New "Old" Linens

I love old linens. Most of them are so delicate and soft from many years of washing and use. I love that they come in lots of different colors...my favorites being purple and yellow at the moment. I can't wait to decorate with them as Spring starts to show up, or use them to decorate for my girls in their rooms or for Birthday parties. So much fun...

Springy Indoor Project

We just had a wonderful playdate today with our closest friends, (yes moms have playdates too). And the girls had fun painting up springy bird houses. They both turned out very whimsical and fun. Hard to imagine that there is lots of snow on the ground.

Party Favors

My Oldest Daughter and I worked hard on these Party Favors last night. They are for her Valentines Day Party at School. We filled bags with candy and playdoh and tied them with pretty white curling ribbon. She had so much fun doing this and I think they are way more personal than Card Valentines. Now we just need the Party.

Yummy Muffins...Warmth on a Cold Day

Getting Ready for Disney

I am trying to plan a family trip to Disneyland and among all the crazy details, what to pack, who will watch the dog, etc, I find all I can think of is those crazy characters and how to see them all. I have found many tips sites online and have printed them all. My daughter is sure we will meet every fairy at Pixie hollow and the little one...while not as excited, I know will love running around in the warmer weather. We are just counting the days until we are out of the snow and into the sun. I just hope the weather cooperates, atleast until we get home.

Hugs and Kisses Banner

I am sure I have said this before...but it has to be said again. I LOVE making these banners. I think its because in a short time, without too many materials, you can make a wonderful, completed, project. As a Mom of two small children, completing projects doesn't always happen for me. But this can be done in such a short time that I feel so competent. I know that probably sounds crazy, but its the little things in life that seem to mean the most.

So Pretty

New Beginnings

Every Januaray, one of my New Year Traditions is to force Paperwhite Bulbs. I love the bright white cheeriness of these flowers. Their Scent is "unique" and I have to admit, probably not my favorite. But they are so pretty. I love how they get tall and full of flowers. So delicate looking. I cant wait to post a picture of them in full bloom.

Pretty Scrapbooking Paper

There is nothing more cheerful than pretty scrapbooking paper. I am addicted to Scrapbooking Paper. I have alot of it, and I use it for everything... Matting Pictures in Frames, Banners, Cards, scrapbooking, Etc. I recently hit a sale at the local hobby store and couldnt resist. Most of it is gone now, becoming page layouts and decorations. But I had to take a picture!

New Treasures

My husband and I recently aquired a small estate and while looking through all the treasures, I found this one. It is such a pretty green and looked perfect with just one flower in it. I was so excited to be able to find these items. I love antiques. I love wondering where they have been, what they were used for. I wonder if this pitcher was used on a summer day to serve lemonaide. The kids playing in the yard and the sprinkler going off for them to run through. Maybe it will be used in that same way this summer. I can already picture it now...

My Daughter...the Artist!!!

My almost 6 year old Daughter is an amazing artist. I realize since I am her mother, that ofcourse I think she is brilliant, but I am amazed daily with her ability to draw. Her horses are her most commonly drawn item, but she does draw dogs as well. We have many of her masterpieces hanging around the house and each one is different and magnificent. I keep telling her that one day, I am going to write a book about a horse and use her drawings as my illustrations. Beautiful. There is nothing like a childs imagination.

Making The Everyday Chore Pretty

Tea Party

Some friends came over on Friday and our Girls had a small Tea Party Lunch. This was our first get together without paper plates and plastic cups and they did so great. The teacups were filled with Pink lemonaide instead of tea and we had fresh Strawberries, very unusual for this time of year, but we got lucky. It was alot of fun.

Cucumber Salad

This is a great spring side dish. I happened to have the ingredients and it sounded good. My Grandmother used to always make this at Easter. I loved it. Hope you do to.

2 Large Cucumbers Peeled and sliced,1 Large Yellow or White onion Sliced, 1/4 cup White Vinager, Sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Slice all cucumbers and onions, put in medium bowl. Cover all with water. Add Vinager. Add Sugar to taste. (Must counteract the vinager and give you a sour sweet taste. )

Salt and pepper to taste. Put in Refrigerator for a few hours. Serve. Goes great with salad or Sandwiches.

Good Morning

Collections

What is it about collecting that is so much fun. I love to collect. I previously mentioned that my Husband and I love to hit Yard sales and Thrift stores in search of that wonderful item to add to our eclectic collections, or start new ones. I have many collections... teacups, baskets, boyds animals, etc. I love grouping them together, using them for decoration and just using them in everyday life. I especially love the older items, wondering where they have been and how they were used. We have even started our daughter on the dangerous path of collecting. She looks at every yard sale, coin purse in hand, for the special horse to add to her own collection. Question is...is it healthy? I think there are worse things than giving that special item a good home. You just need to know when to stop and let it go to someone else.

Banners

My Best friend recently introduced me to a really fun craft and decorating idea. I used to only make or purchase banners for special occasions (birthdays, holidays, etc) but I recently started to make them with my wonderful Cricut machine. I have made small ones for certain rooms, and one really large one for my Daughters room, which she personalized with horses. They are so cute, easy and festive all year around.

New Years Resolutions

I am usually not the type to set a resolution, prefering to just live my life the best and most honest way I can. I try to eat healthy (with the occasional piece of chocolate) and hate excersize, but try to chase my children around as often as possible. But this year I resolved to clear out the clutter. My husband and I are Flea Market, Garage Sale and Thrift store enthusiasts. The treasure hunt is what truly drives us to go through boxes of unknown items and find those diamonds in the rough, some of which are repurposed in our home, or sold online. We have at least 2 yard sales of our own each year just to stay ahead of our masses. However, this year I am getting rid of more than normal. I have vowed to clear off counters and eliminate "stuff" from our modest home. I have gotten a pretty good start, but something tells me, spring will come soon in the form of an early yard sale. Which is good...because I have to gear up for what this summer will bring. Bring on the sales...

So Simple...

Waiting for Spring

I know its January and the New Year just started...but I am ready for Spring. Its hard to live in the snow for 4 more months when all I want is sun and warmth. I usually decorate "springy" and look forward to the season with seed catalogs and pastel colors and try to be patient, but the lingering sub zero temps harshly remind me that I will be waiting a while...

Morning Coffee

I love coffee! The smell, the taste, the warm feeling. Its not about Caffeine (since most of the time its decaf), it is truly the comforting feeling of something so simple and consistent. I really cant start my day without it, it just begins my morning. Time to start the day...

After A While

This is my favorite Poem, I love it and wanted to share...

After a while you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesnt mean leaning
and company doesnt always mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses arent contracts
and presents arent promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrows ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
that you really are strong
and you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn
with every goodbye you learn...

by Veronica A Shoffstall

Quick and Easy Quiche

This foolproof dish is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and its easy to dress up: Just stir in thawed frozen spinach, sauteed mushrooms, or diced ham into the eggs before baking.

1 9 in refrigerated piecrust
1 tbsp olive oil
2 med onions, chopped (a few shakes of onion powder is usually what I do)
salt n pepper
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley ( Or just a few sprinkles of dried works good too)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup half n half
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
8 ounces Gruyere (2 cups)...I usually use cheddar or whatever I have

Heat oven to 375. Fit the crust into a 9 in pie plate. Place on a baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over low-heat. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper and cook. (disregard this step if you choose to just use onion powder, sprinkle directly in to egg mixture).Cook onions until soft about 5-7 min. Stir in parsley.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half n half, nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp salt. (onion powder). Stir in the onion mixture and the Gruyere (or cheese of your choice).

Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Bake until a knife inserted come out clean, 35-40 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

So easy, and I usually have everything to make it. I like to add diced Sausage or ham to mine, but for those of you out there that are not meat eaters, go for the veggies!!!

Best Homemade Oatmeal

Apple Walnut Oatmeal
serves 2
Preptime 5 min
Cooktime 5-10 min

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 med sweet apple, cored and coarsly chopped (leave the peel on).
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp Granola
2 tbsp chopped walnuts

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add oats, apples, and cinnamon and stir until combined. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer covered for about 10 min, stirring occasionally. When most of the water is absorbed and the apples are softened, remove from heat and stir in vanilla and Brown sugar. Divide into two bowls. Top each with 1 tbsp granola and 1 tbsp nuts. ( I like to also add a tsp of butter to the top) YUM...

Our Big Puppy

Our Big Puppy, he is 11 months old and thinks he is a little dog.