A NEW MONTH............A NEW WINNER

MAY WE ALL HAVE A BLESSED NEW MONTH

Picture taken from my MACKENZIE-CHILDS calendar

Time for the drawing of the little iron BIRD HOOKS

ROBIN at BITTER SWEET PUNKIN
is Number 37

Drawn by my Sweet Hubby

That the birds go to someone named ROBIN seems very fitting, indeed !

Congratulations , ROBIN

I so hope you will like them......

Please email me your mailing address so they can wing their way to you...

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Many thanks to all of you for joining in the drawing....

A fabulous response !

Have a wonderful day ~

bj

EDITED TO ADD:

RHONDI at ROSE COLORED GLASSES is having a fabulous

GIVEAWAY

You really need to run over, take a look at her sweet blog and sign up for this treasure of a GIVEAWAY

TELL HER THAT I SENT YOU OVER, PLEASE AND THANK YOU !

THE DESSERT CARNIVAL ~

UMMMMMM......I have been waiting FOREVER for this DELICIOUS DAY and I know all of you have, too.....................

My entry is, OF COURSE, Chocolate !! What else ?

~ CHOCOLATE BLISS CAKE ~

It can be made in any cake pan you would like but I chose a BUNDT pan for this one............
If I plan to take it somewhere, I use a 9x12 sheet cake pan....



It has a really good icing .....not the FUDGE one I told you about before but it is very good indeed, especially for a BUNDT........


It is more like a SAUCE and when making a BUNDT, you will have some icing left over that is SCRUMPTIOUS poured over slices of cake...just that extra SWEETNESS, in case you aren't getting enuf sugar !! ;o)


It drizzles down the grooves and makes delicious little puddles on the plate......

TA DAAAA !

FOR YOUR NOTES......this is almost fool-proof and very easy to make......
It's a very moist and rich cake and I've never, ever had it to flop.....

It can be decorated in so many ways from filling the center with

ICE CREME (coffee ice creme is especially nice)

TO FRUITS, drizzled with chocolate

Whole STRAWBERRIES for a very pretty look and

once, I filled the center with MANDARIN ORANGES and SLICED STRAWBERRIES and nearly made my own piggy self SICK from eating TOO much.........

OINK...OINK

CHOCOLATE BLISS

In a bowl, mix

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a pan, melt

2 sticks of butter

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

add

1 cup hot water

Boil for about a minute

Pour into flour mixture, adding

1/2 cup buttermilk

(if you don't have buttermilk, use just a smidge less than 2 cups of milk and add 1 teaspoon of either LEMON JUICE or VINEGAR to make buttermilk)

2 well beaten eggs

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

MIX well and pour into your cake pan.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes when using BUNDT pan

about 20/25 minutes if you use sheet cake pan.

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BLISS ICING

MELT

1 1/2 sticks butter

4 Tablespoons Cocoa

Remove from heat and add

6 Tablespoons Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 to 2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

Beat well and add

1 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Pour over warm cake and

DIG IN !

My mom made this cake all the time I was growing up and it IS a delicious, from scratch cake that you will enjoy.

I hope we aren't all sick on a sugar high this week!!! But....what a way to go !

Come on....follow me....let's go check out

THE DESSERT CARNIVAL

at

THE HOUSE IN THE ROSES

Thanks to CIELO for this wonderful day !

AM I THE ONLY ONE HAVING TROUBLE WITH BLOGGER TODAY ?? GRRRRRR

PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT I WILL HAVE MY DRAWING FOR THE

LITTLE BIRD HOOKS

IN THE MORNING (THURSDAY)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY STACY GIRL

CAN YOU EVER KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?

YES.....

BEING A MOTHER YOURSELF, YOU KNOW I WOULD LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU....

AND NEVER EVEN QUESTION IT.....

WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU....

I LOVE YOU, SWEETIE

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UPDATE ON THE LITTLE BABY MOURNING DOVE

25 MINUTES AFTER I SNAPPED THIS SHOT .....

SHE FLEW AWAY

APRIL 28TH

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PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO GO OVER TO SEE THE

DESSERT CARNIVAL

AT HOUSE IN THE ROSES

WEDNESDAY MORNING....8:00

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Remember to leave a comment on my

I'll Fly Away posting

for the

JUST BECAUSE GIVEAWAY

BLESSINGS, bj

SPLISH SPLASH......

Aren't these puppies soooo cute ? Especially when they are WET !!
oooooo, and these aren't MY puppies....just a cute photo off the net.

THIS is what my lowly, old and average BATH TUB looks like.....


...and such HO-HUM, YAWN, UGLY, OLD, .....AN OLD BUILDER GRADE faucet ..................

Faucets and knobs are the JEWELRY for bath tubs !! Don't they know ANYTHING?


PITIFUL.......


THIS is what a C.O.O.L. tub looks like...................


................and this.....................


.................and, PLEASE note the faublous FAUCET SET ! See? .....JEWELRY !


UMMMMM, wouldn't you love to soak in this beauty............ (does it look a little SHORT, or is it just me??)


HERE'S the black and white I love.......................

MY favorite.....a SLIPPER TUB..............

I saw a movie once....and MR. HARRISON FORD was sitting in a slipper tub and I've been in LUV with slipper tubs ever since !!!!!! ;o) (gulp and blushing here)

OR, WAIT A MINUTE....I love this ROUND one, too............. actually, it may be oblong..

BUT, if I had to choose my VERY FAVORITE....this is the bathroom and tub I would choose.... tis my dream bath *sigh

....bubbles

....candles

....music

....chocolate

....wine

OH...and did I remind you that THIS ONE is Beautiful Daughter's ?

I can remember this tub, found on the acreage they purchased, being used to water the horses ......AMAZING !!

MUSIC AND CANDLES to you today

bj

DESSERT CARNIVAL

THE HOUSE IN THE ROSES

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 28, 8:00 AM

EDITED at 7:13 AM to say that I just stopped by THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS , Ree, and she is showing how to make the BESTEST looking potatoes....

Oh, I DO hope I have some potatoes...I WANT SOME LIKE THESE this morning.....

Go take a look-see........

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Don't forget to sign up for the birdy hook on my

I'LL FLY AWAY

posting......

Drawing on Thurs. morning, EARLY

GOOD LUCK

A BEAUTIFUL NEW AWARD.......

I am so honored to receive this lovely ARTE Y PICO award....and especially honored because the lovely RHONDI at ROSE COLORED GLASSES thought I was deserving of such an award.

So many thanks to you, RHONDI.....I will display it proudly.

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I'm sorry to be "hung up" on this little bird family but.......

I've never been this close to a nest before with a good camera and I've enjoyed watching this little one grow......

SO FAST !!!!!

FOUND the pretty egg APRIL 12TH

BABY HATCHED OUT APRIL 19TH

(you have to click on the picture to enlarge to see the little, tiny sweet baby)

PICTURE TAKEN APRIL 25TH

Only 6 days later, that baby is a LOT bigger.

I had NO idea little birds grew that fast.....I must really lead a sheltered life !

Looks like the mom is about to smash the baby..

Sometimes when I look at them, the mom is standing up, just above the baby...to give it some air, I suppose...

Taken TODAY, 27th

I haven't done research to find out how old the baby must be before it trys to fly...

I DO know that I will miss them both !!

Blessings, bj

VINTAGE LINENS ~

Sweet MARY at LITTLE RED HOUSE showed us some of her pretty vintage linens and reminded me that I have a FEW...from my precious little AUNT FRANKIE......

She made the most beautiful cloths, scarves and pillow cases and I am so very glad to have a few of them...................

I should have enough to give to my grandchildren for keepsakes...........

Even more remarkable is the fact that AUNT FRANKIE only had one finger and a thumb on one hand and 3 fingers and a thumb on the other !

Every time I find myself saying, "Oh, I can't do THAT !".......

I think of my AUNT FRANKIE and at least give it a TRY.

She was remarkable and always did everything she wanted to and never gave in to her handicap. I admired and loved her very much.....

Aren't they lovely !!

I never liked SLEEPING on embroidered pillow cases ....they always left a mark on my face....

But, I sure am glad I saved these and didn't give them away......

She always used such pretty colors............

This scarf has always just amazed me......I think it is so pretty and the depth perception is very interesting...almost like a painting.

I have ALWAYS wanted to display it....just never have known HOW.

I wonder if it would be pretty in a frame? The only thing wrong with that is that it has this lovely pattern on BOTH ends....Hmmmmm

If you think of how it would be pretty, please let me know. It's way too pretty to keep in a drawer !!

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Please remember the DESSERT CARNIVAL, hosted by lovely CIELO

Go to her beautiful site and get the instructions......

AND, please sign up on my "I'LL FLY AWAY" post for my

GIVEAWAY

EDITED TO SAY BE SURE AND GO OVER TO SEE LAURIE

for another charming GIVEAWAY

to happen on this coming MONDAY

Please tell her I said HELLO.....

HAPPY SATURDAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS,

bj