Last Sunday, little a and I spent a glorious day at the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, Ct., celebrating the second anniversary of Big A, Little A! This flea market is huge and chock-full of vendors with antiques, collectibles, plants, flowers, foods, etc., and last week it was totally bursting with shoppers. A […]
Author Archives: Ann
02
May
May
My mom celebrated a great big birthday on Friday…her 85th!…and we gathered on Saturday for some party fun! I brought along the cake and, (can I tell you?), it was sooooooo delicious!! I regret not taking a photo after it was sliced, but let me tell you about it. Truthfully, it tasted like one big […]
07
Apr
Apr
Besides pink Peeps, the things I love most about the Easter season are the promise of warmer breezes, the budding magnolia trees, and the tulip and daffodil pips that peek through the grass. Spring is my favorite season and Easter, for me, signals the official kick-off! I recently received, as a very special gift, this […]
31
Mar
Mar
Mmm, mmm good! Pasta Fagioli, a traditional Italian soup, is among the top three of my all-time favorite super-simple Italian dishes. The ingredients: These are pretty much the basics, and you can be somewhat flexible with them. For the beans, I prefer these small, white creamy beans from Goya, but you can use the larger […]
25
Mar
Mar
Pink makes me happy….and that’s all I’ll say in defense of the color of this frosting. (and maybe I’ll admit that I wasn’t paying close enough attention when I dipped the toothpick into the gel food color before I added it to the frosting.) Anyway…..it’s what’s INSIDE that makes this cake so very special. Take […]
These brownie pops are such an easy and fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! You start out with a fudgy brownie mix. (I know…I know. Some of you shudder at the thought of using a prepared mix, but there are times…many times…that I find mixes to be perfectly fine. And this is one of […]
I’ve decided to attack my enormous stash and turn some of that yarn into something useful! First up, I found an assortment of Patons Astra, a DK weight, 100% acrylic yarn, that I thought would make a sweet little baby blanket. The pattern for this classic granny square is everywhere, and it’s fun to explore […]
Who doesn’t love these cookies? I think they’re a great break from good ol’ chocolate chips, and they’re just as easy to eat by the handful! I follow the Nestle’s recipe printed on the butterscotch morsels package, but I substitute 1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco for one stick of butter. I also add two extra tablespoons […]
“Ravelry is a community site, an organizational tool, and a yarn & pattern database for knitters and crocheters.” I joined Ravelry two years ago, and I’m so glad I did! It’s the perfect site for knitters and crocheters to share ideas and patterns. Many of the patterns are free, and there are hundreds of groups […]
20
Feb
Feb
Butter + sugar + flour + almonds + raspberry jam = delicious. The little twist with these Linzer Cookies is that you add a tablespoon of freshly grated lemon zest, which gives them a tang and complements the sweet raspberry filling. Making them is a bit labor intensive (actually, more than a bit), I admit, […]
No. These are not cookies :0) They are actually Valentine’s heart pins that I helped the children create as a cute little gift for their moms. I purchased unfinished wooden hearts and applied a quick coat of platinum-colored spray paint, which took about 30 minutes to dry. I bought these Self-stick Gems, made by Darice, […]
This past Christmas, Little a gave me one of my all-time favorite gifts. Presented in a small, decorative holiday box were five little bottles of gel food color, five little pots of gorgeous luster dust, and one little pot of hot pink disco dust! The gel colors were a great addition to my colorful collection, […]
I just LOVE this sweet pot holder pattern from Martha Stewart! I found the directions in the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts, but she also has it posted on her website. The two top pieces actually form a pocket for you to slip your hand into so you can bend it in […]
I’m not exactly sure how I stumbled upon Bill Granger’s Coconut Bread recipe but, since I am a HUGE fan of coconut, I just had to give it a try. It is tasty, lightly sweet, and bakes up beautifully. You can find the recipe here. The only change I made was the use of Mounds […]
I am so ready for a little pink and red around the house! Winter white has been pounding us, so I thought I’d break out the pink cotton yarns and do something fun. I found the idea and inspiration for this heart garland here but, since I’m a more-is-more kinda girl, I just had to […]