Four Paws and Co

The new fridge is in!

2009-11-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Whooo hooo, it's time to have a party! Hubby used a planer and sander to remove that pesky 3/4" from the side of the upper and lower cabinets and the refrigerator is finally in it's new home! The perseverance paid off. Well, perseverance and a comment from our son about Mom's new refrigerator and funny how now Mom will get her new cabinets too. That one spurred him on! ☺

Good bye old fridge and UH OH!

2009-11-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, our Maytag refrigerator began gasping and warming. It was time to either call the repair folks or buy a new refrigerator. (I was pushing for the new fridge...) After a couple of days of dragging our feet, the problem hadn't improved and we decided to shop seriously for a new one. (We'd already shopped a few times when nothing was wrong with the old one and had found the perfect model.) So off we went in pursuit of the best of deal.

Long story short, we found the desired LG refrigerator model at Sears and it could be delivered in a few days but hubby wanted to check out Home Depot to see if they could beat the delivery date. They couldn't, so back to Sears we went. Then the bad news came. Someone bought the last LG refrigerator with the earlier delivery date while we ran around and we would have to wait a couple of weeks for delivery, BUT they would also match Home Depots better price. We decided to go for it and wait, lost the food in the fridge and freezer and have eaten a lot of take out.

Yesterday was our delivery date between 4 and 6 pm. The new bright and shiny model was brought in, the water line was connected and they tried to slide it into the space and UH OH! It's too wide... We had measured every which way that we could think of BUT hubby didn't pull the old one out before we measured - we just measured around it. It's hitting the tile on the counter and we need to lose about 3/4". This is not a good thing. It's in the middle of the floor and we have a very small kitchen. Hubby drilled away the grout and cut the tile today and it's still too tight. Now we also have a new scratch on the side. There's not enough space to move the offending little cabinet over, and I'm all for removing it but then we'd have an untiled space on the floor. We'll see if a planer works on the cabinet tomorrow.

Oh yeah, we're still eating take out! Too much dust to turn on the new fridge...

A Colonial Candle Give Away on Between Naps on the Porch

2009-11-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Colonial Candles is sponsoring an entire week of Give-a-Ways at Between Naps on the Porch! Each day this week, beginning Monday and ending Friday, there will be a brand new Colonial Candle Give-a-Way!

Monday's give away is a beautiful Gold Luster Wreath. Just leave a comment for Susan HERE. The rules are listed on her post.

Of course I entered the give away and the piece I'd love to own is the Multi Tealight Holder. You can view it by clicking HERE.

Susan is also tantalizing us with photos of Bonnie's amazing craft room. Oh my, I've just drooled all over my keyboard while I looked at each photo.

Don't forget to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch everyday to enter each day's give away!

I won, I won, I won AND IT'S HERE!

2009-10-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Are you one of those people that enter drawings, giveaways, and contests but never seem to have your name drawn? Well, I'm one of those people, so you can imagine my surprise when I suddenly saw my name while reading Tam's blog, The Gypsy's Corner! I had won her giveaway for an adorable Mon Bain picture to hang in the bathroom.

I heard a thump on the porch this afternoon and just knew my gift had arrived. I could barely contain myself trying to cut the hundreds of yards of tape carefully away from the box. (Great taping job, Tam!)

Look at the sweet little gift tag on the picture!

And voila! My new prized picture hanging on the wall in the bathroom!

Thank you so much Tam! You're just the best! Please drop by Tam's blog to see how her kitchen remodel is coming along. You can click HERE to visit her.

Want to carve a pumpkin to resemble your dog?

2009-10-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

What an adorable idea! How would you like to carve a Halloween pumpkin that looks like your favorite dog? Better Homes and Gardens have free dog breed stencils - just click on their link here.

The "pretty" pose pictures are below, and if you'd like to see the photos of the models hammin' it up click on the link to the BHG website.

Enjoy!

Happy Blogaversary, Ladies!

2009-10-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! Two of the sweetest ladies in Bloggerville are celebrating their first anniversaries with fabulous give aways!

Lynne at Lynne's Gifts From the Heart is celebrating her first blog anniversary with an amazing fall goodie basket give away! Please click HERE to drop by for a visit to say Happy Blogaversary to Lynne and to enter her give away. ☺

Gloria at Happy to Be is celebrating her first blog anniversary with a fabulous tea time give away! Please click HERE to visit with Gloria and wish her a Happy Blogaversary! ☺

Fertilizer Friday

2009-10-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Flaunt Your Flowers - Fertilizer Friday, hosted by Tootsie at Tootsie Time.

The Endless Summer Hydrangea is still blooming. I love this one!

Yummm, the blood oranges are getting bigger. The tree was planted on Mother's Day and it's always a thrill to check the little oranges. (I should have tossed that little dead clipping before I took the picture.)

A close up of one the pots of mums bought from Costco. This was taken before the storm a couple of days ago.

And now my surprise. I noticed a strange little plant next to a rose bush and wondered what on earth it was since it wasn't anything that I had planted. Can you tell what it is? (Sorry for the poor quality photo - I'm having issues with the camera.)

It's a grape tomato! I think one of the dogs took a tomato outside and dropped it and it grew! I was amazed!

Please drop by Tootsie's for the list of the other Fertilizer Friday participants. ☺

2nd Time Around and a Beaded Pumpkin

2009-10-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

I've admired beaded pumpkins shared on several blogs recently and wanted to try embellishing one myself. Of course that meant I had to go shopping, said with an evil laugh... It seemed finding one of these special pumpkins wasn't quite as easy as I'd hoped. Home Goods didn't let me down though, as I bought the very last one in the store. A quick trip to Michael's for beaded garland and I was ready to craft!

Since I didn't have a definite mental picture of my future masterpiece in mind, I was having to wing it. Hmmm, winding the garland around wasn't quite what I had in mind and things weren't going as well as planned. After a few attempts, two strands of garland were wrapped around in all directions. Now the newly adorned pumpkin needed something to sit on, and voila! A vintage silver compote inherited from an elderly friend worked perfectly!

For more beautiful beaded pumpkins, visit Kristen at Kristen's Creations and Barb at Grits and Glamour.

Please join our gracious host, Diane at A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, for the list of other participants for 2nd Time Around Tuesday.

Waiting...

2009-10-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

Chief, Bailey and Roxy are waiting for Dad to come inside. ☺

Thank you my friends! You're all the best for leaving those sweet comments and waiting so patiently for me to return. I've been MIA from blogging with a bad case of blogger's block. But you know I need my daily blogging fix and of course I just had to drop by to visit your blogs. I was also hanging out on Face Book, very busily farming on Farm Town, as well as decorating and baking on YoVille.

I'll have some fall pictures to share with you this week and they include lots of pumpkins!

Hugs!
Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-07-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer. We're in the back yard again this week, and here's how it looked earlier today.

The miniature calla lilies are blooming! I was so thrilled to see this.

Hubby is making one of the flower beds larger and I'm trying to decide on a spot for them.

The Limelight hydrangea is blooming.

The flowers are huge!

A child's school chair rescued from the trash.

The wind mill is on the back hill next to some rose bushes.

The bike planter got a new look. Purple petunia's in the basket and sedum in the little pots. I hope these plants handle the heat better than the last ones.

Susan, thank you for hosting this fun weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

A Thrifty Birdcage!

2009-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing my new birdcage arrangement for Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures and Diane's 2nd Time Around events. This is the first time I've participated in their fun weekly events.

While wandering in Joann's Fabrics not long ago, I stumbled across the most adorable black birdcage. It was 60% off and the last one in the store. I was tickled pink and almost did a happy dance, as I whisked it into my cart.

Isn't this just too cute?!?

I had a couple of bunches of red and white geraniums in my flower stash and a small clay pot on the patio. A quick prime and paint job transformed it to a shiny black pot. A little heart shaped birdhouse that I painted many years ago adds color and detail to the bottom of the cage.

The top of the hutch over the desk has a birdhouse theme, and the birdcages seemed to fit right in. I'm trying to think of a something whimsical for the green birdcage. It may become black very shortly. ☺

Please click on the buttons to visit our gracious hostesses for the other participants of these fun events.

Enjoy!

Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-06-30T19:24:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

I thought you might be tired of seeing the flowers in the back yard, so I'm sharing pictures of the front yard this week.

Starting at the left, assorted day lilies, Billy Graham rose bush, ivy leaf geraniums, more day lilies, Henry Fonda rose bush, more day lilies and a brush cherry bush.

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

See the house on the left? We lived there for 20 years. We bought our next door neighbors house 10 years ago. Our son bought our old house and remodeled it. Pretty cool, huh?

I've alway loved houses with front porches and suggested to my husband several times that we add a porch to the front of our house. (Well, actually I nagged at him constantly). Whenever I found a picture, I'd show him. One day I found the perfect porch picture in an advertisement. I cut it out and stuck it on the refrigerator. Our porch is very similar to that little inspiration picture. I just wish the flower beds were a little wider... ☺

Susan, thank you for hosting this fun weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!

Diane

I'm another Farm Town-aholic....

2009-06-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Oh no, I've fallen under Farm Town's spell, thanks to Justine's evil plot to recruit unsuspecting blogger's to start new farms. I'm not her only recruit either, there are several other blogger's busily working on their farms.

I really need to devise a better method of planting so that I can go to bed at a reasonable time and not have to run and check on my crops late at night. I discovered, much to my dismay the first night, if I don't harvest the crops in a timely fashion, they wither and die, then I lose coins.

This is so sad, I was ecstatic this morning when I found out how to move a blasted tree that I've had to plow around, (Thank you Picket!). Oh my, what have I gotten myself into...

Have you visited Farm Town on Facebook yet? If you'd like to take a little peek, and be quick about it or it'll put a spell on you too, then click here to enter the land of farming.

If you'd like to visit Justine for more details on her amazing farm, click here. She really has gone all out and created a farming wonderland. Too bad RMS doesn't have a Farm Town category!

Wordless Wednesday - Blogger's Choice!

2009-06-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

This week's Wordless theme is blogger's choice:

Intruder Alert!

(Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Dixie, thank you for hosting the always delightful Wordless Wednesday event. Click HERE to visit Dixie's blog for the other Wordless Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Mosaic Monday

2009-06-22T00:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at Little Red House.

Pictures of the garden this evening.

(Click on mosaic to enlarge)

Please visit our charming hostess Mary @ Little Red House
for the list of other participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

A Cloche Party!

2009-06-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

While frantically working on a dual Tablescape Thursday and Cloche Party post last night, and suffering from blog block I might also add, my internet connection disappeared. Poof! It was gone. A little pop up message was saying something was unplugged, so I checked every cable I could find, while crawling around on my hands and knees, and Zip! Nothing! So I retired to a bubble bath to regroup. One last check later and still no internet. I was irritated now and called Comcast. Shortly after I began pushing numbers, the power went out and the house was dark. Hmmm, what to do now? I wonder if Comcast caused the outage? I sat in the dark for a bit, then gave up and went to bed. The power finally came back on about 7 hours later and it was morning. Well morning came and went, and I'm well into the afternoon. I've scrapped the idea of a dual post, and began editing the post I started yesterday for Marty's Cloche Party.

So, without further adieu, Welcome to Marty's Cloche Party!

Several of the lovely blogs I read have cloche collections, which I've drooled over on numerous occasions. After seeing all the marvelous vignettes that I could create if only I had a cloche, I was on a mission to find one. Unfortunately I wasn't able to locate one until Christmas was over, but what a perfect cloche I found. I was in Pier 1 looking at Christmas ornaments when I suddenly spied the cloche. I had to move tables and chairs and it was look out for anyone who got in my way! That baby was coming with me! Once I got it home, all my grand ideas fled. Oh my, what do I do with it now? I tried a little of this, nope, and a little of that, nope... Then I found a sweet little cake pedestal at Marshall's. It fit very well and the elevation made it seem more important. It lives on the piano and I usually rotate figurines in it. I'm sure all the creative ideas shared at the party will inspire new wonderful vignettes!

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

My first Pier 1 cloche has a sweet humming bird figurine in it. (I have the hardest time with glare when I try to photograph a cloche. I think it's time for a new camera.)

The little mini cloche covers fresh plums and sits on a sweet little blue and white stripe plate that I found at a thrift store a few years ago.

My latest treasure! I've looked at the wire cage/cloches at Michael's for several months and finally bought one. It's just so sweet with the little bird on top. I bought 3 daisies to use with a candle in it. It's just too cute. (I hope you think so too!)

A last look.

Please click HERE to visit Marty for the list of the other cloche party participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

This week's wordless subject is Father.
(Dad, Daddy, Grandpa)

(The first two pictures are of my husband & son Chris, 1973.)

(Chris & Grandpa, my dad, 1974)

Dixie, thank you for hosting the always delightful Wordless Wednesday event. Click HERE to visit Dixie's blog for the other Wordless Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Mosaic Monday: Day Lilies

2009-06-15T01:19:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at Little Red House.

I'm sharing a picture mosaic of some of the day lilies in the front and back yards today. You know how much I love roses. Well, I like to plant day lilies next to the rose bushes. Besides being beautiful, the day lilies also camouflage the bottom of the rose bush when it sometimes begin to look a bit leggy. I think it's fascinating how some of the flowers look like carved wax. They're so pretty.

Please visit our charming hostess Mary @ Little Red House
for the list of other participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-06-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this week's Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and I enjoy sitting at the table just looking at them. The hot pink hydrangea is Glowing Embers, Endless Summer is to the right and Nikko Blue is in the back. I used a time release Rose fertilizer granules on them this year and loved the result. Glowing Embers are more of a hot pink color, Endless Summer was a soft baby pink and now has soft pink, cream and violet shades, and the Nikko Blue is such a vibrant blue. I won't worry about having azalea fertilizer on hand anymore.

In honor of Pink Saturday, I cut a few flowers for a sweet cream colored vase with little pink roses on the side. A vintage pink table cloth is covering an old iron table and a crystal candle holder holds a pink candle.

Please visit Beverly's by clicking HERE to see the other PINK Saturday participants.

Happy PINK Saturday!

Diane

Foodie Friday

2009-06-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Foodie Friday, hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum.

Have you tried Barilla Tortellinis? I've always bought the fresh or frozen tortellinis, but discovered the bags on the pasta aisle at the grocery store and brought some home. I was in the mood for Italian food tonight and needed something quick to prepare. While the tortellinis boiled, I made a simple sauce with green, orange and yellow bell peppers, green onions, a can of Hunt's fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic, a little olive oil and seasonings. I drained the pasta, then mixed it with the sauce and dinner was ready in about 20 minutes.

The tortellinis were so good, I could have eaten them with just a little parmesan and olive oil.

Please visit Michael for the list of the other Foodie Friday participants HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Outdoor Wednesday: Summer in Sweden

2009-06-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

My friend Winnie, who visited with us in April, sent pictures of the backyard garden at their house in Sweden. (This is a momentous occasion - I'm always asking for pictures and she always forgets to take them!) When they bought the house, the yard was quite an overgrown challenge that she's worked on for a couple of years. The stones in the stone wall were all dug up while the yard was being leveled and she built a wall out of them. She's so resourceful!

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Winnie has a new nickname this summer. She's been weeding and planting on the hill area which is quite steep, so we're calling her Ms. Mountain Goat. She's discovered a few muscles in the process that have protested the mountain goat routine. ☺

Beautiful blue flowers, (and I can't remember what they're called).

Hubby Steen is admiring the garden. See those huge boulders - she dug up the topsoil that was covering them up!

The deck area was added last year to the yard. Quite a difference a year has made.

Susan, thank you for hosting this fun weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!

Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-06-02T19:29:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern DayDreamer.

My neighbor had the afternoon off from baby sitting her little granddaughter yesterday and we headed for Santa Cruz. You'll never guess what I forgot to bring with me.... Yep, I forgot the camera. So no pictures of ocean waves and surfers, or the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk, or adorable cottages with white picket fences and pretty flowers.

We wandered around town a bit, dropped by Starbucks for some caffeine, then drove around looking at houses and the ocean, all the while dreaming of living there. On the way home, we stopped by the Green Thumb Nursery in Los Gatos. It's like walking into a gardening wonderland and me with no camera again.

This is such an adorable giant teacup planter my daughter in law found at Walmart, but was at a loss of what to plant in it. We've both looked, but nothing was appealing to either of us.

I almost did a happy dance when I found the perfect plant at the nursery. It's an angel vine wrapping around a little rusted metal arbor.

Look how sweet the angel vine looks in the teacup planter. She's thrilled with her new plant in her beloved teacup planter. I told her it's an angel vine for an angel... She liked that...

I'm amazed the amaryllis is still blooming and couldn't believe my luck when I was able to take Sammie's picture without the usual squinting her eyes, or running for cover whenever I point the camera at her.

(Click on the photos to enlarge.)

Susan, thank you for hosting this fun weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Pink Saturday's First Birthday!

2009-05-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

Did you know Beverly's weekly Pink Saturday event is celebrating it's first birthday? A pink tea party would be a wonderful way to celebrate and since the weather is so beautiful, we'll have an outdoor party.

Let's shop the house for a pink tea party tablescape! Pink roses from the grocery store are arranged in my grandmother's cut glass vase. Mom loved table linens and had a pink tablecloth and napkins, lucky for me, and to jazz it up I layered her crocheted tablecloth over the pink cloth. Crystal candle holders with short pink candles add a little more sparkle to the table. It's a little breezy, I hope they stay lit.

A pretty hydrangea teapot filled with blue berries and white tea is perfect for our tea party. The cup and saucer have sweet pink flowers on them, so lovely for our Pink theme. A slice of bundt cake with whipped cream and raspberries on a hydrangea plate will be delicious!

The birdcage was almost perfect, all it needed were flowers inside. We'll just "borrow" the pink hydrangeas from another arrangement. The finishing touch - a little bird on a nest resting on the flowers.

I hope you enjoyed shopping the house with me, now would you like visit for awhile and have some tea and a piece of cake?

(Click pictures to enlarge.)

Please visit Beverly's by clicking HERE to see the other PINK Saturday birthday celebration participants.

Happy PINK Saturday!

Diane

Foodie Friday

2009-05-28T20:19:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Foodie Friday, hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum. Today I'm sharing my family's favorite banana bread recipe.

A few days ago I noticed 5 or 6 bananas were still waiting to be eaten and suddenly had a craving for banana bread. I made two loaves of bread and they were gone by the next afternoon. This is a great recipe and I hope you'll like it too!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 slightly beaten egg whites
1 cup mashed banana
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a large mixing bowl stir together egg whites, banana, sugar, and oil. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture just until moistened.

3. Spray an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

4. Cool bread in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack. For easier slicing, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 servings).

5. Make ahead directions: Cool completely. Wrap in foil, then seal in a plastic bag. Freeze up to 3 months.

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/yeast-breads/reduced-calorie-banana-bread/

Please visit Michael for the list of the other Foodie Friday participants HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Tablescape Thursday

2009-05-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Have you ever had a grand idea for a blog post, took the pictures in eager anticipation of how the post will look, and then realize the pictures just don't look right and don't use them or your grand idea? Well, that's what happened to me in March. I thought this tablescape looked pretty spiffy while I arranged it. That is until I looked at the blah pictures. Hmmm, something was missing. There wasn't any oomph... I think it needed flowers or greenery. It needed something!

(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

I really liked the tablecloth, placemats and plates. The napkins have a pretty scalloped edge and I've always loved my flatware.

The plates used to hang on the wall in the dining room, but shhhh, don't tell anyone...

Here's another shot of the boring centerpiece. What do you think would have put it over the top?

I've shown the birdhouses before, but they're just too cute for words.

And here's the last one.

I'm always looking for ideas and suggestions, would you like to share your ideas?

Click HERE to visit Susan for the list of the other Tablescape Thursday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Mosaic Monday: Walking through the neighborhood

2009-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at Little Red House. This week's mosaic was created from pictures taken while I walked the dogs through the neighborhood. (I actually managed to remember the camera for once!) I've admired the daisies and lavender so much each time I walk past a house around the corner that I finally bought daisies and lavender for our backyard. Now I just need to plant them. ☺

Please visit our charming hostess Mary @ Little Red House
for the list of other participants.

Enjoy and have a great day!
Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-05-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this week's Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

This week I'm sharing a mosaic of scrumptious PINKNESS. What can be better than beautiful flowers and yummy cupcakes?!?

Click to enlarge
Photos courtesy of Flickr and my backyard.

Please visit Beverly's by clicking HERE to see the other PINK Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Foodie Friday and an award.

2009-05-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Foodie Friday!

Today, I'm sharing a family favorite recipe for Low Fat Chewy Fruit & Oatmeal Bars. The bars are so delicious and disappear in a flash!

(click on picture to enlarge.)

Ingredients

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
One 8-ounce container vanilla or plain low-fat yogurt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. skim milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup diced dried mixed fruit, raisins, or dried cranberries

Preparation

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, egg whites, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well. Stir in oats and fruit.

Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.

Cook’s Notes: Each bar contains .5g oat soluble fiber.

Recipe courtesy of Quaker Oats. Click HERE for their link.

Please visit Michael Lee for the list of the other Foodie Friday participants HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The One Lovely Blog Award.

Sweet Liz at Craft From My Heart shared her One Lovely Blog Award with me. Thank you for your generosity Liz! ♥

Now for the rules:
1) Accept the award; post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Every blog I visit deserves the One Lovely Blog Award. If you haven't already received this award, please feel free to post the button on your blog.

You can read Liz's blog by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-19T21:36:00.001-07:00

I've always enjoyed the Wordless Wednesday posts and thought I'd join in Dixie's weekly event.

This weeks subject is Bloggers Choice.

Looking at the Sky....

Dixie, thank you for hosting the always delightful Wordless Wednesday event. Click HERE to visit Dixie's blog for the other Wordless Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Mosaic Monday: Pretty in Pink

2009-05-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Pretty in Pink!

Click to enlarge.

Welcome to Mary's new meme at Little Red House called Mosaic Monday.

I checked my photo files for pinks, loaded them onto Flickr, then created a fun mosaic with Big Huge Labs. Creating mosaics can be so much fun, but I'm not always successful at first and find myself holding my breath to see if it works. (It worked the second try this time...) Most of the photos were taken in the back yard, the rest were taken inside for Pink Saturday posts.

Please visit our charming hostess Mary @ Little Red House
for the list of other participants.

Enjoy and have a great day!
Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-05-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

We have a lovely Mother's Day tradition that I'm very fond of. My son or I buy plants, then on Mother's Day, he digs the holes and plants them while I direct his efforts. Our tradition began about 4 years ago when I bought several rose bushes. The plants and pots were large and I was having difficulty digging the holes. My son asked what I'd like to have for Mother's Day, and I asked him to plant my roses. I love this tradition because we can spend time together outside and I have the memories of whatever he's planted.

I bought a Moro Blood Orange tree in April, before my company arrived, and hubby hadn't dug that hole yet, so the orange tree became this year's Mother's Day project. I love blood oranges and I'm a fan of Jain's blog, Once in a Blue Moon. She had the most beautiful pictures of blood oranges that grew on her tree. I drooled every time she posted pictures and recipes using them, so I researched which trees do well in our area and went on a quest.

Ah ha! I found a large, beautiful tree at Reagan's Nursery. (Okay, I also came home with 2 new rose bushes, but that's another post.) Fresh from the nursery, the new tree is waiting on the front porch for one of the guys to carry into the back yard. It even had 2 oranges hanging on the tree. They were so delicious! I just peeled and ate!

My son and daughter in law had to work very hard to dig this hole! You'd think with all the rain we had last week that the dirt would be easy to dig in. Nope, that clay wasn't budging. The post hole digger was brought out and their comical antics were quite entertaining, but the hole was finally dug and the tree planted. (Now I need to clear all the lawn away for a new plant bed. ☺)

Chief approves of the future new shade spot, but didn't care for having his picture taken. ☺

Susan, thank you for hosting this fun weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the annual reminder that you are not Just a Mom.

JUST A MOM?

A woman, renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk 's office,
was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation.

She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

'What I mean is, ' explained the recorder, 'do you have a job or are you just a ....?'

'Of course I have a job,' snapped the woman.

'I'm a Mom.'

'We don't list 'Mom' as an occupation, 'housewife' covers it,'
Said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.
The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high sounding title like,
'Official Interrogator' or 'Town Registrar.'

'What is your occupation?' she probed.

What made me say it? I do not know.
The words simply popped out.
'I'm a Research Associate in the field of
Child Development and Human Relations.'

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair and
looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words.
Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written,
in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

'Might I ask,' said the clerk with new interest,
'just what you do in your field?'

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice,
I heard myself reply,
'I have a continuing program of research,
(what mother doesn't)
In the laboratory and in the field,
(normally I would have said indoors and out.)
I'm working for my Masters, (first the Lord and then the whole family)
and already have four credits (all daughters).
Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities,
(any mother care to disagree?)
and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it).
But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers
and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.'

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she
completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career,
I was greeted by my lab assistants -- ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model,
(a 6 month old baby) in the child development program,
testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!
And I had gone on the official records as someone more
distinguished and indispensable to mankind than 'just another Mom.'
Motherhood!

What a glorious career!
Especially when there's a title on the door.

Does this make grandmothers: 'Senior Research associates in the field of Child Development and Human Relations'

And great grandmothers : Executive Senior Research Associates?
I think so!!!

I also think it makes Aunts: Associate Research Assistants.

Pink Saturday

2009-05-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this week's Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

In honor of Mother's Day, I cut a bouquet of pink Geoff Hamilton roses and arranged them in a vintage vase placed on a pink depression glass ash tray. The glassware belonged to my Mom, as well as the sweet pink hankie and jewelry.

Please visit Beverly's by clicking HERE to see the other PINK Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-05-05T15:30:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern DayDreamer.

The Amaryllis are blooming and they've outdone themselves this year! Years ago, I bought amaryllis bulb kits to use as Christmas decorations. After the flowers died back, the bulbs went outside and were eventually planted in a couple of pots. I had snail problems though and didn't have much success with the plants blooming until I discovered that fertilizing them helps immensely!

The red amaryllis amazes me. After the snails finished this bulb I almost threw it out, but had read that the bulbs could be divided, so I tried planting it in a little pot and a few years later, look at it now! It's a full size bulb again and with the help of some fertilizer, it's gorgeous.

The bulbs in this pot seem to multiply every year and it's very tight in there, but they bloom like crazy. The fertilizer has worked wonders for them too.

Another view and you can see one of the birdhouses my hubby or son need to mount on the post... It's been waiting for a few years to be put on the post, but I'm very patient. ;0} Poor birds could have had a home...

You know how I love rusty yard art... Doesn't this one look like Roxy?

This one looks like Murphy, our cocker spaniel.

Susan, thank you for hosting this delightful weekly event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

Blue Monday

2009-05-03T19:35:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Blue Monday hosted by Sally at Smiling Sally. Click HERE if you'd like to visit the other Blue Monday participants.

First of all, let me tell you how much I love bird houses. Big ones, small ones, and in between sized ones. So you can imagine how excited I became when my sweet friend surprised me one day with two of the most adorable little Royal Doulton bird houses. I'm so fortunate to have such thoughtful friends!

The little bird houses are about 4 inches tall and they're part of the Home Tweet Home series.

"The Greenhouse" (It's really mostly blue.)

"Butterfly Garden" (See all the different shades of blue?)

Did you notice that my tablecloth also has blue flowers in it? Hee hee hee. ☺

Thanks for dropping by and Happy Blue Monday!
Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-05-01T13:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to this week's Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

It's a rainy day today and what could be better than a cup of hot chocolate with strawberry marshmallows in a sweet china cup decorated with little PINK roses. (Note to self, finger sandwiches and scones would have been a great addition to this, but I wasn't thinking ahead!)

A couple of little bunny friends came by to celebrate PINK Saturday too. Pink and green hydrangea's are arranged in a vintage creamy white floral container. (Shhh, they're FAUX!)

The Kraft jet puffed strawberry mallows are so delicious with the hot chocolate!

( The cup and saucer were part of my Mom's collection. Made by Paragon, pattern Victoriana Rose.)

Please visit Beverly's by clicking HERE to see the other PINK Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-04-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing pictures from our back yard this week for Outdoor Wednesday. Whimsy strikes my fancy and I love country cottage gardens. Combine the two and I'm just tickled pink! (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

A giant dragonfly bought several years ago at the country folk art craft fair flies over the flowers. My hubby found the little child's school chair in the trash and brought it home. He knew I'd be delighted and I was of course! (Yes, Bailey decided to walk through the flowers as I took pictures.)

A new stone bunny has moved into the garden. Isn't he just too cute for words?!? He's heard all about The Stone Rabbit's blog and thought our back yard would be a good home for him. I'm on a mission to collect stone bunnies after reading Dana's blog. You can visit The Stone Rabbit by clicking HERE.

I was thrilled to see the flowers in the bicycle basket blooming. I love whimsical pieces and they never fail to put a smile on my face.

One of my ceramic kitties guards a rose bush.

The Cymbidium Orchids have outdone themselves this year. The top two pictures are dwarf varieties.

Susan, thank you for hosting this delightful event. You can visit A Southern Daydreamer to see the other Outdoor Wednesday posts, by clicking HERE.

Enjoy!
Diane

2009-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Winnie is on her way back to Denmark, now Mom has to walk us and catch up with gardening and blogging and other stuff and did I say walking us? She'll be back soon.

Goodbye Winnie, we'll miss you!

Love, Roxy ♥

Winnie & Roxy
(Picture taken right before she walked out the door for the airport.)

A bloggy break message from Roxy

2009-04-15T01:18:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Roxy and Mom wanted me to tell you all that she has to take a bloggy break because our company from Denmark arrived yesterday! She and Winnie are too busy shopping and talking and shopping to take me, uh I mean to visit everyone's blog. Winnie will be visiting us for two weeks! I sure hope they take me somewhere soon!

Bye for now!
Love,
Roxy ♥

Pink Saturday!

2009-04-10T21:45:00.001-07:00

Thumper the Bunny is wishing you a Happy PINK Saturday! He's all ready for Easter with his basket of gerbera daisies and a pink nest for his little chick friends.

This little chick is sitting in the pink!

Little pink vases with a pink Billie Graham rose and yellow Henry Fonda roses.

Thumper also wanted to pose by the pink vases.

PINK glass eggs and PINK chenille chicks in a pretty vintage bowl.

Thumper moved in with my son and daughter in law this afternoon, along with his large stash of candy and cookies. He looked a little like my son's bunny, whose name is Thumper, so this guy was also named Thumper.☺

I bought the bunny (who's basket is empty) at Cost Plus World Market, the gerbera daisies at Michael's, the glass eggs and nest came from Marshall's, and the pink vases are from IKEA. The Easter tablecloth is older than dirt!

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. Please visit Beverly for the list of the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Tablescapes and Sweeties

2009-04-09T22:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

I went dish shopping yesterday and what did I find? Green bunny plates! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Bordallo Pinheiro plates just waiting on the shelf for me. There were two large plates and two salad plates. Needless to say, I picked them up very quickly and headed for the check out lines. I found the plates at Ross, then found a bunny pedestal on clearance at Marshall's. I was having a very good dish day!

I used the two large bunny plates on top of a soup tureen and a Bordallo bunny pedestal to elevate the bunnies in the centerpiece.
(Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

Isn't this just the sweetest little bunny plate?

I bought pieces to this set many years ago at TJMaxx and Marshall's. I had some of the plates hanging on a wall at one time.

The little chicks are just so adorable. I found them at Reagan's Nursery and wish I'd bought a couple more.

I hope you enjoyed my Easter table. Please visit Susan for the list of the other Tablescape Thursday participants.

Now it's time for Foodie Friday!

Foodie Friday is hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum.

Reality hit and I went to The Prolific Oven for desserts! (Okay, I also brought home dinner. I have a "thing" for their Californian sandwich...)

Yummm!

A fruit tart on a bunny plate, with a little chick a bit too close.

A delicious lemon tart! Mmmm, this is so good, I wish that I could send you a bite!

Apple Strudel, (in honor of Justine's new golden retriever puppy, Strudel!)

And hubby's favorites! Snickerdoodles, chewy oatmeal raisin, coconut macaroon, and a Mexican wedding cookie.

Please sit down to visit a bit and have a sweetie with a cup of tea.

Oops! Okay, this was my dinner! It was sooo good!

Please visit Michael for the list of the other Foodie Friday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Easter Bonnet

2009-04-07T16:18:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, my future daughter in law asked if I could make an Easter hat for her to wear in the school parade. She's a kindergarten teacher at a private school and wanted a special hat to wear with her class in the parade. Of course I said "YES!" and we looked at repurposing one of my Mom's old sun hats.

I was so excited to begin the project but a bit concerned because I didn't have an idea of how the bonnet should look. I grabbed the chosen hat and hopped into the car and off to Joann's Fabric I went! I wandered up and down each aisle with hat in hand looking at fabric and then at silk flowers, and began to have the glimmer of an idea, but first I wanted to look at Michael's floral and ribbon departments before making a final decision. The flowers were much better at Michael's but I didn't like their ribbon. (It's a good thing the stores were only a couple of miles apart, because I headed back to Joann's for fabric.) The old Joann's store was closing, and pickings were a bit slim, but I finally selected a periwinkle polyester lining fabric for the band, then drove back to Michael's one last time to coordinate the flowers with the fabric.

I made a tube out of the fabric to create a giant "ribbon", then pinned it around the hat band area and hand tacked it in place on the inside. A soft knot was tied in the back so the tails can drape down. Each flower was hand sewn in place. (Glue can sometimes release with time and this hat was created to last for many years.) I was so pleased with the way it turned out and my future daughter in law was ecstatic.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

A back view...

Pretty cool, huh? I surprise myself sometimes! ☺

Always have your camera ready!

2009-03-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

My creative well for blog inspiration has run dry once again.

I'm sharing pictures sent from one of my pet loving friends who knew how much I'd love seeing these precious fur babies. Thank you Liette, you made my day when I received this one! I hope the pictures put as big a smile on your face as they did mine!

Up, up and away!

Is this a great day or what!

Uh oh! I knew we shouldn't have walked this way!

Wow, this is the softest dirt I've ever dug into!

Owww, let go! I'm sorry already!

"When I get out, someone's gonna DIE!"

Have a great day!
Diane

Freaky Foodie Friday Trainwrecks!

2009-03-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this weeks Freaky Foodie Friday Trainwrecks! Michael had such a fun idea for this week! Rather than our usual virtual potluck, our theme is food mishaps or food bloopers. I know this will be fun to read, but maybe not so much fun to remember!

No pictures were ever taken of any mishaps in my kitchen. I was too busy trying to rescue whatever I had burned, sloshed or dumped. Let's see how many bloopers I can remember.

Cooking has never been one of my favorite pastimes. Before I was married, I could make cookies and cakes by following a recipe but very little else.

Not long after our wedding, I was attempting to cook dinner when my brother in law dropped by for a few minutes. I went outside to talk to him, but didn't think to turn the stove off. Yes, that was my first burned meal as a newly wed and I've had many others since then.

Hubby called from work one long ago evening craving popcorn. He had an errand to run, and wanted to drop by the house to pick up a big bowl of popcorn to take back to work with him. I put the oil in the pan on high. (Wasn't this a brilliant move on my part!) The oil wasn't heating up quickly enough while I watched it, so I thought I had plenty of time to take care of an accident our new puppy had just made. I picked up the oops, glanced up at the stove and saw flames dancing around in the pan, burning the knobs, buttons and bottom of the top oven. Our front door was open, so as I ran for the stove, I looked out the door, saw hubby and screamed "it's on fire!" I was holding the tissue wrapped puppy poo in my hand and threw it out the back door, (I think it flew into the neighbors back yard). I reached for the handle on the pan just as hubby screamed "no - don't touch it!" I was going to move the flaming pot out to the back deck. He grabbed something to cover the handle and put the pan on the floor. We put the fire out, but he burned a big round circle in the linoleum and was quite proud of his quick thinking. (I wouldn't have put the pan on the floor.) Insurance covered the damage, but it took forever to have the floor repaired.

One evening I was making a lime molded jello salad to take to a potluck at work the next day. I poured the liquid jello into the mold and watched in disbelief as it all ran out the bottom of the Tupperware mold. I hadn't double checked the seal. That mess ran off two sides of the counter and cabinet, then all over the floor under and around the stove. The mess was unbelievable.

So much for the mayhem and madness of my foodie trainwrecks.

I have a cute one to share about my daughter in law. My son and daughter in law got married last June. His kitchen remodel wasn't completed before the wedding, so they were without a stove for a few months. When the new stove was finally installed, she was baking up a storm. She had just taken cookies out of the oven as my son got home from work. He grabbed a beer and a cookie and they called me to come over and sample the fresh cookies. (BTW, I don't understand how anyone can drink a beer and eat a cookie, but I digress...) My DIL left the room for a moment and my son said the cookie was a little bit salty. I took a bite and couldn't eat anymore of it. I looked at him and he was foaming at the mouth with the beer and baking soda in the cookie, but was gamely eating it. (You know that's LOVE, to finish the whole stinking cookie that is making you foam at the mouth!) My DIL came back in and asked how the cookies tasted. I asked how much baking soda she added to the recipe. She looked puzzled and took a bite of my cookie, which she promptly spit out and ran for the recipe. She had used tablespoons instead of teaspoons of baking soda. My son and I thought this was hysterical. My DIL, not so much!

Please drop by Michael's @ Designs by Gollum for the list of participants to this weeks Freaky Foodie Friday!

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-03-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

It's Pink Saturday and my favorite colored day of the week. Time flies past so quickly, it seems like I just wrote a Pink Saturday post...

Many years ago, my grandmother bought a pair of sweet bisque figurines for me at Disneyland. I always thought of the girls as "sisters" and treasured them because Grandma bought them. Now I'm sharing them with you for Pink Saturday. The "sisters" are standing next to one of my mom's plates.

Please visit Beverly's blog at How Sweet the Sound to see the list of Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Potlucks and Tablescapes!

2009-03-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

I'm combining a St Patrick's Day Tablescape Thursday with Foodie Friday this week.

Please visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for the list of other Tablescape Thursday participants.

I started with a green tablecloth, then layered a crocheted tablecloth over it. I bet you've already guessed that I would use green and white Spode Botanical plates for a St Paddy's Day tablescape! Pressed glass sunflower plates are perfect for salad.

One of my favorite mosaic birdhouses with a few little visiting leprechaun's!

Such a sweet plate!

I'm addicted to Spode's Botanical pattern and have the same plates in green, blue and red or cranberry colors. Most were found in TJMaxx, Marshall's or eBay. I bought the green plates from Replacements.com.

The Spode Archive Collection
Georgian Series
'BOTANICAL'

Can you see the sunflower pressed into the glass plate?

A last look...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to our early St Patrick's Day Foodie Friday virtual potluck celebration!

Please visit Michael at Design's by Gollum for the list of other Foodie Friday participants.

I thought about potluck recipes for days and suddenly remembered a favorite from many years ago. Do any of you remember Jello Poke Cakes? It was always a family favorite.

The sparkly sugar glitter is pretty cool, huh?!?

Would you like to try a piece of cake?

Yummm!

Jello Poke Cake

1 white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg. Jello (I used Jello Melon Fusion)
1 c. boiling water
1/2 c. cold water
Cool Whip

Prepare cake as directed in a pan of your choice. (Don't forget you'll be pouring liquid gelatin over the cake later.) Cool pan 15 minutes. Poke cake with fork for small holes, or handle of wooden spoon for larger holes, every 1/2 to 1 inch. Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add cold water. Spoon over the cake slowly so the Jello mixture soaks into the holes. Chill 3 to 4 hours. Top with Cool Whip.
(Recipe courtesy of Cooks.com)

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday!

2009-03-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound.

The weather was wet and drizzling a few days ago so I went shopping for pink!

A pair of pink Johnson Bros plates with a big pink rose, little blue flowers and green leaves. I think they'll add a bit of whimsy to my St Patrick's Day tablescape!

Ah, so sweet!

Cups and saucers in my favorite Spode Botanical pattern.

A couple of new mugs, also in my favorite Spode botanical pattern!

I finally broke down and bought New PINK kitchen scissors! This may look a bit peculiar, but my hubby is a kleptomaniac for scissors and measuring tapes! I think the pink will stand out when I'm frantically searching tables and drawers because he took off with the scissors again. He always denies having them, then has an "oh yeah" moment as I wave them around and complain. The old black handles just disappear on whatever they're lying on.

Now, please click on Beverly here to visit the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Dog Logic

2009-03-01T12:15:00.001-08:00

The reason
A dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his
Tongue.

-Michael Combs

There
Is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.

-Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing
On earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

-Peter Dorsett

The average
Dog is a nicer person than the average person.

-Andy
Rooney

Anybody who
Doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.

- Franklin P.
Jones

My dog is worried about the
Economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog
Money.

-Joe Weinstein

If you pick
Up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is
The principal difference between a dog and a man.

-Mark
Twain

Dogs are
Not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

-Roger
Caras

If you think dogs can't count,
Try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two

Of them.

-Phil
Pastoret

This was an e-mail that I received from a friend. It put a big smile on my face, so I'm sharing it with all of you to put smiles on your faces too.

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday!

2009-02-27T20:24:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday! My mother's Desert Rose pitchers are my contributions to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Aren't these the sweetest little pitcher's? Mom usually used her Desert Rose dishes at Easter. I love the colors and they bring back the wonderful memories of her fabulous dinners.

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. Please visit Beverly to see the list of the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Foodie Friday!

2009-02-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our weekly Foodie Friday pot luck party, hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum. Isn't this just the best way to end the work week?!?

My contribution this week is Tuna Egg Salad with Farfalle and butterfly biscuits.

Did you see the cute little butterfly biscuits? I used the little cookie cutters that I won in Gollum's giveaway last week.

The salad passed the hubby test. He went back for more!

Tuna Salad with Farfalle

1 (12-ounce) package Farfalle
2 (6-ounce) cans or pouches of tuna, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese
4 green onions with tops, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cook Farfalle according to package directions. Drain, run under cold water, and drain well. Put into a large bowl. Stir in tuna, cheese, onions and tomatoes.

For dressing, stir together mayonnaise, pickle relish, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. (Salad may be refrigerated for several hours. Add more dressing if too dry.)

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Recipe developed by cookbook author Marlene Sorosky Gray.

Note: I tweaked the recipe somewhat to use food that I had on hand.

One pouch of tuna and 2 boiled eggs.
I'm a kalamata olive addict and poured the liquid into the dressing twice!
Added a small can of chopped black olives.
Used lime juice instead of lemon juice.
Garlic salt.

I just love these little cookie cutters and had such a fun time cutting out biscuit shapes! Many thanks to Michael for her generous giveaway last week!

Enjoy!

Diane

Blue Monday!

2009-02-22T20:52:00.001-08:00

It's Blue Monday and a collage of blue flowers are just the perfect thing to cheer us up on a blah Monday!

Can you tell that I am oh so ready to start planting flowers? So far, I have Violas waiting to be planted, and several hydrangeas to be moved from their pots. I pulled weeds out of one of the flower beds last week, then it started raining again. I'm going to the nursery when the weather clears up!

The collage is made up of some of my favorite blue flowers on Flickr.

Sally, thank you for hosting your weekly Blue Monday event. It's always a pleasure to visit the other participants to check out their blue posts. You can see the list of other participants by clicking on Smiling Sally.

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-02-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday!

Pink Saturday is a wonderful event hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

I'm dreaming of spring and thinking of new roses for the back yard. Flickr is a wonderful source of inspiration, just look at all the pink roses I found!

Aren't these the most gorgeous roses in a beautiful urn? I'd love to have big bushes of these roses to create arrangements from.

How about a collage of pink roses for inspiration? I see a visit to my local nursery in the very near future!

Please drop by Beverly's blog to see the list for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Foodie Friday!

2009-02-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first Foodie Friday, hosted by our fabulous Gollum at Designs by Gollum. Foodie Friday is a weekly pot luck party and such a wonderful way to end the work week. My contribution this week is a quick meal prepared in under 25 minutes.

My hubby came home tired and hungry and asking, "What's for dinner?" I asked if asparagus was okay, and got a hearty, "Oh Yeah!" in reply.

Asparagus and chicken mango sausages served on a bed of white rice is a delicious favorite and takes under 25 minutes prepare.

I used a package of Aidell's chicken and mango sausages and cut into bite sized pieces, browned them, then removed to a plate. Cut fresh asparagus into thirds and added them to the pan used to cook the sausages to brown a bit. Added a splash of olive oil, a little pat of butter, some garlic salt and let them cook a few minutes before adding a little bit of water and covering the pan.

Our new bunny is overseeing dinner. It looks like he may approve of this one!

For more mouth watering dishes, visit Design's by Gollum for the list of Foodie Friday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday and Valentines

2009-02-13T22:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I couldn't have chosen a more perfect day to celebrate Valentine's Day than on Pink Saturday. Pink Saturday is a wonderful event hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

In honor of Valentine's Day, pink strawberry mini bundt cakes and fresh strawberries are my contribution to Pink Saturday this week. (I'm quite amazed by my contribution this week, because I don't bake very often, so enjoy this unusual event!)

I saw The Little Baker Fairy at a Hallmark store last year and looked for her whenever I was in the store. I finally decided that she really needed to come home with me a couple of weeks ago. She's part of the Fairies collection by Enesco. The cupcake pots are filled with lip gloss.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I baked little strawberry mini bundt cakes with strawberry frosting.

Oh yummm, they are so good! Murphy, my cocker spaniel, refused to leave the stove while the cakes were there. He "waaa-oooo'd" every so often to remind us that he was still sitting there waiting for some cake! (He wore me down, I gave him a strawberry but not the cake. ☺)

Sweet's for the Sweet!

Have you tried Pillsbury's whipped supreme frosting yet? It is so good, but I used one of Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade tips that made it even better. I put the frosting in a large bowl and added a couple of caps of raspberry flavoring, a cap of vanilla flavoring and some milk. I didn't want thick frosting. I mixed it up and frosted the cakes. It is unbelievably delicious and such a keeper!

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine Weekend!

Please drop by Beverly's blog to see the list for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

And the winner is.....

2009-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

I'm working on my Valentine's Pink Saturday post and decided that I really needed to bake a strawberry cake. It had to be pink, right? Actually I used my little mini bundt pan so I have 6 little strawberry cakes and 1 slightly flat heart shaped cake because I had extra batter. I'm waiting to frost them, then have to take the pictures, you know the drill. So while I'm waiting for the cakes to do their thing, I found a random number generator website and had it pull a random number out of the 48 comments on my Blue Monday and a Giveaway post. I am so horrible about keeping secrets, and just couldn't wait till the Pink Saturday post is published to announce the winner of my giveaway!

Just to refresh your memory, the winner will receive this lovely Spode, The Blue Room Collection plate. The pattern is called May.

The winner will also receive this adorable Spode Rosemary spice jar. The pattern is Geranium. This is a picture of the back of the jar. (BTW, I thought this would make an adorable little vase for Tablescape Thursday.)

Okay, I've teased you long enough... The random number generator had 48 numbers to pick from and chose number 5!

#1 is Susan
#2 is Lynne
#3 is Cindy
#4 is Melissa
#5 And the winner is Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict or prof en retraite! Congratulations and a great big Whooo Hoooo Debbie! Please e-mail your address to me and I'll try to get them into mail Monday.

Diane

Tablescape Thursday!

2009-02-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first Tablescape Thursday! Susan, thank you for hosting this beautiful weekly event. I've learned so much from the wonderful people who participate.

Valentine's Day is almost here and romance is in the air. I experimented with a sweet cottage look on the kitchen table. I wasn't happy with any of my table clothes and turned to my fabric stash. The tablecloth is a fabric remnant that didn't have a purpose yet, but I think it may become a real tablecloth in the near future. After I had a foundation, I shopped the house for items to audition. The little baking fairy decorating a Valentine Heart shaped cake with I Love You was a winner as well as the cake pedestal, with a little Limoges heart placed at the base of the pedestal. The cupcakes surrounding her little heart cake are actually lip gloss containers. Aren't they too cute! Next came the candle on the Lenox china candle holder with the little hearts hanging around it, as well as the little red glass candle holder that Rachel sent with her Valentine swap gifts. I found the topiary in the living room and the flowers from a bedroom went into a Spode pot.

As you can see outside, it's been a gray, rainy day, but I'm not complaining. We need the water! (Just in case you're wondering why we have a post with nothing on it in the flower bed, there is supposed to be a big birdhouse on it. I can't attach it and the guys just never seem to have the time to do it.)

I used my favorite everyday red and white Spode transferware dishes. I prefer flowers, and they're all botanical patterns. The napkins were in an after Christmas clearance bin at Pier 1. I love the scalloped edges.

The following pictures are a peek at each plate.

I think this one is a luncheon plate and probably shouldn't have been included, but I love the shape of them, I have 4, and use them all the time, so into the mix they went!

My most treasured find this month! I've wanted chargers so badly, and was almost ready to order some from Horchow! While browsing in Home Goods a few weeks ago, I wandered by these dishes. At first I thought they were just plates, then I couldn't believe my eyes, it finally registered, they were chargers! I nearly had a heart attack and ran for a cart. They had 8 and I took them all! I get so tickled every time I look at them.

Well my friends, did I succeed in creating a romantic cottage tablescape?

Please visit Susan's link here to see the other Tablescape Thursday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Blue Monday and a Giveaway!

2009-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

It's Blue Monday and this is my first Blue Monday post, but wait! This is also my 50th post and I wanted to celebrate this event by having a giveaway! How better to announce a giveaway for blue transferware than on Blue Monday!

First I'd like to thank Sally for hosting her weekly Blue Monday event. You can see the list of other participants by clicking on Smiling Sally.

I didn't really give a great deal of thought about actually writing a blog before I jumped into the world of blogging. I loved reading blogs and wanted to be able to share my thoughts, things I love and pictures with others. That seemed so easy and sometimes a post almost writes itself, but then other times, it's like pulling teeth to think of something to write about and actually writing it can be agonizing at times. That said, I'm amazed to have reached my 50th post!

My giveaway is for all of you Spode lovers of The Blue Room Collection out there! ♥

The plate is part of the Regency Series, and the pattern is May.

The sweet little Rosemary spice jar pattern is Geranium.

A picture of the back of the spice jar.

Please leave a comment so I can add your name to the bowl and I'll announce the winner on my PINK Saturday Valentine's Day post!

Don't forget to visit Sally's blog to see the other Blue Monday participants by clicking here.

Enjoy!

Diane
♥♥♥♥

My Valentine Swap gift has arrived!

2009-02-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

Belle at Life of a Southern Belle organized a Valentine Swap a few weeks ago. She put all of the participants names in a basket and pulled pairs of names for swap partners. We also had a list to fill out to assist with gift purchases. My partner is Rachel at Livin and Loving, and just look at all the gifts she sent!

The box has the cutest little monkeys and hearts on it.

Wow, the box was filled with gifts! A new Country Living magazine, a magnetic memo pad, a little red glass heart shaped candle holder, wild current scented sachets. a sweet little canvas picture with a flower & enjoy on it, a package with 8 sheets of scrapbook paper and a mini scrapbook kit.

Another peek at all the treasures with a candle lit.

Thank you Rachel! You've been an awesome swap partner!

Enjoy!

Diane

Outdoor Wednesday at Pebble Beach

2009-02-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

I'm sharing pictures of Pebble Beach at Spanish Bay today. The pictures were taken in December 2007.

A lone chair sitting in the grass with the beautiful ocean view beyond. The grass area is behind the Pebble Beach Golf Club.

The building off to the far distant left is the Beach Club.

Low tide and the beach below the Beach Club. My son and friends were tossing rocks into the surf.

It was such a beautiful day and fun to walk on the hard packed sand, but I kept checking for the incoming tide.

Thank you, Susan, for hosting Outdoor Wednesday! Please visit Susan's blog for links to the other Outdoor Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday!

2009-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday!

A beautifully painted pink rose on a silver spoon by Laurie's Charming Designs and another one of Mom's beautiful plates are my contributions to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

I so admire Laurie's beautiful artwork painted on silver spoons. How fortunate for me that she sells her art on eBay! Isn't this just the sweetest little rose painted on a spoon. If you'd like more information about Laurie's Charming Designs, please pay her a visit. Just click on her name to take you to her blog.

Mom's oldest sister brought this beautiful plate to her. When Mom could no longer live alone and moved into assisted living, I arranged a collection of her treasured plates on the wall, with this one as the center focal point. It was beautiful and often commented on. The label on the back of the plate says NSP China, Made in Japan. 22 carat gold.

Please visit Beverly's blog for the list of Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Themed Thursday and Blue Transferware

2009-01-28T23:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first Themed Thursday, hosted by KD at Southern Whimsy. Thank you KD for hosting this new event!

Today's theme is Blue Transferware.

I love Spode's transferware and have it in blue, red and green. A few years ago, remodeling turned the house into chaos, and all the plate arrangements hanging on the walls were removed. After seeing Barb's and KD's posts, I'm going to start putting nails in the walls again! In the meantime, here's a collage of my blue transferware. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

Please visit KD and Barb to see their blue transferware eye candy.

Enjoy!

Diane

Outdoor Wednesday and What's On Your Wall Wednesday!!

2009-01-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

It's sunny, but a little chilly today and the blue skies are just a big tease for the warmer weather. I'm sharing pictures that always make me smile and I hope they put smiles on your faces too.

I pooch sit occasionally for Coco, my DIL's family Yorkshire Terrier. In July 2007, they adopted Chanel, another little Yorkie puppy, to their family and I got to pooch sit both little girls. I was so excited. Baby Chanel was 9 weeks old when they brought her home. A month later I was pooch sitting again and took pictures this time. (I think they each weigh about 4 lbs.)

Baby Chanel - 9 weeks old!

Baby Chanel sitting in my Wave Petunias. (She was about 13 weeks old.) The petunias didn't die last winter, they just continued to grow & bloom. I hope they last this year, but we've had some very cold nights, so I may be planting them again.

Chanel is sitting by a Limelight hydrangea. The flowers are amazing on this bush!

Big sister Coco sitting by a hydrangea. Coco was about 2 years old then.

Coco wasn't so impressed with the big flowers.

Please visit Susan's blog for the links to other Outdoor Wednesday participants.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to the first What's On Your Wall Wednesday hosted by Barb at Grits and Glamour.

I'm sharing two Thomas Kinkade paintings located in our family room with you. We have several of his paintings, I love the houses, but my husband prefers the mountain scenes and these are two of his favorites.

Lakeside Hideaway

Mountain Majesty - Beginning of a Perfect Day III

Please visit Barb's blog for the links to the other What's On Your Wall Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Awards!

2009-01-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

Some amazing ladies have honored me with awards, so thank you Ann, Susan, Melissa and Kristen! You're all the best and I do so enjoy reading your posts.

The Sisterhood Award! Thank you Ann and Susan!

Rules for the recipients:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

There are so many blogger's to share this with, and I would like to pass on this beautiful award to all of you who haven't received it yet. Please add the button to your blogs.

The Nobelpris Award! Thank you Melissa!

This is an award for being a wonderful Mom.

"You do fantastic work! Be proud of your accomplishments."

Fabulousness! Thank you Kristen!

Now the rules:

1) Add the award image to your sidebar.

2) Copy and paste the rules and instructions in your post.

3) When posting on receiving the award, make sure you
include the person who gave you the award and link it back to them.

4) Post 5 of your addictions.

5) Post 5 winners and link it back to them as well.

6) Let your winners know you gave them an award by leaving them a comment on their blog.

My addictions........

1. Sweets! I have an awful sweet tooth!

2. Blogging, I'm not getting anything done anymore!

3. Puttering around with craft projects and/or gardening.

4. Shopping for items that I didn't know that I couldn't live without.

5. Playing Character Solitaire on http://www.characterarcade.com/games/

I'm sharing this award with anyone who hasn't received it yet. You're all so fabulous!

Enjoy!

Diane

Pink Saturday!

2009-01-23T15:23:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday! A sweet Lladro figurine is my contribution to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Isn't this young woman chatting on her pink telephone just too adorable?!? The bottom of her dress has the sweetest pale pink band and I love the slightly prissy expression with the position of her hands and feet. Her dog is waiting patiently for her to get off the phone.

She was a service anniversary award from AT&T many years ago. I was so thrilled when I received her!

Please visit Beverly's blog for the list of the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

UH OH! or My name is MUD....

2009-01-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

While cleaning the living and dining room Sunday, I got bit by the "Gee, I bet the furniture would look better over there bug"... My hubby was in the garage working on a car, and I could move things to my heart's content without his input. So, I made myself busy vacuuming, mopping and shoving furniture around.

The plan was to move the big curio cabinet from the living room to the dining room and the piano from the dining room to the living room. Oh and BTW, we're not talking a big space here... Just one little problem - the tiny little part that I had forgotten about the last time I moved the curio cabinet was the now missing piece of carpet no longer under it, and our beautiful Brazilian cherry floors. I moved the piano, it sits on casters so it's a piece of cake to move. Now I was ready to move the curio cabinet... Hmmm, it started sliding across the floor then kind of stuck, so I shoved a little harder. I'm using a new Bona floor cleaner, maybe the floors aren't as slippery, so I tried wiggling it back and forth. I was making some headway, but needed to put a little more muscle to it. I happened to glance at the floor and oh no! The cabinet is scratching the floor! What am I going to do?!? I ran for the stain stick. It's red mahogany and a little bit dark. The cabinet is still only about half way to it's new home, so I try the wiggling more and shove it home. I now have 3 big and deep GOUGED areas. The stain made it look worse. I think I'm going to be sick...

Now I don't know about your house, but when hubby is working on a car, it's not the time to be telling him that I've just ruined the floors. Nope, I was just trying to buy some time till he was in a nice relaxed mood... I put the vacuum on one scratch and a big dog bed on another one, then made sure I didn't turn on any lights in the living room. I'm not good at playing cover up... I tossed and turned all night and got up early. When hubby got up all rested and relaxed, I told him how I'd done the most horrible, stupid thing and didn't know how to fix it. Then I showed him all the scratches. He didn't say too much. Just don't put anymore stain on them, he'll look for some kind of filler, and we may have to have some planks replaced if we ever move. I feel like such an idiot for doing this one...

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-01-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is my first Outdoor Wednesday post! Outdoor Wednesday is hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.

Our winter weather has been quite warm this year causing the plants to think it's Spring! I couldn't believe the roses were blooming like this and just had to take a picture. The yellow rose is peeping out of a scented geranium bush. It's a Henry Fonda rose. I think the English roses are Evelyn and Geoff Hamilton.

Please visit Susan's blog for the links to other Outdoor Wednesday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Pink Saturday and a teapot!

2009-01-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday! My mother's Desert Rose teapot and a pair of sweet Precious Moments figurines are my contributions to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

My mom loved her Desert Rose dishes. One Christmas when I was small, Mom asked Santa for a teapot. She had a new china cabinet and was just dying for a teapot to match her cherished dishes. My dad bought the teapot, carefully wrapped it and placed it under the tree. Mom was so bad about shaking presents and guessing the contents, that he decided to play one of his practical jokes on her. He unwrapped the teapot and put old books in the box so it would have the same weight. You can imagine the look on her as she oh so smugly opened up her gift, only to discover the expected teapot wasn't in the box - it was books! Oh horrors! She ran all over the house yelling "where's my teapot, where's my teapot"! Of course my dad and I were almost rolling on the floor laughing at her....

One year he bought a beautiful black slip with accordion pleats for her and carefully folded and placed it in a matchbox. Can you imagine the look on her face?!? He was such a practical joker!

My aunt bought the little Precious Moments goose girls one year when she was visiting. I have quite a collection of Precious Moments figurines. I began collecting them when my son was small. The original figurines were made by Jonathan David and later became Precious Moments. They were figurines of adorable little boys with a Cocker Spaniel and looked so much like Chris and Crystal, our Cocker. I was hooked.

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Please see her blog for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

25 Ways To Improve Your Health

2009-01-14T19:16:00.001-08:00

A friend knows all about my love of animals and forwarded an adorable e-mail to me. All of these little fur babies are just too cute. Since we can always use an awww moment in our busy lives that makes us smile, I'm sharing it with you!

1. Brush twice a day!

2. Dress right for the weather.

3. Visit the dentist regularly.

4. Get plenty of rest.

5. Make sure your hair is dry before going outside.

6. Eat right.

7. Get outside in the sun every once in awhile.

8. Always wear a seatbelt.

9. Control your drinking of alcoholic beverages.

10. Smile! It will make you feel better.

11. Don't over indulge yourself.

12. Bathe regularly.

13. Read to exercise the brain.

14. Surround yourself with friends.

15. Stay away from too much caffeine.

16. Use the bathroom regularly.

17. Get plenty of exercise.

18. Have your eyes checked regularly.

19. Eat plenty of vegetables.
(This one looks so much like my son's dwarf Netherland bunny. Thumper, have you been modeling and not telling us?)

20. Believe that people will like you for who you are.

21. Forgive and forget.

22. Take plenty of vacations.

23. Celebrate all special occasions.

24. Pick up a hobby.25. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Don't you feel better now?

Diane ☺

The photo tag...

2009-01-12T22:00:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Lynne at Lynnes Gifts from the Heart to play a game of Photo Tag. The rules of this tag are quick & easy:

1. Go to the the 4th folder where you keep your pictures on your computer.

2. Post the 4th picture in the folder.

3. Explain the photo.

4. Tag 4 fellow bloggers to join in the fun!

Hmmm, this is going to be interesting!

Awww, this is a picture of Bailey's brother Amos. I adopted Bailey from Furry Friend's Rescue.org when he was 8 weeks old. Liette handled the adoption for his mom and the 4 puppies and is such a wonderful person. She let us go to her house every couple of weeks to hold the puppies till they were 8 weeks old and could go home with us.

Here's Baby Bailey! He grew up to have a wavy reddish gold coat and looks a little like a small golden retriever.

Sister Allie looks a lot like her mom!

Brother Alberto had the most Chihuahua "look" of the 4 pups.

Mom Annie is such an angel. I would have taken her in a heartbeat! She went to a great home and goes to work with her mom at a senior assisted living center every day. She was a 7 lb Pekinese, Pom?, Chihuahua? mix. Bailey weighs about 23 lbs, dad must have been a big guy, huh?

*
Bailey now...
*

You can visit Lynne's blog at http://lynnesgiftsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/.

Yikes, I forgot to tag 4 people to play photo tag! I'm tagging:
Bridget, http://bigeeesblog.blogspot.com/
Gollum, http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/
Kristen, http://kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com/
Melissa, http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/

Diane

A Valentine's Day Swap

2009-01-12T11:02:00.001-08:00

Belle at lifeofasouthernbelle is hosting a Valentine's Day Swap. ♥ Doesn't that sound fun! For those who would like to participate, leave a comment on Belle's post, and have fun shopping. The theme is ♥LOVE♥ and FRIENDSHIP and she proposes that $25 be the guiding cost, not including shipping. Each blogger should do a post on what they receive from their partner sometime right around Valentine's Day.

Anyone wishing to share a little love and friendship with a blog buddy should pay Belle a visit at lifeofasouthernbelle.

♥♥♥

Diane

Pink Saturday!

2009-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday! A birthday gift and craft projects are my contributions to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Last week while I caught up with some my favorite bloggers, Ann, @ Life at Anns Place, mentioned Sammye Jo's giveaway at her wonderful Etsy shop, http://62cards.blogspot.com/. I popped over to visit Sammye Jo and fell in love with all of her creations. I ordered a Cup Cake card for my daughter-in-law's birthday, 50 circles (which I don't have a project for yet, but my DIL is a kindergarten teacher & wouldn't a child's picture be adorable in a circle), and a grab bag of goodies. It was like Christmas all over again when the package arrived.
I had a card, but now I needed a birthday gift. While browsing in Marshall's I found the cutest PINK cupcake tray and footed cupcake/party hat/balloon bowls. A few days later I found the small plates that are part of the set. Wooo hoooo! I have a mostly PINK cupcake party theme! I also bought an awesome PINK beaded heart basket and valentine dish towels to wrap the gifts in. Then added a few Valentine hearts for next month's decorations.

This set is so sweet and whimsical! Grace's birthday was the 9th and she loved her gift! Of course I had to also include chocolate chip mint brownie ice cream for everyone to try out the bowls!
I helped my then, future DIL trial craft projects for her first year as a kindergarten teacher. I used a cute little jam jar, torn pink tissue paper from a gift bag and Mod Podge to make a vase for Mother's Day. To cover the top threads, I beaded a length of wire and wrapped it around the top. I was so pleased with the way it turned out that I kept it.

The weather's been so cold, the flowers are looking very sad!

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Please see her blog for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!
Diane

Pink Saturday

2009-01-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday! One of my Mom's treasured plates and a favorite figurine are my contributions to Pink Saturday this week. Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Isn't this a beautiful plate? The pink roses are amazing! Mary Stark, a dear friend of my Mom's, was an artist. She painted china as well as anything that didn't move. I had always admired her work and was delighted to be able to bring some of her treasures to my home. Both ladies have passed on, but they're not forgotten.

The Lladro figurine of the puppy and kitty playing around the table was a gift from my DH. Isn't this precious? I love this piece!

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Please see her blog for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

2008-12-30T11:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I finally found the perfect crown for Queen Tootsie!

Be safe!

Diane

Pink Saturday and one last look...

2008-12-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

I found pink ornaments to use for my contribution to Pink Saturday! Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. (Okay, I know I'm late, but I finally got here and I'm not on Beverly's list, but I'll try to be on her list next week.)

Note: Sweet Beverly added me to her list!!! How cool is that?!?

Is it too late to say Bah Humbug!?! Undecorating is the most disagreeable part of my holiday. All that time spent planning, oh'ing and ah'ing over forgotten treasures, and finding just the perfect spot. Now I have to drag all those plastic containers downstairs to put away my whimsical friends and treasures. (I started taking some of the decorations upstairs Christmas night but have been dragging my feet with the living room.)

I didn't realize I had so many pink ornaments until I looked at some of them with the drapes open. Okay, I usually have the drapes closed because my 5 little barkers like to lay on the landing and voice their very loud opinions over every person, car, dog and leaf blowing down the street. Ouch! It gets loud around here sometimes!

I thought the pink blown glass ornaments that I bought at the Harvest Festival in San Francisco last year were red. Nope, I think they look more PINK than red! They're on my new silver tree with Swarovski Crystal Snowflakes. Thank you Susan, for sending the link for Ross Simons! (http://www.ross-simons.com/products/B41900.html)

I bought the pink/red ornaments with the intention of making beaded ornament shrugs for them. I have the beads, hmmm, didn't quite get to that project though.

The green blown glass ornament has a beaded shrug. If you'd like the directions, send your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. They take a couple of hours to bead and you have to pay attention to the counting.

Awww, pink glass candy! Aren't these the cutest things?

and another....

Last one...

The gift shop showcased them on a white tree filled with all kinds of candy ornaments. I wanted them all!

This is the prettiest artificial tree we've ever had! It's a 9 ft Bethlehem Lights slim tree. Many years ago, we bought fresh trees. We had several years where the trees didn't want to stand upright and always seemed to crash in the middle of the night. My DH was always very clever finding ways to keep the trees upright. The last straw was the dried out needles that took forever to vacuum out of the carpet. I wanted to put the tree up after Thanksgiving. By Christmas, the needles were falling off at alarming rates, the limbs had a serious droop and then we couldn't turn on the lights.

The window wall is only painted on the dining room side. Now we can finish painting!

Tee hee hee.... See the paint line.

The kitchen tree and gingerbread boy wreath.

You know if snowmen are all over the place that I'd have to have a snowman wreath hanging around somewhere, right?

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/. Please see her blog for the other Pink Saturday participants.

Enjoy!

Diane

Merry Christmas My Friends!

2008-12-24T23:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I'd like to wish you and your loved ones the very best this Holiday Season and to thank you for all of your kind words as well as the inspiration you provide. I truly value the friendships I've made with you all and look forward to visiting your blogs this coming year.

I confess, I'm a snowman-a-holic. Here are some more of my snow people.

She is so cute and just sparkles with all the glitter flakes on her dress.

These guys always make me smile. I set them up on a little bench my dad made.

The big guy on the left is made of sweatshirt fabric.

Mom was with me when I bought this guy. She was incensed that I bought him and said he was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen. Humfph!

Okay, I have to admit the one on the left is a little odd. He has the tiniest little head on a long skinny body.

The snowman tree finally ended up next to the sofa. It was moved all over the living and dining room before settling here.

Merry Christmas my friends!

Diane

Christmas Is Tight This Year...

2008-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

This one is too funny to not pass on...

My Dear Friends,

It's somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:
You need four maxi pads to make a pair.
Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.
The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.
Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes:
(1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.

Oh come on! LAUGH out loud with me! This is too good!

My favorite tabletop tree and The Christmas Spirit Award!

2008-12-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Don't we just love our blogging friends! We help each other with laughter, moral support, quick tips and suggestions. Just before Thanksgiving, I was grumbling in a post about my disastrous attempt to buy a white tabletop Christmas tree. (It would have helped had I bothered to read the label on the tree box before I bought it!) Melissa at Melissa's Heart and Home blog chuckled at my post, then came to the rescue. She checked out Amazon.com and found the perfect tree. I quickly ordered it and it was love at first sight when I removed it from the box!

I was so inspired by Melissa's post showing a vignette of a hurricane filled with ornaments that were used to add color and it sparked an idea. I've inherited several crystal bowls and felt as if I were sharing Christmas with their former owners as I added ornaments to them, and felt such a warm, happy glow when they were finished.

Several years ago, my husband bought the sideboard in the picture below for my Christmas gift. I was beyond ecstatic and it's my favorite piece of furniture. It's located on the wall to the right of the front door. I smile everytime I walk by it because I get such a warm, happy and whimsical feeling.

I'm in love with snowman decorations this year. I felt as if I'd gone to a craft fair and hit the mother lode as I pulled the snow people out of their containers. I just had the biggest grin on my face all afternoon that day!

I especially love the one below. I bought it at a Country Folk Art Craft Fair. It is beautifully handcrafted and has fine glitter on it.

I have more snowman decorations to share with you soon!

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~The Christmas Spirit Award~

This is a very special award dedicated to having wonderful Christmas spirit! Melissa at Melissa’s Heart and Home shared this award with me. You can visit Melissa’s blog at http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/. Thank you very much Melissa!

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Here are the rules for the Christmas award:

You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.
The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.
You must link back to the person who gave you the award.
You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space!
Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going!
Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment.

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My favorite things:

The sparkle of the ornaments and the lights of the Christmas tree.

Listening to Christmas music, and unfortunately for anyone close enough to hear, singing along with the songs!

The smell of cookies, pies, and cakes baking in the oven. (Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?)

Watching Christmas movies and shows as I decorate and cook.

Watching our great nieces open their presents!

Reading all your wonderful blogs and sharing in the festivities.

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And now I am sharing this award with all the wonderful friends on my blog list, it's located on the right side under followers.
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All of them have shown tremendous spirit for the Holiday season!
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I've enjoyed seeing the stunning Christmas decorations in all of their homes. Please visit them, they'd all love to hear from you, and leave a comment to let them know you dropped by for a visit.

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Enjoy!

Diane

I'm a Doris! The Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

2008-12-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

Bridget at http://bigeeesblog.blogspot.com/ and Donna at http://adventureswithtassie.blogspot.com/ took the Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz and added the link to their blogs. I was curious to see which Icon I would be like and imagine my surprise to discover I'm a Doris Day! I love Doris Day movies - this is just too cool! See Bridget and Donna's blogs to discover which Female Icons they're like.

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

* Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.

* Share fun times with me.

* Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.

* Let me know that I am important and special to you.

* Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

* Reassure me that I am interesting to you.

* Reassure me often that you love me.

* Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris

* being able to relate easily to people and to make friends

* knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better

* being generous, caring, and warm

* being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings

* being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

* not being able to say no

* having low self-esteem

* feeling drained from overdoing for others

* not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish

* criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should

* being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them

* working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

* are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism

* try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding

* are outwardly compliant

* are popular or try to be popular with other children

* act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention

* are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

* are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)

* are often playful with their children

* wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"

* can become fiercely protective

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends!

2008-12-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends! This was an e-mail that I received from a friend and thought it would be a fun post.

Here are the proverbial rules.... Just copy the questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Since this is the holiday season and we're all going crazy trying to do way too many things, I'm not tagging anyone. Please feel free to post this on your blog if you'd like to play. Tis the Season to be jolly! Fa la la la la, la la la la....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both! I love to wrap gifts and put them in beautiful bags with awesome bows. I also like to match the wrap to the person or the gift. If I can do both--that is the ultimate win on wrap.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I have had both, but use artificial ones now. Our little fur baby guys are too much of a pain with real trees! I like to put up multiple small trees in different rooms with different themes in addition to a big tree in the living room.

3. When do you put up the tree? Weekend after thanksgiving, but I wish I'd started after Halloween this year!

4. When do you take the tree down? New Years or within the next week if possible.

5. Do you like eggnog? I like non-alcholic, low fat eggnog but I use about 1/3 eggnog to 2/3 milk. Otherwise it's too rich for my tummy!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? OMG--I can't narrow that down to one item. I loved dolls & got one every year till I was in 7th grade. I loved my Barbies. My mom sewed & would make doll clothes for me & I still have them!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My husband!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Any kids or kid mentality adults...

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Both, I'm behind this year & don't think I'll send very many cards out.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't remember receiving any bad gifts. I am annoyed with people who buy something without putting any thought into it though.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I see something appropriate for a person. I bought the first gift in September this year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes--but only by telling someone, I received this item and can't use it, would you like to have it?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies!

16. Lights on the tree? Of course!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Ave Maria.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Definitely stay home!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Sometimes but not right now...

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel, tree finial or whatever is at hand that fits the theme or look of the tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? I grew up opening presents on Christmas Eve, then Santa came the next morning. However, my husband likes to open on Christmas morning. Bummer...

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? It takes so long to put up all the decorations then time just flies by so fast!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Snowmen this year, but I like red, gold, green, silver & white.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? If I'm cooking it's spaghetti or Mexican lasagne with salad & french bread. If we go out to a restaurant, I usually order some type of shrimp.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Crown moldings & baseboards. My son has been installing them in his house & he's awesome! (I'm so impressed with anyone who can cut angles!) I hope he's going to do ours for Christmas. {Chris asked a couple of months ago what I'd like to have for Christmas. I said crown moldings & baseboards in the MBR, and we would supply the materials if he'll cut & install them. He thought that was a very good idea. Now he just needs a new saw, since the borrowed one he was using had to return to it's home.}

Merry Christmas!

Diane

A dark and stormy night.....

2008-12-09T11:20:00.001-08:00

They were together in the House.

Just the two of them.

It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump.

She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance... and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm.

Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out...

She screamed...

He raced to the sofa where she was cowering. He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him.

The storm raged on...

They knew it was wrong...

Their families would never understand...

So consumed were they in their FEAR that they heard no opening of doors...

just the faint click of a camera......

Have you smiled today?

Enjoy!

Diane

The Snowman Lamp Arrived & A Butterfly Award!

2008-12-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

Whooo Hoooo! My new snowman lamp arrived yesterday afternoon! This is just too adorable when it's lit up. I ordered the lamp with an extra red marble sleeve from Lynne at http://lynnesgiftsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/. The cutest little silicone looking light bulb came with it too.

I've been busily decorating small trees and moving them around the house auditioning locations. My husband periodically hears glass tinkling and asks what I'm breaking. Hmphf! It's hard work moving those decorated trees. The snowman tree works well with the new lamp in the picture below. They moved to another possibly tentative location under the stairs later on last night. New pictures to be taken soon.

Can you see our new paint colors? My DH painted 2 walls in the dining room and we love the colors. (The colors are washed out. Think I need to give up and use another camera.) The moldings & baseboards are still on the list of things to do.

I received my new white Christmas tree today! It's partially fluffed and waiting for ornaments. I still have to get out our 9' tree and decorate it too. ugh.....
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Awww, isn't this the sweetest Butterfly Award? Thank you Bridget, for presenting this to me. You can read Bridget's wonderfully witty blog at http://bigeeesblog.blogspot.com/.

The rules for this award are:
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate 10 other blogs
4. Add links to those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

My 10 nominee's for the Butterfly Award are:

Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/
Gloria at http://wwwhappytobe.blogspot.com/
Lynne at http://lynnesgiftsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/
Tam at http://gypsycorner.blogspot.com/
Lynette at http://lynetteslam.blogspot.com/
Buffie at http://buffiesblaaaahg.blogspot.com/
Melissa at http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/
Deb at http://lavenderchick.blogspot.com/
Ann at http://ann-jamesaskeltonyahoocom.blogspot.com/
Kristen at http://kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Diane