it's sunny outside...let's get gardening!

it's finally spring...the yard is greening up and flowers are starting to show themselves.  when i look outside, i see some remnants of winter...and the yard needs a refresher!

here's a few tips on what to do now...at the beginning of spring, in your yard.

clean up...by raking away the dead leaves and stems and branches leftover from the fall and winter.

patch...reseed and patch bare spots in the yard.

move 'em out...it's the perfect time of year to move your shrubs around before the leaves start to bud.

don't get too overzealous...don't cut shrubs back and move any winter mulch away until the temperatures are stable and warmer.

cut back any perennials that have dead foliage on them from the winter.

have a rose?  prune those bushes and vines back before they start to leaf out.

no roses, but a dog?  it's been a long winter...grab the pooper scooper and de-fertilize the yard before the playing outside begins.

and...schedule or do your routine mower maintenance.  or, make sure to call the neighborhood lawn boy to get on schedule!

happy spring!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

femme winner is...

the winner of the femme giveaway is...
{insert drumroll here}

lindsy from our lives in a nutshell!  congrats!


and a specials thanks to our fab jewelry designer too, teresa deleen, who dreams up and makes all of the beautiful pieces!
danyele @ a thorn among roses

chicken madeira, please!!!

i have some major cheesecake factory love...and chicken madeira from there is more than
FAB-U-LOUS!

so i found a knock off recipe and i made it...and boy was it good!!!

i substituted port wine for the madeira wine, so i guess it was really port wine chicken.

the recipe is HERE...so go and take a look.  for now, here are the ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 asparagus spears
4 slices mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used baby bella)
3 cups madeira wine
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup cornstarch (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

a few things...

the sauce never really did thicken up, but was still delicious.  i would definitely take the advice of adding the cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it up!

the sauce makes enough for at least 3 recipes of chicken.  i made 3 extra chicken breasts and still had enough remaining sauce for another meal.  you probably could cut the sauce recipe in half and not be too wasteful.

i made the asparagus my way with steaming it using water and mostly italian dressing.  it was the perfect taste for the dish. yummy!

love it...the kids and hubs loved it!  it's a new fav around our place...so get cooking!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

dressing up for easter

there's some super great deals out there for the easter dressing up that is to be done very soon! so here's a few finds that will get you and fam started...

the kids...

the children's place has some of the cutest clothes on the planet...well made, inexpensive and adorable.  and, they almost always run sales and give coupons to make things even easier on parents! check out these super cute options from the dressy collection...starting at just $10!!

for the preppy little guy...

and for a little more formal...seriously check out those shoes!!!

for the girlies in your life, there's all kinds of ruffles and bright colors to satisfy them and you!

and the standby, all-white easter outfit with bonnet...

we don't want to leave you out, ladies, so please get yourself a little something too!!!

or how about this little ditty...saucy!!!  from MandyH8800...

or this floral baby doll beauty!  from malam...and for project readers, free shipping {worldwide} through april 4th entering the code "http://projectcreateahome.blogspot.com" in the notes to seller.

well, go on now, go shopping and find some deals!!!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

...winner from frosted crossbones

congrats to abby who is the winner of the frosted crossbones giveaway from last week!

abby gets to pick anything from the shop...woo hoo!

stay tuned for a ton more giveaways here at project{create a home}

femme....giveaway!!!!

original design...and beauty in a fab necklace too!!!  and miss teresa deleen has offered this fabulous handcrafted...and first first original piece...to you, project{create a home} readers for a fab giveaway!!!

yes...i did say FREE!!  and just for you!

here's her words on how this piece came about...

"I’m thrilled to introduce my first line of original designs named ‘Femme’. These pieces were inspired by the divine lines of the female form, the curves and the valleys, the dimples and the swells. The pieces were made to suggest the flow of a woman’s body…to be subtle. I designed these pieces while twirling in my studio with my muse and when I sat with pencil to paper, these are the first lines that flowed. I loved them and stopped sketching straight away so as not to fog my vision. I dropped all other projects I was working on to create this piece that was pouring out of me. It was a delicious experience, one I hope will return often. I carved, I sanded, I fired, I cleaned, I oxidized, I tumbled, I polished……I smiled! 

I name all of my pieces in French. ‘Femme’ means ‘feminine’ in French and it describes the piece perfectly.

you are interested in winning this precious "femme" piece?  well it's simple...

first, go to teresa deleen's studio shop HERE and take a look around. tell me in a comment what your favorite piece is and why...making sure i can get ahold of you if you win with an email addy.

if you want an additional entry...do any or all of these{leaving seperate comments for each}:

become a follower of project{create a home}

tweet the giveaway...with a link to this post

giveaway ends 3/25 at midnight EST. winner will be picked using random.org!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

there's still time to enter the free giveaway!!!!

there is a fab new shop on etsy that i totally stumbled up on...and i'm def in love!!!  it's called frosted crossbones and it's full of uber delish and fun crafty things.  my fav's are def the cuff links...they are all foodie cufflinks and super duper fun!http://www.etsy.com/shop/FrostedCrossbones

do you not want to eat these strawberry cheesecake cufflinks??  what a great convo starter!!

i know what you are thinking...why is is just for my man?  well, it's not!  she's got all kinds of super cute digs for us ladies too!!!

i have to say, these french fry earrings make me smile a little...

and the reese's, well, i just uber love them too!!!

or cuppa joes...now that's totally me!!!

we are giving away an item of choice from frosted crossbones today...oh, and it's super simple to be the winner!!!

head over to frosted crossbones and look around.  come back here and tell me what your fav item is...or what you would like to see...or well, anything about the shop!  leave it in a comment and you are entered!!!

want another entry?  well, we can do that!  become a follower of project{create a home} and you get another entry...leave an additional comment saying just that!!

EXTENDED!!!!!!!!

giveaway runs through MARCH 19th...so get your entries in! winner will be chosen using random.org. entries will close at midnight MARCH 19 EST.

oh and want a little more?  we are in a giving mood today!  for the person who hits the 100th "heart" to frosted crossbones on etsy, wins a set of fat burger cufflinks!  i know...wow! so go to her shop, HERE and heart her!!!  she's at 55 now!!!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

Dogs are a gift to bring the family closer...They have a way of uniting a family and making us smile!

Why not, make their tails wag by making a special treat!

Meet Emily {Emmers}, Our Golden Retriever! She loves when we make special treats...She is an easy dog to cook for ;)...She like fresh spinach and bananas...She LOVES Emmer's Gluten Free Cookies, even more!

It is quite easy and a way to bring the family together in the kitchen...I want to share a gluten free treat that our dog, Emmers loves! Emmer's Gluten Free Cookies 1 cup GF Oats 1/3 cup powdered milk 1/4 cup olive oil Mix those together.... Add 1 can chicken broth {or you can use your ckn stock} Mix broth in....Let sit for 5 or so minutes for that oats to soak up the liquid... Add 1 cup of instant potatoes and 1 beaten egg...Mix it all together... Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness...You can make them into shapes or cut into squares... Bake @ 250 for an hour and a half...Or until dried and crunchy... This is a fun recipe that the WHOLE family will love to make... I told you she loves spinach! :) Come over to Screaming Meme and visit Emmers and her sister, Bella! They love visitors!  Screaming Meme is a decorating blog that gives easy and fun tips to to spruce up your place! www.thescreamingmeme.blogspot.com

yummy cufflinks...and for free???

there is a fab new shop on etsy that i totally stumbled up on...and i'm def in love!!!  it's called frosted crossbones and it's full of uber delish and fun crafty things.  my fav's are def the cuff links...they are all foodie cufflinks and super duper fun!http://www.etsy.com/shop/FrostedCrossbones

do you not want to eat these strawberry cheesecake cufflinks??  what a great convo starter!!

i know what you are thinking...why is is just for my man?  well, it's not!  she's got all kinds of super cute digs for us ladies too!!!

i have to say, these french fry earrings make me smile a little...

and the reese's, well, i just uber love them too!!!

or cuppa joes...now that's totally me!!!

we are giving away an item of choice from frosted crossbones today...oh, and it's super simple to be the winner!!!

head over to frosted crossbones and look around.  come back here and tell me what your fav item is...or what you would like to see...or well, anything about the shop!  leave it in a comment and you are entered!!!

want another entry?  well, we can do that!  become a follower of project{create a home} and you get another entry...leave an additional comment saying just that!!

giveaway runs through wednesday march 17...so get your entries in! winner will be chosen using random.org. entries will close at midnight march 17 EST.

oh and want a little more?  we are in a giving mood today!  for the person who hits the 100th "heart" to frosted crossbones on etsy, wins a set of fat burger cufflinks!  i know...wow! so go to her shop, HERE and heart her!!!  she's at 55 now!!!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

irish food...yummo

a nice little irish menu for the irish at heart...

start out with a redo on the irish staple, colcannon. it's colcannon chowder...

{and does the photo not just make your mouth water...it should. it's from the AP}

irish soda bread...goes perfect with the chowder and is ever so delicious!!!

and a quick and yummy little irish apple cake for dessert...yum!

{recipe HERE}

happy st. pat's cooking!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

catch that leprechaun!

those little leprechauns are tricky...and with all the gold at stake, its time for a leprechaun trap!!

family fun had some super cute ideas.

the old "hat pit trap" just might do the job.

if your leprechaun is a little smarter, you might have to move along to the rainbow cage drop!

...and if all else fails, give the old "trap door trick" a run!

good luck...and don't forget to share the gold if you find any!!!

take a look at instructions for making these little traps HERE.

danyele @ a thorn among roses

winner!! winner!!!

oh...she is precious isn't she???  and that's what the winner of cutsom made tutu and fairy wings set will be getting!  oh my word, i can't stand it!!!

and the winner is...{selected with random.org} number 9!!!

pam from you're gonna miss this!

and if you still want one of these super precious ditties, head over to mia bambina couture and grab some adorable things for the little girlies in your life!!!

thanks for playing along ladies!!! oh, did i mention we have another fab giveaway coming up next week?  yep, don't forget to come on by!!!

danyele @ a thorn among roses