Home cooking, Kale and quinoa soup

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Debbie

A chill in the air signals the perfect time for hot home-made soup. There’s something about a chilly day that awakens the nesting instinct and calls for comfort food. Making home-made soup is easy, just start with a flavorful base. You can use canned broth or make your own from a chicken carcass or vegetables if you like.

For this soup I used my crockpot. I first cooked chicken breast in the crockpot then added canned broth, and in my ongoing efforts to eat healthy foods, I added quinoa and kale. After the quinoa was cooked I added the kale that we grew this year, black beans and a can of Rotel tomatoes. Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with a kick of green chilies.

I seasoned it with salt and cumin. The taste of cumin with the spiciness of the Rotel tomatoes was delish!

If you aren’t sure about quinoa, just try it! It’s classified as a grain like barley or rice but is actually a seed and has it’s own unique earthy taste. You can use it just like rice.

I could have used rice and added carrots or used oregano and basil instead of cumin. With home-made soup you can flavor it as you like. Some of the tastiest soups are made from vegetables and whatever you have on hand. A good time to experiment is with Thanksgiving leftovers.

There’s nothing better than hot soup, add a piece of crusty bread and you’re all set.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Bean salsa or cowboy caviar, it’s good!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Debbie

Are you a salsa lover? Grab a bag of chips and dig in! This recipe is good! One day I decided to take a little trip to one of my favorite stores. It’s about a half hour from here and if you’re in central PA you might know it, it’s Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill. They have a big garden center, a grocery and gift store and a great seafood department. There are lots of organics and all sorts of food that isn’t sold in the local grocery stores. In the refrigerated section I spied a beany concoction that looked pretty good to me because I love beans of every shape and size! I had to get it, those beans were calling my name! It was so good I wanted to make my own. When searching for recipes for Texas salsa, I discovered it goes by many names; cowboy caviar, cowboy salsa, Texas salsa and bean salsa. There were so many recipes, so I added a little of this recipe and a little of that recipe and came up with my own version.

I like to serve it with lime slices and avocado but I think sour cream would be good too.

All the spices can be adjusted to your personal preference. I like it with lots of spice and always end up stirring in more after it’s refrigerated overnight. It was a hit at our 4th of July party. Do you have a favorite salsa recipe?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

How does your garden grow? Growing vegetables

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Debbie

Every year we plant a vegetable. I’ve posted about it before many times, but every year it changes a little. It’s great to go out to the garden for fresh vegetables that you grew.. Our garden is 2 large raised beds with a path between the beds and around the perimeter. The beds are enclosed in wire mesh to keep rabbits out. Here’s what the garden looks like this year. garden, vegetables

Digging in the dirt is something I really like to do, I know I’ve mentioned it before but it’s so true. Here I am, the gardener. Don’t you love the outfit? My hat is soaked with sweat and water because it was raining a little. My pants are wet and dirty and my garden shoes have seen better days. I’m dirty and sweaty but happy. compost, garden,

Since the compost tumbler is broken, I’m making compost in a pile enclosed in wire. Bill is supposed to fix it…..sometime, but …..ahem…. when? kale, vegetable garden

In the first bed this year is a new addition, kale. I love it but have to sneak it into soups or sauté it with other vegetables to get my husband to eat it. cucumber plant

Cucumber is another vegetable that Bill won’t eat, so I’ll be giving plenty of these away.

argula, lettuce, vegetable gsrden

Arugula is on the left and those are lettuce sprouts coming up under that wire mesh. Birds were eating all the little seedlings and this is how I out foxed those hungry pests. zucchini and cucumber vegetable garden

Zucchini plants always claim their space. They’re growing nicely and loaded with blooms. Also in this bed are mint and perennials that I divided last year.

onion plants vegetable garden

In the other bed, onions are a variety of sweet onion called ‘candy.’ I hope they’re nice and sweet because I’m an onion lover!

jalapeno plant

Jalapeño peppers are at the top of my personal hotness scale.
bell pepper plants vegetable garden

Bell peppers, you can’t tell from the picture but these plants are loaded with peppers.

hot chili pepper plants
Hot chili peppers are Bill’s favorite.

yellow zucchini plants
Yellow zucchini, I thought I was buying yellow summer squash and ended up with these. Now I think I like them better than green zucchini.

tomato plant,s vegetable garden DIY wooden tomato cage

DIY tomato cages that Bill made. You can also see part of the soaker hose we use to water the garden.

tomato plant

This is our first ripe tomato of the season! I’m planning to pick it and eat it tomorrow!

vegetable garden

Here’s a shot from the far end looking across both beds toward the garden shed.

path, vegetable garden, pine bark nuggets

We use pine bark nuggets for the path. I was asked how we get into the beds……See that rock? I use that as a step up and climb in. coneflowers

I planted this purple coneflower in the garden to keep it away from rabbits who had eaten it down to just stems. I think it likes its new home.

Get out there and dig in the dirt, it’s so good for the soul! What vegetables do you like to grow?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Crafting for the 4th of July

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Debbie

This post should be named, crafting with scraps, because these projects were made with fabric scraps from old clothes. Old jeans, a denim skirt, a couple of my husbands shirts and even an old sheet. Here’s a patriotic wreath I made from recycled things I already had.

patriotic denim wreath
I started with cutting long strips from the legs of a pair of jeans……..old jeans that were way too small. Way TOO small! Different length and width strips don’t matter, they work out fine.
denim scraps
The straw form was a summer wreath that I took apart. Wrap the strips around the form and secure to the back with straight pins. straw wreath form

I tried using the floral pins from the old wreath but they were very hard to get through the denim fabric. I did manage to use a few of them.
These are the floral pins, a little rusty but still useable. vintage lace trim
I wrapped some vintage trim around the wreath for a little more color and then added a bow. It took about 15 minutes and I have a cute and very patriotic wreath for the holiday.

The next project is a scrap swag. patriotic swag from scraps

It’s so simple! I cut pieces of fabric about 10 inches long and tied them on strong twine. You could use rope and can make the fabric strips as long as you want. patriotic swag
I added in some red yarn that I had. You can see the plaid and some red toile. This swag is about 25 feet long! I’m planning on hanging it on our red pop up shade canopy. I can’t wait to see how it looks.

We’re having a backyard party with classic July 4th foods like hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans. We’ll be playing a little bean bag toss, listening to music, chowing down and then later fireworks. If we drive down the road a little we can see the fireworks at Hershey park.

Happy Independence day! I hope you enjoy the holiday.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

our patio 2014

Posted on June 26, 2014 by Debbie

Even though our patio changes a bit from year to year it’s still decorated with new, old, yardsale finds and repurposed things. It’s a mix-up of of this and that. In warm weather the patio becomes an outdoor room. We have breakfast here in the morning and watch the evening news while eating supper. It’s a place where sometimes we just relax and nap. Come and visit a while!
With the addition of coral and orange accents this year, the patio has a different look. Previous years, I used lime green and turquoise and since some of those pillows needed replaced I decided to go with a new look. The patio furniture is from the Woodward company, Cortland collection and the cushion color is called spa. In person it’s a blue/gray color and seems to pair well with lots of different colors.

patio 2014 2

The outdoor rugs were purchased several years ago from overstock.com. and are holding up really well. The curlicue bench is something I had and recovered it for the patio. It makes a good footrest.

patio 2014

The coral printed fabrics for the pillows came from Joann’s. The garden stool is from TJMaxx. The black table between the chairs was free at a yardsale!

The Boston fern is from Lowe’s. There’s a Lowe’s store less than a mile from our house and that’s so handy! I love this fabric with the shell design. The colors are perfect out here.
bird pillow from Lowes
From Lowe’s again, a sweet birdie pillow. Patio 2014 3
Here’s a shot across the patio. patio orange, aqua
My swing is my most absolute favorite place on the patio.
tv on patio
We have a mini fridge and an old tv out here and when it goes bad we have another one just like it! Those old tvs are still good for something.
swing on patio
The long cushion on the swing is an old cushion from a chaise lounge that I made a cover for. It’s a pretty long swing, I can lay on it and nap. potted plants on patio, geranium
The orange garden stool is from TJMaxx. This one was deeply discounted, I think I paid about 30 bucks for it.
patio set from Lowes, cascade creek
Back to Lowe’s again…..we got a new table and chairs this year. adirondack chairs, polywood
We’ve had these polywood Adirondack rockers for a long time and they got new cushions too. patio
The old wooden desk holding the fridge still needs to be painted. I use indoor furniture out here and it holds up pretty good. The dresser holding the tv has been painted several times but still looks good. I keep thinking something to hold both the tv and fridge would be perfect….maybe a shelving unit made out of 2 x 4s. Someday I might feel ambitious enough to tackle that project! Ya think???

To see the more of the patio from previous years, click HERE.
Happy Summer!

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

2014 Garden tour

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Debbie

Welcome! Lets start this tour in the side yard at the arbor.

Every year our yard and garden changes a little, I guess it’s just a natural evolution but this year the harsh winter has taken a toll on many of our plants. Even though we had to remove 2 junipers, 4 hemlocks, 4 boxwoods and 2 cotoneasters, the garden is still so pretty

arbor

This is one of my favorite views into our yard. You can see a pink knockout rose through the middle of the arbor. On the right is a ‘Korean Spice’ viburnum underplanted with liriope. On the right is Canterbury Bells protected from rabbits with wire mesh. I had climbing roses here but I got so tired of powdery mildew and black spot and then rose rosette disease showed up…so they’re gone. side yard with arbor

The purple leaves are coral bells ‘Purple Palace’. catmint

These huge catmints are on the inside of the arbor. Behind the catmint was a butterfly bush that didn’t survive the winter. fountain

Opposite that is this fountain that we’ve had a long, long time and it’s certainly showing its age. I planted New Guinea impatiens in a bright coral because I’m crushing on that color this year.

pink knockout rose clematis

This is the big bed beside the shed with pink knockouts and clematis ‘Etiole Violette’. lady's mantel

Another butterfly bush, beside the purple globe thingy, took a hit from winter but is coming back and filling in that blank space nicely. birdhouse clematis

Time to replace that birdhouse…… We’ll have to wait until the current occupants leave. yard

One of my favorite trees, Ice Blue Cypress, is shedding needles like never before…..another consequence of the harsh winter. cedar

I asked an arborist about this and he said that after it’s done shedding it will slowly fill in.

I could never plant impatiens before because rabbits would end up eating them, but this year there doesn’t seem to be as many rabbits eating everything is sight. They should fill in nicely.

knockout rose

This is the back of the house, there’s a red knockout and Gold Flame spirea. pink lemonade honeysuckle

Beside the spirea is pink lemonade honeysuckle growing on a wooden arbor made by my stepfather.

row of hemlocks

Across the back edge of our property is where the row of hemlocks are. You can see where we planted arborvitae in a space where they died. Eventually we will replace all the hemlocks. Because of wooly adelgid disease, Canadian Hemlocks aren’t recommended any more for planting in the north east.

arborvitea

Looking the opposite direction.

border vegetable garden

The arrow is pointing to another spot where we removed more hemlocks and planted arborvitae. This picture is the outer edge of the vegetable garden. The wooden things are DIY’d tomato cages.

There was nothing here when we built this house and we planted everything! Pretty crazy! Now, it’s a lot of work, but know what? I love it. Most days you will find me with dirty knees and dirt under my fingernails. If I had more space I’d plant more!

You can see lots more garden pictures HERE.

I’ll be showing the vegetable garden, the front yard and the patio soon. What are you planting this year?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Easter table, golden eggs and polka dots

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Debbie

While going through all my things that were packed away in the basement, I found my collection of green depression glass and that was the starting point for this table. I knew I wanted it to be fun and festive. What’s more fun than polka dots? I added metallic gold faux eggs for a festive touch. Here’s how I created the tablescape. Easter table with golden eggs

The eggs and urn were spray painted with the blogger’s BFF, spray paint. The china, with a golden ring around the edge and the golden chargers are all part of a set I got at Sam’s Club a long time ago. Easter table

I used metallic paint and a foam pouncer brush to make the dots on an old tablecloth. It was a quick and easy little project. The trick is having just the right amount of paint on the brush, but it’s pretty forgiving and you can go back over it if there’s not enough paint.

. golden eggs

Coffee cups, lined up down the center of the table, hold the golden eggs in a little nest of green moss. I think the flowers look fake but they’re real grocery store flowers. Lately I can’t resist grocery store bouquets. polka dot Easter table

The depression glass adds a bit of green color. The turquoise napkins are from TJmaxx and the patterned bowls are from Big Lots. polka dot tablecloth

I think the polka dots are so cute! An unexpected touch of whimsy! natural dye Easter egg

Mottled green eggs in a napkin nest are nestled in the bowls.

I rolled up the napkins diagonally and tucked them in the bowls. Then fluffed them up a little bit to create the nests.

Have a very Happy Easter.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

jadite collection and Lemon yellow

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Debbie

Cleaning out the basement seems to be something I do every year at about this time and each year I get rid of more and more stuff but still have so much. I came across my collection of Fire King Jadite and decided to get it out and use it occasionally……why have it if it’s just stashed away in a box is my new motto. jadite vase

The pretty soft green color brightens up the kitchen and looks good on the baker’s rack.

jar of lemons

I found this cute little peep and paired it with yellows flowers in a Jadite vase and a jar of lemons.

jadite collection

The pyrex bowls on the top shelf draw out the colors in the painting.

2014_04_02_8943

This pretty tablecloth is from Target….

. 2014_04_02_8944

and the lemon squares are from Betty Crocker. Yep, a mix and pretty darn good too!

It’s looking so much like Spring! The sunshine has renewed my energy and I’m getting lots of little projects done….yeah!

What have you been up to lately?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Pops of bright color to welcome Spring

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Debbie

This post should be titled, purple bunnies, gold and silver eggs, painted glass jars and DIY Easter grass…….so many colorful things going on! Painting glass jars has been done all over blogland and I’m slow to hopping on this trend but I decided to try painting mason jars with Valspar’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid. It’s a bright color and not to everyone’s liking but in small doses it looks pretty…..that’s just my opinion. A bouquet of flowers from the grocery store looks perfect in the painted jar helps, brightens up the kitchen and my mood. I had a serious case of the winter doldrums!
painted mason jar
I really like this cheery look in my kitchen. The tablecloth is from Target and the “move mountains” tag was with a Miss Mustard seed tee shirt that I won.
radiant orchid painted mason jar
I used primer on the jars before I painted them. You can see brush strokes but that adds to the charm!
Next I painted a glass vase that had a design on it.
radiant orchid painted vase
Painting it helped make the design more noticeable. I added pussy willow stems and put it in the dining room and there it is! Amazing what a little color can do!
painted vase radiant orchid
It’s a nice punch of color in the corner of the room. I think Valspar may have chosen this color because it complements the grays and greige colors that are so popular now. Could be….
img class=”alignnone size-large wp-image-3731″ src=”http://www.thebungalowblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Easter-bunny-centerpiece-417×625.jpg” alt=”Easter bunny centerpiece” width=”417″ height=”625″ />
The verdict is out on these painted bunnies. Since they were in need of freshening up they got painted too.
Easter bunny radiant orchid gold eggs
This will be the centerpiece at Easter. Orchid bunnies and gold and silver eggs! It’ll be whimsical for sure.
gold and silver Easter eggs
The faux eggs were spray painted with metallic gold and silver. There’s also gold and silver wrapping paper in the Easter grass. No need to buy Easter grass. Just put it through your paper shredder. You could use any colorful paper. Leftover wrapping paper, magazines or any shredded paper.
I’m so glad that cold and dark weather is almost gone and it helps to lighten up with some bright color inside…….a little Radiant Orchid, some fresh flowers, purple bunnies, pretty shredded paper and gold and silver eggs! Yes it’s Spring…..finally!
Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

How to repair crumbled and cracked powdered makeup

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Debbie

Why is there a nylon stocking on my expensive powdered makeup? It looks ridiculous I know, but it did solve the problem for the short term, until I decided it was just too wacky to have a nylon on my makeup! The nylon was wrapped around the compact, over the powder and tied in the back. Dumb.

I can’t be the only one dealing with crumbled and cracked makeup. There HAS to be a better way to remedy this problem.

make up compact

Here’s what I was dealing with.

makeup compact 2

Ever happen to you

Its an easy fix. Just put a little alcohol on the powder and tamp it down with a paper towel. About a capful should do it.

You could use vodka too if you are so inclined.

repairing compact makeup

Cover it with a paper towel and tamp it down with a lid or something….I used a bottle of hand soap which happened to be the perfect size.

Let it set overnight or until it dries and just as easy as that………

makeup repair compact graphic

VOILA….good as new!

Just look at it now….. amazing what a little cosmetic surgery can do!

cosmetic surgery…………….

Are you cracking up now? cracking up, get it…… Sorry

This method could be used to repair any type of powdered make up, even eye shadow. I’m so glad I found a way to repair this compact…..this stuff is expensive!

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Make a moss ball with plastic bags

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Debbie

When I was putting together my Valentine’s mantel, I wanted to add something green and thought moss balls would be the answer. Not having any Styrofoam balls at home and not wanting to go out in the middle of yet another snow storm, I had to put on my thinking cap to come up with a substitute. What did I have at home that I could shape into a sphere? I thought of aluminum foil, newspaper, plastic wrap, plastic……………bags! Grocery store bags. DIY plastic bag moss ball
I love the way this plastic bag moss ball looks, it’s a touch of green while waiting for Spring to arrive. plastic grocery bags
This is only about one quarter of the plastic bags I have at home. We do take them back to the store for recycling though. But boy do they ever accumulate! Did you know these facts about plastic bags? Makes you think twice about using so many of them!
Every year the United States uses 30 billion plastic bags. Each bag you reuse has the potential to eliminate an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime. The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store. We throw away almost 100 billion plastic bags every year, and only 1 percent to 3 percent are ever recycled. Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They clog waterways and end up in landfills where they take 1,000 years or more to break down into smaller pieces that pollute the soil and water. Plastic bags also pose a serious danger to birds and marine mammals that mistake them for food. Thousands die each year after swallowing or choking on discarded plastic bags. Producing plastic bags requires millions of gallons of petroleum that could be used for transportation or heating.
Well, that’s not good. I think I’ll make a real effort to remember to use the cloth bags from now on.
Here’s how I made the plastic bag spheres. Put a bunch of bags inside a bag and shape into a ball. Keep adding bags and smashing it into a round shape. Tape it together and that’s it. plastic bags for moss balls
The spheres may not be perfectly round but that’s ok. You can shape it more as you go along. You’ll need a small brush, some glue and moss. Plain white school glue is what I used and it worked fine. I think hot glue would melt the plastic so I didn’t even try using it. bagged moss
I had this moss from the Dollar store in my stash and used about 2 bags per ball. craft moss
Each bag had 4 different kinds of moss.
Warning, MESS ALERT, this is a very messy project so be prepared. At this point I stopped taking pictures because my hands were full of glue and moss. Just brush on some glue, add a little moss, press it on and repeat. I took a little break and allowed the glue to dry when I was about half finished with each sphere.
moss balls on mantel
They look good on the mantel atop pretty white ironstone vases.
This was a quick project and a good way to reuse those plastic bags. I felt pretty good using up some of those bags.
Here’s another previous plastic bag project, you might remember the burlap pumpkins.
burlap pumpkin 22
5 minutes to craft a burlap pumpkin. I made them in several versions. Plastic bags can be used in lots of different ways and I’ll be trying to think up new ways to use them for Spring and Easter crafts.
Hey, we are getting a little warmer here! Temperatures in the 40’s, WOW it’s a heat wave! Come on Spring!
Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Apple Galette, french apple tart

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Debbie

If you love pie then you will love galette too. Sometimes called a French tart or a free form pie, a galette is nothing more than a pie without the pressure of making a pretty crust. There’s still a crust but it’s not so fussy, especially if you use store bought frozen puff pastry, which I love! It’s flaky and delicious! Even though it’s not a fancy pie, it is delicious like a pie!

apple galette recipe

Isn’t it so pretty? It’s easy too!

The complete recipe is at the bottom of the post. After preparing the apples, you work with the puff pastry. There will be 2 sheets in a box. Unroll one thawed sheet onto a lightly floured baking sheet. My favorite brand is Pepperidge Farms.

puff pastry

You’ll need to create a square, so cut the second sheet into thirds.

puff pastry apple galette

Use a little water as glue to add one third to one side of the first sheet and add another across the bottom. Where the red lines are is where I added the strips. One strip will be left over. With the left over strip, I roll up a couple of the prepared apples and bake along with the galette. Try to eat that piece while no one’s looking.

french apple tart apple galette

Heap the apples onto the center of the puff pastry square and fold over the edges. This is the part I like, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Smile It’s free form.

apple galette

After baking, you can drizzle the top with a little icing made simply from confectioners sugar and water.

Wasn’t that easy? Isn’t it beautiful? Is it delicious? YES!

apple galette 3

Enjoy cold or warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

I love this simple recipe!

[gmc_recipe 3183]

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Instagram!

Are you eating your vegetables? Homemade vegetable stock

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Debbie

In summer our garden supplies us with plenty of healthy vegetables but in winter there are no fresh tomatoes or peppers straight from the garden. So I try to get every nutrient possible out of our vegetables. I like to make my own vegetable stock whenever I’m prepping vegetables for the week. I throw the stems of kale, greens from broccoli or cauliflower in a pot along with whatever other vegetable I have, like carrots, onions even sweet potatoes. Any vegetable at all. It’s all good.

vegetables

This pot of stock is made from kale stems and cauliflower leaves, the core of the cauliflower, some tomatoes that were a little past their prime, onions, parsley from my garden that I had frozen and a bunch of carrot peels and ends. Yes, I use the peels to make my stock.

vegetables for stock

This stock was yummy. It had a strong vegetable taste which I love. vegetable stock homemade

After it cooks, I mash it a little with a potato masher then strain it and put it in jars or freezer bags. I freeze it and use it when I’m making homemade soups. It adds so much flavor and must be packed with vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

homemade vegetable stock

The trick to freezing in jars is to allow enough head room for expansion when it freezes. Wide mouth jars work best.

Every time I make vegetable stock it tastes different. I used the last of my vegetable stock in homemade lentil soup and it was really tasty! The next time you’re cooking up a mess of vegetables try making your own stock for soups, it’s good to the last drop and you can sneak more vegetables in your family’s diet.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx))

Frozen colorful ice orbs, A Snowy Winter project

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Debbie

With snow and cold all over the place what to do for a little entertainment?

While I was in western NY at my daughter’s house I decided to try a Pintertest project with my 5 year old granddaughter, icy orbs. This is a messy project with water, balloons and food coloring, so be warned. I made a drippy mess with these things! But they turned out pretty good and she was thrilled to show everyone her ice balls in the backyard.

These pictures were taken with my phone so they’re not so good.

They look so small but were actually about the size of a soccer ball. We made 5 balls but one broke and one is still in the freezer for another day.

I thought the icy orbs looked like frozen Easter eggs and if the snow would have been good for a snowman I would have built a snowman/Easter bunny beside the orbs! This snow was the most powdery snow I had ever seen, definitely not good for snowmen making.

It helps to blow up the balloons to stretch them out first. Basically it’s just water balloons with food coloring in them. I put them in the freezer but probably should have just put them outside to freeze. I used a wash basket to move them to and from the freezer and each orb was wrapped in a plastic bag for a little extra protection in case they broke and one did break in the freezer. It took about 2 days for them to freeze completely. After frozen, cut off the balloon and that’s it. I don’t think I’d put them on a porch or deck because of the food coloring causing stains but they do look so pretty and twinkly in the snow.

Even thought it was really cold we were bundled up and had fun in the snow that day!

Do you like being out in the snow?

Happy New Year!

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Merry Christmas in the kitchen 2013

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Debbie

The baker’s rack that I like to decorate for every season is decorated for Christmas.. This year I used those pretty and popular blue mason jars and red ornaments along with just a few other decorations. I made the NICE wreath last year and it’s looking great above the baker’s rack. Have you been naughty or nice this year or a little of both?

Here’s some homemade hot cocoa mix complete with marshmallows, candy canes and festive Christmas mugs. There’s nothing like hot chocolate on a cold winter night! santa figurine and blue mason jars

I’ve had the little red snowman since I was a child and love to put it out every year.

This wooden snowman and tree were given to me by a sweet friend a long time ago and I love displaying them every year too. The jar is filled with vintage cookie cutters.

Around the corner is a little hallway full of doors that leads to the garage. I never knew what to do with this space and I recently painted the whole wall with chalkboard paint. It’s now the perfect place to post appointments, grocery lists and seasonal art. I’m not a great artist but I do enjoy drawing on the wall!

The cow’s head, from Décor Steals is fancied up for Christmas with a wreath and a necklace of bright red Christmas ornaments.

The focal point of this wall is a pretty frame decal from Icon wall stickers and I’ve got a generous giveaway from them coming soon.

Even the microwave nook gets glammed up for the holiday.

My collection of Jadite looks so festive with a little Christmas décor. The cute little signs came from the dollar bins at Target. The sweet little Santa boot was given to me by my 4th grade teacher. He was my first male teacher and I was terrified of him but he ended up being one of my favorite teachers. I was so happy when he moved to 5th grade and I had him as a teacher 2 years in a row!

The branch hanging above the island was a Pinterest inspiration.

We had a Christmas party on Saturday and the branch was a big hit! You get a big impact from something as simple as a branch! I love it!

Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year

to you and yours

from the Bungalow blog!

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Christmas Fireplace 2013

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Debbie

The fireplace is all dressed up for Christmas. I try to come up with a different look every year but sometimes I think it all looks alike! I’m calling this mantel, rustic glitz, a little rustic and a little sparkle. But anyway, this year the centerpiece is a big twig star. I had the twig frame left over from a long ago project and added many more twigs to it, painted it white and added Epsom salt snow and glitter.

At night, with the twinkle lights lite and a fire going it looks so pretty.

I’ve had the garland for many years and it’s seen better days for sure. I tuck in some fresh greens to fill it out a bit

The burlap ribbon is new this year.

Antlers are layered on a short tree stump.

The urns hold more Epsom salt snowy branches and are wrapped in burlap scarves.

More fresh greens are in a galvanized bucket on the hearth.

The other side of the hearth with another star, more stumps and natural elements.

I still have some Christmas decorating pictures of the kitchen to post soon. We’ve been busy around here getting ready to host a Christmas party on Saturday so the kitchen has been in a perpetual state of messiness! But it’s a good thing.

I hope you are enjoying this season and are remembering why we celebrate! Merry Christmas!

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx))

Unique and creative ways to give money at Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Debbie

Every year we give money as gifts at Christmas. With some people being hard to buy for, it can get pretty frustratin , that’s why we just give money. I know, I know, lots of people think it’s an impersonal gift but it works for us. I think teenagers appreciate getting dollars over something they’ll have to return. I searched the web and found so many cute and creative ideas appropriate for Christmas gift giving. This post has been edited and photos from Pinterest have been removed.

Try your hand at Origami, the art the art of folding money into shapes. A shirt shape for a guy or a flower shape for a gal.

A mason jar with gum balls is a fun way to hide some bucks. It doesn’t have to be candy, it could be nuts, homemade granola or even pennies. Just use a toilet paper roll in the center to hold the money. Would your grandkids like getting a jar full of pennies? Probably not, but open it up and voila……big bucks inside!

One year I gave my grandkids a one dollar bill in a card with an apology saying that I ran out of money and was so sorry. My granddaughter gave me a disappointed look that said are you crazy?! My grandson said, “oh, it’s ok.’” I let them think that was my only gift to them Later I remembered another gift and gave them a new unused quart paint can and a paint can opener and said I had just one other thing for them and to open the can. Inside each can were 99 crumbled up $1 bills! That was so much fun, They were fooled and very happy unfolding and counting the money.

That’s a great Christmas memory. Do you give money gifts at Christmas?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

Christmas in the dining room

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Debbie

Christmas has arrived in the dining room at last. I used fresh greens with silver, gold and brown accents, a sort of woodsy sparkle theme. Here’s the sideboard with the horse art that came from Home Goods, a thrifted horse head figure and a Christmas ornament tree. This room was painted recently in Sherwin Williams Anew gray. It’s a taupey gray and I never thought I’d love a gray room but I do! Christmas sideboard 1

I like using fresh greens to decorate at Christmas but the clean up is a mess! My husband loves that part…….if you knew him, you’d know what I mean. He has the shop vac sitting in the little bedroom all ready to go. christmas horse figurine

The chippy horses head is wearing a collar of gold stars. Christmas tree made from ornaments

Here’s my ornament tree made by threading ornaments on a knitting needle. I tucked in some white feather boa to hide the needle. It’s sitting on a silver platter with sparkly pinecones.

dining room

Snowflakes and silver on the painted bombe chest on the other side of the room with pinecones and tree bark under the cloche. dining room silver

I love the look of tarnished silver but one day I just might decide to polish it for a different look.

Christmas hutch at Bungalow

The hutch is full of white ironstone and more greens and pinecones.

Christmas greens in white tureen

Here’s the sweet little deer that I’ve had since childhood. I put it out every year. Christmas dining room at Bungalow

The tablecloth is the only new thing in this room. I got it at Target. I used old wedding ring china and thrifted silver trees on the table. The napkins are folded into a Christmas tree shape.

Christmas dining room2 at Bungalow

Stars and icicles dangle from the chandelier. tablescape Christmas

See the almonds on each end of the table? OH MY they are delicious! Honey cinnamon almonds from Target. napkin Christmas tree shape

These are vintage napkins that I’ve had for years. The snowflake tags will be used as place cards.

So that’s the dining room, next will be the kitchen and family room. I still didn’t do anything on the front porch because it been so cold, in the 20s this week. I better get out there when the sun shines today or it won’t get done.

There’s so much Christmas in blogland, too much maybe…. what will happen when it’s over? A collective sigh on relief I think.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))