“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Last Day of August in the Garden

The last couple of days have seemed so fall like, that I rushed to get my camera so I could capture a few more of these end of season blooms. The phlox is starting to fade and the day lilies are already done now. I will still have a few new photos in September of some really late bloomers, but the end of the growing season is near. These are photos of my garden and two of my best friends. The two girls, Dotty and Ginny, my little garden helpers.  Some of you may remember my post about the bumblebees, there are two photos of the upside-down wood planter that is their home for now. For more wonderful blogs and photos on animals and gardens check out PicStory.



Dotty
Sweet Shrub Clethra...smells out of this world wonderful!

Dot looking cute!

Ginny my sweet old girl!

Cat Kiss
Turtles lined up

The Improvised Bee Hive for the Bumblebees. The bees enter and exit at the bottom in the front.

Rocks kept the Raccoons from tipping it over.





The phlox have taken over, but oh they smell delightful!





This is the real color of the morning glory, a volunteer from last year!

Thank you all for visiting my blog and my garden today. I love to hear from you so please share your comments.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

This Is Not A Cooking Blog...

It is more of an eating blog. I see new recipes, I tweak them to my liking and then my family eats and we decide if we like them. Here are a few recent recipes I have tried.

First off was the Squash and Corn Chowder. This recipe was delicious! The only change I made was running it through the food processor instead of a blender. I added a wee bit more salt. It turned out a little chunkier than the original version.  I will definitely make this again.




Summer Squash Corn Chowder



Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
Enjoy soup in the summertime by making this satisfying chowder with the season's produce. Topped with cheese and bacon makes this over the top good!


• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep and cook time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients
• 2 slices applewood-smoked bacon or regular bacon
• 3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 pound yellow summer squash, chopped (or zucchini) chopped fine
• 1 pound frozen white and yellow baby corn kernels, thawed and divided or use fresh corn from about 2 ears of corn.
• 2 1/4 cups 2% milk, divided
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded cheddar cheese
Preparation
1. Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup onions, celery, and squash to drippings in pan; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
2. Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.








Peach Sangria Display

Another recipe I tried was the Peach Sangria and this was also a winner. OK, I also made a slight change. I used red raspberries instead of strawberries, but equally as yummy. You really must let the fruit marinate in the wine for at least an hour to get the best flavor. It also doubled as a dessert because we grabbed spoons and ate the fruit out of the empty glasses! Bonus!

Peach Sangria
2 c. sliced fresh strawberries
2 c. sliced fresh peaches
1/2 an orange sliced
1/2 a lemon sliced
1 bottle of white wine {I used a white Lambrusco}
1/2 bottle of moscato {a dessert wine}
1 c. peach schnapps
2 c. ice cubes

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and let sit for at least one hour in the fridge. Only use fresh fruit, please, otherwise it will be a mushy mess. Enjoy!




Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats



This Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats recipe had some wonderful ingredients but mainly it was a way to use up a bunch of zucchini I had been given. My husband raved about this dish, all his favorites, cheese, sausage, cheese. Did I mention cheese?



Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats - for recipe click here.


So there you have it a few of those recipes you've seen online or in print, now pre-approved for your dining table. Down the road I will be bringing you a few more. Until then have a Tasty Tuesday! 


Monday, August 29, 2011

My Monday Favorites - The Calm After the Storm

We are all thinking about it if not living it; the storm. Most of us have experienced something similar no matter what part of the country we live in. These pictures represent the calm after the storm. The images speak for themselves. Many people have lost something in the storm, a life, a loved one, a home, a business. Take a moment and think about what you can do to help someone who is weathering a storm in their life.













Thursday, August 25, 2011

That End of Summer Feeling....

You know that feeling, going to the State Fair and that ride on the Ferris wheel. One last warm day on the lake. The nip in the air at night and those clear evening skies where we can see every star. Yes we know summer is coming to an end. School has already started for some kids and before you know it Halloween will be here. Let's just relish one more day of warm sunny skies and slowly slip into fall just a little at a time. Enjoy the pretty treasury below that I created on Etsy.

That End of Summer Feeling

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Cute Vintage Things...

Here are a few Vintage items I would like to show you today. The first two are for sale and have been added to my shop. The bottom two are in my collection and not for sale at this time. Let me clarify that Etsy allows anything twenty years or older to be listed as Vintage. Some of my items are much older than that. I and many other Etsians have taken this pledge. It is noted in my welcome page on my Etsy shop.

Crave Cute has taken The Honest Vintage Pledge: Everything that I have tagged as vintage in my shop is at least twenty years old or older. I stake my reputation on it. I will never knowingly sell a fake or a repro knockoff to my customers. EVER. 



This is a really cute vintage lamp of Puss in Boots made by Lane and Co. It stands 10.5" tall and the base is 5" x 3.5". It is signed Lane and Co. Van Nuys CALIF USA c. 1961. The lamp is in good shape but it does have a chip on the back of the hat. It works but I would recommend having it rewired. There is no shade included with the lamp. Puss in Boots has been revived in the last few years by the recent movies including his new image. I still like this softer and more friendly version. I think he would be happy in either a girl or boy's room. Just find a cute small lampshade that doesn't overwhelm the figure. You might use this as a nightlight. Look for the nightlight bulb (7 watt) which will fit in the standard light socket and add a timer.




This is a beautiful vintage swan by Norcrest Japan. The swan measures about 5" tall and 8" long. It has a lovely blue iridescent glaze with silver trim on the eyes, bill and on the leaves and tips of the flower petals. There are no chips or cracks and it is in it's original condition. This swan is just over twenty years old and I have enjoyed it myself all of those years. I still love it but sometimes you just have to know when to let go!

This is a perfect little dish to hold wrapped candies or in the bath or bedroom holding a lovely scented potpourri. This would make a very elegant gift for someone special. I have almost talked my way out of selling it! I must be strong!



The next two pictures are two items that I am not selling because I still love them so much!

Darling Vintage Cat Lamp - she has no markings. A pink one on Etsy is priced at over a hundred dollars.



My Sweet Little Swan - no markings, perhaps Shawnee Pottery Company.


As you can tell, I really love vintage items. My recent finds are some vintage local cook books and I will eventually be getting them photographed to list in my shop. So much to do, so little time!

If any of you know any more about the white kitty and the little swan just above, please share in the comment section. Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!





Monday, August 22, 2011

My Monday Favorites...

You know we have less than five weeks of summer left. Boo, Hiss, Boo!

Yes it is hard to believe that another summer is coming to and end and I still haven't done half of the things I wanted to do! So, if you are like me you will try and cram a bunch more summer into these next few weeks. Up north here the end of summer seems to come a bit sooner, more like right after Labor Day. Here are a few of my favorite photos to give you ideas and inspiration to get you going! If you can't get away to do these things for real, just take a little vacation in your brain while gazing at these pretty pictures! Enjoy and Happy Monday!



Look at some flowers. This soft pink sunflower is just lovely!


Try a new recipe with those summer squash. This casserole looks so delicious!







This recipe for squash and corn chowder had a bunch of pins. I wonder if anyone besides the person that took this picture has made it yet? Maybe you will!




I can not get enough berry recipes. I am crazy for them, blackberries and raspberries, yum!




I have some of these white phlox in my garden, as well as every other shade of pink and lavender you can think of. They have gotten a little out of control, but I love the fragrance and I cut huge armfuls and bring them in the house. My husband asks, "What's that smell?"


I did this the other day. It had been a long time since I had actually taken off my shoes and walked on the lawn. It felt amazingly good, I felt like a kid again!




The beach, aah that sad end of summer feeling. We don't all have beaches but go to the closest approximation be it a lake, swimming pool, or kiddie pool. Kick the kids and the dog out of there, it's your turn!







This is a peach sangria recipe. I think I will be making this next weekend!





Go for a swing. Isn't this a lovely picture. I was kind of thinking more t-shirt, tennis shoes, and shorts when I went searching for a picture of a swing. Just thought she looks so pretty there.... But if you happen by a nice swing in the park or on the edge of a forest like here, don't hesitate to jump on there like a kid and swing to your hearts content. Why should kid's have all the fun, it's the end of the summer and anything goes!


 







Saturday, August 20, 2011

Silly Saturday


If you have never heard of the Simon's Cat cartoon you are in for a treat. Watch the video below and you will understand why thousands of people are falling in love with this goofy feline, and his creator! Click on the picture below to start the show. If you do not see the picture, it may be your browser. Click on the direct link.
http://www.simonscat.com/Films/The-Box/



Thursday, August 18, 2011

A Pin in a Haystack...





Do you ever feel like you are the last person to ever figure out what is going on? Well that is how I felt yesterday. Today I feel better much better. I didn't figure this out myself, someone helped me. This is not earth shattering, this is just me being somewhat technically challenged and needing some help.

I have been using Pinterest for gathering information and also for helping out friends with their endeavors. On Etsy we have been playing a game of pin-tag. I pin your stuff, you pin mine. Anyway, I should have looked for a good tutorial on how to use Pinterest first instead of relying on my own limited experience. I could not for the life of me figure out how to find out if my blog items had been pinned. I tried searching and checked their help information and could not find anything. So I figured maybe there wasn't a way yet to check. Wrong, after whining about it on an Etsy forum a wonderful person from Sweeter Than Sweets came to my rescue and helped me out. Here is the secret way to find out if your blog has been pinned!

http://pinterest.com/source/cravecute.blogspot.com/

Just insert your blog name where mine is and it will pull up pinned items from your blog! Amazing, fabulous and what a time saver. I thought I had to search through hundreds of pins looking for my little pin. A virtual pin in a haystack! Boy did I feel dumb. But then I realized there are probably a few of you out there who are just as untechy as me, so I thought I would share. Thank you again Sweeter Than Sweets you made my day a much happier one!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Monday Favorites in Pink

Sometimes you just need a little pink and pretty.  I spent some time over the weekend checking in on Pinterest and Flickr and again found some "oh so interesting, beautiful, curious ...", you fill in the blank. It is all there, type in a word, any word and you will find something there. My theme today is one of my favorite colors, "Pink".


Pink water lilies...so serene.

Pink flowers, lily pads





Lovely Pink Spoonbill preening its feather in Florida. We are definitely going there this year!


there is always an itch






pink pink pink

Pink Vintage Pyrex



Pink food! We love that don't we?



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tinted Angel Cake (recipe)

The many colors of Kool-Aid, a Nebraska invention, give an array of choices for this angel food cake that starts with a mix. Pink lemonade Kool-Aid adds pastel prettiness and a delicate flavor to Tinted Angel Cake. The tropical punch version gives the cake flavor that's as intense as its color.



A gorgeous pink sky!


 Pink sky and morning light


 That pretty much says it all. Have a wonderful week!




Friday, August 12, 2011

You Don't Have to be a Math Wiz to Love This...

This is a beautiful piece of music based on the math theory of Tau. I have no idea what that is, but I do know that I love this composition. Give it a listen it may not be your cup of tea, but I am sure a few of you will love this just like I do.




Monday, August 8, 2011

Monday Favorites

Here are a few great images that lit up my imagination the other day.


Wish I could grow these Cabbage Roses up north here, but it is too cold. :(

 Cabbage rose






Great use for all those pennies! Wouldn't this be a fabulous desk or counter top?








Here are some free bee inspired botanical prints for downloading.





I finally found my favorite Key Lime Pie recipe!









I am now in love with these beautiful Gypsy horses.


Gypsy horses



Imagination and Inspiration


























Tuesday, August 2, 2011

How Pinteresting...

I just heard about this and now I can't stop going back there, over and over. This is still pretty new, so if you haven't heard of it let me explain.


Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. It allows you to organize and share all the things you find on the web. You may browse pinboards made by other people to find inspiration, products, recipes, favorite art, books etc. People are using pinboards to create all kinds of favorite lists for gifts, weddings, party planning, home remodeling or anything you can think of. You can follow other peoples boards and start your own.


This is a visual bookmarking system and the pins have a link that goes directly to the site it was pinned from. You can change and rearrange to your hearts content. It is easy to sign up and free. Go to their website at http://pinterest.com/ and ask for an invite. It usually takes only a short time to receive and e-vite back from them. Then you can start adding your pins all over  the place. If you are a visual person you will love this site. I have added a Pinterest follow button to my site if you would like to check it out right now. Have fun!