Sure sign of Spring!

This is the first crocus to appear at our residence and believe me it is exciting! As mentioned in earlier posts, the winter in Northern Michigan has been very long, snowy, and cold. We truly are ready for some color in our landscape and the crocus are a start, with daffodils getting ready to show their brilliant yellow color soon! Oh how exciting!

I snipped a few sprigs of mint today, along with some chives so the garden is beginning to awaken after a long winter nap.

It will be so nice to see the lilacs bloom and enjoy their unforgettable fragrance, not to mention the forsythia! How very blessed we are to be given the opportunity to enjoy nature at it's best!

A Winter Home for Alfred!?!

Could it be that I caught my husband making a cat house template? He has never wanted a cat in the house and when Alfred came up missing this past winter I think perhaps there was some guilt associated since the poor little feline had no winter cover. And then when Alfred returned after a four and a half month hiatus I think a cat house started to make sense. I am hoping that the house becomes a home for Alfred...he is such a good little cat!

This is my first post in almost a week and I have several other pics I want to share so please stay tuned!

Pork Chops Delight!

I could complain about the weather today but instead I will be optimistic and look forward to warmer weather later in the week!

Thirty one years ago today, the weather was warm and it was raining...how do I know you ask? My husband and I welcomed our second daughter into the world and the doctor announced that it was opening day of baseball season!!!

We had two pork chops to use this evening so I decided I would doctor them up just a little...I fried them very slowly in olive oil and added onions toward the end of the cooking time. I also jazzed up some whole berry cranberry sauce with some lemon juice and brown sugar which I poured over the chops about five minutes before removing from heat. I sprinkled a little lemon zest over the finished product.

I cooked a few potatoes and then mashed them with a little half and half, added a little butter and chopped parsley. The picture isn't very clear so it is difficult to see the cute little heart shaped butter pat on the mashed potatoes.

To round out the meal, I placed a small amount of cottage cheese on a bed of lettuce and topped it with strawberries and peaches.

This is one way to enjoy Spring!!!

It is Saturday and at last the sun is shining and thankfully it isn't snowing. Yesterday brought a snow/rain mix and the roads were slush covered and the wind was blowing making the 42 degree day feel more like below freezing. Okay enough whining!

I figured out a way to bring spring inside...tulips you say...appliqued to towels that definitely make me smile...and remember that spring is on it's way! And to my hubby, the towels are for decor' purposes only!

The towels are a green and yellow plaid and I chose complimentary cotton fabrics to design a vase of tulips and also a spray of simple flowers. The vase is a fun shape and the tulips are arranged in a whimsical manner. I attached the pieces onto the towel with fusible webbing and blanket stitched them with DMC floss. The small spray of flowers is done in the same manner and since it was a simple design I added buttons for added interest.

Have a blessed day everyone! And thanks for the opportunity to share my interests with you!

Spring Heart

I started with off-white wool felt and cut out a small heart and then started cutting out various sized flowers in spring colors. As you can see, I blanket-stitched a narrow green felt heart shaped piece of felt just inside the larger felt piece. To attach the flowers, I decided to leave them dimensional so just sewed them on with beads in the center of each. Wool felt leaves were cut out and attached with DMC floss and for a more realistic touch a little "vining" was added. When I blanket-stitched the piece together I added a pale pink ribbon for hanging and included some lavender with the polyfil. Perhaps this project will remind us that spring is near!!!

Wednesday evening dinner

Another windy and cold day in Michigan so a hearty dinner seemed to be the ticket this evening. After perusing a few magazines for ideas, I decided to try a couple of recipes from Kraft www.kraftfoods.com/foodandfamily

Since my husband doesn't care for tuna noodle casserole, I decided to add corn rather than peas, and instead of milk I used evaporated milk, and to top off the dish I used crushed potato chips. A little garnish of parsley and baby tomatoes added to the interest of the dish.

The asparagus recipe came from Kraft and you just fry three slices of bacon and drain on paper towel, crumble and set aside. Discard all drippings but don't wash pan. Meanwhile, cook one pound of asparagus until crisp/tender. Add about 1/3 cup chopped onions to saute pan and cool until tender, remove from heat and add 1/3 cup Ranch Dressing. Plate asparagus and pour sauce over and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.

A little fruit gave the plate more color and it is healthy you know!

Peanut butter cheesecake brownies were the grand finale. Again, this recipe is from Kraft Foods and it calls for brownie mix, how easy is that? A cream cheese and peanut butter mixture is spooned on top of batter in each "cupcake". As you can see I topped the brownie with cool whip, mint, maraschino cherry, and chocolate sauce.

This blogging could put on some pounds...maybe I should stick to crafting!

Alfred's Return

I thought today being April Fool's Day was the perfect opportunity to share this story with everyone!

This past Thanksgiving weekend we had our family here for food and fellowship! On Sunday morning we awoke to a snowy northern Michigan mess and much to our dismay our little Alfred was missing. Alfred belonged to my special aunt and uncle who lived about an 1/8 of a mile from us until their moving into an assisted living facility a year ago this month. When they moved the kitty was left to fend for himself and about two weeks after they had moved the kitty arrived at our doorstep! My husband and I welcomed him and he made himself right at home, staying in the house during the day and prowling outside at night. His name deems an explanation: I had an Uncle Alfred who always left one leg outside the chair while eating, as if to be on the ready...and Alfred the kitty always left one leg in the house for a few moments before going outside. All was well until that snowy blast and Alfred was simply gone and we looked everywhere including his past digs at my uncle's barn. No sign of Alfred...until two weeks ago...I was on the phone with our daughter and couldn't believe my eyes. Just inside our woods, on a stump, was what I thought was Alfred so I stepped outside and called to him and he came racing for the house and when I opened the door he went right to the cupboard where we always kept his food...so I was certain it was Alfred. What a happy reunion and this is NO April Fool's joke, it's the real deal!