With the man I love....

 

 

 

The best place in the world is in the arms of someone who will not only hold you at your best...but will pick you up and hug you tight at your weakest moment!

 

 

The real lover is the man who can thrill you by kissing your forhead or smiling into your eyes or just staring into space.

 

 

 

If I had a flower for every time I think of you...I could walk through my garden forever!

 

 

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams!

~Dr. Seuss

 

 

Oh, to be married to the one you do love...and love most tenderly and devotedly.

That is the bliss beyond the power of words to express or imagination conceive. Every day as it shows more of the mind of your beloved, when you have such a treasure as mine, makes you only more proud, more happy, more humbly thankful to the Giver of all good for this BESTof earthly gifts.

-Hudson Taylor

 

 

 

Oh I wonder what God was thinking when He created you--

I wonder if He knew everything I would need

Because He made all my dreams come true!

When God made you

He must have been thinking about me!

 

 

 

You are my best friend as well as my lover, and I do not know which side of you I enjoy the most. I treasure each side, just as I have treasured our life together.

 

Fall Decorations

The weather is feeling "fallish" now.... cool mornings and nights, cooler temperatures in the daytimes... and that has given me the "apple cider- colored leaves- pumpkin spice scent" kind of thoughts. I think my husband got those same kind of thoughts as well, because he took me shopping the first Tuesday in September and let me pick out some fall decorations. Our house is all decorated now, and feels and smells very festive! :-) Maybe we jumped the gun just a hair when we decorated the first Tuesday in September, but I don't care... I LOVE the fall season!
Here is a quick tour of our decorated house for you!

Matt found this little wagon when we were shopping, and we both thought it was C.U.T.E.!!! He filled it with the leaves, gourds, pumpkins, etc. and randomly sprinkled some leaves around it! I added a couple of candles I had picked up.... and WOW!!! the top of our extra cupboard in the kitchen popped!! We LOVE it!!

 

 



I found this in the decorating section of our local pharmacy. I gave you a panoramic view of the little shade so you can see what it looks like all the way around. It makes a perfect table centerpiece... and the pumpkin spice candle smells AMAZING when we light it!

Again my man came to the rescue to help me out with my limited decorating abilities! :-) He helped me arrange these little blocks so that they weren't just placed in a straight line, by putting them in a semi-circle and adding some height to them with the acorn block. I think it was just what the gun cabinet needed to fill the "empty space" on that side.

We can't leave our fireplace undecorated!! We found a bag of all of these decorative pumpkins/gourds for $3, and as soon as we saw it, we knew we were going to decorate the fireplace with them. Here is a view from both ends of the fireplace. The tart burner is currently burning an apple cinnamon scent, but I also have pumpkin spice scent for it as well. :-)

Our coffee table centerpiece. Matt helped me decide which centerpiece I wanted...flowers or apples... we finally decided on the apple one. I think we picked well. :-)

Our wreath over the front door. So pretty!!

Mrs. Bamford gave me these adorable little pumpkins that she grew... I think they are SO CUTE!!! I'm thinking I will try to grow these Jack-be-Little pumpkins next year myself.

 



My little pumpkin candle holder. A little fall addition to our half wall! :-)

Backyard Visitor

This past Sunday was a cold, rainy day, but this little visitor in our backyard brought a ray of sunshine to our day!

I happened to look out the kitchen window as I was making lunch, and there this sweet little fellow was quietly munching on leaves. I was so excited to see him so close to our house, that I stopped mid-sentence in what I was talking to Matt about, and called him over to see. My man immediately pulled out his phone and snapped these pictures so that I could share them here on the blog.

 

Our little "Bambi" probably grazed 5-10 minuted before bouncing off into the woods. Matt and I just stood there enjoying watching the little fellow who seemed to have no clue that there were eyes watching him. He didn't seem afraid at all even though he was quite close to the house.

 

 

 

It was just a special little treat for us both to enjoy, that added to our rainy day. :-)

 

 

TO ADD TO  THAT:

Just a few minutes ago I looked out my kitchen window again and what to my surprise......

 

 

"Bambi" is back!!!! And he brought his Momma this time!!! How did he know I blogged about him this morning?!?!? 





Knitting Project

One of my friends, Sarah Bamford, gave me a dishcloth pattern to try about a month ago. Someone had given her this pattern to try, and since she and I have been comparing/sharing knitting notes over the summer, she passed the pattern on to me. I was a bit hesitant to try it, because the pattern looked complicated, but after I saw how well Sarah's turned out, I was determined to make one myself. With some help from her to get me started, I was able to follow the pattern and was pleased with the end result. Here is the pattern in case anyone would like to give it a try.
Dishcloth Round
Cast on 15 (the pattern says they used size 6 needles, but I used size 8 and it turned out fine)
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K3, yo, knit until 1 stitch is left on needle, turn.
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: K3, yo, knit until 2 stitches are left, turn.
Row 5: Knit
Row 6: K3,yo, knit until 3 stitches are left, turn.
Row 7: Knit
Row 8: Bind off the first 3 stitches, k2, yo, knit until 4 stitches are left, turn.
Row 9: Knit
Row 10: K3, yo, knit until 5 stitches are left, turn.
Row 11: Knit
Row 12: K3, yo, knit until 6 stitches are left, turn.
Row 13: Knit
Row 14: Bind off first 3 stitches, k2, yo, knit until 7 stitches are left, turn.
Row 15: Knit
Row 16: K3, yo, knit until 8 stitches are left, turn.
Row 17: Knit
Row 18: K3, yo, knit until 9 stitches are left, turn.
Row 19: Knit
Row 20: Bind off first 3 stitches, then knit to the end of the row.
Repeat rows 1-20 6 more times for a total of 7 patterns. Bind off. Hand-sew edges together to complete the circle.

Enjoy!! :-)

The Many Faces of Darlings Chevrolet

What do you think? Should we be the new advertising faces for the Darlings Chevy store? :-)

*Photos taken in the Darlings photo booth at an advertising event this past weekend.

Recipes

The Internet and I are great friends when it comes to cooking. I love finding and trying new recipes to add a variety to our meals. I thought I would share a couple that have been hits at our house recently.
Homemade Shake and Bake Mixture
4 cups dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced onion
1 pinch dried basil leaves
1 pinch dried parsley
1 pinch dried oregano
In a large resealable plastic bag combine all ingredients. Seal bag and shake until all ingredients are mixed well.
*This recipe makes a LOT of shake'n bake. I would halve or even third the recipe next time. I also omitted the tablespoon of salt and it was still plenty salty.
We had this on boneless skinless chicken breasts, and it was DELICIOUS!!

BAKED SAUCY PORK CHOPS
2 bone-in pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick) *
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
In a skillet brown pork chops on both sides in butter. Transfer to a small greased baking dish; sprinkle with onion. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chops. Cover and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
* I used boneless pork chops about 1 inch thick each and they turned out great.
I also substituted the chili powder (since I didn't have any) with a teaspoon of taco seasoning. Just another taste if your are feeling adventuresome! :-)

Blackberry Delight
Blackberry Layer:
6 cups fresh blackberries ( I'm sure frozen could be used just as well)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cream Cheese Layer:
1 block (8 oz) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons solid butter-flavored shortening ( I used butter)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 F
Blackberry Layer:
Place berries into a stove-top pot with lid. Cook on medium low for 15 minutes until juice renders. Mix sugar and cornstarch together, add to blackberries. Cook until mixture thickens, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
Cream Cheese Layer:
Mix cream cheese with sugar and vanilla in mixer. Set aside.
Dough:
Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon; mix well. Add shortening one tablespoon at a time; incorporate with fork. Mix sugar and milk into mixture.
Spray oval (12 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1/2 of dough mixture into bottom of dish. Pour 1/2 of blackberry mixture on top. Pour cream cheese onto blackberries. Pour remaining blackberries onto cream cheese mixture, followed by remaining dough mixture. Place in oven. Bake 35-40 minutes or until bubbly in the middle. Serve warm with or without ice cream.
Note: The top dough mixture is going to be tough to spread. I spread it out onto a greased piece of tinfoil ( you could use wax paper as well) the same size as my dish, and then slid the dough off the tin foil onto the top of the blackberries. It just rolled off in one big sheet of dough perfectly fit to the size of the pan. ( To get the perfect shape of your pan, trace around it onto the wax paper/ tin foil before putting anything in the baking dish.)
I had trouble with the cream cheese part as well. It does not spread. I ended up just putting spoonfuls of the mixture all over the blackberries. I would try chilling it for a while and then trying to spread it onto wax paper the same way I did the dough. ( Not sure if this would work or not, since I haven't tried it.)

Blue Hill Fair

Last evening Matt had to work a shift in the Darlings booth at the Blue Hill Fair and I was able to go with him. I enjoyed being able to take in the fair and being able to spend time with my man. (Please excuse the quality of these pictures.... they were taken at dusk with the iPod and didn't turn out the best!)

 

We went to get something to eat as soon as we found our booth and got set up because we were both pretty hungry. Matt had had a CRAZY busy day and hadn't had time for lunch and also had worked late, so he was STARVED!!!

 After we got something in our stomachs, I did a little exploring. The horse pulling ring was right across from where our booth was, so of course I had to go watch for a little while.

 

 

While I was there, the three-horse pull was in session, and they were pulling some pretty good weight. There weren't as many teams as I am used to, so the pull didn't last very long. I didn't stay for the whole thing either, because it isn't quite as fun to watch a pull when you are all by yourself and don't know any of the people pulling. :-)

 

 

I stayed for about 15 minutes watching the different teams compete. The rules aren't exactly like I'm used to, and the thing that worried me the most was seeing most of the teamsters in sneakers instead of steel-toe boots. I'm guessing they aren't a requirement down here.

 

 





The teamsters kept their teams tied to the fence until it was their turn to pull. It was neat to look down the row of horses tied along the fence. :-)
I then wandered back to the booth to join Matt, who had barely had any business while I was gone. One of the cars on display was a 2013 Camaro, so Matt decided to start it up, and see if that would draw any customers in. It worked!!!! Just about as soon as he started it up, people started coming over to see the "cool car."

 

My favorite moment was when a little nine-year old boy walked by with his family and we could see him slowing down almost drooling over this car. He asked his Mom if they could stop and look at it. She waited for him and told him to ask Matt before he got in it. I could almost see him bursting wanting to get in the car so bad, but he politely asked Matt if he was allowed to sit in it. Matt of course said it was perfectly fine, and the little guy quickly got in looking all around with the biggest grin on his face. My man is the awesomest guy in the whole world and remembered what it was like to be a little guy near a cool car. He told the little guy to touch the gas a little and listen to the sound. The little guy touched the gas with his foot a couple of times and revved the engine just enough to make it sound really good!! You should have seen the grin on his face then! I though his face was going to split he was smiling so much!! His mom and dad both told Matt that he had made this little guy's day!! Out popped the  boy from the car with the biggest smile on his face and a GREAT big "thank you" for the "Darlings man" that let him test out the car! He was SO cute!!

 

 

A little after 8:00 we packed up the booth and stayed to wander through the fair ourselves. My darling bought me a pair of earrings as a souvenir from a lady who had a booth selling jewelry she makes herself. She does a beautiful job, and was selling her jewelry at a very reasonable price. As we kept wandering, we came across another little jewerly booth where you could pick out a stone you liked and it would be set in a necklace for you. Matt said I could get one if I wanted, and I was about to pick out a stone when I noticed further down the table they had a place you could pick an oyster and have a pearl taken out of the oyster and set in a necklace or ring!!!!!! I was SO excited because I had done this once before when I was in Florida, but my necklace had tarnished and I couldn't wear my pearl anymore. I had told Matt about it several times and told him that if we ever went to Florida I wanted to get a new necklace! Now here I was standing at a booth in Blue Hill with oysters in front of me and sterling silver necklaces to have them set in. Of course, my man being the darling he is footed the bill for me and let me pick out an oyster. Below is what I got!

 

 

This picture doesn't do it justice, but the oyster I picked had a teardrop shaped pink pearl inside. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! I picked out a little heart shaped pendant to have it set in, and very soon I was walking away with this dainty little necklace.

We made some good memories together... I recalled some good memories from past exhibitions I've attended... I'd say going to the fair was well worth it!! :-)