A Mid Summer's Day

Just a little spring cleaning turning into summer planting and decorating...


Herbs I've planted: from left to right, Rosemary, Pineapple Mint, Pineapple Sage, Thyme




Cute bird stake and metal stake for plant name, info, etc..




Oregano and Dill



Cilantro and Basil, can't wait to make some salsa!!



My backyard...a work in progress as it isn't all green yet! Blitzen my pup likes to get in on some camera action as well :)



Laundry room/mud room. Recycling trays below cleaning supplies.

 

Silhouette Giveaway!!

A Bowl Full of Lemons blogspot is offering one spectacular giveaway - 1 Silhouette SD Machine
All you have to do is follow A Bowl Full of Lemons, Silhouette blog, comment on each, and the rest is optional!!

Sunday Free Printable

Hello all! Hope everyone's weekend was great, I enjoyed mine. A little work, a lot of play, and spending time with family is all you need :)
Oh, and this free printable ain't bad either!! Perfect for spring, in the kitchen, or living room. Where will you put yours??

Top 5 Fashion Must-Haves For Spring

As daylight savings time nears each day, so does the coming of spring! Moving from Colorado I could not wait to get away from the cold, snow and ice. Oklahoma winters are much more bearable, to say the least, the temperatures still get pretty chilly (Setting a record this year with -15 with wind chill at one point)

And yes, Uggs and North Face are great and all, but what I really love is a flowy white shirt with some crisp jeans and a fedora...here are the top 5 fashion must-haves for under $25 to catch this spring!

In order from the fanciest frugal find to the sexiest steal!

1) American Eagle Aerie Fine Fragrance Rollerball: $12.50
With scents of pomegranate, sensuous musk, fresh picked freesia, and soft peach - it's no wonder this scent screams (or shouts gently) that spring is here! Comes in rollerball and 1.7 oz bottle ($39.50). The rollerball is perfect to stick in your purse and jet, while looking and smelling great too.



2) Kirra High Street Fedora $14.50
Made of 100% raffia straw, this fedora is the perfect finishing touch to any spring or summer outfit, bed head? Forget it. Throw on this fedora, comes in two patterns (Floral and black).



3) Old Navy Slouchy Canvas Sneakers: $16.50
Old Navy has done it again! Created a cute and affordable shoe, comes in 5 different comfort colors (One being a darling floral pattern). 100% cotton, rubber outsole, cushioned foot-bed. Looks great with shorts, jeans, even a casual skirt!



4) Lace Trim Peasant Top: $19.80
From Forever 21, this soft gauzy top features Val lace trim on the hems and a drawstring waist. Portrait neckline. Short bell sleeves. Lightweight. Woven. Unlined. Semi-sheer. Need I say more?



5) American Eagle Boyfit Slouchy Jeans: $24.95
These slouchy and worn-in jeans look great on anybody, whether you're pear shaped, apple shaped, or hourglass shaped. These jeans make casual look sexy without trying too hard. Spice up your spring wardrobe with a pair of these pants. Low slung on hips, slim leg hits at ankle, softest stretch cotton denim. Comes in sizes 00-18.

Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe

I, like every other person in the world, love food. Particularly Italian cuisine. I could eat spaghetti every night of the week! While watching Mad Hungry with Lucinda, on The Hallmark Channel, she mentioned spaghetti and I was all ears, and stomach :)

Here is her fabulous recipe; I plan on trying it tomorrow night! Buon appetito!


Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
1 carrot, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
4 ounces pancetta, finely diced (optional)
1 pound ground beef, or a combination of beef and pork
Coarse salt
1/2 cup red or white wine
1 28-ounce can best-quality tomatoes, pulsed in a blender
1/2 cup cream or milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound spaghetti or other pasta
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Heat a saucepan over low heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, and celery and saute over low heat until lightly caramelized, about 12 minutes. Add the pancetta and beef and cook, separating the meat into small pieces, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain off most of the fat. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt.
2) Pour the wine into the beef mixture to deglaze the pan; stir to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the wine is almost evaporated. Add the tomatoes and stir in the cream, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Gently simmer for about 40 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
3) Start cooking the spaghetti when the sauce is within 10 minutes of being done. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and a generous pinch of salt to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
4) Stir the butter into the bolognese sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top. 

$10 Craigslist Chair

Sooo...as usual, last Thursday I woke up and piddled around, went to my 7:30 class, came home, Facebooked for a while, blogged, then shopped around on Craigslist. No, I don't need any more things in my life. And no, I can't afford more things in my life.
Which is why I clicked on the "FREE" tab under items. I didn't find much; a small puppy, an old lawnmower, and then I stumbled upon this chair...free, "get it out of my storage!"
I texted back frantically, trying to push my enthusiasm through the 5 messages I sent last night, he replied saying that he had gotten a lot of offers and would take $20 for it.

I met him that afternoon with $20 in hand, it ended up being a bit smaller than I had anticipated. I was about to walk away from the deal saying that I'd love to get it out of his hair for free...but it wasn't worth $20 to me. He shot back $10 - and I took it!

I originally wanted to place it in my living room, if you can remember a few posts back when I got the new living room furniture from my dad - it matches that chair perfectly. Only a little older, not as sturdy, and a little shorter. So...it now has a lovely home in my bedroom! A great place to throw my purse, coat, and relax and blog :)

What have you found for a steal lately?

Ruffle Apron Pattern

Ahh! At last - my ruffle apron is done, well two of the three we bought fabric for are done :) I'm still deciding which one I want to keep and which ones we are going to list on Etsy!




But if you don't like our choice of fabric, here is the pattern we borrowed from One More Moore

You will need the following fabric: (1) 15 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the back of the apron- Piece A (4) 6 1/2" x 33 1'/2" pieces of fabric for the ruffles- Piece B (2) 4 1/2" x 24 1/2" pieces of fabric for the apron strings- Piece C (1) 4 1/2" x 20 1/2" piece of fabric for the band- Piece D

Directions:
Make a 1/4" hem by folding under 1/4" of the fabric and then folding over again, enclosing all raw edges of piece "A", iron under 1/4" on all sides and stitch.

"B" Pieces- Hem the same way on the two short sides and one long side, leaving one 33" side unsewn. Repeat with all 4 pieces.

Working on the right side of the fabric, using long machine stitches, stitch along the unsewn side at 1/4" and again 1/8" in seam allowance.
Pull threads to adjust gathers. Starting on the bottom, pin the top edge of the ruffle to the wrong side of the fabric on piece "A" at about 1" up from the bottom. Wrap the gathering threads around the pin. Adjust gathers to fit across and pin piece down on opposite side. Stitch over the gathers to keep in place.

Sew the next ruffle ("B") to piece "A" about 4 1/2" above the top of the previously sewn ruffle, making sure the top ruffles overlaps the bottom ruffle by about an inch. Repeat with remaining ruffles.
Once the ruffles are sewn on, you should have about 1 1/2" of piece "A" left at the top.
Take Pieces "C" and hem all 3 edges, leaving one short edge open.

Next, take piece "D" and fold in half. Press with iron. Fold under 1/4" on remaining 3 sides. Place the top of piece "A" inside of piece "C" and pin to hold in place. Place pieces "C" on both ends of the band. Secure in place with pins. Stitch (2) short ends (being sure to catch the apron strings underneath) and stitch along the open end.

That should be all!! Have fun with it and choose some funky fabrics :) Link back to me when you post about it! Happy Sunday