Two New Birdies in the SHoP...

I meant to make some bluebirds on a pink background.. but since c and I are trying to get through all the Harry Potter tapes together.. I had little owls on the brain. We googled photos of pygmy owls and had a great time trying to re-create them as we listened to those tapes last night. This is my attempt. c was sidetracked and didn't finish hers.. but if she does I'll show you.
Also.. a little help.. I really must have books to read or go simply nuts. Thanks to Miss Toothsome and to Circ I was able to order up a few from the library this morning, but those books will have to wait while someone else finishes reading them (please hurry someone else). Can you give me the names of some books that might be available on tape through the library that I might enjoy? I can only take so much NPR.. plus they are running their fund drive right now.. so you know how that is. Michelle.. I'm counting on you here. Anyone? Anyone? :)

The above boxes have already been listed in:

THe Love BoXes SHoP

Belia Bluebird...

Did you know that she could jump rope? I didn't. I thought she could only pose for just a second before she flew off with a million things to do.. see you later.. But no, she can take a break for just a second and have some fun. Bluebirds are very busy you know. Have you ever watched one. Wow! They have a lot to do in a day. I love this quote about them...

"If bluebirds were people, they would be respected citizens who raise their families with exemplary devotion, lead productive lives, and contribute generously to charities. And they would surely be featured soloists in church choirs on Sunday mornings!"

Steve Groom & Dick Peterson.. Bluebirds 1991

I'm hoping to have Belia finished and in

THe LOve BoXes SHoP

tomorrow.. Have a Happy Day!

Huxian Folk Art...

I haven't posted a favorite Chinese Folk Art painting recently. I'm tempted to buy this one of children catching butterflies.. so cute.

See it here. .. and more here

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins...

I had to hurry and take this photo because these disappear pretty fast.

This is one of my favorite recipes from the family cookbook that my sister-in-law Jenni put together. I use her cookbooks more than any other because even though she herself is a fantastic gourmet and can make anything.. she includes for us simple never fail recipes that taste the best and are always everyone's favorites...

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups flour

1/2 t. salt

3 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

2T orange juice or other acidic juice

3 mashed bananas

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream sugar, eggs and butter. Add dry ingred. and orange juice. Mix and add bananas. Add choc. chips last. Put into greased muffin pan (or use cup cake liners) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

**You may need to bake them a bit longer but do a toothpick test at 20 min. You don't want to over cook these. Also when they cool, get them right into a container so they don't dry out. Also, they freeze pretty well.

*Note: You can use 1/2 cup applesauce instead of butter for a lower fat muffin and you can omit the chocolate chips if desired.

More Snow...

Spring is having a difficult time coming I guess. This was taken yesterday morning. I really don't mind too much because the sky in Utah is so stunning after rain or snow and the weather I truly hate is inversion. I can't take a decent picture in inversion to save my life. Who wants a gray/brown sky. We seriously need to do something about that. I was thinking maybe we could build a giant air purifier? ... just an idea.

I once wanted to choose a paint chip because it was called Utah Sky and it was just that blue on the right of this photo. I admit that the paint chip names sway my opinion. However, I ended up with true blue which bugs me so much I'm going to have to re-name it, although it truly is a lovely blue. When I went shopping with my sister to find paint chips for her new yellow room.. we narrowed it to daffodil and sundance... Now she can say that her room is painted in sundance yellow.. lovely.

Yesterday was frustrating. I accomplished almost nothing. OK I accomplished things that did not include painting. So, today I am going to plow through the laundry and give C a haircut and paint and paint.. I hope. And, I hope that you get to do something you really love too. :)

Beautiful Brynn's Blueberry Lemon Bars...

I knew you would all want this recipe. And, I asked Brynn if I could post it here and she sent it to me today! Hooray! If you make this recipe.. you will love me forever.. and Brynn too since she doctored this recipe up so that it's super yum! I only wish I had a photo for you beacause they are elegant. Brynn made these for my sister's bridal shower that has been so talked over lately. :)

Crust:2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup sugar1 tbsp lemon zest (I doubled this and used 2 tbsp for a more lemony flavor)

3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
Filling:1 1/2 cups sugar1/3 cup fresh lemon juice1/4 cup all-purpose flour1/4 tsp salt

4 large eggs1 tbsp lemon zest(I doubled this and used 2 tbsp for a more lemony flavor)1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh and rinsed or frozen
1 ½ baking bars of the Ghirardelli White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350F. To make the crust, combine flour, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl, if you prefer to work by hand). Pulse in butter (or rub in with fingertips) until butter is well distributed and the mixture resembles moist sand. Pour into a 9×13-inch (make sure you spray the pan with Pam or some other non-sticking agent) baking dish and spread evenly. Press down to create a firm, even layer.Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
While crust is cooking, prepare the filling. Combine all filling ingredients (add blueberries last) in a large bowl and stir together until smooth When crust is done, pour filling into hot pan and return to oven.Bake for about 17-20 minutes, until filling is set. Edges may be lightly browned, depending on the pan.
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Use a slightly damp knife to cut through the bars. Once you have cut them into squares, dust them lightly with powdered sugar. Take 1 and ½ baking bars of the Ghirardelli White Chocolate baking bars and melt the chocolate according to the instructions on the package. (I melted it in the microwave, stirring frequently and that works fine) Once chocolate is melted dip a fork into the chocolate and spread the chocolate in thin lines across each bar. In other words, the chocolate is not to be used like frosting just as a pretty garnish across the bar. You don't have to cut them up into individual squares if you don't want to but I think they look prettier if you dress each one with chocolate individually because then you can also cover the sides with white chocolate as well.

Books...

I love to read history. I love to read the stories of the lives of great men and women, the founders of our nation, the reformers, the people who've made a difference. In my reading I have found that most of these people had something interesting in common... They loved books. Abraham Lincoln dreamed of having a library of his own. The first money he earned, he spent to buy a copy of Aesop's Fables and his library continued to grow throughout the rest of his life.

Books have a spirit in them. Great literature brings a spirit of greatness in to a home and gives it grace and dignity.

I practice what I preach here. I have books piled all over the floor. They are only my favorites. I am trying not to keep those that aren't my favorites. I just tell people that I decorate in late, early and modern books. My books are my friends. I love them. I often make a return visit to a great book. I don't always read it again cover to cover, but I re-read favorite passages.

I hope my daughter will be a reader. I hope that she will find wisdom and comfort in great books. I hope that she will value books above almost every material possession.

I love this quote by Winston Churchill

"If you cannot read all your books, at any rate.. peer into them, let them fall open where they will, read from the first sentence that arrests the eye, set them back on the shelves with your own hands, arrange them on your own plan so that you at least know where they are. Let them be your friends; let them be your acquaintances."

and this one by James A. Michener

"A nation becomes what its young people read in their youth."

Carolyn Roehm..

Carolyn Roehm's pretty favor boxes. She makes the quilted ones we used for our party as well. See them here.. on her site.

Flowers & Favors..

Alicia's shower was so fun I'll show you ... these turned into
... these..
My mom made these.. chocolates in lovely Carolyn Roehm paper quilted boxes.
My sister to a photo of an arrangment like this to our local flourist and he made this lovely spring arrangement for our party.
We all brought flowers and put them everywhere. I didn't take too many photos though. I should have taken photos of our cookie table. My sister-in-law Brynn has promised that she will share her marvelous lemon bar recipe.. with lovely white chocolate.. We had Marta's Spinach Quiche

SIMPLY SPINACH QUICHE

10 oz. pkg. Frozen Spinach (let thaw in fridge for a day)

5 Eggs, beaten well

8 oz. carton small curd Cottage Cheese

2 cups grated combination Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheeses

1/8 cup dried or chopped Onion

1/8 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper

9 inch deep dish unbaked pie shell (in the frozen foods aisle)

Preheat oven to 375°. Drain thawed spinach in colander, pressing with paper towels to remove all liquid. In large bowl of mixer, combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups grated cheese, onion, salt, and pepper. Beat to blend and pour into unbaked pie shell. (At this point, quiche can be refrigerated overnight.) Bake 50-60 minutes. Let sit 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut into wedges and serve warm.Yield: 6-8 servings.

Thank you Marta! I've used this recipe about 4 times already. :)

We had a really lovely time. So many of our favorite ladies came. c and her cousin were so wonderful to help greeting the guests and they looked so cute in their spring colors.

My sister Christine's home looked so pretty and she had her new yellow room finished just in time.. Why, why did I not take more pictures. Well.. it was so fun. Thank you everyone for coming! We had a wonderful time!

SLC Restaurants...

I get in a restaurant rut sometimes. I asked my very organized friend Jenneece for a list of a few new places to try. Some of these places are old favorites, but most of them I haven't yet tried. Since many of you live in the greater SLC area.. or show up here occasionally... I thought I would share. Bon Appetit!

Cannellas-Italian, Best known for their lunch salad with sausage-never been yet
Tiberon-Located in Sandy area, American food, never been yet, comes highly recommended
Tuscany-Italian/American food, pricey but great atmosphere especially in the summer
Epic-sister restaurant of Tiberon, located in Holiday area, really good food
Al Fornos-Italian, great brochette, moderately priced
Faustina's-Italian, good food, priced well
258-Ogden-
Luganos-Italian, everyone that has gone here said it is great
Rivers-American
Bayou-Southern
Lemon Grass-Thai/Asian, heard great things about it for dinner
Tin Angel-
Café Trio-Lunch, heard great things about it for lunch
Stoneground-Italian, good food, very relaxed atmosphere and good prices
Tres Hombres

To this list.. I'll add a few of my tried and true favorites..

The Dodo
Hires Big H
Market Street Grill
The Garden
The Lion House Cafe
The Red Iguana
The Rio Grand Cafe
The Avenues Bakery
Les Madeleines - just treats
Ruth's Diner
Mrs. Backer's Pasty Shop
Bakers De Normandie
Z Tejas

What are your favorites?

Beans, Beans the musical fruit..

We love beans at our house. But, we don't love sore tummys or toots. Did you know that if you add 1 tsp. of mustard powder to these beans when you are heating them up (even in the microwave) that you'll have happy toot-free kiddos. It also works well in egg dishes.

Forsythia and Snow in the Morning Light...

Sometimes I don't mind insomnia. Do you sleep well? I often don't. I'm a bundle of crazy that we won't discuss here. I guess some people can work stuff out in their dreams, but I have to paint to work things out.

At 3A.M., I left my bed to paint.. and I made something, which I'll show you later.

I listened to the BBC reporting from and about Basra. Tragic. Some of those people are innocents who have been through so much already.

The situation in the world made me think about ways that my family can conserve, be more self-sufficient and less wasteful. I think we need to be.

I thought a lot about what kind of parent I am. I meant to be a perfect mother by now, but I still haven't got that down. I need to work on some things. I wonder if I'm teaching my daughter the right things, the things she needs to know. Are we are too busy? I want my daughters to grow up to be an accomplished and confident young lady, but am I pushing her to do too much? Am I really listening to her? Does she have my full attention? Is she happy? Does she know how dearly she is loved?

Sometimes I have to think these things out in the night.

I think that I will go about my day now.. and continue pondering some of these things while I finish up some big projects today.. but I will leave you with this... I think it's beautiful.

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith; Nothing we do however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we must be saved by love."

Reinhold Niebuhr

Love and Pink Bunnies...

There is a pink bunny in:

The LOVe BoXEs ShOP

now... whew.. I'm still not finished with the baby bunnies.. but I'm getting close.. maybe tomorrow.

When you get to know me better.. you know that I love a little sarcasm.. Can't help it. I was raised in a family that all had secret dreams of a starring role on the McLaughlin Group

and being witty and funny with a bit of a bite.. has been a quality to be admired.

I am trying to get away from that a bit and not to be cutting.. but I still find stuff like this hilarious!

When asked, "Do you think all any of us really want, deep down, is to be loved?"

Garrison Keillor responded:

"No, we want to be rich, to be admired, to eat like a horse and be skinny as a snake. To have small children ask for our autographs, to be on terrific medications that make us calm and witty and sexy. To sing Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Porter at the Oak Room and be described in the Times as 'luminous.' But in the absence of all that, it's enough to be loved."

That nails it right? Who doesn't want to be luminous?

500 Cupcakes...

I got this fun book from my friend Jenneece for Christmas. It's so fun to look through! The other day I found a recipe that I am going to make soon.. maybe tonight if I can find the basil pesto.

Step one... Make any cornbread muffin.

Step 2... Make some frosting by combining 1/2 C basil pesto

& 1 1/2 C cream cheese softened

Step 3... Top with a cherry tomato

Very fun!

... and after that.. there are 499 more to try...

Brown Rice...

If it's true that you are what you eat.. then I am made out of Diet Coke and Candy and maybe some Salsa (that's the healthy part).. yep. Not so good. But, I have a few favorite healthy things and this is one that I love! And, HOORAY! Costco is now carrying this absolutely awesome rice in bulk so that I can have it in my storage. I really believe that you've got to put stuff you like in your storage and pantry.. or it never gets used.

I've made a couple of mistakes that way, which if you do.. you can make a complete save by donating the stuff you don't love to your local food bank. Maybe it's someone's favorite? You never know.


I told C that this was a major shopping triumph. He didn't really smile as big as I'd hoped or give me a medal or anything so I told him he wasn't excited enough about it.. He said in true Eeyore fashion, "I'm excited on the inside." Hmmm. :)

The Scarlet and the Black...

We watched this movie over the weekend. For some reason C and I had all Nazi movies lined up in the que for Easter weekend. Nice.

Anyway, even though this was a made for TV movie.. it has some incredible performances by Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer... simply amazing.

"The character of General Max Helm was based entirely on the real life of SS-Obergruppenführer Karl Wolff, who served in 1944 as the Supreme SS and Police Leader of Italy. The film was unable to use Wolff's real name, since the SS General was still living in 1981; he died in 1984." Wikipedia

Don't miss this one if you haven't seen it.. or revist it if it's been a few years.

Easter Goop...

I can't help myself. And, I can't take it down until May... then, I'll have to think of some other goopy stuff to put up.

Are you reaching your potential?

Visit one of my favorite blogs, BlackEiffel, and watch this.

And.. One more cute on Etsy...

Postcards are one of my favorite things. I adore them. Who doesn't like to get a postcard. I have wanted to have one made for about 2 years. Finally, finally I was able to find a printer who could make what I wanted. So, here they are!

They are in

ThE LOvE BoXeS SHoP

already in packs of 5 and 10...

Whew.... :)

Circe is the winner!!!

More Fun Etsy Things...

The Rosehip Shop opened to fanfare yesterday. Congratulations to Beata who makes these lovely dolls! This one is mine. If you hurry over.. there are a few left.

Also, Jordan is back in business this morning. The Flood Street Shop has that wonderful red twine and big, big red balloons.

These are few of my favorite things!!