Wait Your Turn

This has never worked and never will. Single file please, one at a time. 

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Nap Time

Isn't this the perfect place for my virtual afternoon nap? I might actually take one to rest up for some sundown weeding. It's too hot right now and the area that needs my attention is in full sun. 

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Simple No Knead Olive Oil Pizza Dough Recipe

OLIVE OIL DOUGH
From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Makes four (4) one-pound loaves. (This recipe can easily be doubled or halved.)

2-3/4 cups lukewarm water
1-1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast (2 packets)
1-1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, or in a large (5 quart) bowl working with a wooden spoon, mix the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil with the water.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading. I found this process to be incredible simple with my stand mixer, but it will certainly come together the old fashioned way. If you are not using a machine, you may need to wet your hands in order to incorporate the bit of flour.
2. Transfer dough to large (5 quart) bowl or lidded food container. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
3. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 12 days.

I really want to try this easy recipe. I will halve it the first time around.

via: Simple No Knead Pizza Dough Recipe

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, pages 42 and 43

Two good pages from our favorite father to son instruction manual.

Easy Chair and Ottoman Slipcovered in Ticking

I adore this chair and ottoman and the slipcovers. What a cozy place to rest your weary bones. Perfect for Sunday mornings and a big fat newspaper too. Enjoy what's left of your weekend depending on your timezone.

Pottery Barn

Devour These Things

 

I love this.

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Smooth Sailing This Weekend

I'd like to see the rest of this house, wouldn't you. What I can see is very nice.

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My Wish For You

Getting to wake up in a wonderful vacation bedroom.

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Goodnight Everyone, See You In The Morning

Isn't this a beautiful photograph? It's called Autumn Sunrise by Gary McParland. Have a great weekend.

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Beautiful Georgian Manor House

The day I planned for myself did not turn out to be a reality. For some reason I pulled one weed after I took Webster for his morning walk and I honestly haven't stopped since. I am drenched to the skin and I'm going right back out there to commune with the crabgrass after I drink a pitcher of ice water and rest for a tiny bit. I have moved mountains and it's looking so much better which makes me very happy. I hope to have the front presentable by Monday. 

Why is it that some days you can just do things that you couldn't the day before? The spirit has to move me or I am a very unhappy camper. It has to be MY idea too. Wish me luck.

My place will never be like the mansion pictured above. I'm sure those people have a staff of gardeners and grounds keepers. I am a staff of one.

Have a great weekend.

Found on Google Images

Home Office Love

Bring on the bills because nothing could put me in a bad mood in this wonderful home office.

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Have You Learned How To Live?

 

My plans for the afternoon :)

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Stella McCartney's Georgian Manor Country House

 

 

It's all gorgeous, isn't it? Stella says she's never bought a house that wasn't falling apart. I love that statement, don't you? I can really relate! Her home has been featured in Vogue twice; see more photos and a small writeup here.

Bicycle Library

  image 1 

  image 2 is mine

Take Your Desk Outside This Summer

If my desk were here I would get absolutely nothing done besides daydreaming. Curious? See more of this wonderful house in Croatia here. Wait a few seconds for the full-screen slideshow to begin.

Welcome Home

I love this house, don't you? There's nothing like a center hall colonial with a white picket fence in my book. This one looks like the perfect size, not too big. I love driving around looking at beautiful houses. See you later.

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Best Outdoor Shower

Outdoor showers are an ongoing theme of mine. Isn't this one the best you've ever seen? Nothing says summer like bathing outdoors.

Doggie version.

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Before Buying That Island House

you'd better check to see what's under the water.  

DIY Book Lover's Library in France

Wow. This is every book collector's dream. It's a French Country House Library constructed from 60 Billy / Benno Bookcases from Ikea. How wonderful. Lots of pictures and text showing the project start to finish with instructions HERE. View a slideshow on Flickr with really large photos here. I'm impressed, aren't you?

Beautiful Sunset -- Somewhere

I was looking through old saved photos and found this lovely sunset. Don't you love the clouds? Source unknown. We had a nice quick heavy shower and it really cooled things off for sleeping. Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow. xo

Delightful Wiscasset Maine

Wiscasset is one of my very favorite vacation spots with so many interesting places to haunt.
I love Cabot Cove Cottages in Kennebunkport too.

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Love This Look

I love everything I see in this room. The old cupboard top now hanging on the wall as bookshelves and cubbies, the farm table with the wide board top, and the collections scattered all around. Decorating with antiques is the best!

Wrinkles Can Be Beautiful

Especially on an elephant. They can live to be as old as 86 and this looks like an old old. She wears her wrinkles well.

I have a meeting this morning and hopefully some good houses will be on the open house tour. I rather doubt it though because so many people are away. See you later.

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Piglets in Faux Tiger Skins

Read all about this Urban Legend here. What goes around, comes around. The tiger mother was herself nursed by a pig in infancy and apparently regards these orphans as family, not prey.

Friends Make Happy Houses

 

I couldn't agree more. I scanned this image from an old address book purchased at a tag sale and added the text. I loved the cover.

More Interior Sliding Doors Hung Barn Style

His-and-hers desks in the living room are hidden behind louvered doors on tracks. I love this idea of really using the living room as an office/family room. Nice. Image is from an old article in Cottage Living magazine, a nice publication that bit the dust in 2008.

White Kitchen with A Dark Floor

This morning I'm liking this wonderful kitchen from ElleDecor. I love the width of the floorboards and the ebonized stain too. I don't know if I would have the nerve to ever go this dark but I think it looks very nice.

Happy Monday everyone. We are having a break from the heat today. It's only 75 degrees and the high is predicted to be 82. That sounds absolutely wonderful to me, but it's going to heat up again tomorrow. Maybe I'll get something done outside this morning in the way of weeding. See you later.

Goodnight Windmill

I don't see the moon so I'll say goodnight to the windmill. See you in the morning. We had a hard rain for about 15 minutes and it is a little cooler but a lot steamier. xo

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Say Yes To Thick Stone Walls

I like everything I see in this wonderful photo, especially the thick stone walls and completely exposed beamed ceiling.

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Laugh

Yes. Always laugh when you can.

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Moonlight Sailing

Wishing you smooth sailing wherever you go this weekend. Don't you absolutely love the stillness on the lake at sunset? ©MNFISH

Reflections in Germany

Burg Vischering Germany -- so beautiful and cool looking.

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Cupcake Break

Reach in and get your afternoon cupcake. It's time to take a break and eat something delicious and decadent. I think these toffee crunch cupcakes fit the bill, don't you? Enjoy. Are you having a nice weekend?

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Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II, page 41

 

 

A page from a book written by a father to a son. Life doesn't come with an instruction book, so he wrote one.

A Dose of Pachyderm Love for A Saturday

We love elephants as much as we love England's royalty. This mother and child were photographed in Kenya by ©Eric Lafforgue

An Over The Top Kitchen

with a La Cornue, France range. Mega bucks. Do you think this is a real working kitchen or a trophy kitchen? I get the feeling from what I can see that you'd have do a lot of walking here. via House Beautiful.

A Shrine to Laundry

There are no words. This could be my favorite laundry room out of all I've ever posted. I'm picturing the clothes line and the cutting garden just outside this room.

UPDATE:  I found out this was The HGTV Green Home 2010 and I found a website with many more pictures of this wonderful home - HERE.

Old Book Wide Cotton Tape | Love.This

There are so many creative crafters out there. I love this cotton tape. I can think of so many ways to use it too. Old Book Wide Cotton Tape

World Globe Ice Cream Cone

Treat yourself to something cool today. I must tell you that I am absolutely loving the creamy lemon popsicles I blogged about recently. I've made them 5 times so far and today I'll use the 6th lemon for another batch. I have adjusted the recipe for my taste.

 

Creamy Lemon Popsicles Recipe
1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice The juice of one lemon (or lime) with pulp
2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel The zest on one lemon. Zest before juicing it.
pinch of salt not necessary
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Whisk sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl until sugar dissolves. Whisk in buttermilk.

Divide mixture among popsicle molds. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 5 days.

Here's how I make mine -- I just pour the buttermilk in a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, add the sugar, stir until dissolved and then add the rest of the ingredients. I have a set of 6 tupperware popsicle molds and there is a little left over. I pour the extra into a heavy milk glass  cup. I run to the freezer often to stir the contents of the cup and have a bonus treat way before the popsicles have frozen completely. They are the most delicious and refreshing things for this kind of weather. I've experimented with other liquids. Once I used 3/4 cup of plain soy milk with 1/2 cup plain yogurt. That worked well too. I don't have any buttermilk so today I might try a batch with only soymilk and another batch with only yogurt. But wait...I only have one lemon so I may have to go out for more. I simply cannot be without these popsicles that delight my mouth with the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Enjoy.