a new member to the household

meet Jesse,

our newest rat acquisition.

he is timid, lovable, and already likes to snuggle up and nap atop ones shoulder.

simple sandwich salads

confession time. i adore, love, and find supreme enjoyment in sandwiches. tasty fillings, squished between two pieces of grainy goodness. i C-A-N-N-O-T get enough. i especially love filling sandwiches with simple salads. this afternoon i made a tuna salad and an egg salad. because, after all, choice is always nice....and you can't beat leftovers for days.



i thank my mother for this tuna salad recipe. i have changed it only just barely from the original.

flaked tuna
plain (full fat) yogurt
shredded carrots
crispy crumbled bacon
itty bitty squeeze 'o lemon
salt and pepper to taste

mix and enjoy. i find this particular concoction is especially good as a tuna melt. here, my husband enjoyed it on a croissant toasted with provolone and, yes, more bacon.

this egg salad is absolutely my favorite. perfect for dipping crackers or veggies, a sandwich filling, topping a mix of salad greens, or eaten just with a spoon.

hard boiled eggs

good quality mayo

sprinkle of dill

pinch of curry powder

hearty pinch of fresh ground pepper

it is saturday. impending fall is in the air. college football is murmuring in the background. i'm daydreaming of hot cocoa and a cuddly blanket. and of holding the new baby. just a few more weeks........

wednesday lunch with mom

decided on a whim to take the day off.

since lunches around here aren't that fancy most days, i figured i would force some effort out since i was being a big lazy slug otherwise.

on a freezer scan i found a roll of leftover puff pastry dough. hmmm, that might make a crust for.....oh, yes....three cheese pizza!

a quick trip out the fig tree produced 3 perfectly ripe figs, i cut up a nectarine and some romaine, sprinkled some queso seco. voile, salad!

my mom was off today, so a quick call provided me some additional company.

lovely afternoon, indeed!

rainy game day

yesterday was a rainy sunday for us. we decided since labor day was going to be a busy one that we would play hooky from church and spend a drizzly morning playing games.


this jewel is called Fellowship. i L-O-V-E it. it is a family game that we had when i was young.

it is a spin on monopoly except it carries a biblical point of view. i love the scripture verses, cows and sheep as opposed to houses and hotels, and true biblical pieces of land that you "purchase" with points. our 5 year old gave us a wallop! he made wise purchases, then kept his points and made us all pay splendidly when we landed on his property.

we capped off the day by picking up burgers and fries and eating them at our local walking track park. an after dinner stroll was the highlight of the evening. the kids chases squirrels, marveled at cranes and loons, picked wildflowers.....

one could die of such contentment.

i wish you all a happy and blessed labor day!

mornings with abel

mornings with abel.

rat kisses must be the best.

giving away inspiration

there is a local group here that meets up twice a month called Moms 4 Moms. you get the idea of what it's about. this group was integral to my early motherhood survival. i try to show up now and then to make appearances, catch up with old friends, meet new moms, and hug everyone. and especially now that we are slowing down our school schedule in preparation for the baby, i wanted to come and show my support and let people dote on my glowing belly.

one of my favorite parts of this day is browsing the give away tables. people simply drop off what they don't want and it is just like Christmas to a gal like me. i never go away empty handed. i have gotten cloth diapers, clothes, toys, shoes, martha stewart mags....you name it. today was no different.

i got the flowered plates and wooden platters shown above. i can see these flower plates filled with splendid leafy salads and dainty sandwiches, and the large platters will suit any fresh baked bread loaf just right.

these fabrics choices started out as just me, merrily grabbing what i liked from a big box. but once i got home, i immediately saw how they all rhymed with each other. the earthy tones will do just nicely as a quilt project for ashton and me this fall. leftovers made into pillows, skirts, and such. amazing what the brain juices permeate when given a little visual aide.

i L-O-V-E jewelry making. it produces almost instant gratification and you don't need any special talents to pull off something great. this bag of beads has left my finger tips all tingly. big chunky bead bracelets, hair clips, earrings....yes, yes, and YES. the ribbon will make perfect embellishments to aprons or skirt bottoms.

be looking for completed projects soon! i have already started my Christmas gift planning, and seeing as though we are, once again, money strapped, everything will be hand made. i will try to post some Christmas projects from the past in upcoming posts.

have a happy day!