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!

Back from Vacation.... off the Porch!

Guess who is back? Old Man Winter paid us a mighty visit yesterday afternoon and into the night. No need to show you more pictures of our snow-ha! I heard on the news we got about 10 inches, coupled with freezing rain, sleet and...well, you get the picture. So, thought to celebrate the morning since my son is home from school and my husband is working from home...on a Conference call, at present. Might as well start this beautiful day with a good and delicious breakfast. YUM!

On Saturday our temps really dropped and I heard about the storm coming our way. I had such a hankering for homemade tomato soup. I have always thought or wanted to make homemade tomato soup, and shied away from it...thinking it must be to hard. Wrong! Found a recipe in Martha Stewarts newest Everyday Food Magazine...modified it a little bit. Here is what you will need to make a rich and nice tomato soup...serves 2-3.

Put one teaspoon olive oil into a small pan...heat...add 1/2 chopped onion and cook for five minutes. Add in one clove of smashed and chopped garlic. Cook for an additional minute. Pour in a can of tomato's (14.5 ounces). Simmer for 15 minutes.



Then, carefully pour hot ingredients into your blender. Add 1 tablespoon plain yogurt----or cream----or i guess you could use whole milk. Place a dish towel over the top because of the steam. Blend thoroughly.

Add a little salt and pepper, to your liking. And that is it. I think this is a good basic tomato soup recipe. I think you could add other little delights into your soup...different herbs that you like, perhaps. And, definitely pair your soup with some good home bread, rolls, bread sticks.....oh, grilled cheese would have been divine with this soup. Now, warning--because of the onions and garlic, this soup has a hot punch to it. Next time I make it , I will use only a 1/4 of an onion and maybe 1/2 of the clove of garlic. I like hot...my husband does not. So, I will find a happy medium.

For dessert we had fresh sliced peaches and these little beauties. Thanks to sister-in-law Barb Lane for giving us this recipe. It is one of our families all time favorite's--- Mrs. Burgoyne's cookies have been baked in our home for ...well, toooooooo many years for me to even count.
This is one of those standard recipes that you can add in what you like and it turns out every time. Really!

3/4 c brown and white sugar mixed, 1/3 c shortening (do not use butter), 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well. Add in

1 cup flour, plus 3 T., 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. This is the basic recipe.

I changed things up with throwing in a small hand full of coconut, used 1/2 c of oat flour instead of all regular flour, a tsp of wheat germ ( to equal the 1 cup plus 3 T of flour), chopped walnuts, and I chopped and mixed in a bit of a Lindt chocolate bar. Drop teaspoon size bits of dough on your cookie sheet. I actually use my teaspoon measuring spoon.
Bake at 325 for about 10 minutes. The secret of this recipe is not to bake them until too well done. Enjoy.

"Seams" to be a good day for me to finish the last of my receiving blanket sewing, reading and maybe some baking, for me today. How about where you live? How are you spending your Presidents Day Holiday? 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

Staying IN for Date Night

We are experiencing a wonderful and bone chilling "Arctic Snap". Yes, it does feel as cold as it sounds. It is very exciting, to say the least. So, we stayed in for Date Night and I am so glad we did.

I do love a good salad....croutons, dried cranberries, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, veggies...the works.

We are kicking off each and every Friday (weekend) this winter/New Year, with trying a fun drink with dinner. We have tried sparkling grape juice, raspberry lemonade, and last nights, Pomegranate lemonade. It was like having a dessert in a glass-ha! Very good, but, very sweet.


I was so inspired by blogging friend, Julie's, "romantic steak dinner...with hot mustard sauce", (http://circlecliffviews.blogspot.com/), that I had to do a little something about it. It was so good. I baked potato's, and made steak with onions and mushrooms.
It was divine. I must try Julie's hot mustard sauce, next time round.

And, there was dessert. Need I say more?

I have got to learn how to make this!!!

All in all, a wonderful way to celebrate a successful week and kick-off a super weekend. We are following the Australian Open, so, looking forward to watching some tennis while I sew.

What's happening in your neck of the woods this weekend? My son is doing it up right by starting his day off with scrambled eggs and layer cake---(ha)-and some early morning indoor tennis. Fantastic! xo

Rolling around in the New Year! Ha!

I took a bunch of my fabric scrap's and cut out pentagon's and hexagon's. And, I am so loving using my Wildflower pincushion with pearlized pins. Makes me feel a tiny bit fancy and festive, when I sew.
Making a ball from my new book that Jenna and her hubby gave to me for Christmas. The book is called, Seams To Me....by Anna Maria Horner. The book is splendid and even has a pocket in the back of it with the patterns all safely tucked away for use in the future. Starting to look like a ball...I think.
Well, a little fuzzy in the photo and I do not have enough stuffing to fluff it up super tight, but, had to take a picture of it before I send it to Jenna. I am sending it to her, flat, so that she can stuff it for her little one and finish off the last patch. I like it!

And, while I sew and do many other things, I like to take time to throw out old bread crusts for the birds so they can have a little treat. You can see a blue bird, a red cardinal and the plain bird is the female cardinal.

And, here is our little deer...just waking-up. Took this picture right off of our back porch. Hope we continue to see her around for awhile. She is delightful to watch.

x0x0

January...a lovely month!

Ooh-la-la! I'll take a cup of this to go! This is the first picture/page on my new 2011 wall calendar. I do love a good calendar.

The New Year brings refreshment and a breath of fresh air into my life. I feel invigorated and rejuvenated...not by anything that I am doing specifically, but, simply by the fact that a New Year has once again rolled around. The old year is out and the New Year is in! A fresh slate with nothing on it! A new day to carry on and live life to it's fullest. I am curious as to what the New Year will bring...the adventures, the joys, the sorrows, the trials, the triumphs...such a mixed bag.



My husband bought and hauled home a new bed. He assembled the bed as I gathered fresh linens, a blanket and quilts. As I hauled myself up into the bed (ha---really, don't laugh, but, I really had to make effort to get up and onto our bed), I sat with pillows at my back, I felt very regal and somewhat like "The Princess and the Pea"...finagling for comfort in this new nice bed---failing to fight off peels of laughter caused by our new "much to tall" bed, we finally did settle down and began to talk about our life together...past, present and future. We don't set goals each New Year. I wondered about this little fact. And, then it came to me....every birthday celebrated, every wedding anniversary that comes and goes, every change of season, every World Wide General Conference for our church each October and April---these are check points in my life. I give myself a lot of chances to do, redo, try again, accomplish, reset, move forward, move backward, etc. It works for me.



So, here's to January where I will continue to enjoy lots of cups of cocoa. This cocoa was sent to us by our daughter who is serving a Spanish speaking mission for our church. The chocolate looks somewhat like a hockey puck. You drop it into milk. It slowly dissolves as the milk heats up on the stove.

And, to winter snow and new friends in our yard. This little deer has found refuge in our yard for the past week or so. Love seeing her wandering around or seeing her from my kitchen window in the early morning light, still asleep under our huge pine trees.



I love January...come what may!

Out with the old, in with the New!

The end of the old year always leaves me with a nostalgic sadness..while the new year awaits me bright and shining and malleable. In the end, I feel inside like a wobbly, shiny malleable ball of playdough, hesitant to squeeze and destroy my last creation but full of ideas of how the new one can turn out. It doesn't help that Christmas is the best time of the year because we get to be home with my family and the New Year means it's back to lonely ole Las Vegas. But now that we've been back a few days I think I've come to terms with it.

Aaron's busy season has kicked off so it's Maddy and me around the apartment most of the time. Good thing we are such good friends, she's really getting fun to play with. It's VEGGIE time around here and here is the tally:

peas O carrots 3 Rice cereal 30

Something like that. Peas are out. Carrots are in!


And catching up on our winter hibernation..


Ahh too cute.

Delish Magazine has a wonderful feature on Anna Maria Horner, one of my fabric/artist/creator favs. In fact, peruse the entire online magazine because I found some great recipes and articles that can easily fill some of the empty afternoon hours you may have lying around. Or, if your bathroom needs cleaning and the dishwasher is calling your name (I'm not liistenniiing!) it's a great distraction to soothe a guilty conscience when work is calling your name and you just don't want to do it.

On Anna Maria's site itself she has some beautiful pictures and it always fills my creative bank.

Reading the article on Delish about how she started into the business, how she organizes that creative mind with the demands of a business I was surprised when she said mentioned the amount of time she spend sketching, scheming ideas was really low compared to what most people thought, and how much of what she does is "grunt work" and "not pretty".
I guess in my mind I envisioned her life as sketching, drawing, creating, sewing to her hearts content, people clamoring her to write books, go to craft shows and that life was just breezy and fulfilled because of the beauty she was surrounded by and the extraordinary talent she has. I'm always surprised to find out that my view through the window into other people's "ideal" lives is just that. A window looking into just one of their rooms but I miss the whole rest of the house..the exhaustion from being so busy, the stress, the worrying about problems we don't even know about, the struggles they have with looking at themselves in the mirror without seeing all they need to work on. I've realized (in my old 24 years of age) how much people really are alike. Everyone has problems they are plowing through (or ignoring). Even those who seemingly "have it all"don't. They put on a brave face. They emphasize the positive. And that's what we see. And if troubles don't bug 'em now, they will. At one time or another.

It makes me grateful for the life I have. For the troubles I face. For the strength of character I get to keep building as I get through one and jump into another. For those moments when Maddy is asleep on my lap and I feel pure joy.

Yes, the end of the year always saddens me but I can't help but look forward to the wonderful moments I get to live ahead. Bring it on!

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!