DREAMING

Jeanne Oliver Designs Beautiful New Line ~ Town & Country

2011-05-19T10:10:00.000-04:00

Hello! It's Me!! I know it's been a loooong time since you've heard from me... I had to come & share with you about....

Jeanne Oliver's New Line... Town & Country! & She's having an AWESOME giveaway!! A $500 gift certificate to use in her store!!

Jeanne Oliver Designs

Hop on over to her blog & have a look see... Some Beautiful things await you... ♥
**This Giveaway has ended... You can still visit Jeanne Oliver Designs at the Link above to view her blog & Shop...

Hello!

2011-02-15T09:16:00.004-05:00

Hello to Everyone! Just stopping in to say Hi! :) Still here...just busy with lots of stuff... I still have lots of photos to share with you of vintage items we have picked up here & there...Some we have painted white...I would like to get back to posting at least once a week... So I will share all of those with you soon.. We got a puppy last summer... little miss Emmie ( she's so sweet!) & have decided to get her a friend to play with... It just so happens..that this new friend will be her baby sister! We will bring Chloe home March 5th...We are very excited!
In the meantime..If you haven't seen the BBC movie North & South...watch it! It's a good one! Here is a video montage of clips from the movie.. set to music from ~ Trading Yesterday ~ May I Love You...very pretty... & a bonus video of Sweet Baby Chloe.. :) I'll be back soon.. T ~ ♥

IT'S SNOWING! :)

2010-12-03T18:51:00.002-05:00

Put on your coat, hat & mittens! It's snowing on my blog!

Hello to everyone! I know..It's been awhile since you've heard from my neck of the woods! We have been very busy here..with a new baby!

We got a shih tzu puppy in early summer & she has been keeping me on my toes! I had forgotten how much work there is to training a puppy! ( shhh..don't tell anyone..I think it's actually the other way around! She's training me! haha! ) She is such a Sweet Girl & has brought so much love & happiness to our home! The couple we got her from just informed me there is another litter of pups on the way & asked if I wanted a baby sister for Emmie...
HELP! .... :)

♥ Here's Emmie when we first brought her home ♥

Been Gone Too Long!

2010-06-01T09:10:00.003-04:00

Well.. It's not officially Summer here on the Chesapeake... But boy sure does feel like it! It reached 90 yesterday! I kept myself busy inside with the AC cranking.. painting things White... Yep.. still at it! :)

Right now we are working on our oak railing that separates the living room from the foyer area & just finished painting 2 small tables...But for now I wanted to share a few peeks of the crown moulding I mentioned awhile back...

As you can see we went with inside & outside corner pieces to make things a lot easier... We are still trying to decide about the bottom half of the wall.. we were thinking..chair & box moulding painted White... See that railing off to the right.. That's all White now.. :)

I've also added a small crystal chandelier in that right corner.. hangs in front of the round mirror.. such a pretty reflection.. I still need to take a photo to share..

The next photo is a shot of the new chandelier that now hangs in the foyer... It started out black.. I spray painted it Aged Bronze... I thought I could live with it...But it's really too dark for me & eventually want to repaint it... just so you know... not white! lol! I'm dreading taking off all of those crystals...

Still need to get a pretty chain cover for it too....

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week! ~ T ♥

I'm Hanging A Memorial Day Wreath On My Blog...

2010-05-31T10:12:00.000-04:00

In Memory Of All The Men, Women & Their Families & Those in my Family.. That Have Served & Sacrificed so that we may enjoy the Precious Freedoms that they fought to protect. I'm Forever Thankful!! They are never Forgotten!! God Bless America! Home Of The Free Because Of The Brave!!!

With Love ~ T ♥

Thoughtful Words Just Shared By A Friend :) & A Story To Make You Smile

2010-04-27T09:41:00.004-04:00

I've had this story & photos stored on my computer for quite some time.. thought you might need something to make you Smile :)

The Cats owner says he is not very fond of humans but Loves this Sweet Horse named Annie..

Aww, So Adorable!

I'm one of those people that never forwards chain emails.. But just received this from a Sweet Friend & thought the words were worth sharing... I'm guilty of some of this... trying to get better at not putting off what is most important in Life... Spending Precious Time with my Family..

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because we cram so much into our lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now..go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week! ~ T ♥

Happy Spring & Fall Wishes & A Long Overdue Thank You!!

2010-04-06T17:17:00.005-04:00

I know I'm a little late with my Good Wishes.. Happy Spring & Happy Fall to all of my Sweet Blog Friends in the Southern Hemisphere! (seems strange that we have opposite weather!) & My Very Sincere Thanks to Natasha of 5 minutes just for me ( click on the words)
I just realized.. Natasha has another Blog.. That she shares with her Sisters.. 3 sisters, 365. ( click on the words)

How do you keep up Natasha? :) Natasha was so very Thoughtful & presented me with a Very Sweet Award!

This award has some rules I'm to follow...
List 10 things that make you Happy...
1. My Faith ~ As a Christian I have the Blessed Assurance that Death is not Dying... ~ 2. Being Married to my Best Friend! & When he calls me Sweetie! :) ♥ ~ 3. My Children ♥ ~ 4. Being in the Mountains!! ♥ ~ 5. My 2 kitties ~ 6. Being surrounded by Beauty.. 7. Looking at a Sunrise or Sunset over the Water where I live. ~ 8. Cake! lol! especially Chocolate! :) ~ 9. Beautiful Flowers & 10. My White Living Room! :)

I'm also supposed to tag 10 bloggie friends that Brighten my day.. But I have so many blogs that I Love to visit.. I don't want to leave anyone out! Please check out Natasha's 2 Blogs! (click on the words)
She always has something Beautiful & Interesting to say! Thanks Again Natasha! For thinking of Me!!! I also have a very long list of blog links on my side bar... Pour yourself a nice cup of Tea or Coffee & sit down & enjoy! It's so much fun! You can travel the world & still be back in time to make dinner! :)
I'll be back soon with some photos of our Crown Moulding project! Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week! ~ T ♥

Wishing Everyone A Very Blessed Easter Celebration

2010-04-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hope All Of You Have A Beautiful Easter Celebration With Family & Friends ~ T ♥

Busy ~ Busy~ Busy

2010-03-08T09:25:00.002-05:00

Good Monday Morning! We had a very pretty weekend here on the Chesapeake! Saturday it reached 62! Looks like Spring is on it's way! :)

We took a trip across that Big bridge Friday & picked up some crown moulding... Yay!! We have finally started! So we wont have to make mitre cuts.. We are cheating a bit & using inside & outside corner moulding pieces. I'm really liking how its turning out! Haven't taken any photos yet..

But here are a few more photos to share from our junkin & antiquing venture..

This is an Antique Marketplace we like to visit every so often... It's like a big warehouse inside with lots of different vendors.. They also have antique & plant auctions on Friday nights...

I found 2 mirrors that I really liked.. But this one was on sale for a great price! It started out very dark... Of course I painted it white :) Looks much prettier now!

A few shots of the living room before the Crown Moulding...

With the chandeliers lit..... You can just barely see the corner of my antique sideboard.. It has a lovely dark patina.. It did cross my mind.. maybe once or twice to paint it white.. ;)

Here's an old photo of it from a few years ago...

I decided after painting the fireplace surround that it needed a little something different... I reversed the front panel & hung one of my architectural salvage pieces on the front...

I'm pleased with what we have accomplished in such a short amount of time! Cant say I've had a lot of fun with all the painting.. But it's definitely been worth all the hard work! :) We still have lots to do!

I'll be back soon with photos of our adventure with crown moulding....

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week! ~ T ♥

Been Junkin & Still Painting

2010-03-01T09:39:00.006-05:00

Happy March 1st To All Of You!! Wow! time is just flying by! It's hard to believe I haven't posted in 2 weeks! Been on facebook though.. If you are one of my followers.. & you are on facebook.. add me as a friend.. We can visit a little more & keep up with each other! :)

Brian & I have been out junkin & antiquing a few times since my last post.. We had great intentions of purchasing the molding for our little painting & reno we have been busy with.. He was off last Friday... We have to cross a huge scary ( well scary to me!) bridge to get to the nearest Lowes ( lumber & hardware store)

Here's a couple photos of the bridge...

This photo shows the side I live on... All those cars parked in that field aren't normally there.. The Marine Museum ( the building with the red roof) was hosting something...

Anyway... there was an accident on the bridge that friday... This is a 2 lane bridge.. traffic is at a stand still when there is an accident...

We decided to check out some local shops...& this is what we found..

A cute small cabinet.. painted a country almond... Gave it the white treatment.. :)

I couldn't decide if I should keep the doors on or take them off.. For now I guess they are staying on...

We also found this little table.. painted a creamy white that had yellowed a bit.. I wanted it whiter :) Benjamin Moore's ~ White Dove to be exact... You can see I brushed on a little White Dove so you could see the difference..

We still have not started on the molding... I have more photos to show.. I don't want to bore you.. So I'll be back soon with more! :)

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Day! ~ T ♥

~ From My Heart To Yours~

2010-02-13T19:51:00.004-05:00

From My Heart To Yours... Hope All Of You Have A Beautiful Valentines Day!!!

Nordic/French-Style "Keys To My Heart" Adornment With Vintage Keys From ~ The Beautiful Life

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

The Transformation Of A Mirror

2010-02-11T21:19:00.003-05:00

I've Linked this post up to Cindy's ~ My Romantic Home ~ Show And Tell Friday

The painting continues...First I want to say... Thank You So Much For All Of Your Sweet Comments On My Last Post!! You Gals are the Best!! & A Big Hello to some new visitors! Thank you all for taking the time to comment! Ange & Lee Laurie.. I can't wait to see what you paint using this color!! I think you will be pleased.. It really is a Beautiful Color!!

I knew when I purchased this mirror back in August I would eventually paint it... This is how it looked when I purchased it...

I decided to see how it would look just painting the trim White...

I forgot to take a photo of the mirror against the new wall color... The steely gray background color of the mirror & the Stonington Gray... Just wasn't working... So I decided to give it the all White treatment :)

I used a little Burnt Umber for highlighting.... So what do you think?

Blessings ~ T ♥

~ Peeks Of Paint ~

2010-02-09T17:36:00.003-05:00

Happy Tuesday!! We are in for more snow! So In case of power outage... I thought I would do a quick post & Share some of what's been keeping me from blogging...

Oh The Many... Many Shades Of Gray!!

Wow... So Many Holes To Fill... The Walls Were Like Swiss Cheese! :)

I Think I Chose The Right Color... Stonington Gray.. Ceiling... Distant Gray... Both Are Benjamin Moore Colors..

Brian & His Trusty Paint Stick... This Saves So Much Time! No Drips Or Bending To Get More Paint From The Can Or Paint Tray...

While He Was Painting.. I Was Baking... Chicken Potpie... Good Ol Comfort Food!

Almost There.... I Really Love The Color!

We Still Have Lots More To Do.... All The Mouldings & Trim Work... The Bottom Half Of The Wall Will Be White.. Still Not Finished With The Fireplace Surround... Would Love To Find An Antique One! ;) We Put Some Of The House Back Together For Sanity Sake!.. It was driving me Bonkers!

All Of You In The Heat Stay Cool.. All In The Cold Stay Warm & Cozy ♥

Enjoy The Rest Of The Week!
Blessings ~ T ♥

Lots & Lots Of Snow!!

2010-02-06T22:22:00.006-05:00

Hello From Snowy Maryland!! We are buried under lots of Beautiful Snow!! Here's a little view of what we see from our window... You will hear me tell Brian not to drop the camera... LOL He had it hanging waaayyy out of the window..

We have not had this much Snow in this area of Maryland for a long time! You'll see my little Bird feeding station in the video... Went out every few hours to add more seed... The snow kept covering it.. I guess when it all melts I'll have quite a few inches of seed on the ground! LOL

Just finished watching the New Emma... has anyone else watched it yet? It was pretty good! I took this little quiz they had posted on the Masterpiece Theater website... Bachelors Of Highbury Quiz... If we lived back in that time.. Who would be a good match for us... The first time I took it I got Mr. Woodhouse... hmmm... I cheated & took it a second time... You know how sometimes you could answer more than one way... LOL Well the second time I got Robert Martin... Hmmm... Wondering what that says about me? On second thought don't answer that! LOL.... Take the Quiz if you dare! & come back & let me know who you got as a match! Here's the link...
Bachelors Of Highbury Quiz ~
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/quiz_quest.html

Hope Everyone is having a Beautiful Weekend!

Sweet Blessings ~ ~ T ♥

I'm Still Alive...

2010-01-29T22:30:00.008-05:00

Hello To Everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know that I'm still among the living... We've been busy painting for the last several days.. My house looks like a tornado blew through it!! LOL I cant wait to get everything all back together! I've taken a few photos but have not loaded them on the computer yet.. I'll post photos soon..

Brian & Josh both came down with a terrible flu bug... Brian seems to have the worst of it.. Needless to say.. I've been running around cleaning & disinfecting everything in sight! Praying that they recover quickly & I don't catch it!!

We are expecting about 3-8 inches of snow starting tomorrow.. You all know how much I love snow!! Cant wait! :)

Since some of you are Enjoying Summer right now & Some that are having Winter now... Are dreaming of Spring & warmer weather already... I thought I would share a little inspiration photo...

Oooohh.. I would Dearly Love to make-over my Big Garden Shed into this!!

This is one of many from Better Homes & Gardens.. If you would like to take a peek at a few more.. here's the link..

Beautiful Garden Shed Inspiration

I'll be back again soon!

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

White Wednesday Craft

2010-01-20T13:17:00.008-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I found a Swedish Home & Garden site from A Very Beautiful Swedish Blog that I Follow...
Lantlif The Blog's Author.. Anette ~ Always has such Gorgeous Photography & Her Blog Is Filled With Wonderful Inspiration! ~ I Just Realized.. Carol From The Blog ..Raised In Cotton ~ Recently Hosted an Interview With Anette... You can check it out ... Here.. To see Her Gorgeous House!

hemmakanalen.se photo ~ Isa Johasson

White Wednesday Craft ~

Make a crochet bowl

A crocheted cloth can easily become a new, cool, cheers. Here are the steps you need to do it yourself.

You will need:

Wood glue
A bowl
Plastic film
A brush
A crocheted cloth

If you do not have a crocheted cloth at home so you can easily find all kinds of cloths in second hand shops or shops.
1. Start by mixing glue and water to a milk-like consistency.
2. The plastic in the dish you intend to use as a form of plastic wrap.
3. Place the plastic-coated dish upside down.
4. Then place the crocheted tablecloth over.
5. Brush entire sheet with trälimsblandningen and let dry. (Not sure what that T word translates to.. But hopefully the wood glue ~ water mixture! lol)
6. When the cloth dried, simply remove it from the plastic-coated dish.
The crocheted dish is now finished and ready to brighten your home! If you do not want just a bowl, you can easily make it into a lampshade, a clock or a wall hanging. You decide!

I thought this would be fun for kids & Maybe Use A Heart Shaped Doily To Make Pretty Valentine Hearts to hang or String the Hearts together to form a garland.. This would make a Great Valentine's Day Gift instead of a Card..♥

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

Joining In On Silver Sunday

2010-01-17T20:27:00.004-05:00

Happy Sunday! I have really enjoyed looking at all the Beautiful Silver Sunday Posts!! Thought I'd join in...

I Love Anything Silver! From Jewelry to Silverware to Mercury Glass... & Everything in between!

The first photo... A Vintage Silver spoon from my German Oma.. Lydia's Set (My Paternal Grandmother)... Morning Glory Pattern.. Small Set Of Salt & Pepper Shakers from Norway! Sterling Tops... Sterling Perfume Flask. Can You See The Little Gold butterfly? & It's Pink With Roses! LOL So Pretty..

Second Photo... My Mossy Green Girl.... For Valentines Day... I Placed An Engraved Sterling Silver Heart Around Her Neck.... I'm thinking Of Painting Her A Soft Grey....

Gosh... I'm having a hard time deciding on a really good Grey for my living room... They are either too blue or too Drab looking... I think I have narrowed it down to Benjamin Moore's Stonington Gray...

Sweet Blessings To all Of You! T ♥

My Thoughts & Prayers Are With Gina Drennon who owns the store " Feather Your Nest"
She Tragically Lost her Husband Michael this past Week.. He was only 39 yrs old... So Very Sad...

And The Victims Of The Tragic Earthquake In Haiti....

Some New PB Inspiration

2010-01-12T10:05:00.005-05:00

Happy Tuesday!! Something exciting has happened since my last post!! It has snowed here a couple more times!! Yay! Late last Thursday night it snowed just enough to delay the opening of school on Friday.. Of course Josh was bummed.. He expected schools to close... & Then we had a light dusting last night..Sugar Snow... So Beautiful! I'm hoping for more!

The Stores & Shops are starting to display their New Spring Lines & that means catalogs start arriving in my mailbox.. Love looking at catalogs & magazines for Inspiration!! Pottery Barn is one of them! Here are some photos from their new catalog!

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week!! ~ T ♥

I'm so Honored!!! My First Award!

2010-01-05T15:22:00.004-05:00

Dear Sweet Geri... Who has a Fabulous Blog... Heart N Soul Cooking Where she shares Lots of Yummy Recipes & Her Kitchen Expertise..

Has blessed me with an Award!

So Sweet Of You Geri!! Thank You!!

Here are the Rules...

The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award—Rules

1. Post the AWARD.

2. Don't forget to mention the person who gave you the AWARD.

3. Tag and distribute the AWARD to 10 Fabulous Sugar Dolls.

4. Write 10 fabulous things about yourself that you want to share with other Fabulous Sugar Dolls.

5. Don’t forget to notify the Fabulous Sugar Dolls about their AWARD and post a link to their blog.

The 10 things I would like to Share with all of you.....

1. My Faith & Family are more Important than anything else in My Life!

2.My Husband is my Best Friend!!

3.I married very young & Had My Children at a young age.. I've had the Wonderful privilege of being mistaken for my daughter's Sister ( Jessica was having her tonsils removed when she was in 11th grade.. We went to the hospital for pre-op stuff & the Nurse said.. Oh how nice of your Sister to come with you!) LOL & One time a teacher thought I was her Girl Friend... :) There are some great advantages to starting a Family at a young age!

4. I Hope to be a Grandmother someday!!

5. Love to watch Romantic Period Drama Romances & Read about them too! But most of you know that already! LOL

6.I Love animals.. & Had a Brindle Great Dane named Tasha.. She will always hold a special place in my heart! They make the best pets! But.. She could clear a coffee or end table in the blink of an eye with her whip of a tail! & Anything left on a Kitchen Counter or Dining Table was fair game! LOL

This is the photo Brian has of her on Facebook... I wanted to show you one of her with our Children... She was so good with them!

7. My Favorite Food is Cake! LOL I Love Antiques.. Antique & Vintage Mirrors.. Love Clocks.. Shoes ( Brian has called me Imelda Jr. LOL) Coats.. Dishes... Just found some New ones! Rachel Ashwell's ~ Simply Shabby Chic ~ Chateau...

8. I'm 5' 10" & was always uncomfortable with being tall.. Now I embrace it! It's great to have the extra height.. Especially at my age.. When the weight can sometimes creep up.. Makes it a little easier to hide it! Still hard to find pants long enough though!

9. My Mother is a Breast Cancer Survivor!!! My Father passed away from Cancer in 2000.. After all the sadness... I made a decision to try to always look for the positive in everything!

10. I'm so Thankful for all of you! I enjoy visiting & reading all of your Blogs! & Thank You so much.. To all of you that follow my Blog & Leave comments!! That means so much to me!

I'm Sharing this Award With the following Fabulous Sugar Dolls:

Please Stop By &Visit ~ You Will Love Their Blogs!!

Anita ~ At Fun and VJs

Ange~ At Chair Up

Teri~ At Girl Meets Paris

Shellagh~ At Ticking and Toile

Lisa~ At palepinkandroses

LeAnn~ At My Vintage Modern Farmhouse

Natasha~ At 5 minutes just for me

Ruth~ At The Beautiful Life

Lee Laurie ~ At A Southern Rose

Carole~ At Maynard Greenhouse

You Are All Sugar Dolls!!!

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

Joshua's Winter Concert, Wizards In Winter

2010-01-01T19:15:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year To Everyone!! I wanted to post one of Josh's Video's of his Winter Concert... Warning... We forgot to bring the tripod & Its quite shaky at times... ( We were up on a Balcony & Brian had it resting on a ledge in between some bars... Till I asked him to take it out to focus in on the 3 girls in front.. That explains all the movement!) Brian was using our New Nikon D90.. This was originally filmed in HD ... I guess he forgot to check for that option when downloading on youtube... So its a little grainy.

Check out the Three Girls in front... Electric Violins & Viola! Josh got an Electric Violin for Christmas & Loves it!! Really cool sounding!

... They did a Fabulous Job performing ~ Trans~ Siberian Orchestra's... Wizards In Winter... Hope You Don't Get Dizzy Watching! LOL

Worth So Much More Than 55 Minutes Of Time!!!

2009-12-30T19:37:00.001-05:00

I planned to Post some photos & Christmas stuff today...

But then this morning I read Ruth's Blog ~ The Beautiful Life...

She always has something Funny Or Beautiful to Say...

She did a Post today about An Awesome Woman.. Rachel Barkey

I wanted to share this with All Of You...

Ruth has such a Gifted & Talented Way With Words... So I'll post the Link to her Blog... I highly recommend watching this Video..
Very Inspiring & Possibly Life Changing....

Rachel had me laughing & Crying....

http://thebeautifullifeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/one-woman-i-hope-to-meet-one-day.html

Here's the Link Directly to Rachel Barkey's Speech...

http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/

I'll be back tomorrow with some Photos...

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

Wishing Everyone A Very Blessed Christmas!!!

2009-12-24T10:36:00.003-05:00

Wow! It's been awhile since my last post... Been busy trying to get all the shopping, wrapping & decorating finished!

Josh had his Winter Concert... It was Awesome! They all played so Beautifully! If I can get it loaded on here I want you all to see & hear some of the songs! ( If you have ever tried to load video on blogger.. ugh!) It takes forever!

My Furniture arrived! I LOVE IT! I'm trying not to obsess about the Cat hair! LOL Every morning I get out the lint roller... ( Note to self.. buy stock in lint rollers!) LOL Dear sweet Cindy of ~ My Romantic Home was very helpful in giving advice about washing the slipcovers... Thank You Cindy!! I will have photos to share after the New Year!

We had SNOW! Yay! Lots of it! About 15 inches! We were so excited! We still have plenty on the ground... We are supposed to have rain this Christmas weekend... So I guess it will all disappear :(.. Hoping we will have lots more this Winter!

These were taken early the first morning... Looking out our front door...

So Beautiful!

I want to wish all of you A Very Blessed Christmas Celebration...

The Celebration of the Birth Of Our Lord & Savior.... Jesus
I wish all of you the Peace that comes from Knowing him & Accepting His Free & Precious Gift Of Salvation..... If you don't have him in your Life... Give yourself this Most Precious Gift this Christmas... I promise... All of Heavens Angels will be Rejoicing when you do! You are more Precious than anything to Him...

This is one of my Favorite Christmas Songs Written by Steven Curtis Chapman... Christmas Is All In The Heart... Here is the Video & The last verse of the Song..

No, it's not in the snow
That may or may not fall
And it's not in the gifts
Around the tree
It's in the love heaven gave
The night our Savior came
And that same love
Can still be found wherever you are
'Cause Christmas is all in the heart
It's all in the heart

Wrapping It All Up!

2009-12-07T12:52:00.004-05:00

Now that I've accomplished some Christmas Shopping... I figured I better start wrapping these gifts....I'm trying to avoid that Christmas wrapping backache.. Has anyone else ever gotten that?

I found some beautiful gift wrap inspiration & thought I would share!

I've always loved this look.. Wrap the box then attach the ribbon.. Layering the ribbon looks so pretty & attaching an inexpensive piece of costume jewelry...

Beautiful!

Attaching a Christmas ornament they can hang on their tree...

I ♥ this one! Placing the gift in a reusable box!

Another ornament idea...

Fresh or Silk Flowers & Greenery! So Beautiful!

Inexpensive Christmas balls & garland...

I think Children would love this one... Jingle Bells.. I'm afraid we might be looking for a hiding place for them after a few minutes though... Nah... We wouldn't do that... would we? LOL

Well.. I guess I better get started with the wrapping!

Hope all of you have a Beautiful week!

Blessings ~ T ♥

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2009-12-01T08:15:00.000-05:00

Hello To Everyone!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Celebration at my sister's house! Too much yummy food & Lot's of good company! My two older children Jessica & Brian were not able to be with us... Which makes a Mother kinda sad... But they will be able to spend Christmas with all of us! I'm looking forward to having all of my Children home with me!! Christmas Day is on a Friday this year... So that makes it a little easier for everyone to get together!

My thoughts are on Shopping & decorating..... & Snow ♥

Did anyone do any Black Friday shopping? We took a trip to the store early Thanksgiving to pick up a couple of forgotten items... & saw people lining up at Best Buy (electronics store)... camping out in tents! Yes! I said tents! I wish I had my camera with me I would have taken a picture to show you!

Did some Cyber shopping yesterday... Took advantage of free shipping & some great discounts... Now I guess I will brave some store shopping.. I usually hit the malls at least once... I love to see all the decorations...

I picked out my Christmas Gift.... New slip covered furniture from Ikea! Since Ange doesn't live close enough to upholster my furniture... LOL! I bought new! I got the Ektorp Sofa & 2 chairs & the ottomans with storage.. They were offering free shipping & free extra slip covers for each piece! I couldn't pass up such a great deal!!

They will take about 2 weeks to get here... Cant wait! meanwhile I need to find a good home for my other living room furniture...

Well... off to start store shopping & decorating... Thinking of a buying a White tree this year.. What do you think? Does anyone else have one?

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Week!

Blessings! ~ T ♥

Very Blessed Thanksgiving Wishes To All Of You!!!

2009-11-25T00:15:00.005-05:00

Note: In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford lists the Mayflower passengers & also tells us who died during the first winter 1620/1621 and spring of 1621. No other ships arrived in Plymouth until after the " First Thanksgiving" celebration. The Pilgrims at the "First Thanksgiving" are all Mayflower survivors.

THE 53 PILGRIMS
AT THE FIRST THANKSGIVING :

4 MARRIED WOMEN : Eleanor Billington, Mary Brewster, Elizabeth Hopkins, Susanna White Winslow.
5 ADOLESCENT GIRLS : Mary Chilton (14), Constance Hopkins (13 or 14), Priscilla Mullins (19), Elizabeth Tilley (14 or15) and Dorothy, the Carver's unnamed maidservant, perhaps 18 or 19.
9 ADOLESCENT BOYS : Francis & John Billington, John Cooke, John Crackston, Samuel Fuller (2d), Giles Hopkins, William Latham, Joseph Rogers, Henry Samson.
13 YOUNG CHILDREN : Bartholomew, Mary & Remember Allerton, Love & Wrestling Brewster, Humility Cooper, Samuel Eaton, Damaris & Oceanus Hopkins, Desire Minter, Richard More, Resolved & Peregrine White.
22 MEN : John Alden, Isaac Allerton, John Billington, William Bradford, William Brewster, Peter Brown, Francis Cooke, Edward Doty, Francis Eaton, [first name unknown] Ely, Samuel Fuller, Richard Gardiner, John Goodman, Stephen Hopkins, John Howland, Edward Lester, George Soule, Myles Standish, William Trevor, Richard Warren, Edward Winslow, Gilbert Winslow.

Above...

A Bit Of First Thanksgiving History.... I Love Some Of Their Names!

We Are Celebrating With My Sister & Family... Feasting On Turkey, Stuffed Ham ( A Southern Maryland Tradition!) & Lots Of other Goodies!!

Here's Wishing All of You Have A Very Blessed Thanksgiving Celebration With Family & Friends!! I'm So Very Thankful For All Of You!!

Over the river, and through the wood,

To Grandfather's house we go;

The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh

through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood—

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes and bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring, "Ting-a-ling-ding",

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound,

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood—

And straight through the barnyard gate,

We seem to go extremely slow,

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood—

Now Grandmother's cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

"Over the River and Through the Woods" is a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Maria Child. Written originally as a poem, it appeared in her Flowers for Children, volume 2, in 1844. The title of the poem is, "A Boy's Thanksgiving Day". It celebrates her childhood memories of visiting her Grandfather's House. Lydia Maria Child was a novelist, journalist, teacher, and wrote extensively about the need to eliminate slavery.

Sweet Blessings To All Of You! ~ T ♥

Great Wall Sconce Idea!!

2009-11-19T09:48:00.007-05:00

Happy Thursday! You all better put on your Hats & Mittens.. Because it's snowing here!!! LOL!

I just came across a Blog I wanted to share with all of you... Much To Do With Nothing..

She has some really great Ideas! & this one caught my eye!

It's about putting up Electric Wall Sconces without an Electrician.. The thought has crossed my mind several times about placing sconces above the fireplace in my Living Room..

Here's a couple of photos from her Blog...

What a Great Idea!! You can see the wall plugs in the 2nd photo.. I guess you would have to get a little creative about hiding those.. If the area doesn't allow for a furniture piece to hide them..

Here's the link to her Blog & The tutorial for the Sconces
http://muchtodowithnothing.blogspot.com/2009/02/wall-sconces-without-electrician.html

I had fun Browsing her Blog!

Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥
PS~ What do you think of the snow? Cant wait till it really snows! :)

Mercury Glass Love ♥

2009-11-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

Not sure why...... But lately I cant seem to get enough of Mercury Glass!

The Beautiful Sparkle & Shine...

Makes For A Beautiful Table.....

So Mesmerizing to look at.....

Gorgeous On A Christmas Tree....

Beautiful on a mantle....

Can You Tell How Much I Love It?

Sweet Blessings To Everyone!!! ~ T ♥

Photos From ~ Ballard Designs ~ Wisteria ~ & Madisons Manor...

Beautiful Inspiration

2009-11-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

Ooohhh.... So Beautiful...

Same Room... A slight change in Decor... Look at that Gorgeous Sleigh near the french doors...

Sleigh's from the 1800's converted into Children's Beds... What a Beautiful Idea!

Antique Gustavian Chair Carving

Beautiful Beds... Look at the Gorgeous Detail on these Beds.....

Help.... I Think I've fallen In Love.....

All Of These Photos Are From... Swedish Interior Design.com

Sending Love & A Big Thank You To All Of Our Veterans

2009-11-11T10:11:00.004-05:00

In Honor Of All The Armed Forces Of The United States Of America..On This Veterans Day.... We Say THANK YOU For Protecting & Serving Our Great Country!!! We Send Love & Thanks To All Of The Military Families.. You Sacrifice So Much..

THE HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!!!!

God Bless All Of You & Your Families...
You are Forever in our Prayers....

In Honor & Memory Of My Mom's Eldest Brother...
MIA POW PFC N., Earl C.
RA13295190 500720 510414 L Co 34 Inf 24 Di
AN-DONG B. 1931 Oakland, MD

"Last seen defending Taejon, Korea 7 a.m. 20 July 1950 while the city was being attacked by enemy tanks and infantry" (Maj. Gen. Wm E. Bergin).

Uncle Earl is still in North Korea. Member of Tiger Group (Death March); Marched North from Manpo to Jungkan. According to Fr. Crosbie's & Larry Zeller's books, the Tiger group made it to the Ando North Korea POW Camp in early April 1951, and Johnny Johnson recorded Uncle Earl dying on April 14, 1951 of starvation; therefore, Uncle Earl's remains could be located near the "ondol" rooms at the Ando POW Camp (Crosbie 187).

Thanks to Uncle Earl & Patriots, freedom exists South of the 38th Parallel!

Great books to read on Korean War:

March Till They Die by Rev. Philip Crosbie, Australia
Amazing book; explains what my Uncle & others endured. For three years Fr. Crosbie & I corresponded until his passing.

In Enemy Hands: A Prisoner in North Korea by Larry Zellers. Great man, great book.

( This was Written By My Sister Diana )

POW ~ MIA ~ You Are Never Forgotten!!!!

Happy Birthday To The United States Marine Corps!!!!

2009-11-10T10:18:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday ~ To The Few ~ The Proud
The United States Marines

Semper Fi

OORAH!!!!

Thank You... To All That Protect & Serve Our Great Country!!!

Once A Marine ~ Always A Marine

God Bless All Of You & Your Families!!!!

Watching 3 yr Olds, Movies & Great Reads

2009-11-02T15:19:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday! Wow... I just realized I hadn't posted since last Monday! Been a little busy here... Friday I filled in for my neighbor who has been sick with that awful H1N1 flu bug... She Babysits her sister's little one... part time during the week. So I spent most of my Friday entertaining a 3 yr old... We had a lot fun! If you've ever had a 3 yr old in the house... You will surely remember that's when that little 3 letter word... WHY... becomes a favorite part of their vocabulary.... Oh my! They are like little sponges at that age! Soaking up everything that you have to say! She is so adorable! I cant wait to help out again! ( I do admit.. I was ready to take a nap after she left! LOL My day with her started at 5:30 am)

I just finished reading a really great book... It was recommended by Shellagh at http://tickingandtoile.blogspot.com/ Thank you Shellagh! You should pop on over to her blog! She is very talented! She just finished a slip cover for her sofa & has done some beautiful renovations in her home!

The book is called.... These Is My Words

Here's a brief summary.....

Sarah Prine knows that "Some people sense is wasted on and that's purely a fact" (62). Readers with sense will not hesitate to dive into These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901. Sarah's story, related as a series of diary entries, may not be polished, but it is absorbing and authentic. From the outset it's impossible not to care about Sarah and her plights (of which there are many).

Sarah writes of a conversation with her father, "He set his hand on my arm, and said, Girl, there's never any turning back in life. But don't you worry, he says. The Lord is watching over us. Then I felt real hollow and low and mean. If He is a watching us, I wish He'd lend a hand now and then" (12). So many abominable events occur in Sarah's life that it would have been easy for her to detach from life and love, but instead she more fully engages. Sarah may be a settler, but she refuses to settle. She transforms herself from an independent, unpolished, uneducated young lady into an equally independent, accomplished, learned woman.

What really makes Sarah's story unforgettable, however, is the story of the love between Sarah and Jack. The romance is delectable as, having been scarred from her previous loveless marriage, Sarah fights her feelings for army hero Captain Jack Elliot from day one.

The way she expresses her feelings is most humorous with thoughts like, "That man makes me feel like I have my bonnet on backwards" (148). Her dawning realization that Jack's love is forever, deep, and true is moving and authentic. On their wedding night, Jack shows her the healing power of love: "Then he kissed again, And one for the heart, where the wounds are deepest" (216).

This historical frontier novel by Nancy E. Turner is inspired by the life of her great-grandmother in the Arizona territories in the late 19th century. Sarah's story continues in Turner's other works Sarah's Quilt and The Star Garden.

I was happy to find that the story continues in 2 more books!

I also recommend another BBC production I just finished watching... Based on a novel written by the same author of North & South.... Elizabeth Gaskell's " Wives and Daughters"

Elizabeth Gaskell's enchanting tale of romance, scandal, and intrigue in a gossipy English town comes to Masterpiece Theatre in a lavish four-part production of Wives and Daughters, adapted by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies.

Davies, who wrote the scripts for such Masterpiece Theatre classics as A Rather English Marriage, Moll Flanders, the House of Cards trilogy, and Middlemarch, found Wives and Daughters to be perfect costume-drama material. It posed a rather interesting problem: Gaskell died just before completing the book. She was obviously aiming at a happy ending, and Davies has supplied the lost denouement with surprise and style.

"Wives and Daughters is about the ordinary mysteries of life," says producer Sue Birtwistle, previously responsible for the BBC's Pride and Prejudice and Masterpiece Theatre's King Lear. "[It's about] where love comes from, how it grows, how it can break our hearts, how it can bring happiness and fulfillment. It's about the mistakes we make and the secrets we have to keep."

The costumes, set's & scenery were beautiful! If you like Pride & Prejudice & North & South... Then I think you will like this one too! As with the others... Keep the tissues handy....

Hope all of you are having a Wonderful Day!! Blessings ~ T ♥

Design Your Dream Kitchen

2009-10-26T11:27:00.006-04:00

Design Your Dream Kitchen

I just received this in an e-mail & wanted to share it with you!

Hubby & I want to Reno our Kitchen someday soon... So I'm always on the lookout for Awesome Ideas!
You can click on the link above & it will take you to the Good Housekeeping site & you can see the complete slide show of this Kitchen Reno...

Here is a sampling of the Before & After Shots...

Before...

After....

Before...

After....

Design Your Dream Kitchen

The kitchen can be the most difficult room to redesign — it's easy to underestimate how much renovations will cost, and even easier to get frustrated by unforeseen complications. Enter the DIY Network's hit show Kitchen Impossible, where expert carpenter and electrician Marc Bartolomeo helps homeowners create the kitchen of their dreams. Bartolomeo teamed up with Good Housekeeping to help newlyweds Eric and Kathryn Hollenbeck update their kitchen for their growing family. Use their simple tricks from this video episode to transform your space and add resale value to your home.

By Stefania Sainato

Click on the Words... Kitchen Impossible above & it will take you to DIY Network... You'll see tons more Ideas from the show!!!

Well I'm off to Clean House & Do Laundry.... & Dream about a new Kitchen! Fun.. Fun.. Fun!

Hope all of you have Wonderful Day!!! ~ T ♥

I Just Found Foodie Friday

2009-10-23T09:57:00.007-04:00

Happy Friday To all of you! Hope all is well with everyone! We had a couple of really beautiful days here... Temps were hanging out in the upper 60's & low 70's... We are expecting a little rain... So looks as though we may have another rainy weekend.. The upside to that is we just planted grass seed in some very bare areas of our front yard... Hoping this will help it grow. The downside...Josh's soccer game will be canceled again & we will be playing soccer till Christmas.. ( not really..at least I hope not!) One thing is for sure.. My house will be full of teenage boys again... But that ok.. Someday they will all be grown & gone & then what will I do? The house will be quiet... What a sad thought! Then I will be praying hard for grandchildren! LOL

My mind has been on food a lot lately.... Not just eating... But trying to figure out what to make for dinner. ( I guess they are kinda the same thing.. LOL). Does anyone else struggle with this? I'm always on the lookout for new recipe's & ideas... I happened across some new Blogs this week & would like to share them with you! The first is Dining With Debbie... She Hosts an event every Wednesday called Crock Pot Wednesday.. If you have a favorite Crock Pot Recipe to share.. You can link up your recipe you have posted on your blog.. Here's the link to her Blog....http://diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com/2009/10/crock-pot-wednesday-giveaway-and.html

The second one I came across is Foodie Friday hosted by Gollum... Here's that link...
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ I also posted the link on my sidebar ... You can just click on the picture & it will take you to Designs By Gollum Blog.

Your head will be swimming with recipe idea's!!! & I'm sure you will see some awesome blogs & meet some wonderful people!!

And Here's a Crock Pot Recipe I plan on making this weekend... I think this will be great served over rice.

Spiced Pepper Steak

1 1/2 pounds round steak, cut into strips about 1 x 3-inches
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1/4 cup cold water blended with 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat; brown beef strips quickly. Drain beef and place in crockpot then top with onion.

Combine soy sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and ginger; pour over beef and onion. Cover slow cooker; cook on LOW setting for 6 hours. Add tomatoes and green bell peppers; cook 1 hour longer. Stir cornstarch mixture into the pot; cook on HIGH setting until thickened.
Serves 6.

And for Dessert.... A Yummy Pumpkin Cake Roll.......

EASIER WAY.....I skip the Tea Towel step & flip the cake over onto a clean sheet of parchment paper.. slowly peel off used parchment sheet... sprinkle cake roll with powdered sugar & then roll up in new sheet of parchment till cooled & ready to spread with filling...( You can now usually find rolls of parchment paper in your grocery store.) Excellent stuff for baking! I wouldn't be without it! (You can bake a whole sheet pan of bacon in the oven using parchment paper! Much faster & easier then pan frying & less mess too!)

Pumpkin Cake Roll

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Pumpkin
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
3/4 cup All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
.
Filling:
8 ounces Cream cheese -- softened
4 tablespoons Butter -- or margarine
1 cup Powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

Preparation:

In large bowl, combine eggs and sugar, beating with an electric mixer until thick and light yellow in color. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, mixing until blended. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Spread batter into greased and parchment-paper lined 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan.
Bake at 350 ° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool for 15 minutes. Place cake on clean tea towel sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar. Cool 10 minutes longer. From 10- inch side, roll cake up in towel. Set aside.
While cake is cooling in towel, prepare filling. Beat together cream cheese and butter; stir in powdered sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth.
Unroll cake. Evenly spread filling over cake. Roll up cake (without the towel). Wrap in plastic wrap. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Slice before serving. Keep leftover slices refrigerated. This pumpkin roll freezes well.

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Weekend!! Blessings ~ T ♥

Lost In Blog Land

2009-10-20T13:01:00.012-04:00

Happy Tuesday! We have Sunshine today! Wow! did we get some major rain this past weekend! Josh's soccer game was canceled Saturday due to the rains.. I know.. crazy.. Older son played in heavy rain & sometimes snow!( the fields flood here). So that meant a house full of teenage boys... His friends are always very well behaved.. If you know boys.... As long as you have lots of snacks, pizza & video games... They are happy!

When I was able to have a turn on the computer... I somehow found myself on a Blog that has some Beautiful before & after photos.. I wish I could remember how I wound up there... So I could give proper credit.. But sometimes I get lost in Blog Land... hopping from one blog to another... I look at the clock & cant believe how the time just flies by!! I read on someones blog... They think their desk chair is some sort of time machine that propels you into the future.... How true!

These photos are from Mrs. Howard's Personal Shopper ... Some of you may have seen this before & After already.. but I just had to post it! What a transformation in the after photo! I love the colors & everything about it! so soft & soothing... ( click on photos to enlarge)

Before...

After.....

And a bedroom....Blank Slate....

After.... Soothing & relaxing.... The design on headboard was made using twill tape.... & The Chandelier has a birdcage placed in the middle of it...

I've had a lot of fun browsing her site! So much inspiration & beauty! Here's the link to her site...
http://www.mrshowardpersonalshopper.com/mrs_howard_personal_shopp/before-and-after/

Hope you have fun browsing!!

Sweet Blessings to all of you! ~ T ♥

A Period Drama Romance Video

2009-10-15T23:36:00.003-04:00

Time For Warm Comfort Food

2009-10-13T14:05:00.006-04:00

Happy Tuesday! The weather is really feeling like Autumn here on the East Coast today! & The weather forecaster is predicting a few days of rain starting tomorrow.... So I thought I would cook up a big batch of soup! & thought I would share the recipe with you. This is a traditional Mexican soup that is usually cooked with Pork but I like to use chicken instead. I always double or triple this recipe so we have a lot left over....

Crock Posole

Makes: 8 to 10 servings

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 14-1/2-ounces cans golden hominy, drained ( I use white)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chili peppers, undrained
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 14-1/2 ounces cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin ( I use more! I ♥ cumin!)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
Fat-free dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Place hominy, chili peppers, onion, garlic, chicken, tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, and cumin in a 3-1/2, 4-, or 5-quart crockery cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in cilantro. Garnish each serving with fat-free sour cream, if desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

I also garnish with baked corn tortilla strips... Brush a few soft corn tortilla's with canola oil, stack & use kitchen shears or a pizza cutter to cut into strips... Place on baking sheet & bake until crispy... sprinkle on top of soup & serve with sour cream. Very Yummy!

And for Dessert...... Apple Pandowdy Aka Apple Dowdy

Apple Dowdy is an apple pie baked in a skillet that is served turned upside down.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

pastry for 2 crust pie ( you can use the ready-made found in the refrigerated section of grocery store)
2-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1/4 cup cornstarch
7 cups tart, cored, peeled and sliced apples (about 10 - 12 apples)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, and 1/2 cup pecans. Sprinkle over bottom of 10-inch oven proof skillet. Roll a little more than half of pastry 1/8-inch thick and lay over mixture in bottom of skillet, bringing up to cover sides. Arrange alternate layers of apples, 2 cups brown sugar, cornstarch and remaining pecans in pastry. Roll rest of pastry and lay over top, pressing tightly to sides of pastry in skillet. Prick well with fork. Bake for 1 hour. Turn upside down and serve with whipped cream.

I never turn this out onto a platter... I bake this in a big pottery bowl & spoon it out into individual dishes & serve. I have also made it without the cornstarch... Hubby likes it with Ice Cream & I like it served with just a little whipped cream!
So this is what I'm fixing for dinner! If you try these recipes let me know what you think...

Sweet Blessings to all of you! ~ T ♥

Personalized Gifts

2009-10-09T11:04:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday to all of you! We are having Beautiful weather here on the East Coast! Supposed to get up to around 82 today. I think we are having what's called Indian summer right now. I'm ready for cooler weather though... Its getting a little crazy clothing wise... You never know what to wear....We start out with a chilly morning & then much warmer by afternoon. Oh well... we will have much colder weather soon enough & then I will be wishing for warmer weather. Isn't that always the way?

My mind has been on Christmas shopping.... Every year.. I tell myself.. I'm going to start early. I have picked up a few things here & there... As the children have gotten older its harder & harder to think of what to get them. I always put a lot of thought into each gift. (sometimes too much I think)

I came across this while browsing through the Victorian Trading Co. website... & wanted to share it with you.. I think this would make such a nice personalized gift! All of you talented & crafty friends out there.. I'm sure would have no problem making one of these with your own hands...

It's a personalized Sonnet... I think placed in a Beautiful frame this would make such a thoughtful Gift! If you dont feel confident about making one yourself... Here is the info from Victorian Trading Company... & Here is the link to their site...... http://www.victoriantradingco.com/index.html

A Commissioned Sonnet for a Loved One

A sonnet is a love poem with fourteen lines each comprised of ten syllables that originated during the Italian Renaissance. Sonnet means "little song" in Italian. Originally popularized by Shakespeare, both Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Alfred Lord Tennyson were famous for their sonnets composed during the Victorian era. Polly Claire is a gifted young poet who will create a beautiful, personalized sentiment for your loved one.

The poem will be printed upon archival stationery embellished with a floral border that dates to 1860. Tucked within a beautiful envelope, the sonnet will be secured by a beribonned wax seal, two copies (gift presentation copy and your review copy) will arrive in our lovely gift folio.

(Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. Unfortunately rush service is not available on custom printed items. As this is an original sonnet, the composition will be left to the poet’s discretion and unless type is errored, is non-returnable.)

#i8155

$ 39.95

Hope All of you have a Wonderful Weekend! Blessings ~ T ♥

Lost In Books & Movies

2009-10-07T11:44:00.006-04:00

Happy Wednesday! Hope all is well with everyone! I've been a little preoccupied with some new books I just received.... Like many of you I have a very fond love for magazines & books that have to do with the subject of interior design & decorating.

So this is what I have been up to.... Happily sipping Tea & enjoying these gorgeous books... I'm in love with the Romantic Irish homes book... I have Great Grands that came to America from Ireland... The Gallagher's..... Ireland... A place I would love to visit someday... My Sister & Hubby honeymooned there. We have discussed it... My Sister & I decided that the whole family will travel together someday to visit where some of our ancestors were born. Who knows... we may even find a relative or two...

I also finished a book that I enjoyed reading.... The Frontiersman's Daughter... By Laura Franz

Here's a brief summary & link to the first chapter...

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded.

Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills.

But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption. This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman.

Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Frontiersman’s Daughter, go HERE

I also wanted to share about a movie I just watched... BBC's North & South. Anyone that is a fan of Jane Austen will love this one.... If your anything like me... have the box of tissues handy.... Based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell & starring the very handsome Richard Armitage.... It's a keeper!

Well... there you have it! That is what I have been up to! I just received the movie.. The Inheritance... based on Louisa May Alcott's " lost novel " Have any of you watched it? He doesn't know it yet... but I'm going to try & recruit hubby to watch it with me tonight.. ( poor guy! LOL)

Hope all of you have a Beautiful Day Today! Sweet Blessings ~ T ♥

My Post Card From Paris!

2009-09-18T15:10:00.002-04:00

I was so excited when I checked my mail today ! I received my Postcard from Teri! Teri hosted a giveaway a few weeks ago & my name was one of those drawn to receive a postcard mailed from the Eiffel Tower! When they arrived to mail it they discovered the post office had just shut down that day! What are the chances of that? They were told there was a place to mail items across the street.. You have got to pop on over to her blog! She & Scott.. her husband are taking us with them on some of their adventures... By posting little video clips! So much fun! http://girlmeetsparis.blogspot.com/

Here is my postcard I received!

Thank You Teri & Scott for the Wonderful postcard! ~ Teresa ♥

Happy Wednesday! ~ Fall is in the Air!

2009-09-16T19:26:00.003-04:00

Hello & Happy Wednesday! Well the signs are starting to show... Ahhh.. Fall is almost upon us here on the East Coast... The air is starting to have a little chill in it in the evenings... This is my most favorite time of year... Pumpkins & mulled cider, Sitting by the fire all cozy with a good book... Although my fireplaces are gas... LOL They still give that ambience...

I'm a little late for White Wednesday photos but thought I would share some of the things I picked up recently & have finally gotten around to painting....

I had purchased this Mirror at a little antique shop on our Mountain trip this summer....

Before.....

After..... I like it much better white... What do you think? Although the gold wasn't all that bad.....
The mirror still needs replacing... Wow! I just priced those & they are expensive! They are asking $50 - $60 for this size at the glass shops here...

My little iron hook I found at a shop in Canaan Valley... Its pictured here with the 2 china plates I purchased at the antique shop where I found the mirror.... Are you still with me?.... LOL

After.....

I also wanted to show you a pie safe I have in my kitchen.. ( My children thought it was the ugliest thing they had ever seen... LOL ) This will be moved when we Reno the kitchen... It will be replaced by upper cabinets with glass doors & lower cabinets with a beautiful granite counter top. Now I just have to decide what color & style of cabinets... Someday I'll make up my mind! The antique mirror was mahogany... I forgot to take a before picture... I think it looks pretty in white!

Hope all of you have a Very Lovely Evening!! ~ Blessings T ♥

HomeGoods StyleScope - I'm an Elegant Classic

2009-09-10T17:36:00.001-04:00

I just took this... Know Your Style Quiz from the HomeGoods site. It was shared by LeeAnn... on her Blog ~ Simply Dandy... All I can say is Wow! It's a pretty accurate description of the decorating style I usually lean towards. Take it yourself & see how close it comes to what you think your decorating style is!

Here's how mine turned out...

Teresa, you are an Elegant Classic

You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.
You value serenity. While there are probably a lot of interesting things in your home, they are joined by your taste or a certain palette that keeps them in harmony. You appreciate the beauty in simple forms. Whether fancy or plain, you appreciate things that are well made and function as well as they look. You also have a strong respect for the environment and craftsmanship. You care about how things are made, and how they are used.

Pretty Neat! To take the quiz go here.

Sweet Blessings to Everyone! ~ T ♥

Precious People ~ Special Gifts

2009-09-09T09:23:00.004-04:00

Hello & Happy Wednesday! We have been a little busy around here... We decided to have a yard sale this past weekend... Boy oh Boy! is that a lot of work! We weren't sure what was going to happen ... Being a holiday weekend. But we had a pretty good turnout... Got rid of lots of stuff.. So it was worth all the effort. I was so busy I forgot to take pics of the tables after we had everything set up.

I also wanted to share some pics of the special gifts I won from my Dear Sweet Friend Becky from Hearth and Home... I received the package on my Birthday! I had such a Wonderful Birthday this year!

Becky had little notes with each item... She is so organized! The lavender pillow sachets smell wonderful! a beautiful birdie box to store things in...I think the sweet little doilies would look pretty pressed between the glass of a serving tray! She tucked in some special gifts for me! She has such a giving heart!

She makes Beautiful cards! & she tucked these inside my package! So Pretty! & an adorable journal that has a little verse that says.. Don't let yesterday use up too much of today! I need to keep reminding myself of that! Thank you again Becky! I love all of these beautiful gifts!

Please keep Becky & her family in your prayers... Her Daddy is very sick & will be going home to be with the Lord soon...

Sweet Blessings to all of you ~ T ♥

I Won!

2009-08-31T12:11:00.001-04:00

Wow! This is so exciting!! I entered a giveaway on the Blog that I follow.... Girl Meets Paris .http://girlmeetsparis.blogspot.com/

Her name is Teri & she is getting ready to leave for Paris in September! ( Lucky Girl!) I cant wait to see pictures & hear about her trip!

She just hosted a really neat giveaway... 4 lucky winners will receive a Postcard mailed from the Eiffel Tower!! Isnt that cool!! & My name was one of those drawn by her Husband Scott & her youngest daughter.. Thank you so much for drawing my name!!

I will post a pic here on my Blog when I receive it!

Teri... I cant wait to receive my Postcard from you!! Thank you so much for hosting such a fun giveaway! ~ T ♥

Very Nice Birthday!

2009-08-24T22:40:00.003-04:00

A Big Hello to everyone! Today I celebrated my 40 something Birthday! Had a lovely day.. Although It had one little glitch... I had forgotten about renewing my driver's license. So off to the DMV I went. Spent about an hour waiting... It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be... Then met Hubby at the Tea Room.. We had a very nice lunch together. Another great thing... this Tea Room is connected to an Antique shop.... So I was also able to do my favorite thing... Antiquing!

I arrived home to some Beautiful flowers in a teacup sent to me by my Big Sister Diana! She is so special to me!! I Love her!! & My Big Box of goodies that Becky sent arrived too! She included some very special things in addition to what I had won in the drawing! Everything is Beautiful Becky!! Thank you! You are so thoughtful & generous! I'll share pics of this in my next post...So many wonderful surprises in one day!

My Hunk surprised me with these Roses when I woke up this morning! Very Beautiful! He does some of the most wonderful things for me!!

And this is what I bought myself! LOL We have needed a new toaster oven for sometime now... I couldn't resist this pink one! We have been using our daughter's since she moved out of her college dorm.. Jess... You can come pick up your toaster oven now... Not only is this one pink... It makes some really great toast too! What a wonderful Birthday!!

Good Night Everyone! ~ T ♥

Anyone Need A Little Cooling Off ? ~ Picture for White Wednesday

2009-08-19T13:06:00.004-04:00

This is for all of you that need a little coolness right now..... Hope Everyone has a Wonderful Wednesday! ~ T ♥

Videos Of Blackwater Falls & Night Around The Campfire

2009-08-17T14:02:00.005-04:00

Pictures Of The Mountain Castle

2009-08-15T18:33:00.012-04:00

This place where we stay in the mountains of WV is so Beautiful, Peaceful & Serene... This is the Lodge of Black Bear Resort. Where all the business takes place... They have a pool, putt - putt golf course, Tennis court, volley-ball area, hiking trails & That little lake... Is stocked with some mighty Big fish.. Catch & release... Do I sound like a travel guide? LOL

This is the view as your driving up to the cabin... internet provided by satellite.. Our slow as molasses laptop gave out on us the last couple of days.. We were all having internet withdraw symptoms... LOL

The cabins are built on a pedestal... Pretty neat design... They offer all different sizes & even have condo suites. We stay in the largest with 3 levels.. We never know who is going to pop in for a visit.. Josh was so funny... When we arrived back home & walked in our house he said... What... did this place shrink or something while we were gone... LOL

The upper & lower decks are very roomy! Great for a big family cookout..

The kitchen has a really neat drawer microwave right below the cooktop with a little chef that bows to you & says enjoy when the timer is done. ( doesn't take much to impress me.. LOL ) The oven is built into the island.

View of the living room... We seriously need a new camera! These pics don't really show the beauty of this house & decor very well...

The dining room.. The Decor is a a wonderful mix of antiques with new...Loved the wagon wheel seat & Old Barn siding on the walls...

This dining room table is really cool! Made out of huge logs...

The fireplace is really pretty... but I was a little disappointed because it's gas.. I have that here at home... Nothing like the sound & smell of a crackling wood fire!! The other cabin we stayed in for 2 years has a wood burning fireplace... But we love the way this one is decorated. & we visited my Sister & family at their camp just about every night & enjoyed a roaring fire with them.

Here are views of 2 of the bedrooms... We forgot to take pics of the upstairs Master bedroom & the downstairs. I'll take pics to share next year ; )

The view leading downstairs... There is a little locked closet door in the stairwell wall... hmmm wonder what's in there ?....

Well that's all for now... I have videos to share of the falls & a night around the camp fire. Until next time.. Hope your day is wonderful! Thanks for visiting!! Love ~ T ♥

Missing The Mountains Already!

2009-08-13T15:31:00.005-04:00

Happy Thursday to Everyone! Well.... We came down off the mountain top Tuesday & I have to say I miss it so much already!! I will live in the mountains someday! I know I should be Very Thankful... & I am.. we live in a Beautiful area surrounded by water. But... I have never been much of a beach person. The love of mountains must be in my DNA! My Mom was born & raised in the mountains so I guess its in my blood! My Mom recently said... All your troubles just seem to disappear when your up in the mountains.... How true Mom! How very true!

A couple of posts back I mentioned we had done some antiquing while on our trip... Here is one of the antique shops we visited. Lots of goodies to look at...It's housed in a really old building they are restoring.. I bet these iron balconies were really pretty at one time..

when I asked the girl behind the counter if we could take some pics... She looked at us kinda funny. I told her the pics were for my blog... She still looked at me funny... LOL

There was an adorable little french chair I almost bought.. Good thing I didnt because we couldnt see out of our back truck window after we were all packed up for our trip back home! LOL

Here's the French style Mirror I found for $30... I plan to paint it white & I'll need to replace the mirror. Cant wait to see what it looks like after!

The 2 sweet little limoges dishes I found. I liked the one with the cabbage roses so much... I totally missed that chip on the side! ( If you enlarge the picture you can see it better) The iron hook I found at a little shop in Canaan Valley. Just today I painted it white.. It's going in my kitchen to hang a pretty apron on. (The owner of the shop.. Ginny has invited us back up in the winter to teach us skiing & snowboarding... She said.. can you believe it?! I'm 68 & still a ski instructor!! ) That would be sooo much fun!

Going to get busy on that mirror... I'll post pics when it's finished.

Hope all of you have a great night! ~ T ♥

The Mountains Shall Bring Peace To The People ~ Psalm 72:3

2009-08-02T22:20:00.009-04:00

Greetings From The Mountain Top! Hope Everyone has had a wonderful Sunday! The temps here have been beautiful! upper 70's during the day & 50's at night.. just like last year. Here we are...enjoying each others company & breathing fresh mountain air! So very relaxing. ...

The first day we joined the do-nothing club... LOL

Then we decided to try some mountain biking... Well sorta... The trails here are really made for walking. Goodness Gracious! I just about keeled over on those up hill climbs! Did lots of walking the bike on those! LOL

Below is the view from our porch... Very beautiful scenery... It seems to rain each night while we are sleeping... but by late morning things clear up & Mr Sun comes out bright & shining.... still a bit hazy in this shot though...

Here's a shot of the castle...That's what my sister calls these cabins...

We decided to do a little antiquing today.. My all time favorite thing to do... I found a few nice pieces... A french style mirror... ( one of my addictions! I love antique mirrors!) & a couple of sweet little pieces of limoges china with roses. I'll share pics of these goodies in my next post.

Until next time...Peace & Blessings to all of you! ~ T ♥

~ Almost Heaven ~

2009-07-30T09:41:00.003-04:00

Hello! & Happy Thursday to everyone! Hope you all have had a great week so far! I've been busy here washing & packing for our annual trip up to the mountains. Trying to figure out what to bring... Last year it was in the 7o's during the day & dipped down in the 5o's at night. Beautiful weather! It was great because we got to have a big roaring fire in our fireplace every night & not have to crank the ac up to do it! LOL ( You have to have a fire in the fireplace while in the mountains! Its a must!) I thought I would share some pics with you from our trip last year. Our camera doesnt do the beautiful scenery justice...

If you have never been up to the mountains... You should go... It does something wonderful for the soul....

I'm hoping to see a bear this year! .... From a VERY safe distance that is! Hopefully I'll be able to post from the mountain top! I wish all of you a Wonderful Weekend! ~ T

New to the world of Blogging

2009-07-14T18:58:00.000-04:00

Hello! & Welcome to my new Blog! Im so excited! this is my first attempt at blogging. Its been a beautiful day here near the Chesapeake Bay. Lots of sunshine. I just got back from my annual dental cleaning so my teeth feel great! & no cavities ~ Yay! I have the best Dentist & Dental Hygienist! My dentist is about 7 ft tall & my Hygienist is a very sweet friend of mine. It's so nice when you feel comfortable going to the Dentist! I spotted something on the front desk while I was waiting to be called back. Uh Oh... is that hand made jewelry I see? Yes! Yes! One of the sweet ladies behind the counter makes jewelry! Her name is Joanne.. I found a beautiful turquoise bracelet to add to my collection. Wow! Who can say they went to the Dentist & purchased jewelry at the same time! Makes that annual 6 month visit that much better! Thanks Joanne! Hope Everyone has a great night! ~ Teresa