Thursday, December 25, 2008

Froehliche Weihnachten

From our house to yours.

A thank you to riptheskull for sharing this vintage postcard on flickr.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

End of a Season

They held on long, but the last of the garden tomatoes expired yesterday.

Time for Christmas decorations, with new shades of red and green.

Tenzin's Toy


Tenzin's Toy
Originally uploaded by Shawn Econo
Isn't this lovely?

A thank you to Shawn Econo for sharing this photo on flickr.

Monday, December 15, 2008

African Daisy


Ol' Blue Eyes
Originally uploaded by vgm8383
A thank you to vgm8383 for sharing this photograph on flickr.

Celene's Simple Fudge

Here is a deliciously simple fudge recipe shared by the wife of my cousin. Once I had tasted it, I lamented the countless hours I had spent as a teen in my Mom's kitchen, trying to bring a mixture of cocoa, sugar, and milk to a perfect "soft ball stage, " as directed by the recipe on the side of the cocoa can. I think that this version of the best-of-confections tastes just the same. And it is sooooo much easier.

Celene's Microwave Fudge

Melt a stick of butter in a microwavable dish.

Add to the butter:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 box (1 lb) powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
Stir until mixed well.

Cook the mixture in the microwave for two minutes on high.

Add vanilla, stirring until the fudge is no longer lumpy.
Pour into a buttered 9x9 pan.
Cool.

(Oh, yeah. It is very cool.)

A thank you to GeekMom Heather for sharing this photo on flickr.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Autumn Morning in Elgin, Illinois


Golden walkway
Originally uploaded by James Jordan
A big thank you to James Jordan for sharing this on flickr.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Pretty Pretty Kitchen


I love this kitchen from my favorite architect Ross Chapin's Pears and Cherries plan. See more of this beautiful cottage here.

Monday, December 8, 2008

What a Mesh!

All of those plastic mesh bags that encase your holidays fruits and hams can be put to use.

(1) Use a bag as-is to put your hosiery into while laundering. If you tie the top tightly the bag will go through the washer and the dryer without mishap.

(2) Tie a bag into several knots to make a scrubber for dirty dishes. When you acquire another bag, you can drop the tiny scrubber into it and tie knots into the new one for a larger scrubber.

(3) Wear a bag on your head to entertain the children.

A thank you to canonsnapper for sharing this photograph on flickr.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Yosemite Chapel Winter 2006

A thank you to Vladimir Fanning for sharing this photograph on flickr.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Looks Like Me


The look of nobody home
Originally uploaded by Tjflex2
A thanks to Tjflex2 for sharing this photo on flickr. Click on the picture to see the cute caption for this special cat.

This little guy caught my attention because I have the same distinction on my face, although on a much smaller scale. I have black eyelashes on my left eye, and blond eyelashes on my right.

I love you, soul-mate kitty.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Dishwashing for Pennies


Dishwasher
Originally uploaded by yesterday
I tried this recipe found online, and my dishes came out sparkling and squeaky clean.

Mix equal parts of baking soda and borax.

Pour the mixture into the "pre-wash" cup of the dishwasher.
(Leave the "main wash" cup empty.)

Fill the "rinse aid" receptacle with white vinegar.

Run the dishwasher as usual.

Nice, right?

A thank you to randomdepth for sharing this photo on flickr.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Kitchen without Cabinets


I like this idea of using recycled cupboards in lieu of cabinets in a kitchen. Charming.

(But I would have to find another home for that big refrigerator.)

Photo from
bungalowinabox.com. An article about this house may also be found at Tiny House Blog. Our thanks to both sources.

Better Christmas Giving



Our thanks to Vintage Songbird for sharing this on her blog. Read here about her family's Christmas of meaningful giving.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Colours


Colours from Charlie McCarthy on Vimeo.

Simple Popcorn

You don't need to buy microwave popcorn. Simply pour 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels into a paper lunch bag. Fold the top over several times. Place the bag in the microwave and push the popcorn button.

I like mine with canola oil and a little salt.

Yum.

A thank you to Aim and shoot! for sharing this photo on flickr.com.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Padley Gorge


Padley Gorge
Originally uploaded by kev747



Thank you to kev747 for sharing this photograph on flickr.com.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

"Rot ist Bryggen Farbe"

Red is the color of Bergen, Norway.






Thank you, Juergen Kurlvink, for sharing this photo on flickr.com.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The Cowboy Quilt


How could a girl resist a fabric motif of cowboy boots?
This ol' cowboy lovin' girly just couldn't,
so I made a quilt fit for a rootin' tootin' wrangler.

Here is a cowpuncher ropin' them dogies.

Here are some of the--yee haw!--patches up close.

The back is made up of old blue jeans stitched together.
These jeans were contributed by real cowboys.
I washed the mud and dung off before using them.
This is all a tall tale.
Except for the blue jeans part.

If you look closely you can see the diamond pattern
of the hand-stitching in the denim.

I saw a quilt patched together with the squares placed
randomly like this and I just had to give it a try.
I love this look.

No more cowboy cliches, I promise.
Y'all have had yer fill.