On The Way, Week 29

{1} Sunrise, Lake Mombasha {2} Wonton Ravioli {3} Sunrise, Rock Ridge Farm

{4} Autumn Morning, Nucifora Road

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones

Aren't these lovely? Oh my they look good. And I LOVE scones. All buttery and subtle and melt-in-your-mouthy! They are sly little devils too because they seem a bit dry and crumbly when you take your first bite. Then the magic happens as the butter warms and kicks off a little party in your mouth. Oh yeah! Unfortunately these scones are not like those scones. These scones are healthy, whole grain scones. Bleck. I have tried making these 3 times now and I guess I am ready to finally call them a lost cause. I think it's because - like shortbread or croissants - without the butter there is no such thing as a tasty scone. The original recipe called for a bit of canola oil, whole wheat pastry flour, pecans and cranberries. I thought they were okay so I tried making them with a bit more oil the next time. It didn't improve them much. This time I thought if I swapped the pecans for chocolate chips it might make them more moist. It did improve the flavor but the texture remained coarse and overall a bit sour. So I guess scones will remain one of those special treats for a special day.

On The Way, Week 28

{1} Cranberry Chocolate Chip Scones {2} First Fire of The Season

{3} Morning Frost

{4} Sunrise in Middletown

Crafty Me: Covered Boxes Mean Pretty Closets

I posted a little taste of this mini re-organization project sometime ago. It took me a bit but I finally got to finish off the enhancements for my linen closet! You all know that I don't REALLY have any terribly messy closets or drawers. When I moved here I took the time to edit all the stuff that came with me and plan what, of the remainder, would go where. I ordered all the right shelves and organizers to put my plan into action. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, courtesy of Pinterest, that I began yearning, not so much for more organization in this closet, but for more prettiness!

My first priority was to cover the ugly storage boxes (on the floor in the before). I bought a few yards of solid, neutral duck and a fresh, modern floral that coordinated nicely with the soft pink paint I used on the closet walls. Next up: add bins to each shelf to help separate and contain all the linens. I hid those ugly rags in one, rolled the smaller hand towels in another and arranged washcloths in a third. Another little tweak required a wire shelf to separate the storage boxes on the floor so I can easily slide out the bottom ones. I added a wire under-shelf basket to maximize that space even more. Finally I re-thought how I folded the remaining pieces. I remember Martha Stewart's way of folding all her sheets in a set inside one of the pillow cases to keep them together but I never thought that made for a neat package. Instead I fold and stack the fitted sheet and pillow cases then wrap the flat sheet around them. This way they look great even when stored upright! Another helpful little trick is to roll instead of fold. This allows you, with a little bit of planning, to perfectly fill almost any size space. I even rolled bath towels and stacked them the long way - that's them to the right of the rag bin. They look good!

And there you have it: an organized, pretty - and best of all - stress-free, easy to use closet!

On The Way, Week 27

Vacation, Ocean City, MD {1} Beach, Palms {2} Beach, Sand Art {3} Beach, 2nd Street {4} Porch, Boardwalk {5} Beach, Moonrise {6} Autumn, Rock Ridge Farm

Ricotta Parfait

Ice cream? No. Whipped cream? No. Creme anglais? No. This little parfait is cheese. Yikes! But of course - sweet cheese...beautiful, creamy, fresh ricotta cheese. I buy the organic and - I admit it - the whole milk variety. It' s more calories but if you're a stickler for those kinds of things you can reduce the serving size a bit - it's totally worth it. You can even substitute farmer's cheese if you prefer. When I do that I add just a little honey. The recipe is simple: 1/3 cup of Ricotta or Farmer's Cheese, 1/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips, 1/4 cup of Dried Cranberries. Top with 1 tablespoon of Oat Bran, Wheat Germ or - because I never have those in the house - some Cheerioes! Make this parfait even more special by serving in an elegant brandy snifter and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

On The Way, Week 26

  {1} Vacation, Ocean City, MD {2} Beach, Boardwalk {3} Beach, Sunrise {4} Room, Porch {5} Restaurant, Bull On The Beach

New Kid On The Blog, October 2012: The Pretty Blog

I have visited wedding sights on the internet like the Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings. I've browsed beautiful shops on Etsy.com for favors and paper creations. I've enjoyed discovering many DIY projects and crafts on different personal blogs. The Pretty Blog, however, touches on all of these and does so against a really elegant and creative background. You can peek into wedding events posted by ThePrettyBlog's lovely authors, Christine and Nicola. You can download free printables for party, gift-giving and organizing. You can even submit your own photos and events to be featured on the site. Or you can simply soak in the great graphics and pretty photography but whichever you choose you will get a large dose of inspiration from these 2 South African dolls.