Where woodland creatures are welcome and glitter is used with reckless abandon
After a good nights sleep, walking down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, on auto-pilot walking to the coffee maker, I look outside to this! SNOW DAY! Yipee!
One day...many, many moons ago my friend Melinda and I were at a cute little antique mall out in the country and I saw one of these plates. Immediately drawn to the trim with ACORNS, I knew trouble was on its way. I tried to ignore, walked past it, came back...looked at it again and left the store without bringing it home. Months later at another antique mall, I spotted a plate, and knew I was going to cave in and bring it home where it belonged. It's actually been a lot of fun because I love poking around any antique store in hopes of finding more pieces. Of course I cheat once in a while and go to ebay, but it brings me more joy to randomly find pieces at an antique store. My mother-in-law and I stumbled across a gold mine of them while antiquing and she bought me 10 plates as a birthday present. Wasn't that sweet? In my house of monochromatic camel, butterscotch, and amber, I love the red.
I use my ACORN small cookie cutter to trim the edge of the pie...I took a knife and added a criss-cross pattern, but you can't see that too well. My stomach saw it real well though!
They have a tractor and take you out to this majestic view where you can take in miles of patch work farmland. Oh, how I would love to have a home right on that very spot and watch the springtime lightening storms roll in. There is a 10 mile plus view in all directions. 
Mr. Prothe's ancestors established the farm in 1879. Can you imagine a farm being in your family generation after generation? Quite the accomplishment. He has a grandson in training who I have no doubt will run the farm some day. He helps his Grandpa with the farm tour and knows more about Pecans and their history than all of us put together.
Each year the tour ends the same way. Me buying bags of their fresh delicious nothing like you ever tasted from the store pecans and harassing Mrs. Prothe about writing a pecan cookbook. Each year she responds "I know, I know...I really should".
Morning Glories are one of my favorite flowers. When we moved into our home, my neighbor (aka Mrs. Greenthumb) brought me over some of her seeds to share. I planted them underneath my living room window, and they come back every year, up a trellis and weave up the shutters. I love sitting on my couch looking outside, especially in the early morning having a cup of coffee framed by their beauty.
Ever drive past an old home like this? I have to pull over, and sit & ponder. What happened? Why did no one keep it up? Who lived there? What was it like when it was in it's full glory?
Here's what I wish I was doing today....going for a spin in my bug with the top down, but it's 30 degrees in Kansas and I can't warm up! I'm going to make Tina's Coconut Pie from her recipe collection at cherryhillcottage.typepad.com. Hopefully having the oven on will help take the edge off. There is hope....I have seen blossoms on my lilac bushes and the daffodils are poking there way up through the earth. 
No, this isn't Acorn Cottage! But isn't it cute??? I am one of those people who is not shy about taking pictures of houses that I find cute or interesting. This beautiful home is in a small town north from where I live. You can't really see it (unless maybe you can click on the picture and it gets bigger) but the window boxes have greenery with pinecones in them. I thought it was a nice touch why we impatiently wait for spring to arrive. Can't wait to get my hands into some soil and plant some flowers and get a garden going again. Sorry the picture is a little tilted, I tried to fix it, honest I did, hope no one has motion sickness via my phtography skills! 
This is what I live for....going on a drive in the country, randomly taking any road that stretches out for miles, and coming across a rural farm and capturing a seen like this. Did you see the rooster on the upper left corner poking his head around the tree. That cracks me up! 
Now you have to keep in mind that my bathroom at Acorn Cottage (built in 1942) is probably 3x5 (and that's probably being generous). My ENTIRE bathroom could have fit in this shower! My Volkswagen Bug could have fit in there!
Lovely granite surface with garnet gemstones embedded within...I should have taken a picture of the ceiling, which was recessed and had a giant light fixture, and the toilet
Is it just me? Or does every one's craft area look like this? Good....because this is the cleaned up version. I just want to tell all of you out there that I applaud you out there for your creative genius. In the last 24...okay 48 hours...I have been on my computer more hours this weekend than I have ALL MONTH LONG....trying to figure out to change my background paper, load the blog kit I bought, learn Photoshop. (Did I tell you my sweetie bought me Photoshop Elements 7?) I was DREAMING about blogging, woke up at 1:30am and was awake until 4:00am trying to figure out how to make things happen. So frustrated was I that I MADE my own banner, scanned it and actually got it to show up. Of course, never artistically satisfied, I went back to Photoshop to add a font title, then it didn't like the format.
I had a wonderful Valentine's Day...starting with coming downstairs, sleep in my eyes, blindlessly working my way to the coffee pot to discover....someone....had snuck downstairs in the middle of the night and put these beautiful roses on the table for moi! We had a lovely dinner out, exchanged gifts and cards and there was a PDA...(public display of affection). 
This is the most romantic image I have ever come across. It's a photograph by Steven White and it is untitled. 
For all of you who need a special Valentine's start to your day, here is a recipe I HIGHLY recommend. Make a regular batch of waffles. Top immediately with a smattering of mini chocolate chips, some fresh sliced strawberries and REAL maple syrup. Garnish with a dollop of whip cream and a whole strawberry on top. The combination of chocolate and strawberries is scrumptious. 
This has to be, and will probably forever be, the most unique photograph I will ever take in my lifetime. Such a very rare, precious picture on a Hummingbird sitting on her nest. The nest was a delicate weave of the finest angel hair found for her nest. I don't know about you, but I've rarely seen a Hummingbird sitting still, and to see her on her nest, left me speechless. This picture was taken at the Omaha Zoo, and she lives in the desert dome, but don't walk too fat, or you'll miss her...now there with her grown baby!
We are being teased here in the Midwest with days that feel like springtime. One of the best surprises of all when we moved into our home was when walking around our garden, I discovered Lily of the Valley in bloom. So delicate, I'm sure it's a favorite of the woodland fairies to rest beneath. When I was about 6 years old, I used to make special houses for the fairies. I would gather up pine needles, sticks, specially picked leaves, and sweep on spot clear on the dirt and construct what I thought was a masterpiece for them to live in. I knew they were too shy to come out for me to see them, but was sure they enjoyed their newly built home when I went to bed at night.
One of my favorites, the Robin. During the summer I see them fanning their wings out to cool down on the green grass. 
This trio was captured on camera during the warmer months. During wintertime there is nothing more beautiful than seeing the brilliant red of a cardinal against the backdrop of snow. It always reminds mind how amazing it is that they survive outside during the cold weather. One of life's little miracles. 
This is the room where all my creative projects take place. Like most creative people there are always several projects going on at once. There are so many things I want to do, it's difficult to get anything done. I may be out to get supplies for one project, and while shopping see something else that peaks my interest. 
I've become fond of birds and love my little collection. The top picture I bought at a crafts fair, the middle picture is actually a card my sister sent me, that I cut out and made a little collage, adding buttons, background paper and painted and distressing the frame. The bottom picture is needlepoint that I got a an antique booth at another fair.
Believe it or not, this used to be a 1960's black vinyl office chair. I bought an upholstery stapler and went to town. I made a slip cover for the top portion of the chair. I took the arms off, sanded, & painted them. 
This picture was a cottage must have. I bought it from Victorian Trading Co. which is trouble with a capital "T" for me! I love all things English so it was a perfect fit.
I love all things woodland creatures. My sister was in a Trader Joe's restroom and found this adorable hand painted mural. Miraculously she had her camera in her purse and sent this photo to me. I wish I could see the signature to give the artist their due respect. I try to carry mine with me most all the time because you never know what you might come across. Of course this doesn't pertain to me living in Kansas for 4 1/2 years and NEVER getting a picture of the wild turkeys I spot. Usually when we are taking a country drive, camera in lap, ready for action I spot nothing. On the days when I don't have my camera, we spot turkeys. Driving out to an orchard to pick apples in the fall (with the camera in the lap, ready for action) we spotted some turkeys. Of course the normal speed during one of these occasions is 50MPH. I shout to my husband "TURKEYS!!!!!!" and he knows the drill, slows down the car, makes a u-turn and we slowly approaching the area. But are the turkeys there? The only turkey I see is the person in the passenger seat, camera in lap, ready for action. Oh there are many, many more turkey stories....too many to recount. One day I will have my glory, Oh yes, I will.
Hot Chocolate Mix
1 cup powdered cream (such as Cremora)
2 cups Nestle's chocolate milk mix
2 cups powdered sugar
enough powdered milk to make 9 quarts (basically a 25.6 ou. box, minus 1 cup)
Blend all ingredients together. Store in air tight container. When ready to make hot cocoa mix 1/3 cup of mix with 8 ou. of hot water.
Enjoy!
Even my punk rock loving, tattooed sleeve, mechanic of a son has requested one (but he'll never own up to that in public).
