Yep. Tater Tots right out of the bag. This idea came to me recently when there was nothing in the house to eat and it was too hot to turn on the oven. Just line them up frozen hard as a rock, close the lid, and look after a while. They are flat and crispy and delicious. Good for a snack anytime, as a side with burgers, or as tiny hashbrowns for breakfast. Perfect comfort food. You are welcome! xo
I love this little shed and I know you do too. The following link has a slideshow with 24 sheds for you to drool over. A Gallery of Garden Shed Ideas Enjoy!
This will be me pretty soon. I might watch a movie on my DVD player but I doubt I will be able to stay awake until the end. I will probably wake up early and watch the rest in the morning. Good night. xo via
I designed this seed saving envelope back in 2011. Now is the time to start saving your seeds so I thought I should publish it again. Click on the image to print it full size. Turn the page around and print another to get two on one page. You can also save the photo to your photo editing software to adjust the size to your liking and print multiples on a page. Share your seeds with a friend. Tuck into an envelope along with a card as a small gift. xo
Interior Design : Anthony Baratta LLC | lovely blue and white wallpaper in this pretty, fresh traditional vignette with Hepplewhite or Sheraton sideboard and blue and white porcelains. This was well thought out with the look of a recessed nook and the window placement. Really nice! via
I have a landline that I seldom use. Only a few friends call me on it and I use my cellphone for almost everything because it's always in my pocket or nearby. My phone used to ring off the hook late at night and early in the morning with automated recorded calls made by robots until I found a service to make them go away. For some reason, I switched channels recently to the CBS Morning News. I have been watching MSNBC and CNN news ever since the debates. Right when I switched channels, CBS had a person explaining a service called Nomorobo. It's free and very easy to set up. I have the triple play from Verizon and it worked with that. You have to know or set up your username and password for your cable service. I already had those set up because I control my DVR from their FiOS App on my phone or iPad to schedule my recordings.
Are you still with me? Watch the YouTube Video below. It's the same video that appears on the link.
After you get so far with signing up at "nomorobo" you will have to log on to your FiOS account or whatever cable account you have. You will need to set up "simultaneous ring". It's easy. You have to check a box and put in the phone number the robo service gave you. When any calls come in on your landline, if it is a Robot call, your phone will only ring once and hang up. If your phone rings twice, that means it is a call from a real person. Robot calls emit a special signal that the blocking service can read.
This might sound complicated but it's really pretty simple. It is like the Do Not Call that no longer works and is useless.
It really works. The link is HERE. Scroll down and see how many trusted business recommend it. It's also FTC approved.
I have friends who set this up for their parents. Now they don't have to rush to the phone to be annoyed by solicitors. They just wait and see if there is a second ring before they head for their landline phone. If you have trouble, ask your children or grandchildren to help you set this up.
You can thank me later. It's free for landlines. It's also available for cell phones but there is a monthly charge so I didn't sign up for that.
I love the Lotus Smoke wallpaper in this powder room, don't you? See more photos here as well as the "before" photos of the same room. What a transformation! I know you love before and afters!
Tonight is the final episode of the final season of Inspector Lewis. Boo Hoo. I love this show and being an armchair visitor to Oxford, England. Maybe they will bring in a new show starring Hathaway. That would be nice! Enjoy
The Queen Mother’s collection of Vanity Fair caricature prints at Birkhall in Scotland. Often called SPY prints in the trade as this was the signature of the artist on many. Love the tartan carpet on the stairs! via
This is the best use for that area under the stairs yet. Don't you love the built-in book shelves and the comfy chairs for reading? Found in Country Living Magazine. Link here.
I have been fascinated by bookplates forever. They are tiny works of art that reflect the taste of the owner of the book. I love this miniature bucolic landscape with trees and clouds and a garden urn. Found in a 1931 second edition of 'The Scented Garden'. Signed lower right by bookplate artist and designer Bank B. Gordon. Bookplate collectors will know this name. Shell added for interest.
I think the heat wave has broken today. Fingers crossed. My heart goes out to those affected by the flooding in Louisiana. Mother Nature can be very cruel. I am so fortunate to live in a somewhat protected area. I understand we are all in for a very bad hurricane season. Oh dear!
My car has been in the shop for a couple of days in the hands of a new mechanic I discovered. Nothing was wrong with it, but it was time for a tuneup and a once over to get it ready for fall and winter. I even vacuumed it with the shop vac before taking it in. It's going to be ready today. So excited. xo
This cat doesn't stop moving and it's very hard to get a good photo of him. He belongs to a friend and his name is Pyewacket. He's named after the cat in the movie Bell, Book and Candle. I love the garden bench. The heat wave is starting to break and it's supposed to be over on Wednesday. Thank goodness. It's been brutal. xo
Remember this old cottage near me that was abandoned for years? This photo shows it after Hurricane Sandy took down a tree that took off the front porch.
This photo was featured on my blog recently. The 18th century cottage could not be saved and a new house started going up after the property was finally sold.
The outside is finished! I took this photo yesterday when driving by. Interior work is still being done. The garages are on the right. I don't think this front door will be used very often which is a shame. I understand a family with three children will soon be living there. They must be very excited. The property was on the market for years and years. Thankfully, someone had a vision and the patience to wait for their dream house. So nice! I'll post another photo when the landscaping is finished.
I thought I'd share two more color plates from the book I featured earlier. They are so beautiful. Happy Friday. Have a great weekend. We have been having rain storms that are short and fierce. xo
This is a small detail of the nicest fern garden I've ever seen. I took this photo yesterday at a realtor open house. I love ferns because they are trouble free and they take care of themselves. They are so nice in a shady spot on the edge of the woods.
I wish I had these on my two living room windows for about two hours in the afternoon when the sun is going down on a blazing hot day. Bermuda shutters are so much better than awnings.
Just in time for the rain tonight. I started at 8:30 and worked almost without stopping until late afternoon. My front grass was really long and it required two mowings but now it's done and maybe I can concentrate on weeding. How's your summer going? I am tired but it's a good tired from hard work with visible results. Happy Friday, the gateway to the weekend. xo
This cursive letter written by a child in 1873 is probably a handwriting assignment for school. I think it is such a shame cursive isn't taught now. I went to a birthday party last week for a 9 year old neighbor who said she couldn't read cursive. Penmanship lessons were my favorite when I was in grammar school. I loved dipping the pen into the ink and doing those continuous ovals!
I have posted about handwriting in the past. This old post contains many helpful links to help kids learn this dying art. CLICK HERE.
I see this wild turkey family almost every day and they were the first thing I saw this morning. Yesterday when I took my late evening walk out back they were roosting high in the trees and all of large ones flew away and startled me with the loud flapping of their wings. I don't know if the youngsters can fly yet or if they were nesting in the woods. This sighting is such a great way to start my day. Now I can enjoy my coffee. xo
Feel free to check out my recent photos shared on Instagram here.
Don't you love these illustrated endpapers in an old 1936 Gardening Encyclopedia? It really is a wonderful introduction for a person who wants to garden and look up a plant's growing habits. via
Where did it go? My Limelight Hydrangea is blooming. It is almost time for me to start putting the house to bed so I can watch some Sunday Nite TV in my bedroom. I am recording 'Dancing on the Edge' and 'The Tunnel' on PBS. On CBS, my DVR is recording 'Brain Dead'. Are you watching any of these programs? Have a good evening. xo
I showed an 1840 house in Mendham NJ on Friday. I stayed behind after my customers left to take some photos of the barn. The one with the Halloween Witch was already on my camera roll and has been on my blog.
I enlarged this photo to show the pig weathervane on the cupola in the shade of an old black walnut tree. We have rain on this Sunday morning. I'm so glad I showed this property on a nice day. xo
I showed a house today that had a barn with a patio inside. One whole side was open. This was in back of this house, not attached. It's always good to have a covered place for eating outside and grilling. So nice. A rolling picnic table and benches were stored in the other part of the barn. Have a great weekend. xo
I got a big surprise this morning and it's delicious. A friend picked wild raspberries with her two small sons and they baked some tarts. Mine was delicious. via
