On The Menu

What's for dinner?

How about a Stacked Burrito ?

Maybe a Deluxe Cheeseburger ?

Perhaps a Blue Plate Special Meatloaf!

Can't beat good 'ole home cooking!

Cooking is just another form of creating for me!
 

As Good As The Deli?

Yummmm... Not Bad!

Grilled Reuben and 

Grilled Ham and Cheese on Rye
 

Who Knew?! 

 Deli is a short form for the German word delicatessen, which basically means 'delicious things to eat' or 'delicacies' Originally used to refer to the food itself, it began to be used to describe the stores selling the food.

... according to Google!

In These Woods

 

Early Blooms

 The Flowering Cherry Tree in our front yard is blooming early this year.  I believe it is Prunus sargentii, commonly known as Sargent's cherry or North Japanese hill cherry. A species of cherry
native to Japan.

 It produces a mass of large, pretty pink flowers in spring which are complimented by lovely reddish-bronze new foliage that turns a glossy green before bursting into vibrant shades of yellows, reds, oranges and maroons in early autumn.

Our ‘Temple Bells’ (Pieris Japonica) is also blooming early this year. It is a slow-growing evergreen shrub with tiered branches and leathery deep green foliage that emerges apricot.  The dense drooping clusters of fragrant flower buds emerge in
summer and persist through winter before finally blooming pure white in the spring. 

It is native to eastern China, Taiwan,
and Japan, where it grows in mountain thickets.
 

Sparrows Nest

I believe this is a sparrows nest. I decided to consult our National Geo Birds of North America field guide and discovered there are several pages of different kinds of sparrows...almost 30 different types listed! Oh my gosh!

Although I enjoy observing birds...I'm not an official bird watcher or even a backyard bird aficionado. I can't completely attest to the fact that these are sparrows...but I think so? Either way, always a joy to see and hear the little chirps.

 

Handmade Leather Bound Journals

 A few handmade leather bound journals I made. I  bound the signature pages using pamphlet stitches. They measured 4 x 6 inches and 5 x 7 inches. I used a variety of papers from vintage lined papers and an assortment of handmade papers.

 

The leather journal on the right was bound using a criss-cross binding and I used heavier deckled edge handmade papers in a natural color. It measured about 4 x 6 inches.

On the left is a mini leather bound book measuring 2 inches. 

One below measures 4" x 5".

Lion's Paw Sea Shell Book

Another Coptic Bound Book. The one on the left  I used two Lion's Paw Sea Shells to create the covers of the book and bound with handmade papers to create the book and it measures 6 inches in size.

In contrast to the
size of the Lion's Paw I bound the Sunset Scallop Sea shells on the right using the same coptic stitch method but this one measures only two
inches. Certainly makes an adorable little journal!