Laundry Room

Our laundry/mud room is small and definitely in need of storage. We found this antique upper cabinet at an antique shop a few months ago and it's working out well. Next Mr. A will build a narrow storage unit on the opposite wall.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

If you'll recall, when Mr. A asked me what my thoughts on a driveway were I told him I'd envisioned a gravel drive. He, in turn, explained the hazards of midwest winters called for cement or asphalt. I picked the lesser of the evils and went with cement. Lots and lots of cement. OK...I'll get over it. Maybe. The landscapers spent several long, hot weekends grading the land and distributing bark around the house and it looks fantastic. Last Saturday they seeded and shot hay on top. That night it rained, and rained and rained and then it rained the next day and the day after that! So much for Mr. A worrying about watering the lawn! Michael came Monday to help reseed but it was just too muddy. Instead we went strawberry picking!

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

The day we visited Eureka Springs, Arkansas they just happened to be having a ARTrageous Parade. It definitely lived up to it's name...even the local school band had white ghostly faces and played selections from Michael Jackson's Thriller! Above are just a few pictures of participants. Eureka Springs has welcomed visitors for hundreds of years as legends of several tribes spoke of a Great Healing Spring in the mountains of what later became known as "Arkansas." As the legend spread it drew the afflicted in such numbers that Eureka Springs transformed from an isolated wilderness to a flourishing city in a few short months. This delightful city is a MUST SEE if you are in Arkansas!

Mildred B. Cooper Chapel

Mr. A's brother played host and chauffeur last week. One of the highlights of his tour was the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel located in Bella Vista Village in the beautiful Ozark Mountains of northwest Arnaksas. The Chapel, with its glass walls and a ceiling measuring 48 feet, is positioned on a wooded hilltop overlooking Lake Norwood and seems to reach out to the towering pines and stately oaks surrounding it. It's patterned after cathedrals of the Middle Ages which were based on the pointed Gothic arch. The individuality of this Chapel lies not in its links with the past, but in its departure from the materials used in those ancient structures. Glass and steel are the building blocks which exemplify modern man. Thirty-one tons of steel join 4,460 square feet of glass to create its aura of strength, yet weightlessness. Upon entering the chapel you can't help but immediately feel a sense of peace and serenity.

Lisa Gets Married

Our niece, Lisa, and her fiance, Will, were married last Saturday at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Mr. Amazing, his sister and I drove down to be part of their special day. The Hotel is apparently haunted and has quite a history. But on that day, the only thing I saw was the love between two beautiful young people about to begin the rest of their lives!

Garage Sales

Found these treasures at garage sales this morning. A queen Pottery Barn duvet/shams for $6; black box for $2.50, basket for $3; pinecone wreath for $1 two old picture frames for $2; and this great wicker rocking chair for $10. Nothing better than a good deal!

Easter Greetings

These darling lambs belong to our neighbor. They won't let me get much closer than this!

Happy Easter!

Look What I Found!

Stopped at the local Goodwill store yesterday and found these wonderful treasures! A king size Pottery Barn duvet for $10 (to be resized to a twin and perhaps a cushion cover) an old photo of fruit for $5 (for the kitchen) and a sweater for $4 (soon to be a pillow for the sofa).

Such a good feeling leaving the store...I've found new treasures and supported a non-profit organization that provides job training, employment placement services and other community-based programs for people who have a disability, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges.

Driveway envy

Flickr Photo by Chris B In Sea

FINALLY....Spring has arrived here in the Midwest! The Robins are back, Cardinals have visited the feeder, my neice has planted lots of cool weather garden goodies, and the fields are starting to green up. Because we moved into our cottage in November, we didn't have time to plant a lawn. So we're surrounded by mud.....lots and lots of mud! Conversations have now turned to planting a lawn and putting in a driveway. I've been pretty adamate about not wanting asphalt or cement. My vision for this cottage in the woods is more like the beautiful eco friendly driveway above.

Or this incredible gravel driveway belonging to Kelley at The Polished Pebble. If it's possible to have a new favorite blog......Kelleys is it! You can check out her blog at ppebble.blogspot.com.

Photo by Kelly at The Polished Pebble

Though Mr. Amazing agrees this driveway is indeed "lovely," he's quick to remind me that both of the above driveways are in warm climates and we live in the Midwest...where we deal with snow, lots and lots of snow. After a long winter of snowplowing, a good portion of that beautiful gravel would end up in our shrubs and grass. Way to spoil a girl's dream!

Not I just have to decide which is the lesser of two evils....cement or asphalt!

The Best

After complaining about stain removers not removing stains, my daughter told me to try DREFT Laundry Stain Remover. As the mother of two toddlers and a newborn, she uses a lot of stain remover and has tried them all. Dreft is gentle enough for baby's clothing and strong enough to remove the toughest stains. I gave it a try...and have not been disappointed. It's magic! Buy it!

Yummm!!!

Out of this world delicious!

The Christening Gown

My maternal grandmother made this precious christening gown in the early 1900's. Four generations have worn it.

My mother wore it (and possibly her sister, Bernice, wore it),

I wore it,

My daughter wore it,

Her first two sons have worn it,

And tomorrow her third child, sweet baby Donovan, will wear it.

I've embroidered each name on the bottom of the gown.....a history of this special dress.

I miss my grandmother....I miss my mother.....

THE HELP

I've read three wonderful books since I retired. "The Room" and "Slammerkin" by Emma Donoghue and now "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. This is Stockett's first novel and I hope it's not her last. It was so beautifully written I was sorry it had to end!

PUT "THE HELP" AT THE TOP OF YOUR READING LIST!

Red Sky At Night....

Sailor's Delight!

The view from my kitchen window this evening!

We Fish Through Ice

Once again, we joined the throng of protesters at our state's capitol against Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill. Though I haven't heard any official estimates, my guess is this week's crowd was well over 100,000. Protesters marched in the cold and snow for hours. At 3:00 p.m. there were songs by Peter Yarrow and speeches by union members, clergy, teachers, students as well as appearances by well known actor Bradley Whitford and co-pilot Jeff Skiles. Bradley Whitford, an East High School graduate, appeared on The West Wing and returned to his home state to support the protest. He said: "Wisconsinites are so stubborn they fish through ice." A rather catchy phrase for a T-shirt don't you think....We Fish Through Ice!

The Rally

Yesterday, I was one of an estimated crowd of 68,000 that gathered at the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin to have their voices heard in protest...and support...of Governor Scott Walker's plan to end collective bargaining. It was a peaceful rally and it felt good to be part of this historic event. After a walk around the square, I headed inside to the rotunda. Though I lived in Madison for 21 years, worked right across the street from the capitol and walked through this beautiful building many, many times, I've never seen it so electrified with the passion and commitment of this great state's electorate. Especially significant to me were the four panels of glass mosaic work on each of the pendentives which make the transition from the octagonal form of the rotunda to the circular form of the dome. I did a little research and found the following information on the State Historical website:

Between the four arches in the rotunda are pendentives, which make the transition from the octagonal form of the rotunda to the circular form of the dome. The four pendentives of the rotunda are decorated with four panels of glass mosaic works designed by Kenyon Cox, for a total cost of $20,000. Kenyon Cox, born in Warren Ohio, (1856 - 1919) was an important American painter, draughtsman and art critic. He also painted murals for the Library of Congress and the Capitols of Iowa and Minnesota.

Cox's mosaic panels are twelve feet high and have an average length of twenty-four feet. Each mosaic consists of approximately 100,000 pieces of glass tile and represents Wisconsin's three branches of government (the legislative, the executive and the judicial) and liberty - the foundation of all power in a free country. "Legislation" is represented as a powerful older man with a long beard who holds a stylus in his right hand and is seated by a sphinx symbol of wisdom. A young man holding a leading staff in his right hand while his left hand rests upon a great sword represents "Government"- the executive power. "Justice" is represented by a young woman seated in a lion throne, who tests the scales in the balance to demonstrate the purely judicial function of weighing one cause against the other. "Liberty" is represented as a young woman wearing the traditional Phrygian cap of red, but is otherwise dressed in two shades of green, the color of youth and hope. Her right hand guards the ballot box while her left hand points upward.

As you can see, Liberty is the foundation of all power in a free country and Justice tests the scales in the balance to demonstrate the purely judicial function of weighing one cause against the other.....that's what this past week has all been about.

Foggy Day

Today, the view from my kitchen window shows my favorite oak tree shrouded in fog.

It's definitely a day to stay inside by the fireplace (I do LOVE my gas fireplace!) So, I spent a lazy hour reading The Recipe Club, a novel about food and friendship. Which, of course, made me hungry. I rumbled through all my old recipe cards and discovered my old Girl Scout recipe for Streusel Filled Coffee Cake and, within an hour, I was eating this yummy coffee cake, sipping a huge cup of Dunkin' Donut's coffee and back to reading my book!

So many of my recipes were given to me by my mother. They've gotten brown and faded over time but I treasure them nonetheless! My mother passed away 22 years ago but just looking at these recipes, written in her hand, makes me smile!

Streusel Filled Coffee Cake

Mix together thoroughly:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Sift Together and add into above:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping Ingredients
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch pan. Mix sugar, shortening/butter, and egg thoroughly. Stir in milk. Combine and sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl Add to sugar, shortening/butter, egg, and milk. Stir together.

Spread half of the batter in pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add the remaining batter and sprinkle the top with the rest of the streusel.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Happy Valentine's Day

For you see, each day I love you more

Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

~Rosemonde Gerard

Happy Valentine's Day To You All!!

To Curtain or Not to Curtain...That Is The Question

My intention was to leave all my lovely windows free from blinds or curtains. But, it's looking like I will need something at this window as the morning sun shines right on my new sofa.

Hmmmm....

Dinner Perhaps?

They're getting braver....this big fellow was right next to the house!