Winter Whites

Looking back through some old pictures as I decorate the kitchen for Christmas. The little kitchen tree is up, but I am missing the silver plate that once was. Some pieces have been sold off, but I do have a few of them left. I think I will try to find them and put things back as close to how they use to be. Maybe even add a pretty candle stick, too. Changes are good, right?

Priorities

Years back my mother gave me this antique German flask with a spirited and jolly old Santa on the front. I laughed at the humor in it – and kind of feel like this today…balancing both hands with things that need to be done around the house.

Priorities…like Santa, only with coffee!

Tummy Hugs

One of my favorite “winter” foods to make is "Green Soup” (as my boys dubbed this). A hearty Lentil and Pea soup that is sure to fill you up and make your tummy feel all warm and fuzzy. I have posted this recipe before – but just in case you haven’t tried it out…just click HERE to take you to the link.

Stay warm and cozy!

Let’s Talk Turkey

DUHGALL:

Fiona, do you think we will get some table scraps today? Do you want the dark meat or the white meat? How about a little bit of that pumpkin pie when the adults aren’t looking? Oh shh….mom just snuck up on us and we will have to plot our Thanksgiving scheme later.

(**Duhgall doesn’t know that I was listening the whole time.**)

FIONA:

Little do they know, Duhgall, but I have my eye on them as much as they have their eyes on what is going on on top of the stove!

Sending y’all a shout out for a fabulous Thanksgiving Day!

xxoo

Duhgall and Fiona

What’s My Line?

Do you know someone who can remember every single aspect about a movie, including reciting lines from it? I am sure each one of us has a friend or family member like that.

These kind of people amaze me – I can hardly remember the title of a movie let alone what was said and by who.

Because Jim Carey movies are such a big hit in our family, I reach deep into the brain vault for some of his infamous movie lines – only because the boys loved to impersonate him so much, especially Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.

And then there is the catchphrase by Clint Eastwood’s character, Harry Callahan, “Go Ahead Make My Day” from the movie Sudden Impact. Love using that one for myself!

There is one “gotcha phrase” that is my very favorite movie quote of all time – and from one of my favorite movies in my go-to chick flick stash. Have you seen the movie Meet Joe Black? (If not, it is reallllly good). The movie came out in 1998 and starred Brad Pitt (Joe Black), Sir Anthony Hopkins (William Parrish) and Claire Forlani (Susan Parrish – daughter to William) – to name a few. To me, one of the best parts of the movie was the scene when Susan was in the helicopter with her father, William, and fiance’ Drew (Jake Weber), talking about love and relationships. William said to Susan…. “Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same back..I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a dervish.”

There it is there….the perfect advice about love. I have recited this back a time or two since then.

It speaks volumes.

What is your favorite movie quote?

Awesomeness Inside a Fluted Paper Cup

Soft and creamy filling….

melted chocolate gooeyness on the bottom…

all encapsulated by moist cake…..

makes for a party in your mouth!

Years ago my at-the-time boyfriend (who is now Mr. SCD) gave me this recipe to try out. At the time I was taking a psychology class in college and we were having an end of the semester party. Being as I wasn’t a very good cook and liked to bake, I opted to bring a dessert. I was pleased as punch that the cupcakes were well received – so much in fact that the platter emptied out in a flash.

Here’s the recipe:

Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

5 tablespoons salad oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup water

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

for the filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 egg

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stir together all dry ingredients. Add all of the wet ingredients. Stir until blended. Fill 18 cupcake wrappers 1/2 full. Top each with 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!!!!!

i am a wheely, wheely GOOD boy!

Yes you are, Mr. Duhgall! Many patient hours have been spent alongside your human father as you supervise him restoring a vintage motorcycle. You are his best buddy & his constant and faithful companion. Who could ask for a better friend than you? You are just the sweetest little doggie boy ever.

Love you….Your Human Mother….

Could It Be…..

…..a bird…

a plane……

a flying scottie?

Well, it is a very, very, very happy Duhgall flying down the beach! His legs are tucked up under him and his furnishings are flying in the wind! Such a happy little guy! His favorite place on earth is the beach…and then next to my hubby is a close second. Go Doogie, Go!!!!!

vicissitude

When I was in high school (oh, just a few moons ago), I had an advanced English class that was taught by one of the best teachers at my school. Now that I look back, she could easily have been the mother of Harry Potter – down to the round John Lennon style glasses & a short black hair-do with severely cut black bangs.

One of my best high school girlfriends, Sandi, had such a way of writing and always used twenty dollar words in her papers. She was also very good at using a Thesaurus to find words similar to other words. I wanted to write so eloquently, as Sandi did.

An assignment was given – a big assignment with major points going toward our final grade in the class – and it was due in a week. No pressure. Oh no.

Not.

One.

Bit.

If I could only crawl inside Sandi’s head to see how her brain connected her thoughts to form the words that her pencil scribed onto the paper. (Back in those days, we did not have computers – it was the old fashioned pencil and lined paper to put our words on).

I donned my thinking cap – pulled it extra tight as if the snugger it would fit the more it would squeeze all of my creative thoughts into one little ball – to form those perfect words into sentences that were creative, thought provoking and that might actually sound intelligent. Like Sandi’s. Out came MY thesaurus, too. Page upon page I scouted out “smart” words – those five, ten and twenty dollar words that I thought might impress my teacher and get me that A that I needed to make the grade to graduate in that white robe and gold tassel – to be a lifetime CSF member!

After working through the wee hours of the morning to finish that “must be perfection” paper, I was satisfied that this was by far the best paper I had written all quarter.

A few days went by before the graded paper, with the best handwriting I could have scrawled out on the white lined paper – even at 2 in the morning, came back. Of course, she had to place it face down on my desk. Fear crept in my body – why did she do this? Was she trying to create paranoia or just trying to tease me, like leaving that last chewy chocolate chip cookie in the cookie jar to see who would be the selfish squirrel to snag it. As I looked around the classroom, I could see that other students had their papers face down, too. Ok, she’s not picking on just me…it must be a teacher control thing. The could be Potter mom told us to wait to turn over the papers and went on to give us her lecture about how disappointed she was in some of us. Oh good! Just keep putting that hot poker in my heart. It seemed like an hour went by before we could flip our graded paper over. When the red light turned to green, I hesitated. The room was filled with sighs of relief from other students and other sounds of disappointment. What would my reaction be?On the top right corner of my paper was a letter written in red ink. The letter was not the letter I had hoped for. Below the letter was a note that the tight faced teacher had written in her distinct back-slanted and very small handwriting. Further down on the page were words circled in red, more side notes, more circles, more side notes, and more circles. My paper looked like a crime scene with so much red ink on it!

My heart fell to my toes. I got a C-. Yes, just dig the knife in a little deeper with the MINUS sign. After reading the comments, tears welled up in my eyes. I had misused the words in so many “described” ways. Where was the hole for me to crawl in? This meant that I would not be getting the grade I so needed to graduate with honors. I was .5 points away from it. All because I tried too hard to write the paper using those twenty dollar words. All because I was trying so hard to be like somebody I was not.

I went home and drowned my sorrows with a half dozen chocolate cupcakes that my mom had made. My room was my retreat away from the world – and there I cried for hours. The light from the large window in my room faded to darkness and a bit later I heard my mother at my door asking me if I was ok. No words could be formed from my parched mouth. The door-knob turned and the silhouette of my mother came towards me. She sat on the ground next to me, at first saying nothing – just quiet, as if she could read my mind. I finally told her what happened. Mom understood me because she was an over-achiever, too. She had the same disappointment as I did – she was a fraction away from graduating with honors.

If only I had been myself and not tried to write in a style that was not my own. I learned that it is okay to try to better yourself, however be authentic. I learned a valuable lesson that day in the could be Harry Potter’s mother’s classroom,: a little VICISSITUDE change is good now and then, but keep it real, keep it simple, just be yourself. (I will stick to the 19-cent words.) Remember to give yourself credit for who you are and to use your God given gifts to be authentic. Take those gifts, talents, blessings – whatever you call them – and run with it.

Looking back, I laugh at myself. I did look better graduating in that blue robe – it enhanced the color of my green eyes – rather than the drab white, which only would have washed my freckly complexion out! Yea, I will keep telling myself that. Sandi looked beautiful walking across the stage in her white robe with the gold tassel hanging down from her cap. She always looked better in white anyways!

It Pays To Dig….

…through boxes at garage sales! In the bottom of a box full of old linens…

…I came upon this beautiful piece of antique red work. It is actually a pillow cover – the Victorians would cover their sleeping pillow with handmade pieces, like this one.

Perhaps someday I will make it into a pillow, but for now, it is hanging over the beautiful quilt that my friend, Jean, made.

I don’t even mind the tiny imperfections….it is perfectly sweet.

Handmade Love and Announcing The Winners

Before announcing the winners for the cottage ornaments, I would like to share this special bowl with you. The bowl itself is a plain old ironstone bowl, but what makes this plain bowl extra special is what sits inside of it…things made with love.

Over time I have filled this bowl with beautiful gifts given to me by friends from all over the world. You know who you are….and I want you to know how very special each gift means to me.

Scotties from near and far share the bowl with

lavender filled hearts made with pieces of antique linens.

So, thank you Jean, Emma, Claudia, Sharon and Patricia. And Cath S., I am sure that you will recognize the felted scottie heart that you created several years back!!

To all of the Veterans, I send a very heartfelt thank you for your service to our Country. Thank you, thank you!!

Lastly, congratulations to Linda V. (the other Fiona’s mother – and yes, Fiona looks a lot like mine!) and to Kim (Happy At Home blog) for winning a red-roofed cottage ornament! I will be in contact with you to get your addresses to mail off your ornament.

Thank you to each and everyone of you for your prayers, for thinking of me and my family and for your nice comments left in my last post. You make me smile – and make me cry – so thank you!!! And I mean that, too!!! ((hugs))

Till next time,

Becky

Cottage Style Ornaments & A Little Giveaway

This year I am participating in a Christmas ornament swap that is being coordinated by our friend Cindy (Rick-Rack & Gingham Blog). My first swap, too! It sounded like so much fun and I cannot wait to see what everyone else is making! The ornament had to be a house, hopefully with some gingham and polka-dots, and had to represent our own blog AND have the blog name on it somewhere. Oh, and it has to be cute on the back. No pressure Ok, that sounds doable!

Because I love the old 20’s and 30’s artwork with red-roofed cottages – and there is one on my header – these little ornaments had to have a red roof. I pulled out some favorite red fabrics, buttons and vintage trims from my neglected and stuffed fabric cabinet stash.

This one has a bunting under the gables. Each ornament is different in its own way – on the front…

…and on the back. To get in the name of my blog, I made a tiny little label to sew on the back. (Love that fabric copy stuff!)

A little bo-jangles and red and white twine finishes them off. I have shown five finished ornaments here, so I have a couple more to get done and mailed off to Miss Cindy this week.

A few more hot tamales to keep my energy up for all of this sewing…

Oh, oh, the bowl is getting low….

Yup, all gone! But wait, there’s more!

More what? Well, let’s see….hot tamales…and a chance to win a little ornament.

In memory of my Jordan’s 28th birthday, I will be giving away an ornament to two people. Just leave me a comment with your email address included in the comment – that is all, plain and simple – and I will announce the two winners on Thursday.

Till next time….

Becky