My First Giveaway!!!

In order to properly kick off the new blog, I am really thinking I need to host my own giveaway.  For me, there is nothing better than picking out and then giving the perfect present, and I think I did good this time around!  I love both these items, and want to share them with you.

I love this necklace I found on Etsy.  Who wouldn't want to get this sweet birdie in the mailbox?  It is handmade by Arete, and her shop can be found here.  Stop by and pay her a visit.  You will find beautiful Christmas ideas, I promise.

Next up,  in honor of my love of glitter, the Martha Stewart snow 3-pack.  I am thinking you  might be frantically working on Christmas projects right now, and a little extra glitter might help. The world could use some extra sparkle!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post.  For an extra chance, I will automatically enter all my followers before I pick a winner.  Don't feel you have to follow, but I do appreciate every one of you!

I will choose a winner on Sunday, November 22, at 10:00 PM.

My own sister, The Middlest Sister, is also having another giveaway.  Look at her sweet stationary set!  You can enter her giveaway here.

Good luck, and thanks so much for stopping by!  I appreciate your time spent here so much.  It has been so much fun to be so warmly welcomed into blogland!  Thanks for visiting.

R.I.P. Uncle Jessie

If you came to our house this summer, you were most likely greeted at the front door by Uncle Jessie.  My lovable rooster.  I love Uncle Jessie.  Let me share with you how it all came to be...

I was visiting a friend's farm when I first laid eyes on the big guy.  It was love at first sight, he was one of the most beautiful roosters I had ever seen.  By the end of my stay, they had talked me into taking him home with me.  He was going to end up in the soup pot.  How could I say no?

I happily hopped into the back seat of the car with my new friend.  By the time we got to the McDonald's drive-through window, he had climbed right up into my lap and was snoring loudly.  (Mickey D's informed us that he was the first rooster to come through their drive-through.  I have a hard time believing that, those drive-through people have seen everything...)

When we got home, he was named Uncle Jessie (yes, Captain Awesome LOVES the Dukes of Hazzard...) and was put in with his new lady friends.  But, alas! Uncle Jessie was not happy with his new harem.  A day later, I realized those new relationships were just not going to work out.  It appeared those ladies didn't fully realize the potential they had in befriending poor little Uncle Jessie.  To put it succinctly, he was in dire danger of becoming henpecked.

What to do?  I brought him up to the house and fashioned a fenced-off area with a cattle panel.  Uncle Jessie seemed pretty happy with his new arrangement.  Relieved, I went into the house, only to come out 20 minutes later to no Uncle Jessie!  What on earth, where did my little buddy go?  (Something that big and clumsy can actually fly???) I frantically raced around the front yard calling for him.  He was nowhere to be found.  Big Fireman was in the garage, under the car: "Honey, Uncle Jessie is GONE!"  I got this reply, "Kate, look under the car."  Lo and behold, Uncle Jessie was sitting right by hubby helping him fix the brakes. Nose to beak, they were...   I fell even more madly in love.  A rooster that is such a good buddy he will even fix the car with you!

Oh, the summer we had together!  I spent all my time outdoors just visiting with my new friend. We would weed the garden together, play games together, read, and just hang out and be ourselves.  We were so tight we didn't even have to talk, we were just content to be together.  And how he loved his new home!  He had the run of the garden and, let me tell you, he kept it bug free.  He was my personal doorman.  He would run and greet each and every visitor, and you haven't lived until you have had a Rooster Doorman. 

Sadly, one morning, as I was letting Uncle Jessie out of his night home (I didn't want any coyotes getting him), Uncle Jessie popped up, then flopped over.  All that day he hung out in one spot, and then, the next day, Uncle Jessie took his last breath under his favorite cherry tree.

We all miss our Uncle Jessie.  Gone is the cheery clucking from the front step.  Gone is the sweet scratching in the dirt.  Even the dog misses him.  Best buddies, those two.  The kids miss him, even Big Fireman misses him.  It's lonely out in that garage now.

To pay homage to the dearly departed, the big girls had a rooster funeral.  Sweet Bluebird and her friends played dress-up and laid my buddy to rest.  Of course, my sister and her family were over, so my niece,  Annie, joined in on the dress-up fun.  It was a hilarious night, we swapped tales of the little guy, then I plucked his feathers to use in craft projects.

I will always have a place in my heart for my little buddy. Relationships like ours are a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He can never be replaced.

But I do wonder if there is a Boss Hogg out there somewhere that would be happy in my garden?  A Cletus, perhaps???

Zuppa Tuscana

The Zuppa Tuscana was a big hit at the bonfire.  I have had several people ask for my recipe so I thought I would share it with you. 

 

Brown one package Italian sausage with one chopped onion and one minced garlic clove.  (I have to tell you, I have made this recipe many times, trying many different sausages, our favorite is the Bob Evans Zesty Hot Italian Sausage, it has loads of flavor in it.  You buy it in a red tube in the refrigerated case of the meat department.  Horror of horrors, but it is good, good, good!)

Add eight cups of water, chicken base to taste (I use three tablespoons) and four or five cubed potatoes.  Simmer to cook potatoes thoroughly, then add one cup heavy cream.  At the last minute, add one bunch of chopped kale and let simmer for another minute or so.

There you go!  Easy dinner idea.  Pick up a loaf of good bread, add a fruit or veggie and you're done.  Hope you enjoy it!

Harvest Bonfire

Sixty degrees on the first Saturday of November in Minnesota deserves a celebration!  My sis called and said she had a hankering for some "Brown Bears."  That called for a harvest bonfire.  Come and enjoy the night with us!

Can't have a bonfire without decorations!

I love to use old pictures on my table outside.  The picture on the right is of my husband's great-great-aunt picking the fall harvest.  It's one of my favorite fall images.

Railroad or kerosene lanterns hanging from garden stakes are a great way to light up your party.

See why?

Big Fireman's aunt made these twig chairs for me.  Aren't I the luckiest girl in the world???

Plenty of candles and lanterns on hand.  It got dark fast!  

 

Plenty of logs for seating, and popcorn for snacking.

 

My sister even decorated the water bottles.

My new soup tureen from Target inspired the meal.  We had Zuppa Tuscana.  Yum!

Remember these floating apple candles from Martha Stewart?

I love these canisters.  I use them for everything. Here they are holding marshmallows and hot cocoa.

Can't have a bonfire without the hot cocoa!

Or sweet friends!  These two beautiful girls are friends from our church.  Our entire family adores them.  The woman on the right recently conquered cancer with dignity and grace and only wanted to glorify God through her experience.  They are both such awesome women.  Our family just loves them and were tickled they could spend the evening with us!

As the night went on, the table looked beautiful.

The night was perfect for a bonfire.  There aren't too many November nights in Minnesota that you can entertain outside.  

The Middlest Sister and me.  Can't have a night without a self-portrait!  We laughed so hard trying to take this picture ourselves.

Did you see this giveaway?  The Peanut Petunia is having THE BEST giveaway.  It involves Pottery Barn, so make sure you stop by to enter.  Trust me, you don't want to miss this one.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great start to your week!

Flea Market Finds

Like most of you, I love a good flea market.  I am lucky as I have a great flea market less than four miles from my house. Last summer I purchased these bags of costume jewelry.   I saved opening the bags for a later date.  I just opened them, and what fun I had!

Those ugly plastic baggies spilled the mother-lode of a junkin'-jewelry-jackpot!

Earrings, broaches, necklaces, bracelets, pendants galore!  I can't wait to use some in my projects.

The bottom bracelet is beautiful, I am going to wear it, it's too pretty to use in a project.

This little lady was a favorite find.  She lost her mate, but her details!  Oh my, something special is in store for her.  If you have any ideas, please share.  Otherwise, she will wait for just the right time...  (She is not quite the size of a quarter.)

These are some more of my favorites.  The Press Club pin is the size of my pinky fingernail.  So tiny and sweet.  I wonder who was awarded that pin?  If it could only spill its secrets.  I would gladly sit and listen.

Gifts Galore!

Last Friday I opened my mailbox, and guess what was waiting in there for me?

 A fun package!  I participated in a swap with Joli-Paquet, and my swap partner has been under the weather  with a recent surgery.  I had forgotten all about it when I got this lovely package in the mail.

This cake plate is now sitting next to my sink with two of the most beautiful cloths and a yummy candle.  I just want to savor their newness for a bit.  I will eventually use them, but it is so fun to have something new in my kitchen.  Thanks, Cathy!  I love it all!

My mom, sister, and I went for a walk Sunday afternoon.  What a beautiful day.  (Too nice to sit inside and wait for the Vikings to cream the Packers.)  I always seem to gather things along my walks.  This time, I brought home this baby.  

My mom and sis were thinking I was crazy.  (Not for the first time, nor will it be the last, I'm sure...) 

I actually had this in mind.  This enamel bucket has been kicking around my house for a couple of weeks now.  It was lonely.  The whole arrangement added just the right touch for my living room fireplace.  The best part?  It was completely free!

Meet Honey and Dear

Remember how much fun it was playing house as a kid?  Well, these two have perfected it.  It's my Little Fireman and his cousin, Annie. (My sister and I both strive for creative children and, let me tell you, our creative children goals were met and exceeded with these two!) For the last couple of years, these two have had an ongoing game of house when they get together.

I think it started when Annie got a shopping cart, and the pink Pottery Barn kitchen for Christmas one year.  She sent Dear out for groceries.  Dear dutifully went out and took every can out of the pantry and loaded it into the cart.  Then he went home to Honey and unloaded the cart into her pink kitchen.

The adventures these two have had!  Dear seems to go to work, while Honey stays home to tend  to the house and look after the children.  Once in a while, Dear gets tired and crabby so Honey has to go to work for the day.  When she gets home, the house is not quite so tidy.

This summer, as I was driving away from Nanna and Boppa's house, Honey and Dear met us at the corner on their scooters.  As they are not allowed to go that far without an adult, I asked them,

Me: "What are you guys doing?"

Honey: "We are out looking for a new house.  Dear, do you like that one?"

Dear: "No, too small, and the yard needs a lot of work."

At church a bit ago, Honey and Dear had a reunion.  (They hadn't seen each other since the night before)  When the two caught sight of each other from about forty feet apart, they both cried each other's names and went running towards each other with arms wide open.   They met in the middle with a big hug.  By this time, a rather large crowd had gathered around the pair as it seemed like a long-lost reunion at the airport.  I must say, I was starting to feel rather proud of our two sweet children, when Little Fireman said in a totally disgusted voice. "UUGGHH!  That's enough, Annie!" and ran away swiping the girl germs off.

The kids are both growing up so fast.  I will miss hearing, "I'm home, Honey." 

Captain Awesome

I thought I would introduce you to my family.

This is Captain Awesome.

He came up with that name himself.

Captain Awesome is a freshman this year and was finally part of the high school football team.

When Captain Awesome (CA for short) was born, they laid him on my stomach and his hands flew out in the startle reflex.  My first second thought was, "Look at those mitts, he is going to be some wide receiver."  (My first thought was, "A boy??? A boy?  What do I do with a boy???  I don't even know how they pee..."

I came from a family of three girls.) 

Captain waiting for the offense to take the field.  And pretending his mom is not taking this picture...

Lining up as a Wide Receiver.  He's the tall, thin one.  Takes after his mom.   Well, the tall part anyway...  Sigh.

This is Nanna and his biggest littlest fan/cousin Rocco.  You can check out Rocco and the rest of Rocco's fam right here.

This is actually Captain Awesome's biggest fan.  Well, except for me...  Great season Captain Awesome!

Luv ya!

I am so glad I have boys.  And I was able to teach them to pee after all.

Fall Fun

Fall is a great time of year for my family.  We love being outdoors as much as we can.

We recently went to the farm to enjoy the last days of the year without snow on the ground.  The kids had a blast toasting marshmallows.

Some of us REALLY had a blast toasting marshmallows.  Want one???

One of our favorite games is playing hide-and-go-seek-in-the-dark.  We all play.  Trust me, it's a ton of fun.  Just ask Nanna, and the snake that slithered over her foot.

Part of the fun is dressing up for it.

And even more fun is trying to get good pictures when it is pitch black outside.  I didn't even have a clue if the camera was pointed in the right direction.  I just counted to three and hoped for the best.  Sometimes I amaze myself...

We have five acres at our house, and loads of hiding places.  A friend decided to hide about 20 feet up in this tree.  It was a fabulous hiding spot.  So good, in fact, that after about half an hour of looking for her, we gave up.  Unfortunately for her, she was so good at hiding that her feet fell asleep.

Then she couldn't get down.

We finally sent my brother-in-law, Kelly, up after her.  This is a picture of her falling on top of him.

(Sorry, Kelly...)

They were still fifteen feet up.

What you don't see is a picture of the rest of us laughing so hard, we almost wet our pants...

Don't worry, they finally made it.  And no one wet their pants either...

(Thanks, Kelly, I really owe you one.  Like BIG TIME owe you.)