Sylvia's Scenario

Tonight was a lovely evening in Eagle, Idaho so Bruce and I took a little stroll downtown and stumbled into Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe. How could you not stumble into it!  The lollipops were beckoning us to come in!    I have seen these lollipops for the past year and thought they were so cute but I've never taken the time to stop and go into this new little candy shop that opened here last June.  It's located in the old historic Eagle Hotel right across from Orville Jackson's - that's been here foreve r. We actually went out to grab a pizza at  Smoky Mountain Pizza  because they moved into a new location last year and we've never been to their new place. (where did last year go anyway?)  They now have a really nice patio and this was the perfect evening to sit outside and enjoy the unofficial beginning of summer. We ordered a caprese pizza  with a local brew from  Payette Brewing  and our evening was complete…until the lolli

We got two new laying hens called black copper marans and they are a couple of beauties. They lay very dark eggs so we are eager to add a new color to our egg collection.  We are in the process of introducing them into their new flock with the beast, Cogburn, right in the middle of it all. The new hens are getting picked on by the others which is common when strange chickens show up in the flock but Cogburn is doing his best to keep the peace.

I got my Mother's Day gift this week from Nick and Sachiyo in Japan and thought I'd share it with you because it's so unique - as are so many things from Japan!  It's an air freshener made out of paper.  The Japanese are so good at making things out of paper.  Remember my baskets last  Mother's Day  made out of paper?  They were really unique. This air freshener absorbs water from the base where it spreads to the "plant" and emits a fragrance into the air. I don't want to use it because it's so cute. It sort of looks like an artichoke. I like to keep it out on display so we can just keep looking at it. Nick and Sachiyo will be returning to the U.S. next month so they will be picking up their cat, Tommy, from our house. Tommy has become quite comfortable here the past 6 months and we've gotten quite comfortable with him, too. He's such a show off.  We will miss Tommy when he goes but we are eager to see

Tacos are a staple for dinner at our house and since we started making homemade corn tortillas , they are one of our favorite meals.  But now I think I might have found another favorite Mexican meal!  Crock pot fajitas are so simple!  The house smells so good when you come home to the aroma of Mexican food.  I found this recipe on  Stacy Makes Cents Food Blog  where she also has a beef fajita recipe.  Try it, you'll like it! 1 yellow onion, sliced 1 green bell pepper, sliced  1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs 1 cup chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons cumin 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder juice of 1 lime flour tortillas fajita fixings 1.  Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a crockpot. 2.  Lay chicken on top of veggies. 3.  Pour chicken broth over top. 4.  Sprinkle everything with salt, cumin and chili powder.  5.  Pour lime juice over the top.  6.  Cover and

We attended our first barbecue of the season over the weekend that was a housewarming party for our friends who had just moved into their new home 10 days ago!  Their new home is an old farmhouse built in the early 1900's that is bursting with charm.  Love it! It's like you walked into an oasis away from all realities of the city. There are so many things about their house I LOVE, I don't know where to begin.  How about the pool for starters.  It wasn't up and running on this day but it will be soon. Do I smell a  pool party ? There will be plenty of room for everybody to park in this long driveway with a turn-around circle - so quaint. A large, covered, porch with beautiful hardwood floors overlooks the backyard and pool. The previous owners lived here for 25 years and they were planning to open a bed and breakfast but that never materialized. The house is perfect for it, however, with all kinds of herbs gro