Lovely Vintage Cottage Life

Sorry I missed you!

2010-08-08T19:58:00.004-04:00

Hello lovely blogger friends. It has been a very hectic and emotional summer and I am so sorry for not blogging more.
My mother became very ill at the begining of July and had to be hospitalized. She is now (Thank God and the heavens above) getting back on her feet. It's such a shock to see one of your parents go through a rough spell of health and see their physical appearance change. My concern was for my mom to keep up her spirits. I'm a firm believer in "Mind Over Manner". It was instilled in all of us kids from day one by our folks. Mom is getting alot of rest and is starting to feel comfortable about heading out on her own to shop and what not. Mom is such a sassy chicky momma that she was determined to get over this "spell" as she called it. It was great today to be heading back out to church with her and the family again. Love you Momma!
We've also been very busy around the house getting ready for our big trip to Disney World. We're driving down! Yes driving from Massachusetts to Florida. I'm really looking forward to the drive. I'm looking forward to being able to stop at all those kitchy roadside attractions. You know what I'm talking about, right? Like The World's Biggest Ball of Twine or, The Mueseum of Lunch Boxes. That's what I call fun!
The harvest of fresh veggies has been wonderful up here in Western Massachusetts. We just love sweet corn and we are so lucky to just be right around the corner from a wonderful family farm called Butynski's Farm and Farm Stand. The Butynski family has been running their own farm for many a years. They are all so friendly and it's great to be supporting your local farmers.

I've been thinking ahead for the Autumn and Winter with freezing tomatoes and corn. My parents gave us a chest freezer for our anniversary a couple of years back and my mom and I were talking about getting a bushel of tomatoes, blanching, skinning and seasoning them with fresh garlic and herbs and freezing them in quart freezer bags to use as a base for slow cooker soups and pasta sauces for the chilly weather. I've also been planning ahead with pies. I will be putting together some fresh berry pies (pre-baked of course) to put in the freezer for a bit of summer when the cold winds blow in January. Of course this will happen when we get back from seeing the mouse with the big ears. Well I should get going now, it's getting late for me and need to turn in for a good night of sleep. My thoughts are with you all dear sweet blogger friends, have a wonderful week ahead ;)

Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T14:28:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to wish all of my lovely blogger friends a happy healthy and safe Independance day.
Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

~Wednesday's Word's~

2010-06-23T15:54:00.005-04:00

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
~Antoine de Saint Exupery
Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

UGH! Technical Difficulties!

2010-06-20T12:19:00.003-04:00

So as some of you know I signed up for the Where Bloggers Create Party. I have been preparing for this for weeks now. So I get up early yesterday morning to post my pictures to find.............that I can't upload my pics! Ya ever have one of those moments where ya just say "I give up!" That moment came and went but it still frustrated the patootie outta me. So I soon as I have my "uploading issues" resolved I will do a late Where Bloggers Create Post. Again so sorry :(

Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

~Wednesday's Word's~

2010-06-16T09:21:00.003-04:00

Strawberry

The strawberry is rough like a slave’s arduous life
Vermillion, green, and fuzzy like an inscripted pathway
It tastes like the first candy bar in a child’s life
It looks like a cold soda on a hot summer day
Sounds like the Sirens decepting voice
As sweet as the song of a Blue Jay in the tall oak trees
Smells like a new blossomed rose on a luke-warm spring day
Inside the strawberry is sweet like cotton candy at the State Fair
Smooth like the back end of a bowling ball
Tastes as sweet as winning your first football game against the best in state
Looks like a glass of water after a trip from the desert with no supplies
And smells like the bakery in the early morning
~Jacob McGregor-April 30, 2007

Isn't that just a wonderful poem? Well again this is a combined Wednesday's Word's and a lil' ol' post. So sorry I haven't been posting alot lately and posting pics. In the chaos of putting our kitchen cabinets back together from painting them I have mis-placed the cord to download my pics to the computer. Ugh! Anyhoo what can you do right? Well last night I took my girlie girls strawberry pickin' and icecream lickin'. Hehehehe! We had a great time. I will be heading back out to pick some more strawberries next week to freeze for the winter (yes I said the W word!). Well my lovely blogger friends have a fabulous day and hopefully after finishing up with the kitchen this weekend, I'll find my camera cord and will have more time to blog and take pics!

Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

~Wednesday's Words~ (a day late)

2010-06-10T13:43:00.003-04:00

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."
~Unknown

Blogger Templates

~Wednesday's Words~

2010-06-02T10:03:00.012-04:00

“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track, which has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living” ~Joseph Campbell

Hello blogger friends! What a beautiful day today. My post today is kind of a double decker post. My Wednesday's Words and just a little ol' snippet of a post.
Isn't Bliss a wonderful thing and a wonderful word? The word itself just takes flight from your tounge and lips as if it is going to just flutter away willy nilly. Well, let me share one of my bliss's with you. It's baking home spankin' made pies, and I just found out from a local farmer the other day that the strawberry crop will be coming in about 2 weeks earlier than usual, and ya know what that means friends? Strawberry Pie! yippee! Just the smell of fresh strawberries sends my head into a tizzy. In fact once the snow starts melting and the first bulbs of the Spring season start popping I take out my Yankee Candle Spring smells, and my fav of those is Sweet Strawberry.

Let me tell you sisters this scent is dead on with fresh strawberries. Well all, I'm gonna get goin' now and dream of when in the very near future me and my girlie girls will be out in those strawberry fields pickin' our baskets of lovely sweet strawberries.
Smoochies,

Blogger Templates

~The True Meaning of Memorial Day~

2010-05-31T08:19:00.006-04:00

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

~ Kelly Strong

Today when you sit down with your families and friends for your BBQ's and picnics, please, take a moment to remember what the true meaning of Memorial Day is. Please also take a brief moment to say a prayer for our Service Men and Women that have fallen for our Country.
~God Bless America and God Bless our Troops~

~Wednesday's Words~

2010-05-19T20:24:00.001-04:00

“Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing.”
~Quincy Jones

~Happy Mother's Day~

2010-05-09T07:41:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to make a quick post before heading out to church to wish you all a very Happy Mother's Day. I'm truely blessed to have two amazing daughters and a wonderful mother myself. Love and smoochies to you all :)

Kelli

~Dream Kitchen~

2010-05-06T15:50:00.004-04:00

Hello lovely blogger friends! I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last post. As you know we have our new little addition and she ain't so little no mo! Little Miss Ellie has fit into our family so wonderfully. Let me tell you though this little one is a sneaky booger! Just this morning she swipped one of the twelve blueberry lemon muffins I was sending to school with my daughter for teacher appreciation week. My hubs calls me at work and tells me. He said the funny thing is that she came out of the kitchen licking her mouth with her ears back but her tail was wagging as though she was saying "Ohhh I know I shouldn't have done it but mmmmm mmmm mmm it was good!"
Well my mom and I have been deciding what we are going to do with my kitchen until I came upon this lovely kitchen on a blog (I wish I could remember which one) But take a gander at this pic:

I'm in kitchen heaven! Isn't it just B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! So if you are reading this blog and say "Hey that's my kitchen!" well then sister total props to you! I love it. Needless to say I shimmied on down to our local hardware store and picked up some ivory paint chips. Funny thing is, is that the (what looks like) cranberry color that the sink cupboard is, is what I have already on my lower paneling. I will be starting to pull stuff down off of my shelves and nooks and crannies this weekend and starting to prep the ol' cupboard doors. I can't wait. Big project ahead but we can handle it. Hope you all are having a fab day.
Smoochies,
Kelli

My Talented Cake Designer Friend

2010-04-08T12:09:00.012-04:00

I would like to tell all you blogger friends about my girlie friend Denise. First of all Denise has such a loving heart, second, she is a talented cake designer. Let me share with you some pics....

This is a picture of my youngest girlie girls birthday cake. She loooooves The Wizard of Oz! Check out the Wicked Witches feet coming out from under the house!

This is my oldest girlie girls cake. Denise had complete control on the design. Hot pink, electric blue, vivid green and zebra stripes! Now that's my sassy girl to a t!

This was my birthday cake. Daisies are one of my fav flowers and my wonderful friend remembered that. Kathleen: I love daisies. Joe: You told me. Kathleen: They are so friendly. Don't you think they are the friendliest flower? hehehe love that movie! ;)

Now this is a metal detector cake. I know can you believe it! Its all frosting and fondant. Grass dirt and a metal detector.

And last but not least (she has a ton more!) yes that is a burger and fries your looking at! Tooo talented! I love you Dee! eeeeeee :) Check out my sweet friends web-site and if your up in our area then feel free to order from her. I promise you won't be disappointed. http://www.boxedcow.com/bakery.html

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T19:24:00.010-04:00

Hello lovely blogger friends! Happy Spring and Happy Easter! It has been absolutely beautiful up here in Western Massachusetts. Today is the day that my hubs throw's his annual Easter Eggstravaganza for the town. It is so wonderful to see parents out with their children.

Here is my hubs telling everyone what the rules are and to watch out for the "brown eggs" ewwww he's so gross yet so funny! hahaha

My oldest girlie girl and I make Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cones every year for the bake sale portion of the Eggstravaganza. Ain't they cute? Sooo yummy pastelly.

They are sooooo super easy to make. If anyone wants the directions just leave me a message and I would be more than happy to email them to you. You can get cotton candy in virtually any color for any type of holiday or party. Love em'.
And last but not least a cute little pic of all three of my girlie girls with the big bunny himself.

Notice how my youngest is not exactly right next to the Easter Bunny. This is the first year she has gotten this close to him. Well all have a wonderful Easter. Enjoy and love your family and friends and most of all Rejoice Jesus has risen! Blessings to you all and remember if y'all go out on egg hunts....Watch out for the brown eggs!
Smoochies,
Kelli

Our, ummm..Fluffy Bouncing Baby Girl!

2010-03-15T14:31:00.003-04:00

Hello wonderful blogger friends! I just wanted to share some joyful news with you all. Blogger friends meet Ellie

Isn't she just yummy!?!?!?! We were not going to get another dog until after our big vacation this summer, buuuuttttt.... the hubs and I saw a picture of this little munchkin and that's all it took. Needless to say it's been a little crazy around our little cottage! Miss Ellie took one step into our cottage and knew that we were her forever family and this was her forever home. Now, you would think by her picture that she is a Chocolate Lab. Not true one bit. No kidding! She is actually half Collie and half German Shepherd. She is allll this yummy colored chocolate and I think she looks like a little bear cub. My mum thinks she looks like a baby monkey! Too funny Mumsy! I do call her my little freaky chicky monkey. My girls are in love with her. My oldest girlie girl was feeling a bit down because we just lost our beloved Golden, Bubbie just so recently. We explained to them that in no way was Ellie replacing Bubbie. Bubbie will be in our hearts forever. We also explained that we adopted Ellie from a rescue up in our neck of the woods. She has brought much needed excitement and joy into our lives and we are thankful to the rescue. Thankful not only for honoring us to adopt Ellie but, for doing such a wonderful job at rescueing. Thank you Linda! Your Rock! :)

~Wednesday's Words~

2010-03-03T14:24:00.003-05:00

Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
~ Saint Francis of Assisi

I don't know if I shared with you all.....I'm going to put together a Vintage Faire in my town! More to come soon.

A tisket, a tasket, what's in my sewing basket!

2010-02-24T18:17:00.005-05:00

Hello dear friends. I thought today's post would be about sewing. I wanted to share with you what's in my little sewing basket that I am working on.
I am addicted to the "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilting. I find that I get sooooo relaxed when I hand sew. I am in the process of finishing a quilted doily for my Mom for Mother's Day. I will be starting one for my Mother-in-Law next. I'm a little nervous about making an actual quilt.
I would also like to share with you what I am reading right now. What a stinkin' hoot this book is. It is "Mr's Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homemkeeping".
This book was started by Mrs. Dunwoody in 1866. It took her over 50 years to write it. So many of her tips I use today. What's old is new girls! Alway's have and alway's will be.

A little excerpt from "Mr's Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homemkeeping"

Every home should have a sewing basket. Choose a good-size one, but not so big that you can't carry it from room to room as needed. Inside your basket you will need the following basic supplies:
Sewing needles (assorted sizes)
Thread (light and dark colors, varying strengths)
A very sharp pair of scissors
Straight pins kept in a pincushion
Assorted buttons
Assorted snaps, hooks, and eyes
A thimble
A magnifying glass
A tape measure
A seam ripper
A needle threader
Safety pins
Dressmaker chalk

You will find much satistaction in being able to repair a fallen button or torn hem, or patching a small hole in a garment. With minimal skill, you can tend to these things as they occur and save yourself quite some expense.
~Mrs. Dunwoody
Well gals, I couldn't agree with her more. In this day and age with the tightening of the ol' purse strings. It's amazing how much money one lil' ol' sewing kit can save you on clothes. I've heard about people throwing out a good shirt with just a little hole in the sleeve. Please, learn how to sew people!
Signing off now friends. Going to get cozy with some more quilting.

Smoochies,

Kelli

Checking In

2010-02-19T19:14:00.008-05:00

Hello blogger friends. I'm sorry I have not been posting lately. As you know from an earlier post I let you all know about our Golden, Bubbie. Our sweet baby boy just got to sick to hold on. He passed last Sunday. He was such a ray of sunshine in our lives. Our hearts are broken. However, we know that he is in dog heaven, running around looking for the biggest stick and no longer hurting. We miss you Bubbie.

The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic.

~ Henry Ward Beecher

~Happy Valentines Day~

2010-02-14T07:06:00.003-05:00

True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked.

Erich Segal~

~Wednesday's Words~

2010-02-10T16:35:00.003-05:00

~The Silent Winter~

And now come the silent days of inward living ~ the profitable hours of meditative peace. Without, white fields are full of snowy silences; within, the welcome warmth of hearth and home, the open book, where march great thoughts to lead us far afield through legend, song and story. Now, if ever, should our summer dreams come true ~ our hearts attain their aspirations ~ our hands fulfill their long-awaited duties; now should our faith renew its hold on God and Truth and our very souls climb upward to their Heaven. For lo! the silent winter is the Spirits spring.

~ Edwin Osgood Grover

Meet Gertie!

2010-02-08T15:52:00.003-05:00

Hello blogging friends! I would like to introduce you to a new member of the household fixtures. Meet Miss Gertie (short for Gertrude)....

Isn't she pertie! hahaha. I can't believe my luck on finding her. A friend of mine at work got me hooked onto Craigslist. I searched for dress forms in antiques and low and behold, there she was. I got her for a fabu price of $20.00. I'm thinking about pasting old book pages to her. She looks to be over 100 yrs old and seems as if she is not as spry as she once was. A tatter here a piece missing their. But we still love her. My girlie girls helped name her. I think its very fitting.
Miss Gerties is modeling a vintage peticoat with a vintage light weight waist apron. I added a string of pearls to her after I took this picture. Miss Gertie just looked as if she needed pearls. Heck what girl doesn't need pearls? Well my dear friends I am off now. Need to make some dindin for the fam. Have a wonderful rest of the day :)

Smoochies,

Kelli

My Sweet Baby Boy

2010-02-05T23:04:00.001-05:00

Hello my dear sweet blogger friends. We have been going through a bit of a rough patch here at home. My sweet baby boy Bubbie has been very ill.

Is he not the most handsome boy?

It all started around Christmas. He just wasn't himself. My hubs took him to the vets. They took blood and will hopefully be getting back to us by tomorrow with the results. He has lost quite a bit of weight in a month.

If it's okay with you all I would love to tell you a bit about my boy.

For our wedding gift my husband's brother gave a gift of money for us to get a dog. We had just moved up to central Vermont from the Boston area right after we got married and one of the first things (besides looking for a place) we did was to research the area for puppies. We had gone to the Humane Society with no luck. We had called regarding Great Dane puppies, only to find out the day we were to go, they had given away the last puppy. So then I had seen an ad in the paper for Golden Retriever puppies. I looked onto the map and it only seemed a short drive north of where we lived. Needless to say with my mad skills at reading a map it took almost 2 hours to get to the location (which might I add, was almost 5 minutes away from the Canadian border!). What can I say we didn't have to read maps in the Navy. Anyhoo, we were greeted at the front of the house by this MASSIVE and I mean MASSIVE Golden (we found out that, that was Bubbie's grandfather "Grandpappy Jack"). I looked at the hubs and said oh boy. We were welcomed into the house by the owner who ushered us into a closed heated garage. The moment she opened that door it was nothing but a sea of Golden Retriever puppies coming at us. Can you imagine? Each puppy had a different colored collar. She told us which ones were already taken. Bubbie's mama was a petite little lady and this was her first litter. Can you believe she had 14 little ones?!?! Well kids let me tell you, it was love at first sight. I picked him up into my arms and I melted. I looked to the hubs and said he's the one babe. He was 5 1/2 weeks old and we took him home that night. That was 11 1/2 years ago and he still melts my heart.

We came up with the name Bubbie because I wanted to name him Bubba and the hubs wanted to name him Ernie. So.... we compromised. He has been the most wonderful companion not only to the hubs and myself but also to his human sisters.

As I sit here and type this post the tears just keep flowing from my eyes. I have always had dogs growing up, but no matter how old you get it just doesn't get any easier when they get older and eventually leave you. Thank you all so much for letting me share the story of My Sweet Baby Boy with you.

Smoochies to you all,

Kelli

Attitude

2010-02-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

"The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. "

~ Charles Swindoll

Boy you can say that again!

Just call me Mrs. Buble

2010-01-28T19:19:00.001-05:00

Just call me Mrs. Buble....oh my goodness Michael Buble is soooooo dreamy. Gasp, swoon. What a wonderful night the hubs (my real hubs) and I had. The venue was very intimate. It was catered (hubs loved that) and of course Michael was fabulous......

As you can see from the first picture he was singing right to me. The second picture he was reaching out to me. (I think he was a bit confused as to where I was, I blame it on the lights)

He looked so goood. It was funny he went into a schpeal at the start of the concert about Americans (he's from Canada) worrying about staying skinny soooo....

He brought 100 ish donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. What a crackalaka!

Anyhoo, we had a great time. He's a great performer and seems really down to earth. He really yukked it up with the audience. Thank you Michael Buble for a fabulous evening out. Smoochies all ;)

Here he is singing to me again (I know, I know, in my dreams. But they will be sweet dreams).

What I'm Watching

2010-01-25T19:28:00.000-05:00

Hello all :) How are you all doing? A couple of weeks ago I happened to catch on PBS "Return to Cranford". I was smitten in the first half hour. I watched the two 2 hour showings of it. I needed more! Thank goodness for Netflix. I immediately went to my queue and added the original series (bumping the 2 discs up and bumping off one of my hubs choices, hehehe). I received the first disc this last Friday and immediately watched close to I believe 3 hours of it. I was however doing something very productive while I was watching. I was folding laundry and cleaning out my daughters drawers. I figured instead of sitting like a lump on the couch (which I totally would have loved) that I should make progress somewhere. I sent it back Saturday and will be receiving the next tomorrow. I cannot wait! Cranford is my fairytale place to live. Don't you all wish we had a Miss Mattie down the street we could visit with? I know I do. If any of you out there have not seen it, then I totally suggest it.
Well as you might know from my previous posts I am going with the hubs to see Michael Buble tomorrow night. I am soooooo very excited. I'm bringing my camera in hopes I can get a picture with him. I will let you all know how it went (fabulous I'm sure). Signing off blogging land now and heading up to bed to watch the first of "Emma" from PBS last night. Smoochies all!

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2010-01-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

Follow your bliss. Find where it is and don't be afraid to follow it.
~Joseph Campbell

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

2010-01-13T14:09:00.001-05:00

Live with integrity, respect the rights of other people, and follow your own bliss.

~ Nathaniel Branden

Okay just a quick post..........

2010-01-12T14:53:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post today. I am writing this on my break from work........ Do you know this guy?

Do you???????????

I can't believe it but....I just won tickets to see him in an exclusive private concert in 2 weeks, for only 100 people. OH MY GOSH! I'M FREAKIN' OUT HERE!

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MICHAEL BUBLE PEOPLE!
Okay....I'm okay, really I am. I just cannot believe it. It was one of those radio things where when you hear the song and call in and blah blah blah. So I heard the song and thought "hmmm I'll try it but I know I won't get through". Tehehe. Well I did and I am soooooooo excited. Just wanted to share my Michael Buble Bliss moment with you all! Have a fabulous day :)

New Years Resolutions??????

2010-01-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

New Years resolution? I don't think so. I prefer to call them New Year's personal promise breakers. Hehehe. Just kidding.

I do plan on doing alot of this:

And alot of that:

To look like this:

Hahaha, Yeah right I know. Well I was in the Navy and I think that I was a mighty fine, fine looking Navy gal.

I am sooo ready to start working out again. Maybe not how the ladies in the above first pics are doing it. But, I'm ready to hit the deck running (old Navy saying)! No more excuses. I'm not sure if I shared this little tid-bit with you all in my earlier posts last year but, I had the Gastric Lap-band done in April of 2007. I've lost close to 100 pounds. I have about 50ish more to go until I'm happy. I've never been a skinny minny nor do I want to be. I love my curves and don't want to loose them. It's been alot of work but it has been totally worth it. I have been looking for a good workout DVD to use for doing the whole firming thing. I'm really getting sick of waiving at people and having my arm waive back at me. I mean really I like myself and all but enough of the waiving already! I was at Target (with a French accent) the other night by myself which I might add, is tres rare. I know enough with the French talk. Anyhoo on and end-cap in the workout department they had Valerie Bertinelli's new work out DVD "Loosing It". "What the heck" I said to myself. It was only $9.99 .

There are 2 workout options on it. A 20 minute and a 40 minute. I only had time to watch the 20 minute tonight, but let me tell ya. It looks totally dooable (is that a word?) I'm an early riser so starting at 5:00AM tomorrow I'll be workin' it for 20 minutes with my new fab friend Val and then I will be doing another 20 on the treadmill. Wish me luck friends cause I'm gonna need it! If any of you blogger friends have started the whole New Years workout thang, then I say YOU GO GIRLS! WORK IT AND WORK IT GOOD!

This is your friendly fine fine Navy gal, Kelli signing off, anchor's away all! :)

Gasp! Swoon!

2010-01-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

Gasp!...Swoon!....Ahhhhh Bliss. Yes it FINALLY came. My hubs went the other night to pick it up for me along with a couple of other magazines that he knows I love. I grabbed my cuppa cocoa, some buttery honey sticks, my jammies, my reading bliss, and I hunkered in for a lovely night of reading. The Vintage Table is a fabu read. The tips on starting a binder work for if you are setting the most spectacular table for a tea, or decorating your house. The pics are beautiful. Beautiful I feel is an understatement. Needless to say I was not disappointed at all. I recommend it to you all!

On to something else now. I don't believe I mentioned to you what happened to me over Christmas. I gotta boo boo in my knee (that's what my 4 year old says). I ended up being seen in the E.R. on Christmas day for torn minisci in my knee. That was all I needed! I don't know how I did it, but I was on crutches for about a week. I go today for an MRI to see what the extent is. Anyhoo....I was not able to go with the hubs and the girls to his folks house for Christmas day. So there I sat medicated watching cooking shows all day. I came across a show and I wish I could remember the name of it but, as I said above, I was medicated. Something like $10.00 a meal for 4? I dunno again, anyhoo. The chef made a potato, bacon and Gruyere cheese tart.
DELISH! Well, I made it last night for dinner. Except, instead of Gruyere cheese I used Parmasan and Romano cheese. The Gruyere cheese was $16.00 a pound at our local specialty food store that didn't have anything less than a pound and a half! So I improvised. The crust was homemade too. I think it came out great and so didn't the family. I served it with a spring tomato and onion salad and fresh green beans. It's a great cold weather dinner. I added some things extra only because I had to put my spin on it. Check out the recipe below.

French Potato Tart

For the crust:

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 sticks of butter (cubed and put in freezer for about 10 minutes)
1/2 cup of cold water
1 teaspoon of salt

In a food processor pulse the flour salt and butter until it becomes "fine" then little by little add the water until it gets "grainy". Take crust out and form together into a "disk" shape then cut in 2 (for 2 crust tart). Wrap in plastic wrap and place them into the fridge.

Potato Filling

2-3 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used red)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2-3 sprigs of Thyme
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
4-6 strips of cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2-3/4 cup of grated Gruyere, Parmasan or Romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 egg or 6 tablespoons of heavy cream for top of pie crust

In a saucepan on the stove add your heavy cream, Thyme and garlic. Simmer for about 8-10 min. Roll out your chilled crust and place in pie plate. Place a layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pie crust, add salt and pepper, then sprinkle some crumbled bacon. Continue with this until you get to the top of the pie plate. Take your Thyme out of the heavy cream and gently pour over potato and bacon layers. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of that. Then place your top crust over, make vent holes in the top crust. If you want go ahead and either use 1 egg or heavy cream/milk for a wash on the top crust. Place your Tart on a cookie sheet and place in oven at 375 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Sooooooo good.

Enjoy my dear friends and have a great day!

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T21:31:00.000-05:00

At midnight I will raise my glass in a toast to friends and family, present and absent, and wish them health, happiness, and all the joy that their companionship has brought to my life. ~Unknown

Patiently Waiting..........

2009-12-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

So here I am... almost a year since my last post. It has been quite a year. The kids are growing like weeds in the garden, the hubs and I are in as much love as always and yes as always nothing but the everyday hussle and bussle of things. I have lost two very dear people to me in this past year and know that they are looking out upon their family from heaven, smiling.

The holidays are almost over, and as always I absolutely adore the holidays starting with Halloween. However, this year...today... at this minute I almost feel relieved for them to be over with. I know in my heart that that seems horrible since I have my 2 girls (9 and 4 respectively) These are important ages for them with memories, good and bad. I am truely looking forward to the new year. I am determined to live each day to its fullest! Go at everything with gusto and keep calm and carry on no matter what comes my way. So.... I patiently wait for that ball to drop (without me of course because I will be in snoozeland!). I am also patiently awaiting for my copy of The Vintage Table by Jacqueline deMontravel to come in. She is the editor of Romantic Homes Magazine. Love the mag so I know I will love the book. Isn't the cover so ~~dreamy~~, no delicious???? Soooo...hear I sit and patiently wait....