I saw the above little Leprechaun centerpiece for St Patrick’s day for an inspiration.  I thought that it would be really cute to use a candle holder and put those chocolate covered with foil gold coins in the bottom, use some shamrock stickers on the candle holder and put a little Leprechaun in it.

I searched and found the above little Leprechaun on Amazon that would be perfect for the project.

I saw the above Shamrock shake that has Peppermint Schnapps in it.  But it also has coconut milk ice cream and coconut milk with green gel food coloring.  I think it would be fun to have and not all that fattening.

I searched and found some of those little containers like above ones  and found some on Amazon.  They always have those Shamrock plants in the grocery store in March.  Cute to put on the tablescape for St Patrick’s day.

I like the polkadot plates, the green placemats and the white candles in the above tablescape.  The green ribbon with a shamrock is cute for the napkin holders.  Also the cute containers with the chocolate-gold foil covered coins is a neat idea.

I like the above description of Irish.  A lot of Irish on my Dad’s side.  His mom was full Irish and his Dad’s Mom’s name was McKee which was also full blooded Irish.

A nice Irish breakfast is berry scones.  I put the recipe on my St Patrick’s day ideas on my Pinterest.

I found a recipe for corned beef and cabbage for the slow cooker that sounded easy and kind of good.  It was a Martha Stewart recipe.

And then a Guinness Chocolate Cheesecake. Yum!  I pinned the recipe in my St Patrick day ideas on my Pinterest.

An Irish Pub Salad would be fun to enjoy on St Patrick’s day.  The recipe included Tarragon dressing and I pinned it on my St Patrick’s day ideas on my Pinterest.  I also have a board on my Pinterest with some awesome Irish recipes.

 

I think the above Shamrock ribbon wreath is a cute idea.

I love the above sweater from L L Bean to wear for St Patrick’s day.

I like the above outfit idea.  Except the heel on that boot is a little extreme.

Those earrings are on HSN and I just love them.  They are perfect for St Patrick’s day.  I think they are in the Colleen Lopez’s collection.

 

I like Kate Middleton’s shawl that she wore for shopping.

The pattern for that shawl is online and it says that it is easy to knit.  I pinned the link to it on my sewing and crafts board on my pinterest.

So stylish and classy.

 

And that’s my inspirations for St Patrick’s day which will be coming up in a few weeks.

 

 

It’s at the point where anything to soothe the horrible weather.  One day it’s cold, the next day it’s raining, the next day it’s snowing, then the day after that it’s a mix with freezing rain.  I think that the sun was out for a few minutes this morning.  Chocolate covered strawberries and a glass of Champagne.  Now that would make anything better.  Even horrible weather.

Maybe curl up by the fireplace with a good book and a hot toddy.  Escape reality for awhile.  The news is enough to make a saint want to scream and curse.

I don’t know about the strong part although to get this far I must be strong, but the little battered part fits.

In April the ice cream places open again. Another 5 weeks or so.  Why not have an ice cream cone right now.  Why not.

I love good luck symbols and I think the Le Creuset 4-leaf clover cocotte is a must have.  I just think it is too cute.  Even after St Patric’s day, it would be fun to use.  I could find all kinds of uses for it all year.

The above cheese board was made using products from Trader Joe’s.  The nearest Trader Joe’s from where I live is 100 miles away to Burlington or 100 miles away to Nashua, NH.

There is an Aldi’s in Keene, NH which is only about 30 miles or so away.  Aldi’s is owned by the same people as Trader Joe’s and has the same products.  I would love to get some of those products and make that cheese board.  That would liven up the dull winter that is getting a little much.

I had a desk like the above in my room when I was a kid.  I loved it.  It was an antique and because my brother was power of attorney when my Mom passed, my sister-in-law either threw away everything or gave it away.  So the above desk reminds me of that desk and I would like to get it because it brings back memories of some happy times.  You would not believe where I found that desk, but it’s affordable and not an antique.  I love it.

I think that fondue is always fun.  Especially with a glass of wine.

I love the above bench to have near the front entrance.  I like everything about it.  The white color, the place to sit and take your boots or shoes off, a place to hang your jacket or shopping bag.  Little drawers for storage. ❤

I would love a door like the above for my laundry room. ❤

So those are the thoughts that take away winter blues for me anyways. 🙂

Valentines Day is coming up in a few days.

How romantic would it be to have candles in the snow path leading to the front door.

A romantic dinner for two with crystal glasses, red candles and fancy china.

Fig and goat cheese stuffed chicken breast with fennel and potatoes made in the heart shaped Le Creuset.

I love the above ring with white and chocolate diamonds.

A new red top to wear.

A frosty tipped quarter zip pullover for him.  So that would be my idea for a very romantic Valentines day.

And then February is a cold, snowy month and ideal to have some sewing projects.  I took fashion and fabrics when I was in school for an extra class.  So I know the basics for sewing.

 

I love to sew and the above sewing table is from Walmart on line and I just think that it is a nice deal.  I have seen sewing tables that look just like it for hundreds of dollars more in price.  The sewing machine fits on that shelf in the middle when the table is not in use.  I have a beautiful sewing machine that would look beautiful with that table.

It’s just beautiful and folds up and out of the way when not in use.  I love the white one.

Anna Griffin had a chair something like the above but it’s no longer available.  I saw the above chair on Wayfair that has free shipping that looked like a perfect chair to have for that sewing table.  It has a French style look and it’s comfortable and sturdy.  It actually costs more then the sewing table.  But I just love the style.

So that is my inspirations for February.

 

 

 

We got about 8 inches of snow today.  I didn’t know if I could make it up my hill but I did and did not even slip once.  I have a light Prius that goes into totally stopping at the slightest sign of a slip going up a hill.   I did a “Hail Mary” and held my breath.  Nothing like having to back down a hill when it is slippery.  Worst possible nightmare.  Been there, done that and it was scary.  When I got home, I was just so relieved.

It really is pretty when it snows.  The wind wasn’t blowing and the snow was light and dry as well as powdery.  It would have been fun to go skiing today.  It would be really fun to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle that is good on bad weather roads and then the money for a lift ticket for the whole day.  This kind of snow is beautiful for skiing.  Especially when you go on an easy trail that goes out and around and isn’t steep.  The views from the top of the mountain are just breath taking.  Then to have on a neat pair of ski goggles that have a tint to them.  If I won powerball, I would get a Jeep with a ski rack and just enjoy every snow day to the fullest.  But I think that it’s over $65.00 a day for a lift ticket.  Maybe more, now.  When I worked at Okemo and got free skiing, I never took advantage of it once because I worked all the time and didn’t have the time.  Now I have the time and don’t have free skiing.  Isn’t life grand?!

The above is a jeep we saw at Killington.  That would be sooo fun to have.  Wow!  I love it.

I picked up my calendar at the Walmart today.  It’s neat how you can make a calendar with any photos that you want.  I love my January photo.  It just makes me smile when I look at it.

And then to keep with the French theme of the day, I made a Paris Bistro Soup.  I used my Le Creuset pot and followed a recipe that I found on line.   I pinned the recipe on my French Recipes board on my pinterest.

It was snowing outside and I lit some candles and turned on my fireplace.  It was just cozy and just right for today.  I made a lot of soup from the Paris Bistro soup recipe and can have soup for lunch for a couple of days and freeze some for later.

The above cake is the one that you can make at Gesine Bullock-Prado’s cooking class that she has at her cooking school in Hartford, Vermont.  I would love, love, love to take one of her cooking classes.  They cost $85.00 a class.  In April she is having a cooking class for French Macarons.   I would love to take that class, also.

I like the above sweatshirt.   I like wine, but don’t really buy a lot of it.  Anything in moderation.  But have you seen those neat refrigerators that are just for wine.  They have the perfect temperature for wine.

In Vermont, the snow would chill the wine perfect.  Ha!

 

Wishing you a beautiful day!

 

 

I love jewelry anyways and the above ring is just perfect for Valentines day.  It is from the Grace Kelly collection on QVC and looks like a real ruby and diamonds, but it is just a replica of the real thing.  I think that it is just beautiful.

Then there are earrings to match. So elegant.

The bracelet is just plain and totally very beautiful.

And then the necklace takes it over the top.  The whole set was on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine at one time and it was the replica, not the real one.  That’s how beautiful it is.  It was all on easy pay and reasonable prices at one time on QVC.  I love it for valentine’s day.  And it could have all gotten home for an unbelievable low price.  But who wants to pay that price for several months.  Actually I would if I could.  But I have bills that come first.  Oh well.

Just the ring and earrings with the above sweater would be fun to wear.

I like red anyways and the above V-neck sweater is perfect for February.  I like the style of it.

The heart shape Le Creuset and the matching cocottes were on special with free shipping and $20.00 off the regular price.  Now it’s $14.00 shipping and the $20.00 added.  I was going to grab that offer when it was on special but could not swing it.  So cute to have and especially for Valentine’s Day.  I hate budgets.

There are all kinds of cute recipes for those cute shaped Le Creusets.  I liked the Mushroom and Red Wine Risotto recipe for the big heart Le Creuset and the Melting Hearts Chocolate Cakes for the cocottes.  If nothing else, I saved the recipes on my Le Creuset Pinterest board.

Then they had a terrycloth robe that had the cutest fur trim that was soft and looked rich like mink.

It even had a monagram initial of your choice.  How luxurious and fun is that?

Nordstrom had ideas for Valentine’s day like the above Cocoa Chanel parfume.  Wow, how nice.

And then the pure silk “Slip” pillow case at Nordstrom.  I have read that a silk pillow case prevents wrinkles in the skin.  Also it prevents hair from going flat.

I love scarfs.  And the above scarf is so stylish.

Then with the middle of winter weather, wouldn’t it be nice to just go and make over the “boudoir”!

I can’t do a lot of the above, but still love the ideas.  But I love anything French and especially Paris.  So I made myself a calendar on line from Walmart for just $10.00.  The above is the cover photo that I put on it.  I had some beautiful photos of all four seasons of Paris.  I just love it.

Winter………so magical.

Spring…….ohhh la la!  Se se bon!

And a summer picnic.  So fun to make that calendar.  I had a ton of photos and could only use 12 photos.  That was a Valentine’s gift for myself.  A neat calendar for my office.  It cheers up every day of the year.

I’ve always loved nice things.  But reality is that even a replica of nice things is sometimes not feasable and can be selfish to want.  But I always find ways around to just enjoy life anyways.  Little simple pleasures here and there.  Why not.

You know those fancy salads where they have edible flowers on them?  Well the Johnny Scheepers website has collections of seeds that you can buy for around $20.00 for each collection.  The above collection is the Edible Flower Garden Collection.  He has special collections that have free shipping, also.  Can you just imagine those flowers in a kitchen garden?  I love it!

Then there were 2 herb garden collections that sounded neat.

The French Garden collection had shallets in it.  Can you imagine feeling like a French chef to have all those garden fresh ingredients to cook with?  I love it!

There was a “Happy Baby Garden” collection with baby beets, baby carrots etc.

Then there was a Spring Greens collection that would be so fun to have for salads.

There was a Pumpkin Patch, Italian Fall Garden, Sunny yellow/orange flower garden, butterfly flower garden, bouquet flower garden, cottage flower garden and a ton more.  I wanted them all, actually.

They offered a free Valentine gift bag with each collection that you ordered.  I think that it would be fun to order at least a couple of collections.  A valentines gift for oneself.  Why not.  The French Garden collection with Julia Child’s Mastering French Cooking cook book would be an ultimate gift.  So awesome just the thought of it.

I found Johnny Sheepers garden seeds from the Martha Stewart website a few years ago.  She uses those seeds in her gardens and I ordered a catalog and also several other catalogs from seeds that she has for her gardens.

I just love all kinds of garden ideas.

I saw the above soup recipe that sounded really good.  I love the bowtie  pasta and artichokes idea in the soup.

The Food network’s Farmhouse Rules with Nancy Fuller had some interesting healthy recipes last week.  I put the link on my Farmhouse Rules board on my Pinterest.

I would love a chicken coop with a few chickens and have farm fresh eggs.

And that’s my thoughts for today.