Well, actually “looking for normal” would probably be more accurate.  When I began this blog last fall I had no clue where it would lead or how many changes would happen in just a few short months.

In the past two weeks alone I’ve acquired shop space at Seneca Cannery Antiques and, most importantly, my Hero and I were married this past Saturday! Such bliss.  Life is crazy busy and I have so many things I want to share with you.  In addition to unpacking and sorting out all the wedding things (we hosted the wedding ourselves – three hours from home!)

I will have more on the wedding and how we pulled it all together later.  (And that is my beautiful daughter-in-law, Sara, who performed the ceremony.)

We are very busy looking for stock for the shop (and cleaning/painting said stock, developing inventory logs, sales tags, …)  Love the hunting and gathering.  It is such fun to find things that I hope others will love as much as I do.

And we (and I am using the Royal “we” here) are in process of transitioning this blog from its current host site to a site that will provide much better functionality and support.  The thing that has worried me the most, and ultimately forced this transition, was how the comments were not posting live and I had no way to respond to them, and there does not seem to be a way to resolve the problem - very frustrating. Obviously, my Hero is the one doing all the blog IT support and he is doing a great job of it considering the blog world is a fairly new field for him, technical guru that he is in many other areas.  He is working on transferring everything over so nothing will be lost, but it is a time consuming process and moving the photos takes the most time of all.  So until we get everything moved and the new site up and running, I’m going to use a few less photos and a few more words just to speed up the process. 

HUGS!

Cindy

I've been working on an upcoming event for a while now. Lots of gathering and DIY-ing, lots of list making, lots of phone calls, texts and emails flying back and forth between a bunch of us.  Lots of building excitement, nerves, what-iffing, and some very exuberant butterflies dancing around my insides. 

And it's getting close, this coming weekend to be exact.

There is a little chapel, on a hill, tucked under a canopy of beautiful old trees, and that is where my Hero and I will marry on Saturday.  At long last.

We met on a summer morning when my Hero and his brother knocked on the door of my family's cabin wanting to know if my brother and I could come out and play. I think we were around ten years old.  It's a long story, and we will share it at a not too distant time. For now, we are pretty focused on the moment. 

So, please forgive me if I don't post again for a few days. When we've had a chance to catch our breath, and things get back to normal, or as close as we get to normal around here, I will have a number of ideas and fun things that I can't wait to share with you about our DIY wedding.    

For now, I'd better get back to the baking and packing, and if I can just find that butterfly net....

HUGS!

Cindy

I don’t remember where I found the recipe that was the jumping off point for this granola mix.  Suffice it to say that it was one of those very basic one-is-just-like-the-next kind of recipes - oats, honey, nuts.....the perfect kind of recipe to make your own.

It took a little trial and error, and a bit of munching, to figure out our favorite version.  So have fun experimenting to develop your own signature recipe. 

Cast of Characters:

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats (not the quick kind)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse Sea / Kosher salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon (yes, Tablespoon) vanilla extract
1 cup each chopped walnuts and sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees

I found it works well to layer the oats topped with the brown sugar then sprinkled with the cinnamon and salt.  That way the brown sugar helps to hold the cinnamon and salt in place so they don’t sift down to the bottom of the bowl.  Do not stir - yet.      

Note:  You can adjust the amount of sweetness and how dry the baked mix is with the brown sugar; level spoonfuls for drier, less sweet and mounded for moist with more sweetness.   

Next, whisk together the oil, honey and vanilla. 

My mom gave me this cute little whisk years ago.  He usually doesn't look this angry though, it must be because I tipped him over on his side.   

Pour the liquids over the dry and stir just until combined.

Spread the mix out in a thin layer on a large ungreased rimmed cookie sheet pan.  Do not pat it down; you want the mixture to be sort of loose so that it toasts nice and evenly.

Bake for 8 minutes

Remove from the oven and stir the granola well, then gently spread it out again.  Sprinkle nuts evenly over the top and return to the oven.

Bake for 4 minutes

Repeat the process stirring in the nuts, then layer with the cranberries.

Bake for 4 minutes

As soon as you take the granola out of the oven, press it down if you want it to stick together a bit. Then let set for about 10 minutes, but not too long; it’s much easier to remove if you don’t let it cool completely.  And, if you don’t have one of these dough scoops they are great, I use mine for all kinds of things. 

It makes a great little gift. 

And it makes a bunch, about 6-8 cups worth depending on what you add in.  Speaking of add-ins, it is so easy to change this up however you want. Holidays? Add some clove and ginger with the cinnamon.  Chocolate lover?  Toss in a handful of your favorite chips with the cranberries.  Don’t like nuts, don’t add them.  Or change out the walnut and almonds for pecan and pistachios.  Ditto for the cranberries and whatever dried fruit you crave.  The possibilities are almost endless.

Enjoy!

Cindy

Oh, P.S.:  It seems weird because obviously this stuff isn’t low cal, but I’ve actually lost weight using this as my go-to snack.   Plus it keeps my energy level up.   What’s not to love?

Over the years I've painted, stripped and refinished my share of furniture, so I am not new to the process.  But until a few months ago I honestly thought milk paint was an old fashioned finish you might sometimes find on old wood and antiques.  Then I arrived at THAT moment a few months ago when a simple search for paint became a seriously major Ah-Ha! moment. I found Miss Mustard Seed's Blog http://missmustardseed.com/, and her milk paint, and I was hooked on both.

I have a real problem when starting something new - fear of failing.  So for the past several weeks I've done a magnificent job of procrastination; just watch one more tutorial, look for one more post on color … on waxes … on brushes … on you name it I needed to research it, until yesterday.     

I purchased this old blanket chest  at a junk shop years ago for my son, Nick, for his first apartment.  We both loved it, so made a pack that whenever one of us didn’t have a use for it the other had first dibs and, for now, it is happily living with my Hero and me. 

I thought it would make a good test project, and I thought our dark little blanket chest just might look beautiful in Tricycle red.   

Think I was right?      Nick?
The color in person is actually a bit darker, a little more bright cranberry. Or maybe closer to the color of an old fashioned tricycle....

The paint didn't chip or flake as much as I anticipated because I didn't do anything to prepare the surface except dust.  Maybe if I'd left the dust....

The whole surface of the chest is completely flat, so sanding with 220 grit sandpaper did bring out the wood grain, and I liked the timeworn character that the sanding gave it.

When the chest was dark brown the corner joints didn't show up.  Now they are a beautiful detail.

I tried to make it look as though the finish had worn naturally, but obviously need more practice.  In hindsight, when sanding I think it would be good to step back more often, or even walk away for a few minutes, to get a fresh perspective. At least until I develop a better eye for it. 

Which brings me to another of my known problems - once I finally build up the courage to start a project I tend to get wrapped up in it and just steamroll right on through.  Not always a good thing.

Courage and patience, courage and patience, courage an......

Working with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint was great.  All that prepping procrastination did pay off in that I had a better sense of what to expect, and it was interesting to see and work with the process first hand.

Having no idea how much paint it would take I mixed 1 tablespoon each, water and milk paint powder to get a gauge, and it was enough to cover almost half of the back panel.  All together I think it only took 5 or 6 tablespoons of powder to cover the entire 46x23x23 chest with one coat.  That really surprised me; I thought it would take much more.  Dry time was less than a half hour – amazing.  A light sanding smoothed the finish down beautifully.  Keep in mind that the finish at this point is still rather dull and chalky looking in an old worn but pretty way.

I decided to use the furniture wax for a hand rubbed finish; 2 coats on the sides and 3 on the top to give it a little more protection, plus it gives the piece a lovely soft sheen.  The wax has the texture of soft butter and goes on just that smoothly.  On this day I found it took about 10 minutes to dry enough to buff between each application and each coat made the color deeper and richer.   I am glad that I used a dark paint color for my first attempt because it made it very easy to see the differences each step made along the way. 

P.S.  Did you notice the red thumbprint on the front of the container?  Well, I completely forgot about reading that when milk paint is sanded it makes a very fine almost invisible power – THAT GETS INTO EVERYTHING.  Just so you know (winking!). 

So that was my first attempt at working with Miss Mustard Seed Milk paint, and I do really love it.  The paint is simple and quick to use and I can't wait to develop some skills with different finishes. 

For now, Jasper is glad to be back his favorite spot, and we think he looks even more dashing set atop a Tricycle red chest.

Now, what else can I paint........  

HUGS!

Cindy

The snow started falling around 4 PM, not the rain they were calling for that was supposed to turn to snow later in the evening.  And it began sticking immediately - not one flake that I watched melted away.  By the time the sun rose into a clear blue sky our yard and neighborhood were transformed into a winter wonderland.  

The air was so cold that what little snow melted in the direct sunlight froze again mid-drip forming long chains of ice sickles that fringed the eaves.

Transforming a neighbor’s home into a gingerbread cottage. 

My Hero got his exercise clearing paths and walkways….

While Willow impatiently reminded him that she would much rather be playing ball.

Bird House Party!!!!

Fun and funky in summer, I really love the way our “flower bed” looks with its blankets of white.

Time to go….

Willow is waiting….

Stay snuggly warm and safe.

HUGS!

Cindy

Yesterday I mentioned that sometime in the coming year we plan to open a shop in Seneca Cannery Antiques, Harve de Grace, Maryland.  It’s both scary and exhilarating and probably a very good thing that I have no idea exactly what I am getting into. Now, I have to fill it – that is where the scary exhilaration comes in.

I’m certain that it comes as no surprise that our home is filled with things that have shop potential (I can almost see you looking around your home thinking the exact same thing ;).  Some of it has sentimental value and will not be budging, but we have been gathering for a while now just picking up things we like and to be honest our little nest is getting a bit stuffed.  So, here are some photos of things I’m thinking about fitting the shop out with. Oh, one of establishments no-no’s is that we cannot publicize a listing/photo of what is for sale (there are dozens and dozens of vendors spread out over two floors, so when someone walks up to the desk saying, “I want that …in the online photo”…well, you can just imagine) so this is only a potential shop related pre-view, okay?  Though if you see something that interests you, please contact me directly. 

A big part of what I hope to bring to the shop is painted furniture using primarily Miss Mustard Seed milk paint.  Which brings me to what my Hero surprised me with a couple of weeks ago…

We live about an hour from the closest MMS milk paint supplier, Vintage Bliss Boutique in Ellicott City, Maryland, and we popped down there just before Christmas to pick up a few things to get me started.

Problem was, it was “just before Christmas” and now I had everything I needed except TIME!  Needless to say, Christmas got put away a bit early this year and tomorrow I hope to take on my first project. 

First, this is not for the shop, at least not for now.  I love this blanket chest and it provides a huge amount of desperately needed storage so it’s a great piece for practicing on.  Besides, my son, Nick, and I have an agreement that if either one of us does not have a place for it the other one wants it. So far it’s changed hands three times. 

So, I’m probably going to be posting a lot about the shop prep, and learning how to work with milk paint and all the craziness the New Year is probably going to bring.  It is all very exciting. 

And before I forget, Happy New Year to you all!!!

I hope 2014 brings health and joy to you and your family.

 HUGS!

 Cindy

I subscribe to several other Blogs.  Each day my inbox chimes with posts from friends I haven’t met yet but feel that I am coming to know well.  We share a love of different things, and same things, and they are all gracious ladies – and men – who share their knowledge and love of DIY, thoughts and insights on home, faith, and life and occasionally just simply beautiful pictures that feed the soul. Thank you all. 

Yesterday, there was a thread running through many of the posts concerning the “word” for 2013.  I am relatively new to the Blog world but gather that this is a traditional New Year’s resolution - to choose a word, embracing its meaning and purpose for your life in the coming year.  The posts were sweet and heartfelt; the kind of conversation you would share with close friends and family and they made me think about what word I would choose as we look towards 2014.  And I have decided that my word choice is, Courage.   

All you need is 20 seconds of insane Courage
and
I promise you
Something great will come of it.
                       ~ Benjamin Mee / We Bought a Zoo

I find this a crazy, liberating, and perfect thought; especially in light of my word choice.  You see, for the past several years I have, like many, been working towards a new vocation.  I just had not quite yet figured out what it was.  Then several months ago while searching online for chalk paint I stumbled on the Miss Mustard Seed blog site http://missmustardseed.com.  It was the first time I’d really read a Blog (it’s okay - gasp/ laugh/ roll your eyes - I get it :}  It also quite literally changed my life.  Well, more precisely, it gave me a much needed push in the right  direction.   Within weeks I had launched The Quirky Nest blog with a great deal of help from my Hero, the Technology Specialist in Residence.

Then this past weekend it happened, I finally got a glimpse of where the path was leading, and why I need to find my courage.  We stopped by Seneca Cannery Antiques, one of our favorite hunting-gathering spots, and as we were looking around, my Hero said, “You could do this, open a shop here” and the wonderful thing was that he echoed just what I was thinking.   Now, he is a man of action where given sufficient time I would have surely talked myself out of the adventure.  Therefore, wasting no time, today we met with the manager to find out what it takes to set up business at the Cannery and to add my name to the waiting list for a space.  Reference that “20 seconds of courage” quote. 

I am a firm believer in stepping out on Faith, as is my Hero.   We are in awe of how our lives have evolved over the past decades (a long story to be recited in the not too distance future, promise). So, God, we trust you; lead on and I will do my very best to follow.  For now, I’m working on getting that Courage thing going.

And, there is soooo much to do!!!

Happy New Year, dear hearts!

Cindy

I’m a bit of a ditz, in a forgetful out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of way.  It makes staying on task with stuff, not to mention keeping up with stuff, a little hard for me.  So whenever I can utilize something that will help trigger my memory I’m all over it. 

If you watch HGTV you've probably seen a designer use a board covered with pictures, fabric, furniture cutouts, etc. It’s a great work tool but these boards can also simply be a collection of things that inspire you as well as a way to keep track of ideas and project notes. 

And, it does not have to be an actual bulletin board. Hey, we are way more creative than that, right? Anything that lets you easily collect, see and interchange the things you gather will work.  

I wanted something pretty that was also portable so I could prop it in whatever space I am working in at the time.  This old frame found at a local thrift store for about $7.00 was just the jumping off point I was looking for.    

The next step was to fit it with something sturdy and thick enough to support objects pinned to it.  Foam core makes a great backboard for this type of project and can be purchased at most arts, craft and framing shops fairly inexpensively. 

To make it pretty, cover it with whatever fabric you like.  In this case I purchased a bird print burlap because of our whole nest thing we have going on, but you could even use whatever you have tucked away.  You know, like those pretty curtains (or tablecloth, or throw, or…) that just don’t work anymore but you simply can’t bring yourself to give them away.  We all have them, and feel guilty every time we see them buried away unused.  So……

NOTE:   I did just catch this potential problem in time - before attaching the fabric, wrap the fabric around the foam core and dry fit it in the frame to be sure it’s not too snug to fit.   

You can use whatever method appeals to you to attach the fabric to the backboard, but I really like spray adhesive.  It dries in minutes, but stays tacky long enough to allow for easy tweaking in the first few moments after applying.  After that it virtually disappears and doesn’t leave hard residue or puckering as it dries like other glues.  The only drawback is that it’s best used outdoors due to the odor and overspray, but if you have a well-ventilated area and a drop cloth you should be good to go.  Just as with any DIY product, be careful to follow that package directions.

And while talking about creative idea boards, one idea that I’ve used for years is the inside of kitchen cabinet doors.  In this case I’ve collected photos of kitchens that I love, plus rough sketches of the layout and cabinet ideas.  It’s a little nudge every time I reach for the baking soda ;}

So set your imagination free, and now you have a way to keep up with it!

HUGS!
Cindy

If we are lucky, we get a moment or two during the Holidays that are filled with surprise. The ones that stop us in our tracks, fill us with wonder and maybe even elicit a giggle or two.  One of those moments arrived in the form of a squirrel. Yep, walking right across my living room carpet.  Really, come to think of it, it was more like a stroll. As though visiting humans in their natural habitat was a completely normal everyday occurrence for him. And though I am using the pronoun "him", in truth I didn't actually check so it could have been a girl squirrel.  It was kind of hard to tell under the circumstances.

After saying, "Well, hey Cutie", I had the squirrels attention and I guess he figured it was a good time to pick up the pace a bit because he sort of loped into the hallway. I followed, trying to shoo him away from heading upstairs and getting into my Hero's guitars, or maybe worse, waking up any or all of The Kids. Visions of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation loomed in my head.   Fortunately, he chose to ignore the stairs and instead did a couple of short kinda slow laps around this odd little section of wall where the living room, dining room, hallway and office all meet before trotting off through the dining room, into the kitchen, and right past the feet of my unsuspecting Hero before disappearing into the laundry-pantry.

My Hero was sitting at the kitchen table (sans his "office") working on his computer and was a bit baffled by my explanation that a squirrel had just walked right past him and was now taking up residence our pantry. Understandably, this is not something that happens to a person every day and it took a moment to sink. But he was quick to take me at my word and jumped into action guarding the doorway in case the little interloper decided to try to make a break for it back into the house.

I went in, feeling that the squirrel and I were now at least introduced and he might be a little less wary of me than the stranger I'd just invited to the party.  But the little scamp was nowhere to be found, and this is a tiny room mind you.  In the meantime my brilliant Hero constructed a makeshift barricade and propped open the back door creating a lovely inviting pathway to the great outdoors.  Still not able to see the little dickens, I waggled a broom handle in behind the washing machine and that was just enough encouragement to get him moving again.  I knew this because my Hero said, "It's okay.  He just walked out the door.....I mean - he just walked(!) out the door."  There is something just a tiny bit unsettling about a squirrel that feels that comfortable being in your home. You know? 

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera close at hand, so completely missed this photo op.  But then a single picture just wouldn't have quite captured the whole event.

And in case you are wondering, yes we did figure out how he got in. Remember that ancient oil burning furnace that we had removed?  Well, the chimney is still in place, covered and closed, packed with a bunch of insulation and duct taped...but if a squirrel is really determined....

Hope all your holidays were merry and bright.

And squirrel free. 

HUGS !!!

Cindy

With Christmas just barely a week away, we are still a whirlwind of activity, but that is actually pretty much the norm around here. 

In the past few weeks we’ve spent three weekends helping one son build a garage….

Two weekends out on gigs (that’s my Hero on the guitar playing for The New Ramonos)…..

And now we are snuggling in for Christmas….

Barley telling Santa what he wants for Christmas….

Willow looking pretty…..

And not to leave Finn out....
Honest, he wasn’t hitting the eggnog.  I had just finished giving him a tummy rub and he was toooootally relaxed and a bit goofy…..

A little Partridge….

In a Pear Tree…..

My Hero’s favorite holiday character is the Grinch.  Mortimer (the big guy) and Baaabette are trying to figure out how THAT happened…..

I collect primitive Santa’s and sleighs….

But could not pass up this adorable snowman….

And let’s face it, who on earth has a tidy kitchen this time of year!?! 

I hope you all have time to slow down and enjoy family, friends and much joy,

Cindy

So sorry to have been gone for so long.  As it turns out, newer versions of Word won’t run if you are still using an old version of Windows Vista.  I know, antique and not in a good way. 

This all started with a simple automatic update, after which one little thing didn’t work quite right, then something else didn’t work at all…. Ugh.  Anyway, my Hero has now fully backed up my sweet old 2006 laptop onto an external hard drive (highly recommended, as it turns out) and then installed Windows 7.  (We opted not to be overly optimistic and go for Windows 8.)  A new Word Office Professional Plus 2013 is still sitting patiently in its box until we know that this Windows update is working well, and this post is sort of its trial run.

In the spirit of full transparency - I am not a Geek, though I do like to think of myself as a Fringe-Geek.  I like Geeks, many in my family are Geeks running the gamut from entry level Geek to majorly high-tech Geek.  When they are all together it’s fun to sit and watch their conversations.  I watch because the truth is I may as well be sitting in the middle of the UN during a highly energized discussion; the language barrier is about equal. 

So, though I am very optimistic about being able to jump in and create new posts to The Quirky Nest without delay, if I do drop out of sight again be assured that it’s simply another technical delay and I will return as quickly as possible.  I missed being able to post about what we were up to, and share holiday tidbits as all my fellow Bloggers were doing (Soooooo many wonderful Blogs and so little time to enjoy all of them.  Please check out the ones I have listed, and each one will list others you will find fun and informative – like I said sooooooo many wonderful Blogs.)

Moving forward, please cross your fingers for us and send positive Geekified thoughts our way that we are back up and running for good.

HUGS to ALL,

Cindy

 

Biscuits are a Southern art form.  And when I think about making this simple bread it conjures up visions of warm biscuits oozing with melting butter and honey. When you hear someone mention "country" cooking, this is the very essence of the phrase. Good soul satisfying food, made with love and shared by family and friends. 

Look yummy, don’t they?  If you have never made biscuits but would like to, I am happy to share my recipe with you.  Biscuits are based on a simple recipe; it's what you do with it that makes it yours – plain and simple; with cheese pieces tossed in; rolled up with cinnamon and sugar aka sweet roll style; etc. - so feel free to play :)

JUST BISCUITS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
(It’s imperative that the oven be at this temp when you put the biscuits in.)
2 cups regular flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar - a smidge more if you like a sweet biscuit
1/3 cup shortening 
3/4 cup milk 

Work the shortening into the dry ingredients by a method known as “cutting” it in. 
You can use a knuckle duster in a downward twisting motion, or

Use the side of the fork - sort of chop the shortening into the flour (this is really hard to describe), or

My preferred method using my stand mixer with its paddle blade; just watch it carefully so as to not over mix it.  (I will explain the sweet potatoes in a minute....)

When the mixture looks like sand with pebbles it’s done. Immediately stir in the milk and toss with a fork just until moistened; careful not to stir too much.

The dough should look a little shaggy. 

Okay, you may notice that the dough is a bit orange.  I can explain. 

I started this post a few weeks ago when I was making regular biscuits, but got sidetracked.  Today I need to make Sweet Potato Biscuits (that recipe follows), and hence the sweet potatoes in the photo above.  As my three year old granddaughter says, “It’s my faaaaavorite.”  They really are. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just a few times.  There should be two hands in the photo, but I needed one to take the picture. Kneading is simply pushing the dough away with the heels of your hands while pulling it around a quarter turn and folding it half up and over pulling it back towards you in a sort of stirring motion (or the Cabbage Patch, it you know that dance - oh my ;). Repeat several times.  That really doesn’t make a lot of sense in writing, but it will hopefully make sense when you actually do it.

Gently pat or roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about ½ inch thick.

I have used this rolling pin my grandmother gave me for the past forty years. It just keeps getting prettier with age.

You can use a drinking glass, a cookie cutter, whatever in whatever size to cut out the biscuits, just dip the cutter in flour to keep it from sticking.

Side note: When my oldest was three I found a dog bone cookie cutter.  Nowadays you can find them everywhere, but this was the first one I’d ever seen.  We didn’t have a dog, but that was no excuse to not bring it home with me and for fun I used it that night to make a batch of “dog” biscuits which were a big hit with my son.  Fast forward a couple of weeks to our having my husband’s new assistant manager over for dinner.  I made regular round biscuits for the meal, and all was going well until my sweet boy announced that he wanted a dog biscuit instead of “that” one.  Ummmm, it took a little explaining. 

Okay, back to biscuit making…

Now, if you like high fluffy biscuits, the trick is to use a straight down/up motion, no twisting the cutter as this may compress the sides and they won't rise as tall. 

Re-roll and cut out until you have used all the dough.  My favorite biscuit is the last one made up of all the last little scrapes patted together.

I use parchment paper to line my cookie sheet because I tend to scorch biscuits if I  don't, but it is fine to put them on an UNgreased cookie sheet too; just keep a close eye on their little bottoms as they can burn pretty quick. Bless my Hero, he says he likes things on the burned side and it is a good thing because  I tend to get busy and forget until I smell cinders and know that I have done it again.

Oh, and don’t budge the biscuits too close together or they won’t rise properly.

Cool Fact:  If you don’t want to bake all the biscuits right now, put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until completely frozen. Pop them off the pan and into a freezer bag.  When you want hot biscuits just heat up the oven and bake (frozen) as you would fresh made.  Love this!

Bake at 425 for about 8-10 minutes, then reduce the temp to 350 for another 6 minutes or so, or until they are as dark as you like.

As soon as you pull the biscuits out of the oven, gently rub a bit of butter over the tops.  I do this with all my breads; it tastes wonderful plus keeps the tops soft. 

Coffee and biscuits will be ready soon, and the back door is open.  Come on over and share a few while they are nice and hot. 

Cindy

PS  The promised Sweet Potato Biscuit Recipe

2 cups self-rising flour (see how to make regular flour into self-rising below)
¼ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons shortening like Crisco
3 Tablespoons margarine
1 cup cooked sweet potato / about 2 (I use the sweet center section)
1/3 cup milk

Whisk together the dry ingredients
Cut in the margarine and shortening
Stir milk into the sweet potato
Stir the milk and sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture
Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until well blended
Roll out about ½ inch thick
Complete as with the Just Biscuits above
These are wonderful as ham biscuits.  YUMMMMM

PS (again)
To turn regular flour into self-rising flour whisk together:
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tarter

Enjoy!

We’ve all heard, “A girl’s best friend is …., fill in the blank at the “….”. Typically, the “….” is something like diamonds, or a perfect pair of shoes, or let’s say something necessary – like a closet.  Who among us does not long for the perfect closet with plenty of roomy storage, unbelievably detailed organization, and decked out (in my perfect world) with a full length mirror, lots of hanging rods – with non-slip hangers, plus a large center island with oodles of drawers, and really, really good lighting.  Hummmm, great daydream.

Back in the land of reality, our quirky little house came with only two not-so-perfect closets; a small storage closet at the top of the stairs off the master bedroom, and a rather decent sized one in the guestroom downstairs. But, the one downstairs also houses the 40 gallon hot water heater – whose idea was that!?!

Mobile clothes racks are great inventions.  Just not so great as a long term closet solution.
I envy people who can walk into a space and immediately know where to hang each picture and place each piece of furniture and never have to move any of it because it works the first time.  My dad can do that.  I did not inherit that gene.  I need to live in a space for a while, settle in and wait for my little Muse to whisper, “What if……?” 

We originally thought the two window alcoves, split by a wall between the master bedroom and the music room, were too small and awkward to be of much use.   

Until one day when I moved one of the racks into an alcove and heard my little Muse whisper, “Ah-HA!” 

One of the lovely things about closet systems is that they are so versatile; in no time we had two closets that met almost all of our hanging needs built into the two alcoves.  

This closet is in my Hero’s music space, so by default it became his closet.  He likes color and pattern so we used the same large paisley print fabric used elsewhere in the room to make a closet curtain. Down the road, when the grey end wall is finished out with white shelves, we plan to add a window seat cushion covered in the same paisley fabric to tie it all together.  

We hung the curtain close to the wall using wire hooks that just screw into the wall, and some odd hooks that I had on hand that I stitched to the curtain.

          I like how the curtain hangs flat giving the effect of wallpaper. 

                                          Shoe cubbies on the back wall provide extra storage.  
                                          And a door hanger functions as a clothes butler.  

                                                     Plus a plug-in LED light strip for, well, light.

My side is almost finished, but I haven’t found the right curtain fabric yet. 

I’ll touch base again with final photos when we get around to wrapping up this project.  But that could be a while, you would not believe how many projects we have going on!

Though not quite my dream closet, they do work great and are really all we need.  Plus on the up side, the limited space means I absolutely must be good about editing my clothing and not holding onto things that no longer fit or work in my wardrobe.  (Notice I did not say anything about giving up shopping for clothes.  A girl has to have some fun after all. )

I hope each and every one of you has your perfect closet living in your home and not in your dreams. If not, I hope you have as much fun creating a fun, funky closet that suits your needs too.

HUGS!

Cindy

With the air handler and gas furnace installed we were finally able to unpack and begin settling into our upstairs rooms.  We also had to figure out how to cover up the unsightly air handler and furnace, and keep the cats out of the knee wall space.

My Hero is pretty handy with this type of thing and in no time he had constructed this great platform-box enclosure. It is rock solid with top and front panels that open easily for access.  (Those two weird looking blocks sticking out of the ceiling will make sense in a moment.)

Plus it’s a great place for stackable storage, but who wants to look at all that stuff? 

Years earlier my Hero bought a church window turned mirror in a little shop in Exmore, Virginia. It took a bit of effort to get it anchored in place (using those two weird blocks), but it turned out to be the perfect screen.

We also put a protective back on it, but not before my Hero had another brilliant idea.
The addition of two LED light strips creates a soft glow through the stained glass panels. 

Plus it makes a pretty night light over the stairwell. 

I made curtain panels to flank the window; the fabric color is a close match to the frame which worked to soften the fact that one end of the window is different from the other.  We also chose a length of bold paisley to curtain the doorway into the storage area for a splash of color.  It's not quite finished, but close.

We are still working on ideas for ways to create storage and hide ductwork in the rest of the room; more about that as it evolves. 

For now, sometimes you just have to live in a space, and maybe listen a bit to an old house to get a sense of what to do next.   

Joy!

Cindy

We bought our home in the spring.  It was a cool spring, but the heat of summer was just around the corner and I am a total wimp when it comes to heat.  I simply shut down, can’t help it.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, my Hero loves the heat and humidity of summer and hates the cold.  Somewhere, for a brief glorious time during spring and fall, we are both comfortable.

With the installation of central air and heat a priority we immediately lined up several companies, interviewing each with the same question, “So, just how do you recommend we run duct work?”  Not everyone had a good answer, and only one got it right.   

Just in case you've never had this problem, or are facing these issues, old houses are typically not great candidates for big, long runs of air ducts, or air return vents or air outlet vents.   Let alone where on earth do you put a big clunky (and not esthetically pleasing) air handler and furnace when you don't have a basement, or attic, and only one real closet?  

Upstairs, by opening up the knee-wall, there was just enough room to lay the air handle on its side (yeah, I didn't know you could do that either) and fit it along with the gas backup furnace into the attic eave. 

Duct work could then be run through the eaves feeding vents through both the upstairs knee-walls and the downstairs ceilings down both sides of the house. 

A LOT of dust and noise and workmen in and out for days on end, but when the first wafts of chilled air moved through the house on the first hot day of spring (timing truly is everything) it was all worth every moment of getting there.  And you can just imagine how happy my Hero was with the toasty warm gas heat during the winter. 

Now that we had resolved the heating/cooling issues, we needed to find a way to keep the Kitty Boys from exploring where they had no business being.  Again.  One of the workmen failed to completely block the ductwork just once and of course Barley took that as a great invitation to check it all out.  Fortunately the unit wasn't running and we got him out before he got himself into trouble.  Cats!  Next step – The Great Cover-Up, it really turned out to be a great solution.  

HUGS!

Cindy

You know that moment when it dawns on you just how perfect that thing is that you decided not to buy even though you knew it was really good and you should?  I mean it was really perfect, but you passed it up because you just couldn't put your finger on why it was perfect so you left it in the store?  I mean that sort of one-of-a-kind-thing in the thrift store that you know is now gone, long gone because someone else got it?  Ugh.  It was a rustic medium sized drum shaped faded yellow I've-never-seen-another-like-it woven basket, for $30.  Thirty Dollars.  I collect interesting, functional baskets.  And I passed it up.  Oh DARN!

That was the weekend before last, and this past weekend as I was organizing the pantry-laundry shelving that my Hero had just installed, and deciding how to use some of my growing collection of vintage containers, I finally knew where that basket would be perfect.  Right there on the shelf.  Darn.

But the story doesn't end there.
When I told my Hero how I regretted not bringing that yellow basket home, his immediate response was, "Okay, let's go back and get it."  Do you see why he's my Hero?  Now, putting this into perspective, it was Sunday afternoon and going to get that basket, which I was fairly certain was no longer for sale, meant an almost hour long drive down I-95 in crazy weekend traffic through downtown Baltimore to the warehouse district. And he was absolutely willing to take me. Hero.

Allowing sanity to prevail, and feeling certain that my perfect basket was now residing in another lucky, and smarter, person's home, I offered an alternative. We live within minutes of a sweet little waterfront town named Havre de Grace that is home to several of our favorite antique shops.

In the back corner of one shop, buried under several pieces of kitchenware, we found this clam basket. We had been looking for one at a good price, and here it was. Happiness.

Another stop was an old fishing cannery turned antique mecca. A bit of prowling through the two floors offered up four vintage glass insulators.  We have a rather cool project in mind to use them for down the road.

Plus an old white column that I don’t have a photo of because it is now in the spidery garage, but we had seen it the last time we were at the shop and it still intrigued us. There is real craftsmanship in how it was made and though we still don't quite know what to do with it, this time we listened to our hearts and brought it home with us.

And my favorite find, even better than the yellow basket, is this. Do you know what it is?  I swear, it was sooooo hard not to do a happy-dance right there in the store when I found it. And now this little chicken feeder is all mine.  Now, admittedly, my Hero did think I was a bit crazy being so excited about a rusty little old metal trough...

Until I showed him what a lovely table centerpiece it makes.

Okay, I have to be honest here.  This was not my idea. I saw it at one of the shops at Old Lucketts Store and fell in love.  And now I have one too.  Joy.

Anyway, that's how my Hero turned my "oh darn" moment into a very special Sunday afternoon.  Oh, and he even took me out to dinner by the water before heading home. Bliss.

Hugs to all,

Cindy

A little over three months ago, while looking for information on chalk paint, I stumbled on a blog named Miss Mustard Seed written by a wonderful woman named Marian.  And I was hooked.  So many blogs, so little time, offering so much information, fun, and friendship.  I had heard about on-line communities, but just never got it.  Now I do.  And I want to join in. 

With encouragement from my Hero, I began pulling together ideas on what I could share. As a lifelong decorator ( I truly believe the first piece of furniture I ever moved was my crib ), with a creative can-do spirit, and a frugal-to-the-bone temperament and a new(ish) relationship I felt fairly confident that I had some things to bring to the table.  I also honestly want to hear back from others, the sharing of your ideas and opinions and comments.  Conversations.

What I am not good at is this computer stuff.  After writing a few pieces to launch my blog with, I ground to a halt trying to figure out what next.  What am I missing that needs to be done.  Writing isn’t my problem, how my blog functions is.  There are so many fantastic blogs, so polished, with so much to offer and so well done; I was, and am, totally overwhelmed. 

Then, after a week on the web with “0” comments, which honestly did not surprise me, I was a little concerned that I had missed something important.  And so I went back in and reset some things and am crossing my fingers that this time I have it set up right.  If, by chance, you did try to leave a comment and couldn’t, I do very sincerely apologize.   Please, please try again.

So, after all this rambling, what do you think?  Am I crazy?  Keep going?  I think so.  It’s not in me to give up easily on something I’ve committed to.  But I could really use your thoughts and help on what to do and, or, how to do things better. 

Thank you for hanging in there with me through the rambles.  I hope to hear from you!

Cindy

I've always loved birds. I love birds because they are beautiful, and their antics are a
great source of amusement for me, my Hero, and the Kitty Boys.  Especially the bath
time free-for-all. But mostly I love them because they eat spiders. Lots of them.  And
anyone who knows me at all knows that I am hugely freaked out by spiders. 

Even before we moved in the list of projects had grown to mind boggling proportions.   We had to prioritize the immediate concerns – the main support beam under the house had to be reinforced, a sump-pump and waterproofing were needed in the crawlspace, and we had to figure out how to install central air and heat where there was no duct work already in place.  In the end, though, it was pretty easy to see what had to come first.

The large single pane windows original to the house were almost all cracked and painted thoroughly shut.  For safety and energy efficiency they had to be replaced.  Fortunately we found a company on Angie’s List that could provide quality windows that looked remarkably like the originals. One day of noise and mess and DONE!    

Removing old windows and the installation of new ones isn’t exactly exciting or blog-worthy helpful, but it was necessary.  Also necessary, and much more creative and fun, was making curtains for the front room.

We knew when we looked at her that the little house had been flooded the winter before - from
the 2nd floor bath down. I didn't realize how extensive the damage had been until the day I opened
the door to a repairman and he said, "Wow! This place looks great!"  "So, you've been here before?"
"Yes, but last time there weren't any floors."  Ahhhhhh, that explains a lot. 

Where most of the first floor that I posted about last time looked all shiny and new, the upstairs
was much more in keeping with a 90-something year old home.