An American Housewife

Humble Pie

2012-01-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

There is no dish more unpretentious, delicious, or comforting than Shepard's Pie.

Meat and vegetables mixed with gravy and encased in fluffy mashed potatoes make a filling and delicious meal that everyone will like.

This one is attributed to Diana Ross. Whether it's that Diana Ross or not, I'm not sure. I've been making this recipe for years. It's so good I have to remind myself to "Stop! In the Name of Love." Well, just one more bite before I explode...

Shepard's Pie

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup milk
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 cup gravy (below)
2 Tbs. olive oil
butter
Parmesan cheese, grated

Brown the beef with onion. Set aside. Saute vegetables with oil and seasonings. (You can use whatever kind you like). Add beef and mix with vegetables. Stir in salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix with one cup gravy. Here are two options for you or you can use your own.

Gravy I: 1 cup chicken or beef broth, 2 tbs. butter, and 2 tbs. flour: Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk flour into butter a minute or two till golden. Add chicken broth slowly, while whisking smooth. Cook one minute.

Gravy II: mix one can Campbell's Beefy Mushroom soup with 1/8 cup red wine. Stir till smooth.

Simmer meat, vegetables, and gravy for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Make mashed potatoes (boil chopped potatoes till tender. Mash or beat with a mixer till smooth with a little butter and milk. Be careful not to overbeat them).

In a 2 qt. casserole dish, butter the sides and bottom with butter or cooking spray. Spread potatoes on bottom of dish and up sides. Be sure to reserve enough potatoes to seal the top. Pour the beef and vegetable mixture into the mashed potato lined casserole. Spread a layer of potatoes over the top to seal. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes and serve.

Yum.
Everything is cooked already and my oven wouldn't turn on tonight. I cooked this in the microwave and ran it under the broiler to brown the top.

Kitchen Lesson

2012-01-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

This morning an article on celebrity kitchens caught my eye. As you can imagine, they were all very nice kitchens in various styles. This one is Sting and Trudie Styler's kitchen in London. What's unique about it? Most kitchens would have upper and lower cabinets surrounding the island. This one skips the upper and lower cabinetry and opts for pantry style cabinets. The island is plenty big for a work surface and using the pantry cabinets gives them a lot of extra storage and very clean lines. I like this idea.

Coyote Courage

2012-01-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

From the end of January through March, coyotes have their mating season. This brings them out in the open more than usual.

They have learned to live in cities, as well as rural areas and woods. Coyotes prey on small animals, which means that those of us with pets should take precautions during the next couple of months to protect our pets. Coyotes rarely attack humans, but have been known to attack small children. As beautiful as they are, they are dangerous and should be avoided.

To Paint or Stain

2012-01-25T00:12:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or have you too noticed that people are painting furniture right and left? I have seen a few really beautifully done pieces, but I've also seen some good pieces of furniture defaced by a bad paint job.

A painted piece can be a focal point or a really interesting piece in a room, but I have a problem with sanding down a piece of furniture that is good quality wood and in good condition. Painted furniture will go out of vogue one of these days and then, even when stripped, the wood will be stained and you'll never be able to get that beautiful wood back.

Certainly, if a piece of furniture is damaged, gouged, or made from cheap wood, a coat of paint can bring it back to something lovely. High quality furniture isn't as readily available these days as it used to be. For that reason alone think twice before you slap paint onto a piece of furniture just because everyone is doing it.

Bob Timberlake
Beautiful wood and well made antiques should be respected for their workmanship and the patina they bring to a room.

Now, if you find a table base without a top and have to put a new top on it, they may not be the same kind of wood. Many cool pieces are put together from found parts and new wood. These items are perfect candidates for paint.

Before you consider painting, look at the wood and construction. Is it real wood or veneer? Does it have dove tailed drawers or pegs or other indications that it is a quality piece of furniture? Does the piece look expensive? Painting it may make it look inexpensive or downright cheap, depending upon what kind of treatment is done.

Having said that, if you determine that you want to paint your piece of furniture, do the prep work necessary to make sure your paint job looks as good as you can make it. If you've read this blog very often, you know how I feel about shoddy work. OK. I'll step down off the soap box now.

Tuesday Recipes

2012-01-24T16:01:00.004-07:00

If you aren't following Chef Fabio Viviani on his Tuesday series on Yahoo called Chow Ciao! you're missing out.

He's easy on the eyes, and his enthusiasm, adorable accent, and imperfect English are endearing. In five minutes he makes traditional Italian recipes. For those of you who thought Italian food was too complicated, too time consuming, or had too many ingredients, you'll be amazed.

You can follow him on Facebook and he has a blog and website: www.fabioviviani.com. If you follow his blog, he generously gives you several free downloadable cookbooks.

Since my husband is Italian and I'm not, we are enjoying all his videos and recipes. The only thing better would be for him to come and cook it for us.

Da Vinci Handbag

2012-01-21T13:02:00.002-07:00

Gherardini, an Italian leather company, has taken a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci and made it into a handbag. When you look at the drawing, it's a natural design for a bag. The bag is a cross between tooling and embroidery and I want one.

A limited run of 99 purses were created and will go on sale March 1.

Blue and Yellow

2012-01-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hands down, the most popular articles on this blog have been the ones about room colors. Blue and yellow is a fresh and happy color combination for any room.

A good way to start any room is to begin with something you love and build around it. A quilt could be the perfect starting place for a bedroom, or even a family room if you hang it on the wall as art.

This Andy Warhol cow or a painting are other examples of where your room could start.

A blue and white room would look striking with a bowl of lemons or a bouquet of yellow flowers.

A blue and yellow color scheme can take on several different looks and feel very different based upon the direction you go with it. This strong blue wall color and bright yellow settee look modern in spite of the traditional pieces.

The ochre yellow in these chairs and the chalky blue walls look more traditional.

Soften the colors and you get a whole new look and feel. This barely there blue on the walls lightens the room.

When you change the wall color from blue to yellow, it's like the sun is shining in the room. The soft colors look more feminine.

Here we see strong colors in reverse, with yellow on the walls and the blue in the upholstery.

With any color combination, you can decide the feel of the room be looking at how concentrated the color is and which color you use on the walls. The wall color carries more weight than the upholstery because it is such a large area and surrounds you in that shade.

Blue and yellow is a versatile combination and would look good in any room of the house from the nursery to the kitchen and living areas.

Kit Homes

2012-01-13T22:11:00.001-07:00

A hundred years ago, consumers could order a house from Sears and Roebuck. The prices were in the $1,000-4,000 range depending upon the size. All materials were delivered to the building site and the consumer was responsible for providing the land and labor to assemble the house. This one was a 1920 model. Prior to then, most came without bathrooms and the kitchen was just a room with no built in cabinets to speak of.

These days, kit homes are still available. It's the same deal: you provide the land and the labor to assemble the house. This one is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with 2502 square feet. The cost is $82,416 for the materials. The company does not provide: Foundation, chimney, assembly, plumbing, heating, electrical, sheet rock, septic tanks, or appliances. Even with these things being out of pocket expenses, they are said to cost less than a home you would have built by a traditional builder. You also have the option of doing some of the work yourself to save money on labor. This home is from All Kit Homes.

The old Sears Craftsman homes sell for much more these days and are in high demand. Old wood floors, established landscaping, wide porches, and character are hard to resist. I wonder what the original owners would think of the price of their houses these days.

Fuschia

2012-01-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Brilliant colors are showing up in home decor right and left these days. Could it be our need for happy colors in a world filled with crime, economic problems, and stress? Whatever the reason, we've been in a muted world long enough.

A vibrant color like Fuschia can't be relegated to just little girls rooms. More purpley than hot pink, Fuschia is a sophisticated color.

Here is a living room that has a neutral sofa, carpet, and end tables. A bit of Fuschia makes the room look modern and inviting.

Talk about dramatic! The Fuschia ceiling and painting against the black and white look fabulous. Don't you love that headboard? It makes me want to get out my jig saw and get to work.

Here's another dramatic statement. White trim makes the wall paper stand out.

A good way to start is to add a few accessories to your room, like this throw pillow.

Or this stunning fern pillow.

This room reminds me of bohemian ecclectic rooms from the 1970's. It is a strong statement when you paint the walls a dark color like this. If that's too much for you, consider going paler.

The room from Decor Pad uses the strongest Fuschia on the ceiling and lots of white to keep it from overpowering the room. The cabinet between these two beds gives each sleeper plenty of space for decorative and essential items.

This Belle Fuschia wall paper from Sophie Conran is stunning. Black and Fuschia are perfect compliments as are white, gray, and chartreuse.

White Sale!

2012-01-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. There's nothing more luxurious feeling than fluffy new towels, crisp new sheets, and new absorbent dish towels.

Unless it's decadent down bed pillows, or how about a new shower curtain, a gorgeous new comforter, or mattress pad for your bed? Can you tell the white sale is one of my favorite places to be?

I read that Barbara Barry prefers washable cotton bedding to the gorgeous brocade type that has to be dry cleaned. I agree with her. What feels better than crawling into a freshly made bed with clean bedding? Not much. So if you long for bedding in rich fabrics with fancy cords or trim, think about using those things on the bed skirt, curtains, throw pillows, or shams on pillows just for looks. That way, you can wash to your hearts delight the regular bedding and comforter and accessorize with the fancy stuff.

Light Bulb Confusion

2012-01-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Confused about light bulb legislation? So am I. Should I stockpile or not? Will new LED bulbs cost fifty dollars a piece? I do know I don't like the compact fluorescent bulbs.

These spiral energy savers give such an anemic light, they are worthless in my opinion, and I believe many others feel the same way.

That leaves LED bulbs.

LED bulbs come in many different configurations. This is just one version.

When the word got out that Edison's incandescent bulb was being phased out, people panicked. Many began stockpiling bulbs, clearing out whole rooms to make room for them. Sales of incandescent bulbs are up across the board. I confess to having a small stash of my favorites, but not a room full. Rumors are swirling around like crazy and people don't know what to believe.

I am as confused as any of you. Supposedly incandescents won't be totally phased out, but they must improve their energy use. This is good news. Decorators love the old incandescent. You can find so many levels of light and even buy pink, regular, clear, and soft white bulbs. New bulbs will need to fill a lot of niches. We all use different wattages, colors, and shapes of bulbs for different lamps and chandeliers.

Then there is wattage. We're used to 40, 60, 75, and 100 watt incandescent light bulbs. The most wattage I've seen in an LED light bulb is 9 watts. How do we know what to buy? The compact fluorescent bulbs have the same numbers for wattage as the incandescent, but the light is far dimmer. They would be hard to read by.

LED bulbs produce a white light. Most aren't fifty dollars, but they are considerably more than an incandescent bulb. Currently, a 9 watt soft white LED bulb can be found on sale at Amazon for $33.79, down from $59.99.

I remember moving into a house once where the previous occupants had taken all the light bulbs with them. Since incandescents are inexpensive, I was surprised, but at the current price of LED's, many people would take the bulbs with them when they go.

Trends 2012

2012-01-04T13:13:00.001-07:00

All the predictions for home decor in 2012 include paint and hand made or repurposed objects. For those of us who love decorating, this has been in style forever. With the economy in the shape it's in, it makes sense to paint, make, or re-do whatever you can.

Here are my tips for getting a professional look, no matter what your project:

Furniture redo. Preparation is 3/4 of the process in almost anything you do. If you strip a piece of furniture, sand with a medium grit sand paper and then with fine grit sand paper. With a damp cloth, wipe off all the dust. Let the piece dry thoroughly.

To stain, I prefer an oil based stain and then sealer on top of that. It takes a little longer, but the effort is worth it. Brush the stain on with the appropriate type of brush. Let the stain sit a bit. You may want to wipe it off and see if it has achieved the color you want. The longer you leave it on, the darker the finished product will be. Also the type of wood you are working with will determine how quickly it soaks up the stain. To test the color, wipe with a clean cloth. When it reaches the color you want, wipe off all the remaining stain and let it dry for the length of time on the can.

When the stain has dried, lightly wipe with steel wool and then wipe off with a clean cloth to remove any metal particles and lint. Now you are ready to seal with varnish. Using a good brush designed for varnish, put on a thin coat. Be sure to mix with a paint stir stick before applying. You don't want to whip bubbles into the varnish, so stir gently, folding as if you were folding egg whites into a cake batter. Brush the varnish on in the direction of the wood grain in smooth strokes. Let this dry. Lightly run fine steel wool over the surface to smooth any bubbles or bumps.

Wipe gently with a clean cloth. Apply another coat of varnish. I like to do this process until there are at least 3 coats of varnish.

If you're painting a piece of furniture, you may be able to skip the step of stripping off the old finish. If the piece has chipping paint or several coats of paint on it, you'll get a better finish if you do strip it all off. To paint it, sand smooth, and wipe off any dust with a damp cloth. Apply a primer and let this dry. Lightly wipe with fine steel wool and wipe off with a clean cloth. A few light coats of paint will dry smoother than one thick coat. Again, between each coat of paint, lightly wipe with steel wool and then with a clean cloth. This serves two purposes. It smooths any bubbles in the paint and makes tiny scratches in the surface so the next coat adheres better. A couple of coats of clear polycrylic over the paint will seal and protect your finish.

If you choose to stencil, paint stripes using tape, or do some other decorative treatment to your piece, do this before you seal it with polycrylic.

Another way to finish furniture is to use wax as a protective coat over the finished piece, or to use tinted wax as a stain and sealer in one. Both give beautiful finishes to wood.

Repurposed wood is being used to make furniture and art work. Rough weathered boards can be smoothed to insure there are no splinters and then sealed and used as table tops or to make shelves and craft projects.

This cool coffee table is made from weathered wood pieces cut in a chevron design.

Ingenuity will play a big part in reusing old materials for decorative or utilitarian pieces in the coming year. Whether you are painting a canvas or refinishing a piece of furniture or lamp, be sure to take the time to prep your surfaces and go the extra mile to finish it off nicely. You'll be glad you did when your friends want to know where you got that amazing piece.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's New Year's Eve and I'm the first one up. I love the quiet of the house when there is no television on, no sounds at all and I read my morning Bible passages while sipping a hot cup of coffee. It's a good way to start the day - calming, relaxing, and fortifying on the inside.

Most of us reflect back on the past year and remember the highlights and lowlights. Almost every news program does a show with major events that happened throughout the year. Your life is your show and there were undoubtably major events, funny things, happy things, and lots and lots of mundane that happened to you in the course of the past 365 days.

Everyone talks about New Year's Resolutions, but few of us keep them and follow through. This year, I've decided not to make them. New Year's resolutions tend to big huge things that sound good in the beginning, but doing them requires commitment and perseverance. Things happen. We get busy and don't have time or we're too tired to do it today and on and on until they are lost in oblivion and just a faint memory of grand plans that didn't happen.

I'm a big list maker - BIG. I write lists of things to do every day. It helps me remember all I have to do and it feels so good to cross things off as they are done. So that's the approach I'm going to take this year. Each day I'll do something positive in the direction I'm going. I'll give thanks for the things I have, ask guidance for the unknown, and look for the good in each day.

I'll take a baby step each day and hope at the end of the year it adds up to something big. After all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Counter Facelift

2011-12-27T16:15:00.002-07:00

I recently ran across a product by Giani Granite that can transform your kitchen counters for under a hundred dollars. Intrigued?

Each kit comes with paint and instructions to duplicate the color and look you choose.
A sealer seals all your hard work in so it won't wear off from use. For more information, including locations where you can buy this product, go to www.gianigranite.com.

I have actually done this years before kits were available. (I used boat varnish and then polished with car wax to seal out water). My counter lasted over ten years, so don't be wary of trying something like this. If your budget doesn't allow for real granite counters, this is the perfect solution and will give you a beautiful kitchen for very little cost.

Looking Forward

2011-12-26T16:29:00.001-07:00

2011 flew by in a flash and 2012 looms ahead of us fresh and clean. I'm praying for health, happiness, prosperity, and good things for all.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T20:59:00.003-07:00

This season remember what it's all about. Merry Christmas.

Russian Tea Cakes

2011-12-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going to hate myself after Christmas with all the baking I've been doing. Russian Tea Cakes are a taste of childhood for me. You may know them as Mexican Wedding Cakes or Crescent Cookies.

These are super easy to make and super tasty. The actual cookie isn't very sweet, so the powdered sugar isn't over the top. Mmmm. I'm going to go make a cup of tea and enjoy one of these (or three or four).

1 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar plus more for dusting
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour and salt. Mix well. Stir in nuts.

Shape into 1 inch balls. A melon baller would work well so they are uniform in size. I used an eye-baller (hee-hee). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes till edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet and roll in powdered sugar while warm. After they cool, roll in powdered sugar again.

Advice for the Alter Bound

2011-12-20T13:39:00.003-07:00

A lot of people become engaged around Christmas time and Valentine's Day. It's a wonderful time of year to be in love.

As a Christian and a mother of three adult single, handsome, young men, I've given this much thought. I was divorced after seventeen years of marriage. It was a rocky road. Looking back, I know I didn't think rationally when deciding to get married the first time. I was 21 years old and couldn't see anything through the stars in my eyes.

Young girls dream of their perfect wedding, marrying a handsome man, having beautiful babies, living in the perfect house, and living happily ever after. Rarely does this scenario pan out. What young people don't realize is that life isn't a fairy tale. Hear me out. I'm not slamming the institution of marriage. It can be wonderful between all the daily frustrations of life. There is much more to it than finding someone to marry who turns you on, has a promising career, and looks like Adonis/Aphrodite.

Life happens and the fairy tale can come to a screeching hault when the main bread winner loses a job, gets sick or hurt and can't work, the bills pile up, and unexpected expenses arrive. Babies cry at inopportune times and the husband feels in last place. A million things can side track a relationship. The idea is to handle them and then get back on track.

So before you pick a life partner or say yes to marriage just because he's good looking and holding a ring box out to you with a diamond ring the size of a light bulb, give some thought to the following:

1. There are certain things you need to discuss with your partner. One of the first is money. People have different ideas about managing their money and more marriages are lost over finances than anything else. If one of you is a spender and the other a saver, there will be arguments. Make sure you are on the same page with goals toward spending and saving. Who will pay the bills each month? Will you have joint or separate accounts? What are your long range goals? These are very important questions to discuss.

2. Religion. Religion is a deep seated belief in all of us. If one person is agnostic or atheist, and the other is Christian, expect heated discussions. Couples with similar beliefs may be able to co-exist, but widely different beliefs will cause problems, especially when children come along. Make sure you understand what the other person believes and how you will raise your children before you marry someone with widely different beliefs.

3. Common Ground. I believe the biggest key to a successful marriage is to fall in love with the other person's personality and sense of humor. Most people marry in their 20's and this doesn't factor into their decision. A young person generally chooses a mate based on looks, sex appeal, and income. Granted, it helps to be attracted to the person you are going to be with for the rest of your life, and you need income to survive but as couples age, if all they have in common is sex and looks, those things diminish with age. Find someone who you genuinely enjoy being around. If you can have as much fun washing the car or doing yard work as you do on a romantic date, then you have a good chance of a successful marriage.

Find someone with the same sense of humor as you and someone with the same intelligence level. This will help you to have a more full relationship. Sexual attracion is the first thing people notice when they first meet. That's important too, but look deeper to find the traits that will last through the years.

Do you both want children? How many?
Are you home bodies or gad abouts?
Where will you attend church? Will you go together or to separate churches?
Is family important to you? Do you live near family who will be a part of your daily lives?
How will you manage your money? Separate accounts or joint? Who will pay the monthly bills?
Are you spenders? Savers? Plan a budget and work all this out in the beginning.

4. There is an art to arguing. You want to come to a mutually satisfying conclusion. Don't bring up past arguments. Stick to the subject. If you become so heated that you feel like you are going to lose control and lash out, take a time out. It gives you a chance to cool down and think it over. Give the other person a chance to voice his stance and do not interrupt while he is stating his point of view. He should give you the same courtesy. When you're calm, discuss the issue rationally. Be willing to compromise. It's a two way street and you don't get to have your own way ALL the time.

5. Go into the marriage with the idea that it is until death do you part. Commitment is important. Without commitment from both parties, the marriage doesn't have a chance. Commitment means you are devoted to each other for life, and dedicated to working out any problems to make the marriage a success. That's why it is important to discuss all these topics and have everything above board before you become engaged.

6. You don't have to do everything together. In the beginning, you will spend a lot of time together, but don't neglect your family and friends. Find things to do on your own: a sport, hobby, or something away from your spouse. I say this because if you are together all the time, you'll tend to get tired of each other, critical, and snippy. But a break from each other once in a while gives you time to miss your spouse and new things to talk about when you come together again.

7. A relationship needs to be nurtured. Consider your husband/wife and their wants as much as your own. A selfish person has a hard time keeping a relationship alive. Do little things for each other. Big expensive presents are fine once in a while, but unrealistic on a day to day basis. They also don't carry as much weight as thoughtful little things. For example, he can cook dinner once in a while and give her a break. She can iron his shirts. He can put gas in her car, she can make his favorite meal or pick up his dry-cleaning. Things like backrubs or running to the store in the middle of the night to buy cough medicine are the type of things that endear you to your spouse and vice versa. Little things that show you care and thought about the other person, or went the extra mile, mean much more than buying an expensive gift.

Life tends to throw us curve balls and not every marriage will last, but if two people go into marriage with these thoughts and principles in place, they have a much greater chance of success.

I wish you all Happily Ever After.

Guest Beds

2011-12-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Murphy beds have always intrigued me. They stay hidden out of the way until needed and then open up magically to provide a place for your guests to sleep. They must be infinitely more comfortable than a fold out sofa. You can always feel the bars in a fold out sofa and I feel like the Princess and the Pea with that metal rod gouging into my back all night long.

Murphy beds have come a long way in recent years. I'm sure you can still find them that look like a wall panel, but you can also find beds that look like beautiful armoires and provide storage for linens, and office supplies.

Here is a front panel that folds out into a desk. This justifies the cost of the piece right here, because you would use this on a daily basis. When company comes, put away your office clutter and Voila!

These pictures are courtesy of Wall Beds USA. http://www.wallbedsusa.com/wallbeds-gallery.html

Cranberry Hootycreeks

2011-12-11T15:03:00.001-07:00

This is a cookie recipe that lends itself well as a gift in a jar. I've made it several years and can't remember where I got the recipe. It's perfect to have on hand for a teacher gift, hostess gift, or that unexpected gift giver. If you like oatmeal cookies, you'll like this punched up version.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

5/8 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Layer the above ingredients in a 1 qt. or liter jar, in the order listed.

Attach a tag with the following instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg, and 1 tsp. vanilla till fluffy.
4. Add entire jar to butter mixture and mix by hand till well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. I made balls of dough about the size of a ping pong ball.

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Cool on a baking sheet.

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Best Popcorn In The Universe

2011-12-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I have some time to myself and a new movie to watch. I'm making it a day of relaxation and making home made popcorn. Once you've had this, you'll never want the microwave kind or even the popcorn at the movie theatre.

I have a designated popcorn pan.

This pan has been in my family for three generations. It looks worse for wear, but honestly, nothing pops popcorn as well as this pan. If you've ever seen those pans with a crank on top to stir popcorn, they are made from the same material. I have a nice set of stainless steel All-Clad that I cook almost everything else in (except for the mandatory black cast iron skillet and a heavy enameled cast iron dutch oven). In spite of its appearance, I wouldn't trade this pot for anything else for popcorn.

Here's another secret for the best popcorn. Yellow popcorn from Iowa is better than anything else. White popcorn gives disappointing shrivled pops, but the yellow kind from Iowa pops big and fluffy and flavorful. It doesn't matter what brand it is, as long as it says Iowa on the bag and is yellow corn.

I'm one of those cooks who often doesn't measure things, but here's an estimation of what I use to make popcorn.

2 Tbs. olive oil and 2 Tbs. butter. Put these in the bottom of the pan and turn it on high.

When the butter melts, pour in popcorn. Put just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Put on the lid and leave it alone for a minute.

Here's my tired old pot again. The knob is burned off to a stubb and the handles are loose. It's amazing!

When you hear the first kernel pop, give the pan a good shake. I fold a dish towel lengthwise and drape it over the top of the pan, so I can hold the handles and also hold on the top to shake it.

Every thirty seconds or so, give it another good shake. When the popping slows down to about three second intervals, turn off the stove and let it sit there until the popping stops.

Turn the popcorn out into a big bowl and sprinkle on a little salt. Stir and sprinkle a little more salt. Stir and taste. Adjust the salt to your taste buds. For my taste, the microwave ones and the popcorn from the movies is WAY too salty.

This popcorn is not greasy, it's crunchy, and has a little bit of butter and light salt flavor. Whatever you don't finish keeps well in a zip lock bag for a snack later. Popcorn anyone?

Clam Chowder for A Cold Night

2011-11-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Thick Creamy Clam Chowder
This recipe came from Food.com. It's quick, easy, delicious, and filling.

6-7 pieces bacon cut in half inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans clams
6-7 red potatoes
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. dried dill

Cook the bacon in a large pot till crispy. Add the onion and cook till translucent. Drain the clam juice into the pot and add the washed and diced potatoes. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the clams, soup, cream, milk, and dill to the pot. Stir. Add butter and melt into the chowder. Simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

Serve with oyster crackers.

Glorious Sky

2011-11-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

A gorgeous sunset thrills me every time. I never get tired of them. This was the view a few nights ago. See what I mean?

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Just In Time For Thanksgiving - The Best Cranberry Sauce and Make Ahead Gravy

2011-11-21T15:02:00.003-07:00

Bloggers are great. They share all kinds of useful information and willingly give up their best recipes so the rest of us can enjoy them too.

Here are two new recipes I've made for Thanksgiving that are outstanding. Both of these blogs have loads of recipes and helpful hints on them, so while you're there, browse a bit.

La Dillettante has the best cranberry sauce I've ever eaten. I used a bit of red wine in mine and the spices really go well with it.

http://annestidbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/thankgiving-cranberry-sauce.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FCfaIG+%28La+Dilettante%29

Did you know there is another American Housewife? Me neither till just recently. Her make ahead gravy is the bomb! The flavor is outstanding. I used white wine. The recipe says you can use white or red. The best part is you can make it early. We all have way too much to do at holiday time. You could even make a double batch and freeze half for Christmas.

http://www.housewifebarbie.com/2011/11/make-ahead-gravy-for-thanksgiving-or.html

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pfeffernusse

2011-11-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been making these German Pfeffernusse cookies for many years. They are spicy, feel cool to the tongue, and have a bite to them. They are wonderful with a cup of tea or coffee.

Pfeffernusse

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
3 Tbs. hot water
2 tsp. anise seeds
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
4 - 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour.
Powdered sugar

Beat butter till creamy. Add sugar and beat till blended. Add syrup, hot water, and next seven ingredients. Beat at low speed till blended. Gradually add 4 cups of flour, beating well after each addition. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours. You can leave it in the refrigerator overnight if you want to.

Cut the dough into eight portions. Roll each portion into a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick rope. Cut the ropes into one inch sections and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes till golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Roll in powdered sugar. Makes 7 dozen cookies.

Cardamom is a spice I rarely use. Since you only need 1/4 tsp. in this recipe and since Cardamom is fairly expensive, I have made it without cardamom. There is little difference in the cookies with or without it.

Time for a break....

Paperwhites by Christmas

2011-11-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is from one of my favorite blogs, Southern Hospitality.
http://southernhospitalityblog.com/planting-paperwhites-for-christmas/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+southernhospitalityblog%2FPQqu+%28Southern+Hospitality%29

I've never done this because they look delicate and complicated to grow. Who knew it was so easy? I'll be on the lookout for paper white bulbs and give this a try. It's hard to believe that they can bloom within a month, and even if they don't, I'll enjoy them whenever they do bloom.

Click on the link above to take you to Southern Hospitality and detailed instructions on how to grow them. It's super easy!

Her Office

2011-11-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

If you have a whole room to dedicate as your office, take a look at this beauty from Southern Living magazine. Twin secretary desks mean you could share this office with someone and the colors and seating areas make this a space no one would mind being in all day.

I'm counting four different fabrics with coral print plus the solid colored monogramed pillows. It's subtle, but cheerful. Notice the chandelier that dresses up the room. What a great space!

Home Offices

2011-11-15T16:12:00.001-07:00

Most people these days need or would like to have a home office. Many of us work from home or have second jobs in addition to the normal paper work of taxes and bills that we do at home. So having a designated space makes things easier to manage.

I see articles all the time that tell us we can make our own office in a spare closet. I don't know about you, but I've never had a spare closet. In fact, I don't have enough closet space and have things stuffed under beds, in the garage, decorative boxes out in the open filled with little things I need, but don't want to look at all the time, and have stuffed anywhere I can find a couple of inches. I once drew out an ideal floor plan on graph paper. It had more square footage in storage than in living space, if you know what I mean.

Here's an option that I do happen to like. This breakfast room office has the space of the dining table to use as a desk, but be forewarned, when company arrives, you'll want to gather up all those papers and make it look presentable, which can be a pain in the neck if you are in the middle of a project. This beautiful office provides lots of storage and only takes up a couple of feet at the end of a room.

This picture is from one of my favorite sites: This Old House and was taken in a 1904 Minneapolis foursquare. The cabinetry is hand crafted of wild cherry. These cabinets are new, but look perfectly at home in this old house. You could use the same cabinets for a sewing or crafting habit or store a mini-bar or extra serving dishes, place mats and napkins here.

If you are lucky enough to have a gorgeous desk, put it out in the open so everyone can see it.

You all know what a fan of secretary desks and armoires I am. They have infinite possibilities and close up when you are done so none of the mess shows. These are perfect if your office doesn't use a ton of paper. I love that this one is light inside so you can see what's in there.

And how about this stunning desk? Isn't this color beautiful?

Office furniture manufacturers make all sorts of armoires that are sectioned off to hold computers, printers, paperwork, and all your supplies. They even have a pull out keyboard for your ergonomic health and usually a drawer for files.

When you are done with work, they close up nice and neat and look like a piece of furniture - my kind of versatility.

If none of these options tickle your fancy, you can section off a corner of a room with a large book case. Paint it the same color as your wall and it will look built in and hide your desk from view, plus provide storage - all without giving up any of your much needed office space.

The Picture of Fall

2011-11-14T12:49:00.001-07:00

Nothing says fall like bright colorful mums. Last July I purchased this pot of mums. They came in a 4" pot. I repotted them in a larger pot and put it outside. Over the summer it grew to this big plant - nearly three feet high! When the temperature dropped into the 20's, I started bringing it in at night. It was loaded with buds and I could see the various colors beginning to show.

The effort was worth it. Look at all these gorgeous blooms!

Neti Pot

2011-11-07T23:58:00.002-07:00

A few months ago in anticipation of cold and flu season, I purchased a neti pot. I had read about them and seen them on television, but was reluctant to use it.

Would it feel like drowning? Would the salt burn? Would it work? The past four days I suffered with a cold and swollen up nose. Over the counter cold medications weren't opening up my head. I decided to give it a try.

Use warm water. Mix the warm water with unprocessed sea salt, and breathe through your mouth. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not feel like I was drowning. The warm salt solution did not burn, and I felt remarkably better after using it. My head felt lighter and I could breathe from both nostrils; something I hadn't been able to do in days. I'm a convert now. The neti pot came with enough salt for one use, so I will purchase more salt. The directions that came with the pot said not to use table salt because it has something in it to keep it from clumping. Sea salt has minerals in it that are supposed to be beneficial.

If you've never used a neti pot before, don't hesitate to try it.

*** The neti pot does not shorten the duration of a cold, but it does make it more tolerable and open your head so you can breathe.

Recently, an article was in the news that warned people not to use tap water in the neti pot. Some people have died from unsterile water, so be sure to use clean, sterilized water.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/rss/article/231633/10/2-Killed-From-Neti-Pots-Deadly-Amoebas

Chartreuse

2011-11-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

Chartreuse is a yellow green with an acidy base that is somewhere between bronze and lime.

Gray and black look striking against chartreuse.

While this color might not be for everyone, accents of this color can be used in any room, like this fabric that would look great in a nursery.

A little can go a long way. A few accents can really perk up a neutral room.

Or go all the way and paint the walls this distinctive color. You'll have a room that isn't like anyone else's.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving will be here in less than a month. I ran across a picture of a rustic dining room. I love these big roosters, but the thing that stood out most was the saying of grace stenciled on the wall above the table. What a great reminder for the people who live here to give thanks for the blessing of daily food, not just at Thanksgiving, but all year long.

Holding Things Together

2011-10-29T13:08:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth Taylor used one in the movie Little Women to make sure her nose grew straight and narrow.

I use them for holding crafts in place while the glue dries and for holding bags shut so things don't spill out like potato chips, chocolate chips, half used bags of frozen peas, and all sorts of things in the kitchen.

What is it?

It's a standard wooden clothes pin. You can buy a bag of 50 for less than $2 and use them for countless things around the house, including to hold clothes on the clothes line. Anyone remember what that is?

Blue-Gray

2011-10-28T09:43:00.000-06:00

I was just thinking about how much I love the color blue-gray in decorating. This morning I turned on the computer and saw the new Benjamin Moore paint colors for 2012. There were four color palettes and in all four, there was some version of the color blue-gray.

A stenciled branch. The red looks so good on this color.

An accent wall in gray-blue.

This is such a restful color, and isn't that how we want our homes to feel? The plates or artwork really stand out against this wall. These rooms are all from the new Benjamin Moore paint collection for 2012.

Greige

2011-10-26T11:06:00.000-06:00

Greige is a color somewhere between beige, gray, and taupe. It is the ultimate neutral.

While some may consider Greige to be boring or bland, others see it as soothing, restful, and sophisticated.

Add textures and different shades in the greige family to make it interesting.

With an all neutral room, a little color really pops. The advantages of having a room in a color like greige is that any other color looks fabulous against it. You can change your accent colors to suit the seasons, or your whims. Just change out a few items and have a whole new look. These red drapes are just an example of how color shines against a neutral backdrop.

Black and greige look great together. I have to point out this library. Have you ever seen a room like this? I love that you can see the books through the glass wall. This would be wonderful in any home and what an amazing addition it would be in a loft setting!

Notice the glossy black floor in this room. When everything in the room is a matte color, something shiny breaks it up and looks so good.

A Nip in the Air

2011-10-24T16:45:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night the temperature is supposed to dip down to 25 degrees Fahrenheit. I have a potted mum loaded with buds and hate to lose it to freezing temperatures before it blooms. The cilantro I enjoyed all summer has reseeded itself and new plants are coming up. I have a lush pot of Italian parsley and fresh basil, plus some other flowers.

This weekend I spent the time trying to get ready for winter. You know all those tasks like moving the patio furniture into the garage, draining the water hose, and doing the lawn one last time. This afternoon I picked all of the basil and parsley. If you have herbs to dry, just put them on a plate and microwave them till they are good and wilted - about 1-2 minutes. Take the plate out and let them cool. As they cool, they will get crunchy. Put them in a zip lock bag and mash them. You can now use them just like you would use any purchased dried herb. Are you ready for winter?

Be sure to shut the vents around your house if you have a crawl space. Each season brings a list of things to do. I'm almost ready to enjoy cold weather. Curling up with a good book sounds real good right now.

Deer Season

2011-10-19T19:29:00.001-06:00

It's that time of year when the deer begin to frolic. If you live in an area with lots of woods I want to warn you. Each year many of these beautiful animals are killed because they haven't been taught to stop and look both ways before crossing a busy road.

A few years ago, our son was driving a black car at night. Suddenly he felt a massive blow to the driver's door. He stopped and saw a doe in the road next to the car. She stood up, shook her head as if to rearrange her brains, and trotted off into the woods. Our son was much more shaken up. His door was bunged up, the side mirror was hanging and there was a considerable amount of deer fur stuck all around the car door handle. It could have been much worse. The insurance company told us this is a regular occurrance during the fall, so be on the lookout for charging deer.

Shine, Glimmer, and Shimmer

2011-10-15T13:30:00.001-06:00

You can take a simple black dress and really dress it up with a pair of dangling earrings that move, shimmer and catch the light when you turn your head.

The same can be done in a room. A touch of sparkle draws your eye and reflects light. Sunlight during the day casts rainbows from the crystals.

Beveled, etched, or textured glass adds dimension to doors and windows.

Beveled mirrors grouped together make a dramatic statement and bring lots of light and shine to a room.

A mirrored tray on the dresser top corrals perfume bottles and reflects the beautiful bottles.

This gorgeous Venetian mirror is a great focal point for a room.

A little shimmer goes a long way, but most rooms are look great with a bit of it. A room full of texture can benefit from something slick to break up all that texture. It might be a glass topped table or something slick like in these pictures.

Delicata One Dish Meal

2011-10-10T19:05:00.000-06:00

I love one dish meals. Like everyone of you, putting together a quick and easy dinner that doesn't make a huge mess is something I appreciate.

This is a Delicata squash. It has a wonderful taste. I minced it up and mixed with the rest of the ingredients, but you could stuff the squash with the rice and ground beef and sprinkle with cheese. It makes a beautiful presentation. BUT, if you have picky people who don't like vegetables, you can chop it up and mix it with the other, which is what I did.

Cut the squash in half length-wise.

Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Place the squash, cut side down, in a glass dish with a half inch of water. Microwave till tender. Each microwave will be different. Mine cooked 12 minutes.

While the squash cooks, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add a sprinkle of salt and 1 Tbs. butter. Pour in 1 cup rice and stir. Turn down to low and cover. Simmer 20-25 minutes till done.

Brown 1 lb. ground beef and add 1/2 diced onion. Saute till onion is tender and beef is done. Drain.

When squash is baked, dice up the flesh and stir in with meat, rice, a hand full of frozen green peas, and 1/2 cup chicken broth Heat on low, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add more chicken broth if necessary.

To serve, sprinkle with grated cheddar or parmesan cheese.

Counter Re-Do and A House Story

2011-10-10T11:57:00.002-06:00

Years ago we moved across country. I was in the old location trying to tie up loose ends and my husband was in the new location working. The town we moved to was a very small town, but a major U.S. Corportion had moved there and all their executives came to the area. Because of this influx of people, all the houses that were for sale at the time had been snapped up. When we went house shopping, there were exactly six houses left and these were the ones no one wanted. We waited a month and looked again. After four months, my husband went house shopping and was bound and determined to find a house so we could all be in one spot. He purchased a house that I'd never seen.

Now, my husband is color impaired, so when I began asking him about what the house looked like, he couldn't tell me much. He was living in a hotel, but he bought a disposable camera and knocked on the door of the house to see if the current owner would let him take pictures to show his wife. When he came home the next time, he brought the camera. I was dying to see the pictures and dropped the disposable camera off at One-Hour Photo in the grocery store parking lot. I went to do some grocery shopping while they were developed, and then picked up the pictures. When I saw them, I wanted to cry. I was very glad my husband wasn't there to see the disappointment on my face. I sat in the car looking at the photos and giving myself a pep talk: I should be thankful to have a house. I can make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. It only takes some elbow grease, a little paint, and a lot of imagination. I can do this!

Once I had convinced myself that the world wasn't coming to an end and dried my tears, I started for home. I tried to focus on the positives: There was a lot of molding that added character. There was a big fireplace and a vaulted ceiling in the great room, his and her closets, separate sinks, and lots of other things that were plusses.

The pictures showed a house that hadn't been updated in a long time. There was old ugly wall paper in half the rooms. I didn't like any of the colors. I could go on and on, but the worst was yet to come.

A couple of weeks later, I flew there to get a head start on cleaning the house. Since I couldn't take my vacuum cleaner on the plane, I had to make do with mops, buckets, and lots of cleaners that I purchased when I got there. We didn't have a refrigerator yet, so we had an ice chest to keep cold drinks cold. My husband and I slept on an air mattress and he'd gotten a small TV. He left to go to work and I was left with cleaning supplies and a big list of things to do.

The house smelled like cigarettes - a detestable smell to my nose. I soon discovered that everything in the house had a thick greasy layer of nicotine on it and paint wouldn't stick. It crackled like crackle paint. One of the first things I wanted to do was remove the grass cloth that was on the bedroom wall, especially on the wall where our bed would go. Our bed is very heavy and I wanted that wall painted and ready before the furniture arrived. When I began pulling off the grass cloth, twenty years of dust fogged all over my head and clogged my nose. All that texture had really grabbed onto the dust.

A few days later, I had done all I could do with the limited tools I had. The bathrooms had been mopped down with bleach. I'd decided what I wanted to do to the house to make it livable and the ideas were flowing rapidly.

I flew back home to make arrangements for the movers to pack us up and move us to our new home. Luckily, I would have a couple of days in the house to clean some more before the furniture arrived. I set out with one son, four cats, a vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner, and various other cleaning supplies. We left on a balmy spring day wearing jeans and t-shirts. It never occurred to me that it would turn cold, so we didn't take coats with us. No sooner had we reached the state line than the precipitation started falling. We drove for 3 days through snow, slush, and eventually rain on the last day. My son was only eleven, so I did all the driving. We drove 10 hours each day. It was a grueling trip. When we stopped to refuel, the cold damp wind cut through the skin.

Finally, we arrived at our new home. We unloaded everything and watched the cats inspect their new home too. We had a beautiful yard that was nearly an acre. Woods backed up to the back yard. A creek ran through the woods and on the other side was a church. There were lots of trees and shrubs of all kinds. Strangely, a palm tree was planted in the side yard. It somehow made us feel more at home.

I cleaned the house again and we were as ready as we would ever be for the furniture.

Over the next four months, I worked 12-16 hour days painting, unpacking, and decorating to make the house feel more like a home. One of the first things I did was to paint the cabinets. We were lucky to have so many of them, but it was a big job. The cabinets had been made by hand and no two doors or drawers were the same size, I soon learned. The doors had ugly routed grooves around the edges and the door pulls were hideous things mounted in the center of the door. Maybe that was cool in the 1970's, but no longer.

I took off the doors and learned the magic of TSP. TSP is TriSodium Phosphate - a paint prep and concentrated degreaser. I degreased the cabinets and sanded them down. Then I filled the grooves and sanded them again. Kilz was the next coat and I used the oil based Kilz which is more durable. Finally I painted them with Behr satin enamel paint in a shade called Polar Bear. It was like a puzzle trying to find the right spot for each door and drawer, but we eventually found it. There were lots of built in cabinets in each bathroom, the laundry room, and the living room, in addition to the kitchen.

The next big project was the counter tops. They were butcher block looking laminate and seriously ugly. The past several months had been tough. We had so many extra expenses and our budget didn't allow for all the new stuff I would have liked. I had to use my head and figure out what I could save money on.

I decided to paint the counter tops. I washed them with TSP and then sanded with coarse grit sand paper. After wiping them off with a damp rag, I put on a coat of Kilz oil based paint primer. Next I bought black craft paint and one of those small foam rollers. I thinned down the paint and painted the counter top. After three coats of black paint, I began putting on coats of boat varnish. I figured if it was tough enough for a boat that sits in the water all the time, it would be OK for a while on the counter top. I put 5 coats of boat varnish on it, lightly rubbing each coat with steel wool in between so it would stick.

When everything was dried and had cured (I did a section at a time so I had a space that I could use to cook dinner on), I coated it with car wax. Every six months, I put another coat of car wax. It helped protect the varnish and gave it extra sheen.

I cut pieces of felt and hot glued them onto the bottoms of the coffee pot, mixer, food processor, and blender. This was to keep them from scratching the counter when I pulled them out to use. I was careful with the counters, but I cook a LOT. At one time I had 3 teenage boys living there and you know how much they eat! This picture is the kitchen after 10 years. Surprisingly, the counters didn't chip. They looked just as good 10 years later as when I did them. When I painted them, I planned on it being temporary, but life happens and we don't always get to do all the things we want to do.

Now, there are kits for painting counters. At the time I did mine, there was no such thing. Over the ten years we lived here, we did numerous things to the house. Each step made it look a little better than before and I enjoyed doing it all. It just goes to show you, you can do a lot with paint. That's why it's one of my very favorite decorating tools.

This is a picture of the fireplace. It started off tomato ketchup red. It was hideous. Paint came to my rescue and once it was painted, the beautiful mantle that had been hidden in all that garish red, suddenly sprang forth and showed its gorgeousness. I, of course, waxed the mantle which brought out the sheen and patina of the wood.

This pigs ear of a house turned into a wonderful home and we have many great memories of living here.

It's Back.....What is it?

2011-10-09T17:40:00.001-06:00

There are two of these bushes in our front flower beds. In the spring they bloom with bright orange flowers.

The bushes are about a foot and a half high and down inside the bush next to the ground are all these yellow fruit things. They are smaller than lemons with a smooth skin.

Can anyone tell me what this is?

You can get a gauge of the size by looking at the landscape rocks.

This is what they look like on the inside.

Scented Wax

2011-10-06T13:46:00.000-06:00

Ok. This is the last post on furniture wax for a while, but I just had to tell you about the all natural furniture wax at Sweet Grass Farm.
http://www.sweetgrassonline.com/homecare.htm This wax comes scented in your choice of Lavender, Fresh White Lilac, or Lemon Verbena. Many furniture waxes have a turpentine-like smell, but this is lovely to use. If you aren't familiar with Sweet Grass Farm's site, take a look. It's one of my very favorite places to shop for good smelling natural products.

Finishing Wood With Colored Wax

2011-10-06T12:05:00.000-06:00

When my husband and I married fourteen years ago, there was a small wooden ladder in his garage. It was unfinished and in good shape, though it had a few paint spatters on it. I remembered my grandparents having a similar ladder. It sat in the garage for five years, unused, unloved, and neglected.

One day I asked him if it had belonged to his parents or grandparents. He didn't know where it had come from. I thought about this little ladder and knew there was a better purpose for it. It has metal hardware and can be folded flat for storage. It's just the right height for use as an occasional table. I brought it inside and cleaned and lightly sanded it with fine grit sand paper. Then I put on a coat of Briwax in dark brown. When that coat of wax was dry, I buffed it off and ran over it lightly with steel wool before applying another coat of dark brown wax. The color turned out great. I let that coat dry and then buffed it, then applied a coat of clear wax on top of that for extra sheen.

This little ladder is now a side table, just the right height to sit beside a chair and just big enough to sit a cup of coffee.

Uses for Furniture Wax

2011-10-06T11:48:00.001-06:00

When I saw this beautiful tray for $7 I had to have it. It is made of resin and painted to look like wood. I felt of the surface and knew it would immediately scratch off, but I also knew that waxing it with a good furniture or floor paste wax would solve the problem.

I used Johnson's Paste Wax. When I started to buff off the first coat of wax, some of the finish came off on the cloth. I rubbed very gently and then put on another coat of wax. This one I was able to buff off a little more. I plan to add another couple of coats of wax to protect the finish before I use the tray.

I loved the oak leaf and acorn pattern on the sides of the tray. It goes well with the English style that I love.

The ceramic pumpkins came from Dollar Tree, and the tray is from Wal Mart.

Waxing Furniture

2011-10-04T13:10:00.002-06:00

My dining table had to be refinished because spray wax made the surface gummy and disgusting. When I found out what was causing this, I refinished the table. It has been in my family for five generations, and wasn't something I wanted to get rid of. When it was refinished, I put a coat of wax all over, legs and apron included, and several coats on the top, since we use the table every day.

I was a wax convert as soon as I put the first coat on that table. I ran around the house like a maniac, waxing everything that didn't move. I love how it makes the wood feel. I've used this analogy before, but it's just like when your hands are tight and dried out and you put a nice rich hand cream on them. Waxing furniture may sound like a horrible chore, but it's not. The advantages of using paste wax are many.

Wax seals, protects, and shines the wood. It leaves a wonderful patina that can't be achieved with any other product. It is particularly good when used on table tops, night stands, and end tables - anywhere someone might sit a glass or that might get wet on occasion. The wax makes a waterproof seal between your good wood and moisture. Frequently used surfaces, such as a dining table, get tiny scratches in the surface from plates and other things being moved around on top. If you've waxed the table, the scratches will be in the wax instead of the finish. These scratches buff out easily and you can add another coat of wax when that coat begins to wear away.

Whatever you do, do not use spray wax on good wood. These sprays contain silicone and can ruin the finish of your wood. They also attract dust, making a layer of goo on the wood.

Paste wax dries hard and prevents all the problems that spray waxes create.

Furniture can also be finished with wax. There are many good brands available. I use Briwax. It has HRH Queen Elizabeth's seal of approval and is used in many museums to protect valuable antiques in great houses all over the world. Briwax comes in several colors to match different finishes and also in clear, which can be used on any color wood.

I have used colored Briwax to stain and seal raw wood, with great results. All my furniture has been waxed with this wonderful product and at least once a year, the dining table and night stand tops get another coat to protect them from all the wear and tear of daily living.

Before you wax, make sure the surface is clean and dry. Put on a thin layer of wax with a clean lint-free cloth. An old T-shirt is perfect. Let the wax dry for a few minutes. Then buff to a sheen with a clean cloth. Once you've tried this, you'll be hooked.

Briwax and other good brands of furniture wax are sometimes sold in paint centers and better furniture stores. If you can't find it in your area, you can order it online.

Signs of Fall

2011-10-02T20:06:00.000-06:00

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosted Pumpkin Bars

2011-09-30T15:54:00.000-06:00

One of the first thing I want to make in the fall is Pumpkin Bread. This year, I ran across a recipe at www.cuisinerecipes.com for pumpkin bars. What really drew me in was the addition of white chocolate to the frosting.

Maybe there is a pumpkin shortage this year. I went to three different grocery stores and couldn't find a single can of pumpkin. I considered baking a real pumpkin, but the only ones I found were huge. Then I remembered that sweet potato pies taste just like pumpkin pies. I bought a couple of large sweet potatoes and baked them in the microwave. Next, I scooped out the pulp and mashed it with a fork. The result was delicious and few people would know the difference.

Pumpkin Bars:
1 cup each granulated white sugar and packed light brown sugar
1 cup canola oil (I used oliveoil)
1 can pumpkin puree (15. 0z.) or mashed sweet potato
4 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla extract.

This is mashed baked sweet potato - looks just like pumpkin and once it is mixed with all the pumpkin pie spices, it tastes just like it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 11 1/2 x 16 1/2" baking sheet with nonstick spray. (I didn't have a pan this size and used a 9 1/2" x 13" oblong cake pan. They may be slightly thicker than those baked on a larger pan, but the baking temperature and time is the same.)
Mix together the sugars, oil, pumpkin or sweet potato, eggs, and vanilla.

Sift:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Sift the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture. Whisk until combined. Spread batter onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean - about 20 minutes.

Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

4 oz. white chocolate bar (I used 1/2 cup Gheridelli white chocolate chips)
1 1/2 packages of cream cheese, softened (12 oz.)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened.
3 cups sifted powdered sugar.

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave till softened. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Add powdered sugar and beat till smooth.

**I tend to like things a little less sweet, so I used 2 cups powdered sugar.

Wyoming, Are You Out There?

2011-09-27T12:30:00.000-06:00

I've been blogging as An American Housewife for two years now. It has been a great experience. I have visitors from all over the world dropping by on a regular basis.

Wyoming is the only U.S. state that hasn't visited. Wyoming, are you out there?

Adding Antiquity to an Instrument

2011-09-27T12:04:00.001-06:00

I have seen old upright piano's painted before, but never to this degree. If your home is decorated in a certain style, but you own an electronic keyboard or piano similar to this:

You could always make it look less contemporary and more in keeping with your decor. Here's an idea that could take wings and fly. Carved wood designs like this cartouche from Beaux-Artes.com are available in many different designs. Applied to the sides and finished, glazed, and waxed or sealed, they give the look of an antique harpsichord. You could also change the legs to turned legs like in the picture above.

This one is from www.handpaintedinstruments.webs.com. If you don't want to do your own, they will always do it for you.

You want to be careful and keep the instrument panel clean and the paint off the keys, but the casing is another matter. The good thing about an electronic instrument is that the case does not contribute to the sound like on an accoustic instrument. If you were to glue things onto and paint an accoustic guitar, for example, it would alter the sound. Keep this in mind if you decide to do this. Lucky for us, electronic pianos have the sound recorded from very expensive grand pianos, so the sound is much bigger than the size and not dependant upon the type of wood used or the harp inside.

So what do you think? Would you refinish your electric piano?

Time For A Change

2011-09-25T17:59:00.001-06:00

Do you ever have a day where you say, "That's it. I've had enough!"?

I recently reached that stage with my hair color. I've colored it for years and now there is so much gray it takes a huge amount of time to keep it covered up.

If you're at that stage of your life too, check out the link on the right for My Hair Project - a new blog about transition. Join in the fun and become a hair rebel too. We'll support each other through it all and come out on the other side wiser, and with much more living to do as sassy silver foxes.

Fiery Sky

2011-09-23T20:51:00.000-06:00

My first thought when I glanced out the window was that someone's house was on fire. I ran to another window and then reached for the camera.

Relieved that no one was in danger, I snapped away to catch the plums and corals spreading across the sky.

Over the next few minutes and I do mean few, the colors deepened and then began to die down; just another fancy show for the first evening of autumn.

First Day of Fall 2011

2011-09-23T07:50:00.001-06:00

Today is the first day of Fall and a day I always look forward to. The last day of summer brought a record breaking high and felt more like the middle of summer. The cooler temperatures will come later, but just knowing it is fall makes me feel good.

Be on the lookout for falling satellite parts today. They are expected to fall today and the pieces could be between 10 - 100 pounds each. That could do some real damage to whatever it hits.

Unclogging A Kitchen Sink

2011-09-21T23:25:00.000-06:00

Here's a non-toxic method of unclogging a kitchen sink. This actually works better than buying a traditional lye based drain cleaner.

Today I put way too many lime peels down the disposal, thinking it would clean and freshen the garbage disposer. Bad move. It ground up into tiny bits that clogged it up anyway. I've had the best luck with this method: Bail any standing water out of the sink. Pour about 1/2 cup baking soda into the disposer. Follow that with 1/2 cup white vinegar. It will bubble up quite a bit. Leave it to do its magic for 5-10 minutes. Then use a plunger to create suction in the drain. Ground up bits may come out of the drain overflow on top of the sink, but that's OK. Turn on the disposer. If the water doesn't drain out of the inside of it, repeat with the baking soda, vinegar, wait 5-10 minutes, then use the plunger again.

Now boil a kettle of water and pour it down the sink. This helps flush out any grease.

Clogged sinks are no fun, but it's a relief to know a non-toxic way to quickly take care of the problem. Once or twice a week, it helps to pour boiling water down the kitchen drain to prevent any greasy build-up that could cause problems.

Garden Seats

2011-09-21T20:36:00.000-06:00

Ceramic garden seats are one of those versatile things that can be used in any home. They come in all sorts of colors and shapes.

They can be used for seating, but there's more. Indoors or out, they are a beautiful addition to any living space.

They are the perfect moveable small table to place beside a chair for sitting a cup of coffee or to rest a book on while lounging on the sofa.

A garden seat is something for which I'm keeping my eye open. I have the perfect spot just waiting for one.

I'm a Veggie-holic

2011-09-21T15:00:00.001-06:00

I love vegetables and often steam or roast vegetables for lunch. Meat is great, but it's veggies I crave. We are on the cusp of fall and summer vegetables are still available, so it's a good time for indulging while there are so many vegetables on the shelves.

Some of my favorites are fresh corn cooked with tomatoes, roasted root or winter vegetables like these brussels sprouts with sweet potato, or just about anything with onion and celery.

If you haven't given roasted vegetables a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Brussels sprouts take on a nutty flavor and roasting vegetables in the oven before adding them to soup broth gives a much different flavor and a change from the same old soup. Just wash and peel the vegetables and cut them into bite sized pieces and toss with a little olive or walnut oil and salt and pepper.

Mood Booster

2011-09-21T14:49:00.002-06:00

Nothing lifts your mood more than unexpected flowers. Flowers say that someone is thinking about you and wants you to be happy and have a great day. These flowers from a friend are five days old and not even beginning to droop.

Winning Halloween Costume

2011-09-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

This Halloween Costume from Embracing Change (www.embracingchange.blogspot.com) for your doggy made me smile.

What a cute little Chia Pet!

Constitution Day

2011-09-18T12:24:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was Constitution Day - the anniversary of the day our U.S. Constitution was signed.

The day started with a gorgeous sunrise.

I drove to Carson City, NV to help out with the Constitution Day walk presented by Project Americans Coming Together (PACT). The walk included beautiful vistas, educational stops along the path, music, food, and lots of fun for children and adults.

My job was to tell people the story of Emily Geiger, a brave teenager from South Carolina. Emily lived during the Revolutionary War. Her father was disabled and couldn't fight, but he had instilled a strong love of liberty in his daughter. She was known for saying, "Oh that I were a man and could fight for my country!" When she heard that General Greene needed someone to carry a message to General Sumter, she volunteered.

General Greene was reluctant to let her go. It was dangerous and he knew she would have to travel over 100 miles through woods crawling with enemy soldiers. But no one else had come forward to help him and he was desperate to get the message to General Sumter. Emily must have been very persuasive. He let her go and she set off on horseback.

She traveled all day and into the night until she came to a cabin and stopped to ask directions. The woman at the cabin could see that she was exhausted and hungry. She insisted that Emily come in for something to eat and spend the night so she would be fresh the next morning. Emily agreed. She had been in bed a short time when she heard banging on the door and British voices asking the woman if she had seen a female spy who had come that direction. Emily wasted no time and went out an upper story window, dropped to the ground, ran to the barn, got on her horse and rode away into the night.

The next morning she was captured. They took her to Lord Rawdon who interrogated her. Lord Rawdon was dissatisfied with her answers and suspected that she was guilty. He told the soldiers to put her in the guard house and send for a matron to search her. As soon as the soldiers left, she pulled out the message, read it, and memorized it. Then she ate it. She was just swallowing the last bits when the matron came to search her. The matron found nothing, so Emily was released.

She rode away and by morning reached General Sumter and delivered the message. General Sumter was astonished at the messenger. Because of the information he received, he was able to connect with General Greene. Together they planned a surprise attack on Lord Rawdon that crippled Lord Rawdon's troops.

Now, Lord Rawdon had planned to meet Cornwallis at Yorktown to fight George Washington, but his soldiers were in no shape to go after the battle with Greene and Sumter. Consequently, Cornwallis was defeated by General Washington. This battle at Yorktown was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War and the turning point for America.

So, in part, we owe our freedom to a brave teenage girl from South Carolina. The next time you feel like things are in such a mess and there is nothing you can do because you are just one person, remember Emily Geiger.

It was the perfect day for the walk and lots of people showed up. This was the first year for the Constitution walk, but everyone enjoyed it and many expressed their hope that it will continue year after year.

An the Winner Is...

2011-09-17T06:53:00.000-06:00

The winner of the autographed copy of The Doctor's Lady, by Jody Hedlund, is Debi from Eufala, OK.

Debi, if you'll email me your address to karinawrites@yahoo.com, I'll pass it on to Jody and she will get it mailed out to you. Congratulations!

Color Blocking

2011-09-16T17:44:00.001-06:00

Kate Winslet is always beautiful and she looks stunning in this Stella McCartney dress. I'm showing this to you to point out how effective color blocking can be. The black on the sides trims off inches and is very figure flattering.

The Chipmunk House

2011-09-14T12:57:00.001-06:00

Back in the 1950's, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.'s father wrote the Chipmunk Song. Mr. Bagdasarian, Jr., and his wife have expanded upon that idea with cartoons and movies, and built an empire on the children's classic.

This is the home they built from their efforts. It's a place you'd never want to leave. It sits on 8 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean surrounded by lemon, lime, and orange trees and lots and lots of flowers.

The inside is decorated with English antiques, whitewashed wood, and soft colors.

It's a large house, but really feels like a home. A very beautiful one...

Give Away

2011-09-14T09:22:00.002-06:00

Only two more days to sign up for your chance to win an autographed copy of The Doctor's Lady from author, Jody Hedlund. The drawing is on Friday. To enter leave a comment with your name and check back to see who wins.

Sorry, U.S. addresses only.

Sky Watching

2011-09-13T10:25:00.004-06:00

I am fascinated by the sky. Out west it seems so much BIGGER than in the eastern U.S. This was the sunrise I woke to a couple of days ago.

Later in the day a big bank of clouds moved over us and fat drops of rain fell. The smell of wet earth surrounded the house and came in through the open windows.

By evening, a big round moon beamed down.

The following night looked like this. You can see by the lights in the houses how big this sky really is and the moon almost looks like a Halloween moon.

Menu Planner

2011-09-12T13:16:00.002-06:00

Trying to plan a meal at the end of the day is a chore for many busy women. This is a great idea from Maddy Cakes Muse to take a little stress out of your day.
http://maddycakesmuse.blogspot.com/2011/09/weekly-meal-planning.html

While your pantry door is open and you can see what you have on hand, write down your menu ideas. It's a good time to make your grocery list and write down anything you need to pick up at the store too. If you can't find this product, why not paint your own with chalk paint?

Maddy Cakes Muse is a blog with tons of great party ideas. I wish my pantry was that neat and organized!

Dressing Area

2011-09-11T17:29:00.001-06:00

This dressing area from Traditional Home magazine is so beautiful I had to pass it on to you.

Spray Can Shakes

2011-09-11T14:48:00.000-06:00

Every time I use a spray can for a large project, my hand shakes like crazy. Have any of you used one of these trigger grips for spray cans? I haven't, but it's on my list to try. The trigger is reuseable and cleanable. Looks like a great idea. This one is from Plasti-Kote. The handle says Valspar Can Gun and runs under $7.

Summer Succotash

2011-09-10T15:58:00.001-06:00

I'm calling this Succotash, though traditional Succotash is fresh corn and lima beans with butter, cream, and thyme. Mmmmmm,that sounds good too. The word Succotash comes from the Narragansett word, msickquatash, which means boiled kernels of corn.

I love vegetables, and I know my Southern roots are showing when I break out the Okra. This was a blend of veggies I had in the refrigerator. I sauted some diced onion in a spoon full of olive oil, then added some frozen sliced Okra and cooked that a little. I almost never see Okra in the fresh produce aisle. I don't think it is a popular dish in many homes, though I'm not sure why. Fried Okra is a real treat.

While the Okra cooked, I diced some tomatoes and cut the fresh corn off
the cob. I added a little salt and fresh ground pepper and a couple of shakes of this irreverant seasoning:

Slap Ya Mama is a blend of salt, red and black pepper, and garlic. I use it often on salads and anything else that needs a kick in the pants. If you can't find it in your local grocery store, mix up your own or look in one of those hot sauce stores with the extreme hot seasonings. This isn't very hot, but just adds a little zing.

It sure did make this Succotash tasty.

A View of Saturn

2011-09-08T23:15:00.001-06:00

This is the coolest picture of Saturn I've ever seen. It was taken from the dark side by NASA's Cassini robotic orbiter. The rings are actually debris and dust circling the planet. Beautiful!

Book Giveaway

2011-09-06T11:44:00.002-06:00

Here is your chance to win an autographed copy of Jody Hedlund's new book, The Doctor's Lady.

If you read my interview with Jody (scroll down), you know this Inspirational Historical Romance is about the first white woman to travel across the country on what would become known as the Oregon Trail.

Her first novel, The Preacher's Bride, was also based upon real people in history and was a double finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest for unpublished writers.

To enter the drawing, leave a comment here and I'll put your name in the hat. Be sure to leave your name or some identifying nickname, blog name or some way to identify yourself. Jody will sign and send your copy directly to you. U.S. shipping addresses only.

The drawing will be held on Friday, September 16th, so be sure to check back and see who won. If the winner does not respond and email their address, I will draw again from the remaining names. Good Luck!

Curried Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

2011-09-05T16:33:00.002-06:00

Last blog I told you about picking coriander from my back yard to use in cooking. I had to find a recipe to use it in and this one's a winner. It's my version and a great diet soup! Surprise!

Curried Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1- 1/2 Tbs. fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 Tbs. allspice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1-2 Tbs. good curry powder
1 large onion, diced
2 peeled, diced parsnips
8-10 large peeled and sliced carrots
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 Tbs. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup red lentils
1/4 cup basmati rice
7 cups water
1/2 can coconut milk (approx. 1 cup)
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over low heat. Stir in ginger and spices and cook until fragrant - about 3 minutes. I didn't have fresh ginger or parsnips. I used dried ginger and a couple of extra carrots. I crushed the fresh coriander with the flat of a big knife and gave it a few chops to release the fragrance.

Raise the heat to medium and add the onions, carrots, parsnips, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water to get it going. Cook for about 25 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables soft, but not browned.

Stir in the lentils and rice. Mix well and add water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer about 40 minutes till the rice is cooked.

At this point, you can puree it if you want, but why? The only time I puree something is if I'm trying to get certain vegetables down certain picky people and don't want them seeing what's in the dish.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings. I like lots of spice, but not everyone does, so I've started off lightly on seasonings. You can make ahead and refrigerate the soup if you want. Just before serving, reheat and stir in coconut milk and lime juice (no it doesn't curdle).

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

This is so good, if I don't stop eating it, I might turn orange!

Coriander

2011-09-05T15:06:00.002-06:00

Fall is my favorite time of the year, but I hate to see summer winding down, mostly because it means the herbs are done and I can't go pick fresh ones whenever I want.

The once lush pot of cilantro that fed my senses every night with its heady scent when I watered it faithfully, has long since turned to something resembling maiden hair fern and burst forth with hundreds of tiny balls. It's a dual plant - giving you lots of flavorful leaves in the summer and then offering up cilantro scented seeds to use during the winter.

If you leave the seeds on the plant, they will drop off and automatically re-seed new cilantro for many years, but I couldn't resist picking a few of them to cook with.

Learning from Designer Rooms

2011-09-05T12:11:00.001-06:00

Most of us don't have a hundred thousand decorating dollars per room to spend, but we can all learn from the experts and glean useful tips and ideas for our own home by looking at these beautiful rooms.

If you are redecorating a home, or starting from scratch, look through decorating books and magazines and decide on a style.

This is the dining room from the set of the movie Something's Gotta Give
. This is a house that just about everyone fell in love with. Even if this isn't your style, you can find ideas from this room. For example, the tone on tone of the white shelves and dishes gives texture to the room without overpowering it. It's a restful room. Neutrals make a room feel calm. The black table really stands out and a round table is very conducive to dinner party conversation. Everyone can see everyone else at a round table. Your room should be large enough to accomodate the table and chairs with room to pull the chairs out to get in and out of them. Movies have set designers who do a great job of putting together rooms. They are a good place to look for design inspiration.

Different parts of the world have different styles and color schemes that are popular just in that region. There are even different color schemes in different regions of the U.S. This is a home in the country. The colors used are natural muted shades that blend with the landscape.

I keep a file of decorating ideas on my computer. Magazine sites like House Beautiful and Better Homes and Gardens have bunches of pictures to look at. You can sort them by a particular decorating style or color scheme to find what you are looking for. This simple campaign chest and mirror painted a bright blue makes a statement. You wouldn't want a whole room of furniture this color, but one piece painted to match a color pulled from upholstery or draperies pulls the room together and can be a beautiful accent piece.

Architectural details like these strips of wood can easily be added to create interest and make your home look much more expensive for very little money. Crown moldings, base boards, carved details added to the corner of door and window frames, or over a doorway can instantly make your home look like it has been there for years instead of a newly purchased builder's "box".

This is a picture of a dining room in the White House years ago. I'm sure this beautiful mural has been painted or papered over by now, but it just goes to show that you can get ideas anywhere. Fancy hotels, beautiful old homes such as Biltmore, magazaine articles showing homes of famous people are all places you can find ideas. Architectural Digest is another place for some great ideas. The homes in AD are homes of people with limitless budgets. The rooms are much larger than the rooms in an average home, but you can still give your home the feel of any of the homes you like by employing a few principles:

Color: You can paint your walls the same color. Color is a HUGE mood enhancer. Change the wall color and you are on the right track.

Texture: Decorators of monochromatic rooms use texture to keep them from being boring. If everything is slick, add some nubby upholstery or a basket or anything else with texture. If everything is textured, use a glass top coffee table or a sleek glazed vase to break it up.

Pattern: In a monochromatic room, texture will be your pattern. If you are copying a room from a picture, you may decide to use a fabric print to bring in color and texture to the room. Pay attention to the scale and use the print to determine your solid colors in paint and other solid pieces in the room.

Wood: In your inspiration room, is the furniture painted? light wood? dark wood? medium stained wood?

Metals: Are there metals? Pay attention to the picture frames, light fixtures, lamps and other things that may be metal. Notice if they used silver metals, dark bronzed, or gold. You can repaint the lamps, frames, and light fixtures you already have if the style is right.

You don't have to spend a fortune to have a decorator style room. Don't stress out. Have some fun with it and add your own personality. The more decorating you do, the more ideas you will have.

Blogs

2011-09-05T11:25:00.000-06:00

I have accumulated a list of blogs that I read regularly. Some I follow because I know the blogger. Others I follow because the topics interest me. Most bloggers have a specific topic that continues throughout the entire blog.

Mine tends to be all over the place - like my brain. I have lots of interests and try to write this blog like a ladies magazine, with topics on different subjects, recipes, how-to's, tips, and other interesting things in life.

If there is a certain topic you would like to see here, leave a comment and I'll try to accomodate you.

Storage, Storage, Storage!

2011-09-03T22:00:00.002-06:00

I have lived in too many houses to count. Moving so much has given me plenty of ideas of what I want in a house and plenty of things I do not want. One thing you can never have too much of is storage.

Here are some ideas to add more storage to your home.

This is Merrilat kitchen storage. Every cabinet company has similar storage components that make life easier. I'm a particular fan of the vertical dividers to store trays, cookie sheets, and shallow baking pans.

Pull out shelves or drawers, in pantries and lower cabinets are extremely helpful. You can see everything on the shelf and don't have to get down on the floor to dig in the back of the cabinet.

Under the stairs is another place that can be utilized for a half bath or book shelves, or a storage closet.

Closet inserts are always good to have. They allow you to clean up the floor and organize shoes, handbags, sweaters, and other things that get stuffed in disarray or scattered on the floor.

Built-in bookshelves add character to a room and provide an instant place to display collectibles or books where they are out of the way, but still accessible.

A pony wall can be turned into a book case. If you have one of these in the bathroom sectioning off the toilet, you could add doors and store extra rolls of toilet paper, air freshener, feminine products, or whatever you need.

How cool is this library door?

Cabinets to the ceiling give you an extra shelf all the way around your kitchen. I much prefer this to the upper cabinets that we all feel the need to accessorize with large vases and silk plants. You can have a lighted glass section on top to display beautiful serving pieces that you only use at Christmas and Thanksgiving and are generally in the way.

Depending upon your needs, you'll need storage for hobby supplies, home office, sewing, scrapbooking, or whatever you thing is. We all have something that takes up more space.

Upper cabinets in the bathroom can be equipped with outlets and hide your hair dryer, curling iron, hair spray, and all those usual morning tools you use.

An armoire is an everything cabinet that looks neat and clean when closed, but holds a ton of clutter.

Laundry rooms need more storage than most homes have space for. My ideal one would have space for the ironing board, hanging space for drip dry clothing (maybe over a big sink), a table to fold clothing that is tall enough to cut out fabric when sewing, because there would also be a big window in front of my sewing machine.

I love the linen closet at the end of the hall near the guest bedroom and bathroom. It's the perfect location for extra blankets and sheets, clean towels, extra soap and other things.

My dream home will have a utility closet to keep the carpet cleaner, steam cleaner, vacuum cleaner, mops, brooms, bucket, and shelves for cleaning solutions, all shut behind a door and hidden away. There will be a lock up high on the door so my future grand children can't get to all those cleaning products and I'm not always looking for a place to hide the vacuum.

Built in storage in the garage is good idea too. Tools, canning jars, appliances you rarely use, but don't want to get rid of, car washing sprays, buckets, sponges, etc. can all be stored behind doors to make the garage look neater, and keep dust off everything.

The good thing about all this is you can add a little at a time until you have all the storage you need.

Interview With Jody Hedlund

2011-08-31T20:22:00.007-06:00

This week I had the privilege of previewing Jody Hedlund’s new book, The Doctor’s Lady.

Jody is the author of two historic novels, The Preacher’s Bride and The Doctor’s Lady. Both are historical romances based upon real people. The focus of both books is unlauded women who played a big part in history.

In The Doctor’s Lady, Priscilla White bears the painful knowledge that she’ll never be able to be a mother. Having felt God’s call to missionary work, she determines to remain single, put her pain behind her, and answer God’s call.

Dr. Eli Ernest wants to start a medical clinic and mission in unsettled Oregon Country. He’s not interested in taking a wife because of the dangers of life in the West and the fact that no white woman has ever attempted the overland crossing.

But Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership; a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God’s leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.

Karina: Jody, what was the inspiration behind The Doctor's Lady?

Jody: This book is inspired by the true life story of Narcissa Whitman, the first white woman to brave the dangers of overland trail and travel west. In 1836, she married Dr. Whitman, and the next day left her childhood home and would never return, for the purpose of starting a mission among the Nez Perce natives.

It was my hope in this story to bring Narcissa Whitman to life. This heroic woman has often been ignored and at times even disparaged. In reality, she exuded incredible courage to attempt a trip many proclaimed foolishly dangerous. It was called an “unheard of journey for females.” Because of her willingness to brave the unknown, she led the way for the many women who would follow in her footsteps in what would later become known as the Oregon Trail.

Karina: What message do you hope readers take away?

Jody: I hope readers are inspired to try new things and brave dangerous prospects in the pursuit of their dreams. When we go after the things that matter, we’ll have to take risks and we’ll experience setbacks and obstacles. But if we persevere, we can reach our destination and do great things along the way.

Karina: What Hollywood movie stars would you cast for your characters?

Jody: Dr. Eli Ernest needs to be played by Kevin Costner whose rugged, scruffy look in Dances with Wolves is exactly the way I envisioned Dr. Ernest. Eli is a man full of passion and unafraid of danger, and yet willing to learn and grow through the challenges he faces.

Priscilla White needs to be played by Gwynneth Paltrow. Priscilla is a beautiful and elegant lady with Gwynneth’s looks in Emma. She’s not physically strong and she’s a bit naïve, and yet she’s determined and courageous.

Karina: Good choices! Now that I’ve read the book, I can see both of them in the roles of Eli and Priscilla.

Karina: How long did it take to write the book? What was most challenging?

Jody: The research took six to eight weeks. I wrote the first draft in approximately five months and fell in love with it.

However, the editing phase was the most challenging. Somehow in the first draft, I gave my main characters problems and character arcs that were too unlikable. My editors encouraged me to revamp my characters so that they would be more positive and appealing to readers. The editing phase took much longer than I’d anticipated and spanned several months, including two sets of major rewrites.

Karina: What’s next for you?

Jody: In 2012, my next historical romance releases. I’m really excited about this story because it’s set in my home state of Michigan. It takes place during the 1880’s at a time in history when the lumber era was at its height. Although the story isn’t inspired by a true person the way my first two books have been, I do include several real people, particularly a real villain by the name of James Carr who was notorious in central Michigan for his violence and for introducing white slavery into the state.

The heroine of the story is a young woman, Lily Young, who is looking for her sister who’s caught up into the degradation of lumber camp life. While Lily searches for her missing sister, she fights against the evil that runs rampant around her, and she fights not to lose her heart to the lumber baron who turns a blind eye to the lawlessness of the lumber business.

Karina: Jody, thank you for visiting with me and telling us about your book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have to tell you that your extensive research and attention to detail has paid off. The Doctor’s Lady is a compelling read and gives us a clear picture of what the pioneers went through to settle the American West.

History books mention the men who accomplished great things, but rarely mention the women behind them.

Abraham Lincoln is credited with this statement: “I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women; but I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war.” Throughout history women have been in the background doing great things.

Now I’m going to go get a copy of The Preacher’s Bride and read that one too. The Doctor’s Lady will be available on September 1.

Earthquake Safety II

2011-08-31T12:04:00.001-06:00

Back in March I wrote an article about earthquake safety. Some people advocate curling up next to a sturdy piece of furniture in case large objects, pieces of sheet rock, etc. fall. The furniture will break the fall and leave a triangle next to the object, which would mean you are untouched.

Today I got a really nasty comment from someone who didn't leave their name telling me I was going to cause deaths and it would be on my head for telling people this.

Here is the comment in full:
Karina, Karina, Karina, I'm sure your advice is given with all the best intentions, but it's just WRONG. What your advising is based on the now debunked Doug Copp Triangle of Life theory. Mr. Copp, who's now hiding from US authorities in Canada, claimed that if you hunker down in the void created by large object or a solid wall, you'll avoid be crushed by a falling ceiling. He claimed to know this based on his hundreds of rescue efforts, which has turned out to be a complete fraud. The problem with this theory is that in the US buildings almost never collapse on people. That happens in places like Haiti where they have no building codes. But not in the US. What cause injuries in the US are objects that fall on people, not ceilings or walls. Overhead lights, book cases, shelves, pictures, mirrors, ceiling fans, etc. Those sorts of things. For that reason, the best protection a person can seek is to get under a sturdy piece of furniture, like a table, that will keep things from falling on them. If that's not available, a door way is a good alternative. But laying down in the open by a wall or a big piece of furniture in not only stupid, but it's dangerous. Duck, Cover and Hold is the recommended method for avoiding injuries in an earthquake. And it's recommended by FEMA, The American Red Cross, the USGS, the Center for Earthquake Research and Information and every other credible organization. How do I know this? Because I teach earthquake preparedness for an Office of Disaster Preparedness in a major US city. So Karina, while your intentions may have been good, you need to find out what you're talking about before you start giving people advice. Poor advice, like yours may get someone killed. And that would be on your head.

Now, the last thing I want to do is cause someone's death, so I did some more research.

According to the research, a doorway is only safe if it is a load bearing wall. Most of us probably don't know if it is or not and a door frame is not very wide, so you would probably be hit by debris even if you were in the doorway. This is from the FEMA site.

Newer buildings in areas that have more earthquakes are stabilized more than in other parts of the country that rarely have them. It makes sense to cover to protect yourself from falling objects. You'd want to do this no matter where you are.

It also makes sense to anchor things like book shelves to the wall so they don't fall, though books will more than likely fall off the shelves.

When they say to get underneath something sturdy, it seems it should be more sturdy than the table in the picture above, which I found on a couple of different earthquake sites.

One site pointed out that an upper floor that collapses would be a safer place than the lower floor which would have the upper floor falling on you.

In the event there is no table to crawl underneath, crouching next to the wall, particularly in a corner away from windows is another place that is mentioned.

In truth, you may have little time to react so you make the choice.

Overripe Bananas

2011-08-28T16:46:00.000-06:00

I'm trying not to eat any sweets, but those over ripe bananas on the counter called out to me every time I walked past. I finally acquiesced and mashed them into a lovely pulp to put into Banana Bread.

This one has lots of coarsely chopped walnuts. To see this recipe, look under the Recipe - Breads tab in the margin.

Happy Sunday.

What Size Am I?

2011-08-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

Going shopping used to be fun, but now it's more of a chore than cleaning the toilet.

Each brand has it's own sizing and you could try on two garments in the same size, same brand, and they would fit differently. Finding something that actually fits is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Clothing sizes have intentionally dropped to appeal to our vanity. What used to be a size 12 in 1970 is now a size 4/6/8, depending upon the maker. This is all done to make us feel better about our sizes.

It's not just the clothing manufacturers who do this. Pattern makers have a wide range of inconsistency in the patterns. A woman with a traditional hour glass figure - 36-24-36- can wear anything from a size 0 to a 10. Clothing sold at the designer level is consistently smaller than clothing sold for mass marketing. There are several stages between designer and mass market that are at different size ranges as well, so it is increasingly difficult to find something that fits.

So far nothing has been done to standardize sizing. But there is a company called MyBestFit, that is helping consumers find sizes that will fit based on a scan done at your local mall. MyBestFit isn't all malls yet, but they are expanding, so hopefully one will be near you in the not too distant future. When you step into a booth, the machine scans your image and tells you the size you should shop for in many different popular clothing stores. It's just one more tool to help you in your quest for the perfect outfit.

The scan takes about ten seconds and is free.

Taboule

2011-08-25T18:25:00.000-06:00

Taboule is a wheat salad from Lebanon that has fresh parsley, onion, mint, and lemon juice (generally). Though, I have seen recipes with many variations.

This mix from Near East, available in most grocery stores, is so good, I've never made it from scratch. All you do is pour boiling water over the grain and seasonings. While the water soaks in, I chop tomato and cucumber. Stir the vegetables in with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Salt to taste.

This goes well as a side dish with meat. Mine rarely makes it to the table and gets eaten right out of the mixing bowl.

Chalk Paint and Wax

2011-08-21T18:12:00.009-06:00

In reading about Annie Sloan in Creating the French Look, I read that her line of paint is one of the best in the world. That's a pretty heavy statement. I wondered if it is sold in the United States. A little research led me to the Southern Institute of Faux Finishing, which is located in Brandon, MS. It was one of the first places in the US to carry Annie's paint.

I used to live just a few miles from there and the school wasn't there at that time to my knowledge; or I would have been the first student to enroll. I love paint - all sorts of paint. You can transform a room, change the feel and mood, make it look lighter or brighter or more cozy all with a coat of paint. For me, a little faux goes a long way, but any room can benefit from one piece that stands out.

On the website for SIFF, http://www.fauxfinishbiz.com/, there is a detailed tutorial of how to paint an old piece with chalk paint and wax for a beautiful finish. The instructions are also printed, so you can get started right away. Note to self: I must have one of those big fat waxing brushes...

She uses a combination of clear and tinted wax, sanding, touches of gold if you want, and aging to create the look of an antique.

I can't get the link to work, but if you type in www.fauxfinishbiz.com, it will take you there.

Ups and Downs

2011-08-21T17:44:00.000-06:00

The past week has been unpredictable and always changing. My schedule was way off the mark and I never knew when I might have a few minutes to take care of things.

Today is the beginning of a new, and I hope, normal week. I snapped this gorgeous sunset last night. Sunsets make my heart sing with all the beautiful colors and cloud formations. I post them frequently and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Homemade Farmer's Cheese and Strawberries on Toasted English Muffins

2011-08-16T12:45:00.001-06:00

This is the third type of homemade cheese I have attempted and it's so easy a child could make it! Farmer's Cheese is sometimes called Chevre, if made with goat's milk, or Fromage Blanc. It can be eaten as is or seasoned with fresh herbs, used in dip, substituted for cream cheese or cottage cheese, or sweetened. Versatile, easy, and delicious, it is something everyone will enjoy.

Farmer's Cheese

2 qts. whole milk
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbs. white vinegar
salt

You'll need a colander or strainer and clean cheesecloth, plus a candy thermometer.

Put 2 quarts of whole milk in a large pot and heat to 180 degrees over medium low heat, stirring frequently.

Add 2 cups buttermilk and stir. Add vinegar and stir. Turn off heat and stir till it starts to clump together. Let sit 10 minutes undisturbed.

Line a colander with 2 layers of cheesecloth. Using a ladle or large spoon, transfer the curds to the colander. Let them drain for at least an hour. Occasionally gather up the ends of the cheesecloth. Pull them together and twist to squeeze out the excess liquid from the cheese.

After an hour, put the cheese in a storage container. Taste and add salt to taste. If you plan on using it for something sweet, you might add a little powdered sugar instead. Store, covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This makes approximately 1 1/2 cups of cheese.

***For the strawberries and Farmer's cheese above, mash a few ripe strawberries with a fork and spread on toast or English muffins.

9/11 Memorial

2011-08-14T16:25:00.000-06:00

http://news.yahoo.com/behind-the-scenes-look-at-9-11-memorial.html

The 9/11 memorial opens on September 11, 2011. It's a beautiful memorial that, hopefully, brings closure and healing to Americans. When I saw the cross standing in the rubble, it brought tears to my eyes. I am glad they saved it and made it a part of the memorial.

Canning Tomato Sauce

2011-08-13T21:56:00.002-06:00

Somewhere I got the bright idea to can tomato sauce. With four grocery bags of beautiful Roma tomatoes, I thought I could fill several jars of homemade sauce for the winter. I washed the tomatoes and cut an "X" on the bottom of each one.

Next, I boiled water in a large pan and dropped in a few tomatoes. After a couple of minutes, the peeling was coming loose. I transferred them to a colander and ran cold water over them. When they were cool enough to handle, I cut the stem core out and slipped off the skin, then cut them in half and scooped out the seeds before throwing them into the food processor.

I did this for at least an hour: blanching, cooling, coring, peeling, and processing. It was much more work than I anticipated. I had never canned tomatoes before and didn't have one of those nifty tools that peels and squeezes out the seeds and juice. It was all done the old old fashioned way with lots of labor involved.

What a mess!

When that was all done, I had a big pot with pureed tomato pulp in it. To make it into sauce (and stretch it to fill 3 - yes, ONLY 3 - quart jars), I processed in the food processor: 3 yellow onions, 3 garlic cloves, 3 celery ribs, 3 carrots, and an 8 oz. box of white mushrooms.

After mixing all this into the tomatoes, I added 2 Tbs. Italian seasoning and 1 Tbs. dried basil. Mr. Karina is having to watch his salt intake and that was the point of all this since packaged, jarred, and canned stuff has too much salt in it. The sauce simmered for 1 1/2 hours till it was thick and lovely.

Next I filled the quart jars with sauce and put them in a water bath for 40 minutes until they sealed. When I thought they were ready, I poked the top of each jar with the handle of a wooden spoon to make sure it didn't give. One jar wasn't done yet, so I left them all in the water bath a few more minutes, while dreaming of my own water bath as soon as I finished this job.

I still have more jars to fill, but I'm out of tomatoes. Before I do it again, I will look for one of those food mills and save myself a WHOLE lot of work. Or maybe I'll just peel them and throw them into zip lock bags and freeze them. I have a much greater appreciation for my grandmothers who had to do this in an unairconditioned kitchen. It's a wonder they didn't just starve to death!

Creating the French Look

2011-08-13T10:31:00.000-06:00

If you love French decor, then Creating the French Look by Annie Sloan is a good book to have.

This book gives you the foundation essentials of Rococo, Neo-Classical, Country Manor, Country Rural, Provence, Riviera, Bohemian, and Coco Haute Couture styles of French decorating. Next, she shows you rooms in these styles and how to inexpensively create the look in your own home. There are sewing, stenciling, aging,and refinishing projects to help you accomplish your goals. Each project shows you step-by-step what to do with photos to help you along.

Annie Sloan is a paint guru. She lives in Oxford, England and has been painting furniture for years. She has written several books and has her own paint line. For more information go to her website: http://www.anniesloan.com.

Quiet Getaway

2011-08-06T12:32:00.002-06:00

Ever want to get away from it all and spend a few days just relaxing, catching up on your sleep, and maybe catching a fish for supper?

This is Shady River, the perfect spot to get away from the stress of life. Located in Northeast, Arkansas, near Pocahontas, these cabins are remote, but have all the modern amenities you need including free Wi-Fi, phone, and air conditioning.

What a great place to soak away the stress. I think I'll hang a blanket over the railing in case a canoe comes by on the river.

As a writer, this looks like the perfect getaway to write and not be bothered by any interruptions.

http://shadyriverark.com
Check out the site and enjoy the music of award winning musician, Robert Bowlin, who is from the area.

Soup's Up!

2011-08-03T18:09:00.000-06:00

I love soup. It's a big bowl of healthy meat and vegetables and I could eat it year round. If you love soup, check out this site: www.homemadesoup.org

The soup in the picture is Chicken Avocado Lime Soup.

Blueberry Boy Bait

2011-08-02T19:29:00.001-06:00

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goddess. Apparently it originated in 1954 when a Chicago teenager submitted it in the Pillsbury $100,000 Recipe and Baking Contest. This is Nigella's version and it's delicious.

Crust: (more like a custard on the bottom)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. fresh bread crumbs
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp. sugar
zest of 1 lemon
5 large egg yolks (keep the whites for the topping)

one 5-cup oval or round dish, buttered

Filling:
12 oz. blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 Tbs. lemon juice

Meringue Topping
5 egg whites
7 Tbs. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

I used Panko bread crumbs, but you can make your own by processing some stale white bread in the food processor. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and toast in a baking sheet.

Heat the butter and milk in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Stir in the bread crumbs, sugar, and lemon zest, take off the heat, and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks very thoroughly and pour this bread-thickened custard into your greased dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until it's firm on top but still with a hint of wobble underneath. Let it stand for a few minutes to let the top form a skin while you get on with the blueberries.

Put the fruit, sugar, flour, and juice in a saucepan, and stir to coat. Heat to a robust simmer and cook until you've got a thick jammy sauce, stirring every now and again to prevent it sticking. You should still have plenty of whole blueberries visible. Take this off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue topping.

Beat the whites until stiff but not dry, then add half the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking as you do so. Fold in the remaining sugar with a metal spoon. Pour and scrape the cooked blueberries onto your set custard base, spreading evenly. Then dollop over the meringue topping, making sure you seal the edges well so that no dark syrup bubbles up and seeps out. Make peaks with the back of a spoon, sprinkle with a little sugar, and put back in the oven for a further 20 minutes or until the meringue is burnished and crisp. Underneath, however, it will still be desirably yielding. Serves 6-8

Removing Refrigerator Odors

2011-07-31T16:09:00.001-06:00

If you've ever lost power for a couple of days or moved across country and had your refrigerator shut up in a hot truck for a week, you know about refrigerator odors. This is way beyond the smell of a forgotten piece of fruit in the drawer. These odors can be very hard to eliminate.

I had this happen when we moved the last time. I'd cleaned the refrigerator before we moved, and it still smelled horrible when it arrived.

I tried washing with bleach and water, baking soda in water, half vinegar and half water, leaving containers of coffee grounds for a couple of days, and finally, wadding up newspaper and spraying it with water. The newspaper dried while the refrigerator was running and absorbed the odors. I am sure each step helped some, but it took all the steps to finally get rid of it.

Today I ran across an article on Shine, that listed several things to do in this instance. The first tip said to wipe out the refrigerator with undiluted tomato juice. I wish I had read this when I was dealing with the problem, because it probably works like a charm. It reminded me of a black and white cat I had who decided to make friends with a skunk.

You can guess the reception he got. Poor thing reeked from nose to tail. Someone told me that tomato juice would get rid of the smell.

So, I put Tuffy in the glass shower with me and proceeded to soak him in tomato juice. I saturated him all over except for around his eyes. He was not happy about it and the claws came out. By this point, I was naked and covered in tomato juice myself, plus a couple of bloody scratches.

Tuffy leaped over the top of the glass shower and proceeded to run through the house. Thankfully, no one else was at home and I chased after him. When I caught him, we went back to the shower and rinsed off. Then he had a nice bath in Pantene shampoo. The skunk smell around his eyes had to wear off over the next few days, but the rest of him smelled lovely.

The next time my refrigerator smells awful, I'm using tomato juice to clean it.

Fire On the Mountain

2011-07-29T21:00:00.001-06:00

You can't tell from the picture, but there are mountains beyond the houses. A fire has been burning for two days, obliterating the view. The valley smells like smoke, but it is thundering outside. Hopefully we will get some much needed rain to put out the fire, clear the air, and water the ground. This morning I was at the bank and noticed a tree whose leaves hung limply from the branches. A bird in the parking lot walked around with his beak open, chirping oddly. I am sure it was thirsty. We could use a little rain.

An hour later, the rain has started and the air is clearing. Ahhh the lovely sound of rain pattering on the windows.

Open Faced Chicken Margarita Sandwiches

2011-07-29T20:50:00.001-06:00

The flavors for this sandwich are taken from Margarita Pizza - tomatoes, basil, and cheese.

1 loaf french bread
1 large clove garlic, peeled
4 chicken breasts
2 Tbs. olive oil
roma tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
grated cheese

Slice the bread into 8 slices. Brush olive oil over the surface and broil till they begin to brown. Remove from oven and rub garlic clove over bread slices and sprinkle with salt.

Heat olive oil in skillet. Brown chicken breasts in a skillet. When they are cooked through, hold them with tongs and slice in half to make 2 thin slices. Place the cut side down and brown.

On the bread slices, place thinly sliced tomato, 1 chicken breast piece, fresh basil leaves, and grated cheese. Put the pan of sandwiches back into the oven and broil till the cheese melts.

Brown

2011-07-26T11:29:00.001-06:00

Brown is an earthy warm color. It can feel masculine, homey, or sophisticated. It looks equally at home in a country cabin or a contemporary loft.

This sophisticated living room looks inviting, comfortable, and pulled together. Keep in mind if you have brown on the floors and walls and ceiling, the room will start to feel like a cave. There needs to be light somewhere to break it up. The light on the ceiling in this room adds brightness to the room and draws attention to the beams and ceiling details. Orange or red are great accent colors to use with brown.

Currently, pink with chocolate brown is a popular color combination. It is most often seen in bathrooms, girls rooms, and nurseries.
Another color frequently seen with dark brown is aqua or turquoise.

In this white kitchen, the wood floor translates as brown. This white kitchen would look beautiful in an otherwise brown toned home. In most instances, wood tones are not a true color factor in a room. Stained wood shows up in every color scheme imaginable, but in this scenario, the wood floor and brown counter tops would tie the white kitchen to a brown decor.

Here is another case where the stained wood plays into the color scheme. The wall is painted the same color as the bathroom cabinet, making the wood a factor.

This dressy bedroom is beautiful in rich dark chocolate. There is plenty of white to keep the room from being too dark and the two small vases of rose colored flowers gives it some interest without being over the top. The crystal chandelier dresses it up.

There are so many shades of brown to choose, from the darkest chocolate to pale tans and creamy mocha. This living room is in the tan range, and gives a more homey feel than dark brown, which feels more dramatic.

Having trouble pulling it all together? Choose a print like this stripe for a couple of side chairs or some drapes. Add some throw pillows or a vase in one of the colors in the stripe and you'll instantly have a beautiful room. If that still isn't enough to satisfy your decorator's tooth, paint an accent wall in the accent color or use that color behind the shelves of a built in book case. It adds another layer. Pull in a plant or two to finish it off.

A leopard pillow in a brown room looks great.

Multi-Tasking

2011-07-21T09:31:00.002-06:00

I know. I haven't been posting much lately. I wish I had as many arms as this woman so I could do it all. It's been one of those months where everything comes at you all at once and you are lucky to heat up a hot dog or zap a microwave meal at the end of the day before you throw in a load of clothes and fall asleep.

I promise to work harder at this so I don't lose loyal readers. Fall will be here before you know it and that always energizes me.

Right now, I have about as much energy as Boudreaux, here.

And I've been doing a lot of this:

Hope you are having a great summer. Stay cool.

It's National Ice Cream Day

2011-07-18T12:02:00.000-06:00

It's National Ice Cream Day and with the heat wave blanketing the country, a cold dish of ice cream sounds pretty good. Enjoy!

Summertime

2011-07-13T15:47:00.001-06:00

Summertime, and the livin' is easy. I can't take my eyes off this picture. It is the cover of a book called Cottage Retreats - Decorating Ideas for Every Mood by Lisa Jill Schlang.

Who wouldn't want to spend an afternoon out here? All you'd need is a tall glass of iced tea and a good book.

The rustic table goes perfectly with the stone and looks tall enough to pull closer to the seating and have supper or your morning cup of coffee outside listening to the birds. I love the painted window frame. The cushions look like standard bed pillows - very comfy.

Roasted Parmesan Sweet Potatoes

2011-07-13T08:58:00.001-06:00

Sweet potatoes are chock full of things that are good for you and this is my absolute favorite way to make them.

Peel a large sweet potato (use 2 of them if you have a family). Cut the potato into 1/4 inch thick slices. Spread a baking pan with olive oil (about 2 tbs.). Place the slices on the baking pan and then flip them over so both sides get some of the olive oil on them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and shake a little grated Parmesan on top of each slice. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 20 minutes until they are tender.

John James Audubon

2011-07-06T23:15:00.003-06:00

I recently had the pleasure of seeing an exhibit of John James Audubon's works for the second time. Once was not enough. Most of the paintings are quite large.

It's hard to choose a favorite. This is an American Robin.
Audubon's story is interesting. He traveled much of the time, drawing and painting birds and wildlife in America, but was unable to find a printer to print them.

The colors are beautiful and the details splendid. This is a Roseate Spoonbill.

Great Whooping Crane

He mostly drew birds, but did some animals. These are white tailed jack rabbits.

As a last ditch effort to sell his works, Audubon went to Great Britain to see if he could find a printer who would print them. The British were amazed by his drawings and paintings. Audubon sold subscriptions for the printed works. He was quite popular in England in his buckskin breeches and fringed coat. Each picture was printed from an etching and each bird or animal was printed life sized. The prints were on average, 39 x 26 inches. Each printed etching was colored in by hand. Much attention to detail produced amazing pictures. The pictures were bound into giant books. The size created another problem. They were so large, where would one display such a book? The solution was that special cabinets with drawers that fit the books were made to go with them. Since it was the 1820's, these books were shown at gatherings and parties as entertainment. The drawer was pulled out and a special hinged wood piece was folded out to hold half the book. The book remained in the drawer, so it did not have to be handled more than necessary.

Audubon, who had been in debt prior to going to England and Scotland, was able to earn the money he needed from the sales of these books. As you can imagine, the cost was not small. The printing for the entire work cost $115,620 - over $2 million in today's dollar. None but the wealthy could afford to own such a treasure.
This is a Wild Turkey.

Audubon's art allowed many people to see wildlife up close and life sized. In his travels while drawing, he discovered several new species previously unknown. If you get the chance to see this beautiful exhibit, be sure to take the opportunity. It's incredible.

Information Center

2011-07-05T11:52:00.002-06:00

Every home needs an information center. Some people use a binder, others opt for an information board. This one has cork attached to the back of the cabinet door to tack up important phone numbers, prescription information, appointments, etc. When the door is closed, all that clutter disappears. Mine is not so neat and has all this taped to the back of the cabinet door, but it serves the same purpose and keeps the clutter hidden.

It can be useful in many rooms of your home: In the laundry room, tack a stain removal chart inside the door for easy referral. In the office, post the copier repair company's phone number, reminders or anything else that helps you do your job more efficiently. A small calendar could also be helpful.

Bay Window or Bow Window?

2011-07-05T11:48:00.000-06:00

There is a subtle difference between a Bay and a Bow window. A bay window has 3 sides, similar to the edge of an octagon.

A bow window, though made up of several panes of glass, has a more gentle curve.

There you have it.