The Road Trip

Last Friday, Lynne and I attended the French Market at Horton's in Tipton, Indiana.
It was small.  It was unique....after all, a French Market in a hardware store!  It was a nice little venue.
They had some creative items for sale and some really nice displays.

Some creative ideas to copy!

I had to buy this pumpkin to use as a template.  She also had birds, and makes christmas trees.  These are made from paperback books.  Richard has the right idea....cut on a bandsaw.

I just happen to have linen, vintage hankies, and vintage buttons.  I'm really liking these pillows.

Here's Lynne!  My road trip partner.  We had a nice, relaxing time.  We were going to meet up with my blogging buddy, Penny but the show was small and we were finished up...Penny and her husband had another two hours ahead of them on the road.  We headed back north, stopped at a nice fabric store in Marion, IN, had lunch and continued back home.

It was nice getting away for a day.  Good times, good conversation, good for the soul!
Babs ~

Nice Sunday Breakfast

My brother Phil shamed me into hosting breakfast this morning.  Ginny (my sister) came up for a visit yesterday and Phil thought it would be fitting for me to have brunch.  My niece Jessie came up from Holland too.

It ended up being six of us.  It was actually very nice and relaxing!  We were able to sit outside on the deck and enjoy the morning sun and a few summer breezes.

I made a new recipe (as usual).  They were egg nests (I'll include recipe below).  I would definitely make again.  Easy, quick, delicious and I bet they would freeze well for later use.

Phil made Dorie Greenspan's Lemon Poppyseed Muffins....always delicious!

Add fresh fruit and fresh, hot coffee.  Perfect brunch.

Nice family time with Grandma! Oh and Simon too!
Recipe for Eggs Nests
24 oz. frozen shredded potatoes, thawed
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. oil
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mix and place in oiled muffin tins.  Make well in center of each.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

Mix eight eggs and a small amount of milk for scrambled eggs.  Place in well of each muffin cup after baked.
Top with crisp bacon pieces, small amount of cheddar cheese and parsley.
Lower over to 350 degrees and bake for 13 minutes.  Done!  You could add spinach to egg mixture.  The original recipe suggested crack an egg into well of potatoes and top with cheese and bacon.  Give them a try.

We're taking a road trip!

Lynne and I are off to Tipton, Indiana.  Ever heard of it?  It's just a tad north of Indianapolis.

I'm very excited.  We will be meeting up with my good blogging friend from the Chicago area, Penny. www.athomeinenglishvalley.blogspot.com  We hope to meet a few new bloggers that are vendors at the event.

I'll take pictures for you and tell you all about it!

See you soon.
Babs

The Garden

Though we have had a cooler summer and the plants and flowers had a late start, I think they are looking pretty good!  I want to share with you some of my favorites.

I purchased this bare root rosebush from David Austin Roses.  When they say bare root, they mean it.  It was just a dead stick when it arrived.  Taa-dah~  I'm thrilled to show off my first rose of the season:

The first of the day lillies are making their show also:

And the Annabelle hydrangeas are spectacular:

And my pots I planted by the garage are happy, happy, happy!

I harvested some lavender also.  I found a sweet white pitcher and will photograph for you a little later.
Enjoy the sights and smells of summer~
Babs

Happy Fourth of July!

USA!  Land of the Free~~~

Wasn't Worth the Effort

Yesterday, for our Saturday morning coffee with Mother, I made Paula Deen's Gorilla Bread.  The recipe had over 600 reviews and almost all of them were positive.  That was a good sign.

Just sayin', it wasn't worth the effort!

It's pretty similar to Monkey Bread, but each biscuit has a dab of cream cheese in the middle.  Personally this was over the top and everyone agreed, we all prefer good ole' fashion monkey bread.

Win a few; lose a few.!

Our Work is Cut Out!

My husband worked at a factory in town for over 40 years.  The company closed last year and subsequently they tore the building down.  The factory had been there since the early 1900's.  The only thing that remains is cement slabs a few blocks square and piles upon piles of brick. 

Yesterday Richie came home with a few bricks and asked me if I wanted to chip mortar off the bricks and make a walkway and patio that I had suggested over the years.  We chipped away at a few and it wasn't that difficult.  Thus, we hopped in his truck and loaded up about 150 of those babies. 

What I like about them is they are old, old bricks.  Nice patina....so many different shades of color...yellows, gray, white and some with a hint of red.  They aren't perfect...rather "chippy".  Very vintage in appearance.

We unloaded the first batch, chipped some mortar and wheeled them to the back yard.

Aren't they great looking?
I have dreams of getting a lot of them.  I want a lot of area covered!

A large area I would say, but won't it look great!  Probably only ten more trips for bricks!  Hey, the price is right.....FREE~ !  Well, my husband's labor is worth the weight of the bricks~

This might give you an idea how we will be spending our 4th of July.  Site preparation, chipping mortar and hauling brick.

Enjoy whatever today brings!
Babs