Elizabeth Barrett Browning – 1806-1861

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight…my sweet Princess!

Ready for Valentine’s Day!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster. Whimsy Wednesday Homemade Monday

We haven’t had a flake of snow fall from the sky, watched in amazement as the thermometer edged up to 60 degrees and only scraped the window of our cars in the morning a handful of times. It is winter however. The sky is grey a majority of the time, the glitter of Christmas seems long past and Spring is so far in the future. I’m not really a fan of winter but a fire in the fireplace with a hot drink seems so cozy on the weekends. We are still living in a construction zone that is encroaching slowly the whole house, or so it seems. Hopefully some winter touches will settle my mind and spruce up my household. I’m clinging to a bit of Christmas mixed with some snowy touches!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday .You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster. Whimsy home homemade Monday

Sunday Sunshine@ Ridge Haven Homestead

Home Matters@Modern on Monticello

You’re The Star@ Eclectic Red Barn

…using nothing but things already in the pantry and refrigerator! Let me give a little backstory. Sometime around Thursday I started to crave a little pie…well a lot of pie. I really didn’t want to add to the already hot day, however, as the air conditioner fought to keep the house comfortably chilled. Saturday morning a thought occurred…don’t I have an icebox pie cookbook…that I found in TJ MAXX…and never opened? I did, and behold the creation I made with simple, easy ingredients and very little time. Cherry pie!!

The Usual Cast Of Characters

• Graham Cracker Pie Crust. I made my own from our stash of S’More Fixings * This is a great and easy recipe!
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (about 2-3 lemons)
• 1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3-4 cups chopped fresh cherries.

The Steps to Glory

1. Mix the Eagle Brand with the lemon juice. 

2. Stir well until mixture is thickened. 

3. Drain cherries and fold into Eagle Brand mixture. 

4. Pour mixture into pie crust.  Do NOT cover. 

5. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving, to allow time to set.

6. Relax and enjoy a pampering activity while you wait!

Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster

Senior Salon@Esme Salon

Well Christmas seemed to fly by as fast as can be, even with minimal decor and reduced activity. Did I miss my tree? Yes. Did I miss baking cookies? Mostly. Do I miss the pack up, organize and put away right now? Absolutely not. Our living space has been drastically reduced this week and as much as I love holiday decorations, I’m really going to enjoy claiming a bit more unrenovated space as a bit of breathing room.

I am also quite shocked how much stuff we have accumulated that was hidden away. You never know what will be found in cabinets, cupboards and drawers when you empty for demolition. Needless to say Declutter is one of my words for the New Year.

Before I turn the page on Holiday 2022, enjoy a few more images from my very scaled down decor! Happy New you from my Hero, my Princess and me.

Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster. Whimsy Wednesday

Homemade Monday

We are deep into our renovation, space is limited and Christmas a bit minimal, at least in my opinions. I must admit it is both a relief and burden. I miss the cookie baking, kitchen decor and beautifully set dining table but I love the selected and streamlined look for the rest of the house. With such a jumble of stuff the renovation brings, I really didn’t want to add more clutter and brightness. I think we found the sweet spot with Christmas this year…just imagine what next year will be like!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday .You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster

I’m really missing my Merry and Bright kitchen and I am enjoying the look back to my past Christmas celebrations…look at the Princess, it feels like yesterday!

What a week! It seems like we finished the Thanksgiving turkey and were immediately smacked in the face with a handful of Christmas cheer. It always feels so daunting each year when staring down a towering stack of plastic bins that contain a season’s worth of Yuletide joy. But you open that first lid and suddenly, it all makes sense and everything finds the most perfect spot. Your house just glows and your heart just feels more Merry. I hope you find my home a true comfort during this season of busyness!

And a certain Princess gave Santa her wishes for Christmas…and most will come true!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday .You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster. Homemade Monday

Don’t have more than a few rooms to decorate this year…yes, it will be worth it, but gosh, I miss my cozy Christmas house. Light touches to share next week. Enjoy the lovely Christmas past!

I really don’t like to decorate and I only have a few Santa’s…and stockings…and Nativity sets…and cookie cutters. Who am I kidding?Christmas is happening here. I don’t remember being completely done so early before. A quiet Thanksgiving at home did give us time to drag out boxes and bins. It’s nice to have everything so settled. Time to break out the eggnog and Christmas movies! Are you almost done as well or still in progress? I hope the season brings everyone glad tidings of comfort and joy!

Metamorphosis Inspire me Monday. Inspire me Tuesday . You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Wednesday blog hop. Share your style. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm.Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters.Create bake grow. Happiness is homemade. Create with joy. Creatively crafty Senior salon. Turn about Tuesday Saturday Sparks Farmhouse Friday All About Home Flaunt it Friday Pink Saturday encouraging hearts and home Wednesday Centerpiece. Dare to share. heart and souls simple sunday silverado. The Fabulous Party. homestead blog hop traffic jam busy Monday. Love your creativity inspiration party share the wealth Karen’s kottage. Crafty creations sunshine Sunday potpourri creative muster. Homemade Monday