I love looking at bedrooms.  Everyone I see always looks so put together...I'm afraid mine is a far cry from these but I sure can dream.  Each of these bedrooms are a beautiful in their own right.

Image vai Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Michelle Yard  (Great bedspread!)

Image Via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Amy Benton (I'm loving the purple)

Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Sarah @ Comfortand  (I love the way they used doors for the headboard.)

Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Joanne Thomas  (What a mirror!)

Image via Pinterest ~ via Originally pinned by Marlene Garau

Image via Pinterest ~ via Originally pinned by Karen Chapman

Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Cole Imperi

Image via Pinterest ~ Originally pinned by Mary Trainum Adan

I'll take any of these...what about you?  Which one is your favorite?

A Spring Poem

Happy First Day of Spring! After a milder than normal winter it is still nice to welcome our spring season with open arms. Who doesn't love the fresh smell of cut grass, new buds on the trees, the arrival of our feathered friends and those first bulbs pushing up through the ground. It is my favorite time of the year and even though it is here for only a short time, it is a welcomed time!  So, if your weather permits, "spring" open those door and windows and breath in the fresh scent spring! AHHHH....

Image via ~ Pinterest ~ Original pin by Natalia Harandon

"♬♪ Spring is busting ♩♫♭ out all over"

For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotton,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

Verse ~ by Ann-Marie Imbornoni via ~ Poetry for Spring

Homemade Marinara Sauce via ~ Dom DeLuise

Happy Sunday to everyone!  I thought I would share a great and easy recipe for Marinara sauce with an added bonus of Italian Sausage.  Not your most fat free recipe (maybe without the Italian Sausage) but delicious and very filling.

Do you remember him now?

I purchased Dom Deluise's Eat This Too cookbook at least 10 years ago or better.  I am wondering if some of you even remember who he is.  A comedian, who starred with Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart and a very young John Davidson just to name a few.  Anyway his cookbook has so many wonderful Italian dishes and desserts too.

I thought you might like to try his homemade Marinara Sauce but with a twist...I added 1 1/2 pounds of Italian Sausage (1/2 pound hot and spicy and 1 pound mild)

Recipe:

4~ Tablespoons Oil Oil
5~ Garlic Cloves, minced
1~ small onion, chopped
8~ fresh basil leaves, chopped
2~ tablespoons chopped parsley
1~ 6-oz can tomato paste
2~ 28-oz cans tomatoes (I used crushed)
1/2~ teaspoon oregano
      pepper to taste

Onion and garlic

Sauteing olive oil, onion, garlic

Browning Sausage

End results!!

Pour olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute garlic and onion until translucent.  Add basil, parsley, tomato paste, tomatoes and oregano.  Simmer for 20 minutes, then add pepper to taste.  Serve on your choice of pasta or any dish needing marinara sauce-chicken, fish, veal, beef, vegetables, lasagne.

Serves 4-6

***I browned and drained the 1-1/2 pounds of Italian sausage and mixed it into the marinara sauce.  I like to let my sauces simmer all day but even if you choose
cook it for 20 minutes it is delicious!  I hope you will try this recipe...it is my go to recipe if I want just a quick marinara sauce without meat.

Bon Appetite!

A Spring Surprise

Today I received a "spring package" from a very dear friend who lives in Holland, Marijke. She is the author of the blog Waar Nostalgie en Romantiek elkaar ontmoeten (Where nostalgia and romance meet) and she also makes some of the most beautiful animals and dolls I have ever seen.  You can visit her (HERE).  She was so kind to send me this package of "goodies" to use in my sewing just because.  The laces, ribbons, and buttons are simply gorgeous and I feel humbled that she took the time to do this as she is very busy right now with a book she is writing and the birth of her first grandchild, a little girl.  (I'm so excited for her...those of us who have been through this know how exciting it is when your first grandchild is born).  I wanted to take this opportunity to thank her for her thoughtfulness and the friendship we share, it means so much to me.  So, thank you Marijke for being my friend.  We would have never met had it not been for blogging.  I feel so honored to call her my friend.

Beautiful Antique lace, ribbon, buttons 

Another view

This is some new fabric that I will be using to make up some new items for my shop...I love the colors.

Anna Griffin 100% cotton fabric

And these gorgeous silk sari strips will be used in the items as well.  Are you curious?  HA

Gorgeous silk sari ribbon 

Over the next few days I will be busy with sewing and I will be finishing up my spring cleaning.  The carpets will be cleaned tomorrow and then I can relax and enjoy the nice warm spring temperatures that spring brought us early.  After all, who wants to spend days like these indoors...not me!  What will you be doing this weekend?

Wood Violets

Wood Violets....

Image via ~ Maia C on Flickr

After seeing these little flowers growing wild and not paying any attention to them before now, I feel bad.  I never really thought of them as flowers, more like a weed but after reading a book by Sara Jio called Violets of March I reckon they deserve a bit more of my attention.

Wood violets grow wild and pop up where you least expect them.  They are also the state flower of Wisconsin.  Violet comes from the latin name viola and wood violets are the key symbol for redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  Perhaps this is why they pop up where you least expect them...in your yard, or a friends... where maybe a little redemption, forgiveness or reconciliation is needed.

Much prettier than a weed I must say
Image via ~ Maia C on Flickr

Violets of March by Sara Jio is a book I would highly recommend if you are looking for a mystery that holds your attention until the end.  It is about a young lady named Emily, a writer, who has just ended her 6 year marriage to her husband Joel.  Having writers block and feeling the need to take a break, she receives an invitation to visit her great Aunt Bee for a month who lives on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.  Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea, and hopes this trip will help get her past her writers block.  While visiting, she stumbles upon a red velvet diary dated 1943 who's contents reveal startling connections to her own life.  I won't go into any more detail only to say that I could not figure this out until the very end.

This book is what caused me to take a closer look at wood violets and their symbolism.  I probably won't ever look at these flowers in the same way again.  Funny how something you thought was a weed and something you tried to get rid of can be the symbol of something so wonderful.  So, if you see these beautiful purple flowers popping up in your yard or someone else's I hope it will give you a cause for pause....wondering who it is that may need a bit of forgiveness, reconciliation or redemption.

Quote and Song of the Day

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

- Dr. Seuss

And Now for a cool video and a great song!

This and That and Everything In Between

There hasn't been a lot going on with the exception that I've been helping a friend who will be moving into a new home soon.  She is getting new furniture so I have been taking pictures of the furniture she wants to sell and posting them Craigslist.  I am the contact because she works and cannot show the items during the day but I can.  I must say we've done quite well thus far selling her bedroom suite which now has her sleeping on the floor atop her mattress.  She has also had to resort to taking two kitchen chairs to use in her living room as her old sofa and love seat have also sold.  We only have a kitchen set and a hutch left to go.  Having to be available to show the items have kept me very busy.  I have however, been able to spend some time sewing up a beautiful pillowcase in a lovely quilted aubergine fabric, ( I love this color!) that has a white linen border and a small accent of silk that was hand dyed from silk saris cut into strips that I have sewn together.  I think its turned out very lovely!

A good look at the fabric

The white linen border and silk sari accent

A better look at it in its entirety.  

I loved making this and have more silk sari pieces to incorporate into other pillow cases.

I also want to mention that I was one of (5) lucky winners of Eliza's (Interior and Design) HERE to win one of these lovely pillow or door ornaments from her Spring Collection!  Aren't they gorgeous!  They are made with antique crisp white linen, hand tinted silk and velvet, ribbons and  finished with an antique brooch c 1930-50.  Thank you JO!

Well, that's it for today.  I'm heading out to the hairdressers for a cut and maybe a nice iced coffee!  Have a wonderful day!