We have a door in our entryway and I haven’t really had much “love” for it since we’ve moved in. It’s an entryway closet, but we store most of our Christmas ornaments in there to keep them out of the hot attic, so hopefully they will last for years to come. Therefore, we get into the closet twice a year….once to get out the Christmas ornaments and a 2nd time to put them back up.
I thought I could hide it with this mirror that I bought on our anniversary, but it’s just weird walking in the front door and seeing yourself in a full-length mirror. 
Feng Shui says it keeps energy from entering your home (the mirror bounces it back out) and Kenny says if a guest arrives and sees their self in the mirror and doesn’t like their hair or outfit or whatever then they will be self-conscious the whole time they are at our home…..not really the vibe you want to set for guests.
I’ve thought of a few other options
A BIG piece of artwork to cover the door
It might be fun to paint something ourselves and we have a great art shop here in town where I’m sure we could purchase a really large canvas and give it a go…..I’ve thought about this ever since I read a post on “collaborative painting” at Kelly Rae Roberts blog.
If that doesn’t work out, another option is finding a piece of art we like or a photograph we’ve taken and having it made into a really large canvas from Gallery Direct. Right now they are having a 1/2 off sale…..I really like this picture here.
While I was surfing about trying to get ideas I ran across this here….making a door into an “art niche” from DecoraDoors…..I like that idea too……decisions, decisions!
Do you have any ideas for me?
Last night I went with Sheri of Shabby Sheep to Branson to see a Michael Jackson tribute at “Legends in Concert”. I swear I haven’t laughed that hard in a while.
Another thing that we’ve found that we have in common is “people watching”! OMG and were there some people to watch?! The show was good, but it was hysterical at how some people acted like they thought the performers were the real thing….I mean, most of the performers were good, but, as my 11-year old niece would say, “seriously”.
The show started off with Little Richard….he was great….I think it’s the EYES that do it…..really incredible that a person can look like, sing like and even play the piano like Little Richard.
We also saw the Blues Brothers….I’m not a huge Blues Brothers fan, but I thought they were REALLY entertaining! The tallest guy was just SO GOOFY….I enjoyed him a LOT and the shorter guy could REALLY sing!.JPG)
It was kind of odd when Brittney Spears performed…..I thought she was BY FAR the best person in the show….dancing, singing and looked A LOT like Brittney, but I don’t think the “blue hairs” really GOT her…..Sheri said they probably thought she was too vulgar….poor Brittney….at the end of the show when they all came out to take their bows I stood up and gave her a screaming WOO HOO because I felt so bad for her AND that I wanted her to know that there was at least one person in the audience who thought she did a bang up job. 
Plus, at intermission, she had the LONGEST line of older men cozy-ing up next to her with their arms around her bare waist wanting their picture taken with her…..ICK! Can you imagine having to endure that?!
We also got to see Elvis…..he was a petite Elvis and we thought he was the cheesiest one in the bunch, but the crowd went wild for him….go figure :)
There was also Alan Jackson for the country fans….I thought he was pretty good….good voice and good mullet and ripped jeans.
Finally, they got to Michael Jackson. Well folks, what can I say….it was a pretty big disappointment….the guy could dance….his dancing and moonwalking were great, but he couldn’t sing all that well and he definitely could not dance AND sing at the same time. This is where Sheri and I REALLY got tickled….people were screaming like it was the real Michael Jackson….it was really pretty hysterical. 
They did have a dance troupe of kids from Branson who did a “Thriller” routine with him and I thought they kind of stole the show….they were great…..but Michael, well, yeah, just bad. We were especially cracked up by how many people plunked down $20 for a picture of themselves with Michael that was shot when they came through the door….but that’s a whole ‘nother story!
Can you say “hydrangea”? This is a monstrous bouquet that my husband made for me for my little rug hooking gathering last night…..I love it! He’s the best!
I tried a new recipe out on the girls last night.
“Loaded Baked Potato Salad” from Rachel Ray…..of course I had to do a little tweaking…..it should be called “Death by Potato Salad”…..take a look at the ingredients to see why.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Pierce the potatoes with a fork; brush with oil. Bake until tender, 1 hour. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces. (I cooked mine in the microwave to keep the house cool….it’s been in the 90’s here)
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain. (I used pre-cooked bacon…..it was on sale….an entire package of pre-cooked bacon)
In a large bowl, combine the butter and sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the potatoes, bacon, scallions and cheese. Serve at room temperature.
Okay, my note….if you heat this up in the microwave it is like HEAVEN in your mouth!
We had tortilla crusted tilapia for our main course….if you live in town you can get it in the seafood department at Price Cutters on East Battlefield.
Of course, what is a little celebrating of life without a good cocktail! I made “Maui Sippers”
“Maui Sipper”
We had “doubles”….here is the recipe for a double.
Fill a tall glass with ice.
Add 2 shots Midori
1 shot Malibu Rum
1 shot Grand Marnier
Fill up to top with pineapple juice.
Enjoy!
By then we were ready to do a little hooking…..of course by this time I’ve sat my camera down somewhere and totally forgot about picture taking and was just enjoying the camaraderie of good friends.
Sheri of Shabby Sheep, eBay Renee and blogless Sandy were all here. Sheri is still working on an antique rug that she was working on at the boathouse HERE and Renee is working on the crow rug that she was working on at the lake HERE. Sandy is working on a motorcycle seat cover…..I SOOO needed to get a picture of that…..maybe next time I’ll be a little more organized. As for me, still plugging away on the “Garden Rug Series”. I’m working on a leaf with some really cool wool that I got from Sandy.
After we had hooked for a bit we had a little more room for dessert…..homemade blueberry cheesecake ice cream and cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie dough inside!
Recipe for the cupcakes HERE (my tip….use “slice and bake” cookie dough to make these super easy!)
What a fun night!
So some of us were talking Friday at work…..about Sangria…..so, I had a few ripe mangoes and tried out this recipe with a few alterations……SOOOOOO good that I’ve made another pitcher tonight.
Light and refreshing!
Mango Raspberry Sangria
Ingredients:
1 mango sliced
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 lime sliced
1 bottle of cheap wine :) (I’ve made it with red wine and catawba wine…..the red wine was the best…..I used a Missouri wine that was on sale for $5.96/bottle)
1 can club soda
3 oz brandy
I start out by adding wine and brandy to a pitcher…..
Next add lime….
Sliced mango….
Raspberries……
Doesn’t it look pretty?
Oh yeah, don’t forget the club soda for a little fizz!
Now, this is the HARD part…..cover it up (so you don’t lose the fizz) and refrigerate it for 8 hours or overnight…….yeah right….I think last night I made it for 2-3 hours before we broke into it…..but just imagine how much BETTER it could have been if it could have soaked and marinated longer:)
I serve mine in big plastic tumblers with ice….it’s been in the 90’s and it’s so good sipping it and sitting outside on a sultry night…
Here is what I got at the Marshall’s Mega Store in Lake of the Ozarks…….a huge mirror…..6’3” actually…..Kenny had to measure it to see if it would fit in the car…..it fit, but he had to drive home with his seat WAY up and his knees up to his ears…….I love that man!
We have this closet in our entryway and it’s FULL of Christmas decorations and our artificial tree, so we open this closet twice a year….once to get everything out to decorate and once to put it all up…..so I’d been thinking that I’d like something to cover up this door….I was thinking a piece of artwork, but I think this mirror might do the trick? Do you think it would be weird to walk into someone’s house and be faced with a huge full-length mirror? I think I could put a chair and a table in front of it. to make it not SOOOOO “in your face”….what do you think? Also need to figure out how to hang it….maybe get something so it would hang out beyond the trim….would also have to take off the doorknob….or take off the doorknob ANd the trim, so it would be flush against the wall….any ideas? I want it to hang ABOVE the top of the door and then I’d paint the door, trim and wall all the same color.
Here is a close up of the wood….I love it!
Our house is in wild disarray, due to the painting, listing stuff on ebay and craigslist…..is that what you call a state of flux? Out with the old and in with the new….a little chaotic, but SO full of POSSIBILITIES!
Kenny took time to bring some hydrangeas inside….I love them….
Random garden pics…..
Drinking margaritas and blogging…..makes things a little “smattered”
Lo-Cal Margarita recipe….these are smooth!
Lower-cal Margaritas
June 12th, 1995
It all started on the beach in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
We got married….just the two of us….no friends and family…..I really do like things simple….especially the things that mean a lot. I think a lot of girls get married because they want the big “show”…..I just wanted the man….
Wish I had more “vintage photos” to share with you, but I don’t have a scanner. It was such a beautiful day, but don’t let anybody kid you…..it was hot!
We spent our anniversary “tooling around” at Lake of the Ozarks…..we hadn’t been there long when a monsoon hit….okay, so it wasn’t a monsoon, but it rained REALLY hard! It rained so hard that we had to pull off the road. The temperature went from a muggy 91 to a cool 74 in a matter of minutes.
Here we sit in the parking lot of JB Hooks (no, it’s not a hooking store….it’s a restaurant)
Waiting for the rain to subside enough for us to make it inside to eat.
We eventually made it inside, but it just kept on raining…..of course I wanted to eat with a lake view, so my sweetie made my wish come true…..even in the rain…..we got to sit out on the covered deck….I love eating outside, seems like the food just tastes better.
No, those aren’t hotels….those are summer homes…
After lunch we headed to the Marshall’s Mega Store…..OMG! I will share what I bought tomorrow….Kenny thought he was going to have to drag me out of that place!
Yes, I’m still decluttering.
Need some books?
Style books
Hooking books
Dog training books
I may add more Thursday night….still poking around and deciding what stays and what goes.
You can see what books I have by clicking
Want a cool refreshing treat? We did this weekend….Kenny found this recipe in Country Living magazine and asked if I’d make it for us……of course.
Ingredients:
Whip cream cheese in a bowl until creamy
Add sugar and whip more until creamy
Put your raspberries in food processor and process until pureed…..I got a new food processor for Christmas and I’m trying to put it to good use!
Doesn’t this look divine?!
Now for the straining part….I used a little hand-held strainer that I had…..it’s holes were REALLY small, so it was a little frustrating and time consuming.
Add the strained juice to the cream cheese and sugar mixture.
If you’re like me and you don’t want to waste the goodness of the raspberries…take the seedy/raspberry part here…..
….and make a Sunbutter (like peanut butter, but made from sunflower seeds)and raspberry sandwich……OMG, this was SOOOO delish!
Now that you’ve had a little snack you can carry on and whisk the juice in…..it makes such a pretty pink!
Now whisk in the milk for a paler pink color…..again….so pretty!
(see the snickerdoodles in the background of the above picture….they are LIGHT snickerdoodles….click HERE for that recipe)
So now that you have everything all mixed together and pretty and pink, pour it into your ice cream maker and turn it on…..
A few years ago we got this little electric ice cream maker….not quite as nostalgic as using the crushed ice and rock salt,but it sure is handy!
You can buy one here.
I like to put my ice cream in the freezer for a while after it is done and then later, once it’s set…..scoop it out and enjoy!
For a copy of the recipe go HERE.
