Shots Of Your Pots

This is a fun little suggestion from Floral Designer Jane. She has a lovely blog, SmallButCharming where she shares bits of her life in and around her little home..You'll love it! Anyway, she suggested that we take photos of what we might have in pots or vases or whatever you use to display even some branches....Since all we have growing around here is moss!!, I just picked up some Pansy's and dusted off a couple of my favorite pots.

Nothing fancy and I had to take it outside because, you guessed it, ..cloud cover.

I wish you could see the true color of these, just a hint or blush of pink. It was the last one or I would have grabbed more, so sweet.

Here is a shot of the African Violets I picked up for mom last week and some of her nice dark chocolate that I brought her today. This photo was taken in her kitchen garden window and still turned out dark (sighing with a frown).
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Join in if you like..I think it is just this one time. It was fun and now I have these to take to the Little House tomorrow.

Have a nice Monday.

And The Winner Is..

Thank you all for sending in your entries and I also thank those of you that stopped by and commented on the tasty offerings.
I have been itching to use my new colored pencils so I came up with this for choosing the winner.

I colored in the boxes and gave every box a name then took it all out front to have my helper pick the winner.

I will interrupt Big Bob The Builder for just a minute to make the choice...He knows nothing. He asks, "What are we doing, is this an art project?" I reply "No Bob (my brother), just choose a pencil and I will explain later."

"It's pink, how weird, I was thinking of pink." exclaims Big Bob The Builder "I'd better go buy a lottery ticket."

" That's great Bob, but how about if we find out who the real lucky person is today?" (can you tell I'm the big sister?)

There's the winner, pink is Katiebee. Congratulations and now you can choose the book you want from your very own wish list. When you choose, email me with the title and author. Thanks for joining in.

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Everyone have a fun weekend.

Tortellini Soup

This entry was sent in by my lovely daughter in law, Sarah. She found this delicious looking Tortellini soup over at The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen and tested it out for last nights dinner where it got a winning thumbs up. If you would like a quick, easy and good soup you can get the full details here.
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Thanks for your entry Sarah.

Hailibut Chowder

Heidi's table is all set and ready for her Halibut Chowder that she created for her Hubby. Heidi has a fun blog where she shares bits of her home and life in Alaska. No need to pack your bags to take this trip up north, just go visit her blog, bord & butik to get the recipe and perhaps a glimpse of a moose.
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Thanks for your entry, Heidi.

Feel Good Chicken Broth

*Feel Good Chicken Broth* - Jamie Oliver

This entry is from Monica who is the author of a sweet blog, http://3at12.blogspot.com/2011/01/10-10-2nd-day.html , about her home and family in Germany. Please take a minute to check it out. * Sorry about the entire address, I tried every way to fix that....who knows what's up with that?

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Here's what Monica writes:

I omit the shitake (my husband hates mushrooms) and have never tried it with sherry. I always add little shell or alphabet pasta that I cook separately and add upon serving.

One of the reasons this recipe is so dear to me is that I made it often for my grandmother. After she passed away I couldn't make it for a very long time.

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Thank you Monica for sharing this recipe that is so dear to your heart.

* Here is the link to the recipe.

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Reminder - This is the last day to send in your entry. Tomorrow will be the drawing and the winner will be announced!...Have a great day.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup

Eating Well


This soup entry is from Lola Nova and is one of her favorites - "It is the perfect busy woman's soup." she says. It is from Eating Well Magazine and like many of us, she has made some changes to make it her own. *See note.

Here is the link. Enjoy!

* Lola Nova uses left over roast chicken in place of the tenders to make it even easier and adds extra stock and 3 - 4 TBS. of Orzo.
If she doesn't happen to have shallots, she will substitute with chopped onion.
This can easily be doubled for a larger family.
Add some crusty whole grain bread and you have a quick and healthy meal.
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Thanks, Lola Nova for sharing this.

Potato And Leek Soup

Potato and Leek Soup

This entry is sent in from the blog, Gardening in the Boroughs of New York, and the produce came from her husband's family farm. They go for visits and come back to the city loaded down with goodies. Here is the recipe she used to put the beautiful potatoes and leeks to use from a visit last fall. Enjoy!

Jewel's Favorite Soup Jill Makes

Here is our first soup contribution and it is from Katiebee, author of the blog, Life On Coyote Hill. She is also a new Grandma and you can see the little bundle of joy here.

Here is the recipe to the soup Katie likes to serve up. "Jewell's Favorite Soup Jill Makes".

I will be trying some of these recipes myself and sharing it with you over at The Kitchen Calls.

This one looks so easy, as you will see, that I am going to be putting the ingredients on my shopping list today.

Thanks Katie for sharing and a happy weekend to you all.

Anniversary Giveaway

Amazon.com

Next Friday is the one year anniversary of the Little House In Paradise blog creation. It has been a wonderful year full of learning and sharing. I would have a difficult time ever putting into words how grateful I am to you, my readers, new and old alike. Through our back and forth blog visits and all of your kind and supportive words, you have become like that special friend that you can go to with your dreams and struggles and feel safe to branch out and grow, knowing that there will be no harsh words or criticism.

The blog world is a very special place where the sky is the limit...this would not be true if it wasn't for people like all of you with kind and sweet hearts.

Thank you xxoo

Let's get down to the details of the giveaway. First, I would like to thank you for suggestions on books that might be the gift. All are good choices and I see they are maybe on a 'wish' list, so let us carry on with that and make it be, "Name your own Book" prize.

* Please know that my friends across the ocean are welcome to join in as I will use Amazon across the Pond or something similar.*

*1. Choose a favorite soup recipe, perhaps with a family memory attached to it, or just one that makes you feel good in one way or another and say a few words about it.

* 2. Email me the recipe or the link to the one you want and a photo. If you don't have a photo or can't send one I will find one that is close to it and post it with your entry. This is to be a fun time so please no fretting over it. If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me.

* 3. It starts today and ends next Thursday with the winner announced Friday January 28th, the book of their choice will be ordered then.

Good luck to you all!

Seed Catalogs

- Country Living May 2010 -



Hello my friends, I hope you are having a fine Wednesday. I have been looking for some much needed sunshine and low and behold, it is a glorious day. Such a nice day, that I am dreaming of my garden and what I will be planting this spring.

Some of my seed catalogs have started arriving and I have more to order so I went to Google and found a page with links to Heirloom seed catalogs. I ordered a few and then thought I would do a quick post on this so you can get yours ordered too if you haven't yet. It has enough links to give you a start if the old varieties are what you are after.

Hope you find this helpful. Google search - Heirloom seed catalogs.

Remember, I will give the details of the giveaway Friday so I will see you then.

Meet Daisy and 10 in 10 #6

This is Daisy and the other girls having a afternoon snack. What was that, you think that looks just like Howard? Well guess what? Howard is a girl and left a white egg. Mr. B. renamed 'her' last night. Now I am on the search for Donald, as I think it would be marvelous to have ducklings..how cute.

Did you know it was just released by the fashion people and decorating czars that 'Rust' is the new color? I felt it my duty to all of my readers to keep up with the latest and be the first, in blog land to use this 'hip' hue in a collage.

Actually, the color looked more like what we called 'burnt orange' back in the 70's. Hmm?

This Friday we will begin the entries for the giveaway on Friday January 28th, my 1st blog post anniversary. I would like it if you would help me out with some suggestions of decorating, craft or cookbook titles that you would like to see offered. Please mention it in the comments and on Friday I will have all of the details for the giveaway.

Thanks and have a nice evening.

Floating Away

There will be no 10 photos today or any day soon. It is grey and wet with flood warnings and landslides and wet feathered friends and, well, muck everywhere. (Can you tell I am sick of it?)

Mr. B. will be gone until Sunday. He rode in the procession for Police Chief Ralph Painter today, from Rainier, Oregon to Portland. Even though my honey is no longer with the Rainier police force he was granted permission to wear his uniform again and was asked by the sitting Chief to ride with him in the procession. Tomorrow he will be back in Rainier for the Community service, a long and emotional weekend...I wish I could be there too but we have not found a trustworthy chicken/duck sitter yet. I really need to make more of an effort to do so, as you just never know what might come up.

Anyway..I am here holding down the fort or bailing water, depending on this crazy weather.

Next week we will be starting a giveaway. You know what that means, yes, a cookbook. What one should I give away? Or maybe you would rather another type of book, like a decorating, craft, sewing, knitting etc.....

How about you leave a comment and let me know what kind of book and maybe a suggestion of the title too. I would love to hear your ideas...Please!

Have a wonderful weekend.

10 in 10 #5

Howard the Duck - Mr. B.'s new feathered friend!

This group of ten is about life that I didn't know was around and was not expecting. Howard the duck was introduced to our feathered family while I was gone this last week...Surprise!
My sweet hubby has wanted ducks for a long time so a little pool was purchased and Howard settled in. Now I am on the hunt for a mate for him...Duck eggs anyone?

I was pleased to find new growth at every turn. Once again, I had not even noticed it. This challenge has turned into quite a learning experience.

The weather has been very dark and wet but I will try to get my 10 done again tomorrow, hope to see you then.

10 in 10 #4

These were all taken at our Church that we attend when we are here in Vancouver. The tree/cross has water coming out of it and falling into a pool then going over a falls into another pool that is used for baptism. This is what you see when you first come in and the large area is a family room of sorts, and the main hub. The sanctuary is off of this area, it is a joy to worship here.

It's a real plus to have great coffee in the Cafe' too!

Wishing you a relaxing and peaceful afternoon.

10 in 10 #3

How many measures do we use without giving it a thought?

This is what I came up with in a few minutes. Do you have any to add? Maybe join in the 10 in 10 challenge just for today?

Whatever you do today, I wish you a happy and productive one.

10 in 10 #2

Instead of my normal giving up if I don't get it right or perfect or screw it up, I am continuing on with the photo challenge. It will not be 10 days in a row and I have 11 again today, if you count the one above, but I will finish.

I went out yesterday, thinking that it would be very difficult to find anything for this shoot where I walk the dogs. Why? Well, the only place close for them to go off leash and roam around is a large area that has been cleared for commercial building in the future. Right now the only thing being built is a military complex of some kind, so it is quite barren. Once again I was amazed at how much there really is if you just 'look'.

"I will look and I will see".

Have a great day.

A Sad Day

This morning, Rainier, Oregon's police chief, Ralph Painter, was shot and killed. My husband served on the force with him when we lived in that little town. All of the details are not clear at this time but it seems that many police and agencies were involved and many shots fired. It is likely that other police friends were involved in this horrid event....This is so upsetting and my poor husband, I can only imagine how he feels, there's no telling for sure, as he, like most guys do not say much and since I am down here in Vancouver and he is up in Anacortes I can only do so much....I am sorry that I am rambling, it is just such a shock and this will have such an effect on the entire county as it is made up of little cities and the law enforcement is so close.
Here is a news site if you want to check it out.
I will close for now.

A Photo Challenge

Get your cameras out if taking more photos in 2011 is on your list. Lola Nova has begun a challenge started by Nancy, of Fledge and I am joining in. Yesterday I put the dogs and my camera in the car and headed to town to run a couple of errands and snap 10 pictures in 10 minutes ...confession, I took 15 min. and 11 photos, as Maggie insisted she be in the group if she had to go along with the entire odd event.

I do encourage you to join in and give it a try. It was interesting to realize that I don't really 'see' many things around me. Part of the challenge is that the photos must not be altered after you snap it, so what you see behind the lens is what you get...I love it!

Ten days is a long time for me to stick with something so we will see if I can have the discipline to do it.

It is Tuesday so I am down the 5 today. Christmas decorations and boxes await and some pruning will be done also on this trip.

Have a great day.

My Sister The Beak Whisperer

* Zeek The Beak *

Above, is one of my sister, Michelle's, birds. I should say, one of the 'boys' as she calls them. She has an amazing way with the feathered friends and is in the process of working with a Timneh African Grey Parrot that has a serious problem of feather plucking. Her love of these creatures and helping them, has led to her creating enrichment toys which she sells in her Etsy shop and several shops around Portland, but also donates to certain organizations that are working with birds.

If you would like to know more about what she is up to you can go check out her blog, The Beak Whisperer here.
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This is the first of posts where I will be sharing blogs that I think will be of interest or helpful to some or all of you. It is something that I have been wanting to add to my blog offerings and there is no better time than the present.
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Be watching for a Giveaway, as this is my blog anniversary month!