Relatively Unique

Talented Friends....

2012-01-29T08:43:00.001-05:00

Are you a morning person? On the weekends I love mornings, I grab my cup of coffee, lap top, and sit down to see what inspiring ideas are floating out there in blog land. Sometimes I have to be careful, because I can get "stuck" on the computer for a long....time!

This morning the first image I saw when I fired up the lap top was a dresser painted by my very talented friend, Anita! Maybe one day she would allow me to take you on a tour of her beautiful cape cod home! She has painted many of the walls in her home....a cottage garden in her breezeway...a carousel horse in her son's bedroom....and a barn for the playroom! She is one talented girl!

Here is her latest project....

Before:

After:

She said she is planning to make-over her breezeway!

Can't wait to see pictures!

If Relatively Unique has ever inspired you to complete a project

please let us know....we would love to share it with our readers!

It is because of you that we love what we do!

Thank you for inspiring us!

Road trip....

2012-01-21T08:49:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends...

We woke this morning to a blanket of

beautiful white snow covering the ground.

Planning to make soup,

drink hot chocolate and

play in the snow...

maybe even snuggle on the couch for a movie!

What I am really excited to share with you is

the road trip Tony and I

took yesterday to Maryland.

Wow...what a fantastic day.

First we visited The Barn Sale in Fredrick, Md

Stylish Patina is hosting the sale and the barn is filled with

the most beautiful pieces of furniture.

You can see pictures on their website, Stylish Patina.

The sale continues through Sunday!

From The Barn Sale we headed to Leesburg, Va.

Tony and I only had the day to spend on our little

road trip, but decided we need to plan a weekend.

The Beekeepers's Cottage

As soon as I walked through the door

I felt like I had been transported to Paris...

(I could have spent all day here)

Love the creamy white of the furniture

and the color of the pillows...

a silver / purple color...

More creamy white furniture

and love the sign...

"Don't piss off the fairies"

More delicious bedding....

The Luckett's Store...

We took the car for our road trip...

this was a big ole mistake,

because these babies couldn't make it home with us.

Wouldn't they make awesome closest doors?

Tony was loving this idea....

This swing would be perfect for a

tree in our backyard....

There were so many beautiful mantels...

this may be the reason we travel back.

I have the perfect place for this guy...

A french door with a mirror instead of glass...

this would be perfect for our basement door!

Our new motto....

Now we need to plan a road trip with a truck

and for more then just a day...

Enjoy your weekend friends!

Enter with caution....

2012-01-14T22:45:00.000-05:00

In the old house the girls each had their own bedroom and their own decorating style. They are truly opposites! In the new house the girls share a room. They have adjusted wonderfully. It is so much fun to hear them giggling and whispering at night. I always wished I had a sister, I am so happy they have each other.

The one thing they have in common is pack-rat-atitis, as Tony calls it. They keep everything! Today the girls started to de-clutter their room! The plan is to re-do the room and start from scratch. Instead of trying to merge their two bedroom sets together, we are going to sell it all and start over. They are excited to make this space theirs!

What I love most about my girls is that they know what they want and they know they each have their own style. I love listening to them pull it together.

Keeping it real....here is the room today...

As you can see we haven't accomplished anything in their room since moving. Still have the paper shades, orange wall and lots of new clutter!

Here is their plan:

1. Bunk beds in white

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Wendy on Pinterest

2. Maddie color choice for a comforter

Source: pbteen.com via Wendy on Pinterest

3. Sarah color choice for a comforter

Source: pbteen.com via Wendy on Pinterest

4. They want the walls painted a light blue color

5. Built in cabinets with two window seats.

Source: houzz.com via Wendy on Pinterest

6. A Chandelier

Source: ebay.com via Wendy on Pinterest

7. I would like to stencil a wall, but they haven't approved it yet!

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Wendy on Pinterest

8. Ruffles and girly touches.

Source: zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com via Wendy on Pinterest

9. Organizational ideas

Source: Uploaded by user via Wendy on Pinterest

10. Personal Art

Source: thenshemade.blogspot.com via Wendy on Pinterest

Source: lovinglivingsmall.tumblr.com via Wendy on Pinterest

We'll keep you posted as we start this project. Step one is selling their furniture and then we need to paint. The floor is still up for debate. The girls and I are voting for hardwood, but Tony didn't seem as excited. Can you think of anything we missed?

Subway Art Dresser....

2012-01-10T20:39:00.004-05:00

Before Christmas I found this dresser at a local thrift store. It has been sitting in the shop patiently waiting to be painted. It had lots of company in the shop, a farm house table, a few chairs, an end table and a desk. The problem is somewhere around Christmas time I lost my motivation. Can't tell you where it went, but it was gone! Then this past weekend we had a beautiful sunny day in the 60's! This is very odd for central Pa, we should have snow on the ground. I don't mind that we don't have snow, I am actually quite happy to not have snow! On this beautiful sunny day my motivation returned! Thank goodness! Nothing like a little sunshine to rejuvenate the soul....and bring some inspiration!!

Here she is waiting for someone to bring her back to life!!

I am using the same technique I used on the frames that my dad and I made. You can read all about it, here!
I painting two coats of white paint on the front of the dresser.

Using the cricut machine I cut out my letters and applied them to the dresser. After applying the letters I painted the dresser with two coats of black paint.

When the paint was dry, I used tweezers and removed the contact paper letters. This revealed the white paint. I glazed the front and the top of the dresser to give the letters an aged look and not a crisp white.

I know one should not become attached to a piece of furniture,

but it might be hard to take this piece to the booth on Saturday.

I am really enjoying it in the den.

Hopefully she'll find a good home.

Joining the following parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

It's Overflowing

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense

Saturday Link and Greet at Country Momma Cooks

House of Hepworths

Crab and Cod Au Gratin

2012-01-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

Every once and awhile Tony will try a new recipe out on us. We don't mind being his guinea pigs! The kids are probably Tony's most honest critics....they have helped him tweak many recipes over the years! This one didn't need any tweaking!

Ingredients:
(4) 4oz cod fillets
1/2 lb jumbo lump crab
1/4 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
Juice from one lemon
2 Tablespoons melted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1:

Spray a sheet tray with cooking spray. Place cod on sheet tray and top with jumbo lump crab meat. Lightly dust with seasoned bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and the juice of one lemon over top of bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2:

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until center of cod reaches 140 degrees.

Step 3:

Enjoy!!

This recipe is a keeper...passed the hardest taste test...3 kids :)

Joining the following the parties:

Happy New Year...

2012-01-01T10:41:00.000-05:00

How do you celebrate New Year's Eve?

We started our evening with bowling....

Thanks to my brother's planning,

bowling has become a family tradition....

We rent two lanes now...

one for the kids and

one for the adults!

A great way to start the evening....

The kids wanted to try something new this year....

We headed downtown to listen to two bands play...

Watch the Hershey Kiss raise at Midnight...

and end the evening with an amazing firework display...

We feel very blessed for a

wonderful year in 2011...

and excited to move

forward to 2012!!

Happy New Year's!!

Recipe review of 2011...

2011-12-28T08:50:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I posted our project year in review for 2011 and today I am excited to share our recipe review of 2011! Although, when looking back over 2011 I realized I didn't blog about food as much as we wanted to. I have lots of pictures I took of entrees or items we baked, but they never made it into a post. Does this happen to you? I will try to do better at this for 2012. Cooking and baking is a big part of our family...it is usually when we have some of the best conversations....

So here are some of the most visited cooking / baking posts of 2011.....
(clicking on the title or the picture will take you to the recipe)

Blueberry Scones....

Cookie Pie...
This recipe comes my SIL, Shari! The kids make this one by themselves and if I am not careful they would eat it by themselves, too!

Oreo Cake...
No words needed....delicious!!

Spaghetti Pie...
The kids ask for this almost weekly...an easy quick meal!

Fudge Cookies...

Chicken Bruschette Sandwich...

Chocolate Molten Cake....

Indoor Smores....

Baked Brie....

Thank you for following along with our baking and cooking in 2011!

We are exited to see what new recipes

we will make for 2012!!

Joining a party at It's Overflowing

A year in review (2011)....

2011-12-27T09:08:00.003-05:00

This may be one of my favorite posts to write. Looking at old photo albums and talking about the memories attached to the photo's is one of my favorite past times. Writing this post reminds me of times spent looking at those albums. It is fun to see what we did (or didn't) accomplish in a year. This year I decided to write two posts...one for decorating/family and one devoted to recipes. Blue could have his own segment...or maybe he should start his own blog...for right now I'll spare you the details of the Blue saga....

January....
Trying to decide what to do with the bedroom....you guys are awesome! I asked for your help and you came to my rescue...

February....
This was the month of changing paint colors. First I painted the mud room and loved it so much....I painted the den the same color...

It was also the month we lost a tree in the front yard and Tony and Lil Tony used it to make a bridge...

March....
There were two additions to our home this month...one stayed and one didn't...
We updated the family room with new furniture and curtains....

We also discovered Mr. Snappy in the back creek....he traveled to live at a much larger pond...hopefully much happier!!

April...
We celebrated Easter and grabbed our boots for a Sunday walk...

May....
Last May I decided to take a break from blogging and find some balance.

May is also the time of year when we attend the porch sale in my brother's cottage neighborhood.

June...
We experimented with gold fish this month and bought three for the pond. Not sure how they did...we haven't seen them since the day we let them go in the pond. We are hoping this spring we will get to see them...

I also left dad in charge in June and came home to find this...

July...
The flower boxes were in full bloom....

The mudroom seems to have become an on going....never ending project...

August....
This was the month of travels and family vacation, which led us to make these cute Christmas ornaments...

September....
Drying zinnia's for gifts...

September was also the month we experienced the flood of 2011 in our area, something I hope to never have to experience again.

October....
Again I asked you for your advice on a paint color for the family room and kitchen...yes...you are the best! I love the new color...Popular Gray by Sherwin and Williams

November...
We re-opened Relatively Unique's booth at The Olde Factory. We are happy to report it is going well and our work shop is growing!

Getting the perfect picture for the Christmas card is a year long event...this year we took picture right in our backyard.

December....
We'll end with a Christmas tour...which you can see the mudroom is finally finished (for now)!!

Thank you for following along with us in 2011. We feel honored to have you as part of our journey. We enjoy reading each and every comment you leave us.

Tony and I looking forward to another fun year....excited to see what new adventures and projects are in store for us!!

Joining parties:
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday,
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
and It's Overflowing

Try to imagine...

2011-12-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

"Try to imagine what I gave up when I came to earth as a baby. I set aside My Glory, so that I could identify with mankind. I accepted the limitations of infancy under the most appalling conditions-a filthy stable. That was a dark night for Me, even though angels lit up the sky proclaiming "Glory!" to awestruck shepard's.

When you sit quietly with Me, the process I went through is reversed in your experience. As you identify with Me, heaven's vistas open up before you-granting you glimpses of My Glory.

I became poor so that you might become rich. Sing hallelujahs to My holy Name!"

Quoted from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

May you feel his presence today, tomorrow and forever.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs...

Merry Christmas!!

May all your Christmas wishes come true...

Christmas Eve to do list...

2011-12-24T11:13:00.001-05:00

Are you ready?? At first I was not going to post today, but then I thought this post might make you feel really good because you are ready to go...sitting back and relaxing.....or maybe this post will make you feel good to know you are not alone and still have a long list of "to do" to accomplish!!

Here is my Christmas Eve To Do List:
1. Coffee (a must)!
2. Grocery Store
3. Buy two gifts (can't post who or what...just in case they are reading)
4. Make homemade Cinnamon Rolls (gifts for the neighbors)
5. Make Peppermint bark (just in case the cinnamon rolls don't turn out)
6. Play with Blue (we will need to do this a couple of times today...so he doesn't eat a hole in the carpet
like he did yesterday!
7. Clean the house
8. Deliver gifts
9. Church
10. Set table for breakfast
11. Cookies for Santa
12. Open Secret Santa presents
13. Go go bed!!

We made it to number four on the list....the dough is rising....crossing our fingers it works!

How about you?

How does your day look?

Are you ready?

Candy Cane Treats....

2011-12-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Miss Sarah's birthday is over the holiday break and she'll be celebrating her birthday at school before her actual birthday. This year 3 other girls in her class have birthdays over break, too. She didn't want to take in cupcakes this year....we were on the search for something different. Glorious treats (my very favorite baking blog) posted this candy cane heart and Sarah loved it! To the store we headed for the ingredients....60 candy can hearts here we come!!

60 miniature candy cane hearts ready to go...

We filled the hearts with white chocolate first...

Milk Chocolate on top...

The even look pretty upside down!!

Package ready to go to school for a fun early birthday party!!

Baked Brie with Raspberries...

2011-12-16T16:21:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I tried baked brie as an appetizer for the first time. Baked brie in a puff pastry with apricots...oh my....it was delicious. I have been saving this idea / recipe for a special day.

Today I was getting together with a group of wonderful girls, mother's, nurse's, and best of all friends. Our friendship started many years ago on a labor and delivery unit...all nurse's, all embarking on the beginning of a new chapter of our lives...as new mom's. It is a bond that has held us together through the years....even today as we sat around the table and chatted about our babies entering college, high school, and middle school, we find strength through our friendship. Thank goodness for girl friends!!

And a reason to bake Brie with Raspberry Preserve.....

Ingredients:
Brie
Puff Pastry
Raspberry Preserve (or any flavor)

Roll out a thawed piece of puff pastry

Spread a layer of preserve the same size as the brie

Place brie on top

Wrap it up like a present....trim off excess pastry dough...

Added holly leaves and berries with the extra dough. Rub vegetable oil to top of dough and bake on a greased cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes (until top is golden brown)

Serve with bread or crackers...

Enjoy!!

Joining these fun parties:

Foodie Friday

Stuff and Nonsense

Styling an artificial wreath....

2011-12-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

The other day when I was checking my email, I received an email from Heather asking if I would like an artificial wreath to style and share with my readers! I was very excited and quickly told her...yes!!

It felt like Christmas day when I arrived home from work to see a box sitting on the porch. This wreath is beautiful. One would never know it is artificial, the realism of the needles is amazing! Did I tell you it already has lights! My first thought was to decorate it for our side (main) door and use a bell theme. I also knew I wanted to keep it simple....

Supplies:
Artificial wreath
Red bells (thanks to my friend...Lauren)
Red ribbon

First I made the bow...

Start with one loop...

and then a second loop....

Keep looping side to side...occasionally I would cut the ribbon and let a streamer hang down and start a new loop. I knew I needed at least 5 streamers for the bells...

Secure with a red twisty or a piece of ribbon...

Fluff your ribbon...

Secure it to your wreath with ribbon....and next I attached the bells...

It was so pretty, I wanted to hang it somewhere we would see it every day!

Decided to hang it in the kitchen...

And it gives the perfect glow at night!!

Thank you, Heather! We love it!!

If you have a chance, check out Balsam Hill,

they are having a great sale right now!

Christmas tour (2011)...

2011-12-11T19:13:00.005-05:00

Welcome to our home! You would not know it was December by the way the sun is shining in the pictures, it looks warm and sunny but I think the temp was in the high 30's.

I do have to preface this post by saying our home is never this clean or in order. These pictures are the foundation for our busy lives...the kids helped put coats, shoes, backpacks, books, lego's, barbies (the list goes on forever) away! I then sent them all (including Blue) outside after we cleaned! So....please come on in....it isn't going to look like this long....

The side entrance functions as our main entry, the mud room, and the laundry room....

aka grand central station!

Next we stroll into the kitchen.

This year we are keeping the Christmas decorations simple....

You knew Miss Sarah couldn't resist finding a reason to peek inside...

We decided not to put up the large artificial tree this year.

I didn't feel like carrying it down from the attic and

we have the Blue factor...

Appartently Lily traveled inside with Miss Sarah....

Sweet Lily doesn't eat any Christmas ornaments...

If you are wondering where the area rug is...

Blue ate it...he actually ate all of them.

We are waiting until this "phase" is over to buy new ones....
In case this is your first visit and you are wondering who
Blue is....(thank goodness he is adorable)!

The downstairs bathroom is the guest bath and the kids bath...

I know the two should not mix...but the kids do a great job at

keeping it clean (most of the time).

I finally painted the inside of the cabinet blue and love it!
(thank you, Kim for the suggestion)

The den is the last room on the first floor..

This year the only Christmas decorations upstairs is the Kids tree...

and the stocking hung on the doors...

If we head back outside we can look at Tony's decorations...

He is in charge of the outside...

he is a good man!

Thanks for stopping by...

if you were wondering how much has

changed in one year...you can see last years

tour...here! I am always amazed at what

changes and what stays the same!!

Merry Christmas!!

Joining these fun parties;

Savvy Southern Style

The Inspired Room

Jennifer Rizzo

Christmas peek...

2011-12-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

This year we are going with a less decorated Christmas theme, mostly because a lovely 4 legged family member seems to want to eat anything related to Christmas. We had to re-think the Christmas tree and decided to go with a Charlie Brown version....up high...out of reach of little paws! It is also a real tree this year...{gasp}...I know...I got over my tick, spider, bug phobia from a few years ago!

So here is a little peek of Christmas...

and a peek of our four legged family member getting into the Christmas spirit....

Twig Ornaments....

2011-12-05T20:11:00.001-05:00

Last evening Sarah and I took a little hike in the woods and collected a bag full of twigs. She has been asking (begging) to make some Christmas ornaments. We found this idea on pinterest and used it as our inspiration...

Source: littlethingsbringsmiles.com via Wendy on Pinterest

Here is our bag full of twigs...

We started out making snowflakes....

Then we decided to try some trees....

The only supplies we needed were twigs, hot glue gun, a tiny branch of pine, and twine...

Making ornaments from items from the woods

was lots of fun...and teaching the kids

sometimes all we need in right in our back yard!

Tree Ornaments....

2011-12-04T21:49:00.001-05:00

In October we experienced a significant snow storm. It is odd for our area to have snow in October, the trees had not lost their leaves yet. Trees with leaves and snow doesn't mix. It left us with many branches down and a reason for Tony to fire up the chain saw. As we were cleaning up the branches we tried to think of ways to use some of the branches. In the past when we lost a tree, Tony and Lil Tony made a bridge. This year he cute large some stepping stones for by the pond and these small circles. What would I do with small circles? What would you do with these small circles......

Then one night when I was laying in bed thinking of how to decorate the tree this year....and it came to me! Sometimes I do my best thinking when I lay my head down on my pillow....and the world is silent...it is such a peaceful time of my day!

First I used a number 2 pencil and wrote a word on the circle, then I traced the words with brown craft paint.

20 tree ornaments....

Tony added a small hook on the top and I threaded it with brown ribbon.....

And ready for the tree....

Are you making any homemade ornaments this year?

Some of my favorite ornaments on the tree

are the ones that are homemade!

Joining the party at Savvy Southern Style

Christmas Cards.....

2011-11-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

Mail...I have the greatest intentions when it comes to mail. My strong points are I buy cards, write a note inside, and even address them. What I am bad at is mailing them. There is no reasonable excuse for why I can't get them in the mail. This happened last year with Christmas cards....I mailed half the cards and then I ran out of stamps. Again...no reasonable excuse, other then not wanting to visit the post office.
The upside is I started this Christmas with 1/2 of my cards already addressed and ready to go (with last year pictures). This will help friends and family understand why half are getting last years picture and half are getting this years pictures. I am justifying this in my mind, because I love last years picture!

We had fun taking this years pictures....I think the neighbors were wondering what we were doing....jumping off of chairs in the wet field.

In case you were wondering what last years card's picture looked like....

Two different Christmas cards...

making their way to the mail (hopefully)

this Christmas season!

Fruit Slice Cookies

2011-11-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

As I type the title I hear the kids giggling, because they decide the name for the cookie's. In case you are wondering why we would need a name for a recipe; it started today when we were shopping for cookie ingredients. At the grocery store the kids stopped, looked, stared and begged for candy from the giant wall of pound candy. The store has this giant wall of candy at the entrance of the store...I think it is meant to drive parents crazy.....to test our patience. All 3 kids love candy fruit slices....any flavor! Don't let the name full you...there is no fruit in this candy...only looks like fruit. The idea was born to make cookies with the candy instead of the traditional chocolate chip.....maybe we should title it Candy Fruit Slice Cookies? Either way here is what we came up with....

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped candy slices
(we used only the red and green slices)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup firmly packed brown-sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 TBSP milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats

Step 1:
Slice candy fruit to bite size pieces and toss with 1/4 cup of flour. Set aside.

Step 2:
Cream butter at medium speed with an electric mixer, gradually add sugars. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well.

Step 3:
In a medium bowl combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat well. Stir in candy and oats.

Step 4:
Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on wire rack.

Tip:
Did you know if you put your cookie dough in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes before baking it will keep your cookies from going flat when baking? Allowing the butter to chill before baking helps to prevent it from melting too fast and create a flat cookie!

We usually only bake one or two dozen at a time. We make dough balls with the rest of the dough and freeze for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet. They are placed in a labeled zip bag after they are frozen. Cookie dough ready for baking when needed....after school treat, surprise guests, or a midnight snack!

Cookies might be my favorite desert....I hope you join us at the NewlyWoodwards for some more great cookie recipes....and if you have a good recipe to share....link up! I know Kim would love for you to join in on the fun!

Picture Holder....

2011-11-25T19:30:00.007-05:00

I spied this idea on pinterest and pinned into my DIY folder. (It doesn't seem I am completing as many projects as I am pinning.) This morning Tony happened to be sitting beside me as I was perusing the DIY folder. When I reached the fork picture holder, he briefly commented how cool this idea was.

He disappeared for awhile....

later to return with three fork picture holders....

Pretty cool.

These three went to the booth,

but I am thinking this will make

a great Xmas gift with the kids picture!

A trip to the thrift store today found us some more old forks!

The thrift store was the extent of our black Friday shopping...

How about you...did you find any good deals today?

We are partying this week at

Stuff and Nonsense

My Romantic Home

At the Picket Fence

Under Construction....

2011-11-22T16:22:00.001-05:00

Please pardon our mess...

(Image from our hallway project in 2010)

Relatively Unique is going to be under construction for bit....

while we have a little work done!

In case we don't have the opportunity....

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Moving-in update...

2011-11-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

It has been two weeks since we moved into the booth.
Happy to say things are going well. It isn't where we
want it to be....but it is getting there!
Tony and I are learning we need to paint a little faster.

Here are a few of the painted pieces we took to the booth...

{sold}

This little guy was hard to part with. It looked so cute beside the sofa!

{sold}

And here is what it looked like this afternoon....

The girls and I put up the little Christmas tree today.

This week I plan to start decorating the booth for Christmas...

Burlap stockings...

And a few ornaments for the tree...

I haven't even started to think about decorating

our house for Christmas.

How about you?

Have you started to decorate for Christmas

or do you wait until after Christmas?

Suet Recipe....

2011-11-11T18:47:00.000-05:00

Tony makes suet for the birds in the fall and winter. We are bird lovers and Tony has been working on training the chickadee's to eat from his hand. It is pretty amazing! A bird book sits by our back window, with binoculars close by....just in case that rare bird visits the feeder. It really is fun to see what birds migrate through our area and what birds stay through the winter.

Suet cakes provide a high protein and fat diet, which the birds need to help them sustain the winter elements.

Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut butter
1 cup shortening
1 cup flour
3 cup cornmeal
1 cup birdseed
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Step 1:
Mix all ingredients together.

Step 2:
Place mixed ingredients in suet mold or any mold you would like to use. One batch makes (3) 4x4 cakes.

Step 3:
Place outside for birds to enjoy.

Tony usually doubles the recipe and stores the extra cakes in the fridge.

Right now we are enjoying wood peckers, chickadee's, blue jays, cardinals, and an occasional squirrel. What birds are visiting your yard as they prepare for colder weather?

Homemade Pizza Dough...

2011-11-09T22:07:00.002-05:00

My mom went back to work full time when I was in middle school and she started the tradition of pizza night every Friday. It gave her a break from cooking and was a great way to start off the weekend. We have continued this tradition in our home and I love not having to worry about what is for dinner on Friday's.

Gram Kay's homemade pizza dough was a family tradition in Tony's family. It was the best. We loved when she traveled from Philadelphia to visit. She was a wonderful Italian cook and it was a special treat for everyone when she made her homemade pizza's. Not only was the dough homemade, but the sauce was from scratch. She was awesome!

Even though Friday night pizza is a favorite in our home, not everyone likes the same toppings. I am tired of trying to remember who picked the pizza last week and whose turn it was this week. Remember, this was to be a fun night! We decided to combine the two traditions and test out making our own pizza dough. If it worked it would be a win win for everyone.

Tony had a recipe in his tool box of recipes. We don't know if it is Gram's, from his days at CIA, or when he worked in Philadelphia. Either way, it is a homemade pizza dough recipe and we decided to give it a try....

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water (100-110 degrees F)
2 1/2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
4-5 cups flour

Step 1:
Spray pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray

Step 2:
Using a mixer bowl, hand whisk water and yeast. Let stand 2-3 minutes to dissolve yeast. Whisk in sugar, salt and oil and 2 cups flour.

Step 3:
Using dough hook on lowest speed, knead dough with the mixer. Slowly add remaining flour. Continue to add flour and knead until dough forms into a soft elastic ball.

Step 4:
Remove dough hook and spray dough with non-stick cooking spray. Cover the entire mixer and bowl. Let rise until double in size (about 90 minutes).

Step 5:
Deflate dough and roll dough to desired size on a floured surface. Add desired toppings. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes for a large pizza and 7-10 minutes for personal pizza's.

This was a huge hit! Lil Tony and Sarah helped me make the dough and want to try to make it on their own this Friday! Hurray! I think we have started a new tradition!

How about you....any favorite dinner traditions in your home?

We hope you joining us at;
Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday
Friday's Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense
Fingerprints on the fridge

Sarah's Shop...

2011-11-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

My little scientist were busy in the lab on Saturday....

(Aren't you loving those paper shades...they have only been up for a year!)

They gathered all the perfumes and body mists they could find.....

And started to create a new perfume scent....

Or maybe I should say a few new scents to try! Some actually smelled good. Each cup was labeled with a name and had a q-tip for testing. The cash register was set up and ready for a sale...$1.00 per cup. It was a good thing...after this little experiment it looked like I was in need of new scent...where else could I get a cup full for a buck!

I also learned a drum makes a good clothing catcher...who knew?

Re-opening....

2011-11-02T17:11:00.000-04:00

We are excited to re-open the booth at the Olde Factory. November 1st is the official day. That would be yesterday...but we plan to move in this weekend! Excitement is an understatement! For Tony and I, letting go of the booth last year opened our eyes to realize how much we really loved it. Last weekend, when Tsh talked about living in your element (the place where your skills and passion collide) I got it! It feels good to be back!

This table and chairs have become a favorite of mine. I was trying to figure our where they might fit in the house, but Tony reminded me that was not the purpose of them! Stephanie was with me when I purchased them...can you believe how they turned out?

The chairs started out black and had a padded seat.

What a wonderful surprise under the padding.

In perfect condition....

The only before picture of the table is of it upside down in the garage.

Can you see its legs?

After some sanding and paint....

Table: Sherwin and Williams special mix white blend

(originally mixed by our builder for the house trim)

Chairs: Valspar Metropolis

Table and Chairs will be available at The Olde Factory

on November 5th.

Home...

2011-10-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

This morning I am spending time being reflective. Relevant is over and I sit sipping my coffee and sorting through the most beautiful business cards of some new and old blogging friends.

Putting my thoughts into words has never been easy. It is all there in my heart and my mind, but is difficult to put pen to paper. This weekend my prayers were to listen for what God was whispering in my ear and placing on my heart. I am still processing the words I heard spoken.

On Saturday, my time at Relevant was cut short due to a snow storm. This is very odd for Pa to receive snow in October. I was sad to leave, but I knew my place was at home. This meant I would miss one of my favorite speakers, Ann VosKamp. Thank goodness Michelle at Some Girl's Website shared an overview of Ann's speech.

Since it is October, many leaves are still on the trees. Snow + leaves = breakage. We lost many branches and no power or water for over 24 hours. Many great lessons were learned this weekend...mostly how lucky we are to live in a country with heat and running water!

Last night we enjoyed the most beautiful sunset.

There is always a new beginning!

Have a great beginning of a new week.

Re-energizing the soul....

2011-10-26T21:11:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is the first day of The Relevant Conference!

I am so excited to meet some old and new friends!

Looking forward to spending the weekend in fellowship with

a group of wonderful bloggers!

Last year I came home from Relevant a different person.

A person with a renewed and energized soul!

Have a great weekend...I'll see you next week!

A project or two....

2011-10-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been buried in projects?
Sometimes I wonder what it must feel like to have no projects...would that be called contentment?

I don't think there is such a thing as no projects with a home built in 1900, but isn't that why we bought an old home...because we love projects...you don't need to answer that :)

Last week I swore up and down our first floor was sinking, falling, collapsing...maybe I am over exaggerating. I moved the couch and felt the floor was slopped. I even had Tony buying into the idea. We traveled to Lowe's to price metal posts....thanks to DAD for bringing us back down to earth....a calming force. Happy to report we are not collapsing.

Each of the below projects deserve their own post, but for now here is a snippet of what is going on....

Suet Cakes:
Tony makes the cakes out of peanut butter and cornmeal for the birds. They love them.

The Garage:

Tony and my dad started to work on the back of the garage. It use to be the stable, which housed a horse named Ginger. No horses for us. We hope to use it as a recreational room. Instead of traditional siding, we are going to side it with a vinyl board and batten.

After opening up the wall, we decided long term we need to add windows or french doors to this back wall.

The Booth:
We are working extra hard to get ready for November 1st, when we open RelativelyUnique2 at the Olde Factory.

I started working on these chairs. They will not be black and they will have new fabric. I think Blue wanted to make sure you didn't forget about him...or he likes to get his picture taken...or both!

Halloween:

I told Sarah we could make her a costume out of a blue homecoming dress we got for $5.00 at the Thrift Shop. It is still a work in progress....I have until the 31st to finish....it is good to have deadlines.

The kids used the Cricut to decorate the white plates in their bathroom. They had total say in the design.

Their deal....I think they did pretty good!

And this is the only completed project in this post!

Family Room Curtains:

This curtain rod fell down...maybe a month or two ago. It's falling inspired us to paint the family room. I know, how can that cause inspiration...who knows...I think there might be something wrong with us. The room is painted but no curtains....until tonight!!!

We don't believe in ladders....do you?

And since Tony is going to kill me for posting the above picture....

I'll share a photo he took last week...

Beautiful...

Guess who is one....

2011-10-19T22:38:00.000-04:00

Blue is one years old....

I guess that makes him seven in people years.

(so I have been told)

Right now it feels more like we are living the teenage years!

Looking forward to the mature and responsible adult years.

We do love your spirit, Blue!

Happy Birthday!

Wipe Board...

2011-10-17T21:45:00.001-04:00

Miss Sarah loves to play teacher and she proclaimed she needed a wipe board for her students (that would be her American Girl dolls.) If she didn't have a wipe board she wouldn't be able to complete her lessons. I really didn't want to hang a white wipe board in her room, but I also didn't want to let her students (or Miss Sarah) down.

Then I found this idea on Pinterest. We headed to the thrift store to see if we could make it work.

Sarah found the perfect picture (size) at the thrift store and then we headed to Hobby Lobby for a yard of fabric.

Miss Sarah got to work removing the paper backing.

We removed the picture and placed the fabric, face down, on the glass. I was being lazy and didn't want to measure.

We added the picture back, placing the picture facing out, because the matting would have affected the fabric. The back of the picture provided a flat surface against the fabric. Does that make sense?

Then I trimmed the fabric, leaving two inches of fabric to fold over the picture.

Using double sided tape we taped the four corners first.

Then we taped the sides.

I stapled the mat to the frame, to help keep it secure. I plan to add paper backing to the back of the frame, but can't seem to find the roll of paper. Does this happen to you? I am sure I put it somewhere for safe keeping, maybe too safe!

Next we moved the hardware.

Ta da....Miss Sarah's newest wipe board. Now I am thinking we need a smaller version for the kitchen!

I am so happy Sarah needed this for her students!

Hope her students love it as much as we do!

Also excited we actually completed a project

I pinned on Pinterest!

Joining these fun parties:

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday

and

Stuff and Nonsense for Friday's Unfolded

A little tour....

2011-10-15T20:26:00.002-04:00

Did you ever make a change.....to only realize you should not have?

What did you do?

(pictures from a booth at The Olde Factory)

In June I decided to close my booth at The Olde Factory...in August I realized I missed it. I put my name back on the waiting list and prayed I was making the right choices. Opportunities have opened over the past few months and I am happy to say the booth will re-open in November!

I took my camera along with me last weekend to The Olde Factory. Two of my family members have a booth and I wanted to share them with you! Sorry for picture over load, but it was hard to pick just a few....hope you enjoy!

First is my cousin, Julie....her booth is located on the third floor (for those of you who are local)! Julie uses some amazing quotes for her signs. All her signs are hand painted.

Next is my Grandmother Audrey, located on the first floor. You have toured her booth with me before. Today she told me she is decorating for Christmas. Isn't so hard to believe Christmas is around the corner? Here is how it looked last weekend....

The next two weeks are going to get busy here...

a good busy!!!

Drum roll please....

2011-10-14T07:45:00.000-04:00

The winner of our give away is Paula at Sweet Pea!!

Congratulations Paula.

(we used random.org and number 2 was chosen..Miss Sarah was my officiator)

Thank you to everyone who entered!

I received an email yesterday about

the opportunity for another gift away!

Stay tuned...

Work in progress....

2011-10-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

I am resigned to the fact that our home is a continued work in progress. It is fun to look back over the past year and see how the rooms have changed. After the dilemma of choosing a paint color (thank you for your help) and then worrying I made a mistake....I am happy to report the downstairs is painted and the hallway up the stairs is finished. I am in love with this color!
Popular Gray by Sherwin and Williams.

This is our newest addition to the family room. Not sure what this cabinet might have been used for in its former life, but it works well to hold our quilts. (sorry the picture is blurry)

I am still waiting for Tony to hang the curtains back on the picture window....maybe reading this post will remind him!! Although, I am enjoying the look of no curtains. We do not have to worry about privacy, so it is nice to have the extra sun shining in.

For this week (hee hee) I moved the couch in front of the large window. When I sit on the couch I have a direct view of the flower garden and the pond. A great place to sit to read a book. It has become the favorite seat of the house.

The kitchen...I was worried how the gray would look against the cream cabinets. I am considering repainting the cabinets and maybe removing some to add open shelves....give it to me...what do you think?

The counter tops need to go. Thinking of painting the counter tops or my dream would be marble....

For fun do you want to look at how the rooms have changed over the last year?

Sept 9, 2010

Moving Day

February 2011

New furniture

October 11, 2011

New Paint Color

Popular Gray (Sherwin and Williams)

Kitchen

September 9, 2010

Moving Day

New Kitchen Chairs

and Curtains

October 11, 2011

Paint: Popular Gray (Sherwin and Williams)

I have decided it is fun to be a work in progress!!

Looking forward to see what the next year will bring!

Come party at Wow us Wednesday

with Savvy Southern Style.

and Friday Unfolded with

Stuff and Nonsense

Hydrangea love....

2011-10-10T21:42:00.000-04:00

My Grandmother Audrey's hydrangea's are blooming the most beautiful color this year. Actually, she said they didn't bloom red, but have dried to this beautiful red color this fall. The colder the weather gets the deeper red they are becoming....just beautiful!

Even the tips of the leaves are starting to dry a beautiful fall red color.

When she called the other day and said I could come and pick some blooms, I was very excited.

Wouldn't they make a beautiful wreath?

Or look beautiful on the Christmas tree...

Or dry in vases on the kitchen table!

If I had to choose a favorite flower, they might be number one on my list.

And even after cutting some blooms to take home...

one would never know any were missing!

I just might have to go cut some more...

just maybe!

It is a Give Away.....

2011-10-07T19:33:00.001-04:00

Tony and I want to say

Thank You

for following along with us.

You have been

wonderful...

inspiring...

believing...

and most of all

supportive!

Thank you!!

We couldn't agree on what to give away...

Tony thought food related...

I thought a craft or something for the home.

How about a little of all three?

2011

Christmas

with Southern Living

Filled with amazing recipes...

Craft ideas....

and decorating ideas!

To enter, leave us a comment and tell us...

Why would you love to win the

Christmas with Southern Living book?

Your comment will enter you to win.

One entry per person.

We will close the give away on

Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 12 midnight.

One winner will be chosen on Friday, October 14, 2011.

Good Luck

and

Thank you for following along!

**Disclaimer: Southern Living is not a sponsor of our blog and we are not being reimbursed in any way for this give away. We have personally purchased the book for this give away.

Painting update....

2011-10-03T21:02:00.003-04:00

Thank you for your help! When I added up the votes from facebook and your comments, Sherwin and Williams, Popular Gray was the winner. I took my swatches to Sherwin and Williams to purchase Popular Gray.

I felt confident...then I walked through the door. Quickly darting to the paint swatches, I stared at my two choices for a long time....until I heard the salesman ask me if I needed help. He probably regrets asking me this questions. He got to listen to all my pro's and con's of each choice.

Finally, I walked away with two gallons of Popular Gray!! Committed.....

If you have the joy of living close to me, sitting with me at flag football, or being my mom

and visiting me on Saturday...you got to listen to my uncertainty again....

I thought I made a mistake.

Their advice was to keep painting...

I listened...Thank goodness!!

I love it.

It is still a work in progress.

I have to finish the kitchen,

paint up the stairs

and the upstairs hallway.

Want to help paint? I'll provide the wine.

I painted the Formica backsplash...wasn't sure if it would work...

but it did. It will be a nice temporary fix.

During my painting process....

I thought of some great plans for the counters and cabinets.

If you follow on Pinterest...you'll see my ideas.

(If you don't follow on Pinterest and want an invite...send me an email!)

I sold the ideas to Tony last night and he was in agreement!

Now I need to slow down,

my brain is working faster then our budget right now.

Does your brain work faster then your budget?

As soon as I am finished painting

I will share the finished rooms.

Thank you...Thank you...Thank you

for your help...you are awesome!

Thank You (and need your advice)....

2011-09-30T11:53:00.001-04:00

Woo Hoo...today we reached 300 followers! Signed on this morning and there you were...all 300! We are so excited to have each of you following along with us, especially since sometimes I feel I let you down. Thank you for hanging in there with us! As soon as I yelled upstairs to Tony the great news....his words were, "lets plan a give away" I have an idea....and so does he...so we'll try to marry the two together!!

And since I have your attention, I thought I would ask for your advice. You have helped me in the past...and we love your help. Our kitchen, family room, stairs, and hall need repainted! Which means we need to choose a paint color. Making this decision is not one of my strong qualities. So, here I sit with two paint swatches taped to the wall. Scared to actually pick one.

Realist Beige (pink undertones) or Popular Gray (gray undertones).....

I did ask Blue for his help....but I think I have talked his ear off too much about it....

(in case you were wondering why the blanket chest is up against the sofa...it was to keep him off the sofa...guess that doesn't work!)

So...give it to me...

what do you think?

A new collection...

2011-09-27T20:23:00.000-04:00

What do you collect? This was a question asked of Tony and I when we toured an antique dealer's home. We found ourselves having a difficult time answering this question. He noticed our hesitation and proceed to tell us everyone collects something....most of the time we do not realize we are collecting. He said it is the item you see in the store and you tell yourself you don't need another _______! As soon as he shared this advice, we started to think of items we collect.

Which leads me to my newest ~~obsession~~ collection. When I was little, I remember my mom always working on a needlepoint project. I have completed some small needlepoint projects, but nothing large scale. Lately I have been noticing them at thrift stores. When I see them it evokes sadness and I feel a need to rescue them. Someone spent a lot of time to complete this beautiful work of art.....and my collection began.

Here are some of my recent finds.....

The flower needlepoint picture in the center was found at the thrift store for $5.00.

Can you believe this large needlepoint was only $18.00 at my favorite

antique store!

The small cross-stitch flower print was $4.00 at the thrift store

and the cross-stitch ballet picture my mom made me when I was in ballet.

My goal is to continue with needlepoint pictures up the wall....

(new paint will be added to the walls this weekend....hopefully)

This is my newest find...$6.00 from my favorite antique store!

A cross-stitch I made for our first house....

There is my newest collection!

It is so much fun to hunt for these

treasures when thrift shopping!

How about you...what do you love to collect?

Up up and away....

2011-09-25T21:27:00.000-04:00

If you remember back in May, Lil Tony got a rocket for his birthday from his Grandparents. He loves this rocket....actually I don't know who loves it more...Lil Tony or Big Tony. The boys took a recent trip to the hobby store to buy new engines....the rocket should sore a 950 ft high!

This weekend we took a trip to the a local park to launch the beloved rocket. They were fearful to launch it at our house because it might go into the woods and they would not want to loss the rocket in the trees.

No need to narrate this story....the pictures will tell all.....

Yes....stuck in a tree (30 feet high)

Sliding board races while dad ran home for a ladder....

Plan A:

Plan B:

Plan C:

The End

Indoor smores...

2011-09-22T22:23:00.004-04:00

The weather is changing...warm days...cool nights. In the evening I usually grab my sweatshirt and sit outside; enjoying being caught in the middle of the changing of seasons. This is also our favorite time to light a fire in the fire pit and roast some marshmallow's....of course for smores!

Rain has slowed our marshmallow roasting down, so we opted for a Sara Lee recipe for some indoor smores!

We broke out the pannie grill...cut a few slices of Sara Lee pound cake and topped with a marshmallows.

Topped with chocolate chips....

Topped with one more piece of pound cake....

Closed the grill....

Yum......

Melted marshmallow and chocolate...

messier the better....

Oh...how we love them!

Joining Alison at Stuff and Nonsense

for Friday's Unfolded!!

Fall Window Boxes....

2011-09-18T19:13:00.001-04:00

This weekend we were excited to find a farm which sells beautiful mums.....

And fresh brown eggs.....

After buying the mums we went to the local grocery store for white pumpkins.....

My original plan was to recreate the inspirational photo of the window boxes with the white pumpkins. The problem arose when we felt how heavy white pumpkins are. I was worried the window boxes might become too heavy. So, I decided to improvise.

In a week or two the mums will fill the boxes in beautifully. When planting the window boxes I become impatient....I want instant boxes filled with blooms. Tony is always saying....think long term...they will grow!

I am thinking of adding a few little pumpkins to the ends of the boxes....any thoughts?

Happy Autumn!!

Have you tackled any fall decorating?

Saturday inspiration....

2011-09-17T09:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day, the kind of day where the sun is shining and filled with the cool fall air. The other wonderful part of yesterday was the discovery of a farm house around the corner that sells fresh brown eggs and mums! Today I am taking the kids to help me pick out some mums for the window boxes and of course buying some brown eggs!

Before we travel to the farm house, I needed some inspiration for the window boxes.....here are some of my favorites (all photo's are from My Home Ideas)

I love the colors in this picture....

And the use of lettuce in the flower boxes....

This might be my favorite...

love the white pumpkins!

There were so many ideas with the use of kale...

Do you use kale for decoration?

So many ideas....

I'll let you know how we make out today!

Blue....The digging-est dog ever...

2011-09-15T19:53:00.004-04:00

Blue...if you could only hear the tone of my voice (softness) as I say his name and then I take a large sigh....

A dog with character...is how my SIL, Shari, describes him. I am sure my nephew has a few different choice words to describe him. Michael did get to love him for one whole week....our lovely, sweet, dear.....Blue (who ate Michael's brand new shoes)!

Wait...does he smell something...this nose works overtime!

No, maybe I felt a vibration in the ground....

Yes...right here...

Maybe if I dig fast enough mom and dad won't catch me this time....

Hurry, I can almost fit my whole head in the hole...

Aww...they caught me...

Maybe if I don't look at them and they won't notice me...maybe I'll just go inside and lay down....

And play with Barbie....

Through rose tinted glasses....

2011-09-13T21:34:00.002-04:00

Have you ever done this? Looked at something and only saw beauty. Tony and I are thinking this is what we did when we moved last year. A few months ago I ordered the before photo's of the Pond House to put in a photo album. The pictures arrived in the mail and we sat at the kitchen table to anxiously look at our beautiful home. (insert laughing) When we looked at the pictures we saw what I think everyone else saw....a house that needed work....lots of work...and weeds...lots of weeds. You have to understand, when we looked at the house, we only saw beauty. I now understand why my mom repeatedly asked me why I am leaving a new finished home. Tony's dad did not talk to us for awhile because he was so upset with us. Then there was moving day....if I only would have caught the look on our friends faces as they helped us move in. Going from new to old is a big adjustment....one we would not change! Like two young kids we put our rose tinted glasses on and moved forward!

Here we are one year ago on moving day (September 9, 2010)....

Notice the weeds. I know, humor me...how can you not notice the weeds! If you put on our rose tinted glasses you can see the beautiful flowers.

These pictures are making you feel pretty good about your house...right! Sometimes I have to go back and look at these pictures to remind me how far we have come!

The first project was to paint the outside doors black, of course after cutting down the weeds. My ultimate goal is a new door, but you know the budget thing gets in the way (that darn budget).

Next we (of course used very loosely) tackled the flower beds around the house.

Shutters were added to the front and the left side of the house. Hopefully this fall we will add shutters to the right side of the house...

After the shutters were in place we could add window boxes. We had window boxes in our first home and I am so happy to have them again!

We removed the wooden railing by the side door. Can we believe we actually debated this one? This picture doesn't show it, but we painted the foundation beige to match the siding.

Here we are today...

Still on the outside of the house to do list:

shutters to right side of house

paint chimney

new front porch railings

picket fence to the left side of the house

new front door

new outdoor lights

Thank you for wearing your rose tinted glasses for us.

Have you ever had a vision that no one else could see?

Joining my friends at Savvy Southern Style for

Wow us Wednesday

Happy One Year Anniversary...

2011-09-09T21:50:00.001-04:00

One year ago today we moved to the Pond House...following a dream! Many of you have been along for the ride as we looked at houses, made offers, contracts accepted, contracts lost, and finally the move to the Pond House! What a happy day! It is still a happy day...a decision we are so glad we made!

I had originally planned to post all the before and after projects we have completed, but my mind and heart is somewhere else tonight....

Trying to organize my thoughts for this post has been very hard. Have you ever been part of an event that you are surprised you made it to the other side okay? Where fear and panic were part of your life and finding a sense of calm seems unreachable?

On Wednesday I traveled the most scary commute home from work. What should be an easy 20 minute drive was 2 hours filled with terror, fear, and panic. It is something I never hope to have to relive again. Only to arrive home to find out two of our three children made it home from school. A feeling of fear washed over me like I have never experienced in my life. After a few phone calls I learned Miss Sarah was safe at school and in an emergency lock down...thank you God for keeping her safe.

Our home was built in 1900 with a brownstone foundation. We knew we would get water in the basement and we were prepared. We were not prepared for no power and smoke detectors on all 4 levels going off...

The fire-department was wonderful and inspected the house for hot spots and safety. After their inspection and assistance with the basement we were safe to return. We were lucky...some of our friends have not been as lucky.

This video tells the story....

The week our church posted this message:
"May the words of Jeremiah 29:11 bring comfort in knowing that God promises, "I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you..." (The Message)"

(This babbling brook turned into a raging river behind our church)

As soon as things dry out and return to a "normal" I will share some of our before and after pictures from the last year!

Drying Zinnia's....

2011-09-04T21:52:00.003-04:00

My friend, Beth, asked how I dry zinnia flowers for the seeds. I was thinking maybe you were wondering the same question and thought I would answer for everyone to read. (please note I am not a professional gardener...I was taught by two generations of green thumb gardeners!)

This is my drying station (yes, it is the mudroom...no, I haven't finished the curtains yet)

Step one:

I cut zinnia's and place them in a vase with water to be enjoyed by everyone! Currently there is a vase in the mudroom, kitchen, and den. I allow them to dry right in the vase. The bloom at the top of the photo is ready for step two.

Step two:

Once they are almost dry (see above photo) I cut the bloom off and place in the drying station. The drying station consists of ~~my new addiction to~~ square cake plates or a paper plate.

Step two (continued):

I allow the blooms to dry on the plate for 3-4 weeks before packaging them as gifts. They do need to be in a dry place...too much humidity wouldn't be good for them.

I have started to dry the hydrangea's, too. I dry them the same way.

Step three:

Package them for gifts!

Tonight I was visiting my mom and she has started to dry her sunflowers and follows the same process. Our sunflowers didn't grow this year or the deer ate them! Going to try again next year. I love the look of the large sunflowers!

Do you have any favorite dry flowers?

Half way there....

2011-09-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

Middle School this year...
How does time go by so fast?

Seems like yesterday he traveled from so far away to become our son.

A precious gift from God...

I wish we could slow down time....

Make sure we don't miss these sweet moments....

"For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also."

Luke 12:34

Some Zinnia love....

2011-09-01T20:42:00.001-04:00

Do you have a favorite flower?

This month I am loving my zinnia's....

I love how they are the same but different at the same time.

My mom dries her zinnia's every year and saves them to share with friends and family the following spring.

Our zinnia's are from two dried zinnia flowers my mom shared with us. We planted them in the spring after the last frost.

This has inspired me....

To share them as gifts....fresh cut....

and I have started to dry them to share as gifts this Christmas and spring....

I can't wait to share them as gifts this Christmas! (I know this is my second post about Christmas....not sure why my brain is thinking about Christmas already!)

Do you dry and save any of your flowers? Love to hear some more fun ideas!!

Chocolate Molten Cake....

2011-08-28T22:43:00.000-04:00

On Saturday I shared with you the fun moments of our week and I would be deceiving you if I let you think it was a week of only sun and fun. Like every week there are highs and lows....sometimes I call it the peaks and valleys of life.

Being a wife isn't always easy, being a mother isn't always easy, working full time isn't always easy, and being back in college isn't always easy...and on Wednesday my life experienced the perfect storm. Sometimes I can miss the storm, even ride it out, but this Wednesday....the storm got the best of me. Thank goodness for a husband who prays and was the voice of reason I needed! Thank goodness for three wonderful friends who know how to make me laugh! Thank goodness for a husband who taught Lil Tony how to bake.....bring on the chocolate!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 sticks of butter
8oz dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Step 1:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter each ramekin and coat with cocoa powder, tap out any extra. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside.

Step 2:
Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl (heat at 30 second intervals and stir in between heating, until chocolate is melted). Set aside to cool.

Step 3:
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar. Stir in melted chocolate mixture. Stir in flour and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Mix until ingredients are combined. Divide batter among ramekins. Bake for 13-14 minutes, cakes will be firm with a soft center.

Step 4:
Invert ramekins onto serving plate and sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Serve warm.

We also rejoice in our sufferings,

because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

perseverance, character; and character, hope.

(Romans 5:3)

End of summer....

2011-08-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe school starts on Monday. This summer seemed to go extra fast. In some ways we are ready for school to start and in other ways we are not. I think we are mainly not ready for the early mornings and after school homework!

Our week started out by following the Turkey Hill Ice Cream cow to Williamsport, Pa. We were headed to the Little League World Series.....

It was an amazing day! Seeing kids from all over the United States and the world come together to play baseball is awesome!

Here the kids are standing on the hill. When you watch the games on TV, this hill is usually filled with people sitting in hill chairs. We have decided this is a trip we will take every summer!

We have been watching this spider build her web all week. She is very smart! It was hard to get a good picture, since she is tucked into the iris's very well. We have watched her catch her prey and wrap them up. Glad I am not a bug!

Tony has been scooping algae from the pond this week. Compared to last year, the pond looks 100% better!

We have been watching baseball every night and we can not watch baseball without snacks! The other night we had taco's for dinner and Lil Tony used the left overs to make us some taco bites!

He filled the shells with taco meat, salsa, sour cream, and topped with some mozzarella cheese. Placed in a 350 degree over for 5-7 minutes! Delicious!!

Back to the pond...
Last year winter we lost all our fish. We have made some changes to the pond and hoping to not have the same disaster happen this year! Here are three new additions to the pond (and one water spider).....

Lil Tony placing them in their new home.....

It would not be the end of summer (or August) without visiting the local fair. We love this fair....because of all the animals. The fair has the normal fair food and rides, but we attend for the animals. Sarah wants to participate next year in 4H. Do your kids participate in 4H?

We really could just spend the whole day petting the animals and talking with the farmers. Of course Sarah wanted to take one of each animal home with us. I don't know if it is a good thing that she knows we could have cows or horses. I could see her pulling up one day with a large animal! Maybe she will marry a farmer?

If you follow along on facebook, you have already met sweet Polly. She is our neighbor's barn cat and since they are moving we have adopted her. She visits our yard every morning and evening. Sarah thinks it is to see her. Polly is 4 or 5 years old and the sweetest cat. (Not to worry she has all her shots.) She does have Lyme disease, which is why her head tilts to the side. Sarah has been showering her with love and treats!

These zinnia's traveled to a friends for her birthday,

but I have a Christmas present idea for the rest in the garden.

Can't wait to share it with you!!

Last night we ended the week with good friends for some swimming...

I guess summer is officially over.

How about you...

Are you sad to see summer end?

Missing a Craftroom....

2011-08-25T23:18:00.000-04:00

Today I came home to find most of our craft stuff spread over the master bedroom floor. It was actually organized in stations; stamps, sewing, paint, and beads. Sarah was having a busy day of creating. After taking a deep breath, I smiled and closed the door. I love creativity!

At that moment I did miss our old "new" house. If you remember we downsized to 1800sq ft from almost 3300sq ft. We use corner of our current home....and some corners have multiple functions. Tonight I went back through my posts to find the craft room in the old "new" house and reminisced about the extra space for a little......want to come along with me?

Originally posted December 20, 2009

I started working on the craft room in November.

My goal was to be finished the beginning of December,

but with decorating, crafting and shopping....

well here we are the week of Christmas...

I still have a few finishing touches,

like lamps, to add!

I took a lot of pictures! I hope you enjoy!

Here we are before!

The kids use this room as much as I do

(sometimes even more)!

I did need to work around them!

You just can not interrupt creativity!!

First I covered the table with fabric.

The fabric was left over from a

project in the master bathroom.

(Sarah was painting while I was doing this)!

Here is a closer look. I used the staple gun to keep the

pleats in place.

Dad: Do you have a piece of plywood about 72"x18"

that I could use?

Dad to the rescue!

Added 2 coats of white paint to the table and the mirror!

My table and mirror are finished!!

Next is the kids.

Remember the black card table from above?

I draped a painters cloth over the top and

pinned down each leg.

Trimmed off the excess and sewed a straight line!

Turned it right side out.

Dad: I was wondering could you cut me a piece

of plexi-glass 32 5/8 x 32 5/8?

Yeah!!

The kids table is finished!

Sarah couldn't wait for the plexi-glass and was sewing the

other night! I'll have to share her purse that she

designed! Watch out Kate Spade!!

This old dresser holds my scrapbook and stamping stuff!

I sewed this a few year ago for the Master bath.

I like it in its new home!

This little corner is when you first walk in the room.

This little cabinet started out red!

I didn't decide what to put on the shelve above

the closet yet!

Here is my latest project!!

I am excited to link with Susan for Metamorphosis Monday.

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me....

even though sometimes I miss the extra space...

I would not change a thing....

Sea Shell Ornaments.....

2011-08-23T20:29:00.000-04:00

What do you do with all those shells you collect at the beach? We usually bring them home and place them in a jar, the kids put them in their room, or we try to find a craft to make with them. This year, Maddie and I were shopping and spotted a Christmas ornament idea. We were pretty sure we could recreate them. Do you do this when you shop....see something you like and think to yourself...I can make that? We do this a lot, the problem is we do not always follow through with project. This year we did!!

I didn't take too many picture of the whole process, but I will as we paint more. I think you'll get the concept!

Step 1: Wash your shells and dry them with a paper towel.

Step 2: Gather your children and your supplies (we try to paint outside when we can...we are known to be a little messy sometimes!)

Step 3: Paint!
(not quite sure what I was trying to capture in this picture, but you can see the beginning stages of the little Santa to the right)

Santa....

Step 4: Use a glue gun to glue the ribbon onto the shell.

Trial and Error: On the large shell I glued the ribbon in the back to form a loop. When I hung it up the shell tips forward...needed to add two dots of glue at the top of the shell, too.

Snowmen...

Merry Christmas!

(Hee Hee)

Be faithful....

2011-08-21T07:04:00.000-04:00

Chicken Bruschetta (a knife and fork sandwich)...

2011-08-19T18:43:00.001-04:00

The other day Tony said he misses cooking for Foodie Friday....Hello....so do I (miss Tony's Foodie Friday posts)! So, Tony is hijacking Relatively Unique today and cooking a knife and fork sandwich....Chicken Bruschetta!

Here's......Tony.....

I love Summer Cooking, it is almost as good as cooking in the Fall!! It is good to be back cooking for you all!!
This is a new, Chicken Bruschetta Knife and Fork Sandwich, hope you like it!

Marinate your Chicken in store bought Italian dressing with a couple dashes of Balsamic Vinegar, salt, pepper, and some Olive oil for 30 minutes.

The Bruschetta Topping is like this:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Garlic, minced

4 plum Tomatoes, diced small

6 Basil Leaves, sliced very thin

1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar

S&P to taste

Toss all together

Pre-Heat your Panini Grill, or regular grill

Brush bread with oil,

I used regular Amoroso's Steak Rolls (from Philly) place on grill to lightly toast

You can also use Pita or whatever bread you have on hand.

Slice grilled chicken into strips.

Once bread is toasted, top with Spring Mix Salad Greens, and then the Chicken

Top with:

Store bought Roasted Red Peppers (sliced thin)

Bruschetta topping and one tsp shredded Parmesan cheese.

I like to serve them with fresh Carrot sticks.

Serve Warm and Enjoy!!

Excited to be linking to Foodie Friday!

Tony

A tiny project....

2011-08-16T21:45:00.001-04:00

Last weekend my parents took the kids and my niece camping for four days and three nights! Bless them! It was bliss! Now, don't get me wrong...we love the kids and missed them very much...and were very happy to see them return on Sunday...but four days of peace and quiet was blissful! Thank you mom and dad!

My mom asked if we tackled any projects? No big project was completed, but I did complete one small project. I don't even know if it is blog worthy, but is my tiny project!

Do you remember this cabinet from my brother?

You can see the before...here.

I tried lace in the doors, but is wasn't quite right.

My friend gave me some chicken wire to try....

Much better!

I cut the chicken wire with wire cutters

and secured with staples.

I have some extra chicken wire

and found myself wondering through

the house to see where else I could use some.

Then I caught myself and I rolled it up and put it back in the garage....

there has to be another project I could tackle with it.

I also hung the last two plates on the wall.

They were only sitting on the cabinet for

about six months.

Sometimes completing those tiny projects

are as much fun as the large ones!

Linking to Savvy Southern Style!

Vacation Traditions.....

2011-08-14T09:41:00.002-04:00

Do you have any vacation traditions? We did not realize how many traditions we had until we started to talk about what the plans were while we were at the beach. The kids started to tell us what they do not want to miss. Some of the traditions are simple, like stopping at the Wawa half way to the beach. Some of the traditions take a lot of effort, like trying to get the perfect X-mas card picture!

The Cape May Lighthouse is a tradition. We climb the stairs to the top and then look in amazement at how high we are and how small the houses look. This year Lil Tony barely made it. He held on for dear life, thinking he was going to fall.

This year on our way to the lighthouse we stopped at the cutest roadside stand. Homemade bread and fresh cut flowers! Wouldn't this be cute at The Pond House?

It would not be a trip to the beach without eating at the Lobster House. We sit on the deck and watch the ships pull in. The food is delicious.

Searching for Cape May diamonds on Sunset Beach. This was on the top of the kids list of traditions!

When we are driving to the beach we keep track of license plates and count the different states we see. When we visit the Marina we do the same with the boats. We counted 7 different states this year. The farthest boat was from Florida. (Note, the 1280 lbs swordfish...caught by a girl!)

Thank goodness it does not cost us $800 to fill up the car!

Cape May Zoo. We were thinking of skipping the zoo this year but the kids could not think of missing out on the zoo. Sarah loved the chickens! Did I ever tell you the story about the aligator found in our pond?

Thanks to the trip to the zoo, we needed to have the "birds and the bee's" conversation.

This year we started a new tradition of crabbing. The kids loved it! They caught 15 crabs on the first morning of crabbing. What a great learning experience for the kids. They needed to learn about when the tide goes in and out. Every morning we would receive an update on what time the tide will be in!

And trying to get the perfect picture for the Christmas card!

What are some of your family traditions? Which tradition do you wish you could change?

Is there one tradition you would not want to change?

Tony wanted me to add the tradition of who can annoy each other the most during the car ride!

I am sure none of you have this tradition (or problem)!

Weekend Reading #7....

2011-08-13T13:24:00.003-04:00

On Thursday I had the pleasure of visiting the Hershey Farmers Market on my way home from work. It was wonderful. I encourage my readers and friends who live in the area to visit. I think it is a hidden secret which needs to be shared. They have a wonderful selection of produce, bake goods, cheeses, and meats. What I loved was the diversity of venders. Here are two of my favorites.....

Wait until you meet Sarah, she is a sweetheart! Maddie and I both tried her lip balm (White Chocolate Truffle) and love it. I love her story, she and her husband followed their dream and were able to share wonderful memories making those dreams come true. She shares how she started her business in her kitchen and is decidated to her product and her customers. You are going to love her! When you place an order she makes it for you and the date it was made is right on your product. Have fun getting lost in her site and blog!

Tony and I were both very excited to discover Cassel Vineyards. The Cassel family's farm began in 1903 and the farm has remained in the family since the beginning. Don't you love a good family story? We purchased a Blush wine and it was delicious. They offer a variety of red, whites, and fruit wines. They have a Strawberry and a Peach and Honey wine....doesn't that sound beautiful? Tony and I are looking forward to visiting them at their wine store on the farm. Thinking their wine is going to make some wonderful Christmas gifts! Have fun visiting their website and blog!

The next two blogs I discovered through some blog hopping......

We (Tony and I) love touring homes, especially older homes. Old House Dreams lets you tour older homes which are for sale, from the comfort of your sofa! I got lost in this site for way too long! Wait until you visit and start touring these homes! There are so many historical homes out there just waiting for someone to love them! Now if only we had a couple million laying around! Ha Ha! It is fun to dream!

I am so happy for you to meet Maggie at Midwestern Sewing Girl, although you probably already have met Maggie. Did you ever discover a blog and think to yourself, how did I not know about you? That is how I felt but very excited to be on board now! She is a mom of 3, has the support of her husband through all her adventures, and loves to be at home! She shares some awesome project ideas and tutorials, like this ruffled pillow! She can relate to real life, for instance she just wrote about "what do people see when they walk in your house" Have fun exploring her blog!

Got to go friends! Have a great weekend!

A little landscape inspiration....

2011-08-11T18:55:00.001-04:00

Our love for Stone Harbor, NJ started many years ago. I am thinking we were probably 17 or 18yrs old the first time we visited. Tony's parents rented the same beach house in a near by town every year. Everyone would try to make it down for the week or at least part of the week. I am so happy to have these wonderful memories. Since Tony and I don't know how to sit still and do tire of sitting on the beach all day, we would take drives up and down the coast of NJ. Stone Harbor became our favorite stops. The truth is, the smell of pepperoni bread from a wonderful bakery drew us in every year! We decided when we had a family it would be the perfect place to take the kids for vacation.
One tradition is to take family walks. This is perfect, since we love to look at landscaping and Stone Harbor is full of beautiful landscaping and hard-scaping. I think almost every driveway has pavers! We travel home with so many great ideas! Here are some of our favorites we hope to incorporate at the pond house.

Hopefully next year a picket fence and arbor make their way off the "to do" list and be on the "completed" list. (Hopefully Tony is reading this!)

I have been holding out on you...sorry. This is my favorite house! Today I'll share a peak at the window boxes and hydrandrea's!

Love the Crepe Myrtle....

More window boxes and hydrangea's.

A row of Crepe Myrtle lining the street!

We planted a Magnolia this year and love how they landscaped around this Magnolia.

Couldn't resist a different view of the arbor.

Impatiens lining the sidewalk....

The impatiens lined two sidewalks....

So many details in this one house; window boxes, picket fence, trellis, and the small pergola in the front!

This planter was at the marina in Cape May, NJ.

Tony can't wait to add one of these bird houses to the back yard. I can't wait for a picket fence!

And the view from the back dock of our rental. We have decided we love to be by the water....so relaxing!

The little guy....

2011-08-09T22:17:00.001-04:00

Remember the day of 35mm film? When we would not be able to see what our photo's looked like until a week after we would mail our film off to be processed? Rolls of film! Even though I do not have rolls of film to mail, it is taking me awhile to go through the vacation photo's, organize them on the computer, and up load them to make a photo album.

I was trying to decide which photo's to share with you first. I will admit I may bore you some of the family vacation photo's, but I know my mom will like to see them! So, I am going to apologize now! Thank for understanding.

I think you will enjoy the first set of pictures. Tony and I love to walk the streets at the beach. We walk and walk and walk. The homes are absolutely beautiful! I always come home with so many ideas.

I think "the pond house" would fit in this home's garage!

Do you spy the very top arched window? It is a stairwell! It is amazing at night.

My dream front door!

Adore the garage and the two adirondack chairs!

Don't you love the detail in this house. The more I study this picture, the more I detail I find!

The little guy...he is tucked in among these huge homes. I love the little guy...the underdog! He may be little, but he stands tall among these huge homes and holds his own. Isn't he adorable!

How about double porches...

Wrap around double porch....

Be still my heart....my favorite door and double porches!

This beauty sits on the beach...

This may be my favorite little guy! He says cottage by the beach....

Wouldn't you love to see the inside of this home.....

This was the first year we did not stay in town. We rented this little guy on the bay. He might not be grand, but the setting was grand. We voted and this was our favorite! Hurray for the little guy!

Next I'll share our favorite landscape ideas!

Home Sweet Home...

2011-08-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

We arrived home today after a much needed family vacation. A week of sand and sun to re-energize the soul. There is also something about being away that makes us appreciate being home much more!

{Photo Credit-Tony}

Now that we are back home I can start on a giant mountain of laundry, shake out the sand that traveled home with us in the bags, grocery shop, and return to some sort of routine. I can't wait to go through the pictures and share some of the fun moments and some beautiful homes with you!

I didn't take my lap top with me on vacation, although I did have my phone! On Friday I received an email from Melissa letting us know she featured us on her blog. She is so sweet! A special thank-you to Melissa at Made in The South for featuring us in her Fabulous Four this Friday!

It might take me awhile to catch up on my reading, but I'll be around soon! I am excited to see what you have been up to!