Friday's Five Photos

Five photos I have taken over the years

I Have Dishes

When I married in 1992 my mother gave me wonderful and practical gifts to start my new home.

A sturdy used sewing machine

Well loved cast iron skillets

12 place settings of white dishes with embossed fruit that she bought at the local Brookshires grocery store.

I could sew, cook and entertain, what else does a girl need?

Well, time went by and the marriage did not last. The husband took the skillets and sewing machine. I guess he really wanted them. No matter what, they have been replaced and all is well. Thankfully, he had no interest in the dishes. I was at a Goodwill in 2000 and found a set of dishes almost exactly like my first set so I bought them for ten bucks. The new set was made by Gibson and sold at Target in the late 90's. So I had a 20 piece set give or take since a few dishes had been broke throughout the years. I was happy happy happy with the them.Then in 2003 I got an insane cat that loved to jump on the counter or table and knock down dishes. All of a sudden my set started to dwindle. I had a quest to scour the world to obtain as much white embossed dishes made by Citation or Gibson.I have done it. I have really done it. I have 30 place settings, a turkey shaped soup tureen, 4 serving dishes, four platters, salt and pepper shakers, a teapot, sugar bowl, creamer and the butter dish (not pictured). In short, I have plenty of dishes. I will now stop looking for them at thrift shops.

Maybe...

Roasted Rosemary Brussels Sprouts and Red Potatoes

I am always trying to find interesting ways to add more cruciferous vegetables to my diet and this has become a fast favorite. I can read your mind. You are saying, "Brussels Sprouts... gross, no way". That is what I thought too before I learned that roasting turns them into little bites of yum. I am a big fan of Ina Garten so I trusted her when she said that roasting them made all the difference. You end up with a nutty, crunchy, caramelized sweetness.

I added rosemary, red onion and small amount of red potatoes to make it more of a meal than just a side dish. The texture of the potatoes give the dish a nice complexity but should not be the star. Use twice as many sprouts as pieces of potato. I have tried it before with garlic cloves but I think the garlic was a bit too bold and took away from the fresh rosemary flavor.
Brussels sprouts
Red potatoes
Small red onion
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Kosher sea salt and cracked black pepper

Place your roasting pan on the middle oven rack and then preheat the oven to 425. A preheated pan gives a better sear to the vegetables and the cooking time is greatly reduced.

Chop all the brown ends off the sprouts and cut the larger sprouts in half. Put all the yellow or dried leaves off and discard. Once you have chopped the sprouts you will have extra leaves that have fallen off, do not throw them away, just add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. Once they cook they will add a nice tasty crunch to the dish. Chop potatoes into cubes that mirror the size of the sprouts. Cut the ends off the onion, quarter and pull apart the layers. Pull the leaves off 2-3 sprigs of rosemary and put all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Pour enough olive oil into the bowl to lightly cover vegetables, add salt and pepper and lightly toss.

Carefully transfer ingredients to the hot pan in a single layer. Flip vegetables after ten minutes and then check every ten minutes until potatoes are tender and sprouts are fully roasted. Do not overcook or the sprouts will end up soggy.

A Few Pictures From The Weekend

I had a pretty low key weekend. I bought a new camera, the verdict is still out on if I will keep it. It is just not my camera. I am sure I would get used to it in time but I am not impressed so far.

This is the view from my bathroom window, It is a nice view while brushing my teeth.

One thing that I did do was decorate the door. I know I will just have to take it down in a couple weeks but coming home to a pretty door makes me happy. I bought the wreath the week I moved into this place and I have had it on the door every spring since. You can tell too, it is getting a little worn. I am so excited that I will have the freedom to paint the door at my new home, so so excited.

The rest of the weekend was spent packing slowly, I cannot get super motivated. I still have a month and a half to go but I want it done now. I want to spend my last month spending time with friends and cleaning.

SAME CAFE

I am sure you all have seen something about the SAME CAFE on television but I want to talk about it.

A cafe that allows it's customers to pay in donations or by volunteering. What a nice concept. Not a handout but a handup. The news report actually made me tear up.

After working at the Salvation Army for a few years I found that giving someone food was fine but the people that volunteered even a little bit were happier about receiving food. I think it is a matter of respect and letting some say "I am giving back,I am trying".

You know the whole saying give a man a fish...teach a man to fish concept. I love it. If you want you can donate a little something something to them through paypal on their website. Even if it is what you would pay for a couple lunches, I bet it would help. I hope they don't mind me swiping the logo, you know how I hate posting without a picture.

I Am Moving From The Big City!

That is my big news. I am moving from the Washington DC area to south central Oklahoma. I know big news huh! I think it is time to get closer to home and start a new life, I am ready. I will be living in a very small town of about 3000. There are so many things that I am excited about and yet sometimes I find myself having mini panic attacks. I think in this economy...really? Stay where you are do not shake things up, but the time has come for a change. I don't really belong here, it is not my home. Sometimes I feel like I am lost. Things are more simple there and I think that I need a little simple living for a while. If I need a big city fix I can just pop down to Dallas for a night on the town.

There are so many things I will miss about this area. The hiking is great, I can be at the Blue Ridge Mountains in less than an hour. I will miss hiking on the Appalachian Trail. I will miss all my friends, the monuments, the seasons, my job and my apartment. I will miss the 150 yr old Oak tree outside my place. It has always been a good friend to me.

I will miss the Cherry Blossoms

I will miss the big old Dogwood Tree

I will miss this tree. Anyone know the name of this tree?

I will miss the Saucer Magnolia trees.

Isn't it funny that I will miss certain plants so much? There are so many people that I will miss much more but it is easier to tackle the goodbyes to things that cannot say goodbye back. OK that is enough for now. More about the big news soon.

A New Look and My Lost Camera

Hello Everyone! I am back and since I hate putting up posts without pictures I will use photos I already have. I took this the Spring of 2007. I love how Bleeding Hearts look like little lockets, alien lockets perhaps.

I hope you enjoy the new look! Laura at DoLollies was so patient and wonderful with me. Thank you so much Laura!!

Also.... I am sorry to have been gone so long, I had some things to sort out and then my camera disappeared. I have not been doing many projects since Christmas but that will soon change and I will be posting like crazy, I am so excited! There are going to be some big changes coming in my life soon and I am thankful that I will be able to share my journey with you. I will give you more info as soon as all the details are worked out.

I will not give anything away yet, but I can say this... I know that everything I have experienced in my life, good or bad, has led me down the path I will be heading down soon. I have a clear vision of my goals and it is going to be a good life from here on out.

The lost camera thing.... I am not certain where my camera went. The last place I remember seeing it was in a bag that I checked at the airport. I forgot to grab it and put it in the carry on and I have not seen it since. Either it was taken out of my bag or I have lost my mind and it was never in the bag to start. No matter what I am cameraless. I feel like my dog ran away.