getting things back in order around here!

OK, it's time to get in high gear!!  Enough of these strange men in the kitchen tearing walls down, putting up plastic sheets, and making chaos in my kitchen!! They're gone....so out comes the lysol, the bleach, the vinegar, and the rubber gloves.....and VOILA...I have a kitchen again!!

a clean counter

So, to celebrate, let's have a look around....Here on the counter is one of my favorite little baskets filled with some fresh fruit.  The favorite right now is honeycrisp apples- so sweet and crisp, just like their name! In fron of the basket is my favorite tape dispenser; looks like an old sewing machine with a patchwork quilt underneath the needle.  @eileensideways likes it, so I'd love to find another and surprise her with it....

Then, we've got the bear and bowl....filled with warm'em up coasters....if you set a hot tea mug on them, they smell like cinnamon. 

gift from oldest daughter- love it!

my stovetop---not of my dreams, but of my pocketbook.  I'd LOVE a gas wolf but this will do!  BUT, on top is a prized possession....my sweetheart got me this copper pot from Williams-Sonoma about 5 years ago.  I just cleaned it, too!

My twitterette girlfriends told me these look cute, so in the pic they go.....I thought they looked dirty, even after cleaning them and was about ready to take 'em all down!  OK, they'll stay for now girls!  LOVE YOU!  Thank you Susan and Sandy for the encouragement; they are buggers to keep polished

love black and red and I LOVE plaid, checks, and buffalo checks....hence, the asparagus sign

just changed up all my teacups and saucers on my rack--all fresh and new; the chintz is my favorite Winton Evesham pattern from England- can't find more of it anywhere at any reasonable price, however

AND, with a fresh clean kitchen comes some new cooking!!

NO, I didn't put the 'green sauce' on the fruit, but it did go on the chicken and the quesadilla....so good!

pretty nice looking fruit I found for winter....strawberries came from CA!

don't know WHY this picture turned around so, but this was lunch yesterday

my favorite RED mixer

my Valentine's teatowel on the oven door

my bear in heart in bathroom

my tiny cupcakes for tomorrow's event; will be frosted this evening for delivery tomorrow

OK....on to the living room and get things straightened up in there.......LOTS of baking to do tonight....will post more about that later!!  LOVE YOU!!!!

Baking for a fundraiser & getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Well, just taking a break from the New England trip blogging---two more days to finish writing about that but yesterday, my youngest daughter called me and asked me to bake for a fundraiser yesterday at the local university.  She's in vet school there and as funding is getting less and less for everything, they have to put on their own 'graduation' event on their own....so each class raises money during their 4 years to save up for this.  So.......I baked!  I'm also getting ready for Thanksgiving....the holidays make me crazy happy, so I've gotten most of the little Thanksgiving decorations up.....now it's time to think about the menu!

Found this plate last week for 4.00--yes, I'm a bargain hunter!

Getting into the season with some turkey and pumpkin picks

I made some DIY cupcake picks and wrappers to dress up a few of the cupcakes; I wanted to make them SO HARD to  walk away from.....tricky....tricky

Had to save a few for ourselves, right?

Here's the Linzer cookies I made for the fundraiser....filled with raspberry jam

just a little arrangement on the table in front of the sofa....I love candles!

Vintage gravy boat, my hidden stash of pumpkin spice jelly bellies, and a vintage 'leaf' dish I got on our trip to New England

"Bless our Nest" sign in back with teeny jug I typically use for syrup

Had to save one of the last roses from the garden....

The bowl was a hand-made gift from my oldest daughter that I filled with some pine cones from our yard .  The Moose?  A whimsical character and one of HUNDREDS of Moose things I have in our home

brought in a plant my middle daughter got me for Mother's Day....trying to hold onto it over the winter!  I just LOVE begonias and they do really well on our back porch if I water and mist them every day

stacked a couple of pumpkins by the fireplace up against the vintage snow shoes

I put my turban squash in my Simon Pearce bowl on the dining room table---looks a little BIG here, but it's cute

Since I bake and deliver LOTS of cupcakes, I have all kinds of carriers.  These are the Martha Stewart ones, but the same can be 'had' from SNAPWARE

Thank goodness for the cupcake carriers!

Here's my double chocolate cupcakes with cherry-vanilla buttercream frosting.  The cherry extract from Savory Spice Shop is delightfully wonderful.....it makes the frosting extra special

up close with the butterfly sprinkles....and I 'tossed on' a heart-shaped teeny sugar cookie, which came from the centers of the linzer cookies!  Hey....waste not...want not...

These are a rich ooey-gooey carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a couple of chocolate sprinkles on top just for cuteness- love those sprinkly-things!

My 2nd attempt @ 'Hostess' cupcakes....made swirly-q's bigger this time but anyway you frost 'em, these 'lil gems are yummy!  AND, they were some of the first to go at the fundraiser

The bake sale was so fun...................and today I'm working on Thanksgiving cards to get out to a few dear friends.....love you all!!