The Bitch is Back and other ponderings

The Bitch is back... and other ponderings---
- to be honest- I took a break for a while-
for many reasons---
while dealing with many challenging life changes I have had over the past year
including my daughter getting married
and expecting a baby in April- good things-
my sweet little Hugh starting his first day of Kindergarten-
getting divorced and downsizing from the
beautiful house of my dreams
to a 952 square foot condo-
and re-entering the work force
and I am gonna be honest- I don't do change well
when I was 6 my mom gave me a huge surprise one day
she completely redecorated my room while I was gone to school for the day
guess what? I cried- I wanted my old stuff back!
That's me.
and there is nothing so sure in life as change-
I have found myself challenged to get through regular daily tasks-
let alone engage in the creative process-
but all is not lost---- there is always the light at the end of the tunnel!
and I am happy to say....
THE BITCH IS BACK
Which leads me to this Elton John song that always makes me smile
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhyuj7Qdcz8


full of creativity and tons of fun ideas to fill up the pages of my blog!
so thanks to all of my friends and family who have been here supporting and loving me through lifes ups and downs
this bitch is back and better than ever!!!!
 

Leap of Faith

LEAP OF FAITH!!!!!

soooooooo I finally bit the bullet!!!!! $99 on sale at Joann fabrics and I took the plunge!

I am gonna learn to use a sewing machine in 2014!!! I have this long standing fear of sewing machine failure-Thanks to my middle school home ec. teacher!!!! and I decided its time to move on!

 ok- its still in the box- but I will conquer my fears and take that leap of faith into my future- so much i want to do!!!!

 AND HERE IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO START:

www.monaluna.com

I am smitten with their beautiful fabrics and patterns...

and one of my new favorite bloggers and shops www.imaginegnats.com

this is her meridian pattern- love <3

 and so I start my sewing adventure.... wish me luck!!!!

just a quickie-blog post that is-my latest obsession----

Just a quickie...

blog post that is...

One of my favorite shops is now carrying my jewelry, purses and other goodies! 

These are the one of a kind Valentine's day Earrings I created from

taking apart a vintage charm bracelet

and they are a steal for just $10 a pair!!!

check out these and lots of other fun finds at 

ONE VINTAGE LANE

1138 west maple street unit c

Hartville,Ohio

call 330 -877- 3411

for questions, directions, store hours etc...

love you Lori Compton!!!!

and now I present to you.....

my latest obsession! these  lil' mini strainers,

 and tea strainers stole my heart-

 and these lovely vintage cookie cutters...

I found this cute one with a teapot on it at my favorite shop here in Medina

PERFECTLY CHARMING

and it is everything its name indicates!  If you are ever near Medina Ohio check it out

@248 S. Court St Medina Ohio 330-723-5080

Great prices- and a wide variety of merchandise- new and old!

 and the cookie cutters....can you blame me?

 I am way into making things from scratch these days-

 including our own crackers-

 these beauties are the perfect thing for making them not only tasty but attractive!!!

my shelf- I am lovin this vignette-

 touches of color in a neutral color scheme is my new favorite-

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend in store for them

 thanks for stopping by ! 

feel free to share your latest  obsession in the comments! :)

THE KIDS

thought we should start with the reasons I am a mom. Sierra my 16 year old(who is gonna love that i posted this picture, after all what teenage girl doesnt want such a flattering photo of themselves posted on the internet for the whole world to see!?!?) on the left is Brady the 5 year old and Hugh, the 3 year old. This photo was taken at one of our favorite breakfast spots, Panera....= coffee(or as i call it, the elixir of life) for mom, cinnamon crunch bagel for the kiddos....we took them out before Brian and i escaped for the first night ALONE, OVERNIGHT, BY OURSELVES in 10, yes i said 10 years!!!!! as you can see they were gonna miss us very much! We went to the most lovely Inn, Tara, a country inn in PA. although I am not quite sure we knew how to act in all that peace and quiet....there was a lot of sleeping, doing nothing and soaking in the hot tub in our room....i missed the kids like crazy, the time away was great, but being home was better! remind me of this sometime during future rantings about how they are driving me crazy.... <heart> all three of my babies

Bradys Turtle Book

Bradys Turtle Book

     
   Brady found some pictures of Turtles he liked in an add in one of my magazines. So, I decided it would be fun to let him practice with his scissors, which then transpired into the idea of having him make a mini art book! I found some oversized index cards to glue the turtle images to, it was important that i let him do all the work himself! After he made a seperate card for each turtle, I set him free with some colored pencils to do his own artwork on each page. I spelled out the word turtle for him to copy,( as he cant fully read and spell yet) and he decorated a cover. I then showed him how to punch holes so we could hook them together to form a book. I tied the cards together with some string and voila! his own turtle artwork book!!!!

Pork kabobs with peanut sauce

Here is the recipe I found to accompany the box pad thai!

Pork Kabobs with peanut sauce

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2 in. slices

1 t. reduced sodium soy sauce

2 t. Thai seasoning

sauce:

1/4 c. peanut butter

1 T. honey

2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce

to make kabobs:

1. Heat broiler. Thread pork on 8 skewers. brush with 1 t. of soy sauce, and sprinkle with 1 t. of thai seasoning. Broil 3 to 4 in. from heat, turning once.  

to make sauce:

in a microwave safe bowl, combine peanut butter, 2 t. of soy sauce, 1T. of honey, and 1/3 c. water. Cook on high 30 seconds.Whisk; cook 15 seconds more. Serve with kabobs! :)

does this sound easy or what?! I am so about simple but yummy homemade(as much as possible)

I am trying out a new chicken recipe tonight, more to come on how that all turns out....

Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

I have to admit I am a total foodie. There is just something so satisfying about making a meal that everybody loves. We have old fashioned dinners at my house where everyone sits at the table and eats, almost every night of the week. There is something to be said for us all gathering around the table and sharing our  days events  and renewing our sense of family  I tried this recipe over the weekend and it was a huge hit!!! I served it with steamed broccoli with garlic butter.  We will definitely add this to our repertoire of regulars.

Chicken and sun dried tomatoes

3 T. olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes

1 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. chopped fresh basil leaves

4 cups hot cooked extra wide noodles

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese(optional)

1. Heat 2 T. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet.
2. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook and stir 2 minute. Stir soup, water, tomatoes, vinegar and basil in skillet.
3. Return chicken to skillet and heat to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. serve chicken and sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with cheese and thinly sliced basil, if desired.