I saw this pinned on Pinterest a while ago and thought it was a darling way to use up some of those ever present scraps of yarn. You can find the original blogger’s post here.

Some online friends and I are participating in a “craft consortium” and encouraging one another to practice creativity, and our first challenge was to make something inspired by one of our pins. Today, the girls and I wound up some balls from the tubs of acrylic and made this for our guest room/studio:

It took us all of 20-30 minutes, and is a fun touch of whimsy in a rather dark room.

We were spared a threatened frost, and had two beautiful days for the tulip tree to bloom.

Not a cloud in the sky today!

These photos only got the “general edit” one-button treatment…the sky really is that gorgeous today!

I’ve been told these are also called Japanese Magnolias. I’m so thrilled to have one in our new yard to herald the Spring!

I was so thrilled that Mom and my sister could identify the tree in front of the house when they were here earlier this month. I was so intrigued by the huge buds that had been there since we moved in, but didn’t recognize the tree at all.  It turns out to be a tulip tree, and this tree seems to be quite popular in this neighborhood. Now that I know what I’m looking at, I’ve found lots of them around here.

We noticed on Sunday that some of the buds looked like they were about to open, and today Katie took some photos to document the transformation.

It’s a bit of a grey day here, but the blooms are lovely, clouds notwithstanding.

It’s amazing to think of all these flowers on a tree!

I was so glad the storms last night left the tree relatively unscathed.  There are so many buds still waiting to bloom!

I told the kids that this Spring is like Christmas. We have no idea what the bushes, trees, and beds around here hold, and there are many surprises to anticipate. This tulip tree is a fabulous Spring gift!

The sad looking little tree in the backyard, yesterday afternoon and this morning. It doesn’t even look like a tree this morning!

And they are calling for 4-8″ more tonight!

This is one of my favorite hearty soups. A friend served this to us at her house, and we loved it so much I requested the recipe. We’ve altered it a bit to suit our own taste. The kids like to say “Mine Strone” instead of Minestrone.

1 lb bulk sausage, med or hot

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 big can of crushed tomatoes (around 32 oz)

1 T beef bullion

1 lb uncooked pasta of your choice (our favorite is the mini bow ties, but I only had big ones on hand when I made the soup pictured above)

4-5 carrots, sliced

about 2 c zucchini, shredded

about 2 c fresh spinach, chopped

1 t sugar

1 t basil

1/2 t nutmeg

10 c water

Cook sausage and onions together, drain. Add all ingredients except pasta and simmer until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and simmer until pasta is done. Watch your water level and add more if needed.

By the next day, the pasta has absorbed most of the remaining liquid, and the soup is much less a soup and more a casserole consistency, which begs for some Parmesan cheese on top.

I’ve seen them with bacon and with ham, and thought we’d try it with ham. I saw photos only, with no recipe, but thought we could figure something out. It turned out pretty well (well enough that the family would like to have them again), so I’m putting the recipe here so I can remember what I did.

I did 24 cups (2 muffin pans).

1 lb sliced deli ham (I used black forest, and it was sliced in rounds, which made it easier to fit them in the right place).

20 eggs, beaten

1/2 c heavy cream

4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Spray muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line each muffin spot with ham. I used 2 slices in each spot, overlapping each other so there wasn’t too much ham sticking way up. Divide the grated cheese among the cups. I’d guess I had about a very unpacked tablespoon of cheese in each cup, but your mileage may vary. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, salt & pepper, then distribute the egg mixture between the cups. Bake in a 375* oven for about 25 min (which is, we found out, plenty of time to make pumpkin bread batter).

For those of you who enjoy process photos:

I may put some veggies in a few of them next time. For ME, Sean…don’t worry.

Golden Graham S’more Bars, a recipe Ellie and I tried this afternoon. The pot-scraping verdict is in, and it is good.

Reblogged from lilasapron:

behold, an oven pan laden with delicious food (a LOT of it) that is cost-effective, EASY EASY EASY, and delicious.  when i say "easy" here, i don't mean "for the beginner cook" easy.  i mean any blathering idiot can make this.

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