"Kyrstyn Pixton"

Thank you Donna Downey for an incredible morning!!
http://donnadowney.typepad.com

"Out Of The Dark"

I think its time...a long winter of silence, contemplation, self discovery...new beginnings...
Slowly, but surely!

and so it goes!

New thoughts, ideas, musings..

Its a new day!

"In the Quiet"

Lately, honestly, I have found I haven't had much to say..but a great deal of thinking has been going on in this little (well not little, but you know what I mean) brain of mine..

Situations have presented themselves that have caused me to be quiet, to be still, to seek out the solace of my God and his words...

Reflecting

Pondering

Embracing

Learning from the lessons presented everyday..

Being purposeful in my words, my movements..

Then this morning I read a poignant blog post from the most beautiful Christy Tomlinson

www.christytomlinson.typepad.com

entitled "Beautiful Heartbreaks"..

within her writing I was inspired, brought back to center, you know what I mean..

She finished her post with the beautiful video below and the words came...

Blessings and lessons to all..

Me

"Beautiful Heartbreak-Hilary Weeks"

**A Few Little Goodies I spotted and Love"

Have been admittedly rather absent from my blog of late,

mainly because my Mr has had weddings the last couple of weekends and has been crazy busy on the post editing..

Beings we just share our one computer, it makes it a tad difficult to get a moment for posting when there are deadlines to be met on the photography front..

So I awoke early this morning to carve out a bit of time for a little "Fav Love" this morning...

Here we go!!

I am currently in the midst of crocheting an afghan and loving, loving, loving every minute of it..

But once I have completed this one, I do believe I will move on to this!!

I think it is just beautiful and I even love this mixture of colors..reminds me of a sweater I once had..

I found the tutorial here

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

Still puttering about my little art space in my world..

re-organizing galore and I came across this idea and I do believe I am going to use it indeed!!

How cute are these..oh I can think of a million ways to use these and a million designs to make when hanging on the wall..

I have always thought it quite a waste to dispose of all those toilet paper cardboard tubey things and the paper towel ones too..

And then I saw this...

Hmmmmmm...I do believe this must hit my project list..

I found the instructions here, look for the date listing of September 27th, 2011

http://themayberryhomejournal.blogspot.com

How darn ingenius is this!!

I came across this idea and thought it such a great texture and background for my mixed media canvases

you can see it up close and personal here

http://whipup.net

Once at the site search "yarn prints" dated October 27th, 2011..

I am always looking for ways to use up scraps of anything, but I have to admit I have tons of scrapbooking paper scraps..I think these are soooooo darn cute and would be darling on my mantle..

Ohhhhh so many projects, so little time :-)

And lastly...I totally need a few new beauties for my closet...

I would be happy to start here..

Adorable, especially when someone else puts the outfit together..

Now I just have to hunt for this on a bargain budget..

Happy Friday

Me

"Mama/Wife Love"

I, with overwhelming awe and pride must share a couple of recent photos taken by my amazingly gifted and talented daughter and husband.

From their October Wedding photo shoots..

I am posting just a couple of photos in hope that you will take a visit to their website and blog!
http://2eesphotography.com

Enjoy!!

Brian and Stephanie (more to come)

Nick and Nikki

Two beautiful couples, two very gifted and dedicated photographers, two absolutely incredible days!!!

What can I say but, "they love love" and I love them!!

Blessings,
Me

"Food Love"

Its pretty obvious of late, beings that it is fall, that I have been in an all encompassing foodie mode..

Being in the kitchen, especially this time of year, is such a wonderful blessing for me. Total and complete contentment.

The search for new recipes to try and then of course the shopping for the freshest ingredients..

Once gathered, the donning of my beloved apron, the burning of my favorite candle (pumpkin pie mixed with a little sugar cookie)in my Scentsy pot, golden little lights that border my kitchen window on and filling my kitchen with their soft glow!!

These are the things that fill me with utter "JOY" and contentment!

So, having said these words and set the stage, here are a couple of recipes I will be trying this week..

Autumn Chop Salad..I actually think this will be on my Thanksgiving menu as well, should it be of course as wonderful tasting as it is beautiful to look at..

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

This absolute loveliness was sent to me by a recent acquaintance who is currently in the midst of a French cooking class (I am so envious..having just read "The School Of Essential Ingredients" even more so..

Coq Au Vin

I know it looks rather daunting, but then most things truly worth it can be challenging..but when taken in small pieces, not so much..don't be afraid :-)

Ingredients

• 24 to 30 pearl onions (we used reg white onions)
• 4 chicken thighs and legs, or 1 (5 to 7-pound) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 ounces salt pork, slab bacon, or lardon, cubed we used bacon
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 (750-ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir    * We used 2 or 3 cups of red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 stalks celery, quartered
• 2 medium carrots, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth

Directions

Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onionsfrom the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack. 

Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside. 

In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. 

Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight. 

The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally. 

Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes. 

Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired. 

Cook’s Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each.Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary. 

Well thats a couple for this week to try..so excited!

Blessings and happy fall cooking to all..

Me