Happy Holidays Everyone!

I hope that everyone had a very Happy Holiday! It was a little rushed for us with Mr. Ford traveling a good portion of it! However, I had a wonderful Christmas and received everything on my list! Santa was good to me and brought me a new greenhouse as you can see from the picture! Of course it did not come assembled but we will get to that in some of our spare time! Oh, by the way that is not a picture of me in the greenhouse, I don't think the white would be a good color for me!

I am very excited to get it up and get my vegetable garden and flowers started. We had lost our 100 foot greenhouse in January 2009 when a heavy snow & ice storm hit, I will have to dig out that picture and show you what happened to it.

The next item I received was a pink camera, that is simple and far less complicated then our main camera for taking pictures of products. More or less it is for me to have fun with for taking pictures for this blog! I'm really picky about the color pink & what I will accept and I am loving this one!

Here is an adorable picture of one of our grandson's, Tyler sitting on Santa's lap! This is the first year he has not been scared to death of him. He knew exactly what he wanted for Christmas this year. I usually get all the toy catalogs I can find & have both grandsons mark what they want out of them & then I can use the ideas for their birthdays and some gifts even for next Christmas. They always tend to pick out things that are years a head of their age group.

Now everybody has probably been wondering what we got my mother that came in my junk mail?? My mother loves angel so we could not resist this Snow Angel Village! We bought her the first three pieces & it is absolutely gorgeous! I am collecting a Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Village Set and received the matching train set for it on my birthday! We were in need of a new table and some more accessories to set it up properly this year. Next Christmas will be the year to show it off!

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter & guest book for your chance to win one of our gorgeous beverage jugs! See my last posting below for a picture and links to sign up!

Have a Happy & Safe New Years!

Nathan & Linda

Christmas Is Upon Us!

Hope this finds everyone doing well & that you're almost ready for the big holiday! We are venturing out into the cold on Friday for some last minute shopping at the local mall! It has been extremely cold her in Oregon for the last week or so. On a different note I've been getting in some last minute Christmas products I would like to share & here is just a few below! Our Musical Boughs Of Holly is a very decorative accent for your holiday festivities! It plays, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"Our gorgeous Chandelier Ornament is one of my favorites, truly beautiful!

I am so excited about Our Home For The Holidays Recipe Journal! Are you one of those that does all this extraordinary baking for the holidays and you have all these yummy recipes everywhere? I know I do, especially ones I've collected from family & friends & I always wanted a journal for around the holidays to keep them all organized and now we can! Just click on these product images to take a closer look!

Our New Contest

Sign up for our newsletter for specials, promotions, win prizes, recipes, tips & more! We are kicking off another great contest this month! You could win one of our awesome Beverage Jugs, perfect for entertaining. No more messy punch bowls! And it could not be easier to enter. All you have to do is sign up for our Newsletter on the left & leave a comment in our Guest Book.

That's it! You will automatically be entered! The drawing will be held on January 15th 2010.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving week has arrived! This year we are stepping a bit out of tradition and going out to dinner! Usually I do the Thanksgiving dinners and this year I am taking a much needed break from the kitchen. I've been busy trying to get all things listed on the website for the holidays & will spend much of this coming week doing just that. We started a newsletter on our site with an archive so you can read past issues at your convenience! If you haven't signed up for our newsletter you still have time! Between now & December 1st you will be automatically entered in our drawing to win a set of our Nostalgia Christmas Plaques! I just love these they remind me of simpler times! Click on the link below!

Sign Up For Our Newsletter & You Could Win These!

Tomorrow, I guess I should say today we are going to the Open House at the Hallmark Gold Crown Store to get one of those recordable storybooks, The Night Before Christmas for the grandchildren. I think this is a fun gift and there was a $10 off coupon for three of the books in the Parenting Magazine! I have already purchased my holiday cards & decided to get that out of the way early! I found a great idea for my mothers gift in my junk (snail) mail earlier in the year! I will definitely post a picture after she receives it! It was not your ordinary junk mail! Love You Mom!

We have a new contest that Shabby Shop Cottages has put together! It is the Pink Holiday Magic $100 Shopping Spree for this next week's Pinkalicious Christmas Party! The winner will be announced Wednesday November 25th at midnight! Click on the Pink Present below to enter & find out contest details! Better Hurry!

Sweetheart's Nest Pinkalicious Newsletter

Sweetheart's Nest Pinkalicious Newsletter

Halloween 2009 Bash

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! I had all these tremendous plans, like making the pumpkin patch cake, popcorn balls and decorated Halloween cookies with the boys. Sometimes you just run out of time! I figure with Christmas coming so quickly I can mark my calendar & plan the cookies closer to that holiday instead of trying to do everything at once. I ended up ordering a cake which I have pictured. I was really lucky because it matched all of my decor. I went with orange & black & spiders this year. We always purchase our cakes at Beaverton Bakery and I guess my cake was the talk of the day among customers & staff. My mom picked it up on the way over to our party & thought she would never make it out of the bakery.

The party started at 4 in the afternoon. I prepared Chili with all the fixing's and plenty of appetizers. One of the biggest hits was the Shore Is Good Seafood Dip by Paula Deen. I was serving it straight out of the oven as people arrived with Bagel Toast & assorted crackers. If you haven't tried any of her recipes you won't be disappointed. Just plan on taking a day off from your diet. I had one trick up my sleeve for the grandchildren. We were out shopping one evening and I love taking in all the Halloween decorations & bizarre candy and this year we came across a severed hand that Mr. Ford & I couldn't resist! It was made of gummy candy and crunchy candy to replicate the bones. I served it up on a plate with some added eyeballs & a spider. Our oldest grandson thought it was cool but our youngest thought the hand was real and couldn't understand why grandpa was cutting a finger and eating it! Needless to say neither of them dug in to this candy...

I thought I would throw in this picture of my appetizer bar. There was definitely plenty to eat and even though there was no formal dinner it just ended up that way. I had creepy crawling spiders & skeletons everywhere you turned. I fixed our Winter Wassail Spiced Apple Cider by Susan Winget in our 30 cup coffee maker. This drink is always a big hit during the holidays and we have plenty available in our store! All you do is add apple cider or juice & the mix does the rest. I filled up the thermoses before we headed out trick or treating with the boys. The weather cooperated and with the moon peaking through the clouds & the leaves scattering about us for the perfect Halloween setting...

Ethan dressed up as Batman & Tyler dressed up as Spiderman this year. They were the perfect little super heroes. We spoiled them well with party favors, gifts & of course candy! I'm just happy at the end of a long day they go home with their parents after all the cake & candy...

"The Pink Present" Blog Holiday Giveaway

Today is finally October 27th and I'm excited to be able to announce Sweetheart's Nest, along with Shabby Cottage Shops are doing what is called "The Pink Present" Blog Holiday Giveaway! This contest is valued at $350 and there are some gorgeous items contributed by the members of Shabby Cottage Shops. The giveaway started today and will end on November 30th at 12:00 PM EST! This includes a $75.00 gift certificate from Shabby Cottage Shops to use at any one of the participating shops! To be eligible to win these gorgeous items and participate in our Blog Holiday Giveaway at Shabby Cottage Shops, the guidelines are outlined here:


"The Pink Present" Blog Holiday Giveaway make sure you sign up here & follow the instructions and be tickled pink if you are the lucky winner!

Make sure & go to our website Sweetheart's Nest and search for the pink bulb! If during your visit you happen to make a purchase on our website a little Sweetheart's Secret will be included in your order! Before I forget here is a picture of the pink bulb so you know what you're looking for:

I also wanted to share a picture of some of the fabulous prizes that you may win in The Pink Present contest:

Good Luck Everyone!

Announcement: Sweetheart's Nest Joined Shabby Cottage Shops

I wanted to stop by and make a special announcement that Sweetheart's Nest has joined Shabby Cottage Shops & together we have some exciting activities going on! I am proud to have my very own cottage. I'm the one with the Victorian style pink tower! This gives you a direct link to my online gift shop. I'm excited to say that I am going to be listed on the back of Somerset Life Magazine! This will be our first time in a magazine. They focus on imaginative ideas for inspired living and here is a link if you're interested in seeing what there magazine is all about~ Somerset Life. This will be on newsstands January 1st, 2010! We are also going to be included in Romantic Homes Magazine for their Valentine's Day Issue which is on newsstands December 22nd! That is such a gorgeous magazine, if you have never seen one it is well worth checking out!


Join us for our Pinkalicious Christmas Party! This week's theme is A Vintage Christmas. Make sure & check out our Santa Claus Magical Key which is at a special price for a limited time. If you haven't thought much about Thanksgiving then I wanted to mention I have put the Autumn Splendor Dinnerware Set on sale regularly $83.99 on sale for $79.99! These are beautifully designed by folk artist David Harden.



Stay tuned for our The Perfect Pink Present Giveaway starting October 27th. There are some fabulous gifts you can win from all the members at Shabby Cottage Shops. I can't wait to tell you more!

Happy Almost Halloween!

I was incredible lucky this week! I rarely win anything and this week I won one Halloween Vintage e-book from a really fun site called VintageHalloween Ideas.com. When you sign up for their newsletter you receive 3 free gifts that had some really great ideas for Halloween! I was lucky & won a full digital edition of a vintage Halloween book. I chose the 1923 Dennison's Bogie Book. I love anything vintage Halloween. I think the last time I won something good was when I was 5 or 6 in this Father's Day Contest so I had to share this win with you!

Our Christmas Woodland Animals

I couldn't resist these guys and I already have them out! I love the detailing of these whimsical animals. They can be used inside the home, which I am doing. I think they would look way cute around the Christmas tree. On the other hand you could use them outside to decorate your front porch! Anyway if you get a chance check out our Christmas Woodland Animals customers have been taking them home for the holidays! I guess you could say I am already in that Christmas spirit! I drive Mr. Ford nuts by listening to Christmas music starting November 1st, sometimes earlier... I'm eagerly waiting for the XM Christmas music channel! Last year I started a Christmas movie collection that I thought would be a fun idea for the holidays & have a couple movie days for friends & family. Christmas movies seem to hit you right in the heart but they do help instill the true meaning of Christmas! I usually need a box of tissues to get me through them all! I picked up some of my favorites & a couple of new ones today! The Christmas Shoes & The Christmas Blessing, Christmas Child, A Time To Remember, Holiday In Handcuffs & Snowglobe. These were actually double features so this saved some money! Don't forget to check back for our Pinkalicious Christmas as I will have some good sales for this Thursday!

Pinkalicious Christmas Parties "Home For The Holidays"

We are proud to announce our first Pinkalicious Christmas Party that will be featured every Thursday starting October 15th thru the holiday season! Each Pinkalicious Christmas Party will have a different theme and this week's theme is "Home For The Holidays" This will be a one day event every week through December 31, 2009. Sweetheart's Nest & the members at Shabby Cottage Shops will have a wide array of wonderful items for your holiday shopping needs! So plan on attending every Thursday to see new products, specials & sale items!

There will also be a great "Blog Giveaway" this holiday season! The "Pink Present" will be filled with fabulous gifts & creations! Be sure to stay tuned for more information on this exciting event!

Weekend Getaway

The weekend was fun but we ran out of time on our date day but here are some pictures of autumn at its fullest~

These pictures were taken at Country Mercantile in
Pasco, Washington. They specialize in homemade ice cream, fresh baked pies, salsa, chips, tamales and enchiladas. They have quite a few activities going,

here are just some of them:

1. Hayride out to the pumpkin patch.
2. Two massive straw bale pyramids.
3. A craft straw bale maze for the kids.
4. A big red barn full of farm animals, also known as a "petting zoo."
5. A HUGE 4 acre corn maze to get lost in (come and take chances to see if you can make it out).

6. Face painting

We never had time to get our pumpkins this last weekend so we are shooting for Friday or Saturday. I was in no big hurry since they decided to do another filbert harvest after I spent hours scrubbing & rinsing our front porch & driveway so I could decorate for Halloween. I've had about enough dust to last me for a year! But that's what you get living next to filberts.

One Of My Favorite Autumn Recipes:


Apple Cake With Cinnamon Sauce


4 Cups peeled, cored, chopped sweet apples such as Mollies, Delicious, Crispin, Red or Golden Delicious
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Vanilla


Cinnamon Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter & flour a 9 x13 inch pan. Place apples in a large bowl & sift dry ingredients over top. Mix eggs, oil & vanilla together. Add to the apples & flour mix mixture and mix until well blended. Bake in prepared pan for 35 to 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Serve with Cinnamon Sauce. Makes 12 servings



Cinnamon Sauce: Melt 3/4 cup butter in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup confections sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg & 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cool & pour over individual servings of cake.



I like to serve the sauce over the cake warmed! Yum! Enjoy!



For a helping hand with this recipe check out our Cupcake Cake Tester, so cut & a great stocking stuffer that actually fits!
Make sure you take a moment & check out our matching cupcake products!

Click here to go to our website!

Fall Harvest

We live on 65 acres of filbert orchards and every year we are in a dust storm for about 3 days. This year was no exception! We were able to snap a cute picture of this little guy who was more interested in having his afternoon snack than us taking his picture. Almost every year I whip up a batch of filbert roca from an old recipe my mother came across years ago. That's the first sign of the fall harvest. We live on a small hill with a beautiful view of Mt Hood and we are almost at that point where I can share some pictures of our incredible view of the mountain & the brilliant shades of red & gold that autumn has to offer...

I would like to point out one of our new additions, which is a book called, The Gathering Of Friends. The book is just gorgeous & the photos are stunning. I keep mine out just so people can view it! There couldn't be a more perfect time of year then to start thinking about your preparations for the holiday meals. Check out the chapters The Autumn Gathering & A Christmas Celebration which features a couple of cakes that won't add to your waistline! The recipes are well explained & the tablescapes are easy to create! This heirloom quality book is a treasured keepsake and would make an exquisite gift! Here's a little about it:

The Gathering Of Friends Was Created To Introduce Food As Love Language, Enhancing Traditions, Fortifying Relationships & Celebrating Life... Its unique style combines savory recipes & elegant design in 16 stunning gatherings. Each chapter will leave the readers prepared with simple recipes, original tablescape ideas, a ready to use shopping list, and inspiration to create their own 'gathering of friends'. Hardback, 209 pages, with slotted folder in back.

Here's a link if you would like to purchase one for yourself or for a gift!

The Gathering Of Friends

I have continued with my Halloween decorating this week and I'm expecting some new products in any day now to add to the ensemble. I purchased some Country Living magazines dated back to 1992 and I thought I would share these images with you. They are vintage Halloween inspired and I just love that over all effect. Mr. Ford has actually taken a liking to this decor; it is about time he came around! It's funny to think that the products we buy now will someday be vintage! We have our so called date night this weekend; I guess it is a date day where we will be venturing out in search of the greatest pumpkins! Will share the pictures of our adventure!

October 1st Official Website Launch Date!

October 1st has finally arrived & I couldn't be happier! Not only is it our official website launch date but it is the beginning of Halloween month! If you haven't already, make sure & check out our new website just click on the link below! I'm still in the process of listing tons of new products for the holiday season! So I will be adding alot more in these next few weeks.

Another reason that I love fall is all the craft fairs & bazaars start! We went to this one just the other day. This was called the Country Calico Antiques & Craft Bazaar & they had a collection of antiques, furniture, fall, harvest & Halloween.

I have started to get out more of my Halloween decor so I thought I would display some of it so you get an idea of what I have collected over the years. To be honest I've been a bit more in to it this year and have had my share of retail therapy with the Halloween decorations this year! Here is some of my collection I thought I would give you a peek:

I will add some more pictures as I get further along. On October 11th Mr. Ford & I are going on our annual pumpkin hunt for the perfect sized pumpkins, I also like to display the little Jack-be-Little gourds with my larger ones. Then I use the artificial fall leaves that you can get at your local craft store to place around them. Last year I had my own garden with just about everything in it you can imagine! We even grew Ghostly White Pumpkins called Casper. I did however miss the long country rides to all the pumpkin patches & seeing the beautiful autumn colors so this year will make some more memories! I will take some pictures of our journey and share them with you! If you'd like to share any of your travels or Halloween decor I'd love to hear from you!

Fall Has Arrived!

Autumn has arrived! My favorite time of year! We live on some acreage that basks in the glorious fall colors. We also have a breath taking view of Mt Hood which I will add some pictures of as the fall colors change! I've gotten underway with the decorating for Halloween! As I said earlier I normally start this around the 15th of September. I'm still working hard in between trying to get all my new products listed before October 1st. Soon I think I will be chained to my computer for several days! I did want to point out our Autumn Splendor Dinnerware Set that I have listed on my website. These are primitive folk art design by artist David Harden. This set is absolutely one of my favorites & it has been retired & very hard to find. It's been selling like hotcakes this season so get yours while you can!
On another note I've been having some retail therapy of my own! I'm really in to the vintage Halloween decor & have added to my collection! I found this wonderful Spooky Greetings Treat Chest at Hallmark that I bought for creepy critters & candy for the boys. We found a cut off hand at the store that is made of gummy so it is eatable but Mr. Ford & I can't stomach the thought of actually eating it. The treat box is also a talking one and makes this creaking noise when you open it! Very cool!

On Halloween I'm having a little get-together with family and friends before we venture out trick or treating! I bought a bunch of Wilton Halloween sprinkles in different Halloween shapes, ghosts, pumpkins, cats and colored sugar sprinkles to make decorated sugar cookies for everyone. I have also decided to make an attempt to make these Pull-Apart Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes that I found in Woman's World, October 20th, 2008 that I thought was really cute! Here's a picture:

Weekend Madness

The weekend is finally here & for most of us that usually means some time to rest... Not here. This weekend is the official canning peaches weekend! This year we bought more so who knows what wee hours in the morning will be working to. We are canning O' Henry peaches that we purchased from the Kimberly Fruit Company in Kimberly, Oregon. They are suppose to have the best tasting fruit around & I would have to agree! I decided to include a picture of the fruits of our labor for the year:
I found a wonderful recipe for Mr. Ford for canning his peaches since he needs to watch his sugar so I thought I would list it:

This recipe when compared to a full sugar version, has a 40% reduction in calories, 45% reduction in total carbohydrates and a 50% reduction in sugar.

Fresh Canned Summer Peaches
3 quarts fresh peaches2 quarts boiling water 2 quarts ice water 1/2 teaspoon citric acid* (or 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.

Light Syrup:4 cups water, 2 cups SPLENDA® Granular

Special Equipment Needed: large canning pot with rack for jars, one-quart size canning jars, two part canning lids **
Select firm, fragrant ripe peaches without any blemishes or green spots. Ripe peaches should give slightly to palm pressure when checking for ripeness.
Slice peaches in half and remove pits. Set aside. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
Dissolve citric acid in ice water (or mix lemon juice with ice water) Set aside.
Drop peach halves into the pot of boiling water. Leave peaches in the water for approximately 30 seconds or until the skin easily peels away. Remove peaches from boiling water using tongs and submerge in the ice water until cool enough to handle (approximately 30 to 45 seconds). Peel peaches. Place peach halves in sterilized quart-sized canning jars.
Make Light Syrup. Mix 4 cups water and 2 cups SPLENDA® Granular in a medium-sized saucepan. Simmer over medium high heat.
Pour hot syrup over peaches, leaving 1-inch of headroom. Wipe jar rims clean, ensuring that there are no peach or syrup remnants on them. Firmly seal jars with two-part lids after cleaning.
Process in a boiling water bath (212°F) in a canning pot for 30 minutes. Jars must be completely covered and submerged by at least 1-inch of water. Remove with tongs and set aside to cool.
Makes 3 quarts.
*Citric acid prevents discoloration of fruit. Lemon juice can be substituted but is not as effective and sometimes adds a lemon flavor to the peaches. Citric acid is available in grocery stores and farm and home centers as well as many large retailers (seasonally).
**Canning pots and lids are available at a wide variety of retail outlets including grocery stores (seasonally) and farm and home centers.
Canning Fruit with SPLENDA® Granular Serves: Fruit canned with SPLENDA® Granular is best using a light syrup (ratio=4 cups water: 2 cups SPLENDA® Granular). Heavier syrups tend to get too sweet.
Note: This Recipe is only a canning guideline. Please refer to local sources and canning jar manufacturer specifications for details about canning at your altitude and in your region.Nutrients Per Serving: Serving size: 5-ouncesTotal Calories 50, Calories from Fat 0, Total Fat 0 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 0 mg, Total Carbohydrate 14 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sugars 10 g, Protein 0 g.
Exchanges Per Serving: 1 fruit.
Recipe courtesy of Splenda, Inc. Splenda® is a no-calorie sweetener made from sugar that is suitable for diabetics. For more information regarding this product, please call 1-800-777-5363 or visit their website at http://www.splenda.com/.

I started putting up my fall & Halloween decor about the first week in September. Mr Ford thinks I'm absolutely crazy! If I had my way it would be Christmas year round! I have slowly convinced him that I need a year round tree to cover all the holidays throughout the year. I told him it was for the sake of pictures of new products... On another level I really confused our grand-son Tyler when I pulled out a Halloween costume catalog. He was ready to go trick or treating right then! Very cute!

Official Launch

Hello & welcome to Sweetheart's Nest News Blog! Our
names are Linda & Nathan and we are thrilled you found us! We have been really busy creating our new website. the official launch date is October 1st, 2009!
Those of you that already know us, may know that our old site has had its fair share of problems. We have decided to part ways with our web designer/host. He was unable to give it the attention that it required & in his journey has decided to serve the Lord full-time. We wish him the best of luck and send him off with our gratitude for the work he did for us. We are pleased to offer a new and exciting site with a gorgeous new design and greater functionality for our loyal existing and future customers! We would like to extend a very special thank you to, two very talented artist's, Victoria & Vickie whose combined efforts helped create all of the beautiful new graphics for us. They have both have gone above & beyond with their dedication & continued support! We created this blog as a means for you to learn more about us. We would love the opportunity to share the news with you about new product arrivals and upcoming events!