Dinner is SERVED!

Well girls, thanks for all your comments about What's for Dinner?!
(Some great tips mixed with some fun laughs!

I must get a pressure cooker!!)

We didn't starve that night... I acutally found a great website
What's for dinner?

(how appropriate!)

and threw together a little something..

Garlic & Onion Pasta

it turned out quite good!

( I added some leftover chicken I had in the fridge.)

Then I started thinking....

(usually, this is where it gets dangerous, lol!)

I do love to cook, I'm just a little disorganized in the kitchen...

(well, I'm disorganized everywhere but that's another story!)

I have alot of cooking websites I like and get recipes from

but not one place where all my favorite ones are located, so I thought.....

my blog!

I should be utilizing this great blog of mine to organize and simplify the

'what's for dinner' dilemma!!

Since I'm here almost daily and I can link directly to the recipe source

(no more adding it to my favorites and bogging down my computer!)

I started a list of my favorite recipes that I refer to often...

I can add to this list as I go along and it's there to share with others:)

It's down on the left of my sidebar...check it out!

I know, I'm probably silly...lot's of bloggers do this already I'm sure,

but sometimes, well, most of the time actually...

I'm late to the party!

we'll see how it goes....

Bon Appetit!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula

What's for dinner?

Ah Ha!!

You have no idea, do you?

You thought I was going to have some great idea, huh?

Sorry... I have no clue.

Once again, it's getting late in the afternoon and I haven't even thought about it enough to take something out of the freezer and now it's too late. Again.

Am I the only family cook who is constantly eluded by this question?
Does anyone have a clever & simple solution to this daily dilemma?

if so.... I'd love to hear it!!

we have a winner!!

First... the most sincere thankyou to all of you who entered my giveaway!!

You have had me blushing pretty much non-stop all week!!

The lucky number is 28 ....Stefanie from Angelic Accents!!!!

Stefanie shoot me your address and Bella Cottage will be on the way:)

Blowing kisses to each of you... sweet blog friends!!

have a beautiful weekend!!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula

The Big Green Post

Well Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
And speaking of green...here's what I want to ramble about.... and ramble I do...long post warning:)

Have you seen this film? Here's the trailer to it...

It recently aired on the Sundance Channel

(and I hope they'll be showing it again but it's not scheduled currently...keep checking here)

WOW...what an eye opener. I thought I knew it all about recycling, (or at least alot, in this house, nothing gets thrown away without thinking about what it's next life could be)... it's importance, how we are consuming and disposing of 'stuff' at a rate that our planet just can't keep up with, but this film digs deeper into it....it is the result of three years of work that took filmmaker Ian Connacher around the globe seeking answers to the host of problems that surround one of our little addictions,

plastic.

We may have known this:
We pitch into landfills 38 billion water bottles a year -- in excess of $1 billion worth of plastic.
And this:
24% of the bottled water we buy is tap water repackaged by Coke and Pepsi.
But did you know this?

The United Nations claims there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of ocean. A whopping 80% of plastics in the ocean originate from land.

Which sadly, gives us this:

Captain Charles Moore, world expert and founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, explains that in some parts of the ocean, the ratio of plastic to plankton in the water is 10:1. A Dutch scientist finds that 90% of the birds he dissects have the human equivalent of a lunch bag full of plastic in their stomachs.

Realizing we can't just do away with plastic altogether 'Addicted to Plastic' doesn't just give us the gory details of our addiction. It provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. (Because simply recycling isn't the answer! You can read more info about that here in a Huffington Post article
Recycling Plastic: What a waste.
The solutions Ian Connacher details - which include plastic made from plants -gives us a new perspective about our future with plastic.

What to do now, today?

Well on this 'green day' let's spend some time being aware of all the plastic in our lives and rethinking it. Since I've watched the film, I find myself being more aware of all the plastic in my life and how many times I could of made a better decision or the number of things I simply could of opted out of. Here are some rules (from the Huffington Post article above, written by Lisa Kaas Boyle, (Co-Founder, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and Board Member, Heal the Bay).


1. REFUSE single-use plastics. (these are every day, single-use plastics ..."SUPs"... bottles, bags, packaging, utensils, etc. made from petrochemicals that are thrown away in huge quantities after one use, but they will last virtually forever. SUPs are the largest component of landfills and ocean pollution.)

Instead, bring your own shopping and produce bags to the market, or try 'paper please'. Use reusable bottles or grab the glass bottle in the beverage cooler at the convenience store instead of the plastic. Bring your own containers for take-out or ask for non-plastic disposable packaging.

2. REDUCE waste. Choose products with the least plastic packaging. Cut back on plastic disposable goods like razors, straws, cups, plates and silverware.

3. REUSE preferably nontoxic containers and goods to make less waste.

4. RECYCLE plastics as a last option, after exhausting the first three options.

We have the power to change the world, why aren't we using it?

ps...there's still time to get in on my latest sign giveaway "Bella Cottage"!!

Wishing you all a sunny & green day!!




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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula

Bella Cottage ... the giveaway!

Hello sweet bloggers....

Happy ***almost*** Spring!

Happy ***almost***gardening season!

Happy***almost***daffodils-everwhere season!

oh heck...why not...

Happy***almost***Spring cleaning season!!

And time for a *** happy new sign giveaway! ***

Inspired by all your beautiful cottage blogs....

and designed with your 'beautiful cottage' in mind...

'Bella Cottage'

Beautifully chippy creamy white background on my favorite shape board with my favorite font, 'Champion Pro' and ...a corsage of soft white roses! It measures 23" x 11" and will arrive artist signed and ready to hang:)

Simple giveaway...just leave a comment on this post before Friday March 19th at 7pm...

{and I'd love for you to become a follower!!}

get a second chance by posting about
my giveaway and let me know about it in a second comment!

I'll again be choosing the winner via random.org
(that fun little number generator some brilliant person invented!)
and contacting you either through your blog or email!
( sorry but I do have to limit this giveaway to the US & Canada)

Thank you all for coming by & wishing you a happy Spring-like weekend!!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula

Catching my breath...

after an incredibly busy week! I don't know how many signs I painted and shipped, but it was alot! One thing I learned...again...you can't rush painting. Feeling a little pressure with so many orders I somehow managed to mess one up & had to start over. Not a good way to start my week. But things got better
(after I had a teensy, weensy, itty, bitty
complete meltdown!!!
funny how a little meltdown can clear the mind, huh?
I reccomend one at least once a month! LOL:)

and I'm almost, almost caught up!

(which means I'm almost close to finishing my next giveaway sign too!!!)

This weekend promises to be beautiful...in the 50's and lot's of sunshine!

That has me chanting... "ladybugs Kathryn, lot's and lot's of ladybugs"....

one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies!! do you remember?

This afternoon we're playing tennis...yippeeeeee!!!

and I get to wear my new tennis shoes!!

{their pink, to match my pink raquet!!}

and we'll play tomorrow too...and then on Monday,

I won't be able to walk!! lol:)

As a sweet ending to this beautiful weekend, my college boy comes home for sping break Sunday night!!! He would of been home last night but decided to stay the weekend to spend every minute he could with his sweetheart...
that's my boy:)

{my favorite picture of Mike & Caitlyn}

This week I'm looking foward to catching up on visiting some of your blogs:)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend with lot's of sunshine!
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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula

Remember this movie?

Look what that Jack typed in there!!!! He is really evil.

sorry...I'm just sorta chanting this over and over in my head so I thought I'd put it here to

1. get it out of my head

and

2. to let you know (because I know you were worried!!)

that I'm here, just busy as a bee:)

More evenings like this, please!

It was Saturday night and I ditched the sweatpants, put on a little black dress
(long-sleeved of course..it is, unfortuantely, still winter!),
grabbed my darling and we went to a fabulous dinner with friends...
friends who like us, have been hibernating all winter!


Phew...we needed to 'get out' like you read about!


We went to celebrate 2 anniversaries & a birthday at Passwaters Restaurant at the Heritage Shores Country Club in Bridgeville De.
(you girls that live close...this place is a dining experience you must have!)

we look very 'composed' don't we?

We weren't, trust me.

Mark, Paula (the only other Paula I know besides PJ!)

Blair, Cheryl, Don, MaryRose, Mike & me!

What a great time....so good for the psyche kinda night:)

MaryRose & Don's son...Frank...

the Executive Chef at Passwaters!!

You know what happens when your friends' son is the 'executive chef'?

Well, lets just say we wanted for very little!

A liesurely 3 hour dinner...

Mussels...Pork Won tons.. crab cakes..the best Bruchetta I've ever tasted...Cream of Crab soup...Ceasar Salad...Lamb Shank..Filet Mignon with Bleu Cheese crust...Rockfish with crab & succotash stuffing...

Duck...New York Strip...Veal...

we ate like Kings & Queens!

For dessert we were treated to tableside flaming

'Bananas Foster' ....a recipe Frank got from Brennan's in New Orleans...

banana liquer, cinnamon, bananas, dark rum, vanilla ice cream, and

candied walnuts..{made right on the premises}...oh they were sooooo yummy!

Frank brought out Chef hat's for our boys to wear...(I told you we weren't very 'composed').
Then he prepared the Banana's Foster tableside..I was very impressed.

Check out Chef Franks' website...Cooking with Chef Frank

he shares his famous recipe for "Cream of Crab" soup...oh, it is to die for!!

Some of his dishes....

Now, I don't have any pictures of us after dinner but, that's probably a good thing!

...we went to Mark & Paula's and played Wii bowling...

the girls beat the guys 2-1 and it was my first time playing!!

(ya, I know, I must be the only person alive who hadn't played Wii!!)

but that will change soon...my darling husband says..."we need that" and since it has tennis,

I'm agreeing!

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(¸.·´ (¸.·´ paula