recipe for love ♥

 Fill bowl with Faith, Hope and Kindness
add 1 sifter of Powdered Persuasion
2 cups of Finest Devotion
3 heaping tablespoons of Passion
4 ounces of Sweet Nothings
1 cup of Lasting Hugs
 2 Soft Sighs

 Don't forget the Kisses

♥ layer with ♥
Lots of Laughter
a Pinch of Forgiveness when needed (no substitutions)
Sprinkle generously with Thoughtfulness (not optional)
 ~
stir Lovingly
and
Simmer Gently
♥
Ready when Bubbling
Serves two

♥  Maria


“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
– I CORINTHIANS 13:4-7

finding some color in Winter

a red and polka-dotted  little visitor on my yellow primrose

a  rainbow cake made by Amanda

some  rainbow M and M's on my brownies

pink flowers on my counter

and some pink sprinkles there too!

getting ready for the colors of February!
{thank you Doreen @ Fancy That!}

I love these quotes about color written by Georgia O'Keeffe.

{American artist}

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way--things I had no words for."

"So I said to myself, I'll paint what I see-what the flower is to me but I'll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking the time to look at it-I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers."

*

In the heart of winter, it's lovely to bring home some colors of the rainbow!

a first snow

We're having our first snow tonight!

Little Maria is gathering snowflakes.

My plants and flowers were brought indoors.

I potted my geraniums which still have lots of buds

and they will be on my windowsill at school until next spring.

The children will cheer in April when the buds return.

...in the meantime...

I just told my 5th graders yesterday that we would read

"A Really Good Snowman"

when it snows and the snow sticks...

So far, it's sticking!

This book was written and illustrated by one of my former students
Daniel Mahoney.
{Oh did he love to draw and still does today!} 

*

Enjoy your weather in Austin, Jason.

 What's it like at your place?

 Whatever the weather, 

I wish you JOY
and a happy weekend!

Love,

Lots of Apples a Day!

baskets and bowls of apples from our yard

I'm taking three at a time to school each day.
and

serving up apple crisp on a routine basis.

How about this idea that I found on Pinterest?
an apple pie in an apple!

Source: testadoprovadoeaprovado.blogspot.com via Maria on Pinterest

These apple cupcakes are adorable.

but no real apples needed...

just smiles that say

thank you!

Source: lefrufrublog.blogspot.com via Maria on Pinterest

Actually,
I could make them with an apple cake recipe!
Gotta use up our apples!

I'm visiting my dad this weekend.

A sister's weekend with our Dad.

I'll be bringing him

a bag of apples

for sure!

Happy Weekend Everyone!
Wishing you sunshine
especially in your
heart.
♥

Happy Day of Baking

What can put a smile on my face fast?

Why baking, of course!

My countertop was put on Friday afternoon.

...On Saturday...

I made

apple walnut muffins

oatmeal and raisin cookies

and smaller versions of my special

Swedish tea rings.

{We ate one for Sunday breakfast and five more tea rings are in the freezer}

Flour was everywhere

I loved it!

Oh Yea!

Maria's baking again!

Have a JOY-Filled week dear ♥'s

Wishing you sunshine and smiles no matter the weather.

God's sweetest graces always,

Laundry soap Grandma's way!

Recipe found the modern way!

{Pinterest}

I have been enjoying Pinterest for a few months now.

If you haven't been there, OH...

you will love it and revisit it often! 

Here are some of my pins.

It's a very organized way to save your bookmarked webpages 

with an accompanying photograph from the website.

I used it to find inspiration for my kitchen

and now, I'm finding more wonderful things for home and school.

This weekend, I decided to try this simple laundry soap recipe

that I repinned from Yvonne's Pinterest page.

{such simple ingredients}

After grating the Fels-Naptha soap and mixing all the rest of the ingredients

{I used a large soup pot lined with a plastic bag}

the kitchen smelled so fresh!

It looks like this when it's all mixed:

 

This recipe is found at

Being Creative to Keep My Sanity

A big thanks to all for the Pinterest Fun!

and to Koralee, for inviting me to join Pinterest.

...and to Claudette for making the laundry soap first :o)

*

 Things are progressing with our kitchen.

I'm very slowly putting things away...

...trying to store only the things that I know I'll use and 

put the rest in the old cabinets that will be hung in the basement someday.

We hope to have the counter top and sink installed by next week.

'Til then, we are using a tiny sink that is down stairs.

The sun was spectacular this weekend and will be for another day.

I can't help but smile!

Wishing you all a lovely week!

 

Reset

Sometimes I just

know

I need to hit the "reset" buttons.

Our kitchen project has kept us busy and focused on details.

- - -

Important details,

but

not the kind that measure a life.

When hours are spent discussing the trim over the refrigerator cabinet...

it becomes clear that we need to press

"Alt - Ctrl - Delete"

and

R E S E T

ourselves ~ to see with clarity

what's really important.

It was time to get out of the kitchen and head outside.

We drove to Schoharie and spent the morning at

Guernsey's Schoharie Nursery cleaning out debris from the flood waters of

Hurricane Irene.  I can't believe the amount of stuff we piled along the curb.

It was a cold, damp, rainy day ~ but we ended our work with an amazing hot meal cooked by a Christian Motorcycle Club. {The volunteers that help the volunteers}

There are some wonderful people in this world!

~
A Big Thank You to Grace Fellowship Church

for the many trips they have organized to Schoharie, NY.

I'm sure the residents of Schoharie appreciate this greatly,

but it also gives others {like me} an opportunity to

reset.

Wishing you a wonderful new week,

another new and fresh start!

♥

"Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable

—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

What We've been up to... {a Kitchen redo}

Lots of memories here ~ sweet ones of family,

Amanda baking with me to procrastinate just about anything else we had to do ,

Sarah {my niece} and Rachael taking turns SITTING in the bottom drawer,

Jason and his buddy, Glen, making mac and cheese {almost every day}

Muffin hiding from thunderstorms under the sink,

cookie dough and mile high apples for pies.

I remember when the kitchen was not opened to the dining room
and we took the wall half way down!

--- loved getting a peninsula---

always - always dishtowels in multiple locations!

It worked hard for us for 25 years, but the bottom cabinets really needed to be replaced.

They look okay from a distance, but up close ~ different story!

... and so the work began...

I did a lot of packing up and cleaning up...

and came home from work each afternoon to new surprises of how much Chris got done during the day.

Off with the school clothes and on came my "construction dust" clothes.

We've been working until midnight.

I'm always so amazed at how brave Chris is as he measures and cuts

sheet rock, adds new outlets, plans for extra lighting...

Everything he does is just right!

Saturday morning, we looked out over our kitchen space and said,

"Thank Heavens we're on time!"

The installer was on time too ~ 8:00am bright and early.

Here's a peek at the top cabinets.

I put a tea set on the shelves just for fun.

We kept the soffits; lots of wiring runs through them and 

I discovered that everything you change adds a lot more $$$ to the project...

so we changed very little.  We were very disciplined at reminding ourselves that

we just needed to replace tired old cabinets.

...some crown molding will dress up the dated soffits...

we hope :o)

There are still some things that need to be done.

{finishing work, counter tops, and resetting the appliances}

{I'll be without a kitchen sink for a while, hopefully not too long!}

 *

Thanks for visiting and catching up with me!

I'll keep you posted on the progress and do my best to catch up with everyone.

Have a wonderful new week dear friends and family!

 I pray that God bless you always

as you all are such

blessings to me!

Maria

ps.

Pinterest and GardenWeb's kitchen forum are such valuable resources

for gathering ideas and information.

I also thank everyone out there from whom I received great advice! 

taking a nap is

soooo

good for you!

My dog, Misty, knows how to take care of herself.

She gets a good night's sleep,

enjoys tiny little snacks,

eats a light supper,

and takes a nice nap every afternoon.

she's always

so sweet, gentle and adorable!

Misty is a good example ♥

When I come home from work these days,
I'm finding that I could use a nice little nap.

 ~   ~   ~

"Think what a better world it would be if we all
-the whole world-
had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon
and then lay down with our blankies for a nap."
— Robert Fulghum

(All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) 

~
"True silence is the rest of the mind;

it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body,

nourishment and refreshment."

 ~   ~   ~

Wishing you a quiet, restful weekend!

{I know I need one ♥}

Strawberry Shortcake Fun

Do we ever outgrow the fun

 of using cookie and biscuit cutters?

These are the Martha Stewart Collection biscuit cutters.

I couldn't resist these either.

They POPPED right in my hands and onto the counter!

Just like those strawberries!

They just POPPED into my shopping cart and then

into the sugary sweet bowl

and onto my plate.

The biscuits were made the day before ~ easy peasy Bisquick shortcakes.

{I always add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the recipe}

Amanda and I had so much fun with the cutters.

...then...

~ Real whipped heavy cream ~ 

a spray can of cream would not do this time!

I am so grateful for these sweet and simple gifts

strawberries

biscuits

cream

...setting the table with vintage things...

but most of all the time spent with family baking and celebrating

and the time spent sharing with

you!

♥

Have a wonderful Wednesday dear friends!

God bless you always,

 ~Maria

cheerful helpers

every little bit helps

keep a smile on my face

while washing dishes!


{like a fun pair of gloves and a bright pink sponge}

. . . the cheerful heart has a continual feast . . .
-Proverbs 15: 15

Isn't it the little things in life

that bring cheer and joy

to your heart?

I hope you are having a happy week,

love,

      Maria

Little girl thoughts {and my giveaway winner}

Several years ago,

as my cousin's little girl and I walked passed a yard

filled with freshly fallen crabapple blossoms . . .

She looked up at me and exclaimed,

"Maria, there must have been a wedding here! 

Look at all the flower petals!"

Every year, as the crabapple blossoms fall, I think of Sarah.

~ so sweet and innocent ~

and I smile.

~

...and now, more smiles!

The winner of my first giveaway is Ruth!

Congratulations Ruth from "It's true," sighed roo"

I know your wee ones will enjoy the kindness cupcake liners!

I hope you enjoy all the other goodies too, Ruth!

I wish you all fragrant paths and sweet spring memories.

  Love,

        Maria

Random.org and their random number generator

came in handy to determine a winner,

I counted everyone once.

{skipping over my sweet sister who stopped by a few times just to say hello}

That left 33 commentators in all.

Easter Baking Fun!

Robin's egg cupcakes

made with this carrot cake recipe

and inspired by Martha's baby bluebird cupcakes.

{I need to practice making those baby birdies with their cute little beaks!}

A Mother / Daughter baking day with my sister, Doreen.

The sweets and treats were wonderful

but the sweetest treats were the

hugs and kisses

and special

closeness

we felt

with

each other

and

with family and friends

near and far.

♥

I wish you a lovely week filled with

small wonders

that

bloom into big joys!

~Maria

ps. Thank you for the Easter baking ideas, Koralee!

pss. Thank you for sending me your fun cupcake photo, Cassandra!

Making bluebirds at home

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones ~ the ones at home.

-Mother Teresa

My sister-in-law, Devon, took this photo from inside her house recently.

It's time {Feb/March} for bluebirds to scout for nesting places.

I promised myself that this spring I would be ready

to warmly welcome bluebirds to my yard.

I have some open space {which they love}.

I'm hoping the bluebirds think there's enough.

Wild Birds Unlimited 

is a great place to go for bird supplies and education.

I'm sure they have some helpful ideas for me.

I love their outdoor live camera.

Right now, it's poised to give us a glimpse into the lives of a Barred Owl family;

Mama, and her two owlets, Sarah and Percy.

How fun is that?!

My simple challenge right now is to make a bluebird mama happy with a new home.

Do you have bluebirds nesting nearby?

I'd love some advice!

*  *  *

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.

-Charles Dickens

The light is what guides you home, the warmth is what keeps you there. 

-Ellie Rodriguez

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. 

-Jane Austen

Where thou art - that - is Home. 

-Emily Dickinson

*

Wishing you

Peace, Warmth, Comfort and Love.

Have a beautiful day today,

love,

       Maria

A Vintage Secretary {a place for everything}

Look what came home with Maria last weekend.

If her teapots and pink dishes could talk they'd say
they're lovin' it inside this ol' secretary

~ which is vintage just like they are ~

It doesn't match Maria's house ~ but it matches Maria.

And now there's a place to write pretty letters while sipping tea

{The hand painted stationary was made by my sister for our first anniversary in 1979}

I'm looking forward to a wonderful week off from work.

It starts tomorrow afternoon with a 3-day trip to my father's.

My sister and I will talk and laugh and enjoy time with our Dad.

Then I'll come home on Sunday
and find stationary and cards that are not in their place,
and introduce them to their new home.

♥

Wishing you joy and much laughter,

Love,

{sharing something for Friday Pretties at Joyce's blog

and something for Beverly's How Sweet the Sound ~ Pink Saturday post}