Warmth + Love {& attics}

Out of this world Apricot Rosemary Jam with Double Cream Brie.

{Compliments to my mother for the 5 lbs I gained this past week}

I can't believe we don't have a Trader Joe's or a Target in Englewood. We instead have a Murray's Cheese , in the middle of the Deli Department in Kroger. Seriously, cannot believe this famous NYC place decided to permanently camp out in the Kroger I shop at. I shall never complain that we don't have a TJ's closer. Amen. 

I dislike coming up with blog post titles, anyone else? I always think that will be so easy, and well it's not. 

We had two Thanksgiving's in one week. Last Sunday, my brother's girlfriend came out {or is it "up"?} from Virginia and my mom had a scrumptious spread. I was more than excited that we had peanut butter pie instead of pumpkin. Pumpkin pie does not have me jumping up & down. I'm a cobbler & icing- on- the- cake kind of gal. The only 2 pies on this earth that I get excited about are peanut butter pie & black raspberry cream pie and well, my mother's white Christmas pie. So, that makes 3, hmmm, there are others that are surfacing right at the moment---maybe I like cream-y pies?!

The second Thanksgiving involved ham and a creative spin on the Thanksgiving meal. {Just thought you wanted to know that.} We had a pumpkin/praline cheesecake and that my dear friends is a very good spin on the typical-I-don't-care-for pumpkin pie.

 My 2 turkeys figured out they could fit in the play oven. Luke kept tumbling out and exclaiming, "the turkey isn't done yet"! I love watching children playing using their imaginations. {it's also free entertainment}

 "Look, the turkey has ginger hair!"

 PROJECT! {cackle, cackle laughter} Attic room it is time to tackle you. You have great potential nice big room, 2 windows and a place to build built ins for tubs, out-of-season clothing & games. Nice big area to spread out legos, train tracks and a place for the kids to play while it's a blowing snow outside.

I only gave one view the area where it's cleaned out! You really didn't think I would show

you plastic tubs stacked up?? :)

Pros: 

We can close the door on the mess while it's getting worked on. 

It has the original wood floor, minus some missing pieces when the previous owners installed can lights in the kitchen. 

Main pipe already installed for a bathroom. We did that when we put water lines in the new laundry room, so it made sense to run one up to the attic. 

Electric was installed by the previous owners.

Pinterest! Love that I have been able to "pin" ideas for the attic! 

Cons: 

What were we thinking--why did we not at least refinish the floors and put spray foam insulation when we moved in 7 years ago? We had no kids and the attic was pretty empty. 

The biggest annoyance is finding a place for all our stuff we have stored up there. My husband started working on that and it's moving slow. Don't want to make the rest of our upstairs a huge mess with tubs, etc. It will be easier having everything moved out so we are not moving things to & fro in that room while construction dust is flying.

Have a lovely weekend.........

xo

New Things......

Italian glasses  SOLD OUT for milk or beverage of choice. {written in 6 languages around the glass} I decided something pink-ish red would look fun in the glass. Festive, festive. I'm loving the simple greenish-blue tinged glass and anything Italian right now. Timeless.

 For homemade vanilla & vinegars......Italian hermetic flasks.......

 Petite Italian serving pitcher....... love the 0,5 l written on the top front.

 

Italian measure pitcher......for dry & wet ingredients.......{perfect for fresh cut flowers, no?}

 Our wrapping project for Heather Bullard's Winter Souvenir........

Tiny Boxwood starts wrapped in burlap.........
We planted boxwood's {again} ;) This time we purchased starts and so easy to plant, especially when you plant lots.  Yes, I have a weakness for these!  I saved some that were left to wrap up and tie metallic gold string around. Christmas decorating is right around the bend for me.

My husband is off this week and I'm trying to get things uploaded. I worked on it today and it always takes longer than I think it will. I really miss having a store to merchandise. Uploading things online is a boring task {yawn}. I love taking the pics & styling, although I'm an amateur at it. 

I'm loving homemade croutons--simply the best & easy. {so yummy in soups} I just made some using focaccia bread and delish they were.
It's cloudy & rainy here and I love it. I really think I could live in the Northwest.

Have a wonderful day!
xo

Miles I've Covered.......

 I helped behind the scenes for a shower-- a teensy peek: wooden forks & kraft trays for the apple cake with rum sauce.  Bamboo picks for the cheese & dried fruit.

 DIY garland and maps "stating" where the bride & groom are from.

 My grandmother, Irene passed away last week {91 years}. We drove 16 hours to a teensy town in Kansas. Kansas will never be the same again without her.  I will miss her cheery, always wanting to sit-a-spell & chat- with- me grandma. I loved her letters she wrote me, when she ran out of space she would just write all around the card then finish on the very back! :) I'm thankful I saved a very important letter from her when I moved from Ohio to California in 1994. Happy to tell you she knew Jesus Christ as her Savior.

 I spotted this old service station in one of those wee towns and wanted to packed it up and bring it back with me. I think it would be cute for a store in my yard. It even had built in cupboards. I wonder if I should've just taken those doors home?

 Metallic golds & silvers are beckoning me these days........

1. I found the very cool vintage coin purse at Sylvia's for a mere 50 cents. It's in great condition and I love the zipper opening on the bottom, an all-in-one coin purse! 2. Letterpress card in golds & blacks. 3. A delicious caramel with sea salt, a brand new company debuting soon! The proprietress is one of my customers and has very good taste. Literally.
3. Vintage pharmacy measure jars, because vintage glass is always "in"! Found at one of my favorite places to dig. 4. Paper tape from Martha Stewart.

 1. Gold $1 coin  2. My favorite pencils, Verithin in metallic gold.

 What to get the guys this year? I found these via Garret Wade and they were a steal on sale at $14.95, regular $29.95. Perfect to tuck in with this at RH. These screwdrivers are the berries. Read some fun reviews by Garret Wade customers......{Oh, I think they are pretty too!}

Real Tools for Real People
Reviewed By:	David A. (San Francisco , Ca.)
Shaped like a zeppelin , tough as a tank and worthy of building or maintaining both . One solid piece of cold hard steel runs form the tip, all the way up the shaft where it slips into your palm as though it's hardwood handle were created for your firm grip . Old school and mean looking . So tough the first time I went to use it the screw got scared and twisted itself in . Set of four , one each of six , eight , ten , and twelve inches ... depending on preference or who's measuring . History Reviewed By:  Jeff F (Clarksville, OH)  I believe these were originally made by the Irwin Tool Co., in Wilmington, OH. (Home of the infamous Irwin Auger Bit.) Subsequently sold to American Tool, then to Rubbermaid. No longer located in Wilmington, OH (near Martinsville where it all began.) These screwdrivers are real brutes. The kind of tool you want in your truck toolbox if you're stranded somewhere.

See those tiny vintage hardware parts? I'm thinking of selling them. Well, about selling things I need to take photos today as once again I'm behind even more so.

{when I get all caught up ;) this looks like an interesting book about Catherine the Great.}
xo

Oopsie

A tad bit behind....guess that is normal for me. {a.k.a. mom to 3 kidlets} Shooting for the 7th of November.
Keep me in your prayers!

Here, There & Everywhere......

Ginger hair and a mouthful of Smarties. Smarty pants.
Zach Ellington, at the tail end of age 2.

 it seems!

musings of the last few weeks. ...

*Dum Dum lollies & Smarties are a must on photo shoots that involve kids.

{I kid you not, as soon as we plunked them down on their stools, they started crying.all.of.them.

including the mom so that made 4 of us.} Out of the 400 I think there are 3 good ones?

*I have been bitten by a major procrastination bug as I have a zillion photos to upload of new product. They must be up by Nov. 1st. We all know I have a deadline as there is a twelve pack in the pantry so I can get this project done. I mean a 12 pack of coke. classic coke, not diet either-- that's cheating. Onward, ho!

*Don't get me wrong there's been a cheery note here & there, I had coffee with Darcy one evening by ourselves, that's monumental.  Matt & I had an evening out with our oldest & then we toted all 3 kidlets this past Saturday on a fall drive. {think driving on Ohio's back roads, kettle corn, outlet mall without a stroller, & Chick-fil-A-----fun times for the kiddos} Plus, Jill of sew a fine seam popped over on a rainy, cold day.

*Helping my mom plan a shower,  behind the scenes stuff. I want to take a few pics of some of the things we are doing for that.

*& go here for the most inspiring photos; walnut groves in France-----I love her blog, Stephmodo.

Have a good & blessed week and I'll try to pop in again........soon! {famous last words}

xo

This is fun.....

I discovered this seller on Etsy, Seelamade and she is not far from me.
She re-purposes vintage tins, pie plates etc and creates tiered stands. Her style is so fresh and fun......
Take a visit Seelamade.

Christmas Open House 2011

at our Etsy shop

November 1st 2011

{Scenes from our very last Christmas 2008 in our brick & mortar}

So you know where I'll be the next few weeks: photographing, editing and uploading a lot of products!

I whittled away at it today as my wee ones went to Grandma's house. Well, I'm off to get some coffee downstairs, so have a lovely evening dear ones.

xo