Mr. Prof designer home

I was so blessed to have the lovely SUE WHITNEY of JUNKMARKET STYLE stop by my booth at the Spring 2011 show at MARBURGER FARMS to film a segment on garden style. I just saw it on the MARBURGER site.

Go HERE to watch SUE and I chat about garden charm. I was so NERVOUS! I hope I don't look like a total dork.

Be patient, it's at the end of the segment.

Oh my goodness...

Sunday we headed to our favorite Flea Market and are always on the lookout for Pewter…I normally can find one piece at least.

Well this time there was a table full – 18 pieces actually but I only bought 4…now that might have been a mistake because all 18 pieces WERE ONLY $10.00 total.

I took 4 – I just didn’t need the rest (well, I didn’t need these either, but it was a have to have kind of thing) and thought I’d only have to find someone to buy them…so I left them. Sorry afterwards!!!   But the girls said they have more packed away and that their mother collected it and they’d find it and send me pictures…I’m waiting anxiously.

So here’s my little 4 piece stash – A domed Butter Dish, Creamer, 2 Wine Goblets all for a dollar each.
And the gorgeous  Crock for only $8.00

I love the dark coloring on the crock and will put some Fall things in it and that will make the colors pop even more.  Later in the season I’ll change it out and use it for kitchen utensils.

And the butter dish up close
 

And the goblets on the Pewter table

And some nice Pineapple napkins for .25 cents!

I don’t think I mentioned that the week before we went to another flea market and I found this antique crock bowl with wire bail handle – never seen one in this good of a condition and I paid just $5.00 for it

Using it for our fresh Tomatoes right now 

  So last week Thursday we met our friends from Arizona for breakfast – we meet them every year while they’re back in Wisconsin visiting their children and on their way home – this year it was at the Cracker Barrel.
Emily and Joe are with us on Thursdays in the Summer so this is the 2nd year they went with us.

Joe had quite a plate full of Apple French Toast and Bacon – Emily had Oatmeal and a muffin and Apples.

Guess he was pretty hungry because there was only one slice left plus a few apples!

Then it was photo shoot time…Mare never gets together that she doesn’t take pictures. She wanted pictures of the kids with us to see the growth – and there was a huge spurt from last year to this.
Here’s last August

And this August

And Mare and Me.

4 of us

Group
 

Didn’t realize I had this many pictures for this post – but sometimes words just get lost…so I guess that’s okay.

Mare had a special order for me on my Pansy/Watering Can design…she wanted Burgundy thrown in and also in an oblong so this is what I ended up doing.

 
I really like how the Burgundy made the other colors pop – it’s on the small Penny as well.

Almost forgot – I am doing the LITITZ CRAFT SHOW next August…I’m very excited but skeptical at the same time…this is a big show and I got rid of all my ‘show’ things – no displays left – NOTHING…so now I have to plan.  And buy a pop up canopy. I saw one at Sam’s Club…PERFECT with screen sides and an front awning – great for winds or rain but I think they are for a limited time – all the other ones I have seen are just the awning tent and you buy the extras separate. Not sure what to do there. If only I could rent one!
So that has my brain reeling – figuring out what to make and how much of it to make.

I’m in the process of making dried Green Bean/dried Cranberry garlands – because you know I don’t have enough to do!!!!  I bought 2 lbs at the flea market last week and now it doesn’t look like enough to make several….and the farm stands around here well, they aren’t cheap. These were so I was spoiled!
I’m also going to experiment with maybe dried Green Bean/Sweet Potato garlands too. See which I like the best.  If they turn out I may sell them at the show.

Fall is in the air – I’m so happy!  I’m a cool weather person and Tuesday (right after Labor Day) we are heading up north to camp with some friends. They maintain the camp ground all summer and then stay one for a couple weeks past Labor Day so we should have a good time with pretty much the camp ground to ourselves.  They have a large motor home but they don’t hook up to electricity so the mornings and evenings will be a tad cool but hopefully we’ll take enough warm clothing and by 10 or 11 the sun has warmed up the air considerably.

Be happy and safe whatever it is you are doing this week…for me it’s sewing!  Thanks to all my wonderful followers and website followers I have had a huge sale on my Fall Mr. Jack and the Triple Pumpkin Penny Rugs…looking at all of them sitting here it looks like my pumpkin patch is becoming overgrown! 

ENJOY,
Karen

I love a good burger so when I saw this recipe for Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onion and Bacon Jam over at Cassie Craves I had to put it on the menu.





Unfortunately (sorry Cassie!) this one just didn't work for us. As much as I love caramelized onions and bacon, the flavors were too mellow when piled on top of the burger. I'm thinking it would be better to keep the bacon whole so it didn't get lost amongst the onions. I also felt like something was missing (and not just the cheese, which I forgot to put on the burgers we ate for dinner but remembered to add to the leftovers I ate the next day for lunch). I can't put my finger on what it was, though. It's a beautiful burger with great ingredients so I'll keep trying to make it perfect.



Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onion and Bacon Jam

Slightly Modified from Cassie Craves



1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

6 slices bacon

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large white onion, chopped (2 cups)

1 1/3 pounds ground beef chuck

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

4 slices American cheese

4 rolls, split and toasted

Dill pickle coins



In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper.



Add bacon to a large skillet and cook to desired crispness. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.



While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl, combine the ground beef and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Shape into 4 patties. Cook to desired doneness in a skillet or on the grill. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, top each patty with a cheese slice.



Place each patty on a roll bottom, then top with some of the onion and bacon jam, the ketchup-mayo sauce, pickles and a roll top.

We live in a time where it is easy to be distracted. Technology beckons, with another gadget to purchase, another blog to read, another show to follow... the problem in all of this (for me) comes in that my real life requires my attention. Increasingly so.

Precious children, with bright eyes, come with stories that they want heard,

pictures carefully colored (and sometimes not-so-carefully colored) that they want admired,

questions that need answers,

requests for a book to be read,

hurt fingers needing a kiss and sometimes some neosporin & a bandaid;

they have needs for snuggles on the couch,

math lessons that require an explanation,

and wrestling on the floor.

And I have a wonderful husband who I want to spend time with, cook well for, and be able to exchange ideas with.

The temptation becomes to only enter into these significant things halfway because of time spent online, or checking e-mail, or mentally mulling what I've just read on a blog or online news agency. Even right now, I'm watching "North and South" (Elizabeth Gaskell's; bliss!), with the kids, while typing out these thoughts.

About 10 days ago, my husband bought me a Kindle, and I love it! One of the things I love about it is (as a piece of technology) that when I sit down to use it, I don't get distracted by additional features (a.k.a windows/apps). I can't check e-mail on it; I can't get distracted by blogs on my rss feedreader; Facebook can't draw me in. When I intend to read, I don't get unintentionally, thoughtlessly drawn into other things.

Today I've been wondering, what would happen if I only concentrated on one thing at a time. What would change about my life if I only focused on one thing at a time, rather than falling into the habit of regularly spinning 17 mental "plates"?

Thoughts? Comments? Experience? Tips you want to share? I welcome your input on this topic that affects so many.

The theme for this recipe swap was Italian. When you think of Italian food what comes to mind? Mountains of pasta? Rich, flavorful sauces? Mouthwatering meats? Crispy pizza? No matter what images you conjure up the chances are good that you'll find something that fits that vision in the recipes below. There are so many delicious pictures and recipes below I was practically drooling putting this roundup together. Enjoy!



Brianna took a trip back in time with her recipe for Thin-Crust Pizza:





Mary Ellen loves risotto so she was thrilled with her recipe for Chicken Cacciatore Risotto:





Moviegirl03 and her husband worked together on her recipe for Caprese Pizza:





Jaida made Chicken Caprese, which is one of my favorite recipes from Mary Ellen:





Caitlin enjoyed her slow-cooked Marinara Magnifica:





Katie had my recipe for Caprese Pasta, one of my favorite light summer pasta dishes:





Heather had never put tuna in a pasta salad but found she really enjoyed her recipe for Tuna Pasta Salad:





Krystal just got back from a trip to Italy and loved her recipe for Saffron Risotto with Pancetta, Tomato and Sausage:





I made a simple but delicious What I Had in the House Pasta:





Melissa made a quick summery Hot Caprese Dip:





Christine satisfied her husband's craving for something meaty with Mushroom Bolognese:





Jey loved her Chicken Parmesan Burgers:





Dawn was a little nervous about making Homemade Manicotti, but it turned out to be easier than she thought:





Tyler loves Italian food and her recipe for Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs:





Italian food is one of Ellie's favorites and she enjoyed her recipe for Vegetable Lasagna with Red Sauce:





The Cookaholic Wife plans to make the Chicken and Orzo Frittata with a Mexican flair next time:





Melissa enjoyed her creamy, comforting Risotto:





Maryanna was excited to try something new - Braciole:





Melissa made a hearty Baked Ziti with Fire Roasted Tomatoes:





Lindsay had to adapt her recipe but still enjoyed the Pasta a la Vodka:

As much as I would love to go all out and change things every time we move (or move things around), the irksome budget constrains me.

So if you think you’ve seen this room before, it’s because you have.  Served up three different ways… here, here and now here!  This time we unbunked the beds and painted them apple green.  The makeshift bolster pillows became accent quilts again. 

Instead of pink pom-poms, I chose to hang white paper lanterns, both plain and eyelet.  You can find similar ones here.

Do you see the tree outside the window?  That’s one of the reasons we bought the house.  We love our trees! 

The lanterns above the beds are cheap exterior lights from Home Depot. 

For a bit of feminine whimsy, I attached a white ruffle ribbon around the glass shade with craft glue.

On the left wall of the room we framed out an old mirror with some of the downstairs wall planking and painted it pink.  I love how it reflects the light.  And the tree!

I’ve long admired Katie Daisy’s artwork on Etsy.  

Joyful is how most people would describe Eva and Charlotte who share this bedroom.  So when I saw this print, I knew it was perfect.  It is them!

And for Charlotte’s bed, I sewed up a Swedish inspired heart and filled it with lavender.  Since Charlotte is blind, this gives a  personal touch to her bed that’s all her own.  A little squeeze, and lavender scents the air. 

A variation on the same sweet and girly theme. 

In other news… the downstairs is coming along.  You’ll be happy to hear that the planks are staying!  But nothing is finished quite yet.  Soon, very soon!