Dinner Napkins and More ...

Linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday ...

Sorry, but I'm going to continually amaze/bore you with more machine embroidery. This is my new obsession. I am going to monogram anything that doesn't move around here. Run, puppies, hide!

On the clearance table at Anna's Linens, I found dinner napkins for 49¢ each so I bought 20 of them, 10 in a light gold, 10 in burgundy. We redid our dining room last year and have decorated in those colors so they'll be great for entertaining.

before

after

Here they are with a couple of napkins rings on them. The silver ones we bought in Acapulco and they're a little tarnished. Something else to put on my To Do list.

I also embroidered some dishtowels for the Youngest Daughter ...

The hoop marks you can see will wash out. There are so many projects rolling around in my head right now, I don't know where to start. My poor knitting is feeling very abandoned. Think I'd better work on my Dynamic Cardi and watch me some Lifetime. 

Speaking of which, I watched a TV movie this past weekend called "Two Weeks" starring Sally Field. Absolutely tragic and sadly funny and I cried through half of it. Sally is a mother dying of cancer and her four adult children come to be with her (and the stepfather none of them really knows) for the end. Lots of family drama amongst the siblings and working out of long-time issues.

Her intestines have clogged up and she throws up anything she eats so she's on an IV for nutrition. In one scene, the family is gathered around the dinner table eating ribs, actually enjoying themselves a tiny bit, laughing, chatting. She comes out of her bedroom, rolling her IV, and when she enters the dining room, they all just freeze, looking very guilty. She says she wants a rib and they debate it for a second, but the daughter has read a book on dying and mentions that she can chew the food but not swallow it. So they make room for her at the table and she takes a big bite of a rib and she's chewing and moaning over how good it tastes. Everyone is quietly watching her and then she hocks it out onto the plate in front of her. Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to describe the atmosphere. One of her sons takes a big bite of something, chews and spits it out. Then they're all doing it. Sounds weird, but it was touching and lovely.

Anyway, if you're up for a good cry, this was a heartwarming movie. Very well done.

For the Love of Glitter Glue

Linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday ...

I've been handmaking greeting cards for all occasions for the last few months and wanting to expand on my simple cut and paste techniques. I picked up a set of inexpensive watercolor pencils recently ($5.99 at JoAnn) and started playing.

I used a black ink pad to stamp a bunch of images on a sheet of card stock (that I had already punched some tags out of) ... birds, butterflies, dragonflies and flowers. I felt like a little kid again, coloring the pictures with my new pencils!

They changed somewhat after painting over them with a dampened paintbrush ...

But the real magic happened when I embellished with clear glitter glue ...

There was more magic when Hubby started making pina coladas -- God, I love a man who can work a blender!

I completed two birthday cards that I am quite happy with. Hopefully, the recipients will be as well ...

Knittin', Honey

I'm linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday ...

Been working away on my Dynamic Cardi. I really like the feel of the Patons Grace mercerized cotton yarn. It's so light weight; I cannot wait to wear this cute little sweater!

I finally had a chance to go button shopping. Because of the spicy tan color of this yarn, I knew I wanted buttons that had a coppery feel. Found just the thing at Jo-Ann's. They're Belle Buttons by Dritz, made in Germany, and cost $11.00 for 6 (I need 5). They have a bit of a hammered metal look to them and the color matches perfectly, which is exactly what I was hoping for ...

I know I said I wouldn't do any other knitting while I was making my sweater, but I just couldn't help myself. I modified the funky footsies pattern to make some anklet socks for Hubby -- shortened the cuff, added length to the foot and left off the girly fun fur. He wears them at his desk in our home office and while watching TV in the evenings ...

And I needed birthday gifts for a couple of other sweet men in my life this month so ...

... I'm just knittin', honey!

A Pina Colada Kind of Weekend

I'm linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday

Father's Day weekend ... was just one big party. Good food, good times, good pina coladas. Hubby manned the blender, playing with all the different buttons ... puree, whip, liquify. Here's what he came up with as the ultimate pina colada ...

Pina Coladas

Pineapple Juice
Crushed Pineapple
Coconut Cream
Rum
Crushed Ice

We chilled everything in advance in the fridge (the cans of juice and crushed pineapple and the bottle of rum) except the Coconut Cream (it gets too thick to pour) ...

Put about 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple in the blender, add 4 ounces of pineapple juice, 4 ounces of rum,  3 ounces of coconut cream and 2 cups of crushed ice.

Blend Pour Sip Smile! 

Saturday dinner ...

Bacon Wrapped Boursin Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Spray olive oil
2 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
Boursin Light cheese spread
Fresh baby spinach leaves
3 slices bacon

If you've never tried Boursin cheese, you are missing out. We like to serve this savory cheese spread with crackers and grapes as an appetizer. It is loaded with herbs and garlic and oh so tasty!

Preheat oven to 350˚ and spray your baking dish with olive oil. Butterfly chicken breasts open, season with salt and pepper, spread half of the Boursin on each breast.

Layer with baby spinach and fold chicken breasts closed. Cut bacon strips in half and wrap 3 half strips around each breast.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. The blend of bacon and Boursin is ridiculously good!

And dessert ...

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies. Tiffanee over at One Crazy Cookie has so many wonderful recipes to share. Please stop by her fragrant kitchen and tell her I said "Hi!"


People, this was only Saturday. Sunday (Father's Day) included a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, hash browns, beans and tortillas, pool-side lounging and swimming and more pina coladas, BBQ rib eye steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and more brownies.

Decadent, fun.

Happy Father's Day, my love.

Now get me to the treadmill!!!

Pine Nut Stuffed Chicken Breasts for Martha Monday

I'm linking up with Heaven is a Bookstore for Martha Monday

This is another one of those "Chopped" Mystery Box type dinners where I had a couple of chicken breasts and decided to stuff them with ... stuff ... whatever was handy and needed to be used.

I've had a package of pine nuts in the cupboard -- I'm not even sure what I originally bought them for, but I decided it was time to use them. So I threw 1/4 cup of them dry in a small skillet and toasted them over medium heat just until they started turning golden brown and I could smell the beautiful fragrance. Just be sure to periodically swirl them around so they don't burn.

I also had a good-sized container of baby spinach that we've been sneaking into sandwiches and salads to get our greens. This sounded good. And we almost always have a big bag of grated Colby Jack cheese so ...

First, I butterflied 2 chicken breasts open, salted and peppered them, then covered with grated cheese and toasted pine nuts ...

Layered on some fresh baby spinach leaves ...

Folded them in half and secured the open edge with 2 crossed toothpicks.

I baked them for 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a glass baking dish that I had sprayed with oil and covered with aluminum foil. I pulled the foil off for the last 10 minutes to allow some browning and spooned some of the juice and melted cheese over the top when plating.

My favorite part of this dish was the toasted pine nuts. They were so tasty! And we served them with our new favorite ... roasted broccoli. You can't beat healthy and delicious!!!

Card Making for Martha Monday

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I pulled a bunch of scrapbooking supplies out last week and covered my kitchen island from one end to the other. Thought I'd play and make some greeting cards. Hubby walked in to the kitchen and said, "Oh my God, what are you doing?" Yeah, it was kind of a mess ...

Made an anniversary card for some friends and a few birthday cards. I am a novice scrapbooker, but still I was happy with the results ...

You know what "they" say ... practice makes perfect. I'm just going to have to keep at it. Fun stuff!