The Do-It-All Woman Does It Again

Who doesn't love The Pioneer Woman? If you don't you obviously haven't spent any time stalking her blog, which is a great big mix of kids, cooking, picture-taking, looking at pretty things, and education, with enough chit-chat and romance thrown in to make you feel like you're just hanging out with your favorite friend and neighbor.

I came across her blog a while back when I somehow landed on her post about Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies. I stuck around a while to see what other great recipes there were. Then I happened onto her serialized tale of romance. It kept me busy getting up to date on that one. Toss in her Smartypants Quizzes and fabulous giveaways and what's not to love?

I know I'm not alone, though. Each post generates reader comments in the thousands. Sometimes ten thousand. Whew, that is big!

Anyway, to make this long story short, PW has started a new site called Tasty Kitchen. I like it. It's a great spot for recipes and food ideas. I like goodreads.com and it's a bit like a goodreads for cooks. If you have an interest, go have a peek at her Tasty Kitchen now.

My Girly Room Revision

I love my girly room. In a house full of boys it is a necessity. Almost a year ago I posted about My Girly Room. Today is just a little update. I got rid of the enormous desk that I was using. It was so big and bulky and not at all pretty. I replaced it with a very attractive, white writing desk, which I love. It came with a bronze drawer pull that I didn't love, so I ran over to Target and picked up a blue glass pull. Perfect.

Then I stumbled onto this rolling... thing at the Christmas Tree Shop. I don't know exactly what you would call it, but I call it nine perfect square places to put things.

With these two changes I am loving my girly room more than ever. It definitely pays to wait until you find exactly what you are looking for. It also pays to find them in places that are pretty cheap.

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Marseilles Dress SHABBY APPLE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I was really thrilled to see this fantastic dress and immediately headed over to the Shabby Apple website. I love these dresses! I am tired of having to adjust and safety pin and worry about whether it's all holding in place. The point of these great dresses is that everything that is supposed to be covered up stays that way. Without any extra effort from me. Hallelujah!

My Amanda Purse

I have a good friend who has a lovely daughter by the name of Amanda. Amanda is one of those creative types, you know, the type I LOVE! Anyway, she puts together these great looking purses and totes. She makes them with......  placemats! A couple handles, some beading, and there it is. I love mine and use it all the time. She makes all types of sizes and styles. When she decides to go internet I will let you know and you can get one for yourself. If you can't wait that long, I will see about putting you in touch.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I really hate winter. There is some beauty in a sunny winter day with snow brightening up the landscape, but we don't get that much. We mostly have dark, cloudy, gray, depressing days all winter. I don't do well with cloudy days, I really don't do well with dark mornings, and I really, really hate the cold. So it is with great anticipation that I watch for the signs of spring. I was so happy when they came that I immediately began anticipating the signs of summer. It's almost here. The backyard is green and the grass is soft and cool on the feet. The flowers are blooming and the trees have filled in. 

Following are a few of the stars of my backyard right now.

I have always been crazy about foxglove. I have envy issues with the northwest where it grows like weeds in ditches. But if I can accept that it's mainly an annual here,  I can be happy. Isn't it lovely?

waiting for the foxglove to quit showing off are some tiger lillies, and further back is Solomon Seal. Understated, but very pretty.

I put two of these dahlias in a big container with a mix of other flowers and foliage. Right now, though, it's the dahlia that is taking the stage.

The unsung heroes of my garden. I tend to think of them as space fillers, but when I get in close I love, love them just for who they are.

I love a bright green tree against a bright blue sky. 

peonies are getting ready, it won't be long...

I don't remember what this is! I just planted it a few weeks ago, but mislaid the tag. It loves shade to partial sun, I do remember that.

the wisteria has made it well over the top of the pergola this year. I am hoping to get it trained across to the opposite side by the end of the summer. It should be blooming in a few weeks.

This is the view that greets anyone lucky enough to lounge in our hammock.

Keeping Up with Craft Gossip Isn't Easy

I came across a great website called Craft Gossip. It's filled with links and snippets of ideas, techniques, and projects in endless categories of crafts and arts.  Sewing, beading, painting, stamping, glass, knitting, felting, and much more. There are many new postings every day, so I subscribed to the RSS feed. I was not disappointed. The only problem is that there is so much! I have been deleting the ones that don't interest me and saving the rest to look at in depth later. I now have a bunch to go through later. When 'later' may be is still uncertain. 

Letting You Know About A Pretty Nice Creative Blog

My friend Hollie has a mother-in-law that cooks and creates. You can check out some of her work at Carmela's Creative Options. She has posted a great recipe for some pretty delectable looking cinnamon rolls as well as some great looking patterns and projects. I am adding just a little teensy snippet of pics so you can see why you should click over and see the big picture, so to speak.