Jealousy issues

I swear I have Jealousy issues..

Its not that I don't try.  I mean... I really try.

And now this is the second post in a row that talks about KariAnn at Thistlewood Farms.. 

But, have you seen her beautiful blog?

Do you blame me?

I think its a jealousy thing.  because when I saw THIS.. I couldn't get it out of my head.

I searched and searched for something so grand and fantastic

on the side of the road. At people's houses. In the re-store. I tried.  I really did.

But I have jealousy issues. I couldn't just let it go...

and I guess its better than the alternative because I swear if that Farm wasn't all the way in Kentucky...

and now I have my very own big beautiful organizational reminder on my very own wall.

Jealous?



(BTW.. this thing is HUGE!  seriously 4 1/2 feet by 5 1/2 feet.  Made with 1x4's and 1x2's and homemade chalkboard paint.. tutorial anyone?)


Linking up to East Coast Creative Creating with the Stars! This is an amazing competition. Go check it out! The submissions are fantastic!

Type Me

KariAnne at Thistlewood Farm has such a fun personality.  She shares her stories and hopes and dreams on a daily basis.  I love her blog!! Today she told us the story of how she found out that she was indeed a storyteller..  Not that we didn't already know...

She went here..

She then went and told us that she was giving something away if we checked it out.. Well, duh.  and guess what??

This is me.. Creative, intellectual, and a caregiver.

This site is pretty cool.. and it's free.  Go check it out at www.archetypeme.com

Pocket of love

 Today when we were in the kitchen together my oldest said.. "Mom,  you are so good at baking that I could probably bring you a handful of gravel and you could make something delicious out of it..."

Such an excellent compliment!  I'm not sure if its exactly true, but so love that he appreciates  the work that goes on in the kitchen. This wonderful compliment was likely prompted by the making of our Love tarts.. or so aptly named.. "pocket of love".  Well, it does use pie crust.. and it does have raspberry filling in it.. and it tastes like a little bite of love.. all in a cute pocket just in time for Valentines day.. although I have a feeling.. they aren't going to last through the afternoon.. 

 You can make your own using store bought ready to bake pie crust or your own homemade recipe.  My recipe is below but you can use your favorite... no gravel necessary.


Just find a cute helper and roll out your dough.  Cut your rolled crust into squares or use a cutter.

Put one of the cut shapes on a cookie sheet and add a TBS or two of jam or prepared pie filling to the center of your shape.  (Make sure not to overfill)

Take another of the shapes and brush water around the outside edge.  Putting the wet side down, cover the filling and press the edges to seal. Use a fork to press down and finish sealing the edges and give a decorative edge.

Brush the tops with milk or egg white and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup Lard
1 TBS white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 lg egg
1/4 cup cold water

Sift flour and salt. Cut in lard until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix water, vinegar, and egg together in separate bowl. Add to flour mixture and toss with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry cleans the side of the bowl. Do not over mix.

Tablet full of dreams...

All my life, everywhere I looked there were little notes all around our house.. grocery lists on the back of envelopes, reminders to send a thank you note on the end of a grocery receipt, school reminders on a piece of  thick brown paper torn from a grocery bag tucked into the corner of the calendar..  all with the beautiful cursive that was specific to my mother.  I still find pieces of paper stuck in books and in a hidden box with scribbles of shorthand that only my mother could decipher..  While my mother was a list maker and wrote down almost everything in her thoughts in one place or another it seldom landed in the same place in any sort of order when looked at from the outside perspective.

Sometimes I find myself tucking a note into the calendar or putting a post it on the lamp to remind me of something and I smile at all the reminders that I give myself of my mother without even trying..  Unfortunately my cursive doesn't hold a candle to hers and my shorthand was long forgotten the day I walked out of the high school secretariat class in 10th grade..(pretty sure I'm dating myself here...)

Anyway.. this year I decided to write down all the projects that I would like to accomplish in 2013 and actually put them all in one place..  I always pick up an armful of these cheap composition notebooks for around 50 cents at the back to school shopping every fall.  I pulled one out and started writing down all the big projects that I want to build.  I've put several drawings of things I haven't found plans for and lists of lumber and accessories I might be needing to keep my eyes open for.  It has come in handy already as I have kept it in my bag and a quick trip to Home Depot on my way home doesn't leave me wandering the aisles aimlessly trying to remember what the heck I needed.  And while I do have a "smart" phone.. I'll be danged if I really know how to use all those super fantastic features...

and for some reason I still love the feel of a notebook in my hand packed with grand ideas and dreams all laid out in cursive with an occasional note tucked in the seam.