Memorial Day Weekend

Soon Memorial Day Weekend will be here and families will be enjoying a long weekend.  Let's remember to take time and honor the brave men and women who have died serving our country and fighting for our freedom.  Let's also pray for these families of our fallen soldiers that God will comfort them and guide their lives.

I don't have any paintings to share because I've been working hard on custom orders.  Some of these are Christmas presents ( I can't believe how organized some people are), therefore, I can't share them for that reason as well.  So, I'll share some of my recent purchases from two of my favorite stores:

I love these little polka dot plates from Target with matching napkins.  The plates are melmac.

I found these cute little bowls at T.J. Maxx. I snatched them up just as they were putting them on the shelves.  They also had coffee cups to match.  I have so many mugs that I decided the bowls were sufficient.  Talk about self control.  I really wanted those mugs!

Draped beneath my T.J. Maxx nesting bowls is four yards of tea toweling by the yard that I purchase online.  It comes hemmed along the sides and you just need to cut them to the length you want and then hem each end.  I think I'm going to make slip covers for my pillows on the deck instead.  I have lots of other ideas for this fabric too.  Looks like I'm going to have to order more soon.

Now if you have a weak stomach don't look any further. I found this on my front porch this morning along with our neighbors beautiful cat who was taking a nap all curled up in the sunshine.  As much as I hate mice, this is pretty sad.

R. I.P.

Recipe for Maple Brown Butter Frosting

I have to apologize because I forgot to include the frosting recipe for these cookies in a previous post.  This frosting really makes this cookie and would also be great on cake.

"Maple Brown Butter Frosting"

3 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp. maple flavoring

Sift sugar and set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat until golden brown.  Watch closely so it does not burn.

Add butter to sugar, scraping all the butter into the bowl.

Add milk and maple flavoring.  Stir until smooth.

Spread on top of cookies with a knife or offset spatula.

I would like to share just one more photo of our trip to Madrid, Spain. 

Egyptian Temple of Debod

I know that it looks like we were in Egypt, but this was an old temple that was donated to Spain by Egypt.  I love the reflection in the water.  Promise not to bore you with any more vacation pictures.

Great Granny Square Giveaway

Hop on over to my daughter, Amber's blog.  She had a granny square swop where people signed up to crochet granny squares and mailed them to her.  Each person crocheted one granny square for everyone who signed up. She divided them up and sent an assortment to each person.  At the last minute they had a couple of people back out and now she has  several squares left over.  She is giving a set of granny squares to the lucky winner. 

Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This wonderful recipe came from Bakerella.  I've made it several times and it's always a hit.  I had my husband take the rest of the cookies to work this morning so they wouldn't end up on my hips.  Too late!!

The little red and white polka dot plates are a recent Target purchase and the yellow bowl came in a set of three from T.J.Max.

"Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies"

2 1/4 cup self-rising flour

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks (12 oz. bag as far as I'm concerned! I used chocolate chips because that's what I had.)

Whisk together flour and pumpkin pie spice.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter.

Add both sugars and beat until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla.

Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.

Add flour/spice mixture to sugar mixture in three additions.  Alternate with pumpkin in two additions, ending with flour mixture.

Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chunks/chips.

Drop on cookie tray lined with parchment paper.

(I use a cookie scoop)

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Makes about 4 doz.

Let cool.

In the above photo with all the cookies on the counter, if you look carefully, you can see this cute little cupcake stand that my sister gave me as a birthday gift a few months back.   Click to enlarge the photo below so you can see all the cute cookbooks that it's standing on. I purchased the bottom three from Amazon and will bake something from them soon and give them a review in a future post.


Now grab a warm cookie and follow me to my little reading corner in the living room.  Grandma made the quilt that hangs on the back of the chair. 

This is my view directly across from my reading chair.  I know most decorators don't like family photos, but I love mine and proudly display them. This table lamp matches the floor lamp by my chair and sits on top of an antique ice chest. 

This is one of the cupcake paintings that I've repeated in order to get a better photo for larger prints.  It's available in my Etsy Store.  The larger prints are available on my new Fine Art America Store.

We had three inches of rain last night with flash flooding in our area. So, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'm off to the post office!