What I Have Been Doing Lately

I have been decoupaging eggs recently.  It's just so much fun and I have

been having a great time.  I think it's been good for me too because I have

been able to stop worrying about the asthma attacks.  The last couple of

days have been so much better for me, and I am so relieved.

I have been cutting out designs from these pretty Caspari cocktail

napkins and decoupaging them onto wooden eggs.  It's a bit time

consuming, but fun too.

I am planning a Spring tablescape with these eggs.  I will probably

show you the results next week.

 I also used Caspari napkins for these blue and white toile eggs.  I have

so many blue and white pieces in my dining room, and I think that all

the eggs grouped together in a big crystal bowl filled with magnolia

leaves will make a nice centerpiece for the table.

I still have several more eggs to complete.  My next project is a grouping

of hand painted eggs.  I have to sharpen my skills again.  Years ago I 

hand decorated furniture and sold it at various shops.  It was so labor intensive

that I gave it up.  Painting Easter eggs seems like a lesser undertaking, so

I am up for it.  

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  It is 80 degrees here today, but it 

looks like we will be having rain and thunderstorms over the weekend.

More indoor projects in the future.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Blast From the Past Easter Decor

Every seasonal holiday I dip into my archive to see what decorations I have

used.  After a couple of years, I forget.  Let's take a look and see what I have

created for past Easters.

Bunny on the mantel.  Mantels are alway convenient spots to decorate.

We all seem to gravitate to them as a back drop.

Of course there must be bunnies somewhere!

And Easter chicks too.

Bunnies found in my studio ....

and bunnies on trays.

Popping out of my cereal bowl.

But this one is my favorite one of all!  Thanks for taking

a tour down memory lane with me.  This will help me 

decide what to do for this Easter.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Spring At Last!

Happy first day of Spring!  It is sunny outside today too.  What a bonus!

I was getting so tired of the gray, damp, and windy days.  I just stopped

in to say hi, and now I am back outside to do more yard work.  There is

nothing like playing in the dirt to lift one's spirits.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Planning for Spring and Easter Decor

I have not been doing any big tablescapes lately, and now I am in the

mood to do something fun.  Wednesday is the first day of Spring and I

am so ready for it, and know you are too.  What better way to usher in

Spring than with a table all decked out and celebrating the season.

I found these darling Caspari beverage napkins when I was in Brenham

a couple of weeks ago.  My plan is to take white wooden eggs from

Hobby Lobby and decoupage them with the images.  I think it will be 

bright and cheerful, looking like Spring but not necessarily Easter.

The eggs in the carton are paper mâché.  I base coated them with happy

spring pastels and will be hand painting them next.  I am looking forward 

to a big scene with these eggs as a component.

The tree trimmers and the plumbers are gone.   Our yard man came to

cut the grass and pick up the leaves.  Hopefully most of them are down

now.  

The inflammation in my bronchial tubes has improved.  Now I am

having an issue with anemia.  It's a problem I have battled most of 

my life.  When it hits, I feel like staying in bed all day because I am

too exhausted to do much else.  I have added iron, B12 and C into my

diet in larger quantities and hopefully will be my usual self once again.

I am normally so healthy, but this Fall and Winter have been tough on

me.  I am looking forward to warmer and sunnier days more than 

ever before.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Calgon ~ Take Me Away!

Do y'all remember that ad from Calgon Bath Products?  Well, at the

moment I would love to be soaking in the tub and just letting the bubbles

take me away to a magical place that is peaceful and quiet.

For the past two days, I have been listening to the sound of chain 

saws and big chunks of oak tree limbs hit the ground.  The tree

trimmers are here to clip off all the suckers from the limbs and

to clean out the dead branches.  They started at 8 am yesterday 

morning and didn't quit until after 5 pm in the evening.  They 

shout from the ground ... "take more off there, a little to the right".

Many of the limbs hang over our roof, so I can hear the sound of

boots walking around. The same thing is going on today.

No tree is left untouched.  The crepe myrtles are getting a

haircut too.  There are five or six guys on the crew and they

are working really hard.  

Coincidentally, we have another plumbing problem no

doubt caused by the same huge trees.  I think that our

plumber has my cell phone number memorized.  Years ago,

before we bought this house, the same plumber convinced the

owners to install clean outs to make it easier to clean out any

roots that were making their way into the line.  So today in 

addition to all the chain saw noise, I am also hearing the 

roto rooter machine humming away.  It's turning out to 

be a bigger problem than originally thought, so don't know

when they will be done.

Meanwhile little Bentley is a bit confused.  He can hear all

of the commotion, but he just can't see it.   He has not been

able to freely explore his yard, and of course that does not

make him too happy.  

Are You Ready to Roux?

The basis for most cajun cooking is the roux.  It's easy to make, but

it cannot be rushed.  

Gather two simple ingredients, a fat, and flour, equal portions of

each.  Melt butter over medium heat and slowly add the flour.  Keep

stirring to gently blend these two ingredients together.

You can use a whisk or a wooden spoon.  I generally switch to a spoon

once the flour and butter is combined.  As you can see in the photo above,

the roux is at a blonde stage.  This stage can be a base for cooking veggies

for a soup.

If you want to make a gumbo or another cajun dish, a darker roux will

add more depth of flavor.  It's not hard to get to this stage, but it takes

time and patience.  Keep stirring over a low heat.  This process will

generally take at least 30 minutes, and is dependent on the temperature

of your burner. The darker the roux, the more often it needs to be

stirred, so don't walk away and forget it.

At this point, add the "trinity" which is chopped onion, chopped

green pepper, and chopped celery.  You may add garlic too and a

cajun spice mixture.  It's your choice if you want to add shrimp, 

chicken, sausage or all three.  Make it your own.  Enjoy!

Have a safe and happy Mardi Gras!

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Road Trip to Brenham, Texas

This past Saturday, David and I were getting tired of sitting around

the house.  We had a serious case of cabin fever.  Our little town has been

stuck in one weather mode ~ cold, windy and rainy.  Too miserable to

do anything outside.  

We decided to take a little one day vacation and head north up the 

road to Round Top and then on to Brenham.  It really didn't seem like

a very good day for a road trip to Brenham because the weather was the

same as here, but sometimes just a change of scenery is uplifting.  So,

David, Bentley and I climbed into the SUV and headed up north.

Once you get to the outskirts of Victoria, you are in the country all

the way up route 77 to Round Top.  No bluebonnets yet, too cold,

but still the rolling ranch land I so enjoy seeing.  It was fairly foggy, but

that seemed to make the landscape all the prettier.

In a few weeks the towns of Warrenton and Round Top will be 

filled with tents and shoppers.  We decided it would be a good time

to take advantage of the lull, and stop at Royer's for some pie!

After collecting our pie for later in the evening, we headed on to 

Brenham.  I will warn you, this next portion of the blog post is photo

heavy, so I will stop chatting so much, and just let you enjoy.

We stopped at Hermann Furniture.  This is a wonderful store that has

been in business since 1876, and continuously run by the same family!

This store sells furniture, and fabulous accessories.  I just wanted everything!

Beautiful tablescapes.

Special bunnies for Easter.

Darling artwork.

Just look at this adorable watering can painting.

Lots of items in the blue willow motif.  Y'all know I love that!

Wonderful trays and accessories for entertaining.

A great selection of Caspari paper plates and napkins.

Cute tray.  I was tempted, but I am loaded with trays right now.

Check out this darling wrought iron cart.  Perfect for serving 

cocktails and wine on the veranda.

Adorable lamps, and well priced too.

Bed and table linens.

Love this wreath!

Look at these cute carrots!

Easter table accents and place cards.

What a fun store!  It was my first visit, but sure will not be my last.

If you want to learn more about this historic treasure, here is

the LINK.

Thanks for stopping by.  I will be back tomorrow to share a

Mardi Gras recipe with you.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Happy First Day of March!

It's been very cool and very wet.  The kind of weather that drives us all

inside into our cozy homes.  Yet, Spring is on the way and is starting to

give us little glimpses of it's glory.  My azalea bushes around the patio

are beginning to slowly open their blossoms.

What a glorious sight!

Happy March 1st everyone!  Let spring be renewing and hopeful for

each of us.

Sparkle and Shine and Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley