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The Spring Mantel, Birds and Bunnies

When it comes to spring I like to pull out all my bird related items that have been hibernating all winter.  It's so beautiful this afternoon that I've thrown open the windows and doors and have been listening to all the birds chirping outside. 

yes..truely all the birds that visit our yard are a gift as I enjoy watching them flutter about.

Another favorite of mine are bunnies...the last two times we have taken out dogs on the "nature walk"...we have seen the rabbits and my Jack Russel goes nuts...our Minnie {the Chihuahua} is going blind so she doesn't see them when they run away.   These little ceramic bunnies are so cute in their "springy colors"  The eggs are small candles with the same colors...

The spring sign I made a long time ago...

I  never tire of it...the small crochet flower was in my scrapbook stash, I have no idea where it came from I just added the rhinestone.

Here is the fireplace, you can see the wood in our mop bucket awaiting another season of winter. Over to the right you can see  a corner of our window bench.  We would like to replace the louvered windows, I am not a fan of them.

 

From our Spring Table to yours..

Here is our Easter tablescape all ready for the good food to come........

I used a variety of things that were handed down from my mother and grandmother and some things I've had for several years.  The antique silverware was my Mothers' Mother and I use it for Christmas and Easter dinners.  The linen napkins were my mothers and I must say this is the first time I've used them and I have had them forever.  The plates I bought years ago from Homegoods...I wish I bought the whole set..but then again I like a mix and match table. The cloche has a little nest with my robin eggs from Homegoods too, I have had those for several years.  The mason jar wine glassess are new from Sam's Club that I got in December.  I think I'd like to get rattan chargers or maybe some silver ones to step it up a bit...don't know yet. I see them at the Goodwill from time to time but the Goodwill as gotten expensive.  I think rattan will give it a more rustic look that I like.

 These cute little ceramic baskets are new from my local grocery store, they were like $2.00 a piece...not bad.  I used some moss, added the Truffle Eggs from Willams- Sonoma and added the glittered ribbons for some sparkle.

The runner, which is actually kitchen towels from Willams-Sonoma a few years ago.  From our table to yours...wishing you and your family a Happy Easter !!!!

The BEST Carrot Cake with Truffle Eggs

Each Easter I make a Carrot Cake for our dinner.  I've been making this carrot cake for at least 15 years.  My neighbor {at the house I grew up in} made it when we lived there and shared her recipe with me.  It was so tasty and moist that I  never tried any other recipes.  I started adding the Chow Mein nests a few years ago for a decorative touch.  I like using the semi-sweet chocolate morsels for the nest best with the truffle-filled eggs from Williams-Sonoma.  I buy them after Easter when they go on sale and have them for the following year to put in my nest, I'm cheap like that, they look the same and taste great.  I also like to put them in my nest that is shown in the link that I bought a long time ago.

 ~~~~~~~~~Carrot Cake with Truffle-Filled Eggs in Chocolate Nest~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I use a bundt cake sometims so the nest fits inside the whole.  But on this cake is your regular cake pan with three layers.  I like that one too because you can a good helping of the creamcheese frosting.  My favorite frosting...

Carrot Cake

Ingredients;
2 Cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 cups of grated carrots
1 20oz. of crushed pineapple
2 cups of sugar
2 cubes of soft butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:  Sift dry ingredients together, set aside.
Mix sugar, butterr well.  Add eggs Mix in pineapple, add dry ingredients.  Stir in carrots and nuts.  Pour in pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until fork comes clean.  cool.  Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosting;  8 oz. softened cream cheese,
1 cube of butter, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 box of powdered sugar

Blend well the above ingredients...frost on cool cake. 

 Note: you can also use a 9x13 inch pan. 

The Nest:   Candy Melts in white or chocolate or use the Nestle Semisweet chocolate and Chow Mein Noodles.  Melt chocolate in double boiler.  When melted add noodles and mix until covered. When it is a little cooler, form a nest and add some Truffle eggs, put on top of your cake. I think it would look neat on a bed of Green Coconut grass, which reminds me of my birthday cake my Mom made for me one year, my birthday was yesterday and most of the Easter and my birthday are at the same time, I found the picture...

Green coconut grass with jellybeans and yellow peeps....and you can see my cousin peeping under the cake.  Oh my this was an Easter to remember...

I decided to dress up as the Easter Bunny, I was about 13 or 14.  The costume doesn't get any more homemade that this.  My long underwear and cottonball tail.  I took a white showercap and a headband and made rabbit ears with more cottonballs and painted my face with wiskers.....It was so fun and look at my cousin's face.....I think I actually was hopping in the bushes.

Hopping to show you my Spring Tablescape soon...but wanted to repost this recipe so you can gather your ingredients before Sunday if you decide to make it..it won't dissapoint.

 

 

First Day of Spring

Looking forward to the Hummingbirds visiting our Cottage with the changing of the season. 

I'm also enjoying my trips to the local nursery and refreshing my planters and replanting some of my pots.

 

Wee bit of Irish

When my girls were wee little folk I started the traditon of the "visit of the Leprechaun"....When they woke up in the morning of March 17th they would find "leprechaun kisses" {shamrock stickers} all over their faces, arms and legs.  They always had the most puzzling face looking at them and wondering how they got there.  Then when they came into the kitchen for their cereal they would find that the leprechaun turned their milk green.

and most of the time we had on hand a box of Lucky Charms to go with it...

Which led promptly to the search of the hidden "Pot of Gold".  When they were little we had green foods for dinner but as they got older, the menu changed to a bit of a more Traditional Irish Dinner and last year the Leprechaun failed to visit....OH MY!....the protest and complaints I got from them.  OK..let me just say they are going on 13 and almost 15!  I guess we never ever really want to grow up..I don't blame them. You can check out past posts here {the best Crock Pot Corned Beef} and here {over the Rainbow Cake} and here . So I hear the Leprechaun has again been spotted on these parts..wink, wink...ya never know. 

I'll be making my Crock Pot Corned Beef with Carrots and Potatoes again this year.  Recipe in the link above or over to the left on the sidebar under Recipes.  I've also been checking on my Pinterest board for some ideas...

this looks good too...Apricot-glazed Corned Beef....with Sauteed Potatoes

and making these would be so simple...Lucky Charm Cupcakes.....or

Making your own homemade Shamrock Shake with some vanilla ice cream, milk and mint extract and green food coloring and a sprinkle of shamrock on top of whipped cream, recipe found here.  Speaking of "green" I found that picture of me...

As the Wicked Witch of the West with my "homies" from school....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Teenager in the HOUSE!

Yep...my Li'l One is NOT so li'l anymore she is 13!!  Oh boy! Here we go. 

taking pictures with cell phones, instagraming, kiking {teenagers ap for texting each other}

yes..this girl is all TEENAGER.....

Oh course she was begging for the iphone for her birthday but......

at her Music Programs' dinner dance she "begged" for me to bid on this cruiser, she had to have it!  Well Happy Birthday Girl !  You just won your bike!  It was time for a new bike, she out grew her old bike and this one fits her just perfect!  I can't believe how grown up she looks in this picture....

 

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

                               {image from my Pinterest board}

Happy Chinese New Year!   It is the year of the Snake...while searching for images on the web lots of snake eyes were peering at me.  I get the ibee jebees looking at Snakes.  I thought the image above was so colorful and pretty. Those cupcakes look like a work of art, I don't know if I could eat one...oh who am I kidding I love cupcakes!  Well I won't be making any cupcakes for our dinner tonight but I'll be making a Shoyu Seasame Chicken, White Sticky Rice and stir-fry veggies with Fortune cookies.   Do you celebrate Chinese New Year?  What is on your menu and what are some of your traditions?  You can see here , here, here and here....how we have celebrated in our home in the past.  We {not Mr. Incredible so much} love to eat Chinese Food and it gives me a great excuse to put in on the menu.  Well, I'm off to break out my wok.

 

 

Christmas Highlights

Our Santa Claus themed Tree...

Lots of beautiful lights take shape on this Colonial home...


Inflatables galore at this house...

Loved ALL the White lights on this house....soooo pretty..I love driving around looking at all the lights on the houses...we hit our local Starbucks loaded up on Lattes and drove around one night....enjoying the sights.

Gifts for the neighbors and friends of Chocolate-filled Oat bars and Peppermint Bark.

"Anthropologie-inspired" Gifts for some more friends and hosts of Christmas Parties....

My glittery, sparkly house.....in icy blue.....

Another picture that my Li'l One took of the Mantle...She said, "she really liked how this one came together this year"...I have to agree with her. 

 

 

the inside of Roger's Gardens 2012

Is this not a gorgeous mantel....I love all the woodwork detailing on it.  I'm so sorry the pictures are going to be a bit dark, most of the inside is not near  windows to capture the light while I was taking pictures.

I really would of liked to take home this chippy boat full of shells to put some plants in it and have it on my porch or maybe a vintage-looking Santa inside with a boatload of gifts under the our tree. 

Speaking of trees at Roger's Gardens, each tree is in a room with a theme.  They have several room and several trees.  As always I'm always attracted to the glittery ones.....

or Under the Sea Ones..this tree was upside down {Madison has a Sealife tree in her room.maybe we should turn hers upside down this year...Hi ya Mary! 

This tree had a Toy Theme going on down to it's rusty toy cars at the bottom to the....

to the wooden toy boat at the top.  I LOVE that boat too...wouldn't it look great on my mantel?

Here is a Scandanavian tree with it's cute little knitted stockings with a paper garland and paper star at top...

I thought this was the cutest tree there!!!  It had the Woodsy Friends Theme going on with pinecones, mushrooms, feathers and nests...

This cute little Hedgehog wishing you a Happy Winter...

glamed and glittered up birdhouse made out of birch bark {my favorite kind of tree}...I loved this tree the best!

Owls are really popular these days as you can see some on the table for purchase to add to the outdoor decor along with some spotty mushrooms ornaments, they were super cute.

Would this not be great for a Travel birthday themed party.....or a going away party...Hot Air Balloons suspended from the ceiling...

All kinds of different lanterns also hanging from the rafters in another room. I love going to this "one of kind shop", the stylists are so wonderfully creative and I gleam so many ideas that I can take and incorporate into my own home.  Sometimes I manage to bring home a trinket or two....remember this post?

 

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The Coastal Christmas Mantel 2012

The Coastal Christmas Mantel 2012

Last Year I attempted to create a Coastal Christmas Mantel but it did come together like I was hoping, but this year it seemed to flow a lot better with the beach theme. Lots of burlap, shells, variety of blues, nautical rope, some greenery and a bit of sparkle was this year's recipe to create the coastal Christmas I was after.

I did not use a wreath like last year but used the topiaries from Trader Joe's and my German Glass glittered "Merry Christmas" instead...

yes..don't look at my dirty fireplace...it was clean the week before..but I did not clean it up to take pictures..yep I'll never hear Country Living knocking at my door to photoshoot homes for their magazine. The stockings I bought the last couple of years from the etsy shop Bella Inspirations.  They are HUGE and so very well made.  Super happy with them.

I got the two white glittery Santas at Roger's Gardens this year..they were very reasonbly priced at 12.00 a piece. 

With my pearly lighted garland that I have had forever...probably 20 years ago from a Speigal Catalog..do they still exist?  My favorite chunky candlestick holders, one in white with beading used as a pedastal for my aqua mason jars and the other two in Mercury glass from Kohls I bought several years ago 70% off  at the after Christmas Sale. The coastal tidbits I added to the mantel such as; the nautical rope ribbon intertwined with the garland, pencil/ knobby seastars and sand dollars plucked from around the house, some lantern ornaments on clearence from Target last year, the seashell frames with pictures of the girls to mark their stockings, the aqua mason jar with candles, burlap wrapped topiares and my Wendy Addison German glass "Merry Christmas"...that I've changed around every year since I bought it.  Sometimes it's on the tree, sometimes it's hanging in a frame, but this year it is taking center stage on our Coastal Christmas Mantel hanging from out shabby blue shutters that are always up on the matel from season to season. 

 Now head on over to The Lettered Cottage Mantel Linky Party for some holiday mantel inspiration. I'll be linking up and partying over there too..