birds

I love my birds! This blue orb feeder is probably the least functional of my 3 feeders however undeniably the most stylish! When a bright red cardinal or a sweet goldfinch are perched on that blue feeder...well it just looks so perfect. If only it held more seed so it could be more functional. Unfortuantely the size of the oval shaped opening is perfect for a dove to wedge right into. Then they knock all the seed out when they fly away. Ugh. I've got the 6 perch Droll Yankees tube feeder that is a fantastic creation and always filled with sparrows, finches, and chickadees. And then after many trials and errors with suet "cage" feeders, i finally found the birch log which holds the suet plugs. By far the most effective in the fight against squirrels (i bought a long wire to hang mine from and they cannot get to it - yay!). I have downey woodpeckers eating at the log many times throughout the day. Simple pleasures - my backyard birds.

staying positive and creative in 2010

Five more days until 2010 begins. A clean slate. I feel pretty good about 2009. I made some really great new friends, got reacquainted with some old friends, managed to stay out of the hospital, had success with all the new flower bulbs I planted, kept a creative spirit and felt inspired, finished our kitchen as much as it will probably ever be with the exception of the perfect stool I'm still searching for, spent two beautiful days at the Seth Peterson Cottage, and woke up almost every day feeling grateful for our home and all the joy and love Mark and Lottie fill it with. However I can't lie. I've been feeling all things negative and crappy this week. I blame Christmas as it usually brings this ugliness to my life for a few days. I was so close this year - it was almost the perfect holiday season...maybe next year it will finally happen. Either way, it's just a few days to struggle through and then all is back to normal. I found something today that made all the crappiness exit and got me back on track...

http://bloesem.blogs.com

Bloesem is a daily update...
About everything that makes Irene (and her cute dog, Cas) happy, smile, and enjoy life... About being passionate, creative, and excited about design...
It's people like this that make me feel incredibly inspired for 2010!

doggie drawings

http://doggiedrawings.net/

Gregory Ain

The Mar Vista Tract was designed by Gregory Ain in collaboration with Joseph Johnson and Alfred Day. This development was planned in 1947 for a hundred houses on a 60-acre site. The first stage was 52 houses, which turned out to be the final stage. By rotating the one floor plan in different directions, Ain was able to create a sense of variation between the houses. Garage placement in relation to the house also gave each house its own individuality.

The trees alone in this neighborhood are amazing, not to mention the homes!

See more examples of Gregory Ain's Mar Vista Tract at
http://marvistatract.org/photos.html

Christmas 2009

This has been a really great holiday season. I'm actually enjoying Christmas time! There's still time for family antics that can tank the whole thing at any given moment, but so far so good.

holiday party recipes

These were a big hit at my house last Saturday night...

Robert The Bruce Cheese Ale Dip

2 (8 ounce) packages of Cream Cheese, Softened
2 (8 ounce) packages of shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cup of Beer – I used the Three Floyds “Robert The Bruce” Scottish Style Ale
½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon Blackened Seasoning

Place the cream cheese, the cheddar cheese, the mustard, and the beer in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blend together. Once you have these ingredients blended a bit, add in the garlic powder and the blackened seasoning. Now blend until smooth. Serve with pretzel bread and pretzel crackers.


Holiday Health Spritzer (with all that juice, it has to be good for you!)

Yield: Makes about 9 1/2 cups

5 cups Tropicana orange/tangerine juice (no pulp)
2 cups chilled lemon-lime soft drink
1 1/2 cups Vodka
1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Mix ingredients into a carafe or pitcher and pour over ice.
I threw a couple of lemon and lime wedges into the pitcher.
Garnish: I used a lime wedge and a maraschino cherry

flowers

My fantasy career is floral design. I recently had a good excuse to play with some flowers... I made arrangements for the Thanksgiving dinner table and for a holiday cocktail party. One of the downsides to living in NW Indiana is only being able to buy fresh cut flowers at local grocery stores. There have been times when I wanted to make an arrangement however the flower selection at Jewel was a total bummer. This is quite possibly the only thing I miss about not living in Chicago anymore... access to good flowers! It might be what pushes me to go to school and become a licensed floral designer - so I can buy at the wholesale "for trade only" places.

happy Tuesday!

winter is here

It's freezing today. Summertime... I miss you! We had so many fun cookouts and friends over to swim. Here's to summer 2010!!

Christmas 2006

In years past, we have taken cute photos of Lottie and used them on our Christmas cards. I just stumbled across the series of pics we took in 2006. I tried so hard to get a picture of her in front of the tree but she would NOT look at the camera. This pic did not make the cut for the card but they sure bring back a nice memory of that 30 minute, frustrating, yet fun photo session. I have since learned that holding some french fries while taking the picture is the way to get the shot!

board and batten

Check out these Cliff May beauties!

A few months ago, a friend and I were driving around my neighborhood checking out the 1950’s and 60’s ranch homes that are abundant in the small town I live in. Many of these homes are brick or limestone – or both. My friend mentioned how much she liked homes with board and batten and began to describe how aesthetically modern and timeless this exterior treatment can be even though it has the obvious association with country cottages and rustic barns. She had some really insightful things to say about good ol’ board and batten and I couldn’t help but think about our conversation for days after. I did some Googling and read up on how it’s constructed and quickly became a fan. Thank you, Bridgette! Now I am noticing board and batten everywhere… on homes in magazines… on a house I drive by everyday when I take Lottie to the park... it has always been there. We are about 3 years away form a full siding overhaul on our house and I’d love to see vertical board and batten replace the unattractive, worn out, horizontal aluminum siding that covers 3 sides of our home. The best examples I have found so far of mid century modern board and batten are the Cliff May “ranchos” built in 1953 and 1954.

crafty pine cones

Mark and I made 41 pine cone ornaments last weekend. We spray painted them white and then drilled a little hole on top for a hook to screw in. Then I tied ribbons on them. I'm pretty happy with the end result. We're going to get our fresh cut tree on Friday and am very excited!! It's one of the best days of the year for me.

welcome to HousePet

This is going to be my way of sharing creative and inspiring ideas, crafty projects we're working on, pictures of Lottie, and various ramblings of all sorts. Welcome to HousePet!