Happy things

Hey friends! I haven't posted in awhile, I am sorry about that! Like I told my buddy Di yesterday, I just haven't been doing much that's blogworthy! The kids were off all last week, so there went any time to myself...plus I've had a couple of colds during February so my energy has been really lacking. But I'm hoping it comes back any minute now! :-)

I HAVE to show you this cute planter and pots I got.

Of course Willow had to get in on the action. The planter is from Hobby Lobby, and it was 40% off. I bought the two planters at Christmas Tree Shops today, for $3.99 each.

I love the rustic planter against the shabby chic-ness of the pots. I'm planning to put these on my porch this spring.

I also got this cute, yummy-smelling candle at Walmart today! Less than five bucks, can't beat that!

 

Ok, short and sweet today...have a good one!

♥ Jen

Fun with domesticity

It's Monday!  I must say, I don't mind this day of the week. I get the house back in order after the weekend, catch up on laundry and grocery shopping, etc. I like to re-establish some sense of order. Although I did tackle a cleaning project over the weekend...I cleaned out my side of our bedroom closet. I have two big garbage bags full of clothes and shoes to donate. I found a pair of black wool pants that taper at the ankle and go up past my belly button. I think those are just a tad outdated! Other things were in there for many seasons without being worn, so out they go. I did save a few sentimental outfits...the suit I wore to my wedding rehearsal dinner; the suit I wore to Dave's med school graduation; and bridesmaid dresses for my sisters' weddings. But they don't take up too much room. Anyway it's MUCH neater in there!

Today I ran a bunch of errands...Wegman's, HomeGoods, gas, mall, and the library. Since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I bought a pack of strawberries. The kids and I make chocolate-covered strawberries every year. It's so easy and SO much cheaper than buying them pre-made. Here's the recipe I use:

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsps. vegetable shortening
1 lb. fresh strawberries with leaves
Sprinkles, mini M&Ms, colored sugar, flaked coconut, or other coatings (optional)

Wash and dry strawberries. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally until smooth. Holding them by the leaves, dip the strawberries into the chocolate mixture. Rotate berries to make sure they are covered. Let excess chocolate drip off. Spoon coatings of choice over each berry. Place on wax paper-lined cookie sheets. Allow to cool and store in refrigerator.

Last week I bought a few spring items at Christmas Tree Shops. Isn't this bird cloche adorable? Plus it was only $7.99!

Donna, I thought of you when I saw it. You're the one who's inspired me with your beauitful cloches!

I also picked up these decorative bird eggs...they'll go into a spring display on my foyer table.

I'm working on a review for a new Gooseberry Patch cookbook, called "Simple Shortcut Recipes."

On Saturday, I made a great recipe called, "Rainy Day Meatball Stew." I can't wait to share this and other recipes with you...this may be one of my favorite GP cookbooks ever! It is filled with dishes I want to make. So stay tuned for that!

Enjoy your day, and Happy Valentine's Day (a day early)!

♥ Jen

Hi there

Hey friends! What's going on? Today's Groundhog Day, and Mason and I watched the live coverage in Punxsutawney, PA this morning. Have you seen the movie, Groundhog Day? That is one of our family favorites! Annabelle and I watched it on Tuesday while she was home with a cold...they do the groundhog scene just like in real life.

Anyway, I've been doing some more embroidery, in the cutest kitchen designs. Here's an example:

This is going to be a gift so I don't want to go into detail, but I'll show you the completed project when all is said and done.  Love me some stitching!

I tried out a new-to-me recipe from Gooseberry Patch yesterday, called Jalapeno Chicken Chilli. It was delicious! Here's the recipe from their facebook page:

Jalapeño-Chicken Chili

 
4 15.8-oz. cans Great Northern beans
2 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. red pepper, diced
1/2 c. green pepper, diced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. dried oregano
3/4 t. salt
1/4 c. water
1/2 t. chicken bouillon granules
1 to 2 c. salsa

Stir together undrained beans and remaining ingredients except salsa; spoon into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high setting for 5 hours. Add salsa during last hour. Before serving, stir well to blend. Serves 8.

Tonight I'm making Greek chicken pitas. It's so simple...just marinate a few chicken breasts in Greek marinade; bake and slice. Fill pitas with cucumber yogurt sauce (Mix plain yogurt, dill weed, lemon juice, salt and pepper),  feta cheese, Greek olives, lettuce tomato and the chicken...yum!

While food shopping today, I found the cutest jars of candy sticks...for just $1.99! Had to get a jar.

Hope you have a great day!

♥ Jen

Birds and pies

Hey there, my friends! Guess what? Lookie!

I finished that cute little bird pillow from this book!

It was a very fun project. The embroidery was a pleasure, and so was the applique...although I did change up the flowers a wee bit. The smallest one was supposed to have appliqued petals, but I didn't want to deal with teeny-tiny pieces of fabric so I just embroidered it and made the next-biggest one applique.

Plus I used buttons for all the flower centers....some of the ones on the pattern are satin-stitched, which is a stitch I dread. I did it for this half a bud...

...but for anything else, especially a circle...no thank you. To me, it is a deceptively difficult stitch. The welting was a bit tricky but I think it's worth it.

So that's it! hope you like it. It adds a nice little touch of sunshine, I think.

Tomorrow, January 23rd, is National Pie Day! Long-time readers of this blog know that we've been celebrating this "holiday" for several years now. I am going to make the traditional Lemon Angel Pie...plus, Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie. And what would dinner be without pizza pie? Quiche would be a good choice too!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Eat some pie tomorrow!

♥ Jen

The best oatmeal raisin cookies

The other day, Dave requested that I make some oatmeal raisin cookies. I used to make these cookies all the time. This recipe used to be on the back of the Quaker Oats container...but somewhere along the line, they changed it. The current one they use is okay, but this old one is the very best. Luckily I copied it down years ago, and I thought you might like it too.

Quaker's "old" Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 Cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 Cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Cups Quaker Oats (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked)
1 Cup raisins (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet (I like to line the pans with parchment paper). Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.
*Bar cookies: Bake 30-35 min. in ungreased 13" x 9" metal baking pan.

They're soooo yummy! I had more pictures of the cooking process but for some reason Blogger kept wanting to turn them sideways. Ugh! Anyway, if you try them I hope you enjoy them too!

Remember I said I was making the Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake a week or so ago? It was delicious! I found the recipe through Pinterest. Here's what it looked like, fresh out of the oven...

It was sooo tasty. I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, so it was super easy.

I felt like I needed a little "boost" earlier this week, so I bought this new lipstick...

Seriously, isn't that the sweetest packaging you've ever seen? And lipstick with a heart built right in? So cute! It's a little bit too "pink" in real life but it's a good layer-er.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these recipes! Talk to you soon!

♥ Jen

"Rush-Hour Recipes" WINNER!

Hello and Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I hope everyone had a great weekend! My kids have off today, and Friday was a snow day, so they get a four-day weekend. We had some friends over on Saturday night, and they own a fabulous chocolate shop called Lune Chocolat. They brought over a NINE POUND chocolate-peanut butter cake for dessert that was soooo good. It was a really fun night, plus their kids slept over so Annabelle and Mason were in seventh heaven.

Ok, onto the winner of Gooseberry Patch's "Rush-Hour Recipes!" I had my son pick a number and he chose 74, which is....Sheila Shook! Sheila wrote:

"This book would be awesome to win."

Congratulations, I know you will love it! Please send me your address and I will get this in the mail asap!

Off to take a shower...enjoy your day!

♥ Jen

Winter, where are you?

Are you having strange, unseasonable weather where you are? We have such mild temps, and very little snow. Weird for central New York! Oh well, I'll take it. It is unusual to see grass in January, that's for sure!

I've been doing a teeny bit of decorating for Valentine's Day. This is a little vignette over my sink.

I've had the Welcome plate for awhile, but Dave got me the bird jewelry holder and the milk jug measuring cup set for Christmas. So I've got a little white-theme going here...grounded with a red heart placemat.

I went to Christmas Tree Shops this morning...seems like I haven't been there in a long time! I got the cutest little birdhouse cloche. Only $2.99! I filled it with some mini candles from Bath and Body Works.

That's a Valentine table topper I had a made a couple of years ago.

Last year I had gotten a few heart placemats at CTS, just in a different pattern. I couldn't resist getting two of the coordinating pattern. And you can't beat two for $3.00!

Guess what? I started a sewing project! Thank you, thank you. It felt so good to get back in there, pick out a pattern and fabrics, etc. I'm working on the bird pillow I showed you...

I've got some of the applique done, and all the supplies are ready.

I love embroidery, it's so relaxing!

I have some fun news! My twin sister Karen started a new blog. It's called "My Soul Counts." I love her ideas...it's all about a place to go to recharge, get inspired, and relax. Take a look if you can, it's wonderful!

Don't forget, my giveaway for the Gooseberry Patch cookbook ends next Monday. Enter HERE!

Enjoy your day!

♥ Jen