Chicken Noodle Soup...

...For The Hungry Tummy!

I absolutely LOVE my 

Southern Living Cookbook!

I'm not sure if you can buy it

through Barnes and Noble or

on Amazon, but I got mine when I was a 

consultant for the Company.

It is full of really yummy recipes

and Southern fare, to which, 

I am partial.

I tried this recipe last week and 

I have to say, it is by far

the best tasting 

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

this girl has ever had!

Sharing the recipe and in these {my switcharoo's}.

I didn't take photos of the making because if one

doesn't know how to chop veggies, 

one shouldn't play with fire! 

;)

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Prep: 20 minutes    Cook: 55 minutes

1 tablespoon butter {2}

1 large onion, chopped

.....

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

.....

3 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 (8 oz.) package spaghetti noodles

broken into 2 inch pieces

{I used dumpling noodles
but I think egg noodles 
would be good too}

7 celery ribs, finely chopped

{I used 4 and sliced}

6 carrots, finely chopped

{I sliced}

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

.....

2 cups milk

{I used Heavy Cream}

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

{optional}

Melt butter in a Dutch oven {large soup pot}

over medium heat.

Add onion and saute until tender.

Stir in chicken and next 

9 ingredients and 

bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Stir in milk and return to simmer.

Remove from heat and

let stand 10 minutes.

Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

12 servings

I served this with a rich heavy bread {with butter}.

Hope you like it as much as we did/do!

Valentine's A Comin'!

The day of the Love profession

is coming!

Do you have any good

crafts to make?

I'll be perusing 

Pinterest 

for some inspiration.

The boys and I decided we will make

pretty cookies

and some hand made

Valentine's

to give to the 

cutie girls on the block.

I see heart shaped

lacy doilies in our future.

This will make for a fun

post, dontcha think?

Enjoying our rainy weather today

and admiring my roses in

photos since they're all

resting at the moment.

Hope you're keeping warm!

Vintage Flowers

This little Violet has been with me since

we moved into this house.

We're talking two years

{wow, time flies!}.

I was worried I was gonna

lose her a few times

despite the loving care

I gave her.

  I learned Violets do not 

like to get their

leaves wet. So I placed her in a

 cup and saucer

from my Great Grandma's

china and started watering

her from the bottom.

Beautiful things started happening!

The leaves grew greener

and I got blooms!

There are more little

purple nuggets

just waiting to emerge, 

under that soft, lush foliage.

Maybe GG or Granny is

here helping me tend to my 

vintage flowers.

Life's lesson:

Taking the time to learn how to properly 

care for and nurture something

brings beautiful results,

regardless of what it is:

A relationship, your children

or even a little plant. 

Who knew my little Violet

and GG and Granny would 

remind me of this without

having to say a word.

Love is a beautiful thing...

xo, Amber

"Don't Ever Give Up...

On Your Dreams."

Don't you just love finding those quotes with

a beautiful photo attached that 

touch your heart and instantly put a smile 

on your face because it just magically

 appears

at the right moment

when you just want to throw 

in the towel?

{phew, that was a long sentence!}

I do.

I save many of them.

When I start losing hope,

I scroll through and find 

one that lifts me back up

and re-lights the fire.

Sometimes I even 

"write it on the wall".

{Big Chalkboard}

I know some of my dreams are larger than me

and I open my big fat yapper and think

them OUT LOUD.

That's just me.

So in case you feel like I do, I'll share some 

of them that remind me to not give up.

I think life would be pretty sad if we didn't have

dreams or goals to strive for.

So here are some of my faves:

And my absolute favorite...

Don't give up!

I won't if you don't.

xo, Amber

Let's Talk Kitchens!

I thought I would NEVER say this, but...

we live in a pretty cool Era.

Although my values are old school,

the ability to turn to the computer  

for inspiration in planning, designing 

and decorating,

is priceless.

Since we are slowly inching our

way to buying our next home,

I am always looking for great ideas.

My number one room of choice:

The Kitchen!

I've got my checklist, photos and do's and don't's,

all ready to go!

I have found that I am drawn to a certain style,

certain materials, and a layout

that is waaaay different from the house we

currently reside in.

Here are some INTERNET found 

inspirations.  None of these are my photos, K?

MmmmKaaaay.

I love all of it! Marble, wood, white and those windows!

{I love white cabinets and lots of windows and marble,
can you tell?}

That island is amazing! Love the reclaimed wood.

Small and cozy. Love!

I LOVE windows, Can ya tell?

Just somethin' about it.

THEN, there's this.....

I think I could absolutely live with this too. 

With all of this inspiration,

I think I will let our future home/kitchen

tell me what it wants. 

Well, unless it already looks like one of these!

Happy dreaming, Friends!

xo, Amber

In L.O.V.E!

I am in love with old houses!

Living in Southern California,

there aren't many here, that are old

enough for me to love.

When I'm in an adventurous mood

{which is always}

I have a favorite site I like to travel the States with:

Historic Homes For Sale

I have found many places I would love to

travel to with my camera 

and capture the old 

craftsmanship

these homes were built with.

They just don't make 'em like they used to!

We are planning another little vacation soon and 

we are headed to the South. On my list of to-do's

will be the Walking Tour so I can see this

beauty!

She was built in 1856.

Wow!

I am in love....

Look at that moulding and that chandelier and that 

original pine floor!

SIGH!

Be still my heart.

I think I'd even leave the pink walls. 

Now, off to check airfare!

xo, Amber

Neglected Surprise

With winter in full force,

most of the garden in fully dormant.

I spent a couple of hours this

weekend cutting back the roses

and cleaning up the brambling vines.

Behind the picket fence lie the veggie beds.

I've been a lazy gardener.

I pulled the last of the frost bitten

tomatoes and my chili peppers.

My kale, lettuce and spinach have been

nibbled to itty bitty stubs.

But, to the left...

glorious green!

I tangled my peas and radish together.

FYI: rodents don't like radish.

My last attempt at growing peas ended with

something biting the tender stems and killing

all of my plants.

Not this time!

Hehehe...

I planted them together,

and it worked!

I will have to remember this for the Spring.

I'm going to border the entire garden in radish!

Good thing we like them.

Rinsed, trimmed and sprinkled with a little salt.

Yummy... 

Now, to find some recipes (if they exist) for an 

abundance of radish.

xo, Amber

Ready?

I usually wait until after New Year

to put the Christmas decor away.

For some reason, I was a little more 

eager to do so this year.

So, the last day of the year,

away it went.

Starting the New Year "clean"

feels good.

I did leave our faux tree up with just 

the white lights

and

I moved it to the corner of the dining room.

I like the ambient light when I'm

up late or rise before the sun.

I brought some pieces in from the garage too...

Bring it on, 2013!

I'm ready...

are you?

xo, Amber