Sunday, March 31, 2013

French Toast Casserole

Happy Easter, ya'll!  I made a yummy Easter brunch with two casseroles and some yummy fresh fruit.   One of the casserole's was a turkey sausage and egg one from an earlier post here.  The other one I made was a recipe from my mom and it was so good!  


You will need:
1/4 C. butter, melted
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1 loaf bread, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick.  (You can use raisin, Italian, or French.  I used a whole wheat French loaf.)
8 eggs lightly beaten
1 C milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 ginger
1/2 C pecans chopped (optional)
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
In a small bowl combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish, overlapping if necessary.

Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours.

In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes whole the oven preheats to 350.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes.  If the top starts to brown too quickly, place foil loosely over top for last 10 minutes or so.  You want to cook it long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked, but isn't dried out.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.  Serve with powdered sugar and/or syrup.


ENJOY!


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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Doodle Stitching

I was very excited when I got an email from Mollie from Wild Olive telling me that I had won an embroidery book from Lark Crafts!  It came in the mail the other day and I am loving the projects inside this wonderful book!


The mushroom pincushion is adorable!! *squeal*




This nature walk banner is begging to be made and hung up on my wall.


Love this monogram idea!


I am envisioning a sashiko table runner in my future.


These crewel flowers are too pretty!


And, of course I can't leave out this embroidered owl card!


Also in this happy little mail package was a completed child's apron with cupcakes and flowers on it.  I don't know any real little girls it would fit, so I tried it on my own little furry kitchen helper.


It's a hit!  Now she wants to bake some dog treats.




Thanks so much Mollie and Lark Crafts!  This book is inspiring!!







Friday, March 29, 2013

What I've Been Up To Lately

Lately, it has been cold.  It is still winter.  Spring has not fully sprung, but I will hope (just like everyone else) that maybe it will be here soon!  Other than wishful weather thinking this is what I have been up to.



Last Saturday was earth hour.  It is supposed to be an evening of turning off your electricity and getting outside to enjoy our planet!  We decided to partake by going to a nearby park.  They had night hikes, a professor from the local university showing us the constellations, and a bonfire (with marshmallows!).  My favorite part of the night was on the hike.  We were walking by one of the ponds and I kept hearing what sounded like pig sounds.  We soon discovered they were not pigs, but wood ducks who had perched in the tippy tops of the trees!  Hundreds of them!  It was so awesome.


I've also been using my pretty Pyrex to make some mean weekend breakfasts.


Speaking of cooking, I made a yummy Chicago-style pizza the other day.  It was delish!  Recipe from an earlier post, here.


I redecorated some shelves to display these lovely wooden clogs.  They used to be my Grandparents.  When I was a little girl, the first thing I would do when I got to their house was take off my own shoes and put these wooden decorative clogs on.  Grandma kept them in the dining room beside her plants.


I've also been busy preparing for some house guests this weekend.  I picked up these pretty flowers for an Easter centerpiece.


I've been rocking my mocs. :0)


Also, lots of play time with this sleepy giant puppy and her trail of toys.




Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Bird Bathroom

This picture that I found on Pinterest is inspiring me to redecorate one of our bathrooms with a bird theme.  Just a little inspiration.  More to come...

source unknown to me.











Saturday, March 23, 2013

A Scrappy Saturday

It has been far too long since I have been scrap booking.  I have so much to get caught up on and I have such a hankering to do just that lately.  For me, it is a good craft item for this time of the year when I am at my busiest.  It gets my creative energies going and it doesn't take very long to make a page.  This afternoon, I dusted off my scrap booking materials and made a small dent in getting caught up on documenting our life.  I forgot just how easy it is to get sucked in and spend hours working on it - and how much I enjoy it! 






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Friday, March 22, 2013

Happy Birthday, PGD!


I can't believe that 1 year ago today, I decided to start this blog.  Over this past year, I have "met" some fabulous people through this blog and have learned so much and have been so inspired! 

I hope to make this next year even better and to push myself even further.  I have lots of project ideas that I cannot wait to work on and share with you.  Thank you to everyone who has made this blog year so much fun! 

In honor of this special blog birthday, let's take a look back at some of my favorite posts.  

Recipes:







Crafts:









Thrifting:



Happy birthday, Pink Gerbera Daisies!  And many more to go!

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Jiffy Freebie!

What a find on pinterest!  This is why I love that site.  Jiffy is giving away a free cookbook.  All you have to do is go here and fill out your name, address, and email.  They will mail you the cookbook.  Happy Wednesday!


Sunday, March 10, 2013

Necklace Makin'

The weather is starting to feel more and more like spring everyday!  I can hear the birds chirping in the morning, daffodils are up, buds are on the trees, and I heard peepers the other day driving home.  Finally...Spring!  I think I am out of my winter funk.  Done with the cold and gunk and I was feeling inspired today to get crafty.  So, I whipped up some springy necklaces.  





I can't wait to wear my new necklaces!  I also can't wait until I can wear them with sandals and Capri pants!!!  Not too much longer!




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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

On My Bookshelf

I just finished reading The Likeness by Tana French.  


Think Law & Order meets the Irish version of "The Girl Who" books.  It was really good!  It is actually the second in a three-book series.  The first one, In The Woods, I read a couple of years ago and I liked it.  The plot in this second book is much more interesting, in my opinion.  They found a body, which happened to look exactly like the main character.  The main character is a detective who used to work in the undercover division.  The "identical" body that was found also happened to have the same i.d. as her old undercover alias.  So, she goes back undercover, as this girl, to find the murderer!  

Now, I am going back to high school for a re-read.  I loved it then, and I'm sure I will love it more now.  I am very excited for the movie to come out!

The Great Gatsby