::SAYING GOODBYE::

Hi there! Hope everyone is doing well. I know I just recently posted about how I was going to makeover the blog and add things, etc. However, the past couple of months I have been in ill health and I don't have the energy to do projects or write on the blog. Until my health issues are taken care of, I will stop blogging for now. Take care, CherylPin It Now!

:::WE MADE IT AND WHAT I HAVE BEEN UP TO:::

I have been away from the blog for sooo long. I was busy with the move and getting settled. Rushing to get it all done just to blog wasn't a top priority for me. It also gave me some time to think about whether I want to blog. I have tossed this around quite a bit this past year. I needed to sit and think what I wanted my blog to be. Did I want to have any Etsy shop? Did I want to have sponsors? Nope, I didn't want any of that. I want to create things for my home, my family and friends. I don't want to have to worry about sponsors. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying it's bad. It's just not for me. So with that being said here is what I have decided. I have decided that I want my blog to be a place where you can come to find a good recipe, enjoy some home decor ideas, quilting, photography and mostly be uplifted. It will be slow going at first. I plan to makeover the blog yet again. With this move, SIMPLIFYING has been what I have been striving for. I will also add a picture of me and hopefully and about me page. This way you can put a face to the blog. I hope you will stop by and grab a cup of sweet tea and stay a while. Have a great weekend! Pin It Now!

MOVING DAY,,,,,,

Well, today is the big day.  We are being packed today and tomorrow and Saturday we are heading north.  We will miss the friends we made here in Louisiana, but are looking forward to see what God has for us  in our new home state.

I will be spotty on blogging for a while.  It will probably take a couple of weeks to get settles.  LOL, that may be wishful thinking on my part.

I don't like goodbyes, so I will say, "See you later."

CherylPin It Now!

:::GIVEAWAY! CHRISTMAS IN JUNE FQ BUNDLE:::

First, I would like to apologize for not being able to post the giveaway before.  I took pictures and then went to upload and both of my camera batteries were dead.  Had to wait for them to charge.





Summer is here!  I am hoping to take advantage of the next couple of months and get my handmade Christmas gifts done.  I am giving away a FQ bundle of some lovely fabrics along with a pattern.  It's a $50 value!  If you are looking to get a headstart on some gifts for Christmas leave me a comment and tell me what you would like to make with the FQ bundle. This beautiful bundle would make a great quilt to snuggle up with on the couch on those cold winter nights.  

 I will leave the giveaway open until Monday at midnight and post the winner on Tuesday morning.

Pin It Now!

::GIVEAWAY and a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT::

I have been away from the blog for a while because we are moving!  We have been doing cleaning out, throwing out and landscaping and staging the house.  So, between that and work I haven't had any energy to do projects to share.  Now all we need to do is keep the house model home clean on a daily basis.  That's  the only thing drives me nuts about moving.

I will be back later today with a giveaway!  So be sure to check back.

Have a great day!
Pin It Now!

::TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG::

Yes, that question has been pondering my mind the past couple of months.  It's been that long since I have posted.

A few weeks prior to the new year I got a part-time job.  I have told my husband it's my dream job.  I work in a quilt shop.  I am around fabric all day , everyday and I love it.  Different people bring in their projects and ask us to help them find something to finish it off.  Often we get ladies that come in with show and tell.  Which I have to say is our absolute favorite time.  Some of the talent out there in the quilting world is extraordinary. 

Getting back into the groove of working took a little longer than I thought.  I needed to get the house chores on a different schedule and fit it into my working schedule.  I didn't really get any sewing time in up until a month ago.

I have made a few things.  Unfortunately, I am having trouble uploading pics.  I have made handwarmers from old shirts and charms squares.  I also made a sweet chenille bunny that was part of an Easter package I sent to my sweet nieces.  I finished my daughters quilt and sent it to her for her birthday.  I also learned how to make  a  pillowcase.  Oh my, it's the most fun to sew a pillowcase and the fabric combos are endless!  I have already decided that everyone in our family will be getting a pillowcase, pajamas and slippers all handmade for Christmas this year.  I have a friend that is having a baby VERY SOON.  As in a week!  I have made her some burp cloths, receiving blankets and under the needle as I type a baby quilt.  While I haven't been blogging, I have had time to sew.  : )

I have several other projects on the list I want to accomplish in the next month or so.  Here they are:

 - Piece, quilt and bind a quilt for my son.  I already have the fabrics cut out.

- Make pillow shams for the master bedroom.  I already have the fabric.

- table runner for buffet and coffee table

- make quilts for OUR HOME!!  One to snuggle with and one to display.

Yep, that's right.  I am doing a lot of quilting and making for others and I have yet to make a quilt for our home.  So that is one BIG thing on my list I would like to get done before December rolls around.  Wish me luck on that.

I hope you are having a blessed day in your little corner of the world.

Cheryl

Pin It Now!

::A NEW YEAR...A FRESH START:::

Happy New Year!

I know it's belated, but just the same I hope you and yours have a wonderful 2013!

Our holiday with family was wonderful.  For the first time in many years, we went back "home"...where we grew up to be with family for the holidays.  We have lived so very far away from family for many years.  Traveling back for a family of four by plane was always too expensive.  We decided to drive this year.  Man, was it a long drive, but worth it.  We got to see my husbands family and my family and some old friends.

As the children head back to college I find myself taking down the all the holiday decorations.  Everything is bare again.  We have had so much rain here of late as well.  So everything is all gray.  I am dreaming  up ideas of what to do with our mantel now that Christmas is over.  I am craving pops of bright, summery colors.

Now that we are midway through the new year, I have come up with a "word' for the year.  I want to not only have this word applied to my decorating life, but my personal life as well.  My word for the new year is

SIMPLICITY

I have already been applying it.  I have cleaned out our pantry and am in the process of redoing the guest room/sewing room.  I have been throwing things out and have done a couple of trips to the local thrift store to make donations of "stuff."  It's a good feeling. 

As I am getting older, I find beauty in the simple things. I am content with things we have and feel blessed to have them.  Don't get me wrong, I love to decorate and shop, but so many people don't have that luxury.  Much less a roof over their head or clothes or shoes for their feet.  So, looking at the year ahead, I will be intentional about simplicity in my life.  This will apply to the blog as well.  Look for a face lift on the header and the blog as well.  I will be streamlining it to give it a simple, clean look and I also we be only blogging two three days a week.  I have recently got a job and will share more about that later on.

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a blessed day in your little corner of the world.

Pin It Now!

:::CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR:::

Welcome to our home..

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Our family finds great joy in giving at this time of year.  So, it's not uncommon for us to totally spoil someone or some family with things they "need" and they never know where it came from. 

I love the homes with all the glitter glamour and sparkle.  Everything looks so pretty and shiny.  For our family though, I like to keep things simple.  I like to decorate with things that are meaningful to us as a family as well as the reason for the season.  We have lived many places and it wasn't until about a little over ten years ago that we had a fireplace that I could actually decorate.  Front and center always is our nativity scene.  I bought this  nativity 23 years ago before my husband and I got married.  I love bringing it out every Christmas.  It reminds me of our very first Christmas together when we only had about fifteen ornaments on the tree and our little nativity.

About five years ago I started collecting snowmen.  I just love them.  They make me smile.  This year I thought it would be fun to have them all together in one area.  I chose the kitchen.  Welcome to Frosty's Snowflake cafe!  Grab a cuppa hot chocolate or cider and a cookie and stay a while.

One tradition that we have is buying a CD or two each year to add to our Christmas music collection.  As you can see here we tend to like the oldies, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Brenda Lee.

OOh, see those recipes to the left there?? Another one of our favorite traditions is baking cookies and fudge.  Mexican Wedding cookies, which look like little snowballs are my absolute favorite and a must each Christmas.  This year we will also be making some fudge.  My mother-in-law makes the best fudge. It really is truly delicious.  Shhhh, don't tell, but I am going to share the recipe with you.....

Grandmas Christmas Fudge

2 pkgs. semi sweet bakers chocolate

1 can (14oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2C. chopped walnuts

Microwave chocolate and milk in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted.  Be sure to stir  half way through heating time.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Then, stir in vanilla and walnuts.  Spread in a foil lined 8 in. square pan.  Refrigerate for two hours or until firm.

That's it, it's that easy and oh so yummy!

Moving on to our dining room .  We gave our dining room table and chairs away last year.  We bought this table over the summer, but have yet to purchase chairs.

From all of us

to all of you

we wish you a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year! 

Pin It Now!

:::HANDMADE CHRISTMAS AND A HOLIDAY HOME TOUR:::

I have been busy "elfing" as I like to call it.  I am making some handmade things for my family this year that is requiring a lot of time at the sewing machine.  Here is a little sneaky peak  of a quilt I am making.

I was ready to bind this one yesterday when I realized I ran out of thread.  I still have another one to quilt and bind and yet another to piece, quilt and bind.  Wish me luck.  I will be cutting it close trying to get them all done before the holidays.

I am also participating in Jen's 12 days of Christmas.  It starts tomorrow, November 30th.  You don't want to miss it because Jen, myself and several other sweet ladies  will be sharing how we decorate for the holidays, our traditions, some projects and of course some recipes.

Well, I am off to "elfing" again.  Lots to do, lots to do!

Have a great day!
CherylPin It Now!

:::FALL MANTEL AND ENTRYWAY:::

I hope you had a good weekend.  We did.  Beautiful weather and football!  ROLL TIDE!!!  go RAVENS!
Yeah, I know, it's all so wrong.  We live in Louisiana and I don't root for the home team, but hey, I didn't go to LSU so no love loss there.  Heck, I didn't go to Alabama either, but I love their team.  ; )   Now we are from Maryland, so I have to root for the Ravens whenever they play.

Moving on to the fall mantel.  I was finally able to finish my fall canvas.  I am really pleased with how it came out and I love the pop of color the mantel brings to our family  room.

I bought the orange foliage,  pip berries , white pumpkins , wheat  and the moss balls from Hobby Lobby when all their fall stuff was on sale.  The wood tray that the pumpkins are sitting in I already had.  I bought it at a yard sale for a $1.00 years ago.  I already had the blue mason jars and the white pitcher.  I absolutely fell head over heals for the white pumpkins this year.   I love the neutral fall look, but wanted a pop of color. So I set out to make this quote canvas.  It took a while to finish up because I did it all old school.  I actually picked all the fonts and then traced them right from my computer to paper and then used carbon paper to trace the words onto the canvas.  Once that was all done I outlined all the words in white paint and then filled them in.

Next I added a touch of fall to our entryway.  I purchased three bags of acorns from Hobby Lobby when they were on sale and filled up some glass jars I already had..  Placed some candles on top and called it done.

Our orange trees are finally ready to pick.  Can't wait to eat them. I have shared before that we have  a Satsuma orange tree and a Meyer lemon tree.  I will share the harvest tomorrow.

Have a great day in your little corner of the world.

Pin It Now!

::SEWING FOR BABY::

A few months ago a friend in our Sunday school class found out her son and daughter-in-law would not be able to have children.  Her son and his wife have been married for seven years and had had their ups and downs with trying to get pregnant to no avail.

Not too long after hearing this news they decided to go the adoption route.  They knew it might be a while before they would actually be able to adopt.  To their surprise, things moved faster than they thought and by the end of the summer they were new parents to a bouncing baby boy that they adopted.

I wasn't able to attend the shower that was given for them, but I was able to make a gift for them that I hope would mean a lot to them.

I am a big fan of  Dee over  at  http://www.redletterwords.com/    While I didn't have the cash to purchase a canvas for this sweet new family; I did have a blank canvas, some paint and paint brushes.  I decided to make my own with scripture on it.  I also made a receiving blanket with a crochet edge.  Giving homemade gives me great joy.
                                Here is the canvas that I painted with 1 Samuel 1:20 scripture on it.

 I really lucked out finding this fabric at JoAnn's.   Love the faith, hope and love circles in different colors on the fabric and the crocheted edge just completes the whole blanket with a little pop of color.

What have you made lately?

Pin It Now!

::FALL DECOR SNEAKY PEAK::

Here is a sneaky peek of my fall decor.  I am almost done fluffing up the nest for fall.  I wanted to have the fall decor up for a while so that we can enjoy it because I am already thinking about Christmas.  What can I say, Christmas is my favorite time of year to celebrate.  

Here is a  sneaky peak of the buffet in the entry

and a couple of  sneaky peaks of the buffet in the kitchen dining nook.

I have one piece that I am working on for the mantel and then I will give you full pictures of each area. 

I love all the colors of fall.  They oranges and the reds and even some yellows just get me to feeling all cozy.  It makes me want to  to curl up in a blanket with some hot chocolate.  Which by the way,  I have already done.  What is your favorite thing about fall?


Pin It Now!

::HAPPY FALL and where I have been::

Hey all!

I know , it's been a month since I have posted.  I had been  busy filling in for a gal at work that was on maternity leave.  Long days made for a tired me during the week and on the weekends I usually spent half the morning cleaning and too tired to do projects to post.  On top of that, I got bronchitis and have been having a hard time getting rid of it with allergies to boot.  So, just trying to rest and get back to 100%.

Since I last posted fall has finally arrived.   While the trees don't change colors here in Louisiana until late December I have enjoyed the fall like weather we have been having.  So much so that it inspired me to fluff the nest with some "fall touches."  I finally changed up my  mantle that still had 4th of July stuff on it!  Yeah, I know, that is so sad that I still had July stuff up.  Cool thing is  that when I decided to fluff the nest for fall Hobby Lobby was having a 40% off  sale going on .  I ended up lucking out on getting a few things at a pretty good price.

I will be back later today with a sneak peak post of the "fall fluffing" around the house and a recipe that we have come to enjoy on a weekly basis that is perfect for a fall weeknight dinner.  It's a fast meal and tasty to boot!

Enjoy your day in your little part of the world!

Pin It Now!

:::SIMPLE SUMMER FARE, THE DESSERT EDITION:::

Yeah, it's no secret I love dessert and if its mini, I love it even more.  I like to think that means I can eat just a little bit more of it.  (smile)

My birthday was back in July.  I have found the older I get the less I want an actual cake for my birthday.  You know how it is, a week later there is still half eaten stale cake sitting around in the fridge.  No thank you. Hubby was out of town and my son had to work.  It was just little ole me on my birthday.  So, I whipped out my Ina Garten recipe and commenced to baking chocolate ganache  mini cupcakes.  Surprisingly, they are so very easy to make.  I saw the word "ganache" and thought I would have to slave over these cupcakes to get them to be tasty, but that wasn't the case at all.  Want to see some of my birthday sweetness??? Yeah, I thought you would.  Because really who doesn't like dessert when it involves chocolate and it's mini to boot??

I am linking the recipe here as it is not my own,but Ina Garten's.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chocolate-ganache-cupcakes-recipe2/index.html

Enjoy!Pin It Now!

:: SIMPLE SUMMER FARE...THE BREAKFAST EDITION::

Hey all!
Hope everyone is doing well in their little corner of the world.

Life has been full around here.  I went back to work before the end of Augsut and am working full time.  This old gal is getting old. Working eight hour days were kicking my butt, but  now I am in the swing of things.

So, I can still call it summer right?  It's still summer until September 21st, right?  Good.  : )
I wanted to share a simple, healthy breakfast that I have been eating over this summer.  A little bit of sweet and a little bit of crunch and a lot of color make this mouthwatering bowl the breakfast of champions.  Chopped golden delicious apple with mandarin oranges, craisins and walnuts for crunch.  Believe it or not this little bowl of fruit with a yogurt cup filled me up.

Tomorrow I will share simple summer dessert fare and it is YUMMY! So stop by to check it out and I will also share the recipe.

Have a blessed day!Pin It Now!

::WE SURVIVED ISAAC::

I am happy to say we have survived  Isaac.  We were on the western side of the hurricane/storm and got mostly lots of rain and wind.  We had a few brownouts but never lost power.

Ufortunately, others weren't as fortunate.  Many lost their homes to flooding and still many are without power. 

Continue to keep those that are still in shelters, still without power and those that lost their homes in prayer.  While the hurricane/storm has passed they will be dealing with the after effects for quite some time.Pin It Now!

::BATTENING DOWN THE HATCHES FOR ISAAC::

Hi All!
We have been busy gathering necessities in prepartion for Isaac.  Keep us all in your prayers as well as the many others in FL and other states as well.

If I don't post for a while it's because we don't have power.
Pin It Now!

The winner of Christmas in July giveaway #2 is 

Gail!

Congratulations Gail!

I will be sending you an email so I can get this cookie cookbook out to you.

and now on to todays giveaway.

If you like to quilt and you like to help others, than this book is for you.

With a husband who served in the armed forces it would be an honor to be able to  make a sawtooth quilt like the one below for a local wounded soldier.

or what about this one....

Having had two preemies it would be  oh so special to be able to make these for my local hospitals NICU unit.  This easy preemie pinwheel quilt is just precious.

source: all photographs by Thayer Allyson Gowdy

The book is well done, and beautifully put together.  They give you directions to make the quilts pictured; as well as organizations to be able to donate your quilts to.

To enter this giveaway please comment and tell me if you are a quilter and what organization you would like to help out if you could and why.

I will close the giveaway on Sunday at midnight central time.  I will announce the winner on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Pin It Now!

::CHRISTMAS IN JULY GIVEAWAY #2::

It's not too early to start thinking about Christmas.  This year I am thinking about it early and hope to get shopping, sewing and quilting done way ahead of time.

Sometimes though you just want to give a little something to a neighbor or friend around Christmas time.  That's a great time to give a foodie gift.

The giveaway for today  is a cookbook for cookies.  Cookies that can be made not just at Christmas, but any time of year.  It's the Great Cookie Book put out by the creators of the original Bundt Pan...NordicWare.

As you can see from my last giveaway, I don't believe in making you jump through all kinds of hoops to win something.  All you have to do is leave me a comment with your favorite cookie that you like to bake and why it's your favorite.  That's it!

I will leave the giveaway open until Thursday midnight central time.  After that the giveaway is closed.  I will post on Friday who won.

In addition to posting the winner on Friday morning, I will be posting yet another book giveaway.  It won't be a cookbook.  I will leave you with a hint....quilting! 

Have a great day!

Pin It Now!

::GIVEAWAY WINNER!::

Thank you ladies for participating in my cookbook giveaway.  Since there was only three of you I put your names in a hat and picked the lucky winner.  The winner of The Pioneer Woman Cooks new cookbook is......

Suburban Prep

Congratulations!

I will be emailing you to get your info. 

Don't fret if you didn't win because tomorrow I will be giving away another cookbook.  So check back.

Have a great day1

Pin It Now!