Stormy Day Tray

We're really having stormy weather here in Georgia today, and families to the north of us, in Adairsville, have suffered severe property damage, and loss of at least one life. Please remember these families  in your thoughts and prayers.

Here's a tray I worked on while I was checking on the weather on TV.

I moved the vase of tulips to the kitchen table near the window, so maybe they will open. 

 My little majolica hen tureen...and her chick...see it peeking out?

Salt and pepper shakers from my mom's Poppy Trail dishes...

...this is a new tray I got a couple of weeks ago. 

Love the chunky texture of it.

Napkins and an old Fannie Farmer cookbook ~ Maybe I'll find a new recipe while I wait for the storm to be over.

Hope the weather is better where you are.
Hugs,
Babs

Please visit these great bloggers for fun parties and lots of inspiration ~
No Minimalist Here ~ Open House Party Thursdays
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday
StoneGable ~ Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits ~ on Thursday

Winter Warmer

It's a little chilly here today, and as much as I hated to, I ran to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk. I love fresh flowers, so I  always stop by the floral department on the way to the check out counter.
The tulips were in, and I just couldn't resist buying a bunch.

Love the color...

 ...the house feels...

...warmer already...

...ahhh...much better. 

Enjoy your Sunday, and stay warm.
Hugs,
Babs

Let's visit The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
               The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday

Breadboards and Toile

Saturday I visited a neighbor who was "changing things up" in her house. She and I occasionally exchange decor items that, for whatever reason, don't work in our houses anymore. She has great taste, and I always love how she decorates. Priscilla is so sweet, and offered me this darling pitcher with a toile pattern on it. 

I happily said "yes" to the pitcher, even though, at the time, I didn't know where I'd use it.  It's so much fun trading things back and forth.

Love this toile pattern. 

Well, yesterday, I was in the thrift store and saw a pair of LARGE Pottery Barn decorative breadboards. I looked at them and walked away, then came back and piled them in my cart...just to think about them.  Needless to say, I bought them. How could I turn them down at $7.48 for the pair! Whoo! Hoo! 

Here's the round one, and...

...the rectangular one. 

They already had hangers on the back, so all I had to do was find a spot for them...but where?  They are so large, they wouldn't fit on any wall in my kitchen, so Hubby suggested using them on the fireplace wall...hmmm.

I popped a bunch of white tulips into the pitcher...and added a couple of Blue Willow plates on the mantel...

...and a pair of candles.

Does that give a little Frenchiness to the living room? Or what?

I think I'll leave the breadboards there for now. I haven't a clue what I'll do with them after that. 

Hugs, and hope y'all have a great weekend,
Babs

Parties:
StoneGable ~ Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursday
My Romantic Home ~ Show and Tell Friday
Common Ground ~ Be Inspired on Friday
The Charm of Home ~ Home Sweet Home Friday
The Dedicated House ~ Make It Pretty Monday
My Turn For Us ~ Freedom Fridays Blog Hop

Dogs and Pomegranates

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. 

I did a bit of shopping last week after my doctor's appointment. I checked out a consignment shop I haven't visited before...just happened to be down the street from the doctor's office. I found a couple of things, and naturally, I started playing.

You know I like dog figures, especially Staffordshire spaniels. I really like the "real" ones, but because of the price, I buy the decorative ones...well, I do have one small "real" one.

I already had this small spaniel, and then I found the larger one in the shop. Don't they look like mama and baby?

I decided to use spring greens in the entry because it was so dark and dreary. I wanted to give it a lighter, fresher look. 

Live plants are especially nice in Winter, because they clean and freshen the air. This little Peace Lily should be ok on the chest for a while, then I'll move it to a brighter spot.

~~~~~~

I did use warmer colors on the kitchen table for lunch, though. 

 I like the colors of the rooster, so I added the blue and white napkins. This year, I'm trying to use more blues around the house, hoping they will "play well" with the warm colors.

Pomegranates are favorites of mine, too. Love their color, fresh or faux.

It may be cool in the entry, but it's warm in the kitchen, and I'm having fun playing with the dogs and pomegranates...and roosters.

Hugs and bye for now. 

Babs

I'll be partying with`~

The Dedicated House ~ Make It Pretty Monday

A Stroll Thru Life ~ Table Top Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday

No Minimalist Here ~ Open House Party Thursday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday

Mustard and Turquoise

Earlier this week, I spent an hour or so, in one of my favorite antique/decor stores.
It's kind of that in-between time of year for shopping, and I didn't see anything that really struck my fancy...until I started to leave...and saw these cuties.

They were just sitting there with their chubby little mustard-color bodies and turquoise tips on their wings and tails. Not a color combo I've used before, but their cute little faces just made me smile, so...you got it...they came home with me. 
  

While I looked around the house for "vignette makings", I decided to relax with...

...a cup of chamomile and lemon tea...and a couple of cookies.

Looking around, I actually had a few mustard or turquoise things...a turquoise vase and a mustard-color Shaker box. The colors seem to work with the browns, creams and taupes in the family room.

Mustard and turquoise...a new color combination for me. I don't know if I'd do a whole room in it, but...maybe a pillow? Hmmm...
                           

What do you think? Do any of y'all combine these colors?
I'm going to sit here with my cup of tea and watch the birds...got my binoculars ready.
Hugs, and hope y'all have a great day,
Babs

Parties to visit ~
The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
The Dedicated House ~ Make It Pretty Monday
A Stroll Thru Life ~ Table Top Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday

Kitchen Island Finally Finished

Hi, everyone! Hope you're having a great week. We've finally finished a project that we started back in September.  You saw how I painted the kitchen island and re-stained the top and shelf.


You can click here to see that post in case you missed it. 
The island started life in a natural oak color, but I wanted it to match/coordinate with the breakfast room hutch, so Hubby sanded it, and I painted and stained it. The only thing that I didn't do at that time, was add a towel bar.  For the life of me, I'll never know why it didn't come with one. 
After searching around for a while, I finally found one that would work...it had to be small and not stick out too far.

The oak color of the towel bar was almost the same as the stained wood on the island, so all I did was lightly sand the pieces and slapped on a coat of stain to match the top. 
Then, Hubby shortened the bar to the right length and attached it. Ta Da! 

Here it is. Not the most "high end" towel bar, but a much needed one. 
Before now, the only other place we had to hang a towel was on the oven door...not a good thing, because if I forgot to take it off every time I opened the oven door, the towel dragged across the floor...EEEUUU! Ick!

This was an easy and inexpensive project. The towel bar was from Home Depot and cost a whopping $4.82, plus tax, and took about five minutes to install. Now, I'm a happy camper, and no more worrying about towels dragging on the floor.

I'm on my way to visit everyone. 
Hugs,
Babs

Let's go party with these great blogs:

Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
No Minimalist Here ~ Open House Party Thursday
The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Transformation Thursdays
StoneGable ~ Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Turn for Us ~ Freedom Fridays

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Are you ready for a little something sweet to go with your cup of tea?  

Mr. Snowman is making a special delivery on his little red sled. He's bringing y'all some Raspberry Oatmeal Bars that he just made. 

Oh, it looks like some "snow" got on the bars. 
Would you like to try one?
Before I forget, let me give you the recipe:

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
1 1/2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 3/4 sticks butter
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1  12 oz. jar of seedless raspberry preserves...about 1 1/2 cups.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch rectangular pan.

Mix together the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread with the  preserves. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for the "snow".

Oh, yum!  Sorry, I just had to take a bite.

Hope you like them.

Hugs,

Babs

Sledding on over to these parties:

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays
The Dedicated House ~ Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
My Turn for Us ~ Freedom Fridays

Remember Peel-A-Pound Soup?

It's January 3rd, and I'm starting to feel guilty about all those yummy holiday foods I ate...and ate. 
So, to get back on track with something "souper" healthy, I decided to make an old favorite recipe called Peel-A-Pound Soup. Do any of y'all remember it?

This recipe has been around for decades, so those of you under the age of 30 probably won't remember it...but if you're under 30 you probably aren't reading my blog anyway. :)
 The story about it is that there are so few calories in it you can eat all you want, and still lose weight.
It's healthy, full of fiber, low fat...probably no fat, since none is added...and delicious. There are lots of recipes for it, but here's how I made it. 

The amounts depend on how much you're making.
 Coarsley chop:

1 small head of cabbage

1 or 2 onions

3 or 4 stalks of celery, including the leaves, if they look nice.

1 bell pepper...this time, I used sweet red, orange and yellow peppers I had left over from another recipe. I really like the color they add.

1 or 2 cans of tomatoes with the juice...size of the can depends on the amount of soup you're making. It doesn't matter whether they're diced or whole. 

2 cartons of organic chicken broth...or one of broth and enough liquid to cover the veggies...the original recipe calls for tomato juice, but I rarely use it since I don't often have it. 

If you don't add tomato juice, just use all broth or add water.
Also, the original recipe calls for bouillon cubes and water, but I prefer the broth...chicken, beef or veggie, whatever I have.

That's it. Just put all the veggies in a big pot, add the broth, or water and/or juice, and season to taste with salt, pepper or seasoned salt. Cook till veggies are tender, and enjoy.

I garnished it with a celery leaf, but you could use fresh parsley, if you have some. 

This is Hubby's place. He's also getting corn bread and butter, since he's not watching his "figure".

Mr. Snowman is here to keep us company for lunch. 

He's such a sweetie. In my next post, he's bringing dessert. 
I've "saved" so many calories with this soup that maybe I could have just a little bite of dessert? 
Ya think?
Hum?

See y'all next time. Hope you enjoy the soup.
Babs

Parties:
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesdays
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursdays
No Minimalist Here ~ Open House Party Thursday