My Sis and Designer Friend Paid A Visit!

My sister is visiting from China this week…   she’s been living there for almost seven years…    Her and her hub work for GM – they’ve become so valuable there that the company keeps re-assigning them.

She doesn’t come home but a couple times a year – this visit was a last minute surprise,  perfect timing to see family/friends over the holidays.  Yesterday, she and her best friend Tamara Joseph,  an Interior Designer for Gorman’s Furniture at Lakeside, dropped by the store to say hello.

My sis brought me a special Christmas present,  a Beckoning Cat (his arm waves back and forth, palm up).  Such cats are believed to promote prosperity, their beckoning paws inviting passers-by to come in and do business

How cool is that?     Lucky we weren’t sloshing paint, my sis’s pretty cream fur sweater would have been toast

Thanks for the surprise visit!

Bacon Szalonna Fry – A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words…

This post of mine, almost two years ago -

A Hungarian Tradition – Bacon(Szalonna) Fry

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Patty Henning| 102 Comments

When I was little, I remember every year we would gather around a fire pit, and my parents and relatives (and us kids) would stick chunks of bacon on a stick, roast it over the fire, and catch the grease drippings onto a piece of fresh rye bread that sat on a plate at your feet, on which was piled chopped peppers, onions and tomatoes…

has had tremendous response – others sharing wonderful memories of their family traditions.  It’s been so much fun,  reading all the stories,  that I suggested starting a post to share photos as well.   I have a couple frys I was able to pull off an external drive – the rest are packed away in bins awaiting our move.  These are  back to back summer bacon frys -  2001 and 2002 -

One of my favorite comments from Dan Schmitzer-

 It may take me a week to read everything here but it’s very exciting! It feels like I have been wandering around in a world of people who had no idea what i was talking about, then BLAM! I find my tribe!   And they are all speaking my language!

Kenneth Kapasi shares these photos-

July 3rd, 2011 – Ken Kapasi shares photos celebrating his mom’s 80th birthday -

bacon fry Canadian Hungarian style

Thanks for sharing those Ken!

Cool Photography Blog…

It’s called

I found this blog on Blog Surfer -  the first two photographs both stopped me, and made me look closer

Isn’t the detail crisp and clean?

Bookmarked it!

Soccer Weekend Brings Trip Through Great Indoors Home Store…

Had an all day, across town, soccer Saturday -  the kind where you have a game that ends at 11am, and the next one doesn’t start until 3pm…  that leaves a lot of time to kill…

We used to have a Great Indoors on my side of town but they closed it down a few years ago.  The only Michigan store remaining is in Novi, and its a big one, multi level and all  – we decided to check it out

A fun place to shop,  more fun if you have expendable income

Colorful retro outdoor cafe table and chairs -

One of my weaknesses – plastic/acrylic tableware  -  I’d have no problem switching out all my ceramic dishes for colorful funware -

I really liked this table – you’ve seen them, the ones that are taller than traditional kitchen tables?

Endless accessories in this store, loved the colors and pattern on this platter-

Distressed furniture – we can duplicate that no problem, and at a better price!

 Black airy twigs that had little lit balls on the ends-

Oh the places sinks can take you… (away from my boring white ones)

I could find a place for this,  but wouldn’ t have a way to pay for it

Last but not least,  while perusing the kitchen displays,   are these not oak?

And another….  I swear both of these were oak kitchens, the cabinet design more updated, but crafted out of oak – grain and all…  and here we all are, wigging out about our dated oak cabinets – sheesh!     One thing dated to me is that wall finish – don’t see requests anymore for breakaway brick….