I am so thankful for my husband Jeff, my daughters Andrea and Gracie and my grandgirls Maddie and Chloe. I enjoyed a perfect weekend with the people I love. I hope you all had a beautiful weekend with your family. Love, Melissa
I am so thankful for my husband Jeff, my daughters Andrea and Gracie and my grandgirls Maddie and Chloe. I enjoyed a perfect weekend with the people I love. I hope you all had a beautiful weekend with your family. Love, Melissa
nature walks… pink bluffs at sunset… hand embroidered pillowcases… a walk downtown to dinner on the patio of a favorite pub… mushroom ravs… wedge salads… painted murals… a stroll on the cannon valley trail… vintage flour sacks turned table squares… vino… newly crocheted cabin blankets… and napping kitties. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Love, Melissa
seeing : blue skies “smilin’ at me,” bright frosting colors, the glow of birthday cake candles, sweet smiles, paint samples and thrift store finds tasting : buttercream, my favorite summer strawberry salad while dining on the patio at the Brickhouse Pub here in Red Wing, iced tea and cucumber spa water, Jimmy John’s Italian subs for a little riverside picnic in Hastings, good wine and grilled fare hearing : childrens’ laughter, train whistles, bird song and speedboats racing smelling : hickory smoke, fresh mint centerpieces and fresh air feeling : a sense of rebirth and newness, fuzzy kitties, sunshine and warm breezes knowing : Spring is finally here! XO, ~Melissa
sipping THIS TEA roasting THESE POTATOES pouring THIS NA MULLED CIDER for Gracie & Olivia nibbling THIS CHEESE and THIS CHEESE with baguette, vino, olives, pickles & crudite continuing to write my book… toasting country-style bread and frying up mushrooms for THIS CROSTINI wearing THIS PERFUME smelling THIS AWESOME CANDLE SCENT enjoying B&N chai tea lattes and a Mediterranean Orange Buca Cocktail noshing the Brickhouse KLIEWER PIZZA A tangy favorite with ham, artichokes, Greek olives, sauerkraut and red onions covered with mozzarella. I hope you all had a beautiful week. XO, ~Melissa
the onion grille, hastings minnesota the onion grille’s “Onion Burger” with sweet potato fries the onion grille’s lamb gyro the onion grille’s BLT I tried the Canaletto Pinot Grigio and the Alexis Bailly Seyval Blanc… both were lovely! the old hastings bridge in front of the new one… chai latte On Saturday we drove to Hastings, only about 40 miles north of Red Wing, to check out The Onion Grille. It turned out to be a lovely, casual lunch spot, with great food and a nice wine list. The service was wonderful, and we definitely plan on a return visit. Next time we want to go for one of their live music nights and dinner. After lunch we walked over to look at the bridges stopped in at Dunn...
coloring easter eggs the easter table ~ easter dinner + breakfast babka grandgirls after-dinner stroll Happy Easter, Lovelies! Hope yours was beautiful. XO, M
I’m back! Wow! what a fun weekend we had with the girls. Now I’m cleaning the house after the flurry of activity. On Saturday morning my brother Phillip dropped my darling daughter Andie off at our place for the weekend. He was spending the weekend with my other brother, Terry, who only lives a couple blocks away from me. I got up early so I could pack up a big “care package” for my brothers to enjoy over the weekend. I love to cook, and they love to eat, so it’s a great trade off. I made my split pea soup with ham (recipe coming soon!), spiced maple-oatmeal muffins, and another little Italian quiche. So much fun! They are happy to taste test my creations, which is actually...
tasting ~ a wonderful turkey sandwich loaded with veggies and creamery cheeses, cheesy tortilla soup, great wine, blueberry lavender chocolate, big breakfasts an easy cordon bleu with honey dijon sauce (find recipe below…) and…THIS AMAZING bread! Ya gotta make it. Ya just GOTTA! smelling ~ woodsmoke, fresh baked bread just out of the oven (I invented a new flavor…recipe coming soon) lavender-lily of the valley linen spray on everything that comes out of the dryer… (it’s tricking me into thinking it’s spring!) and a fragrant oolong tea! seeing ~ my girls and hubby at the breakfast and dinner table, the snow slowly melting feeling ~ the warm glow of the fireplace, yarn in my hands, and cuddly kitties by my side hearing ~ Sallie Ford “The Sound Inside” on...
I am pleased to introduce our guest artist to ChinDeep.com today! Jennifer Cook, the lovely and talented artist behind the “What My Coffee & Tea Says To Me” series! Whimsical, uplifting and inspirational! Welcome, Jennifer! As a 20 year strategic designer and illustrator I decided that it was time for a creative challenge and thus was launched the series called “What my Coffee says to me.” On January 1st, 2012, as I stared into my first cup of coffee of the year, I decided that each day must have a special meaning and each day had to be represented creatively. The conversation with my coffee that day was more than just coffee talk. I was infused with a passion to create a caffeinated illustration for every day called...
