Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happiness list #11 ~

Happy Leap Day everyone!

Totally shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Davy Jones. We were obsessed with The Monkees in the 80's. Feels like a bit of my adolescence died along with him. So sad.

But, here are a few things that made me happy over the past week:

Banana milk straws. They made me giggle like I was 5 years old.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies. I made a double batch, yes, I did.

New glasses. It's a sickness.

Kita's weight being stable, even after I worried so much about it.

We are expecting the biggest snow storm of the 'winter' any minute. Hope you are all safe and snuggled in!

XOXOX

Linky Follower Blog Hop #3! ~

Can you believe today is the last day that we will have Google Friends on our side bars? That is those of us who have left Blogger. We have no idea how long it will be but rumor has it that the GFC will go away for everyone–which means those of of you who are still with Blogger have more time to get your friends moved over to the Linky Followers.

Many of you have probably already heard that

GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away

on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot

but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon

BUT

there is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party

so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP

RULES:

1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.

If you see that your link has been deleted you need to add the LINKY FOLLOWER tool to your site and then come back over and re-enter your link
{You can have both the LINKY FOLLOWERS & GFC on your site but you must have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool to participate in this party hop.}

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3. Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

You will find the code right under the Linky Party where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER–
just under that it says: WHAT IS A BLOG HOP? GET THE CODE HERE
Click on GET THE CODE HERE and enter it into a post on your site.
You can grab the party button code in the FOOTER at Its So Very Cheri
You can grab info from my post if it helps you with your post.

5. Then you follow other bloggers–(as many as you want)
–leave each one of the blogs that you follow a comment letting them know you are following them and ask them to follow you back.

If you want to add the BLOG HOP to your own site you will get lots of new followers–(see rule #2)

Please leave me a message so I can follow you back! :-)

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Liebster Award ~

I have been honored by Marilyn at 4 You With Love with the Liebster Award. I'm beyond thrilled and honored!

                                          Now what is the Liebster Blog Award?  Liebster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved', but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea behind the Liebster Award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.  If you are selected, you need to:
                                        

Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to (they must have less than 200 followers)
Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Post the award on your blog.
List the bloggers you are giving this award to with links to their sites.
Best of all, have fun and share the love!

Now, I will spread the love by sharing this award with:

Angela @ The Not So Functional Housewife. She is my bloggy buddy and has been a great source of encouragement for me. I <3 her!

Starr @ The Kiefer Cottage. I so enjoy her sense of humor.

She goes by Country Gal over at Our Country Cove Life. She is adorable and quite a wonderful photographer.

Kirsten at Paint Speckled Paw Prints. She is adorable and very clever. She also just had a very lovely blog makeover, go check her out!

April @ Read Between Designs. I know April from my childhood. She has grown to be an amazing wife, mother and artist. She can do AMAZING things with paint.

Go visit these amazing ladies blogs and give them some love.

I'm thrilled to pass the honor on.

XOXO

Monday, February 27, 2012

Is it just me? ~

So...

How are ya? Hope you are all doing well.

Me? Well...

I hope you all still are my friends when you find out how crazy I am.

You see... I worry. More than the average worrier. If I don't have something to worry about, I will create something to worry about. Not kidding.

Some of you may, or may not know that Drew and I have 5 kids. Now, before you freak out... we do not have human children. We have 5 four legged children. They aren't pets or cats... they are our kids. There... now you know officially, that I'm nuts.

Two of them, have chronic, possibly life threatening illnesses. Kita, our first feline kiddo, was diagnosed with Small Cell intestinal lymphoma almost 3 years ago. We have been through hell and back getting her well. The tears, sleepless nights, anxiety, money... I can't even begin to tell you. Our prayers were answered just over a year ago when the last chemo drug we were going to try, was the one that brought her back from the brink of death.

Mirasole, who lived for 2 years in our backyard as a stray, who now lives inside in her own private suite, has asthma and IBD. She gets chronic upper respiratory infections. Anyone with a child that has asthma or has even had the croup, knows how scary this can be. She gets 'puffs' from a special feline inhaler to help her breathe. But she goes through these 'spells' where nothing seems to help.

So, even though my mind knows that these furries don't live as long as we do... that it is a fact we will eventually send them over the bridge... the thought of it cripples me.

Is it fairly obvious that Kita & Mira havent been well the past few days? I wrote recently on my personal Facebook page that "The good days are so good and yet so hard to remember on the bad days". Not that the past few days have been 'bad' per se, but wow... the worry monster is just about to take over.

Kita

Mirasole

So, I guess I just wanted to hear that I'm not the only crazy worrier out there. I certainly know that there are some out there going through far worse... but, these are my kids. And I love them.

And now you know the story behind:

Are we still friends??

Friday, February 24, 2012

Show Off Saturday #3 ~

Happy weekend my awesome friends! I hope everyone has had a good week. I know I'm looking forward to finally getting to work on my new (to me) chest of drawers. Can't wait to share them with you all!

You continue to amaze me with your creative and amazing projects. You SO inspire me!

So, this weeks features are as follows:

Deserae at Peeking Through The Sunflowers and her hubby made this gorgeous farm table. Yes, they made it. It's incredible!

Pat at Corn In My Coffee Pot Did this faux wood floor with brown paper. I'm astounded! Truly amazing!

Aimee at Twigg Studios made this fabulous no sew flag pillow. She had me at no sew! Check out her blog. Chock full of darling ideas!

Angela The Not SO Functional Housewife hand painted this adorable 'Good Morning, let the stress begin' sign. My hand hurts just thinking about it! No vinyl here, all hand done. LOVE it!!

You ladies are so incredibly talented. You never cease to amaze me!

Grab a button if you were featured!

Lets get #3 started!

Show us all your amazing projects, recipes, crafts, photo's... the more the merrier!

Only rules are:

You must be a follower of Nutmeg Place.
You must link back to Nutmeg Place in your post.
You MUST have fun!!

Can't wait to see what you've been working on!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Happiness list #10 ~

Hey there y'all and happy Wednesday!

Well, this weeks list will be short and sweet. This sinus 'thing' is kicking my patootie. I have no energy, my head feels like the 'Alien' is going to pop out at any moment... and I haven't done anything. Zip. I have this gorgeous new (to me) chest of drawers to refinish, and you all know that I have ZERO patience when it comes to projects. Oh, I lie... I did find find the energy to take the existing handles off and fill the nice extra holes that the previous owner had drilled when the handles didn't fit. That's it. And, I'm actually pretty excited to get this one done. It's my first attempt at homemade chalk paint. Wish me luck! Oh, and I need suggestions on where to find pretty frenchy hardware for her.

Without further adoooo... here is my list: What makes me happy.

Sipping Bailey's. Enough said.

Gorgeous white Valentine's lilies opening. I've decided that I LOVE how they look, but the smell is just too much for me. Maybe it's because I have a sinus 'thing' going on... but they are TOO strong.

My new Spring Vera Bradley bag. So bright and happy!

And there you have it. Now, this sinus 'thing' leaving my person so I could get started on my painting project would make me just about the happiest person ever! Well, probably not ever, but I would be pretty stinkin' happy!

Enjoy your week!

Don't forget to link up all your amazing ideas on Show Off Saturday... going on right now!!

You thought I was going to say sinus 'thing' again... didn't you?!?! :-P

XOXOX

Hoppin', hoppin'... hoppin'! ~

Nutmeg Place is joining in the Linky fun! It's like getting dozens of new magazines the in the mail! :-)

Yes, It is the BUZZ and everyone is in a panic because they don’t know what to do about loosing their Google Friends. We all like having an organized place to see our followers and click to visit them.

Many of you have probably already heard that

GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away

on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot

but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon

BUT

there is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party

so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP

RULES:

1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3. Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

You will find the code right under the Linky Party where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER–

Monday, February 20, 2012

What to do with leftover rice ~ via Instagram

Happy President's Day nutty people!

Thanks for all the sweet comments about my painted dining room fixture! It's still one of my favorite projects I've done. And thanks for all the sweet 'get well' wishes. I will be just fine... all your sweet messages made me feel loads better! Well, they made me smile anyway!

So, what do you do on a snowy Sunday? Raid the fridge only to find that you haven't been grocery shopping. Hm. I have milk, butter, eggs, leftover cooked rice, mustard... wait!! RICE PUDDING!!

And, let's have fun with Instagram... shall we??

This is all you need:

3 cups white rice, cooked
3 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Add raisins and vanilla. (I used cherry craisins for a little ZIP!)

Cook on medium heat for approx 25 mins, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Serve, and enjoy! Of course, we like ours with a ~~little~~ big dollop of whipped cream.

Nom.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Saturday, February 18, 2012

My very first DIY project ~

Happy weekend my nutty friends!

Hope it's going well for you all.

I've been sidelined by a major (and I mean major) sinus headache thingie. Owie. So, my dresser project is going to have to wait a few more days. Not to mention that I can't really get started without some wood glue... and I just do not have the energy to go out and get some. So, it will have to wait.

I was sitting downstairs, feeling sorry for myself and I was remembering the very first DIY project I ever did in this house. It wasn't really so long ago... but it was before I started Nutmeg Place so I've never posted about it. It was one of the easiest and still one of my favorites.

I spray painted my dining room light fixture. I got the idea from looking at other blogs and I was terrified to try it. This is where the sickness began.

Here is how she looked before painting:

Not too bad, but I was getting over the brushed nickel fad... so Drew helped me take it down, hang it in the basement and I bought 2 cans (I had no idea how much I would need) of ORB paint, held my breath and sprayed away. I was happily dancing around her hanging in my basement as the paint went on flawlessly and she looked better and better.

Here is how she looks today:

The difference is huge. Someday I would love a beautiful chandelier from Pottery Barn hanging there. I even bought a medallion to put up, but so far we haven't bothered.

Totally off topic, but I love these little furry babies. In my humble opinion, a house isn't a home without cats (or dogs).

Brandy and Nala enjoying the fresh air. The calm before the storm as it were. Snow is expected this evening. Can it just be Spring already?!?! :-)

And just to keep it real, I'm going to show you what things look like around here on a Saturday when I feel rotten:

Please notice just off camera of the previous shots... the Joann's bag full of craft supples, the Verizon bag that has been sitting there for about 3 4 months now, Drew's lunch box from the day before, empty boxes that the kiddo's have been having a blast playing with, and the tripod, that I don't use nearly as often as I should. There, you can see it's not all pretty.

So, I'm trying my best not to feel sorry for myself that I don't feel good. So remember:

Words to live by. Enjoy your weekend.

XOXOXO

Friday, February 17, 2012

Show Off Saturday #2 ~

Well hey, hey there!!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. I'm painting... again. Shocker!

So, I have to tell you how amazing you all are. Last weeks submissions for Show Off Saturday are all amazing. You are all such crazy talented people! We are off to an amazing start... are you up for more?!?!? I HOPE so!!

Here are a few that caught my eye:

Lynn over at Shabby Story refinished this gorgeous chair with fabric paint. PAINT y'all! Amazing.

Angela, The Not So Functional Housewife made this darling heart wreath. I love the fabric rosette's!

Kirsten over at Paint Speckled Pawprints is my kinda girl! Just look at what she can do with a saw and some scrap wood!

Jeneen: AKA Suzie HomeCaker made these gorgeous (and I'm guessing delicious) laced heart cookies. Too pretty to eat!!

If you were featured this week please grab a button for your blog!

I also share some of your amazing work on my Facebook page, so be sure to 'like' Nutmeg Place on Facebook today!

Let's get this partay started!!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Linky Follower Blog Hop #2!! ~

I have to admit... Linky Followers has been the best thing to happen to my little blog. And I adore the ladies who were SO smart in hosting these parties.

Get in on this!! You wont be sorry!! :-)

Many of you have probably already heard that

GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away

on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot

but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon

BUT

there is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party

so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP

RULES:

1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3. Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

5. Then you follow other bloggers–(as many as you want)
–leave each one of the blogs that you follow a comment letting them know you are following them and ask them to follow you back.

If you want to add the BLOG HOP to your own site you will get lots of new followers–(see rule #2)

Be sure to leave me a message so I can follow you back!

Spring Fever ~

Maybe it's because it's actually snowing a little bit today...

Maybe it's because it's February and we have seen maybe 2 days with snow all Winter...

Maybe because I get depressed during the Winter...

I. Am. DYING. for Spring.

Is it Spring YET?!?!