Source: thingsweforget.blogspot.com via Nadean on Pinterest

Source: illbeasunbeam.tumblr.com via Colleen on Pinterest

Sweet Lemony Girl

While looking at my daughter sleeping on the opposite sofa this afternoon I couldn't help but think about her cake request she wanted for her birthday this Sunday, her 20th. Since she is more than 2 weeks past recovery from her tonsillectomy, she requested Lemon Cake...something she wouldn't of been able to eat any sooner. Watching her slumber made me think of the little girl that was so sweet but oh so sneaky! Lemon Cake Lemon Cake...oh my memories of her and Lemon Cake! When she was gosh I want to say about 3 years old our family attended a church where Jim and I were in charge of hospitality. We would bring something sweet and brew coffee for the folks after the service on Sunday morning. I usually made the dessert the night before after the little ones went down and I could bake without someone tugging at my skirt. I had made 3 large oblong cakes and topped them with lemon juice and powdered sugar...when I was finished I covered them all with tea towels and dropped in to bed. In the morning I awoke and went to make coffee and when I rounded the corner in to the kitchen I noticed something right away...the tea towels were on the ground and the cakes were all cockeyed. Someone had strategically scraped all the sweet lemon goodness off the top of each cake! Obviously one of the children had been oh so naughty! I instantly yelled "ANNIE!!!" It was then I heard some shuffling under the breakfast table...I looked over and saw little arms wrapped around little shins under the table. I got on my knees and sat down on the floor in front of her and asked her to raise her head and look at me...I guess I could have gotten angry at her but I told her she had to sit on her bed after church...I remember asking her if the cake was good and she nodded "yes." I pulled her onto my lap and the sight was well "sweet" she was a lemony sticky mess..all in her hair...all over her face..well, everywhere...just precious! Lemon Cake has always been her favorite and to me holds one of my favorite memories of it and her. Ain't it sweet to be a mom?

Tis A Mouse In The Thread Drawer?

Baking was the first thing in order for my morning as I'm sending off a care package for my sick and weary son in Portland. Between cookie batches I decided to pull out a drawer from the (new to me) sewing table I purchased from an Estate Sale last weekend. The drawer was filled with vintage wooden spools all well used and I couldn't wait to dig in and check out the goodies in my newest stash. I began to pull things out when the timer went off to the oven. I had to delay my dig so I could pull out the cookies. As I turned around I heard a sound coming from the drawer and I stopped dead in my tracks. I am not proud to say crawling rodents are NOT my favs. I have a tendency to freak way out...further out than I want to admit. I gathered my "cookies" and approached the drawer...nothing...not a sound. I walked away on purpose and there the sound went. SOMETHING was moving in the drawer. I went to the right of the drawer...not looking at it...there the sound was. I went to the left of it...again, the sound. Frantic, I jumped up and down as to detect if it were the uneven surface of my vintage cabinets...nothing. I looked like a fool but...nothing. Over to my cookie sheets to scoop more dough onto and then into the oven. Back to the "mouse drawer" I went. When all of a sudden I tripped on something which sent me into the cabinet. I looked down to see that my UGG boots were encased in thread...Unknowingly I had wrapped myself up in thread from a spool inside the drawer! It must have been from all the going around in circles foolishness! I then broke through the thread with one leg and out popped the "thread mouse" from the drawer which was a wooden spool of blue thread...yes the size of a small mouse which made me jump and scream out loud! Then it made me scream with laughter...
I was so blessed to pick up the small sewing table at an incredible Estate sale for dirt dog cheap. The only thing in the room that was under priced. Asking about it the ladies doing the sale said the sewing machine doesn't work so they priced it to MOVE...Lucky me..I didn't need the machine as I will place my machine on top. (Note to self: Give back Chris's machine she loaned me) Another plus...it has storage drawers..something I really needed...plenty of room for all my "mouse" thread spools!

Official Stockman 2010 Christmas Photo!

My DIY Chalk Beam..haha!

This is my ultimate DIY project for the Holidays! Actually I decorated it for Thanksgiving with a turkey.  It was fun and a great use of an unsightly beam running through the ceiling of the kitchen.  We floated it with joint compound...sanded it, primed it, and then painted it with chalkboard paint.  Now I can draw different holiday sayings, happy birthdays, scriptures, or kitchen sayings.  I love the way it looks and makes an already "cozy" kitchen look even cozier!!

Highlights of the Holiday Season!

                                                                  

My DYI Fresh Pine Bough Wreaths...smells loverly!

My Sweet Little Charlie Brown Tree!

Missing our #1 son now in Portland...this tree is his.

  

   Father Sean Christmas! What a good sport he is!!

   Hand Stencilled Nativity Set

My Lovely Bunco Babes

I had a quiet little holiday season this year. Starting off with decorating what I call my Charlie Brown Christmas tree! It was a sweet little tree that we purchased at one of the big outlets right after Thanksgiving so we enjoyed it for a good long while.  I kind of was in the "bah humbug" mood right away as I asked the clerk when purchasing the tree to save the bottom boughs for me so I can make Christmas Wreaths for around the house...well, he gave me boughs but not from my tree, a noble fir.  I notice they were selling small boughs of noble fir for $4.98. But when I got home I notice they were all Doug Fir which doesn't always last through the season so I had to bite my lip and NOT be tempted to get in my car or go for the phone and complain about the bough switch.  Isn't it funny what get's our goat? I felt foolish about it but right is right, right? Haha! I have to "bough" to my husband though because he took me to a tree lot downtown to see if they had a pile of boughs they were throwing away and right away we came upon it...THE MOTHER LODE of tree boughs.  Ironically all Doug Fir but FREE just the same! As you can see in the photos I made bunches of wreaths and even enough for little Maxine's house next door! 

But believe me by the last wreath cast I was done with the Christmas handcrafts.  It was on to baking and BAKING I did...Persimmon cookies out of the ...well...you know It was A LOT! haha! My beautiful some-day-to-be daughter-in-love Lily supplied me with an endless amount of Persimmons which I still have 8 cups of pulp left in the freezer!  The baking continued and I was able to bake Sugar Cookies for my Bunco Babes as you can see them all in their beauteousness in the photo above!  So much thanks goes to God for them.  With all their faithfulness in praying for our family over the years.  I feel so much support from them in every way.  They are truly my sisters.  

The Cottage looked particularly sweet this Holiday with the wreaths attached and the added shine of the silver tinsel stars.  Although illness struck this year I was able to decorate and feel the Spirit of Christ this month.  I'm praying for my friends and family that this coming year would be one of prosperity and wholeness in God.  Love to all!

The Cottage ~ Christmas 2010