Notes from A Cottage Industry

Weekly Words To Live By....

The older you get, the fast time flies.

We're in the Biggest Little City for the holiday weekend, and that means that I get to visit with my son and daughter-in-law, and my two grand babes! After landing yesterday, we got to spend some time with this little guy and his big sister.

He's so stinkin' cute, all tuckered out in his Sheriff Woody pajammies that I just want to squeeze the stuffin's outta him.

He'll be two in another week.

Two.

Tomorrow we're going to her first ever dance recital. (Prepare yourself for lots and lots of photos, 'coz I am pretty certain there is nothing cuter than a dozen or so three year old ballerinas, especially when one of them is my one and only grand daughter!)

Why does time have to move so fast?

 

The older you get, the fast time flies.

We're in the Biggest Little City for the holiday weekend, and that means that I get to visit with my son and daughter-in-law, and my two grand babes! After landing yesterday, we got to spend some time with this litle guy and his big sister.

He's so stinkin' cute, all tuckered out in his Sherrif Woody pajammies that I just want to squeeze the stuffin's outta him.

He'll be two in another week.

Two.

Tomorrow we're going to her first ever dance recital. (Prepare yourself for lots and lots of photos, 'coz I am pretty certain there is nothing cuter than a dozen or so three year old ballerinas, especially when one of them is my one and only grand daughter!)

Why does time have to move so fast?

 

My ten favorite posts, give or take...

My friend Cheri gave me a wonderful opportunity to do a guest post over at her fabulous blog today, and you can check it out here.

If you're visiting Notes From A Cottage Industry for the first time today from Cheri's blog, welcome! I'm so glad you popped over here to check things out, and I do hope you'll leave me a comment and be back again...

A slightly random post for Wednesday and some shoe confessions.

I was going to share a charming (and cheap!) project DIY I have been working on in the evenings this week, but my paint didn't dry quite fast enough last night.

Well, that isn't entirely accurate. The rest of the reason is that I got a little too engrossed in the first part of the American Idol Finale and forgot to put on the last coat of paint until way late. (Are you watching it this season? Who are you pulling for? I'm all about Phil Phllips, while my Rock n' Roll Buddy is cheering for Jessica Sanchez...they're both good, but, truth be told, our hearts both still belong to Colton Dixon.)

So, yeah. We'll blame American Idol for my lack of an exciting post for today.

Oh. Wait. Maybe I do have something I can share that is of interest, at least to some of you.

Did I tell you I got a new pair of shoes?

They're yellow.

And I heart them.

Now, I am not  a yellow shoes-dresses-home-decore person, per-say, but a while back, on Pinterest, I found these shoes.(I can't beleive I forgot to share them with you when I got them!)..
and the next thing I knew, I had ordered them. (At the time I had not a clue what I would wear them with, mind you.)

Turns out yellow is the new tan.

Or neutral.

Whatever.

I wear them all the time. They go great with jeans and a white tee and a black cardigan, or with my charcoal grey sweater.(See how versatile they are? I can't even remember what I wore before these entered my life. Thank God I bought them!)

Okay, so anyway.

Last week a friend from work asked me to run to the mall with her at lunch, and I was happy to oblige her. That's where I found these babies...

Mmmm hmmm. Another pair of yellow shoesies.

Wedge sandals.

(And surprisingly enough, from that same shoe company.)

(I know. Too cute, right?)

I had to have them.

'Coz apparently yellow is my color.

On an entirely different topic (since I didn't get the DIY project done and I am rambling on here...) I am thrilled to provide you with a bit of shameless self-promotion.

Remember my couple of ice cream posts? The ones with the  cute ice cream containers I dolled up from Garnish? (These will be available in my etsy shop soon!)Well, the nice folks at Garnish shared my craftiness on their blog,complete with shout-out links to my blog.

I heart the folks at Garnish too.

I'm out for now, but you'll be seeing my latest DIY project before the week's end, I promise.

Hope you all have a blissfully happy Wednesday, people.

 

Not another ice cream post.

Nope.

Not ice cream.

Popsicles.

Made with a not-to-syrup-y-sweet concoction of coconut milk, pineapple, and bananas. Perfect for a warm weather snack; complete and total yummy goodness, and only 117 calories, which really isn't too bad.

I got these most incredible popsicle molds last week.
I had to order them online, as all the ones I found in stores had plastic sticks attached, which is great for little kids, but not what I was after.
I love the fact that they use wooden popsicle sticks. They just have a more vintage-y look, if that makes any sense at all.

So very Martha looking, you know.

And, I am all about how my food looks.

So this set really wow'd me.

Anyway, they're de-lish, so I wanted to share the recipe with you all here today.
I'll be trying Martha's Banana Blueberry Swirl recipe next.

The forgotten surface that is right over our heads.

Last time we were out at the Birk, I got to see some of the renovations our friends Wendy and Mike had done on their home, and I thought you might enjoy seeing the rustic touches they've added to their kitchen and dining areas...in a couple of unexpected places.

The ceiling is more often than not a forgotten surface in a room. Not so in this space. They added old corregated tin (metal?)to the entire ceiling in the dining area, and it totally changed the feel of the entire space, from generic and boring, to rustic and weathered. instant character.

So cool.

They didn't stop there, though. They carried the look a step further by running toe rusted corregated metal sideways in the sofeted area abouve the cupboards, and added faux painted beadboard to the ceiling there...giving the kitchen a whole-old new feel.
Maybe it was the house plant up there,and the ceiling fan, coupled with the metal, and the colorful walls, but it almost makes me feel like I'm at Jimmy Buffet's (or Kenny Chesney's) place in the Carribean.

Made me kinda wanna start humming Alan Jackson's "It's five o'clock somewhere".

Anyway.

I loved the look the rusted metal added to these spaces.I think with pale creamy walls, and a few archectectural pieces (weathered fan brackets, old peeling shutters, and some chalk painted furniture) the  touces used here would give a fantastic vintage feel, and make even the newest space look old, and worn and well loved.

Next time I am looking to add more charm and personality to a room, I am going to look up.

 

 

 

Weekly Words To Live by...

Even a gift card can look extra special.

I was invited to a lunchtime bridal shower for a coworker yesterday. I got sidetracked and ran out of time to shop for her gift, so I ended up getting her a gift card. Even though it was a last minute purchase (two hours before the lunch time shower)I didn't want to simply put the gift card inside a card, or just stick it in an envelope, so I wrapped it.

I used my signature brown craft paper with some skinny ribbon I had on my desk,(Oh, I guess I should tell you here that I have a roll of craft paper stashed at my work desk, along with a few greeting cards in a drawer and two colors of ribbon...) and a snippet of wider polka dot ribbon I found in the bottom of my purse. (Do you always seem to have things like that in your purse?)

(I also discovered that I had a mellon baller that I recently purchased to make tiny scoops of ice cream, and two AA batteries in there.)

Anyway.

I made one of my easy-peasy torn paper bows, and then I printed a verse on cardstock and cut it into a tag. The verse reads, "May your story together have more heroes than villains, more adventure than drama, and may love always win."

I love that quote.

It took me all of nine minutes to create.

Six, if you don't count the three minutes I spent digging for that snippet of ribbon I was sure was in my purse.

The end result was charming and sweet, and it looked like so much more than just a quickly purchased gift card, which is why I wanted to share it with you. Next time you're giving a gift card, remember this little idea...it will make your gift (card) into something extra special.

Almost too pretty to wash with.

I came home one day last week to find a present from a reader waiting for me with my mail! A box, filled with some of the most amazing little works-of-art soaps that I have ever seen. Cameos in white on top of pretty shades of blue and lavender..
and flowers with little glittery embellishments.
They will certainly brighten any bathroom, and I think they'd make fabulous hostess gifts...
if you like these charming soaps and want to get some for yourself, email Dalene at: daleneruhe@hotmail.com

Thank you so much Dalene!

A little entertaining secret....

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I love to entertain. I love planning the menu, coming up with a theme, (whether it is a color, or a type of food, or an event like the Superbowl...)and I especially love to design and set up the table scape and the buffet area.

Now, all of that might sound intimidating to some of you, and so today I wanted to share a little caterer's secret that I use. You don't always have to bake, or cook everything you are serving yourself when entertaining.You can make store bought pastries and fruit look like a million bucks.

You just have to make the right choices. WalMart, for example, has the most incredible itty-bitty-baby cinammon rolls.

To. Die. For.

And cute as all get out.

When I'm feeling really creative, I take a bit of powdered sugar, milk and a drop of vanilla or orange flavoring and make a runny frosting to drizzle over them...yummy (and totally like you-slaved-in-the-kitchen looking!) Stack them on a cake pedestal with some other pastries (or a giant pile by themselves) and the finished look is perfection.

So, there you go. If you want to wow your family, this is one easy way to do it.

A walk through Camas Antiques....

I popped over to Camas Antiques on Mother's Day with the Sewing Queen and one of my daughters, and I remembered my camera for a change! Here are a few shots of areas of the store that I found to be extra inspiring....

OOoooooh, how I want this lamp. I stood there for five minutes trying to think of a place in my home where I could put it....I'm still thinking...

I'm telling you, if you're in the area, you've gotta stop in!

Ice cream, foofified.

 

Okay, I promise-cross-my-heart-pinkie-swear that this will be my last ice cream post for a while. (Mainly because I just got a fabulous new cake baking cookbook I am dying to share with you!)

So, yeah. Ice cream.

Ice.

Cream.

I can't decide if I am more enthralled with the taste of this heavenly treat, or the seemingly endless options and ideas for presentations and recipes for it. (Quite possibly it is the latter.)

We'll start with the coconut ice cream I made. I was talking  with one of the kids at work (I can call them kids, since they are younger than any of my grown children...) and he was saying how much he loved Almond Joy candy bars. That got me thinking about the ice cream places that mix goodies into your ice cream. I decided to surprise my friend Nick with an ice cream that equalled the ingredients in an Almond Joy.

I took the last bit of the homemade coconut ice cream and I added more coconut, slivered almonds and chocolate syrup. I stirred it in just enough to belnd without turning it into chocolate ice cream, and I put it in one of my sweet little corregated cardboard containers....
I decided it needed a cute label, so I made some with my cheesy print program...
(I felt like my label came out a bit too wide, so next go round I will fine tune that)

...And I made a cute name tag with the darling ice cream scoop clip art I found. I added a couple of the butter wafer cookies and a wooden spoon, all tied with a coordinating ribbon. I took it in to work and called Mr. Nick, letting him know that if today was one of those days he might be "feeling like a nut" (as the Almond Joy tag line says..) I had a lil'-sumthin'-sumthin' for him.

I think it will make his Tuesday.

 

 

 

Win friends and become wildly popular with an ice cream buffet.

Talk about an easy-and-fun dessert set up that looks like you slaved all day! If you want to wow your guests, go with an ice cream buffet. That's what we did this past Saturday night. We had three kinds of ice cream for our friends to sample and make treats from; the two kinds of strawberry and the coconut.

First off, I got a fabulous assortment of cones and toppings. I got some of these cute little baby cones at WalMart (I think all the grocery stores sell them)... Before everyone arrived I made a few ice cream sandwiches with these oh-so-yummy butter wafer cookies from Trader Joe's....Here is my version of an Almond Joy sandwich, with coconut cream, chocolate , almonds adn toasted coconut...(sound good?)

I took ordinary sugar cones and dipped them in a small amount of melted chocolate, followed by dipping some of them in sprinkles or coconut. (chocolate chips, or the Wilton colored candy melts would work, but I used left over choclate from my chocolate fountain)Literally, all you do is melt the choclate and dip, then roll through the goodies as you like. Set them on wax paper to set up. Within minutes you have an assortment of pretty and impressive cones!

I also took my fabulous vintage cassolettes and set them out to use as ice cream dishes..perfect!
Needless to say, a grand time was had by all, and it really looked like I had spent all day prepping, when in reality it took less than a half hour.

We had plent left overs the next day, (another great thing about this dessert buffet...leftovers keep really well!) so I had my little men do some further taste testing...
In fact, all three of the boys got to sample...tee hee hee!

Weekly Words To Live by....

A quick addition to today's post....

Today's post is below, but I wanted to share with all of you lucky enough to be in the Portland part of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, that tomorrow Camas Antiques is hosting an outside market of some of the great vendors from the shop! The first 50 shoppers will receive French milled egg soaps, and with the weather expected to be perfect, I know it is going to be a fabulous event. I will be there, shopping with my Mom...hope to see you there too!

**ps....If you LOVE the look of those sweet little egg soaps, they come from my sweet friend Dawn's shop!!*

Strawberry ice cream takes it's turn in the spotlight.

We're off and running, with the first round of the second flavor of ice cream in the ice cream maker. This time we tried a couple of different strawberry recipes. The first one (pictured above on the right side of the bowl.)was supposed to taste like Ben and Jerry's strawberry ice cream. I'd say it was an okay recipe over all. The recipe was very easy, but I think the strawberries needed to be cut into fairly tiny pieces, and I had simply cut them as I do when I make strawberry shortcake, so, if I make it again, I will do that. Better yet, pureeing the berries in the blender is an even better option.The second recipe (on the left side of the bowl.) was for a roasted strawberry ice cream, with a bit of balsamic vinegar (oh-so-very Italian!) and it is my personal favorite of the two recipes.This recipe has you roast the strawberries,mixed with sugar and the balsamic vinegar, and later, chop 'em up in the blender, which I think was what made it a more flavorful treat.

The reason I tried two recipes was that the first coconut ice cream recipe bombed, and I figured there was a chance it could happen again (but I hoped not!) I didn't want to chance anything.  We are having friends over this Saturday night for a barbecue, and to play cards...and we'll need to have dessert...homemade ice cream! (Hence the need to find a really yummy strawberry ice cream recipe...)

( Of course, we will also have more of the homemade coconut ice cream as well, 'coz I want a variety, and it's so yummy too.)

Picture perfect packaging.

Ohmygosh! Thank you, thank you, thank you ever so much for all of the input you gave me through my survey yesterday regarding etsy and online shopping! I am more stoked than ever about stepping things up online.

Speaking of online shopping, just as I was getting all focused and excited about expanding things online, and re-branding my business, I got home yesterday to find the most fabulously packaged little purchase I had ordered last week, waiting for me in my mailbox. (Funny how that happens!)
Anyway, I thought I'd share it...'coz it's just that stinkin' cute. I mean, all of it. The adorable custom charm on the delicate chain. (It was rather hard to photograph, but it reads, "r + t". If you think that's cheesy, that's okay, but please don't tell me. I may be 55, but I am a completely incurable romantic.)
The logo'd packaging, and the sa-weeet little bag sent me straight to the moon, Alice.

No lie.

I was quite literally swooning. And my mind is now spinning, filled with ideas that I cannot wait to get started and share with you!

A quick survey to follow up on yesterday's post.

Thanks for the great feedback so far on yesterday's post. (Missed it?  Click here.)

As a follow up, I have compiled a really short, (just three questions!) survey. I'd be ever so thrilled if you help me out a bit more by sharing your online shopping habits!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

A question (or two, or ten...) about etsy and online shopping in general.

I had every intention of posting this morning, but then...it never happened.(I hate it when that happens. Makes my day not feel quite right.) I'm at a point of doing a lot of soul searching about what direction I want to take my blog, and my Cottage Industry. I guess I am trying to find the center of my creative passion, and focus more on it...fine tune it...you know?

I think this girl got me thinking about all of this. And this girl as well. And I am so glad they did. I am feeling inspired about my blog, and writing, and creating, and baking, and...well, everything, in a way that I haven't felt in quite a while.

So, I have a question for those of you who shop online. For handcrafted things. And for one of a kind types of things.

Do you typically go straight to etsy when you are looking for custom or specialized themed things like party invites, banners, and decorations, or when shopping for unique gift items like jewelry, and home decor items? Or, do you google an item on a website? Would you just as soon make a purchase  from someone's blog (or website) than be directed to an etsy shop?

Do you have an etsy shop? If so, do you do anything extra to market it?

I'm getting ready to launch some fairly big (for me) changes here on my blog, appearance wise, and I am also contemplating adding a new line of items for sale. Currently I have an eensy-weensy-oh-so-teeny-tiny etsy shop, (So small in fact, that some of you might not even have been aware that I had an etsy shop!)and I sometimes wonder if anyone goes there, except through my blog. If that's the case, I may as well sell my things right here from my blog...right? Wrong?

See? I have a lot of questions buzzing around in my head these days and I am searching for direction.I'd love to hear (to read!) your two cents worth!

Finally, something a little different, and whole-lotta fabulous.

I recently shared that I have forever had a magazine addiction...passion....interest, and I shared here how I gave them up for a long stretch, for economic reasons, and because I was dealing with a lot of surplus paper around my home.

Well, I stumbled up a new publication...a Premier Issue of Romantic Prairie Style, in Home Depot at the check-out, of all places, and...Ohmygosh! (I am apparently the only person in the US that didn't realize Fifi was doing this magazine...)It's fantastic.(I will admit that the price was still rather daunting at nearly ten bucks..)
It's got color, not simply more white-on-white-on-white-and-weathered decor (Which I personally do adore, but how many issues of the same look can we get inspired by?) and oodles of great decorating ideas, and...the best part...is that I haven't already seen a bazillion pictures from before the magazine issue launched sharing "sneak peeks" which turn out to be nearly all the pictures in the magazine on writer's FaceBook pages and websites. Am I the only one disappointed when a magazine arrives in my mailbox, and it feels like deju-vu experience because I've already seen three quarters of the photos online? (Why buy the magazine? (It makes me wish I hadn't subscribed to one new magazine in particular for that very reason...)

Anyway.

Romantic Prairie Style. Fifi nailed it. I loved this first issue. Loved. it. All. 

Check it out and let me know if you agree.

**edited to add: Thanks Dawn for sharing that you can find the magazine at WalMart as well! (they are discounted there, you know...)**

Weekly Words To Live by...

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap. -Carrie Snow

Good morning.

Are these not the cutest stinkin' cups you've ever seen?

Five bucks.

World Market.

Had to have 'em for us to use on lazy weekend mornings(and I had to share with you, coz I knew you'd want some too!) and to go with all of my white dishes, 'coz they will make drinking anything hot in the morning so much more cheerie and charming.

Going Postal, and wondering if you do too.

So, yeah. I was checking my list and that's just one of my New Year's Resolutions for twenty-twelve.

I plan on giving the good ol' Post Office my share of support this year with sending out lots of love in the good old snail mail. (Cross your fingers. I am a creative spirit, which is why I think I am totally....completely...somewhat disorganized, and I struggle with keeping my resolutions.)I love it when I open the mailbox and I find a nice little surprise waiting for me, like a card, or a box. I imagine my friends must love that too, and so I put this on my list this year of things to resolve to get better at. Think about it, people. If we don't use the Post Office, it could actually become a thing of the past, like eight-tracks, and typewriters, and liquid white out. Then we'd have no need for cute mailboxes surrounded by pansies out at our curbs, and so on and so on, and that would be tragic, as far as I am concerned, because I find mailboxes to be charming, if done up right...and I am all about adding charm, you know. (Oh! I think I just inspired myself to get a new mailbox for our nest, as well as some pansies and some coral colored geraniums...)

Oh, yes.

Wait.

Okay, true confession here: I have to admit that, five months into this year, and I am failing miserably so far at the sending actual card by snail mail. I missed sending out birthday cards to two of my besties in April alone. (I know. What is up with that, anyway?! I appall myself sometimes.)

Whew. I feel better getting that out in the open.

Anyway.

The thing is, that for me, nothing arriving in my inbox compares with receiving a hard copy invite (especially a cute n' clever one!) or a card, or a letter. This got me wondering...do you mail much these days? Do you still send cards? Little prezzies to friends and family? Or....do you rely on e-vites, and emails, and gift cards? Am I alone in this one, packaging up goodies to grand-babes for Easter, and sending hard copy birthday cards (when I have my act together) with cheery little notes inside?

I'd love to hear what you all do!

Because homemade ice cream goes best with good friends.

The second batch of coconut ice cream came out so well that I decided to take a bit of it to share with a couple of my friends that help me out a lot at work today.

I ordered these fabulous little containers (and wooden spoons!) a couple of weeks ago from one of my all time personal favorite online shops. (This was when I was beginning to get excited about warm weather and the new ice cream maker I would be breaking in...)

Not only did I get the white pint sized containers, I also got a few of these equally darling corrugated cardboard tubs.(I plan on using these containers filled with ice cream as to-go favors at summer barbeques this summer when we serve homemade ice cream for dessert. Pictures will be coming, of course!)
I made labels that read "Ice Cream for daily happiness" and tags with "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream" and "Life is short, eat dessert first" on them to add some whimsy. A foot of ribbon from my ribbon stash, and my hand-crafted,homemade tags, and...voila!

I think they're pretty cute, and tasty too.

Ice cream, anyone?

Well, that is what it was supposed to be, anyway.

See, I got an ice cream maker for Christmas, and I have been waiting for ice cream weather to get here so I could break it in. The moment finally arrived this past Sunday.

At least I thought it did.(We're back to rain and hail here today, and for the rest of the week, supposedly.)

I had ordered a cookbook all about ice cream, and it had arrived last Friday. (I'll be honest here and tell you I bout it partially for the fabulous cover, which I plan to set out on a book easel in the kitchen for the summer months...)After perusing the book for a half hour,I chose a coconut ice cream recipe from the back of the book. It was far more complicated than I remember ice cream recipes being. For starters I had to cook it. Five egg yolks, and a whole lot of cream. Coconut. Some straining, and more cooking.

My Rocker added his two cents, sharing that a secret tip he used in the past was to add pudding mix.

Hmmm, okay. That seemed like a pretty good idea.(Did I ever tell you how I love pudding? I do.)

Finally, the cooked, cooled ingredients made it to the ice cream maker on the back deck, with lots of ice and salt around the container.

Forty five minutes later, and still it wasn't resembling ice cream.

Uh-oh. Houston, we have a problem.

Still soupy...er...uncooked pudding-like.

At that point I realized that I was using the wrong salt in the ice for the ice cream maker. (I was using Kosher salt, not rock salt. Don't ask. I have no idea why, other than to claim a brain freeze.) Another hour later, and we gave up and sampled the cold pudding-ish creation. Not, bad, but not exactly good, either. (All I can say here is that the texture was weird.)

Undaunted, I decided to start over the next evenig after work. (When at first you don't succeed, try, and try again, right?)

Second night, second try. I was determined to get it right. I found another coconut ice cream recipe online. I picked up some rock salt. We re-read the instructions with the ice cream maker.

No cooking this time. No pudding. Back out on the deck, we added the ice, and the rock salt and plugged in the ice cream maker.

Forty five minutes later (give or take) and we called it good. We brought in the tub of ice cream, and...yes! It was ice cream... a soft serve texture of coconut goodness. I moved the ice cream from the container to a vintage loaf pan, and covered the top with waxed paper. In the freezer it went. (And it looked oh-so-vintage-and-yummy at the same time. Martha would have been so proud of me.)

We I couldn't stand waiting too much longer, so after an hour I pulled it out and we each sampled a bowl. Mine was dressed up with toasted coconut and a few slivered almonds on top, thankyouverymuch.

Ohmygosh. Yes. Ice cream!

We're going to tackle strawberry next.

Spreading the love..May 2012 Giveaway! (And April's winner!)

Happy, happy, May Day!

Before we get to the April Spread the love Giveaway, I wanted to share that the winner of April's Giveaway is... Now, for the Giveaway to Spread the Love in May!

This month's Giveaway is Spreading some vintage love, with a key fob made from a piece of vintage silverware...

...five yards of scrunched mocha colored vintage ribbon...

...A sweet little vintage bird figurine...

....and four vintage photographs...

Here's how it works..... Simply leave a comment below.(Make SURE you have your valid email address somehow connected to your comment, or put it at the end of your comment. You can't win if I can't reach you!!!)

          For up to five additional entries: 

1.Follow my blog (at the bottom of my blog, with the new Mr. Linky "Follow Me" box!) and leave an additional comment.

2."Like" A Cottage Industry on FaceBook and leave another comment here.

3.Share this giveaway on your own FB page (including the link) and leave an additional comment here.

4.Follow me on Pinterest and leave an additional comment here.

5.Share a link back to the Giveaway in your own blog, and leave an additional comment.

Again, please, please make sure there is a way for me to have your email address from your comment so I can contact you when you win!

A random winner will be drawn on May 31st. Good luck, and thank you so much for reading my blog!

More comfort food.

I know most of us do not think of comfort foods in warm and sunny weather. Still, even if it is April,if it's chilly, or looks chilly outside, one of my most favorite comfort foods to whip up is grilled sandwhiches. This past Saturday started out pretty gray, and even though it wasn't all that cold, it looked like comfort food weather, so I made us each a grilled turkey, bacon, and cheddar cheese on sourdough. Mmmm, mmm, mmm.

The trick that makes them so yummy is to use a bit of mayo on one slice of bread, and some thousand island dressing on the other.
Start by grilling up your bacon, and set it aside. Butter the outsides of the two pieces of bread. (Here is where you make them special, with the mayo and thousand island on the flip sides of the two pieces of bread.) Add the cheese, (I used cheddar, but gouda coud be great too.or any other kind of cheese you crave.) followed by the turkey, and the bacon.

Grill.

Flip.

Grill.

Enjoy with a cold drink of your choice, and some really good company.

Perfect.

 

Weekly Words To Live by...

Mmm hmmm.

Do it.

You'll be oh-so-glad you did.

Salt and Straw.

I love me some ice cream.

Yeah, baby.

I got an ice cream maker for Christmas, and with the warmer, sunny weather finally creping in, I have been a bit obsessed about ice cream, ice cream recipes, containers, and anything remotely ice cream related. (ehem...some of you might have noticed.)

Anyway.

Last night we took a little ride over the bridge to PTown to check out a fairly new ice cream spot that one of my friends at work told me about yesterday. (When we were discussing ice cream.)

Oh my Ga.

I can easily say it is the best ice cream I have ever tasted. (Some of the flavors, at a glance sound a bit..weird, but taste 'em before you judge 'em.)I had salt and caramel ribbon, my Rock n' Roll Buddy had Rhubarb crunch, along with my son in law, while my daughter had the Honey Balsamic Strawberry, with cracked pepper (which I think in the end, we all agreed was the best of the best.) Seriously, there were so many tasty flaors that it was hard to decide.

We weren't the only ones loving it. We got there about 8:30 PM, and we waited in a long line just to get in to get our treats.
The guy at the counter told us they have a line every day, open till close, and the line is much longer when the weather is hot.
Salt and Straw has taken Portland by storm, opening last August, and just yesterday, they opened their second location on 23rd Ave., near downtown. If you live here, or visiting, you've got to make this an item on your Bucket list.

A little sign tutorial.

Okay, so it isn't really a little sign, but the tutorial is little...er...short.

Kind of.

And easy.

I've had this sign for...gosh...more than ten years. I was originally from a storefront somewhere in Virginia City, Nevada. It was green when I got it, and I painted it yet another green, with wording on it for a Billard room in my home way back when I was married. Later, I painted it black, and have been planning on painting a verse on it ever since.

I came upon the perfect verse, (Happiness is not a destination, it is a way of life.)and decided exactly where I wanted to hang the sign around the first of the year. (This was in fact, one of the bajillion things on my Wanna-Get-Done list before the rush of Easter company, but...I ran out of time.)

I made time this past week, and I thought I'd walk you through the process. (I shared the process once before, a while back...here.)

Again, here's how I do it:

Decide what you want to paint on your sign.(A wooden headboard makes a perfect sign, as well as old doors from cupboards, or a plain ol' one by six...) Once you have done this, you are are ready to start creating.

1.I use my favorite cheap n' cheesy program, Printshop, from Broderbund. (It's an easy program that a non-techie gal like myself can learn easily, and it's affordable.) If you don't have  a Print Program, you can print your letters (words, quotes...) in WORD.

2. Tape the pages of paper together.

3. Rub chalk on the back side of the paper. If the sign is painted a light color, use colored chalk. 4. Place the verse, printed side up, on the sign, exactly where you want it.
5.Using an old fine tip felt pen, outline all the letters, pressing fairly firmly.

6. Remove the paper. (The chalk letters did not photograph well at all, but trust me, they're there...)
7. Paint each letter, coloring book style.

8. After the paint is dry, wipe the sign off with a damp sponge to remove all the excess chalk residue..
9. Step back and bask in the awesomeness of what you have created.
We hung our sign in the family room, above the shuttered sliding glass door.

(I must be honest here, and tell you that my Rock n' Roll Buddy didn't really "see" my vision at all on the idea of hanging the sign above the door, but he hung it for me anyway. )

(That's what I love about him.)

It's a straight shot to see it as you enter the house through the front door. You likey?

 

PS...I am linked to