Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

(Image found on the internet)

WOW! Who would pass up a deal like that??? Ha! Ha! Have a terrific weekend!!

Look What I Picked Out of My Garden This Mornin'....

While working out back in the yard/garden this morning, I picked this heart-shaped tomato off of one of the plants in our little garden...pretty cool, eh??? Just had to share the photo with you all! Have a blessed day, friends! :)

Recipe of the Week: Banana Rum Brownies

Last week I attended a meeting where everyone was asked to bring a dessert to share, so I decided to try out a new recipe from one of my favorite recipe books:

This has become one of my "go-to" cookbooks for never-fail recipes! I purchased it a few years ago, after I browsed through a copy that belonged to a co-worker. Anyhoo...I decided to try out the Banana Run Brownie recipe and it turned out great!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 box, (about 21 oz.), brownie mix
• 1/4 cup milk, (chocolate milk can be used!)
• 1 Tablespoon rum extract
• 2 or 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:
In a large bowl prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Heat milk and rum extract in a medium sauce pan, gradually stirring in mashed bananas. Pour warm banana mixture into brownie mix and stir. Spread brownies in a lightly greased 9" square pan. (I used a 9" x 11" pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and cut into bars. Really, really good served with a cold glass of milk! :)

Have a great day!

YUMMMM!!! Fresh Strawberry Jam!

Mornin' folks! Strawberries are in season, so I've been a busy gal! So far I have made 3 batches, (25 jars!), of fresh strawberry jam. Soooo yummy on toast or bagels for breakfast!

Have a fun and productive week, friends!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Beautiful Blooms in My Backyard...

Happy Friday, All! Just a quick little post today to share some photos of the beautiful blooms in my backyard flower beds...

We planted this Jackmani Clematis in front of a wrought iron trellis on the south side of our garden shed about 5 years ago, and it has grown like CRAAAAZY! We cut it back to the ground every year, which makes it come back bigger and better each spring.

Here are a few of the BEAUTIFUL day lilies that grow in some of the flowerbeds in our backyard. My super sweet friend/former co-worker, Penny C., shared starts with me a couple of years ago, and they have flourished!

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, so we have them growing in large, north-facing flowerbed along the back of our home. I LOVE the giant blooms of hydrangeas - SO PRETTY!

Here's another variety of hydrangea growing alongside the back of our home...

Lastly, here's a photo of some of the knockout roses that are growing along our back fence. The vibrant colors are just GORGEOUS, don't you think so too??

Thanks for joining me for a pictorial "walk" through my backyard this morning! Wishing you a relaxing weekend!

Recipe of the Week: Lowfat Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Last week my friend Mindy A. posted this cookie recipe on FB, so since I had all of the ingredients in my fridge and pantry, I decided to whip a batch of them up. They are sooooo soft and chewy - DEEELICIOUS!!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 box lemon cake mix
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups Cool-Whip Lite, thawed
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine cake mix and egg until blended. Fold in Cool-Whip. (Dough will be very sticky!) Scoop dough by tablespoonful's, roll in powdered sugar and place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies for 1 minute on baking sheet then move to a cooling rack. Store cooled cookies in a tightly sealed container. ENJOY!!

Have a blessed day!

My BEAUTIFUL New Quilt...

Just a quick post today to show you the BEAUTIFUL quilt that my VERY talented sis-in-law Sandy made for me...isn't it GORGEOUS???

I love the colors that she chose! Something else that I love is how she personalized it for my birthday...so cool!

Thank you again, Sandy, for my WONDERFUL quilt! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!

Have a terrific day, friends!

Girl's Night Out and Americana Artwork

Last week I enjoyed a girl's night out with my pal Jamie and her daughter Kennedie. We had dinner at Mi Cocina, a nice Mexican restaurant in the Cherry Street district of Tulsa, and then attended a painting class at Pinot's Palette where the instructor taught us how to paint an antiqued/rustic American flag canvas. (You can check out the Pinot's Palette website HERE.) Oh! Jamie and I tried a new kind of wine while we were there, Cupcake Moscato, which was sooooo delicious! I am not a big drinker, and have never cared much for wine, but I LOVED this one! We had a TERRIFIC time, and plan on making this a regular activity!!

Here are a few photos from our fun evening...first is a pic of Jamie and me before we started painting:

The next two photos are of us, and the other folks in the class, working on our paintings...

TADAH!! Here is a photo of Jamie, me and Kennedie with our completed canvases:

Here's a close-up shot of my painting...but I decided that it needed a little something more...

...so I added buttons, stitch marks, outlining and the Pledge of Allegiance to it! I am really pleased at how it turned out, and I think that I may get a barn wood frame to put it in to hang in my office at work. (Note: It was hard to get a good, clear photograph without a glare...you can click on the photo and zoom in to see the detail work that I added, if you like.)

Thanks for dropping by today to see my artwork! Have a WONDERFUL week!

Quote Sunday: Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there!!

Blessings,

Silly Saturday

Have a TERRIFIC Father's Day Weekend!

From Clearance Aisle Frame to Cute Magnetic Message Board...

Hello, friends! While browsing the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby I came across a cute frame that was missing the glass and had a couple of little nicks in the paint. It was marked down to only $3.00, so I purchased it and decided to turn it into a cute magnetic message board, as shown here:

Here's how I created it...

I purchased a piece of sheet metal at Hobby Lobby using one of their 40% off coupons. The sheet metal can be found in the clock-making section of the store for $11.99 a sheet, so after using the discount coupon I only paid about $7.20 for the sheet and I have quite a bit left over after this project to make more cool stuff! Anyhoo...my hubs cut the sheet metal to fit into the frame, and then I went to work adding scuff marks and brown ink to the frame to distress it and disguise the nicks that were in the frame when I bought it:

Wanna know how I made the scratches/nicks on the frame? I simply used a butter knife, which has little ridges on the blade, to scrape over the painted finish as shown below. After that I used a sponge that I dabbed into brown ink and rubbed over the frame, nick marks and frame edges to give it an aged/antique look:

I then glued a fun little metal accent to the center of the top part of the frame. If you can't find a metal accent at your local craft store, a decorative wood accent that can be found in the trim section at Lowe's, could be painted and used instead.

Now it's time to make the adorable, floral magnets using more sale finds that I discovered at Hobby Lobby! I purchased 3 fabric flowers that were 50% off, which made them only $1.00 each - SWEET!! I also bought a package of round magnets using another 40% discount coupon, so they only cost me $4.80 and I have lots of magnets left over for future crafty projects!

These flower magnets have to be one of the easiest craft projects of all time! Simply glue a magnet to the center of the back of the flower:

To form the leaves I cut some dark green lace that I had on hand into about 3 1/2" pieces, folded each piece in half, stitched and gathered the raw ends together, and glued 2 lace leaves to the back of each flower:

Once the glue has dried your flower magnets will look like this:

Here's another look at the final, finished magnet board...I REALLY love how it turned out, and it will look awesome in my office at work!

Thanks for popping in today to check out my project! Have a SUPER day!!

Quote Sunday