Slip-Covered Ottoman

I'm not a skilled seamstress...I just play one on the Internet...

Do you remember those old  1980's commercials, with actors...selling things they really had no business selling... "I'm not a doctor...but I play one on TV..."  ...and then off they'd go... peddling medicine..

Well, truly, ...I'm no seamstress...

or tailor...

....or even remotely qualified to give sewing advice.

I am going to "share" my latest creation...which involved quite a lot of sewing...

My Jr. High home economics teacher would be so proud...

I don't even think they offer that class anymore... gone...just like good old typing class...

I was in the seventh grade when I made a shark pillow...all on my own, every stitch.

Our entire home economics class got to make a pillow, as our quarterly project.... and we got to pick the pattern...

I was so excited.. sometimes it's the little things --my 13 year-old-self loved getting to pick out the material at the fabric store....

I chose a raspberry colored cotton fabric and grey felt for the shark fins.... good times.

I couldn't believe this teacher was going to let me...and all the other 13 year-old kids operate the sewing machines... real machines...

Can you even imagine the waivers and legal agreements they might have us sign today...to use "dangerous equipment"??

It was like a power tool... it had the power to stab our little fingers... luckily we all survived...

My shark pillow was a huge success... (in the  Jr. High world)

...and now... having had no additional formal training....

I will be sewing a slip cover for an ottoman....

...with really great fabric.... that I got to pick out...

...all by myself....

...see, it's the little things...

Lovebird Valentine Heart Wreath

They only come around once or twice a year....

I always want them to stay...

but...they never do....

 ...the bluebirds...

Are they not the cutest little birds ever??

The first time I saw one I couldn't believe my eyes....It was so blue....so gorgeous.

We don't live in a big meadow, or in a pasture or near a pond...all places I know they like...
but they were in our yard just the same...

The bluebirds were stunning...the brightest blue, with orange tummies...

I ran right out and got a special bluebird feeder...just for bluebirds...who knew there was such a thing??

I picked up dried mealworms...apparently a delicious treat for bluebirds...

I even bought four bluebird houses and had them put up on our backyard fence line...creating a bluebird trail...

It was the making of the finest bluebird sanctuary this side of the Mississippi....

And you'll never guess what happened...

Orange Marmalade Muffins

Did you ever read Paddington Bear books as a child??

I did and I've read them to my own kids too...

The new movie that just came out last Friday...is every bit as

good as I had hoped it would be...

...every bit.


It was sweet and kind and perfectly mannered...just as any movie set in England should be....

It was a fun movie... great for the youngest of movie watchers

(minus a scary-ish earthquake scene at the very start)

and otherwise perfect for children of all ages, even me...

Clever and cute ....a joy to watch.

As an added bonus, there wasn't one scene that made me squirm... no bad language...a plus...

...and nothing that required a long follow-up conversation... hooray!!

...Seriously, the older I get, the more surprised I am about song lyrics and even the regular TV

programming... It's enough to make a grown lady blush...

But anyway...Back to good ol' Paddington...  this super-cute movie and his marmalade...

My children were curious about the orange marmalade that Paddington loves so much...

How good could it be??

For Sunday breakfast I whipped up a batch of orange marmalade muffins...

and in our case...tangerine marmalade muffins.

They were light, sweet and with a hint of orange and almond...

...so perfectly warm and delicious on a chilly morning...

Why, even a bear from darkest Peru would want to gobble them up...

...and if I'm right, you will too...

MUFFIN TIN Brownie Sundae

I thought ...this... 

....this, is a super fantastic idea.

How could I have never thought of this before??

Was it a stroke of creative genius...??

Or was is merely having the muffin tins on the counter

at the exact time that I was making a batch of brownies??

I don't think science will ever know for sure.... (ha)

But I was so pleased with what I made... and

....I didn't even need any as-seen-on-TV gadgets...to get the job done...

Amazing...