Rustic driftwood built-in tv/ wood storage cabinet.

Completed over Christmas break, built in media/wood storage cabinet. The driftwood (collected along the Ohio River banks) hinged door hides video and audio components. The signals from the a/v remotes are able to pass through the openings between driftwood pieces. The door can remain shut at all times to hide component clutter. The wood storage is ample and adds more to the authencity of our modern log cottage. 

 http://www.remodelaholic.com/2014/04/quick-easy-weekend-projects/

Rustic cheesy bacon ranch potatoes

Rustic cheesy bacon ranch potatoes to serve a crowd....a Sunday favorite at our house. 

5 lbs. potatoes washed and sliced (we like the skin on in our family)

1 tsp seasoned salt

0.5 tsp pepper

0.5 tsp onion powder

0.5 tsp garlic powder 

0.5 lb uncooked bacon cut into 1 inch pieces

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese cubed or shredded 

8 oz Monterrey jack cheese cubed or shredded

8 oz bottle ranch or spicy ranch dressing 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In lightly greased 13x9 casserole, toss first 5 ingredients. 

3. Place cut up bacon pieces over top of potatoes.

4. Bake potatoes in oven for 60 mins. 

5. Remove potatoes from oven and toss them with cheeses and ranch dressing. 

6. Return to oven for 15 mins or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

January sentiment

Hubby's chalkboard print in our mud entrance hallway post Christmas. The perfect January sentiment. 

Sugared pecan bread pudding with Smitty's apple pie whiskey custard sauce

BREAD PUDDING 

6-8 pieces of torn sourdough bread

2 T. butter, melted 

12 oz. can evaporated milk

4 oz. milk 

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1/2 c. golden raisins (optional) 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch casserole dish. 

2. Place bread in casserole dish and drizzle butter over top of bread. 

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients until combined and pour over bread.  Let sit 5 mins making sure all bread pieces are saturated. 

4. Bake 50-60 mins or until center is set. 

SUGARED PECANS 

1 c. pecans 

1/4 c. sugar

1 T butter 

Pinch of salt

While pudding is baking, make the pecan topping by combining first three ingredients in nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until sugar is liquified. Then pour mixture on to parchment. Sprinkle pinch of salt over cooling nuts. Nuts will be ready to eat in 10 mins.  

SMITTY'S APPLE PIE WHISKEY CUSTARD SAUCE 

  

1/2 c. butter

2 T. water

1 egg

1 c. sugar 

2 T. Smitty's Apple Pie Whiskey 

 In saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat, do not allow to simmer. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Mix water and 1 egg in small bowl; stir into butter until blended. Stir in 1 cup sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in whiskey. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

TO SERVE:

1. CUT BIG SLICE OF BREAD PUDDING

2. SPRINKLE NUTS OVER THAT SLICE

3. POUR A LIBERAL AMOUNT OF THAT WHISKEY SAUCE OVER IT ALL AND ENJOY

Sweetwater Shed's Favorite Santa's Whiskers

Sweetwater Shed's Favorite Santa's Whiskers 

1 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 cups flour

3 cups shredded coconut 

1 cup chopped candied cherries (the kind you use in fruitcake)

1. Beat butter, sugar, egg, milk, extracts, and salt until well mixed. Mixture may look curdled.  

2. Add flour and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. 

3. Add 2 cups of the coconut (reserving 1 cup for later) and the candied cherries to the batter. Mix until evenly combined. 

4. Chill dough at least 2 hours. Overnight works well. 

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

6. Form dough into ball shapes and roll each ball in remaining coconut that has been placed in shallow bowl. 

7. Place on Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets. 

8. Bake 10-14 mins. I bake mine for 12 mins.  Or until coconut barely starts to brown. 

Makes approx. 45 cookies. 

Blue Ribbon Toasted Coconut Cake with Rum Cream Filling

Coconut Creme Cake:

1 box white cake mix
1 c. flour
3/4 t. salt
1 c. creme of coconut milk (the kind used to make piña coladas)
2 eggs
1 1/3 c. water
1 t. coconut extract
2 T. canola oil

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift with whisk the first 3 ingredients in mixing bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Beat with medium speed mixer for 2 mins. Scraping down sides as needed. Pour batter equally into 2 round cake pans that are oiled and floured. Bake 25-30 mins. or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove cakes from pans and cool on wire rack. While cakes bake prepare rum cream filling.


Coconut Rum Cream Filling:

1 box vanilla pudding
3/4 c. creme of coconut milk
1/2 c. milk
3/4 t. rum extract
1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes (can use sweetened, but I prefer unsweetened)

Directions: Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl for 2 mins. on medium. Scraping bowl as needed. Cover bowl with plastic wrap touching top of filling mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.


Fluffy Coconut Buttercream Icing

1/2 lb. room temperature salted butter (can use unsalted, just add 1/2 t. salt)
3 c. confectioners sugar
2 T. cream
1 1/2 t. coconut extract

Directions: Mix butter in bowl with medium speed mixer for 7-8 mins. Mixing until butter is pale in color. Add the rest of ingredients and beat for 5 more minutes. Frost cake when cooled.


Toasted Coconut

1 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions: Place coconut flakes on cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 5 mins or until very lightly toasted. Remove from oven and cool.




Assembly of cake: Working with cooled cakes. Place custard mixture between the 2 stacked cake layers. Keeping away from edge by 1/2 in. Next frost cake with the icing. Then gentle cover cake with the toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grandma's fruitcake bonbons

(Copy of Grandma Vera Bogler's recipe above, same recipe below.)


GRANDMA'S FRUITCAKE BONBONS Approximately 100 bonbons

1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange-juice concentrate

1/2 cup molasses

1 package (15 ounces) dark raisins

1 jar (1 pound) mixed candied fruit

1/2 cup butter softened

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Petite paper candy cups

Candied cherries

1. In a saucepan, combine orange-juice concentrate, molasses and raisins. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add candied fruit. Cool.

2. Cream butter and sugar; beat in eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and baking soda; add to sugar mixture. Stir in fruit mixture and nuts.

3. Place candy papers on a baking sheet; put 1 tablespoon batter into each paper. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until cakes test done. Transfer to cooling racks and garnish with a slice of candied cherry.

Note: The oven rack should be placed in the top half to third of the oven; watch carefully for burning.

Data per serving Calories 56 Protein 1g Fat 1g Carbohydrates 11g Sodium 18mg Saturated fat 0g Monounsaturated fat 1g Polyunsaturated fat 0g Cholesterol 6mg

Log deer with plans.

Log deer completed. Several more to make. Plans hubby and son used to make these cute log deer are posted. Click on diagram pic to see full view of plans.

Good Housekeeping Rolls

Over the years I have tried other recipes, but this is our family's absolute favorite holiday rolls. These tender crescent shaped rolls are a staple of our holiday meals and we all agree that there is no point in looking for another basic roll recipe. The smell of them baking draws the family into the kitchen.


1/2 cup butter flavor Crisco shortening
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 packages active dry yeast
7-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature

EARLY IN DAY OR DAY AHEAD: In large bowl, combine shortening, salt, sugar, and 1/2 cup butter (1 stick). Cut the shortening and butter into several pieces to help facilitate melting. Pour 1 cup boiling water over mixture and stir until blended.
In small bowl, sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.); stir to mix slightly. Let rest 5 minutes.
To mixture in large bowl, add flour, eggs, yeast mixture, and 1 cup cold water, stirring to mix well. Dough will be sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate 5 hours or overnight, stirring down dough, if necessary. The dough is easy to work with after refrigeration.
ABOUT 1-1/2 HOURS BEFORE SERVING: In small saucepan over low heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick). Remove dough from refrigerator; divide into 3 pieces. On floured surface, with floured rolling pin, roll 1 dough piece into 12-inch round. Brush lightly with some melted butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough round into 12 wedges. Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge toward point; curve ends in slightly toward each other. Place rolls, point-side down, about 1 inch apart, on greased large cookie sheet. I put 12 on each cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough pieces, using a large cookie sheet for rolls from each piece. (If you don't have 3 cookie sheets, work with 2 pieces of dough at a time and keep remaining dough refrigerated.) Cover; let dough rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F.) until doubled, about 1 hour. If your kitchen is cool, preheat oven on warm for a minute or so and then turn off and put in barely warm oven to speed rising.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake rolls 15 to 20 minutes, until rolls are lightly brown. These rolls freeze beautifully in freezer zip lock bags. This dough is also excellent for homemade cinnamon rolls.

Pottery barn teen finds for preteen.....

Updating our 10 year old son's bedroom. Cannot believe my baby, Eric, is really a preteen......




Here's a few fun additions that have met his approval....:)

A wall mural for my future Mizzou football lineman.....well Florida Gator would work too (for me....hehe).




A cool United States chalkboard wall light map......



Picture frames shaped like old Polaroid pictures to use in a unique way.....


Aren't these sweet?

Waiting on these to arrive, then will post pics of his new tween boy's room.

Oh and love this bed on caster wheels. I have a feeling hubs will be making one of these someday.....:)

No, not a Dora lamp

I have been searching and searching for a modern version of an antler lamp for weeks to finish off our foyer table. But I knew if I just held off long enough I could flea/gw something.......

Eventually......ummm, like today! .... I did........





No, not the Dora lamp, it is for my sweet Courtney, granddaughter, who is so in love with her now.

And there's that rather ugly antler lamp laying on the right. Pic taken with them in the back of the truck just after I had bought them. Don't mind the mud.

Both lamps combined, less than $5.....can you say ....yeah!!!!!!

After a bit of spray paint, and adding one of the shades from my personal private basement collection, this is how the lamp looked......




Love it. Total cost out of pocket.....2.49.




Also found these cool glass candle holders. Human backhoe...aka, hubby....think they look like a phallic symbol......men!...whatevah!




My ultimate weakness is always silver candlesticks......here's a few more for my collection.....:)




The backdrop in the foyer is our recently stenciled walls. Love this gray/blue paint color. It's Martha Stewart eggshell in Opal from home depot. This is my favorite color at this moment in time.

Here's the new look elevated on an old pepsi crate, that was already painted black when I found it.




Sweet simple foyer for our sweetwater cottage log home.

kitchen decor compromise

We are soon to start really renovating our little log cottage kitchen. I love how the pioneer woman used one these to place in her kitchen redo a few years ago. These were also used in a hgtv dream home giveaway a few years ago. They are hand carved wood and available through urbanmaterials.com.





They are priced at $395. Not really too bad, but we have a lot of cash already committed to our little redo. Then I found this acrylic resin molded baby.....



$49 from zgallerie.com. A bit of a compromise, but should work for the overall feel of the planned kitchen. He will have a special place above the cooktop on the cabinetry mounted hood.




Here's an idea of how our kitchen hood will look, although we have hand-made pine cabinets. Our cabinets were built by my son's shop teacher at our high school. Actually our whole log cottage was built by him 20 years ago.

While checking out the deer head, found these adorable chocolate colored salad plates on sale for $1.99 each. Love the chocolate colored bunny plate, so I ordered 10.....:), as you can order individually and not as a set.



Soooooo ready to move on to our all out kitchen assault, now that the loft is done.

Tomorrow.....road trip to Stl to visit THE girls. Hoping to stop at a couple Homegoods to shop for new lamps in the entry foyer.

Log cottage loft remodel

I always hesitate in which order to post redos, remodels, etc. Do I post the final product, which makes everything look so easy and effortless? Or do I show the uglies and hard work first?

First off this has been an off and on remodel process over the last 15 months. When we bought our log cottage we knew we wanted to open up this hallway to make another living space.




But we knew we would have to sacrifice this atrocity.




An underused storage room, with absolutely no natural light. So dark and gloomy. We really do have plenty of storage in our log cottage.....bye, bye , good riddance.

Now this is a start in the right direction.....:)




Two walls gone and new load bearing header being made. Check it out on the sawhorse. Gotta love our teenage son's room Xmas decor in the background.

Header up, 2x4's gone. Really can get a feel for the space of the new loft area.




But still lots to do:
Scrape ugly swirly ceiling
Paint and stain
Built-ins under eaves
Insulation under eaves
Install hand whitewashed pine flooring
New light fixtures and wiring
Shop for decor appropriate to space, especially a long narrow sofa
Etc.

And a few months and tears later.....

Loft complete.....now that's a real ahhhhhhhh.......




Couple of baseboards to place and let the decorating begin.....




Bright , simple space where there used to be a wasted dark storage room. Sofa....goodwill purchase....perfect and $60. Did I say perfect?




Favorite find for room. Overstock.com rug. Love it!

Here's a few more sweet things.




Upstairs log cottage......complete.

Thanks hubs!

Sweetwater Shed holiday GIVEaway

Come on over to sweetwatershed on facebook and see how our family is celebrating our many blessings this year. Won't you join us? It is a simple thing to do.......:)

sweetwater shed now open

well you never know the direction the good lord will take you. click on the facebook link on the sidebar and you can see a new direction i am heading......



sweetwater shed facebook store now open.... handstamped metal jewelry available at reasonable prices and with free shipping.

stop by and visit....

register to win $20 merchandise credit.

............you never know where the fork in the road will take you, life is going in a new direction and i am blessedly busy.

lovin' lower case font...."it's a good thing"

new lower case font with swavorski crystals now being produced..:)



thank you again for the interest. i am loving making these! as martha or "marfa"(as we say around our house)says....."it's a good thing".

good bones......

picked up a couple of projects to do....(like i don't have enough already?)


60 dollar china hutch. very nice piece. will paint distressed white or black? that is the question. i love black with the pop of white china. but then again i am getting tired of black myself. just my personal issue as of right now.....:)hubby says white as it easier to change to black if i change my mind......imagine that. hubby is thinking more like me all the time....shhhhhh....don't tell him. also will change the glass inserts to old time bubble glass. i actually like the hardware, but i will be spray painting it to change it to something other than antique brass.




and then this 5 dollar chair and little ethan allen footstool. i see some burlap and paint in the future of the footstool. chair i haven't decided. it will be my first real attempt at reupholstering. i am sure i won't get to this chair until the dead of winter,way after christmas, so i have some time to decide on how to proceed.

cole & anne

ahhhhhhhh........my middle son, cole, and his girlfriend, anne,(pronounced annie)over 18 months of being each others' first loves....



so grown up......but still my baby.




anne and cole.........just the most adorable pair. but more importantly the two most kind and loving teenagers i have ever known to each other and the world.


in honor of your love and friendship..........


"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities. "
~ Janos Arany

cornfield exercisin' and baked goodies

yesterday while hubby was busy installing something i have wanted and waited for, for almost 47 years(more on that in another post to come).......i went for a walk/jog through this.




spent a couple hours in the fields behind our lake jogging and walking. quiet solitary time(with an iphone...:) ) in warm fall air....can't hardly beat that.


came inside and fixed a margherita pizza on whole wheat crust with ingredients from our garden. mmmmmmmmmm.........yumola!





such healthfulness was followed by a couple of these......




made from these.......





wonder who ate the tops......:)





probably one of these two suspicious characters......just sayin'......