Thursday, April 28, 2011

Photography and Pink Roses

Have you visited the blog, A Rosy Note?  This week, Tricia is hosting her third  Photo Feature Friday.  Today's challenge is pink.  Lucky for me, I was able to pick a bouquet of  pink roses to photograph.  I must admit, you can never go wrong with photographing antique pink roses!  Plus, the photography gods must have been looking down on me, as the sunlight was just perfect!  I just love this photo...




Using Picnik, I tried an effect called "cross process".  Doesn't it remind you of Anthropologie ads?...




And because I just love these beautiful pink roses so much, I'll leave you with one last photo...




Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I'm Stuffed!

My stomach is so full right now!  I just finished  cooking and eating the Pioneer Woman's shrimp scampi.  It was delicious and very quick and easy too.  Most importantly, it was given 5 stars by the younger residents at Love and Life at Leadora, so this recipe is a real keeper.

And, I must say, it was a million times better than one of these...



Yes, my Welsh terrier is insisting that we have one of these for dinner.  In fact, for the past two nights, she has brought one to the backdoor.  Yuck!  Tonight, she will be going out on a leash!!  No possum stew or soup for us...and, yes, there really are recipes for cooking possums!



Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Easter Bunny is Long Gone....

The Easter bunny is long gone, but I just had to show you a last minute Easter decoration.  I was going to save it for next year, but when I put things away, I have a tendency to lose them...I'm sure most of you can relate...  I'm still trying to find Christmas gifts from years ago!  Anyway, when I saw these peat pot Easter baskets at Musings from Kim K., I just knew I had to make them.  If you haven't already, you must visit Kim's blog!  She is the queen of crafting!  Here's my version of her delightful peat pot Easter baskets...

I didn't have much time to make them, and,thank goodness, they sure were super easy.  I simply bought peat pots at Big Lots, gave them a swipe of pink paint, decoupaged a graphic from The Graphics Fairy, and then sprinkled on the glitter.  Here are my easter basket peat pots sitting on the table...


Hope you had a wonderful Easter!  Special thanks to Kim K. for inspiring me to make this quick and easy Easter decoration!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny Rabbit

Well, hello!  It seems as though it is nearly impossible for me to be a blogger, wife, mother and substitute teacher!!  I've spent the past week substituting in a third grade classroom, and even though I have enjoyed it,  I have  had little energy to do anything else.  However, with Easter coming so very soon, I knew I had to share with you my favorite Mr. and Mrs. Bunny.




Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, born and raised at Costco, reside on the side table at Love and Life at Leadora.  They are surrounded by artificial cabbages from the Dollar Store, moss, artificial flowers, eggs, and butterflies...



Tomorrow is the last day of my assignment, so next week I hope to be back full time in the land of blogging.  Although I have not been posting much, I have really enjoyed visiting all your blogs and being inspired by everything you do!  Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Spring Has Sprung in my Corner Cabinet!


Spring has sprung in my corner cabinet here at Love and Life at Leadora!  On the top shelf is one of my favorite Easter rabbits.  He was purchased at Pic N'Save many years ago.  Do you remember Pic N'Save before it became Big Lots?  I used to love to buy seasonal decor from Pic N'Save.  Sadly, Big Lots just isn't the same!  Anyway, how's your spring decorating coming along?



Stuff and Nonsense

Monday, April 11, 2011

Decorating Dilemma Solved!

The wall above the bed had been looking rather bare...


At first, I thought perhaps some art work.  I brought home a  large black and white framed photo from Home Goods and tried to convince myself that it looked good, but it didn't.  I thought of taking a photo to Costco and having it enlarged on canvas, but that really didn't thrill me either.  And then, one day, while visiting blogland, I saw plates and knew that I had solved my dilemma!


I dashed off to Home Goods and purchased the platter, and the three plates above.  The two pierced plates I already had, and I even had the plate hangers too!


Oh yes!  Another decorating dilemma solved.  Now I must start on those decorative pillows.  My bed is simply crying out for some blue!


I joined Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style.





Stuff and Nonsense

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Hello!  We are on spring break here at Love and Life at Leadora!  I wish I had a fabulous project to show you, but, alas, I do not.  MacGyver husband is on a business trip, and so, it is just me and the kids and...


Yes, I've been spending a lot of time listening to Rod Stewart's "American Classics" while cleaning, cleaning and and doing more cleaning!   It is my mission this week to clean and organize the upstairs tv room/ kids' playroom as well as clean and organize some other closets downstairs.   However,  my youngest daughter and I did manage to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to go to a sale at Tuesday Morning so that I could buy this towel rack for the new bathroom.


Now it's back to cleaning!  Hope you're enjoying spring too!

Friday, April 1, 2011

A Sweet Treat



Lucky us.  The other day, MacGyver husband came home with a big box of locally grown strawberries.   The strawberries are long gone, but I still wanted to share a piece of homemade poundcake with you!

Have any of you seen Martha Stewart's new show, Martha Bakes?  It is a must see for anyone who enjoys baking!  Anyway, she featured this poundcake recipe on her show, and I knew right away that it would be delicious with the fresh strawberries. Be forewarned, this recipe produces a huge cake, but it is quite tasty!

Speaking of Martha, during a conversation with my mom the other day, the question came up "Where would we be without Martha?"  As I was pondering the answer, I realized that my home is filled with many Martha Stewart items, such as plates, books,magazines, recipes, towels, crafting tools, and much more... which made me consider that perhaps I should start a weekly post of "Where Would I Be Without Martha?".  She is quite an amazing woman, don't you think?