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