Dry Skin Indulgance

I suffer from psoriasis.  My skin is very dry.  I have tried every single moisturizing product I can get my hands on.  I have spent an unfathomable amount of money on so many things that have brought me little relief.  I have used many prescription products and seen several skin/psoriasis specialists.  I practice yoga and I try to meditate.  Stress evidently makes it worse.  My doctors have put me on biologic and the list of side effects are SCARY.  I have decided to find a way to manage the dry skin without breaking the bank!  My oatmeal bath that I love so much is climbing in price!  

 

 

As I scanned the ingredients, I thought I can make this for alot less at home.  I turns out I like my version better!  I take 1 Cup of Oatmeal and process it in a food processor to a fairly fine dust.  I add 2 Cups of Epsom Salts and process until mixed.  Then, with the motor running, I drizzle in 1/4 C of Honey.  It looks like pastry dough--see above.  I add about 1 Cup or more to my bath and soak. 

This would make a lovely gift in a vintage blue canning jar with an old ladle to ladle it under the running water. 

I found I have about 24 hours of dry skin relief when I combined this with a Sesame Oil Rub Down before I towel off.  I have used both separately and found this combination offers the best relief for me at the moment. 

 Make up a batch, unplug, fill the tub and let your skin drink this in. 

As always, exploring my corner of the world,
Stephanie

Old Dog, New Trick

I often jump right into things without knowing exactly what I am doing.

Is anyone else like that?  I decided I wanted to blog about my decorating style, cooking style, and lifestyle with those beautiful pictures just like so many of the blogs I admire.  So, jump, I went.  What I quickly discovered is that I don't have the pictures up to par.  Immediately I decide it must be the camera because there is nothing wrong with my eye. 

Well. . .that is true, almost.  It is more like I have a decent, although old digital camera.  A Cannon GI to be exact.  I found that shooting in natural light seemed to be better but when I went without flash I ended up with blurring and all sorts of ugly things.  I wasn't excited about editing them through Photo Shop either.  Who has that kind of time? 

Enter my Dad, who is an accomplished, self taught, photographer in his own right AND the one who bestowed the camera to me.  Well he explained shutter speed, a mini tripod, the remote, the built-in macro lens, and fade out background setting.  Ta DA.  Already so much better with this Christmas Center Piece pictured above, don't you think? 

And look at the utility side of my grandmother's Kitchen Scissors.  This taken with only a crappy 60 watt bulb on in my very dark dining room. 

Which turns out to be a good thing.  I have a gift idea in mind for this picture to the most gifted woman I know with scissors! 

So a good lesson, once again!  Do my homework!  And I can't wait to finish my office space that has this bright natural light and photograph more wonderful things for you to see! 

This candle stick holder is sitting on the dining room table and I love this picture of it.  I blurred out the background and it turned out great.  No photo shop required! 

And now for my new adventure!  I am now the proud owner of Booth Number 150 at my favorite flea market, Collectamania, here in Des Moines!  My official opening date is set for January 15, 2012.  I don't think I am leaping before I look this time and won't disappoint!  I will post all about setting up a booth and my experience with it.  I am starting small and hoping it will be something I am good at.  It is time to let some things go and have a small store to do it in! 

So, for now, I bid you a Happy New Year, as I am ending the year on a high note and getting ready to ring the new year in with better photography skills and a new "store" to boot! 

Exploring my corner of the world,

Stephanie

Marrying Deserts

Does anyone else do this?  Marry recipes?  You know, take a bit from this and a bit from that and come up with something new?  I do it all the time and this recipe was a molten home run.  It was wonderfully frugal, too!  Bread Pudding is a classic frugal trick.  A great way to use up old bread. I have found many versions of bread pudding in frugal cookbooks and in one cookbook recalling recipes of the Great Depression.  The Italians use dried bread to create wonderful salads, too. 

My twist is Chocolate Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pudding.  I used stale Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls instead of Bread and part of a Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe.  I have found this method of mixing recipes to be a fun, innovative, and a great way to use up odd ingredients.  It can be very easy on the pocketbook, too.  I have found that you can easily deviate from many recipes and eliminate costly ingredients but not detract from the taste.  There are some things you can't do without, for example, I don't deviate from the dough portion of the cinnamon rolls but play with the filling and the glaze.  I used the Bread Pudding Recipe as guide for portions and cooking times. First the recipes as they appeared in my cookbook. 
   

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

From Chef Jacqueline Mc Mahan as

published in The San Fransisco Chronicle

Cookbook Volume II

DOUGH

5 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 C warm Water

1 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 C slightly warm buttermilk

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 C fresh or canned pumpkin puree

1/2 C Light Brown Sugar

1 TBSP Salt

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1/4 C Canola Oil

About 7 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1/4 C Butter, Melted

CINNAMON FILLING

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C light brown sugar

2 TBSP Cinnamon

1/2 C Currants

GLAZE

1 TBSP Butter

1 TBSP Milk

1 1/4 C Powdered sugar

About 2 TBSP Boiling Water

1 tsp. Vanilla

DIRECTIONS

To Make the Dough, Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in a bowl; set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Blend together the buttermilk, vanilla, egg, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and oil in a large bowl.  Stir in the yeast mixture, then the flour, 1/4 C at a time, until a soft dough forms and clings to the side of the bowl as you mix.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until springy and smooth.  Add 1 TBSP of flour at a time to keep the dough from sticking.

Transfer the dough to an oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until dough is doubled in size.  The rising time is longer due to the heaviness of the pumpkin.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.  Pat or roll each portion into a thick rectangle, about 8 by 12 inches.  Spread each rectangle with half the melted butter. 

To make the filling:  Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and currants;  sprinkle half over each rectangle.  Press the currants into the dough.  Roll up each rectangle into a cylinder, then cut up each cylinder into about 9 thick rolls.  Place the rolls on parchment-covered or greased baking sheets.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before glazing.  Note:  You must let them cool before glazing or the glaze will not stick to the rolls.

To make the glaze:  Combine the butter and milk in a bowl and warm in a microwave for about 30 seconds.  Or combing the milk and the butter in a saucepan and warm over low heat just until the butter melts.  Stir in the powdered sugar.  Add the boiling water and vanilla and whisk until smooth. 

Pour glaze over barely warm cinnamon rolls.

There are only 3 of us in our family and we can't eat these all before they go stale, although we really try.  I have had good luck freezing them in the past but decided bread pudding made with the cinnamon rolls might be worth trying.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

From Chef Jacqueline Mc Mahan as published

in The San Fransisco Chronicle Cookbook Volume II

1/4 C Sugar

1 C Milk

1 Can (14oz) evaporated milk

3 C finely diced crust less bread, dried out in oven

4 oz semisweet chocolate, melted

1 TBSP Vanilla

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

TOPPING

1 C whipping cream

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 TBSP powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

Place an ovenproof 2-quart baking dish or deep metal pan near the stove.  Put 3/4 C of the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  After 3 to 4 minutes, begin swirling the pan.  Do not stir.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes (again, do not stir), or until the sugar caramelizes.  Immediately pour into the baking dish.

In the same pan, heat the milk and evaporated milk over medium heat stirring in the remaining 1/2 C Sugar.  Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Remove from the heat and add the dry bread.  Push the bread into the milk and let it soak for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place a roasting pan filled with 1 inch of water in the oven. 

Stir the chocolate, vanilla, and espresso powder into the mushy bread.  Beat together the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl;  add to the bread mixture.  Pour into the prepared baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and place the in the roasting pan in the oven. 

Transfer the pudding to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. 

To serve, loosen the edges with a knife, then unmold the pudding onto a rimmed platter. 

Just before serving, make the topping.  Whip the cream so very soft peaks.  Stir in the espresso powder, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Spoon a dollop on each serving.

WHAT I DID

I used dried cranberries instead of currants in the cinnamon roll recipe.  I have also used miniature chocolate chips, too.  I dried the cranberries myself.  I bought them by the bag full at the end of Thanksgiving last year.  I froze some and I also halved some and placed on the racks of my dehydrator and dried out.  I don't deviate from this recipe other than that. I did use milk with 1 tsp vanilla last time, too as I didn't have any buttermilk either. That is a classic substitute found in any standard cookbook. 

For the Bread Pudding, it is to be served cold, inverted like flan.  That just didn't sound appetizing to me, I like mine warm and gooey.  I skipped the first step, caramelizing the sugar, and baked it for the above mentioned time.  Mine should have baked longer but I decided to take it out then and serve it warm.  It was similar to a molten cake. If that is your choice, too, I would start checking it about half way through the baking time.  You want everything hot and bubbly. I also didn't need to dry the rolls out in the oven.  They were very dry when I made the pudding.  Note, the drier the bread the better it soaks up the egg mixture creating a custard like filling. 

I didn't have cream in the house but I had some leftover raspberry sauce from the last of the harvest at the beginning of November (a record for us!).  It was wonderful drizzled on top. 

QUICK RASPBERRY SAUCE

In a sauce pan place equal amounts of sugar and raspberries.  Cook on low heat until sugar dissolves and sauce forms.  I let mine sit for about 20 minutes. Stir frequently. Taste.  Add lemon juice if needed to brighten flavors.  Store in glass jar in refrigerator.  Mine is still good and was made the first week on November. 

The Cinnamon Rolls, served with local bacon, and piping hot coffee on the morning they were made. 
In the background is a stack of Vintage Day of the Week Tea Towels and Fabrics that I used as a center piece.
I couldn't bear to put them in the cabinet and the tea towels are a definate hands off set! 

Pumpkin Pie Cake

2008 Found us in a our current residence and I was making Thanksgiving Dinner for my parents and my mother-in-law.  I went all Rachael Ray with my recipes and we had a great meal.  My mother-in-law showed up with this cake.  A CAKE!  Who brings a cake to Thanksgiving?  This is the holiday where pies rule. . until you taste this cake!  Think crustless pumpkin pie with a crumb topping made with CAKE MIX!  Another thing I don't typically use!  This was utterly delicious.  A couple of notes, my mother-in-law was terrible about organizing things.  Her estate was filled with bags, boxes, and piles of recipes from magazines, newspapers, and on handwritten pieces of paper.  We had asked her for the cake recipe and she couldn't find it.  I did find it while sorting through mountains of recipes and a picture of Mary Jane Buck with her son, Tommy taken in 1964.  The recipe came from Mary Jane and we are glad to have located it and passed it down this year.  It stole the show.  It is seriously good and easy to make--so easy a child could do it!   

My mother-in-law, Marilyn in her high school years.  Simply beautiful. 


MARY JANE BUCK'S PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

3 Large Eggs
3/4 C Sugar
1-15oz Can Regular Pumpkin
3 tsp. Pie Spice
1-12oz Can Evaporated Milk

Topping
1 package Yellow Butter Cake Mix or Butter Pecan Cake Mix (we used yellow)
1 Generous Cup Chopped Pecans
(They toast while the cake bakes)
 1 1/2 Sticks Butter, Melted

My son, demonstrating making this cake.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place eggs, sugar, pumpin, pie spice (I used cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg to taste as I didn't have spice mix)
and milk into mixing bowl. 

Mix througly

Pour into a greased 13 X 9 Cake Pan

Sprinkle on Cake Mix but do not mix into batter. 

Sprinkle on Nuts and Drizzle on Melted Butter

Place Cake in Oven and Bake 50 Minutes Until Knife Inserted in Center of Cake Comes Out Clean.  Cool in Pan.  Serve with Favorite Whipped Cream Topping. 
We Served it with Whipped Cream flavored with Vanilla and Powdered Sugar. 



This is my beautiful dog, Scout.  He has been with us for 2 1/2 years now.  He is a sweet, loving dog.  He is a Black Lab and wants nothing to do with being a Lab.  He is seen here lying on the couch (oh, the story behind that!) on my Tulle Pillow.  The pillow is one I made with scrap fabrics and hem tape, ironed together.  I made them about 9 years ago and they have held up very well! 

Why am I talking about my Lab and my Pillow?  Well, it is because I suffer from what most of us do!  Unfocused attention.  While I started this blog for design related tips and some cooking, I am finding my interests are moving in many different directions.  While I love design--it is my job and love cooking--there are other things I need to talk about. 

Frugality.  Living a Frugal Life.  I think it is all interconnected somehow.  While people talk about organic lifestyles and all the benefits, I see high price tags!  Prices I can't afford to spend.  Then it hit me, frugal living!  So much of it is organic!  Home Gardening, Preserving, Recycling, and doing without.  Hm.  Think I am onto something!  So, I am going to interject some ideas on living more frugally that might inspire you to do the same. 

The pillows, Not more than $ 5.00 for the pair.  They have graced 2 bedrooms and now my living room.  Have held their shape.  Well worth the investment!  Simple to make, too.  I used co-ordinating fabric, hem tape, and stuffing.  I ironed 3 1/2 sides together, stuffed, and then stitched up the remaining side.  Hem Tape is not supposed to be a permanent bond but as I said earlier they have lasted 9 years so far.  When I put them together I had no idea I would still be enjoying them today!  

So, for Frugal, check out my side bar for some new links! 

Find this book--I think it is on Amazon.  It is the holy grail of living a frugal life.  Indispensable. 

And, as always, exploring my corner of the world.

Stephanie

It is Friday nite and I should be kicking up my heels in anticipation for the weekend in front of me.  Instead my mind is thinking of my sick boys in their beds, Thanksgiving preparations, the giant box of food from Co-op, chores, finishing my office, pictures that need taking, ideas undone, work I need to finish.  So many things to do, so little time.  Oh, the lard that needs rendered.  Yes, I am giving it a try!  So for now, a late night, filled with little sleep, an upset tummy, a mind reeling from overload, a cat and dog trying to snuggle with me, and my heels planted firmly on the couch.  Tomorrow, after work, I will grab my camera, render lard, plan for Thanksgiving, and let you know where my heels are taking me. For now, a little favorite recipe when you are sick.  Simple, hot black tea, plain saltines with butter, and clean, cold sheets. 

Welcome Jasper's Edge Farm!

A big giant welcome to my dear, dear friend Regina!  I am so excited to see her in the blog world.  She has a lovely farm that is in its 5th Generation.  She raises exotic sheep and spins this amazing yarn.  Please visit her blog!  She can be found at jaspersedgefarm.blogspot.com/

Her yarn is sold under the name Esther Purl Fibers and she can be emailed at estherpurlfibers@gmail.com

 She is a very creative soul and I hope that she gets "Paint the Farm Red Days" going soon!  There will be more information to follow as she works out the details.  She is an amazing wealth of knowledge of all things!  Please take a moment to link to her blog! 

This snap shot is a "before" picture she sent me while she was working out the accessorys for her back entry.  Darling! 

Maybe we can get her to post pictures of the AFTER! 

Falling Back

Daylight Savings Time is this morning and I am up.  I woke up at what was 5:38 and after dragging my computer to bed, linking to a new blog I am exploring, realizing it is really 4:38, I am hoping for the extra hour I just received to be lazy like I like my Sundays to be!  My son is scrambling eggs on this particular Sunday.  He has a sporadic interest in cooking.  I love seeing him cook and giving him the tools to nourish himself.  I am craving a slow Sunday today, my early wake up call was from the beginnings of a migraine.  My system telling me to slow it down by force, but there is so much to do.  The garden and gazebo need shut down today.  I am cooking and baking for the week.  My son is singing in church and my husband needs help with his projects. 

The projects on my shop bench will sit for another day unless a spare moment reveals itself.  This cabinet, shown in its before state, is waiting for the shelves to be reattached and the next paint step to be completed.  It will house spices in my kitchen, but not today. I think often of living in the moment, of being at peace with where I am right now.  For the most part, I think I am.  But lets face it.  The here and now needs attention, too.  It needs cultivated.  It takes work.  The work is often a pleasure and the trick is not worrying too much about the future and not overlooking what is happening NOW.  RIGHT?, right.  Right. 

I often wonder, how did all those Mamas from years past, do it?  Church on Sunday morning and cooking a family meal for Sunday Dinner or, gasp, lunch.  A wonderful meal based on in-season ingredients.  A home filled with generations of family members gathered for a feast with Mama in her apron cooking with love and wisdom and pleasure.  A romantic idea I have conjured in my head I am sure!  But, I hear stories.  Lots of stories.  Stories in print, on blogs, on TV.  There must be something to it, a bit of magic that I haven't been told about.  Right?  Wrong.  It is all priorities and planning.  Plain and simple.  Priorities and planning.  Not just going where the wind takes you but being the wind and adapting and enjoying the process while preparing for the big event. 

So as I plan my Sunday and hope for an extra hour of laziness, I will not let the work I need to do consume me.  I will enjoy the processes as they come and tell my son, when he asks, "What are we going to do today?" that we are simply going to enjoy doing nothing.  I hope I can pay homage to all the families of days gone by and break bread, share stories, and just be with the ones I love.  I have Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cranberries rising and ready to bake,  chicken marinating in the fridge for Fried Chicken tonite, the beginnings of Spicy Squash Soup on the stove, ready to be pureed and finished off with cream.  I have the ingredients for a coleslaw apple salad ready to go.  All the fixings for Sunday Dinner.  All planned and ready to go.  Maybe I will get some lazy moments after all.

 Snuggling with my son who just crawled into my bed and asked me to turn up Laurel and Hardy and snuggle with him.  Perfect excuse to stop blogging, rambling, and enjoy the moment!  The blog I am exploring? Well, that will have to wait for another time because I am going to enjoy the moment and just be.  I am going to just be the arms that hold that boy in my favorite place in this world.  And that is where I will leave you and wish for you.  A moment of Sunday Laziness.  Of just being. A moment. . .

Party for a Princess



There are just some days when you need to throw a party.  This day came for us at the end of September.  I rescued a kitten from the side of the road a year earlier and her estimated first birthday was fast approaching.  We decided a Princess Party would be ideal.  The joke was that she is the furthest thing from a princess!  She is rough, tough, and sock-em dead!  She is fearless!  There aren't alot of pink things in our house either!  I fashioned the center piece from a child's tutoo and decked the table with pink candles, pink lemonade, pink wrapped chocolate and for that touch of glam, black and white china.  The guest of honor had a tiara and special place setting just for her. 

and here she is!  Our Princess who got to eat at the table!

The dog was bewildered by the whole thing! 

We loved the tutoo center piece and it now adorns a lamp in my bedroom because my dear, sweet friend, Regina says, "Every girl needs a touch of pink." 

Do throw a party for those you love, a simple table set for just your family will do, and celebrate the milestones no matter how small they may be because that is what makes life worth it!  

Gotta Have It

Dream Stove


So, I am walking up to the second floor of one of my favorite
Flea Markets and right at the top is this wonderful Turquoise and
Cream Enamel Stove.  I thought I was headed straight to heaven.
I love stoves!  The price tag revealed a $ 600.00 number!  Way too
big for my tiny budget and for me to use as a prop.  So, here is
a picture of my stove to look at and dream about using.  What fun
meals have been made on this!  What a statement to be made.  Thank
goodness for camera's so I can have its image to enjoy forever! 

Educational Art



Antique Flash Card Wall Border



My mother-in-law passed away several years ago and after the family cleaned out all of the things that meant something to them the rest was left for trash.  This has been my favortie time to look at the things no one else deemed important.  I ran across these old, yellowed, flash cards.  My mother-in-law was a teacher in many forums besides the typical classroom.  She taught Sunday School, Cub Scouts, Grandkids, kids, and me.  She always had educational things around her house, like these, flash cards.  Her mother was also a teacher.  I wonder if they could have been hers.  This is a reminder of her love of education.

I have them in my back hall acting as a charming border at the top of the kitchen doorway.  Everytime I enter through that hall I see her smiling at me, I have a unique border, and I put my mind through the paces of mathematics.  Anyone who knows me knows I need all the help I can get. I am lucky to have had her in my life.  I miss her dearly and hope she knows how important every mundane detail of her stuff is to me.  I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all. 

Croquet Balls Revisited

 

Playing with Photoshop.  I am really amazed.  Look at the difference of these two pictures!  The one on the left is the original.  There is alot of amber/yellow tones to it.  My house has these tones in the evening because of the giant shade tree sitting outside of it.  The picture on the left is what they should look like under natural light.  I know there are all kinds of things that can be achieved with photoshop but being "green" about it certainly ups the wonder factor. 

Still working on a photography course, will keep you posted! 

Oh, and before I forget, this centerpiece on my table was met with lots of fun dialogue, childhood memories, and goofing around when my family gathered.  Sure beats the ordinary candle and flower arrangement! 

Off my feet

Time to relax, sip tea, and dream
and create, too! 

I can't say enough about my yoga instructor, Maggie.  Without her knowledge and support I wouldn't be walking this week.  Too many years of high heels, extra weight, and neglect forced me down with a painful heel spur.  I was afraid of working my way to surgery.  After one session of stretching my feet I could walk.  After 3 days of continuing the stretching at home, the proper (ugly) shoes and heel cups I am feeling more like myself and ready to revamp the creative engine! 

Photographed here is my giant, retro, unmarked tea pot holding lemon verbena from my tea garden.  It is a reminder to all of us to slow down, put up our feet (stretching them, too!) and let our bodies and minds rest and regenerate before we are forced too! 

Have a few projects in mind to do while I am off my feet.  Can't wait to share them with you!  Will be playing with my tripod this weekend I hope, too! 

This is my beloved Maggie.
I hope she is ok with me posting this picture.
I think if it turns to new clients she'd be ok.
So if you wish to contact her about private lessons
comment below and I will hook you up!

My Happy List

Been reading on Sadie Olive her happy list and that has me thinking. . .what would be on mine?  Good thing to think about today as I am lamenting over the heel spur that is keeping me off my feet.  Thinking of how I am getting older by the minute. . .so to pull me out of my funk (yes I know it could be worse!). 

Here we go with my list.  In no particular order. . .

My Tiny Bungalow and my lab,
Scout

Old books and Paper
Arts--not Crafts

My bed, it is so comfortable.
Karen Nauberger (sp) sheets.

Vintage Flash Cards

My boys and the Lake

Frances Lynn, the only other female
in my house. 

My beloved Turner,
I miss him everyday, still. . .

JUNK STORES*MY GIRLFRIENDS*MY NIECES, NEPHEWS, GREAT NIECES AND GREAT NEPHEWS*GRAIN SACKS*REGINA AND MELANIE*GOATS MILK LYE SOAP*MY NEW GE MONOGRAM 48" RANGE*COOKBOOKS*PAINT*LIMESTONE PAINT TECHNIQUE*PAPER FLOWERS*FRENCH ANYTHING*WINE, CIGARS, AND LONG CHATS WITH MY HUSBAND*FLOATING*GRAPEFRUIT VANILLA BATH OIL*YOGA*YOGA*YOGA*MOVIES*TV SHOWS ON NETFLIX*LAUGHING WITH MY SON*SUMMER

Croquet Balls as Art

As I spent this last week in self-imposed chaotic

remodel/cleaning of my house getting ready for my parents to visit.  I didn't heed my advice

of taking it easier on myself.  I did think about it,

though!  I realized I didn't spend alot of time

thinking of new ideas!  I was too tired from cleaning!

Crazy irony I think! 

I recently purchased these very worn croquet balls

at a favorite flea market in a huge bucket, pictured above.  They now are piled on a ironstone platter, equally worn, with a key found in my mother-in-laws stuff.  They are the current

centerpiece on my dining room table! 

I am anxious to see what conversations arise when my

company arrives today.  Heard from a "design expert"

once to have fantastic unusual centerpieces to

stimulate conversation.  I have played with this idea and

set my table with Comic Book pages, race cars, army men

and other toys!  They have always been greeted with squeals

of delight from all "kids"!  What is more fun than a restaurant

that sets their tables with white paper and crayons? 

Enjoy your weekend with the ones you love most.  Create

something wonderful and let the conversations

begin!  

Radishes and Redecorating

Freshly picked from the Garden

As the summer progresses so does the garden.  It doesn't really matter that the heat index has been over 100 degrees for over 20 days and I have been hiding out in the A.C.!  It still is growing!  These are the last of the radishes plucked and ready to be braised.  As I type this out I wonder if I should impart a life lesson or a quick recipe.  Well I am tired and in a creative funk. So we will see where this post takes us.  

My parents are due this weekend and I am busily tearing up my house to redo things instead of cleaning it!  Does any one else do that?  I constantly do things like this--then on midnight the night before they are due to arrive I throw things back together knowing they won't know that I spent a week repainting the back hallway and weeding the yard so things are "just so" when they get here.  And they are left wondering why I am so tired and haven't slept in 3 days! 

Just like the garden growing when I am busy hiding out in the A.C., life is happening while I am in the middle of self-imposed chaos.  My family is coming and they don't care about anything else but being with my house of three and three (3 people 3 pets)!  But as a child we learn early, "best foot forward" so on I go! 

When I design for people they always want me to come see the final project when it is all shiny and new and ready for photography.  To me this is not my favorite time.  While I love a pretty photograph and find it easy to stage one, it is not the time I like to see the space.  I love to be there when it is a utter mess and they are working in it.  I love to see them happily moving about their much improved space.  That is the greatest reward!  It is much like the sneak peeks we get behind the scenes in blogs and magazines.   

I have had many spaces published in magazines, won several local awards, was fortunate enough to have worked with a National Award Winning Design firm, had my spaces on HG TV and while all that is exciting it doesn't hold a candle to running into a customer in the grocery store parking lot while she shouts out across it, in the rain--because yes this actually happened, "I love my Kitchen, THANK YOU!" 

So as I act crazy getting ready for the parental visit, I will try to keep in mind that my parents are like so many of us, me included, they want to see us as we are and not the magazine picture of us that we want the world to see (remember the scene in Sex and the City where Charlotte was having her house photographed?) but I doubt it will stop the chaos I felt necessary to undertake a mere few days before they arrive. I will take note.  I will try to take it easier on myself and let my parents see my three and three living in our space as it is! 

And for the radishes, well braising them is the best way to eat them. Clean and cut off the tops.  I leave stems on them about an inch or two.  Put in a deep skillet with a generous pinch of sugar and a pat (or two) of butter.  Add Chicken Stock, enough to come up the sides about halfway.  Bring to simmer.  Cover and simmer until tender about 10 to 15 minutes.  When tender take off lid and cook off liquid until syrupy.  Serve warm.  Utterly delicious.  Braising them mellows the sharpness and you won't want them on a salad anymore! 

Recipe and life lesson all in one swoop!  Create, don't drive yourself crazy doing so, and eat something really wonderful!  Whew, who knew! 

Paper Vase

These are paper strips left over from a project I have been working on.  I posted about them earlier but found a few more photographs of them on their table.  I like the way the twisted strips look and the light.  I get this amazing amber light in the afternoon as the sun sets.  It isn't a funky setting on my camera but the actual light filtering in.  Enjoy the pictures because they are only posted for you to enjoy!