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Posts Tagged ‘Shanna Hatfield’

The Baby

Posted in Musings, tagged , , , on March 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’m conflicted.

Really, I am.

You know those ads in magazines that show some odd looking doll that you know some old lady faithfully collects with her limited pension funds? The ones that sometimes look creepy and strange and you wouldn’t want to have in your home because you are pretty sure in the dark of night you’d wake up and find it staring at you?

I hate to admit it, but one of those dolls just completely captured my attention. Does that mean I’m turning into a weird old lady who’ll begin a freaky doll collection? Aaccckkk! I hope not.

But you’ve got to see this doll.

Doesn’t it look like a real-live baby?

From the Ashton-Drake Galleries, this doll is one of their “So Truly Real” collection, made by artist Linda Murray.

This sweet little thing, from her chubby pink cheeks and dark hair to her adorable little fingers, is 22 inches of life-like baby.

For someone who would rather cuddle a baby than eat chocolate (up until said baby cries, needs changed and wants fed), this seems like an ideal solution.

But then that makes me one of those deranged old people with questionable behavior.

See where I am conflicted?

Here is the part of the doll that is really throwing me for a loop. It is “interactive” and once you insert the batteries, you place your finger in the doll’s tiny little hand like this:

And then the doll does this:

Oh. My. Gracious.

And look at these tiny little life-like fingers, right down to the fingernails.

I bet the doll even has that sweet baby smell.

The best course of action at this point is to forget I ever saw this.

Yep.

That’s what I’ll do.

She Who May Be in Love with This Doll

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Spring Green Color Scheme

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Home and Garden, Home Decor, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’ve noticed a lot of attention is being paid to shades of green lately.

Perhaps everyone is as ready for spring as I am and by turning to the colors of grass, flower stems and budding leaves, it is our way of rushing the season.

Whatever the reason, you can have a lot of fun with the many shades of green. From dark, rich greens to soft sage hues, incorporate a little green into your home entertaining and see if it doesn’t make you feel a little more like spring has arrived.

If you have mostly neutral tones in your decor, bring in a pop of green color with a throw or accent pillow. You can even accomplish this with something as simple as buying a spool of bright green ribbon and tying a bow around a neutral pillow. A simple way to recover a pillow for a dollar or two is to purchase a piece of inexpensive fabric and wrap the pillow in the new material like you would fold an envelope with the points meeting in the center. Gather the points and tie into a knot for an unusual statement.

Go for an elegant yet playful look mixing greens with white or cream. It is so gorgeous and easy to do. Make a green runner out of ribbon, organza or felt, line with cream or white containers (like small dishes, votive cups or flat dishes) and stack on an assortment of white and green candles.

Green and white flowers are a huge hit. Think white tulips or pale daffodils for instant spring impact.

However you decide to mix in a little green, have fun with it!

She Who Loves Green!

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A Monday List

Posted in Captain Cavedweller, Musings, tagged , , , , on March 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It’s Monday.

It’s raining.

The weekend flew by way too fast and due to that fact, all I’ve got for you is a list of all the reasons why I feel completely discombobulated today.

1. Captain Cavedweller’s Mom called yesterday morning and left a message that his uncle had been mugged. By the time we returned her call after church and then waited for her to get home and call us back the panic had subsided and he was on his way home from the hospital. Remind me to not move to the town where he lives in Arkansas.

2. I put on my armor of long-sleeved sweatshirt, heavy jeans and elbow-length leather gloves to do battle with my rose bushes Saturday.  Due to multiple scratches, puncture wounds and one thorn still embedded in my finger, I think they came out ahead.  I look like I “wrastled a bobcat,” as my grandpa would have said, and lost.

3. CC turned into a slave-driving maniac and made me help him dig up all 973 bricks that line our backyard flower beds. We are getting ready to have our entire septic system and drain field replaced and anything we want to save had to be piled somewhere safe until the work is finished. I’ll share more on this awful project soon.

4. I made two new recipes this weekend. One involved tender beef, waffle fries and sour cream. The other involved bananas, cream and more cream. Both were a hit although my arteries are feeling a bit sluggish. I’ll post the recipes in a week or so.

5. Dirt clods exploding approximately 3.7 inches from where one obnoxious cat is doing something he ought not be doing causes said cat to jump approximately 3.7 feet into the air and run for cover. Not that I know about these things first hand.

Hoping you all have a great Monday!

She Who Needs One More Day of Weekend

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Gnocchi and Cheese

Posted in Easy Recipes, Entertaining Ideas, Fast Recipes, Recipes, Sides, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2012| 1 Comment »

The other day I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Gnocchi Mac N’ Cheese.

I thought it looked divine. Captain Cavedweller turned up his nose at it. He doesn’t like Mac N’ Cheese.

So of course I decided to make it anyway. I tweaked the recipe , which originated from Cuisine at Home, and came up with a dish that both of us really liked. As in we ate way to much of it. As in couldn’t stop taking one more bite. As in really good.

It was really simple to make and didn’t take long either, always a plus in my book.

Enjoy!

Ingredients for Gnocchi. You can use whatever assortment of cheese you like - this is what I had on hand.

 

Start your sauce by melting butter in a heavy saucepan, then adding flour. Stir until it gets thick and bubbly. Add in milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken. Then add in cheese.

 

Cook your Gnocchi according to package directions, drain, and place into a shallow baking dish.

 

Top Gnocchi with sauce.

 

Sprinkle Gnocchi with cheese and bake at 375 until golden brown and Gnocchi puffs up - about 20 minutes.

 

Restrain yourself and let Gnocchi rest for a few minutes before serving.

Gnocchi and Cheese

1 pound gnocchi

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup grated Myzithra Cheese

1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

salt

1/3 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single layer on a shallow baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir until it thickens and bubbles. Continue to whisk, adding in milk and cook until it begins to thicken. Add in cheese and salt to taste. Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkled with Romano cheese over top. Bake about 20 minutes or until gnocchi puff up and cheese turns a delicious golden brown. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

*Note – you can use any assortment of cheeses like Fontina, Parmesan, Feta – whatever floats your boat.

She Who Liked This Way Too Much

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