The Monkey & The Moo

Remember yesterday when I showed you all the cool stuff I got at Home Goods? 

Well the Monkey decided that this little Moo Cow was hers and hers alone. 

And she's pretty much obsessed with it already. 

She gets extremely attached to her things. 

She'll hug it and kiss it and squeeze it all over....

And Heaven help anyone who wants to take it away from her. 

The Moo Cow even stuck around while the Monkey ate her dinner. 

Thankfully my old girl, Lily, was quite content to keep pulling all the stuffing out of Duckie.  Poor Duckie. 

I hope your evening was as much fun as ours!

Happy weekend, folks!

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Good Morning and Happy Holiday Weekend, Everyone!!

I was greeted this morning with this absolutely glorious sky - the sun was just breaking through the clouds and it made me run inside for the camera.

I had a completely different post in mind today but sometimes things have a way of grabbing your attention and that changes everything!

Today I'm taking you into my kitchen to talk about my fridge.

Yup, that's right. My fridge.

I know a lot of people out there have absolutely gorgeous modern kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. I am not one of those people! My new house has white appliances that are a bit dated but work very well. And white tiled countertops. And you know what? I'm ok with that! I've never had a modern kitchen, and I'm really a country girl at heart. My favorite type of home is a country cottage or farmhouse so I don't even think I'd be comfortable in a modern kitchen!

So, back to my fridge. My big white fridge with the ice maker that hates me. It usually spits the ice out all over the floor after I've given up and opened the door to grab the ice out of the bin. But that's another story.

My fridge has always been covered in stuff. When the kids were small it was their drawings or schoolwork. As they got older it was photos and fortunes from the fortune cookies we get with Chinese takeout.

Now it's a random mix of things, all of which make me smile when I stop and look at them.

These guys sit on top of my fridge guarding the fairly useless over-the-fridge cabinet that rarely gets opened. I just love seeing them up there - and how cool are those knobs? One of the first projects my sweetie took on in the house was changing out all the knobs in the kitchen to these cool green glass bubbly knobs - I love them!

My daughters have contributed greatly to the collage on the fridge. There is such a random mix of sayings and magnets and photos and such....

These simple little reminders make me happy when I spot them.

This was cut out years ago from a shopping bag from Life Is Good - don't you love their t-shirts?

My older daughter gave me this card years ago and I cherish it.

And this one. So true, isn't it?

This is a recent addition...

This one has been around for quite a while - I believe I tore it out of the back of either Real Simple Magazine or Martha Stewart Living Magazine and put it in a fridge frame. I just love this sentiment.

I have to say this one is one of my all time faves.....:)

What's on you fridge? Do you have things that make you smile? 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Weeknight Dinner

Hi All! I hope you are having a great week so far! I know a lot of kiddos went back to school this week - those days are over for me but somehow the mind still goes into "back to school" mode in early September regardless. The summer is unofficially over, and it's time to buckle down and get back into a routine. 

For me, I need to get back into a workout routine. But that's a whole different post for another day. Sigh.  

For you moms and dads out there looking to put a quick meal on the table on a weeknight - this one's for you! It's quick, healthy, and amazingly delicious! (Amazeballs according to my daughter.....)

This would also work well for a daughter looking to impress her date with a nice home cooked meal. Ahem. 

My meal plans during the growing season generally start with whatever the garden is spitting out en masse that week. This week it's TOMATOES - we've been pulling in bucket loads, many of which are sort of a large grape tomato (or possibly a small plum tomato?)

So a quick gathering of what I needed:
Tomatoes (duh)
Fresh Cheese Tortellini  (Note: You could also use angel hair or linguine in this recipe, I just happen to love it with cheese tortellini) 
A Decent Olive Oil
Freshly Ground Sea Salt & Pepper
Salted Butter
Fresh Basil
2 Large Garlic Cloves (not shown, it was fresh out of the garden and I still had to wash it!)
Romano or Parmesan Cheese 
Low Sodium Fat Free Chicken Broth

And a Nice Glass of Wine for the Cook. I chose a Provence Rose. Just because. 

Slice your tomatoes in half if they are large grape tomatoes/small plum tomatoes like mine. Cherry tomatoes I just put on the baking sheet whole - they will pop when they heat anyway.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. I baked mine in the toaster oven because it was quite warm out alst night so I didn't want to turn on the oven - and it worked perfectly.

While the tomatoes are roasting, put your water on to boil - I use a large pot to give the tortellini lots of room. And I don't think they need any salt since there is salt in the filling so I omit the salt I usually use in my pasta cooking water. That whole "salty like the ocean" instruction for pasta water certainly doesn't apply here!

I also took advantage of the cooking time to scrub the garlic we harvested. Look how beautiful it is!

Next I chopped some fresh basil and put it aside. Then I chopped two large cloves of fresh garlic - that brought my daughter into the kitchen! What an amazing aroma!! There is a huge difference between supermarket garlic and home grown organic garlic - wow. LOVE!

When the tomatoes were nearly done I cooked the tortellini according to the package directions and dumped them into a colander to drain. 

Into the same pot went a light drizzle of olive oil and 2 tbs of salted butter. 

And then the garlic.Oh my, the GARLIC!!! Cooked just until golden....and the aroma throughout the entire house was pure heaven. I'm surprised the bears didn't come knocking at the door. 

The tomatoes were done roasting - look how beautiful they are! They kept their shape but released their flavor, as roasted tomatoes do so well. Gorgeous!

Into the pot they went, with about a cup of chicken stock, more or less. I do make my own chicken broth and keep it in the freezer in ziplock bags but for something quick like this I always keep some low sodium fat free broth in the panty. 

Back into the pot went the cooked tortellini along with the chopped basil. 

A quick gentle stir to combine (you don't want to break the tortellini) and this was the end result. 

Some freshly shaved romano tops off this dish - pure heaven in a bowl, right there. 

Note: this served two for dinner plus two light lunches the next day. 

Mangia! 

My Garden Cottage

Mornin' All! Hope you are having a great week so far!

I'm dreaming today about my garden shed aka my Garden Cottage.....to be. 

It sits up on the hill in the far corner of my property, next to the property with the horses. 

The shed was such a disaster when I moved in but my sweetie took it on as a challenge and there has been tremendous progress in the past few months. 

It's nothing fancy inside but the shed has such value to me as a gardener that it was well worth putting time and effort into it. 

When I moved in, we fell through the floor the first time we walked into the shed. And that was without so much as a sip of a cocktail!

So, a new plywood floor went down first thing. 

My sweetie hung hooks to organize all my garden tools and cleaned out the shed thoroughly, which took about a billion trips to the other shed and also to the dump. And a shopvac. And a dust mask. Followed by a cocktail to wash down the dust. And another...just because. 

The cracks are now all sealed in an attempt to keep the critters at bay and the back wall holds my power tools and garden trugs....again, all thanks to my sweetie. He's a keeper!

I have all my pots on a shelving rack in the corner and of course had to hang a little something decorative....after all, it is a cottage!

The shed was honestly a mess - it was rotten and lopsided and full of critter nests....it had to be jacked up and new supports put underneath. Part of the roof was replaced and the whole right side and back of the shed had never been shingled so that had to be taken care of. 

And of course all the work had to be put on hold while we waited for the baby birds in the nest under the eaves to fly the nest!

But from the first time I viewed this property I saw potential in this shed. I always saw it in my mind as my garden cottage, not just a potting shed. I've been drooling over some of the sheds I see online....and getting loads of ideas for the next stage in the rehab. 

A rustic cottage shed
via APrimitivePlace.org 

The organization in this shed speaks to me...

This shed is oh so pretty

Nothing fancy but ever so welcoming

So I'm still on the hunt for ideas, and meanwhile getting the shed painted is the first step. 

This shed is simply dreamy

I think the interior is going to remain unpainted, but who knows.....the whitewash is nice here. 

I think I'm in love....

I think I need to hit some garage sales and flea markets.....

How adorable is this with the pegboard and fabric?? And a chandelier....Hello!!

I'm also going to have to hit up some fabric stores it seems!

But since I'm dreaming I may as well dream big....

I've always wanted one of these....

And then of course at Christmas it can look like this....

Winter wonderland

Or this.....

Heavenly

Where do you stop? Better yet....where do I start? 

Simply charming!

I know there will be a windowbox with flowers and some shutters. Without a doubt. 

The gardens

And maybe some little gardens on either side of the ramp leading into the shed. 

Seating

Or maybe some pavers with pots of flowers and a small seating area is better? Easier maintenance? 

Perfect!

Perhaps a combination of both is the answer. 

What do you think? Do you have an amazing garden shed to share? I'd love to see it!

Have a happy day, friends!