goody goody gumdrops...

I am not an enigma. Sure, I would like to be a mysterious being. But you know me...I am more of an open book, heart-on-the-sleeve, wysiwyg girlie. So I really shouldn't be that surprised that all of you know me so very well. In the last two weeks I have been the happy recipient, as I mentioned in the post previous, of many, many surprises and gifts. All of them...each and every wonderful little thing was exactly the thing that I love. How did you know?

There are a few gifts to meself thrown in to the mix as well. Click each picture to see it even bigger...but only if you're not the jealous type, okay?


1 These little pints of ice cream are only 1 inch tall. My sweet friend Alicia sent them to me. They make me so happy.
2 This pretty little button bobbie looks so sweet in my hair.
3-6 Little bitta everything is right up my alley! Alicia put together wonderful little bundles of all of the things that make my heart go pitter patter.


My friend Francie sent me a box of pink surprises...she's definitely got my number. Here are just a few (!) of the things she sent...
1 Everything was packaged in these two fabulous pink heart boxes that she decorated just for me.
2 I love these two pink vintage birds so much. If I wore hats, I swear I would put one in it. I can't decide where I want them...I'm moving them from room to room, keeping them together, of course! They are from her Auntie's floral shop which has been closed for 30 years!
3 These wonderful pink gloves were Francie's mother's. They are from the '50s. She remembers that her mother wore them with the cutest little hat.
4 A beautiful handpainted sign to remind me of my lifetime goal.
5 Francie bought this sweet little chair from a five and dime when she was a little girl! She remembers that if had a little pink velvet cushion on the seat.
6 Beautiful beaded posy.


I had tea yesterday with my wonderful friend Pam. Just look at what she made me!
1 Isn't this the prettiest little box? She made it.
2 It's as beautiful inside as it is out. And look at the little picture she made for my dollhouse.
3 And she made this wonderful screen for my dollhouse too!


My sweet friend Michelle sent me these wonderful surprises
1 I love these pink floral notecards...
2 Me, myself, and "I"
3 Michelle made this wonderful bunting for my workroom.
4 Look at these wonderful jars! I just love their fabric lids.
5 She made me this fresh collage...isn't it fabulous?


1 I bought this paper pack from Pam Garrison and I can't even bring myself to open it, it's so wonderful.
2 My friend Melissa sent me this swing for my littlest dollhouse.
3 This is a chair that I found when I was cleaning my stockroom. I used have dozens that I would give away as a free gift. I'd forgotten about them completely! Boy, do I wish I had more! I'd send you all one if I did.


These are all danglies from a baby crib mobile that I bought. I love it so much. I will keep it in my craftroom to float above my head as I create little things for you. Then someday when we have babies, I'll let them borrow it. It needs a little cleaning but I couldn't wait to show you.

Whew! That was a heck of a long post. I hope you enjoyed seeing everything.

For those of you who missed out on Club Little House, I will have another installment just for you before summer is through. There will be just 12 openings and they will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. I'll give you a day's notice for the sign-up. Good deal? Okay, now go cross me off your meanie list and put me back on the sweet list, with a heart beside my name.

lucky me

am so lucky. I think I tell you that too much. Do I rub it in? I have been the happy recipient of so many wonderful gifts in the past week or so. I have much to show you but I need to take care of some orders first. I'm way behind and I'm never behind.

I daresay the rain seems to have finally left us. You really wouldn't believe how much has dropped on us in the past few days. I'm so happy to see the sun again. It's shining in on me right now and I feel its little kisses on my cheek like a friend who's been away too long.

After I get my orders out and I'm all caught up...even on the orders which require me to make things...then I will show you all of the wonderment that has arrived to me by post. Did I ever tell you how much I adore my postman, Mr. T? He's amazing. He delivers mail to hundreds...possibly thousands!...of houses. Yet when you ask him who lives at such-and-such number on such-and-such street, he will tell you. He always asks me how "Mr. Rich" is doing and he calls me "Miss Amy". And with a chocolate-smelling pipe hanging out of his mouth, he always matches my excitement as I tell him what I think is in the packages he's delivering. I love you, Mr. T. Don't ever go away.

a bit of monday silliness

apologies and a pot roast

I'm sorry to everyone who missed out on signing up for Club Little House. I know how disappointing it must have been. There will be more opportunities for sure. I'll give you details later this week, okay sweeties?

Meanwhile...back on the ranch...


Yum! Today I cooked a traditional Sunday dinner...pot roast.

Here's the recipe:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a dutch oven. On a plate add salt, pepper to flour. Coat pot roast, all sides, with flour mixture. Brown all sides of the roast in the oil. Add a couple of handfuls of pearl onions to the pan, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Then add a few handfuls of baby carrots, a palmful or so of herbes de provence, and two cups of low sodium V-8 juice. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until meat is oh-so-fork-tender. Add frozen peas to the pot 15 minutes before serving.

Voila!

And for the very best mashed potatoes:
Figure about 1 1/2 large baking potatoes per person (trust me, they make the best mashed potatoes!) Peel and cut each into chunks. Cover with salted water and boil for about 25 minutes. Then drain the water, put cooked potato pieces in mixer bowl. For three big potatoes, I added 2 tablespoons butter, a splash of milk, and ~3 ounces of cream cheese. Mix until just mashed...not too much more or it gets all gluey and yucky. For heaven's sake, don't leave the mixer going while you wash the dishes or something silly like that.

Bon appetit!

Ready....set...

For more details and to officially sign up for Club Little House, click here. There are 12 slots available and sign up will be on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to sign up, you must go to the page linked above, click on add-to-basket, and follow the ordering sequence as you would if it were an item you were ordering.


The cost for joining this gift exchange is $12 which is to cover the cost for me to ship the complete package to you.

Good luck! I hope everyone who wanted to get in, gets in!

Club Little House Sign-up~TODAY!~

the chicks

Four Shabby Chicks are having their once monthly sale this weekend. If you are in the area, you really should go. It's chockful of eyecandy.

Ann and I did two rooms at their Loudoun Street Annex. One room is a little boy's bedroom all done up in red, white, and blue. The other is a retro kitchen.