~ White Christmas ~

:

December BYOC Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
white christmas, by Sahin Designs
wintertide, by Paula Kesserling
a December to remember painted mountains, by Little Butterfly Wings
winter woods snowflake cluster, by Rebecca McMeen
richmond paper#20, by Lynn Grieveson
'twas the night before Christmas wordart, by Pink Reptile Designs

this page was lovingly designed for my bestie ♥ Amanda, who lives DownUnder
and wants a White Christmas... this one's for you gf!

~ Merry Christmas ~

credits:
mini Blithe, by Anna Apsnes
cardinal, by Ray Hennessy (extracted)
font, Wish

for today

for today...

outside my window... 20F/it's a sunny morning

i am thinking... of replacing ribbons with white/taupe bandannas on my holiday wreaths

i am thankful for... Jerry, who not only delivers my firewood,

but will neatly stack it under the porch if I'm not around

i am wearing... black jeans, thermal shirt & ankle boots

i am going... to The Carpenter's Shop in Ulysses, PA for bags of kindling

i am currently reading... "A Year of Living Kindly," by Donna Cameron

i am hoping... my mailbox survives the snowplows

on my mind... gas @ $2.79/gallon, milk @ $2.75/gallon, butter @ $2.39/lb

pondering these words...

I heard a bird sing, in the dark of December,

A magical thing, and sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring than we were in September,'

I heard a bird sing, in the dark of December."

~ Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing ~

from the kitchen... 

dinner menu... sweet Italian sausage, chicken scaloppini, served with angel hair pasta & garlic bread

holiday goodies... eggnog, pizelles & peanut brittle for gifting

around the house...  white poinsettias, evergreens & holly

one of my favorite things... Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet

i'm creating... the December Challenges @ The Lilypad, a new blog header/FB cover and

Fragrant Fir Snowflakes

a few plans for the week... decorating, baking, designing, organizing my house & shopping

from my lens:

*click to enlarge photo*

Home For The Holidays

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

for today

for today...

outside my window... 43F/cloudy @ 8pm

i am thinking...  thanksgiving is my favorite holiday

i am thankful for... Irish Oats ♥ the BEST oatmeal 

i am wearing... blue jeans, flannel shirt & ankle boots

i am going... to Harrison Valley, to vote on Nov 6th

i am currently reading...  Oct/Nov magazines, before Dec issues arrive

i am hoping... to research "sonker" recipes for the upcoming holidays

on my mind... gas @ $3.03/gallon, milk @ $2.75/gallon, butter @ $2.99/lb

pondering these words...

T   hanks for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H  for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A  for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.
N  for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.
K  for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.
S  for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that about.
    That spells THANKS for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.
~ Aileen Fisher, All in a Word ~

from the kitchen... Creamy Zuppa Toscana, garlic bread & rice pudding

around the house...featherbed, down comforter, flannel sheets/duvet cover
root vegetables, butternut squash, apples, pears
pine cones, kindling, box matches, candles

one of my favorite things... cashmere sweaters

i'm creating... the November Challenges @ The Lilypad

a few plans for the weekend...  rake leaves, stack firewood

from my lens:

*click to enlarge photo*

Hello November ~ North Fork Dam

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

mountain lion

October Photography Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
so take shape border; pure & simple paper, by Pink Reptile Designs
autumn overlay, by Lynn Grieveson
shadowed frame, by Szindizajn
font, Oh Wonder Sans

spiced wafers

October BYOC Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
messy marvin7, by Amy Wolff
brown sugar days2 leaf, by Rebecca
gather tag & scatter, by Krista Sahlin
pure & simple & awesome sauce, by Pink Reptile Designs
fonts, The Hedge Hog & Poligon
sketch10, by the Sketchy Bee
cookie, my personal stash
Phila newspaper clipping, courtesy www

autumn journal

October Style Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
enchanted wordart, by Sabrina's Creations
coffee clipart, by Allison Pennington
winter day, by Sahin Designs
happy home journal, by Aimee Harrison
template3, by The Sketchy Bee

indian corn

October Template Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
countryside, Etc by Danyale
around in circles template &
pure & simple, by Pink Reptile Designs
hayrides & smiles, by Allison Pennington

hello October

DSD Slow Scrap Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
Washington Square patterned papers, by Amy Wolf
October Morning solid paper, by Allison Pennington
CountrySide scatter, by Etc by Danyale
5 leaves, by Sahin Designs
wordart, by JustJaime
bow, by Leah (mommyish)
template, by Kimeric Designs
journaling, Century Gothic font

yum

October Scraplift Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
awesome sauce, by Pink Reptile Designs
polaroid frame, by Paula Kesserling
apple, my personal stash
font, The Hedge Hog

time to go

October Random Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
it's about time, TLP blog freebie
feather, by Natalie
template, by Katie Pertiet
font, AR Bonnie

put an egg on it

October Journaling Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
it's about time, TLP blog hop
egg, Honey Designs
template, Kitty Designs
font, century gothic

for today

for today...

outside my window... 56F/cloudy @ 9am

i am thinking...  the woodchuck & deer have cleaned up 95% of the fallen apples

i am thankful for... pumpkins & autumn squash, of all varieties

i am wearing... blue jeans, thermal shirt & Birkenstocks

i am going... grocery shopping (which I dread)

i am currently reading... "The Life Raft," by CJ Schepers  

i am hoping... for more inspiration this month *sigh*

on my mind... gas @ $3.17/gallon, milk @ $2.55/gallon, butter @ $2.59/lb

pondering these words..."Bittersweet October:

The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter."

~ Carol Bishop Hipps ~

from the kitchen... tomato jam, apple cake

around the house... Windex & storm windows & porch windows

one of my favorite things... Oktoberfest

i'm creating... the October Challenges @ The Lilypad

a few plans for the week...  install a new firebox in the woodstove

from my lens:

*click to enlarge photo*

this woodchuck takes off before I can ever get close enough lol

not a great shot, but I'll keep trying until all the apples are gone

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

autumn is here

September Inspiration Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
messy bun day paper, Etc by Danyale
paper piercing holes, by Krista Sahlin
hot hot hot flower, by Lynn Grieveson
template11, by The Sketchy Bee
autumn wordart, by Snoopy
goldenrod, courtesy www
font, Century Gothic

for today

for today...

outside my window... 55F/cloudy @ 8am

i am thinking...  the hummingbirds are ready to depart

i am thankful for... Indian Summer

i am wearing... black jeans, thermal shirt & Birkenstocks

i am going... for my annual physical

i am currently reading... the Sept & Oct issues of Martha Stewart Living

i am hoping... to find enough tomatoes for a batch of tomato jam

on my mind... gas @ $3.11/gallon, milk @ $2.55/gallon, butter @ $2.99/lb

pondering these words... "when the goldenrod is yellow, and leaves are turning brown -

reluctantly the summer goes, in a cloud of thistledown;

when squirrels are harvesting and birds in flight appear -

by these autumn signs we know September days are here."

~ Beverly Ashour ~

from the kitchen... green beans, potatoes with ham hocks.

pierogi casserole, cherry danishes & tapioca pudding

around the house... chinese lanterns [physalis]

one of my favorite things... elderberry jelly

i'm creating... an Autumn Blog Header

a few plans for the week...  fall housecleaning

from my lens:

*click to enlarge photo*

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

August's Peaches

August Designer Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
Farm Fresh, by Pink Reptile Designs
Document Template, by Lynn Grieveson
font, cherry cordial

for today

for today...

outside my window... 71F/clear @ 11PM

i am thinking... the songbirds aren't waking me up at the crack of dawn

i am thankful for... fresh figs in August

i am wearing... blue jeans, plaid seersucker shirt & Birkenstocks

i am going... to Wellsville, NY, again

i am currently reading...  "Our Towns," by James & Deborah Fallows

i am hoping... for more sunny days than rainy days this month

on my mind... gas @ $3.15/gallon, milk @ $2.75/gallon, butter @ $2.88/lb

pondering these words... "The brilliant poppy flaunts her head amidst the ripening grain,"

and adds her voice to sell the song that August's here again."

~ Helen Winslow ~

from the kitchen... 

as I've prepared this three times now, I thought it might be a good time to share the recipe
Nancy Silverton's Egg Salad with Bagna Cauda Toast

and my dear friend, Barb delivered some fresh peaches,
so there are yummy peach hand pies to share with her

around the house... black-eyed susans

one of my favorite things... monarch butterflies

i'm creating... the August Challenges @ The Lilypad

a few plans for the week...  yardwork, laundry

from my lens:

I stop and visit with this guy every time I drive down the road,

sometimes with a handful of apples, but on this hot & humid

afternoon, he was just not in the mood for company, or apples

*click to enlarge photo*

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

farm to table

July Journaling Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
summerlove, summer picnic ribbon & enfold template,
by Sabrina's Creations
home string, by Kristen Aagard
watermelon slice, by Creative Market
seeds, courtesy www
fonts, dallon & oh wonder sans

summer blossoms

July Photography Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
clean&simple template29 & do it for yourself,
by Sabrina's Creations
boho paper, by Flergs
font, The Hedge Hog

cherry limeade

July Template Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
July Template & Camp paper, by Allison Pennington
Summer Picnic & thisNthat solid red paper, by Sabrina's Creations
cherry/lime element, my personal stash

unplugged

July Designer Challenge @ The Lilypad
credits:
indexed template, indexed element (clip),
do it for yourself & this and that,
by Sabrina's Creations
Unplugged Inspiration, The Daily Beast
image, McMillan Digital Artistry
font, Georgia