It’s Mardi Gras! Baking, Sewing, Tablescapes, and Dinner

As usual, I am close to running out of time, and posting this on the day of Mardi Gras instead of in advance. But, that is how it goes sometimes! Still, you may be able to shop your house for enough gold, green and purple to pull it off. Often I do this at the …

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Valentine Fun

Since I have been working on donating and clearing out my tablescaping and crafting areas, I have taken at least 8 boxes to the thrift store. And, I resisted going inside! I donated most of my Valentine stuff, like red candleholders with little heart cutouts, and more, and I had just decided not to put …

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Small Plate Meals, and Super Bowl Food

It is Super Bowl Sunday, and I am looking forward to the big game. It seems like this year's game has the makings of a close scoring contest, the best kind. I love a hard fought game with lots of back and forth lead changes. For me, I am leaning toward the Eagles, but either …

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Looking Ahead to 2023

Well, I thought I was being cute on Tuesday with the video, but it didn't get the response I thought it might. It was supposed to be a clue to let you all know a new mystery quilt along is coming in January, but only a couple of readers figured that out. I couldn't do …

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A Quiet Week

Did you have a wonderful holiday? We had a lovely day, with a prime rib dinner. This year I made fresh Brussels Sprouts for the first time. I looked online for the best method to decrease the bitterness, and found that cutting them in half and charring the cut side would do that. So, I …

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Quick Meals – Cook What You Have

Quick recipes are sometimes the best thing when you need a meal and you forgot to plan or defrost something. Even better when you can create a meal in just a half hour or so, out of pantry staples, like this tomato soup recipe from Milk Street. The new cookbook from Milk Street called Cook …

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Sunday Chat – Christmas Ideas and a New Visitor

Dawn over the mountain to the east this past week brought beautiful color with the clouds reflecting the sunrise glow. The quiet of the early morning is a nice time to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, just breathe, and plan the day. Looking south, it is lovely to see the dark architecture of the …

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Christmas Tea Party – Cooking, Sewing and Crafting

This year was our neighborhood group's turn to host the guild's Holiday party, and we have been working on it for months. We set the theme last spring and began looking for the materials we needed. Settle in for a long and picture heavy post, as I catch you up on all the prep and …

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Apple Upside Down Cake

I promised this recipe to you in September, then never got to it as Autumn Jubilee took over the blog for a month. Before the harvest season is over, I wanted to share it, although we can usually find apples year round. Living in an apple growing county, we think of this as a fall …

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Sunday Chat – Plants and Quilts

My Thanksgiving Cactus is blooming its head off. I have never seen this plant so happy. There are more red blooms than pink or yellow, but I do have some of all. It came into bloom a few days ago, and there are more buds forming, so I think it will be in bloom for …

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