Monday Chit~Chat

Our day started with overcast skies and cooler temperatures. We even got a little rain.


My water lilies and several other flowers waited for the sun to come out, but we enjoyed a break from the 100+F temperatures.


I baked a Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake for breakfast. Then, in the afternoon there was a surprise trip to a water park.

Thinking ahead to this week, we are having friends over for dinner on Wednesday and a houseful for the 4th of July. What do you have going on this week?

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.


Thank you for the Happy Anniversary wishes! We had a wonderful dinner out and earlier in the day I went to see what treasures I could find at the resale shop.



I brought home two pretty bowls and a plate.




Perfect for a summer snack.


Several old books that I knew Phillip would love.


He will enjoy reading through them.


Commentary on Luke and John.


A small book for missionaries.




And finally, a beautiful hymnal, from the 1940's.


Thank you for looking at my new treasures! Have a wonderful weekend!


Remember, that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

If you would like to join in, please leave your exact show and tell blog post link, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Etsy Shop Update

Good morning! Thank you for your comments on the salad I made. I hope to make some different variations and will share them when I do. Today, I want to share what I've been up to in my Etsy Shop...


I've been making lots of new bookmarks. This time without ribbon at the top and a smaller size for tucking into regular envelopes.




This is a new ribbon version. The ribbon keeps your place and the stamped cardstock comes around to the top of the book.




Personalized bookmarks for young summer readers. I can stamp any name or word!




And finally, a favorite new gift tag.

Everything can be found in my Etsy Shop! I will share a card making project next week. Today is my 15th wedding anniversary and Phillip is taking me out for dinner tonight.

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Salad

We enjoyed a delicious new salad last night for dinner. The best part is that you can use any kind of lettuce, veggies, spices, and salad dressing that you like!


Romaine, green onions, and red and green peppers.


I tossed the salad with Creamy Italian Garlic dressing and seasoned small pieces of chicken with Caribbean Jerk seasoning, as it cooked in a skillet.




When the chicken was done, I removed it from the pan and heated up some croutons for a few minutes.


Top the salad with the croutons and chicken. Enjoy!

Oak Tree

Our new Red Oak tree was planted yesterday. We are very happy with it.


Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.

Emily's Birthday Celebration

Good morning! We had a fun filled weekend for Emily's 10th birthday...


She asked for modeling clay, molds and art supplies.


Watching an indoor surfing competition at a new store in the mall, with friends.


We had company for lunch and then Phillip's family came over for dinner in the evening.


For our lunch company we had Boston Cream Pie.


Emily isn't a fan of tradition birthday cake, so she asked me to make Lemon Meringue Pie. On Sunday, we all went out for a steak dinner for Father's Day and then home for a nap!

One more thing...my friend Gina, from Simply Heart and Home is selling rubber stamps (many of them are retired Stampin' up) on Ebay. Feel free to take a look if you like paper crafting: Country Cottage Blessings

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.


Hello! Today, I am finally sharing pictures of our finished fence. It was well worth the 10 year wait!


I especially love the top of our gate. Phillip drew the design for them to cut, and it came out perfectly.


I've had the afternoons to myself this week, so I've spent some time in the gardens.


I planted my first Delphinium...




Hydrangea...


And yellow Lantana.


Thank you for taking a look around our yard. I'll share more next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember, that your Show and Tell needs to be something from your home or garden. Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

If you would like to join in, please leave your exact show and tell blog post link, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Something new...

Our neighbor was getting rid of his portable fire pit, so we were happy to take it off his hands.




For now, it's on our patio (as a handy fern stand), but once it cools down in a few months it will be perfect for fall evenings. And s'mores!

Monday, June 15, 09

Good morning! I hope you had a good weekend. Ours was busy and I feel like I'm in the middle of a construction zone!


Out front, our tree is almost gone. Tomorrow there will be new grass.


In the back, they are finishing up our new fence.


And inside, the girls and Benjamin have been busy preparing for Cub Scout/Faith Keeper Day camp. They made some craft foam shapes to trade with friends and pin onto their hats.


Their group's theme is Alaska, so we went with snow, ice cubes and snowflakes. Between all of this and a graduation party on Saturday, there wasn't any extra time to go look for a new tree.

This week, I will have the house to myself for at least 6 hours a day, so I will have plenty of time to plan Emily's upcoming birthday party and to catch up with you here in blogland. Have a great start to your week!

Saturday, June 13, 09

We've needed a new fence since moving into our home 10 years ago. It especially got bad last year, after a strong wind storm.


Last week we had all the jasmine around the fence ripped up in anticipation of fresh green grass.


And a new fence! It's a happy day at our house.

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.

Today, I am sharing special gifts...

My friend, Kimberly from Kimberly's Cup sent me a wonderful tea themed package that I won when she had a giveaway. A pretty teacup, notecards, napkins, heart shaped tea strainer, handmade lip gloss, mango tea, and clotted cream.


Isn't it beautiful?

It's actually a music box!


I set everything up on the tea stand in my dining room.




Thank you for the beautiful gifts, Kimberly!

I also want to say thank you for your comforting words on the loss of our tree. Sadly, it does have to be cut down and the stump removed. Someone will be coming by on Monday. In the meantime, we will be tree shopping this weekend. Many of you know how much I love acorns, so I think an oak tree will be perfect! Walnut, our neighborhood squirrel will love it, too.


Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

If you would like to join in, please leave your exact show and tell link, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Storm

We had an awful storm last night. Phillip took these pictures of our tree, on his Iphone this morning.


When we first moved into our home, I dreamed of when it would big enough to climb. 10 years later, the girls and Benjamin play in this tree every day, which makes it especially sad. I hope they always remember the fun they had.


I'm also thinking about how it could have easily fallen the other way, right into Phillip's office. We are thanking God for keeping us and our home safe.

Wednesday Chit~Chat

Good morning! How is your summer starting out? Ours has been fun and busy. I signed the girls and Benjamin up for swimming lessons, got my hair cut, and went to see the new movie, UP, which was wonderful! This coming weekend Phillip's cousin is graduating and they are having a party that we've been invited to.


Do you remember the pink peony buds I shared last week? I ended up getting a pink, peach and white bloom. So pretty!


We had lots of fun at the scrapbooking convention. I found some beautiful new papers.


And clipart.


The girls and I are about to go to a friend's house for lunch and to plan the upcoming Faith Keeper's year. We are taking along some watermelon and canteloupe. I hope your week is going well, too!

Paper Crafting Winners

The winners of the paper crafting are Anne Marie and Susan. The winner of my Etsy giveaway is Lisa from The Reeve's Down Under. Congratulations! Please email me within two weeks at kwinn@hotmail.com for prize information.

As I mentioned last week, I am taking a break from Paper Crafting Wednesday, but plan to share a few projects over the summer. Thank you to all who have joined in the fun over this past year!

Summer Sea Shell Centerpiece

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend. Since it was almost 100F here, I thought it was a good time for a summer centerpiece on my living room coffee table.


I started with a thrifted silver tray and doily. The glass candle holders, sand, and sea shells can be found at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.






Very simple and quick to put together.


Thank you for stopping by for a visit and I hope you have a great start to your week!

Show and Tell Friday!

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.


Today, I am sharing a couple of my favorite fairy things. This windchime hangs in my herb garden.




This little fairy was a gift from a friend.


I wonder what she is thinking about?


I got this fairy figurine when I was pregnant with Grace.


I thought she would make a wonderful tooth fairy. Her hand is the perfect size for holding a little tooth.


Thank you for taking a look at some of my favorite fairy things. Have a wonderful weekend!


Please read the Show and Tell Guidelines for step-by-step instructions on how to participate.

If you would like to join in, please leave your exact show and tell link, along with your first name only (this makes the list easier to read). If your link has been removed from Mr. Linky, please re-read over the guidelines before re-posting, or e-mail me with any questions.

Thursday Chit~Chat

Good morning! Thank you for your comments on my cards and gift tags. I'm going to be taking a summer break from Paper Crafting Wednesday, although I may share a couple of projects over the next three months. Thank you to all who have joined in the fun! I will announce the upcoming winners next Wednesday.

I had a few requests for the Bacon and Cheddar quiche we had for dinner. Here is the recipe...

Choose-a-Flavor Quiche

Pastry for single crust pie
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup cooked chicken, ham, or bacon
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss, colby, or cheddar
1 tablespoon flour

Prepare pastry for single crust pie. Line the pastry shell with a double thickness of foil. Bake in a 450F oven for 5 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 5-7 more minutes or until pastry is nearly done. Remove from the oven. Reduce heat to 325F. Meanwhile, in a bowl sir together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. I also added a little garlic powder and paprika. Stir in meat. In a separate bowl, toss cheese with flour. Add to egg mixture; mix well. Pour mixture into hot pastry shell. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I am going to a scrapbooking convention today, which should be a lot of fun. I'll be back later for show and tell!

Handmade Card, Paper Crafting and a *GIVEAWAY!*

The winners of the paper crafting are Christina and Tami. The winner of the weekly giveaway is Angel. Congratulations! Please email me within two weeks at kwinn@hotmail.com for prize information. Scroll down for a new giveaway!


Welcome to this week's card making project!


Gather your supplies. You will need:
-5 1/2" x 4" blank notecard
-Scrapbook paper
-Cardstock
-Rubber stamp or stickers
-Ribbon


Cut a 5 1/4" x 3 3/4" rectangle of scrapbook paper and glue to front of blank notecard.


Cut a 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" cardstock rectangle and a slightly smaller rectangle from coordinating cardstock. Glue to front of larger rectangle. Add rubber stamp image or stickers. I also shaded the edges with a foam ink pad.


Glue to front of card, as shown.


Cut a 2" circle from scrapbook paper. Trim edges with decorative scissors or you can also use a paper punch. Add stamp image or stickers.


Glue to front of card, as shown.


Tie a ribbon bow or knot along left side of card.


Send to a friend!


Another version.

~More Handmade Cards and Instructions~


A few more things I've made this week:



Fun summer picnic gift tags.


4th of July tags.

Items can be found in my Etsy Shop!

Weekly Giveaway: Leave a comment between now and next Tuesday (8:00pm EST) and I will use random.org to pick a winner, who can choose *any* item from my Etsy Shop! If you don't have a blog, leave an email address.  International participants are welcome.

Paper Crafting Fun: Blog about any kind of paper crafting project you've been working on and add your link to Mr. Linky. Link back here in your post or use one of the buttons, so others will know where to join in. Next week I will draw *two* names and the winners will receive a card making kit. Mr. Linky is only for those sharing pictures of their paper crafting projects on their blog.

Simple Little Pleasures from Monday...

I love Victoria's blue and white issues.


Freshly mopped floor.


Beautiful peonies from the grocery store.




Bacon, cheese and parsley (from the garden) quiche for dinner.

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures." ~Author unknown.

Welcome June!

Geranium bloom~June 2008

"June is bursting out all over as summer finally arrives. The days are hot, the roses are in bloom and we feast on strawberries and cream."~Sarah Ban Breathnach


A view from my bedroom window~June 2007


Water Garden lit up at night~June 2008

If a June night could talk,
it would probably boast it invented romance.~Bern Williams


A waterlily bloom~June 2009

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;
to me those have always
been the two most beautiful
words in the English language.
~Henry James



Strawberry Lemonade and Lemon Cream Cupcakes~June 2008




Thank you for stopping by for a visit and taking a look at a few of my favorite things about June. I'm looking forward to some time off school, a wedding anniversary and Emily's 10th birthday. What are you looking forward to this month?

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
~L. M. Montgomery