~Second Hand Store Treasure~

I found this child’s rocking chair at a thrift store. It was 2 dollars! I’ not sure if it’s old or not but I think if I repair the seat and add a cushion it’ll look fabulous on my front porch this summer.

Pin It

Fatal Embrace Review

Kay Quintion over at Fresh Fiction Reviewed Fatal Embrace. Thanks Kay! 

"A thrilling romance laced with constant suspense and exceptionally hard to put down until the end..."

Pin It

~Spring Fragrance~

Growing up my mom used to wear White Shoulders. She’d wear it every day no matter what.  I’d never thought much about her perfume until I was older and I found when I passed a woman wearing that scent I immediately thought about my mom and my childhood—I still do.  It’s almost comforting to smell. My mom changed her sent when I was in my late teens to Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue…which I LOVE the fragrance on her. Interesting enough when I catch this scent I instantly think of my mom, but not my childhood.

I’ve been looking around for a new spring scent and these two fragrances are topping my list. The first, Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile. It is very feminine, light and sweet. My hubby loves this scent.

The second is CHANEL Gardenia. This fragrance is soft and very elegant.

So what do you wear?

~type you soon~

Pin It

~Coffee Body Scrub~

Summer is fast approaching and the thought of getting into a swimsuit makes me cringe. So in my efforts to try and get my “winter body” even remotely close to being a “summer body” I have decided the neglect must stop. It’s crunch time!

I read in Cosmo awhile back that coffee can help reduce cellulite if it is scrubbed on the body. Now, I LOVE coffee and the thought of rubbing it all over my body sounded pretty damn good to me. So off I went into the kitchen to make my own coffee scrub.

This scrub is wonderful! I am addicted to this stuff. I LOVE the way it makes my skin feel and the way it smells. I should point out, the first time I used it, I crawled into bed and my hubby turned to me and glanced at my nightstand…seeing nothing he glanced back to me and looked at me curiously, “Did you make coffee?” he had asked.  I’m not kidding…you’ll smell like a pot of freshly brewed coffee after you use this scrub so please be aware of that. Also, this stuff is seriously rough…I wouldn’t recommend using it on your face. I make a batch and store it in a canning jar and keep it in my shower all the time.

The jury is out whether it reduces cellulite simply because I haven’t used it that long.

Brown Sugar Coffee Body Scrub

2 cups of coarsely ground coffee (buy the super cheap stuff just make sure it’s caffeinated)

1/2 cup raw sugar (I’ve tossed in a little brown sugar too)

2/3 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon almond (or vanilla) extract

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then transfer and store in a tightly sealed container. I use a mason jar.

Use scrub in shower on damp skin!

~type you soon~

Pin It

~Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful…~

…but my fire and coffee are sooooo delightful…okay, I rewrote it just a little. However, I am really enjoying my coffee as I watch it snow. It’s so beautiful…I feel like it should be Christmas! I think I might put on some Christmas music and bake cookies as I look out at my winter wonderland. My family will think I’ve lost it for sure!

 Looking up my driveway

  My daughter & Frosty

Looking out my front door

~type you soon~

Pin It

~Second Hand Store Treasure~

I found this amazing painting at a local thrift shop today. I just fell in love with the kittens and that amazing grasshopper! I have no idea who the artist is, when it was painted, and where, but I just love it!

Oh, and it only cost $10 dollars!!!

~type you soon~

Pin It

~Happy Valentine’s Day~

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone! I hope your day is romantic and filled with lots of love and chocolate!

 I absolutely love vintage Valentine cards.  They are so unique and whimsy.  

Pin It

~Kiva~

If you have not visited Kiva’s site please do. For those of you who don’t know what Kiva is you’re going to love the concept—I sure do. Kiva's mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.

What I like about this loan program is you get to pick where, and to whom, and for what your money is loaned to. I’m a little crazy and kind of a health nut so I don’t want my money to go to soda shops (seriously, there are a lot of different countries that make a lot of money off of selling soda fountain drinks).  If you’re really into agriculture, clothing, food, entertainment, transportation, health, education etc, you can donate to people or groups in these specific areas. You can also search the different countries where you’d like your money to be load. The loaning process couldn’t be easier and it only takes a few minutes.  

It’s a very humbling experience to visit the site and see the reasons why a person/group is requesting a loan.I encourage you to head over to the site and look around—you don’t have to register and it doesn’t cost a thing to read through the profiles.

I loaned money to Tum Saran in Cambodia. Here is the description that Tum Saran had.

Location: Phnom Penh City, Cambodia

Sector: Personal Use

Activity: Vehicle

Loan Use: To buy an old motorcycle and clean up the land.

Mrs. Tum Saran is 41-year-old farmer. She plants rice and some vegetable crops, which she sells to buyers when they are mature. She has a partner in her husband who is shown in the picture above. He assists her in farming crops. This couple has been married for many years and they have six teenage children. Two of the children are garment workers for the industry and the remaining four attend school. Tum Saran will use her first loan to buy an old motorcycle to supply transportation for the family. Any remaining money from the loan will be used to clean up her land on which she plans to grow vegetables.



Pin It

~Candy Jars~

I’ve been looking for a Valentines’ craft to do with my daughter and I believe I’ve found it. Aren’t these candy jars so cute? These are made out of terracotta flower pots! How clever!



Pin It

~Dream Chicken Coop~

I’m considering getting a small flock of hens…no rooster. We eat a lot of eggs and I would love to be able to gather our own. Here is a picture of my dream coop. It’s not too big and it’s so cute!

Pin It

~Sexy Valentine Cookies~

I think these cookies are so cute! A friend and I are going to bake these and give them to our hubbies for Valentine’s Day.

Last year I found these fantastic copper heart cookie cutters—I think they will work perfect.

Here is my all time favorite sugar cookie recipe  

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter (at room temp)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 tea vanilla extract (you can use almond too)

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

*Powdered sugar for rolling out dough*


Directions

Sift together dry ingredients. Set aside. With a mixer, mix butter and sugar until slightly fluffy. Add egg, milk, vanilla, and beat to combine. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into butter mixture. When the dough starts to ball up stop mixing. Divide the dough in half and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

I like to roll out my dough between two piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. I sprinkle both sides of the dough generously with powder sugar (really you can’t use too much and I love how this gives the cookies a little extra sweet taste when you first bite into the cookie)) and then lay it on a large piece of plastic wrap. I cover with another piece of wrap and then roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick.

Cut into desired shape and place about 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes—but watch them closely. Cool on wire rack before decorating.

Pin It

~Antique Suitcase Decor~

Okay, I really want to do this in my entry, but I think people will think it’s a little much.

Here’s my entry.

Pin It