Fall Mantel

Remember the frame I was talking about? This is her, mirrored and all.

I think "she" looks great if I do say so myself. Just think, I found her in the back of

a second-hand store collecting dust. Total cost frame, mirror and labor from our

local Glass store, $35.

Here's my Mantel now in honor of Fall.

White pumpkins have been hard to come by due to the shortage back east.

I have found other blogs where some very creative she-ladies are painting their pumpkins

all sorts of colors, like white, blue, copper, even polk-a-dots.

In keeping with my coastal theme I kept my shells and small bits of drift wood

in the scene.

These little albino pumpkins are sooo cute.

Have a great day. I have another DIY project in the works, can't wait to show you.

"georgie"

More DIY

I don't know what it is but I can't do enough DIY projects. A few weeks ago I bought a large frame from a consignment store in town. I really liked the frame and I knew I could do something with it. The Picture/Framer store in town didn't give me a good vibe, he said that he couldn't really use it if I wanted to mat a picture, so I went on my way. Then as I was "blog hopping" the other night I saw what this gal did with her mantel for the "Fall" and it gave me the idea to put a mirror in my frame. So First thing this morning I dropped it off at our Local Glass place and they're putting a mirror in it as I speak. I can't wait to see it and show you'all.

Stay tuned............

"georgie"

p.s. if you would like to learn more of what I believe check out

this site:

http://mormon.org/

Harvest Holla!

Have a great day!

"georgie"

Keep Calm

(this one is now in my living room)

So there's this flower shop in our town that I just love and every time I would go in

I would always admire this one picture with the caption "keep calm and carry on" I asked if

she would sell it and she then proceeded to tell me all about it, but no it wasn't for sale.

Bummer. So I a couple of months ago

I went on line and found a business in London, England that

http://www.keepcalmandcarryon.com/

have all sorts of inventory on this. I ordered 2 poster prints one in Sea green and one

a pale pink. They were so affordable $8.00 us each. They came about two weeks ago and

I couldn't wait to get them out and frame them. I wasn't sure

what to do with the other one and then.....

I was having a conversation with a friend and she was sharing

all the things that she was going through and the light bulb went off in my head, "I'm going to frame the second one and give it to her". I think she would appreciate it, and hopefully

love it too.

Framing both of them wasn't as easy as I thought, but it was worth it.

I just love the saying, it can apply to anything that is going on in your life.



The other night we had some company and one of them pointed to the Print and
said the "saying out loud". She remarked "yep" we all could use this.
I'm now ordering a larger Print because I don't think the one I have is big enough.

Last night our nephew was over and as he was passing the picture, he too read it out loud.
It's a great reminder that no matter what trials we
may be facing, we need to carry on. .......



I love this door mat!











Don't you just love it?

Have a great weekend everyone....



"georgie"

M&J's Wedding day

After just four months it all came together. Mackenzie and Jared Wood married.

These next few pictures were some of Mackenzie's inspiration for her
Lavender Vintage themed wedding. She always knew she wanted her reception to be outdoors. She wasn't sure where and after scouring the foothills the venue was right in front of her. Outside on the lawn of her family's Ward chapel.

Below is a sample of how beautiful the table scapes turned out. Vintage bottles and jars sprinkled with blues, yellows and cream flowers, with local grown Lavender flowers that her mom (me) bought in May and hung and dried them for the four months for just this occasion.

The day was beautiful with the sun going in and out of the clouds.

Sticking to her vintage theme, were old books,antique bottles, perfume decanter, various heirloom flowers and a retro suitcase that was used as a desk to hold Mackenzie and Jared's custom guest sign in book.

Above, notice Mackenzie's velvet green flats, she ordered them special to compliment
her 40's vintage gown.

She didn't want to fuss with a veil so she opted with this gold-leaf hair band that accented her hair nicely.

One thing that Mackenzie wanted was to have some pictures taken at the family home. She always loved the front porch because of the great view of her hometown.

This is how I felt on this day and I'm sure everyone did as well.

Mackenzie didn't want a large entourage of brides maids. In keeping with simplicity she chose her good friend Lauren and sister, Cecelia. Each bridesmaid wore a different color of the Bride's bridal colors. Beautiful!

The wedding cake was so beautiful and so delicious. If you ever want the best tasting cake in the world, then Jessica Smith is your cake maker. There wasn't one morsel left after the cake was cut.

You'll notice that some of these pictures were taken by our photographer Nudrat Owens. She was so great, and fun to work with. Here we are on our front porch the
whole fam. My eyes were open but I look kind of weird. We were rushing here because it was after 6pm and we needed to get over to the church where the reception was. You should have seen us right before, it was a mad rush to set this up and then we were off.

This "Herb" tea for two was Mackenzie's idea, she wanted something different for the guests to take, so she chose two different types of herb tea which they could scoop up and put in the organic unbleached cloth tea bags and take home with them.

The night was just beautiful, the evening cooled off nicely, it didn't rain, everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves especially these two. They are so in love!

"georgie"

Lemons & Meringue

This was one of the pictures that inspired Mackenzie in her decor for her wedding reception. So we tried to duplicate it. I bought tons of lemons from Costco. Regular lemons
and my new discovery of Meyer Lemons.

So what to do with all those lemons afterwards? Again, more food therapy.
I decided to make Lemon Meringue Pie, but this time I wanted to make
not only my favorite Traditional Lemon Meringue but I wanted to
try Paula Deen's Southern Lemon Meringue.

I have always loved my Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie I think it is my
most favorite pie in the world. I remember every Thanksgiving she would make them along with the Traditional Pumpkin and Apple pies. There's something about that lemony (if that is such a word) zesty taste, it just makes your mouth pucker.

So again with my Mom's help we set out to squeeze and zest every last one of those lemons. I first made the Traditional Betty Crocker Lemon Meringue, you know the recipe that calls for cornstarch. I have to confess I am not a connoisseur when it comes to making crust. I didn't inherit that talent. My sister, Dawn got that talent. She, In my opinion makes a great crust. So I opted for the Pillsbury roll out crust. Still edible but not as pretty as homemade.

I have to say it tasted mighty good with just the right zestiness. Next I took the plunge and made Paula's Southern Lemon Meringue Pie. Oh my goodness!! It was to die for. It is very creamy and very different from Betty Crocker. Paula Deen's recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk and no cornstarch. The recipe is below. When both pies were done we brought in our unofficial taste testers, Hubby- David and daughter Cecelia to see which one they liked the best.

Before I tell you which one they chose, my Mom had her opinion and stuck with the Traditional. David agreed with Mom and Cecelia and I loved Paula's. They're both scrumptiously delicious I wouldn't turn down either one. So here's Paula's recipe and you can decide.
....................................................................................................................
Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 egg yolks
1 (8-inch) pre-baked pie shell or crumb crust

Meringue:

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
* Raw Eggs

*RAW EGG WARNING
Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly cooked eggs due to the slight risk of salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly refrigerated, clean grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Total Time:
25 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min

Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Level:
Easy

Food Therapy

After our daughter's wedding I needed some much needed food therapy.

We have 5 plum trees and I have never made plum jam since we lived here. My mom is visiting us so it gave me the motivation to make plum jam.

I couldn't believe how easy it was and now I'm wondering what took me
so long. I think every one else is wondering the same thing.

Not too shabby. it even tastes good. On to the next!...............

"georgie"