A LITTLE EASTER MORNING PORN

I have come to expect some things to be a certain way. Like Easter for example, it should be a day of peace, relaxation and joy. A day of contemplation, a day for family. A day for...



homemade, all the way from scratch, with love in your heart and a song in your soul, cinnamon rolls! I have really been craving a good cinnamon roll, hot out of the oven, but getting up three hours before breakfast, on a holiday? Not happening!! The answer Overnight cinnamon rolls! I'm so happy I found this one! A little crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, just right, and the smell. On an Easter morning, the smell of bread, sugar and cinnamon. What could be better?

A man who does the dishes! Man am I lucky! He doesn't even mind the pink curtains! Since we've moved things have changed, Nick is still stressed, but not like he was in Portland, he's not nearly as angry. I'm not as stressed either. We get to spend more time together doing "normal" couple things, like the dishes or puttering in the yard. We talk more, about the future, the past, mistakes and blessings.

We laugh more. We decided to spend our lives together because we enjoy each others company, in Portland we didn't really have much time to enjoy, we were both so exhausted from just trying to get by. Here, well, I can only speak for myself but I've fallen in love with this big silly goof ball all over again. Nick and I don't really argue, we don't always agree but, life is too short to worry about little stuff like the toilet seat or the cap on the toothpaste or dirty clothes on the bathroom floor or clutter on the table. Maybe it's because we have both been in "bad" relationships or maybe, because we found each other later in life, I'm not sure, I do know that, all my life I have wanted a relationship like my Mom and Dad's and now that I've found it I'm going to hold on to it, and appreciate it.

It's a beautiful day in Ontario and I think I might just go plant some seeds. Maybe I'll just go sit in the yard with Bru and enjoy another cinnamon roll, oh and work on wedding plans.

Happy Easter-
xo

WHAT A LIFE

Yum! Fresh strawberries! There's something about strawberries that says summer to me...here it is...mid March and the strawberries in the local Red Apple store are sweet and ripe...and large!

This was just an average sized berry! When I saw these at the market I knew that God loves me!!! Everybody sing...Jesus loves me this I know...look at how the berries glow.

I'm still walking to and from work, it's only 25 minutes, a lot better than the 50 minute bus ride in Portland, and I'm loosing some weight too.

This was the view going to work at 7:30 am yesterday. How beautiful is that? It's been cool and wet and overcast for the last 5 or 6 days here but it's still not as bad as Portland. At least the sun comes out for a little while every day. Coming home I got to see this...

Can you make out the snow capped mountains in the distance? Ontario is really surrounded by a ton of beauty, you just have to look out, not just straight ahead. On clear days this view is truly spectacular.

Nick built me this cabinet the other day, out of scraps of this and that. I love it! It gives me an extra 17 inches of counter space which I desperately need! The other counter is only 3 feet long! I think we will paint it to match the drawer pulls and really funk it up. I like that it looks really weathered.

Poor Nick, yes I had to say it again, the truck project has turned typically Nick and is not going well at all. In fact courtesy of the JERK at NAPA AUTO PARTS it could have killed us. The shocks went in in a wind storm, luckily no one named Dorothy landed a house on him, but it could have happened! Then he found a missing lug bolt...you have to disassemble the brake to fix that...and once that was done and the bolt was in, brakes bled etc. we went to run some errands. The brake fell apart!!! Why? because a guy at Napa told Nick he didn't need a spring (one that was on the brake when he took it apart) and Nick took him at his word. Lesson learned...not everyone here is a decent person! One of these days these older guys out here are going to figure out that people do look at reviews on line, and a bad review can in fact hurt your business.



Well, we've been in the house for one month, yesterday, and we still love it! Plumbing and all. We've made progress turning it from a rental house into a real home, and there are lots more changes coming. An old house is truly a labor of love. Speaking of love I just found out Ms. Jane will be here May 10th! I can't wait! Buno is beside himself! She doesn't know it yet but I just might have a project for her, one that will be a big part of our new home! TEE HEE!

Hope all is beautiful where you are-
xoxo

HOME

It's hard for me to believe that, less than one month ago, we moved into our little farm house. A house that was in need of some t.l.c., something that all three of us were willing to give it. We had no idea that the plumbing was what it was and would eat up two weeks, or that I would have to go back to work so soon. Life is funny like that. You never really know what is right around the corner.

Poor Nick (one of these days I won't have to use those words in a post) has been working on the truck, In true Nick fashion, he fixed one problem, the shocks, only to find another. Like the plumbing, nothing can be simple for him. Anyway, with the truck down right now, I had to walk to work yesterday, a whole mile and a half! 20 minutes, and the beauty around this place made me happy. To start my second day of work seeing this.  

Bru seems to be a little upset that I have to leave him for work again, it doesn't take him long to get used to a new routine, if it fits his needs, and having me home has been something we have both gotten used to. It's hard to leave this face!

Coming home, seeing all of the changes we've made here, It feels good! It feels like HOME. I have two guys who love me as much as I love them, our little house is warm and full of love. There is still a lot to be done, but we're getting there.

Hope you can find a beautiful view today too.
xo







CHANGE

Some one, very wise, once said that the only constant in life is change. I'm sure someone wise said it because I know I didn't make that one up! They were right. o.k. maybe Bru doesn't change too much.

I went back to work yesterday, WOW, what a change. I thought all Great Clips were pretty much the same...nope. The people I'm working with are all really nice and all really good stylists! but things are done very differently here. I guess I'll get used to it.

The sunsets here are amazing! I feel so blessed to be able to see things like this now, Portland was just too gray for sunsets like this. Seeing stars almost every night, and the beautiful sunrises. I hope I never get to a point where I don't notice those!



 Nick is back in the dirt...swearing...changing the shocks on our little truck. He just can't seem to stay out of the dirt. Well, it's his own fault for sitting in Portland wishing he could dig and get back to puttering in a yard. Be careful what you wish for.

There have been lots of changes inside the house, the library finally has book cases and a real grown up love seat! We were able to find two rustic cases at one of our favorite junk shops here in town. Just a few more pieces of furniture, another dresser and a night stand, maybe a few lamps, and a ton of fabric so that everything will work together and the big house will be done!

I think I'll go make some pizza dough for dinner... maybe take a nap with Bru...I don't know...it's Sunday...and I have a big week ahead of me...and I think rest is in order...things that make me happy will only be allowed to occupy my time today!

Hope your day is full of beauty, love, peace and fun!

THE EASIEST BREAD RECIPE EVER

There is something about baking bread. The smell of the yeast, getting your hands in the dough, kneading the dough. It's relaxing, it makes a house feel like home, and it makes Thursday night dinner special. The snow storm dumped about 3 inches of the white stuff in the yard, and was gone by about 2 in the afternoon, but that's when the temperature dropped, so of course Nick had to go out and play in his hole. I wanted to make sure he had a really good hot meal when he came back in. Spaghetti sauce, ground chicken, spices, pasta, o.k., we have a main course. For some reason we have no salad fixin's...what to put with it? Garlic bread! But it's late and bread takes three to four hours...alittle time on the internet and, viola, a quick, single loaf recipe on http://chickensintheroad.com/cookin/crusty-french-bread-and-more/ I changed it a bit, so here is the recipe.

Easy French/Italian Bread

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

salt to taste

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour



a pinch of salt



Combine water, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer (Kitchen Aid! Love) and let stand for 5 minutes to proof. This is where I went a little nuts! I added two heaping Tablespoons of pesto!

mmmm, pesto



The recipe says that if you want a softer loaf, more like Italian bread, add some oil, well pesto is mostly oil, right?

the magic of yeast

Add your flour, slowly and let the mixer do the kneading for you, I only needed about 2 1/4 cups of flour. Knead by hand about 5-8 minutes or in the mixer 3-5, until the dough is soft and elastic. Place in a bowl with a little oil, cover with a dish towel and let rise (this needs to be in a warm draft free place, hard to find in my house!) until doubled in size about 30-40 minutes.


 


before the rise



almost there!



Place on a baking sheet and form into a loaf. This is the tricky part, once you have your loaf all ready for the second rise...don't! Stick it in the oven and turn it on to 375 degrees! No second rise the oven does it for you! Don't preheat! Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, bread is done when it sounds hollow when you thunk it, mine went about 45 minutes. How simple is that, fresh homemade bread in about an hour and a half! I hope you try this amazing bread, and check out the fun at Chickens in the Road!

I think maybe today I'll finish the window treatments in the bedroom, paint some rocks and maybe bake an oatmeal cake!

Hope you're having a beautiful day!







OLD HOUSES, BAD PLUMBING AND TO MANY THINGS TO DO

My poor Nick. He woke up yesterday thinking that most of his big projects were finished. The fence is all done, he has a compost bin, Larry, Mo and Curly seem happy with the home he built for them. Just one more trip to Home Depot for new supply lines for the kitchen sink...famous last thoughts. Thank God we have a bathroom in the Quonset! The water in the big house has been turned off most of the last three days, but I think he has it figured out. I really hope so, he has been working so hard that his hands are ripped to shreds. This is the last big, nasty thing to do for now, after this I'm going to sweetly ask him to stop for a while and let his hands heal!

Speaking of projects...no sooner do I finish one...I add four or five more! My new project is to get rid of these horrible knobs in the kitchen!

Of course, after that, there's a dresser to re finish, a floral sofa that's the wrong colors and a wing back chair that needs help.



Some day soon I hope I'll wake up and think to myself, "Gee, this place looks great!" Until then I'll just keep adding to my to do list, at least I'm able to cross a few things off every day!

Have a beautiful day!

SENTANCES YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D SAY

Bruno the lap dog...he's alway so proud of himself when he does that! Luckily I had the camera right here! Well, the "army of one" sleighed the last piece of fence yesterday, as well as about 200 poorly laid pavers. He also finally comleted his compost bin and his worm box! That's where the whole sentances you never thought you'd say thing comes in.

So, while he was pulling out the bricks, Nick found 3 worms, let's call the Larry, Moe and Curly. He then informs me that he's going to put the worm box in the basement...I then inocently ask "What's going to keep them in their box and not crawling all over the laundry?" sentance one I never thought I'd say. Sentance two went something like this...we're having dinner and I realize while makeing said dinner I put garlic skins in the compost bucket under the sink, and I actually heard myself say "Do worms like garlic?" WHAT!! Well, I guess I'm getting the country life I wanted.

The supreme ruler of  BRUNOTOPIA. All hail the king. I think he's been secretly working out the landscape plans, Poor Nick, I'm not sure he knows what he's in for.

I think today I'll tackle these boxes in the library. After I post my blog everyday I look at all sorts of others, for inspiration and I get so jealous! All of these women have beautiful homes, so nicely decorated and so well put together. I can't wait until mine is like that, the day I can post a picture of a room all the way finished, furnished and put together! Well, sitting here won't make that happen, now will it?

Have a beautiful day!

(oh, and if you want some inspiration for your own cozy cottage check out my blog list over there on the right!)