Pinterest...Inspire Me!!

Whenever I need a little inspiration, I always turn to Pinterest!

Here are a few appetizers for the big game.

My Patrick Mahomes & the KC Chiefs 

won the AFC Championship and are headed to the Super Bowl!

I have made these several times and they are super simple.

Toasted slices of french bread,

a spread of cream cheese, seasoned to your liking...

topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and fresh dill. 

The recipe for this dip can be found here.

I make something very similar...

My recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of mayonnaise.

Everything else is the same.

We love potatoes, the recipe for these can be found here.

This is a great way to serve fresh vegetables, 

whether you are serving a crowd or not.

- 

I made this twice and it's awesome...

I just used pillsbury regular, premade dinner rolls.

12 Frozen Dinner Roll Dough Balls

- 8 oz Cream Cheese - Softened

- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

- 1/2 Cup Grated Romano Cheese

- 1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

- 1/4 Cup Sour Cream

- 1 14 oz Can (1 1/2 Cups) Artichoke Hearts - Drained and chopped

- 3/4 Cup Frozen Chopped Spinach - Thawed and drained of excess water

- 2 Cloves Garlic - chopped

- 1 tsp Basil

- Olive Oil

Coat a 10 inch oven-safe skillet with olive oil. 

Place the Dinner Roll Dough Balls in a ring around the skillet. 

Cover and let rise until thawed and doubled in size.

In a medium bowl, 

combine Cream Cheese, Parmesan, Romano, 

Mozzarella, Sour Cream, Artichokes, Spinach, Garlic and Basil.

Once dough has thawed, uncover and scoop the dip into the center of the skillet. 

Brush the rolls with olive oil, and top with an additional sprinkle of cheese (optional). 

Bake in a preheated oven at 375˚F (190˚C) for 25 minutes. 

Remove and let cool slightly before serving. 

The pattern for these super easy fingerless mitts can be found here.

The pattern for this super easy Double Brimmed hat can be found here.

I started this hat yesterday.

Look at this super simple bookmark, 

no instructions are necessary.

I have some pressed flowers,

this is "one little project" I would like to try.

I love this...

and could these flowers be any prettier?

- Self Care -

I love this blanket and it will be next up on my needles!

The pattern can be found here.

A Winter Walk In Allaire

Allaire State Park

 is one of our favorite places to visit when the weather is beautiful.

So why not visit now, we thought, 

we needed some fresh air so we decided to bundle up and enjoy the park during this off season.

It was in fact a very different experience, it was quiet, the train was not running, 

and there weren't any crowds or people.

There were no leaves on the trees, 

all of the leaves crunched beneath our feet as we made our way through the park. 

The hubs walked, I used my Zinger Chair.

Row Houses

The Foremans Cottage

The Bakery

Blacksmith Shop

The General Store

The Blast Furnace

The Carpenter Shop

This Beautiful Tree

The Barn

The Carriage House

The Enmanaling Building

Mr. Allaire's House (The Big House)

The Chapel

The sun was in and out as we walked today but as we left it shone brightly on The Chapel,

the place where we wanted to be married, such a big regret.

I was only 19, my mom said I "was not" getting married there and that was that.

Being so young, I did not know you could go against what your parents told you to do.

Maybe you can understand that.

We got married in the church I attended and my mom worked at.

If you are interested, you can read more about the Historic Village at Allaire here.

I have shared our love for the village so many times,

it is a great place to visit and go for a stroll any time of the year!

- in every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks -

Wise Words On Sunday

 

Saturday Critters #476

Sharing today a special memory from the winter of 2014.

The winter when I hosted a Baltimore Oriole in my backyard for the entire winter.

According to my bird book, 

the Baltimore Oriole is only present in New Jersey during the winter.

I have never seen one in this area or at my feeders until "she" appeared.

I first saw her in late January of 2014 and I wrote my first post about her here.

I was thrilled she hung around and I wrote about her again on February 13, 2014.

She stayed and became part of the family and I wrote about her again here.

I always made sure she had plenty of food, water and the bird seed she prefered.

Spring came and she was still here...

The last time I saw her was on April 28th, 2014, I wrote about that last visit here.

Every day that winter I looked for her and every day she came,

I'm glad I didn't know that on April 28th I would never see her again!

I still look for her, 

Sharing today's story with

Eileen at Viewing Nature With Eileen
and 
Anni at I'd Rather B Birdin

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

 During winter, spending more time at home, I am reminded of a few of my favorite things.

First, emails and text messages from friends.

This watering can I hydrate my plants with.

It was so expensive, 

I purchased it on Amazon and thought about it for months before pulling the trigger.

I love the way it looks and the slim spout waters my plants perfectly.

This Zebra Plant Succulent, advertised as slow growing, easy to grow, hard to kill.

I have had it a few years now and it's getting a flower...

I did not know it flowered, I am so excited to see it.

All of my little house plants are blooming, and my Basil has made a comeback.

The orchid has a lot of buds and that will be blooming soon.

This Clutch phone charger.

Once it is charged, it is a slim, compact charger for your phone.

I love it! 

We charge our phones on this charging station.

We don't have to take it apart to unplug/get our phone cords if we are going away.

All we do is unplug the Clutch and slip it into our bag, purse or suitcase and we are good to go.

Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

These are the best quality puzzles I have ever purchased.

They come in a bag, then a box, they have some shaped pieces and are a great thickness for wood.

Some are boxed in odd shapes and make awesome Christmas presents.

This blouse I found at Cracker Barrel yesterday...

I know it's quite wrinkled but those will come out with the first wash.

It's so long, I will be able to wear it with leggings and it is super comfortable.

This is my favorite door decoration.

New To You Make Along 2023

 I realize most of my followers are not knitters...

but I feel most people can appreciate the art of making something, especially with yarn or fiber.

I knit, a lot, every day...usually in the evening.

I am not a fast knitter, I don't often branch out to learn new things...

I usually stick to what I know and can make easily, so I thoroughly enjoy the process.

Having MS,

 I have memory issues and have a lot of trouble following difficult patterns,

learning new stitches and then remembering them.

I have made a lot of hats, scarves and cowls, baby blankets and dish cloths 

most of what I make I gift to others.

My knitting crew sponsors a "New To You" make along each year 

and of course I wanted to participate and support my girls.

This is my "New To You"

I'm not sure it really qualifies as "new" 

but Leanne said it does as I have never made a large blanket before.

I recently made this hat,

The Violet Beanie 

knitted with Alpaca yarn.

I started this hat on January 15th and finished it within a week.

That's quick for me, some of my knitting friends could knit something like this in a day or two.

Since it was such a quick knit and the pattern was easy to follow...

and I have a ton of yarn, I started another.

I stopped at the farm to borrow a knitting needle for the blanket from Leanne.

Look who I ran into...Sasquatch!

Liz and Leanne's dad Don moves him around on the farm.

I've heard talk about it and was so happy I got to see him!