To Repaint or Not--That is the Question

Peaking out the front door
are one of my latest junk
store finds.

When I spied these sitting at the front door
of one of my favorite local flea markets
(for 10 bucks I might add).  I knew they were meant
to be.  Hauled them home with grand illusions of painting
them in Polished Mahagony with Fleur De Lis Stencils on
the back of them.  Then I plunked them on the front lawn
for my husband to see (there IS a story there!)
and love them just as they are. 

So my question is, or rather I am wondering out load,
How long will it take me to tire of the peeling paint
and start over? 
Hopefully never but my mind does change! 

ANOTHER SNEAK PEEK

Still working on the back hallway. 
Going to paint the apron shelf in
Ralph Lauren Tennis Court White.
One small problem.  The Home Depot I
went to stopped carrying Ralph Lauren. 
Hoping that it is a location issue! 
Thought I'd do a dry run. 
The aprons look great here but come
fall it will hold my husbands
jackets. 

My favorite apron.
The black and white looks so
modern and retro at the same time.
Don't look too closely
It is dirty from wiping my hands on it! 
Would rather put it back on and bake something
wonderful than loose it to the wash
even for just one minute! 

Perfect Sweet Corn--Everytime

The Ingredients and Supplies

Giant Stock Pot filled with water

Freshly Shucked Sweet Corn

(I tend to leave a lot of silk)

Towel

Big Handful of Sugar

Put Stock Pot on Stove to Boil
Add Sugar

Add Sweet Corn and Bring to Boil

When at a rolling boil
Shut off heat
Put on Lid and Towel
(Towel does help--don't skip it)
and let it sit for 10 minutes

Serve up Perfectly done Corn.
This works every time with any amount.

Served my favorite way with butter.  Served in my
fancy, smancy corn dishes.
When the corn is really sweet no butter is needed.
My boys like kosher salt on it, too.  I'll pass on the salt.

We have tried all types of flavored butters (one
with Garlic Scape's and one with herbs and naturism's)
which have been really good but we keep going back

to plain butter.

Don't forget to buy extra corn and when it is cooked
slice it off the cob, freeze on baking sheet, and
then pack into bags.  Definitely worth pulling out
in February! 

Grown Up PB&J

I love Nutella.  I love Black Currant Jam. 
Mix the two together and it is the
best adult version of PB&J!

Black Currant Jam can be tricky to find.  This I found
at Big Lots and stocked up.  When I discovered
The Berry Patch Farm
I picked 5 quarts of Black Currants and made my

own jam--just to be safe--knowing I won't always be

able to find it at Big Lots.  In case you are wondering about

Black Currants, they are Very Tart Berries similar in look to

gooseberries.  They are very popular in Scotland, as my dear

Isabella will attest, served on top of Cream Scones with

Clotted Cream and that is a decadant treat, too! 

Enjoy!  And if you run across Clotted Cream, too I strongly suggest

that you whip up Cream Scones, fix a cup of tea, and indulge! 

Old Dog Needs New Trick



"...a knowledge of photography is just as important as that of the alphabet.  The illiterates of the future will be ignorant of the use of the camera and pen alike."

Laslo Mobody-Nagy

As I venture deeper into the blogosphere, I am quickly seeing that I need more knowledge of my camera.  While I think my eye is good, I am quickly seeing that I know very little about proper lighting and the technical business of my camera.  I am seeing poor lighting and fuzzy images too often.  I won't even point out the overlooked details like shelves stacked next to the range. . .Thanks to the inspiration of some really great bloggers who happen to be accomplished photographers, I realize more than ever that this old dog needs to learn some new tricks!  So, I opened a book tonight, one that my father gave me years ago, pre-digital days.  He knows I have a good eye but also that I could use the camera to express it better.  While the book isn't about digital cameras  (I do know enough you don't use the automatic settings on your camera for blogging) I think the fundamentals and description of the manual settings are timeless. So what do all the F settings mean? This book is a jumping off point for me. 

One of my past loves is now an accomplished photographer.  We used to go out on shoots which are some of my favorite memories.  I should have payed more attention in those days!  I was too busy being in love!  Think I will look into classes through adult continuing education next.  So this is my pledge to you (and to me) to learn a new trick and share the journey with you! 

In case you are wondering. . .this is a vase filled with triangular strips of left over paper from a project I am working on.  They are cut out of a book and I curled one up and loved how it looked.  Next thing I know, I am in my attic digging out a vase and sticking them in it.  Great vignette and better than flowers because my baby kitten (did I say hellion?) has no interest in it like she does with all plants and flowers. That is why I currently don't have any i my house! 

As my dear sweet friend said to me when I expressed needing to grow with my camera.  ". . .never quit photographing the details of your life"



Details Make the Difference

So Loving the Vietmanse Coffee Press.
Love that is was brought to my table this way
left to drip, drip, drip onto the sweetened
condensed milk.  Need to visit the Asian Store
to get me one! 

All done, mixed, and ready to drink. 
Those wonderful details make all the difference.  I
actually had someone make me a Vietmanese Coffee at a
fancy restaurant with "Flogers" and Sweetened Condensed
Milk.  The horror!  This was so lovely.  Thank goodness

for camera phones!  This tiny detail made the food even more wonderful.

The #28 in case you were wondering! 
Yum! 

and gone!   

" Up in a Airplane"

"I'll be making a deal"
So it goes by the Indigo Girls
This was my view from the private plane
that I was so lucky to have been on.
Can't say more, don't want to put the

cart before the horse!