STONEGABLE LAUNDRY SOAP

One of life's simple pleasures is the smell of fresh laundry! It is the smell of clean.

I have been so intrigued with all the homemade laundry soap recipes floating around the internet, I just had to try making it myself!

This laundry soap smells WONDERFUL! And I have been using it for 2 weeks with great results...

BREAKFAST COOKIES

I am not much of a breakfast person. But as I am getting older I notice that my body runs better with a little nutrition on board in the morning!  A pot of coffee before noon does not do the trick anymore!

I needed something that I could easily grab when I am headed out the door early in the morning.

I have been working on a breakfast cookie... one that would taste good, be easy to make and give me a little lasting energy. I love peanut butter and a little bit of chocolate...so I wanted to make a cookie that satisfies that desire too!

DAFFODIL PROFUSION TABLE

What does one do with hundreds and hundreds of daffodils that are gifted to you? Well, you gift them to others, of course... but not before you set a table with them first! What inspiration!

This table was hands down the most simple yet extravagant table I have ever set... and the most fragrant too!

It was all about showing off the daffodils... so put on your sunglasses...lots of bright yellow here... the sheer color will make you happy!

WHITE PAINTED DRESSER

This is a project that has been on my to-do list for quite some time. Originally, this little dresser was piece of my daughter Jacqueline's nursery set. I parted with the crib twenty years ago... but I kept the dresser. 

It is a great solid oak piece, just a little dated and tired. 

The dresser lives in our Gable Guest Room... I painted it white to accent the furniture already there. The Gable Room had new hardwood floors installed recently... so the whole room it is getting an update!

Here is the BEFORE...

WEEKLY MENU

What does your refrigerator look like after a special weekend or holiday? Does it look like mine? Filled to the brim with leftovers? A little of this and a lot of that? An unorganized  frig full of leftovers is enough to give me heartburn!

I am not really a leftover kind of gal... especially eating them several nights in a row. Here are a couple easy tips to use up those leftovers and keep your refrigerator free from the remains of a holiday meal...

EASTER SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ THAT'S MY KING

AMEN!  (Amen means "so be it" or 'that is the truth")

That's MY King... Do you know Him?

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

   

John 3:16 Amplifed Bible

WHAT'S THE SCOOP~ Repurposing Teacups

Finding a new purpose for an old or unwanted item is such a thrill to me!

Sitting on my farmhouse kitchen counter are large glass jar holding cereal, flour, sugar and granola. But there is something else in these glass jars... somethings repurposed... that adds a gracenote to my kitchen...

NATURALLY DYING EASTER EGGS

An  Easter tradition, here at StoneGable, is to dye Easter eggs with onion skin. This practice goes back generations and generations in my maternal family. Not what most would consider a traditional Easter egg color, these eggs say Easter to me!

Onion skin eggs take on beautiful, deep rusty orange hues with lots of marbling and character. They are works of serendipitous art... each subtly different from the next.

I expanded  the Easter egg color palette a tad this year to include peach, purple and lavender too! I think there is room in the Easter basket for a couple new colors! Making these eggs is a soul-satisfying endeavor, and they are splendid... much richer and interesting than than dying eggs with store-bought dyes.

DESTINY IN BLOOM RUSTIC LUXE TABLE

We are giving Spring a big "welcome back, we have missed you" celebration! A springtime brunch with close friends will mark Spring's happy return. To set the mood, spring elements abound on the table.

Moving away from a pastel palette and traditional spring florals, this table pays homage to a softer side of Spring... invoking the natural elements and organic textures of the new season. By tucking a few rich details here and there, this tablescape takes on a rustic luxe look. The repeated theme is birds and nests and naturals...

See the rest of my tablescape at DESTINY IN BLOOM, an uplifting and inspiring e-zine. I was so honored they asked me to write an article for them.

As a bonus (I don't know if I can call it that!!!!!)  you can see a picture of me! How I dislike having my picture taken! This may be the only time, folks!

Please pop over and tell them I sent you! Thanks!!!!!

I am participating in:
LET'S DISH at Cuisine Kathleen's
Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On The Porch

LESSONS FROM MY GARDEN

Spring beckons me to dig in the dirt.

I have been perusing the seed catalogs all winter and planning, dreaming and scheming about my summer vegetable and herb gardens. 

I am not a fancy gardener or one that likes to spend my days weeding and fussing. What I do love is watching my garden grow! 

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ EASTER WEEK 2012

I love anticipation and preparation! It seems to give extra meaning to my life... extra UMPH to my step... something to work towards.


I am happily puttering to get ready for Easter and to welcome family home to StoneGable. 

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE~ April 1, 2012

Garden of Gethsemane,Mount Of Olives Israel

Gethsemane is  GAT and SHMANIM in Hebrew meaning "the place the olives are pressed"

CHAIR FIND!

I knew EXACTLY  what I wanted to put in the corner of a guest room we call "The Gable Room".

A chair... one that I could makeover... but not just any chair...

THE CHAIR!

I had been casually looking for THE CHAIR  locally when I was out and about.  But when I got serious about finding it I headed to Lucketts! That great General Store/Antique Mecca in Leesburg Va. 

BUNNY BREAD

When my children were little they called white bread "bunny bread". 

This bunny bread is hippity-hoppity easy and would be a delightful surprise with your Easter meal!

BAD BLOGGING FORM!

There are just some things you do not do in the blogging world....

and

 PASSING SOMEONE'S ORIGINAL WORK OFF AS YOUR OWN AND TRYING TO SELL IT

is one!

BAD BLOGGING FORM!

FORSYTHIA WREATH TUTORIAL

A beautiful front door wreath welcomes friends and guest to your home before you even open the door!

And if you make it yourself it conveys your personal touch... your style...your warmth, as no two wreaths are exactly alike.

Bright and brambly, this spring wreath looks like a designer wreath... without the designer price tag! And it is an easy DYI project... here's how to make one for your own front door...

WEEKLY MENU

This week at StoneGable it is work, work, work on some of my upstairs bedrooms! Bobby and the boys laid hardwood floors in 3 bedrooms over the last couple weeks, and now I am working on painting, removing wallpaper and putting the rooms back in order. This 3 room project will take awhile. I am not a fast worker.

And I am not an  "all work and no play kind of gal"... so I am off on a couple of fun adventures! Luckett's will be my first stop (that GREAT antique vintage store in Leesburg VA) and later in the week Evans Chocolates. 

Evans is an old fashioned chocolatier. They make many of their chocolate bunnies from antique chocolate molds and  use Wilber's chocolate...FABULOUS! It just would not seem like Easter if I did not make a trip or two to Evans! So I'm getting my Easter basket goodies and maybe something a little extra for me!

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE

Jere 3:33

Negev Israel, looking towards Siani

I am participating in : 

LEEK AND ONION TART

This tart is soooooo delicious! Using just a few ingredients, it is a breeze to put together and it makes a big culinary impression!

Leeks are beautiful sweet and have a mild onion flavor when sauteed! They just scream chicness!  I like to think of them as the well-bred member of the Allium family!

These tarts are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

EASTER BUFFET

Our family is BIG on tradition... down to specific menus for specific holidays! Our main Easter meal is a buffet-style Easter Brunch after church.  

If you are like me you probable serve a crowd on a holiday... and holiday meals are probably served from a buffet. Today's tablescape is  about making our buffets the real star of our Easter meal...

SPRING MANTLE

One of the great benefits of having a mantle is decorating it seasonally.

Because it is a focal point it can set the decorative tone for a whole room. 

 I so enjoy bringing a little seasonal panache to my family room...

STONEGABLE ON TWITTER

As if the blog and the facebook page weren't enough (really? oh, yes!)... you can now follow StoneGable on twitter. Click on TWITTER and search for StoneGable.

Hopefully in a day or two you can access the twitter button on my sidebar.

Just another way to connect!

ON THE MENU MONDAY~WEEK OF MARCH 19, 2012

You never know what you will wake up to! Every day holds it's share of blessing and sometimes trials! Boy. did we have an adventure this morning... complete with police cars...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE

BOOK PAGE POSY NAPKIN RING TUTORIAL

Once upon a time there was an old discarded book. Ignored... sad... tattered... tired!

And  POOF... the fairy craft mother turned it into the belle of the tablescape... it became an upscale...sassy...fun...unique napkin ring!

I had such a blast making these paper flowers and you too can be a fairy craft mother... here's how...

STONEGABLE LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

I may not be Irish, but I am celebrating St Patrick's Day... with soup! Luscious Leek And Potato Soup!

Unlike a hearty chunky potato soup, this one is quite elegant! It's ingredients marry together to form a deeply complex flavor, enhanced by it's smooth texture. So glorious!

Easy enough to make on a weeknight but oh so company worthy, this is a must-try...