Today Was A Good Day

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For starters, it was my son’s birthday!   He turned 38!!!  Of course, now I can no longer say I’m 40, so I’m going to be 42 instead (just joking, of course I didn’t have him when I was 4)!   I usually call him at 8:11 a.m. every year on his birthday (the time he was born) but I slept in and didn’t wake up until 8:50 so I was late calling him…every year he acts like it’s no big deal if I don’t call at 8:11 but today he said “I see you missed the time today”…so maybe he doesn’t mind at all.

Also, on tap today was my lunch with my former boss.    I’m hoping I can share all the drama that occurred 6 weeks ago which caused me to lose my job soon.    I have fretted and worried for days about how to go about this meeting and talked to several friends and my husband about what to say and how to act.    Of course, everything depended on his attitude.    The main thing I did was pray and ask God to give me the words to say and how to say them.     I’m happy to report that our lunch couldn’t have gone better if I’d scripted it myself!     I got to say what needed to be said and he gave me the respect I felt I deserved.     He even went so far as to tell me that he would be calling me to come back to work in the future!    Of course, now that I’m “retired” I’m not so sure I want to go back…but when and if he calls, I will definitely give it some consideration.     Then when I got home he sent me a nice follow up e-mail.    I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders….the next week should bring about some changes I’ve been wanting since my job ended.   Thank you to everyone who encouraged me with your comments.    I am truly blessed to have such wonderful blog friends.

Let’s lighten things up, shall we?    My sweet granddaughter was at church camp this past week.    Last night her mama got a text from one of her camp counselors saying that Taylor had gone up front during the alter call and accepted Jesus!    When I told hubby today, I could tell he teared up.    Tonight we went out to eat with her and her mama and when Pop told her he cried when he heard that, she said “I cried too Pop”.    I’m so proud of her.    

Talk of the House

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Have you met Kelly from the fabulous blog Talk of the House?  If not, let me introduce you to her and her gorgeous home!

 

Kelly is a Southern girl and from the first time we “met” through our blogs, I felt like I’d known her forever.    It’s obvious how passionate she is about her home and family and it shows.    

Here’s Ms. Kelly looking all stylish and cute!

 

This is the home she and her husband built in Georgia….isn’t it just gorgeous?

 

What an inviting porch (I love that door!)

 

Love her bike decked out for the 4th of July

 

 

 

Entry way

 

 

 

Ohhh, I love her kitchen.    She shares how her husband added the transom to join these two areas….Kelly says her kitchen is not as large as her previous one but that she loves the “cottage” feel of it

 

Love her plate rack….here you get a sneak peek into her sunroom

 

Kelly made her curtains…in fact I believe she makes all her own window treatments

 

Wouldn’t you love to have a long soak in this tub at the end of the day?

 

Kelly recently did a post about furniture in the bathroom and then shared hers….don’t you love how cozy this bathroom is?

 

Gorgeous hutch in another area of the bathroom…love how she accessorizes with fluffy towels and family photos…makes such a personal area

 

It would be hard to pick a favorite room in Kelly’s house but if I had to, I’d say it would have to be her sunroom

 

Here she changes things up by adding pops of red with pillows….Kelly loves red!

 

See that cute desk tucked into the corner?    That was her first purchase when she was only 13!    I think it’s great that she had a love for antiques at such a young age

 

I love her wicker furniture and pillows in addition to the lamps that add such ambiance

 

I love this table in her sunroom

In addition to sharing her love of her home, Kelly also shares some yummy sounding recipes and some great travel adventures

Please visit Kelly’s blog and be sure to tell her I said “hey”!

Searching For The Perfect Chair

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Do you find decorating to be a domino effect?   What started out to replace my den sofa has now evolved into getting a new rug (more on that later), a new accent chair and now I’m looking for a replacement chair for my husband’s recliner (he doesn’t know that yet)!     I’m 99% sure I’m getting the Ektorp white slipcovered sofa from Ikea with an additional slipcover in the Svanby beige so I can change up.     We have a very comfy recliner that has seen better days so I’m thinking that I need (want) to replace it with something more stylish but still comfy.     Here’s a few ideas I’ve found:

 

(via overstock.com)

 

(via Overstock.com)

This won’t work but it’s such a pretty chair…much like the one featured in the Southern Living Idea House (which I’ll be reposting about after the August issue of Southern Living comes out)

 

 

(via Overstock.com)

 

(Pottery Barn)

 

(Pottery Barn)

I love this one…it swivels and looks like it would be so comfortable

 

(Pottery Barn)

I love this one too….it reminds me of one I saw in Country Living one time

 

JC Penney's has a line called “Friday” by Linden Street but I couldn’t get a good picture.   One of my sweet blog friends (Kelly) also suggested I might want to consider getting a stripe slipcover for their Friday chair…a good idea since the sofa will be white.

Of course, Ikea has a Ektorp chair that matches the Ektorp sofa but I’ve heard it’s not very comfortable.    Comfort is key as we will be using the chair a lot….like every day and it’s where I blog from.    I love the ones from Pottery Barn but just not the price!

I would love for ya’ll to give me some ideas/suggestions/links for a replacement chair.    

About my new rug mentioned above….I noticed when we were at the Southern Living Idea House they used two 5x7’s (I think that was the size) from Ikea together in the den and I liked that idea so I was planning on buying two when I get my sofa.    But the other day I was in Ross and found one which was just a tad smaller than what I needed (I needed an 8x10) but this was 7.6 x 9.6 so I brought it home and it works beautifully!    The Ikea rugs were $99 each and this one was $89.00!    Even my husband likes it.

 

I don’t know if I’ll leave the faux zebra down but for now it stays until I bring in my new sofa and see how I like it then (can’t wait to put that loveseat back in the sunroom and bring in my new sofa)!

 

 

 

I also picked up a couple of burlap pillows today at T.J. Maxx for two of my kitchen chairs….of course, these are subject to change too!

 

My appeals hearing is set tomorrow via teleconference regarding my job loss in May.    Please keep your fingers crossed things go well….I’ll be posting about the outcome just as soon as I know.    

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler

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Today I’m sharing a fabulous recipe my daughter recently made.    She found it on Pinterest so I’m linking it to the link on her Pinterest page.    

(source)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler!

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking pwdr
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 quarts strawberries, washed & capped
• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut in small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 F.      Melt butter & pour into a 9x13 baking dish.     In a small bowl, mix egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.     Pour over the butter, but do not stir.    Add the strawberries & cream cheese pieces. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden.

This stuff is heavenly!    I know it’s too hot to heat up the kitchen but this cobbler is well worth the effort.

 

I’m knee deep in decluttering and getting ready for a yard sale.    I’ve spent the better part of 4 days in my son’s old room (which had become a hoarder’s paradise) throwing out, sorting, and purging.    Last Saturday hubby and I cleaned out our two (!) storage buildings and went to our house in the country which is basically used for MORE storage to get more junk stuff.     We’re staging it at my mom’s empty house so we can go over and set up & get things priced in our spare time.     Now I just have to tackle the closet in son’s room to make it a craft/office storage area, buy a new bed & bedding and I’ll be done with that project.     I’m in  purging mode so I have to take advantage of being in that frame of mind.    Next up will be the laundry room.   

Still haven’t decided on a new chair for our den but I’m really liking the  Jennylund by Ikea (thanks Kelly for the suggestion).   

 

 

I  also like the gray and white checks

AND the dark gray

 

We’ve had so much going on this summer it’s been hard to find time to head to Atlanta to get my sofa but maybe things will slow down in the next few weeks and I can get over there.

Better get off my hiney and get some more purging done!

Kitchen Vignettes

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Recently my sweet blog friend Kelly over at Talk of the House featured some vignettes in her kitchen.   If you missed my post about her gorgeous house, you can see that here.       I have very little counter space in my kitchen but I still like to make them pretty.     I would love to have butcher block counters and new cabinets but since I don’t, and that probably won’t happen anytime soon, I try and make the most of what I do have.     A few years ago we replaced the old Formica counters and added tile floors.   My husband wanted me to use granite but I didn’t want to go that route until I could replace the cabinets and add hardwood floors…maybe one day!

 

Here’s the view when you come into the kitchen….this is the longest counter I have.    We took the doors off one set of cabinets and added the plate rack.    The guy that originally built it made a big ol’ mess out of it so when I had the cabinets painted, another person tried to correct the first mess.    I  want to have them redone because it’s hard to find plates to fit…I plan on having this cabinet reconfigured so that I can use it better and instead of having three openings, I think I’d like to have one for the plates and above that, a larger area for platters, pitchers or other decorative items.  

 

 

I love using trays and/or baskets throughout my house so I set up this little vignette using a silver lamp, old scale and a couple of breadboards.     (Love my tomatoes – from my in-laws garden)

 

I love having family pictures in every area of my home….I placed this one of me and my “babies” here so I can enjoy it every day.    When my husband and I got married 9 years ago, we had family pictures taken at the beach and this is one of my favorite ones from that time.

 

Hand soaps placed nearby on a cute scalloped dish

We had this built over the stove a few years ago for display.    It’s so hard to photograph because it’s painted dark but I enjoy highlighting some of my favorite pieces here.  

Other than two other little countertops (and I do mean little) that’s all the counter space I have.     If you want to see how Kelly decorated areas in her kitchen, you can see that here.

Thanks for dropping by my home this morning, hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Sweet Ham & Swiss Sliders

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I've been intrigued by this recipe for a long time now, so I recently tried it and took it along to a party.  What a crowd pleaser!  And it couldn't have been easier to make.


I mean, seriously, what's not to love about this?


I made a few adaptations, like using large onion rolls cut in 4, instead of slider rolls (gotta improvise when you can't find what the recipe calls for!), and I also made a batch with turkey instead of ham.  They were equally delicious :)

I think this post is perfect as far as timing goes, considering football season has begun!


Sweet Ham & Swiss Sliders
adapted from Heather Likes Food

8 large onion rolls
24 slices ham (or turkey)
16 slices swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a 9x13 baking pan, or on a rimmed baking sheet, place bottom halves of rolls.  Top each with ham and cheese (enough so all is evenly distributed among all of the bread).  Spread a little mayonnaise on each top half roll and place on top of ham and cheese.  Make sure rolls are snug together.

In a small bowl, combine mustard, butter, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.  Mix until combined.  Pour evenly over rolls.  Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake (or bake right away).

Bake covered for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until tops are browned and cheese is melted.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (What's Baking?)

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Yeah, I went there...in early September!  I couldn't help it.


I wanted to bake something with Bella that I could pack as a little treat in her lunchbox, and this seemed perfect.  Actually, it WAS perfect.  She couldn't get enough of it.

I would have thrown some nuts in, but her classroom is nut free.  Next time, I'm definitely adding walnuts and keeping the bread all to ourselves here at home.


It just so happens that our What's Baking? hostess for September, Jenna (author of Jenna's Cooking Journey) asked us to back a quickbread this month.  Looks like I killed two birds with one stone :)


Dare I say - welcome, fall!


Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
from King Arthur Flour

1 cup vegetable oil
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two 9x5 loaf pans.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and water.  Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and vanilla.  Stir to combine.

Mix in chips.  Divide batter in half if you want one loaf without them, using half the amount.

Spoon batter into prepared pans.  Bake for about 70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of center clean.  Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Linked to:  Sweets for a Saturday

Bella's Birthday Cake

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We had Bella's family birthday party over the weekend, and of course, I baked her cake.  Even though there's nothing spectacular about it, ingredient wise, I had to devote a post to it.

Why?


I did this.  I carved that 4, FREEHAND.  If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know this is a big deal for me.  I refused to spend the money on a #4 cake pan, only to use it once, so I crossed my fingers and went for it.  Not bad, eh?


AND, I did a crumb coat for the first time ever!  Yeah, I know, I'm late to the party.  It definitely made a difference.  Still not perfect, but better than usual.  I know this is amateur stuff to some, but not for this novice baker!

Of course, I had to include Bella's favorite color in there somehow...hence, the purple.  My nieces actually were planning on decorating the cake but we ran out of time.  It's too bad - it would have made it even better :)


Still can't believe my baby is 4!  Time really DOES go by fast...

Baked Salmon with Basil Mayonnaise & Tomatoes

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It must be October!  I have my first cold of the season.  It's actually more than just a cold...it feels like someone twisted my neck and upper back and then threw something at my head before sticking it down my throat.

How's that for a description?  Hope it's a good enough explanation for not writing a new blog post these past few days.  I'm hoping to get some rest today, aside from my plan to make the soup that cures everything.  And I'll continue to drink gallons of hot tea.  Flush it out, I say ;)


But enough about me.  Let's move on to the delicious stuff.  I made this dish back in August, when tomatoes were still in their heyday...but since they're baked, you could make this anytime and still yield a good result.  We really loved this and plan on making it again soon.


Baked Salmon with Basil Mayonnaise & Tomatoes
from Life's Ambrosia

2 salmon filets
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
tomato slices
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
10 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.  Place salmon on sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic.  Place tomatoes on top of salmon and drizzle with oil.  Bake for about 10 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.  Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove salmon from oven.  Tent foil on top of fish and leave covered for 10 minutes.  Remove fish carefully from pan and plate.  Dollop mayonnaise on top of tomatoes and serve.

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes (What's Baking?)

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Pumpkin stuff.  Awesome.


And somewhat "healthified".  Even better!


By the way, I doubled the original recipe...and got 72 of these bad boys.  Needless to say, there were a lot of happy coworkers in 2 different offices.


Eva from Eva Bakes is the host of our What's Baking? group this month.  She challenged us to bake something delicious with pumpkin and/or sweet potatoes.  Can't wait to see the roundup at the end of the month!  Make sure you check it out, too!


Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes
from Two Peas and their Pod

for the donuts:
1 3/4 cups AP flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk

for the coating:
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 24 cup mini-muffin tray with cooking spray.

Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to a bowl and mix.  In another bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk.  Mix until smooth.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

While muffins bake, stir sugar and cinnamon together.  Place butter in a bowl and sugar mixture in another.  Remove muffins from oven and let cool for 2 minutes.  Dip each muffin into butter first, then coat with sugar mixture.  Serve warm or at room temperature.