Flowers

Good Morning!

Took some time last night to play with fabric.  There are so many things I want to do and so little time.  I learned how to make flowers and and am now trying to figure out what to put them on. 

I made a pillow for our bed.

The flowers are so easy to make and it takes about ten minutes.

I am trying to come up with some other ideas for them.  Any suggestions?

Holly

xxx-ooo

Keep Your Enemies Closer

Don’t get me wrong….I am grateful for the award bestowed upon me by Melynda over at Mom's Sunday Cafe. Melynda’s blog is lot of fun. My favorite posts of hers are her “What I am Not Eating Wednesdays.” You seriously need to go check those out. The recipes are hideous and some of them will stick in my head forever. Like the Jellied Meat Ring made with Bologna and lemon Jello.
I have no idea what I have done to deserve this award, but I accept it with grace. YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME!

That said, there are rules to follow in order for me to accept this award and this is why I should have been watching Melynda more closely. I should not have turned my back on her. For I really want this award. Almost as much as I want those new boots from DSW, so I must follow the rules. I’m not a rule follower by nature.

My work begins. Here is what I must do before I am allowed to accept it. (I’m seriously considering just grabbing the thing and running out the back door before anyone can see me).

* Post linking back to the person that gave you the award.

* Share 7 random things about yourself.

* Award 15 recently discovered bloggers.

* Drop them a note, and tell them about it!


And away we go. Seven Random things about me.

1) When my daughter was 14 I allowed her to hang a poster of a half-naked Johnny Depp on her bedroom wall because I was too embarrassed to hang it in my room.

 2) I learned how to pee standing up like a boy on a camping trip three years ago. And no, I will not be posting about that.


3) I let my dog use my husband’s pillow to lay her head on when my husband is at work and then I flip it over before he comes to bed.


4) I have the same pink nail polish on my toes from a pedicure that I got 5 months ago. It’s grown out so much that it now looks like I have a French pedicure.


5) I’ve been known to fake depression just to get attention.


6) My daughter wants a teacup pig and I told her that’s just silly but I’m secretly hoping she gets one and will name him Fergus.


7) When I was six years old I had a crush on Gene Autry.

That was painful.

The really hard part is deciding who the recently discovered blogger award recipients should be. Melynda used some of my favorites. I would really love to name Melynda again so she has to tell us more random stuff about herself.

1) Erica over at Why Yes, I Should Be Doing Something Else!  Erica is a card maker, a jewelry maker and a mom. I found Erica’s blog by doing a Google search for craft rooms. Hers knocked me out.
Check it Out here.

2)  Cindy over at It's a Chick Thing.  I know Cindy in real life.  I love her, she is my twin.  She shares my love of all things vintage.   She quilts and hikes and decorates like I wish I could.  

3)  Ella at Lifeologia.  Ella is just a sweet, sweet person who leaves the nicest comments.  She's a graphic designer and an amazing photographer.  She never says anything mean about my horrible photography skillz.  The pictures of her gorgeous daughter always make me smile.

4)  Tammy at Pink is Not My Favorite Color.  Tammy is my cousin, daughter, niece, something.  Somehow we are kind of related.  She is a wife and the mommy to two adorable children.  She makes adorable little tutu's for her daughter and I love trying out her recipes.  Go visit her blog and tell her that her Aunt Holly says hi.

5)  Val at The Victorians Didn't Even Like Pink.  I wrote a post about Val a few days ago.  I was the winner in one of her giveaways.  Val is awesome and I love her sense of style although I am slightly jealous that she can pull off wearing some seriously fantastic hats that I only dream about.

6)  Dawn at My Two Sons.  Dawn is a stay at home mom of two lively and adorable little boys.  You have got to check out the picture on her January 28th post.  How is that for adorable?  I love her budgeting and Menu plans on Mondays.

7)  Jessica at How About Orange.  I have never been a fan of orange until I found her.  Now I realize that orange is my happy color.  Do you remember the paper birds that I made the other day when I was supposed to be working and I almost got fired?  I found them here at her site.  I dare you to look at her blog and not be happy.  It's impossible.  Orange Rocks!

8)  Ashley at A Forty Year Old Ranch.  Ashley and her husband bought a 40 year old ranch and have been doing some amazing things there.  She loves vintage and is so crafty.  Just check out her master bathroom redo.

9)  My Mink Betty. This is a fun blog about thrift store and vintage finds.  She once found a mink with the name "Betty" written on the label.  Hence, the blog name.  If you like Pyrex, you will love this cute little blog.

10)  Taylor at The Lumberjack's wife.  I'm almost afraid to write this one because Taylor is the one I have voted the most likely to retaliate.  I feel she is like the blog mafia and "knows" people who might come to get me.   She's very busy homeschooling her children in the middle of nowhere with crazy men knocking at her door and she may be wee very angry for having to do all the work in order to accept her award.  However, I have decided it's worth it because I just couldn't leave her out.  I laugh out loud everyday at her random posts.  Her life is nuts.  She makes me feel sane.  I love her for that.
  
11)  Kris at Simplify.  This will come as no surprise to anyone who reads my blog.  I talk about her a lot and steal borrow her recipes.  I love this girl, she's my soul sister.  She's a wonderful cook, grandmother and she is so crafty.  I would love for you to check out her Etsy store.

12)   Sweet Mary at Corners of My Life.  We were possibly separated at birth.  We share the love of family, sewing, making our own laundry soap and cooking.  Go check her out and see how cute her new grandson is.

13)  Jenny at Taking Two.  Her story fills my heart with a warm gooey caramel type substance.  You have got to read her story about the adoption of her two absolutely precious twin boys.   Stock up on Kleenex first.  Jenny is my newest find in the blog world and I just love her so much already.  I want to be her real life friend and I want to cuddle with those babies!

14)  Yanet at Three Sun Kissed Boys.  There are many reason that I enjoy reading this blog but I love Yanet because she is a dumpster diver.  How could you not love that?   You need to go over and check out her home tour and see the man cave.  However, if you are married, don't let your husband see this page.  You'll never hear the end of it.

15)  Lissa at Humble Pie.  I must admit that this is not a new blog find for me.  I've been following her for some time but I wanted to get her in here because I love, love, love her.   I want to be her when I grow up (even though she's years younger than I am).  Her home is gorgeous, her kids are gorgeouser.  Yes, I said that.  She's real.  I think that's the very best thing anyone can say about a fellow blogger.

Well, that's 15.  You have no idea how hard it is to pick out only 15 bloggers when you spend your days blog surfing and find wonderful new things every day.   These were not written in order of importance.  I love and respect each and every one of you.  I appreciate every single post you offer and every comment you've ever given.

I'm tired now.  This was a very long blog post.  I love you Melynda and thanks again for the award and for helping me navigate through this crazy blogging business (I didn't know how to put the button on my sidebar).  I'm dumb like that.  I appreciate it but I will also find a way to get you back.

Holly

xxx-ooo



Foto Friday

Photo credit: Katie May (daughter)

Goats scare me.  They have devil eyes and horny heads.  They bite your butt when you have your back turned.  They cannot be trusted, these goats.

Holly

xxx-ooo

I Am So Fired.

I was supposed to clean the house yesterday.  I didn't feel like doing that.

I have a meeting at the office later this morning.  I was informed last week that we are seriously under budget and I am going to make a presentation today.  I was supposed to take the past week and do some research and find out the cause for this problem and present it to the physicians and the Chief Financial Officer this morning.  I probably should have done that.  I didn't feel like doing that either.

I did, however, do this:

Look at these cute little paper birdies.  I found them at 3 eyed bear.  You just print them out, fold and glue. 

No!  That's not all I did.

I did this too.

Printable gift boxes, just print onto cardstock and glue.  Found it here.

Also made some new cards:

I wonder which bird the CFO would like.

Holly

xxx-ooo

She doesn't like Frank Lloyd Wright

Let me first say, I do not have permission to use these photos.  I stole them.

This is Val.  Isn't she just the cutest?

Val is the creator of The Victorians Didn't Even Like Pink.

I love the name of her blog.

Val has a love for historic homes, vintage hats, and basically anything old which is why I think she likes me.  You do like me don't you, Val?  She doesn't like Frank Lloyd Wright but then, who really does?

A little while ago, Val hosted a giveaway and I was one of the winners.  Dontcha just love that?

I was so excited to see her package in the mailbox this morning.

Here's what was inside:

How cute is this handmade tote bag?  It's perfect for my trips to the library.

Not only that, she filled the bag full of goodies.  I was so surprised to see that she also sent me:

Three yards of gorgeous fabric and two apron patterns.  Now does this girl know me or what???  I love the fabric, the colors are so pretty and I can't wait to create something with it and to try out these patterns.  She also knew that I enjoyed making cards so she also filled my bag with scrapbook paper.  The really good stuff.  Valentines patterns.

What a doll!

Thanks so so very much Val .

I love ya!

Holly

xxx-ooo

Blog Stalking

Good Morning!

I've been blog stalking. 

I've been hiding in your bushes and looking through your virtual windows.

Here's what I am loving this week.

Shaunna's kitchen at Perfectly Imperfect.

Pink Satin Sashes

Yvestown Blog

More Yvestown Blog

Modern Country Style

Yvestown Blog

I've got some spring cleaning to do today which should keep me pretty busy.

I have all my supplies in a bucket that I carry from room to room.

Looks like fun!

You're jealous huh?

Holly

xxx-ooo

I am not Ashamed

I am not ashamed to say that I am super excited about tomorrow.

Nor am I ashamed to tell you why I am super excited about tomorrow.

Once a year our city has bulk trash day.  This is the day that people throw anything and everything onto the curb for the trash trucks to haul away.  It can be tree limbs, appliances, furniture, shelving, you name it.

It's all free!  Free is my very favorite price to pay.

I'm going to be looking for legs and feet.

No, no, no!

These:

I am going to be scouting for furniture that has screw in legs and bun feet.  I'm going to screech to a halt, park the Jeep illegally, jump out and dismember couches, dining room tables and anything else I can find that has these appendages. 

I told you before that I was hoping to re-do my office/craft room with some nice long butcher block counters and I need stuff to go under them.  I either need long legs or cabinets that I can put on the bun feet.  I'm not sure what I'm doing yet but I will be out in the early morning hours looking at garbage and I am pretty excited.

And not ashamed.

At all.

I bought some of these.

Holly

xxx-ooo

Oriental Chicken Salad

You know how sometimes you find a Copy Cat recipe for a restaurant specialty item and you make it and it tastes like ca-ca?  That happened to me.  More on that later.

My husband and I were out driving around a couple of weekends ago and he stopped at a garage sale that was just getting ready to shut down.  The girl just said, "Take everything, it's free.  I don't want to drag it all back into the house."  We didn't take everything but we did grab a few cookbooks and this was one of them.

Let me "rabbit trail" for a moment here.  First you must know something about me before I continue this story. 

I LOVE APPLEBEE'S ORIENTAL CHICKEN SALAD! 

I do.  It's so yummy. 

Basically I order a bowl of the dressing and a few pieces of lettuce.  The dressing is just divine.

Whenever we go to Applebee's, I make a big show of looking over the menu. 

My husband rolls his eyes and says, "You know you're getting the same salad." 

I just keep looking at the menu commenting on how good the fajitas look or how I bet those nachos are really good.

Then the waitress comes over.

And I say, "I'll have the Oriental Chicken Salad."

And my husband just smiles.  He's kinda smart like that.

So, I was very excited to see a recipe for the salad in this new cookbook.  I made it today and it was just like the Applebee's version!  I'm telling you, JUST LIKE IT!! 

I wanted to share it with you.

You will want to triple the recipe for the dressing because you will want to eat it for lunch everyday for the next few days.  I'm not kidding.  I'm really not kidding.

Here's what you'll need for the dressing:

3 Tablespoons of Honey

1 1/2 Tablespoons of white vinegar

4 teaspoons of mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

What?  You don't have sesame oil?  Can you substitute olive oil, you ask?

NO!

I mean, no, you cannot.

The sesame oil, even though it's only 1/8 teaspoon makes or breaks this dressing.  I had to go out and buy it and it was something like $8.00 a bottle.  I think you may have underestimated my love for this salad, huh?

So, anyhoo, put all that stuff together and whisk or blend it together.  I used my magic bullet which was......magical.

Then you're going to start making your salad while the dressing chills in the fridge.

 

The recipe in the book tells you how to fry the chicken.  I don't play like that.  I do my own thang.  I'm a rebel.  I buy frozen chicken strips.  Don't you just love frozen chicken?  I do.  I am not ashamed at all to admit that.

So heat however much you'll want.

Make your salad:

The recipe calls for romaine, red cabbage, napa cabbage and carrots.

I used only green leaf lettuce, red cabbage and carrots.  Chop the stuff up and grate the carrots.  At this point you can either scrape your knuckles on the grater or leave that part out.  Your call but I usually leave that part in.

After chicken is done cooking, slice into bite sized pieces.

Mix together, throw some chow mein noodles and sliced almonds on top.

Then top with your chicken.  Now take the dressing out of the fridge.  There may be a bright glowing light coming from the dressing and angels might be singing, it's okay, just pour it on top.

As for that recipe gone bad.  You remember, the ca-ca one?

My husband is always commenting on how good Benihana's ginger dipping sauce is.  I found the recipe in the same cookbook and made it.  I followed it perfectly and it was not good.  Not good at all.  At least not good for dipping.  But we were having salmon that night on the grill so I marinated the fish in the stuff and it came out pretty good.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Holly

xxx-ooo

What are you Looking at?

Also, did you know that if you go to Google maps and click on "get directions" and type in from USA to Japan, it tells you to take a kayak over the Pacific?  Well, now you do.

Holly

xxx-ooo

I'm Seriously Trying and This is The Best I Can Do....FAIL!!

I cannot take pictures.  I just can't.  Ok, I can, I just can't take decent pictures.  Whatever.

Let me first say that I wanted to take some pictures of a gift that a dear friend sent to me.  I have been trying for the past 45 minutes.  I take a pic, check it out, adjust the ISO, AV, TV, speed, shutter thingy and take another picture.  Have you figured out from that last sentence that I have no idea what I'm talking about.

A dear friend Kris, over at Simplify has been making these really cute little bloomies and she sent me one.  She's also opened her Etsy shop and I would love to have you check it out here.

Isn't that the cutest little thing?

Kris is adorable.  She is a wonderful cook and she also knits.  She has beautiful grandkids and her blog is a lot of fun to read.  I've made several of her recipes and they are always great.  Please check her out!  Thanks Kris, I love you!

So, I was trying to get pictures of the Bloomie she sent me. 

Just take a look, here is how to NOT take a picture of yourself.

Do not cover up the object you are taking a picture of with your hand and don't cut your head off.

You should not look terrified and should actually get closer to the object you are trying to capture.

You should not show perfect strangers all of your chins.

You should not confuse the cat who just wants you to put the camera down and turn the faucet on so she can get a drink (spoiled).

No one wants to see your ceiling vent.

Apparently, it's important to have good light.

So, I'm sorry Kris that I couldn't do it justice.  But I do love the Bloomie, thanks so much dear sweet friend!

Holly

xxx-ooo

Four Years Ago Today

Four years ago today, I married this Dude. 

Met him in a bar. 

Yes siree, I did. 

A country western bar. 

He had long hair.

 A cowboy hat.

Wranglers.

Cowboy Boots. 

He was shooting pool. 

He looked kinda dangerous. 

And mean.

So of course, I knew I should make him mine.

And I did.

Cuz that's how I roll.

I love this Dude.

Heading out of town for an Anniversary weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone.

I know I will.

Cuz that's how I roll.

Holly

xxx-ooo

Open for Business

I had been thinking for a while that I wanted to start selling some of my handmade aprons and vintage finds on Etsy. I opened my Etsy store a few months back but I never listed anything on it.  I'm not sure why.  It just sounded kind of complicated, which I'm sure it's not.

I was doing some shopping the other day and went into one of my favorite thrift/vintage consignment shops not far from my house.  The owners are very sweet and I always enjoy spending time in there with them.  I decided that I would rent a small space and sell some of my things there and see how it goes.  I move everything into my space today!

Here are just a few of the items that I will be listing for sale:

I have a lot of vintage linens that I'm selling and I'm also making sets of all occasion and birthday cards. 
Let's hope things go well!

Holly

xxx-ooo