~ Matching Sisters Dresses ~

Hello... Hope everyone is having a very happy Monday. Yesterday, among all my cleaning, cooking (turkey italian sausage and bean soup.. yum, sorry no pics) and laundry... I was able to make these cute Pillowcase dresses for my girls. They are a little big on both of them, but it gives them room to move and run. I am very happy how they turned out. Now I just need a green field and some sunflowers for them to play in. Come on Spring... I am waiting. Have a great day!

~ New Cath Kidston for Spring ~

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Just discovered the New for Spring items at www.cathkidston.com. Love it! Check it out. Have a great Sunday!

~ Wishing for Spring ~

The great thing about this hall tree is that I love changing it for the season. For now I am very content to look at it with a simple sugar sack cushion and metal buckets with white flowers. ( faux flowers for now, but fresh in the future)... Have a great weekend!

~ Breakfast Tray Redo ~

 So sweet and simple. Here is what it looked like before. Definatly not my style, but an easy fix with alittle paint. Big girl helped me with the first coat and the second one was quick and easy. I love the results.

 ~ Before ~

 ~ After ~

This southwestern tray was one of my Thrift store finds and I was very anxious to paint it white and put it to work on my table. I cant wait to display teacups and  snacks this summer on the patio table....

I also found this grain sack on Ebay... love it, but what to do with it... hmmmm....

~ New Curtains... Flower Therapy ~

I have been keeping everything in the house pretty neutral, but I found these curtain panels at the Thrift store a few weeks ago and couldnt resist hanging them in the living room. They are very pretty and the jute cord is perfect for a tie back. I would have taken a large picture of the whole window, but with the sunshine coming in, it just wasnt working. However.... NOW it is snowing... snowing... and more snowing. I am desperatly in need of sunshine and flowers... oh well, for now I will settle for pretty curtains. Happy Friday!

Clean and Simple

 I love how these pins look in this jar... so simple...

Everyday necessities... papertowels, and soft cloths for cleaning. 

I wanted to post these extra pics of the Laundry room that I took a while back. I moved my Lavender Jar to the laundry room along with a jar of clothespins. I hated the look of my fabric softner box, so I put them on a simple ironstone dish. Love it.

~ In the Mail ~

My husband came home the other day with this great bank of mailboxes. He found a little antique shop that we didnt even knew existed and this was sitting out front. I was so excited. I cant wait to use it for gloves or other items that need a spot. So cute. The only way it would be better is if it was encased in wood. But I love the metal and glass accents on the fronts. Have a great day.

~ Wire Baskets ~

I have been thinking alot lately about upcoming garage sales and thrift stores and my mind keeps going back to wire baskets. I have been going to more neutral colors in my home and the industrial natural color of metal baskets really appeals to me. They are definatly going on my list of things I am looking for. Some others are: Grain, feed, flour or sugar sacks,  mercury glass, tin or aluminum canisters or boxes, and white dishes. The white dishes will hopefully be easy to find since I think all whites go together great. Anyways... have a great Tuesday!

Natural Cleaning... Lemons and Lavender

 My bundle of Lavender that I cant bear to take apart... Lemons, Vinager and Baking soda....

 So Fresh and Springy...

And for after all the cleaning... a little pampering with a wonderful sugar scrub from a friend for Valentines day. Thank you... you are soooo sweet!!!!

I have been inspired recently by A Guide to Green Housekeeping by Christina Strutt. It is a great book and it opened my eyes to how many natural ways there are to clean without the headache inducing chemicals. Plus I am not worried about toxic chemicals being on my Kitchen countertops when cutting up fruit and veggies. I highly recommend you check it out! Have a great weekend.

~ Lavender Buds ~

I dont know if you noticed, but I am having a serious crush on Lavender lately. I was so excited a few weeks ago when I received my bundle of lavender in the mail and it has been wonderful, but I just cant bear to break it into pieces and I want to make sachets and stuff, so I found a great seller on Etsy who sells it by the pound. I love this glass jar with my lavender stash in it. It looks so pretty... hopefully I can stand to use it soon. Have a great Friday!

~ A Lovely Laundry Space ~

 I have this ugly plain wood shelf above my washer and dryer and I decided with my pretty new appliances I needed a pretty place to put my cleaning products. So I put a lacy curtain on the shelf and my great old washboard that I have had forever. It is truly the cleanest brightest part of my home. Have a great day!

~ Cooking and Cleaning ~

Yeah!!! New Washer and Dryer and New Stove. Cooking and Cleaning just got easier. They are nothing fancy, but as far as I am concerned they are perfect. My dear husband tried to talk me into fancier models, but I refuse to pay a fortune for something I have to do work with. I love them!!!!

Happy Day After...

 Hope everyone had a wonderful Day filled with love and goodies. My kids made out like bandits as usual. Our friends gave them some great goodie bags, thank you so much. And their Grandparents spoiled them rotten as well. I just love this soft fluffy unicorn for Baby girl and Big girl loved her Fashion Fairy tale Barbie. AHHHH.... Now time to take down all this red and pink. Have a great day!

Valentines Treats and Gifts....

~ Fun Strawberry Heart Marshmallows~

 ~ Vintage Valentine Sugar Cookies by Nestle Toll House ~

 ~ Monkey Munch ~

I have been feverishly trying to get all of the Valentine Treats ready for my daughters school Valentines party at 1:30. I made these super cute Nestle Valentine cookies that she insisted she had to have and one of our favorite party snacks... Monkey Munch. If you were one of the crazy people who used to watch Jon and Kate plus 8 ( I know.. I know... I cant believe I was one of those crazy people), Kate used to make it for her kids. It is really good. Here is the recipe...

• 9 cups Chex Cereal (any kind)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (6oz.)
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, melted
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Large bowl
• Large Ziplock baggie (gallon size)

1. Pour the cereal into a large bowl.
2. Combine chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter into a measuring cup.
3. Microwave the measuring cup full of ingredients in the microwave for 30 seconds.
4. Add vanilla to ingredients in the measuring cup, and stir.
5. Pour melted mixture over the Chex mix.
6. Pour the coated cereal mixture into the large Ziplock baggie.
7. Add powdered sugar into the baggie.
8. Shake until the mixture is evenly coated with the powdered sugar.
9. Spread the mixture onto wax paper and allow to cool.
10. Store in Ziplock bags or covered bowls.