My Honey Didn't Do It Basket

For the past five years, I have wanted a shelf or two added to the 

closet that connects the kitchen with the breezeway and then out

to the garage.  This closet is where I store the vacuum, the indoor

trash container and the reusable bags for groceries.  I envisioned

these shelves for storing household cleaning items all neatly stacked

and easily accessible.  Shortly after we moved into the house, I 

mentioned my wish for shelves to my hubby.  

He measured.  We discussed.  He made notes.  He forgot about it.

Every time we had a long weekend, the subject came up again.

He then promptly forgot about it.

My husband is a very good one in many ways, but he does have his

priorities.  These are, golf, watching golf on TV, entering golf

tournaments, and talking about golf with his friends.

Sadly, for me .... the Honey Do List is not a priority.  I decided to

take the lack of shelving to task and create my own solution for

eliminating the overflowing cleaning items under the kitchen sink.

A CLEANING BASKET!  That's the ticket.  I love baskets.  I have

lots of them tucked away!  I can do this!!

THE HONEY DIDN'T DO IT BASKET

So over this long holiday weekend, hubby can return to his priorities

and I have organized everything I need right here.  

Hmmm .... wonder what honey didn't do it task I can accomplish 

next???

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Hot and Bubbly Artichoke Dip

Every Saturday night has become a challenge.  My husband has

now come to expect Appetizer Saturday Night every weekend.

I think he must look forward to it all week.  I try to change the menu

each Saturday.  To be honest, it's tough coming up with new ideas

because I serve more than one appetizer and we snack on these in 

place of dinner.  

This past Saturday, I came up with an old favorite that I had

forgotten about ~ Hot Artichoke Dip.  It could not be easier and it

is very yummy.

1 small jar of artichoke hearts ~ I buy the ones in oil and then

drain that oil off.

Duke's Mayonnaise, or any other quality mayo.  A couple of big

spoonfuls.

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.  I mix this in with the dip.

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Stir.  Add this

to a ramekin or tiny baking dish.  I have used a cute little Le Cruset

oval casserole I found at a thrift shop years ago.  Sprinkle more

parmesan on top.  Place in a preheated 400 degree oven for 

15 to 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly

Serve with crackers or toasted baguettes.

I also made some delicious puff pastry, prosciutto and honey mustard

pin wheels.  Very good and can be made ahead and frozen till you

need them.  This recipe is from Holly Holden and you can watch 

her instructional video next.  You may enjoy some of her design 

videos too.  We have the same passion for traditional design and

her home is gorgeous!

She loves horses as much as I do too!

Enjoy!!!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Really, Really, Longing For Fall

The garden around my potting shed is looking very sad now.  After

several months of extremely high temps, nothing looks the same.

I faithfully watered, twice on most days, but despite my best efforts,

everything suffered.  I have dug up all most of the plants now.  

The sad thing about living in South Texas is that spring comes early

and hopes for a beautiful garden run high.  It was pretty for a while

and oh how I enjoyed it.  Now it's just a memory.  Thank goodness

for photos.

I woke up this morning thinking of fall decor.  I plan to scale back

inside the house this year, and focus on the potting shed, she shed,

or whatever I am calling it now.  I intend to go to the max out here

and inside the shed too.  

As I start to think about what I will do both inside and outside of the 

shed, a thought occurred to me.  A very dangerous thought ....

brown transferware!

I don't have any and I might need some.  Just a couple of pieces to

incorporate into my decorating scheme.  This could very well be a 

slippery slope because I do have a dish addiction.  

I quickly changed my thoughts from transferware to scarecrows.

I will definitely need one of those.  Should I have a scarecrow man

or a scarecrow lady???

Whatever I decide to do, just thinking about cooler days makes

me happy.  It will happen, maybe not as soon as I would like,

but it will.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

  

We Love Our Dogs!

I am proud to say that I am genetically predisposed to love dogs.

I have dog loving DNA!  

At the age of 5, Mama and Daddy brought home a puppy.  It

was a Scottie puppy named Bonnie.  Back then, while most of our

friends and neighbors had dogs, I don't think that society in general

was as crazy about dogs as we are today.  It's hard to sell a product

on television without a dog prominently featured somewhere.  Our

family was the exception.  We were crazy about our dogs.  They were

never "just" dogs, they were important members of the family.

I grew up listening to stories about all my Daddy's beloved dogs.

It wasn't just my Daddy who was crazy about them, everyone was.

Going through old family albums I see family members from several

generations ago with their dogs.  The beloved canine family members

went to the beach with them and on picnics.  They posed proudly in

family portraits around the Christmas tree.

It makes me wonder if there is a genetic marker for dog loving.

If there is, I certainly inherited it!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

So Sad to Lose Another Music Legend

Yesterday, my husband and I took a quick trip to Houston.  It's a two 

hour drive each way, but David had some business to do there and invited 

me to tag along.  As we aproached Sugar Land (just to the west of

Houston), we saw a big advertising board featuring an upcoming 

concert with Tony Bennett and his daughter.  I immediately wondered

how old is Tony now?  I looked it up, and he is 92!  Wow, 92 and still

performing!  It's truly amazing stamina that allows him to still do this.  

Then this morning, I heard of the passing of Aretha Franklin.  We

all knew this was coming, but it's still hard to accept.  Like many of

you, I was a big fan of Aretha.  Such a powerful voice and presence!

She uplifted women and her songs made us all feel stronger.  Although

she is now longer on this earthly realm, I imagine she has joined

the choir up in Heaven and there must be much rejoicing there.

I'm quite sure she will be performing many solos too.

Music has always touched my life.  My Mama had music playing all

of the time, and would even take the time to learn my favorites too.

It's one of those mediums that has the ability to evoke powerful

memories, both happy and sad.  It can instantly transport us to

another place and time.  It uplifts a sad heart and brings a smile

to an unhappy face.  I cannot image a life without it.

Many years ago now, David and I added jazz favorites to our list.

We started to collect CD's from Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, and

 others.  As our passion for this medium grew, our love expanded

beyond East Coast jazz to West Coast jazz.  Dave Brubeck

became a new favorite.  We were blessed to have Dave perform

in Boise, and we bought tickets to see his performance.  When

he walked onto the stage, he appeared quite frail, but the minute

he sat down at the piano, he was transformed.  His fingers moved

so effortlessly across the keyboard that it was pure magic.

We, along with the sold out arena, were gifted with the most

beautiful evening of memorable music.  

Sadly, he is gone now, but I will never forget that night, and for

me, as well as for many, his memory lives on.  Here is one of

his favorites:

Today's goodbye is bittersweet.   Aretha will be greatly missed,

but I am glad that she is now free of pain.  Thank you, Aretha,

you have left us with many happy memories.  Here is a clip

from the movie The Blues Brothers.  It's one of my favorite

performances of Aretha's hit RESPECT!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley