Cuvee

My husband likes this coffee, brewed locally in my hometown - Austin.  He says it's strong, and he loves it that way.  Check out their website and order some!

For the Patio

World Market has a huge sale going on right now, 75% off of outdoor furniture - and these chairs and tables are so cute and it's such a great sale!  I don't see it on line, but it's in the stores!

These chairs were normally $99 and on sale for $30, and the cute table was $69 and is now $17.

Grapefruit & Tangerine

Soap and hand lotion in this fragrance is so nice - and the jar is pretty as well - love these from  World Market!  Looks great by the sink!

A Sandal Deal

Today I shopped at our outlet mall and stopped in the Bass store, where shoes were the lowest prices I've ever seen...and I see that the same sale is on line!  They're already on sale, and then right now you can get an extra 35% off.

Here are some really cute sandals that will carry you on into fall...

Espadrille wedge

Reece wedge

Sadie Sandal

Coffee Cake for Breakfast

This is from a cookbook I bought on road trip,  The Cowgirl's Cookbook:

2 2/3 c brown sugar
4 c unsifted flour
1 cup margarine
1 pint sour cream
1 lb raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the sugar, flour and margarine, then with fingers mix until crumbly. Remove 1/2 cup of crumbles and set aside.  To the remaining mixture, add s cream, raisins, and nuts.  Stir and blend well (it will be thick).

Spread into a buttered 8X8 ovenproof dish. Top with the reserve crumbles.

Bake 80 minutes.

(I halved the recipe and cooked it about 45 minutes) It's a dense cake, and the raisins and walnuts make it so flavorful!

The Five Senses "Camp"

Recently, we had our daughter's three kids - ages 5, 3, and 1 - for five days while our daughter and her husband were at camp with their youth kids from church.  We decided to have our own "camp" with the three littles, a very simple one, on the five senses.

Each day had a verse, activities, and a prayer to end with before sleep.

Here's what we did:

SEE - Proverbs 20:12, talked about seeing beauty and color in the world (painted with water, colored, and put together sticker scenes (Melissa & Doug)), looked for opportunities to help others in need, and prayed: Thank you God for Eyes, to See, Thank you God for Making Me.

TOUCH - Matthew 8:3, talked about touching others through hugs, holding hands, etc. and how we can feel wind, heat, cold and love - looked for ways to "touch" others through prayer (prayed for a man we saw in a wheelchair).  We created with touch by painting wooden car and treasure chest, and created with Play Dough (ice cream set pictured below).  Prayed: Thank you God for Hands that Feel, Thank you God that you are Real.

(she mixed playdough with painting her treasure box :)

HEAR - Matthew 11:15, we talked about listening to good and turning away from bad thoughts or words we hear, how we can whisper or sing and hear loud trucks and singing birds (we listened for them all outside - shut our eyes to hear better and guess what we heard).  We listened to kids' songs on a new CD as we drove in the car and drew pictures of what we heard in nature.  Prayer: Thank you God for Ears that Hear, Thank you God that you are Near.

TASTE - Psalm 34:8.  We talked about sweet/salty, creamy/crunchy and we put together tasting trays using our cooler lid and storage lids - really liked the pretzel Goldfish and vanilla cupcake Goldfish.  We included fruit, creamy yogurt, crunchy nuts, etc.  As we tasted we talked about how all that God gives us is good! Prayer: Thank you God for All We Eat, All things Salty, All things Sweet.

SMELL -  II Corinthians 2:15 and I Thessalonians 5:2.  We talked about scents and fragrances and invited the kids to the "spa" for foot massages and nail painting - using lotions, powder, peppermint spray and polish - of all different scents.  We also put on different DIY scents in a small crock each day to fill our rooms with wonderful smells.  Prayer: Thank You for Noses that Smell, Thank You, You do All Things Well.

Tin Tea Set

This tea set from World Market is a hit - it's housed in a cute suitcase, and the pitcher, plates, cups and spoons are all tin.  The red flower design made my granddaughter say, as we were having high tea today, "Isn't this adorable?"

in

For the Kids

Unique gifts for kids...where your purchasing goes to help someone in need...Eternal Threads.

Check out these three amazing ideas for early Christmas shopping!

Raffia Animal Clutch Set

Girls Purse

Finger Puppets

Bean Boozled

Have you played this game yet?  It's so gross and so funny and so disgusting and so fun...

My daughter-in-law brought it on our last vacation together...it's something all can play.

Basically, there are all of these jelly beans (flavored) with good flavors and absolutely horrid flavors.  Two people pick the same bean, not knowing which is which - for example one tastes like burp.

You're guaranteed laughs...and maybe some people having to be excused to spit out what's in their mouths!

Bean Boozled - great for your next party of friends gathering to be entertained!

Blueberry Cookies

Blueberry cookies - I'd never had them!  So I made this recipe I found on line, since I had blueberries we needed to eat - and they are super delicious, so moist, and so good!

Booties for Babies

Booties for the babies who are being born in your lives....$25 each at Uncommon Goods.

so cute!

Elephant booties

Lion Booties

Giraffe Booties

Hand Towels

i LOVE new hand towels for the bathroom, because they're not too pricey, and they brighten up and make guests feel welcome, AND they look so pretty!

World Market has my favorites:

Spring Venice

Coral Sophia

Gray Madeleine

Crisp Adjusted

I had peaches, apples, blueberries and raspberries that I needed to use - in my fridge.  And I had hazelnuts, not walnuts.

So I used this recipe but I halved it, used the fruit I had instead, and the nuts I had.

It turned out great!

Taco Salad and a Side

Slow Cooker chicken atop greens, with a side of potato mix - so satisfying!

Just rub 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast with Mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, fajita seasoning, season salt, lots of pepper, etc.) and place in a crockpot with one cup of chicken broth.  Cook on low about 4 hours.  Shred it with a fork when done.

For the salad, just place romaine lettuce on the plate, top with some cooked chicken, chopped avocado (seasoned with S&P and lime juice), and grated Colby Jack cheese.

For the potato mix:

Dice a large russet potato, one small zucchini, one red bell pepper, 1/4 yellow onion, and a seeded chopped jalapeno, and fry in a small amount of canola oil in a large frying pan.  Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy the combo!

Unreal but Beautiful

We were at a festival and found these amazing flowers made by a guy who shaves wood - so these flowers are made from all sorts of different types of wood.  And one bunch was only $3!  I wish I had gotten more.

He doesn't have a website but he has a number -  Bob Cook - 512-557-4648.  I am going to call to order more bunches...or if you're in the San Marcos, TX area - he's at festivals there.  He also sharpens knives and scissors!

Aren't they lovely?

Pop Soap

We bought this soap at a festival recently and are very pleased with the scent and the creaminess.  Pop Soap is a bit pricier than what we usually buy, but it's definitely well made and makes a fun gift or something of a treat for yourself!

Asian Chicken Wrap

Crunchy and tasty and quick.  I really liked this!!! FYI I used Tyson frozen chicken strips.  They were perfect.

80% Off Sales are Fun!

Hobby Lobby always has sales, but today they had 80% off on many aisles.  There were deals on home decor and outdoor yard decor.

These two were my faves that I found - $6 and $7!  A pretty candle stand and a side decor by the fireplace!

Pesto Hummus with Add-Ins

I love homemade hummus.  I like store bought hummus too, but homemade tastes even better!  And the cool thing is that once you have the base ingredients, you can vary up your recipes for all sorts of flavors.

Here one I made today:

1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 T olive oil
1 large garlic clove
seasoning to taste
1/2 cup pesto
1 carrot
1-2 T sunflower seeds, plus more for sprinkling

Place everything in the food processor and puree.  If it's a bit thick, add a little olive oil.

The lemony pesto veggie taste is super delish with Naan bread or pita chips!

Cucumber Dressing

Another winner from my vintage cookbook BHG Blender Cookbook - Cucumber Dressing!

1/2 med cucumber
1 cup sour cream
2 T lemon juice
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
dash hot pepper sauce

halve cucumber lengthwise, remove seeds and cut into pieces.  add to blender all of the ingredients, blend till cucumber is finely chopped.  chill.

serve over your salad!

Wrap it Up!

Am amazing wrap for a delicious, filling lunch -

Mash one large avocado with a can of drained, rinsed white beans.

Place a good amount of the mixture on a large tortilla, top with grated cheddar, chopped red onion, and chopped radicchio.

Roll up like a burrito and slice in half!

Layers and Layers

This sandwich is just layered and layered with all things delicious.

Puree 1 large avocado with 2 T lemon juice, and season with S&P - this will be your spread each each piece of toast.

Toast your wheat or multi-grain bread.

Layer cooked, chopped chicken and bacon and avo on bottom slice (with avo spread), place a middle slice of bread (avocado spread on both sides), then place baby spinach and sliced strawberries, and the final slice of bread (with avo spread)

So all you need is:

cooked chicken
cooked chicken
cooked bacon
avocado
lemon juice
S&P
toasted bread
baby spinach
sliced strawberries

Gomer Pyle's Banana Bread

I have Aunt Bees Cookbook and tried this bread today.  It tastes as good as it looks.   GOMER'S BANANA BREAD PYLE

1 c. butter or oil 2 c. sugar 4 eggs, beaten well 6-7 bananas, mashed 2 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts Grease 2 large loaf pans or 5 small ones. Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the mashed bananas, stirring to blend.In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing well. Add the macadamia nuts. Pour the butter into the pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until done. For muffins: Fill 12 muffin cups 3/4 full and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Makes 2 large loaves, 5 small loaves or 12 large muffins.

Tables X 3

Table coverings, or tablecloths, may not be as popular as they were years ago, but there are ways (inexpensive ones!) to dress up your table for different occasions!

This is a pillow sham (on clearance) from Anthropologie - used as a tabletop piece, with a candle on top, for brunch or lunch!

This is a scarf from Walmart ($5) - used as a runner with two candlesticks and a bowl, for something romantic and cozy.

This is from Five Below ($5) and I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, but it's a tablecloth for me, for something summery and bright, with a candle atop a tiny cake stand in the center.

No Longer

Usually my nightly "pinch" is a recipe, a product, or a cool something to try...but tonight it's a testimony...

I struggle with fearful thoughts quite often, and last week it dawned on me that I "wear" those thoughts too often.  I realized that fear is not something my Father has given me to wear, and I am free to toss it off of me when it lands on my shoulders.  Somehow, it clicked.  When fear starts to enclose on me, I visualize myself shrugging off that heavy itchy coat in favor of walking unburdened and unweighted down.

It's stuck with me.  Yes, the fearful thoughts have been there, but I'm saying, "No, thank you, not wearing that today," and they're going away!

Tonight I stepped outside our church and looked up at the cross on the mountain, the moon to the side and a star to the side of the moon and was reminded to whom I belong and who holds me forever.

I hope this pinch encourages you tonight, like it did me!  And take time to listen to this incredible song with the same message....

Simple Supper

This simple supper can be made ahead of time, and then put together in about 10 minutes!

Cooked, seasoned chicken
Pesto (jarred)
toasted pine nuts
red pepper flakes
shaved Parmesan cheese
rustic bread

I made the chicken ahead of time, and toasted the pine nuts, so that on the night I put the supper together it was quick and ready in no time!

Chop the cooked chicken and place in bowl with the pine nuts, pesto, and red pepper flakes and place a tall pile of it on top of the rustic bread - and top with the Parm shavings.

Add cucumbers and sliced tomatoes alongside for a summer supper that still leaves room for dessert...

Atop the Bread

This recipe hit every taste receptor and left me feeling so satisfied!

One sliced zucchini
1/2 sliced onion
1 sliced bell pepper (any color)
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Jarred olive tapenade
Ciabatta bread

Toss all of the above with 1 T olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt.  Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Spread the tapenade on the bread and top with the roasted veggies.

Frog It

I had a shower to decorate for, and I had mason jars (which have wide openings) that I needed to fill with flower stems.  I had heard of using Scotch tape to make a "frog" top,  but had never done it before.

Here's how it turned out - it was successful!

Just take the lid off your mason jar, and crisscross tape on the top leaving gaps between the tape. This makes holes for the flower stems and keeps them upright.

After you have them arranged, fill in with baby's breath, to camouflage the tape.  Then wrap ribbon around the jars, and you're done!

The best thing about this idea is that you don't have to FILL the mason jar, you can make it appear full with just a few stems in each one.