banners, buntings, and garlands

I love banners, buntings, and garlands and I have been seeing them everywhere lately. (click on the photos to see the owners)

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Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 ounces cream cheese, cut in cubes
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Whole eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter, hot, about 175°
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup blueberries
• paper muffin cup liners
Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°. Line the cups of a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir well; set aside. Using metal blade in food processor, process cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla in food processor until smooth. Add eggs and process 15 seconds. Scrape down side of container with a spatula. With processor running, pour hot melted butter through food chute gradually, but within 10 seconds. Process another 10 seconds. Add milk and process 5 seconds. Add dry ingredients to container and mix with 4 to 6 half-second pulses. Add blueberries and fold in with a spoon. Pour an equal amount of batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes.
Makes 12 muffins.

For more Wednesday recipes, go here.

Joy St. Claire Photography is offering a free wallpaper that is spring divine.

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weekend walking…

My husband and I went for a walk on the beach and cute little guy came to say hello. I could not get a great shot because he kept moving, so it is a little blurry.

my BSM…..

Also, do not forget to tell us about what inspires you here. You have a chance to win a $40 gift certificate to Silverlime.

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SOOC Saturday

Redoubt erupted again today. This is not my greatest shot ever but I love seeing the volcano looking over our seemingly normal little town.

For more SOOC Saturday check out Slurping Life.

Also, do not forget to tell us about what inspires you here. You have a chance to win a $40 gift certificate to Silverlime.

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simply grow it–martha stewart

When I lived in Wyoming we owned our own home with one acre of land and we always had a very large garden. I could spend hours in my vegetable and flower gardens. I loved my yard, loved fresh vegetables and loved nurturing my family in ways I could not even comprehend. There is something about planting, growing and feeding your family that makes you feel industrious.

I was just chatting with Jackie over at Smoothpebble about this very thing. She is making laundry soap and she is very excited about it, she asked if it was silly. I completely understand why it makes her so excited. We live in a consumer driven world, blah, blah, I know, but it is true. Our great-grandmothers would be rolling in their graves if they seen how easy we have it.

I think things like sewing, hand made crafting, gardening, and soap making are dying in our homes. It is sad really because it is so rewarding when we take the time to do it. Now I will get off my soap box. =]

I watch Martha Stewart faithfully, I even record it. The other day she made a salad table that allows you to grow salad greens and herbs on your porch. They even made a salad box that you can just put in a small space. I called my husband right away and told him he was making me one. I am so excited to grow things again.

What do you do with your hands to create and nurture yourself and others? I am really interested so please do share even if it is a goal that you would like to do in the future.

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Weekend Photography–BSM

This weekend I shot the volcano but we decided to go to the local cannery and ask if I could get some shots of the eagles, there were hundreds. They were really nice and let us come by the big NO TRESPASSING sign.

This one was my best shot and I am declaring it my BSM!

Do you think I can count him as one of my 100 strangers shot? I am getting braver, I was closer!

In Alaska when you start to see seagulls it means it is spring. There is ice chunks the size of Volkswagens, snow on the ground, no green other than spruce tress but still it is a sign of spring.

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simply senses–five senses friday–a day late.

Sight
This week we have been doing nothing but volcano watching. If we are not down there watching it we are on the internet reading the reports and watching squiggly lines. I am a proficient squiggly line reader, I bet you did not know that about me.

Last night about 11:20pm the volcano was going off and there was flames and lightening lighting up the sky. I was not fast enough to get these shots but the shot below and others of this eruption are available here.

Sound
My daughter went with her friend to Arizona over spring break for a week and the house was so quiet. She came home and now the house is filled with noise. Her begging me to let her do something, her screaming at her dad to stop teasing her, her laughing, even her hour long showers are making noise. Man, it is great to have her back.

Smell
I have a certifiable sensitive sniffer, seriously! This is gene I have handed down to my children and it drives him nutty. I was telling him last night that I can smell the volcano, that I can actually tell when it has erupted without looking at the site or being down on the beach watching it. It smells like fireworks, kind of. My daughter got up this morning and was eating cereal at the table and I let the dogs out and the smell swept in and she says, “What is that smell?” I just have to smile and it fills me with pride.

Taste
I love Benihana’s Yakisoba but I can’t afford to go there weekly to have it. I have been researching this week and making it at home. I think I have almost got it. It might not taste exactly like theirs but it will be close and have my signature on it. Maybe I will share my recipe this week.

Touch
I have been holding my camera a lot lately. I shoot a Canon 50D, it is quite large compared to the XT I used to shoot with. Weeks like this I miss my little comfortable camera but the images are so much better with the 50D so I deal with it.

To read other post on FSF go to ***abbytryagain***

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simply polaroid

photo by elusive

photo by Gossip

photo by Matt?!

photo by Shelby Nycole

photo by jen gotch

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simply spring–flickr inspiration

I have been inspired by all the spring photos on flickr. I even went back through my old favorites to revisit old faves.

photo by steph parke

photo by rained out

photo by angela

photo by Lauren

photo by ly wylde

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simply fabric

I am sorry but I have to share the new ones with you. I have been doing fabric banners now. I love them. I could decorate every room with these. I see them and just smile. It does not take much to make me smile I admit. =]

the final note
_________________________________________________________
~ This hat made me chuckle a little.
~ This photo is what my dreams are made of.
~ Her words always make me think, smile, or giggle.

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