~Scenes From Our Weekend~

Hello everyone! As you can see the Texas wildflowers are in full bloom right now!


Bluebonnets, Daisies, Indian Paintbrushes...


Our Saturday started with a trip to the Farmer's Market. Fresh red romaine and Buttercrunch lettuce ...


Also, some local honey...perfect for toast!


At a local resale store I found this cardboard cupboard for $1.00! The artwork is done by Marjolein Basten, one of my favorite artists.


I tucked it into a corner on the patio.


There are envelopes and shelves inside for seed packets and mini gardening tools.


Saturday afternoon I got out some fabric scraps for a little sewing.


I made these mini strawberry pincushions while watching the new Charlotte's Web movie.


I added mini beads and pearls to a few of them...


I hope you enjoyed these scenes from our weekend. Tuesday is "May Day" so I will be back soon with some fun ways to celebrate it. Have a great week!

"Show and Tell Friday"

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a new antique find, an old love letter. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your "Show and Tell" on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky.


My "show and tell" is a doll house known as Daisy Cottage. Fortunately, it doesn't still look like this! I bought it at a yard sale in 2005 for $20.00. I was going through my doll house phase so who knows what I was thinking!


Half of the shingles had already been removed so I got to busy taking off the rest. The ones on the front refused to come off and I thought about sanding them, but I'm just not that patient! Time for Plan B.


I decided to "paint" on some shingles and the lumps of leftover wood and glue helped to give it that rustic look. ;0) I also gave it a fresh coat of yellow paint and painted small daisies on the trim and shutters.


I will freely admit to stealing borrowing the idea of painting the tree, bushes and...


...Wisteria on the sides.


For the wallpaper in each room I used scrapbook paper.


I got cottage style furniture on Ebay.


The bathroom furniture came with the dollhouse.


If you look closely you will see a pie cooling on the stove.


Now all we need is a family to move in!

Fussy Day Chicken

Sandra hosts a Slow Cooking Thursday each week and we happened to have a crockpot meal last night so I thought I would join in.

It's called Fussy Day Chicken because once it's in the crockpot you can forget about dinner while you tend to your fussy baby. Or fussy 7 year old. ;0)


Fussy Day Chicken

-1 whole chicken
-Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons honey
3 shakes worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
dash of pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until well blended. This sauce may seem spicy when tasted before use, but it is not as spicy on the meat.

Put chicken, legs up, into slow cooker. Pour barbecue sauce over and inside chicken. Cook 8-10 hours on low.


The meat falls easily from bones and sauce makes gravy for rice or potatoes. All that's left is to fix a salad!


For more crockpot recipes be sure to visit Sandra at her place, Diary of a SAHM!

Also, for those of you who asked, my Show and Tell will be a weekly feature so be looking through your treasures for something to share tomorrow!

~This and That~

Thank you for your comments about our picnic and for sharing your plans for the week with me. Tracy asked for instructions on how to make the paper boats we sailed at the lake. Here you can see one in our water garden. It reminds me of "Scuffy the Tugboat" and how he needed more room to sail!


Tracy, if you know how to make a basic paper boat (fold a piece of paper in half, fold down the corners into triangles, then fold the bottom flaps up) these instructions will show you how to turn it into something more fancy. The instructions are from "Curious George learns how to ride a bike" book. Click on the picture for a larger view.


After our school work was finished today, I made a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies. I saw the ones Christie made and had to try her recipe. I have only ever used the recipe off the back of the chocolate chip bag but we all agreed these were much better!! My pie safe is full, along with my freezer. I always say I'm going to freeze some in case we have unexpected guests but they never seem to last that long! Thank you for the recipe, Christie!


Speaking of cookies, I just have to share these pictures of my little niece, Keira....

"What is this that Mommy and Daddy left out?"


Caught ya!


What's better than one cookie? Three!


YUM!


Don't worry, she didn't really eat all the cookies and she was a good girl and brushed her teeth afterwards. :0)


Isn't she the cutest thing?!

Ugly Ducklings and a Picnic

Sunday afternoon we decided to go on a picnic at the lake near our library. For the past several years there has been a pair of Swans that nest there every spring. I wanted to see if they had had their babies yet.

Can you spot them?



Three ugly duckings! I don't think they are ugly though. :0)



So soft and fluffy!!



We fed them some bread which made them happy.



We took along a picnic and lemonade.



It was more of a snack-y type lunch.



Homemade paper boats...



...ready to be sailed.



I hope you enjoyed the Swan pictures! They will come in handy for our upcoming science lessons. I decided to pick a different animal and bird to study each month. In April it will be Swans and Squirrels (since we have one that visits our birdfeeders!). We will read stories, write poems, draw pictures, etc.

We are expecting thunderstorms for the next few days so we won't be working in the garden. I'm going to try and get some sewing projects finished. What are your plans for the week?

~Sunday Morning Breakfast~

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His Heaven;
All's right with the world!
- Robert Browning

Thank you so much for joining in my "Show and Tell" this past Friday! I had so much fun seeing your special treasures and meeting some new friends along the way!

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday with your family.

"Show and Tell Friday"

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a new antique find, an old love letter. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

If you would like to join in, all you have to do is post your "Show and Tell" on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky.

Here is my "Show and Tell...."


It was the summer of 1994. Phillip and I were newlyweds and living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was the perfect day for going out to the lake, and Phillip also thought it was the perfect day for teaching me how to drive his stick shift car. Oh, the mistakes new husbands make! ;0) The driving lesson took place on an old dirt road and my younger brother tagged along for the show. Let's just say I didn't learn how to drive stick shift that day but I did make a new record--stalling a car 168 times in 15 minutes! ;0) That was the end of that lesson. Forever!

I thought the day was ruined until my brother decided to go for a swim. On one of his dives to the bottom of the lake he found something shiny. I love jewelry so I was very excited to see this Black Hills Gold and diamond ring.


Being a young teenager, he didn't have any need for the ring so he gave it to me! On one condition though...when he got a serious girlfriend, I would have to give it back to him. I agreed.

The years have passed and the ring has been tucked away in my jewelry box. I wonder if my brother even remembers our trip to the lake! He will have been married for 2 years this May. Sounds like a serious girlfriend to me!



The time has come for me to hold up my end of the deal, don't you think?

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a great week so far. It's been rainy and gloomy here and I feel like sleeping until the sun comes out again. Something tells me the girls and Benjamin wouldn't go for that though. ;0)

We had another missions meeting at our house this week and I want to share the recipe of what I made for dessert.


It's called Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.


It has a wonderful almond crumb topping...


Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cake Layer:
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg

3/4 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Grease and flour bottom and sides of a spring form pan. In a large bowl mix flour and sugar together. Using pasty blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of mixture for later.

To remaining mixture add baking powder, baking soda, almond extract, salt, sour cream and egg. Blend well and pour into greased pan., spreading out evenly and bringing batter about two inches up the sides.

In separate bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and egg. Blend well and pour into batter lined pan. Carefully spoon raspberry jam over cream cheese mixture.

Combine remaining crumb mixture with almonds and sprinkle over top of jam. Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes or until cream cheese is set and crust is golden brown. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

Enjoy!


My first "Show & Tell" will be this Friday. Phillip took this picture of a few of my special things and made a "button" from it. You can see if on my sidebar. Feel free to download it and use it in your "Show and Tell" post.


I'll add a Mr. Linky Friday morning and all you need to do is come here and add your post link to the box!

Talk to you soon!