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Finally, y'all, after several years of living here, I have put up curtains in the breakfast nook. We are planning to redo the entire kitchen, but it's still a ways off, sooo I decided I wanted something on the windows. And what a difference it makes. I did them yesterday, and they are completely and 100% based on The Nester's tutorial . The girl is a genuis!
....49 more days....
Since we weren't together for the holidays this year, my sister-in-law, Lisa, sent us some Christmas gifts several weeks ago. Mike got a really nice shirt that he has already been wearing, and Amelia got a too cute outfit....I still have to get a picture of her in it (then I'll show it)!
Me? What did I get? Ohhhh, looookk....
A beautiful (BEAUTIFUL!) envelope pillowcase with our "B" on it! Two of my favorite things.....antique linen and a monogram!
And this very pretty pillow case with white-on-white embroidery and the most delicate lace trimming it. She also slipped in a block of Savon de Marseille soap (which I LOVE!).
Isn't she amazing? Thanks, Lisa!!
Baskets, baskets everywhere....
...for hand towels...
...for picnics...
...for laundry...
...for tablecloths...
...for Baby's neccessities...
...for Baby (hehe)...
...for dried hydrangeas...
...for fresh eucalyptus...
...for some, um, toilet paper ...
...for toys...
...for seashells...
...for my reads...
....oh, I could go on and on all night....
Oh! The snow, the beautiful snow,
Filling the sky and earth below,
The town is alive, and its heart is aglow,
To welcome the coming of beautiful snow!
-Author unknown
Just after the new year, Momma came down for ten days! We enjoyed many things, but, of course, our favorite was when we girls (me, Momma, and Amelia) took off for some junkin'! Our first day was spent over in Chamblee at their Antique Row. The highlight of the day was Rust-N-Dust Antiques (aka my new favorite spot). With a name like that, how can you go wrong? You know, I don't buy hardly anything unless it's got a little bit of dirt on it...
Our lunch that day was the other highlight. The place was called the Old Chamblee Bistro. Momma had the Tuna & Artichoke sandwich dressed with black olive mayonnaise, and I had the Crab Salad with red cabbage slaw on a kaiser roll. They were both delicious. As an added bonus, we got to meet the owner of the bistro and creator of our food. He used to cook for the Carters when they had parties....I can surely see why.
We also ventured over to Braselton and Hoschton a couple days later.
We found lots of good stuff and had a ball, like always! Some of our finds included...
...some more vintage wooden hangers from hotels, fur shops, and cleaners for the guest closet...
...a collection of tiny matches in their boxes that Momma found for a song...
(they are perfect to sit alongside a candle)
...a locker crate (that is actually a gift for someone else, but in the meantime, I can still use it...right?)...
...a small Ironstone platter that had that beautiful brown staining on it that I love so...
...a small bowl with that same brown staining, holding some of my dried oranges and limes...
...of course, some black and white photos...
(an especially good one of a class picture that I am putting in a glass urn filled with our special occasion wine corks)
...and a beautiful wooden tray to organize my silverware.
Now, Momma had actually bought this tray for herself, but then snuck it in my drawer like this without me knowing, until she was already gone. (How sweet!) But, I had picked up a tiny little blue and white enamel funnel (only a few inches high) that we were loving at Rust-N-Dust...and I had snuck it in her suitcase without her knowing (probably while she was arranging my silverware in her wooden tray!) Aaahhh....like mother like daughter, I suppose...
Last night for dinner, I fixed one of our favorites...meatloaf. I know, it's sorta awful to look at, and I would never (I don't think) serve it to company. Anyway, lately I have been stuffing it with cheese. I use the Kroger brand meatloaf seasoning, following the directions on the back of the packet, only I add in ketchup to the mix.
Then, I pat it out into a rectangle on a piece of foil, slather on a bit of sour cream, and sprinkle on a handful (or two) of shredded mild cheddar.
Then, I roll it up jelly-roll fashion and transfer it to the baking dish.
Just in the last few minutes in the oven, I spread a mixture of ketchup and brown sugar on top.
The first time I fixed our meatloaf this way, my husband said this version tasted "lighter" than the traditional version. Well....I just put a big bite in my mouth so that I didn't have to tell him it wasn't.
