Thank you, Nancy

 

 

This is what I was gifted through the virtual Tea Party on Splitcoast.  It's all about enjoying a 'cuppa' with your crafty friends via the net and it's been a really fabulous way to connect with people you enjoy that are just too far away.

 

I love to do paper crafting, although I'm not so great at it.  So it's loads of fun for me to see everyone else's creativity with ink and paper.  Nancy made me a beautiful tea box, filled with teas.  A lot of time and thought went into this sweet project and I'm so glad to have it on my kitchen counter.  She also sent a nice bag of coffee that I can't wait to try.  I was equally thrilled to see a candy bar, but as I was taking the pictures of my goodies the candy seemed to start moving...

 

Thank you, Nancy, for a wonderful Tea Party gift!  I hope you enjoyed the 'cuppa' and chatting with friends. 

 

Now I am motivated to do some paper crafting of my own with all the sweet notions she sent me. 

Right after I finish that tree skirt!

 

 

 



Chocolate Chip Cake

 

 Way back when, at a time that I worked 'outside' the home...  I knew a really, truly lovely lady who baked a lot.  And she would bring homemade goodies to our office often.  I don't know where she got her recipes, but they were unusual (to me anyway) and they were delicious!  They were simple recipes, many from boxed mixes, but with a twist. 

 

I love to collect recipes not only because I love to eat good food, but because I like to think of the person or place the recipe came from.  So as I was rummaging through my recipe box I came across this old Chocolate Chip Cake recipe that Jacquie had given to me years ago.  Again, I don't know the original source, but I can at least credit Ms. Jacquie with it for now. 

 

Chocolate Chip Cake:

 

1 box yellow cake mix

3 eggs

1 box chocolate or vanilla instant pudding

8 oz. sour cream

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

 

Mix all together x 4 minutes. 

Fold in 8 oz. chocolate chips.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes. 

 

Of course, you want to grease and flour your pans.  I used a Bundt pan just because it feels special somehow.   And it looks pretty on a plate. 

 

There is no direction in her recipe to put icing on the cake, but I always have some chocolate icing on hand to please the little people.  Never too much chocolate...

 

So Young Man was in a class for 10 hours the other day and I used that as my excuse.  Yep, we were celebrating a big day with a warm, homemade cake when he got home.  I'll find any reason to celebrate! 

 

Try one for yourself.  It may be a new favorite of yours, too!

 

And this is what I woke up to today.  Apparently breakfast is the most important meal of the day after all.  Just look at Axle's face!  (He's the tuxedo one...)  Ha!  He kills me. 

 

So your lesson for today is:  Breakfast is important and eat cake.

 

Well, not cake for breakfast, but you know what I mean.

 

(Although, it has been done here....  with coffee....) 

 

xoxo 

 

 



Home Sweet Home

We've been out-and-about a bit lately, finishing up summer.  I'm thankful we are not having sweltering heat and dry, brown grass...   I love that things are still looking lush and green.  The flowers in the garden are blooming like crazy!  I've really enjoyed bringing them inside,( after careful inspection for shiny, black spiders, of course).  It seems that summer has flown by.  We've tried to incorporate some fun and relaxation into our random summer schedule, but somehow it just seems we've been busier than ever.  We've tried to take the kids on a few summer getaway type outings, but it honestly felt like everything cost too much and it was more work than rest.  Everyone ended up more tired than refreshed.   I'm so glad to be home.

I still have more squash than I know what to do with, so it's being hidden in peach muffins and everywhere else I can think to stash it!  I have pulled some of the plants out that were really wilted and looking done.  It was a happy celebration, actually.  I mean, I do love the whole Garden Growing thing and am Very grateful to have Garden Success, but there comes a time when enough is enough.  Those gorgeous squash plants took over a huge space and it's nice to clean up that area somewhat now. 

Looking forward to fall is similar to going into spring for me.  It's another time of clean up and renewal.  Time to prepare for cooler months ahead. Cleaning up the yard, preparing for a warmer house, and stocking the bookshelves for the school year ahead.  Boy, we have a lot going on! 

I'm looking into some new insulating type curtains for the Hearth Room, but something that still allows light in.  It's time to crochet more valances (that actually become valances!) and I really need to work on some pillow covers.  I have a lot of ideas and not as much time!  I do happen to have some pictures of what happened to all that blue yarn to show you!  Oh, and I've been working on that Ripple like crazy!  It's grown so much and I truly think I'm loving it now.  Not that I'd do the same wild color thing again.  You know, I need more structure and control, lol... 

So I have some updates to share and will be back real soon with those. 

Happy day to you!



Fresh Cherries, Berries and Cream

Hello Sweet Friends! 

Are you enjoying any fresh, spring produce yet?  If you don't grown your own, the little markets should be peddling local goodies by now. 

We have a few cherry trees here at the Hearth Room.  Actually, I knew of 2 of them.  Only just last week did we realize we have a few more along our back property line.  Now, we do NOT have a large property by any means, but we do have a row of Leland Cypress trees that block the view of our back fence.  A little exploring up there while picking cherries revealed a few little trees we didn't know about.

We love picking cherries from our trees.  It's such a relaxing, yet exciting thing to do.  The joy of seeing the ripened fruit and knowing it's just there outside your door.  The kids especially love it.  We are teaching Sweet P. to spit pits!  Silly, I know, teaching a girl to spit - of all things....  But this time it's really necessary!  Young Man is a pro at it, of course...

It's such a fun idea to have a fresh snack growing so handy right beside the garden.  Work a while, snack from the tree, back to work...

Aren't they enticing?  Each little cherry seems redder than the last, so you don't know when to stop picking!  Just one more... OOoo... Look at that one, up there!

After lots of picking there is a lot of washing.  This alone seems to be a fun, new game to some.

And lots of fresh munching, (and pit-spitting)...

Then we start baking with cherries.  This was a cobbler recipe I came across, but it actually turned out to be more of a cake, if you ask me.  It's a bit sweet and I look forward to tweaking this recipe the next time I make it.  I will be glad to share that when I do it.

After the baking, we still have more cherries to preserve.  I have prepared some to freeze as pie filling and some to use in smoothies, but I think it's time to learn to make jams or preserves.  Especially before the blackberries come on.

And then there are the strawberries...  Not that our little beds are producing much yet, but we have been given some plump, red berries that needed to be served up properly.  So it was Very Necessary to make a shortcake.  Now, if you know me at all, you know that Granny taught me (almost) everything good that I know!  And part of all my Granny Goodness involves cooking.  This shortcake is no exception, but are you ready for this??  She always used the Bisquick Shortcake recipe!  And you know what?  It never disappoints! 

We don't use much that comes out of a box here at the Hearth Room, but we make an exception for this one!

Adding just a touch of cream from our local Homestead Creamery and it's just perfect!

Oh, and I also learned that if one is making a shortcake with sugared strawberries and one runs out of sugar, that brown sugar works Really well!

I have also been soooo excited over a magazine that is New To Me...  It is MaryJane's Farm...  And I just want to share it with you in case you've not yet discovered it yourself.  I have some family members who have an organic farm, Woodland Harvest Farm, and my cousin recently sent some old magazines my way, ( which is always welcomed!).  In the mix was the past years worth of MaryJane's Farm.  This magazine is as beautiful as it is  helpful.  It's so chock full of gardening and organic living tips and ideas, but it is gorgeous and feminine!  I LOVE it!  I can't believe I've been missing out on this for so long.  Now I look forward to afternoon tea time when the kids are having their quiet time, so I can really concentrate on some MaryJane Goodness.  Yes, I know, it is competing with my crochet time!

Ahhh....  A whole year to enjoy catching up on.  Lovely...

On a side note, the garden it growing lots of pretty, young things right now!  I love the fresh, new green colors.  This beet was pulled just in order to thin a bit more, but it was eaten rather quickly, as it didn't make it into the house.

Another thing that has been eaten fresh from the garden is our cabbage.  Although, not by us!  We have some slug or caterpillar critters having a great munch on the cabbages, so I have made some homemade, natural pesticide to try!  This is my concoction of chopped garlic, water, cayenne pepper and natural dish washing liquid.  I've been out and doused our bothered veggies, so I'll let you know how it goes!

xoxo

p.s.  I'm still studying the valance/apron!

The Beauty of Williamsburg

A visit with history and spring gardens:

Sunshine and rain and interesting trees,

Making new friends,

Dreaming of little cottage life,

Marveling at beautiful iron fences,

(and the fact that some of these homes are actually private residences - right in the middle of Colonial Williamsburg!),

Visiting cute shops and galleries,

Being amazed at the height of these flowers,

Still in amazement, as some are about as tall as a person,

Realizing that I really have a thing for chimneys and roof tops,

And fresh peach pie from the farmers' market that just happened to be taking place while there,

Moss covered roofs,

Woodwork,

Elements coming together beautifully,

Loving weather vanes,

Wondering just how close this little fella was willing to get to us, (frightening close, actually, and that's coming from me - lover of almost all critters),

Realizing that I cannot have a ladder on top of our roof because my little people would reside up there,

Visiting Williamsburg Lodge and remembering how very much I love this simple yet beautiful style,

Thinking I really should incorporate some of this in at least one area of home,

Falling in love all over again with the colors and the needlepoint seen regularly in this decor,

Enjoying the folk art,

Finding butterflies in the carpet,

And finding little treasures like this tea that enabled us to bring a bit of our trip home with us.

Thanks for sharing our visit with us.

xoxo



Going Green

Going Green is such a HUGE thing, isn't it?  Well, this post has more to do with the actual color than the 'going of green'.... although, I have been trying to learn about ways to incorporate more 'green' into our lives here at the Hearth Room.  For instance, making our own laundry detergent and soaps, natural facial cleansers and shampoos, and using natural oils as moisturizers have topped my list of must-do's lately.  I can share more about that later, but just as I was full-swing into making a facial cleanser with yogurt and olive oil I spotted this Spearmint Stripes yarn.  You may remember that it jumped into my cart...??  Anyway, it was just a great green stripey yarn to accommodate my green facial cleansing.  Not to mention that I HAD to TRY this STAR STITCH  that I read about on Jules' blog over at little woolie.  This top photo shows my little bitty star stitch washcloth in the center there.  I just did the star stitch pattern until I felt it was a good size and then did a border around it with single crochet. 

And here are all six of the face cloths I have made with Spearmint Stripes.  So far....  There are 2 basic granny squares, the star stitch with border, one was made using single crochet where you skip one ch and then do 2 sc in the next...  Nice fabric.  Another cloth was made the same way, but using half double crochets instead of singles...  still skipping one stitch and 2 hdc in the next.  The last cloth on the back right was just a very small swatch with the end of the Spearmint Stripes.  Then I bordered it around and around with sc.  I then did one border of a different green yarn I had on hand.

This is the hdc cloth.

The basic granny and the 'leftover' swatch....  Spearmint Stripes is made by Peaches and Cream, but I couldn't find a good link to it at the time of this post.  Since I found it in a Big Mart store you can probably get it almost anywhere! 

And while I was rummaging around looking for the camera battery I found this lovely packet of seeds!  I picked these seeds up last year and obviously misplaced them...  Ahem.  Well, I'm happy to have found them!  I love the packet with the cute 'Axle-like' kitty on the front.  Don't you just love seed packets?  I already have some catnip growing in pots on the patio so I'm not sure if I'll use these seeds yet.  Although, I have found my catnip to be quite mushed down and munched up lately.  I actually did catch one very adorable "Ginger" cat IN my flower pot recently...  We talked about it and I think she's opting to leave the nip alone until it's better established so she can go all-out bonkers later!  Our Big Boy, Fritz, is really a problem where catnip is concerned, but he cannot get his tubby bottom off the ground to leap into this particular pot.  Ha!  I have at least won that battle!

Speaking of seeds and planting, I had some pretty papers laid out to work on the new gardening journal, as well as this old green notebook when I spotted this pretty shadow on them.  I'm taking my time making this garden journal, as I really want to find an old book to use as a cover or to repaper and add pockets to, instead of using a notebook.  My quest for an old book continues...

 

Did you read my post about Favorite Baby Crochet?  Did you see this book called Little Crochet?  This sweet baby toy ball pattern is in Little Crochet.  It is so pretty and stripey I had to try it.  There is a bell inside the ball to add even more interest. 

Actually, I put a couple different sized bells inside a plastic Easter egg and put it in the center of my stuffing.  It makes nice little jingle sounds whenever it's tossed about.  Sweet P loves it.  And it's great to have a ball that Young Man can toss with her that I don't have to worry about her getting knocked out by, lol!

This was really fun to make and very easy.  I used some of my Knit Picks yarn on hand...  It's the Shine Worsted yarn I'm using for my Ripple, (yes, the Ripple is still being hooked on occasionally!)  I truly LOOOOOVVVE that yarn!  It is Pima Cotton and Modal.  Scrummy, yummy, soft.... Um.  I'll try to remember to get a new picture of the Ripple to show you soon. 

I have to share this in case you haven't seen it:  This was one of the recent Knit Picks catalogs and it is so GORgeous.  See what they did there with the yarn on the cover?!  Yarny Flowers.  You know I love that!  They look like little marigolds to me.  Or maybe they could be a field of poppies?

And speaking of kid things, we had a little tea party here at the Hearth Room recently...  I was actually participating in a 'virtual' tea party online at Splitcoast Stampers and the kids and I had a little tea party of our own prior to that.

They had big fun making tea in various pots and serving up fish crackers on Sweet P's little tea set.

For the 'virtual' tea party I had a hard time deciding what type of tea to make, so several pots got brought out...

Ultimately, it was Earl Grey that won out to accommodate my lemon apricot crepes with mozzarella.  Yum!

So I've been very domestic around here, as usual.  Laughing to myself... When am I not domestic?  I'll have to really ponder that and consider what classifies as non-domestic in my world...

Anywho, just laundry and picking up, and bits of crochet time mixed in where able.  School is winding down which allows me more wiggle-room for working in bits of fun with yarn.  The house is feeling cleaner and it feels good to be ahead of the chores some days.  You know that feeling you get after you rearrange all the furniture in a room?  Well, I did that yesterday, so I feel like I have a new bedroom.  Same old stuff, different location, good clean feeling.

Oh, that awesome RED star square above?  I'm in love...  it's still in process of becoming something great, (I hope), so I'll be back with more REALLY soon on that.  Just as soon as I can remember my original inspiration and design!

Have a lovely day, friends!