Brendie's Christmas Gift

So...

I've been meaning to post on my Christmas present from my friend Brendie in  New Zealand.

Time just got away from me, and now that I have a few, I would like to share.



THEN ARRANGED THEMSELVES
FRONT AND CENTER





THE SHEEP AND KIWI
KICKED THE BOX OPEN











I HAD TO FIGHT WITH THEM TO GET THE OTHER GIFTS PHOTOGRAPHED

THEN HAD TO DISTRACT THEM WITH DOGGIE TREATS FOR THESE TWO



THE KIWI JUST LAUGHED AT ME!!!



THE SHEEP AGREED TO BEHAVE ONCE
I PUT THEM ON THE TREE



Brendie, you are totally awesome!!!

Till next time.

Bonjour

Twas The Weeks Before Christmas

 SO.....





BATH OILS



12/4/2010 CIVIC CENTER SHOW, SOAPS















HANDMADE GIFT BAGS

Twas the weeks before Christmas

And at Terry’s place
Packages were being shipped
With very great haste
No stockings were hung by the chimney over there
Cause Terry was in the lab making oil for hair care
No one was all nestled snug in their beds
Things were so crazy, Terry needed some meds
Soaps to Kentucky, lip balms to Kalamazoo,
Body butters to Alaska, oh my, what to do?
The phone calls and internet orders were depleting her stash
Perfect, cause on April 15th the IRS would be wanting her cash
No time for blogging, or even shopping
Blue Moon was keeping Terry hopping
Maybe some day this little venture
which has been such a great adventure
Will let her quit her day job soon
To concentrate only on Blue Moon

Just wanted to let you know what I've been up to!
Till next time,
Bonjour

Bye Bye Nancy Drew

OK, OK, 

I admit it, I'm a hoarder collector.

Books, photos, bric-a-brac, patterns, EVERYTHING!

My home is filled with vintage stuff, lots of vintage stuff.

I don't know why I collect stuff, I just do.

My parents collected stuff, my siblings collect stuff, my girls collect stuff.

I was out yesterday collecting stuff with my youngest daughter.

OMG it's a family affliction!!!

Well...

We had a Thanksgiving lunch with my husband's family at my house on Thursday.

His sister Gina has never been here before so she was exploring every nook and cranny.

So much stuff to see. Floor to ceiling stuff.

After much exploring she discovered my bookcase, (7 foot tall by 6 foot wide) mostly mysteries.

She honed in on my vintage Nancy Drew collection, seems she collects Nancy Drew also.

I have several from about 1957 through 1970.

I loved Nancy drew when I was a kid, the challenge of trying to figure out where the story was going, who was the bad guy, I love me a good mystery. (Who, what, where, when & why, my favorite W words)

She pulls them out to have a look see, checking out which ones I have that she doesn't.

She's coveting my Nancy Drew's!!!!

We look through them, discuss how we both loved them as kids and I put them back away.

After she left I got to thinking, why not give them to her, she would treasure them.

I collect so much stuff, why not share?

So bye, bye Nancy Drew.

 Seems I'm not the only hoarder collector out there.
What about you?
What's your collection, obsession?

Till next time,
Bonjour

Where Has All The Laundry Gone, Long Time Passing!!!

SO...

When life things happen to me, my mind usually goes to a song.

Such as,
Where Have All The Flowers Gone by Peter, Paul & Mary.

That's where my mind went today when I ventured outside to retrieve my laundry off the line.

I hung it out late yesterday afternoon.

I said to myself, it will be Ok till tomorrow. I pegged it down really well,
I swear!

Well, today was very, very windy.

I guess you know where this is going.

Where has all the laundry gone?

Sheets, quilts, pillowcases.

M.I.A.

I thought about taking a photo but I didn't want ya'll to see how tall my
grass weeds are.

If it wasn't for the tall grass weeds,

 my laundry would be in Walker Creek!

Reminder to self, you live on a hill, out in the country, in Texas, it's windy!!!!

Hope ya'll have a happy and bountiful Thanksgiving.

Till next time,

Bonjour

Thanksgiving Menu

Yummy O...



BURST BABY BURST



BERRY GOODNESS



I love the holidays, family, food, fun and frivolity. (My favorite F words)

We are having our feast at my house, as the trip to Louisiana didn't quite work out.

I thought I might share our menu and a recipe.

Appetizers

Deviled Eggs

Raw Veggies With Dip

Meat

Turkey

Ham

Veggies  & Sides

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Broccoli, Rice Casserole

Corn Pudding

Dressing (Texas style)

Cranberry Jelly ( Made that yesterday)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Don't like candied)

Dessert

Banana, strawberry Cobbler

Squash Pie

Beverage

Iced Tea

Cool Aid

Coffee

I know it sounds like a lot of food but everyone takes some home. I swear.

This recipe is my mother-in-law's, she makes it every holiday and it's a big hit.

Baked Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (melted)

1 (8 1/2 oz.) box cornbread mix

1 can (about 15 oz.) whole corn, drained

1 can (about 15 oz.) cream style corn

1 cup sour cream

Directions: Preheat to 350

Brush a 3 quart baking dish with some of the butter and set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine the remainder of the butter with the rest of the ingredients.

Mix well, pour into the baking dish.

Bake @ 350 for about 50 to 55 minutes.

The top will be golden and crusty, let it rest for about 10 minutes then serve.

Super good!!!

What are your favorite holiday recipes?

Please feel free to share as I am always looking for new eats!!!

Till next time,

Bonjour



One Down, Many More To Go



BEFORE



PAINTING IN PROGRESS

DRYING



AFTER





LADY

Lady is making sure no one steals my chair.
What do you think?

Till next time,
Bonjour

NINE WHOLE DAYS and A FIRE

WOO WEE....

Nine days, 9 whole days, in -a- row, FREE from the TASK MASTER!!! (AKA work)

Yep, don't have to go back until the 29th.

What to do, what to do?

There's that old screen door wanting to be up cycled,

The circa 1940's vanity begging for a re do,

The front door molding waiting for paint,

The pile of thrift store clothing hoping to be transformed,

The 1950ish drafting chair wishing for it's former glory,

The Etsy shop that really needs work,

The product that needs to be made before the next show,

........



Maybe I need to go back to work.

Naw, this is work I like to do.



WISHING



WANTING


















HOPING



~ As to the fire ~

I was replying to a comment  on The Super Nate Spice posted by Dave and I mentioned that Nathan is going to grill for me on Sunday. That reminded me about Nathan setting the front yard on fire. (Or as he claims, his evil twin did it.)

It was when he was about 5 or 6.

His mom and I were in the house doing who knows what, Nate was outside doing "who knew"!

He comes bursting through the front door yelling,

THE YARD'S ON FIRE, THE YARD'S ON FIRE!!!

We say, no way.

We were wrong!

Indeed, the yard was on fire.

Seems that Nate had watched a little too much Survivor.

(Hey, we thought it was a good idea at the time... Learn a few survival skills?)
We were wrong!

He insisted that he was running very fast and that the rocks he was carrying burst into flames when he fell.

(Flint perhaps?)

Really, I dare say?

Really, Grandma!

Uh huh!

By the time the Volunteer Fire Department got here we had things pretty much under control.

(Found the lighter a few days later under the Yucca plant.)

And that's why we let him grill, safer than a yard fire!

Don't even get me started on the neighbor setting my back yard on fire...

I kid you not!!

So, what project to start?

Till next time....
Bonjour

OOPS And Super Nate Spice

OOPSIE...

I posted my Christmas swap today only to realize I had forgotten to enclose all of the goodies!

Drat, so be expecting two packages Sue.

 In a previous post I mentioned baking a Foccacia bread for Roland's b-day. (Roland is my husband's employer) Well, one of Steve's co workers saw it and asked for one also. My pleasure!!!

The bread machine is super handy when you want bread with very little effort.

Just throw the ingredients in, push dough cycle and Viola, 90 minutes later you have kneaded dough.

Oil the pizza stone, sprinkle with herbs or spices, coat/roll dough in THE SUPER NATE SPICE, let rise 30 minutes and bake. Couldn't be easier!

The reason I bring this up is,

Sue wanted to know what THE SUPER NATE SPICE is.

I grow herbs mainly as additives to my soaps and such but we also eat them.

Rosemary, thyme, sage, all kinds of mints, oregano, Mexican oregano, parsley, basil, lavender, fennel, lemon balm, lemon verbena, I think that's all.

Let me just start with this...

We have Nathan, my grandson over every weekend.

When Nathan was about 6 years old (he's 12 now) I started to teach him about herbs. How to identify them and how to use them for cooking and healing. (Also taught him to make soap.)

Well, he has taken a great interest in the cooking part. (His favorites are gravy, bread and popcorn.)

He takes the gathering basket, goes out into the herb beds and gathers herbs.

Then he brings them back in, washes them, puts them into the drying baskets and labels them.

Now comes the fun part.

When they're dry he gets creative.

He has blends that he does. Earthy, lemony, spicy, minty, or a mixture of all.

(You never know what he might do.)

He gets down the mason jars, the mortar and pestle, the sea salt and starts blending.

(He also likes to make lemon pepper.)

VIOLA

SUPER NATE SPICE!!!

(The kid can make some awesome popcorn with his blends, (just watch out, sometimes he adds crushed red pepper seeds!!!)

So when I make bread I just choose what category I want and go with it.

He is just too cool!!!

Old school phrase, I know.

So to answer your question Sue, It's just a blend of herbs, Nathan Style!

Now, where is that snuggly quilt?
There's time for a few minutes of TV before beddy-bye!

Till next time...

Bonjour

Soap Show, Cooking And Party

Well....



Things have finally chilled out around here.

We had a show on Saturday and that always makes things kind of helter skelter.

We sold lots of soap, body butters and lip balms, they make great stocking stuffers.

I really like doing the shows, meeting the people, hearing the positive comments on the aroma of the soap, the silkiness of the lip balms, ETC. It makes me feel good about what I am doing and the quality product I am putting out there. And then there's the repeat customers whom I am so grateful for!

 

After the show we went to Roland's b-day party, what a production that was!!! OMG!!

All I can say is,

 AWESOME PARTY ROLAND!!!

.(Roland is my husband Steve's boss)

Band, Tex Mex food, open bar, about 150 people (I was driving so I didn't partake of the bar.)

All in all it was a tiring but fun and successful day.

Sunday was spent bringing in the last of the house plants, unloading the truck and cooking for the week.

We made meat loaf, mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy.

Chili with beans for frito pie.

Pasta with meat/tomato sauce.

We will alternate these three dishes through the week for our lunches at work.

We don't eat a proper dinner/supper just a bowl of cereal or some crackers with peanut butter and home made jelly. Our big meal is at lunch.



YUMMY BREAD!!!

MORE YUMMY BREAD....





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't get an opportunity to make Roland the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas  for his b-day but I did have time to make him an artisan Foccacia bread last night. (In between doing the show receipts/paperwork.)

I made the dough in the bread machine then baked it in the oven. (I oiled the pizza stone, then sprinkled The Super Nate Spice on, rolled the dough in the spices and VIOLA, yummy herbed bread!!!)

As a matter of fact I am doing that again tonight, yum, I do like my bread!!!

THE SUPER NATE SPICE!!!!

Till next time....

Bonjour

TEX MEX FARE

Cool Times.....

The hot weather has finally abated here in Texas, that means, I can finally, turn my oven on.

Yippee!!

Tex Mex is one of the staples here so, I thought I would share my recipe for,

SOUR CREAM CHICKEN ENCHILADAS.

This dish is served in every Tex Mex restaurant around the state only,

MINE ARE BETTER!

As Justin Wilson would say, I guarantee!!

So, with no further ado, here goes.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped onion (any color)

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color) when I don't have bell peppers I use celery or squash or poblanos... whatever!!!

couple of deseeded chopped jalapeno peppers (depending how hot you want it)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons flour

8 ounces sour cream

2 cups cooked diced chicken or turkey (any cut, whatever I have on hand)

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded jack cheese or colby/jack

about 10 corn tortillas (I've tried flour, NOT GOOD)

oil, about 3 turns of the pan, (I use EVOO)


Garnish:

Diced tomatoes, olives, green onion (optional) I use diced jalapenos, I do like it hot!!!

Instructions:

Mix the flour with the sour cream in a bowl and set aside

Dice the chicken, put in a bowl and set aside

Sauce:

In a medium  to large skillet, sauté first 4 ingredients in the olive oil till almost tender

add the next 3 ingredients and sauté a little more till you smell the aroma of the spices.

This is when you add the flour/sour cream mixture.

Give it a few turns with the wisk then add your chicken broth.

Wisk to incorporate and cook till thickened. (about 5 minutes or so)

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the cheese, mix well.

Add about 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bowl of chicken, mix well.

Fan your tortillas out on a microwave safe plate and top with another plate. Microwave on high about 2 minutes (till they are pliable, I add a few sprinkles of water)

Pour some of the sauce in a large, rectangle baking dish

Put a spoon or two of the chicken mixture atop each tortilla, then roll up like a cigar.

Arrange rolls, seam side down in the baking dish.

Top with remaining sauce and  cheese.

Bake about 35 minutes @ 350 degrees ( till bubbly)

Take out of the oven, garnish as desired, wait 10 minutes

THEN....

Serve with tortilla chips, a little guac and some refried beans,

BON!!!

(Don't worry if your tortillas split or crack, they will be covered with the sauce and no one will ever know!)

My husband's boss likes this dish, so I shall be making him a pan for his B-Day!

I will cut the jalapenos into rounds, then use them to spell out,

 HAPPY B-DAY!!!

What do you think?

Hope this was coherent enough!!!

Till next time....

Bonjour, and happy eating.

Good To The Last Drop!!!

WELL...

I do like my morning coffee....

Nothing better than a good cuppa with some homemade flavored creamer!

That said,

imagine my dismay when,

yet another coffee maker went out on me.

I've tried them all, from the lowliest Mr. Coffee non programmable, to the expensive Brew Station model.

Nothing works for more than a year, AKA warranty expired!!!

(Believe me, I do keep the receipts, stapled to the un - user manual.)

 My daughter Heather bought me the Brew Station when she moved in,

didn't like my malfunctioning Mr. Coffee, and especially didn't like my percolator.

SO...

 I get my percolator down, yet again, from off the cabinet top.

(Probably bought at some thrift shop because it looked so cool, I just can't remember.)

1950ish Society, Easy Flo, Electric Coffee Pot.

I'll repeat, 1950ish, still works!!!

This coffee maker is probably as old as me and still makes a great cuppa!

So much for technology!

I'm just saying......

Here's hoping you get to have a great cuppa in the morning!!!

Till next time....

Bonjour

Our House, Is A Verry, Very, Very Fine House, With Two Cats In The Yard, Life.....

My House.....



I confess, my house isn't really a house.

Let me explain.

My "house" was designed to be a meeting/party/fishing/gambling place. 

As in,  person or persons would rent said "house" for the weekend to meet/party/fish/gamble.

Are you with me?

Think big church hall.

 (Funny I should mention church when I'm sure, no church activities occurred here!)

Mostly parties and gambling according to the neighbors!!! (Gun shots heard in the night, oh my!!!)

Vaulted roof, concrete floor, no cabinets in the kitchen, no interior walls, except for the bathrooms, one large closet/storage room and, oddly enough a laundry room. 

We put in the cabinets, installed insulation in the ceiling area,  paid for a new roof, painted,

new stove and fridge.....

I'm still waiting for a ceiling (when I look up I see the back side/craft paper of the insulation, that's why I can't get a good picture inside, too dark) and perhaps, some carpeting. All in due time!

I'm relatively happy here, the design possibilities are endless.

Bedroom here today next month over there. With a few large bookcases and a large armoire, I can create walls where ever I want them.

I have a few large area rugs to break up the concrete look  and to provide some warmth to the floors. 

 Why am I telling you this?

The house plants!

The house plants, citrus trees, bay trees, buda belly, etc live on the covered deck in the summer.

It is not summer now!!!

They need to come inside.

Last year we about lost the lot, the concrete floor was just too cold.

This year I have a plan.

Skids.

Viola!

I brought skids home from work and Steve applied wheels. He also hung a fluorescent  light overhead to augment the sunshine through the window.

Off the cold floor, moveable for sweeping around, what a genius I am.



Blurry picture of skids turned houseplant trolleys



Just thought you would want to know!!!!

Also, how do you like my Felix The Cat clock?
Got it from Kelsey.

Till next time,
Bonjour

New Look

WELL....

As you can see I am playing with my blog.

My niece at The View From Miami Street turned me on to The Cutest Blog On The Block

So now, while I have the time, I'm trying on templates.

Who knows what I might end up with, so far I like this one!

What do you think?

On another note.

 I finally went and got my eye exam, just as I thought, way overdue, blind as a bat!

I've been wearing glasses since I was about five.

The story goes something like this.

We (as in my family) were at the market, mom probably had all the kids with her, five of us at the time.

I was about three, running around like the wild child that I am and BAM, a steel pole just jumped out and hit me in the head. Can you imagine that? Not only did it knock me out but it also knocked my eyes out of sync as in, crossed my eyes! GEEZ...

Well my parents didn't have the money to get me fixed (my eyes, silly) but grandma found a new grandpa who did...  

 Lucky me!!

So off to the hospital I went.

I think I remember getting the anesthesia and trying to get the mask off my face?

I'm sure I remember my eyes, and even my hands being bandaged. Seems that I really wanted those bandages off my eyes!

After I got out of the hospital I had to wear a patch over my eye for a while  (pirate, shiver me timbers style)

and here I am today,  fifty years later, still with the glasses!!!

Maybe that bonk to my head did more than cross my eyes....  that would explain a few things!

Hope to be seeing better soon!!!

Till next time,

Bonjour

$1,000.00 Jacket

SO....

Remember that jacket I mentioned purchasing at Canton First Monday Trade Days?

I just happened to unroll the sleeve cuff and discovered these words on a sewn on label,

 FATTO A MANO!

I'm always game for a mystery. (Google is my best friend!)

According to my search, those words mean handmade, in Italian.  

(Duh, I could tell it was special, the hems were hand stitched!)

So now I'm really curious. Turns out it's a designer jacket, hand made in Italy,

manufactured under the name,
Piazza Sempione!

Doesn't mean anything to me, I just like it!

As you can tell from the link above I found their website, very pricy!!!
All the IN department stores carry their label, jackets start at around $1,000.00
Who would pay that much for a jacket? No one I know that's for sure!
 But I would pay $3.00, yep, $3.00
Who buys such an expensive jacket only to sell it for hamburger change?
I'll post a photo when I get my new glasses, kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
Have a good evening,
till next time,
Bonjour

Maybe If I Could See

SO...

I have been seriously neglecting my craftiness, no sewing, no painting, no nothing. I have also noticed

that while I'm posting I have one eye closed and am squinting with the other! Geez!

Come on already, bite the bullet and just do it.

Ok, ok, I admit it,

Terry needs a new pair of glasses!!!

It's such a pain to make the time, get the exam, pick out the frames. (I can't see without my glasses, so how am I supposed to see, to pick out new frames?)

I saw some really cool ones online, 1950ish cat frames, some 1970's hippie squares and a pair at Walmart, Harry Potterish,

what to do, what to do?
I saw a Twlight Zone episode where all this man wanted to do was read but never could. Then everyone on earth was killed but him. His only thought was, now I have the time to read. Then he broke his glasses.
Maybe I should think about Lasic?!!!
Maybe I'll go and take care of it on Friday?

Since I 'm squinting with one eye and the other one is closed maybe I should sign off.
Till next time,
Bonjour

Canton First Monday Trade Day & Graves

SO...

Fate has a way of directing things, or misdirecting, however you choose to view it.

We were supposed to hook up with Roland & Irma at First Monday to do a little shopping, 

 but fate had other plans. 

We wandered around on our own, perusing this & that, not really looking for anything special.

I did find myself a nice lightweight coat, perfect for this fall weather,

ate some fried green tomatoes and generally just screwed around.

Steve decided he wanted to go across to the livestock part so, off we went.

On our way we passed the Canton graveyard, a very old graveyard.

Guess who's grave's we discovered?



Paul T. Mann/ died 1948 & Una Mae Mann/ died 1951

Steve's grandparents! He swears he didn't know they were buried there, how weird is that?

We always stay on the fair grounds, but this day we didn't. I don't know what fate had, or has in mind, I'm just saying, really weird! 

We did eventually make it over to the livestock area and saw this on the way...



Pit crew fixing a flat

And this...

Deer head mounted on the front of a chicken cage!!! (WHY)

This adventure was on Friday, today is Monday & I still haven't got my head around it all.

Till next time...
Bonjour

Halloween Pumpkin Pie In The Sky

SO....

Every year we have a pumpkin decorating contest at work. I cooked mine. Yummy!!!

Here are the photos of the top winner. Mine wasn't one of the winners, except to me.



First Place
THE BIRD



Second Place

THE WITCH











Third Place
THE CAT



.





YUMMY PUMPKIN SQUARES



Someone else decided to bake also.

Thank you Susan.

Today we are moving my grandaughter into her very first apartment.

SO, till next time,

Bonjour

Someone's Trying To Steal My Aura!!!

I've been thinking about it for quite some time now.

You go through life being who you are, improving when you can, keeping what you like, changing what you don't. Sounds like a good plan to me.

BUT, the people around you have other ideas. I'm talking about the mean people, the toxic ones.

THE AURA STEALERS!!!

Let me set the stage.

Cast

Heather, my daughter

Harry, soon to be son-in-law

Steve, my husband

I, me

Rose, woman
Magic, everywhere
Location

cute cafe, Historic Downtown Waxahachie

Heather, Harry, Steve & I were having a late lunch in a cute little downtown cafe.

Just chatting, enjoying each others company. We were approached by a woman who claimed to know Harry. After much discussion it was decided that she didn't. Then she turned her attention to Steve & I, talking about our Aura's, telling us we were Indigo Children. She wanted us to visit a cafe she frequented. The Enterprise....  A cafe where people like us hang. She also wanted us to visit her Church, a New Age Church in Dallas. She chatted with us a while, talking about new age, aura's, stuff. All this wicky talk was making Heather nervous. After giving me her contact info she left.

Heather was going on about the woman being weird, telling me, don't even think about going to that church, ETC,ETC,ETC.

I did try to contact the woman via email. No luck.

That was about 7 years ago.

The reason I bring this story up....

I am,

HUM...  

a very flamboyant person.

I have tried to fit in, really. I have.

BUT....

Let me just say, there are people in my life who want to steal my Aura. Who are actively trying to make me miserable, who never say a kind word, who point out my every mistake, who never acknowledge my triumphs, who are afraid, who deny the magic in our world. I could go on, but I think you get my point.

WHY?
Your guess is as good as mine!
Maybe they feel threatened, inferior, or any host of things. I don't know. What I do know is,

the Aura stealers are out there and I'm their target.

SO... what to do?

I'm working on that.
I've had enough and then some.

Are there Aura stealers in your life?

How are, or, did you handle them?



ME



AND THE BIGGEST QUESTION!

Why should I have to fit in anyway?

This story is not over.

Till next time.

Bonjour

New Do & Ready For The Shoe, I Mean Show!

SO......

I got my NEW DO!!!!

OMG the shampoo was wonderful, total head massage, I just closed my eyes & wished it would go on forever! I love me a good head massage, for sure. I think it would be worth the cost just to go once a week for the shampoo. Hum....



Magical Transporting Stuff Shoes

Anyway,

 my witch costume is in order & everything show wise was magically transported to the show venue.

Now all I have to do is show up tomorrow and arrange the product very prettily to generate sales.

I even bought some candy to pass out!

Wish me luck!

Bonjour