Celebrate!

He is Risen!
We serve a risen Saviour!
Praise the Lord!

Sunday afternoon, we had a celebration meal together.
The girls brought potato, broccoli, and couscous salads. I made a tossed salad.

The tablecloth and bunny on the kids table

matched Sarah's cupcakes

We were all dec'd out in chandy decor

ties

and fancy hair bows

There was joy and laughter

Everybody's Baby Girl. Even the smallest of the kids, think she's so special.

The weather was cold and wet.

Another indoor Easter egg hunt year.

It didn't dampen the enthusiasm.

There was a silver egg prize, won by a happy oldest girl!

Baby girl with her cotton tail collar

After the guys hid the eggs for the kids, and they were found......

the older kids hid some more for the younger ones.

in the blinds

in Uncle Bob's hoodie

In Papa's shirt pocket

A very excited younger set winner of the PURPLE EGG

So good to have the chicks in the nest at Easter!

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie

When we were at Dot's, we made a peach pie.......
we ate it for breakfast.....
it was sooooooo good.......
i haven't been able to get it out of my brain.......





Do you believe in subliminal messages?

I went to the library:

Did you happen to pick up on a bit of a theme there?

I do make a fairly decent pie, and was seriously contemplating making one.

Enter: my pastry recipe

Dandelion Pie Crust
2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. margarine ( i often use more butter)

1/4 c. ice water

Mix flour and salt together. Work in butter.

Add just enough of the water to draw into a dough.

Don't over work.

Makes 1 double crust pie
brush with milk, and sprinkle with sugar

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or til browned and bubbly.

For a pre-baked shell, bake at 375F for 15 minutes. cool completely.

Is your mouth watering?

Mine was......

And then I read this.....

I had second thoughts.

I don't wish to become a balloon in the Thanksgiving Parade!

So.....

a little berries....

a little bananas....

a little yogurt....

A yummy smoothie.

Berries

minus

the

crust.

Laundry Room

Yesterday, I showed you the laundry room when it was in the process of a reno. This photo shows the ceiling...plywood, after it had been stripped of it's many unmatching, stained, broken acoustical tiles. The walls were a dark walnut cheapy cheapy paneling, cut out around the windows....no framing out with trim, no baseboards.. The floor was dark walnut parquet print, ripped, linoleum. The square recessed lights were missing covers, and all rusty. Imagine dark, spooky, cave...... There was NO storage. I built the tall unit you see peeking out from behind the door. (We removed that door and have it all open with the mud room)
All of the reno was done on a bare bones budget, and there's nothing fancy about it, but I love it.
We installed beadboard paneling on the ceiling, and re-did the attic opening, which had just been plywood, nailed up.

See why I love it now?! Sunlight just streams in there now! ( Even though all 45 panes presently need washed on the outside) I painted the mullions on the outside white, but just sealed them natural on the inside, and they meld into the view outside better. I can watch the hummers and other birds to my heart's content.

The paneling came off, walls came down, and the old snake skins and old insulation came out. In their place, new studs, insulation, drywall, baseboards, and paint.

This is that storage closet I mentioned:

I trimmed down an old screen door from the chicken house, backed it with shirred muslin, and new chicken wire.
We were fortunate enough to find two baskets for up on top, that fit perfectly.

Over the washer and dryer, there had been a small window. With the windows moved, I was able to build a shelf unit for storage.

We just put up low cost light fixtures, and have been very happy with them.

I hung a wooden curtain rod and Target tab tops to hide the water heater area.


This is my little jewelry prize:

I got it at a yard sale for $15. Unfortunately it cost us an arm, and a leg to have installed. (That whole experience made me even more determined for us to do things ourselves)

I use the screen door for momentos:

Across from the washer and dryer, We put in a little window to allow some of the new lovely natural light into the kitchen. (It's above the fridge on the kitchen side)

Hope you enjoyed the tour.....I need to quit basking in happiness over how much I love this room and go put another load of wash in! ;)

Linked to: Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

And Kim's Make it Monday at Twice Remembered

check the other projects out!

Room with a View

When I was working on the washer in the laundry room last week, I was reminded of how much things have changed in there since we bought the house. It's light and airy like a sun room now.

When we bought the house, the laundry room was really cute ......on the outside.

But the 2 windows were pretty small, so inside, it was a dark cave.

One day while weeding the flower bed outside of it, and tearing out tons of ivy, we knew we had a problem when the siding started coming off with it. It had a major case of dry rot and we ended up replacing the two window walls. It "opened" the opportunity to add more windows and light to the space. I've always loved old houses with corner windows.

I prayed....(we had just married off a daughter and the funds were low), went to a salvage yard and found 5 matching old windows, the basic size I needed, (That was a miracle!) and trimmed them down to fit. It was a PAIN but each and every one of the 45 panes had to be cleaned and re-glazed.

It was sooooo worth it.

TGISF

Thank God it's SUNNY Friday!

The Early Snowdrops are dancing in their polka dot skirts

three little maids, all in a row


crocus turning it's face to soak in the sunshine

Heart's Ease, among the artillary weed

What a gorgeous day.