'D's DayDreams

Saturday, July 4, 2009

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Happy 4th Everyone

Sunday, June 28, 2009

CATCHING UP On SHARE a GARDEN SUNDAY

Time has flown by and we have been very busy at our house with projects and with family events. From when I last posted, we have had our granddaughter, Kristen's, First Communion, followed by our grandson, Dex's, birthday, then our granddaughter, Dominique's, H.S. Graduation. And that was only in May. June isn't over yet and we've already celebrated our Nephew, Ernesto, and Kristy's, wedding, our granddaughter, Devan's, 21st birthday, our son, Rick's, birthday, granddaughter, Olivia's, birthday, and also my sister, Joyce's, birthday, who was a twin, but our beloved brother, Joe, has passed but is always remembered.

I've been trying to follow your blogs, to see what you've all been up to, but I've been so busy, that most of the time I didn't let you know I was lurking about. Today I visited Robyn's blog and saw her post of her beautiful Tiger Lily, that pushed me into taking some pictures of my own to share.

My first photo is of our Lilies that have filled our 'run off' pond in the front of our yard, along the driveway. Last month the pond was surrounded by Irises, both yellow and purple. All of the flowers that grow there were transplanted from other areas around our house. They have all multiplied from a few to what you see now.

Much of our 'down time' is spent watching the birds that come to our yard. Most are constant visitors like this male Grosbeak. The female is more timid and I couldn't get a picture of her.

This Cardinal is orange in color, he has been coming to our feeder for about five years now. We also have red colored ones, but I thought you'd like to see this one. Our granddaughter Olivia took this picture with her Mother's new camera. She did a great job.

Of course I always love watching my beloved Sergei in our yard. If you've read my other posts, you know he hates his picture taken and as soon as he sees me with the camera he runs and lays down at my feet so I can't take his picture. He's eleven years old and I haven't gotten a good picture of him yet.

Of course we always love to see the deer in our yard. We even get a flock of turkeys, although we haven't been able to get a picture of them. We don't think that they are wild turkeys, rather ones that got away from the person that raised them. They seem to be living in the woods behind our house because my DH hears them in the same spot every morning when he takes the Chocolate Lab, Shane, for his early morning walk.

A few new things on our pack porch are the new cushions for the old, newly painted, rattan sofa. Sergei lays on it more than we do. :)

All the flower pots of the porch are filled with Red Impatiens, they've always been a favorite of mine.

I rescued an old birdcage from the storage room, put a parrot in it and hung it on a bare spot on the wall. Well it was black and went with the rest of the decorations and the bird was even the right color.

As we sit on the porch, one of my favorite things is my bench at the back end of the pool. Although my husband stained it a little darker this year, than I would have liked. Maybe the sun will bleach it.

One of my projects this year was painting birdhouses. Some needed four coats and it ended up being time consuming. But I'm happy that they got done.

I was very late getting my annuals in the pots along the pool, but they are coming along ok. There were two Mourning Doves in front of the pots when I started to take this picture, but they hid before I took it.

The swing, under the trees, is a nice cool place to sit for a break on a hot summer day.

Another birdhouse and a future project.....a new fence.

Our newly painted pool house.

Another project in the works around the feeder.

Our arbor has had many things growing up it over the years. First grapes, what the birds didn't eat, the squirrels knocked down before they were ready, so they were taken down. Then we had a beautiful Silver Lace Vine that died this past year. Now we have a Climbing Hydrangea, we're keeping our fingers crossed that it will do well, so far, so good. No matter what, sitting under the arbor is a great place to be.

This year I have Pentas (Star Clusters) planted in the pots under the arbor. The Hummingbirds love to feed on them and come often throughout the day.

These ferns were the ones I had hanging on our porch last year. They didn't hold up well when we tried to keep them on our enclosed porch, over the winter, so I hung them from the arbor and they are doing very well now, and look great hanging there.

Between our back porch and the arbor is what we now call our Frog Pond. The frog in this picture has been here for years now. He even lets up get close to it, but the smaller ones jump in the water as soon as we get near.

Even the dog kennel is getting a face lift. My DH power washed it and is replacing the roof. I'll have to take a picture of the Chocolate Lab, Shane, when he can go in there again.

So between doing sewing on my new sewing machine, and catching up on outside projects I've also been spending a lot of time searching eBay for some cream soup bowls that's I've been looking for. I found some and received them last week, so next I'll have to post a table setting on Susan's Tablescape Thursday to show them off. Hope you are all doing well and are enjoying life.

Please join Artie and his friends at COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES .. He Is Hosting..

SHARE A GARDEN SUNDAY at http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 14, 2009

HORSES

Before I met my husband, before I had my children and even before my love for dogs, I LOVED HORSES. Maybe that love was passed down from my father, most of the pictures I have of him has a horse standing by his side. He was the one who took me to Asbury Park to ride on the Merry-Go-Round and the ponies on our weekend visits. No matter if the horses were carved from wood or the real thing, they were and still are, a passion of mine, and my family and friends have helped to feed that passion by adding to my collection of horse items.

Today I visited Isa's blog, and read her post about her love for carousel horses, where she shared wonderful pictures of them. I have always planned on posting pictures of my collection, so today I made it a point to do just that. Do yourself a favor and visit Isa at http://isaslittleworld.blogspot.com/ the pictures are fantastic.

This first painting was a gift from my daughter, Cindy. She had it painted for me as a surprise birthday present about twenty years ago.

I also have a collection of carousel horses, most of them are presents from my youngest son, Rick and his daughter Amanda. Amanda was lucky enough to have grown up around horses, her mother's parents owned some, so that was something we were able to share together.

Each piece plays music and most move up and down the pole.

Some were birthday presents......

Others Christmas gifts.......

And some I received for Mother's Day....... and they became a treasured collection.

There are signed and numbered prints of horses in our foyer, they are by the artist George Malick. He was a wonderful man, who I was fortunate to meet while working in a framing shop in Pennsylvania. Guess you can tell he loved horses too, and the Collie in his pictures was his beloved dog. This picture is titled THE THREE OF US. It was a gift from my three children. George colored over the smallest boys hair with brown paint ( it was blond ) so that it looked more like our youngest son, Rick. The bigger boy represents our son Doug and the girl would be Cindy. The children, the horse and of course the Collie, are all so special to me.

The next print is called SHOEING THE HORSE. I've been told that all of the people in his paintings are for the area where George lived in Higgins Valley, Pa..

This last print is called MORNING RIDE and was the first of his prints that I purchased.

When you enter our family room, you can't help but to notice the horse items in there, they are everywhere. I bought this horse's head for a birthday present 'for myself ' two yeas ago. It and the next few pieces sit on our mantel.

Horse and colt are from HOMCO.

And this colt.

The horse, with what I call my Grandmother and Grandfather statues, was made for me by our son's Godfather.

The pewter miniatures were a gift from my DH and the pipe holder was something I bought at Boscov's, many years ago.

These small horse figurines were bought in a little roadside eatery on a trip we took to Florida.

Up in our loft, is a rocking horse, which my DH bought for me the same time that the horse Allegra was bought for a favorite tv character. Do any of you remember who that was and what famous show it was?????

Even the crafters that made things for my boutique knew about my love for horses, one of them made this little rocking horse for me.

This next piece was a gift from my DH and son when they took a motor trip together in my husband's little red sports car, his Audi TT Cruiser on Rt. 66 in Arizona. I love when my husband takes the time to do things like that with our boys.

I've saved my favorite piece for last, a painting called THE COURTSHIP. I've had it for about thirty years. I got it when a store was going out of business it cost me $8.88. It's the best buy I ever got.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my collection of horses.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY/FOODIE FRIDAY

I recently had the women, who are on our Hospitality Committee at our church, over for our quarterly meeting. Since the meeting always takes place at 9:30 in the morning, I try to serve something appropriate for a morning snack. So today I an combining Tablescape Thursday with Foodie Friday.

I took this opportunity to use my latest dish purchase, Brook Pink, by Churchhill. I see more red in this pattern than pink, but maybe that's just what I want to see. I love toile, so I'm very pleased with the dishes no matter what color they are.

I even used a little candlelight for the girls. ;)

I served Almond Biscotti, with chocolate bottoms and a German Pound Cake, which I made into a Pecan filled Coffee Cake. Recipes to follow.

Of course I always use my crystal when I can, it doesn't do anyone any good just sitting in the china cabinet. The little crocheted dollies under the cups and votives, help to play off the punched, tin server used for the pastry.

The gold flatware adds a little glitz to the table. I can't see saving them, to use only for the holidays. Then I dressed down the table setting a little by using my cabbage leaf placemats, which I use every day somehow in our kitchen.

I serve coffee and tea, so I always try to have something that the women can put their used teabags on, this little berry dish works well.

Just another look at the table from the other side.

GERMAN POUND CAKE: (Basic recipe)

2 C. sugar

2 1/2 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 lb. butter (softened)

4 eggs.

1/2 C. milk
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients, beat for 10 minutes at high speed of mixer, scraping bowl with spatula once or twice.

After batter is mixed, chocolate chips, blueberries etc. can be added to mixture if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until cake rises back up when tested.

COFFEE CAKE VERSION:

Using a bunt pan, spray with Pam w/flour for baking. line top with pecan halves, set aside

FILLING:

1 C. flour

1 C. brown sugar

1 stick butter

1/2 C. chopped Pecans

1 Tbs. orange extract

Cut butter into flour and sugar, add Pecans and extract. Use half of the mixture over the top of the pecan halves, then pour half of the cake batter over the topping, then the rest of the filling, and then the rest of the cake batter.

Bake the same as above. When finished cool well, then slide the knife around the bunt pan and the cake should slide out easily. This may sound complicated, but it is very, very easy.

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ALMOND BISCOTTI

2 C. flour ------------------------------1/2 C. butter

2 tsp. baking powder------------------ 1 C. sugar

dash salt ------------------------------3 eggs

1/2 C. chopped almonds---------------1 tsp. anise extract

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2 tsp. milk for brushing top of dough, plus 1/4 C. sugar

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Combine dry ingredients and set aside........ In a mixing bowl, cream butter, 1 (one) cup of the sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in extract. Add dry ingredients and almonds to creamed mixture.

Line a baking sheet with foil and grease foil. Divide dough in half, spread into two 12 x 3 in. rectangles on foil. (DOUGH WILL BE VERY STICKY I USE A BUTTER KNIFE TO SPREAD) Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C. sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Lift rectangles with foil onto wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Place on a cutting board; slice diagonally 1/2 inch thick. Place slices with cut side down on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn cookies over; bake 10 more min.. Turn oven off, leaving cookies in oven with door ajar to cool. After cookies are cooked, melt any chocolate you have on hand and coat bottoms of the Biscotti. Place on foil in the refrigerator until chocolate hardens. Store in airtight container.

Make sure you visit Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for more beautiful TABLESCAPES and Gollum at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/ for FOODIE FRIDAY goodies.