So……..I have joined her tea party… while I have never done one of these before …  and probably wont give one again …. I am going to try…. I promise there will be …..at least …. a few good recipes and a spot of tea for you….  

I love Vanessa….

 See I got caught up in it all…. hehehehe….. she does that to ya…

Check back on June 26th …… both here and at Vanessa’s… for mad blog hopping  all over the place… you will have fun… there will be prizes to win too … so until then … check out Vanessa’s blog…..  you will find yourself dancing and singing right along with her….

WWW.AFANCIFULTWIST.TYPEPAD.COM      

LOTS OF HUGS AND CIAO FOR NOW   …   JO

In case you didnt see this…. it is precious…….  ENJOY!!

Be sure to turn on the sound and close out the ad at the bottom (how annoying) …. so you can see the whole thing ….

CIAO!!  HUGS FOR NOW!!  JO

Hi dear friends,

I was sitting on the deck with my coffee … taking in the freshness of a new day….  watching the birds… checking out the new growth on my wisteria …

 my chocolate vine …. my clematis ….. getting ready to bloom…

 all my beautiful flowers…

the rose bush with dew drops glistening ….. sparkling like diamonds on the tips of the leaves …. getting excited about the coming of spring…  there is something in the air…

That is when I realized that no matter what religion … Catholic… Baptist… Lutheran… Jewish… there is one universal belief …. this beauty that surrounds us…. there is a higher power  that painted this picture for us to enjoy …  no doubt about it ….  I for one am grateful … to take in the colors of my surroundings… beautiful blue skies…

flowers in every color of the rainbow… it makes ones heart sing…  who can argue with that? 

Wishing all my dear friends a blessed and Happy Easter … Passover… day spent with family and friends ….

HUGS ….. JO

Ok so is anyone besides me ready for this ??

ALMOST HERE!!! 

This is going to be a rather short one my friends…. busy with yard work … spring cleaning and odds and ends…. but I wanted to say howdy and see how all my blog buddies are doing….

Speaking of which…. I have several people I want to thank… that have let me vent when I needed it …..  allowed me to get some tremendous weight off my shoulders….  they have been rocks …. fantastic support systems for me…  that I can trust them with things of the heart … well that says a lot about the wonderful friends you can meet in blogland…  so… Ruth… Gail … Sandi…. for being there for me…. I applaud you!!

Ok so on to healthy eating….  I am learning a lot about my moods… sleeping habits and general all around feelings by what I eat…. I have found that my energy level is good when I dont eat a lot of meat … or chicken…. and stick mostly to veggies …. salads ….. fish… when I eat lighter I tend to sleep better and function better throughout the day…. that along with exercise helps immensely….  when I eat a heavier meal… especially at dinner …. even if its just chicken…. I tend to become sluggish … cant sleep at night ….  find myself waking up in a nasty mood…. go figure!!!  Add missing a day of exercising to the mix and it contributes to those feelings…. so … how fascinating is it to find out that what you eat is pretty much what you are??  Interesting eh?

One of my Bliss Guild sisters …..  Chriti Bunn…. has a new blog that is devoted solely to the Old Victoria magazine…   is hoping that those who loved it might have stories they would be willing to share …..  She has just started this recently and its quite lovely so pay a visit if its of interest to you please …. www.Rememberingvictoria.blogspot.com 

And I can not leave you without this video clip which is a crack up and will have you laughing and falling out of your chair…  this puppy has to be the cutest thing this side of heaven and its not even mine…. check out its back legs…  be sure to turn up the sound too…what a complete riot …  click here    ….  Great post on Paw Nation! …. Enjoy!!              

HUGS AND CIAO FOR NOW!  JO

Hey all,

Hope everyone is doing well…. so …. I need some opinions please…. I have these two lovely nightstands…. in major need of an overhaul… one I believe is solid Cherry wood … the other …. solid maple?  Anyhoo…  I have been contemplating whether to paint them once I strip off all the goo and damage and sand them down …or leave them in their natural state…

If I paint … any color suggestions? 

I was thinking…..  mmmm… perhaps a lovely grey?  white?  french bleu?    Or simply leave the wood sanded as is…???

SO …. whatya think? ….  Doooo tell …

Ok so… on to my meatless Monday recipe…. I will only do these on occassion so at not to bore anyone with just meatless Monday posts….  I am also looking for recipes …  If anyone has one they want to share I will do a link back to their blog…

LEEK CORN AND POTATO SOUP

Put cloves of garlic .. … and shallots in pan with olive oil… I am not going to measure this out because I love a ton of garlic.. others may want less…  and brown

Then add potatoes and corn …   MOL to carmalize …. I think this adds a nice flavor with the browned bits….  some people actually roast their potatoes first…. which is fab if you are not in a hurry …   for a quickie though this is a great way to do it…. season to taste….

Once done add chicken stock ….  leeks  …….   and touch of butter

Cook until potatoes  are tender and soft …. then take a potato masher and mash….  some… not all …….of the potatoes …. this gives it a nice consistency …. thickness….. to the stock ….  (some people blend their soup at this point )  just depends on whether you want a big pot of really thick soup or a nice base with lots of veggies in it…

Then serve with or without parmesean cheese… 

Yumm and yummmmmmm!!!

Thats it for me my friends….  Hope you enjoy…. cant wait to hear your opinions on the furniture…. I will do some photos once I have stripped the varnish and such and sanded down the furniture….  can wait to tackle this …

CIAO FOR NOW

HUGS JO