Thrift Store Finds

Last Sunday, I had a chance to go thrifting. When I saw two rolls of aida fabric and blank thank you cards at a Goodwill store, I got an idea for cute Christmas cards. I am going to cross-stitch white or pale blue snowflakes on dark blue or purple aida fabric. Then I will glue the designs to those blank cards and voila!

The two rolls of aida fabric and a box of fifty cards with envelopes were less than three dollars.







I also bought several books. One of them was this beautiful book with lots of cross-stitching designs. It was only two dollars and forty-nine cents.

Another great book that I bought was Tennyson’s Poems. When I opened it and saw the year it was published, I was astonished - 1870!

I'm linking to Thrifty Things Friday link part at The Thrifty Groove

Blueberry Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake last week when I had girl friends over for tea. It was a big success.



The recipe is quite simple.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups buttermilk
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch pan. Sift together 4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and 1 1/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, combine 2/3 cup flour and 2/3 cup sugar. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

I'm linking this recipe to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

Getting Ready for the Big Trip

I am very excited as this September, my husband and I are traveling to Europe. We are going to visit three countries – France, Poland, and my native Ukraine!

Traveling and visiting new places is lots of fun! Visiting family and friends who live overseas is so exciting! But one thing that I am not looking forward to is packing!

That task can be quite overwhelming. While I still have several weeks before my trip, I should start working on it.

The first thing would be to buy a good quality luggage. But there are so many possibilities that this along is a big challenge.





Should I buy a hard or soft one? A hard one wouldn’t get wet and will be easier to clean. But a soft one wouldn’t scratch and should be lighter in weight.

The issue of weight is important. Many airlines have restrictions on luggage weight. So my suitcase should be light but at the same time sturdy.



The choice of color/pattern is not that essential, but since I want my suitcase to serve me for many years, I should go with a classical one. Bright colors are in fashion now, so a bright yellow suitcase, for example, would look chic and stylish this summer (and perhaps the next one) but in a couple of years it won’t.

I started window shopping for my luggage, but I will wait until the end of August to actually buy one. I hope there will be end-of-summer sales.

All the pictures in this post are from Oldrids and Downtown website.

Gladioluses

These pretty gladioluses are now blooming in my yard. I must say I am very pleased with them! They are such tolerant flowers. They are quite happy with the water they get from the sprinklers and I don’t bother to water them additionally. I need to tie up their tall spikes of large blooms, but that is not difficult and doesn’t require much time.



Right now I only have these yellow ones with red centers. I bought the first four bulbs from a dollar store last year, from which I had a few blooms. They reproduced quickly and this year I have several big plants and lots of small ones.

I found gladioluses to be the easiest flowers to grow of all I have tried. For this reason, I am going to add more gladioluses of different colors to my yard next year.



I'm linking to Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.

Morning Walk and Pretty Homes

I love walking! My daily goal is ten thousand steps. Usually, I take my kids for a walk in the morning. And then in the evening, when my husband can join us, we all go for a walk again. But I also love going for walks alone (although it doesn’t happen very often). That’s the time when I can completely relax and let my mind wander.

I absolutely must walk every day. Walking energizes me, and for me it’s the best way to manage stress. If I spend a day or two without my habitual strolls, I start feeling sad and even depressed.

Last Sunday I had a fantastic walk! I spent the night at my parents’ place, and early next morning I took a walk around a gorgeous neighborhood nearby.

Located in the middle of the city, that area is shielded from the city’s noise and commotion by huge old trees – pines, firs, oaks, eucalyptuses, etc. I think it’s the trees that make that neighborhood so magical.

It was such a great way to start my day! I’m glad I brought a camera with me, so I can share some picture with you.