11.29.2007
Merry & Bright
Coming Next Week @ The Inspired Room...
11.28.2007
Favorite things
Johnson & Johnson Melt Stress Away products...moisture wash, massaging moisture, and body lotion. Soothing, and a nice, clean fragrance.
Stonewall Farms Republic of Tea Hot Apple Cider Tea Jam. So good on cinnamon scones.
Republic of Tea Hot Apple Cider...delicious on these cooler days. The aroma is wonderful.
The fragrant indoor garden...
Today is a good day to start forcing bulbs for holiday bloom. Narcissus, or paperwhites are truly the easiest and quickest bulbs to force. They grow so fast and bloom so quickly...if only the scent was a bit better! I have groupings of bulbs in various containers; most of the bulbs are anchored by pea-gravel instead of soil. About every 2 weeks, I start a new container so there are continual blooms throughout the holiday season. I noticed several boxes (now reduced in price) at Sam's Club last week...a huge savings over the kits you can buy at Target from their Smith & Hawkin collection.
11.27.2007
11.25.2007
More Decorating....
11.24.2007
Toile Ornaments
While catching up on blogfriend visits this morning, I came across this easy (sounding, anyway) ornament project. I really like toile...even though I'm going for the pastel look this Christmas, they would be great package tie-ons, and I'm sure I can find a way to incorporate toile into my holiday decorating...the red and white would be great around Valentine's Day, too.
Here are the directions, as found on the Better Homes & Gardens website:
- A piece of toile pattern trimmed from a dinner napkin and decoupaged onto a basic ball becomes an elegant ornament.
What You Need
Round ornaments
Red and white spray paint
Medium-size drinking cups with 3-inch-diameter openings
Toile napkins
Flat artist's brush
Decoupage medium
How to Make It
1. Remove the ornament tops and spray-paint some with red, others with white.
2. To steady the ornaments, place them top side down into the cups.
3. Cut out images from the napkins and lay them right side down into the palm of your hand.
4. Brush a thin coat of decoupage medium on the image, and carefully press it onto the ornament, smoothing wrinkles.
5. Allow ornaments to thoroughly dry in the cups.
6. Replace the painted ornament tops.
11.23.2007
Black Friday
11.19.2007
Four Things Tag...
Four Jobs I Have Had:
- Office Co-ordinator for a major commercial food equipment manufacturer
- Food & Beverage Manager for a hotel
- Clerk in an old-timey country store
- Library clerk and college student (current)
Four Places I Have Lived:
- Ohio
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Pompano Beach, Florida
- Indiana
Four Places I Have Been on Holiday: - Montreal
- Virginia Beach
- Key West
- Phoenix
Four Favorite Foods:
- Breaded Tenderloin sandwiches from Gerst Haus
- Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
- "All American" pot roast, mashed potatoes & gravy
- Almost any Mexican food
And finally,
Four Places I'd Rather Be
- Sitting on the porch, (someplace spring-like or autumn-like) with a stack of magazines beside me, a pitcher of iced tea at hand, relaxing.
- Key West...in a beach bar with friends watching the sunset
- Italy...anywhere in Italy
- Home...there's no place like it!
I would like to tag:
Bristol from Cottage By the River
BJ from Sweet Nothings
Kathy from Shocking Pink ThreadRosie's Whimsy
11.17.2007
Time to "catch" the turkey...
Thank goodness I don't have to chase a turkey (and do unkind things to it...like chopping off his head!!). I just have to fight the usual supermarket crowd and pick out an anonymous looking frozen bird and let it thaw. After the thaw, my turkey will be spending a day soaking in cider brining spices from Williams-Sonoma. This stuff has a wonderful aroma...smells like Thanksgiving!!
11.16.2007
Glitter Cottage
11.15.2007
Beautiful color, nice bouquet...good company
Beaujolais Nouveau Day...
How is this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau?
Vignerons in Beaujolais report that the 2007 vintage will offer full ripe fruit and a round body and will be the best Nouveau in several years. Of course, wine producers will always promote a new wine positively, but I think we can trust that 2007 Nouveau will be fresh, ripe, and fruity. We’ll know for sure in just a few days.
A friend and I will be going out sampling this evening...should be fun!
11.14.2007
Meandering...
Yesterday was kind of a low-key day...I met friends for lunch, went to work for a while--still counting the hours until my Wednesday through Sunday stretch of time off--and came home to a very quiet house. It was a nice, mellow day to celebrate my birthday. Now it's time to rev up and get ready for the Thanksgiving holiday only a week away. I think I finally have all of my Halloween items put away, but you never know...there could be something tucked away that I won't find until it's time to put out the Santas and snowmen!
I put my desktop computer away several months ago...I stopped using it when I got a laptop so I didn't see the need to have it take up space in the corner of the diningroom. Well...I decided I really needed to get the scanner out. I used to scan magazine articles and the like, and I do miss the functionality of that. It would also be nice to scan a really cute little ornament-studded Christmas tree I want to attempt to make...it's featured in Country Living Handmade Christmas. So cute and it would really look great on the mantle. I'm just having a little problem locating the cords/wires needed to connect it to my laptop. "Treasure Hunting"...here I come!
11.13.2007
Rainy Tuesday
11.12.2007
Veteran's Day
11.11.2007
11.10.2007
One Holiday At a Time...
My heart and my head know that it's not time to start decorating for Christmas, but yesterday while I was out shopping what did I buy? Ornaments...pink, turquoise, and silver for a frou-frou glittery Christmas. I've pulled out my little bottlebrush trees...thinking they need a coat of glitter...
For the longest time (decades) I loved the Primitive look; now I find myself drawn to the light...glitzy, shiny things. It's a welcome change.
11.09.2007
It's a day off!!
11.08.2007
New Books
11.07.2007
Another Recipe...
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 bottle Tabasco sauce (the smallish one)
2 8 oz. pks. cream cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup Ranch (or Bleu Cheese) dressing.
Shred the chicken, pour the Tabasco over it and let it marinate. Mix in the softened cream cheese, the shredded cheese, celery, and the dressing. Mix together and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with Frito Big Dippers or other corn chips.
It seems like every recipe I come across is loaded with fat...but this is so good. Walk extra, do more stretches...anything to compensate for the calories in this dip! It's that good.
11.06.2007
A Happy Miscellany
A beautiful vintage quilt square, paper treats, jewelry findings, a rubber stamp, doilies, a beautiful crocheted vintage heart in a silvery dish, candles, a journal, a little book from Tracey Porter...
and a piece of tapestry fabric that is almost like my blog banner. Truly a happy miscellany.
Two weeks and two days...
11.04.2007
Pay It Forward Craft Exchange
Garden Remnants
11.03.2007
A Recipe...
Perfect for holiday snacking and hostess gift-giving.
Spiced Rosemary Nuts
The combination of rosemary, cumin and cayenne pepper lends an irresistible flavor to toasted nuts. Pack these savory gifts in small decorative tins or in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon.
2 1/2 cups mixed raw nuts such as pecans, walnuts and peanuts
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbs. sugar1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Preheat an oven to 300°F. Place the nuts in a bowl. In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the rosemary and stir until aromatic, about 1 minute. Pour the seasoned oil over the nuts. Add the sugar, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne and stir to coat the nuts evenly. Transfer the nuts to a baking pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are toasted, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely. Store the nuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
The French-Inspired Satellite Party
11.02.2007
TGIF
11.01.2007
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving
A New Book Recommendation...
Catching Up
It's been awhile...as usual, not much going on. As I look through photos on my phone, I decided to do a little blog post. Last Monday...
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Photo is from http://www.mortons.com/ While perusing new books this week, I came across Morton's the Cookbook 100 Steakhouse Recipes fo...
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I've been looking forward to today all week...I'm packing up my sewing machine and visiting my friend Michelle. We're going to ...