cloudy days

if it is cloudy out, i am baking.  today was no exception.

Farm-Style Oatmeal Cookies
These cookies were developed when most people  lived on farms (or in my case, dream of a farm!) and baked large batches of cookies to feed  their families.  Cookies were real multi-taskers; kids loved them, they kept a long time (not in my house) and they were welcome treats in lunch boxes for school or in the fields.

In this cookie the butter and brown sugar combination gives these treats an almost caramel-like flavor.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

The recipe says it makes 4 dozen.  I always get less, because I like to make my cookies BIG.  I also over bake (just by a minute or two) a few because crumbled over vanilla bean ice cream...you will think you died and went to heaven.

2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375.  In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Stir in remaining ingredients.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove
immediately from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

top of the armoire

i recently painted my armoire white. i know, surprise!  i liked it, but thought it was missing something.  so i threw a large woven basket on top.  boring, but it seemed better than nothing. then, i went downtown last week to a few shops.  at a booth filled with industrial, architectural goodness i was totally inspired.

so i came home, headed to my stash in the basement (don't tell me you don't have a stash!) and pulled a few things.  tossed them on top of the armoire and fell in love.

i am still so in love with the mix of steel, concrete, aged wood, and galvanized.   at times, these items are scattered in different areas of my house.  but they live together on top of the armoire...for now.

joining white wednesday at faded charm again this week.  big hello to those that came over from there.  please leave me a comment and say hello!

linen love

you look, and find nothing.
you look, and find nothing.
you look, and low and behold!
you score!

 out thrifting yesterday, i found a ton of this beautiful linen. 
i have no idea what i will do with it, but i had to have it.  the possibilities are endless.

the look and feel of this is so beautiful.  what a find!  just love when that happens.

this old shoe rack was also a junking find...many months ago.  so functional and holds all my other thrifting finds.  plates, bowls, urns, baskets all used all the time.  pull your favorites out of the cabinets and put them on display.  looks great, and is easy to grab quickly when you need them. 

my latest obsession is finding white platters while out thrifting.  this stack gets used often and makes quite the statement when piled high. 

i'd love to know what you hunt for when out thrifting, leave me a message and let me know.

joining in at Savvy City Farmer for Thriftin' Thursday.  please go check out all the other thriftin' goodness and her beautiful blog.

still the one

when we remodeled our kitchen 7 years ago there was one thing i new i had to have...

a farmhouse sink. 

you can find them in all price ranges.  i found mine at home depot for 800 bucks. 

at the time it seemed to be a splurge.  but after using it for 7 years, it's still the one thing i'd put in again.

 

it's a real work horse.  it hides a ton of dishes when you don't have a minute to get them in the dishwasher,

it has been a bath tub for cooper when he was a baby, and it also makes for a great chiller for beer and wine when we're having a party. 

thinking of one of these for your kitchen?  i say go for it!!

it's wednesday....linking up over at Faded Charm!  tons of entries at Faded Charm today, check them out if you have time.

garden visions

with temps in the upper 50's today my mind is wandering to my vegetable garden.  i would love to put in a pea gravel path this year.   won't be long and we'll be out there working away...i can hardly wait!
cheers to the weekend.

check it off the list

i posted about our porch at the end of the year. 

but thought i would re post with photos that were taken in the daylight and with our new garage doors on.

again the winter weather has been so lovely that we have been using the porch so much already.

the new garage doors really finish it off.  i picked one with arched windows to mimic the arch on the windows of the house.

this project has been a dream of mine for 7 years.

it is fun to finally see what was in my mind become a functional space.

big huge hug to mr. traybella for working so hard to make it possible.

guess the saying is true:  if you can dream it, they can build it.

i feel like we really added an entire room to our home.  not to mention oodles of curb appeal.

check front porch off the project list.

i'd love to hear what you're dreaming about...leave me a comment!

wine & dessert party

last week over at faded charm i posted a teaser for my wine & dessert party.  thanks for coming back over this week to see the results.

 this is hands down one of the easiest parties i throw.  let's break it down step by step. 

setting the dessert table:  start with a white table cloth (or in my case a sheet...love using sheets, they are large, inexpensive and can be thrown in the wash easily).

 next i layered on some lace.  these are actually curtain panels.  use what you've got! 

next gather all the display dishes you'll be using.  place them on the table.  sometimes it's helpful to add a labeled post-it note to each dish so you'll know what goes where.

 i made these food markers out of small wood photo frames, candle cups, and some stain.  i used black card stock and a white pen to look like a chalkboard.  you can also use chalkboard contact paper, but i just can't write that small /nice with a piece of chalk.  so i opted for this idea instead.

 don't forget to add some height to your display by using a basket, some books, or a box. varying the heights makes it pleasing to the eye.

 here i used a wood box to corral the plates and napkins.  just adding layers and visual interest.  a tray would also work...again, use what you have.

 the flowers in the galvanized bucket are fake. but i added some real sticks from the backyard.  helps to make it appear real.  i like the height that they add to the table.

the picture that i have hanging on the wall is always there.  i just took a dry erase marker to it and added the XO's and the word LOVE to work it into the display.  after the party, simply wipe away.

 i made and hung tissue paper flowers from the ceiling.  easy, cheap and so quick to make.  i think they add to the party atmosphere.

 and finally, add all of your desserts to the table.

 cupcakes...

 regular and chocolate sugar cookies....

 chewy chocolate cherry bliss bars....

all homemade and looking lovely and yummy.  guess i forgot to take a full photo of the table with the desserts, but you get the idea.

it really takes no time to set a dessert bar up like this (minus baking time!).  treat your friends to something special and invite them over for wine & dessert.

Happy Valentine's Day!  i'm linking up again to Faded Charm for White Wednesday.  AND to the Valentine link party at Dear Lillie blog.



the makings of a party

i've got party prep on the brain this week.

what it is about planning a party that makes me get so many projects done?

i'll try to get a few more posts out this week on some of my projects and then tune in next week for the reveal of the party pics.

linking up to white wednesday at faded charm!

hello to everyone that has come over from her blog and added themselves as followers.

it's lovely and appreciated to have you here!

5 year old photographer

blog post brought to you today by five year old cooper!

a lovely little photo session with my son this morning {says he wants his own blog someday)

i told him he could share mine, until he was older.

 

his assignment today was to take 5 photographs.

it was fun to see what he took photos of.

a few photos of his artwork.

no surprise that a photo of kamari showed up.

when i asked him "why did you pick these subjects to photograph?"

he said "because they make me happy".

i gave him an A+ for his lesson today.

small dresser redo

oh how i just love a good redo.

i have had this little dresser for awhile. 

painted black she lived in my mudroom and most recently my living room

and just this past weekend, i noticed that i am tiring of my black furniture.

not a problem...bring out the white paint!

i didn't want the entire piece painted white so i left her drawers neutral.

stripped, primed, painted, waxed and adorned with new hardware she's had quite the make over.

use what you've got girls, make it new.

just might be my new favorite {old} piece.

here is her before.

linking up to white wednesday at faded charm!

she's a beauty

large and drippy aren't great descriptors of something really so beautiful.

unless

of course

you are this:

a large, drippy chandelier.

my grandma passed away last month, just before christmas.  this is the one thing that i really wanted of hers.

i remember always sitting at the kids table at her house when i was young.  i will never forget the first time i sat at the big table (i was 23 years old).  it felt special, sitting at the adult table under this beautiful chandelier.

i felt so grown up.

i feel so lucky to have this piece from her.

my plan was to put her in my living room, but she is too large. (really meaning that mr. traybella at 6'4" hits his head on it)  and since i don't have a designated dining space (because i move my dining room table around all the time) i have decided that she will hang proudly in my bedroom.  i can't wait to get her hung there and see her sparkle.

RIP grandma.

~ linking up to white wednesday over at faded charm ~

old buffet : breakfast bar

the only thing i really liked about my old buffet was the amount of storage it had.
so i really didn't want to get rid of it, but i needed it to function in a different way.

 so i swung it out from the wall and repositioned it to act like a peninsula in my kitchen. 
and then i thought, if it had an overhang, it could double as a breakfast bar.

 i had my home depot cut down a 4x8 sheet of oak plywood to the size i needed 3x5. purchased some trim to go around the edge, some stain and headed home.  i had the brackets in my stash, they were purchased at a garage sale this past summer for a buck each. 

i also wrapped the back with bead board so that it looks pretty from all sides. 

then i painted it white and just spray painted the existing handles.  

 but my favorite part of the entire project has got to be the top.  you've seen this french chocolate label all over blog land.  so i found an online source to make me a stencil.  personalized it with our last name and the year we were married 1995.
melissa & bill at http://www.mulberrycreakonline.com/ were awesome to work with.  a few email conversations and my stencil was off in the mail to me. 

 the stencil was so easy to place and i love the result.

use what you've got!  simple enhancements to make it new and unique and now we've got a great family piece that also doubles as a conversation starter.  i love multi functional furniture.  sooo cool!

linking up to faded charm for white wednesday. check out all the other fabulous whites!