Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Here’s one of my rules to live by: “oatmeal raisin cookies should be soft and chewy.” It falls somewhere on the list between “treat others the way you want to be treated” and “always wear a slip with a dress.” Now that you know what my priorities are, my mission to find a homemade oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to end all recipes, doesn’t really seem all that ridiculous. Does it? So I began my quest (aka I Googled it) and after the longest 3.2 seconds of my life, I found a recipe that had almost 5 stars and close to 2,500 comments. I took that as a “sign” that my righteous quest was…
DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Farmhouse Bed
Editor’s Note: I wrote a one year later post about how we like this bed and what we’d do different. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a little lumber and elbow grease. I know I’m not the only one who pours over the Pottery Barn catalog looking for inspiration. I think I own a handful of actual Pottery Barn creations – a throw, a hook thingie (technical term there) and I’m sure there must be something else. However, I can’t seem to pull the trigger on any of the big stuff though – the sofas, the tables, the beds. That’s where I owe a debt of gratitude to Ana White for…
A Boy and a Train
I met a train conductor once. An actual, real life conductor. He didn’t necessarily fill my preconceived notions of what a conductor should look like, which are honestly, completely colored by reading one million and one Thomas the Train books. It struck me as funny at the time that trains are fascinating to little boys and that railcars play a huge role in the movement of goods in this country. Yet, not many people grow up to work on the railroad anymore. Or if they do, I certainly have not met many of them. Perhaps I need to get out and about more. I often wonder what goes through my…
Bacon Feta Jalapeño Potato Salad
My husband doesn’t cook very often anymore. So when I came home last week to find him cooking up something that looked highly questionable, I’ll admit I had my doubts. Which, in retrospect, was totally the wrong attitude – especially if I’d like him to do more cooking. *insert major forehead slap here* When all was said and done, instead of eating crow, I ate two helpings of his potato salad. It all started with bacon. And, really, all good things start with bacon. I’m just not sure why it had to be on the grill, but I’m going with the flow here. Again, husband cooking = excellent idea. He…
$2.50 Cloth Napkin Art
Generally speaking, I’m at that point in my life where I can deal with blank walls while I wait for inspiration to strike. So zen of me, I know. The truth is, once I put a hole in the wall, it’s all over. That artwork is going to be up there for a REALLY long time. For some reason, I lack the motivation it takes to spend 10 minutes filling in that hole and repainting in order to hang a new piece of artwork. But, let’s not dwell on my issues. Now, if I can hide that nail hole… Please tell me I’m not the only one who has multiple nail…
Blueberry Freezer Jam with Frozen Berries
If you’ve known me for 3 seconds, you will know that I LOVE freezer jam. I love it so much that when we moved to Georgia, I packed a cooler with our remaining precious containers of jam and some ice packs and checked it as luggage on the plane. I’m sure TSA (and my family and friends) thought I was cuckoo, but I didn’t care! I brought a little piece of home to our new home. There’s just one little problem with freezer jam. Say it isn’t so! Freezer space can be a problem. Even having enough containers can be a problem. So, what’s a girl to do? Simple. Freeze berries in…
Finally! A Family Picture!
This week we have friends visiting from Oregon! We are zooming one hundred miles an hour on all things fun, touristy and relaxing. It leaves no time for crafty projects, but it is so much more fulfilling. Yesterday we visited Stone Mountain Park in the evening and took in the laser show. I’ll tell you about it later! While on the top of the mountain, we managed to get this family picture! Miracles do happen, people. If I miss you on Friday, I will be back on Monday for sure! Hope you are having as happy a week as we are! Share this:
How to Get a Boy to Play My Little Pony
My daughter was OBSESSED with My Little Pony for a long time. We have amassed quite a collection. My daughter doesn’t play with them as much now that she has turned 7, but sometimes they make their way into toy rotation. My son couldn’t care less about the ponies. It doesn’t matter how much my daughter begs for him to play with her. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered they had found a compromise. Those naughty ponies must have been speeding. Good thing the cops are patrolling the hallway. Children playing nicely together makes me very, very happy! How about you? Share this:
Let Freedom Ring
4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. Our family’s 4th of July tradition involves watching a parade. For my kids, it is all about the candy. And that’s okay. It’s a free country! I love parades too. There is something so unifying about watching a 4th of July parade. For that hour, we aren’t Republicans or Democrats. We aren’t rich or poor. We aren’t old or young. We aren’t straight or gay. We aren’t religious or non-religious. We aren’t educated or uneducated. We are simply Americans. And, isn’t that how it should be? For I am convinced that our similarities far out-weigh our differences. Making this cute little…
Sneak Peek: Ana White Bed Design
We’ve taken a stab at building a bed for our guest room from one of Ana White’s plans. And by we, I mainly mean Handy Husband. I take credit for all of the staining though. And, of course, we had these handy helpers! This is actually our second bed build. (I really need to get around to taking more photos!) It’s a good thing we have such enthusiastic helpers to make the work go more quickly. Don’t you agree? We have friends coming to visit from Oregon over the 4th of July (SO EXCITED!!), so I will be getting the bed all made up for them! I’ll share pictures…eventually! We are…
