This festive looking cake is a recipe by Laura Vitale, a popular YouTube and Food Network personality. The cake is called Gingerbread Bundt Cake, and I know it is going to be a mainstay in my holiday baking repertoire. It has just the right amount of rum (in the icing) to make it interesting, yet […]
The tea party was such a smashing success we have decided we must make it a yearly tradition! My favorite thing was the cucumber sandwiches. Super easy. I mixed Philadelphia Chive and Onion cream cheese with a touch of mayonnaise and spread it on little rounds of dark rye bread I cut in circles with […]
I found the perfect red and yellow roses for my Royal Albert Old Roses inspired centerpiece. Doesn't it go great? So excited for my little party this afternoon. I made scones and my taste tester Miss Eva tells me they are wonderful. I used a Pioneer Woman recipe called Vanilla Chocolate Chip Mini Scones. They […]
Lately I have been wondering where on earth my day goes. It goes, that is for sure, and I have been feeling I don't have much to show for it. I was struggling with finding a topic to blog about, since I have not been sewing, when it occurred to me that I should just […]
We had the sweetest young woman house sit and care for Ozzie for us while we were away. Her passion is gardening, and she always leaves us with loads of fabulous vegetables she has grown herself. This time she left these gorgeous eggplants, some amazing peppers and the best cherry tomatoes I've ever had. She […]
Hello there. Thanks for your positive comments about me doing a monthly favorites post. I think that should be fun. We are home from our vacation to Lake Tahoe, and our son Ahren is on his way home to Dublin. I wasn't so sad saying goodbye to him this time because I know we will […]
Well, we did it again. We held our family's 29th Annual Halloween Party this past Saturday. Next year is the Big 30th, so we will have to be sure and go all out. The costumes this year were pretty darn clever, as usual. That is my sister Andrea as Esmerelda the Fortune Teller. I'm not […]
I discovered this book on my bookshelf this week while I was trying to make room on the shelves for some new books before the housecleaners arrived. Do you do that? Scramble around trying to madly tidy up your living space just before the cleaners arrive? I swear, I spend two hours putting things away […]
I was invited to a Memorial Day barbecue and asked to bring a dessert, and this one is an old standby. In fact, it is a recipe I think of as "retro", as my mother in law used to make it regularly in the 70s. She called it "Fruit Pizza". You use a tube of […]
I am a big fan of cakey textured chocolate chip cookies. The recipe on the chocolate chip bag makes cookies that spread out too thin and are not what I like. I happened to see the latest issue of Bake From Scratch magazine and picked it up at my grocery store because it had a […]
Hello, I’m Nicole, an enthusiastic quilter and fabric lover. This blog is mainly about my quilting journey, but I share some of my other interests as well, which include reading, cooking, decorating, lifestyle, and my family. When I am not quilting, I am reading, and will share monthly book reviews in this space. I love to hear back from my followers and enjoy getting to know you.