The Old House in Texas

I know it's not Christmas but just look what I happened upon...

2011-04-15T04:52:00.000-06:00

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

A perfect pop of pink...

2011-04-08T18:02:00.001-06:00

This is so cool and I love the pink door.

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

I must have one of these pink velvet thingies...

2011-04-01T04:42:00.000-06:00

What exactly would you call this piece of gorgeousness? It's not really an ottoman. It's not really a loveseat. Anyone?

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Perfectly pristine pantry...

2011-03-27T08:56:00.000-06:00

Check out this awesome pantry make over at the House of Smiths.

Perfect pink...

2011-03-25T16:38:00.000-06:00

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Sweet dreams...

2011-03-18T16:30:00.000-06:00

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Sleeping in a fairy tale...

2011-03-11T04:19:00.001-07:00

Photos from the book Candice Olson on Design

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

How to paint vinyl floors has been inspirational to many...

2011-03-10T04:40:00.001-07:00

This has been the most well-received and inspirational of all my posts so I thought I would share it again.

How to paint vinyl floors; POST UPDATE:

This is an update to an older post so please indulge me and forgive the duplication.

Awhile back, I showed you how I painted my vinyl floors but reported that the paint I used had been discontinued. I think I may have found a solution. Check it out...

STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer is a premium quality, acrylic/urethane primer-sealer designed with a unique "Step Change Technology" that delivers unparalleled adhesion to the most challenging surfaces, such as.......PVC, Vinyl, Plastic, Glass, Tile, Glazed Block, Glossy Paints, Pre-Coated Siding, Fiberglass, and Galvanized Metals. STIX is also ideal for use on plaster, drywall, wood, and non-ferrous metals, where a low ambient or surface temperatures present a problem for conventional primers. It cures in temperatures as low as 35 F and offers an extremely hard film when cured. Use STIX on interior and exterior surfaces and topcoat with almost any type of coating including Alkyd, Acrylic Latex, Urethane, Epoxy, and Lacquer Finishes. STIX is a low VOC primer, which levels to a smooth surface and cleans up with soap and water.

Urethane Acrylic resins provide a tenacious bond to tough surfaces
White Pigmented
Accepts any finish coat
Applies easily with brush roller , or spray
MFG Brand Name : STIX
MFG Model # : SXA-110
MFG Part # : SXA110099-01

I found STIX at Home Depot.

Here's my original post...

When we moved into our 1980's house 9 years ago, the vinyl floors were hideous and in terrible shape.

Apparently, the former ranch hand chopped kindling with a hatchet on the kitchen floor. (We found the kindling but not the hatchet.)

Since we don't own the house, we didn't want to spend the money to replace them. So, I decided to paint them. The project cost $80 and it took me 11 days to complete the kitchen, laundry room, entry and bathroom. As you will see in a minute, they turned out great.

I found a paint that worked on floors and on vinyl siding so I thought it would be a good choice for vinyl floors. (The paint was McCloskey's All-in-One and I can't find it anymore.) I was right. Nearly 9 years after painting them, they are still in decent shape. And, let me tell you, our floors are used and abused.

Here's what I did...

Step 1) I gave the floors a very thorough cleaning by first sweeping, then vacuuming, then scrubbing them clean on my hands and knees with warm water.

Step 2) I rolled on three coats of off-white, letting the coats dry in between.

Step 3) Because there was already a square pattern stamped into the old vinyl, this step was much easier than if I'd had to measure. I taped off the inside of every other square with blue painter's tape then painted each with two coats of taupe, letting the coats dry in between.

Step 4) I carefully removed the tape.

Step 5) I applied five coats of water-based, satin Minwax Polycrylic with a brush, letting the coats dry in between.

POST UPDATE: I don't think the paint I used on my floors is available anymore. However, I saw a show on HGTV where they painted a vinyl bathroom floor. They used a high-adhesion primer first, followed by floor paint. I think a really important step with my floor was the Minwax Polycrylic on top, however, the paint I used was a matte finish. If you used a glossy floor paint, maybe you wouldn't need the shiny top coat.

When the homeowner saw my painted floors, he gasped because he thought I was going to hand him a bill for new vinyl. He was happy to reimburse me the $80 I spent on the project.

Here's the bathroom floor, 9 years later. This is the lowest-traffic area of all the areas I painted. I would have posted the kitchen but it's covered in muddy paw prints because we took a walk in the melting snow.

We're going for another walk tomorrow and the snow will be melting for awhile so I see no reason to clean it any time soon.

Red and white is dynamite...

2011-03-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

Creative idea for an old birdcage...

2011-03-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Someone had the fantastic idea of turning an old birdcage into a chair. I would like to put shorter legs on one and use it for a dog bed. I'll bet the tiny pooch in the photo would agree.

Fabulous overload...

2011-03-06T04:32:00.002-07:00

I want this couch...

2011-03-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Favorite photos of my grandparents...

2011-03-04T04:22:00.002-07:00

Visualizing...

2011-03-03T04:19:00.001-07:00

Fabulous...

2011-03-02T04:17:00.001-07:00

Best buds...

2011-03-01T04:27:00.002-07:00

Cowboy and Pete...

Love, love, love these mercury-glass pendants...

2011-02-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

These would be gorgeous in the Old House. I can picture them in a bathroom or walk-in closet.

We call this cow...

2011-02-27T08:18:00.005-07:00

"Don King."

Wow factor...

2011-02-26T21:02:00.004-07:00

Dress by Chrissy Wai-Ching

Cool fog this morning...

2010-10-24T09:18:00.003-06:00

Photo of fog on the hills, taken off from back steps this morning.

Hurts so good...

2010-09-25T14:24:00.005-06:00

My new shoes are slightly uncomfortable. And with 4.25" heels, they are way too tall. But they were half price for only $29.99. And they look fantastic with skinny pants.

You can get your own pair at JCPenney.

I love a bargain...

2010-09-05T10:03:00.005-06:00

This Nie + Zoe top was originally $139 at Anthropolgie. See, it still has the tags. I got it for $2 yesterday at a thrift store.

There's another one in rose which I did not buy. Should I go back and get it for my sister?

Trailer-park chic...

2010-08-16T04:41:00.000-06:00

This photo of Cyndi Lauper is one of my favorites. I think she's absolutely fabulous...

Linking to Rednesday and Mellow Yellow Monday

Funky-chunky-gypsy-cowgirl-junktastic belt buckles...

2010-08-12T19:50:00.008-06:00

I made another belt buckle, ya'll... and I finished it just in time for Pink Saturday.

I'm selling these in my new Etsy shop. The one below is a new buckle and features four vintage brooches and lots of beads, and faux crystals and pearls.

The one below is a vintage German silver Tony Lama cowboy buckle which I purchased from an antiques store in Buffalo, Wyoming. It also features four old brooches and lots of faux pearls and crystals.

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts

Metamorphasis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered

New Orleans Lemon Doberge Cake

2010-08-09T04:36:00.003-06:00

Story, recipe and photo from Cooking with Herb St. Absinthe

Lemon Doberge Cake

Last Sunday, we made a Chocolate Doberge Cake, the gold standard by which all New Orleans Doberge cakes are held. You could also combine to make a half/half Doberge Cake like Gambino’s Bakery (available for $74.50, including shipping).

Photo from the World-Famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA

Follow the same recipe for the cake as Chocolate Doberge Cake. the filling is essentially a lemon curd recipe, I would bet that a straight lemon curd would be very good in this cake. The first frosting is a simple flavored decorator’s icing.

However, the traditional Doberge Cake uses a poured fondant frosting, the kind that “snaps” under the knife, I am also including that recipe for purists. I highly suggest that you make the frosting 24 hours before you are ready to assemble your cake. It is also wise to make the filling the day before so that it is nice and chilled when you go to spread it on your cake layers. EDIT: to get the fondant frosting to stick well, many bakers will frost with another kind of frosting first. Use the first frosting recipe as a first layer and then use the poured fondant for better coverage and a more professional looking cake. No one said we didn’t like sugar in New Orleans!

Lemon Filling

1 1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons lemon peel
2/3 cup lemon juice

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and slowly add water. Bring to a boil while stirring, boil mixture for 1 minute. Add half of hot mixture to egg to temper, then blend in rest of mixture. Bring back to a boil and boil for another minute. Remove from heat and add butter, lemon peel and juice. Refrigerate before filling cake layers.

Lemon Frosting

1 box (1 lb.) confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 cup shortening
2 egg whites
pinch of salt
yellow food dye

Sift sugar and cornstarch over shortening and mix thoroughly. Blend in egg whites, salt and flavoring. You may need to add a little water to thin this out, weather and humidity can affect this frosting. Add dye at the end, add as many drops to achieve desired hue of yellow.

Poured Fondant Frosting

2-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup

Heat sugar, water and corn syrup to the soft-ball stage (238°F; 114°C). Pour into a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Wash the candy thermometer well and reinsert into the syrup. Let the syrup cool undisturbed in the workbowl to 140°F (60°C), about 30 minutes. Remove the thermometer.

Add any coloring or flavoring (1 to 2 teaspoons lemon oil and/or 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel, 2 to 4 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate, etc.) and process 2 to 3 minutes, until the syrup completely converts from a glassy syrup to an opaque paste. When thoroughly cooled. store sealed at room temperature for 24 hours. Use or refrigerate for later use.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

I made this belt buckle...

2010-08-02T03:41:00.004-06:00

I bought an old belt buckle and some junk jewelry at an antique store and now, thanks to Aleene's metal glue, it looks like this. I love it!

Linking to

Metamorphasis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Fresh flowers make me so happy...

2010-07-31T13:11:00.004-06:00

A couple of us got flowers at work from a business associate. Aren't they the happiest things you've ever seen?

When they started to wilt, I brought them home and put them in my kitchen window. They have been bringing me such joy for nearly two weeks now.

Yellow and gray - one of my favorite color combinations...

2010-07-28T04:54:00.001-06:00

Yellow and gray... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Missoni dresses

If you've been following my blog for very long, you know I love making these collages or "sets" on Polyvore. If you haven't tried it yet, I must warn you, it's verah, verah addictive. It's like shopping without spending any money.

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...

2010-07-19T04:52:00.000-06:00

Give me your answer, do... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Juicy Couture jewelry

Real men (cowboys) wear (hot) pink...

2010-07-16T21:12:00.003-06:00

Cowboy put on a ranch rodeo this past weekend in the Moorcroft, Wyoming. (With a little bit of help from Moi.)
The winning team, Boothill 7 of Lusk, Wyoming, looked so snappy in their matching hot-pink shirts.

The announcer wore pink too...

To see all the photos, visit Northeast Wyoming Ranch Rodeo on Facebook.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Oh, honey, that is a fabulous outfit...

2010-07-12T04:50:00.000-06:00

Oh, honey... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Nine West shoes

A pink painted floor...

2010-07-09T20:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, ya'll, picture this floor...

Photo borrowed from House Beautiful

In this room...

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Raspberry lemonade...

2010-07-05T04:47:00.001-06:00

Raspberry lemonade... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Miss Selfridge tops

Red, white and blue and pink...

2010-07-02T20:49:00.002-06:00

I'm not a drinking woman but if I were, I'd have one of these tomorrow. I saw the recipe in the June Coastal Living and thought it looked delish!

Coastal Living Pink Daiquiri

The original daiquiri contained rum, fresh lime juice, and superfine sugar. Ernest Hemingway is credited with the addition of maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) white rum
1 1/2 teaspoons (1/4 ounce) maraschino liqueur
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) ruby red grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) Simple Syrup*
Garnish: Grapefruit twist

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish, if desired.

*Simple Syrup: Combine equal parts sugar and hot water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Store in refrigerator until ready to use in mixed drinks or iced tea.

Coastal Living, JUNE 2010

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

I have a big, ole' brown thumb...

2010-07-02T04:47:00.000-06:00

But my sister does not.

A long time coming and well worth the wait...

2010-07-01T04:50:00.003-06:00

When I was a senior in high school, my coconut pound cake won grand champion at the fair. It sold at the auction for $300. The recipe came from a relative, Sally, who lived in the neighboring town of Sour Lake. She often brought coconut pound cakes to my father at Christmas. He loved them.

Anyway...

I grew up, moved away and lost the recipe. We searched for it to no avail. About 15 years ago, I wrote to Sally at an address I found on the internet. I got no response. It looked like the recipe was lost forever.

When I was in Texas this past October, I got to visiting with a man from Sour Lake who was shopping at our estate sale. We were talking about family history, and such, when Sally's name came up. He knew her well so I told him the pound-cake story. He took my number and left.

Here's the good part...

Within two hours, my phone rang. He had gone home and found Sally's pound-cake recipe in his mother's recipe box. Can you believe it?

So, without further adieu... I am sharing it with you here so it will never be lost again.

(I'm not re-wording it because I think it's so charming just like it is.)

Sally's Coconut Pound Cake

3 sticks butter or oleo
3 c. sugar
6 eggs
3 c. plain flour
8 oz. sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1 pkg. frozen coconut (not canned)
1 tsp. vanilla

Defrost coconut (to avoid failure). Have eggs and butter out at room temperature. Preheat oven to 300. Grease tube pan. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add flour, salt & soda, sifted together, and sour cream and vanilla and beat well. Stir or fold in coconut. Pour in tube pan and bake until done 1 to 1.5 hours, maybe longer.

Gentle giant...

2010-06-30T04:41:00.001-06:00

My sister, Biz, takes in just about any stray animal that comes along. She's had as many as 10 dogs at one time. Her most recent addition, Willis, is very special and she's quite attached to him. Here's a photo of his paw in her regular-sized adult hand.

New Orleans Doberge Cake from "Let's Bake with Beulah Ledner"

2010-06-29T04:13:00.001-06:00

Ya'll know I'm not big on baking but I've been wanting to try this recipe for this New Orleans staple, a doberge cake.

Or I could just order one from the famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA for $64.75 + $4.75 shipping.

Let's be realistic... I can't spend that kind of money on a cake. If I'm going to get one, I am going to have to make it myself.

Photo borrowed from the World-Famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA

I want to try a lemon doberge cake too. Once I've mastered both, I might even try a half-chocolate, half-lemon version. Gosh, that sounds like a lot of work when I could just order one from Gambino's for $74.50.

On second thought... I should probably make my shopping list now.

Photo borrowed from the World-Famous Gambino's Bakery in NOLA

Doberge Cake

By Judy Walker, The Times-Picayune

February 25, 2009, 4:55AM

The 1987 privately published "Let's Bake with Beulah Ledner" cookbook by Maxine Wolchansky, Ledner's daughter, explains how the "Doberge Queen of New Orleans" adapted the famous Hungarian dobos torta to the local climate and gave it a French-sounding name, doberge (pronounced dough-bash). Ledner retired in 1981 at the age of 87 and died at age 93, leaving a legacy that lives on in her recipes (bought by Gambino's) for this popular cake that can be found and all over New Orleans.

Of course you would want all ingredients to be at room temperature before starting.

DOBERGE TORTE

1 ½ sticks butter
2 cups sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 eggs, separated, whites stiffly beaten
1 cup milk
3 teaspoons baking powder
3 ½ cups cake flour (measured after sifting)
Scant teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter, sugar and salt until smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and blend until smooth. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beat until blended. Add vanilla and lemon juice.

With a spatula, fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Grease 9-inch cake pans. Pour ¾ cup batter into each pan, spreading evenly over bottom. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Repeat process until batter is completely used, to make eight thin layers.

When cool, put layers together with chocolate custard filling and spread chocolate butter cream icing on top and sides. Chill. Then ice with Always Delicious Chocolate Icing.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 heaping kitchen spoons cocoa
4 tablespoons bitter chocolate
4 whole eggs
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 cups (1 quart) milk

Stir all dry ingredients together in a saucepan, then add the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from fire to cool.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM ICING

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
½ pound oleo (margarine), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cocoa
1 ounce square bitter chocolate, melted

Cream sugar and oleo, then add cocoa, then the melted chocolate and vanilla. If too thick, add a little hot water, very slowly, until the consistency is right.

ALWAYS-DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE ICING

1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
4 squares melted semi-sweet chocolate
½ stick butter
¾ cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and let it come slowly to a boil, then boil about 10 minutes until it thickens. Beat until thick enough to spread.

Oh, to be this fabulous again...

2010-06-28T04:44:00.001-06:00

Summer snapshot... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Old Navy

Adoring designer Betsey Johnson...

2010-06-25T20:22:00.002-06:00

What better way to celebrate Pink Saturday than with the ever-fabulous, Betsey Johnson. I mean, how cool is she? Love her!

Check out more photos of Betsey's apartment here.

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Sterling-silver pine-cone necklace...

2010-06-25T05:06:00.003-06:00

Ya'll know pine cones are one of my favorite things so I was thrilled to find these sterling-silver pine-cone necklaces. I bought one for myself and gave one to my little sister. She loves pine cones too.

They are available at the Etsy store, Charms4U for only $11, plus $3 shipping. They even come in a cute, little gift box.

Dish towels to die for from To Dry For...

2010-06-24T04:55:00.001-06:00

Check out these adorable dish towels from To Dry For...

These and many more available for purchase here.

If I were going to get a tattoo...

2010-06-23T04:18:00.002-06:00

I don't have any tattoos... and I'm too old to get one. However, if I were going to get one, it would be one of these...

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm

A Century at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas, 1907–2007

2010-06-22T04:53:00.004-06:00

I sure do miss Blue Bell ice cream. They don't sell it in Wyoming... and they didn't sell it in Virginia. That means I've been deprived of the best ice cream in the world since 1992.

You can buy this book about 100 years at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas, here.

If I were on a tropical island, I'd wear this today...

2010-06-21T04:39:00.001-06:00

Urban Tropical by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Ted Baker tops

Fathers from my family tree...

2010-06-20T07:18:00.006-06:00

Well, it's Father's Day so I thought you might like to meet some of the fathers in my family tree.

This is my great-grandfather... my paternal grandmother's father.

This is my great-grandfather... my paternal grandfather's father.

This is my paternal grandfather pictured with my dad.

More photos of my paternal grandfather.

This is my great-great-grandfather... my paternal great-grandmother's father.

So, there you have the fathers from my family tree. Unfortunately, there are no photos from my mother's side of the family.

Happy Father's Day!

The Plaza Athenee gets Barbiefied...

2010-06-18T21:05:00.001-06:00

Story and photos from Hotel Chatter

Made over like a little girl’s dream in the iconic doll’s favorite
colors with exclusively signed furniture and accessories galore.

We always had the French down as innately stylish, but looks like they’re happy to abandon that when money comes a-knocking. How else to explain the new Barbie rooms at the Plaza Athénée - two rooms that, according to the hotel, have been:

The rooms are suitable for girls aged three and up (way to ~~indoctrinate~~ catch ‘em young, guys!) and each little girl who stays there will receive a “special girlie gift” supposedly designed by Barbie herself (hmm).

Luckily it’s a limited, summer madness thing only – the rooms will only be on offer from August 5 through September 5.

What does it cost to book it, aside from having a little girl with a Barbie addiction? (Or, possibly an adult with a Barbie problem?) A Barbie room is yours for $2,076 per night, with a connecting deluxe room for the parents, for $3,244, if you’d prefer a connecting suite. Though if you can afford that, you might like to think about stumping up for a private pink plane, too.

[Photo: Plaza Athenee/Facebook]

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Hot, spicy and one of the most delicious recipes ever...

2010-06-18T04:52:00.001-06:00

When I started this blog, I promised there would not be a lot of recipes, and, for the most part, I've kept that promise. But when you find something this delicious, I think it's just plain mean not to share.

Warning: This is one hot and spicy recipe!

I have added a few personal notes in red.

Photo and recipe from Food Network

Paula Deen's Shrimp Etouffee

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra flour, optional
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more if desired
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup minced green onions, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
2 to 3 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) ***You will want to do without this unless you really like HOT!
1 (8-ounce) can clam ***I buy this in jars on the tuna aisle. I use TWO jars!
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (recommended: Ro'tel) ***Ro'tel makes it HOT. If you don't want hot, go with plain, ole' diced tomatoes.
Salt (Cajun seasoning has salt already)
2 pounds small or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (recommended: (31/35 size count) ***I buy the frozen ones.
1/2 stick butter
Rice, optional ***Rice is NOT optional if you are making the HOT version.
Diced green onions, for garnish ***I'm just not fancy enough to garnish.

***I chop everything before I start. But you probably already know to do that.

Directions

Note: To make roux, use oil instead of butter, because butter burns

Make the roux, mix oil and flour in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk flour into the oil to form a paste. Continue cooking over low heat and whisk continuously, until the mixture turns a caramel color and gives off a nutty aroma, about 15 to 20 minutes. To the roux, add the onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic and cook over low heat about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are limp. Add the black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, green onions, parsley, and hot sauce to taste. Add clam juice and the tomatoes with their juice, stir to blend. Add the salt, starting with 1 teaspoon, then add more if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add shrimp and stir. It will take about 3 minutes for shrimp to cook, don't overcook. Remove from heat. Add the butter and stir; the heat from the dish will melt the butter. Transfer the etouffee to a tureen, serving bowl, or if you prefer, over rice. Garnish with the green onions.

Cook Time: 45 min
Level: Easy (I would beg to differ. There are A LOT of veggies to chop)
Yield: 6 to 8 as a main course, or 10 to 12 as part of a buffet

Back-to-nature living...

2010-06-17T04:28:00.000-06:00

Oops... Someone forgot to close the gate...

Where bluebonnets and limestone grow like cotton...

2010-06-16T03:54:00.003-06:00

I received an e-mail from the sweetest lady named Sandi who lives in a beautiful limestone house with a white tin roof and a yard filled with pure splendor. Sandi was kind enough to let me share her gorgeous photos with you. I know you're going to enjoy them so.

Sandi says, "We are located at the very edge of the Texas Hill County where bluebonnets and limestone grow like cotton in East Texas." I just love that!

That's her beloved, Brad, there amongst the bluebonnets in Sandi's front yard.

Brad has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I hope it's every bit as lovely as the Texas Hill Country in spring.

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at a Southern Daydreamer

If I ever got married again...

2010-06-15T04:28:00.002-06:00

I don't plan to ever have another wedding, but if I did, I think I would want to a red wedding gown. I think they are gorgeous. The top one is my favorite. Which one is yours?

All of these are surpisingly affordable and available from Romantic Gowns.

Linking to Rednesday

Yellow and green shopping spree...

2010-06-14T04:32:00.004-06:00

Lollipops... by Pete's Blue Scooterbug featuring Marni dresses

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

Eloise gets her own store inside the Plaza Hotel...

2010-06-11T21:00:00.001-06:00

Story and images from Hotel Chatter

Don't call it a comeback, Eloise has been here for years.

Funny that when The Plaza Hotel initially put forth plans to renovate the famed building into luxury residences, all traces of its most famous guests, Kay Thompson’s fictional character Eloise, would have been erased. But someone somewhere had the foresight to keep her on and now today, Eloise is opening her very own interactive shop inside the the hotel.

The vibrant 2,100 square-foot-shop, playfully decorated in a color palette of ‘Eloise pink’ and black will resemble a playhouse and will feature a ‘Living Room’, a ‘Fashion Room’ will costumes for dress up, a ‘Library Room’ including a reading area, computer stations, and DVD players, and a ‘Tea Room’ where family and friends can come together for tea and birthday parties and other celebrations.

A wide-shot of the store

Naturally, tons of merchandise is available for sale including Madame Alexander dolls, Eloise books by Simon & Schuster, Eloise-inspired bathrobes and bath towels, and exclusive product lines including the Eloise in Paris doll. Still, this will be less expensive than a night in the Eloise Suite.

Also, an Eloise beauty salon and Eloise etiquette classes will begin in Spring 2010. We're not sure if these are Upper East Side etiquette classes or Eloise's own distinct etiquette classes but we sincerely hope it's the latter.

Eloise Tea party

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

More photos from the Old House...

2010-06-11T04:18:00.002-06:00

Here are some more photos that my sister took in the Old House. I think this may be the last of them but I'm not sure.

This mirror came out of an old family house called "Pine Knot."

Here is a photo of Pine Knot.

That cute wooden truck was my dad's in the 1940s. It is sitting atop an old barrister bookcase... there are five of them. You can see one in an old photo below.

The magnolia print is one of my favorites and the clock, which always sat on the Old House mantel, still works. (It's no longer on the mantel because the chimney is leaning into the wall. Prayers for repairs are most appreciated.)

The china cabinet is original to the house. The door fell out when I was home in October and the original glass broke in one side. It was very sad. Everything else you see was at Grandmother's house in Houston.... except the fabulous, wool area rug... that's always been in the Old House.

I don't know who the red-headed child is but I love the photo so much, I put it in the grand, old frame. The eyeglasses belonged to my Great Uncle Frank.

Here is a photo of my Great Uncle Frank and my Great Aunt Necel. I think maybe he's wearing the glasses here. The barrister bookcase in the background is one pictured above.

This was part of a set that belonged to my Great Aunt Necel.

This basket was full of toys, such as cowboys and Indians, when we were kids.

These chairs and a matching sofa came from Pine Knot.

The wardrobe has been in this spot forever.

I love the legs on this old cedar chest, which has also been in the house forever. Here you can see another fantastic, old woolen area rug.

Well, I think that's the last of the photos my sister took in the Old House. I hope you have enjoyed them. I and I hope someday, when I am busy fixing it up, you will be here to see it.

Linking to Show and Tell

Village Creek...

2010-06-10T04:36:00.003-06:00

In the deep South, where temperatures linger at 100 degrees in the shade, and a day with 90% humidity is considered "not so bad," you need a place to cool off. That place, if you live in the Big Thicket of Southeast Texas, is Village Creek.

It's a place that so many Southeast Texans hold near and dear to their hearts.

Cypress knees

If you grew up around it, Village Creek becomes part of who you are.

It's hard to understand unless you're from there.

Cypress trees on the banks of Village Creek

It's more than just a place to swim, canoe, fish, BBQ, camp... It's a place to make memories... the kind that never go away.

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer

Birdhouse brings back fond memories...

2010-06-09T04:24:00.002-06:00

Seeing this handmade red and white birdhouse brings back some very fond memories for me.

My grandparents divided their time between a wonderful home in Houston and the Old House, which my grandmother called, "the country."

Grandmother and Pa's next-door neighbors in Houston were a retired Army Colonel, who we called "Colonel," and his wife, Boo, which was short for Beulah. You have never met a more proper Southern couple than Boo and the Colonel.

Here are 10 things I remember about Colonel and Boo...

1) They never had any children of their own.

2) When Boo served us soft drinks, she'd always drop in a plastic piece of ice with a fly in it... much to our delight, of course.

3) Grandmother told us to stay off their grass and never to touch anything in their house.

4) Colonel had a fantastic collection of beer steins from Germany. They were way up high on shelves all over the house.

5) If Boo had a piece of furniture you weren't allowed to sit on, you'd know it, because it would have a piece of string tied across the seat.

6) Boo buzzed around Houston in her mint-condition Volkswagon Bug while her also-mint-condition '65 mustang stayed at home in the garage... I'm telling you, she was fabulous.

7) They had the biggest bottle of Old Granddad on their kitchen counter. It was so large, it sat on a wooden stand that tilted so it could be poured.

8) Boo was homesick for Victoria, Texas.

9) It was a rare honor for a child to be a guest of Colonel and Boo.

10) One day my brother and I spent all day in the Colonel's garage and he helped us build this birdhouse which still sits on a shelf in the Old House...

I'm so glad we held onto this treasure for so many years. I hope the Colonel is looking down from heaven and smiling.

Linking to Make it for Monday, Metamorphasis Monday, Motivate Me Monday, Make Your Monday, Transformation Thursday, Rednesday, Show and Tell Friday, Saturday Night Special

Old House charm...

2010-06-08T04:42:00.000-06:00

Here's a little of what makes the Old House so charming...

Trim, trim, trim... 12-foot ceilings... solid-wood doors... glass door knobs... wood floors...

This is still how it's heated... (Not so charming!)

Wooden walls... Oh, yeah, the sheetrock is coming down...

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Has potential, needs prayer...

2010-06-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

This is the back porch in the Old House. We call it the "back porch," because in the old days (very old days), it was a screened-in sleeping porch. In the 1950s, Grandmother had it enclosed. It's funny how this "addition" isn't holding up like the original parts of the house.

This room is under the huge limbs of a 100+ year-old oak tree. The water stains you see to the bead-board ceiling are from roof damage during Hurricane Ike. I am believing God for $9,000 to replace the Old House roof. Anyway...

I didn't show you these photos to point out the problems and bellyache about needing a new roof. I shared these with you because of the awesome potential this room has. (In case you're wondering, the views are terrific.) Go on, let your imagination run wild. What do you see?

I know it's going to be fabulous...!

Linking to Mellow Yellow Monday

Hydrangeas at the Old House in Texas...

2010-06-04T20:57:00.001-06:00

My sister just sent these photos of the hydrangeas at the Old House in Texas. I think they are looking really good this year. When I was home in October, I pruned them. I think they appreciated it.

This one is for Pink Saturday...

Also linking to Outdoor Wednesday and Show and Tell Friday

Close your eyes and visualize...

2010-06-04T04:52:00.000-06:00

Here is the back porch of the Old House now...

Here is the back porch of the Old House in 6 months.

Come on... close your eyes and picture it...! Maybe we can think it into existence.

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Come on, ya'll... time to visualize again...

2010-06-03T04:16:00.000-06:00

Bedroom doorway now...

Bedroom doorway 6 months from now...

Red dirt road...

2010-06-02T04:40:00.000-06:00

I took this photo last spring as I was coming home from a neighbor's branding. I just love how the red road looks with the green.

Red and green is one of my favorite color combos... and not because of Christmas.

All of the roads around here are red gravel, however, in other places, like where my brother lives, they are white.

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday and Rednesday

I have five beds and two bedrooms...

2010-06-01T05:31:00.002-06:00

I am going to show you three of my five beloved antique beds. Please disregard the poor decorating... this is just about the beds.

This first one was where my grandfather slept in the Old House so we call it "Pa's Bed."

The Old House will accommodate one or two beds, three if I push it, so I'm not sure what to do about the extra beds. I mean, I could "squeeze" them all in but it would be a lot of beds in an 1800 square-foot house.

Quite frankly, I've considered not having a living room just to have a place for my beds.

I really love my beds. Does this mean I am a crazy bed lady?

I have WAY too many chairs too so maybe I'm just crazy... but let's save that for another post.

This is a terrible photo of this bed (below). I think this style is called "Jenny Lind," but I'm not sure. Do you know? This was the bed from the guest room in Grandmother's house in Houston.

To get a better idea of what it looks like, it's exactly like this bed from Better Homes and Gardens. I'm even going to paint it white someday.

This four-poster was my Grandmother's bed in Houston. It is now with me in Wyoming... in the shed out back... gasp! It's solid cherry... and in a shed... double gasp! But with two people and seven animals sleeping together, it's just too small. Heck, our king is too small at times. The cherry four-poster needs to find a ride back to Texas... pronto!

I wish I could show you the other two but I don't have photos. One is a very old, very heavy iron bed... Grandmother's bed in the Old House. I painted it charcoal gray... JEEPERS, what was I thinking? It's going back to white, stat...! It looks very similar to this one but it's a double...

The other bed was way up in the top of the old barn my whole life. We were always told it came to Hardin County with the pioneers on a wagon. When we took it down from the rafters, I squealed with delight. It's the most beautiful bed I've ever seen... At least it will be after I paint it white. It has the feel of this bed but it's 10 times better...

Linking to Show and Tell

Happy Memorial Day...

2010-05-31T08:13:00.004-06:00

I would like to send out a big, heartfelt thank you to all the men and women who have selflessly served, and are still serving, in our military for the sake of my freedom.

I plan to celebrate with buttercream icing. Didn't Martha Stewart do a wonderful job on this cake? I mean, she is Martha Stewart, after all.

I can't wait to see if the local Walmart has some red, white and blue cupcakes. My tastebuds won't know Martha didn't make them.

If I had a spare $600 lying around...

2010-05-30T07:33:00.004-06:00

I'd be all over these bad boys...

Tracy Porter Vintage Bike Boot

A birthday and a milestone...

2010-05-28T20:41:00.001-06:00

Sorry to post the same thing two Saturdays in a row but I got all mixed up, ya'll. I thought Pink Saturday's birthday party was last weekend. Ooops... It's today... So, without further adieu...

How Sweet the Sound is celebrating the second birthday of Pink Saturday. Be sure and stop by to say hello to Beverly. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday by Pete's Blue Scooterbug on Polyvore.com

And, in case you missed it last week... the Old House in Texas has 100 posts! Thanks to each and every one of you for your sweetness, which keeps me posting even when I'm not in the mood.

And, we have more flowers...

2010-05-28T04:23:00.002-06:00

I spotted some more flowers on my way home from work, ya'll. At first I thought it was alfalfa... alfalfa has purple flowers... and it's growing in the neighbor's field... but Cowboy has informed me that it's more weeds. I don't care. They're still beautiful flowers to me...!

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

2010-05-27T03:57:00.004-06:00

I realize this post might make some of you shudder.

I know you probably spend a good amount of your time ridding your yard of these pesky "weeds."

But to me, they are beautiful wildflowers.

You see, last week it was snowing... Heck, it's been snowing for 9 months... But today is sunny and I'm just so excited to see color, I could squeal.

(Okay, I did squeal...! Then I flopped on the ground right there and rolled around in the grass.)

When you are a Southerner, living a life virtually void of flowers, you'll take what you can get...

...and be darned happy to have it.

So, next time one of these pops up on your beautiful lawn, think of me...

...and remember...

Dandelions are flowers too.

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer and Mellow Yellow Monday

More photos from the Old House...

2010-05-26T05:12:00.003-06:00

As you know, my sister took some photos at the Old House last week. Here are the ones she took in the dog trot. I wish I could show you a photo that was taken right down the center of it... but I don't have one. To learn more about dog trots, click here.

Note to self: Paint dog trot ASAP...!!!

That toy horse was mine when I was little. There's one of the small chairs I collect. This one came from a school. There, in the flower pots, are some tiles that came from a different old family house. We used the boat anchor in a wooden rowboat at our beach house on Galveston Bay. The boat and the house were both washed away in hurricanes. Check out the kettle here in a much older photo.

These things are usually out in the yard but I brought them inside so they wouldn't get stolen. We have photos of my dad sitting in this chair when he was a boy. It weighs a ton... Did you notice the arms have horse heads and the legs have hooves? The pulley is from the old well that's still out in the yard.

I'll share more Old House photos later this week.

Linking to Show and Tell Friday

The Old House yard...

2010-05-25T03:49:00.001-06:00

My sister just sent me this photo of the Old House yard. Isn't it pretty?

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer

My dog, June Bug, is the front-page, headline story of the Sunday paper...

2010-05-24T03:53:00.002-06:00

Dog tales

June Bug thrives on the solitude that Necel Golden’s
home east of Weston offers. Photo by Necel Golden

By NATHAN PAYNE, News-Record City Editor npayne@gillettenewsrecord.net

Published: Saturday, May 22, 2010 11:53 PM MDT

When 13 neglected dogs were placed in homes in Gillette, it seemed like the climax of an event that had started with the discovery of 159 dogs at one home in Provo, S.D.

They were dirty, ragged, unfriendly and were totally unaccustomed to being around humans when they were found in November 2006. When those 13 dogs found homes in Gillette, it was like the nightmare was over for them and next would come the fairy tale ending.

But, alas, it wasn’t a Disney movie, and every story does not end with happily ever after.

The tale did, however, end up with a couple of fairy godmothers.

Escape artists

Jennifer Hackney takes all of the charity cases — those dogs that no one wants or loves, and some that might be impossible to love.

Hackney knew that her dog, Tanner, was the wildest of the 13 dogs brought to the Campbell County Humane Society from South Dakota, but she took him anyway. He had never been washed. He had never been touched. He didn’t want to be touched.

Because of those things, he would never be adopted.

She took him, at first, as a foster case. But she hoped that one day she would be able to prepare him and another named Scooter to be adopted into a loving home, with an owner looking for a best friend.

Tanner had other plans.

Hackney took Tanner home on Dec. 4, 2006, nine days after he was confiscated. Tanner and 158 other dogs had been rescued from a home where two women had been hoarding the dogs for years. The canines were housed in outdoor hovels in groups of 10 or more that bred and bred until the population grew out of control. None of them had been spayed, neutered or washed, but they had been fed.

“Physically they were in fine shape,” Hackney said.

The mental picture was not so pretty, though.

The dogs were mostly wild. They did not know how to react to the people who were trying to help them and were obviously frightened when they were taken from the quarter-acre cesspool where they had been kept.

Only four days after Hackney brought Tanner to her home in the Sundog subdivision west of Gillette, he escaped. She spent days chasing him, trying to corral him, but finally he disappeared.

“They’re not like normal dogs. They’re not socialized like that,” she said.

Hackney assumed her newest companion was gone, dead somewhere, hit by a car or killed by coyotes. The beagle-dachshund mix would be no match for the wild.

She felt horrible.

But for the grace of God...

Almost 40 days passed, and Hackney knew that Tanner would not be back. She had given up on ever seeing him again.

But then she got an e-mail, forwarded to her from a friend who worked with her at the Humane Society, where she is the president.

On Christmas day, Necel Golden had seen a black-and-tan dog scavenging for road kill along the Interstate 90 median west of Gillette. The skittish dog refused to come anywhere near Golden and her boyfriend, Travis Hackert.

The description of a beagle-sized rottweiler-looking dog was enough to convince Hackney that the stray was her foster dog.

She quickly secured a live trap and went to the mile marker where he was last seen. She baited the trap and went home, hoping that the dog was hungry enough to overcome his fear and enter the metal-mesh trap.

For several days, she drove twice a day to the trap to find it empty, and then would spot the dog in another location.

Finally, on the 40th day, she found Tanner inside the trap.

“I figured 40 days was my big sign from God ... 40 days, that’s your dog,” Hackney said. “I thought this one needs the most work, so I’ll keep him.”

She took the dog home, washed him and fed him.

And then she tied him to her leg.

For the next three months, Tanner learned to never leave her side by being tied to a leash attached to her ankle. The two went everywhere together for three months, a habit that persists today.

It is not so much of a choice for Hackney, whether to take Tanner with her. Most of the time, he makes the choice by scurrying out of the front door when she leaves and waits by her car.

He has become somewhat of a mascot for the Campbell County Humane Society, a tail-wagging testimonial of what can happen when the right dog finds the right owner.

On the seventh day, she rested

Animals in need have found their way to Necel Golden. She found Tanner in late December 2006. Six months later she found June Bug.

Golden was driving past a field at the corner of Little Powder River Road and North Highway 59 when she saw the petite blond dog sitting in the grass watching cars rumble to work in either direction.

She drives the same route to Gillette every day from her home near Weston.

Again, Golden e-mailed everyone she knew in the dog world in Gillette, asking if anyone knew of a missing dog that matched that description. Immediately she received a reply that there was another of the rescue dogs that had been missing for seven months since it escaped from the kennel where some of the dogs were housed in December. The kennel was less than a mile from where Golden found her.

For three days, the dog sat in the field watching her, and Golden felt as though it was beckoning for a home.

On the third day, she lugged a live trap over a fence and down to a culvert near where she last saw the dog. She baited the trap with cat food and expected the worst.

Golden knew how long it took Hackney to catch Tanner. She expected to check the trap twice a day, on her way to and from work, for as long as it took to catch the dog.

To her surprise, the next morning, the 25-pound terrier mix was sitting in the trap, waiting for her. Golden immediately lugged the agitated dog over the fence and into her car.

“She was like a wild animal, running back and forth in the trap,” Golden said. “She was crazed.”

For three days, the dog she had named June Bug stayed in a kennel in a spare bedroom at Golden’s home, hidden from her boyfriend. The couple already had three dogs and he didn’t want another one.

But she knew that she was a last chance for a dog like June Bug.

“If you put her in a shelter, they’re going to put her down because she is wild,” she said. “It’s just weird that animals in need come across my path.”

On the fourth day, Golden made the mistake of letting Bug out of her kennel. The dog bolted into another bedroom and lodged herself under a bed. Golden fetched her boyfriend and gave him a blanket to throw over the dog when she flushed it out from under the bed. Not knowing if the dog would bite, Golden donned a winter coat, gloves and a hat.

The scene ended with the dog out from under the bed, but with Golden covered in the blanket.

The first six days, Bug cowered in her kennel and refused to leave the shelter.

“We kept all doors and windows shut. She navigated the house under furniture,” Golden said. “We just ignored her.”

On the seventh day, they pulled her kennel out onto the porch so she could get some fresh air. Golden was given a glimmer of hope when she moved the kennel back inside the house: Bug wagged her tail once, then went back to cowering.

That night, nearly the end of the seventh day, while Golden was standing at the kitchen sink, Bug sidled up beside her and stood on her hind legs in order to put her front paws on Golden’s leg.

Golden immediately found a chair, sat down, and the tiny blond dog jumped into her lap and began to lick her face.

“She was just like a normal dog,” she said. “It was almost like a miracle.”

Against all odds

Hackney and Golden make no bones about the fact that they picked two dogs that had little chance at a normal life. They were hard to catch and at times even harder to love, but their guardians persisted against the odds.

The survival rate of the rescued dogs sits at a little more than 50 percent, although the 13 dogs fared far better than they would have had they been put in a shelter. Taking care of a dog that was born wild and has never had meaningful human contact takes a patient and dedicated owner.

Even today, June Bug cowers when anyone but Golden and her boyfriend are around. Tanner still has a distinct apprehensiveness when he meets new people, though anyone who rides in his car is immediately a friend.

“It is hard to have a dog you can’t take to the vet,” Golden said. “But we love our Bug.”

The dogs will never be normal, but Golden and Hackney are OK with that.

They don’t need a fairy tale ending.

They just need the occasional tail wag, and cold wet nose to remind them that they are the happy ending.

The South Dakota 13

ALIVE

Of the 12 dogs Jennifer Hackney can account for, she knows of seven still alive.

Tanner: He spends his days riding around town in Hackney’s car and meeting new people.

June Bug: She lives a quiet and happy life on a ranch north of Gillette, though she is still afraid of everyone but her owners.

Mick: He was one of the more timid dogs but found a good home with owner Donna Wells. He runs on a treadmill next to her stationary bike for exercise.

Skeeter: The dog was adopted and lives with Nikki Huddleston.

Snoopy: The dog still lives in Gillette.

Zipper: The dog still lives in Gillette.

Pokey: The dog still lives in Gillette.

DEAD

Unfortunately, miracles do not happen in every case and several of the rescued dogs did not survive.

Cowboy: He was hit by a car.

Scooter: Scooter was adopted by Hackney. In December 2009, the dog escaped and was hit by a car.

MIA

Snickers: The dog’s owners cannot be found. Their phone was disconnected.

Scruffy: The dog ran away and is presumed dead.

Max: The dog ran away and is presumed dead.

No. 13: Hackney has searched for the name of the 13th dog, but has had no luck locating the last pooch.

Want to know more about adopting a pet? Call the Campbell County Humane Society at 682-7465.

What is the Campbell County Humane Society up to?

Selling used books

The Campbell County Humane Society soon will open a used book store in its office at 110 E. Lakeway Road, Suite 600.

Proceeds from the sale of donated books will benefit the the local organization.

Books to supply the store can be dropped in boxes at:

✔ RE/Max real estate offices on Boxelder Road

✔ Brothers Coffee on Gillette Avenue

✔ Espresso Roundup inside Don’s Supermarket

✔ Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Depot on First Street.

✔ Another drop box soon may be located in front of the Humane Society’s Lakeway Road office.

The animal rescue organization also needs bookshelves for the store.

For more information or to donate, call 682-7465 or visit the office between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays.

Creating calendars

The Campbell County Humane Society is accepting entries for its 2011 calendar.

Entries in the calendar contest cost $15 and will be voted on beginning Sept. 2. Each vote costs $1.

All proceeds benefit the local organization.

Organizing wiener dog races

The Campbell County Humane Society will host its annual dachshund races Aug. 7.

Racers can pre-register now with the Humane Society.

Signing up volunteer help

To join the organization or learn more, attend a meeting.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month and at noon the fourth Tuesday of every month at the office on Lakeway Road.

Cow and calves...

2010-05-23T08:12:00.008-06:00

This post is dedicated to my follower, Tracy, from Honeysuckle and Hissy Fits in Georgia. She just loves cows, ya'll.

Here is a small handful of my cow photos. There are hundreds of babies running around right now. Cowboy has branded three times here at this ranch. Today he's branding calves at his parents'. He took our Border Collie, Pete, with him. He'll brand two more times here. On June 20, the bulls get turned out with the cows and on June 25, he will trail what's left here to the Hatfield, a pasture to the south. Then he can breathe a sigh of relief until October.

A very new Black Angus

Black Angus and Red Brockle Face

Black Brockle Face

Black Baldy

Momma Cow in my yard

Moo

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday and Show and Tell

A milestone and a birthday...

2010-05-21T20:51:00.001-06:00

Whoooo hooooo... the Old House in Texas has 100 posts! Thanks to each and every one of you for your sweetness, which keeps me posting even when I'm not in the mood.

How Sweet the Sound is celebrating the second birthday of Pink Saturday. Be sure and stop by to say hello to Beverly. Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday by Pete's Blue Scooterbug on Polyvore.com

Why cowboys drive pick-up trucks...

2010-05-21T04:33:00.001-06:00

I asked cowboy a couple of times to bring me some hay for the baby calf we're bottle feeding... but he kept forgetting.

So, when I spotted a pile in the road on my way home from work, I brought it home.

Like this...

At first, it was going pretty well...
But after I drove about 3 feet, it blew back and covered the entire windshield. (Photo taken from the driver's seat.)

I had to drive home with my head hanging out the window and hay blowing in my face. I wish I could tell you that this is the first time I have done this... but that would be a lie.

And this, my friends, is why cowboys drive pick-up trucks.

Linking to Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer

Three cute Chihuahuas... and a poodle...

2010-05-20T04:24:00.002-06:00

I was perusing Cafe Press for cute Chihuahua items. I could have looked for hours because there are 4,710 Chihuahua designs. I decided to stop at these three t-shirts. (And one adorable Poodle shirt... It's really cute, ya'll.)

Here's a photo of my Chihuahua, Scooter, in a t-shirt of his own. Just look at that forehead.

If you haven't visited Cafe Press yet, get over there right now. You're in for a real treat.

A few more things from the Old House kitchen...

2010-05-19T03:58:00.006-06:00

Hey, ya'll... On Sunday, I shared a shelf in the Old House kitchen. Well, here's the other one I promised to show you. The Old House doesn't have kitchen cabinets so, as you can see, improvision is necessary. When I left in 1992, the kitchen was hot pink and blue. What can I say, I was a product of the 80s. Then when my mom lived there, she painted it RED and white.

The green glasses belonged to Aunt Necel and my "pile-o-platters" just thrills me to the core.

I love drinking milk out of the Fostoria (far left). The blue glasses were in a window at Grandmother's house in Houston (not to be used for drinking). The floral juice glasses were Aunt Necel's and the metal tumblers were in a picnic basket that we used to play with when we were kids.

That hurricane glass you see is from a honky tonk where I drank and danced myself silly in the 80s. "The Palace" is now a church and I am, for the most part, a tea-totaler... but I still love to dance. Some things will never change.

This is one of my favorite vignettes... like, ever...

Look at those walls. Aren't they charming? They don't make 'em like that any more.

A beautiful, old rocking chair...

So, as you can see, my little sister has been verah busy with her camera lately. I will share more Old House photos with you next week.

Linking to Rednesday at A Very Cherry World and Show and Tell at My Romantic Home

Spring snow on a Big Horn Mountain ranch...

2010-05-18T04:01:00.005-06:00

My brother works on the Klondike Ranch at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains, near Buffalo, Wyoming. He took all of these photos during two snowstorms this month... yes, you heard me right... in May.

Crazy Woman Canyon Road, looking toward
the canyon and the Big Horn Mountains

Horses running to the haywagon

Weatherman said 6 inches

Frosted Mini-Wheats

Jack, the Border Collie... He's my dog's daddy and my brother's dog's daddy

My brother's dog, Bandit

Linking to White Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Somebody's been in the Old House...

2010-05-16T15:33:00.007-06:00

My sister went to the Old House the other day with her camera. These are the photos she took of a shelf in the kitchen.

I love old mixing bowls and that beat-up cookbook was like a Bible when I was a young girl learning to cook. The gourd was used to dip water from a bucket.

There's my favorite yellow Fiestaware mixing bowl and a sweet, little gravy boat with strawberries on it.

There's some red glass from the State Fair and Daddy's baby dish, rattle and silver cup.

There's Daddy's piggy bank and a tin that Aunt Necel used to put tea cakes in.

Oh, and there are my Cheery Chintz cup and saucer and a few pitchers from my great-grandmother's pitcher collection.

I'll show you another shelf on Wednesday.

When I saw these photos, they made me so happy... but then a great sadness came over me. I just cannot put this type of homesick into words.

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm and Show and Tell at My Romantic Home

Since it snowed this week...

2010-05-14T21:00:00.000-06:00

I think I deserve this for breakfast...

Happy Pink Saturday!

Do you think I can make one of these mailboxes?

2010-05-11T03:52:00.002-06:00

I know this Waverly ad is for fabric but, seriously, don't you want a mailbox like this?

If I covered a mailbox in fabric and painted it with lots of coats of water-sealer, do you think it would last?

If you were not such a super-duper crafter and wanted to buy one of these, how much would you be willing to pay?

Could this possibly be my calling?

Sometimes when you live with a cowboy...

2010-05-09T07:11:00.014-06:00

Hey, ya'll... It looks I'm going to be living with these on the back of the couch for awhile...

Cowboy has always wanted a saddle made by Otto F. Ernst. Well, yesterday he scored two at a Western Collectibles Auction we attended in Montana. He picked them both up for $850... One of them could have easily sold for double that. Oh, he also bought those grungy, old chaps you see. (Learn more about Otto F. Ernst.)

I had my eye on a few things... an Ironstone mixing bowl and an antique wicker doll carriage but we were there for four hours and they hadn't even made a dent in the "boy" stuff. If I had to listen to them sell one more rifle or bit, I was going to go postal, seriously.

Photo borrowed from the Insulator Store

One lady bought a box of those glass telephone insulator things for $17.50. I know they are a dime a dozen but there was a rare purple one in that box, ya'll. The purple glass insulators I have found online range in price from $30 to $445 (for the one picture above). I didn't bid because I couldn't stand the thought of owning any more of these things... even if there was a purple one.

Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed the day. It's been awhile since Cowboy and I have gone anywhere together.

I met a weenie dog that took the liberty of visiting me under the bathroom stall...

And a very nice Border Collie sat next to me...

Her parents said that, since they moved from a ranch into town, all she wants to do is watch Animal Planet. She stares at the TV until they turn it on for her.

We ate dinner at the Powder River Stockman's Club. I ordered a cheeseburger and sweet tea and Cowboy had a beer and a Reuben sandwich...

The food was good enough but the classic country music pouring from the jukebox was absolutely sublime...

Pink magnolia fabric by Marimekko...

2010-05-07T21:15:00.004-06:00

I want to design an entire room in the Old House around this Keisarinna fabric by Marimekko.

It reminds me of this tree, one of my favorite trees in the Old House yard, which I can see out of the kitchen window... well, all of the windows on the west side of the house.

I am also quite fond of Marimekko's Lumimarja fabric.

It reminds me of these red bud trees which are all over the South. This one is in my sister's yard.

Today, I would also like to present to you Monica over at the White Bench. Check out her cute blog and say hi, ya'll.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

1849 Calder Avenue...

2010-05-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

This was the home of my great grandparents. I know the address because there are many letters still around that are addressed to Mrs. J.L. Hooks, 1849 Calder Ave., Beaumont, Texas. We still have the blueprints to this old house and they are BLUE...! The house was torn down in the 60s, I think.

Today, I will introduce you to some of the people who lived here. But first...

This is the Kirby-Hill House in Kountze, Texas. It is just down the road from the Old House. It is a nearly identical house to the one at 1849 Calder Avenue. This house is owned by the Hardin County Historical Society. You may learn more about it here.

Now I will introduce you to some of the residents of 1849 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas.

This is my great grandfather, J.L. "Sam" Hooks.

This is my great grandmother, Corrie Herring Hooks. Everyone called her "Mama Hooks." I believe she founded the Audubon Society in Beaumont, Texas.

This is my grandfather, Rufus Herring Hooks, Sr. He was born in 1898 and grew up at 1849 Calder Avenue.

Even in his old age, he often spoke of his beloved dogs, Rock and Rye, pictured here with him.

He attended the military academy in Gulfport, Mississippi.

He was a successful in oil-exploration in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana.

Here is my grandfather with his sisters Verna and Olga.

When Aunt Verna grew up, she married an oil tycoon.

Aunt Olga liked beer and the beach and wildlife and lived way back in the woods at the place she was born, until the day she died.

This is my great grandmother's brother, Uncle Rufe Herring. My grandfather was named after him. Ain't he perty?

I hope you have enjoyed meeting the former residents of 1849 Calder Avenue, Beaumont, Texas.

Glass-backed kitchen cabinets...

2010-05-06T04:02:00.000-06:00

I have seen glass-backed kitchen cabinets in front of windows a few times over the years and I really like them so I thought I'd share.

Don't you just love how the light shines through?

I think this is a great idea for a kitchen with lots of windows but short on storage... Although, I don't think I'd ever block the view over a sink as shown here.

Photo borrowed from Better Homes & Gardens

My favorite sunset photo...

2010-05-05T06:17:00.003-06:00

I took this photo in the pasture behind our house a few years ago. Isn't it glorious?

Happy Rednesday!

Linking to Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World

Aren't they fabulous...

2010-05-04T03:40:00.004-06:00

Today, I am sharing one of my favorite photos with you.

I'll bet they are in France... or California...

I would love to give credit but I can't remember where I got it.

Linking to White Wednesday

A mini-moose for Monday...

2010-05-03T04:00:00.000-06:00

I photographed this young moose a few years ago in the Big Horn Mountains.

Check out his little nubbies...

Have a great Monday!

Cobalt-blue painted floors...

2010-05-02T04:48:00.001-06:00

These cobalt-blue painted floors are my favorite idea from the May 2010 Coastal Living.

I never would have imagined that this bright color would look so good but I think they're fantastic.

I'm getting so many great ideas for the Old House, I wish it had more rooms.

Photo borrowed from Coastal Living

Sometimes I wish I were a crenoline...

2010-04-30T21:01:00.009-06:00

One of my favorite searches* on eBay is for vintage party dresses.

I could spend hours looking at these gorgeous works of art and their ladylike splendor... and sometimes I do. Aren't they just the dreamiest? I imagine them on dress-forms all over my house.

Here are a few eBay sellers who always seem to have wonderful selections of fabulous vintage party dresses.

Jen at Calendar Girl...

You may also visit Jen's Calendar Girl page on Facebook here.

Gina at Mill Street Vintage...

Vintage Studio...

Happy Pink Saturday!

Linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

**Search: dress (40s, 50s, vintage) (party, prom, wedding) (tulle, taffeta, lace)

A Texas Longhorn in Wyoming...

2010-04-30T04:44:00.005-06:00

Cowboy fell in love with this little Texas Longhorn calf at an auction last summer.

So, he bought him and his mom and brought them home.

I call him "Punch" because it looks like he's been drinking Koolaid.

Not only is he cute, he's got the funniest personality.

His antics were hysterical when he lived in the corral. He would sneak under the fence to terrorize the horses.

He's a big boy now and lives with the other yearling calves.

Linking to

White Wednesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Rednesday

Come on, ya'll... VISUALIZE...!!!

2010-04-29T03:18:00.000-06:00

This is the Old House kitchen now...

This is the Old House kitchen in 6 months...

Photo borrowed from Ticking and Toile

Just close your eyes and picture it. Together, maybe we can think it into existence.

Perfect for the Old House porch...

2010-04-28T03:42:00.001-06:00

Ya'll know I hate to run a blog post in the ground but I still can't get this red furniture out of my head. Can you believe I go to Kmart every now and then just to sit in them?

So, please forgive the duplicate post but I'm obsessed and I just can't help myself.

Sooooo.... I was in Kmart last week buying a 12-pack of diet Coke when I spotted this adorable, red bistro set. Yes, I actually gasped! I have fought off the urge to go back and get the chairs every day since. Then there's the matching bench...

Wouldn't this look so cute on the Old House porch? Unfortunately, I don't have room for them in Wyoming. Should I really consider buying them for a vacant house?

In case you don't have a Kmart, they are also available at Sears.

Linking to Rednesday

I discovered this artist at the mall...

2010-04-27T04:00:00.000-06:00

When I was at the mall last weekend (YES! I drove 2:45 to the mall), I spotted this print by artist Jerry Gadamus.

I'm crazy about it because expressions are so realistic. This is exactly how calves look out in the pasture. We have about 200 new calves running around right now so I don't know why I want to bring them in and hang them on the wall too.

Every year, I get so excited when the first Hereford calf is born.

Jerry Gadamus also has lovely wildlife prints, and they are lovely, but I'm not really "into" those.

You can buy these at www.freespiritart.com.

Heirloom jewelry in a refinished shadow box...

2010-04-26T04:03:00.002-06:00

I don't remember where I got this old shadow box. It may have belonged to a long-lost family member in Texas. But I may have found it in the basement of an old house I bought in Virginia. Then again, it could have been purchased from a thrift store. I honestly cannot remember.

POST UPDATE: My brother says this definitely came from the Old House. He thinks my grandfather made it.

Anyway...

I do remember that it was in sad shape when I got it. So, I refinished the wood and lined the inside with black velvet.

Most of the pieces in the box came from either my grandmother's or great aunt's jewelry boxes. Two of the rings were Grandmother's first wedding set. I wore them until one broke.

There is a charm bracelet I received for Christmas as a child. It's real gold and Grandmother wound up hiding it from me. The horse bracelet came from an old boyfriend.

The combs were Aunt Necel's. She wore combs in her hair every day... such a little lady.

The pink brooch was Grandmother's and I got the orange bird charm from a girlfriend at a birthday party when I was a little girl.

The long, dangling earrings were thrift-store finds. And, yes, I used to wear them in the 80s. The cowboy angel charm is James Avery and was a going-away-present from my co-workers when I moved away from Texas in 1992.

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of my shadow box.

Linking to Make it for Monday
Metamorphasis Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Make Your Monday

Saturday Nite Special

Transformation Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Fabulous necklaces and one of my favorite quotes of all time...

2010-04-25T04:46:00.003-06:00

The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize. - Clairee Belcher in Steel Magnolias

I went to a wedding yesterday. (Hard to believe, I know, but I actually went somewhere besides work). I wore my flashy new necklace. I felt so fancy.

I'm just hog-wild over the MixIt necklaces from JCPenney.

They are already affordable but right now most of them are on sale for up to 50% off.

These are all in the $11.99 - $16.99 range.

This one nearly came home with me.
Next time you're in Penney's, be sure to check them out.

Or better yet, go online and buy yourself some right now. There's free shipping, ya'll.

I'm moving...

2010-04-23T20:02:00.003-06:00

...into this house...

No, just kidding. But isn't it cute? Minnie is a lucky girl.

Today I would like to present Tracy from Honeysuckle and Hissy Fits. (Isn't that just the best blog name ever?) Ya'll stop by and say hi.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Farewell to Fur Friends Friday...

2010-04-23T04:29:00.001-06:00

Hey, ya'll... I've been hosting the Fur Friends Friday party for awhile now and, although I think it's a fun idea, I just don't have enough followers to have enough participation. So, I'm back-burnering FFF until I have more readers.

As a farewell to FFF, here's one of my favorite photos of our Border Collie, Pete. He's 100% ranch dog and I think he was just about the cutest puppy, ever.

These glass beverage dispensers are crazy good...

2010-04-22T04:32:00.001-06:00

Ya'll know I don't cook but I've been pondering opening my own cafe just so I can buy all of these glass beverage dispensers. I just cannot decide which one I like best. (But I know which one goes best in the Old House. What do you think?)

They seem to be popping up everywhere in a wide range of styles and prices. Here are a few of my favorites.

Crate & Barrel - $49.95

cookware.com - $39.99

infusionjars.com - $64.95

infusionjars.com - $47

infusionjars.com - $41

Touch of Class - $119

Pottery Barn - $59 - $79

organize.com - $179.99

Home Wet Bar - $45.99

DY Home Decor - $87.99

Brylane Home - $69.99

Amazon - $39.99

After 5 - $39.99

So, which one of these darlings do you like best?

The Old House in Texas

I know it's not Christmas but just look what I happened upon...

A perfect pop of pink...

I must have one of these pink velvet thingies...

Perfectly pristine pantry...

Perfect pink...

Sweet dreams...

Sleeping in a fairy tale...

How to paint vinyl floors has been inspirational to many...

How to paint vinyl floors; POST UPDATE:

Red and white is dynamite...

Creative idea for an old birdcage...

Fabulous overload...

I want this couch...

Favorite photos of my grandparents...

Visualizing...

Fabulous...

Best buds...

Love, love, love these mercury-glass pendants...

We call this cow...

Wow factor...

Cool fog this morning...

Hurts so good...

I love a bargain...

Trailer-park chic...

Funky-chunky-gypsy-cowgirl-junktastic belt buckles...

New Orleans Lemon Doberge Cake

I made this belt buckle...

Fresh flowers make me so happy...

Yellow and gray - one of my favorite color combinations...

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...

Real men (cowboys) wear (hot) pink...

Oh, honey, that is a fabulous outfit...

A pink painted floor...

Raspberry lemonade...

Red, white and blue and pink...

Ingredients

Preparation

I have a big, ole' brown thumb...

A long time coming and well worth the wait...

Gentle giant...

New Orleans Doberge Cake from "Let's Bake with Beulah Ledner"

Doberge Cake

By Judy Walker, The Times-Picayune

February 25, 2009, 4:55AM

Oh, to be this fabulous again...

Adoring designer Betsey Johnson...

Sterling-silver pine-cone necklace...

Dish towels to die for from To Dry For...

If I were going to get a tattoo...

A Century at the Little Creamery in Brenham, Texas, 1907–2007

If I were on a tropical island, I'd wear this today...

Fathers from my family tree...

The Plaza Athenee gets Barbiefied...

Hot, spicy and one of the most delicious recipes ever...

Directions

Cook Time: 45 min

Level: Easy (I would beg to differ. There are A LOT of veggies to chop)

Yield: 6 to 8 as a main course, or 10 to 12 as part of a buffet

Times:

Back-to-nature living...

Where bluebonnets and limestone grow like cotton...

If I ever got married again...

Yellow and green shopping spree...

Eloise gets her own store inside the Plaza Hotel...

More photos from the Old House...

Village Creek...

Birdhouse brings back fond memories...

Old House charm...

Has potential, needs prayer...

Hydrangeas at the Old House in Texas...

Close your eyes and visualize...

Come on, ya'll... time to visualize again...

Red dirt road...

I have five beds and two bedrooms...

Happy Memorial Day...

If I had a spare $600 lying around...

A birthday and a milestone...

And, we have more flowers...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...