tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13013304236596306352024-03-08T03:33:58.303-08:00LilliedaleWhen life hands you lemons, make a lemon meringue pie!Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.comBlogger199125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-49034005422574586112013-02-14T09:22:00.000-08:002013-02-14T09:22:00.213-08:00Rise for a Happy Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Hope you all have a happy day! Here's a little beauty I painted for a gal pal of mine! I wish you all love, a true non-harming peaceful love! Today along with the rest of the world I'm Rising!</div>
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<a href="http://onebillionrising.org/">Strike! Dance!Rise!</a></div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-27828355597893238992013-01-19T11:54:00.000-08:002013-01-19T11:54:35.947-08:00Embracing hole-ness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Making bagels for breakfast seemed like a natural choice since "Gaping Holes" seem to be the theme around here this week. The bathroom project is finally gaining momentum after 2 full days of demolition! While the bathroom decor choices may have been questionable, the installation of all those 70's fixtures was meant to last. Jess pulled no less than six million 4 inch nails out of the floors, walls and cabinets! We are almost ready to begin the tile stage and I couldn't be more excited! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzippeWWa3fTic62h5vohN2i5nCvOTYztRDqj0S5ohuHl-ecQBYnBPLtOPCvq5WS-8w4x0y61AISznCIiYW8oGyCdkQSOh2N3G2vDE6NdgfAbUHmdL8FkoAVudmVbd2iLbXFi0Z7EB08/s1600/IMG_6997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzippeWWa3fTic62h5vohN2i5nCvOTYztRDqj0S5ohuHl-ecQBYnBPLtOPCvq5WS-8w4x0y61AISznCIiYW8oGyCdkQSOh2N3G2vDE6NdgfAbUHmdL8FkoAVudmVbd2iLbXFi0Z7EB08/s640/IMG_6997.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful sunshine we are having here on the west coast! I'm enjoying mine on the deck with another cup of coffee!</center>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-69027496292990274322013-01-14T10:11:00.001-08:002013-01-14T10:12:03.789-08:00Mastering the Bath<center style="text-align: left;">
Can you guess who's gonna be showering at their neighbor's house for the next week?</center>
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Finally our long awaited master bath redo is upon us. Boxes and boxes of beautiful tile are stacked and waiting for their turn to shine! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFMefFOoRnOYf_Jn1XEvdjLEF8DZC_Y00-ZHu_aPsB7itsmaVccI443mvRQ6eHseL0Jhh_zmZy6I4Q8UwVnVwwRwE_XSD-fxrikwefoqyMDnJ3rt0SUCyA6I-6fX-0HGJlGAIZSBsXAE/s1600/IMG_6984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFMefFOoRnOYf_Jn1XEvdjLEF8DZC_Y00-ZHu_aPsB7itsmaVccI443mvRQ6eHseL0Jhh_zmZy6I4Q8UwVnVwwRwE_XSD-fxrikwefoqyMDnJ3rt0SUCyA6I-6fX-0HGJlGAIZSBsXAE/s640/IMG_6984.JPG" width="427" /></a></div>
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The dark wood is certainly a departure from my usual love of painted cabinets but for this small space it just seemed right. This is the last of the renovations for our little house and I cannot wait to see it all together.</div>
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Wish us luck!</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-28695665442622020602012-10-28T15:49:00.000-07:002012-10-28T15:51:38.918-07:00Our Enchanted T.P.<center style="text-align: left;">
Yep, that kind of t.p.</center>
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It seems my upcycling ways have rubbed off on my wee ones, because my oldest little fellow has been collecting T.P tubes from our house for months. Whenever we have guests he proudly drags out his giant bag and dazzles them with his collection. For months I have been asking him what his tubular plans were, and for months he has refused to tell me. Well as of this very morning his bag was at absolute capacity and we decided it was high time we put all those tubes to good use.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu6U3BAgZbDMyps_aNd0mgzegC0Hngx64xR6zv6rMsiVcQJJc18-d7GIw96Ylw_9OO8AQY1tV_dGDI2SjwVLUsNIsVXOrZRdLZDRVSdz1NHgdVb7HIZq_lIF0wna4-qZC451tE93tvi8/s1600/IMG_6908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzu6U3BAgZbDMyps_aNd0mgzegC0Hngx64xR6zv6rMsiVcQJJc18-d7GIw96Ylw_9OO8AQY1tV_dGDI2SjwVLUsNIsVXOrZRdLZDRVSdz1NHgdVb7HIZq_lIF0wna4-qZC451tE93tvi8/s640/IMG_6908.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It really is a great thing having kids, had I spent 6 months collecting tp tubes and then assembled them into a castle for any other reason I'd just look crazy! </div>
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the proud architect! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpk_RFqnCsZb5G-0CKmfGtISTI1RCc8zYnw1oUDm3DalZzReqyJ3Fi0WdDZjeqFzUDmJ9f3Z1wZIMdi8a7ykxrZo7RJYQoIWxzoZ_vYNWcIDCMDiA42qaMiXMyovLqAvd1taKoUXXGos/s1600/IMG_6911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpk_RFqnCsZb5G-0CKmfGtISTI1RCc8zYnw1oUDm3DalZzReqyJ3Fi0WdDZjeqFzUDmJ9f3Z1wZIMdi8a7ykxrZo7RJYQoIWxzoZ_vYNWcIDCMDiA42qaMiXMyovLqAvd1taKoUXXGos/s640/IMG_6911.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
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This well appointed abode quickly found a deserving family</div>
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And a staff of knights to protect it!</div>
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The King and Queen are enjoying settling into their new digs</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS8onPuRrEHk7lfhQe3Q9rysxa5RdG6o2B4fvQpRyWeqDmrYkyn5lDhiZ7FOXyNwPNut2p_gw3356O1PRkfFlMYjFQcrgHPhkFo4rYkyoLZDYZQOv2O8AVzL54LYqzh3pHIzQP6hKewI/s1600/IMG_6918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS8onPuRrEHk7lfhQe3Q9rysxa5RdG6o2B4fvQpRyWeqDmrYkyn5lDhiZ7FOXyNwPNut2p_gw3356O1PRkfFlMYjFQcrgHPhkFo4rYkyoLZDYZQOv2O8AVzL54LYqzh3pHIzQP6hKewI/s640/IMG_6918.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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and the royal pooch seems to be enjoying the view!</div>
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The king is planning on expanding his castle and a royal decree has been issued for more t.p. rolls!</div>
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What are you up to this sunny afternoon?</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-82384695297816354012012-10-05T08:52:00.000-07:002012-10-05T08:52:16.467-07:00Cake Mix Flare<center>
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Sometime I use cake mix. </center>
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There I said it.</center>
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As much as I do prefer a cake made completely by scratch I really feel like in the end, a good "cake mix" cake is indistinguishable form an "all scratch" cake. Yesterday, after being invited to a neighbor's house for dinner I decided to whip up a cake to share. Here's where that handy cake mix comes in. It literally took me five minutes to prep this mix and get it into the oven (well actually it's seven if you count the 2 minutes I spent whimpering after burning my leg on my oven door) but all the same under 10 minutes to get this baby in the oven!</center>
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Now I am well aware of the 10 gazillion cake recipes here on the internet but with the addition of flax and marmalade, this little beauty was just too good to not share so here we go...</center>
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The beauty of this cake is that it is so flexible, You can add as much or as little spice as you want. I almost never use the oil a cake mix calls for, instead I will use either sour cream or yogurt. Sometimes if I am in a particular rush I will just use "Pumpkin Pie spice" in lieu of using all the spices individually. making the cake a little healthier without the oil always makes me feel a little bit better about piling on the cream cheese frosting, but you could omit the frosting all together as the sliced pears at the bottom of the cake do make their own yummy glaze. Any which way you do it just do it, and enjoy this amazing treat!</div>
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For the cake:</div>
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1 box spice cake mix</div>
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1-2 fresh pears sliced (or) 1 can good quality canned pears</div>
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1 1/4 c. apple juice (or) water</div>
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1/3 c sour cream (or) greek yogurt</div>
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3 eggs</div>
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2 tbsp. marmalade </div>
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1/3 c. ground flax</div>
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1 tbsp. cinnamon</div>
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1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg</div>
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1/4 tsp allspice</div>
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1/2 tsp. ground ginger</div>
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2 tsp. Vanilla extract</div>
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For the cream cheese frosting:</div>
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1 package 1/3 less fat cream cheese</div>
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1/4 c. or half a cube of butter</div>
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powdered sugar (I don't measure but somewhere in the 1 1/2-2 c. range)</div>
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1 tsp. vanilla extract</div>
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pinch of salt</div>
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Begin by prepping your pans and turning your oven to 350 degrees. I lined two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and said to heck with greasing anything! Next I sprinkled some brown sugar and cinnamon in the parchment lined pans and arranged my sliced pears on top of the cinnamon sugar mix. </div>
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In the bowl of a stand mixer go the cake mix, spices and ground flax. I like to mix a little to get all the flax incorporated. Add the water, sour cream, vanilla and marmalade and mix it up. You may not be a marmalade fan but I happen to have 8 jars or marmalade that need to be eaten so in it went. The orange does provide a really delicate flavor but feel free to leave it out. I like to add my eggs 1 at a time after all the other wet ingredients and then mix up the whole heavenly scented batter for a minute or two. carefully pour the batter into the 2 pans and bake about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted to the middle comes out clean. I chose to make cream cheese frosting which only involves dumping all the frosting ingredients into the mixer and whipping it up, easy peasy! Allow cakes to cool completely before flipping them and peeling off the parchment because those amazing gooey pears are hot! Frost your cakes and enjoy!</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-22315472341083964532012-10-01T07:37:00.001-07:002012-10-01T07:37:29.487-07:00Paper hauntings<center style="text-align: center;">
Today is one of the best days of the year! It's October 1st!</center>
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October is my favorite month of all, and not just because it's my birthday month! This week I'll be spookifying my entire house and today I'll be making some fun paper decorations like this one. Rather than scary store-bought goods, most of our Halloween decorations are handmade by the kids and I. I love the child like whimsy of this season so naturally I like to hang up the paper ghosts and bats my kiddos make rather than more gruesome ones.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_VTNV9IPJWiJFN7iRGLdxBryh5IzHzGYLgJu2S_nxp_3QwYVQsagbiRyPHRvyK2aG9_TjkhmcStmVMY2cR5o-td3BY4iD8jWgU_CvRIP4iFn-vchWtxJFHzHdhQSJcVqbLSBCW7LdVg/s1600/banner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_VTNV9IPJWiJFN7iRGLdxBryh5IzHzGYLgJu2S_nxp_3QwYVQsagbiRyPHRvyK2aG9_TjkhmcStmVMY2cR5o-td3BY4iD8jWgU_CvRIP4iFn-vchWtxJFHzHdhQSJcVqbLSBCW7LdVg/s640/banner1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I found this forever ago on <a href="http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/wordpress/halloween-spook-banner-2/comment-page-1#comment-15395">here</a> from pinterest and have been waiting to finally make it! I am also going to add a bat, a witch, a vampire and maybe even a pirate!</div>
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What fun decorations are you planning?</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-21737572309486972182012-09-28T10:55:00.001-07:002012-09-28T10:55:55.391-07:00Adventures in Budget Renovations- Doors and more (part 2)<center style="text-align: left;">
A few days ago I showed you the first parts of us finishing up our kitchen which entailed relocating our washer and dryer, installing an on demand hot water heater on the outside of our house and adding a deck from the door to nowhere around to the existing deck. Part 2 of our seemingly never ending kitchen renovation begins with the installation of that beautiful door you see in the horrid photos below. I do apologize, but there is just no way to stage construction photos.</center>
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With that fabulous new door in we could finally turn our attention to removing the large bank of cabinets that used to live over our washer and dryer. These cabinets did offer a TON of storage but at 18" deep they stuck too far out into the already limited space, so down they came!</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsZS47YLBW-YAeahb3nO5buBbclC2c6vOoObJv4U9yh03BU3uRIgIhyeBzW_OWTBpKu6egh2Bh1qESlyW_vmBEHHruUKZp0Sl2CvvRKTq2c3l1GbytkCE6Viky8nAK97MQegAU-r_N-E/s1600/IMG_6816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsZS47YLBW-YAeahb3nO5buBbclC2c6vOoObJv4U9yh03BU3uRIgIhyeBzW_OWTBpKu6egh2Bh1qESlyW_vmBEHHruUKZp0Sl2CvvRKTq2c3l1GbytkCE6Viky8nAK97MQegAU-r_N-E/s640/IMG_6816.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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*since these were impressively sturdy cabinets we decided to re-purpose them as garage storage*</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxippJfU8CqnA6gYyNunRJxldrQGtLCsxAkgf4O8q_iNY4DheSgl6SoiNR2kwleEk0hdi34IMfyCP0_vqKtJXQyq067f6m6sRpwGSOPOZobEgxM-Q4zWHzYx5dwjN-0H19Gwg_hyphenhyphen6gRo/s1600/DSCF4107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxippJfU8CqnA6gYyNunRJxldrQGtLCsxAkgf4O8q_iNY4DheSgl6SoiNR2kwleEk0hdi34IMfyCP0_vqKtJXQyq067f6m6sRpwGSOPOZobEgxM-Q4zWHzYx5dwjN-0H19Gwg_hyphenhyphen6gRo/s640/DSCF4107.JPG" width="531" /></a></div>
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just look at all that visual space! </div>
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Once the offending cabinets (shown here on the floor waiting to be carried to their new home) had come down from the wall we began planning a shallower pantry cabinet to fill this wall. After sketching and debating for several days Jess finally set to work building my pantry, eek!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mAFWCtLtqj6L5W8Sswqf-6XJjLZWpElF727l5x5gJo30bpYl3iJA8O1OVO6keLNcXAOEhyphenhyphenOOGvkAUY3zEzLl6SbyRU1XzduH45qq0H589Psuj58UuIZFhCwugOOsE6YHydETOQjsfhE/s1600/IMG_6864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mAFWCtLtqj6L5W8Sswqf-6XJjLZWpElF727l5x5gJo30bpYl3iJA8O1OVO6keLNcXAOEhyphenhyphenOOGvkAUY3zEzLl6SbyRU1XzduH45qq0H589Psuj58UuIZFhCwugOOsE6YHydETOQjsfhE/s640/IMG_6864.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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At 7' tall and 5' wide this is a much more suitable fit for this space!</div>
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Here is the beginnings of the new pantry cabinet. In order to make the best use of the limited space we have in our kitchen we opted for a shallower floor to ceiling pantry. The new cabinet measures just 13" deep but with six shelves we are sure we will have ample storage for everything. Personally I find it is a lot easier to keep a shallow pantry tidy rather than the extra deep ones that things get lost in!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg_7bcLysLSDKyFxPQO0xmMPz2fHanz9YDNczx3QDhvz8ekvQJor73ZxpG6Zva65aQnJ0-Dkh0nkise6SwPNBXYhZ9W9QaheUYpPTWrlu_tGkMK1ACX_li09QJpKRpMJZdQuxdTMSY6s/s1600/IMG_6872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEg_7bcLysLSDKyFxPQO0xmMPz2fHanz9YDNczx3QDhvz8ekvQJor73ZxpG6Zva65aQnJ0-Dkh0nkise6SwPNBXYhZ9W9QaheUYpPTWrlu_tGkMK1ACX_li09QJpKRpMJZdQuxdTMSY6s/s640/IMG_6872.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Here is the cabinet as of this morning. Hopefully by this weekend it will be finished and then I can fill/sand/prime and paint while Jess starts on the doors. </div>
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We are off this weekend on a camping trip with my son's school, which is perfect timing since the sawdust and tools are really starting to get old!</div>
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I hope you also have a fabulous weekend!</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-24054471465560765742012-09-25T10:06:00.000-07:002012-09-25T10:06:26.846-07:00Adventures in budget renovations- doors and more (part 1)<center style="text-align: left;">
Way back in January I showed you the unsightly side of our kitchen in <a href="http://lilliedale.blogspot.com/2012/01/wash-and-wear.html">this post</a>. Back then our washer, dryer and behemoth hot water heater were all still looming large in my small kitchen. But all that was okay by me because they were blocking the door that lead to a 10 foot drop to the ground below. The door had been blocked off and useless since the previous owners of our home tore down the rotting deck it once opened on to. </center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMdRZTH2h2_RjnnZ4OeDCjvvef4aHase5Bnp9iOD0AawMJXbM2y1_wJnC9f-Ux2cQ-dm0LfnCpRXgXmOhyphenhyphenvbC8aR5vwEc45mOIX2V6tSyvg_1ZlSl3VmfVin3u4dRh0vdESLLuAcEIZw/s1600/IMG_6552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMdRZTH2h2_RjnnZ4OeDCjvvef4aHase5Bnp9iOD0AawMJXbM2y1_wJnC9f-Ux2cQ-dm0LfnCpRXgXmOhyphenhyphenvbC8aR5vwEc45mOIX2V6tSyvg_1ZlSl3VmfVin3u4dRh0vdESLLuAcEIZw/s640/IMG_6552.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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looking a little cramped, right?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cq2d7A9QVYqOhRKi5w4lZe8OdNLTvLLAwo2gGX3xN1ByhUtO4r_LUjS67mCS4mct_rmmsmT4w_CF2MQhFzVV3fTIg_7szpikbtC6wdVms_IVKR0NYWTf2wvI1bkO5rpHrtcIAZ7FflE/s1600/IMG_6556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cq2d7A9QVYqOhRKi5w4lZe8OdNLTvLLAwo2gGX3xN1ByhUtO4r_LUjS67mCS4mct_rmmsmT4w_CF2MQhFzVV3fTIg_7szpikbtC6wdVms_IVKR0NYWTf2wvI1bkO5rpHrtcIAZ7FflE/s640/IMG_6556.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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yup, that's a door back there!</div>
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Rebuilding the deck was on the top of our list since it is not only a mega hazard and an eye sore, but would keep a bank from financing our home when we sell it. Before we could even think about building the deck we had to relocate the washer and dryer to our garage. This meant running all new plumbing out to the garage, thank goodness all our plumbing is under our home and not run through the walls! While the garage may not be the most glamorous place to do laundry, it was the only real option in our tiny 1200 sf. home.</center>
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After those monsters were removed we installed our *new* fancy on demand hot water heater. You may remember that in January's post I spoke about how we had gotten a "gently used" on demand hot water heater...well long story short we got it installed and that darn "gently used" water heater was a lemon. After shelling out several hundreds of dollars more for a brand spanking new one I made the hubby swear to not make anymore large purchases off craigslist! After I finally quit fuming over our water heater folly it was time to get to work connecting the door to nowhere to the rest of our beautiful redwood deck.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBc-dvewlbiEqlmiS7foQfeGyVEBSZ3nw_-E49lcthwzBY68tSqicA_Ra0dIzbva8bDNH9HENQlsaEz2eb28k37AofXIbakzDS5OAhu0gkeTqH1vsmM41ZarFC6jo88BBYdHfmJWPi58g/s1600/IMG_6714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Tp-97xe6E2rsj5yJ0fjP8egtn3udZ__pMuL7qD9h7z42iBPmGYhXwqa6Agl1R8JxxXwJuQ3YGUfVRUO6iAOqIhucI2E9CcbIwGH0wTB0PfNV92FvIH39g0xoIOdCX0YAfZndFCn2eQ/s1600/IMG_6718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_Tp-97xe6E2rsj5yJ0fjP8egtn3udZ__pMuL7qD9h7z42iBPmGYhXwqa6Agl1R8JxxXwJuQ3YGUfVRUO6iAOqIhucI2E9CcbIwGH0wTB0PfNV92FvIH39g0xoIOdCX0YAfZndFCn2eQ/s640/IMG_6718.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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Here is the outside of the soon-to-be door to somewhere</div>
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(don't worry this doug fir lumber was slathered with that nasty green weather proofing/bug proofing stuff before we added the decking)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNc9k783DqVB-eZcepG_bT-Re1MY4gC_2xo_q_32tb9t2oBWDAfYM7ru8YAVfrJGH2F4W19fNuF1vyS3J6kxwB-bbzHX0_z0q-1Dt4eT5GLpgUkTf_qGtLnNnDPsW9KY7Mc6geEBqoDW0/s1600/IMG_6714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNc9k783DqVB-eZcepG_bT-Re1MY4gC_2xo_q_32tb9t2oBWDAfYM7ru8YAVfrJGH2F4W19fNuF1vyS3J6kxwB-bbzHX0_z0q-1Dt4eT5GLpgUkTf_qGtLnNnDPsW9KY7Mc6geEBqoDW0/s640/IMG_6714.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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all built by this handsome man!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKUtVJ-dP4TX58nltZkNxVw4kP5Q0EhA4khGcRcRNk-p_-eZf8uMBdP_lgEE3HM4e5xZS_H48GJCZuSLyN293v5yvj5DnGo0tvNQ9UolI43QRb-YOD07QslDIRP20w5OUcfyueAn2NvI/s1600/IMG_6871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKUtVJ-dP4TX58nltZkNxVw4kP5Q0EhA4khGcRcRNk-p_-eZf8uMBdP_lgEE3HM4e5xZS_H48GJCZuSLyN293v5yvj5DnGo0tvNQ9UolI43QRb-YOD07QslDIRP20w5OUcfyueAn2NvI/s640/IMG_6871.JPG" width="390" /></a></div>
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here is a messy but finished view from the old deck to the new, if you look between the grey storage box and the blue ice chest (classy, right?) you can see where the darker, older stained wood stops and the lighter newer wood begins. </div>
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we actually only had to add about 12 feet of deck to tie it into the existing deck but since it is quite a ways up in the air it took several summer afternoons and weekends to get it all finished. Jess has, of course, done 97% of the work on this project, leaving me just the painting and sanding and such. Having to learn as we go has been hard but it is really amazing to see how far our construction skills have come since we started! </div>
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Tomorrow I'll be back with the second part of this huge project. This week has been crazy busy and the never ending construction in our kitchen has of course left our house upside down! Currently the entire contents of our pantry cabinets are on our kitchen table, and our kitchen counters are covered with drills, levels, screws and plaster dust! We are almost there, and someday soon I'll be able to say that I have a FINISHED kitchen!</div>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-84131025132470013412012-09-13T10:15:00.000-07:002012-09-13T21:36:55.657-07:00I {heart} Funky Furniture<center>
There are ups and downs to living in a college town. For instance, Craigslist is always picked over which means getting your hands on a real craigslist treasure is hard to do without paying well over the list price. Also, the furniture section is a constantly rotating selection of saggy threadbare sofas and particle board desks. But there are up's too...Sometimes you are able to score an amazing piece of cabinetry that is not only nearly free but also holds some of our college town's history.</center>
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Behold...</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabLAebS312RN-PJJRNeKD5J1CjKort8dy-C83W80eHzzK6padkCTJvQf9dmMMo6R1JyrRQzIrcEcHhABMtpi95iEhaLYJwvXachNRiSiqY4GGM4hPf6eD_TLfYtDNYYlKGHkCyzDyCQY/s1600/IMG_6412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabLAebS312RN-PJJRNeKD5J1CjKort8dy-C83W80eHzzK6padkCTJvQf9dmMMo6R1JyrRQzIrcEcHhABMtpi95iEhaLYJwvXachNRiSiqY4GGM4hPf6eD_TLfYtDNYYlKGHkCyzDyCQY/s640/IMG_6412.JPG" width="502" /></a></div>
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Complete with high gloss hunter green paint, a suspicious smelling drawer and 11 unmatched antique glass knobs...stunning isn't she!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3Sj9hgqXrjLFeV1VSu4-vShYD_KiGfYZJUxIAzAMjwDrSMh0JC4lsuqwqiTDm3IUbSnQR64Obh5rGSeNy5IeEtBHaCIH3vf5cbi7nONq2m7sG8fNEYsN9Nt5W__3GMrFGrDi7slZ7oY/s1600/IMG_6413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3Sj9hgqXrjLFeV1VSu4-vShYD_KiGfYZJUxIAzAMjwDrSMh0JC4lsuqwqiTDm3IUbSnQR64Obh5rGSeNy5IeEtBHaCIH3vf5cbi7nONq2m7sG8fNEYsN9Nt5W__3GMrFGrDi7slZ7oY/s640/IMG_6413.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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As soon as I saw the blurry photo of her on Craigslist I called my husband and told him it had to be mine, and he <i>had</i> to pick it up on his way home from work. The gal he got it from said it had been in her family for a long time but she had no idea where it came from.</center>
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Once it was home I started cleaning and cleaning and cleaning that's when I discovered the little brass plaque on the side that said 'Cal Humboldt' with an inventory #. This bedraggled beauty had been a part of a college laboratory, and I even remembered seeing something similar in one of the geology labs. Judging by the construction I think it is from the late 20's or early 30's. The unmatched glass knobs and streaky green color had been added later by the mother of the woman we purchased it from.</center>
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Out came my old fashion Milk Paint in Snow White and I set to work with a vision </center>
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(one my hubby had trouble seeing!)</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1sI8hma4LlDKw25WwEid2s0YwTu3QxAAAl2R6ABd_kwV-A9pPYgZWhNitGy1Ge5f3B_gZUShB605nrACwDl5Xmgvz8vo2n6khqKrxQR8nBePTHlbBH3XZVtQ61c17PXCvi0y0R5BjXw/s1600/IMG_6828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1sI8hma4LlDKw25WwEid2s0YwTu3QxAAAl2R6ABd_kwV-A9pPYgZWhNitGy1Ge5f3B_gZUShB605nrACwDl5Xmgvz8vo2n6khqKrxQR8nBePTHlbBH3XZVtQ61c17PXCvi0y0R5BjXw/s640/IMG_6828.JPG" width="436" /></a></div>
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As many of you know milk paint does not require primer, but I did lightly sand this high gloss piece and then wipe it down with TSP substitute. I painted 3 thin coats of milk paint sanding lightly between each coat, as I wanted to build up the paint for a more durable finish. After painting, sanding and distressing I waxed the piece with an old T shirt and Trewax furniture wax.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1KY7mxsZ9D-YczVD7Y_ZEqnnI3m1Fw2NLU9vH62QeaatgdlGu8NrxRnwavZblKfMednDRid0lE0pL-BMMpf4GivMdABtshKvAA-c4RQNEwQ4KhaXHMV8fh1yW6sBTQptaMHJN4DECpI/s1600/IMG_6833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1KY7mxsZ9D-YczVD7Y_ZEqnnI3m1Fw2NLU9vH62QeaatgdlGu8NrxRnwavZblKfMednDRid0lE0pL-BMMpf4GivMdABtshKvAA-c4RQNEwQ4KhaXHMV8fh1yW6sBTQptaMHJN4DECpI/s640/IMG_6833.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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For the hardware I chose to re-use most of the beautiful antique glass knobs, but for the top 3 drawers I used some antique chrome bin pulls my mother in law gave me a few years back. I love the way the chrome bin pulls remind me of it's collegiate past while the sparkly glass knobs add a little pop of contrast.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuVoE2sN12X-0JWjoyVhLe06-al1m3d-FgPdEo9AtJGRjN5vsLrqlI1TPQFJzdSMpU4g9zZHlwdrH9ecZMo7mMAe8sqnJuY-dbfIT4m-PI_Yfkb6TrTwsboAtYwdDDQ4DixaKOYKCaUQ/s1600/IMG_6830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuVoE2sN12X-0JWjoyVhLe06-al1m3d-FgPdEo9AtJGRjN5vsLrqlI1TPQFJzdSMpU4g9zZHlwdrH9ecZMo7mMAe8sqnJuY-dbfIT4m-PI_Yfkb6TrTwsboAtYwdDDQ4DixaKOYKCaUQ/s640/IMG_6830.JPG" width="454" /></a></div>
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I love the way the piece looks weathered and funky without looking too contrived. The former green color peeks through the white paint in just enough places and the soft focus quality of the milk paint really add a much needed texture to my living room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE_da-rdUohiywmPp-y2uIDuWAndhZnZRs-FZSrFk2iyqMTF5rIVxcx3NUvIjW1V1b6TWQ9fEztn6FwSTQff3aI0qBrhrl8_Wy93vPuzDrADRE1ODt6uaecPOqrM5c91JaJOsoJ7tNrM/s1600/IMG_6834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE_da-rdUohiywmPp-y2uIDuWAndhZnZRs-FZSrFk2iyqMTF5rIVxcx3NUvIjW1V1b6TWQ9fEztn6FwSTQff3aI0qBrhrl8_Wy93vPuzDrADRE1ODt6uaecPOqrM5c91JaJOsoJ7tNrM/s640/IMG_6834.JPG" width="368" /></a></div>
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I get such a kick telling people that my husband and I share an alma mater with this chest, and since we do not display diplomas around here it's a great reminder of the the musty classrooms and labs we spent years in!</div>
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Sharing at:</center>
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Furniture Feature Friday</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" /></a>& rollerskates!</center>
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Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-5112452209500513252012-09-12T09:01:00.000-07:002012-09-12T09:02:30.643-07:00Going Crackers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWA1iC0vTVlDV7myYKtOUUl14Y_CAxRdIK8Wy94Ugka1WFTXHflItpRrJHSvEwozX-wxL6UHdLpZFo-fCjLAAQxZR9SvPTxHfFyXC5h0w2MgwFTuew8N2ZPUqBe68Or6dfRZkWu-pWbA/s1600/IMG_6821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWA1iC0vTVlDV7myYKtOUUl14Y_CAxRdIK8Wy94Ugka1WFTXHflItpRrJHSvEwozX-wxL6UHdLpZFo-fCjLAAQxZR9SvPTxHfFyXC5h0w2MgwFTuew8N2ZPUqBe68Or6dfRZkWu-pWbA/s640/IMG_6821.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The last time I was at the store putting a pack of $5 flat bread crackers into my basket I thought to my self, "Self, you know you could make a whole pile of these tasty flatbread crackers for next to nothing!" </center>
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So with a sigh I put my delicious albeit spendy crackers back on the shelf and swore to not buy them again until I at least tried to make them at home. </center>
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A quick pinterest search turned up a whole lotta cracker recipes but nothing that was really jumping out at me, so as usual I decided to wing it! The first 2 rounds through the oven were too thick and ended up with more of a wheat thin texture despite the fact that I had rolled them to less than an 1/8th of an inch with my rolling pin. With very sore arms (that dough is really tough to roll out!) I turned to my faithful old Atlas Pasta roller and cranked out the rest of the dough on the #6 setting. The resulting cracker was perfectly thin, crispy and my my arms were saved! If you do not have a pasta roller you'll just need a bit more elbow grease to get them to that deliciously thin texture.</center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hl2iYnhyphenhyphenoGKpgkcPdbcnwABYtHtbL2qRP5GVC-z7Qug-irSVbhdkYJ5MWoxXxIF_0zVLkaBIL2OEjZ37C_CX3XAe4Y6U37FyoTdjKZ6xXbPbdRm_S36BssQ-PeD6QxmjkIwy0z8pWvI/s1600/IMG_6822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hl2iYnhyphenhyphenoGKpgkcPdbcnwABYtHtbL2qRP5GVC-z7Qug-irSVbhdkYJ5MWoxXxIF_0zVLkaBIL2OEjZ37C_CX3XAe4Y6U37FyoTdjKZ6xXbPbdRm_S36BssQ-PeD6QxmjkIwy0z8pWvI/s640/IMG_6822.JPG" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Rosemary, Sea salt and Flax Crackers</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For crackers:</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2 3/4 c. unbleached flour </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1/4 c. ground flax seeds</span></span></center>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. salt</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">4 tbsp olive oil</span></center>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2-3/4 c. water</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">for topping:</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary finely chopped</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1/4 c. sea salt</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Preheat oven to 450 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mix flour, flax meal, salt & pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once combined add water and olive oil and mix until dough just stays together. You can do this by hand without a mixer but since the dough is so dry it takes a while.</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Separate dough into several small balls and roll out either by hand or with pasta bike until desired thickness is reached. Transfer the thin dough sheets to parchment lined cookie sheets and spray lightly with olive oil spray or other cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped rosemary and salt over the top of the crackers and use either a pizza cutter, pasta cutter or just plain old knife to slice into what ever cracker shape strikes your fancy. Bake for approx 10 minutes or until they are brown around the edges. Allow the crackers to cool and enjoy! The delicate little things store best in a zip top bag or something to keep them from going stale.</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">These tasty snacks can be made in any combination of flavors, next time I'm thinking black pepper & lavender or sun-dried tomato & basil! These go great with a glass of wine and a bit of cheese and some spicy salami or just straight outta the bag while the kids are napping!</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Fancy Crackers!</span></center>
Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-59212985045006003202012-09-11T09:47:00.002-07:002012-09-11T09:47:27.245-07:00The beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElkHUieFXLFA2Gi7rlkYZGMA_UtbswK0jAEC22H9zVmHxF6_-DFNxofeIlUZFsFUQO_XQBkP8wfubTJSd0q4NxESFiE0oX5wEKZ5jOdIJgJ24A8bzJHu6fXVI26vAWAOmKelwKGquID4/s1600/IMG_6812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElkHUieFXLFA2Gi7rlkYZGMA_UtbswK0jAEC22H9zVmHxF6_-DFNxofeIlUZFsFUQO_XQBkP8wfubTJSd0q4NxESFiE0oX5wEKZ5jOdIJgJ24A8bzJHu6fXVI26vAWAOmKelwKGquID4/s640/IMG_6812.JPG" width="515" /></a></div>
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Even thought there is so much pain and sorrow in this world it is important to remember that there is also beauty and hope.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTtMDnXD8Xi34_Hgou_Ih4D3Kq9uS1hY_MoNBRyyhyphenhyphenJaVlEM-PIgoK-gt2SEWO_rfbiAO-dT650K9Y9y_xpyVO_VSg-4TQPckyPGfeTJPfVtn9AbMHIOPUSaAKaUn-LPM2NExSRJ4Kac/s1600/IMG_6813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTtMDnXD8Xi34_Hgou_Ih4D3Kq9uS1hY_MoNBRyyhyphenhyphenJaVlEM-PIgoK-gt2SEWO_rfbiAO-dT650K9Y9y_xpyVO_VSg-4TQPckyPGfeTJPfVtn9AbMHIOPUSaAKaUn-LPM2NExSRJ4Kac/s640/IMG_6813.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A few years back I decided that I would memorialize this day by taking every opportunity to show love and kindness to all I encounter in this world. Allow your heart to soften, even if just for one day be more patient and kind in your daily routine.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD03eZu46N-mzmxkkNcLdN5dLOdihPNZXA1rg9ntof-zcYN9fsL-5j03q9rSenMFPblLWgy9Aw6y0BL79Rl-5L71eCUQRTDMwQdGCFCQeJMOKSatUPVt9tYXy404GQcy8mY2Lx5WD6Ris/s1600/IMG_6814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD03eZu46N-mzmxkkNcLdN5dLOdihPNZXA1rg9ntof-zcYN9fsL-5j03q9rSenMFPblLWgy9Aw6y0BL79Rl-5L71eCUQRTDMwQdGCFCQeJMOKSatUPVt9tYXy404GQcy8mY2Lx5WD6Ris/s640/IMG_6814.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
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Lastly, today my thoughts will be with my brother, his wife, their children and the rest of the family today as they try to make sense of the sudden loss of her father last night. Beginning to understand loss is always difficult but even harder when there is children involved. My heart breaks for them...</div>
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My love to you all</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& kindness, today and always</center>
Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-28642652586786477792012-04-23T08:56:00.000-07:002012-04-23T08:56:48.930-07:00Building a Bean Fort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNKkDIsLEz1hX66RQVTtLHo2yBjpAeML5XnODzQSllwK0kf8qZI8yH1fmQYQQLfNJdOq7CryGMF35GHHy3NDxVtW0KHK8lmuW37j8_rLF1iR7GuNXzaXEj7TorFOEXgNwECAzLhZ6qks/s1600/teepee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNKkDIsLEz1hX66RQVTtLHo2yBjpAeML5XnODzQSllwK0kf8qZI8yH1fmQYQQLfNJdOq7CryGMF35GHHy3NDxVtW0KHK8lmuW37j8_rLF1iR7GuNXzaXEj7TorFOEXgNwECAzLhZ6qks/s400/teepee.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">via pinterest</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you seen all of the adorable bean tee-pees on pinterest lately? As soon as I saw this I knew I would just have to come up with something for my own little gardeners to play in during the warmer months. This perfect combination of whimsy and organic gardening, I set to work figuring out just how we could fit our very own bean hut in our small back yard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Because of our soggy North West climate we decided to use a sturdy oak pallet for the floor of our hut. We also decided to plant the beans in pots rather than directly in the ground. This will be handy at the end of the season since we can just disassemble the entire thing and store the pots until the next growing season. Also, in pots the plants will get warmer, and hopefully have more growth in our very cool climate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">A Bean Hut for the Kiddos</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7VOnQvXzUmi_ef04QNOaHJ8HzZ_VHgkMRa6oRi7lfJuV9G-gZekvXjHJ6nc-lz_lDOl379m1k9ytIaA_-grkMyGPzfsxBIlgRvToXOndmnF8S1cq4ra_TEUc8dxUjAKvqjHFtYM1UgU/s1600/IMG_6652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7VOnQvXzUmi_ef04QNOaHJ8HzZ_VHgkMRa6oRi7lfJuV9G-gZekvXjHJ6nc-lz_lDOl379m1k9ytIaA_-grkMyGPzfsxBIlgRvToXOndmnF8S1cq4ra_TEUc8dxUjAKvqjHFtYM1UgU/s640/IMG_6652.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rather than build a round tee-pee we opted to build a rectangular hut around the shape of the pallet. We are hoping this will make the interior of the fort bigger (so more monkeys can fit inside) without damaging the bean plants or taking up too much of the lawn. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> With our location chosen we gathered our supplies- a pallet, 6 bamboo poles, twine, (4) 2 gallon pots, and 2 packs of seeds. We decided to plant both sugar snap peas and pole beans since we would have ample growing space for each.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHxhM9JGsumRBRcrSPzJswd2TXYOm5vVnxn68IgqD0g94O6OAAFtVfLeV5vgrgfgvmQQUCs-P-Pjj2ELZtfvPDOPf1CfTCrUpXxa9W6yHGyAfYWIGNeq5yKfkXUsHYH1Zc-dqt_D5T70/s1600/IMG_6654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHxhM9JGsumRBRcrSPzJswd2TXYOm5vVnxn68IgqD0g94O6OAAFtVfLeV5vgrgfgvmQQUCs-P-Pjj2ELZtfvPDOPf1CfTCrUpXxa9W6yHGyAfYWIGNeq5yKfkXUsHYH1Zc-dqt_D5T70/s640/IMG_6654.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First we leveled the pallet and made sure it was snug. The we leveled the ground under the pots to assure the finished hut would be sturdier and able to handle the kiddos knocking it around a little.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbOUy_HLJjlrTFEF5AhvSX85OuTkJrTggqsiAZKFXbUKK8R5v_oiQ98dZhEyTTxJagekAKlXqnowMI2LaDXx0gD7myZlGqI4PcywNxOW9zw3ecWa1y5f0_kEbL06QedrpT1ymtMb6D7U/s1600/IMG_6655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbOUy_HLJjlrTFEF5AhvSX85OuTkJrTggqsiAZKFXbUKK8R5v_oiQ98dZhEyTTxJagekAKlXqnowMI2LaDXx0gD7myZlGqI4PcywNxOW9zw3ecWa1y5f0_kEbL06QedrpT1ymtMb6D7U/s640/IMG_6655.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The best part about this project is that the little ones can help with every step. Here is my little helper mixing my soil and planting the seeds with me.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddyAI4YMpaZuH8qI6GUXcNMm6CoOc8GeQthDnMTgqXC4rG27Hsz8cXYeRLNayM4UebehWpuS5_SCmA6l40qNhmajsVrAa4TFw_iOMx_IHI4AWoJ6lE-HYzBgsW9-iooJdoahUYWZcO2I/s1600/IMG_6658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddyAI4YMpaZuH8qI6GUXcNMm6CoOc8GeQthDnMTgqXC4rG27Hsz8cXYeRLNayM4UebehWpuS5_SCmA6l40qNhmajsVrAa4TFw_iOMx_IHI4AWoJ6lE-HYzBgsW9-iooJdoahUYWZcO2I/s640/IMG_6658.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">While Masie and I played in the dirt, Jess and Orion added the bamboo poles to the pots and lashed them together with twine. The boys also strung twine between the poles for the vines to climb up. we even got got some instant gratification by planting the little bean plant my son had been growing at school.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh7b07kuviV_LosWjCrxxgjd7QV7tl0ExPZFi9dqZotxuYA9ZnQM-6Ln-E9-l0fXwfzdw8j-O0PwK66_0IA5ODDvJXNnWTz0lTrbXeJ8UvuRSkSMtfEwPSSmAd5hoLJlZPGbWZ-CRELg/s1600/IMG_6662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizh7b07kuviV_LosWjCrxxgjd7QV7tl0ExPZFi9dqZotxuYA9ZnQM-6Ln-E9-l0fXwfzdw8j-O0PwK66_0IA5ODDvJXNnWTz0lTrbXeJ8UvuRSkSMtfEwPSSmAd5hoLJlZPGbWZ-CRELg/s640/IMG_6662.JPG" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Be sure to tie your new little sprouts to the bamboo pole to show them where to climb then sit back and watch them go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I cannot wait for the boys to enjoy their hard work. I can just see them now playing in their hut and snacking on fresh beans in the summer sun. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What gardening fun have you been up to?</div><br />
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</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& peas</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-4051387773870197562012-03-12T10:18:00.001-07:002012-03-12T10:19:31.397-07:00Spring Fever?<center>What a blustery day it is here! Nothing but rain, rain, rain in the forecast (and that's the 10 day forecast!) The kind of day where there's nothing much to do besides bake my <a href="http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2010/2/26/amazing-artisan-bread-for-40-cents-a-loaf-no-kneading-no-fus.html">favorite bread</a>, snuggle, and think about all homegrown produce we'll enjoy in the warmer months to come.</center><center>So today, rather than actually working in my yard, I'll just be daydreaming about it.</center><center>You know by searching through all those impossibly beautiful gardens on houzz and pinterest!</center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VyeE1oRWRhDqn9Ij4ptW3bAWi-PI4L_CtZ0N8gnmmQcQMGj3d8GcgVS5s51aPJiGn5amMGlyyi823DhP6eqHLT4Z9ciF0N6uN5KfZrio-lhqh67aWy_5xV1X_Xs9ZT7l8S0d7TXMJSU/s1600/IMG_6635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VyeE1oRWRhDqn9Ij4ptW3bAWi-PI4L_CtZ0N8gnmmQcQMGj3d8GcgVS5s51aPJiGn5amMGlyyi823DhP6eqHLT4Z9ciF0N6uN5KfZrio-lhqh67aWy_5xV1X_Xs9ZT7l8S0d7TXMJSU/s640/IMG_6635.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<center>I'm hoping to at least get my radishes, spinach and lettuce in this week so we can start enjoying fresh salads asap!</center><center><br />
</center><center>Last week when I went out to weed my little raised beds I was surprised with these little 2nd generation goodies. My yummy lettuce mix that I inadvertently let go to seed has come back to feed our family for another year.</center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnvzDXNWObEGsC0NwbntJqbZoR6c3mX_muECfWjAQimO67_tmvRAI7LxPfjF3zKi9K-IJzdoanHDv4l8C7jAltm5o3YLX95BFtIfikDtnz9Aok3PQmw0F0S-XHPM720EmvcJP-i-Ve6s/s1600/IMG_6638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDnvzDXNWObEGsC0NwbntJqbZoR6c3mX_muECfWjAQimO67_tmvRAI7LxPfjF3zKi9K-IJzdoanHDv4l8C7jAltm5o3YLX95BFtIfikDtnz9Aok3PQmw0F0S-XHPM720EmvcJP-i-Ve6s/s640/IMG_6638.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<center>Hooray for non GMO seeds that re-seed themselves, yet another reason to buy organic!</center><center><br />
</center><center>I also picked up a bunch of beautiful Hosta bulbs I'm hoping to get in the ground soon. Hostas are just maybe my favorite plant ever. Did you know that I even had hostas in my wedding bouquet?</center><center><br />
</center><center>Anyhoo, I hope you are all enjoying nicer weather than we are. We've been on a medical roller coaster this past few weeks with Masie knocking his front teeth loose (3 is a little soon to lose your front chompers) and me having a new and uncharted health issues. We've been to so many appointments/labs I've scarcely had time to do anything else. I'm hoping that soon that annual spring fever bug will finally get me and I'll get going on the loads of projects we've been scheming!</center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Fresh baked bread!</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-59617674132355111562012-03-02T10:39:00.000-08:002012-03-02T10:39:48.677-08:00I {heart} Paper<center style="text-align: left;">A few weeks ago I gave you a little peek and my newest art obsession, and since then I have begun to create a whole paper world for myself. Honestly I'm not sure how it took me so long to get here. It's really pretty perfect for me, and here's why:</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: center;">1. I'm working on an unbelievably tiny scale, I love tiny! I think that's the same reason I was drawn to jewelry.</center><center style="text-align: center;">2. Unlike jewelry fabrication, this is nearly free! Paper is so cheap and I currently have a ridiculous back stock of pretty papers to play with.</center><center style="text-align: center;">3. It's tedious, quiet, takes a lot of planning, and uses mostly recycled elements. check ,check,check and check! I love 'em all!</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><center>Besides the hunch back I'm developing from hunkering over my work table for hours on end I couldn't be happier with my new found love, and I got a few really exciting projects in the works. </center><center><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tuTdtlH-UjQCmM3cf_kUaVOHHAzt0iN5BGbGUbX-Ux6Swts4gvzAtRUEMQ0S6JdBArcOz_HmWaQKtPvSFJ5Y0nwRmQGtWQJ8LRG8LDlI4upMzL4QsiSLSgqj_6KTT_Rwu_CT5j7wJqU/s1600/IMG_6631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tuTdtlH-UjQCmM3cf_kUaVOHHAzt0iN5BGbGUbX-Ux6Swts4gvzAtRUEMQ0S6JdBArcOz_HmWaQKtPvSFJ5Y0nwRmQGtWQJ8LRG8LDlI4upMzL4QsiSLSgqj_6KTT_Rwu_CT5j7wJqU/s640/IMG_6631.JPG" width="458" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the anniversary gift I made for Jess, It's a line from one of my favorite Sublime songs. I just love how bright and colorful it is, and I can't wait to hang it in our room next to our other cheesy lovey art. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ss5WQaXjOYuTU5LOQs-NXGD52SlEfpcBjkyDoPM4p7GzEaEO_COiBZzXSScnUYlN8Z49bj7tCarV3yHCrl6nyZ1nk9pYv_fWn_L-tDREJJYANp_A07njdtT8Qy4vn_9HDX1SHCG-PVk/s1600/IMG_6630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Ss5WQaXjOYuTU5LOQs-NXGD52SlEfpcBjkyDoPM4p7GzEaEO_COiBZzXSScnUYlN8Z49bj7tCarV3yHCrl6nyZ1nk9pYv_fWn_L-tDREJJYANp_A07njdtT8Qy4vn_9HDX1SHCG-PVk/s640/IMG_6630.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A tiny book page stage awaiting it's cast, which are still in pieces all over my desk</div><center><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QxfDULzI7LSWnDBz87tDpskR8mrPDFHbpOHF7in0xXFV7HF31Haf4WZ5QtIJRYRFENpdLl4TxCeEzG4xH1vN3T9u6Mf_KzMHxf8Xf1ECTvoVaSisjs8vRFH4_QmFmu3OY-N6O8oNdnk/s1600/IMG_6627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5QxfDULzI7LSWnDBz87tDpskR8mrPDFHbpOHF7in0xXFV7HF31Haf4WZ5QtIJRYRFENpdLl4TxCeEzG4xH1vN3T9u6Mf_KzMHxf8Xf1ECTvoVaSisjs8vRFH4_QmFmu3OY-N6O8oNdnk/s640/IMG_6627.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and most recently, two familiar, albeit still faceless little biscuits and one tiny pair of magic toilet paper tube binoculars!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you all enjoy your weekend! If you are celebrating Dr.Seuss' birthday, I hope you get to enjoy your green eggs and ham or roast beast, or who pudding or at least a good book! We'll be reading <i>Mcelligot's Pool</i>!</div><br />
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Paper loveLilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-79102900605480642802012-02-20T09:13:00.000-08:002012-02-20T09:13:43.308-08:00Chocolate soup for two<center style="text-align: left;">A few months ago I announced to Jess that for our anniversary we would be having chocolate soup. Now if you think for one second that in this home dessert proclamations are not made months in advance, and then eagerly anticipated you'd be wrong, terribly wrong. There are a lot of great recipes out there that call for all sorts of thickening agents such as flour, corn starch or egg yolks but for ours I wanted a simple cream and chocolate mixture. I decided to use flour since I did not want to bother tempering eggs and I was out of corn starch. Feel free to adjust it to your specific needs, or even omit the thickener all together. The result something more than hot chocolate but less than pudding and entirely decadent to the last spoonful. That being said, I'd like to warn you that it probably has about a gazillion calories in it, but you'll savor every last one of them!</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2E0UsgsKkkl9hBXsp1NzTnW8FMH7WuQZdmIqjupbfJhR7GaXibLb2m7wu1kf8qlwu2bQwGtRIBzKilPan1RtzYpGen7kfFCq9wbI0foi2o96k-bLNyCtWMVshaqCCPAon9PRJtV0O54/s1600/IMG_6606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2E0UsgsKkkl9hBXsp1NzTnW8FMH7WuQZdmIqjupbfJhR7GaXibLb2m7wu1kf8qlwu2bQwGtRIBzKilPan1RtzYpGen7kfFCq9wbI0foi2o96k-bLNyCtWMVshaqCCPAon9PRJtV0O54/s640/IMG_6606.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</center><center style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><u>Chocolate soup for two</u></span></center><center style="text-align: center;">4-5 oz. of good quality chocolate bars of your choice chopped ( I chose a 70% dark and a milk)</center><center style="text-align: center;">1/2 c. heavy cream</center><center style="text-align: center;">1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk</center><center style="text-align: center;">1 1/2c. milk</center><center style="text-align: center;">1/4 vanilla bean split</center><center style="text-align: center;">pinch of salt</center><center style="text-align: center;">2 tsp. flour or corn starch(optional for thickening)</center><center style="text-align: center;">10-20 hazelnuts cracked and toasted for topping</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: center;">for the hazelnut whipped cream:</center><center style="text-align: center;">3/4 c. very cold heavy whipping cream</center><center style="text-align: center;">1 tbsp. powdered sugar</center><center style="text-align: center;">1/2 tsp. pure hazelnut extract</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: center;">In a heavy bottomed sauce pan combine milk, cream, sweet con milk and vanilla bean split with seeds scraped and added to the milk. Heat over medium flame just until it begins to bubble around the edges (not boiling) Turn off heat, cover and allow to steep for 10-15 min.</center><center style="text-align: center;">While the cream mixture is steeping mix up the hazelnut cream by whipping heavy cream and powdered sugar on high. Just as mixture starts to thicken add hazelnut extract and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. (I prefer to over whip my whipped cream for a stiffer texture). Place whipped cream into the fridge until ready to use.</center><center style="text-align: center;">Once the cream mixture has steeped return it to medium-high heat, add flour and stir constantly until it is very hot but not boiling and thicker in texture. turn off heat and add chopped chocolate and stir until well combined.</center><center style="text-align: center;">Pour into bowls, top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted hazelnut and grated chocolate.</center><center style="text-align: center;">Enjoy!</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmBJpKvezsPdZTNfwQ7yiQS8Gi5yTHWhpINGTqflSaTge3k4eqpqHdsGT7wV9J5WUho2l-VEkxCFeP_KZCXNGQJtN4boRbCKh-LP3rg5LyjAlMquMhqbFQPb9KK9k-yy3tscd1qxJIIM/s1600/IMG_6610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmBJpKvezsPdZTNfwQ7yiQS8Gi5yTHWhpINGTqflSaTge3k4eqpqHdsGT7wV9J5WUho2l-VEkxCFeP_KZCXNGQJtN4boRbCKh-LP3rg5LyjAlMquMhqbFQPb9KK9k-yy3tscd1qxJIIM/s640/IMG_6610.JPG" width="420" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are so many variations here. you could add any kind of chopped dried fruit, or nuts or coffee or even a little of your favorite liquor. Maybe the best part of this recipe is that you can freeze any leftovers in ice cube trays and blend the chocolatey cubes with a little milk to make the best milk shake ever! The options are dizzying, I'm out of control, I know!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><center style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">& velvety chocolate soup</span></center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-78187752320974858032012-02-14T09:01:00.000-08:002012-02-14T10:05:17.478-08:00I wish you love<center style="text-align: left;">Romantically speaking I could care less about Valentine's Day, but when it comes to the kiddos it's a whole different story. As a child it was one of my favorites with all the hand made paper doodads and candy. I mean really those are <i>still</i> 2 of my favorite things! </center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-t1_2A9X5moeSNkqsaViQzz_1ucpbRedDoSGXbVFi0a0vOazVJ5v-bzd0zSfHeItv40WNq9PBtJYep_nBn2c0LjkiQsra3jyO4sGkAUUlR44keTJRi95cpnflVVQnIM7bClcZqo2a5o/s1600/IMG_6591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-t1_2A9X5moeSNkqsaViQzz_1ucpbRedDoSGXbVFi0a0vOazVJ5v-bzd0zSfHeItv40WNq9PBtJYep_nBn2c0LjkiQsra3jyO4sGkAUUlR44keTJRi95cpnflVVQnIM7bClcZqo2a5o/s640/IMG_6591.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><br />
<center style="text-align: center;">This year my wee men and I made cookie pops to pass out at school. The perfect little treat for kiddos, this valentine is a little more work than just taping prepackaged candy to a card but I think it's a whole lot cuter too!</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRfUjy6pUYh2OIQrl4bumGOfTgm9b0Zd0jDO76gZ7iqYlsR4QfEAiQZAPCt2DhJDnyTEXlSCf_p9BlEsDGFhMlPjq6AYQAj6H06VZ3zTxurIEkmWNM5vkr5_e1zp5gNnn-FFUIPnMDq8/s1600/IMG_6580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRfUjy6pUYh2OIQrl4bumGOfTgm9b0Zd0jDO76gZ7iqYlsR4QfEAiQZAPCt2DhJDnyTEXlSCf_p9BlEsDGFhMlPjq6AYQAj6H06VZ3zTxurIEkmWNM5vkr5_e1zp5gNnn-FFUIPnMDq8/s640/IMG_6580.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">all you need is some sandwich cookies, white chocolate, lollipop sticks and some red food coloring or sprinkles!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Never, ever, before have I said this, but please buy real Oreos! I bought the Newman's organic cookies, and those delicate little boogers crumbled in my hands as I tried to put the sticks in them.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2bkUZHOliy_OGHx-_Ums4GB797LFwJEVgXBOzTKKHilqyfzHkRh2gMxCjpP3HHrvdGRYJEqkGr5g7_fB8rmmDvX0c31mBcU84V5Bf3dzOdcNzrWsmpn6sFcbC7NxOsvs9aXuKSJ5HHw/s1600/IMG_6583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2bkUZHOliy_OGHx-_Ums4GB797LFwJEVgXBOzTKKHilqyfzHkRh2gMxCjpP3HHrvdGRYJEqkGr5g7_fB8rmmDvX0c31mBcU84V5Bf3dzOdcNzrWsmpn6sFcbC7NxOsvs9aXuKSJ5HHw/s640/IMG_6583.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">poke your lolli stick into the creme filling and lay on a parchment covered cookie sheet</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy71d8S0xPV72sq4MryN7B3h-OL44Jk5iFosaQ31jl_pT5O673mQW8yeW6NS7q_xDnjYAJK_WXA5FxJGcED-ufX0Iu67z3LIPOr9VCtce6xcxhkYc9lRjz_cXpg7IqrWFe5kp7ASXHW8/s1600/IMG_6584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpy71d8S0xPV72sq4MryN7B3h-OL44Jk5iFosaQ31jl_pT5O673mQW8yeW6NS7q_xDnjYAJK_WXA5FxJGcED-ufX0Iu67z3LIPOr9VCtce6xcxhkYc9lRjz_cXpg7IqrWFe5kp7ASXHW8/s640/IMG_6584.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">here's all my cookie pops ready to be enrobed</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">what you can't see here is the 3 or 7 cookies I threw at my wall in a cookie shattering rage</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07rgTvWWGFvuC4tAg844VEo87tARh-YgwYEROMePNdFz83V_UPh5T3aVcYQ4h99t4kWZPEm3Q0qsV9XKJwuqs6uAqAauvgK6qayWRz9Jz7im4ftnCX0owIgq1wQWcoNlJumAUJZhlM88/s1600/IMG_6586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07rgTvWWGFvuC4tAg844VEo87tARh-YgwYEROMePNdFz83V_UPh5T3aVcYQ4h99t4kWZPEm3Q0qsV9XKJwuqs6uAqAauvgK6qayWRz9Jz7im4ftnCX0owIgq1wQWcoNlJumAUJZhlM88/s640/IMG_6586.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Melt your chocolate (we used white, it's Orion's favorite) in a glass bowl in 30 second increments in the microwave until its smooth and ready for dipping.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Carefully coat the cookies in the chocolate and return to the parchment covered cookie sheet to cool. Top with sprinkles while the chocolate is still melty, my little helpers did all the sprinkling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I have no pictures of this since my hands were also coated in chocolate the entire time, oh well you get the idea, right?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiGrz56SV2TkdqQgPBSP88pWTNQ0wrbOPBkYa3j3o63GalJ8dk-U-vO7c_Q0_OjnY__uCZ-C9beJGdjIf_zaYR-7GRxceyhuH2TyzgZBdd7_G8vlUWEbHF-6VEPeo_-ydhcufKhNlZwo/s1600/IMG_6593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiGrz56SV2TkdqQgPBSP88pWTNQ0wrbOPBkYa3j3o63GalJ8dk-U-vO7c_Q0_OjnY__uCZ-C9beJGdjIf_zaYR-7GRxceyhuH2TyzgZBdd7_G8vlUWEbHF-6VEPeo_-ydhcufKhNlZwo/s640/IMG_6593.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Allow pops to cool to room temperature before packaging. We used sandwich bags with the zipper cut of and tied them with some cute red baker's twine. Super easy and super cute!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbRsDfqLNeT-_iaWWPVLrncSV4s8KTtoJRbEOi22Jh7_r3TvN_P_jKWiW_RDXI8ovrrFyKg_ts-_FQJ9Kt3XJ0EzPBI8LCcydfxC61w5-SkHrokmHYN2FK4QoArc4jiAnEzPGfvvjVug/s1600/IMG_6598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbRsDfqLNeT-_iaWWPVLrncSV4s8KTtoJRbEOi22Jh7_r3TvN_P_jKWiW_RDXI8ovrrFyKg_ts-_FQJ9Kt3XJ0EzPBI8LCcydfxC61w5-SkHrokmHYN2FK4QoArc4jiAnEzPGfvvjVug/s640/IMG_6598.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm off to help out with class parties but before I go I'd like to wish you love and peace and big hugs from your loved ones today and everyday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
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<center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" /> remember you are loved!</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-24847647054181949932012-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:002012-02-09T09:50:11.013-08:00my paper heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's really no secret that I've been pretty down lately. Chronic health issues start to wear on a girl, and the truth be told I should probably talk to a therapist about all of this. (since I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about it) But no amount of talking will make all my problems disappear, so instead I've turned to the only therapy I'm comfortable with, art. I can sit in the quiet of my mind and create beautiful things, perfect things. Here are a few beautiful and perfect things that I am finding very inspiring right now. Thanks to the all encompassing super powers that are <a href="http://pinterest.com/lilliedale/">Pinterest</a> I have found many incredible artists to set me dreaming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgXFND5xx6cIb9UPj-6AeRMIwKf8Z2mDvT6dEDur-Y506a-fvFZ_Eu8gPosyXe5WAf34bQijAPQm2dOCN_WeI8o6Li7puGngpbDnrUWDhzSQ5zB4vDm0r2VawqZO5nRkkhI0mN6J0_X4/s1600/pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgXFND5xx6cIb9UPj-6AeRMIwKf8Z2mDvT6dEDur-Y506a-fvFZ_Eu8gPosyXe5WAf34bQijAPQm2dOCN_WeI8o6Li7puGngpbDnrUWDhzSQ5zB4vDm0r2VawqZO5nRkkhI0mN6J0_X4/s400/pap.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4GnIc8nLjrm8l6iINKHS5mrFQ23UQrXhxF4TLBwor2sev_AvXbEFEQELW2phz7nNJS_dDpCKvQC7LoDgBYHEQGje1ph8C1M_zCTYsrzfQHDt905DXSMoIqQgftgA4e0CWHMbYlmX3v0/s1600/pap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4GnIc8nLjrm8l6iINKHS5mrFQ23UQrXhxF4TLBwor2sev_AvXbEFEQELW2phz7nNJS_dDpCKvQC7LoDgBYHEQGje1ph8C1M_zCTYsrzfQHDt905DXSMoIqQgftgA4e0CWHMbYlmX3v0/s400/pap2.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCrwbuC0N_6cNALcC0e9BDif-CLCaeWqEpHg5mmEjlGEcpnm1u_vqaOJhS46B6kA3Og0U3ui5rjrDaOi8sgXT89zozcPQDp8qXx4HmoSKvNxQgoZvSdibBtb3MS3MfHD8Gg5MF2r9eX4/s1600/pap3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCrwbuC0N_6cNALcC0e9BDif-CLCaeWqEpHg5mmEjlGEcpnm1u_vqaOJhS46B6kA3Og0U3ui5rjrDaOi8sgXT89zozcPQDp8qXx4HmoSKvNxQgoZvSdibBtb3MS3MfHD8Gg5MF2r9eX4/s400/pap3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJNO72WpNsKxs5ulzZPABMtYkipCwoU3lk0OHzDYS9qBqdnQ-wVMimFijk_DMnP8AyOxTpX_WmMnn3I2r9e4XsfZXhpBt0S15qQvhyphenhyphen6mXdbnFITbkcjiRxsXIccjsaM8MN-mbz8UEu7E/s1600/pap4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJNO72WpNsKxs5ulzZPABMtYkipCwoU3lk0OHzDYS9qBqdnQ-wVMimFijk_DMnP8AyOxTpX_WmMnn3I2r9e4XsfZXhpBt0S15qQvhyphenhyphen6mXdbnFITbkcjiRxsXIccjsaM8MN-mbz8UEu7E/s400/pap4.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMP7-kjCIb0N2yvUfbWDQC-DZp3G0bJPoFJKPEikns3OtsMr4b7XR-uHvYCHdf0fMopn4XWyUOuz89LmFQqm72rVcW_cqAlFHK8113HI-iROaZL_DTrELgBVK2DHBW0Ms4H7oWPi6L38/s1600/IMG_6578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMP7-kjCIb0N2yvUfbWDQC-DZp3G0bJPoFJKPEikns3OtsMr4b7XR-uHvYCHdf0fMopn4XWyUOuz89LmFQqm72rVcW_cqAlFHK8113HI-iROaZL_DTrELgBVK2DHBW0Ms4H7oWPi6L38/s320/IMG_6578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All the above images are from my 'Paper Skies' board on Pinterest, except the last one which is mine, I'll show you more in a few days :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">have a great day lovies!</div><center><br />
</center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& free therapy</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-57100402739637431982012-01-30T09:46:00.000-08:002012-01-30T09:46:41.569-08:00Wash and wear<center style="text-align: left;">Well hello there! I'm back and beginning the new year by finally finishing up all my half done projects. I'm not much for resolutions but I have decided that it is high time I tie up all my loose ends!</center><center style="text-align: left;">Just about every room of our home has some tweak that remains to be done whether it's touching up a paint job, adding knobs to furniture, or just some serious organization. </center><center style="text-align: left;">There is one really big project we are hoping to finish/open a whole new can of worms on soon. You see, I've shown you my renovated kitchen but I've never shown you the shameful other half. </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOONoMLThsfT_ra1dN-jTliE0pFk61VEZcJ7vIyKBwIElNZvrpwEeZ4u4G5Vv4_wabTomV2a8P-JjOpEYTw4zatZRQdSKbzshmmCE4fLtjBrk9BirbvqqHRkkXp_WsAQfGXO2ncoEDwpE/s1600/IMG_6552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOONoMLThsfT_ra1dN-jTliE0pFk61VEZcJ7vIyKBwIElNZvrpwEeZ4u4G5Vv4_wabTomV2a8P-JjOpEYTw4zatZRQdSKbzshmmCE4fLtjBrk9BirbvqqHRkkXp_WsAQfGXO2ncoEDwpE/s640/IMG_6552.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><center style="text-align: center;">Yes, yes that is a door with a dryer in front of it, with a hot water heater next to it, with the washer next to that! Glamorous, I know!</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Yep, our laundry is in our kitchen, our already ridiculously small kitchen, and it seems that no amount of pathetically dehydrated house plants can make it look any better. <span style="font-size: x-small;">I watered those right after I took that picture I swear! </span>Why our laundry is not in our garage, which is conveniently located next to the bedrooms, I could not tell you. My best guess is that the fella that designed this house in the 50's, hated his wife and wanted her to suffer as much as possible with a terrible kitchen and laundry area. </center><center style="text-align: left;">But it get's even better (or worse really)...the reason that dryer is in front of a door is because that door used to open up to a rickety 2nd story deck, that was then torn down. Now the door it just opens up to a 12 foot drop to the ground below. With 2 little ones in the house we decided that until we could afford to re-build our deck that it would be a good idea to just block it off all together.</center><center style="text-align: left;">So here these have sat since we renovated the kitchen in the hopes of someday moving to their new home in the garage. Not that the garage is a much more glamorous option, but in our tiny little home there is just no room for a real laundry room. </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_R2zDreGxQjE3PFI03T2xBpTVQWpKdFnQuzg8vtnWM_0EnEKadm9ftma5yA2m2ScvARrXaRYjezDLaRjTiphM_6KGf2QAI2hJ0-pCQhfsh9Xex_UKVAjfxj6d1U0QY1FJK8enpNhpZ8/s1600/laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_R2zDreGxQjE3PFI03T2xBpTVQWpKdFnQuzg8vtnWM_0EnEKadm9ftma5yA2m2ScvARrXaRYjezDLaRjTiphM_6KGf2QAI2hJ0-pCQhfsh9Xex_UKVAjfxj6d1U0QY1FJK8enpNhpZ8/s640/laundry.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">like this one from <a href="http://homeandharmony.blogspot.com/2010/06/laundering.html">here</a>, *sigh*</div><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Currently we are in the middle of relocating the laundry out to the garage which is only a few steps down the hall from the bedrooms, and I will finally have a laundry sink (thanks, Honey!)</center><center style="text-align: left;">After the washer and dryer are snug in their new home we will be removing that huge beast of a hot water heater and installing a gently used high end on demand water heater we picked up off craigslist a few months ago. The best part about our new hot water heater is that it is installed on the <i>outside </i>of the house. Thus eliminating the need for venting and freeing up loads of space.</center><center style="text-align: left;">Next we plan to rebuild the deck just outside the door, and install a fancy new door with a large window panel in it.</center><center style="text-align: left;">Since we currently have no pantry in our kitchen the plan is to remove those upper cabinets and build in a large pantry unit. We are also considering just buying a large hutch like piece of furniture and placing it there as a pantry. Honestly it's pretty hard to imagine what I'd like to do with the space so long as those hulking machines are there, but hopefully they'll be settled in to thier new home by hte end of this week. </center><center style="text-align: center;">So that's what we have been up to, and will be up to for a while. </center><center style="text-align: center;">What have all of you been up to?</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Perkier plant life</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-58702820112220217322012-01-27T08:34:00.000-08:002012-01-27T08:34:44.429-08:00Home again, Home againWe are home from Hawaii and only slightly disgruntled to have to get back to everyday life. Our trip to the big island with my in-laws was wonderful to say the least! I'll spare showing you tons of pictures and only show half a ton. Clearly I really enjoyed the trip, but what makes me the happiest is that the hubs (who never wanted to go to Hawaii) is already ready to go back!<br />
We decided to not take our kids this time and instead had Gramma come and stay with them. Being so far from them was hard but knowing that they were safe and sound with someone who loves them definitely makes it easier. Gramma is the real hero of this story, so thanks again mommma!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoP2HF2jK8hyq46t5FbPOE1l4O-zIJ5B8zYt4UGwhlvViUObLUBsFffMgW7b7av4W5ibrol7BSL-aWvBWXlV8KX7JDcuszI4SFFaajn3cs_HWhby7SmiFqAHuldoxMy1-CJBv_qHocAA/s1600/DSCN0166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoP2HF2jK8hyq46t5FbPOE1l4O-zIJ5B8zYt4UGwhlvViUObLUBsFffMgW7b7av4W5ibrol7BSL-aWvBWXlV8KX7JDcuszI4SFFaajn3cs_HWhby7SmiFqAHuldoxMy1-CJBv_qHocAA/s640/DSCN0166.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> While we were there we relaxed on nearly every beach we could find</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U72ttB29GQPYaxkX6pdxCGY8Q-PFSIktssSnTpnV6DniuJFOP1dUCPbgwncZ86iMATwa2GEOd-s6z9x-2EXjcf0xPmuczd0j-zTBzQnOuO8IH51eeFrTWbS2GcNofmfAeSnnuZsQ7qI/s1600/DSCN0186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U72ttB29GQPYaxkX6pdxCGY8Q-PFSIktssSnTpnV6DniuJFOP1dUCPbgwncZ86iMATwa2GEOd-s6z9x-2EXjcf0xPmuczd0j-zTBzQnOuO8IH51eeFrTWbS2GcNofmfAeSnnuZsQ7qI/s640/DSCN0186.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We took in some sights</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismpqOlfD1mlOYB3kKpj6MzvHUIOiDQiTQI4gKl_SdXa5x2_ZgrRqgPwAWBTH1lC9qWkAzLCFxhw2TCz9XNbKP-93nzdzBEX76n6QbdL3OiJy9h2Vb-riLmUkvZaVd5ejFH0XHLB0_Sfg/s1600/DSCN0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismpqOlfD1mlOYB3kKpj6MzvHUIOiDQiTQI4gKl_SdXa5x2_ZgrRqgPwAWBTH1lC9qWkAzLCFxhw2TCz9XNbKP-93nzdzBEX76n6QbdL3OiJy9h2Vb-riLmUkvZaVd5ejFH0XHLB0_Sfg/s640/DSCN0187.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was my favorite sight of all!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOscLm1YN28hjSh6fb_J_iNO3iGJkFuJrB_CXoiK8zkushVYEZDfHwKDVjMvjAodA0PMwX0ZPgWHfoskUJBB428JHqTNtJkZqZpGKGyvsPKtMYvgh-FSTMgjVsg7HD9zcdLtyk_09RWU/s1600/DSCN0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOscLm1YN28hjSh6fb_J_iNO3iGJkFuJrB_CXoiK8zkushVYEZDfHwKDVjMvjAodA0PMwX0ZPgWHfoskUJBB428JHqTNtJkZqZpGKGyvsPKtMYvgh-FSTMgjVsg7HD9zcdLtyk_09RWU/s640/DSCN0183.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We hiked down from here all the way down into the Waipi'o Valley</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpEKi3wORc3j9vqnz8Ds-cyo2Nn95gF1FWtarMGNOM_9uecUBR0I-ROD2pgfk3qLptTrI4mxz08qfCdBVi5Casd_ILTdo7DG7HPWsq7E9UIpMH9UGXQlCuUXuMK8WVBKqFd5ZlvM6AvE/s1600/DSCN0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpEKi3wORc3j9vqnz8Ds-cyo2Nn95gF1FWtarMGNOM_9uecUBR0I-ROD2pgfk3qLptTrI4mxz08qfCdBVi5Casd_ILTdo7DG7HPWsq7E9UIpMH9UGXQlCuUXuMK8WVBKqFd5ZlvM6AvE/s640/DSCN0192.JPG" width="465" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And played on the black sand beach</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJUfW8RguXb-1_S8-DzI31pc79hA-NeAYo3nreFqYgmH7MNT3YJKoVj03fn1f9IZ5OaQlZvK1aIOpDMb2wMRflzRdU8VVMgZIHmlB7cvFLpyoYY-lfNVQv48_cyWdZu400UtMCkOPy4/s1600/DSCN0193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJUfW8RguXb-1_S8-DzI31pc79hA-NeAYo3nreFqYgmH7MNT3YJKoVj03fn1f9IZ5OaQlZvK1aIOpDMb2wMRflzRdU8VVMgZIHmlB7cvFLpyoYY-lfNVQv48_cyWdZu400UtMCkOPy4/s640/DSCN0193.JPG" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we took in a few beautiful waterfalls</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzmyTMoJ9vabFmeYml5JV-JKkEQK3-A3l-EyAVCewwrlI6KDaj16Fgt6YOHuq1ad53ei1eeUlZw90ODxzWFIqci95g37khEj2l2-GRho9npq991vb1q-40ED0UTrbvx2kR7n4nkg4s1M/s1600/DSCN0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzmyTMoJ9vabFmeYml5JV-JKkEQK3-A3l-EyAVCewwrlI6KDaj16Fgt6YOHuq1ad53ei1eeUlZw90ODxzWFIqci95g37khEj2l2-GRho9npq991vb1q-40ED0UTrbvx2kR7n4nkg4s1M/s640/DSCN0196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My momma-in-law and I searched for shells, beach glass and heart shaped rocks</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCuozW0sxpsVb8HRrMaWqNatjZlyyrZUL_BkOkOYboy0x51NTN7skJQvRUO0RBCq6ty41yCR_jnCiVLp7JNVqU2Q24lyyP9WMx5E0MNb_5NvSC8VplbubGtPbSoY7XuYUVDUQ3c5weS8/s1600/DSCN0197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCuozW0sxpsVb8HRrMaWqNatjZlyyrZUL_BkOkOYboy0x51NTN7skJQvRUO0RBCq6ty41yCR_jnCiVLp7JNVqU2Q24lyyP9WMx5E0MNb_5NvSC8VplbubGtPbSoY7XuYUVDUQ3c5weS8/s640/DSCN0197.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We played in the beautiful rivers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM-CHX2f4_AQMgM90dz1s_8kEJ1KP8xo_-4h0pq_SLWGfT5nViQo6b4N8sR4YayLj6k_NcHFIi_-fWWy6tLEQp5E0Ir6OFHmi_dT7M0tZZju2rSqB3gPHn2wC-C2438QeoEi2v4WH5oE/s1600/DSCN0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM-CHX2f4_AQMgM90dz1s_8kEJ1KP8xo_-4h0pq_SLWGfT5nViQo6b4N8sR4YayLj6k_NcHFIi_-fWWy6tLEQp5E0Ir6OFHmi_dT7M0tZZju2rSqB3gPHn2wC-C2438QeoEi2v4WH5oE/s640/DSCN0241.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We took a day trip over to the volcano</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyNy4WmpJLaHU4fP-c7kCsbafifVnqu09LOEEolhgINJJ3g7t9yepbJi9tCs3m8n4gQuHX7BYEdfaFHYqAWaS2ZPkgykComJ-yl6XHyRRgY6-fl-jQRfElAIQgDy2XY0z5EYSh6zogb0/s1600/DSCN0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyNy4WmpJLaHU4fP-c7kCsbafifVnqu09LOEEolhgINJJ3g7t9yepbJi9tCs3m8n4gQuHX7BYEdfaFHYqAWaS2ZPkgykComJ-yl6XHyRRgY6-fl-jQRfElAIQgDy2XY0z5EYSh6zogb0/s640/DSCN0202.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Which we pretty much <i>had</i> to do since this guy's a geologist!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(which also meant that we broke the rules and took a few small examples of the different kinds of lava rocks to show the boys, but it's strictly educational so you won't tell right? )</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_UyXIKz2qOARfr3GoWYrGlAN2qf84Ou41xbL1v4LyBrbbhEFcznUxWXJfLDyIo5NyiDa6hGIFnkbgzy2pKlw1BJ05d5PVjRnVt6ZjEm56-nchl1KSbMw01GthjIee7wPtAfblTp8bV0/s1600/DSCN0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_UyXIKz2qOARfr3GoWYrGlAN2qf84Ou41xbL1v4LyBrbbhEFcznUxWXJfLDyIo5NyiDa6hGIFnkbgzy2pKlw1BJ05d5PVjRnVt6ZjEm56-nchl1KSbMw01GthjIee7wPtAfblTp8bV0/s640/DSCN0200.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we checked out all the craters</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-PCTW2oS9trUqqkxa-Hq5x0ZTmVkoZpHSbZqnYl_xTOv3H4cBDP2FhanmZNhhIPcnrq9lBigRF_zC8fK2xk67LzfIwsSJWROk3u92alsEWn4DGyJeH3wyRS5OuKUsJJS9cLYFcwORyk/s1600/DSCN0204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-PCTW2oS9trUqqkxa-Hq5x0ZTmVkoZpHSbZqnYl_xTOv3H4cBDP2FhanmZNhhIPcnrq9lBigRF_zC8fK2xk67LzfIwsSJWROk3u92alsEWn4DGyJeH3wyRS5OuKUsJJS9cLYFcwORyk/s640/DSCN0204.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and literally ran through the wet and drippy Thurston Lava Tube!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZV3m_zNAnMg3PhrlDj8gyg0R8PVpY8mc4hxmd5a9JaEvQhv3vjBPP_ZSnh76gP7mtNf6_xqiYNBVH0_vQXTB5M-MfiGocSyBzHjuQnEdM6b9IsrTsx4-_5gP9luMka5_2-YHWtpDPTbU/s1600/DSCN0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZV3m_zNAnMg3PhrlDj8gyg0R8PVpY8mc4hxmd5a9JaEvQhv3vjBPP_ZSnh76gP7mtNf6_xqiYNBVH0_vQXTB5M-MfiGocSyBzHjuQnEdM6b9IsrTsx4-_5gP9luMka5_2-YHWtpDPTbU/s640/DSCN0222.JPG" width="422" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and then took a moment to meditate on the sea arch at the end of the park road. which was without a doubt my favorite part of the whole trip.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyl1-g2vfhoBcVyee8PJXpmSmxMtH3TdDzrdoL3_3YsaR8hOdBeoHoQSGaCMlA75y_kvYtNoQMRWNTChX5TjX_z2v87B5NoHaZdyWMR16yo_GhXeTcQB6ixnppnVvZO9APWnSOIhmq1k/s1600/2012-01-20%252B17.26.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyl1-g2vfhoBcVyee8PJXpmSmxMtH3TdDzrdoL3_3YsaR8hOdBeoHoQSGaCMlA75y_kvYtNoQMRWNTChX5TjX_z2v87B5NoHaZdyWMR16yo_GhXeTcQB6ixnppnVvZO9APWnSOIhmq1k/s400/2012-01-20%252B17.26.45.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And ended everyday on the beach with a cold drink watching the sunset!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now that we are home I am having a really hard time getting back to normal life, although I'm overjoyed to have my babies back. Last night was my first shift back to work and it was rough to say the least!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm also pretty bummed that I can no longer go to the farmer's market and buy bag loads of tropical fruit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How awesome are those apple bananas?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Big Waves!</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-77334173112820125752012-01-14T11:45:00.000-08:002012-01-14T11:45:09.315-08:00Hawaii Bound!<center>So long Blogland! I'll be lounging in the sand and sun for the next few days!</center><center>Love ya!</center><center><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-BvTP3jtooA6XhtYOLDEUphZ3tfZH6PvT6AWxqeZ5uiAMCorg4hcSBBE_dVpx9NhGU1-EmWMylTPj4LODi3lzlndBRHjNbk2yxNkocwgFvlQQSBd71eeZIJxhoHjdt02vGqH7vpYRYA/s1600/haw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-BvTP3jtooA6XhtYOLDEUphZ3tfZH6PvT6AWxqeZ5uiAMCorg4hcSBBE_dVpx9NhGU1-EmWMylTPj4LODi3lzlndBRHjNbk2yxNkocwgFvlQQSBd71eeZIJxhoHjdt02vGqH7vpYRYA/s640/haw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Via Pinterest</div><center><br />
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</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Umbrella shaded beverages</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-14546550672173459662012-01-10T07:34:00.000-08:002012-01-10T07:34:07.516-08:00Let's Catch up<center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Good morning my friends, I hope the day finds you all doing well. I am happy to say I am finally back to my old self and scheming up all sorts of new projects for me and the Mr. I've decided today would be a great day for all of us to catch up. </center><center style="text-align: left;"> Our Holidays were pleasant, albeit the same hectic pace that they always are. I am <i>so tired</i> of traveling for the holiday. Each year we alternate whose family we will spend Christmas with and each year I swear that the next one will be spent in our own home. But even I know myself better than that. If we were to stay home we would only wake Christmas morning to find ourselves longing to be nearer to our family. Next year we are to spend the week with my husband's family but in lieu of cramming all four of us into what may be the smallest guest room known to man I have decreed that we will be renting a vacation house of our own for the week. There are so many cute little vacation cabins in their town that we should be able to find a happy compromise between having our own space to build our own traditions and being able to spend quality time with our loved ones.</center><center style="text-align: left;">Do any of you spend the holidays away from your own home? Oh how I wish we lived near ANY of our family!</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">How is everyone's New Year been thus far. I am happy to report that I have not managed to screw mine up yet, so that's good news. Did you know that my wonderful hubs and I will be jetting off for Hawaii in just a few days? Do you also know how utterly depressing it is to be trying on bikinis right after the holidays?! well it is very depressing indeed. Nevertheless my very white thighs and I are bound to have a great time.</center><center style="text-align: left;">We have never been anywhere tropical together and I am so super ecstatic, and only a teensy bit nervous about being on an entirely different land mass than my children who will be with Gramma. I am just certain that they will both come down with the flu as we leave or something else that will make me feel like a reptile of a mother for the whole trip.The kids are bummed they were not invited but we've promised to bring back lots of presents.</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBsuW-yD2SkZHJDFZszi5Bkm27R58l83EM9iYWUXBstkQCnxgmpQs0bIzxSKkdAA9X1jord2sEBIs6QFAPC4VAixzz8yowl6_VZfv4zr5vKCaflTTNMwNNQgn7KMgJpqWL84gjI3FQEw/s1600/IMG_6547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRBsuW-yD2SkZHJDFZszi5Bkm27R58l83EM9iYWUXBstkQCnxgmpQs0bIzxSKkdAA9X1jord2sEBIs6QFAPC4VAixzz8yowl6_VZfv4zr5vKCaflTTNMwNNQgn7KMgJpqWL84gjI3FQEw/s640/IMG_6547.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Speaking of presents here is the little white owl I made Mason for Christmas. He was a big hit and he is now in the honored place of being one of the 5 babies Mason <i>has</i> to have to go to sleep. I also made a kitty for my niece and a frog for my nephew, which I of course forgot to take pictures of. He knew right away that it was the little white owl from his favorite story and is still telling us thank you for it, so I think it was well worth it!</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Well, I'm off to get the boys to school then to spend some time on the elliptical undoing all that Christmas Cheer before we jet off this Friday. I hope you all have a great day!</center><center style="text-align: left;"> </center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& Tan lines!</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-6054834854840101312011-12-14T12:55:00.000-08:002011-12-14T12:55:11.390-08:00On Owls and greiving<center style="text-align: left;">You may have noticed, my darling friends, that I've been away for some time. There's a lot I could say but for now I'll just say that I've lost a friend, and very nearly lost another. Death is always a difficult truth to accept, but when someone so young and joyful goes it's a lot harder to fight back the bitterness of one's grief. Needless to say it's been hard to get excited about the holidays, and even harder to get anything done. My heart is heavy and my hands are idle. </center><center style="text-align: left;">I am allowing myself to explore this place and patiently I'm awaiting the return to my usual creative exuberance. There is still the joy of the holidays ringing in our home but on a much smaller scale than years past. The hubs and I agreed to simplify our holiday this year by scaling back the amount of gifts we do. A usual holiday tradition for us is to hand-make as many gifts as we can. Currently Mason is obsessed with the book, <i>The Little White Owl</i>, which is adorable story of a friendly little owl. </center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpbpZT1hlathW0j-DakBtz_cZlbE56qfE_WvfdsjX69izvEWNGSK35LFyTRTvDdPQPi4Zp9w7BB0ZUiorqXVHzvyFzDlFY64y9qeWA0a7MvdDzDrc1z7dWT-1BruGP0X9RG2pM5kypkI/s1600/owl+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpbpZT1hlathW0j-DakBtz_cZlbE56qfE_WvfdsjX69izvEWNGSK35LFyTRTvDdPQPi4Zp9w7BB0ZUiorqXVHzvyFzDlFY64y9qeWA0a7MvdDzDrc1z7dWT-1BruGP0X9RG2pM5kypkI/s1600/owl+2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He has already worn his copy out!</div><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5gK3ddX5iPjdBRsI5bQFlxhjCAgIOzWxi8H7E5bJDAwCa0ek18zCBItpNcOkUBNS8TkSu0402pOM9BD9-FyfM7cN-mi6-rH1NlvStn93iz6RZE1KCdLIcG9fZAYbN-TUK5MRqii9oEg/s1600/owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5gK3ddX5iPjdBRsI5bQFlxhjCAgIOzWxi8H7E5bJDAwCa0ek18zCBItpNcOkUBNS8TkSu0402pOM9BD9-FyfM7cN-mi6-rH1NlvStn93iz6RZE1KCdLIcG9fZAYbN-TUK5MRqii9oEg/s320/owl.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://buttonbirddesigns.blogspot.com/">buttonbirddesigns</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I saw this little Owlie at button bird designs I just knew that I would have to make an all white one for my little buddy, so that's what I'm doing today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What gifts do you like to make by hand for your loved ones?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />& health to all of you</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-65928123198752550482011-11-14T10:48:00.000-08:002011-11-14T10:48:51.658-08:00Lilliedale Shop<center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Good morning friends, I am enjoying the peace and serenity of a very foggy morning here on the coast and I wanted to share a few things with you...</center><br />
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</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3_kI4aSbYEFHsogFhZnI2cdD_Q-y1EnNrvhzGqF-kkta4v6mVGUjNW7KI66l0CHTi05vAN4PQtSyaiCe8zDb4aHCAEua-LWzGbeOGKLNQJJzNTu8UXRdJ8u3UPjDk3C1qUz28nfCLWc/s1600/IMG_6453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3_kI4aSbYEFHsogFhZnI2cdD_Q-y1EnNrvhzGqF-kkta4v6mVGUjNW7KI66l0CHTi05vAN4PQtSyaiCe8zDb4aHCAEua-LWzGbeOGKLNQJJzNTu8UXRdJ8u3UPjDk3C1qUz28nfCLWc/s640/IMG_6453.JPG" width="574" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><center style="text-align: center;">Lilliedale will now be offering items for sale through Etsy. I know, I know I'm about 3 years late to the party, but better late than never, right?... </center><center style="text-align: center;">Today I'm working on new listings for my Esty shop and will soon set up a link on my sidebar, </center><center style="text-align: center;">somewhere over there--------------------------------------------------------></center><center style="text-align: center;">If any of you are Etsy sellers I'd love to hear your most valuable advice, so please tell me all about your experiences. </center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: center;">It is only Monday, and already my week has had it's up's and down's. I am busily creating a few custom orders(Yay!) and am trying out a new medication for my Crohn's that so far makes me feel pretty icky(boo!). We were lucky to have my husband's parents in town this past weekend and my mother-in-law and I got to spend an entire child free day shopping all the thrift and antique shops here in town. I have definitely been struck by the holiday bug and have all sorts of great ideas to share with all of you in the coming weeks. </center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: center;">To celebrate the opening of my new Etsy shop I will be doing a giveaway to be announced later this week, so stick around to find out more on that.</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
</center><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro2hfbnI_IyiDiC99fXjfooCVzSUYajh5cI2dxlVljamasn8j-FckOnwknPhacCEkhMjlBMBUbLznmMXfrV1MpysGoI3YWtX0iqfsYHDpHnV_j9mYgt4fntpKdAWPHhMGcTDZwHFncuY/s1600/IMG_6454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro2hfbnI_IyiDiC99fXjfooCVzSUYajh5cI2dxlVljamasn8j-FckOnwknPhacCEkhMjlBMBUbLznmMXfrV1MpysGoI3YWtX0iqfsYHDpHnV_j9mYgt4fntpKdAWPHhMGcTDZwHFncuY/s640/IMG_6454.JPG" width="476" /></a></div><center style="text-align: center;">I hope you all had a beautiful weekend, </center><center style="text-align: center;">it sure was sunny and warm here which has since been replaced but a cold autumn fog!</center><center style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />on the new horizon</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-67849138185196306452011-11-11T07:07:00.000-08:002011-11-11T11:36:16.911-08:00No pretty pictures, just gratitude<center style="text-align: center;">Today is veteran's day, and unfortunately my veteran has to work. It's not fair really, I think all service men and women should get it off it as a national holiday, I mean school children and bankers get it off and they didn't even have to go through basic training. But you know, those vets they don't really complain about having to work <i>their</i> holiday. After all that's what they do right, they work so the rest of us can go on with our daily lives.</center><br />
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<center> There are quite a few veteran's in my life, some went around the world to serve and some never left the states. Some went into the service to expand their future and some had no choice, leaving their homes to fight in a war they may or may not believe in. </center><center><br />
</center><center>Some may be marching in a fading parade today,</center><center>or reminiscing with fellow vets over a pint in their sleeveless BDU's.</center><center>Some may be alone with their terrifying memories of jungles, deserts and other far away lands.</center><center>Some may even just go about their regular day with hardly a thought for the time they gave.</center><center><br />
</center><center>What ever your experience was in the service, I hope you feel appreciated today and everyday </center><center>for your willingness to give. I am grateful for you, all of you.</center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" />on earth, please.</center>Lilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1301330423659630635.post-34125015238367016932011-11-10T10:54:00.000-08:002011-11-11T17:30:39.574-08:00A busy little bird<center style="text-align: left;">I have been zipping around my studio for the past few weeks and despite this ridiculous head cold that we all have, I am slowly making progress on my winter collection for my boutique. This year I have a few fun new partners that will be doing the boutique with me so at least I don't feel as stressed out as I did last year. </center><center style="text-align: left;">Much like last year I am planning on listing whatever is left after the boutique sale on Etsy. Yeah, except there was nothing left after my sale last year, not that I'm complaining. :) </center><center style="text-align: center;">Never you fear my dear, this year I am making a lot more loot!</center><center style="text-align: center;"><br />
</center><center style="text-align: left;">Also, I will do custom orders on pretty much anything your little heart desires. So if you see something you'd love to have just email me and we can work it all out.</center><center style="text-align: left;">This year is still all about re-imagining used goods into beautiful new items. I am focusing on a few of my favorite things in particular this year nature, typography, and Glitter!</center><center style="text-align: center;">Here's just a peek at what these mitts are cranking out this year</center><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrZ9_HDxisIBaU_au4mpns1b5RwB02XGqIC3XIvhP8-VSMwuB_k5PYP0qb1gVKD7y3SyRnQV8i84dXH7IPC7T4NpFPLEp3gR3TTT88S8A0UAxcZD4lZRKT0OGYhO9LXi7PnQfTTxzR7I/s1600/IMG_6450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrZ9_HDxisIBaU_au4mpns1b5RwB02XGqIC3XIvhP8-VSMwuB_k5PYP0qb1gVKD7y3SyRnQV8i84dXH7IPC7T4NpFPLEp3gR3TTT88S8A0UAxcZD4lZRKT0OGYhO9LXi7PnQfTTxzR7I/s640/IMG_6450.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIsQqU_49TB5acGW1MHPC_h2G_wsYmIOivldMFgE6GNDJ-JEHy5xF8ZWNIoTP_qogkSTpwSXUIOZx1P-E7pN0tPgaPGhAHeqWzBQ9Ppq0xZEv_ZED9cRLO5K4X9_m2lIoWX2hr_WMYsM/s1600/IMG_6448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIsQqU_49TB5acGW1MHPC_h2G_wsYmIOivldMFgE6GNDJ-JEHy5xF8ZWNIoTP_qogkSTpwSXUIOZx1P-E7pN0tPgaPGhAHeqWzBQ9Ppq0xZEv_ZED9cRLO5K4X9_m2lIoWX2hr_WMYsM/s640/IMG_6448.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well I'm off to sip some tea, layer some more paint in my hair and make some more creations!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a beautiful day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="http://tatertotsandjello.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://tatertotsandjello.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/978446890_7b2ZN-O2.png" alt="" /></a><br />
</div> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNW4oHYi3wDyovsdTPoFoLtvxJ1vfSGFWgklb9eCR9wayTvT3LSePR9pfTsEUiGSJtTzdx4kOgaULRpcoM1fzEq-oEQAlB4hy3RHGvK8shteXMKVQ6qfbvenmlkc3glFvG_bGqdrdznI/s1600/sign.png" style="text-align: left;" />& pretty birdsLilliedalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11584371919399912348noreply@blogger.com4