Gratitude......

I have never been one to make new year's resolutions.....

I guess I dislike being limited to making a change to just once a year.....

or maybe I don't like to set myself up for failure - ugh, probably

more likely.

But, at this time of year, I find myself taking stock of where I am in life and what I 

wish for in the new year {not technically a resolution, wink*wink}.

It's been a big year for our family, so many changes!  The changes

were sometimes difficult, heartbreaking,

 scary and challenging {oh so challenging}.

However, the changes were also joyful, wonderful and welcome!

My husband faced job loss and was successful in securing a position

with his company in our home state, we sold and bought homes in one

of the worst housing/mortgage markets our country has seen, 

we moved our daughters away from friends and public schools they loved and

felt at home with and then enrolled them in Catholic school {gasp!}, and

then, momma went back to part-time work!

But guess what?  We survived, we thrived and above all else we are happy!

When I think about the past year and where I sit today, the word that immediately

comes to mind is GRATITUDE.  I know I feel it, my goal for

2012 is to show it!  How about you?  What is your word/goals for 2012?

No, this is not our home.......

This awesome "Who-ville" themed home is on my route to and from

the soccer fields, where I take my big girl at least three times

per week.  I always smile as I pass, mostly for the neighbors

decor, a simple message of "Ditto" with an arrow!

I only wish I was that clever......

Well friends, I am signing off until after the holidays.

My parents arrive tomorrow and my brother and

his wife on Friday - we will enjoy a full house this year!

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas and a 

Happy New Year.....see you in 2012!

Make this!

We had company over {wow, totally sounding like my mom in 1973 tonight!} this weekend.

I wanted to make a festive dessert but lacked the time {or energy} for 

laborious Christmas cookies......I am saving that for later this week.

While doing a simple search on the internet, I came up with this oh-so festive bundt

cake recipe.  Not only does this pretty cake impress, it also tastes delicious.

I knew I had to share the recipe with all of you!

Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

{courtesy of food.com}

1 package devil's food cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 package {4 ounce} instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 {8 ounce} container of sour cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup coarsely crushed hard peppermint candies

Heavily grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and set aside.  Combine first seven

ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat at low speed until combined.  Pour mixture in 

prepared bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or till a toothpick

inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool pan for 15 minutes then remove cake

from pan and cool entirely on wire rack.

For frosting, stir together powdered sugar and enough milk to make a dribbling

glaze consistency.  Drizzle frosting over cake and sprinkle with peppermint candies.

May the peace and joy of the season be found in your home!

Meg's Cottage ~

Reconnecting with my friends in Portland has definitely been the highlight

of moving back 'home'.  While I had hoped that my friendships, that had

been nurtured over great distances, would be resumed, I also set

realistic expectations that those friends may have 'moved on'.

I feel so fortunate to have basically 'picked up where we left off' with

so many fabulous women!  Woo-hoo!

This week I went to lunch at my friend Meg's cottage.  Meg's family

recently bought this adorable updated 1940's cottage that oozes

charm and coziness!

Lucky for you girls, I remembered to bring my camera!

With Meg's permission I snapped away!

Her kitchen is HUGE!  The former owners were both cooks and created

a kitchen that accommodates two cooks.  This means

there are two refrigerators, two sinks, two dishwashers and tons

of storage.  The pine cabinets and loads of windows just add to the charm

and warmth in the space.

Meg is one of my flea market hunting friends - she has great taste

and is so good at incorporating just the right vintage 

finds into her home.  This big, rusty Dayton scale 

found the perfect spot in her kitchen.

The living room is cozy and has a mixture of flea market finds, 

mass market and catalog purchases!

Don't we all dream of a tree with just white lights?

That's World Market's industrial coffee table pictured above!

Here we are back in the kitchen, serious discussions were taking place!

I love the Restoration Hardware pendant fixtures!

{Hi girls, I know you will love having your pictures here!}

Girlfriends are awesome, girlfriends with inspiring homes are the best!

Thanks to Meg for letting me share her sweet cottage with all of you!

Christmas in our Forever*Cottage....

Welcome!  

I have to admit I had much more fun fluffing our home

for Christmas this year.  I think it's because I am hosting

my family for the holiday which definitely made me

"up my game".  The awesome sign on my mantel was made

for me by my friend Melaine of My Sweet Savannah!

Back in the day I purchased santa's and snowmen and glitter houses,

but over the years I have donated many of those items and the

ones I have left remain in my green and red tubs.  Like

many of you, I find myself embracing a simpler decor, using more 

natural items to bring the season inside.  

My decor is as simple as substituting pinecones for seashells in

my silver bowls.  I also pull together all my vintage red books for a 

festive touch.

Or adding a jar of candy canes to my tool caddy in the kitchen!

I love creamy poinsettias!

Here is a view of our dining area, simple boxwood wreaths on the 

window and red stripe grain sack pillows are all I added to

add a seasonal feel.

Here is our au natural tree!  My girls say it's a "Charlie Brown" tree

but I love it's imperfect qualities!  I have collected Christopher Radko

ornaments for years and I think a sparse tree allows them to hang 

so much better.  Hard to see, but the tree is sitting in a 

vintage galvanized metal tub.

{my large french doors are dying for some drapes, don't ya think?}

Paper whites are a Christmas must-do!

Can you guess what is holding those vintage ornaments on the center

of my table????

It's a vintage chicken feeder!

You often can find metal chicken feeders at flea markets but I had

not seen a wooden one until I found this one at an occasional sale

in Minnesota last year.  

  Overall I want our home to feel like our home,

just tweaked a bit for the season.  

Now, that our home is fluffed I can move on to enjoying the best

part of the season......baking!

Wishing you all peace and joy this season and always!


** I am linking up with Rene at Cottage and Vine!

Lark Nest Design

It's often been said that blogging brings special people into your life that you

might not have otherwise met or crossed paths with.  This fact

is certainly true for me and is probably the number one

reason that I continue to blog.  

A few years ago, Ki Nassauer asked me to style a tablescape

at the Junk Bonanaza Antiques Show with items purchased

exclusively from a Minneapolis thrift store.  The project

was one of the first 'gigs' I did after I began writing this blog and I was

lucky enough to go on and do other things for Ki, Junk Bonanza

and Flea Market Style magazine.  

Styling that tablescape meant I spent alot of time at the Junk 

Bonanza that year.  I met LOTS of great people.  One of the most 

memorable people I met that year was Kim Yeager, who 

at that time was the Home & Garden editor for the 

Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper.  I remember

feeling like I was meeting a 'celebrity', as I recognized her byline on
the home and garden features I enjoyed in my local paper!


You can't meet Kim and not describe her as "memorable".  She
has a mass of beautiful curly hair, often done up in a clip on top
of her head.  Kim talks with a familiar Minnesota accent, having lived in
the upper midwest her whole life and is just about the most outgoing,
energetic and friendly human being you will ever meet.
I liked loved her right way.


I was blessed to have the opportunity to get to know Kim
a bit more before I left Minnesota, we had coffee dates and worked
together on some Junk Bonanza 'stuff'.  Kim is immensely
talented and creative, her writing is impeccable and she
loves all things to do with pretty fabric and vintage-wares.


Kim has since left the newspaper business and moved on to bigger
and better things.....she is writing the Flea Market Style blog, doing press
and publicity for Junk Bonanza and helping homeowners style and decorate
their homes.


Kim recently created a website and began a blog to chronicle her adventures.
I encourage you to go check out Lark Nest Design and
get a glimpse into the crazy, beautiful, creative world of my friend
Kim Yeager!

...these are a few of my favorite things.....

The Nester had posted a linky this week asking bloggers to 

put together a post of their favorite things/gifts.  I began the post

and then the week just got crazy and I never finished in time to link

but still wanted to share with all of you nonetheless.

First up, Beth Quinn Designs.  I met Beth at Junk Bonanza a couple years

ago and besides being a sweetheart, she makes beautifully inspiring jewelry.

I recently wanted to give a special group of girlfriends here in 

Portland a little something to commemorate our friendship.  

I contacted Beth and she made five custom pieces 

and mailed them to me in less than a week!

How awesome is that?!

Beth Quinn Designs

The Elde shop on Etsy sells hand crocheted and knitted items to 

keep you warm and cozy in the winter months!  I love these fingerless

gloves!

Elde on Etsy

I have a wardrobe of cuff bracelets thanks to my good friend

Becky from Farmgirl Paints!  I love to wear inspiration on my wrist!

I recently came across Michelle V Custom Leather Jewelry
on Etsy and fell in love with the verses and inspirational passages that
she includes on her leather cuffs.  She offers lots of custom options.
{shhh.....} someone on my list is getting a Michelle V creation!

Michelle V Custom Leather Jewelry

Anything with a monogram always sets my heart aflutter!  I love

these embroidered monogram pendants....adorable.  They

are from Etsy seller 'the merriweather council'.

the merriweather council


So, are you done with your shopping yet?  I am doing pretty good but
am not done yet.  We don't even have our tree up yet!  We have
four basketball games and two soccer games this weekend so looks
like the tree will have to wait till a free evening next week. All part of
life with active kids!
Have a fabulous weekend friends!

The festivities have begun!

We had a very nice Thanksgiving weekend at my parent's home in 

central Oregon; lots of eating, playing games, a day of skiing in fresh

powder, a little shopping at the local shops and lots of relaxing!

My kind of holiday!

Probably the best memory made was going to cut down our Christmas

tree in the forest!  Although we lived almost 9 years

in Oregon we had never gotten a $5 tree cutting permit and 

hiked through 'nature's tree lot' to find the perfect natural tree.

We all agreed that this new tradition is a 'keeper'! It was

so much fun and the warm temperatures and little snow at this

elevation made the experience all the more enjoyable!

The girls enjoyed the hot cocoa at the coffee shop afterwards.

Despite my attempts to slow down the coming frenzy, I guess it's here.  

I have a feeling that this year it will be enjoyed more by our family; we

are happy at home in the place we love, we have employment,

good health, family and friends near {which means no holiday travel} and the

joyful anticipation as our girls wait to celebrate Jesus' birth!

Bring it on.......I guess....

thanks....

Happy Thanksgiving from my Forever*Cottage to yours!

We are heading 'over the river mountain and through the woods

to grandmother's house'..........

I'll be back to the blog by Monday.

Wishing you many blessings and peace this holiday weekend.

In my kitchen today.....

I feel like I am in house 'fluffing' mode....

preparing for the holiday decorations that will

soon come out {ugh!}.....

Call me a grinch but I will admit that decorating for

Christmas is not my favorite thing.....all the rearranging

then knowing that in 30 short days it will have to all

be undone....

I added this bulletin board to my kitchen counter ..... 

I like having a place in my kitchen for inspiration

and my open kitchen has no wall space.

The bulletin board also hides the ugly granite tile backsplash

that is just waiting to be replaced by some shiny white 

subway tiles.....but I digress......

Notice the jar of cookies in front of my new inspirational bulletin board?

They are my girls' favorite oatmeal cookies.....

Lucky you, I got my act together enough to share the recipe!

Best Oatmeal Cookies -evah!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 cups rolled oats

chocolate chips or in combination with raisins

to your taste!

Bake at 350 degrees and enjoy!

Happy Sunday!

The best home decor bargain out there.....

I needed wanted a new pillow for the ticking stripe settee that

I purchased from the Barn House boys - I originally had the

settee in our bedroom but recently moved it to the great room.

I purchased this monogrammed 15x30 pillow, with insert from Ballard Designs

for $19.99!  I really think it's the best bargain in home decor!

Have a fabulous weekend!