10 Club Service Day

 For February's 10 Club activity 30 shoe boxes were acquired before the meeting. 

We then assembled the 30 shoe boxes with all the makings for Valentine's Day cards, supplies to decorate the boxes, activities to do along with games, pencils, erasers, puzzles and lots of candy for each box.

These were put together assembly-line style.  These boxes will be given to a local organization that cares for children who have been rescued from an abusive situation in their own homes.  then using the Valentine cards we supplied to give to their new friends in the shelter.

  I am so grateful for good hearted people who care for these children and give them a new start on life.  Love and compassion have new meaning at Valentine's Day with organizations like this one in existence.

I can just imagine how much fun these children will have decorating their boxes with the shiny red and silver mylar paper and adding the hearts to the outside.

Just another little drop in the bucket this month, but well worth the time expended.  After we were through we had a lovely Valentine lunch of Chicken Caesar Salad, Homemade Tomato Basil Soup, Homemade Rolls and Heart Sugar Cookies.

What a wonderful way to spend one morning a month!

Words to Live By

Words to Live By

I am sure most of you have seen the charts made by many moms that are their Family Rules.  Since I love the concept of having rules in front of me but I am an empty nester, I decided to take the same idea and apply it to a chart for my home and I labeled it Words to Live By. 

 

I used 13 pages of scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, ribbons,

stick-on letters as well as letters cut from my Cricut and a canvas art board I already had.  After applying a layer of Mod Podge to the back side of the scrapbook paper, I smoothed the papers down with an old credit card.  

I had 13 rows of paper and used black ribbon to separate

some of the lines between them.

 

It is kind of nice to have a reminder of those things that I have decided should influence my

everyday actions in a place where I can see it often.

Now I have no excuse for poor behavior!

I am linking to Kimba's A Soft Place to Land today.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, February 8, 2010

Outside my window...a threat of snow again.  Yesterday was so foggy that one could barely see to drive, but...

I am thinking...It is all right as I am leaving this morning for sunny California for a few days!  Horray!

I am thankful for... the ease with which one can travel today, unlike how hard it was in pioneer days.  Even when I was growing up (after the pioneer days!) we never flew anywhere.  My first plane ride was when I was in my 20's.

I am wearing...warm clothes for the ride.  I am cold by nature so I almost always layer my clothing and take an outside aisle.  Plus I am taking and wearing my long winter coat.  I am no fool, I looked up the weather and it is not going to be that warm there!

I am remembering...at least I am trying to remember all that I will need to take--clothing, make-up, valentines, kit materials for my class, phone numbers and little gifts for those I stay with.

I am going...to try to blog while I am gone but there is no guarantee.

I am currently reading...House Beautiful magazine because when I went to the library Friday they did not have our bookclub's next book.  I am now 548th on the waiting list for A Town Like Alice there. (They do have 250 copies however so I will see how long it takes)

I am hoping... to see lots of friends this week.

On my mind... Valentines Day and all the people that I truly love both in and out of my family.  They have such great influence on a person's thoughts and actions.  I am truly blessed by knowing and watching such fine examples of love and compassion every day.

Noticing that...the snow is almost melted off my patio today.

Pondering these words... "Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves."

From the kitchen... just finishing a big pot of Chicken Vegetable Soup and Homemade rolls.

Around the house... a few Valentine decorations and a partially packed suitcase.

One of my favorite things... hot Oatmeal cookies from the oven! ("Nothin' says lovin' like somethin' from the oven!")

From my picture journal.

Looking forward to holding and squeezing this one again!

Have a wonderful week!

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Valentine Dessert for Book Club

 For today's Tablescape I set up an informal Valentine Dessert for my Book group.

I used a red and white toile tablecloth on the table and my scalloped heart shaped dessert dishes that I purchased at Pottery Barn several years ago.  They came in sets of four with one each of white, pink, lavendar and dark pink plates.  I have two sets which was just right for our eight members that night.  I used my wedding silverplate dessert forks by William Rogers.

 

We had our ice water in these goblets from Target.  I love their dark ruby color and felt they were just right for Valentines as well.

 

The centerpiece was a large heart on a table stand that I got at Tai Pan last year at 50% off.

 

I served Ina Gartner's Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake with Ganache and on the side Madagascar Vanilla Ice Cream with Orange Sauce.

 

Each serving was topped with a cute Valentine pick.

Ina Gartner's Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

1/2 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 extra large eggs at room temperature

3 cups flour

1/2 each of baking powder and baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks

for the syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

for the ganache

8 oz. good semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. instant coffee granules

Grease and flour a 10" bundt pan.  Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, then orange zest.  Sift the dry ingredients together and add them alternately with the wet ingreds.  Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 T. flour then add them to the mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cake tester comes out clean.  Let cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Make the syrup by heating until the sugar dissolves.  Remove cake from pan and set on a rack over a tray.  Spoon the syrup over the cake.  Allow the cake to cool completely.  Then drizzle the melted ganache over the top of the cake.  It is delicious!

I am linking up with Thursday Tablescape and Foodie Friday for this post.

Valentine Decorating Ideas

Some people have a way of making you feel welcome and happy to be at their house.  Decorating can help us do this too.  Here are some ideas to help you feel inspired to use this holiday of Valentines to welcome and inspire yourself and others who enter your home.  These are pictures of a friend's home where her little touches of red here and there and her wonderful personality made my heart happy as I walked through her door.  Come take a tour with me and get some decorating ideas.

 

If you have a place to display a collection of cute holiday pillows you could send a sweet feeling with their messages like these two pillows do here.

  

Little plaques with their sayings are a fun way to share your love.

 A nice mantel vignette with it's plaque and "loves me" vase gives a little bit of color there.

A mini bookshelf holds more red loveliness.

. 

An easy display is to wrap those red Christmas candles with heart-tied ribbons.

 

Another mantel idea.

 And below the mantel.

I loved how these silver pitchers were made into lovely display items.

  

And I loved how she turned her pot rack into a Heart rack!

 I hope you are inspired to share your love in your home this year through little touches of Red!

CuteTwirly Little Girl Skirts

Here is a darling little skirt for the little girl in your life.  It is made from fat quarters. There are three parts-Main Skirt, Drop Waistband and Hem Band.   For a size 5 you need 5 fat quarters for the Main Skirt.  You can either buy more fat quarters and piece them or just buy the yardage for the Drop Waistband and Hem Band.  If you have a serger it is very quick project.  I made 2 skirts.  The first one went so quickly that I didn't have time to take pictures.  So all the pictures are of the second one.

So for the Main Skirt piece first you cut strips that are 5 1/2" wide and  10" long from the 5 fat quarters.  Sew them together so you have 4 sets of five different fabrics. Sew all the sets together for one long piece.

Then you fold in half lengthwise the 13 1/2" wide X 5 1/2" strip (this will be the Hem Band) and sew it to one long end of the length of the Main Skirt (5 different fabrics strip).

Then to gather the Main Skirt you sew over your heavier thread (I used buttonhole thread) with a zig zag stitch at 1/4" from the edge.  Then pull it to gather.

For the Drop Waistband you make a casing for the elastic by turning down the long edge 1" and at 1/4" and sew it.  Pin the other end of the Drop Waistband it to the Main Skirt until it fits. Sew them together where you have pinned.   Add your elastic in the casing.  Sew the final side seam and you are finished.  I top stitched every seam as it helps make them lay flat.  They were fun to make. and took about an hour.

 

I gave the little girls their skirts one evening and the following are them dancing in them with low lighting.

 

Exhausted!  Too much fun!!

I am linking to Kimba's A Soft Place to Land for this post today.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY... February 1, 2010


Outside my window...Lots of snow on the mountain and a skiff of snow on my yard

I am thinking.and praying..For good news in our family.

I am thankful for... good health and safety as I go about my daily life.

I am wearing...jeans, black long-sleeved T-shirt and long gray vest with ruffles down the front

I am remembering...the beautiful music that my grandchildren made with piano, guitar, and flute last night.

I am going... to the grocery store for ingredients to make a cake for tomorrow.

I am currently reading...The Guernsey Potato Pie and Literary Society

I am hoping... to do the right thing with difficult situations.

On my mind... the thought that I must have courage to do the hard things.

Noticing that..the days are becoming longer!

Pondering these words... "As I watch the rising sun when the day has just begun I am thinking of the love that comes daily from above."

From the kitchen...steaming bowl of oatmeal.

Around the house... putting out a few Valentine decorations as I am having a bookclub meeting here tomorrow night.


One of my favorite things~ the smell of fresh-baked bread!

From my picture journal...

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