Hello and Welcome SNOW!

Beautiful morning here in Michigan!

Reindeer (OK....deer) finding a few old apples on the ground underneath the snow.

Great day ahead! There will be cocoa, stoking the wood burning stove, housework, quilting, reading, baking, more scheming and dreaming about Christmas surprises and fun (sigh)......just one of those magnificent days, where things seem a little bit quieter and where the sun reflects off of the snow and makes everything extremely bright and magical.

Have a great last day of November everyone! xo

Fire and Ice

It's morning time, here in Michigan! Here comes the sun!

Have a great day!

Vacation...on the Porch!

I really should be sewing these little pretties into receiving blankets, as planned! But...

...something else is happening-----the snow is melting with our super warm temps. Good-bye beautiful snow. See you next time round! Drip, drip, drip! The sound of ice and snow sliding off the roof is loud and very exciting, to say the least. So, on such an occasion, I decided to take a little time off from my busy day and take a mini vacation on my front porch.

I tried out this new sugar free gum, which was surprisingly, very good. Mint Chocolate Chip gum sounded somewhat better than Cookie Dough or Strawberry Cheesecake gum. And as I chewed my gum, basked in the sun, I was swept away with all the beauty I found in my Seed catalog.

How i love growing vegetables! Look how bright and festive! If you are a gardener, give Armenian Cucumbers a try this summer. If I am remembering correctly, the first time I had Armenian Cucumbers was when I lived in Elk Grove, CA...or was it Linden, CA? No matter. I love cucumbers and these are at the top of the list of "best cucumbers" from the garden.
And, then I felt a little hungry, as I basked in the sun on the porch. I could not resist a little outdoor snack of vanilla yogurt, fresh strawberries, blueberries and one of my all time favorites...blackberries. As a child, my family use to pick bucket loads of wild blackberries. I remembering wading in the creeks to reach the berries, all the while-keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes and water snakes, and anxious to pick our fill, so that we could then swim and play in the water. Those California days were hot, hot, hot and the mountain creek water was always so cold, cold, cold!

Question...has anyone started their winter into spring cleaning? I began last week and am so glad I did because the more warm days we have, the harder it is to stay inside. Or, to sit myself down and do my sewing. We will be 10 or so degree's warmer tomorrow than we were today. HELP! I think I already hear my porch calling me. Guess I will be moving my sewing to my porch tomorrow. xo

Lovely February!

There is just something magical about icicles. And, the cold really makes me want to eat yummy soup and garlic bread. So delicious and done in a snap.....I just added some cooked hamburger, and fresh chopped potatoes, carrots and onions, to my cooking pot. Then, I added a little salt and pepper and a can of beef broth and water to cover everything. Cook until veg's are done. If you care to thicken your soup, just take a cup of your hot beef broth out of your pot. Add a tablespoon or two of flour to the hot broth. Mix well and add back into your soup pot and stir. That should do it!

I have loved going for winter walks. Here's a picture as I head back into our driveway and towards our garage. Our house actually sits on the hill to the left. I just love the blue, blue, blue sky! And, we have had another snowstorm since I took this picture, so, add in another 4 or so inches of white fluff.

BINGO! I saw these little neon delights in our market and knew they belonged to me...ha! They have added a very bright touch to our home. Makes me think about looking through seed catalog's and dreaming of all that I would like to grow in our garden and in the flower beds in our yard. But, truthfully, for the moment, I am enjoying the quiet hush of "all things growing" as the earth rests under our blanket of snow.

Loving my new Valentine dish towels. I kept thinking I would cut them up and make sweet hot pads. Then, I thought about making them into aprons. Finally, I decided to just let them be....at least for now. They are just so beautiful. And, I made some oatmeal, dark chocolate chip, dried cranberry cookies this morning. Just followed the recipe off the oatmeal container. This recipe has never failed me. Give it a try for a quick and delicious little cookie. Makes a good breakfast cookie, as well.

And, what would February be with out some Sweethearts! These little candies have a significant meaning in my family. When I was 5 years old, my mom and dad brought home my brand new baby sister, Kelli. She came home on Valentines Day. My mom gave me and my other sister's Sweetheart candies....a little box for each of us. Every Valentines Day since, my mom and dad have given or sent Sweethearts....Conversation Hearts, to my sister's and our families. This is such a highlight each and every February.

Came across some little Valentines. I do love Valentines...homemade or store bought.
They are so cheerful and make me smile.

Hope you are enjoying this "lovely" month of February. Just heard on the radio that today and tonight will be good for cuddling.....we will reach a high of 15 this afternoon and a low of 1 tonight.

That's my kind of weather. xo

Hello February!!

Loving this new picture on my calendar for the month of February! I love the start of a new month. How about you?

Thanks to my fab friend, Denise---who helped me do some fabric shopping. She has a great eye for beauty and creativity.

This is one of my favorite patterns. I have made 9 skirts using this pattern, so, I feel like I can truthfully say this is a good pattern. So, I got busy and sewed up a storm while watching The Australian Open last week.

Ooh-la-la! Got these little beauties done in no time. They are for my daughter who is serving a mission for our church. I think she will be very glad to see them and will enjoy having something new to wear or share, after being out a little more than a year on her mission.

More of the same.....I must confess, after sewing these skirts, I did make one for myself! HA! I have already worn it and loved it.

Moving on...hello? Who has come to visit today (actually yesterday) and in broad daylight? The snow has been on the ground for so long that animals are having a hard time finding food. Before Mr. Opossum stopped by to visit the cat food dish, I noticed a large blue jay eating the cat food.

And, what a difference a day can make. We are having a huge snowstorm and happy for it. No school...hubby working from home today. We have cocoa being made in the cocoa machine, a cozy fire in the wood burning stove, great music playing...the makings of a terrific day.

A little peek out of the back door. Still expecting a few more inches. So, we will wait before we go out and play and shovel and drag the driveway. I guess my February "word" of CALM on the calendar was right. It is very calm and peaceful outside.

Well, wherever you are today, hope you all have a great day. And by the way, it is Groundhog Day! No shadows will be seen here today. How about where you live? Are you up to your eyeballs in snow? Sunshine? Rain? Mother Nature....she is a clever one! xo

Loving the New Year!

Wake-up! It's a New Year. Time to celebrate and do important things, like....

..playing with Uncle Spencer
...and some more playing. Kitchen stuff makes some of the best toys. Canning jar rings made for a lot of fun and noise. Try it sometime. Great for teething babies!

Out and about, before the New Year, for a family lunch at our favorite Chinese Buffet restaurant. Sadly, our dear friends had hoped to drive up from Indiana for a visit and lunch, but, were not able to come. Rain check for lunch, Kareena!

Made this marvelous Butterscotch Bubble Loaf. Don't you just love the name! HA! It sounds like a celebration.

Take 24 Rhodes Dinner rolls and cut in half (thawed but still cold). Dip rolls in 1/2 box butterscotch, non -instant, pudding mix. Place rolls in a sprayed bundt pan, sprinkling in between layers of rolls with pecans or walnuts. Sprinkle remaining pudding mix on top of rolls. Then, melt 1/2 cup butter, adding in 1/2 cup brown to make a syrup. Pour over rolls. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 and 1/2 hours. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes. Immediately loosen from sides of pan with a knife and invert onto a serving plate.
So good and yummy.

Hint: from my own experience....I was busy playing with my grand daughter and let the rolls rise about 2 hours. They were tooooo huge and up and over the sides of my pan. Made tough to bake, as the rolls that were up and over the sides, dropped off and landed all over my oven---ha! There was smoke....but, after fetching the loose rolls out of the oven, all was well.

My husband is the carmel corn maker in our home. Sure enjoyed this with one of our many family movie nights over the holidays.

Finally, our New Years Eve "finger food" extravaganza. Such a wonderful tradition. Everyone makes their favorite finger food/appetizer to share.

Beautiful sunset.

Wonderful New Year beginnings.

Happy 2011. May your New Year's dreams and wishes come true. xo

p.s. Stay tuned for a terrific and colorful project. Get your fabric scrap's ready!

Happy-After-The-Holidays!

Simple Christmas beauty!

Love when my daughter brings home a large Poinsettia from work each year. It is gorgeous.

Sweet little Christmas baby. Such a little doll.

Hauling in the tree from off of our property!

HA! Loving that face.

No matter how old you are, Christmas is still full of surprise, delight, love and warmth.

Such a good time for our family...oh, with a special phone call from our daughter who is serving a mission for our church. So great!

We "still" have only had one good snowstorm this winter season. Just enough snow for tractor sledding.

Good times!

Sorry for the blurrrrrr! But, loved the chance to play tennis a few times.

Jenna held her own against the boys!

And....there had to be time for PIE! Made a graham cracker crust. Can't see it in this picture, but, the sugar sparkled in this crust. It baked up so nicely...very pretty!

Yummy first layer. 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 T sugar, 1 T milk. Mix with a wire whisk until smooth. Then, add in 1 and 1/2 cup of cool whip. Pour and spread onto crust.

Next, mix together 1 cup milk, 1 can 16 ounces canned pumpkin, 2 boxes (4 serving size) of instant vanilla pudding and pie filling, 1 t ground cinnamon, 1/2 t ground ginger, and 1/4 t ground cloves ( or I use 2 t of pumpkin spice).

Put in fridge for a good 4 hours before serving....if you can wait that long-ha! Doesn't always happen that way at our house. So delicious.

More holiday happenings and fun to come. Was such a nice 2 weeks for us all!

Happy 2011 to us all!

Winter Wildflowers, Flowers and Growing Things.....

Sure do enjoy the beauty of a winter sunrise. I see this quite frequently from my front porch, during the winter. It is a real treat!

And, these little beauties, too. Aren't these fun and cute little flower pincushions? They sure hit the spot with their bright and cheerful disposition, during the winter months. This pattern was designed by Anna Maria Horner, and was published in Good Housekeeping. You can find it here.... www.annamariahorner.blogspot.com/. Just look at the sidebar under Wildflower Pincushion. There you go.


And, did I mention how much I adore these long pearlized pins? I am not sure if I made the pincushion so that I could use the pins, or bought the pins to enjoy in the pincushion. Most likely a little of both. Ha! They are dazzling!

Tis the season for my Christmas Cactus to bloom and bloom and bloom. This is a cutting from my Grandmother's cactus plant. I would see her original plant blooming in her living room, when I was a little girl. I think a lot of us in my family have starts from Grandma's plant. Sure is bright and elegant.

And, a little surprise. Ha! Just have not been able to let my small, yellow, pear tomato go the ways of the world. I brought it in from off of our back porch sometime in October as the nights were getting toooo cold. Every time I picked the last of the yellow tomato's, their would be new little ones growing. So.......

Hope you are finding winter beauty and lovely growing things in your neck of the woods.
Happy Holidays! xo