Finding A Sweet Spot

Last year, on a whim, we left one campground for another while following my little brothers around. One was visiting from SoCal and we wanted as much time with him, and with my other brother, as we could have. We went to the basic area they had in mind -- and discovered one of the best camping spots we have ever found.

We have since referred to it as “The Sweet Spot”

That’s where we are supposed to be this week if it weren’t for the gosh-dawg weather.

I can’t always be gallivanting about, but I do have Sweet Spots here and there around our home and property, that I can enjoy most every day. Some of them are areas where I have put things I love and provided with chairs and what-not (don’t you love when people use the word “what-not”? Once, when we were at a campground listening to a ranger give a talk, we counted how many times he said “what-not” and it was over 20! So I am using it here just for my enjoyment!).

There are other areas I love even passing by or walking to and sitting on the ground, or just standing and taking in the view and what-not.

View from my new Morning Sweet Spot

This morning I sat in a newly created Sweet Spot. Outside. Because my favorite Sweet Spots are usually outside. It was somewhat brisk, so I wore my (husband’s grandfather’s) old wool shirt over my pj’s and had a blanket (crocheted by my late step-grandmother) around me.

Someone gave us the table when they were moving, and I spray painted it lime green. Someone else who was moving gave us the cute Indian Blue papasan lawn chairs. They really are too low for this table, but I rarely read or use my computer on a tabletop anyway. I just need a place to set my books and coffee.

The pile of books I am currently working on

I found the quaint tablecloth for ten dollars. I love birds. Embroidered birds are especially sweet. And I think I mentioned that I have been falling in love with old linens. I was just thinking of how I wished I had one I love for that table and, out-of-the-blue, on an unexpected side trip from taking my son to lunch on Saturday, I found it – the perfect size and practically custom made to my preferences.

Each little piece of this spot has it’s own story – bought at the beach, love the size and shape, found at the GW and works great for this or that – but my post would be too long and boring if I told you all about each of them.

Today I even had my own special soundtrack. These two boys were having a crow-off.

You can see who got the girls…

I was rewarded for getting up early by this gorgeous, naturally framed sunrise behind my left shoulder…

And by getting a glimpse of this little volunteer who has been trying to bloom for weeks.

Being a morning person has it’s perks

I love that, no matter what our lack of budget, we can create little spaces that are our own, where the things we place there help us relax, breathe in the good things in life and reflect on sweet memories.

Where we love to be.

I hope that today you can find your very own Sweet Spot… and what-not. Enjoy your view!

Happy Labor Day!

Menu Plan Monday, Not-Goin’-Campin’-After-All Edition

For more menu ideas, check out MPM at Orgjunkie.com

Seriously, I am so disappointed. First the mechanic was closed Friday so I could not pick up the batteries we need in order to go camping, pushing back our trip for a day.

Now, the skies read that the calendar says it is Back To School week in the Pacific NW and decided to provide stereotypical fall weather.

I had to decide – go or stay?

We’re staying home, starting school, and working slowly on getting packed for camping so we can leave at the first signs of nice, warm weather. Why go and freeze, then waste the sunny weather doing school? I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is still some 80+ degree weather in the forecast and NOT only the two weekends we can’t do it.

To make this week more festive for the kids, I will be including special breakfast favorites on a few of our menu days this week. Usually each person chooses from a variety of foods I keep available and eats what sounds good. Our staples include peanut butter toast, yogurt (often with a spoonful of peanut butter in it), fruit for smoothies and kids who love using the Vitamix, granola, eggs and oatmeal. If they do not choose an option with protein, they are required to eat some nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, or something that does include protein and healthy fat for some brain food.

Some of the breakfast foods we will be having are:

~ Breakfast Cookies ( I will decide which ones, both are linked here)

~ Lazy’s Ultimate Muffins (I darn well better have saved this in my recipe box because my link shows that either Lara is not blogging anymore, or she has not yet started her Wordpress blog and linked her old one. OH NO!!! This is my favorite recipe by far! Gonna have to go check my box and hope I obeyed my instinct and copied it down…)

~ The Migas we tried last week were a hit. Even Mr. Picky Pants liked it. I didn’t really follow an exact recipe. You pretty much make a corn tortilla crispish in the frying pan, break it into pieces, cook scrambled eggs over it and then add cheese. I also fry ham for the kids and add veggies for mine. It’s kind of like making some breakfast nachos.

Gotta admit, last week I had so many irons in the fire I did not even look at my Menu Plan. I went from memory, used alot of leftovers and freezer finds, and we got pizza on Friday. Do you have weeks like that? It’s all about having a plan, but being flexible.

I WISH it was this kind of iron I had in the {camp}fire!

Monday, Labor Day: BBQ Pork Ribs leftover from meals I made and froze for my family to eat while I was in India. Sounds like good labor Day fare to me. I think I will make some potato salad to go with it. I’ve made potato salad for years but am always willing to try something new and wonderful. Do you have a wonderful potato salad recipe I should try?

Tuesday: I have Fresh Tuna Taco filling in the freezer, also leftover from meals I made for my family when I went to India. I hope it froze well and will be yummy this night!

Wednesday: BLTA’s on skinny hamburger buns or maybe homemade, if we have time to make them

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Creamy Crockpot Chicken Nachos

Saturday: Potato Pancakes with Indian Flair, homemade Green Chutney

Sunday: Fly By The Seat Of Our Pants (leftovers or go out to eat after church)

Have a great Back-To-School -- or in our case, NOT Back-To-School (since we homeschool) – week!

Oh, and if you are visiting me from MPM, I want to make sure you know about my Soup's On Saturday carnival starting in October. Click my S.O.S. button below for details -- and I'd love it if you grab my button and tell your friends too!

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This ‘n That, Saturday Around Home

I am so thankful for a 15 year old who cheerfully helps me with chores that include heavy lifting and lifting at odd angles. Today he helped me get at some old tables we have that need work so I could see about preparing one of them for the school room. He also, with not one word of complaint, helped me with some other barn projects. He is really good about this. I took him out to lunch today to let him know how much I appreciate that about him.

That baby had beef, ham, bacon, typical veggies, two kinds of cheese, and an egg on it!

Remember when I referred to Sneaky Mama Hen making her nest where I could not get at them? Well, her babies hatched this week and we moved her, so I could finally get to the tables.

After looking today, I am glad to see that one table and a set or partial set of chairs looks promising. I am excited to get started. Oh, and I am indeed going to paint a red color similar to the red on that chalkboard topped desk I included in a post last week. I just love that it is red, yet still somewhat neutral because of the shade it is. And I think I will use a velvet looking gold fabric for the seats. I’m not immovably decided on this though. It depends on what kind of screaming deal I can get on fabric and how durable it is. Stay tuned.

Since today is Saturday – I thought I’d remind you that Soup’s On Saturday begins next month. So, if you love soup even half as much as I do, you will want to start thinking about it and getting ready to link your faves! Also, if you plan to post -- or even check it out, or if you have friends who love soup, please grab my S.O.S. button for your blog by cut and pasting the jibberish in the little box under my SOS button below. Clicking on it will also take you to the category schedule.

Yummy. Soup and warm bread are about the only two things that made me look forward to fall. Sort of.

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~The Soup's On Saturday carnival runs from October through May~

Date Night at the Forest Edge

We got to go to the annual Street of Dreams this year as guests of Elite Development NW

They won pretty much every award for Forest Edge, the home they built, including awards for their careful attention to the environment.

One of the builders is a dear friend of ours and she (yep, I said SHE) and her business partner (also a she) build really gorgeous homes. Now, who can anticipate what the woman of the house will enjoy using better than other ladies of the house(s)? Like these, for example…

Secret spice storage behind the leg in front of the super duper gorgeous, ohhhh the beauty, Wolf stove.

That little tiny button to the left of the auxiliary sink is for the garbage disposal.

Touches of glass and crystal in vignettes throughout the house add a clean, smooth texture and a touch of elegance

Just be careful not to place them where the sun can hit them!

There are layered looks worked into the construction of the home that add alot of interest.

One of my favorite features of the house is how they reclaimed and repurposed the wood from trees they had to remove, using them throughout the house.

Reclaimed wood shelves in one of the pantries came from the land that had to be cleared

This countertop, in a mini kitchen outside of the media room, was also crafted of reclaimed wood from the property.

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The Media Room is equipped with a 3D capable HDTV and is altitude controlled, as is the Master Sleeping Area, so if an athlete is in training, their body can get used to whatever altitude their event will be held in. I thought that was fascinating!

Parts of the Master Suite were also reclaimed and repurposed as closet space. I found it interesting to hear that they custom stained the wood in each room according to how the light hit it.

I would totally take a soak in that tub!

But, if I had the choice, I’d probably head for the pool.

In foreground is (unlit) tabletop fireplace. At the end, through the doors, is the workout facility.

There was lots of classic whimsy for inspiration. Did I just coin a new style term?

And you know whimsy is my favorite…

And, talk about whimsy!!!

This bookcase is a secret door and opens up into a huge unfinished space above the garage

A copy of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was a fun touch too!

I love this rain chain, used instead of a plain old gutter for a downspout.

Beautiful job Jamie and Natalie! And thank you so much for the personal tour –

not to mention the free date night!

When I tour magnificent homes and admire the design and decor, I love to glean inspiration for inexpensive ways I can mirror the same look to create a warm and inviting home for my family. I hope this gave you some inspiration to brighten up a little corner of your home this Labor Day weekend!

Thursday Bunny Trails

One of my friends was over this week and we got to chatting. We jumped around from one subject to the next, often before we actually finished a conversation. It would dawn on us that there was something yet unfinished and laugh, “Oh, yeah, back to that…”.

I love bunny trails, because it helps us women girls talk about alot of different subjects all in one coffee (or tea) chat. Today is going to be kind of like that over here at But I Had A Tiara.

So, find your current favorite blend and pour yourself a cup. Let’s take some bunny trails.

Might I recommend….

One of my boys started working for Starbucks a couple of months ago. Each week he gets a free pound of coffee, or another item of his choice. A couple weeks ago he brought home this rich and delicious blend.

I saw this Preservation Party post at Sweet Preservation.

I think I am going to do it. A younger friend asked me recently about canning and I think this would be a fun way to get a few of the younger girls from church together for a little canning lesson. At the same time, it will help us take advantage of these delicious berries Oregon is so good at turning out. And I’m always up for a partay.

Might have to be next year, but I’m going to see what I can do.

I found my new date book thanks to my friend Rachel at Once Upon A Farm. I love how she has been able to use the same style each year, in different fun colors. They look so sweet on the shelf all together, and what a tidy way to keep your past memories. I was glad to find that the layout is the one that I have always found works best for me. I really love that it was under ten bucks. There were only three left to choose from. I was hoping for orange, but I got a lime green one with faux alligator skin.What do you use?

I watched a sweet movie while I was writing, as I often do, in the background, as I type (do you ever fully watch a movie?), called Apartment For Peggy. It’s about a young wife who is really doing alot to stretch their dollar while her husband goes to college to get his degree in teaching. One of the ways she does that is she fixes up the attic of an old professor as their home and, along the way, she helps the professor and his outlook on life. I like this movie alot.

The young, expectant father asks his wife if she took her folic acid pills. I had no idea they knew about that back in 1948!

Sometimes one of the many blogs I read will tackle a tough and sometimes awkward or uncomfortable subject. This week, one of the blogs I have recently started reading did just that when she wrote Part One of “When You’ve Been Hurt By The Church”. I hear of this quite frequently, and it happened to our family as well, so I appreciated the fact that she was at a place and time when she could write about it. I am looking forward to her next installment.

I have fallen in love with old tea towels, especially those generously made with almost an entire flour sack. In fact, I love old embroidered linens. I have found a few sweeties lately. Last week I even found 6 tea towels, I don’t think they had ever even been used, with our last initial monogrammed on them – for $2.00 each! That’s cheaper than buying them new and now they will actually be used.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

This reminds me of when I was a little girl and I’d pretend the dishes were characters in a play.

WHO-ooo-ooo is going to do the dishes?

I love unearthing old treasures and letting them be used again.

The rest of this week, in addition to daily chores, I’d like to:

~ Sort through and launder outgrown kid’s clothes to get them ready for the kid’s sale.

~ Try to get some canning done

~ Get ready to go camping

~ Finish ordering odds and ends for school, and finish getting our first week’s lessons planned

~ Get the old table out, now that the Sneaky Mama Hen’s eggs have hatched and she is out of the way for me to get it from it’s dusty storage place without hurting her nest, and get it painted for the school room

~ Finish protecting the wood on the old adirondack chairs

How’s that for bunny trails? There’s always lots to talk about!

Have a great day!

I *Heart* Whimsy, Old Neighborhood Stairs

Here’s some weekly whimsy for ya. Not too bad – two weeks in a row!

I went into one of the older neighborhoods in Portland a couple months ago on my way to a dinner meeting in preparation for the India trip.

Look at these sweet stairs!

I love all of the colors and random patterns. Can you imagine all the work that took? Look at the trim pieces too, and all of that scrolling.

Even the weeds add a certain whimsical quality.

These are the side stairs. I love how the nicotania is so free form right next to them. The milk crate is so very Portland recycler-esque.

(The stairs cheered me up after I realized I went all that way on the wrong night.)

Right down the street, the neighborhood has these sitting at the corners of the street. They’re pretty whimsical too!

Have a Whimsical Wednesday!