Hello & Welcome One & All

Hopefully we can share a smile or two as the days of our lives intertwine. Cheers & best wishes to all who drop by.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Cheeseburger Chowder

Stacey at http://poofingthepillows.blogspot.com/ is hosting a recipe exchange for SOUPS & CHILI to help warm us during these cold days ahead. Be sure to check out Stacey's blog and see all the other goodies being shared....
Cheeseburger Chowder
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Ingredients:
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1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced carrots
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced peeled potatoes
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
2 cups cubed process Velveeta
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
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Directions:
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In a saute pan brown the ground beef and onion.
Add garlic, carrots, basil and parsley. Saute about 3 minutes.
Add broth and beef and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender.
Meanwhile melt remaining butter in a small skillet. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add evaporated milk, stirring constantly, cooking and stirring for 6 to 8 minutes. Gradually stir the sauce into the soup. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Continue to stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat and blend in sour cream. Serves 8
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Enjoy....

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Why Pets Hate Halloween!

Halloween is a time to dress up and pretend you are a princess or an astronaut or whatever your mind can conceive, but sometimes we go one step further and dress up our fur babies too.
Look at this group of Lassie wannabes...
A French maid...

A pirate...

And Merlin the Magician perhaps..

~~~ Happy Halloween ~~~

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

~ A Chintzy Luncheon ~

Welcome to Tablescape Tuesday hosted by Susan at betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com Be sure and visit her beautiful blog and check out the other participants....

Today I am showing a combination of my ruby red set with chintz. I have forgotten the maker of the red but I do beieve the pattern is "Charm"




Here is a closer look at the place setting




I like the busy chintz pattern on this plate




And here's a closer look at the ruby red underplate




These grape cluster napkin rings were an estate sale find


A little transferware teapot I picked up at Ross Dep't. store...a good bargain place to shop


A garden fairy oversees the swag on the table. The tablecloth was found in the upper cabinets the other day when we were taking pics of the dish storage...left behind by a previous owner...LOL

Hope your Tuesday is SPECIAL....


Monday, October 27, 2008

NO BRAINER DINNER IDEAS

What a great idea Rose at http://santamakersjourney.blogspot.com/ had to gather up some "no brainer dinner ideas" from us bloggers. Be sure to go check her site for all the quick dinner ideas.

Easy Any Fruit Cobbler
(fast fat free &/or sugar free if made with Splenda)
Serves 4 (only 3 WW points if made with sugar)
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Ingredients:
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1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups of your favorite fruit for cobbler

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(if using frozen berries-sprinkle a little sugar or Splenda on them to sweeten them up a bit)
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Directions:
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Preheat oven to 350*

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the fruit in a bowl.

2. Pour it into an 8x8 pan coated with cooking spray.

3. Add the fruit right on top.

4. The crust will come up over the fruit and cover it.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Saturday, October 25, 2008



" A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award" has been presented to me not once but twice from two blogging angels. That hot babe Buffie (Sue) at http://buffiesblaaaahg.blogspot.com/ and that perky, adorable Shelia at http://notesongs.blogspot.com/. If you've been in blogland any time at all you know both of these blogettes, but if you don't know them by all means rush over & meet them. You'll LOVE them.
OK, on to the questions:
I was always the "new" kid in school as I was tossed around here & there and so I went to 11 different schools growing up...so the answer is no.
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2. What do you value most about your friends?
I cherish the friends I have now and I'm grateful they like me in spite of my quirks.
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3. Are your friends sounding boards?
Uh, you'd better ask them that...my phone calls usually last 45 minutes while I blabber on & on about this & that.
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4. What is your favorite activity to share with friends?
Nothing better than eating with them, shopping with some of them & gabbing with all of them!
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These are the rules, I'm to pass this wonderful award to 4 of my Blogland
friends:
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Now as late as I am posting this I'm sure nearly everyone has been awarded this award at least once...so, if I award you again feel free to ignore it & just know how much you are treasured.
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In no particular order:
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Hugs to you all,

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Mansions In My Hometown~~For Old House Lovers~~

Julia is hosting a Fall Tour Of Homes and to see all the wonderful homes being shown today be sure and check here:
The link to the party is:http://hookedonhouses.net/2008/10/23/hooked-on-house-tours-the-fall-party-starts-here

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(click on any picture to enlarge)


Welcome to "Thistle Hill"




You are entering the Reception Hall viewing the Grand Staircase

of the mansion below

This is a landmark in my hometown and was built by A. B. Wharton, a wealthy cattle baron as a wedding gift to his daughter Electra.

He paid $45,000 for the construction of this 11,000 square foot mansion completed in 1904. In 1911 it was sold to the Scott family who converted it from a Colonial to a Georgian Revival style. After several changes in ownership, it had fallen into disrepair and was destined for the wrecking ball until a group of concerned citizens raised enough money to purchase it for $240,000 in 1976. It was gifted to Historic Fort Worth in 2005 and continues to be restored.

An alcove inside the entry

A full length shot of the Reception Hall


The library


Parlor



Dining Room


Billiards Room


View from 2nd floor landing


Birds-eye Maple Bedroom


Mahogany Bedroom


Master Bedroom


Master Bedroom Dressing Area
The furnishings are not original to the house and have been donated or acquired through purchases. There are many more rooms which weren't shown. This property is used for weddings, corporate events and social functions.The preceding photos were taken from the website:


The following photos were taken by us in Historic Ryanplace, a neighborhood started in 1911 by developer John C. Ryan and is still sought after as a place of residence.
I like to refer to this area as "old silk stocking row"

This is my FAVORITE


A pink palace


This one is undergoing rehab


My 2nd FAVORITE


A smaller charmer



Nice


My 3rd FAVORITE

The brick looks funny in this photo
There are many more old mansions in the area, but this is a good sampling of what they look like



And now an excellent example of Queen Anne-style is the Ball-Eddleman-McFarland home circa 1899. It has only had the 3 owners and now is used primarily for corporate events or weddings


An interior wedding being set up
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I do love seeing the old homes, but I wouldn't want to clean them or pay their utility bills....Yikes!

Thanks for coming by...have a GREAT day..

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Where I Keep All Those Darn Dishes!

This is sort of, kind of, a little bit RELATED to Tablescape Tuesday...
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I've had a temporary loss of my senses so I thought I'd show you where I keep SOME of my dishes.....
well of course I have some in here
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In my kitchen I have this set
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and the Golden Quilt set
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and these
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and then there are these
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And these
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Now we go to the utility room cabinets
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Here's what I have in this one
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And look what I have stuffed in here
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And in here
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And over here
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And more here
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So some of the upper kitchen cabinets have some glassware
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Some more
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And some more*
And more
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And more
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Now out to the garage...cobwebs & all....
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Punch bowls & clutter
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More stuff including some party dishes to the right you can't see
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My chargers...what a mess!
Now I hate to admit it but I do have some glasses & dishes in some boxes somewhere and I didn't show you our everyday dishes, but I think I've proven I'm totally a dish-aholic...can you imagine what my estate sale will be like when I die...LOL
Don't miss seeing some REAL tablescapes participants listed by Susan at betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com