A Fall Porch Swing Chat

Today is a really happy day for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, my sweet

husband David has been away on business in west Texas for the past

two days and is arriving back home this evening.  Bentley and I really

missed him!

Secondly, tomorrow I will be headed up to Round Top ~ I will be

wandering and enjoying every minute of the fall antique week.  

I will be taking lots of pics, so be prepared for me to share all of

it with you.

In the meantime, I will be fluffing up the cottage for the rest

of the afternoon.  Thanks for stopping by and see y'all again

very soon!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

My Equestrian Style

If you come to visit me, the one thing you can't help but notice as

you walk through the rooms of my house is my love for horses.  This

love is reflected in many corners and in various ways.  

From a little bar set up on an antique commode in the family room

decorated with a vintage horse print and a very old shot glass with

a horse's head on the side.

To the horse brasses hanging on the wall.  Horse brasses became

popular in England during the reign of Elizabeth the First.

You can learn more about collecting these basses here

at The National Horse Brass Society.

Equestrian scenes depicted on toile.

Hunt masters and horses tucked into bookshelves.

And hanging on walls.

On the antique gate leg table in the entry way.

On tables and ….

In hutches.

It's part of who I am.

What's It Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wake Up Wednesday

Return to Loveliness

Bentley ~ I bet you know what your mama will be looking out

for at the Round Top Antique show!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Fried Green Tomatoes

My BFF and Best Sister Ever ~ Robin, theDecorating Tennis Girl, learned

that I was longing to make some fried green tomatoes, but could not find any

down here in south Texas.  So what does she do???  Bless her heart, she

has her husband Dan, box up and mail me a big ole mess of the most

beautiful green tomatoes ever!  She would have done it herself, but she is

in Vermont visiting her daughter and her adorable grandson River.

When I opened that box, I knew I was in "high cotton"!

To recreate this plate full of yumminess, here's what you do:

slice the tomatoes ~ not too thin now

dredge in flour seasoned with a bit of S&P

whisk together an egg with some buttermilk

(yes buttermilk ~ I use it in everything now!!)

then coat with bread crumbs or cornmeal

get a bit of oil bubbling in an iron skillet and

drop in the tomato slices.  

Remove when golden on each side.

Well darlin's they are just the yummiest things you ever tasted!

And don't forget your sweet tea!

As an added bonus, remember ~ southern cookin' makes you good looking'

Thank you Dan ~ you're a peach!!!

And you are too Robin, but you already know that :-)

Metamorphosis Monday

Inspire Me

The Scoop

Bentley had a taste too.  Fried Green Tomatoes have now

been officially Bentley approved!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Mums and Musings

It is beautiful outside this morning!  Slightly lower temps and slightly lower

humidity, but I will take it.  There is talk of some little disturbance in the 

Gulf of Mexico but I am not going to worry about it and just take advantage

of the glorious weather we have at the moment.

Yesterday I put a few fall decorations on the front porch.  I added

some mums and some pumpkins.  Mums always remind me of 

my college days.  I have probably told you that before.  Let me 

know if I am repeating myself, I have a tendency to like to retell

my favorite memories ;-)  Since seeing a big pot of mums whisks

me away to happy times, I always grab a couple as soon as they

arrive at the market.  They are instant joy!  

I have decided that I need to purchase some bird feeders.

My neighbors across the street hung up two of them recently and

my Cardinals are now hanging out over in their yard.  Any

suggestions on good feeders?  

One of the things I love most about fall is comfort food.  For the

past several months we have been grilling and serving lots of 

salads.  Delicious, yes, but I love to make big pots of stew and

yummy soups too.  The kind of cooking that fills the house with

wonderful aromas.  Lots of scented candles burning inside too.

Scents of apple and cinnamon and pumpkin spice.  Autumn is

the season of cozy.  

Well friends, that's it for today.  I better get to work fluffing 

up the cottage before the weekend.  If I don't get busy, I'll

just end up chatting away all day :-)  Have a wonderful

weekend!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Butternut Squash Soup

I love squash.  Let me restate ~ I love, love, love squash.  All kinds of 

squash, acorn, butternut, patty pan, and more.  Every time I see a new

type of squash at the market, I have to buy it!  

David tolerates squash, but left to his own veggie choices, squash 

would not be on his plate.  However, I can get him to partake in some

squash soup with a chaser of Pumpkin Ale :-)

To me, nothing says Fall quite like a bowl of squash soup, sprinkled

with a bit of nutmeg and served in a hollowed out pie pumpkin.

Major yumminess!

One of my favorite recipes for Butternut Squash Soup

is from Alton Brown and you can find his recipe 

here.  It's simple to make and sure to please all of

the squash lovers in your family and you too!

Tablescape Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Feather Your Nest

Share Your Cup
Share Your Style

Bentley ~ I never have to bribe you into eating
your squash do I?  You eat it all gone like a
good boy!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Bless Your Heart

Bentley and I are both feeling great and are up to our chins with 

projects around the cottage today.  But, we want to stop for a 

moment to say ….

Bless Your Heart!

All of you are so sweet to come to visit us and always have 

such kind comments.  Y'all really brighten our days and we

so appreciate and love you!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

One Table, Three Fall Centerpieces

Sometimes I get into the vignette creating zone and I have a 

hard time pulling myself out of it, so I just let it flow.   I'm just a

girl who wants to have fun :-)  

I had a little brainstorm and came up with a new centerpiece for my

breakfast room table.  My late mother-in-law made this little quilted

square for me years ago, before David and I were married.  She 

put it in a sweet basket and filled it with biscuits and sherry to 

bring along in the car to for us to enjoy while David's dad drove us 

to the airport in Houston to get on a plane to visit my parents for

Thanksgiving in Arizona.  Too bad Leila didn't live long enough

to watch Downton Abbey because it was so "her".

Anyway, this little quilted square is a favorite of mine and I often

use it in vignettes because it is red and I love it.  So here is a simple

little Fall centerpiece ~ apples, berries and a gingham pitcher.

Or how about this one ~ more apples, a vintage enamel coffee pot,

and a big rooster.  A bit more rustic with burlap, wicker and

the round wooden bread board.

This one pays homage to my love for roos :-)

And of course, a more traditional theme for a Fall centerpiece.

I could keep creating these all day, but now that I am finally feeling

better after recovering from my virus, I have laundry and housework

to do.  That's life.  We can't play all the time.  

Wow Us Wednesday

What's It Wednesday

Wake Up Wednesday

Okay Bentley ~ let's get this show on the road and see how 

fast your mama can get her chores done!  

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Give a Hoot About Crafting

I have a basket on the door to my studio ~ my creative hang out,

and just look at what I found nesting there ….

some wise old owl gives a hoot about crafting ;-)

Metamorphosis Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Inspire Me

The Scoop

Return to Loveliness

I think I have relapsed.  Back to resting on the sofa with a 

good book.  If any of you have caught this same virus,

take it easy and don't do too much too soon, because it will

come back to haunt you if you do :-(

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

A Cozy Sunday At Home

I wasn't feeling up to going to church this morning.  Although I am feeling

better, I am still coughing and a quiet church is a guarantee that coughing

will begin.  So I stayed home while David threw his golf clubs in the back

of the Jeep and took off for eighteen holes with his friends.

I happily stayed home, and after brewing a cup of tea, headed back to 

bed, with Bentley by my side of course, and opened up the book I 

have been reading.

It's A Fine Romance by Susan Branch.  I am a big fan of hers and have

been particularly looking forward to this book because it's about her

trip across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II with her husband to spend

glorious days in England.  Although all of the charming little English

villages, tea shops and gardens just carry one away to a happy place,

the high point,  especially for me, is her trip to visit Jane Austen's house 

and Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm. 

I am a huge fan of both Jane and Beatrix, but it is Beatrix who holds

the most special place in my heart.   

So much so that I have a little vintage shelf just devoted to her!

Susan Branch tells some fun tidbits about renting a car and driving on

the wrong side of the road and through tight little cottage lanes lined

with stone walls and hedgerows.  I particularly enjoyed those

passages because of my own experience driving on roads such 

as those in England.  It can be quite unnerving to say the least.

The last time I did it I was with my Mom and Daddy.  I was the

one driving the rental car through the English countryside while

Daddy navigated and Mom sat in the back seat periodically

yelling ~

  Susan, slow down!  We are going to die before we

even get to Oxford!  

Having been to England several times before, I knew about

the little narrow lanes and the chaotic roundabouts, and I 

had driven on the wrong side of the road in other 

countries before.  Daddy was fine with me driving,

Mom ~ not so much ;-)

I highly recommend this book.  It is a delight!

Bentley wants to know when we are going ~ he

loves to travel.  I am explaining to him that he would

have to go into quarantine and he would not like that.

How about Paris instead Bentley?  We can both go

there and the French just adore petit chiens!!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Apple Cider Vinegar The Miracle Worker

This falls into the what was I thinking??? And the how did I ever

forget this category.

As many of you know, I have been suffering from a nasty virus

all week.  I hate being sick.  I'm not good at it and that's why I

tend towards preventative rather than reactive.  But recently my

immune system has been stressed and I easily succumbed to the

fever, cough and runny nose virus.  

Suddenly I had a brainstorm this morning and a little voice

inside me shouted ….

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!

I have used this remedy in the past and it has been so effective.

Although I am feeling better this morning, I still have some

lingering side effects from my illness, and I want them out

of here fast.  Here is what I am doing:

2 Tablespoons unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar

One Cup of Hot Water

Honey to taste.

Stir and drink.  It's better than you think!

Did you know all the other things that Apple Cider

Vinegar can do?  They are amazing!!!

Put some Apple Cider Vinegar on a cotton pad and

place over spider veins.  Do it every day and in a few

weeks, the nasty old spider veins are supposed to 

disappear!  Hmmm...

My late mother-in-law used Apple Cider Vinegar

mixed with some water as a final rinse after 

shampooing her hair.  My sister-in-law Cindy

still does this.

Apparently, it is also used to treat poison ivy.

My husband David got into some poison ivy

recently and was miserable for weeks.  He used

the standard Calamine lotion treatment and it did 

offer some relief, but in researching this blog

post, I discovered an article about treating

poison ivy with Apple Cider Vinegar.  You can 

read it here.

There are more and more things this vinegar is rumored

to help resolve, high blood pressure, weight loss and

more.  But for now, I'll be happy if it just cures

me of the last stages of this nasty old bug!  Have a

wonderful weekend everyone!!

Disclaimer ~ I do not claim that apple cider vinegar

can cure any of these ailments.  Hope that satisfies

any attorneys out there :-)

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

The Best of Autumn

Autumn is such a lovely season with it's golden hues, warm sunny afternoons

and crisp cool evenings.  

It's nature's last hurrah before the cold and often gray days of winter begin.

It's a time when we all begin making our nests cozy.

When the simplicity of a lone pumpkin fills us with awe.

Charming cottages in the Texas Hill Country ~ so friendly and 

welcoming.

A plant sale at a pretty little garden shop in Goliad.

Just look at those beautiful mums!

Brightly colored gourds and squash are at farm markets everywhere.

And crisp apples for pies or crumbles or sliced up with some

wedges of cheddar cheese.

When branches with brightly colored berries fill little jars and vases.

I just want to hang on tightly to every glorious moment.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Autumn Tablescape on the Patio

As you can see, it's very green around my patio.  No fall color here,

nor will there ever be.  The azaleas stay green all year round.  So any

touches of fall have to be brought in from other sources.

The heat and humidity have returned.  Our brief respite lasted two days

last weekend and now the steam bath has returned.

I am trying to recover from what I thought was a cold but has turned into

a much nastier virus.  I really hate being sick and I am a lousy patient.

I would really rather be up and around and busy doing things instead

of being a couch potato, but that is all I can handle right now.

Hope everything is well with you.

Tablescape Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Feathering Your Nest

Have a Daily Cup

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Feeling Left Out

It's tough when you feel left out.  It happens to most all of us at

one time our another.  It's happened to me and I imagine to

each of you at one time or another.

It's never a happy time and one tends to wonder 

Is there something wrong with me?

It stings to be excluded.  So what do you do to help yourself

get over the hurt?

I have learned that the behavior of kids on the playground does

not change all that much as kids become adults.  We all want to 

be included in all the games and all the parties.  Sometimes we 

are not.  It does not have to diminish our own self worth.   

Each of us have value.  Just because one person does not like

you does not mean that no one does or will, if you give them

a chance.  It does not mean that you have no value.  

When you are excluded the best thing to do is to dry your 

tears and move on.  In the heat of the moment that is easier 

said than done, yet that is all you can do.  Give yourself a

short time to grieve over the slight and find another group 

of friends.   There are others who will gladly welcome you

into their circle.  Trust me, they will.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley