The Little Things

Lot’s of sunshine, seasonable temperatures, and the little things made today a perfect fall day in the Finger Lakes.  It was one of those days when I felt like a lot got done.   I baked homemade cinnamon pumpkin (yeast) bread, made an apple pie, AND whipped up a dish of coleslaw for dinner to boot.

Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like spending that much time in my kitchen!

Once I closed the kitchen down for the afternoon I headed out for some fresh air.  These little plants, or should I say weeds, were begging to have their pictures taken.  And so I obliged and I even gave them each a caption.

Sunny and Bright; Yellow and White

More Pink Than Purple

Pretty and Periwinkle

What kind of weekend did you have?  Busy, slow, productive, or not so much?

 

 

 

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Toil and Trouble

It’s 2017 and I’m Back!

This post is being updated from 2015 when it was initially written.  That was the day that I flipped the switch and started blogging on a self-hosted site with a paid domain.  And now for the good news…  I’m back!  Blogging back here at my old stamping grounds – yay!

Please continue to stay with me as I share my new recipes, DIY projects, photographs, and my simple country life back here where it all began.

Wish me luck!

I Love Summertime

I love summertime for the songs the birds sing,  the brightly colored flowers we can see and smell, and the warm sunshine that touches our skin. 

Why do you love summertime?

PicMonkey Makes Photo Editing Simple

 

Have you ever worked with photo editing programs?  And if so, are you intimidated by them?  A long time ago I  purchased a photo editing program that I found wasn’t very user friendly.  Since then I’ve played around with some of the programs on-line and I’ve found PicMonkey  to be my favorite.  I can easily enhance, add text, make a collage, or turn an ordinary photo into the unordinary.  

This isn’t a sponsored post, it’s just me gabbing about a website that I’ve found quite useful in my blogging.   And because  I’m  somewhat  frugal, I work off of the basic (free) PicMonkey program.  But if you are willing to spend a few bucks then you can upgrade to their Royale package for $4.99 a month, or $33.00 annually, and the first month trial is free.

The photo above has been slightly enhanced through the photo gallery program on my computer.  Just a little tweaking was done to brighten the images and correct the color before I uploaded them to PicMonkey to make my collage. 

From this point forward I’m going to show you just how creative you can be using  PicMonkey.  In the pictures below  I used multiple design options.  My suggestion is to sit down and play with the program and get familiar with it.  I think you’ll see that there are plenty of features to keep you busy.  If you run your cursor over the image it will tell you what photo process I applied to each photo.

 

If you have a favorite image above please go ahead and share it on Pinterest – one of my most favorite places to hang out!

A New Recipe for Soft Peanut Butter Cookies–Brownie Style?

It seems like I always have 101 things on my list of “want to do’s”,  but today that list has been whittled down to just 100 things.   You see, I made a new peanut butter cookie recipe that I promised myself I would get around to trying sooner than later. 

Ah, to describe this cookie…  A soft interior encased in a crispy exterior.  Much like my homemade Triple Chocolate Brownies. 

Are you ready to see what I’m talking about?

No, I cannot take credit for this recipe.  I found it on Pinterest and immediately pinned it to my Cookies, Bars, and Mini’s board.   Thank you  Juliasalbum.com for sharing this yummy recipe.

When I made these cookies I followed the instructions to the letter and came out with very similar results.  I think her cookies look a little more gooey in the center than mine, but I baked mine for 13 minutes.  The recipe suggests  baking them for just 12 minutes.  I was using an oven that I’m not really use to and I wanted to make sure the cookies were done in the center. 

This recipe is a keeper.  I will make them again, and again!

I’m all for trying new recipes – how about you?  Have you made any recipes that you’ve found on Pinterest?  If so, were you happy with the results?

Brightening a Cloudy Day

Yesterday was a fairly dreary day here in the Finger Lakes. Clouds and rain filled the sky.  However, plans had been made.  My daughter and her husband were going apple picking (rain or shine) and they promised to bring us a taste of their harvest.  In return, I offered to make Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese for dinner.  A fair trade in both our opinions.  We always like to fill our family’s bellies when we have them for dinner, and considering that most of our family doesn’t like to cook, it’s a fairly easy task for us to accomplish. 

When my daughter walked in the door her hands were full with a bright and colorful bouquet of flowers.  Apples were not the only thing she had been picking.  What a perfect way to brighten an otherwise cloudy day. 

I couldn’t resist taking pictures of these flowers to share here on my blog.  As for the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese, the recipe will be forthcoming one of these days.  And the apples?  I’m going to make a batch of homemade applesauce.

Hope these help color your day bright!

Pretty Little Flowers–What Is it?

We have a flowering shrub in our yard that produces the prettiest little white flowers.  They are so dainty, and they remind me of vintage for some reason.  I’d love to put a name to this plant, does anyone know what it is?

Lot’s of Sunshine and Blue Skies; No White Sandy Beaches

Yesterday we decided to break free from the bout of cabin fever we’ve been having and go for a walk.  The day was slightly warmer than what we’ve been accustomed to this winter, and the sunshine and blues skies were welcoming.  The best part of the walk, other than the fresh air, sunshine, and blue skies, was the pretty little bluebird that welcomed us to it’s habitat.  I tried to get a picture but it was too camera shy.  

There is no question the land is barren and there is little to photograph, but here is what Mother Nature had to offer us.

Signed,

Impatiently waiting for spring…

In the Pink–No More Ugly Duckling!

The day has finally arrived to unveil the Pink Paradises’ (Pinkie for short) new paint job – yea!!!

Do you remember the ugly duckling before?

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And here are pictures showing our work in progress.

Take a look at her after!

There are still some things that we need to do to finish her up, but what’s a little more work at this point – right?  I’m very happy with how she looks.  She turned out exactly how I envisioned she would – BEAUTIFUL!