Farm Chicks Treasures - Part 1

At the beginning of this month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane, Washington.  It runs for two days, of which I attended on the second day.  One would think that there wouldn't be much in the way of interesting items left after the hordes of shoppers were finished on Saturday; however, I managed to find quite a few fun things.

Roller skates -- I remember wearing skates such as these:

Blue enamel wear cups -- I just love enamel ware and think the different shades of blue available are so pretty:

 

Hand painted quail eggs -- such a pretty shade of blue:

 

Sweet birds -- I'm really not sure how these were made, but they sure caught my attention:

Salt shakers filled with German glass glitter -- I would love to have each and every one of these colors.  They remind me of my sister, Kass, who simply loves to use glitter on her art work:

And bundles of pretty lavender:

Fun Day Ahead

You have all undoubtedly heard that Disneyland is supposedly the happiest place on earth.  Well, I think that is debatable as I'm quite certain that today I will be visiting one of the happiest places on earth.  It's the annual Farm Chicks Antique Show in Spokane, Washington.  I look forward to this show every year, and as a bonus, get to attend it with my sister, Megan.  I will take lots of pictures to share with those of you who aren't able to partake of such an exquisite event.  Here is a picture of her promotional poster .... now really, how cute is this!

Lemon Bars

Chocolate is my all time favorite dessert, whatever form it may come in; but now and then I do stray from that tasty morsel and venture into other dessert arenas.  Recently, I was planning a visit to my mom and wanted to bring some dessert along to give to her.  I know how she loves lemony desserts, and my eye landed on a lemon bar recipe in the current issue of Food Network magazine.  It is a Paula Deen recipe, and knowing her reputation for rich and delicious desserts, decided to give it a try.  Well, I must say, these were the most fabulous lemon bars that I have ever tasted in my entire life.  I think from now on I will just dismiss any future recipes I might happen upon, because I don't think these could ever be topped.

Happy Mother's Day

Just think, a day just for honoring mothers.  Of course, mothers should always be honored, but having a special day set aside for various festivities all in the name of honoring a mom is a blessing.  Being a mom can be hard work, young or old, and her hat may change as the years go by, but once a mom, always a mom. 

I will be honoring my mom today at a family picnic.  She has always been a great mom -- always beside each and every one of her children no matter what difficulties they have faced.  Thanks mom, for all that you have done, and will continue to be.

 

 

And as a mom, I am always more than blessed by the actions of my kids on this day.  My son sent me the flowers in the above picture, and they are so pretty.

 

To all of you moms out there, have a wonderful day.

 

Everything Goes with Ice Cream

It is almost 8:00 in the evening as I write this.  I have been gone from the house all day, and came home kind of tired and in a put-your-feet-up kind of mood.  However, that mood quickly changed when I found a parcel on my doorstep from Amazon.  I had placed an order earlier this week, but wasn't even expecting it so soon.  Upon opening the package, my tiredness immediately disappeared and was replaced with a happy dance because inside was a book I've been looking forward to receiving.  It is called "Everything Goes with Ice Cream" by my blogging friend, Koralee Teichroeb.  Koralee is the resident blogger over at Bluebird Notes, which happens to be one of my very favorite blogs.  Since I've only just received the book this evening, I haven't had a chance to try any of the recipes; however, upon initial perusal, I know it is going to be such a fun book.  Not only is it filled with delicious looking recipes, she has also included craft projects, and little introductions to her daughters and a few of her friends that contributed recipes to the book.  It is filled with beautiful photography, which I'm going to guess is all by Koralee herself, being the amazing photographer that she is.  I can already tell that it will be a late night for me because I want to start reading through this delightful book and start planning on what I want to make first.  Stay tuned, I will keep you posted of everything I try.

A Promise of Spring

This morning when I woke up I was greeted by light.  Something I think I typically take for granted.  As the days get shorter and shorter in the early part of winter, I notice the darkness; but when the tides shift and the days begin getting longer and longer, it surprises me on a morning like today when I all of a sudden realize that it isn't pitch black outside when I wake up.  It all causes my heart to rejoice because it's like a ray of hope that spring is truly on its way.  And to top it all off there has actually been sunlight streaming in the window this morning (a rare commodity around here in the winter) and birds are chirping merrily outside.  There is still snow on the ground, but that really doesn't matter, because the birds know what's around the corner.

A Fresh Beginning

Today marks a new day, a new month, and a new year.  That's a lot of new for one morning.  And really, even though it is just a continuation of our story from yesterday, there is just something different about this morning each year.  It's like we've been given a fresh start, a do-over for some, or a fresh outlook on what lies ahead.  I kind of like to think about it as if I have been handed a brand new, blank canvas.  God is my teacher, and by following His instruction, I can finish up this year with a beautiful picture.  Undoubtedly this year will be filled with many blessings, many trials, and unforeseen events.  But that's how we learn from Him.  It isn't paint-by-number, but closely following His teachings, having faith, and trusting that He has a plan for our lives.  Happy New Year everyone.

Simple, but Nice Gifts

Christmas is drawing closer each day, and as I can imagine there are some of you really on top of things with gifts all wrapped and delivered, cookies baked, and cards written.  But I can especially relate to those of you who are still  preparing for the upcoming holiday.  I haven't even begun my baking yet, that's on the agenda for today; and I've been busily working on finishing the hand made gifts that I always seem to wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to begin.  So just in case there is anyone out there still trying to drum up ideas for gifts, here are a couple that just might work for you.

Large acrylic drinking glasses with straws are a very fun gift to give.  And when you fill one with some of the individual cold drink mixes that are available in every grocery store, it adds just that little extra touch to makes it even that much nicer.  Costco sells a package of the drink mixes for such a reasonable price, that if you were going to make more than one of these gifts up, that is a great way to go.

And if it is cold where you live, and you would rather go the hot drink route, the insulated hot drink containers are also a great idea.  Pair one of them up with a cute tin of hot chocolate, and you are all set.

A Little Vintage Decorating

Vintage Christmas decorations add a bit of charm to the whole scheme of things, at least in my opinion.  This little jewel belongs to my mother-in-law, and I was so happy when my daughters pulled it out of storage and put it on display.  It just adds an extra bit of cheer to the holiday decor.

A Pre-Christmas Gift

A fun way to brighten the day of a good friend, sister, or even your mother, is to give them a pre-Christmas gift.  A little something to help them enjoy the Christmas season while they are making their preparations. 

Choose holiday labels, festive sticky sheets or note pad, and a scented candle

Place them all in a cute container, and voila, you have the perfect little hostess gift or just because gift.  You could even add a holiday CD and I can imagine the gift recipient will be wrapping gifts this year with a smile on her face.