Waiting For A Mid-Winter Holiday!

One of the best things about Valentine's Day is that it falls smack dab in the middle of the coldest and traditionally, the snowiest month of the year!


Now I don't want to contradict myself ~ I do love the peace Winter brings ~








the little surprises that you find under clumps of unraked leaves....








The morning joy brought by colors of winter geraniums on the windowsill...
















The cold crisp wind coming off the ocean........









and oh those shells that wash up!




Like gathering garden flowers from the sea ...

Hoping that you have a warm winter weekend!

Time To Dress Up Angus!

"Awwwwwww maaaaaaaaaa come one...not again........oh gee ma no not the frilly pink hat..........geez I'm a guy ma......and then ya wanna know why the other dogs laugh at me.....

....come on ma, I'm a scottie, not a poodle............."

Sigh.................."nobody knows.......the trouble I've seen...........nobody knows my sorrow.......sorrow!"


"Whew ~ at least she let me put on my thinking cap ~ not that I have a lot to think about ~ what do I think about all day anyway? Cookies, eating, sleeping, barking, chasing Bootsie.........not much else for me to do............"






"I see that ma got to you too today kitty ~ sure hope it warms up soon so she'll find something else to work on in the garden!!!"




How do you all dress up your dogs ( or cats.....or bunnies....or birdies.........) when you want to make them feel "special?" Inquiring minds want to know!!!

All I can say is WOW!!!!!!!

I am completely amazed by this Magic Carpet Ride ~ of course after the fact, NOW I cam coming up with all kinds of ideas ~ how I should of introduced my participation ~


Definitely would have used the Fab Four in my theme ~



Can't forget one of mine and Dad's all time favorites too ~





Maybe even.................

OK.. now I am getting carried away ~ or as those near and dear to me say, I should be carried away ~ "somebody get the net...........she's going off on tangents again!"

Back to my original plan ~ since Valentine's Day is the LAST DAY for OWOH, it seems fitting that I should have my Valentine's Day Giveaway on Valentine's Day ~ this is the plan ~ the FIRST drawing is going to be for the OWOH prize, the all over blue bath mat ( or "mathbat as Heckety Beckety's daughter used to say ~ gotta love that lady, she is just too sweet and oh so IRISH!!!!! )

Sooooooooooooooooo...........yes I know, get back to the specs.....
The FIRST name that is drawn , will be the winner of the BATHMAT.

The SECOND name drawn, will be the winner of a selection from this little assortment of eye candy:

A trio of my delicious cuppy cake magnets......



AND..............from my heart to yours...........

A trio of my sweet needle felt candy cakes :o)
If you are the lucky winner, you can tell me what your favorite color combinations are and I will choose your goodies based on that info!
If we make it past a 100 posts, I will add another prize. My way of saying how greatful I am for this wonderful opportunity to meet so many new people!


So for now, enjoy the ride, check back often and don't forget to.............

One World, One Heart Giveaway

I was so excited to find out about One World, One Heart! What a beautiful way to conenct with other bloggers from all over the world, How fitting also that is falls around VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!


This is the first year that I have been able to say that I HAVE a blog! So fitting that in joining the blogging community, that this wonderful opportunity is here!



In attempt to be creative about this new endeavor, I decided to follow the theme ~ and this is what I came up with:







A Blue Magic Carpet..........well almost..how about a magic bathmat? True blue ~ more aqua actually, with Paris Bebe (tm) roses and soft white lace trim....love those leafy quilting stitches. It may not take you anywhere, but it will feel oh so soft to step onto after a long bath!


There´s only two rules:

* You´ll have to have a blog, as this is a blog event

* You have to leave a comment on this post

The winner will be announced on February 15th make sure that you click on the LOGO so you can read all the details and see all of the other wonderful bloggers participating!

Hope you have a day filled with magic!

Beets In Winter

Sounds like a Russian folk song......or a very obscure novel, something that you just have to delve into. Ha! Well it isn't ~ it's just a beet in winter.
I could have titled this:
"Can you beat (beet) this?" or
"Beats (beets) me!" or even
"Feel the beat ( beet )" ~ but I didn't........



Now I have to tell you that the last thing I expected to find in the garden in January was a beet...then another..then another. I mean, come on, I know that the soil is great, but this was more like Divine Intervention. Maybe that is just what it was.....something to keep me going on a cold,damp, dreary day.

So here I am looking for a recipe for beets ~ About.com said this:

Fall & Winter Beets
Beets are in season in temperate climates all year round, and available from storage most of the year everywhere else. And yet older fall and winter beets benefit from different cooking methods than smaller spring and summer beets. Try these simple recipes for beets in the fall and winter months.


Then I found this......Beet "Potato" Chips
Thinly cut beets are sweet, earthy, and crisp when fried like potato chips. Serve them the same day they are made, sprinkled with coarse sea salt or fleur de sel.

Note that red, striped, chiogga, or golden beets can all be used.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
•1 quart vegetable or canola oil
•3 medium beets
•Coarse sea salt or fleur de sel (optional)
Preparation:
1.In a large, wide pot heat oil to 375 degrees (oil should be about 1 inch deep).
2.Meanwhile, peel beets and slice them as thinly and evenly as possible. A kitchen mandoline is useful, but not necessary. A sharp knife and steady hand will do the trick.
3.Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet near the stove (to drain beets after cooking).
4.Slip about a third of the beet slices into oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. They should sizzle briskly when first put in the oil (if they don't, they oil isn't hot enough--remove beets and bring oil to 375), the sizzling will slow down as they cook. Fry until sizzling slows and beets are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon or tongs remove beets and drain on cooling rack. Repeat with remaining beet slices.
5.Sprinkle chips with salt, if you like. Serve at room temperature.

So tonite while we watch tv, while others are snacking on potato chips, popcorn, cheese and crackers, we will be eating healthy in this house!
What kinds of healthy snacks do YOU like to make in Winter?

Look What Just Came In The Mail!!!!

Macy saw it coming before I did! Have you EVER seen such beautiful detail? I mean EVER?????? My sweet friend Gwen's husband Roger recently retired and is using his wonderful talents to bring joy! What is more joyful than a hummingbird? Can you believe that he painstakingly did this with a needle, the size of a sewing machine needle? The time that went into this???? Roger, you made our day here and we just can't thank you enough!!!!



It looks so real that Macy thinks that it flew in! He looks like he is saying, "how did that one get past me?

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

What Furbabies Do Here On A Sunny Day

We are FINALLY getting some nice seasonal weather here today ( my season of course ;o) All of the furbabies are enjoying the abundant sunshine pouring in from those windows! Angus of course was anxious to wander outside and soak up a little sun on the back steps ( and I suspect watching for squirrels was also part of his agenda!) So out he went, running , barking, announcing his presence as usual...



Macy, making sure that Mommy is out of the kitchen, once again turns the faucet on. Bootsie, as you can tell is totally disgusted by the stupid dog again. I thought that he looked a little too comfortable on those steps.

On closer inspection, I discovered that my "special" scottie dug had a doggie dilemma. Act nonchalant about the thorny rose vine attached to his paw.............or whimper ever so softly, just to make me think that I am missing something important outside?




HOW EMBARRASSED DOES THIS DOG LOOK?

Needless to say, he chose the high road.....actually tucked his paw under his belly hoping that he would get it off himself before I noticed.

I'ts ok Gussy Dog, we all love you anyway!!!!!!!

Hope that you have a warm and sunny day, with a few thornless roses coming your way :o)

The Flu Flew By Our Home This Week

One of my favorite pastimes, especially in Winter, is to watch the birdies....and the duckies. We are so fortunate to have several lakes within a few blocks.Even though we can never get close enough ( even with that zoom lense) there is no mistaking that the cold weather waterfowl have arrived.



In the backyard we have some regulars and some surprises as well....



THIS WAS NOT A WELCOME SURPRISE!

This was not a purple martin,but a purple bug...or virus...or flu bug. I was told by our doctor that to get rid of "it", we had to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and get this shot (as a precautionary measure of course...AND you had to sign a waiver that you were in fact NOT allergic to eggs!)
What kind of eggs? Duck eggs??? Bird eggs??? Alligator eggs???

Needless to say chicken soup is high on the menu in our house this week. So is lots of tea, orange juice, and toast. Not the best way to jump start a diet, but what can I say, except that,this too shall pass...not soon enough..aaachoooo!

O I wanted to share these wonderful Bible passages today on one of my favorite sites, Beliefnet.

http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2009/01/Encouraging-Bible-Verses.aspx

I hope that they bring you some comfort today.
Please remember to say a special prayer for all of the people of Haiti. If you can send them a dollar...or more....and if you do have the flu, and are feeling under the weather, like me, remember to give thanks.....that you have a roof over your head, food to eat, water to drink, and hopefully a doctor close by to ease your discomfort.

Is it STILL cold outside?

I am a warm weather person....if the temperature drops below, say..............70, I wonder what the problem is with Mother Nature. Something about my internal thermometer says,"whoa..let's crank the heat up."
So needless to say, a wind chill of - 1, -10, or minus whatever, does not sit well with me. This is about the time that I start accepting that maybe Indian Summer is over ;o) It is also the time that I focus on things like getting rid of STUFF, sewing a little more,
and staring at my small indoor garden. I suspect that the plants are getting nervous. No doubt they are saying to each other, "Watch out, she is thinking of taking cuttings to root!"
Don't get me wrong, I love the peace and quiet of Winter. I can NEVER have enough peace and quiet, especially with a crazy scottie in the house. When scotties can't run outside, they run inside........and run....and run...until they drop. Even at almost 11, Angus thinks he is still a puppy!

Wishing you a warm cozy winter day!