thrift store find and an accidental great idea

i have garage sale fever bad. with all of the cold weather we've been having it feels like spring and garage sales signs popping up everywhere will never get here. thank goodness for the thrift stores.
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i hit one yesterday and found this lazy susan for 2 bucks. i love that it is a beautiful wood.

i tried it on my dining room table and other places throughout the house. but it finally landed here in my kitchen. it holds items that i use daily.

mind you this is not a very big piece, but by bringing it into the kitchen it caused me to switch everything else on the counters around. does that happen to you? i was kind of excited about it, because i was getting tired of what i had out and around in the kitchen anyway. specifically what i had above my cook top. i love that i have the ledge, mantel, shelf what ever you call it. i usually have it filled with all different home decor items based on the seasons. but with my new lazy susan loaded up i wanted to keep the ledge simple.

i ended up finding these wood bowls in a stash i have. i have always loved them, just never could really find a place for them . . . until now! i love them on the ledge. so simple. almost primitive looking. they are exactly the look i was going for.

also in the switcharoo this lamp got moved. i leave this lamp on day and night. i know, it's not very 'green' of me to do that. but i like how it lights up a dark little corner during the day and at night, if someone gets up, it provides a soft light without having to turn on all the others. and now . . . it actually has a new purpose.

you see, this little light actually puts off some heat. i have to watch which cabinet i place it under for that reason. i never like it under my spice cabinet because i just think that the heat probably isn't good for the spices. but it is perfect for under the cabinet that holds my coffee cups! i have moved the cups to the bottom, directly on the heated shelf, and they are actually warm!

how about that?! already warmed up cups for my morning latte.

i just love accidental great ideas! do you have any accidental great ideas that you would like to share? i bet you do! i would love to hear them! just add them to my comments . . . lurkers welcome!

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in the kitchen

most of my time during the day is spent in the kitchen. and just the other day i realized how many wooden spoons i use.

all different shapes, sizes and colors. they are the first thing i grab when i need to mix or stir something.

i do have a few of the plastic ones, but they seems to fall to the back of the bin because they rarely get used.

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what do you prefer? wooden spoons or plastic ones?

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short post today. i have work to do . . . in the kitchen.

recipes finally added

the brownie pops recipe was found on line. you can find it here.

i am not going to include the chocolate peanut butter square recipe. although the photo of them looked really yummy, they came out a bit dry and not that great.

the chocolate cake recipe.....i hope that this will be your new go to recipe for chocolate cake! it is so moist and yummy. once it is frosted i like to chill it over night if i have time.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup hot hazelnut coffee (or plain coffee if that's all you have)
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 325 degrees.
in a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
add oil, coffee and milk and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
add eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes.
expect batter to be thin.
pour into 9"x13" greased and floured pan or 2 - 9" round pans.
bake 9x13 for about 45 minutes or 9" pans for about 30 minutes.
cool in pans for about 15 minutes and then cool completely on racks.

frost with your favorite chocolate frosting.
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swedish sugar cookies ~ grandmas recipe and our standard birthday party favors!
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1 cup butter
1 cup crisco
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
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cream butter, crisco, and eggs.
add vanilla.
add dry ingredients and mix well.
chill a minimum of one hour.
roll out on floured pastry cloth and cut into shapes.
bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

i make up a batch of royal icing to frost them.
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dipped pretzel rods and dipped caramels ~ so easy, so pretty.
in the baking isle, next to the chocolate chips you will find a product called almond bark. it comes in chocolate and vanilla. carefully melt in the microwave (this can burn easily...keep an eye on it) and then simply dip the pretzel rods into the melted chocolate. let excess drip off and then sprinkle with nuts or sprinkles. lay on waxed paper to set up. i do the same with the caramels. use a pair of tongs to help lift them out, shake off excess and lay on waxed paper.
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almond roca ~ so easy, so addicting and great for gift giving! make sure you have a candy thermometer for this one.
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1 Tablespoon corn syrup
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
3/4 cup chocolate chips
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in a large heavy saucepan, gently boil syrup, sugar, butter and water until "hard crack" appears on a candy thermometer. do not stir. this step will take at least 20 minutes. remove from heat, add almonds and stir well. spread on an ungreased cookie sheet and, before candy is allowed to cool, sprinkle with the chocolate chips. as they melt, spread the chocolate chips evenly over the candy. cool in the refrigerator. break into bite sized pieces.
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i hope you enjoy all of these great recipes!! they are some of my favorites.

valentine soiree

good afternoon!
thanks for being patient while i worked through my loading photo glitch.
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saturday night. . . oh what a night! can i just tell you right up front what a great group of friends we have. i felt so blessed all night as i mingled amongst my friends. and as with every party, i never seem to get to chat with each one long enough.

my front entry table was simply decorated. a paris plate carried out my french theme to the party, white roses that had just opened up completely that afternoon, and party favors awaited to be given as each couple left for the night. (party favors were boxes of hot chocolate....easy, not too expensive and carried out the chocolate theme).

i had a friend tell me "you can never have too much chocolate". but let me tell you that by the end of the night i didn't want to see chocolate again. ahem, until the next morning when i had a piece of cake with my morning coffee.

i used the vintage looking postcards to identify some of the desserts. 'sexy sugar cookies', 'seductive chocolate cake', etc.

an easy way to dress up your desserts is to place them in white cupcake papers.

make your cakes look fancy by topping them with purchased cylindrical cookies. it is easy and adds lots of wow factor.

when i set up a buffet i like to have varying heights. so i used a vintage suitcase and little shelf that i found out thrifting.

and because it was valentines i wanted the buffet to look a bit more romantic. so i used a sheer panel hung from the ceiling. i used a tension rod at the front, let it swag down a bit and then just a ribbon with thumb tacks to pin it to the wall.

fill in with other bits and pieces from around the house.
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these are the only two areas that i had decorated for the party. i think it makes it easy to pull off when you just focus on one or two areas, instead of trying to decorate your entire house in {for this party} valentine decorations. keep it simple.

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i love to entertain and i realized saturday night that my house feels happiest when it's filled with the sound of laughter, clinking glasses and the smell of chocolate and roses.

now go on . . . find a date on your calendar to throw a bash for your friends!

~ thanks for stopping by today! ~

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stay tuned. . .

just jumped on to add photos from the valentine soiree. but for some reason i am unable to load photos. i will check again later and get some out here.
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for those that asked what the menu was, this was it:
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brownie pops
chocolate peanut butter squares
chocolate cake
iced sugar cookie hearts
dipped pretzel rods
almond roca
chocolate covered caramels
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recipes to follow later this week!

bit and pieces : three

showing you a few more bits and pieces to the valentine soiree. i have a busy day in the kitchen today as well as getting the house cleaned and things set up.

if you are planning a soiree, do yourself a huge favor and plan, plan, plan. it makes the event so much more manageable. create a list, a week in advance, of the menu items you will be serving. do your shopping a few days before too.

start gathering pieces that you will use for displaying food or for decorations.

make what food you can the day before.

i even go as far as setting out the dishes i will use and marking, with sticky notes, what goes where. this will save you lots of time digging around on the day of your event.

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i will post more photos on sunday or monday of the event. some of you have asked for the menu and recipes as well. i will get these out here next week too.

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cheers! to a great weekend!

bits and pieces : two

.no party is complete with out . . . party favors!
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i wrapped these up today and will have them, in a big wire basket, to give to my guests when they leave the soiree.

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it is so fun to thank your guests for coming, it makes them feel really special. keep in mind when choosing party favors that you do not have to spend a lot. if you have the time, something homemade is always really nice.

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i won't share with you today what my favors are, but i will show you after the soiree. stay tuned!

bits and pieces : one

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getting ready this week for the valentine soiree i am hosting. a dessert and wine party . . . i have done this type of party before and it is hands down one of the easiest and most fun parties i have done. lots to do but will show bits and pieces all week and then more photos on the night of. keep watching!

symphony designer show house: part 1

Burlap JunKtion has a small space set up this weekend at the symphony designer show house. check out more photos HERE.
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if you are in the kansas city area the show house, in its 'before' phase, is open today (sunday) until 5pm. 59th & ward parkway.

another great book . . . another giveaway!

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* * * CONGRATS to MARCI for being the WINNER! * * *

good afternoon!


grab a cuppa something, this one might be a long one... but there is good stuff at the end... a giveaway!
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last night i had the privilege of meeting Mary Lucas. she is the (accidental as she calls herself) author of Lunchmeat & Life Lessons. she was speaking at our local high school and i tagged along with a friend.
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the book was originally published in 2006, so you may have heard of this lovely book, read about it in the local paper or maybe have a copy on your own bookshelf.
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when Mary was done speaking, i wanted more. i could have listened to her speak all night! a couple of things that made a connection for me right off the bat were that 1) she is a local right here in kansas city, and 2) that i too am a daughter, and have learned some life lessons from my dad, which i will share with you....keep reading.




Mary is from a large family. For those of you that live in kansas city you may know of that family when you hear Bichelmeyer Meats. started by her father and still a family owned and ran business today. Lunchmeat & Life Lessons is a memoir and tribute to her father.
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i stayed up late last night reading the book. i could not put it down. there are so many good lessons to take from this book...personally & professionally. i think this book should be read by everyone that is in a slump, think they are in a dead end job, raising children, or are in need of a large dose of inspiration.
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her father had great wisdom. saying things like: be a person who makes something happen, if you don't like someone they don't like you, it's not the pursuit of happiness but the happiness of pursuit that inspires, celebrate every chance you get, inspire yourself.
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as i finished the book this afternoon, i cried. i cried for her loss of such a fantastically wise man. and for her ability to become this 'accidental author' to teach us all, to make our lives a little bit better by teaching us what her father taught her.
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so i started thinking about my own dad. i would say that my dad is a man of few words. but when he says something, you better listen. i would like to share here with you a few of the life lessons my dad has taught me. we all have our own list and i think we can all learn so much from each other.
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lesson one: we spent many summer weekends at the lake water skiing. although i don't remember what age i was, i remember my dad telling me once "when it gets bumpy, hold on tight". i know he was referring to me crashing over bumpy waves, but still today i use this wisdom when i find myself in a 'bumpy' situation.


lesson two: "mess with the bull you're going to get the horns". dads way of saying 'be cautious'. i always remember this when i am in a situation treading on thin ice.

lesson 3: be on time. my dad is never on time...he's always early! an if you are meeting him at his house say at 8am.... he will be waiting in the driveway when you arrive promptly at 7:45 and make you question 'what time is it really? are we late?!". he is just always ready. a good lesson for everyone at every point in life.

lesson 4: "i am not the keeper". this was more of a wake up call but still a life lesson. i was probably 22 years old. i was out drinking with a roommate, ahem, on a weekday night. i locked the keys to my car in the trunk. at 1:30am i phoned my dad....hi dad, you're the only one with the extra set of car keys...can you help me out? always willing to help, he said sure! wow, just like that? sure?! just like that at 1:30am on a work night?! i was sure he'd be getting the coolest dad ever award. so i waited...and when i heard a horn honking, i looked up and it was him...driving at a pretty good clip.... he yelled 'kathi...i'm not the keeper anymore', threw my keys to me...and kept on driving. i got what i needed, the extra set of keys. i also got a wake up call. he didn't even yell at me up one side and down the other. he just made an impact...a life lesson. as i said above...he's a man of few words...but you better listen. ;)

still with me? need a refill? last life lesson then we'll get to something fun!

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lesson 5: 'don't burn your bridges'. my dad has worked in the kansas city area, and in the same business (electrical) for his entire career. he knows a ton of people. growing up i always thought i had my butt covered (CYA), but it never failed my dad knew what i had done, or where i had been. he has 'eyes' all over the city because he knows so many people. as i entered corporate america the best advice he ever gave was 'don't burn your bridges'. you just never know when you might need to reference your past. good advice i still use today.

last night after her speech, when i was having Mary sign my books, she asked what part of the speech i liked best. i lost it. started crying because her speech touched me so much and reminded me of the lessons my own father, luckily still living, has taught me. she reminded me that i can still learn from my dad and every time i hear someone speak about this type of motivational stuff, it reminds me to not take things for granted.

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i told Mary about my wee blog that i have and if i could have her permission to talk about her book and link to her sites.

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not only did she agree...she gave me a signed copy of her book to giveaway!!

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RULES for the giveaway:

* leave a comment here and i will enter you once, (non-reply comments cannot win, i need to have your email address to contact you)

* visit http://www.heartsweleavebehind.com/ and add a loved ones name and i will enter you twice! (just be sure to come back here and tell me that you did so).

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the afterword in Mary's book, page 103

"Did this story bring back memories of someone special that you have loved and lost?

Someone who lives on in your heart?

Please take the opportunity to share your story by visiting: http://www.heartsweleavebehing.com/

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this is such an amazing book...it's an easy read, only 119 pages. you can also find out more about the book by visiting http://www.lunchmeatandlifelessons.com/

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Mary, thank you for the book for my giveaway, your speech and for the lessons you are passing on to all of us.

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i'll take comments, for the giveaway, until saturday February 6th at 8:00pm. good luck!

photo credits:

photo 1 taken by me, photos 2-5 from google

a busy week

i am going for the full caf latte this afternoon, i think i might need it. i have a busy week this week. i am participating in the boutique at the symphony designer show house here in kansas city. the preview is this weekend, which will include a small version of the boutique.

i have finished up a few new trays and will pull some from my existing inventory. along with Burlap JunKtion home decor items my friend and i will have a space set up in the corner of the sun room at the show house.

i need to get back into my studio and start tagging all the merchandise for this event. this will just be a small sampling of what is to come in late april. once the show house has been completely remodeled, they will open again for three weeks. the boutique will be larger and will include more vendors.

i also have M starting guitar lessons this week along with trying to get final ideas prepared for the valentine soiree that i will be hosting. bring on the caffeine!

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happiness winner...

thank you to all 10 of you that entered my happiness giveaway.

i can't wait to get started reading this book...i think i could learn lots from it.

for those did not win, i hope i turned you onto something that will make a small
difference in you life. because couldn't we all be a little happier?!

drum roll please.........

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comment no. 7 was chosen by my son as the winner....
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congrats to PAT H. !! (i'll send you an email to get your address and get the book sent to you).

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have a good weekend everyone!

helping out the locals

every week this family brings eggs from their farm to my market. get them fast, because they disappear quickly.
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i like that they always add a little note in each carton.

the eggs are beautiful and so tasty. they are a bit more expensive, but so worth it.

on our list of things to do this summer we'll visit this farm and create the full circle of where our eggs really come from. the boys will love it, and i will love getting my feet on a farm.

i also like that they package their eggs in cardboard cartons instead of styrofoam. making it so much better for the environment. can't wait to visit them this summer.

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you still have until 3pm cst today to enter the happiness giveaway! (see post below) i'll draw the winner tonight and post it.

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on a question not even related to eggs.....did any of you London dancin' queens attend the opening of ABBA World yesterday?! so wish i could have been there. guess i need to add london to my list of places to visit.

guess what?

good morning!

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there is still time to enter the happiness giveaway...see post below.

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guess what i am up to?

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if you guessed 'taking a trip to paris' please guess again.

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this is something else.

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something fun that takes a bit of planning.

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the kind of planning that i love to do.

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so when i found the eiffel tower ~ i was thrilled.

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and when i found the little white love birds ~ i squealed.

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hmm..mmm... it's coming together nicely.

stay tuned...

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i would love to hear your guess! leave it here in the comments.

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playing around

after 2.5 hours on the phone last night with the HP tech support guy i finally was able to load the new print shop program to my computer.
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had some fun this morning figuring out things that i can do with it. it is a really easy program and i will have to figure out more things with it later. if you're looking for a new program to play around with, and you have windows 7, this is a good one. it has some great photos, all of the ones above are from print shop.
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don't forget to leave a comment (on the post below) to be added to my happiness giveaway! lurkers are welcome to comment too! ;)

happiness : giveaway

last week gretchen rubin, author of the happiness project, blew through kansas city for a book signing. i have not read her book yet, it is on my list of things to get, but i did enjoy her (although very short) talk about her book at a local library. and what made me really happy was the conversation i had with my girlfriend at starbucks afterwards about happiness.
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maybe some of you have heard of this book or have read it. it has recently been on the top sell list and she's been on the today show chatting about it.
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at the chat she talked about knowing yourself first. who are you really? and what really makes you happy. this answer will be different for everyone and i think it will constantly change. because what makes you happy today, may not be what makes you happy in 20 years. because you'll be different then.
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when i lived overseas i had lots of time for myself. this was pre-kids and i had the time to focus on me. i meditated, did yoga, played tennis, took pottery classes and did some major soul searching. and even though now i am a mom of two and living back in the states i still am confident in who i am. i feel that i know what direction i'm going in life and i am truly happy. oh sure there are parts of my life that could use some tweaking, there always will be. but trying to pin down what makes me happy is a little difficult sometimes.
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helping others makes me happy. it can be as simple as delivering baked goods to a neighbor, fixing dinner for my family, creating a new art project for the boys, donating to a charity, volunteering at school, etc.
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having a nicely decorated (with budget finds) house makes me happy. living in a smaller house makes me happy, and having a family to fill my house makes me happy.
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but what about the big stuff? like dreams? i dream of living on a farm. more specifically a farm in the south of france. but would that really make me happy? i think sometimes that the idea makes me happy, but once i was packed, moved and settled, would i be?
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anyway, i am anxious to read the happiness project and see what else i can learn on being happy.
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and one other thing i know that makes me happy... giveaways! so i am going to give away a copy of the book the happiness project to one lucky winner.

rules:
* leave a comment and tell me what makes you happy...i mean really happy.
* non-reply comments cannot win....i need to be able to contact you by email.
* comments will close friday january 29th at 3:00pm cst.
* i will announce the winner friday night sometime.

thanks for playing!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL THAT ENTERED.

clean then play

aaahhh...friday. thank you for the comments and emails about my master bedroom work in progress. as anxious as i am to get going on that project a little voice popped into my head (it was my moms) and it said "clean first then play". a rule from my childhood that still holds true today...thanks mom! ;)
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there really isn't much in the bedroom to clean, but all of our closets have been needing some attention. 3 trash bags later i had a good mix, of all sizes, to donate to our local goodwill. with the lack of garage sales this time of year making a quick pass through the GW is always on my list of things to do.
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this is a win win win situation:
closets are clean and i am now ready to get going on that bedroom redo...win!
three bags of donations to the local GW...win!
i get to shop at the GW since i'm already there...win!
ok, it seems to be a double win for me...and i do feel like i win when i donate...so i guess it's a triple win for me. my blog, my game = i win! ;)
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i didn't find much at all at the GW. i actually like that it is so hit or miss. because when i do find something, it makes me even more excited. i love rusty metal architectural things. and for 98 cents i picked this up.

and ooooh how i wish it was large enough to go over the head of my bed in my new bedroom redo, but it is not. it is a trivet with the tile missing. so i ended up doing this with it...

not sure what my obsession with light switches is these days....but i love it here. i purposely did not cover this light switch with the wallpaper, because i thought if this was a real stone wall you wouldn't be able to cover the switch. but you could hang a rusty old trivet on a stone wall...wala!

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cheers! to a great weekend.

wheels are turning

it is no secret that i do not sit well. i always have a project either in process or the wheels are turning in my little creative mind.
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i am never happy with my master bedroom. i see lots of photos of master bedrooms that make me swoon, and i so wish mine did that for me.

i will change the paint color, add new curtains, new lamps, etc and think...that's it, i love it. and then it just doesn't last. is it because i spend so little time in this room? i just always feel like it is neglected. *sigh*
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so i am going to be scouring favorite magazines, online stores, blogs and even that 'master bdrm' file, that i have tucked away, full of ideas. i have just a small budget for this room (read no budget really), so i want to not rush it. i'll see what i have stored in the attic that can be used (old doors, shutters, columns, etc..) i'd also like to see what i can find thrifting. i am going through withdrawal with no garage sales this time of year but soon the weather will warm up and the sales will be plentiful.


i have to keep the bed, and painting it really isn't an option. there also aren't many options as far as the arrangement of the room. too many doors and windows in the wrong places. but i hope to figure out something. i'd also like new (thrifted) side tables, preferably ones that don't match. and if i don't find what i'm looking for, i'll just paint the ones i currently have.

i will for sure post photos when i finish this project....it will probably be awhile though. stay tuned. and if you have any good bedroom sites that you could recommend please throw them my way!

time for dinner

my husbands favorite three words. clangity-clang-clang-clang goes the dinner bell. but this is not about that kind of time for dinner, it is about time for dinner. i love to cook. but even more than actual cooking i love the time it takes to put everything together. please do not put me up on that pedestal as a girl who turns out beautiful meals every night for her family. and trust me, i can be just as happy throwing down a pizza on a friday night with the family gathered around the coffee table. but once or twice a week i like to have all the ingredients bought ahead of time, and really enjoy the time it takes to create a meal. last friday night was that night. but i actually got started in the afternoon.

M was at school and C was napping so i took a few minutes to set a simple table.

then i chopped all the apples, measured out all the ingredients into individual bowls, and put the rub on the pork chops. it was peaceful and quiet and i just felt like i was putting some real joy and love into this meal. i actually had a moment to stop and recognize how much i really love to cook.

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so really this was just all the prep work, but once it was time to fire up the cook top and get down to the actual cooking it was easy because everything was already measured out.

so i will leave with this recipe today and hopes that you enjoy the time it takes to create this lovely meal. bon appetite!

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PORK LOIN CHOPS with CINNAMON APPLES

1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 (4- to 6-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 large granny smith apples, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. in a small bowl, combine sage, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over both sides of pork.

2. in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. cook pork 4 to 5 minutes per side; or until done. remove pork from pan. cover and keep warm.

3. melt butter in a pan over medium heat. add apples, brown sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. serve with pork chops.