Saturday Hike

We took a lovely hike in the woods this past Saturday.  It was so nice to have a sunny sky, warm weather, be in the woods, hear the birds, and breath in the fresh spring air!

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!

Linked to:

Flamingo Toes

I Heart Naptime

Lamb Around

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Skip To My Lou

Making The World Cuter

Pinkapotamus

The Winthrop Chronicles

Chef In Training

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Coastal Charm

The Trendy Treehouse

Someday Crafts

Lil Luna

Made to be a Momma

No Minimalist Here

Katie's Nesting Spot

The Shabby Creek Cottage

The 36th Avenue

Thirty Handmade Days

Tater Tots & Jello

Six Sisters Stuff

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!!

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.

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.