Cold Monday

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Hey there!! Well I am at the cancer center with my mom again today so thought I would post again! So cannot wait to get my internet and puter fixed at home!! I used to post almost every day or so and now just here and there. Thank you to everyone for being patient and for following my little blog. My last post I told yall there were many changes in my life and one being single again but its all good! I am having a great time with the new man in my life and his wonderful family. We have 2 dogs Jax and Tank. Jax goes to market with me every week (Buster you will always be my number one market buddy!!) but Jax does very well, he is a little mix that looks like a small fox and made quite an impression on customers this summer. I am very thankful to have him in my life yall know I couldnt be without dogs in my life. Tank is my boyfriends dog and goes to work with him everyday and he is a very smart 5 month old. Jax will be a year old for halloween! We were just visited by 2 very sweet special rehab furry kids here at the center, one was a big retriever and the other a little pug, both were very sweet. I regret not taking the time to take Buster Brown more regularly to visit people in nursing homes or hospitals he had the perfect disposition and loved everything and everyone. A specail one of a kind furry kiddo who is greatly missed baby!! Well my mom is up now so I am off to sit with her and play yahtzee!! Love our little game time together! Have a blessed Monday I promise I will be back soon!! Winter Market in South Haven starting this sat!! 10-1 at FOUNDRY HALL on Eagle Street!! I am also doing Bronson Hospital Winter Market starting in november in Kalamazoo!! HUGS YALL!!

sorry been MIA~~~

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~   HEY YALL!!!!  OMG!~!   It has been a year and I will be thrilled when 2013 is over!~!
This year has been full of turmoil in my life and my family!  I wont bore you with all the details but want to say I am so sorry for being gone so incredibly long believe me I  HAVE SO MISSED BLOGGING!!  I dont have my puter hooked up and am using a local one right now to post this but plan on being around more and sharing my life again!! Just right now I will say my life has been completely flipped upside down and what a roller coaster ride it has been!!~
I will say I am thankful for the Good Lord above because I never thought I was as strong of a person as I have found out I am.  Thanks MOM!!!  I love you for that and for always being here for me!!      I did loose my bestest friend BUSTER our lab boxer dog this summer which was a complete shock and never expected that!!  Buster Brown mommy loves and misses you very much and thinks of you everyday baby!!  He is in heaven with his brother Bubba!!
Before I start balling I will stop and say that life is good even with all the challenges I have faced and been forced to face!! 
I have been busy at markets and enjoying trying new things and hope to be able to share them with you again very soon.   Miss my laptop but it is in repair and hopefully will be fixable.   I have an android smartphone but dang there is so many things on that phone I still have to learn!! WOW what a great tool it is!!

I hope and pray yall have had a most blessed year and stop back often as I promise to be around more now that life is calming down a bit!  Winter markets starting in a couple of weeks!
 HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
Be back soon!
Thanks yall!!
HUGS!!

graphic 45 project & baking

Hey yall!!
AHHH March and spring is coming!! Spring is coming, Spring is coming, Spring is coming!! repeat over and over when needed!!  LOL we are getting a snow storm right now but everything we get will be gone by the end of the week it is suppossed to be up to the 50s and rainy this weekend!!

So I bought the new french country paper pack from Graphic 45 and love it!!  I think I even need another one! LOL  I am going to try out for the design team so will be working on projects this week and will share here!

First up is an altered chipboard 6x6 mini recipe album I did.

Here is the first pages, I used my Tim Holtz distressing inks on each page and embellishment, yepper yall know how much I love distressing!!

I combined some of my fresh market papers by My Minds Eye with the graphic 45 papers/embellishments to create lovely layers.

Front of the book.  Each page has pockets to hold some special recipes or to jot down some special moments while baking with the kids/family.  Vintage seam binding and ribbons are tied to the book ring. 

Inside pages are full of embellises!  I added some Prima flowers, ribbons, fibers and assorted papers. 

Love all the chickens!! Of cource!

Attached to the ring in between each page there are some index cards added for recipes. 

Had to add some "bling" with gems/rhinestones.  Prima flowers and a piece of an old vintage measuring tape make this page unique.

There are several tags throughout the book in the page pockets for additional comments.  And I found some vintage lace trims in my stash so those made it in book too. 

Buttons seam binding and more tags. 

Love this page best!!  Chickens & Roosters along with some old red rick rak and a couple prima flowers and buttons!!  I took the tags out from the corner pocket for the pic.

And another page with roosters and flowers!! love love love!!

 So that is it for the book.  And onto some of the baking we did for market.

This is a mixture of white cheeses, sauteed spinach in garlic infused olive oil, sauteed mushrooms and some herbs.

Mixed in were a couple of eggs and of cource salt and pepper to make a nice filling for our savory crostada we did.

Ready to be brushed with an egg wash and then in the oven they will go!

I made this filling for my pie pockets and also for the crumb bars.  Cooked apples with blueberries, red raspberries, black berries and some honey cooked until it thickened. 

These are going to be the pie pockets.  Love the little scalloped edges. 

I cut out a little apple for the top of the pie pocket then top with a bit of turbinado sugar.

Arent these guys adorable!!  I love making them and oh they taste scrumptious!! 

Crostada baked up with some parm cheese on top.

They are perfect and oh the crispy crust and soft chewy center!! too yummy~~

Blackberry lemon bread loaves. 

This what we woke up to the other morning.  So fluffy pretty and peaceful!

That is it for right now!!  I will be back really soon with more projects and more baking of cource!!

Hugs

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Snowy day here

Hey yall!! WOW what a storm we had last night!!   We experienced snow in the am, rain mid afternoon and snow and ice last night!! BUT it is most beautiful out there!! the snow is just clumped on everything.  Here's a couple of pics I took when I went out to do chores this am.

My poor birdies, their feeders were iced up so I cleaned em up and put more seed out, they were happy and came back asap.

Looking out to our deck

This tree is gorgeous!****

LOVE SNOWY DAYS!!***

hazelnut sandie cookies

nice n golden brown

My grandmother Rose's english muffin bread all baked.  They are so aromatic and toasted with some butter and sorghum......yummo!!

had to take a taste of warm out of the oven bread~~~it doesnt get better than homemade warm bread

Susan made a batch of almond macarons!! they are waiting to get in the oven and do their magic!!

I also made some chocolate chip cookies, some brown sugar shorbread cookies, some of our "eggcellent" egg or challah bread and some foccacia and coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate.  Productive day and we are ready for market tomorrow!!

I also bought a few things for the new house, sanded and primed a few more of the kitchen cabinets and picked out a nice cafe latte color for the base of the cabinets.  We are going to go look at tiles this weekend to make our own backsplash in the kitchen.  FUN stuff!!  She should be ready to rent by early summer!!  and boy it could also be our summer place away from home LOL only 8 miles away!!

Hope yall have a wonderful weekend and stay warm and safe out there in this wintry weather!!

HUGS

Darlene

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~~and SIMPLY~~

Kitchen cabinet re do

Hey yall!! WOW It has been like forever since I posted here!! so sorry!! This year came in like a whirlwind and is spinning us around.  Tons of emotions and tons of projects and tons of new recipes and ohhhhhhhhhh not nearly enough hours in the day!!  I so think I am becoming obsessed to make and do as much as possible in a short amount of time and in doing so am loosing my mind and whatever little and I do mean little organizational skills I do have!! LOL  All is good!!  Life is good!!
So hubby bought a small farm, I am in shock yet but not going into details I just didnt know about it til it was a done deal.   There is a darling old 1900s farm house that needs some updating.   Paneling in every yes every room!  LOL but I can fix that!!  We are going to plan on renting this house out for summer weekend or weekly rentals it is between 2 nice tourist towns and would make a great country retreat.   My first project is doing the dark brown kitchen cabinets into shabby, farmhousey, primitive rustic country love!  I fell deeply in love with the sagey green color paint I bought for my snowmen signs and have lots of that so on it goes!!

So here is part of the kitchen.  These cabinets are really built solid and heavy.   I like the details on the inlay but as you can see are dated.   Ok my friend referred to the wallpaper on this wall "willy wonka lick paper" LOL that is gone!!  ripped off quickly. 

After sanding and applying a light coat of primer the first one is painted.  This is only one coat but it did cover pretty well I thought. 

I  applied a bit of antiquing medium and then drybrushed some white here and there. 

I love that color so much couldnt wait to hang em back and see if this color would work.  They looked plain so with some drybrushed black around the edges that made em pop!

Here they are up and looking pretty good,  I loved the handles so farmhousey, I was at first going to paint them either black or white, but I like the patina on them just sanded a bit and they look good.  So now to figure out what color to paint the bases I dont like all the dark wood around the doors.  I am leaning towards a nice light almond or cream or maybe even light off white that can be distressed and antiqued up to match.  WHAT are your thoughts??

And I did make up a new item for market last week a spinach and cheese crostada!! OH MY what a delish and pretty treat that was!~!

flaky pie crust with the addition of a bit of cornmeal topped with the steamed fresh spinach, ricotta, parmesan, and romano cheeses, and a bit of seasonings

buttermilk biscuits

I did do a nice egg wash on top so they browned up beautifully. 

 here is a better clearer pic of the rustic crostada. 

and another cabinet one. Gee I wondered where that pic went to!! LOL

Hope yall have a great day I will be sharing all I do on the farmhouse and surely wanting opinions so please leave em for me!!

THANKS

HUGS

Darlene

 AND THIS SATURDAY FEB 2nd IS THE ICE BREAKER FESTIVAL IN SOUTH HAVEN MI!~ stop on by we have a great market and some wonderful vendors/crafters coming for ya!!

~~LIVE LIFE JOYFULLY~and SIMPLY~~