~Pink Sweetness~

I don't believe I will ever see the color PINK again without thinking of BEVERLY, our sweet PINK SATURDAY hostess.
Thank you for the PINK SATURDAYS, Beverly!

Cotton Candy or Fairy Floss as it is called in Australia...sticky and sweet, melts with the touch of the tongue...who can resist this pink, wispy, fluffy, spun, sugary confection? Not I!

I happened upon this man spinning
Fairy Floss in Sydney.

You must know who and what I thought of when
I saw this display of pink fluff ...


Cotton Candy Sugar Cookies..."literally melt in your mouth making them the best sugar cookies"
from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com Desserts and Baking Guide

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4-1/4 cups flour
Extra sugar for pressing cookies - colored sugar can be used for holidays

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cream together the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, butter, and cooking oil. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Add dry ingredients, (the next four ingredients) and mix to incorporate. Roll dough into small balls about the size of a quarter. With a heavy bottomed crystal vase with a decorative bottom, or other cookie press, dip in sugar to coat well. Smash each ball of dough so they are spread out and flat. Leaving an imprint and sugar. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, until the edges just start to turn slightly brown. Do not bake too long. Cool sugar cookies on the baking sheet briefly then transfer to wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

A favorite family foto - because it's Friday!

Our newest grandson - three and a half months old and loves bubble baths.


“I wonder how much it would take
to buy a soap bubble,
if there were only one in the world.”
~ Mark Twain

Aren't bubbles fun?!!

If you want to have some fun, visit these ladies who are sharing one of their favorite family fotos today.

FAITH at Grandma Faith's Fabulous Life

JEANNE at Backyard Neighbor

DAWN at Dawn's Daybreak

CAROLYN at Wings of Eagles

LORI at Oodles of Noodles

VANESSA at Vanilla Lavender

BECKY at Lace and Lures

JOY at Joy to the Blog

SHERRIE at Sherrie's Stuff

DIANE at A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

~Window Shopping~~Santa Monica Style~

We had a lovely day in Santa Monica...a layover on our way to Australia. After spending part of the morning at Santa Monica Pier, we walked Third Street Promenade, taking in the California sunshine, enjoying the lush greenery and flowers. We dined on delightful food, did some window shopping and browsed through stores brimming with enticing goods.










You can see from the photos what I love to shop for. However, we didn't buy a thing, as it was just the beginning of our journey.

California Pinks

Before beginning our long, long journey to Australia, we spent a night and day in California. We visited Santa Monica and found some pinks there! Lucious pink flowers on a wall near Santa Monica Pier.
See the pinks on the beach at Santa Monica?
More pink flowers there.
A pink store on 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica.
Pinks in the windows of the pink store.



See, I was thinking of you while I was away, Beverly!

Edited to add a Pink Saturday recipe:
Peasant Style spaghetti
From Valentino's in Santa Monica
from Wikia.com

1 T. Minced garlic
1 Lb. tomatoes, Peeled And Chopped
1 T. oil
5 Oz. Proscuitto, Minced
1/2 T. pepper
1/4 T. oregano
12 Oz. spaghetti, Cooked And Drained
Chopped parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese

Saute garlic and tomatoes in hot oil in skillet until tender, about 5 minutes. Add Prosciutto, pepper, oregano. Reduce heat. Simmer until ingredients are blended, 2 to 3 minutes; Toss with spaghetti and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4

A HAPPY
PINK SATURDAY
TO YOU ALL!

Home again!

We are home, tired, but happy to be back. I have lots of unpacking, laundry and catching up to do.

I hope to have some pictures of our adventures to share with you this weekend.
We had a wonderful time!




NOTE TO ABBRA...I don't know where to find you. You can find my email on my sidebar. Thank you for visiting and for the compliment!

Voice of the Horses

This is the day we leave for Australia for a fews days, then to Tahiti. I have a new camera and hope to have some great pictures when I return.

As usual, I am leaving a video for you to enjoy. Please leave comments - you can tell me how much you miss me!



Wild horses once roamed the Northern coast of North Carolina - what is known as the Outer Banks. They are called "Banker" horses. The horses have been part of the Outer Banks history, legacy and mystique for hundreds of years...perhaps as early as the early 1500's. It is thought they are descendants of the Spanish Mustangs brought by Spanish explorers as many as 500 years ago.

The horses no long roam free. As the population grew in this area many horses fell victim to vehicular traffic and even worse, killed by criminal hands. At this time the horses are protected by the Corolla Wild Horse Fund and are ranged and given relative freedom at the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge.
Read more about the "Banker" ponies HERE.

A few miles south of the refuge site the Currituck Light Station. I have visited all the lighthouses in North Carolina and I found this one to be my favorite. The Currituck Lighthouse is also known as the Corolla Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse Keeper's Home

The Lightkeeper's Cottage

My favorite North Carolina Light Station

The Currituck Lighthouse


So long for now!

Christopher Robin is giving a party!

"Oh! said Pooh. ... Will there be those little cake things with pink sugar icing?" - A. A. Milne

Can't you just hear Pooh saying that?

It doesn't really have anything to do with my PINK SATURDAY post...I just think it's cute. But, did you know that the color pink makes us crave sugar? ...and yellow and blue and green and purple and.....well, you get the picture!



Honey Cake
Winnie-the-Pooh's Teatime Cookbook
by A. A. Milne & Ernest H. Shepard

1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup butter (1 stick),softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup honey
powdered sugar, for decoration

Preheat oven to 375°F. Sift dry ingredients together. While mixing, slowly add milk, eggs, softened butter, vanilla, and honey. When a creamy batter has formed, pour into 2 greased 9-inch round cakepans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until brown around the edges. Sprinkle with powdered sugarand allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan before serving. Serves 12

Now for my pinks for this Saturday:

This Bohemian art glass plate looks to be a watermelon color - it's really a very pretty shade of pink and transparent...hard to see that here.

This is a rose that lights up. My husband bought it for me when he went on a business trip. I love it!

The plate usually sits behind the rose on a bookshelf in our living room.

A HAPPY
PINK SATURDAY
TO YOU ALL!

~OLIVIA~

Friday's Favorite Family Foto

Olivia has been part of our family since May of 1999. She was found in a porta-jon where my husband works when she was probably around six weeks old. She was dirty and greasy - just a nasty little black ball of fur with big green eyes. My husband brought her home and we cleaned her up. She never shyed away from us. She just took over and made herself at home.

Just a week before Olivia came into our lives, my daddy had died. Olivia was the greatest comfort to me. In spite of my grief, she made me laugh with her antics.
She loved to watch television, sitting right in front of it, looking way up to see it and almost falling back. She loved to watch races on television. She followed the cars as they crossed the screen. She would talk to us by making short little chirping sounds, which she still does.

Today, Livvie is a beautiful cat with big golden eyes. My husband says she thinks I'm her mother...that's okay, she is my baby.

The photo above is Olivia in my daughter's pocket shortly after coming to live with us.

These friends have joined in showing their favorite family photo today.
They are waiting to show you their pictures! Now scoot along and tell them I sent you!

VANESSA at Vanilla Lavender

JEANNE at Backyard Neighbor

JOY at Joy to the Blog

DIANE at A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

DAWN at Dawn's Daybreak

BECKY at Lace and Lures

CLAUDIE at Tickled Pink

MONTEE at Palmetto Girl

CAROLYN at Wings of Eagles

LORI at Oodles of Noodles

MARY at Across The Pond