mixing it up today~

with a peek out my side door~
last saturday i was walking by the patio doors when i noticed two big black crows dive-
bombing at something in a tree...there-- so camouflaged that it was almost invisible to me
sat this beautiful boreal owl. i've heard from neighbors that it lives in their back yard, but
i'd yet to lay eyes on this magnificent creature.

i did a little research and am pretty sure i got it right. pretty sure it's a boreal? have you ever
seen one? i think it's beautiful!

i love all the varieties of birds in my backyard- and an occasional deer, rabbit, fox and even
coyote run through- but this is a first for me. we live in a big city here folks- but i guess so
does a lot of wildlife. whooo-da guessed it? is it mean to say that i wish this fella would
swoop down and dine on a couple of the little red squirrels
that won't leave my bird feeders alone? it's just a food chain reality right?

*just so you know: i took this with a telephoto lens, and still cropped it.


                                                          me here in the big city, beth


                                                       

kodak moments are meant to be shared...

i've found and saved some favorite camera images~here they are

 

                            moi'  (did i spell that right?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                      photography is the only way to stop a moment in time~
                                                      i am a big fan of capturing moments.



                                                    i never thought i'd love digital but i do. my one big piece
                                                    of advice though is to still print pictures. don't just store
                                                    them on your computers. in years to come i want there
                                                    to be photographs and memories that my family can hold
                                                    in their hands. it's one of my favorite things to do- to look
                                                    back at old family photos- give your family that same gift.
                                                    you only have to print the best ones right? there shouldn't
                                                    have to be boxes of blurry, under exposed pictures, so do
                                                    it! every few months have the best of the best printed.




                                                                             xo, beth

while we were gone

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 it snowed up north. quite a lot. as we got closer to
                                                                the lodge last fri. i began to wonder if i'd be walking
                                                                up the long driveway. my boots happened to be in
                                                                the box of the truck- frozen stiff. aaaghh   i had on
                                                                impractical shoes and could NOT have been more
                                                                thankful for the goodness in the world when we saw
                                                                that our kind neighbor had plowed our driveway!
                                                                it was night and dark when we arrived- not my idea
                                                               of a fun stroll. the next morning the sun broke out
                                                               and it was a be-U-tiful day.

 

 

 

                  pretty isn't it?

 

 

                                                       lars out filling our many bird feeders sat. a.m.

                         
                                                               fortunately we all love snow~ we snow shoed both
                                                              days and i'm not going to lie- i was huffing and
                                                              puffing (and there were not 3 little pigs in this story).
                                                             this was a lot of snow to trudge through!

                                                                   now the big project of the weekend was in
                                                                   full swing- that's lars cutting a hole in a perfectly
                                                                   good roof to thread a stovepipe through. he told
                                                                   me it kind of killed him to do it- but it had to be
                                                                   done. thank God he got it done safely and having
                                                                   our first fire sat. night was such a thrill!

                                                                   note: o.s.h.a  would so not have approved of
                                                                   this set up- see the ladder?  it's balanced on the
                                                                   4-wheeler. i just do lamaze breathing and
                                                                   keep busy doing other things while these men of
                                                                   mine do all varieties of dangerous stuff.  i looked
                                                                   up the number for 911 tho and posted it in a
                                                                   prominent location. (just kidding- it was the
                                                                   # of the nearest hospital- 35 minutes away).

    
                                                                      a blurry camera phone shot is all i've got to
                                                                      show you- but you can see it right? this room
                                                                      just became our favorite with the addition of
                                                                      the stove. it's going to be great to hunker down
                                                                      and warm up by for years to come. i'm
                                                                      so glad i married a man who knows how to do
                                                                      so many things- my favorite right now is that he
                                                                      fixed my computer which crashed on friday-
                                                                      thanks honey! blog readers, i'm baaaacckkk!


                                                                    xo, beth


                    



                                                                 
                                                                       

 

 

 

 

                                                                     here's my tuesday list
                                                                          

                                                                              xo, b

love flowers?

 

i love flowers. always have and always will. from the earliest time i can remember i have

loved flowers-probably more than most. when i was a little girl my favorite person on the planet (other than my own family) was my auntie dar. she was a florist & occasionally she would bring my sister and i to the greenhouse

 with her and it was like heaven there.

 

i can still shut my eyes and remember what that walk-in cooler smelled like.

it was the smell of miniature carnations that

i remember loving most. they were spicy and sweet. 

 

then there was my grama. she was the most impressive gardener i've ever known. she

kept two huge gardens weedless and in tip top shape & she always had

fresh flowers on her table when they were in bloom-  she let me

pick whatever i wanted.

i remember loving to cut the tiny little blossoms off moss roses

to put in tiny little vases. they only lasted one day- but what a

glorious day that was.

 

when i was about 15 i got my first job at a floral shop.

 i must have helped make about 200 corsages

 that spring and my future became clear.

 i loved the simple act of choosing flowers,

cutting the stems, wrapping, taping and arranging them

in a way that would look pretty.

 

i went on to floral design school and loved

every single part of it.

i graduated and got married and worked in several different

shops while having my babies but then i decided that staying

home and being with those precious babies was the only

way i could be truly happy- so i took a leap of faith

quit my job and started doing art fairs.

 

i exhibited at them for 21 years.

that's a long time- but the joy of being my own boss,

working at home and watching my kids grow up

was one i wouldn't trade for anything.

 

occasionally those floral design skills still come in handy

- like this Christmas when i helped out with a wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 my favorite flower has changed over the years. it was roses for

  long time but now it's ranunculus. i don't think they were

              introduced as a cut flower in the united states until about 10 years ago,

 how could i have missed their exquisite beauty?

they are only available in the spring-which makes them

 even more beautiful to me. so pay attention:

  if you are a girl who's getting married and you want a particular kind of flowers-

you have to talk to a florist and ask what

 time of year it's available. 

 *on another note. i did the flowers for my own wedding & i would

 not recommend it to anyone.

 i was a stressed out mess who almost didn't make it to her

     own wedding- and i'm not even kidding!

   i was the last one to take a bath and there was no

    hot water left- my hair was still wet when my sister- the beautician-

  was trying to curl it AND i did my nails in the car on the way to the

    church!!!    *sister hit a bump &

 i smudged every last one of them.

  (oh and then there was the contusion beneath my right eye from

   a run-in with a candelabra- nice).

     seriously elizabeth- control freak or what??????

 

whew- i rambled on and oooonnn, but i'm laughing at myself today,

*laughing is good.

so is smiling

and i really like when people whistle too.

you don't whistle when you're sad.

 

happy valentines day! 

                                   xo                                   

 beth

if you love someone, make them a cookie!

 


                           VALENTINES DAY CALLS FOR COOKIES!

here's a new sugar cookie recipe i discovered last week.

 i've been making cutout sugar cookies forever and i love my old recipe- but this one's just a little bit different and it's good!

                                              

                                                         

                                        PERFECT SUGAR COOKIES

                             1/2 cup butter at room temp. (no substitutions)
                             1/2 cup crisco
                             1/2 cup powdered sugar  (secret ingredient?)
                             1/2 tsp. baking powder
                             1/2 cup sugar
                             1 egg
                             1 tsp. vanilla
                             2 1/2 cups flour
                             1/2 tsp. cream of tarter

                           mix all - chill till firm (about 2 hours), roll out on flour covered
                           counter- nice and thick (1/4 ") cut out and bake at 350 degrees
                           for 6-9 minutes. don't over bake. edges should be just ever so
                           slightly browned. cool completely and frost.

                          frosting:
                            3 cups powdered sugar
                            1 cup butter
                            1 tsp. almond extract
                            2 tsp. whipping cream (or more to make it spreadable)
                            don't over beat- add food coloring of your choice.

                          * this is the frosting recipe that was with the cookies. if you like
                            a thinner smoother frosting, just use powdered sugar, 2 tbsp.
                            butter, almond extract and enough milk or cream to make
                            a thin but spreadable consistency.

 

 

 

 

enough to make your mouth water aren't they? find a little

person and make some of these together.

make some memories - and then don't

forget to share some with others.   : )

 

it is my opinion that there is absolutely no

reason to ever say no to a frosted sugar cookie!

life is short let's make it sweet.

 

 

 

 

love you, i really, really do!

 

happy valentines week

 

 xo, beth

i've been cooking up a storm and have all kinds of fun pictures to show you- i know- i've told you i don't like to cook- but hey when i do i'm so excited and proud of myself!

the red cross

 

 

 

                                                                              this is my boy.

                                                              don't you just love his sweater?
                                            i do-  it's wool and it's warm and it's perfect on him i think.

 he's a do-er. he helps people. he was a firefighter for many years (till an injury). he has pulled people from crushed cars and consoled some as they lay dying.  there is a boy in his life that he is a father to in every possible way- other than dna. he's rescued his little sister so many times we can't count them- for instance he's gladly driven miles to load up her broken down car on a trailor when a wheel fell off on the freeway and he's helped rescue her and repair her broken heart when boys have messed with her peace. he's mentored his little brother too. by example he's shown them what it means to be selfless.

he has a degree in auto mechanics and has laid on the cold hard ground so many times to help family and friends with their cars. usually for nothing more than a thank you. just a few weeks ago his little brother took off for work and had a flat tire. it was 23 below zero. when little brother got home from work after borrowing my car that day- his was back in the driveway- fixed. now that's a good brother. : )


i hope this doesn't sound too braggy- and to tell you the truth my son will probably never even see this- he doesn't read blogs, or have a facebook page. not his style. i'm just thinking about him with love tonight.

right now he's out plowing snow- making the roads safer. he'll work all night while we're all snug in our beds and then probably continue to move snow all day tomorrow too. without ever complaining.

                                                                        proud of this guy?

                                                                             umm hmm.

                                                                         
                                                         love you buddy and that sweater?
                                                    the one with the red cross? you wear it well.


                                                                                    xo

just looking~

when you go in a store and a clerk asks you "can i help you find something?" what do we all say..."no thanks, i'm just looking". i had to stop at target for a few boring things like hairspray and peanut butter today, but i took the time to spin my wheels through the fun aisles too and here's what made me super happy when i was just looking~

                                                              a darling owl pillow

                                        this little dress- which by the way i'd buy if
                                            i had a tiny new granddaughter. (hint- hint
                                         and congratulations leslie and bob!)

                                                            yummy candle

                                            
                                                         yarn wrapped critters

                                                green tea 'n sage candle

                  
                                              o.k., we're done talking about target now-
                                   but check out the darling cottagy lamp i found for $8 clams
                                        at one of my favorite consignment stores...

                                       
                                                         really albert? cool

                                             
                                   now in closing, i feel it's my civic duty to
                            make sure you know that the shamrock shakes are
                                 back at mcdonalds. race you there!!!!!!!!!
                                     oh that's right, i already had one today!


                             weeeeeeee...  it's friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xo, beth

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                   I MISS PARENTHOOD!


                                                                 just had to get that off my chest~




                              omgosh!!! almost forgot to tell you- have you ever watched hope floats?
                                         do you watch parenthood too? well guess what-- have you
                                 connected the dots like i did this weekend? mae whitman played little
                                   bernice pruitt in hope floats and now she's amber in parenthood!  : )

                                                                                  xo, b

weekend fun

lucky me, i got to head north on friday afternoon and spend a couple of days with friends! here's some photos taken with my phone.

 

     maggie wanted to learn how to crochet. she's already

 a talented knitter but thought she'd add this to her repertoire. truth is- she didn't

really dig it- any and all gifts from her will continue to be made with knitting needles i

predict. : )

 

what could be more perfect than a new j.crew catalog to drool

over, new yarn and a stemmed glass full of sparkling villa italia pomegranite juice?

                       
                            maggie loves owls and she had a favorite sideboard
                             in her kitchen all dolled up with her valentines decor. i
                                loved this little fella so much. her momma added
                               all the cuteness tied around his neck.

                                             we both love this movie and plotted
                                         for a couple weeks about how we would
                                           make time to watch it together. guess what?
                                        we both agreed it was just as good as we'd
                                                             remembered.

                                    this little peanut is such a buster....she's sweet, smart and
                              spirited and girlfriend loves to sing. i brought her a harp that you
                            hold on your lap (that i scored at a thrift shop). she was ecstatic
                                  about it and although it needed one new string and a major tuning--
                                along with her microphone and pom-poms we did a lot
                                            of preforming together. we're considering
                                   trying out for "the voice". i will be her backup singer.

                            this is the hubbling's county church. we all went on sunday
                              morning and their youth did the service. it was
                      heartwarming and funny ( can you say awkward teenage boys?)
                        i sat there and thought about how much my own boys
                           deplored being up front at that age,singing and doing skits.
                              the kids here seem to be pretty o.k. with it all though,
                                    they have a great pastor who just gets
                                      in there- gets in the trenches with the youth
                               and i think in a very passionate way connects with
                                     them and brings them around. congratulations
                              on being nominated to your church council too maggie! 

                           

                                   
                                      a trip to trader joes on the way is always a must!
                             i decided that i would get 2 bouquets- one for her house,
                                       and one for mine.  why not.   life is short-
                                                  buy yourself flowers people!!!! 

                                 

                                              

                                  i spent my morning today making cutout

                                cookies to bring to friend rose's. she had me over

                                for yummy homemade lasagna and i said i'd bring

                                dessert. her precious little h.j. ate about 27 of them

                                or should i say he licked the frosting off a bunch of

                               them and then for some reason had a hard time

                      settling down for his nap.   go figure.    : )

                         boys got life figured out already and he's not even 2!!!!
 

 

have a delicious start to your week friends~

xo, beth