A Transitional Winter Spring Dining Hutch

I have found myself longing for Spring.  

Longing for soft colors, buds on trees, and fresh air.

Oh Spring! 

I know that you are near, 

but sometimes you are just not near enough! 

 I wanted to decorate for Spring so badly.

Trouble is, it's hard to decorate for Spring 

while there's so much snow on the ground.

We did got a few warmer days, temps up into the mid 40s, 

but from what I hear,

the single digits are back this week.

What to do?

I made a transitional Winter to Spring vignette

 on my dining hutch.  

A touch of Spring, but without all the 

soft colors of Spring that I'm craving right now.  

Neutral is the name of the game.

I made the rag wreath out of cream, white & beige fabric.

You've probably seen a lot of this stuff in other vignettes before.

The only new piece is the screened box.

I found it at the antique store & I just loved it.

I have no idea what it could have been used for in its

former life, but I like the texture it adds here.

I pretty much "shopped the house" for this display.

I love to borrow from around the house,

but the trouble is, it always leads

to having to fill in the stuff I borrowed

from the other rooms!  

C'mon Spring!

I'm patiently waiting for you.

Linking to:

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home

A Change of Lighting & A Smart Mother

My husband has always accused me of being

"non-committal"

when it comes to lighting.

He's right, of course,

but it would be so much easier to suffer from

 this affliction had I married an electrician!

 

Funny story.

 

Thirteen years ago when we moved into this old house, 

there was a light hanging in the front entryway.  

It was a lantern-style light,

one that I found ugly with a capital U. 

 

I can remember the day clearly.

It was the year 2000. 

 The electrician was here and while taking down the lantern,

 he asked me if I was sure that I wanted to change it.  

He said,  "a lot of people like this old lighting nowadays."

 

I assured him that I absolutely detested that lantern and  

asked him to hang this "oh so lovely" fixture you see below.

After more than a decade had passed, I started

to realize that that "oh so lovely" light was not right for this house, at all. 

 I wondered what ever made me select that light to begin with.

Of course, I didn't want to mention this quite yet

to the husband, lest I have to hear the "non committal" accusation!

  

This past Summer, while cleaning out my Mom's attic,

 I stood, puzzled, looking into a box. 

For in this box, was a lighting fixture...one that looked awfully familiar.

 

Yes, apparently back in 2000,  my Mother

had taken our old lighting fixture home with her

because she liked it and thought I might want it back someday.

 

Do we even need to talk about my amazing clairvoyant mother? 

So just before Christmas, we called the electrician... 

a different electrician than the one in 2000.

Good thing too, because can you imagine what

the other one would think if I asked him to

hang the same light he took down 13 years ago?  

 

 

Ahh, so much better!

The old light is back at home,

just where it belongs.

 

It even looks pretty when it's lit, too.  

 

I gotta hand it to that Mother of mine.

Who knew she was so smart?

 

 

 

Red, white, blue & BRONZE

I've gone missing.

 

Again.

 

Blame it on the Olympics.

 I'm addicted.

(I've got the dark circles under my eyes to prove it.)

 

 

Do you mind if I share something with you?

This is the front page of our local newspaper.

 

 

 

Best front page ever!!

 

Erin Hamlin wins a bronze medal in women's luge!

 

Erin is the first American to medal in singles luge,

male or female,

since luge became an Olympic event in 1964.

 

Pretty darn impressive!

 

Why am I so excited, you ask?

 

Well, Erin is from our area and

who doesn't love a local hero?

 

Congratulations, Erin!!

 

Ok, I'm signing off.

If I haven't visited you lately,

please know that I'm around but

right now my patriotic-Olympic-loving

self is planted directly in front of the TV.

 

Go USA!

 

 

Be Mine Tablescape

It's hard to believe it's February already.

January did go by rather quickly. 

Not that I'm complaining.

We're one step closer to Spring!

 

I desperately needed to put together a Valentine's Day tablescape. 

I was surprised to find that I hadn't shared a tablescape since last Fall!

 

So please join me for "Be Mine."

 

You can see the "whiteness" of January through the window in the photo below.

 

 

As much as I may be sick of the "whiteness," it does make

a nice backdrop to the pink & red of my tablescape.  Ha!

 

 

The heart plates & the table runner are from Target.

I bought them on clearance a year or two ago.

The plates are melamine.

The dotted glasses are a Target purchase, as well. 

 

I added a white charger from the Oneida Outlet.

They just announced the Oneida Outlet will be closing

in 90 days.  I'm going to miss that place!

 

Red silverware was an engagement gift 20+ years ago.

Place card holders are a Christmas Tree Shop find.

Pink votive holders are from Michaels.

 

 

I love how the plates & table runner match.

 

Pretty pink tulips in a red pitcher for a simple centerpiece.

I ♥ tulips!

 

It's so nice of you to visit today.

Hope to see you again soon.



 Happy Valentine's Day! 

 

Linking to:

 

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

 

 

Valentine's Day Vignette

As I am off to work on this cold January morning,

I wanted to leave you with a Valentine's Day vignette.

My dining room hutch is always a favorite place to decorate. 

You can see this hutch the minute you walk into

my kitchen from the back door. 

For that reason, I love to make it attention-worthy.

 

It all came together pretty quickly.  

I love it when that happens!

 

 

I didn't need to run out and buy anything new. 

I love it when that happens, too! 

 

 

I used the fleece heart pillow I made last year,

 

and the fleece hearts I made a few years ago.

Ever since making the hearts, I find a different

way to use them each year.
I should make more of them because I really do love them!

 

 

So there you have it...

my first Valentine's Day vignette of 2014.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Linking to:

 

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away from Home

 

Peanut Butter Pie

Hello, my lovelies!

  

I thought I'd share a recipe with you today.

Now I realize that Peanut Butter Pie is not

necessarily a "Winter-Time-Comfort-Dessert,"

but it is delicious anyway.

 

This one comes from Taste of Home & it is sooooo rich & yummy!

Peanut Butter Pie

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, divided
½ cup sugar
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches)
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot fudge ice cream topping, divided

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in 1 cup peanut butter and sugar.  Fold in 3 cups whipped topping; spoon into crust.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 2/3 cup hot fudge topping for 30 seconds.  Pour over peanut butter layer and spread to the edges of crust.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spread remaining whipped topping over pie.  Cut into slices.  Place the remaining hot fudge topping and peanut butter in two separate plastic bags.  Cut a small hole in the corner of each bag; pipe topping and peanut butter over each slice of pie.

As you can see, I took the picture before completing that last step!  lol 

ENJOY!

Winter Mantel 2014

Decorating the mantel for Winter can be challenging.

It's hard to keep it winter-y, without looking Christmas-y.

You see?

Challenging.

I made a yarn ball wreath back in 2011,

and decided it was time to resurrect that wreath for 2014.

I spent a lot of time, as I always do when I decorate the mantel,

running up & down the stairs, pulling out this, pulling out that,

adding this, removing that, switching, changing, sitting &

staring... my usual mantel dance.

The wreath dictated the colors I would use:

white, cream & blue.
I added silver to this trio of colors,

 lots of candles & mercury glass, too.

Winter-y, without looking Christmas-y.
I'm pretty sure I achieved my goal.

I am yet to light all the candles at night.

I bet it will give the living room a warm glow,

which is exactly what we need for this very cold Winter.

Thank you for your visit today!