My Cozy Home

pictures, pictures, pictures...

The visit with my mom and grandpa was perfect.  I love vacations like that - almost always involving antiquing, watching old mystery movies, relaxing, eating, almost no actual responsibility.  To me, that's vacation perfection.  We had our Christmas with my family on New Year's Eve.  We ate pizza, watched "Candleshoe" with a young Jody Foster from 1977, opened presents, and rang in the New Year.  Even my 93 year-old grandpa stayed awake right till the end.  Here is my Grandpa, Evy, and my mom before my grandpa left to go back to North Dakota.

I think it's picture overload for this post.  Since I haven't posted in a while I've accumulated some settings and a project that I want to share with you.  In my next post I'll show you the project that my mom and I worked together - a very, very old, small crib that's been in our family for a long time.  We painted it and made a cute cushion for it - pictures to follow in the next post.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

This is the journal and bookmark I made for my mom while she was here.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

This is a side view with the tabs and pockets that my mom added to it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

A view of the kitchen.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

This is an old basket that I picked up while antiquing with my mom.  I also got a couple more 1803 candles which are absolutely the best candles I've ever used.  Some how those little cups ended up in a picture again.  I think they've been in my last three posts.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

My mom gave me that little tray for Christmas.  It has chalk board paint on it.  Such a cute idea.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Cranberries, orange slices, evergreens, and floating candles.  They smell so nice.

My riding hat collection is growing.  I just can't seem to refuse a riding hat when I see one.  I think they're so fun!

                                                                                                                                                                   

A couple of old horns that I picked up recently while antiquing.  Steve was bummed that he couldn't honk the horn sitting above the trumpet.  He couldn't quite understand why I would get a horn with a falling-apart honker.  I looked at him in disbelief and said, "why wouldn't I get it?  It looks like the perfect horn to me".  ;o)

Hope you all are well my friends.  I'll be back soon - I promise!

are you ready for it...?

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  I'm very ready - I love Thanksgiving, I love the food, the decorations, time with family, and taking an opportunity to be thankful and aware of life's many blessings and opportunities.  Every year and every holiday is a stepping stone in life's pathway of memories - a table full of family and friends passing delicious food from hand to hand, kids' tables, naps on the couch with football on the T.V. in the background, leftovers.   This is our dining room, which will not be seeing any Thanksgiving action this year.  We usually go to Steve's brother and sister-in-law's home.  She makes an amazing meal and makes it look so simple.  She's always so cool and calm - I'd be a mess, figuratively and literally I'm afraid.

My little hen that I got last fall for a song. 

This is a picture of the harvest table we prepared at church yesterday.  I'm part of the Alter Guild and one of the things we take care of is decorating for the holidays.  I'm sure you can imagine how much I love to do that.  I thought it turned out really well.  It was fun to view the end result while attending church today.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.  Next up...Christmas (I recently acquired a couple of 20" silver glitter trees and a "Greetings" garland with glitter letters from Bayberry Cove.  I sure do love holidays :o)

 

kitch' n' things....

I'm surrounded by sick people - trying to keep myself healthy, but when people are hacking, sneezing, wheezing, and generally oozing goo from all facial orifaces, it's a tough row to hoe in order to keep from succumbing to the same fate.  So, hoping my next post will boast of my iron-strong immune system, repelling all cold, virus, and bacterial germ entities in the vacinity.  Back off germs!!  Just back off!  I'm having none of it!  While I'm waiting for the germy incubation period to pass, I thought I would post a few more pictures of my kitchen.  So many people mentioned the island and the marble on top that I thought I would mention that we got it at Williams-Sonoma.  I looked to see if they still have it, but it doesn't appear as though they do.    Also, folks have asked about the paint in the kitchen, and I don't have a name for it, but it is a dark camel color with a slight bit of a mossy green in it, although, really it mostly looks camel-colored to me.  The below is the breakfast nook.

In the breakfast nook to the left is the cabinet from my granparent's farm - it is very old.  Here is a picture of what the cabinet looks like if you haven't seen older posts.  The below is the opposite view from the breakfast nook.

There's my sewing basket with the liner that my mom made me - love it.

One more.  Can you see the salt pig in the below picture on the right side on the counter?  It's next to the Kitchen Aid mixer.  I love the salt pig - its so great for cooking  - we use kosher or sea salt typically.

I hope you all had a great weekend and will have a nice week.  I appreciate your visits so much - it truly is a brightener each day to hear from you.  Thank you my friends!

view from a kitchen doorway...at night...

I was struck the other night by the simple beauty of soft light and the warm glow of this candle that my mom gave to me (another wonderful candle from Stephen's Candlery).  This was taken Saturday night and we were about to watch Banecek - from the early 1970's with George Peppard.  They are mysteries (of course). 

The roses are opening now and look so pretty - they're pretty closed in this picture.  I really enjoy the creamy color of the pitcher paired with the coral roses.

Evy and I made muffins this morning - cinnamon streusel (recipe below).  They turned out very nice, and Evy loves helping to bake - makes eating them together that much sweeter.

Does anyone have a butter bell?  They are very handy - keeps the butter perfectly soft and fresh.  Mine says "Butter" on one side and "Beurre" on the other.

They were "nummies" as Evy says...and did say.

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Recipe:

FOR MUFFIN MIX:

1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

STREUSEL MIX:

1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. melted butter

Grease or line 12 muffin cups with paper cup liners. In a bowl, slightly beat the egg; beat in milk and oil. Set aside. In a large bowl stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center. Add the egg mixture all at once. Stir just until moistened. Do not over beat. Batter should be lumpy. Spoon into muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Top with streusel. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and serve warm.

 

It's Thursday and I'm ready for the weekend....

I am so very ready for the weekend, a long weekend with laziness, and TV watching, and puttering about doing this and that - time spent with my family and really enjoying every minute, just soaking it all in.  I'd like to get new cushions for the chairs outside, and then I'd like to sit in the chairs and read, and read, and read.  Pure Bliss.  And speaking of "bliss", I just got the book "Domestic Bliss", and have started reading it, in addition to another new book, "A French Country Murder". 

Just a few pictures to share.  I'm sure you recognize the entry.  I've added a new cloche to the table.  And a couple of old bags.  The black one happens to be my dad's, which is filled to the brim with his stamp collection.

Cookie cutters abound.

Wishing you the best of long weekends, and the safest too.  Hope there is a lot of reading, relaxing, and family time for all of you as well.

Tuesday...

  Hi folks - hope you're having a good week so far.  I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my mom on Wednesday evening.  She is flying in from Idaho and is spending 11 days with us (including Mother's Day).  On Thursday we are going to Buffalo, MN for a full day of antiquing - we plan her trips around when antique stores are going to be having their occasional sales.  I'm taking a much needed week off of work - haven't had any vacation since the beginning of January.  I'm really looking forward to it.  I know some of you have seen this cookie tin before, but I changed the arrangement around a bit and thought I would take another couple of pictures.  Also, just wanted to mention that if I haven't been to your blog lately, or replied to comments, please don't think I'm ignoring you - I've been working some very long hours, including weekends so my free time is pretty small right now.  Please know that I'm thinking of you and definitely not ignoring you.  And for my cousin Signe, who likes to visit my blog, but is afraid to leave a comment - don't be afraid, you won't inadvertently wipe out the entire eastern seaboard's power - or cause a brown out in Los Angeles :o)

I wish you all well, and will post pictures of my many treasures from Buffalo.  Until then, have a wonderful week.

Tea time!

Happy spring!  I'm excited to be part of the tea party hosted by ArtsyMama.  Hopefully many people will participate today.

The tea, a loose black tea in chocolate, hazelnut, orange - yum...and oh did it smell amazing!

Tea steeping under the cozy

The teacups, sugar bowl, creamer, and the napkin everything is sitting on belonged to my grandmother.  The teapot and napkins I found antiquing.

Have a wonderful day ladies!

It started out as one thing, and then became another...

 

Hopefully you can tell that the little blackboard says "Spring", if you're using your powers of deduction that is.  It seems that this picture, like the 25 or so that I've taken today, just don't end up quite right.  I position little vignettes, snap away, run down to my computer, pull them up and sigh with slumped shoulders.  "Bugger", she says, "that one didn't turn out either".  Some days are just like that. 

 

So, I had to pull out some other pictures I had taken prior since the ones I was taking  today didn't turn out. I'm making do with what I have folks.   

This is a wonderful set of "Cake and Sandwich Cutters" that my mom gave to me.  If anyone has heard of the Farm Chicks, that's where my mom got it - their semi-annual antiques show (which they aren't having this year due to  them now focusing on the "Country Living" mag contributions they are doing).

 

A view of the cutters themselves. Since there is a heart, diamond, club, and spade it would be so cute if you were doing a Bridge party and you made finger sandwiches.  Notice the generic use of the word "you" as I don't know how to play Bridge and have not carried out this great "finger sandwich" idea for any other card game either.  I'll have to add that to the list.

 

And just a little basket thing above the door between the kitchen and the family room.  I think I need a few more spice tins though.

So, my previously planned Easter/spring vignettes will have to wait until there is better lighting, or I become a better photographer.  And I have the cutest bunny to post about, bah.  Oh well, I guess there is still like three weeks until Easter.  I suppose there might be one or two other opportunities to show you the bunny and other stuff.

Until then, have a wonderful day.  And I'm participating in the tea party tomorrow that Kari at ArtsyMama is hosting.  If you want to participate too, go to the link and check it out.

Happy day ...

I hope this day finds you  well.  I just wanted to share these tulips in my kitchen - I love that color.  I also wanted to thank you all for the wonderful comments, emails, and all around blog lovin' I have received since I started blogging.  I appreciate it so much.  I really do get so much enjoyment out of visiting all of the blogs in my list (and the list grows every day), reading the lovely posts, leaving comments, and of course reading the thoughtful comments you leave for me.  It's truly therapeutic.  It's been amazing to be part of such a creative, caring, and supportive community.  Thank you!

Inspired?...yes I am...

I kept meaning to take some additional pictures and do some blogging throughout the week, but I blinked twice and the week was gone - I'm not even sure what happened.  At any rate, here I am.  I am so excited because I received a sewing machine for Valentine's day from Steven.  I didn't have one and I have been so inspired and motivated by the wonderful talent of my fellow bloggers.  So I made a general comment one day, "I think I'd like a sewing machine".  And then, just like that, a sewing machine showed up for Valentine's Day.  I also received the "Love Actually" sound track (so good).  And I received the new Belinda Carlisle CD that she did in French - it's great.  I highly recommend it.  I also received a Sewing 101 book, and the new Janet Evanovich book "Plum Lovin'" - it isn't a mystery, but a between-the-numbers book about the multiple men in her life. 

I have spent enumerable hours this week looking at many wonderful blogs and I just get more and more excited.  Thank you all for sharing your lives and homes with me - sniff.  I can't wait to go and get some material and start making stuff.  I thought maybe I would make a bag of some sort - I'll see what strikes me. 

Here are some pictures from around the house.  This is a picture of our breakfast nook (love that snow out there).

                                 

This is a cupboard in our kitchen, next to the breakfast nook.  It is from my grandparent's farm and is over 100 years old.  I love it.  And do you see that vintage wallpaper in the back?  It is from the 30's or 40's and was put there by my grandma.  The little apron is the vintage-inspired one that my mom made for Evy for Christmas. 

This is a picture of our entryway.

   

This is a close-up of the basket.  It holds treasures from an antiquing trip to Buffalo, MN with my mom.  There are many things in that basket (all old): English riding helmet, walking sticks, umbrellas, tennis rackets, skates, and a baseball mitt and ball.

This is our living room.  The bookcase in back holds my mystery stuff collection.  I'll put a closer picture below, but I don't think it can be truly appreciated unless viewed in person.  There is an old typewriter, a Maltese Falcon replica, mystery board games of Cluedo (the British version of Clue (and this one is old), Gosford Park, and Murder She Wrote (yes folks, there actually was a MSW board game and I have it...couresy of my mom and a garage sale).  There are magnifying glasses, a Sherlock Holmes picture from a movie, a deerstocker hat, books, and many, many mystery DVD's.  You can't see it but there is also an old style black phone over there too.  I'll have to devote some pictures to that area so you can see.

If you can make this bigger you might be able to see some of the stuff - like I said, a picture just doesn't do it justice.

 

 

We had lemmon poppyseed scones this morning.  Yum.

 

Some old bowls with my wonderful cookie cutters that have that great green for the handles - love it.

And this is just a lovely little picture in my dining room.  I love the birds, the apples, the colors.  I never get tired of looking at it.  Have a wonderful day!