Mr. Prof designer home

I have had a wonderful week so far – nothing but ‘good’.
Can’t say that every week but I can right now.
The weather has been gorgeous one day and rainy/windy the next….but as long as the sun peeks out once in awhile I’m okay.

Although Sunday night we had some awful storms (as did many areas). We were fortunate to just have trees falling on wires causing outages all over our town.

I had mentioned to a ‘friend’ that it would be good to be Amish right then…
I would have gas lanterns
I would not have TV or radio to worry about
I would have a gas generator or propane for my refrigerator
I would have a wood cook stove
Now tell me...what more do you need????

Sometimes I think they have the right idea – depend on yourself and the Lord and not the outside influences that only frustrate us when things go wrong.

On with the ‘treasures’!

Last week I received some beautiful ‘wax bowl filler Pansy’s’ that I ordered from Misi at http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/
Aren’t they real looking? And you should smell the gorgeous aroma they give off.

Then on Monday I received a package from Kriss at Kountry Porch Primitives:  We did a swap and knew what we were swapping…she saw something I had and I saw a cute pillow she made.
It came in a large box and all grunged up…grunge story follows!   
 

Okay…so here’s just a little bit of what Kriss e-mailed to me that she went through at the post office trying to get a ‘grungy’ package mailed:
”When she looked at the paper on the box (okay...I realize only us prim people get THAT) she said "what is wrong with this!" I laughed and told her it was fine, it's SUPPOSED to look that way, she INSISTED it was leaking and couldn't be mailed! I told her it was a staining process...decorative...she looked at me like I was crazy and wanted to know if the person receiving the package would be happy receiving it THIS way. By this point I was honestly getting angry. I asked her if she could send it priority so I could just get out of there!
Sooooo, you and I get it but she didn't and obviously didn't appreciate my handiwork LOL!!
Talk about going postal LOL”.

I think people that DON’T like Primitive or Grungy JUST DON’T GET IT…am I right? But I did have a good giggle over it.
Thanks so much Kriss…I love it!

Kriss has a give away going on at her blog too…
See what she’s giving
 
Little Blue Saltbox Sampler Pin Keep
This little pillow is from my pattern line and measures approximately 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 and is rag stuffed.
So give yourself a treat and visit her and sign up – you just may win.
http://kountryporchprimitives.blogspot.com/

I haven’t been on the internet much lately – I’ve had a bad case of Bronchitis. Caught it a week ago Saturday and it’s still hanging on even after antibiotics and cough medicine. I think it hangs on no matter what you are given for it. Some things just need to run the course. But I don’t have time for feeling sluggish!!! I’ve been selling my patterns quite nicely…mainly through the Pattern Cupboard. Haven’t sold any from my site. How ironic. I make and sell them but sell better on someone else’s site…strange.

I also have two huge orders from a couple quilt shops that will now sell my patterns…yeah! It took a long time to get them to reply but when they did…WOW.
Hope they re-order and order Christmas ones too.

And…I’m in the process of getting some of my designs made up and patterns too to send to IN GRANDMA’S ATTIC (just outside of Lancaster, PA) for their show which is on the 10-13th of June…go on out there if you live near by. She’s having a Wholesale Cash & Carry as well as a huge sale.
http://ingrandmasattic.blogspot.com/
3545 Lincoln Hwy. (Rt. 30 )
Kinzers, PA. 17535
(717) 442-4337

Made a new design last week – it’s my Pansies in a Watering Can

Close-up – the flowers are not stitched down on this design
 

Karen

And the winner is… blue!  I appreciate your votes and comments.  My Norwegian friend, Margitta, from White as Linen reminded me of this post from the Milk and Honey blog.  The gist of it was that exterior and interior colors should coincide.

I snatched this image a while ago from the Sea Cottage blog.  I filed it away as the image that most expresses the pallet I desire for my home.  Do you see a speck of coral red?  Nope.  Blue and Green?  Yes.

After three different stores, a plethora of blue paint chips and three painted-on samples, I settled upon “Laughing Eyes” by Ace. 

Don’t you love the name?  It is the perfect mix for the door… not too blue, not too green, not too light, not too dark.  Just right.  We think! 

A lot of people I know are trying to eat more vegetarian meals. If you're anything like me, you need some help making a meatless meal exciting enough that you (or the people you're cooing for) don't miss the meat. Here are some excellent options from this week's cooking board recipe swap.

Heather's recipe for Crab and Corn Chowder, which includes crab tha can be omitted, was a hit with her Maryland-native husband:


Caitlin's recipe for Spinach Balls brought back happy childhood memories:


This was Golda's first time participating in the swap and she was happy she did when she received Eggplant Parmesan:


My recipe for Mediterranean Grain Salad was delicious and incredibly versatile:


Melissa had another easily adaptable recipe for Taco Pizza:


The Cookaholic Wife went way out of her comfort zone with Slow Cooked Red Curry:


Jey was very excited to try Spicy Grilled Eggplant Pasta:


Jaida had a wonderful Candied Orange & Walnut Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette:


Melissa really enjoyed her recipe for Black Bean and Salsa Soup:


Nicole had my incredibly easy yet incredibly delicious recipe for Portobello Parmesan:


And another Parmesan recipe, this time Tofu Parmesan from Moviegirl03:

I love arranged salads, but they can be an awful lot of work. When I saw this recipe for BBQ Chicken Salad, though, I knew I needed to make it ASAP simply because it combines so many of my favorite foods into one salad.


Thankfully all of the prep work can be done ahead of time, which for me means in the morning before work after Baby Girl and SP have left for the day. When it was time to eat all I had to do was reheat the chicken and potatoes and arrange the salads.

BBQ Chicken Salad
Two Peas and Their Pod

For the Avocado Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons peach jam
1 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Blue Cheese Vinaigrette:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, dry pan roasted and chopped
2 tablespoons peach jam
1 cup sour cream
1 cup blue cheese or Gorgonzola
Salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes:
2-3 pounds red potatoes, washed
1 stick butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

For the chicken:
Chicken breasts
BBQ sauce - use your favorite brand

For the salad:
Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped
Corn
French fried onions

To make the avocado vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth.

To make the blue cheese vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add a drizzle of extra olive oil and mix again.

To make the potatoes - boil a large pot of water and salt well. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the water and return potatoes to the pot. Stir in butter, shallot, and parsley. Stir well. Set aside and keep warm until serving.

Grill the chicken and brush each piece liberally with BBQ sauce. Cut into strips and set aside.

To plate the salads - place mixed greens on a plate. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the greens. Top with tomatoes, corn, and fried onions. Place a few warm potatoes on the side. Drizzle entire salad with avocado vinaigrette and blue cheese vinaigrette.