Moist and Delicious Banana Bread....

Good Thursday afternoon!

I spent my late morning/early afternoon baking banana bread and thought I'd share my recipe with all of you. It's a big hit around here and doesn't last very long at all!

Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter *
2 bananas
5 tablespoons milk

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Beat the egg slightly and mix into creamed mixture with the bananas. Add sifted dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in milk. Spread batter into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

*Unless otherwise noted, I use salted butter in all of my recipes because we prefer the taste.*

I hope you give it a try and come back and let me know what you think!

Many Blessings,
M.

Past Creations.....

Good afternoon!

I've been working on a scrapbook page this afternoon but it doesn't look like I'll get it done in time to post today. More often than not, if I force myself to create something I end up not liking the project and that's the last thing I want to do with a scrapbook page! So instead, I'm featuring a few of my past creations for St. Patrick's Day......enjoy!

Treat Holder and Small Basket Closed 2008

Treat Holder and Small Basket Open 2008

Door Hanger Treat Holder with Candy 2008

Small Box and Card 2009

Many Blessings,
M.

Too Early?

Hi all!

In hopes of being inspired to create something for the sale blog for St. Patrick's Day, I pulled out the couple of things I have for the holiday. Do you think it's too early? I hope not! I've seen all kinds of things in the stores for it already and while green is not a color I would normally use in my decorating, I do like the little touch of springtime color. It reminds me that winter is on its way out and spring is on its way in....

I have no doubt that the green candy you see in here will be gone by the end of the week because I have a husband who LOVES Peanut M&M's! Once they are gone, I thought it would be cute to replace them with Rolos....kind of like the pot of gold at the end of rainbow!

My other piece is this lantern from Home Interior from a few years ago. It's hard to tell, but there's a candle burning on the inside of it. I love the soft glow it gives off in the evening time hours....

I think I'd like to make some kind of banner that I can use year after year and I promised a friend I would make one for her as well. I can't decide what it should say.....here are the ideas I've been kicking around:

1. Good Luck!
2. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
3. Erin Go Bragh!

What do you think?

Many Blessings,
M.

Monday....

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Wishing you a fantastic new week....

Many Blessings,
M.

Before and Afters Day Four.....

Hi all!

Today I'm showing the outside of the house. It's amazing what a little clean up and paint can do isn't it?

House Before Purchase

House During Prep

House After Paint

House with Welcoming Red Door

This has been a lot of fun! I hope that you will be encouraged to take the leap and make something less than perfect into a retreat for you and your families. I'd love to see some of your before and afters as well so be sure to post them in the comment section of this post so I can visit!

Many Blessings,
M.

Before and Afters Day Three.....

Good morning!

It's a busy day as I have a class this afternoon. I'll be sure to post the cards that we make here early next week but for now, it's day three of the before and after shots of our home....

The most memorable part of looking at the house the first time was the smell....it was awful. I would breathe through my mouth while covering part of it for fear that a bug would fly in! I finally started carrying room spray with me when we would come over and walk through it. It was only after we finally got the house that I found part of the culprit of the smell....a rotting onion in a kitchen cabinet. It was an experience I'd rather not have to re-live again!

Unfortunately, we were left with a lot of garbage from the previous owners so clean up was a huge job. Here is the state the kitchen was left in....

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Left After

Kitchen Right After

I just snapped these pictures last night and had to take two because I chose the world's biggest refrigerator when we moved in. But in my defense, it didn't look that big in the store! While the kitchen has not been remodeled we do have plans to do so eventually. I find myself in there a lot these days as I do more cooking and baking and can't help but think of the other women before me that stood in the same place. I can imagine the original owner smiling as she prepared a meal for her family in her brand new kitchen in 1956....and that makes me smile too....even when I'm hand washing my dishes!

Have a good day!

Many Blessings,
M.

Before and Afters Day Two....

Before we moved, I went through all of our belongings and purged what was no longer used and/or needed. Goodness knows that when you live in a space that's technically just under 800 square feet, you have to pay attention to what comes in and out!

I tend to keep knick knacks and such at bay because they can quickly get out of control. I opt for things that I believe are beautiful and functional at the same time and it's proven to be a smart strategy for us. While our home isn't always picture perfect, we are almost always company ready because of the lack of clutter....

Living Room facing Hall Before

Living Room facing Hall After

This is kind of fun! What kinds of things do you do to keep clutter under control?

Many Blessings,
M.