6 Things I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE...

...and that make me a very HAPPY girl!

(well, besides being back at my blog, of course:)

let's get right to it...

1.  this AMAZING, GORGEOUS, perfectly SHABBY quilt 

made by my extremely talented sister Kathy

for my sweet girl's 16th birthday.

 I know what you're thinking...

how come I didn't get this sewing/quilting gene

passed on by my Grandma!

trust me, I ask myself this SAME question:)

Isn't it PRETTY?

  oh my gosh, I fell in love with these rag quilts when I first saw them.

so COZY!!!

yes, she makes very INTRICATE quilts too, 

but when she said she wanted to make a quilt for her sweet 16,

I begged her to make Taylor a rag quilt that she would have forever!

 she loves it...we all love it!

in fact, now Jordan wants a shabby chic room 

so she can have a quilt from Aunt Kathy someday too:)

see why I LOVE this? 

2.   I absolutely adore this bag made for me by

Kellie from Bag Full of Posies.

 she makes these adorable fabric rosettes and 

prints your blog name (or whatever you like) on the bag. 

 It's big, roomy...

and oh, so SHABBY!

I get stopped everywhere I go by people who rave about the bag,

so check her out on etsy...

you'll be so HAPPY you did!

3.  I LOVE strawberry season!

 strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry cake, 

strawberries on toast...on ice cream...

strawberries & cream...

and now, strawberry MUFFINS!!!

 these are so YUMMY...

oh my gosh, one bite and you can't stop.

so next time I write about dieting, you'll know what I've been stuffing my face with:)

4.  The English Home magazine.

 oh...this is so LOVELY!

well written articles, beautiful pictures.

I fell in love with England when we were there last Fall...

so when I saw this magazine at Borders (40% off sale you know)

I picked it up and fell in love.  

see for yourself...

 now put the kettle on for some tea and grab yourself a strawberry muffin...

snuggle under a COZY quilt and I promise...

you will ENJOY this one! 

5.  Flowers...on SANDALS!

yep...a big thing this season.

you may still be in boot mode but trust me,

when you get around to warmer weather,

you'll see all kids of shoes embellished with flowers.

now, I'm not talking about some tacky flower thingies but

PRETTY accents on sandals. 

these...I LOVE!  

since I am a jeans-wearing mama...BIG TIME... 

I think a pair of these would make me a HAPPY shabby chick! 

these are a bit dressier but SO pretty and delicate!

my girls REALLY like these...me too:) 

 6.  Cookie Brownies...

or as Jordan and her BFF Lucy have named them...

"Crownies"!

 Oh man...are these good.

I know...more food.  

hey...I send most...well, some of them...home with Lucy...5 kids there:) 

they're really simple and below I'll give you the recipe.

 but don't worry...my friend Duncan Hines has a box mix at the store:)

 every recipe I've seen calls for a top layer of chocolate frosting or ganache

but we have never done this.

we don't need to.

they're all warm and gooey with just the right blend of 

fudgy brownie and cookie dough as is.

Recipe for Crownies:

1  box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
    Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box
1  pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2   cup butter or margarine, softened
1  egg

(or you can make brownies and dough from scratch...if you're one of THOSE people:)  haha 

 1. 1 Heat oven to 350ºF (325ºF for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray, or grease with shortening. Make brownie mix as directed on box. Spread in pan.
   2. 2 Make cookie mix as directed on pouch, using butter and 1 egg. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter; press down lightly.
   3. 3 Bake 42 to 47 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes.

 (or like I said, there's an easy box mix...if you can find it:)

 well, there you have it.

It's been a time of shoe shopping, 

going to the beach with my new bag,

reading magazines, 

stuffing my face with strawberries and CROWNIES

while curled up under a pretty quilt.

(actually, there is NO eating allowed anywhere near that pretty quilt:)

hope everyone is HAPPY and HEALTHY!

XOXOXOXOXO

Suzanne