Night sky

While sitting here gazing through some blogs

I look out my window to the night sky

Beautiful!

We are supposed to have snow early in the morning

I hope so ,  I have missed it.

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Night, the beloved.  Night, when words fade and things come alive.  When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again.  When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

 Quote Garden

Faux flowers

I like the look of  the burlap flowers posted on some  blogs.    Wanted to have some for a wreath and an arrangement for  my mantle in den down stairs.     I remembered when I was in grade school - not sure of what grade,  although I think it was fourth grade, we made burlap flowers.    I thought they were so neat to make.   Took a little time , but were soft and pretty.    We glued the flowers on sticks and covered a tin can in burlap in which was decorated with paints for the vase to bring home to mom.
I remember every spring we would have flower day,  when we would bring a vase and flowers picked from out yard to arrange and display on tables in the hall at school.   They were judged and you were given ribbons on 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.  
Some of you  may have made these too,  but just in case ya haven't - here are some pics.   

After pulling and leaving about 1/2 inch on end for gluing

fold over and glue together longways

then roll to make flower

I used this bronze container to put a branch that fell to the ground from the dogwood tree

I put the left overs of what I pulled from the middle and placed in container

Might as well use it for something

 Little bird was hot glued on limbs.  

Have a great day!     I am joining Northern Cottage this week - Check it out for some really creative ideas

Breakfast cake

Before the cake though.  I ventured  out in the yard early for daffodils yesterday,  picked several for my vase in the kitchen.

Love the signs of spring,  there are many little tiny blue blooms in the grass, not sure what ya call them though., weeds I am guessing.
After my walk I started going  through some old recipes and found one I have never made that was cut from a magazine about 20 years ago.  I am sure that it is in newer ones ,  but anyway decided to make it for breakfast tomorrow with coffee.
 Here is the recipe,   the paper it is on is yellowed with time.

After I mixed the ingredients for the oven.   I used my spring form pan for this.

My toasted coconut reserved for the topping.  I think I toasted too much.  Not enough almonds on hand,   so I threw in some pecans I had in the freezer. yes, I freeze everything that I do not use right away.

Happy Home flavoring is what I always use.   It is made in Bedford Virginia,  love buying Va. products.  

 It IS the best I do believe. 

  Their natural Lemon is all I use when recipes call for lemon..

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 Out of the oven,  cooling

 half and half used to mix with confectioner sugar for topping and drizzled it on

 I

It is stored in  my stainless steel cake holder I found at the

goodwill store here.     It must have been $6.25 day as it seemed everything I picked up was marked that.  This was worth it though.

They are getting a little to costly I believe on many items now.  

 I love it

The best part is that it's made in the USA,  hard to find these days. 

Pleasant Friday at the beach

Friday - Steve and I decided to take a ride to Colonial Beach .   I am getting over a cold and have been in the house for a second time with it.   Had to get out and see something pleasant and soothing.   We had fish and chips at Fat Freda's ,  nice little restaurant near the beach.    Then took a walk,  I found some nice driftwood and seashells.   The sun  warmed us as we stood in the sand.

In the distance is Maryland

seashell to add to my many thousands of them I collect.   Can't pass up a seashell.

I also found this pretty heart shaped rock ,  along with sea glass

I see there is a pretty orange rock on the left, I missed getting this one.

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Steve just returned from the doctor.   He now has this horrible cold.

Chicken soup day

Yayyy it snowed for the first time this season here and it came down in big clumps.  

 Then it went as fast as it came, darn, I wanted more.   Well still had to fix the soup.
I had 3 large chicken breasts I cut into to little chunks for soup,  since it was a good snow time for it even though it didn't last long

My children gave me for Christmas last year an Elite pressure cooker and I would not take anything in the world for it..   I have always been scared of pressure cookers - but not this one. My son Derek found this and knew I would love it.

I put a little more than a pound of cut up chicken in there ,  I also doused a little lemon juice over it.   Then put the thing on stew and soup setting,  didn't take long at all to cook.

  I then let off steam and put in the cut up fresh veggies with 1 can of chicken stock and two extra cans of water,  salt , pepper,  parsley and a dab of butter , oh I threw some frozen peas in there too.   

Little butter added with the parsley in there

I pressure cooked this for 6 minutes and turned out perfect

In the meantime I boiled some flat noodles.   
After the soup was finished, added the noodles and closed the lid for a few minutes while I fixed sandwiches.

Tasted very good.  Forgot to mention that a little garlic was added,  we love it.
Now we are lying around digesting in front of the fire.

Just a note

I will be back  to blogging soon.   I have been sick with heaven knows what .   Just a very bad cold and coughing.  My grand daughter who is 2 months now has been very sick with R S V.   Hope everyone is well and stays that way,
Betsy

A wedding and cupcake holder

In May 2011,  my sister married.     She wanted cupcakes for her wedding cake.   The cupcake holders out there were not what she really wanted ,  wow some of the holder were pricey also. So  I made this one for her.   Will be glad to post how I made it if anyone would like to know.
 My sister Donna made the cupcakes,   we both made the cupcake jackets (can't think of the right name for them at this moment) out of doilies.

 I found paper at a local chain for the tiers, glued the beads on and found a way to weigh it down  if we were to use it outside and  scared of it getting blown over and anything else that could happen.   

Didn't take too long to make.  the little fluffy thing sitting on the tier is a cupcake made with Styrofoam ball and rose petals,  I put on the top some sprinkle glitter that looked like sugar.

I added tulle and extra ribbon for pew bows ,   these were found at the Dollar Store and 
embellished.
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These Whoopi Pies I made for Randy (the groom) as he is from Maine and loves them.   They turned out really well.   Photo courtesy of Amy Nicole Photography

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Here are the cupcakes,  Donna Gwaltney who is the photographer's mother  made different flavors and butter cream frosting from scratch

This picture of the cupcakes on the tree are taken by my  niece AmyGwaltney,  as she was the photographer for her aunt Lynn and her husband Randall Nutting 

If you click on her name you can see Lynn and Randy,   Lynn made her dress for  the wedding and did a marvelous job of it.   She also made her table covers  which were lavender and white.

I am linking to  A Bowl full of lemons - Arts and Crafts  

and Northern Cottage