Not the dress type

It's my nephew's birthday today and Beli is not very happy about wearing a dress to the party!

We comprised and she wore the dress for a few minutes,

 then it was back to pants and a shirt!

I guess I don't blame her. She would rather be wearing something comfortable.. just like her Mama!

Happy 4th Birthday, Dominik! (he is the one on the left side, then David 3 yrs, and Beli 2yrs). They are the inseparable cousins. 

My older sister, (Dominik's mom) and me.
(no dresses for us either!)
So what about you? what's your style?

Decorating with milk glasses and a lemon tree

 I adore this idea of decorating with vintage milk glasses. I hope it brings a smile to your face!

 And to continue with more beautiful yellow items, I absolutely would love to have lemon tree in my future home!

(photos taken by me)

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Been busy with job interviews. 

Yey.

Things are brightening up.

 I feel so lucky so have a support group

 sending me positive vibes.

Thank you!

It's Vintage!

woke up to a foggy morning.

wishing for spring and everlasting flowers,

but for now, I will settle for this painting and 

photo via an apple a day.

a purse made with vintage fabric

 from Forestbound. 

I was reading the story behind the creator of these purses. She is a young entrepreneur who has been self-employed since college!

 You should check out her limited collection of bags made with salvaged farm grain sacks dating back to the early 1900's!

Little hearts~no words

 (disclaimer: photos are from Summer 2009.Split.Croatia)

A Berry Berry Cake

I hope to inspire you to create something healthy and yet delicious this San Valentin, el dia del amor y la amistad.

It all began with this pineapple,

then strawberries,

a French lemon yogurt cake,

 blueberries and coolwhip,

and finally, birthday candles!

Have a wonderful weekend~

A day trip, and you will need an umbrella

These are some photos I never got around to sharing with you from our last trip we took in December to the nearby town of Trogir in Croatia. You may remember the post I did about the charming staircases, what do you think about the sea view and these amazing clouds?

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Saturday we celebrated my Dad's birthday. My Mom put me in charge of baking the cake. In addition, I also baked cookies for the kids. My nephews enjoyed eating them after playing all day in the snow!

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday or Monday to my friends overseas!

Recipe:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts( optional)

1. preheat oven to 350F (175C)
2. beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla 
3. combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and stir into butter mixture till well blended.
4. bake 8-10 minutes

(makes about 2 1/2 dozen)

Asian Pesto~ Pesto Asiatico

I finally made the pesto! I really hope you will like it as much as I did. The fresh mint makes it refreshing, while the basil adds aroma and cilantro a citrus flavor.

photo via

But if you are not a fan of cilantro (you can read more about the food politics behind cilantro here) you can substitute it for parsley, that's what I did when I prepared it for my brother-in-law who has an allergy to cilantro.  The pesto makes a great condiment or spread on sandwiches. I refrigerated the  left-overs and I still tasted the  freshness after one week!

I used the pesto to marinade the chicken  I prepared for my parents.

While my parents enjoyed grilled chicken, I had a veggie burger. YUM!

photo via

• 1 cup of fresh basil
• 1 cup of fresh cilantro
• 1 cup of fresh mint
• 1/4 cup of olive oil ( I added the oil while blending and added until I had the desired consistency, and I'm sure it was more than 1/4 cup)
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 teaspoonful fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

I don't have a food processor, so I threw all the ingredients in the blender and added olive oil until I was satisfied with its consistency.

It's an easy recipe right? I'm curious to know, are you a  fan of cilantro or parsley?

 When I was dating hubby I always made Mexican rice (which has cilantro) and fresh salsa (which also has cilantro) it was until we married that Hubby told me he really didn't care for that particular herb! And when we lived in Croatia, it was rare to find cilantro/coriander so I prepared the rice with parsley (it doesn't have the same flavor). Funny thing, now that I'm back in the States I find myself leaning towards the parsley.

The year was 1954

My Dad likes to say he has two birth-Days, the actual day he was born, and the date that was written in his birth certificate, (one month later). I'm not sure how that happened, but I guess it was very common back then?  We tend to celebrate his actual birthdate, but once in a while we also celebrate the following month.Why not!  In this picture he is only 22 years old! Can you guess which is me? 

Feliz Cumpleanos, Tatis! 

Amo

grab a shovel and fight the winter blues

photo via

(P.S. thank you for your kind and sweet comments, I'm striving to think positive) 

As you know, Iowa doesn't get much sunshine during this time of year, so here are some simple things that I'm doing to avoid falling victim to the winter blues (SAD) .....

 (sorry, I can't remember the source to give credit for these ideas)

Eat less bread

something to do with a spike in sugar? Easier said than done!

Walk

Walk around the house, walk up the stairs, walk outside ...even if it is 10 -15 minutes, idea is to keep moving.  I will be out shoveling snow from my parents driveway, and all bundled up because it's cold!

Read

Read a favorite book, but stay away from the fashion magazines....they will only make you feel self-conscious... what do you think about this, true or false?

Create

Use your creativity, write a poem, cook up a favorite recipe ( I have a new recipe to share with you Asian pesto,which I promise I will post this week.)

Make a call

Call a friend and go out for a cup of coffee, or tea.

 Socializing is very important.

Laugh

Laughter is contagious so grab a favorite comedy or laugh away with this quote I found:

“Women have a passion for mathematics. They divide their age in half, double the price of their clothes, and always add at least five years to the age of their best friend.” — Marcel Achard

photo via

Notice I don't mention the phrase lose weight....there is no point,  my brain would only sabotage any improvement I might already have if I even remotely come close to saying, "I am on a diet."

So how do you keep the winter blues away? Please feel free to add to the list.

photo via

(PS. in case you were wondering this is a revised post from last year)