Needlepoint Pillow Turned...

I adore needlepoint, always have - especially the beautiful pieces my grandma had. Oh, and if only her dining room chairs were still around... hmm be still my heart.

At an estate sale this summer, I picked up a few needlepoint pieces; a pillow, seat cover, and some framed pictures. Wow! Was that pillow dusty, I'm sneezing again, just thinking about it! Anyways, I took it apart, hand washed the needlepoint, and used it to make this tray.

Back in August, Cindy hosted a Tray you Made. I didn't participate at that time, but was inspired to make one for myself at some point. I finally took the time and put one together. I had all the pieces laying around - an old frame, glass knobs, paint, and handles which were upcycled from my recent bathroom cabinet redo.
I like to think about the lady whose hands created the beautiful needlepoint. I sure hope she'd approve of its reuse.

Today, hubby and I are celebrating 19 years of wedded bliss. Although so many years have passed, really, it just seems like yesterday that we said our vows before God and so many witnesses.

We are having another heat wave here in Seattle, and it sure feels hot like it did on our wedding day. Seattle set a record temperature of 92 degrees the day of our wedding - and whoa, was it hot! Not exactly the best temperature for long sleeve velvet dresses... aye yi yi

Le Bain

Recently, I crossed another "to do" off my list. I finally painted the cabinet in our main bathroom. Ridding the cabinet of its very 90's shiny brass hardware and painting the golden oak wood was long overdue.

Once the paint dried, it was time to re-accessorize the room. A few weeks ago, I found this cute shelf at an estate sale. Once I scrubbed off all the oil and grime, I discovered it was already painted the most perfect color for our main bath. I added the back piece to make it more of a cabinet since it sits on the countertop.

Here are a few close-ups around the room. Instead of purchasing all new brushed nickel accessories, I bought a can of spray paint and updated the towel bar, switchplates, etc... for only $3.00.
I love the metal locker room hanging basket my daddy found last summer at a garage sale, it makes a fun addition to the room. The cute little pink and white cabinet was found at a thrift store - perfect storage for all the girls hair accessories!

Summer Squash

LeAnn, who lives next door to us at the beach, puts out a basket near the road each summer, and keeps it filled with the abundance of summer squash that she has grown in her garden. Many people who live along the beach partake - me included!
Zucchini is one of my most favorite vegetable. The the way I love to eat it - sauteed with onion in a little butter and salt and pepper to taste - the way my mom has always made it. Mmmm
Usually I make zucchini bread, but this year I decided to make brownies instead. They sure turned out yummy! The recipe I used, didn't include eggs.... here's what I used 2 cups grated zucchini, 1/2 oil, 1 1/2 c sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 1/2 tsp baking soda. Oh, they are so moist and delicious!

Perfect after school snack for this first graders first day, wouldn't you say?

Pink Salmon Year

Around here on odd years, Washington experiences a heavy return of pink salmon (also known as humpies). Currently, these salmon are making their way back to their spawning streams. Apparently, this is a record year for humpies. The other morning, we watched 11 seiners fishing out in front of our beach-we've never seen this before, definitely a first!

My uncle went fishing, caught his limit that morning, and was so kind to share some fillets with us. Many people turn their nose up to pink salmon. We actually like it. In my opinion, it is best to eat the day you catch it, since this particular salmon does not freeze well. My favorite thing though, is to smoke it, and that's what I did with these. Once the fish is filleted, I remove the rest of the bones, and cut into 2-3" wide pieces. I lay the pieces in a 9 X 13" glass baking dish and sprinkle a mixture of 1/3 Cup salt and 2/3 Cup brown sugar over all the pieces. This mixture turns into a brine that I leave on the fish overnight.
In the morning, I rinse the fish very well, and pat dry. The pieces of fish are now ready to put on the smoker's rack.
The rack then gets inserted into the smoker and the fish smokes with mesquite chips for a few hours.

We like our smoked salmon a little soft, so I only smoked this fish approximately 3 hours. Thicker fish would take longer.

This batch turned out really well. I used a few pieces for smoked salmon orzo pasta - it was so tasty!

My hubby and I are looking forward to fishing with my brother Labor Day weekend. I have my white flasher and hot pink hoochie combination set-up and ready to go! Oooh... now, that does sound strange...really, that's what you use to catch humpies... hehehe

End of Summer Doings...

It's so hard to believe that summer vacation is coming to an end. Last week, we spent time on the island, enjoying some beach time before school starts next week.

Here's a little bit of what we did: built forts out of driftwood, played lots of Scrabble, picked wild blackberries made pies & froze lots of berries, ate peaches & ice cream for breakfast, swam, fed seagulls, took a day trip to Deception Pass, rode bikes, played pickleball, went crabbing, dug & froze clams for winter, celebrated my birthday, searched for beach glass, hit local garage sales, enjoyed the view, and played with lots of our friends and cousins on the beach.

Just plain ol' good times!!

Summer Estate Sale Finds

Here is a sampling of what I've picked up while out and about this summer. Some of my favorites: The pink prom dress from the 50's - so exquisite! A darling petit point purse that is great addition to my collection. Although I don't really collect dolls, I did find the vintage Madame Alexander bride doll too charming to pass up. The old chairs pictured on the top right are for our kitchen which I'm in the process of redoing. I was beyond thrilled to find them in my color palette and in their perfectly faded and chippy grandeur. Well, you know me, I can't pass up an old bride and groom cake topper either. Isn't this one sweet with the bride resting her head on the grooms shoulder? Hmmm what else... oh yeah, Victorian calling cards, bone china posies, vintage cupcake picks, and old tins - love 'em all!