This Moment~ A Friday Ritual

~ with Soule Mama  

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Chasing Fall on CAPE COD

It was our annual fall outing day with Grammy and

with the warm sparkling sun as our guide we set out to meet ART, see nature and find fall. In stead of of heading north to more well  traveled  crowded leaf- peeping spots in New England ( New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont)  we decided to stay close to our neck of the Cape Cod Bay and see what we could see! 

Our first stop was the Cape Cod Museum of Art. 

The grounds were beautiful and there were some notable sculptures outside but you know the drill with museums. No photos inside! You'll just have to visit the museum to see the beautiful art there! 

BUT... I can show you what we found washed ashore in the ladies room! Shh...

This mirror is anything but washed up! It is literally covered in 

nearly every kind of shell you can find here on Cape Cod. 

 Scallop shells, clams, mussels, moon shells and star fish just to name a few.

I love how the artist incorporated other discarded treasures ( jewelry, buttons, and dishes)  in her masterpiece! 

We traveled Scenic Rt. 6A in search of outdoor beauties and fall.

Ah yes! Fall was everywhere we looked! Tobey Farm was open for business so we popped in to pick up our mums for decorating and some homemade jam. 

Further down the road, farms, cottages and small shops gave way to more wide open spaces. That's where we found our good friend Mother Nature in all her fall glory!  Her red, gold and orange leaves were the perfect background for the tall feathery grasses that danced gently in the breeze against a classic cape cod blue sky. 

Really, I couldn't get enough of the grasses! 

Cape Cod is knows for it's artsy fart c ness! The quaint two lane roads are dotted with galleries, BnB's, farm stands and restaurants galore from Sandwich to the tip of  Province Town. 

We just had to stop at the Black Crow Gallery when we saw this sign. 

At this point the " teens" were pretty restless and pestering us beyond belief to GO HOME! 

We tortured them with one last stop here at the Crow Farm Stand as we promised take out pizza for dinner!

Thanks for chasing fall with us on Cape Cod with Grammy! 

bloomin' dunes and

BEACH BLESSINGS  to you!

Deborah Jean 

This Moment~ A Friday Ritual

This Moment~ A Friday Ritual

{this moment} with Soule Mama  

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Do you have a dark hallway or a room that gets very little daylight in your home? We did! Consider removing a solid door and adding a French door in its place! We did just that in this easy  trash to treasure project. 

* when your paint is dry and before hanging the door use a small craft knife to remove the protective paper on the glass panes and any remaining paint. Do this OUTSIDE!  It will be easier to clean up all those small paper strips and pieces. 

Our Den was dark and needed more light so we decided to lighten things up by purchasing a new/old French door at a Contractor’s Supply Warehouse. New French doors can sell for 200 – 300 hundred dollars. This one cost 75.00 and with a little elbow grease and some spray-paint we had a new door and a view into our den that goes straight through to the outside. Not only does this door add the light we were sadly missing into the den but it makes the hallway lighter and brighter too! Now we can see and hear our young composer while she plays the piano. 

It’s not an antique. It was most likely rejected by the contractor or homeowner.  It came primed so all I had to do was sand and paint it to match the trim in the rest of our home!

 

 To add some vintage charm to our home I am up cycling all of our out- dated brass door knobs to my new favorite paint finish for metal. Oiled Rubbed Bronze. I was inspired to try this painting technique after seeing Michelle Rayburn's amazing chandelier makeover on her blog 
Trash To Treasure.   This door knob was my guinea pig! I love the results!

  I used Rust-o-leum primer and paint for the door knob.And a satin latex for the door in Ralph Lauren’s Sail White to match the rest of the interior paint trim in our home.  * spray painting door knobs or cabinet knobs can be tricky because they don't lie flat. I used a box from the bakery to hold these door knobs upright while painting. Let them dry right in place until you install them. A shoe box would work well too. 

New Oil Rubbed Bronze finish with a touch of sparkle! 

* New door knobs in this finish can cost between 20- 30 dollars plus 7.00 or more for a package of three matching hinges x how ever many doors you have. For a few cans of spray paint at roughly 4.00 a can you can save- save -save!   

Tip: Before you purchase a  new/old door for your home be sure to measure the height and width as well as the width of the door for the new one to make sure it will fit and that any alterations needed are reasonable for the project! Measure the opening top to bottom too. We had to adjust the hinge placement slightly but that was all.

To find your new/old French door see if you can locate a Contractors Warehouse or Re-modelers Outlet  in your area.
I hope you liked this creative recycling project!

Thanks for stopping by the Dandelion Workshop today!  

Deborah Jean 

I was TICKLED PINK with this project so I linked up with Holly at 504 Main and other tickled pink bloggers to share the fun! 

ARTFUL Nesting~

"A house is made with walls and beams. A home is made with love and dreams."  Author Unknown 

We humans have nothing on our feathered friends when it comes to making a nest. What better place to take our homemaking "cues" from than birds? I think we can learn a thing or two from them when it comes to creating a home that gives it's inhabitants a feeling of safety, functionality, comfort and beauty.

We found this nest in our back yard still attached to a fallen branch.

Birds are smart, CREATIVE, resourceful and efficient when it comes to home building. They use what materials are " on hand " and they build with intention and purpose.  They use only enough materials to get the job done and they never go over budget. The bird who built the nest above struck gold behind our shed when she came across some lovely strands of blue tarp. Its carefully woven into the over all design and adds just a touch of panache'. Our feathered friends have an instinct for comfort and safety with an eye on esthetics's, while at the same time providing a strong foundation for their young hatching's until it's time for them to fly away...Sounds like the ideal home doesn't it?

There's an ART to building a nest and no shortage of books and TV shows to advise and inspire us in our own nesting efforts. 

Fall is a natural nesting time for homemakers. Much like spring cleaning but with thoughts of  soft to the touch blankets, quilts, throws and comforters. If any of these treasures are handmade and hold special memories all the better. It's always a comfort to reuse an old favorite! Although, purchasing something new that gives you the feeling of handmade or timeworn will work too! Mary Jane Butters has created just that in her BED-room collection.

This duvet with it's washed blue back ground in combination with the faded warm autumn tones in the flowers did it for me! It's from this years Pottery Barn Bedding collection and when I saw it, I knew it had to be mine ours! How long has it been since you updated your bed linens? If it's been a while, perhaps it's time to start looking around for something that makes YOUR heart go pitter- patter too!

It's a great time to DE-clutter ( a work in progress here) and make room for only those things that will nourish, enrich and comfort you during the coming months of late fall and... dare I say the W word ?

You know. Things like a soft fleece robe, or your favorite pajama's. If you have neither, find the next sale at your nearest department store and treat yourself. No more tattered robe and slippers for the head home maker. A heated mattress pad for the deep winter ( there I said it ) months takes the edge off of cold sheets and makes it easier to get comfortable before falling to sleep. I'm all for Soul Mama's hot water bottle idea too for a sever case of frosty toes.

There's nothing better than glowing candlelight on a stormy night when the electricity has gone out. Or just because to cast a romantic glow over the room. 

Kerosene lanterns (antique if you can find them) throw out more light than candles and work great for lighting an entire room if you have more than one. It's fun to play games by candle light too! 

Create a quiet corner just for you to gather your thoughts, write a note by hand, a poem, blog, book, screen play, musical, plan a garden or day dream about how you can make small changes in your home to cozy things up! Nesting is not just for the BIRDS! 

Bring a little more
safety, functionality, comfort and BEAUTY home. 

•  Clean out a drawer or a closet and donate or toss unused items.
•  Paint a room or freshen the paint on your trim and doors.
• Clear a book shelf, add a new one, or both.
• Help your children clear and organize so they can transition into the next season with zest too! 
• Create a mini gallery of favorite photos and art in a hallway or stairwell wall. ( children's art makes a wonderful addition to a family gallery ) 
• Study a birds nest up close and let yourself be amazed!
• Now your ready for those new fuzzy slippers and a cup of hot ??? 

Happy Nesting! 
I'm linking this post top Heidi's Fall Harvest Blog hop!

Deborah Jean...

This Moment~ A Friday Ritual

{this moment} with Soule Mama  

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Maple Apple CRANBERRY Oatmeal Crisp

Nothing announces fall at our house more ( well, except for the smell of pumpkin pie baking in the oven) than the first baked Apple Crisp. My family loves this desert. This year I decided to forgo the boxed version of Apple Crisp ingredients and prepare it as close to organic as possible from scratch. 

Country Choice ORGANIC Old Fashioned Oats.

Everything tastes better and is better for you if it says Old Fashioned right? Right!  Now that we have that settled, here's the recipe which happens to be conveniently located on the back of the container. Since we live in cranberry country, and Ocean Spray's birthplace I always choose to add delicious Craisins to this dish!

Maple Apple CRANBERRY Oatmeal Crisp

     Filling

6 cups  peeled, thinly sliced organic apples *

( about 6-8 medium)

1/2 cup organic dried cranberries ( or raisins)

1/3 cup organic maple syrup *

1Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1tsp.organic vanilla extract

1tsp. organic ground cinnamon

1/4tsp. organic nutmeg

Topping

1 cup Country Choice Organic Oats

( Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3cup organic flour

1tsp. organic ground cinnamon

1tsp. fine sea salt

4Tbsp. ( 1/2 stick) organic butter, melted  

* you can also substitute peaches or pears for the apples

You can purchase organic syrup or make your own.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil an 8-inch square glass baking dish or a 9- inch deep dish pie plate.

See those oats? They are not supposed to be in there but I tossed them in before I realized they were measured out for the topping. It just tasted a bit more ...well...Oatie. ( that's not really a word is it ?)

2. In a large bowl toss the apple slices together with the dried cranberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread evenly in baking dish.

3. Prepare topping by mixing the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt together. Add the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Topping mixture

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the fruit is tender.

Remove from oven and let rest for 20 - 30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like.

Maple Apple CRANBERRY Oatmeal Crisp from our Honest Cottage Kitchen.

All present approved!

We used our homemade

* Dandelion House Simple Organic Maple Syrup

Try it!

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups brown sugar

3 cups water

3 tea spoons maple extract

3 tea spoons vanilla extract

Pour water in a large pot and add all sugar. Bring to a low boil then reduce heat, stir and let cool for an hour or so.
After it has cooled you can add the flavored extract and serve.

Keep your syrup refrigerated.

*For organic syrup, just use all organic ingredients. It's that simple!
Give  this easy from scratch recipe a try!

Your family will love you for it!  I promise.
Deborah Jean~

A Seasonal Sojourn ~ Jack Dickerson Art

Two Row Boats, Bright Marshes

Dandelion House is all about spreading the seeds of inspiration and I was honored when Jack accepted my invitation to share just a smidgeon of his work with you here.