Using What I Have on Hand

I confess I am a fabric hoarder. I buy fabric and if I really love it I hate to cut it. I have fabric I bought to make curtains for my daughter's nursery that has never been cut and she is 25! I have fabric that I have been given, fabric I have bought, thrifted, etc. Some of what I have isn't my favorite so I don't want to make anything out of it. So why don't I get rid of it? I decided this week to start using it up. So I took some small pieces that I do like but didn't have much of and made my daughter a tote, nothing fancy but it works for diapers and what not.

I then took a cool pattern, the church lady apron, my sister-in-law gave me and used up some fabric that I don't really like to make it. It gave me a chance to try out the pattern on something I didn't care if I messed up before I make one out of something I really do like.

Then believe it or not I actually put three pieces of fabric in a give away box! That's a big accomplishment for me! Maybe I'll get back to getting some sewing done again, and if I keep using up what I have I'll be able to straighten up my sewing room and try organizing things in there. It would be great to lay my hands on what I need when I need it instead of wasting time looking for things instead of actually sewing. One day...

a few additional pictures

I meant to add these earlier.

I loved the way the light illuminated this little curly que. There was so much beauty everywhere we looked.

Angel Eyes scoped this log out as a perfect reading nook. She loves to read and we had planned to trek down here each day and read together, but after the snake incidents we changed our minds.

Our Own Wilderness

We took Angel Eyes on her first tent camping adventure this week. We all had a wonderful time, but to be honest I am extremely sore! Keeping up with a youngster in a creek full of slippery rocks can be daunting when you are out of shape! She could scoot up and down the creek so quickly, and I tried my best to keep up which lead to around a dozen falls by this ol' girl. I feel like someone beat me up.

The fun did outweigh the pain for the most part. We got to teach her how to skip rocks, and we played all sorts of imaginary games in the water. We pretended the leaves floating down the stream were fairy boats, we named different dragonflies by their colors and particularly enjoyed visits Ruby and Sapphire made, landing on us and drinking the water from our skin (at least I'm guessing that's what they were doing.) Angel eyes pretended that she was a mermaid which she laughingly calls a murder-maid, because that is how her little sister pronounces it, a water scientist, a cowgirl, and a rock skipping champion. Needless to say her imagination does not suffer from lack of exercise.

She kept saying, "This is like having our own private wilderness or jungle."

We took a few walks and looked at some of the plants and stuff that aren't as familiar where we live, or maybe we just don't take the time to notice them when we are at home.

She saw Queen Anne's lace for the first time, and we stopped to examine different mushrooms and flowers. We saw cattails which I know grow here, but she had never really seen them before. The first morning we went for a stroll a

nd happened up on a black snake right off the bat. I must admit it put a damper on our little adventure. I know a fear of snakes which aren't venomous may not be rational, but it is a fear I possess, and I stepped mighty gingerly after that encounter.

We took a drive up into the national forrest one day, and saw twelve wild turkey, and four rattlesnakes. I could have done without the rattlesnakes for sure! My husband kept talking about how beautiful they were, but I really had a hard time seeing that. We saw trees loaded down with apples and crabapples, and a storm cellar along the edge of the road, along with pretty scenic farms. We came back to the campsite, I with visions of rattlesnakes dancing in my head. A.E. and I drew our days out in sketch books, and painted a little with acrylics and watercolors reliving all of the events again in our minds and on our paper.

At night we looked at nature books, read Bible stories, roasted hot dogs we enjoyed the sound of the train whistle, cricket choirs, and whippoorwills. I loved watching the fireflies through the tent window while drifting off to sleep. It reminded me of visits to my grandparents when I was a little girl. We slept soundly until the sun broke through the tent window and woke us up each morning more efficiently than any alarm clock ever could.

It was really a wonderful time. I hope she keeps the memories we made for a very long time. I know I will.

Boy Bambinos

We tried to get some pictures of the little boys together today. It was hard to catch them still and looking in the same direction, even with all the photographers around.

Sweet Cheeks tried her hardest to catch a nice "cheese."

They were both quite curious about each other. It was really quite sweet to watch.

Baby Dino couldn't stand it any longer. He had dive in and show a little love.

Lime Recipes?

So I have more limes than I know what to do with at the moment. I'm juicing them and freezing the juice. Anyone have any good lime recipes other than limeade and key lime pie? I need some creative alternatives!

Obsolete Confections

Have you ever had an addiction to a certain sweet that is no longer on the market? It has happened to me several times. The first was my favorite candy bar for years, the Marathon Bar, caramel and chocolate yumminess. After that there was a wonderful cookie that was only available at Christmas, and I think it was put out by Winn-Dixie grocery. It was a Christmas cookie with a slight licorice taste and red and green striped icing. I don''t even know what this cookie was called, but I looked forward to them all year. (Can you tell I have a severe sweet tooth?) There was the Nabisco Brown Edged Wafer, which was my husband''s favorite for years, and I can almost replicate by making thin cookies with pound cake batter. The latest is the Lemon Cooler, a powdered sugar covered lemon flavored cookie, tart, sweet, and very tasty. I've had a hankering for a Lemon Cooler lately, and decided today since someone gave us a surplus of limes to try to make some. I found a recipe at Allrecipes.com that comes pretty close.

How about you? Do you crave something that's no longer available?

Key Lime Cookies 1 (Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, egg, and egg yolk until smooth. Stir in lime juice and lime zest. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; blend into the creamed mixture. Form dough into 1/2 inch balls, and arrange on the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Sift confectioners' sugar over cookies while still warm.

Generosity of the Nesting Place and DaySpring

Look at what I won!!! It is a really great memo board from DaySpring's Ever Grateful Collection. You can read all about this beautiful collection here on The Nester's gorgeous decorating blog Nesting Place which just happens to be one of my favorites! The Nester shows you how to do amazing things in your home at a rate that is extremely affordable. You really should go read her beautiful blog, and enjoy all of the wonderful photos of the creative projects she shares. I think you'll be very impressed. Let me know what you think.

I borrowed some of her photos to show you the detail of this lovely collection.

Here is the memo board.

I'll be leaving notes for my family, writing scripture I want to memorize, making to do list, and who knows what else on this beautiful board. Hopefully it will help me remember some of those things that sometimes slip my mind. (not that I'm getting old or anything)

Isn't the raised detail on this piece lovely?

I really like the design on these don't you? I have a thing for dishes, and now I here's another set I'd love to own.

Upcoming CSN Review

I'm looking forward to an upcoming review for CSN stores. An awesome company with over 200 stores where you can find anything from a bedroom vanity (I love the Kidskraft My Sweet Vanity for little girls) to Schwinn bikes (OH! how I want one of these!) Keep checking back, I'll be reviewing something cool soon!

I'm Back, but Then I've Been Here All Along

I am sorry I temporarily fall below the radar sometimes, but life gets busy and I can't accomplish everything, so some things, like blogging and housework, get left by the wayside. I won't try to catch you up on all that's going on around here, mainly 'cause I can't keep it straight myself. I will tell you this I've been enjoying the bounty of local produce, and that of my family, and the beauty of summer.

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Really cool giveaway! Check it out!

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Beautiful Summer Day

Sweet Stargazers

Stargazer lilies are my favorite flower. I love their brilliant color, their freckled faces and their pungent aroma.

I bought a potted one last year, and soon after it bloomed it really looked like it wasn't going to survive. I'm sorry to say not many potted plants make it under my care. I love them and I really try, but I don't have that green thumb everyone says you need to be a good gardener. I'm sure my absent mindedness doesn't help much in that department either.

Anyway, at the end of the summer last year, when everything started to look brown and pitiful, my husband gathered up the pots, knowing all too well that failure though I may be in the gardening area, my hope would be reborn come spring and I would try again. No need to buy new pots when these would be vacant by that time.

Now fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was scrounging around for some pots to transfer basil into, and I came across my lily. It was very healthy looking especially for a forgotten plant being neglected in the shade of the back porch. Not wanting to mess with a good thing I left her right where she was, and decided to check back on her and see how she faired on her own. I'm sorry to say again I forgot about her until I saw my day-lilies starting to bloom. I ran around and saw two blooms on her. They had toppled over in the dirt because they made the plant top-heavy. I picked them and wiped them off a bit and brought them into the house, and put them in a vase. I held them to my nose and breathed deeply and.....nothing. i was sorely disappointed!

I went about my business throughout the day when all at once I was accosted by a heavenly aroma. I turned and looked and much to my surprise the lilies had opened up fully and their smell permeated the entire area of the kitchen and dining room. They were beautiful. I carried the vase and my camera outside and snapped a few pictures of them. They have been beautiful for about a week, and the perfume as lasted just as long.