EAT!

 So, as much as i LOVE Pinterest, i realized it really has become just one more way for me to collect stuff. And, i lurve collecting stuff {just ask sweet man} Nuff said.
This girl is gonna use that virtual stuff.
 On my board "Gettin' Crafty", i found this cute idea on how to give paper mache letters a vintage industrial look.

I picked up the EAT letters at Hobby Lobby, spray painted them with a couple coats of chrome spray paint. There are a great selection of metallic paints out there, but this is what was in my cupboard : )

 Once dry, lightly sand, concentrating a bit more on the edges. The letter on the left has been sanded, and the letter on the right has not.

 Then hang em up! They're so light, i was able to hang them with command strips.

I decided to browse my "Noms" board for Thanksgiving inspiration, and found a recipe for crock pot cinnamon sugar almonds. I needed sugared pecans for a pumpkin pie recipe, so i threw in pecans. I'll let you know how they turn out! {fyi, if they don't turn out, the cinnamon mixture is SO dee-lish, that you might find me in a sugar coma on the kitchen floor}

We are headed up to our Northern Nest for a Thanksgiving food fest. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my girls and sweet man. I'm so thankful to have this time to catch up, and re-connect with each other, and what better way to do that than over a great meal.
What are you thankful for?

 I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!

Gaia

Sweet Sixteen

This 'lil dumplin' turns sixteen today! Yikes! Where did the time go?
 Happy Birthday, Ms. B. You are a blessing every day. XO

Happy Haunting!

Here are a couple recipes to warm your bones on this cold Halloween. I found this Chipotle Black Bean Chili in the October issue of Midwest Living. 

And this little number is for all the "mummies" out there...get it? Mummies? {so sorry} It's a Pumpkin Spice Martini from Shecan2cook at Allrecipes.com

It's sure to keep you nice and toasty!

Happy Haunting!

Gaia

It's 5:00 Somewhere and a Surprise

Today is one of those perfect fall days. Sunny, breezy, 70ish. The perfect day for an Autumn beer. Yes, i know it'd the middle of the day, but it's a perfect beer day!

This is my lunch companion- Mr. Samuel Adams and his Octoberfest nectar

 These are my other lunch companions-waiting for a hand out {yeah, they all got a bit of pretzel}

The trees are just starting to come into their full Autumn splendor

                  Have you tried hard cider? It's delightful- great with something spicy like the black bean chill I'm making tonight!

This was the lovely surprise i came home to today! Nice, right? Yup, this morning this was a cute little fluffy owl minding it's business, perched sweetly on the staircase- now? Im not so sure. Can't quite put my finger on it, but something not quite the same. Hmmm...

Happy Wednesday!

Gaia

On A Roll

I'm on a roll. No, literally, i'm rolling everything. Martha says rolled towels take up less space, and if Martha says it, it's probably true! It drove me crazy when my dish towels would bunch up in the drawer or worse, disappear behind the drawer!

So, i rolled 'em up. And.They.Stay.Put! Love it! I rolled the bath towels, the hand towels and the dog towels. I'm on a bit of a cleaning frenzy. No ones safe when i'm in this mood!

Do you know the Fly Lady? Hop on over to www.flylady.net and get caught up in the clean {well, we're not catching up, we're jumping in!} I bought her duster {i feel so Downton Abby, dancing around with my duster!} and her purple rags, and i just have to say, amazing!
Do you get the cleaning bug?

Happy Tuesday!

Gaia

I"m Smokin' !

Now, now, let's not get our panties in a bunch! I haven't taken up a bad habit, i've simply discovered the delicious world of the smoker! It looks a bit like something from Star Wars, but it produces the most amazing flavor! I've been experimenting with cherry, and apple wood. I think i love them both.

I found a great recipe here . I searched "How to make smoked salmon" and, ta-da, there it was. Yes, it is time consuming, and yes, you have to baby sit your smoker all day, but, oh my, it's worth it!

I glazed half of the salmon with maple syrup to give it a sweet crust. It makes a great dinner, hot off the smoker, or, chilled and spread with cream cheese on a bagel. Dee- lish!

Have you tried any new dishes lately?

Happy Tuesday!

Gaia 

Sunny Daze

 We had such a sunny surprise this past weekend at out Northern Nest- The sunflowers had bloomed!

 When we left in August, they were just big 'ol green buds on a stem.

 In a months time they shot up another foot, and unfurled their papery yellow loveliness.

Don't they just make you want to smile? : )

Happy Wednesday!

Gaia

Fall Favorites

I can't believe it's been over a month since i last made a post! Well, we're all back from our summer retreat, and faced with a hard case of reality. Ms. B and Ms. A are both in High School {on the same schedule thank.you.very.much!} and i'm left with free time. Yeah, i know, i should be jumping for joy! Woo too! Me time! But, I'm just not feelin' it yet. So, to snap myself out of it, i went to Target. Doesn't Target always make everything better? And this Target has a Starbucks. Hello, spiced pumpkin latte! On the way home i stopped at our local cider mill and got myself a bag of greasy donuts. Mmm, donuts. And of course they taste best scarfed down in the parking lot! 

What are your favorite fall treats? 

Happy fall!

Gaia

Vintage Window Make-over

I've been carting these two windows back and forth with me  from one house to the other for the past year. I just couldn't find the right spot for them or decide how to use them. Finally i decided what to do. I washed them down and scraped off the extra paint.

Confession: I'm a bit of a paper hoarder. I love paper stacks, scrap booking paper, sheet music, old newspaper- you get the idea, it's an illness. Any hoo, this paper is bee-u-tee-ful. I had Ms.A and Ms. B each pick out four patterns they each liked, cut them to size and taped them onto the back of the window. Easy peasy.

Ta Da! Dry erase message boards for their rooms!

Grab yourself a dry erase marker, leave a lil' message or love note, and wipe it away when your done! Easy peasy.

On another note, is it me or does it seem the stores pushing the Fall merchandise earlier and earlier every year? This may be one of those "Is it hot in here, or is it just me" moments-i don't know. I did fall in love with this magazine when i was at the grocery store- yes, i shop only the most glamorous places! Fall is my favorite time of year, and this mag is full of beautiful food and decorating ideas. It is a bit pricey at $9.99, so i don't think this one will be going into the recycling bin!

Enjoy your week!

Gaia

Ahhh, Summer

Two of the beauties of summer -Ms.A taking a late-night dip, and the sun setting on Lake Charlevoix.

Ahhh, summer : )


Gaia

I Scream, You Scream

 We all scream for ice cream! With the temps near 100, it's the perfect time to whip up some homemade ice cream. This is a super easy recipe for chocolate mint chunk ice cream- just remember to freeze the cylinder of your ice cream maker first! {don't ask}
In a sauce pan mix together 2 cups 1/2 & 1/2, 1 package 1-layer-size chocolate cake mix and 1/2 cup sugar. Heat just until it bubbles. Remove from heat and whisk briskly. Cover and cool for 1 hour. Then whisk in 2    

 cups heavy cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Cover and pop in the fridge.
When it's chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and blend for about 25 minutes. The top picture shows the mixture after about 5 minutes, and the second picture shows it at 25 min- perfect!
Hold up- what happened to my font size?! Help! I'm shrinking!



Before you scoop the mixture into a freezer container, stir in 1/2 a bag of these yummy, minty chips. Now freeze until firm.

Now, its time to dig in!

 

That should cool you off!

Enjoy!

Gaia

Happy Forth of July!

Happy Birthday, America! We love you!

Weekend Finds

Hello, lovlies! Happy Monday {i know, but i am a Monday kind of girl!} We had a beautiful weekend at our Northern nest. I want to show you some of the treasures i found. 
Just look at this darling Boy Scout mess kit bag. I've tried using it as a purse, but it's a little floppy {can't chance loosing a lip gloss!}

All these goodies were crammed inside.

 Im not sure how old it is, however the woman who sold it to me, said it belonged to her husband when he was a boy- I'm guessing maybe the 30's?

This is the back pack- it's also very floppidy- i think i can make it more useable with a bottom piece and some burlap and ribbons- cuz that makes everything better ; )

Silver spoons for a dollar- happy day!

 But, my favorite find of all was this small chicken feeder. Isn't she a darlin'?

Scrubbed her up and gave her some plants and Ta-Da! A planter for the deck.

Have you had any fun finds recently? I'd love to hear about them! My favorite antique show is next weekend, Petoskey's Antiques At The Fairground. If you're anywhere in Northern Michigan next weekend, be sure to check it out. It's awesome!








Happy Monday! {sorry, i know!}




Gaia

Big Top-Little Town

 There's something special in the air when the circus comes to town- especially a small town! Last Tuesday morning the girls and i rode our bikes into town to watch the raising of the Big Top of the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus.

 This is the sweetest circus group, very wholesome. Lots of clown acts, horse and pony, acrobats, and jugglers.

 Up goes the Big Top!

 We came back that evening for the show- which is nothin' without a ginormous bag of cotton candy!

Just another magical night in Boyne City!

Have a fabulous Friday!

Gaia