Mmmmm......Good!

Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in Nestle Toll House Best-Loved Cookies. These cookies are fabulous with a little change here and there. The first time I made these, I did not have brown sugar on hand, so I made them without and hoped for the best. They turned out wonderful and I will never make them any other way! If you like a "cakier" cookie, you can try this method too.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I added extra, about 1-2 cups as I mixed at the very end)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar (skip this step!)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (I use Imperial)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
2 cups (12 ounce pkg) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional, I did not use)

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar (skip), butter, and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and nuts. At this time I gradually added more flour to thicken the batter. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes. Let stand for 1 minute, remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Flour Sack Towels

I have searched for the perfect flour sack towel, one that resembles closely to the original flour sack. And here it is, wonderfully sized, approximately 30" x 30", all-cotton weave and heavy-weight.

Here is my first three designs. I have chosen to lightly tea-dye them for a vintage look. Then I have stenciled my "Campin' In The Cabin", "Walk This Way", and "Woods and Trees" designs along the bottom.

Flour sack towels are known for their excellent absorption and ability to dry faster than a normal kitchen towel, and are super soft and lint-free. Perfect for drying dishes, dusting furniture, and many culinary uses. This towel would also look beautiful as a table cloth too!

More designs coming soon! Oh, and they're perfectly folded and tied with a burlap bow, ready for gift-giving.

A REALLLLY tall Sunflower!

My daughter and I planted several sunflower seeds around the yard this past spring. I didn't really think they would grow this tall, even though the package said they could get to be up to 12 feet tall. Well, seeing is believing....two sunflowers got taller than the roof of our porch!
Not really sure why, but the rest of the seeds only turned into about 2-3 foot tall flowers...

A Toddler's Garden

As a lover of nature, picking flowers, and running around outside, I knew my daughter did not "need" more toys. So, for her 3rd birthday, my husband and I decided to give her a garden all of her own. We selected a spot in the yard, I removed the sod, and my husband built a wooden border around it. We selected fun plants for her, like purple coneflower, coriopsis, sunflowers, and marigolds. The annuals are added to give summer-long color, and she can get excited to replant them each year. Our daughter loves tomatoes, so we also added her very own cherry tomatoe plant! There's also a couple strawberry plants, but we did not have them covered, and unfortunately, an intruder ate them before our daughter could enjoy the fruit. Overall, we believe this is one of the best creative, learning gifts we could've ever given our daughter.

Tree of Life Tattoo

After long consideration, I finally decided to get a tattoo on my forearm, of a Tree of Life. I have not been able to previously get a tattoo in a place like this because of my recent work as a bank teller. I always (or at least for the past few years) knew that I wanted a wrist band tattoo, but I'd have to wait until I left my job. Finally, the time has come to get a tattoo, but I couldn't seem to find a design that meant something to me in a personal way. I really wanted a tree-like design around my wrist, but could not imagine the design. So after several hours of looking at designs online, I finally found this wonderful design. And it suits me perfectly. No, it is not around my wrist, but an unusual place for a woman, nevertheless. Even the tattooist said he typically does not like forearm tattoos on women, but this design is quite feminine and looks good. Most importantly, my husband and I like it. :)

Hand-Painted t-Shirts

Very cool hand painted American Apparel t-shirts.......designed by me!!! I absolutely love the tree design, and there's many other designs available too....bird, guitar, caterpillar, giraffe, basic shapes, etc. You can check 'em out at www.harrietshaven.etsy.com. I'm constantly coming up with new ideas, just trying to find time to create. Very flexible with the design colors and the t-shirt style/size (if available). I love to paint!!! I find it to be therapeutic and the designs are absolutely awesome to wear!!!

In Living Color Fabric Wall Art

The most exciting thing about crafting with fleece is the wide range of colors available and the ease of use. I had so much fun coming up with this design on canvas. Cutting out each piece of fleece and placing them on the fabric was similar to making a collage or mural. I think making this type of art allows so much freedom in the creation process and is very rewarding with the outcome. My daughter was the inspiration for this piece with her love of rainbows......and our combined love of trees and the outdoors. Very fun!
This piece is the first of my fabric wall art available on my site: www.harrietshaven.etsy.com