heartfelt thanks to MaryJanes Farm...love the Wild Bread book!

Some days it just seems like there's extra happiness that greets me!

flowers bursting with color...
(no filters, I promise)

a volunteer gourd/pumpkin plant that is growing like crazy!
(somewhere behind it is a hidden birdbath)

Even a chippy red watering can makes me smile.

and then...

an email from Debbie, MaryJanes Beach Farmgirl,
that says I'm the lucky winner of
MaryJane Butters new Wild Bread book!

I couldn't have been more surprised or thrilled,
and in no time at all this was on my doorstep...

I spent the night in our little camper Maizy, curled up reading it cover-to-cover!

It's packed with great recipes and step-by-step how-to's. And truly, these photos don't do the originals justice...trust me, they're beautiful!

I bake for our local farmers' market, and I can't wait to share these wonderful breads with my customers...I know they'll go crazy!

Thanks so much to MaryJanes Farm for offering this book as a giveaway...you truly made my day.

My first batch of starter is on the counter now...oh dear, a true weakness for me: warm bread topped with real butter, mmm, for me, there's not much that beats that!

a Maizy follow-up & questions answered...

As a quick PS to my last post about our vintage camper, I thought I'd answer a couple of questions I've gotten lately...

• Hmmm, I see the propane tank is missing...how will you use the stove?
• Since the propane lines weren't hooked up, we decided to postpone work on the stove
  for now, so we'll be using this handy "breakfast station" by Nostalgia (find it here).
  With a toaster oven, griddle, and coffee maker for hot water (we're not coffee drinkers,
  but it'll be perfect for instant cocoa or herbal tea). We can make grilled cheese or French bread pizza, too, so it'll definitely come in handy!

• I love the colorful dishtowels, where did you find them?
• A friend gave them to me as a birthday gift (thanks, Lisa!) and I liked them so much, I picked up a couple more. They're from The Pioneer Woman collection (here) at our local Walmart. All her colors are so cheery and are a perfect match!

This salt & pepper shaker set is from The Pioneer Woman, too...they are just so sweet, and again, her colors are spot on for what I had in mind.

I added theses cookbooks for fun (although they really do have some good, old-fashioned recipes). They were gifts from a great cook (that's you, Carol!). The cover photo on the front book just seemed to fit the retro theme, and the copy on the cover of the book behind it says, 

"Swanky food from the '50s and '60s"! 

Wow, how could I resist recipes for "swanky" food while Glamping?!

Just another little I had tucked away that seemed to be a good fit...a red sifter on a Pioneer Woman dishtowel.

And that's the latest...can't wait to get her back with her new roof so she's ready no matter the weather!  

In the meantime there's more pillows to stitch and I found some retro goodies at our local feed store...will share those when she's back.

merry & mad-cap May, plus a first peek at Maizy, our vintage camper!

Which explains my absence for nearly a month...when May rolls around, it's filled with school band and orchestra concerts, award ceremonies, piano recitals, book fairs, parades, ice cream socials, crazy exam schedules, and wrapping up all things school-related.

Whew...is it any wonder my veggie garden isn't in yet and I'm still planting flowers? Oh well, mad-cap yes, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

It's definitely past time to fill you in on Maizy - I've had such fun putting my own spin on her. With so many ideas to choose from, I've had a ball getting inspired!  I've seen amazing campers with every kind of theme imaginable...

Cowgirl...cool boot purses, cactus lamps, cowgirl hats, and bandannas! 

Girly...chandeliers, doilies, and lace.

Seaside...relaxing blues and seafoam greens with sea shells & anything nautical.

Flamingo Pink...from the same decade as polyester pants
and Naugahyde lounge chairs!

What clever designs and talented folks! In the end, I kept getting drawn to a simple retro look with a color combination of cherry red, turquoise, and a little hint of what I like to call lightning-bug yellow. I wanted a couple of framed quotes I love, along with pillows stitched from a vintage cherry tablecloth and fluffy chenille.

While there's still odds and ends to put together, here's a quick peek at what's done so far:

This greets us at the door, surrounded by colorful bunting! 

I painted the shelf to match the picture frames,
then added littles that I had tucked away.
(The alarm clock I've had since Elementary school!)

At first I tossed the pillows up in the crow's nest just for storage,
but I liked them so much, I'm leaving them there! 

I'm not a big fan of pink, but the cushions were cute,
so I just topped them with a vintage tea towel
and stitched on colorful buttons.

A close-up of the vintage fabric and chenille...I'd forgotten
how much I really like the texture of chenille!

A little corner by the shelf with some lap-size quilts
to curl up under on chilly nights. The red wooden phone
was one my daughter picked up in an antique shop years ago,
and I've had the days-of-the-week tea towels for ages...
just waiting for a home.

Hanging above the quilts...
a favorite quote from a favorite author.

And so there's the first look at Maizy...I'll add a few more photos soon. Right now she's getting a new roof so she'll be weather-tight for road trips.

Even though she's never left the driveway, we've camped in her 6 times...my daughter and I took advantage of the cool nights last week (it was 48 degrees Wednesday morning!) and decided we needed a girls camp out, which turned into 3 nights!

That's why the Laura Ingalls Wilder quote is a favorite...those 3 "camp outs"  were the best: Netflix by fairy lights and chatting until we fell asleep. Nothing fancy, just making memories.