through the discarded items left for the trash. No $80 Rowenta toasters this time, but I did bring home a few things.

A stack of old linens. I collect them! I need a fun idea on how to use them.
A glass pedestal cake stand. Always nice to have extras for my baking business.
A large conk shell, which I'll gladly add to my shell collection!
Two snowy bottle-brush trees.
A pretty antique plate.
Loved the plate, but it was the little tag on the back that I found most interesting. Aww! Didn't anyone want great grandma's old plate? Even it if was Bur's mothers? The family didn't and neither did the bidder that actually won and paid for it! Well, I wanted it and I'll give it a nice home! Whenever I use it, I'll think of Bur's mother. :)

♥

Christmas Gift Baskets

2011-12-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

This particular order of baskets is from an attorney friend who delivers them to his bigger clients. I've had this account for about 10 years now. Since they are delivered to the same people every year, I try to come up with something new and fun. This year I used wood crates instead of baskets or hat boxes. They are still, as always, filled with gourmet foods per his request.

I put together some items to make the bow look a little more interesting.

If you do this, make sure you don't use your hot glue gun anywhere near your coffee cup. ha.

I had six of these to make and they are finished and ready to go. They are to be hand delivered. I have another six to make that will be packaged a little differently. They will be shipped to clients out of state. I have to say, I'm really hungry for yummy snack foods after looking at this stuff for several days now! I need to start baking some Christmas cookies!

♥

Frost

2011-12-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

December 1st

♥

What I Did Wednesday #15

2011-12-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

I worked an auction today. Four days of rain turned into a dusting of snow over night. The sun was trying to break through the clouds at the horizon while I was driving this morning.
Xenia, Ohio is decked out in holiday spirit!
This man reminded me of a Disney character. Any guesses?
It was a nice auction, but nothing really fun to report. I did pick up a few things. I may share another day.
So did you guess one of the seven dwarfs? Dopey, maybe? :)

♥

Today

2011-11-30T07:20:00.000-05:00

I had hidden a large box of Tootsie Pops from the boys under my desk. This morning, Nugget found it! He chewed it open and was enjoying unwrapping a few suckers. He chose green ones to unwrap. I thought that was odd until I remembered that he is vegetarian, after all. :)
I shopped all day for my gift basket making. The dining room is now an assembly line and workshop. Mrs. DoLittle has turned into Mrs. Claus for the week. :)
It's been pouring rain for days now. There's a new pond outside in the yard!
The last of the Thanksgiving leftovers turned into turkey and rice soup.
The last of the rolls turned into chocolate bread pudding! Google Paula Deen's recipe if you're interested.

What did you do today?

♥

Mrs. Woodpecker

2011-11-29T08:06:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Woodpecker in my backyard 11-27-11

Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head

and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts .

Coleman Cox

♥

Me Time

2011-11-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

view from my desk windows

Looks like even though I'm not quite ready to decorate for Christmas, Mother Nature is! I snapped this picture of one of our pine trees showing through the golden crab apple tree. Doesn't it look like Christmas lights on a tree?

*******

I considered this last day of Thanksgiving Vacation as a little calm before the storm of my busy gift basket week. I also just noticed I have a couple of appointments this week and an auction on Wednesday! Good grief! So I took some time for me today. Girl time. I slept in, gave myself a facial, conditioned my hair, whitened my teeth, and yes, even a pedicure. The fun kind, by sitting on the kitchen counter and soaking my feet in a sink of hot sudsy water. Thankfully, Mr. Neighbor Man didn't catch me. haha. And to top it all off, I ate the last piece of pie for breakfast.

♥

As November Ends

2011-11-27T08:47:00.000-05:00

X marks the spot, whether it's a buried treasure, a kiss, or where two paths crossed in the sky. A lovely November sunset as seen from my front porch.

******

One more day of relaxing and then I head into my busiest week of the year. The gift basket business does get busy throughout the holidays! I'm happy to be able to not only create beautiful gifts but do it from my home, sometimes in my jammies and slippers. :) And nothing beats being the boss, you know? ha. I created this business 21 years ago and it has been so much fun!

*******

Once this week is done I'll turn my efforts to putting up the tree, decorating the house and doing some Christmas shopping. I feel a little behind after dear friend, Pat, announced he's all done with his shopping and even has a few feet of snow to make it feel all holiday-ish. But that's ok. We'll just have to be looking Thanksgiving-ish around here until then. hahaha. :)

♥

Thanksgiving Highlights

2011-11-25T23:25:00.000-05:00

click on photo to enlarge

Pumpkin and pecan pies. Wednesday I dropped my 9 inch deep dish glass pie pan with the crust in it and it broke. It was for the pecan pie and since that is my favorite, I was determined to finish the project. I did, after all, have the filling mixed and waiting! The crust was salvageable and I managed to piece it back together and slide it into my springform pan with removable sides. It did just fine, thankfully. It looked like a deep dish tart!
My version of the salad I saw in the coupon flier. I used pomegranate seeds instead of dried cranberries. The feta, praline pecans and balsamic vinaigrette were the perfect touches. I'll certainly be making this again.
My Light and Fluffy Rolls. I made them smaller but of course they were just as yummy. I had a few turkey and cranberry 'sliders' on these as a late night snack last night.
Putting the finishing touches on the table. I got to mix my auction treasure white dishes, including the little butter pats, with my blue china. Fun!
A Thanksgiving sunset, clouds with pink linings. A lovely ending.

I did roast the turkey upside down. The white meat was super juicy!

One of the best parts was Alex sitting down and eating with us.

He couldn't get enough of the cornbread and sausage stuffing.

He even requested it for breakfast today. ha.

Hope you had a lovely day and counted your blessings.

No Black Friday shopping for me.

I slept in and had pumpkin pie for breakfast!

♥

Gratefulness

2011-11-25T10:17:00.000-05:00

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than houses.

No Americans have been more impoverished than these who,

nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.

~H.U. Westermayer

♥

Over the River and Through the Woods...

2011-11-23T08:50:00.000-05:00

I always sing that little song when I drive to New Carlisle, Ohio to the Amish Turkey Farm two days before Thanksgiving. Not sure why as it really has nothing to do with going to a turkey farm. ha. The trip has become a little tradition that I really enjoy. If you live in Ohio, you should visit Bowman and Landes. They are the best.

Today was pouring rain, foggy and just plain gross. It is the weekly curse of mine that this kind of weather always lands on the day I go to the grocery and run errands. Sigh.
Heading out to the turkey farm, I did get to pass one of my favorite barns.
This place is really busy during the holidays. They even have men helping you park and directing traffic. He looks grouchy, doesn't he? He actually was nice and smiled but I'm sure the rain was an inconvenience. I was glad I wore my raincoat with the hood today!
A look at some customers coming out. I spent a few extra minutes inside, enjoying looking at all the yummy Amish goodies. Along with the turkey, I bought some extra turkey broth, a loaf of cinnamon bread to eat for breakfast on Thursday, and some yummy homemade cheeses. We had Garlic Herb Yogurt Cheese melted on our grilled burgers for dinner tonight. Yum.
The bird. 12 lbs is more than enough for us, plus a few packages to put in the freezer. How do you roast your turkey? I usually stuff it lightly with onions, garlic and salt. Coat the skin with butter, salt and pepper and place it in one of those clear turkey roasting bags. This year I am going to roast it breast side down which is supposed to let all the juices settle in the breast meat, making it extra juicy. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Taylor left today with girlfriend Lauren for her home in Pennsylvania. First holiday ever without my firstborn! I sent him with a hostess gift ~ an amber glass bowl full of my chewy ginger cookies. I'm going to miss him!
Yesterday I baked and decorated this 6 layer cake for a friend who's daughter is having a birthday party tonight. They picked up the cake this evening on their way to the party. Happy Birthday, Abby!
And finally, the rain let up and there was a beautiful sunset!

I also did the grocery shopping, stopped by work to have a staff photo for the auction Christmas card, gave Taylor a haircut, chatted on the phone with a dear friend, did 4 loads of laundry and made dinner.

I'm pooped. haha.

Hope you have had a wonderful day!

♥

Three French Hens ~ A Creative Tuesday Entry

2011-11-22T08:12:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

Three is the theme at Creative Tuesdays this time. The number three is no stranger to me. :) Things break in threes at our house. We give birth to babies, three at a time! Even our house number starts with a three! With the holidays about to start, I thought I'd give a try at drawing the Three French Hens from The Twelve Days of Christmas. And it was a really easy way to get a bird in the sketch at the same time! :) Last entry I figured out how to make pine cones look realistic and they were so much fun I had to make sure I included them in this entry, too. It's all in the shading, isn't it?

Black and red ink with colored pencils.

The three theme is due Tuesday, November 22.

Click HERE to join in or see more entries.

♥

Friends and Enemies

2011-11-20T08:06:00.000-05:00

I let Tiger come inside for a few minutes to let he and Nugget

continue to become friends. They just looked at each other like "Oh, hi."

Maybe it's the size. Nugget is actually bigger! I guess he doesn't feel like he might become dinner.

No, it was actually the parakeets that Tiger was most interested in.

In fact, he started chirping like a bird himself and eventually had to be

pulled off the cage. :) His mom did raise him on bird, after all!

click on photos to enlarge

♥

Random Thoughts

2011-11-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

view from my desk ~ the neighbor's backyard

You know how things break in threes? Yesterday our furnace, Taylor's car and the clothes iron all broke! Furnace and car have been repaired. The iron still sits there cold and lonely. ha.
There isn't a single cloud in the sky today. Gorgeous, even though it is cold!
And speaking of cold, we had temperatures in the 20's the night our furnace broke. I slept with the blankets over my head. ha.
The skunk sprayed in the backyard. I've smelled all four cats and they smell fine, but something out there got sprayed! I don't know if it is a bush, furniture or a rug but it is BAD! And when we open that door, the smell comes right into the house. How do you get rid of a skunk without smelling like a skunk yourself?
Taylor is off on his annual trip to Nashville with blue-grass-loving-friend, Daniel. They are again staying in good friend Rhonda Vincent's home. Always a good time for them!
After he left this morning, I ventured into Taylor's room armed with vacuum, dust cloth, wet soapy rag, Windex, and trash bags. It is a college dorm room in our house, after all! The sheets are in the wash, and everything is clean. Two bags of trash were removed and I found 3 lone socks whose mates have been waiting in the laundry room for weeks. lol.
Spencer has lost 19 pounds in 3 months since we took his 1 pound per day cheese obsession away. He looks great!
I have five Christmas gifts purchased!
It's the weekend! I'm going to be baking a cake for an order, watching Nascar, and managing the men. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing few days!

Treasure Map

2011-11-18T07:53:00.000-05:00

click to enlarge

Treasure is the theme for Theme Thursday! It reminded me of the treasure maps my sisters and I would make when we were kids. Here's how we did it:

Crinkle up a piece of paper; make creases by folding. Tear a few spots.
Stain it with tea to give it that aged, yellow look. Let it dry.
Burn some of the edge. Not sure why, but when you're a kid, it makes it look really cool.
Smear some of the ash on the map for dirt and variation of shade. Use the match tip to draw parts of the map, lines for water and land.
Add what you want, including a compass, landmarks, and of course, the big X!

click to enlarge

Looks like Jack Sparrow could have carried this around in his pocket!

To see other treasures, click HERE!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #14

2011-11-17T14:48:00.000-05:00

Looked through some holiday magazines for Thanksgiving table centerpiece ideas.
Did the dishes...twice. (so far) ha.
Cleaned the oven, vacuumed out the ash when it was done, oiled the rack supports so they slide easily, placed foil in the bottom to catch drips and cleaned the grill on the stove top. Now I'm ready for holiday baking. :)
Packaged up an Operation Christmas Child box.
Talked to the new mother cat. She actually didn't run for the first time. I really wasn't this close..had the zoom lens going.
Picked up this tiny hanging planter from the auction leftovers a few weeks ago. I replaced the ratty twine with ribbon and planted a few remaining sprouts left over from one of the outside flower pots. Maybe it will do well hanging in the kitchen window this winter.
Did the weekly grocery shopping.
Filled the flour, sugar, brown sugar and powdered sugar canisters. Ready for baking now!
Noticed those new little kittens have bloated bellies. A Google search confirmed my suspicion of worms. Yuck. Stopped at the pet store today for some de-worming drops to put in the water outside.
Noted weird hand sculpture while out and about. Not sure why, but I think it's creepy. ha.
Enjoyed chocolate hazelnut coffee, a gift from a dear friend.
Laughed at Mustache and that huge yawn.
Smiled at blue sky and pretty cloud pattern after the dark grey and rain blew over.
Oops on that number. :) Moved my wicker drop file cart back out to my desk. I need to look for some recipes and decorating ideas in the next few days.

It's been a lovely Wednesday.

I hope your day was lovely, too!

♥

Thanksgiving Salad

2011-11-16T07:52:00.000-05:00

So, I'm thinking of the Thanksgiving menu. I have all the usual suspects listed, but it looks boring to me this year! With all of that heavy comfort food, we need something fresh and light to balance it all out. I saw this salad in the Sunday paper's coupon flyer, of all places. A pear half on a bed of lettuce, topped with dried cranberries, pecans, feta and balsamic vinaigrette. Yum. I think I found a new addition that will be beautiful, autumnal and tasty.

Are you adding any new dishes to your table this year?

♥

The Zoo Is Now Full

2011-11-15T07:59:00.000-05:00

For the first time, I called all four cats into the house tonight. I'm usually trying to prevent them from coming in! Mr. Skunk was on the porch with them, munching away on their food! I didn't want any of them to get sprayed! Interestingly enough, none of them seemed afraid of the skunk, nor did they mind him eating. It was if they had all met before and were friends.

Then the little kittens from that new litter showed up to eat. Obviously, they had all met before, too! But I'm not happy at all to have a skunk on the back porch making himself at home! There are limits to what this animal lover will tolerate. lol. But you know, if he stays and I have to name this skunk, he will be named Don. I knew he looked familiar. :) Don King, famous boxing manager.

Yes Mrs. DoLittle, the zoo is now full.

♥

And Then It Was Gone

2011-11-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

I took these pictures from my desk in the kitchen on Friday. The last of the fall colors on a grey, rainy day. The winds came through and blew all weekend and it was gone! I'm glad I took the photos when I did! The last bit of autumn color! It was a gorgeous season! The next beautiful thing will be snow on the branches, but I'm not quite ready for that just yet!

Did you have a nice weekend?

♥

Whiskers Girl

2011-11-13T14:07:00.000-05:00

Some invitations are just too hard to refuse!

♥

Gourd ~ A Theme Thursday Post

2011-11-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

art by carolyn reed barritt

Gourd ~ a noun. The hard-shelled fruit of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white flowered) and Cucurbitaceae (yellow flowered gourds). Their shells can be used for bowls, utensils, musical instruments and ornamental objects. The flesh can be eaten and the seeds roasted.

............Calabash

........pUmpkin

.......cuCumber

....lUffa

.........biRdhouse

.......Banjo

.....trIploid

spagheTti.........

.....mAracas

crookneCk...........

watermElon........

squAsh...

ornamEntal......

Favorite one to eat ~ spaghetti squash.

Favorite ornamental ~ birdhouse gourd.

To see other posts on 'gourd' click here!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #13

2011-11-10T08:37:00.000-05:00

Enjoyed probably the last of the color as the winds have removed a lot of the leaves!
Did a neighborhood mailing for the Leukemia Society. I said yes once and now all the societies call me. But I don't really mind. It only takes a few minutes.
Refilled my coffee bean canister.
Watched the rain.
Put pennies in my new loafers. Bass Weejuns. Now that takes me back to my college days!
Peeked out this morning at three cats sleeping in the chair on the porch. Then noticed the little lifeless furry gift they brought me. Gee, thanks, guys! Actually, I am thankful that it didn't get into the house!
Cleaned off my desk. What a mess it was!
Found Marmalade in the kitchen! Um, how in the heck did you get into the house? Nugget and Marmy had to sniff each other before he would go back outside. Funny thing was, Nugget approached Marmy!
Started filling my Operation Christmas Child box.
Chatted with Harry for a few minutes. Or should I say Chatted at Harry. ha.
Wrote a few notes for snail mail.
Sharpened some new colored pencils.
Made myself some lunch.
Noted dark grey skies and gold leaves. Lovely!

An extra quiet day here today, but still beautifully ordinary.

Hope your Wednesday has been wonderful, too!

♥

Getting and Giving

2011-11-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

At the end of last winter my slippers were so worn that I threw them in the trash. With cold weather coming I had to get new ones! You know how I love grey. :)

And with a nice, sturdy shoe box left over I thought I'd recycle it and participate in Operation Christmas Child. If you don't know about this annual event that is part of Samaritan's Purse, click HERE. You could provide a shoe box full of little gifts to a child on the other side of the world...probably the only Christmas gift they will receive. And you don't even have to ship it yourself. The website lists collection stations all over the country. One just happens to be right here in my little village. Now how convenient is that!

♥

Marmalade And The Other Litter

2011-11-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

Remember the mother cat with the kittens that has stopped by to eat before? Well, she comes and occasionally brings her kittens, too. Sometimes there are only five. This time only three. Marmalade was on the back porch and immediately looked inside to see if I knew we had company.
He was very curious and watched them eat, inching closer and closer until he could sniff them as they ate. He was so cute to watch with them!
That little grey one is still looking pretty sweet!
Marmalade finally caught my eye. :) I had to stand back in the shadows of the room or the kittens would run!
This little one is cute! The dad has that white nose stripe. I didn't see Mustache's twin this time, although he has been up to eat all by himself before.

After they ate and were leaving, Marmalade tried to play with them. He rolled in the grass and playfully pounced all around them. He is still a kitten himself, after all. But they just looked at him like he was silly. :)

They all slipped through the fence and disappeared.

These new little ones will need homes before it gets too cold. I can't guarantee when they will be here but if you live close and let me know you are interested, maybe we can work something out. Just keep in mind that they are wild, never been touched and mom will be watching. ha.

♥

Thanksgiving ~ A Creative Tuesday Entry

2011-11-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

please click on picture to enlarge

The theme at Creative Tuesdays this time is Thanksgiving.

I thought I'd try my hand at drawing a cornucopia, spilling out it's bounty of

autumnal fruits and leaves. Of course I had to add some Indian Corn, flowers,

pine cones...and a bird or two! Thanksgiving is almost here! I haven't drawn up the menu yet but I did order the fresh, free range turkey. The faces around our table change every year as we look for those without a place to go, so I don't yet know who will be here or how many that will be! But that's alright since I tend to make too much food anyway. This holiday remains a favorite of mine. It's relaxed, has wonderful meaning and hasn't been ruined by commercialization. A time to count our many blessings and give thanks. I also love it when there are leftovers to last through the weekend!

If you'd like to see more entries or join in yourself click HERE.

This theme is due Tuesday, November 8th.

No talent required, just some imagination. :)

♥

Kiwi Berries

2011-11-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

I was looking for quinces at the grocery store so I could make Gloria's yummy looking recipes. But I couldn't find any! Don't worry, Gloria, I'll check some of the other grocery stores! I did, however, find some kiwi berries. Since I had never tried them or even heard of them, I brought home a container. They look like a kiwi inside but the skin reminded me of a grape and the inside texture and taste reminded me of a blueberry.

Pretty and delicious, too!

♥

Face Lift

2011-11-05T08:55:00.000-04:00

The hail storm that hit our area last May did a lot of destruction. I remember it being the first time I was actually scared during a storm! And we have tornado watches and warnings all the time! The hail beat on the house so long and loud that I thought the windows were breaking! We had our house inspected for damage and not only did we need a new roof, but new gutters, downspouts, window screens and a skylight! Monday the roofers came. A team of 14 men swooped down on our house and got the entire job done in a matter of hours!

I made them cookies!

Gutters came today!

♥

Gadget ~ For Theme Thursday

2011-11-04T07:59:00.000-04:00

A small imaginative............

mechanical....

......device,

....an ingenious or

novel........

...tool.

Gadget is the theme this week!

To see more gadgets, click HERE!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #12

2011-11-03T07:57:00.000-04:00

Transferred my stuff over to my new thrifted purse. Yeah, it's probably a knock-off, but it's a good one!
Refilled my lotion dispenser that sits on my desk. Reaching for hand lotion is one of the first signs of cooler weather and I've started doing that this week!
Had a yummy breakfast ~ homemade mix of cereal, dried fruit and nuts.
Made my own pumpkin spice latte with coffee, vanilla, pumpkin puree, cream, and pumpkin pie spice. Yum!
Washed a couple of throws from the living room couch. One had ketchup on it, among other things which could not be identified. lol... They smell so much better, too. ha.
Packaged up the vintage buttons I got at the auction for Jill. Thanks, Jill for wanting to take them off my hands! They will go in the mail on Thursday! :)
Gave Nugget a good brushing and scratched those long, soft ears!
Noted some remaining golden crab apples from my desk window.
The burning bush is turning red quite nicely as well!
Directv had to come out and reset our dish.
Ordered the Thanksgiving turkey. Fresh, free-range and raised on sunshine. Yum. This place is the best!
Made the house smell nice with a pumpkin spice scented candle.
Told Whiskers that I definitely gave her a fitting name!
Brought in some remaining sprouts of cilantro and replanted them inside. They look a little wilty now, but hopefully they will spring back to life and give me some yummy tasting Mexican food this winter.

It's a gorgeous fall day in Ohio!

Blue skies, 65 degrees and sunshine.

I hope you're having a lovely day, too!

♥

November

2011-11-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

from the back yard November 1, 2011

Nip in the air
Orange leaves
Voting citizens
Embers burning
Mulled cider
Blessings Counted
Evenings darkened
Roasting turkey

Mug Shots, Better Known As School Pictures

2011-11-01T15:51:00.000-04:00

harry, spencer and alex

Any parent who has a child with autism knows how difficult it is to get a good

photograph of them. You can get lucky with a candid shot, but professional portraits are the worst! We've had some hilarious school pictures in the past.

They have shut their eyes, put their hands over their ears, looked like they were

in pain...you name it. :) This year, although only one is smiling, they don't look

too terribly bad! At least they are all looking at the camera!

This is as good as it's going to get!

♥

Auction Treasures

2011-10-31T13:59:00.000-04:00

I worked an auction Friday and of course, had fun looking through the leftovers when we were all done. Here's what I brought home.

A hand painted bowl from Germany with a handful of seashells in it.
A basket full of vintage buttons.
A biscuit barrel shaped like a windmill with a wicker handle.
A couple of baskets, a blue Ball jar with zinc lid included, and an old Scrabble game, among other goodies. My friend Julie is collecting Scrabble games for a re-purposing project, so I picked it up for her. The original price tag said Montgomery Ward, $2.95. :)

I'm not sure what I'll keep or if I'll incorporate these things into gifts or sell on eBay. I'm still always amazed that these things were paid for but left for the trash! If anyone knows anything about the biscuit barrel, I'd love to hear it. I do have another one with the traditional shape and cherries painted on it. It has a similar handle on it. Maybe I should start a collection. There is some Dutch blood on The Mister's side, after all. :)

♥

A Golden Reddish Day

2011-10-30T08:17:00.000-04:00

We woke up this morning to blue skies, golden leaves and frost!

The photos above are taken from my desk in the kitchen.

I sat and drank my coffee as I watched leaves falling and twirling to the ground.

Marmalade found a perch in the sun and sat, dozing in it's warmth.

This evening Taylor and Lauren passed out the Halloween candy to the little

trick-or-treaters. Even her hair is golden reddish. How perfect is that?

♥

Coca-Cola Advertising at the Auction

2011-10-29T10:28:00.000-04:00

I worked at the auctions today! We were in a big metal barn at the fairgrounds.

It was a little chilly but I bundled up so it wasn't too bad. I also drank plenty of

hot coffee, so that helped. The highlight of the day was this cute little old man, who

bid for this piece of advertising memorabilia from the 1930's.

He said he has four other signs that are similar but this one was the most unique with the bottle emblem sitting at the top of the piece. Any guesses as to what his winning bid was?

$1, 050.00

He seemed pleased when I asked if I could take his picture after he settled his bill.

♥

Thrill ~ A Theme Thursday Post

2011-10-27T23:33:00.000-04:00

Cemetery for one. Rt. 42 Wilberforce, Ohio

Photo taken 10-26-11

Telling ghost stories by candle light,

giggling girls sitting in a circle.

Wide eyed and terrified at shadows across the window,

illumined by the moon.

Hide and Seek at midnight,

holding breath as snapping twigs and crunching leaves

give signs that you may be discovered.

Squeals and shrieks at sheet ghosts hanging in trees,

a mix of goose bump pleasure and a flash of fear.

Click HERE to join in!

♥

What I Did Wednesday #11

2011-10-27T07:50:00.001-04:00

please click to enlarge

Noticed the morning sun making silhouettes with the lilac bush.
Enjoyed the fall colors from the front door.
Set out the Halloween candy for the trick-or-treat kids.
Put new flannel sheets on our bed. It's been getting down into the 30's at night! Sams Club had sheets, grey with gold accents, just like our room!
Used some pumpkin puree from the garden to make pumpkin bread. It's still in the oven as I write this post. Yum.
Smiled at two of my cats rolling on our neighbor's warm, sun-soaked driveway.
Assembled a new hamper sorter and put it where the upright freezer used to be. Took me an hour. ha. The instructions were weird. Ever have that happen? But it finally came together.
Picked up my Invisilines at the orthodontist. I've always had a slight overbite and then over the last 2 years have watched several of my teeth begin to overlap each other. Turns out my teeth grinding at night is moving my teeth! In 16 months, they will be completely straight and better than before. Can you see the braces? No? Well, that's because they're invisible. lol. I'm so impressed, really, at the whole process.
Enjoyed the drive to run errands today. Fall is just gorgeous!
Picked even more green peppers and tomatoes from the garden. They just don't want to stop! I've canned lots of salsa and soup. Yum.

Just a lovely, ordinary day!

I hope your day is going well!

♥

Auction Treasures

2011-10-26T08:16:00.000-04:00

I walked through the leftovers and discarded stuff after working an auction last week. I picked up (1) 2 leaded crystal ice buckets, (2) a milk glass pedestal bowl. (3) an adorable little lamp that fits on my kitchen counter, and (4) a Rowenta Toaster. Also not pictured is a large framed mirror, a bird feeder and 2 baskets. I'm thinking the ice buckets, which are small, would be pretty filled with cookies and given as gifts at Christmas. And I knew Rowenta was a good brand! I did an online search to find it is $80 new, made in France and has a warming basin on it's top to hold a whole loaf of bread. One man's trash, right? Funny thing is, this stuff was paid for in the box lots, but left for the trash. But free for me. Free is fun!

♥

Autumn ~ A Creative Tuesday Drawing

2011-10-25T07:51:00.000-04:00

please click on picture to enlarge

Autumn is the theme at Creative Tuesdays this week! My drawing depicts pigeons enjoying a bag of seed while they sit on a park bench under a Ginko tree.

I can almost hear the crunch of the golden leaves! If you'd like to join us, this theme is due Tuesday the 25th. Click HERE to join or see other works of art!

"Autumn, the world's last, loveliest smile."

William Cullen Bryant

♥

2011-10-22T09:57:00.000-04:00

When I was out and about this week I drove by my favorite horse farm. I always slow down and check to see if any horses are waiting to say hello. And this handsome fellow was waiting! It was a chilly, damp and windy day. I was glad to see he was wearing his rain coat! And I was really happy he posed so nicely for a portrait!

Have a wonderful weekend!

♥

New ~ A Theme Thursday Post

2011-10-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson American Poet

I'm joining back in with the Theme Thursday group!

Click HERE to check them out!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

♥

Random Thoughts

2011-10-19T22:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, before birthday celebrations, I made 15 little gift baskets. I had received an order for small containers of healthy snacks for speakers at a conference at the local university. I had fun putting together granola bars, mixed nuts, natural cherry licorice, dark chocolate and a few other goodies.
I worked an auction today. A crazy busy auction. I filled the back seat with goodies from the trash. Maybe I'll show you a few things in a day or two.
We rarely eat fast food. But I'm late in the grocery shopping this week and knew I wouldn't feel like making dinner when I got home from that auction even if there was food to fix! Taylor is playing the McDonald's Monopoly game and requested I stop there on my way home. So for 4 of us I bought dinner. (Spencer and Harry won't eat it) I got 32 pieces to the game with that big purchase, including a few he needed. Now, if he'd just win big! ha.
It is pouring rain here! Didn't stop all day! Some side streets were flooded when I left the auction and were blocked by police cars. The forecast calls for several more days of rain! We may just float away!
One of the boys' birthday gifts was an iPad. They are using them at school this year for the first time and we thought it would be good for them to have one here, too. I think it will be fun to see what apps are out there for the autism community. I'm sure there are several. And they love electronics, so it will be fun. I wonder how they will do at sharing? Because buying three was out of the question. ha. And Taylor wants one for Christmas! LOL.
Still very touched at all of the really sweet birthday wishes you all left on my last post. Still laughing that my two wisecracking guy friends turned sweet and sober...at least for a few minutes. :) Thanks very much! Your encouragement is so appreciated by me.

Eighteen

2011-10-19T08:18:00.000-04:00

Sometimes on the boys birthday, I'm overcome with sadness. Mother's Day can be like this, too. It's a mourning of sorts, for all of the things that they as kids with autism are unable to do. I remember ages 10, 13 and 16 being like this. Sixteen was especially hard. With Taylor just 2 years older and having experienced his sixteenth birthday with all the normal things like getting his driver's license, dating, high school sports, etc., the contrast of Harry finally being able to speak his name was too stark and hard. As their birthday approached, I felt like it might be another milestone birthday that felt more sad than happy. Eighteen is voting, graduation and as Taylor reminded me...able to buy cigarettes. LOL. No, he doesn't smoke, but we were having fun listing the privileges associated with the age.

But last week something new happened. The boys have never anticipated a birthday before. Sure they know the song, the candle blowing and presents when it's right in front of them. But last week The Mister and I happened to be discussing birthday gift ideas and Spencer walked through the kitchen and heard us. His eyes got big and he turned to us with a knowing look. I said, "Next week is your birthday! Do you want presents?" He nodded. :) Just that simple improvement did my heart a lot of good. Then yesterday as I baked their cake, they hung around the kitchen and became more and more interested as they saw the train taking shape.

I told them this morning that after school we would have cake and presents and they bounded through the front door this afternoon and swarmed the house looking for wrapped gifts. Of course it didn't take long at all for them to find them. LOL. So, I guess all this rambling is to say that their happiness, excitement and anticipation for their big day made me smile.

Afterall, we have survived much in the last 18 years.

They are wonderful, happy and loving boys.

And they belong to me.

I love that.

♥

Never A Dull Moment

2011-10-18T08:24:00.000-04:00

Seriously! There isn't! Between 5 men, 4 kittens, 2 birds and a rabbit loose in the house, there is always something going on. Yesterday afternoon I glanced out the back door and saw this. I think the snake had the mouse (first photo) and the kittens disrupted his dinner. I disposed of the mouse, which was dead. Taylor disposed of the snake, which was alive.

And this is what a saw a few minutes ago while sitting here at my desk. Tiger walking on the roof! It's a daily occurrence! Somehow he gets down just fine.

♥