Thanks, Weekend Review & A Sneek Peak

It's been crazy hectic around here lately, and I have several overdue Thank Yous to hand out for some recent wins.  A big Thanks to Tiffany at Savor Home who sent me a copy of Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, My Father's Daughter, a few weeks ago.  It's a great read.  I love how simple most of the recipes are, and even moreso, I love the stories she weaves throughout the book.  She writes of food & family & togetherness, and how her father fostered that love of food.

This isn't a gluten-free cookbook, but most of the recipes easily translate, and several use spelt flour, which many gluten-free eaters can tolerate.  Several recipes are already in my arsenal, but I can't wait to try making her homemade sriracha recipe as soon as I run through my bottle of the storebought stuff.  Her vietnamese prawn sandwiches look just like the ones from Little Saigon, and are on my list of must makes.  Her salad section is just bursting with creative combinations that I can't wait to try as soon as my garden starts producing.

Speaking of my garden, it's going to be a great harvest this year, because Bianca at Little Brick Ranch sent me this bag of Organic Worm Castings. 

When it came, I skipped into the kitchen to grab a knife to open the box, and WD asked what it was.  I responded, "Organic Worm Castings," and he said, "No, really, what is it?"  I repeated my response, and when I opened up the box and pulled out the bag, he asked, "You're this excited about worm poop?"  He'll be excited too when I'm pickling all the cucumbers and making kale chips.

Gerry at Foodness Gracious awarded me with a Lovely Blogger Yummy Recipe Award.  Gerry is a stay-at-home-dad who shares some amazing recipes & food photography on his blog.

We were up at the cottage again this weekend.  We did a whole lot of drinking,

and tried to do some fishing,

but we were mostly catching gobies.  Yuck!

For those unfamiliar, the goby is an invasive foreign species of fish that eat bass eggs and negatively impact the bass population.  The NYS DEC categorizes them as invasive, and any that are caught must be killed and not thrown back into the water.

It was cold out on the lake Saturday.

Still you can't complain when this is your view.

It was much warmer Sunday when the boys went back out on the lake.

The girls all went to a baby shower, which I wish I had pics of, but the camera was left at the cottage.  The mother-to-be was radiant, and it's not often so many of CG's extended family is present all in one spot.  For some pics of the shower, check out CG's aunt's blog, A Summer's Day.   That's what I've been up to, and here's a sneak peek at a big project I'm working on(and when I say big, I mean get-on-a-stepladder-huge.)

Thanks for popping in and checking out what's new.

When It Rains, It Pours

Usually when people say, "When it rains, it pours," there's a bad connotation to it, but rain can be a good thing and an overabundance can be a good thing too.  The last couple of nights the skies have opened up and poured on us with a big light show of lightning and thunder.  It canceled a lacrosse game(not entirely a bad thing as we were winning.)  Our waterfall is running extremely well.  Love the bright green of the ferns awaking for spring around it.(Ignore the dandelions needing to be pulled.)

Editorial Note:  I tried for a really long time to get a video of the waterfall to upload so you could both see and hear it run.  I finally gave up and just posted this pic.

Our grass is looking particularly green and lush right now.

The pouring isn't just happening from the sky.  I've had an embarassment of riches coming from blogland, too.  I've won several giveaways recently.  I won some gorgeous brown transferware from Alison at The Polohouse.  For those of you unfamiliar, Alison lives in a converted barn that is simply gorgeous.  She has such an eye for decorating and accessories, that I was especially excited to win this giveaway.  Included in the prize were a beautiful brown transferware plate, a couple of bone dishes that I used on my Easter dinner table, vintage monogrammed linens, an adorable bird and nest that I tucked into my big mossy "G", and a candlestick lamp.

When her package arrived I tore into it like a kid at Christmas.  Each item in the box was wrapped so beautifully in red toile tissue paper and lace, velvet, and grosgrain ribbons.  I wish I had had the foresight to have taken a pic before unwrapping everything, but like I said, I was pretty excited.

As fantastic as all those things were the absolute best part of the whole package was the vintage Easter postcard that she had tucked into the box.  It was adorable, and I immediately tucked it into the base of my Easter brunch table centerpiece.  But the part that makes it the absolute best is what was revealed at brunch.

While we were sitting at brunch my SIL plucked it out and read the back of it.  My FIL looked a bit shocked and had to read it himself.  The card was signed by Frances and Clarence.  My FIL's father(CG's grandfather,) who we knew as Frank, was named Frances and his step-father was named Clarence.  This card was obviously not from them, but spooky weird right?

I also won a follower milestone giveaway from Carrie at Fine & Handy.  She writes a blog that shares her love of DIY, thrifting, and fantastic makeovers.  What's the absolute best prize for a DIYer?  One of these.  Woohoo!  I'll finally be able to finish that bookshelf I've been working on.  Home Depot here I come.

I also won a pretty fantastic prize from Roeshel at DIY Showoff, but I'll wait until that arrives to show it off properly.

And last but not least, Bianca at Little Brick Ranch presented me with the Kreativ Blogger Award.  She writes a blog that features a terrific mix of food, DIY, and gardening.

To accept this award I need to tell you all 10 random things about me and give this to 10 other bloggers.  So without further ado:

1.  I don't eat mammals.  I know this may come as a shock to those who have tried my pork chops or cheddar brats recipes, but I don't eat those things.  I have no problem feeding them to my family.  It's just a personal thing.  I tend to eat fish or tofu on the nights when I make that stuff for the boys.

2.  I had a really hard time adjusting to SAHMomdom.  I'd worked sometimes 2 jobs since I was 12 and had no idea what to do with myself and WD was driving me nuts.  I told CG that if I'd been a smoker, he probably would have come home to me chain smoking in the bathroom.  I've worked it out since then.

3.  I listen to industrial metal music.  I listen to orchestral, pop, show tunes, folk, etc. too, but in the car by myself I listen to headbanging music.

4.  I went to school in Miami, FL and could never, ever again live somewhere where Christmas lights are strung in palm trees.  I may complain about the long winter here, but Christmas lights do not belong in palm trees.  It's just wrong.

5.  I own over 75 pairs of shoes.  It's a sickness.

6.  I totalled 3 cars by the time I was 20, but have had a clean driving record since.  It's amazing what having kids will do to your aggressive tendencies.

7.  My arms are obnoxiously long for my body.  My wingspan is longer than my height.  I call them monkey arms.

8.  Those monkey arms make me a great rock climber, and in my crazy younger days I even rock climbed with WD in a baby backpack.  Maybe that's why he's the daredevil of the two.

9.  I eat a bowl of ice cream while watching The Biggest Loser.(only when Glee is a rerun, because if it's a new one - I'm watching Glee.)

10.  Eating that bowl of ice cream while watching them sweat will make me feel tremendously guilty which forces me on the ground for pushups and crunches for the next half hour.  I'm nutty like that.

And now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about me, here's who I'm handing out this award to:

Cat on a Limb

Charcoal and Crayons

Country Glamour Home

Crafts by Holly

Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing

Fine and Handy

In the Fun Lane

No Place Like Our Home

Tumbleweed Home

You Made That?

Thanks for popping in and listening to my randomness.  I hope you'll check out some of the blogs I linked to.

For Me?

Yesterday Snuggle Bunny woke up with a fever.  So after the requisite call to the school, and several calls to fill my volunteer slot for the book Fair, I settled into a much simplified day.  Albeit one filled with ibuprofen, and a bored child.  The last day of the Book Fair is always B1G1 day, and therefore the busiest.  SB getting sick kept me from that craziness, plus knocked one practice off my afternoon schedule.  Still I did the typical driving in circles thing to get Whirling Dervish to and from both his practices, and what did I find when I got home?

2, count 'em, 2 packages.  Yay!

The first was from Laura at Decor to Adore for winning in the Best Baubles category in her recent Royal Wedding What to Wear linkup.  You may have noticed the "Queen" notice in my sidebar.  I received a chocolate toffee bar(Yum!) some English Lavendar soap, a lovely gold flecked Bavarian dish, a sachet, a rhinestone brooch, and a lovely vintage hankie.  Laura is auctioning some vintage french linens right now, so if you'd love to get your hands on some go check it out.

The second was a print from Kat at Low Tide, High Style.  Kat's photography is just stunningly, beautiful, and her prose is equally so.  She has received so much notice for her photography that she has started selling notecards, as well as prints.  Check out her Etsy store.  I can't wait to get my print matted and framed.  I think this harbor shot will look right at home up at the cottage.

And I won one more prize from Alison at The Polohouse.  If you love Ralph Lauren equestrian style decor, boy does she have some eye candy for you.  She gave me the Liebster Blog Award.  It is an award especially for blogs with less than 300 followers.  Once awarded, you get to give it out to other blogs you love with less than 300 followers.

So here's my nominations:

Domestiphobia - Love Kate's acerbic wit, she's one of the best writer's around.

Beauty 4 Ashes - Ellie is a Mommy Blogger who does it All.

Sabjimata - Deva cranks out unbelievable Vegan Goodies, all with a Baby on her chest.

Cottage & Vine - Rene shares gorgeous Decor pics of both her home, and others.

Kitchen & Residential Design - Paul shares all the newest, latest & greatest in Design - and you guys know I love me some good kitchen porn.

Thanks for popping in and opening up my packages with me.  Now go check out the sites I linked.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

This has been one fantastic week.   I was featured twice this week.  Katie at Sew Woodsy featured my Lemon Fabric Apron and The Humble Homemaker featured my Oven-Baked Fried Chicken.

If that wasn't enough excitement, I also received the Versatile Blogger award from both Melanie at You Made That? and Judy from DIY by Design.  Woohoo!

Here are the rules:

1.  Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2.  Answer 10 questions.

3.  Pass it along to 7 bloggers you've recently discovered and enjoy.

4.  Leave your recipients a note telling them they've won an award.

And the 10 questions are:

1. Why did you create this blog?

I sent my youngest off to kindergarten in September and wasn't sure what I would do.  I started writing this blog partly to hold myself accountable for how I spend my days, and partly just to document what it is I do all day.  My mom once asked me what WD tells his friends I do.  I responded that they don't have to ask, because I volunteer in their school, I'm at every practice and every game, I'm the mom who's home on snow days, and has freshed baked cookies in the cookie jar.  Even though I had that response at the ready, the question ate at me.  Now at least my mom doesn't think I spend my day watching Oprah and eating bonbons.

2. What kinds of blogs do you follow?

I follow a lot of design blogs for the same reason I enjoy flipping through magazines: the gorgeous pictures.  I also follow crafting and DIY blogs, as well as a few cooking blogs.  I love getting ideas from the blogosphere.

3. Favorite make-up brand?

This one's easy.  I'm a Mary Kay girl.  It's funny because I don't wear a lot of make-up, but when I do - it's Mary Kay.

4. Favorite clothing brand?

I'm a clothes whore.  I like Ann Taylor Loft, Express, and Victoria's Secret.  I love BCBG MaxAzria, but can't afford it on a kept woman salary.

5. Indispensible make-up product?

My one indispensible make-up like product would be my eyelash curler.  Does that count?  I never leave the house without first curling my lashes.  If it has to actually be a makeup product, I'll say lip gloss.

6. Favorite Color?

Pink

7. Favorite Perfume?

Estee Lauder Pleasures with Mary Kay Bella Belara a close second.  And for evening - Le Feu d'Issey by Issey Miyake.

8. Favorite Film?

The Princess Bride.  It's a classic.  Our first dance at our wedding was to the theme from the movie.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?

Vietnam.  It's where my parents are from and I still have relatives there.

10. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or blush on one side of your face?

Without a doubt blush.  You can rub your cheek or use lipstuff in a pinch, but having one eye pop and one fade out - not a good look. 

Now for the 7 blogs I've recently discovered - these are all great, check 'em out.

Girl's Gone Child

Girlichef

Holly Do.

Home and Harmony

Oh Joy

Scarborough Seashells

Sunflower Days

Woohoo!

I was so surprised the other day when Vintage Gal awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award.  Thank you Marianne!

Who knew that anyone was enjoying my random musings so much?  In fact I was so flummoxed, that I sat on the award for a few days before writing this post.  The way the Stylish Blogger Award works is that I, as the recipient, need to tell you all 7 things about myself, and then give the award to 15 recently discovered blogs that I love.

So here are 7 things that you may not know about me.

1.  I'm a gleek.  I started watching during the first season with Whirling Dervish.  He had auditioned for and made his school's version of glee club, The Treblemakers.  Right away I enjoyed the show and ...that's right, I even sing along.

2.  I cut my own hair.  You all know that I'm cheap frugal.  Well one day, I just started cutting.  I figured it's not that hard, and my hair is up in a bun or ponytail most of the time anyways, so no big deal.  I've gotten pretty good at cutting my own hair and even cut layers in now.

3.  I'm always hungry.  Always.  Okay, it's not quite PWS hungry, but I eat more than most men twice my size.  If we're watching tv and there's a KFC commercial or the character is eating cake, I go, "mmmm, chicken" or "mmmmm,cake" and Computer Genius will go get me some, because he knows I'll be a ravenous dog if he doesn't.

4.  I am not 300 lbs.  I had to put this on the list because of my #3 statement.  I did get all the way up to a size 6 pants recently, but since the start of WD's wrestling season, I've dropped 12 lbs and am back down to a 4.

5.  I never wanted a family.  Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and children, but I was never one of those little girls who dreamed of  her wedding and pushed baby dolls around in pretend strollers.  I was too busy catching frogs and climbing trees.

6.  I constantly write lists(so this one shouldn't be so hard.)  My ADHD child (WD) didn't fall far from this tree.  I write lists to keep me on task.  You may have noticed that my blog jumps around from recipes, to crafts, to DIY, to just random musings.  It's because I can't keep myself on any one thing for very long.

7.  I love Barnes & Noble.  My absolute favorite way to waste away a morning is spending it in the B&N cafe with a venti coffee, a snack, and a stack of magazines.  When Snuggle Bunny was a baby & toddler, I'd bring him to storytime every Wednesday morning.  We'd listen to the stories, do the craft, read in the kid's section for an hour or so, then spend the next 2-3 hrs reading books & magazines in the cafe while having lunch.  Other patrons would get the biggest kick out of the 3yr old opposite me sitting quietly with his books & magazines.

So those are 7 things which you may or may not have known about me.  And here are the 15 blogs that I've recently discovered that I'm loving having in my blog reader.

The Food Blogs

Friday is Pizza, Monday is Soup

Real Sustenance

A Moderate Life 

Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake

Without Adornment

The Decor and Design Blogs

Sweet Tea and Lemon

A Vintage Vine

Designwali

Aubrey and Lindsay's Blog

First Time Fancy

The Impossible to Define Blogs

The Cinnamon Post

A Bluebonnet in Beantown

The Old Kitchen

A Little Bit of Sanity and a Lot of Chaos

Dancing on The Table

I hope you enjoy these blogs as much as I do.  It was hard to narrow down my list of favorites to 15, but I tried to keep it to blogs that I've only discovered in the last few months.  Thanks for popping in and sharing in my happy, happy, award dance.