Knee Deep

Have I ever told you

that I could be a bear??

go into hibernation

all fat and satisfied

then wake up in the spring

skinny and ready to enjoy the other 3 seasons?

I have tried to spend some time outside

January really sucks the life out of me

get up in the dark

come home from work in the dark

I know wah wah wah

I have been working on a fun project though

back in November I found a quilt that I fell in love with

then last week-end I found fabric to cover my headboard

and make curtains

Saturday I was off to the home improvement store

and snatched up some paint swatches

the back of the quilt is like a linen so that is what I got for the 

curtains and headboard

and the fabric is lined ~ so that is always a bonus

I would like to go a little darker with the walls

I found a color I loved

but it was too green

and I don't think you can tell by the pictures

but there is a lot of blue in it

so I have to be careful

so I am knee deep in swatches and will be taping them up

and waiting for one to jump out at me and say

pick me, pick me!!

Also on the hunt for a bedskirt ~ think I will go with a shade of blue

and get shams to match

with all the neutral colors ~ I need a punch of blue

~*~*~*~

Sunday I sat on my butt

most of the day

I did make these for brunch

and they were yummy yummy

they are from the Weight Watchers website

Individual Ham, Cheese & Veggie Frittatas

cooking spray

1 lb frozen hash browns ~ thawed

4 large eggs ~ beaten

1 tbsp fat free milk

salt & pepper to taste

2 oz lean cooked ham ~ finely chopped

1/8 c sweet red pepper ~ finely chopped

1/8 c green pepper ~ finely chopped

2 tbsp onion ~ finely chopped

1/2 c low fat shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350

coat 8 muffin tin holes with cooking spray

spread potatoes around bottom and up the sides of each muffin hole

cook for 10 minutes

Beat eggs and milk together

season with salt & pepper and add ham, cheese & veggies

mix to combine

remove potatoes from oven and press them firmly with a spoon

so they look like mini piecrusts ~ they should cover the bottom and sides

of each hole.  Pour about 1/2 c of the egg mixture into each each prepared

potato crust.

Cook until potatoes are crisp and golden and the egg mixture is set

about 15 minutes.  

you can find the recipe here.

I did not follow the recipe exactly

I did cook my veggies in advance ~ just sauted them a bit

then I spooned some of each into the potato crust 

then added the egg over in using a mini ladel

Next time I will cook the potatoes a little longer than 10 minutes

I would let them brown up a bit before adding the egg mixture

let me know if you try them ~ I will make them again!

I will leave you with a picture of the kids

it is so hard to get a shot of the 2 of them together

I lucked out Saturday night though

although Molly was busy looking at Trev as he was saying

stay ~ stay ~ stay!!

too funny...

Hope you had a wonderful week-end

and an even better week.

Big New Project

For the past few years

my cousins and I have been gathering recipes

and wanting to put together a family cookbook.

I took them all and typed them up
and have been carrying them around on a
flash drive for almost 2 years now.

Last summer while my cousin Gina was home
we went and got some prices on getting them printed
and we got a really good price

now we just had to get them formatted and emailed
to the place and it would be complete.

Well ~ I have never gotten around to formatting them
which are currently in Word
and it would take all of an afternoon to complete
but it is something I have been putting off
and putting off...

Last week while I was on vacation
I thought I would compile them
and at least make them available on line
to the kin folk

so that is what I did...

A History in the Baking

l-r My Grandmother Barb, Great-Grandmother Helene
Aunt Dorcas (on the floor) and Aunt Francie

We just picked the sweet ones
the ones that brought back memories for us all

the ones that Grammy used to make on the farm
ones passed down from her mother
to her 3 daughters

Ones like:
Birds Nests

Oatmeal Crackers

Pineapple Squares

These are the ladies that helped gather the recipes
and I want to give a shout out to them all!

Carolyn, Dianne, me, Gina & Julie

Anne & Aunt Sue

So if you are looking for something sweet
drop by and look through the list

I can vouch for them all
(except the fruitcakes)
as I have sampled them in the past
and have the thighs to show for it!

Enjoy!

6 Uninteresting Things That Make Me Happy...

I have been tagged by a wonderful friend of mine over at
The Bottom of the Ironing Basket so here I go....

~ The first thing makes me laugh because there is a story behind my mini obsession with Natural Ice lip balm. It makes me very happy, but I was quite unhappy when I found out the makers of one of my favorite things discontinued the product. Once I found this out, I was on the hunt to find out where they were clearing it out. Well, as luck would have it the little place that had "the stash" of "my stuff", did not have a store in my city....closest place was about an hour and 1/2 away. We do have friends there, so I sent her on the search, only after getting it all set up to have some put on hold. Fast forward our next trip to Saint John - she brings the bag out and plops it on my knee.... I peer in like it is a stocking on Christmas morn only to find it is the WRONG lip balm!! I almost cried and could not hide my disappointment. Needless to say, I was into the store the following day and bought 60 - yes, count em - 60! I still have some put away, and yes, they make me happy.

~ I have to say our cottage, which is more of a camp really. It is one of the few places I can go and not feel guilty about doing nothing. It's also a bonus that it is one place I feel Dad's presence the most as he built it "from scratch" ~ cut down the trees, milled the lumber, built it up and filled it with love. I still miss him everyday.

~ A sappy chick flick on a cold winters night, snuggled up with a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate.

~ Spending time with friends because we do not get together nearly enough, so I am very happy when we make the time and wonder why it took so long.

~ Reading ~ whether it is curled up on the couch or lounging in the hammock.

~ Keeping traditions alive by trying different recipes found in my grandmothers old book as she was the best baker ever!

I would love to tag 6 ~ but I won't. I will however be around to check everyone elses lists!