Friday Obsessions....

Blue and white.....

 Ferns.....

 Galettes......

 Mules.....

Have a great weekend!

Paula

Summertime - Ahhhh!

There is something about summer, the sand and that walk that takes us to see the first glimpse of the ocean.  You see it and something inside you says....yes, I made it.  You take in that first deep breath, and loudly exhale.  For a little while, you are able to let go of whatever weight is on your shoulders, sit in that chair and let go.

What is it about the ocean that calls us to it?  Why do we long to sit by the sea?

Maybe our soul resonates with the simplicity of sitting by the water.  The tide rolls in and the tide rolls out.  After each wave, comes another. Wave after wave....

No matter where you are today, find a little time and space to simply sit and let go.  Who knows, you might get up a little lighter.  :)

"you will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy."

                                                                                                      ~unknown

Paula

Broccoli Galette with Goat Cheese and Onion

I was talking to my friend the other day about fixins for Memorial Day dinner and she said she was making a broccoli galette.  A broccoli galete......like I'm suppose to know what that is (and I cook)? She said it no different than if she said she was making an apple pie. Hmmm... I was skeptical.

A broccoli gallette is nothing more than broccoli, onions, cheese and some spices in a flaky little flat dough. But let me tell you, not only is this super easy, it is super good! I ate half of this little flaky thing last night before anyone got home.

And don't let the flaky little dough scare you.  I used a pillsbury pie crust so it was as easy as taking off the wrapper.

Chop up a large onion and a head of broccoli and saute them in olive oil until they are soft.  I had a really big onion so I had more onion than broccoli but it worked.  :)

Add some sea salt (or any salt), black pepper and rosemary.  The recipe calls for Feta cheese but I used Goat cheese and it was awesome.  Toss it up and pour it out onto a pressed pie crust (roll out the pie crust a bit so you can fold up the edges.

Brush the edges with a bit of dijon mustard and bake this on a cookie sheet with parchment paper at 400 for about 30 minutes.

I felt like a french chef at dinner last night.  Veggies with a little twist!

Don't let the "galette" word fool you into thinking this is hard.  This was super easy and super yummy!
Try it.

Recipe
1 large vidalia onion
1 large broccoli head
olive oil
3 ounces crumbled Goat or Feta Cheese
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper
1 pie crust

Sautee onions and broccoli in olive oil til soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a tsp of rosemary.  Mix in cheese and pour onto a rolled out pie crust.  Fold up the edges and brush edges with dijon mustard (I used a knife to spread it on).  Bake on a cookie sheet with parchment paper at 400 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!


Paula

South Carolina Shrimp Boil and Painting Summer Buckets

I never really thought that a painted bucket would look great on a table.....but look at this beautiful "South Carolina Shrimp Boil" in a painted steel galvanized bucket. Who would have thought that a steel bucket would look so cute and festive?

The week before this party, a friend brought me a few buckets to paint.  The large one was galvanized and the smaller ones were each treated with their own finish.  Slick finishes can be tricky when getting paint to adhere to them.  Galvanized buckets need a special treatment before you start.

Galvanized buckets or tins go through a process that applies a zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent rusting.  Before you paint a galvanized bucket you have to treat the piece.  I started by washing down the steel  with white vinegar and then used a degreasing soap - like Dawn.  Then I used an etching primer, which is great for adhesion and prepped each bucket with one coat.  Spray in a well ventilated area (outside) and allow your piece to dry and defume a bit.  (They stink for awhile)

Here is one of the smaller buckets above that was primed and ready to be painted.

My friend was looking for her buckets to reflect the Mackenzie Child's check in yellows and greens.

You can see the size of the big bucket on my kitchen table. It was huge!

I was a bit unsure when I started but am so happy with how these came out. You can do more with buckets than you think.   And the great thing about them is that they are cheap!  So let your creativity and imagination go wild.  Go paint some cute buckets for fun this summer.  It's super easy!



Paula

Linking with:
A Stroll Thru Life
Domestically Speaking
Worthing Court
Stone Gable
Savvy Southern Style
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
The Dedicated House

Friday Obsessions.....

Flip Flop Buckets....

Tassles...

Double Chocolate Banana Cake....  (OMG!!)

Greens nd blues...

The Road To Tuscany....

Have a great weekend!

Paula

You Can Make A Difference

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.

Then, smiling at the man, he said…..“I made a difference for that one.”

~Loren Eisley

Will you make a difference today?

Paula

Old Iron Candle Holder

This was an old black iron candle holder a friend brought me that was rusting and had seen its better days.  I forgot to take a "before" picture, on this one.  Imagine it black and rusting... So, to prep this piece, I took an iron brush to the rusted parts and then smoothed them out with a steel wool pad.  Then I gave this a good coat of primer to seal the areas of rust and to prepare the piece to take paint. If you don't prime, most paints won't adhere and things will be flaking and you won't be happy.

I added some checks and color and sealed this with a simple poly.

You can make anything look better with a little paint. :)

Paula

Fresh Whipped Cream

Today I want to talk to you about fresh whipped cream.  The kind you make, at home, with real cream.

I see people reaching for the Cool Whip and the Reddi Wip and I'm like....really? Have you lost your mind?  Are you really going to ruin your desert with that?  I'm not a complete food snob, but have you read the ingredients in these two products?  They aren't good for you.  They are fake. Why do that to yourself?  And maybe, just maybe, you've never thought about making fresh whipped cream yourself.  Well, you can and you should.  It's a game changer.  

We have a friend (no names here) who is a pretty picky eater and when I pull out the fresh whipped cream he gets super fired up. Now, he's not into the berries, he pulls out the Oreos! He scoops those toxic little cream filled cookies into the whipped cream and you'd think he died and gone to heaven.  

Trust me when I tell you that there isn't anything better than fresh whipped cream and fresh berries or pie or cake or even...Oreos.  There just isn't.  If you are having friends and family over for dinner, slice up a bowl of fresh berries and serve fresh whipped cream on the side and watch everyone's face light up. Place a scoop of fresh whipped cream into your coffee.  Yum!

My friends laugh when I say it's super easy (I guess I say that a lot) - but it is.  You can also make it ahead of time so there's no rush at desert time.

Ingredients:

Heavy whipping cream (2 cups is plenty to whip up a large bowl) Make sure the cream is cold.

2-3 Tbsp of sugar

1-2 tsp of vanilla

Use a medal bowl and start beating the cream on high to soft peaks.  Add vanilla.  Then add 2 Tbsp of sugar and taste (yum, best part).  If you want it to be a little sweeter, add another Tbsp of sugar and another if it needs it.  Keep beating until stiff peaks form.  Store in a glass or medal container for a couple hours or serve right away.  

Oh sooooo good!

Enjoy.

Paula

Accepting Change

I'm thinking differently about change these days. Even the smallest change can completely transform something.  

If you have change coming your way.  Accept it and see what happens.  :)

"By changing nothing, nothing changes....."

                                                                                                  ~Tony Robbins

This was an old plastic candlestick.  Prime it, paint it, seal it.  Try it!

Paula

Friday Obsessions......

Great headboard.....

Fun ice....

Napoleonic blue.....

Spring mix....

Banana cream...

Have a great weekend!

Paula

Painting Galvanized Tubs

And how about these fabulous copper galvanized tubs and stand?  I have been looking for a new project and this just might be the one.  Check out A Fresh Designed Interior and see how she got this look.

So pretty I thought I'd share.

Happy Thursday!

Paula

Simple Summer Sides - Blueberries and Cucumbers

One of the things I love about summer are the sides that you can throw together at the last minute that are soooo good!

This is a quick and easy side that goes with almost anything you are grilling and your family will love it.  You can make this right before you throw the meat on the grill.

Healthy and yummy.  Win Win!

Ingredients:

3 cucumbers peeled, halved and seeded

2 cups of blueberries

1/2 cup of White Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp sliced fresh mint leaves

1 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all together.  Enjoy!

Paula

Wood Accents

I love seeing old wood pieces in a home. Sometimes they aren't really old, but made to look old. This is where creativity and vintage pieces come in...

These beautiful accents come from Kelly Nutt Design.  

You don't have to spend lots of money to make your home look great.  Use what you have to create warm and inviting spaces.

Happy Tuesday.

Paula

Nesting.....

I am definitely in a nesting stage of my later years.  No...not waiting for a baby but waiting for the babies to move out.  With all of them moving out this summer, and a move around the corner, I am having to take a look at my nest and all of the "stuff" I have accumulated over the years. 

On my quest to start going through my things,  I went through my hall "linen closet" this weekend.  In blankets alone....we could start a shelter.  Seriously. 

Where does all this "stuff" come from?  When I look at the piles and piles of stuff, I'm kind of disgusted with myself.  Too much stuff.  Too much waste. 

I'm on a mission.  I'm going to try and tackle one closet or living space a day and make sure it all gets driven down to Goodwill.  It's a little overwhelming to be honest.  I bet you have a closet or two you can go through.  Why wait.  Join me in my quest to clean the nest!

One step at a time, one day at a time.  

Happy Monday!

Paula

Friday Obsession......

This week, I'm totally obsessed with "Manny, The Frenchie".  Check him out on Facebook

 He roots for the Bulls....

He naps in his tub...

 Wears cute little outfits...

And here is his brother Frank!

Don't they just bring a smile to your face?

Have a great weekend!

Paula