Clean Eating

Eating as fresh as possible! 

Good afternoon everyone. I hope you have had a safe day indoors. During this rainy, stormy time of year, it's a great time to cook up some fresh farm stand produce to put up for winter! 

I am asked all the time how to eat healthy, on a budget, and feed a family that is picky. Here are some starters, get them all in the kitchen to help.

1.  Kids will eat more of what they prepare, they take pride in what they do themselves! 
2. Make gardening, grocery shopping, going to local farm stands, orchards a family affair. 
3. Plan your menu for the week, don't eat on impulse.
4. Buy in bulk, it's cheaper and it will last you a lot longer. 
5. If you have picky eaters and they don't like veggies- sub hamburger meat in any casserole or sauce with "Morning Star" Meal Starter, tastes like beef, cooks like beef. Great substitute for tacos, spaghetti, etc. 
6. If you don't buy it, you can't eat it. Stay away from anything processed, in a can, or "easy, convenient" foods such as frozen dinners, boxed meals, snack foods. 
7. Be careful of "diet" foods- it's filled with stuff you don't need, nor should you consume it. It's a HUGE marketing tool and people spend millions of dollars annually for the quick fix. Eating healthy is eating what God provided us. Lean meats, fresh produce and fruit. If you stick to those foods, you should do okay.
8. My last advise- STAY AWAY from margarine! You are better off eating a small amount of the real thing! Also use real sugar, there is nothing wrong with these things in moderation. 

Here are some great places to shop in the DFW area

1. Farmer's market- 5507 E Belknap Street, Haltom City, TX, 76117-4614. Phone: (817) 838-8526
2. Dallas Farmers market- 1010 S Pearl Expy  Dallas, TX 75201 (214) 939-2808
3. Hamm's Orchards- 11939 County Road 309 Terrell, Texas 75161972-524-2028

Things that freeze well, place all in freezer safe bags and label with the date

Summer squash and Zucchini, boil lightly and allow to cool. 

Tomatoes- dice and freeze or blanch and freeze

Peas and Beans

fresh corn- take off the cob, cook lightly in seasonings and a little butter

Vintage Style: Craft Coach: The Big Reveal

Vintage Style: Craft Coach: The Big Reveal: Craft Coach: The Big Reveal

Craft Coach is coming to Richland Hills on Memorial Day

 Craft Coach with Maggie Hamlin and Billie Long

I am so excited that Craft Coach "Rambling Rose" is on the road finally! Billie and Maggie have been working hard over the last couple of months restoring this beauty!  It's been a lot of hard work, long hours and sacrifices by their families, but they are done. 

Craft Coach will be coming to our Memorial Day Tea Party at my home at 4:00. I hope you all are able to stop by, have some tea or lemonade and work on a great craft project designed by the two of them. 

The project will be $5.00, bring scissors, adhesive, and a paper trimmer if you have them. I will have some of these items on hand for  those that don't. 

I can't wait to see what they have created for all the ladies to make at our tea party, I know it will be a fun project no matter what it is. 

Craft Coach will also be making visits to Whitworth Ranch Retreat to show their merchandise and to create projects for your group if desired. Contact Maggie at 817-360-4825 to make request your groups project. They will also come to your home, birthday party, girls weekend, shower, reception, etc. Any event that you would like a hands on class for a girls craft project. 

Also watch for Craft Coach and Whitworth Ranch Retreat at this year's Scrapbook Convention, we will be located next to Melissa Frances. We will be giving away a weekend to the retreat, and who knows maybe even something special with "Craft Coach"! 

More pictures coming soon, stay tuned. 

Joy~ A wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother

Virginia Joy Demarest, better known as Gma  passed away this week.  This is Ashley's Paternal Great Grandmother. She was the true definition of "Classy". I had several wonderful years as part of the Demarest family and still feel that way today. She taught us no matter the circumstances we are all one big family. 

Joy taught me so many life lessons, ones that I try to instill in my every day life as well as pass along to Ashley. She was one of the most humble people I know and a wonderful role model to anyone that knew her. 

There won't be a time when I am preparing a family meal, cooking for my clients, or entertaining a group that I will forget the things she taught me in the kitchen. I found my passion for cooking, baking and entertaining from Joy. Every family occasion was a decadent celebration! From the place settings, decorations, fine linens and outstanding meal. Everything Joy did was out of love and admiration for her family and friends. 

She will be dearly missed by all. Please keep all of the Demarest family in your thoughts and prayers. 

Obituary 

Virginia Joy Demarest, 83, was called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 4, 2013. Service: 2 p.m. Friday at New World United Methodist Church in Arlington. Interment: Following the service, she will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Tom Demarest, in Greenwood Memorial Park. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Greenwood Funeral Home. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed at Arlington Humane Society or a local society. Joy gave her gift, her namesake, to those around her every day; she truly lived a life filled with joy. She was born Aug. 15, 1929, in Fort Worth to David and Tommye Wilson. She attended Riverside High School, TWC, and graduated from NTSC with a bachelor of science degree in nutrition and home economics. Joy met the love of her life, Tom Demarest, when she was 15 and the couple married on May 19, 1951. Joy adored her family and friends and spread her gift through food and song. She loved to bake and more times than not, would break out in a song. She had a song for every situation. And if she didn't, we are fairly certain she would make one up to fit the occasion. Joy owned a catering service, A Touch of Joy at Westbury Manor, and enjoyed entertaining and baking for others through this service for many years. She loved the Lord and was a member of the New World United Methodist Church family. An avid bridge player, she achieved life master in the American Contract Bridge Association and was a member of Arlington Woman's Club for many years. She and Tommy loved to travel and they traveled the world. Later in life, they decided to cruise worldwide. She was an avid Texas Rangers fan and season ticket holder for 40 years. Her seats are marked with Joy "GMA" Demarest. She was fortunate to attend two World Series bids by the Rangers and was honored on the field during the Texas Rangers' 40th celebration. She was preceded in death by her husband, Tom Demarest Jr.; parents, David and Tommye Wilson; in-laws, Tom and Muriel Demarest Sr.; her sister, Betty and Cecil Brewer; and brother David Wilson. Survivors: Children, Carol Coady and husband, Buzz, of Arlington, David Demarest and wife, Linda, of Dallas, Vicki Gustafson and husband, Jay, of Mansfield and Will Demarest of San Francisco, Calif.; grandchildren, Ken and Rhonda Demarest, Justin and Rachel Gustafson, Sarah and Cameron Allen, Alyssa and Kevin Lawther, Josh Gustafson, Emily Demarest, Nicole Demarest, Ember and Josh Altimus, Stevie Demarest, Jeff Coady, Thomas Demarest and Jeremy Demarest; great-grandchildren, Ashley, Kenzie, Zanna, Lexi, Wyatt and Luka, and will have two more, Nate and Reagan, in June; and beloved doggie, Missie.

Cranberry, White Chocolate and Almond Cookies

Hello everyone, Here is one of my favorite cookie recipes.. Sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Some baking tips; If you want thin crispy cookies use butter. If you want soft, fat, chewy cookies use shortening.
Always use a stone and parchment paper. This makes sliding them off onto a counter top to cool very easy!

Now for this yummy recipe~

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter flavored shortening
2 TB milk
1 TB vanilla
1 large egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup slivered almonds

Heat oven to 350. Line your stone with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, beat on medium speed sugar, shortening and egg until creamy and light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla, continue beating.

In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking soda- add into the creamed mixture until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries and almonds until all combined.

Place spoon fulls of dough onto the lined stone and bake until golden brown. Approximately 13 minutes.

Enjoy~

Under Construction

Hi Everyone,

I can't wait until our new addition is completed. We are getting very excited about the progress and can't wait to start moving in beds, vanities, bed side tables, works tables and chairs!

Have I mentioned that we are adding on a new kitchen, dining area, 2 bathroom and 2 bedrooms along with another craft room?? A total of 1600 square feet addition. This is very exciting news for all of us!

I can now book 2 small groups or 1 large group. This also gives us ability to have open crops on un-booked weekends or big events like National Scrapbook Day.

We have also been asked if we would do family reunions, wedding receptions, birthday parties and more. This would give us a little more flexibility to do these things.

We are pre-booking weekends now for the new addition. We are calling the new rooms "Pretty in Pink" and "Beauty in Blue" each are going to be decorated in a shabby chic vintage style in either pastel pink or blue of course. We have purchased lots of really cute bed side tables, dressing tables and beds.

Along with the new amenities we are adding space for a massage room upstairs. It will  be nice, quiet and peaceful for your massage treatments.

We will host an open house sometime this summer with booking incentives. Watch for our posts on our web page and Face book for upcoming events.

Getting up and Moving Forward~ Go DiAnn, you got this!

For those that know me and my family then you know that I am very blessed to have my Mother-in-law reside with us. DiAnn is the most gracious, caring, supportive mother-in-law I could ever ask for!

DiAnn has been in a wheelchair for 10 years now, due to some unfortunate circumstances. She detached her Achilles Tendon several years ago. She underwent surgery that ended badly in her case. She is diabetic and ended up with an open wound for 8 years. It's now completely healed up and she is well on the road to recovery!

We stared OT and PT about 3 months ago. She went from hardly walking at all to 200 steps today. I am so grateful for the care she is receiving and the supportive and encouraging therapist that have come into our lives. I am so blessed and honored to think that my daughter, Ashley will be helping people much like DiAnn one day. God Willing she gets into PT school with a lot of determination, prayer, and support. She also may be helping people walk again!

Like so many people, I never stopped to think of my surroundings, and the handicaps that people have. I am more selective with where I dine, movie theaters I go to, stores I shop at etc.. While they should all be handicapped accessible, they are not! If you can't get a stroller through an isle way, guess what, you can't get a wheel chair through one either.. Please don't place us at the back of a restaurant, while you have an empty table at the front. Please don't use the only handicapped stall in the restroom while there are others vacant. These are the things that happen daily to us on our outings. Never thought about them before, but now I do.  I think about all of these things now before I leave the house. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone did too.

Be courteous and respectful of others misfortunes, you never know what they have endured or if some day it may be you or a loved one going through it. Open doors, offer to help with a bag of groceries. Say a kind word and smile. It goes a long way!

Always remember, life  is short, don't take your good health for granted. We never know when an accident may occur, an illness may become devastating, or some unseen tragedy becomes a reality. Take care of yourself while you can, exercise daily, eat healthy, and see your doctors regularly.

I am so fortunate in my family to have very few illnesses or bad health. My grandparents are both in their 80's and in good physical health over all. Not until now did I ever give so much thought to my future and what I need to do to sustain good health.

Eat well and go walking~ Justin and I are starting now!

Mother Daughter Tea Party and Craft Coach Debut

I am looking forward to our Tea Party and Craft Project featuring Maggie Hamlin and Billie Long with Craft Coach. This is an event you won't want to miss out on. I have created an events page on FB. Please  let me know if you are interested in joining the fun!

I will be making all kinds of pastries, tea sandwiches, hot tea, iced tea and other yummy things.

Billie and Maggie will be putting together a selection of Father's Day Cards and maybe a few other things for purchase. They will be teaching us some fun Father's Day Cards and the price is $5.00 per project.

You will want to bring basic card making supplies- adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer.

Date- Monday May 27th (Memorial Day)
Time- 4:00
Place- 3601 London Lane, Richland Hills TX 76118
RSVP to Stacy- text or call 817-706-8118 or email Whitworth.ranch@yahoo.com

New addition coming along nicely

We are so excited about the progress of our new addition! It won't be long now before it's all done and ready to start decorating and filling it with all the new furnishings we have found. Alisha Munden from Kaufman is helping us with some of our new decor along with some other great vendors at Canton First Monday!

I will post some pictures of the great finds we have found very soon.

We are hoping to have an open house sometime this summer once the building addition has been completed. I will get the details out as soon as we are ready for the grand tour.

If you are in need of some great home decor, furniture, and clothing stop by and see our friends this weekend at Canton! Gypsy Pearl (ask for Alisha), Jackie with Urban Gypsy Rags and Cathy with Girls Gone Junkin.

Mother's Day projects

http://www.marthastewart.com/350381/clip-art-and-templates-mothers-day-crafts/@center/326420/martha-stewart-clip-art-and-template-crafts#341453

I have to give credit where credit is due.... I saw this on Pinterest, and thought it was the cutest and best project for Mother's Day. 

I just love the idea of chilling on the couch watching one of my favorite movies. It would make a great gift in my book. A girl's night in, watching a good chic flick and eating popcorn! 

What are your all time favorite movies?? I have several and here are just a few. An affair to remember, Pretty Woman, Step Mom, Dying Young, Top Gun, The Notebook and American President.  I love movies that make me cry and laugh, nothing like a wide range of emotions! 

I hope you all are thinking about Mother's Day and that special gift for that special person in your life. Whether it's a Mom, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, or just a motherly role model you may have. It's that time of year that we give thanks to all those women out there that make sacrifices each day for their children, grandchildren and family members. 

Thank you Mom for being so wonderful and giving! Our family is so appreciative for the things you do each and every day. You have paved the way for so many of us to reach our goals and dreams. 

Thank you to my Mother-in-law DiAnn for being such a blessing, couldn't have asked for a better mother-in-law (after having one for a nightmare, you appreciate when you have a good one)!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

1 cup of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
8 oz sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Topping
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tsp sugar
1 TB ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls into the wet ingredients until just combined, don't over mix.

Make topping by mixing together the chopped pecans, sugar and cinnamon.

Grease a tube pan, put about 1/3 of the topping mixture on the bottom, layer with batter, topping, batter  and ending with more topping.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack before turning out onto a platter.

Enjoy~

Melissa Frances

Melissa Frances and Craft Coach are coming to Whitworth Ranch Retreat this September. Please follow their blogs to see the details. We are so excited about this fun vintage style weekend. Great food, memories, projects and new friends! 

http://vintagestylebymelissafrances.blogspot.com/

Weekend with Melissa Frances

I am very happy to announce that the blog has been launched for the Vintage Style by Melissa Frances weekend in September. Maggie and Billie have been working very hard the past month to get this finalized. This will be a great weekend of food, fun, projects and meeting new creative and talented women!

This weekend will be have 2 options; here is the break down.

Option 1 (they are calling VIP) Check in at Whitworth Ranch Retreat on Thursday. Meet and Greet on Thursday evening with Melissa over wine and hour devours.

Friday breakfast, some small projects, lunch and nice dinner all with Melissa.

Saturday continental breakfast- depart for Arlington where you will do an all day project have lunch and then  go back to the retreat for a nice dinner with Melissa.

Sunday continental breakfast- depart for Arlington again for another all day project, have lunch and then head back for another dinner at the retreat for your final evening with Melissa.

Option 2 is just the off site classes at Arlington Holiday Inn. You can chose to do a one day class or the combo with both Saturday and Sunday included.

Visit Craft Coach blog for more details~ You will find the button to be connected on my Blog page.

I will be posting pictures as Maggie and Billie release them, with upcoming projects, things that are going on with Craft Coach and more!

http://www.melissafrances.com/

http://www.craftcoachshop.blogspot.com/

My Spring Break Adventure

Dog Sledding is a must! It should be on every one's bucket list! 

I recently went to Vail, Colorado and was fortunate enough to go dog sledding with my family. I must say this one of the most exciting things I have ever done. You see and hear the passion in each one of these lovely creatures, while they get ready to head out on this race. They were all jumping around getting very anxious and ready for the run. Richie our musher, said they are born to do this. Alaskan Huskies have to run and exercises daily or they go crazy. Mom and I were so lucky to have Richie as our leader. He has been racing since he was 5, originally from Alaska in a family of dog mushers. He has recently moved to Co to be closer to his son. Richie did his first race at the age of 5, it was a 300 mile race... WOW!!! He has also competed in the Iditarod, which is a 1000 miles race. Richie has a team of 10 dogs, but owns 16. We learned a lot about the races, the teams and his passion for the sport. For him it is a way of life. He hopes one day to get back to Alaska and continue with his racing and we hope him well. Richie was responsible for giving us one of the best days ever, not to mention my beautiful and gracious sister for allowing us this venture. Thank you sis!  I have to throw in this funny quote from my hubby Justin, "If you are not the lead dog, the view never changes". HAHA, so true... 

My Easter favorite, Millionaire Pie

2 cups sifted powdered sugar
 1/4 lb butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (9 inch) pie crusts, baked
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions:


Cream 2 cups powdered sugar and butter with electric mixer until fluffy.

Add eggs, salt and vanilla.

Beat until light and fluffy.

Spread mixture evenly into baked pie crusts. Chill.
Whip cream until stiff.

Blend in powdered sugar; fold in pineapple and pecans.
Spread mixture on top of filling and chill thoroughly.

Spring time

Spring is upon us and I love it! Spring and Fall are my favorite times of year. I love seeing all the new babies being born, flowers in bloom, spring time showers, kids playing at the park, butterflies and bees and birds flying and chirping. It all makes sense in God's big plan. I am amazed during spring when everything comes to life, just like Jesus being raised from the grave. With Easter coming this weekend, remember to notice your surroundings. Smell in the air, the flowers beginning to open up, grass getting a beautiful shade of green, all the things that prove each day that the world around us is a true gift from God and what a miracle it is. 

We always have a big lunch and Easter egg hunt at my Mom's house. We always have a lot of fun doing the "Adult" Easter egg hunt too. My Mom goes to great lengths to make our family holidays special. Thank you Mom for always bringing out the inner kids in all of us.. Now let the hunt begin, who is going to find the most eggs this year?? 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and a great beginning to Spring! 

May God bless you all.

Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate Cobbler
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups self rising flour
¾ cups milk
2 sticks butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 1 TB cocoa powder
2 cups boiling water


1)Melt 2 sticks butter in a 9 X 13 pan.

2)Mix together in bowl- 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, 1 teas. vanilla, 3/4 cup milk.Pour this over the melted butter. Just drizzle over the butter.

3) In another bowl-Mix 1 cup sugar, 1 cup + 1 Table spoon cocoa. Now sprinkle this over the mixture in pan. DON'T STIR! Just sprinkle.

4)Now add 2 cups boiling water over the top of all of the above. DO NOT STIR! Just pour over all.

5)Bake 350- uncovered 30-45 min. May be runny when removed from oven-it's okay- let sit & liquid will be absorbed & thicken. Serve with ice cream- alone warm or cold.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients


1 medium-size purple onion
1 (16-ounce) package fresh broccoli florets
1 (3.75-ounce) package sunflower kernels
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup mayonnaise
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Preparation
Cut onion into thin slices; cut onion slices in half.
Stir together onion and remaining ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours.
NOTE: For a lighter version, substitute turkey bacon and low-fat mayonnaise

Craft Coach

I am very excited to introduce to you all Maggie Hamlin and Billie Long. Both have been my life long friends. These two beautiful ladies are both very talented. They are in the process of opening their mobile craft store. They will come to your next retreat, crop, party, shower, birthday, well let's face it any event that you need a cute and inspirational craft project!

They are currently working on a very special weekend in September. They have coordinated with a talented designer that will be instructing some classes. Watch their blog for more details to be announced soon.

Below are some things that Billie and Maggie put together for an event we just had at the retreat called "Beauty in Blue". Not only did they make some special garlands for me, but they also captured every detail in these wonderful photos!

Cinnamon Rolls~ My Mom's recipe

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Dough1/3 cup warm water
2 packages yeast (active dry)
1 T sugar
¾ cup milk
½ butter
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
¾ cup sour cream
6 cups flour
Filling¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp nutmeg or cloves
½ cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
½ cup raisins (optional)
Frosting2 cups powdered sugar
4 TB butter
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp maple syrup
　

Directions for Cinnamon Rolls

In a large bowl, add yeast, water, and 1 TB sugar. Mix and let stand about 5 minutes. The mixture should start to bubble.
Melt ½ cup butter in a saucepan, add milk to warm and ½ cup sugar.
Beat eggs slightly with whisk and add to yeast mixture.
Add the butter, milk and sugar mixture, stir together.
Add sour cream.
Add 5 cups flour and mix in last cup as needed to form a soft dough. Knead about 10 minutes until dough is soft and elastic.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover. (spray bowl with cooking spray). Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down dough to deflate. Let rest about 10 minutes.
Roll out dough to 18x20 inches on floured surface. Brush with ½ cup melted butter. Lightly brush far edge with water.
Boil 1 cup water and add raisins. Boil raisins for 2 minutes, drain and place on paper towel to absorb additional moisture.
Mix together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves.
Sprinkle sugar mixture over the butter on dough. Then sprinkle raisins and nuts over the sugar.
Roll dough into a jellyroll longways and seal the seam.
Cut dough into equal pieces 12 to 16 depending on thickness try not to exceed 1 ½ inches in width.
Place pieces in 9x13 inch greased baking dish (use cooking spray)
*** over night baking method*** cover dish with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight. Next morning, let rolls set at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
***Regular baking method*** bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let stand 5 minutes before frosting.
FrostingMix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add powdered sugar, mix until smooth add vanilla and syrup, continue to mix until smooth.

Let's get this building addition going!

Hello everyone,

I just returned from a fabulous week in Colorado! My family had a wonderful time playing in the snow. Now it's time to get back to work. I hope everyone had a great spring break.

We have our plans complete and they have been given to our builder. We are very excited about everything that is going on. We will be adding on an additional 1600 square feet to our craft facility. We will be extending that building off the back, adding 2 additional bedrooms (each sleeping 4), 2 additional bathrooms with step into showers, an additional craft room for 8, kitchen/dining area and a dedicated massage room.

I have had lots of questions about our add on and how this will be arranged with our existing groups. If you are on the books, your group will remain in the house unless you want to move to the new area. We are hoping the add on will be completed no later than 4th of July.

We will be able to accommodate 2 small groups or 1 large group. If you are concerned about the new arrangement, please contact me. Each group will have their own dining/kitchen/craft area. If you have a party of 14 guests/ we will not mix the groups. This will also allow for each group to either have their meals included or not.

We will also be hosting open crops on weekends that aren't booked last minute. The cost will be 50.00 and will include lunch and dinner on Saturdays from 8:00 am to midnight. If you would like to host an open crop for your group, we can arrange that as well. This would be a great way to have birthday parties/ mother daughter craft days and more.

We will also be teaming up with Craft Coach for classes, mobile craft store, make and takes and more. Owners Billie Long and Maggie Hamlin are both very talented women and I am so happy that their dreams are coming true.

I will be posting pictures as the construction begins.

Have a great week and happy crafting!

Craft Coach

Hello everyone,

I am so excited to announce a great blog by Mrs. Maggie Hamlin. She has made some beautiful things for Beauty in Blue and is working on a very special event in September that will be held at our place. Be watching Maggie's blog for more details on this upcoming event. You will not want to miss it!!

Check out her blog at www.craftcoachshop.blogspot.com

Craft Coach: Texas Mini Album

Craft Coach: Texas Mini Album: This will be a quick post. I know, promises, promises! Anyhoo, my sister and I met our friend Stacy out at Whitworth Ranch Retreat last week...

Craft Coach: Banner Love

Craft Coach: Banner Love: Hello, my name is Maggie and I am a banner-aholic. I don't care what it's made out of or what color it is, I love them all! Every ti...

Beauty in Blue has arrived!

 

 

I am so excited, the time has finally come! Karen Hillman and her group will be arriving tomorrow and we have a full week planned!

Wednesday, Karen and Sherry arrive and the 3 of us will be getting things ready for the rest of the group.

Thursday, we will pick up 9 ladies from the airport and spend the afternoon at Simplici Tea's Tea Room and Lone Star Antique Mall in Watauga. Then we will head to Ruby Ellen's to see Deidra and Debbie and spend time shopping at her very cute, vintage clothing and boutique store.
Thursday evening we will have a nice dinner at the retreat. On the menu is homemade spinach/basil pesto with penne, salad, bread and cheesecake for dessert.

Friday, we will be headed to Canton for a day of shopping and fun with Cathy at Girls Gone Junkin and Jackie at Urban Gypsy Rags, just to name a couple.
Dinner will be fish en papillote, asparagus, salad and lemon tarts for dessert.

Saturday, will be filled with lovely projects by Molly Knox and Karen Hillman.
Lunch will be a boxed lunch with an egg salad sandwich, pound cake, angel food cake, fresh berries and sorority punch.
Dinner will be a down home Texas style BBQ with chicken, brisket, sausage, potato salad, baked beans, bread, triple berry cobbler and smores` fixings by camp fire.
During dinner we will have live entertainment by Wade Hawthorne.

Sunday, we will have a nice relaxing breakfast at the retreat before heading to Little Blue House where Tracy and Susan will teach a wonderful quilt project. We will have a boxed lunch with a chicken salad croissant, chips and cupcakes from Sugar and Frosting.
Sunday afternoon will be spent shopping at Southlake Town Center and afterwards a wonderful dinner at Trulucks.
That evening we will head to Oak Street Cottage and will be staying with Mrs. Mary Davis the wonderful Inn Keeper.

Monday will be a farewell departure for Karen and her beauties! Be watching for pictures and stories from our group on our web page under news and on FB.