Happy Easter: Meet Parker the Bunny

Happy Easter!  What a better time than today to meet Parker the Bunny!  When you are a bunny as loved as Parker there will be a million pictures taken and even more lovin' given. 

He has very soft ears and a mane of fur surrounding his head - thus his breed is called Lionhead!

He has a funny personality and is very curious...

 

His best trick is to sit in his favorite spot and pretend to be a bunny slipper.

 

 

He's the true Easter Bunny!

 

Quiet Time at the Beach

We spent a little time at the beach today.  It's nice how we can be together as a family, but still feel like we are having quiet time.  We are always looking for treasure - a perfect shell, a cool piece of driftwood, or my favorite - sea glass.

I love how opaque and smooth ordinary glass becomes after tumbling in the ocean.  My two favorite pieces are the pale green one near the middle and the large white one on the right. 

 

A few of the pieces could use a few more years of tumbling, but their colors are so subtle and their edges are so smooth.

Even if you don't live near a beach, I hope you can find some quiet time today. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring Cupcake Toppers

Happy Spring!  I decided to make my own cupcake toppers that we can use year after year and Fender could even help make them!  I think they turned out pretty cute, so I thought I'd share them with you today!

 

I used the same dough and method that I used to make the Christmas Countdown (it's a really simple dough, using all pantry items that rolls out very smoothly) my favorite bunny cookie cutter, toothpicks, and patience while they dry - that's all you need!  I love my little bunnies and even have one on my Spring mantel.  Can you find him?

Mustache toppers are on my list next for Fender's birthday party!  Stay tuned...

Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich

Soooooooo, I got really excited by the idea of a Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich!  I saw a commercial for it from Jack in the Box - had to try it.  BOY, was I disappointed!!!  It was soggy, greasy, flavorless - and to put it lightly disgusting!

This concept seemed so easy to make, so that's just what I did the next evening for dinner!  I thought I'd share how easy it is with you!  Grab a shopping cart, here's your list:

Grocery Shopping List:

 

boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

sourdough bread

creamy Caesar dressing

tomatoes

romaine lettuce

Parmesan cheese

1 lemon

cloves of garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper

 

The number of breasts you need depends on how many people you are feeding!

 

 Start with a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium heat.  Saute a few smashed garlic cloves in the oil to infuse it with their flavor.  Remove before they brown or burn!

 

Pound out your chicken breasts (or slice them in half horizontally).  You basically want a thin breast that will cook evenly and sit on you bread nicely!  Fry the breasts in the garlic olive oil seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  Squeeze half a lemon onto both sides of the breast while cooking.  It adds such a delicious zing to otherwise boring chicken!

 

I found these super cute mini lemons that are only about 2 inches long! 
Is it weird that I think food is cute?

Toast your bread and slather it with the creamy Caesar dressing.  Top it with the warm chicken, Parmesan cheese, sliced tomatoes and the romaine lettuce.  Add a side of your favorite kettle style chips - and dinner is served!

Fender said it got 10 fingers up!

Hope you get to try it soon!

I'm linking to Monday Funday
 





One Stencil: Two Ways

I know that it's not technically Spring yet, but I couldn't help putting up my decorations as the much needed sun shines in through the windows. 

Our front room is my favorite color during the winter, a deep maroon that works perfectly for short, dark days, but when I want to add a touch of Spring the usual pinks, light greens, and pastel blues just don't work right.  I usually go with muted tans and whites but this year I added a little chocolate and cream to the mix!  I used a stencil two different ways to add a little bunny to my mantels.

The first way I used the stencil was on wood.  After dC finished with our new headboard he had a lot of little end scraps left behind.  I couldn't resist making something out of them. 

I glued them together using a little Gorilla glue.  Usually I don't like this stuff because it expands into a foamy mess, but that's only if you use too much.  A little bit goes a long way!    I left the edges un-sanded and uneven, then painted it white, wiped off the excess with a paper towel, and left it to dry.  This gave it just barely a wash of white on an already light wood.

Then I cut out my bunny silhouette and traced it onto the wood.  And here is where I think the fun begins.  I love painting, but I have zero talent without the aid of paint by numbers, so this project is perfect for me!  I used a fine brush and painted in the "chocolate" bunny.

The second way I used the stencil was to paint on burlap.  I taped the stencil onto burlap and much like my stencil wall art I painted over the stencil to transfer the image onto the burlap.  It took three coats to get the coverage I wanted, which equals a lot of patience.

Then I found this great old hanger my mom had given me and used it to hang up my second bunny.

 

 

The turquoise and white coffee pots and white pitchers are all lovely gifts from my mother in law's collection.  They work so well to help bring bright and light colors to our otherwise dark room!

Thanks for stopping by!

This week I am linking to Lines Across and Craftberry Bush