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.