A Rose is....

a Rose is a Rose is a.....well, you know how it goes, right?

Happy Valentines's Day!!!!!!!

to my family, friends and especially to my sweetheart Steven, who gave me the roses in the photo!


I wanted to introduce you to my new friend Penelope. She is my new friend from Madison Wisconsin. Penelope is a gal you might see around town, riding her bike, at the co-op or tending her community garden plot. She is very friendly & likes to be with people of all ages. She loves to hang out and play in the kitchen because she loves to cook and bake as well, especially cookies!

Penelope and this sweet little house are my latest treasures from Etsy. They sit on my window sill in the kitchen and are so nice to look at while i wash the dishes. I have a love for painted wooden handmade crafted things. Maybe one of these days i'll make something similiar. What fun they are, don't you think?

and speaking of handmade, i made these necklaces, i love the sparkly hearts which i picked up at a bead supply store in NYC years ago. They are fun and funky to wear. I am wearing the gold one today, and i gave the silver one to my niece Melissa.


I also have been making some lavender sachets. I used a silk scarf that my sis Carol painted years ago. I added a beaded wire heart to make it even prettier! I hope to add these to the shop soon!
Well have a lovely day today! I hope you do something special and fun this Valentines!

Lazy daze

Ever feel like just lounging the day away?

After the recent snow storm, i feel like jumping in my bed, under my two duvets and wool blankie and hiding until spring!

Lovely, is'nt it?

Lulu doesn't mind the cold, in fact she loooooves jumping in snow drifts and eating fresh snow cones....silly dog!


Just thought i would leave you with something fun and silly....meet Mr. Cheese! As i was making my sandwich the other day, i laughed when i saw this piece of swiss cheese. He reminds me a bit of Mr. Bill, from Saturday Night Live. He seems to be saying...
'NoOOOOOO! Don't Eat meeeeeee!!!
I let Lulu Belle eat Mr. Cheese. I don't think he suffered much, she gobbled him down in 2 nanoseconds.

Happy February!!!!!!!

Yeah!!!! We made it past January. Even though it is still winter and cold, I'm celebrating the begininng of a month that is going to be great and so much better than boring depressing January! It just wasn't my month but I just know in my heart (catch the pun? Valentines....heart) that it will be a much better month.

So whats so much better about February, you may ask? Well here's a little list:

1. Valentines Day - I am a very lucky and spoiled girl who gets taken out to a nice restaurant for a lovely dinner...I love eating out!!!


2. 3 birthdays: Little sis Carol on the 13th, big bro Tom on the 17th and friend Susi on the 15th.


3. Groundhog day tomorrow when we find out what that cute little rodent has in store for us!!


4. Chinese New Year - It is on the 7th and it is the year of the rat, i believe! or is it refered to as mouse? hmmmm....correct me if i'm mistaken. To find out what your Chinese Astrology is, go here. I'm lucky year of the rabbit...woohoo! (actually i do love nibbling on carrots).


5. My big sis Cathy will be visiting from out west on the 13th, yeah!!! Can't wait to see her and hear about her trip to Hawaii! (Lucky girl!!)


6. It's my Lulu Belle's 1st birthday on the 22nd. Well, technically we don't know her birthday but i made it up cos 22 is my lucky number and we know she was born sometime this month! If you are wondering who the heck Lulu is, she's my cute little beagle/basset doggie.


7. The wonderfully frustrating tv show "LOST" is back in tv land for me to enjoy (it's been a painfully long wait since last seasons show back in May 2007, i think it was). Maybe we'll find out some of the deep dark secrets of that mysterious island. I have to say, the writing on that show, the ideas and characters and the cinemaphotography is just top notch!!

So, as you can see it is a much more positive and fulfilling month (for me anyhoo) and who knows, maybe some other nice things will happen!!

Oh, i almost forgot!!! I wanted to leave you with this fabulous recipe from one of my fave blogs 'Posey gets Cosy', for Swedish pancakes. I'm tres excited about making them this weekend. They look wonderfully delicious, crepe-y type pancakes and i have a can of whipped cream in the fridge that i am saving for them. I'm gonna load on the whipped cream with some pure maple syrup and some sliced peaches and wild blueberries. I hope you try them out too! Yah Yah!

My latest....

creation is this bunny! I started making plushies last year and decided to make a few for my shop.

Meet Bad Harold. He is a very bad bunny sometimes! He hides miscellaneous items around the house and causes us much frustration!!! He also enjoys watching Pulp Fiction on the weekend. Harold also has a very big heart and loves to cuddle and snuggle. He affectionately nibbles on your ear too!

I will working on some more bunnies for the shop. I had a lot of fun making Bad Harold!

ARRRRROOOOO!!

Hi, there!!! My name is Wuwu, well actually it's Lulu, but sometimes my Papa and my Mama call me Wuwu. I don't know why they do but they do. They're so silly, and sometimes Papa asks me, "Lulu or Wuwu, are you my pretty girl?". Of course, i already know i am pretty but i just can't say it, so instead i perk up my ears and lick Papa's nose. He does'nt like that, but who cares!


You may have noticed that my tongue is hanging out. It usually doesn't, its just that my Papa was playing a game with me and my toy bone and we get so tired that Papa has to lie down on the sofa and I start breathing real fast and my tongue hangs out all funny like this. I love playing with my Papa!!

My Papa loves me and I love him too!
But where's Mama???


Oh yeah, It's tea time. She has a pot of tea in the afternoon and a plate of delicious cookies, that i don't get....boo! Mama can be so cruel, sitting there drinking her tea and eating those yummy looking cookies. She says they're not good for me and would make me very sick! I think she just says that though cos she doesn't like to share her cookies, EVER!!! Oh well....

No one loves cookies the way my Mama does!! And i think she loves me too!!!

these are a few....

of my fave things. Let's start with my absolute favorite...



C O O K I E S !! !



....now all i need is a big cup of coffee to go with these!




Steve's niece Jordan...

came to visit on the weekend and we made lots of gingerbread cookies and had the bestest time rolling out the dough, cutting them out and decorating them with colored frosting and smarties.

Here's a close-up. They tasted just as good as they looked!






Another of my favorite things...um animals.....my sweet Lulu!


She is dressed like a Russian baboushka here with her red bandana.



I have to send out a big thanks to my friend Joe for sending Godiva chocolates for Christmas this year, another of my favorite things.






I looooove cheese. I can't tell you how much i love double creme brie baked with cherry preserves. Oh mama!



Now let's get this party started! All we need now is a nice bottle of Pinot Noir to go with this cheese plate.
What are a few of your favorite things?
And please, no Sound of Music jokes!
No whiskers on kittens or warm woolen mittens!!!