You inspire me, truly you do.  The other day I posted about those simple sew napkins and placemats, and happened to mention I was in possession of mission figs and casually suggested you send some recipes my way.  Well thank you to Kim, Lara, Sarah, Dawn, and Camille, you completely made my day. 

I confess in years past I’ve never actually sought out the fig as an item to purchase at the local market.  One time a friend had a fig tree and I made and canned some fig jam, but ended up giving most of it away to a self professed fig lover.  That’s neither here nor there because what I meant to say was ever since we’ve been receiving a bimonthly box of organic produce from local farms shipped to our door (as I mentioned here) we’ve become adventurers in gastronomy.     

“The Box” as we call it is like getting a Christmas present every two weeks.  We never know what will be inside “The Box” of produce, we only know it will be what’s in season.  We’ve made a vow to create something new from at least one thing inside the contents of “The Box” whenever we get it, and those figs were it.

As a result of the mystery delivery, things have occurred that have changed my life and my diet.  I’ve embraced the bok choy with soy, fallen in love with roasted beets, and this week, I began a passionate affair with the perfectly ripe fig.  That’s right, I’m gettin’ figgy with it.  May it be a lifelong dance. 

I was forced back into the kitchen at the suggestion of several of these readers.

Kim informed me that my life would never be the same unless I tried the following melody of flavors.  I admit, I certainly did not want to ever regret anything for the rest of my life, especially if it absolutely required a pairing with a good Pinot Noir, so Kim had my attention.  

Lara got me thinking about pizza:

Sarah wrote in with this amazing recipe:

Dawn chimed in with another delicious cheese/fig/prosciutto combo:

Finally, Camille offered this advice:

Based on all the comments, I was convinced I needed and I mean NEEDED a fig, cheese, and prosciutto combination pizza or I simply couldn’t sleep.  I came up with this gourmet pizza that pretty much has everything.  Sweet figs, savory blue cheese, salty prosciutto, melted mozzarella, and sassy green onion.  I tell you, the marriage of flavors was pure bliss. 

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It’s that time again, I always look forward to these articles by guest contributor Courtney Lake.  Courtney writes the DIY blog Courtney Out Loud and he is back this month with a predicament. 

Courtney is searching for the perfect statement to make on the walls of his master bedroom.  Follow along with his interesting thought process as he weighs his options in deciding what to do in The Case of the Problematic Bedroom Walls.  Perhaps you can help him find the perfect solution. 

“If you ever wondered how I met Kate, it was through paint…well stenciling to be exact.  For some reason, I ended up stumbling upon Kate’s site the day she debuted her bedroom stencil last year.  It so happened that I had just completed a similar trellis stencil a few days earlier in my own home which I shared with her via email.  One thing led to another and Kate kindly featured my living room stencil on her site and thus began our DIY blogger friendship.

Fast forward a year later and I stand in my master bedroom stumped about what to do on the walls. 

 Image: Courtney Lake

The bedroom is on the third floor in what would have been attic space, and has one huge issue.  The walls are a mix of angles, peaks, and curves that have proven to be a real challenge for me.

The one thing I do know is that I do not want to do another stencil.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the stencils I have done in the other parts of my home, but because I have done them already throughout my house, I am looking for something different.

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I have a serious affection for nice linens on a tabletop, they’re just the easiest way to add a touch of comfort and elegance to any table setting, from formal to casual.  I have several sets of placemats and cloth napkins that I’ve acquired over the years and keep in a linen closet, but I’ve never actually made any for myself, can you believe it?

I’ve always wanted to, so when I was sent a few yards of pretty gray floral and stripe Cabbages & Roses fabric (thank you Lily!) I decided this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at making my own.  Sew glad I did (hardy har!) because it couldn’t be easier. 

With one yard of cotton in each fabric, you can make four napkins or four placemats. If you can sew a straight line, you can easily make your own beautiful sets of reversible cotton or cloth napkins and placemats for any season, and for less than you’d pay at most retail shops.

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Over the weekend, we saw a side of Las Vegas we’ve never seen before, thanks to my parents who played tour guide.  My folks have recently retired there and know a thing or two about the area. Yes, we did get to spend one night downtown at the Bellagio (don’t you love that Chihuly installation on the ceiling?) but even better was the tour of Red Rock Canyon that we toured 20 minutes outside of town, beyond the city lights. 

Call us ignorant, but we never knew there was something more to Las Vegas than big casinos, Snooki parties, and Elvis impersonators.  Apparently, there’s a lot to see once you get away from the glitz, and the desert is quite a sight.  

Red Rock Canyon reminded me of three things: Sedona (Arizona), Road Runner cartoons (high five if you also love those Looney Tunes), and sliced honey baked ham.

Am I the only one that sees the shapes of food in the rock formations?

*tumbleweeds*

OK, I guess I am.  We took the kiddos on a little hike to stretch their legs and explore the territory. 

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G’day all, hope you had a relaxing weekend!  We just got back from a four day getaway to Las Vegas where we hung out with the folks, explored some of the desert, and spent a lot of down time in the pool, bliss!  We had such a blast but I am exhausted and already soooo behind.  Funny how you need a vacation from your vacation, ya know? 

Announcing the five winners of the Purdy Paintbrush giveaway: #97 Angela Roberts; #313 Angie Quinton; #526 Valerie Vines; #1,187 Allison Vega, and #1,404  Clarette Rose.  Congratulations, I’ll send you all a personal email later today to confirm!

Finally a quick shout out to the top referring blogs for August, thanks so much to these inspirational sites:

Thrifty Decor Chick

Apartment Therapy

The Lettered Cottage

Better After

320 Sycamore

Miss Mustard Seed 

One Pretty Thing 

The Art of Doing Stuff

The Inspired Room

My Sweet Savannah

Bower Power

Ana White

Southern Hospitality

Hooked on Houses

Emily Clark 

I’m finally in the mood for fall, aren’t you?  Labor Day weekend always does that to me.  Time to put away all the summer decor and spruce up the house with autumn goodness.  I’m looking forward to sharing it all with you too.

I’m taking the rest of the day to get caught up – if you’ve emailed me lately and heard nothing but crickets, my apologies, I’ll do my best to get back to you today!

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